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The Plough Department Of Song Dynasty
Episode 15
Majesty, what is the matter of calling us today?
Things are like these.
My throne was inherited from my father,
and my fathers' was from my uncle.
My father once said when ascending the throne
that he would return power to my uncle's children
after his death.
But due to kinds of reasons,
he let me succeed to the throne.
During these years,
My health has gone worse and worse
with slowness in physical and mental,
While the prince is too young
to govern independently.
So
I wanna abdicate the crown to my brother.
What are your opinions?
Your majesty!
You can't do that!
Can't do that!
Your majesty!
It can't be like this
Your majesty!
It can't be!
Too ridiculous!
Your majesty! How can you think like that?
I sincerely hope your majesty can take back this order as soon as possible!
I dare not to receive it!
Majesty you've carried on the throne for so many years.
and the country has been settled down,
so how the throne can be given to somebody else?
Okay, enough.
All sit down.
Thank you Your majesty!
Arise.
Thank you Your majesty!
Today I'm calling you
for discussing this matter,
not for an immediate edict,
which should be proclaimed throughout the country.
In my opinion,
Prince Xian is a more sagacious leader
than me.
Why can't I let him ascend the throne?
Your majesty!
Though Prince Xian is a sagacious leader,
it doesn't matter with Prince Xian's wisdom.
It is because the country has already been settled,
and the public support you your Majesty.
What I fear is,
sudden change of royal orthodoxy may lead to turmoil of our country.
Now the Lai State and Shu State look covetously at us.
Don't let anyone take advantage at the moment.
Prime Minister Kang is right!
Even for our people,
for our country,
Majesty you should get rid of such thought!
Please, your Majesty, think again.
Okay.
Forget my rash words today.
Let me
think again.
Your majesty,
It's your worry about matters on Concubine Shu in recent days,
that makes you absent-minded,
and think of abdication.
As I see there should be a decide on harem matters.
Now since Concubine Shu has recovered.
I beg your majesty to make Concubine shu be the empress
We beg your majesty to make Concubine Shu be the empress
I oppose!
We oppose that request.
Prime Minister Kang!
What do you want on earth
for being so up in arms against Concubine shu to be the empress?
If we make the words too clear,
I'm afraid his majesty would feel awkward.
You!
There is no concealing the truth
about the noble prince's background.
What are you talking about?
Your majesty,
You must know clearly about
Liu's family background,
Liu,
from disadvantaged backgrounds,
She can't be master of the heram
and empress of the country,
let alone a motherly model of the nation
Enough!
Here comes headache again!
Ministers,
Withdraw please!
Long live the king!
Somthing happend today!
Majesty called some important ministers into Chuigong Palace
for discussing the possibility of
abdicating the crown to Prince Xian.
Really?
Of course.
Sounds strange.
Why did the majesty call in his confidants
and express the will to abdicate the crown to Prince Xian all of a sudden?
He just made use of the so-called book from heaven
to prove his royal orthodoxy not long ago.
Why now...?
I've told you to keep an eye on Demiao.
Is there anything happend?
I did.
The majesty had been to Yuqing Palace to see Demiao
before the discussion.
Right!
And
he summoned the eunuch in the palace yesterday,
and asked some strange questions.
What kind of questions?
He asked the eunuch
if he heard some loud voice speaking something,
and saw blinding flash of light.
The eunuch got stunned on the spot.
Demiao
is good at illusion tricks.
Right!
Is there any possibilities that Demiao bewitched majesty to do such things
by using illusion tricks?
It's urgent affairs that
we need to make his majesty dispel his thought of abdication.
Otherwise the consequences will be disastrous
if majesty makes up his mind.
How can we stop majesty from his thought of abdication?
We can't.
But someone can.
Who?
Prince Xian.
Prince Xian?
Sagacious as Prince Xian is,
he is the person whom majesty wants to succeed to the crown.
We don't know if he's intersted in the throne.
If he were,
how could he sincerely remonstrate with his majesty?
Let's find out
what prince Xian's real intention.
How strange!
A golden egg
with dragon design.
And it's gold!
Lord!
It's a sign...
An auspicious sign!
The majesty was just said to be gonna hand over the crown,
and here appears such egg.
Definitely an auspicious sign from Heaven.
Looks like our lord is really gonna become the king.
How auspicious!
How auspicious it is!
Congratulations, your highness!
Congratulations, your highness
No,
That should be 'Congratulations, Your majesty!'
Congratulations, Your majesty!
Shut up.
What's so-called auspicious sign?
I've never coveted the throne and will never do.
This egg
is nothing but a strange egg which comes from swallow.
Look the dragon design.
It's clearly formed by chance
which has nothing to do with the sign of heaven.
Ridiculous!
Your highness!
Dongming
Your highness.
This golden egg
was just a little joke.
Please forgive me.
Dongming.
What do you mean by playing such a joke on me?
I'm intended to ask you to remonstrate with majesty.
But I didn't know your really thought.
I can only have a trial.
There's only you and four confidants
in this gardon.
so for you there is no need to fear.
If your highness have the will for the throne,
You must have showed something
when seeing the golden egg.
