Three Kingdoms
Episode 54
Is the carriage ready?
Madam, it is waiting outside.
If he is pleasing to you, play this flute.
It was left behind by your father.
After he fell in battle...
All of the Southland fell into the hands of others.
And almost all of our family possessions were lost.
Only this trifle was left.
Your late elder brother retained it,
as he fought his way south across the river.
He bore many a wound before he wrested back our ancestral land.
But soon after that...
He left us.
Every time I turn towards our homeland and play this flute...
I can see your father...
And I can see your late brother.
Sweet Dream Temple
Hurry! Hurry!
My lord, having crow droppings before you is, I fear, not an auspicious sign.
I think it'd be better if you didn't go.
Can mere crow droppings;deter me?
Zilong, bring only my personal guards.
Leave everyone else behind*
Lets go.
Mount your horses.
Mount horses! Mount your horses.
Sun Quan pays his respects to the Imperial Uncle.
Liu Bei pays his respects to the Marquis of Wu.
Imperial Uncle, after you.
Imperial Uncle, please.
Liu Bei of Zhuojun pays his respects to the State Mother.
noble bearing and kingly features.
Zhang Zhao told me that you are of
Today, I see that it's true.
Madam, you flatter me. It's more than I deserve.
Please take a seat.
After you. Madam.
You may all be seated.
Thank you. Madam.
Milady, that man is Liu Bei.
What do you think?
Bring the wine.
Come, Liu Bei. Cheers.
Cheers, Madam.
Cheers, Lord Wu.
Lord Wu, you have invited my lord here to meet his prospective in-laws.
Why, then, are there armed men in the corridor?
There are armed men in the corridor?
My ears can hear the flight of an arrow from a hundred yards away.
Would I not be able to hear the sound of swords unsheathed ten paces away?
Zilong. The State Mother is here. How dare you draw your sword?
Leave us.
Madam.
I shall place my life before you.
If you wish to kill me,
Why do you speak thus, Imperial Uncle?
Were those armed men in the corridor not here for me?
You are a lord of the realm. Is this the way you would treat a guest?
Mother, pray do not be angry. I truly did not know about this.
After investigating this thoroughly, I shall not spare those responsible.
Jia Hua!
Here!
Who was it that told you to do this?
Uh...
My lord.
It was I.
Lu Meng. That was quite brazen of you.
Leave us.
My lord.
Liu Bei is perfidious!
He stole Jing from us and killed our men!
Today...
I shall avenge our men who fell in the Battle of Nanjun!
Insolence!
He's gone mad.
Men, take him. Off with his head!
Aye!
My lord!
Lord Wu, please wait!
Lord Wu, today is a joyous occasion.
Killing an officer would bring bad luck.
Ziming's grudge is not only his own.
It is likely that all of the Southland feels the same.
He has good reason.
It is true that I was less than honest in the taking of Jing Province.
However, I did so not out of choice.
In me flows the blood of the Supreme Ancestor.
Vanquishing the powerful Cao Cao and restoring the Han
is my undisputed obligation.
Yet I had no capital.
All I could do was act shamelessly
and borrow Jing from the Southland.
To be honest...
When I led my pitifully small contingent of troops into Jing,
I was full of remorse. I was rebuking myself.
I had been honest and upright all my life.
I had always preferred to inconvenience myself rather than others.
How could I occupy this piece of land, which my friends desired and spilled blood over?
Yet when I think of the north...
of His Majesty suffering shame and torment...
I must steel my heart.
Even if all of the Southland denounces me,
I must borrow Jing,
as it lies closest to the Central Plains.
Every night I dream of rallying my men
and marching from Jing towards Xudu to rescue the emperor from his misery.
Today, I call on Heaven to be witness to my sincerity.
Neither do the lands under Heaven belong to me,
nor do they deserve to belong to Cao Cao.
They belong only to the Han Dynasty.
If, by chance, I am successful,
I shall leave the military life
and retire to the country, never taking office again.
What great aspirations!
Madam...
I am forty-eight years old this year.
I do not have many years left to fight.
I believe each and every one of you here is loyal to the Han.
Therefore, here I shall implore all of you...
implore all of you to help me.
Milady, look. That man doesn't look forty-eight at all.
Of course...
if you do not believe me to be speaking the truth...
then Ziming may slash me with this sword...
My lord.
so that my blood may run dry as an apology to all the great men of the Southland.
Mother.
Lu Meng.
Dismissed.
Imperial Uncle, please arise.
Take your seat.
Give me my sword.
If I can return to Jing Province and accomplish my royal aspirations
may I be able to slice this rock in half with one blow.
But if I cannot ever return to Jing
may the rock not yield at my sword.
Xuande; why do you hate this rock so much?
Lord Wu. I am nearing my fiftieth year,
and yet have been unable to rid the realm of a scourge.
I have often berated myself for that.
