Episode 17
Your Majesty.
How is our harvest this year?
Not bad.
Yes, not bad.
Why was I told that we had insufficient provisions...
...and ordered to bring the troop back?
Commandant Li, please explain. -This...
It has nothing to do with Commandant Li. I miss you...
...and feel like speaking to you. That's why I summon you back.
What do you want to tell me, Your Majesty?
You've been working hard for years and your health is deteriorating.
I feel bad about it. Why don't...
...you leave the military affairs to Commandant Li instead?
That way, you can focus on recuperation.
The late Emperor treated me well.
I've tried all my life to repay him.
Over the past ten years, I've spent every waking moment...
...working on ways to attack Wei.
I've been doing that out of loyalty...
...and a wish to restore the Han dynasty and unify the kingdoms.
I will never stop as long as I'm still alive.
Despite that, Your Majesty, you think that...
...I'm doing it to gain military power.
No!
Chancellor, you misunderstood. I only want...
...you to get more rest. That's all I mean.
I'm sorry, please forgive me, Chancellor.
It's not your fault, Your Majesty.
You are being fooled by unscrupulous ministers.
Your Majesty, please tell me, whose suggestion is it?
None.
It's Gou An. Chancellor, you can do whatever you want with him.
Gou An?
Gou An is just an official in charge of delivering provision.
He has no way of interfering in military affairs. Get someone in.
Chancellor, what do you intend to do?
Commandant Li, I was out for war...
...and entrusted the country to you.
Instead of guiding the Emperor...
...you offered women to him and delayed in delivering provisions.
You neglected your duty to the country over personal interests.
You've let the late Emperor down.
Chancellor, it's a misunderstanding!
Your Majesty, the late Emperor told you...
...to listen to the good ministers and stay away from the weasels.
If you don't get rid of the crooks...
...then we'll never get to restore the Han dynasty.
Chancellor, why are you doing this?
All of you are good ministers. What crook are you talking about?
Fine, then please allow me...
...to join the late Emperor.
Chancellor, please rise! I'm sorry!
I'll listen to you and follow your every word!
Chancellor.
Jiang Wan.
You've failed to guide the Emperor. You'll be demoted.
Yes, I accept that.
Li Yan, you misled the Emperor...
...and almost jeopardised our country.
You shall be stripped of all your positions and titles.
Zhuge Liang, this is ridiculous! You're trying to usurp power!
I'm a regent like you.
How can you do this to me?
If you're not a regent...
...you would've been sentenced to death. Take him away.
Take him away! -You're abusing your power!
Zhuge Liang, both of us were appointed by the late Emperor!
You've let the late Emperor down!
There're proper candidates for royal concubines.
Your Majesty, please send Lady Li away.
Chancellor! All she did was accompanying me to write and draw.
She's innocent. Please allow her to stay.
Your Majesty, I'm not being unreasonable.
It's turbulent times for Han now.
You're the key to the survival of the country.
Your Majesty, please steer clear of the crooks.
Chancellor!
Chancellor.
Greetings, Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor.
Please rise. -Thank you, Your Majesty.
It's been tough for you.
I was busy with the funeral for General Zhang He.
Hence, I didn't get to meet you when you returned in triumph.
Will you blame me for that?
Not at all, Your Majesty.
We've lost men in the battle. It's not considered a triumph at all.
It's my fault that General Zhang died.
Please punish me, Your Majesty.
Please rise.
Zhuge Liang is too cunning.
I don't blame you.
You made Zhuge Liang fought for nothing.
That's considered a victory.
I'll drink a toast to Sir Sima, the pillar of our country.
Yes.
Chief Commander, here.
Sir Sima. -Your Majesty.
Why don't you drink it?
I'd been riding throughout the journey.
I'd held the reins too long and can barely move my hand now.
Sir Sima, look.
I initially prepared...
...a feast for you today.
Since you're tired, just go home and get some rest.
Thank you, Your Majesty. I shall make a move first.
Sir Sima.
Yes, Your Majesty.
Take care of yourself.
Yes, Your Majesty.
He felt uneasy about drinking the wine.
He should know that...
...his survival lies in your hands.
Father.
Father, what's wrong?
Father. -Father, are you all right?
What did you have in the palace? -Are you feeling unwell?
Father, did you drink a lot?
Father.