I understood now
that you are a good lord.
psl forgive my mistake for doing such thing.
Forget it.
Prince,
For these years
our majesty has been arousing his all efforts to make the country prosperous without big mistakes.
If the throne changes suddenly,
I'm afraid it will hurt the country,
and cause turmoil.
I knew.
For you your highness,
you are praised by the public
as a sage.
But if you
received the throne from Majesty,
I'm afraid that
you would be said as a hypocrite fishes for fame and credit,
and even a usurper who wants to take the crown.
Yep.
Gossip is a fearful thing.
So what can I do in your opinion?
I beg you to see majesty
to express your thought
that you won't take the throne.
Otherwise,
there will be more so-called auspicious sign in your palace.
Of course they are not from my trial,
but from someone else's deliberately encouragings.
Dongming,
That hit me.
Let me go and see his majesty.
I'll go see his highness right away.
It is a blessing for the state
and our people
to have such a virtuous lord.
Yang Yi,
The reason for me to call you into the palace
is that I want you to write an imperial edict for me.
I wanna
abdicate the throne to Prince Xian.
Your majesty we can't!
It's also an imperial edict to ask you to write it.
Dare you resist?
It's a wrong order, your majesty.
I... I can't take that.
You refuse it?
Fine.
I'll write it in person.
I'll be my own master this time.
Don't do that, Your majesty!
Don't be self-willed, your majesty.
Brother.
Why do you come?
Greetings. Your majesty.
We are brothers.
We don't need any formality between us.
I dare not.
Excuse me.
You're gonna abandon the land
given by our ancestors.
So if we still call each other brother,
I'll be ashamed in front of our ancestors
when we meet them in nether world
Brother
Don't be angry.
I doesn't mean to embarrass you at all.
It's just my limited ability
that makes me have a heart but no strength to be a king.
Your majesty,
What are you gonna do now
is to fulfill yourself and kill me.
How you call me like that?
Don't call me your majesty.
We are brothers.
I get blushed
when you call me like that.
Your majesty.
If you want me to call you brother,
Please.
think it over for me.
Please do not have such absurd idea again.
No, it's not an absurd idea.
When my father ascended the throne he said that
he must return power to the offspring of Taizu in the future.
You see, I've been in power for 25 years
That is, it's been 25 years since my father violated his oath.
Now I'm gonna return power to you,
and you deserve it back.
Your majesty,
From the moment you ascended the throne,
You belongs to our Song State,
but not our Song State belongs to you.
Our country,
and our people
whose happiness depends on your thought,
whose sadness depends on your thought,
whose life lies in your thought,
whose death lies in your thought.
How could you easily give it up?
As a king,
how could you be so self-willed?
Please withdraw that awkward order, your majesty.
Pecking me?
You are really something!
Look at you, little guy, you are something!
Report to you your Empress Dowager.
Prince Xian want to see you.
Prince Xian?
He actually had time to see me today?
Let him in.
Ok.
Greetings. Your Empress Dowager.
Greetings, empress dowager.
Arise. Why came in the palace alone today?
Where's your children?
Why not bring them to see me?
Empress Dowager,
I came here
for your help.
What's wrong?
Why so anxious?
Get up and say.
Empress Dowager,
If you don't help me,
I will be kneeling until I die.
Say it.
Empress Dowager,
Majesty had a whim
to adbicate the throne to me.
What?
My son wants to abdicate?
His majesty is now in the process of drafting an edict.
Then I will be considered by the public as traitors and villains
Who usurp the throne.
His majesty is simple and filial,
and obedient to you,
So Empress Dowager,
pls prevent majesty from doing that.
Eunuch!
I'm here.
Go summon me the emperor.
Yes, your highness.
What's wrong, mother?
Are you feeling not well?
You're making me so furious!
Greetings. Your majesty.
Brother.
You came.
Mother,
the matter between brother and me
are matter of state.
You needn't get involved.
You know it's a matter of state.
How dare you to be so rashly?
You father gave you the throne
not only to let you be worshipped by the public,
but also to let you burden the responsibility of
guarding our Song State.
Now we are surrounded
by strong enemies,
and our country is far from steady.
how dare you to abdicate.
Mother,
I know what you mean,
but I have my own difficulties reluctant to mention.
What kind of difficuities to let you
wanna throw your crown to your brother?
Have you thought what the officials
might think?
Have you thought the army of Shu State and Lai State
will inbreak our country
by making use of the turmoil you might cause?
That's insane!
Your brother owns a reputation as a sage.
How the public will consider him
if you abdicate to him?
Does the public will really believe
that you really mean to abdicate by heart and soul?
What kind of bad situation you trap your brother in?
If your majesty force me to succeed to the throne.
I will die to keep my ideal.
Brother,
Don't do this!
Mother!
Come on quickly!
Call in imperial physicians!
Empress Dowager!
Don't call them.
They can't cure the pain in my mind.
Mother,
don't scare me.
Are you really gonna piss me off?
I dare not.
Since Prince Xian is at the presence.
We both oppose your abdication.
Now just give me an answer
whether you change your mind or not.
If you can't take it back,
I'm gonna die
to see your father right away.