And now the State Mother is gracious enough to make me/her son-in-law, and create this happy union.
So I asked Heaven for a sign.
I prayed, If I will be able to destroy Cao and revive the Han,
let my sword cleave this rock in one blow.
It looks like Heaven has granted you your wish.
Very well.
Let me ask Heaven for a sign as well.
If the villain Cao Cao may be vanquished, may I cleave the rock as well.
My sword.
If I can retake Jing Province and fulfill my imperial destiny
may I be able to cut this rock in half.
The villain will be destroyed and the Han shall rise again,
Our noble aspirations will come to fruition.
Congratulations, Imperial Uncle!
Madam, please have a cup.
Of course.
Son, how many cups have you had today?
I can't recall. At least forty or fifty.
Forty or fifty? That's not enough.
You need at least a hundred,
to signify a hundred years of marital bliss!
A hundred years of marital bliss! How auspicious!
Hurry and drink. Imperial Uncle!
Fine, then. The State Mother's wish is my command.
I shall have a hundred cups!
Good! Good!
Have another one!
Good!
Cheers.
I'll be fine. How could so little wine affect me?
Imperial Uncle, here is the inner courtyard. Please go ahead.
This is a nuptial chamber?
It looks more like a barracks.
My lady has long enjoyed martial arts, so her nuptial chamber is a bit different.
Ah.
Careful, Imperial Uncle!
Master. My lady has always been fond of swordplay.
There are two swords here.
One is good, and one is not.
Please, Master, pick one at your will.
What's the use of a sword on a wedding night?
Master, you must use the sword to take the veil off your bride
if you wish to consummate the marriage.
What if I can't take it off?
Then please leave and avoid further embarrassment.
As you wish.
Please.
My lady, if something is wrong. please speak. There is no need to fight.
I have no other talent to speak of.
but in terms of swordplay, I am second to none.
Do not force me to be merciless.
Why is this sword of such poor quality?
This is Heaven's will. Leave now.
Don't come any closer! Or I will show you no mercy!
Over the last twenty years...
I've been wounded uncountable times.
But this time alone I am happy.
As Heaven has granted me such a marriage,
I would rather die than let destiny down.
Look at your sweat.
It is washing the color from your eyebrows.
Why are you still here?
Leave now.
Little would I have thought that, at half a century old,
I would be wed to such a fairy as my wife.
I can now die content.
Don't call me your wife.
Could it be that you don't like me...
And are unwilling to be wed to me?
I am not willing.
the screen and agree to the marriage?
Then why did you play the flute from behind
It was for the sake of what my father and elder brother built.
For the sake of peace in our land.
Thank you for being honest with me.
Then I shall be equally honest with you.
Firstly...
As soon as I set eyes on you.
I fell deeply in love with you.
Secondly...
if I, Liu Bei, cannot make myself be truly loved by you,
then I would be undeserving of being master of Jing Province,
and undeserving of being called a man.
Furthermore, I wouldn't deserve to be your husband.
Therefore, from now on, we will treat each other with propriety and courtesy.
Before you fall in love with me,
I would not even do as much as to touch a fingertip of yours.
Mother.
Where's Xuande?
He went riding at dawn.
That Xuande! It's been just one day and he's already leaving you alone.
Mother, don't say that about him.
That's just the way he is.
Oh? You've only been married a day and you're already defending your husband.
Look at you.
You've become a different person overnight.
Mother, do you like me how I am now, or the way I was before?
Of course you're better the way you are now.
You're a lady. You ought to act like a one.
Playing with swords and staves all day is no way to behave.
Madam, the Grand Commander desires an audience.
What does he want?
Congratulations, Madam.
Sit down.
What is it, Gongjin? Do you no longer oppose this marriage?
Since the lady herself chose Liu Bei/
it is the will of Heaven.
Man should not oppose it.
It's good that you see it that way.
My mind can finally be at ease.
As the saying goes,
A daughter married off is water spilt.
May I ask when they will return to Jing?
Liu Bei said that they will set sail in ten days.
Madam, can you really bear to have the lady leave you?
Liu Bei is a great hero who has high aspirations.
north with his army. Once they leave,
After he returns to Jing, he is sure to strike
who knows when mother and daughter will meet again?
It's true.
been on a long journey in her life.
This daughter of mine has never
Xiaomei is General Bofu's sister, so she is my sister, too.
Even if you can bear to let her go,
I can't bring myself to see her leave.
In my opinion, the couple should stay a bit longer to keep you company.
Madam, if it is inconvenient for you to tell them, allow me to speak to Lord Sun.
Very well, then. I'll take your advice.
Have them stay a bit longer.
Good.
Does the wound still hurt?
I've fought on the field for twenty years. That little wound is nothing.
Your hand is so pretty. It's like a lotus flower.
What is it?
Am I not allowed to look at the hand of my own wife?