Just now the Emperor wanted me to drink with him.
I drank the wine, but he didn't.
Is it poisonous? There're all sons of poisons in the palace...
...namely arsenic, Poison Hemlock and Qianjiyao.
Nonsense. Those poisons kill one within seven steps.
What if it's a slow killer? Father, I'll get it out for you.
Father.
I can't get it out.
When your mother tried to poison me, I couldn't get it out either.
Now...
I seem to be fine for now.
Why didn't the Emperor drink?
Father, don't worry. The Emperor would never poison you.
How would you know? -I think...
...the Emperor does blame you for Zhang He's death...
...but he will not kill you.
Without Li Yan, Zhuge Liang...
...is more determined to attack us. He'll surely return.
Zhang He is gone, no one else can replace you.
The Emperor needs you to protect the country against Zhuge Liang.
Why would he kill you now?
What if the Emperor thinks father killed Zhang He?
Shut up.
Shi'er is honest. He's right.
I'm fine.
Everything is fine.
He's trying to intimidate me. -Father, you scared me.
I was in a panic just now.
I'm all right.
Let's go home and eat.
Father, do you still want to eat?
I haven't eaten anything. I only drank a cup of cold wine.
Father, why would mother try to poison you? When was that?
Stop asking.
She did it when father married Lady Bai.
Shi'er, is it true the poisons can kill one within seven steps?
That's according to the books I read.
Qingxiao.
I don't want to carry out the North Expedition at all.
I don't care about restoring Han dynasty.
All I want is to live in peace.
Why can't I even do that?
Qingxiao.
Why is it so difficult?
Emperor Zhaolie, was I wrong?
It's been 10 years and I've waged five wars...
"exhausting all we have in Yizhou.
Many soldiers had lost their lives.
Many women are missing their families who're at war.
Emperor Zhaolie, when I joined you in the war back then...
...I was hoping to unify the kingdoms and create peace.
How did things end up so wrong?
Han has lost its capital.
If we don't reclaim Chang'an, we'll end up being ruled by Wei.
I've been working so hard...
...every single day.
Emperor Zhaolie, please tell me...
...what's right and what's wrong?
I've been compensating our soldiers for three years.
We have all the provision and equipment we need.
I'll exhaust all means this time to restore the Han dynasty.
I'll devote all my life to the cause.
Chancellor.
Chancellor, I'll present you with Ju Chang wine as a farewell gift.
Chancellor!
Chancellor, take care.
Chancellor, I'll wait for your return.
Chancellor.
Chancellor!
Chancellor.
I'll wait for your safe return!
Your Majesty, I've found a great beauty for you.
How dare you! I'm seeing the Chancellor off!
Chancellor, please take care.
Can she dance?
She dances beautifully.
Can she sing?
She sings exceptionally well.
Chancellor.
100,000 men. This is the sixth time!
When is this old fool going to stop?
Your Majesty, who do you wish to assign this time?
The old ones have too much power...
...while the young ones are not capable enough.
Why don't you send the young ones to control the old ones?
They're not smart enough.
Your Majesty, I can tell them how to do it.
Grand Internal Officer.
General, you have...
...such great and beautiful dancers.
You have great taste.
How lucky you are.
I have nothing important to do these days.
That's all I can do to entertain myself.
You might be able to hide your ambition from others...
...but not from me.
General.
The enemies are right at our doorstep now.
Do you mean Zhuge Hang or...
We have enemies both in and out.
The Emperor keeps me here...
...and hands the army to that old man.
Of course I'm not happy about it.
General, Sima Yi lost the battle to Zhuge Liang back then.
His reputation was marred.
This should be a great opportunity for you.
If I volunteer to go, will the Emperor approve it?
You might get the shod end of the stick if you go now.
Why don't we let...
...Sima Yi go first and bear the brunt of the war?
The Emperor will set a time limit for him to win the war.
By then, both sides will be worn out.
Wait until he exceeds the time limit. Then you can replace him.
General, I wish you all the best in your endeavours.
Thank you, Grand Internal Officer.
Zhuge Liang has been training his men for the last three years.
He's waged another war and intruded our territory again.
Is there anyone who wants to fight him this time?
Your Majesty.
As the Chief Commander of Yongliang army...
...Sir Sima should go.
He lost his man at the Mumen Trail.
He should not lead the army this time.