Zhou Yu just met with Mother.
He came?
He asked my mother to keep you in Jiankang a bit longer.
And what did the State Mother say?
She agreed.
She can't bear to let you go.
Even I can tell!
This is clearly Zhou Yu's ploy.
He wants to keep you confined to the Southland
and prevent you from returning to Jing.
And Mother, really...
Wise all her life, but silly for a moment!
How could she have believed him?
No matter what Zhou Yu's intentions are,
I am grateful to him.
Restoring the Han is my goal in life.
After returning to Jing,
you will have to follow me on my campaigns.
Who knows when you will be able to see your mother again?
I really ought to let you and her be together longer.
It sounds like you plan to stay, my lord.
My lord, delay could be trouble.
Zhou Yu's desire to seize Jing has not abated.
The longer you stay, the greater the danger.
Do you think I truly want to stay here?
I have to be able to leave first.
What do you mean, my lord?
Zhou Yu is the last man in the world to admit defeat.
Since we came to the Southland,
he's lost with every step we've taken.
Do you think he would be willing to lose until the very end?
He will certainly not let us return to Jing.
He is using the State Mother to keep us here
so the Southland can maintain its dignity.
If we insist on leaving,
I fear he will cease to care about dignity.
Zhou Yu is capable of such a thing.
In the Southland...
faction that differs from Zhou Yu's beliefs.
the State Mother and Marquis Wu are in a
They neither wish to fall out with us, nor strain relations with Zhou Yu.
But if Zhou Yu is to mean business.
and they are forced to choose,
do you think they would be on our side, or would they be on Zhou Yu's?
I think they will most likely side with Zhou Yu,
since he is one of their own, after all.
You are right, my lord.
But we cant just stay here forever, can we?
Every day we stay here,
the Director General has another day to put Jing in order,
and Zhou Yu becomes more careless.
Sooner or later, we will find an opportunity to go home.
And if, by then, our base in,Jing Province is consolidated,
we will no longer have to fear Zhou Yu harassing us.
Grand Commander.
That things have gone this far is all my fault.
I have failed you despite your mentoring.
Don't blame yourself so much.
Man plans, but Heaven ordains.
Then what should our next step be?
Since ruse has become reality...
We'll just have to continue with the show.
Please speak plainly, Grand Commander.
Keep Liu Bei confined here.
Put him in a luxurious mansion and make him lose his will.
Give him treasures and beautiful women to confound his senses.
In short, attend to him carefully.
In time, he will only remember himself as a son-in-law of the Southland,
and forget about Jing.
When his men see that he's not returning, chaos will ensue.
And then we will find an opportunity to strike.
Grand Commander, Liu Bei has always had high ambitions.
I fear mere trinkets and beauties cannot rob him of his will.
He is called the Imperial Uncle,
but his beginnings were humble.
He has drifted from place to place.
suffering much destitution and misery.
He has never been able to enjoy worldly pleasures.
If he were to experience them now,
he would be like a man who, after starving for a few days,
has a banquet set before him.
Who can tell how big his appetite could be?
You are right, Grand Commander.
As the State Mother ordered, Lord Sun allocated the Eastern Residence to Liu Bei.
Have it renovated, and plant flowers and shrubs all around.
All utensils and household items must be of the highest quality.
Also, give him more dancers,
and gather more precious jewels and silks for him.
Money is no object.
Let Liu Bei enjoy a life that would make even the gods envious.
I understand.
Imperial Uncle.
Eastern Residence
This was once Lord Sun Ce's residence.
The State Mother has granted it to the Imperial Uncle and his spouse.
Goodness! How could I dare to accept this?
She stated that if the Imperial Uncle resides here,
it would bring fortune to this land.
Moreover, aside from you, Imperial Uncle, who else deserves to live here?
Pray do not decline.
Then I will have to thank the State Mother for her kindness. I respectfully accept.
This way, please!
My lord, what is that?
This is coral from the Southern Seas.
Such a large branch of coral is a rarity in the world.
And that?
It is jade from the Western Regions,
A piece of jade can be that big?
Yes. It would fetch at least some tens of thousands infold.
My lord, I have heard it said that the Marquis of Wu always lived frugally.
His officers of all ranks are also known to be thrifty.
Everything they've saved up, they spend on the military.
Why would they be so generous to us?
Could they have some ulterior motive?
They are just being generous.
How could you use your own mean measures to judge the hearts of gentlemen?
Mylord, thank you for your reprimand. I understand.
My lord, the Marquis sent us a whole cart of cash.
and said it is our allowance for the month.
It is forty thousand cash!
Forty thousand?
That much?
This is the Marquis' generosity. It would be impolite to refuse. Accept it.
Yes, I will bring it in.
My dear husband.
You aren't going out to ride today?
It's bright out already?
I had a few cups too many yesterday.
Maybe I'll pass.