I recommend Sir Sima, too.
Sir Sima and Zhuge Liang are rivals.
They know a lot about each other. Speaking of strategies...
...no one beats Sir Sima.
Your Majesty, Zhuge Liang has been fighting us for so long.
He's exhausted all resources and is at the end of his tether.
Guam Xmg, Guam Yu' s son, passed away recenfly.
In my opinion, he'll soon meet his end...
...in this war.
If Chief Commander Sima leads the army, he'll surely win the war.
If it's that easy...
...why would we even need to send Chief Commander Sima?
Who's the one who's defeated by Zhuge Liang back then?
You're so rude! -No, you are!
Who's being rude now?
Sorry for being rude. Please forgive us, Your Majesty.
You may rise.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
Sir Sima, are you willing to go?
I'm willing to do it for the country.
Your Majesty, I heard Zhuge Liang has been growing food.
He has plenty of forage.
So we should make it quick and defeat them as soon as possible.
He's right. Your Majesty, please set a time limit.
This summer, we shall drink Zhu Yu wine together, Sir Sima.
I'll not let you down, Your Majesty.
Are you feeling troubled?
Here.
Eat something.
What is Zhuge Liang after actually?
It's been only three years and he's waging another war.
He made a promise to Liu Bei...
...and he would never let go of that promise.
Doesn't he have family?
He should think for his family.
You won't understand.
See, you're so impatient. Enlighten me, please.
All right. I'll tell you about it.
His wife's name is 'chou' (ugly). She's ugly.
That's why he doesn't like staying at home, understand?
Then it's his Emperor's fault.
His Emperor should learn from our Emperor Wen...
...and present him with a beauty...
...just like the one the late Emperor presented to you.
Stop the nonsense. -Did I say anything wrong?
Are you feeling troubled, too?
Why didn't you eat, too?
Grandpa and grandma. -Ling'er.
Grandpa, please play with me.
I have things to do. I am about to leave home.
Grandpa, where are you going? I want to follow you.
I'm going to Chang'an, but you can't follow me now.
Chang'an is dangerous now. When it's safe...
...ask your parents to bring you there.
There're lots of good food and nice clothes.
You can then fly a kite on the plains...
...in Chang'an. Would you like that?
Yes, but I would want you to join us, too.
I'll show you the way, all right? -All right.
Father and mother.
Mother, grandpa said he'll fly a kite with us at Chang'an.
Really? -Hui'er.
Shi'er will join me for the war this time.
Please help him to pack. - Yes, I'll make a move first.
Follow me. We'll help father to pack.
Since this is the case...
...all three of us will be waiting for our husbands at home.
Ling'er, don't simply go to...
...grandpa's room when I'm not around, all right?
All right.
Good girl.
What games do you want to play? -Uncle!
Ling'er.
Good girl.
Ling'er, don't bother your uncle. He's tired. Get down now.
Here.
Sister-in-law.
Zhao'er, father said he's going to a war in Chang'an.
Yes, I'm going, too.
Don't worry, I'll take good care of father and brother.
Take good care of yourself, too.
Ling'er, let's go.
Ling'er.
I'll get something tasty for you.
Thank you, uncle.
Let's go.
Mother, what will uncle get me?
The Emperor wants us to win the war by Double Ninth Festival.
Father, is this true?
It's good enough that the Emperor...
...is giving us three months to do it.
We have only three months. There's not much time.
The Emperor is setting you up to fail.
You shouldn't have accepted it.
Do I have a choice?
If I turned it down, I would be dead by now.
How can the Emperor do this to you after what you've done for him?
Did he forget how you'd defended the country against Zhuge Liang?
Zhao'er.
It's a subordinate's duty to...
...protect the country against its enemy.
You're all grown up now. You shouldn't talk like this.
It's our duty to risk our lives for the country...
...but the Emperor shouldn't send anyone who's helped him to death.
Come here.
We need to talk.
For the coming war...
...why don't you stay here instead?
No! Father, I've finally come to understand that...
...we're surrounded by enemies everywhere we go.
If we manage to defeat Zhuge Liang this time...
...we'll gain power and influence.
No one will dare to mess with us again.
Where are you going? -I'll get ready and join you.
With so little time, we may have to go 600km in eight days again.
Chancellor Zhuge, I'm writing to you again.