And I will go with Empress Dowager together Your majesty!
Mother,
I promise I will give up the idea from now.
Please don't be angry.
Brother,
Please don't scare me by your intention to die anymore.
Go back and reflect on yourself!
I don't wanna see you now, such an undutiful son!
Here comes Your majesty!
Greetings. Your majesty.
Forego salute.
Withdraw, all of you.
Dear wife,
What's wrong your majesty?
Sit.
I
wanted to hand over the throne to my brother.
It was just before I could write the edict
that he came
and gave me a good scolding.
It took me so hard work to give him the runaround and let him leave.
What surprised me is
he went to see my mother and complain about my intention.
You can imagine the result easily.
I was scolded fiercely
by my mother.
You wanna abdicate?
Being a king
is so lack of freedom.
I'm so tired.
In addtion, the god called me on that night.
But...
I can't help it.
As long as I am the king,
You will only get involved
to suffer those hardships
together with me.
Your majesty!
For me,
You can even abandon your country.
I
was so touched,
let alone these so-called hardships.
You got that right.
I'm the kind of fool
who loves the beauty more than the country.
But if I don't abdicate
and the god convicts me again,
I'm afraid it will involve you again.
Husband and wife are one flesh and one soul.
Don't metion it if I get involved.
As long as I can be with you,
I would rather die
for being with you.
The beautiful spring breeze
is no better than your smile.
Why can't they
see your lightening pots?
I'm yours.
It's enough for me
if you can see my lightening pots.
As you see, being such a king,
no matter what I do,
They all just find out some faults
This isn't right.
That isn't right.
Fine!
I quit!
But they don't even permit me to quit.
Well, I can do nothing but continue to be the king,
and you
must be my empress.
The officials won't allow that to happen.
My dear,
I know what you think.
You don't care about bubble reputation,
and don't want me to get stuck in difficult situations.
But can you sympathize with my feelings?
I just wanna give you a status.
I want you to be with me righteously,
ruling the world together.
For this purpose,
I'll do whatever it takes.
Though I can't abdicate
to release that source.
But I can try hard
to get another result.
Maybe when you become the empress,
the god will protect you
from punishment.
Okay,
I promise you.
Even if they say I'm a demon who brings calamity to the country and people,
I'm gonna stick with you and be your empress.
Okay.
But I have
one condition.
Say it.
Don't hold any accolade to celebrate it.
All we do is just send the edict to the Chancery
and announce it in the palace.
No way.
How celebration accolade gets so hasty?
This...
This is unfair to you.
If you really wanna make it up to me,
I love fireworks,
and you can put a gorgeous firework show
on the accolade
for celebration.
Are you serious?
I am.
Your edict is received, my empress.
Fireworks?
What does his majesty need fireworks for?
For accolade.
Majesty's gonna confer empress's title?
Majesty's gonna make Concubine Shu the empress.
And for this accolade,
he's not gonna make a big deal,
just announcing it in the palace.
This firework show
are the only celebration during the accolade.
As a supremacy,
majesty is of too chagrin.
You should work hard
not to disappoint the majesty.
Got it.
Sis Kaiyang!
You give me a fright.
What are you thinking about?
I'm just thinking about
how to make
unprecedented and gorgeous fireworks.
Fireworks?
That's what happened.
I mean,
It's so poor
of being a king like that.
The ministers are so annoying.
How difficult it is for the emperor and empress!
I'm on majesty's side this time.
We must make
perfect fireworks
to piss the officials off.
What can you do?
I'll thank god if you guys didn't make things worse.
We won't.
I can do errands for you.
Such as for what you want or need,
you can just send us to get them.
OK.
But I have to make the drawings first,
Maybe I should discuss it with him
asking for his opinion.
Him?
Who?
A friend.
You mean your friend, Sis Kaiyang?
Your friend is our friend.
Introduce to us someday.
Okay.
Maybe another day.
So your friend is a girl or...
Nothing!
Why did you step on me just now?
Sis Kaiyang grew up in The Plough Department since childhood.
There was rarely familiar people for her outside,
let alone a friend.
But now she has a guy whom she calls a friend
outside,
and faltered when we asked.
Don't you think it's strange?
Now you say it...
it does sound strange.
So,
even if you asked her,
She wouldn't tell you about it.
Look!
Sis Kaiyang came in without knocking the door.
It must be familiar friend.
Will that be a man?
That will be fun!
To me it's not.
Maybe it's an old man.
Or a young man.
I wonder if he is handsome or not.
And Sis Kaiyang likes him or not?
Enough.
What you just said
may ruin Sis Kaiyang's reputation.
A quiet and modest maiden,
a gentleman's good mate.
How could it damage his reputation?
Here you are.
I've got some good white tea.
Let's taste together.
Wait for a moment.
I need to ask you a favor.
Something interesting?
Majesty's gonna confer empress title.
To celebrate the accolade,
he asked our Plough Department to make a set of firworks.
Fireworks?
I'm not good at it.
You don't need worry about
gunpowder, pattern and color.
I'm on it.
The point is,
I wana design a set of complex mechanism
Which can start in turn accorind to my plan
by unified control
to make the fireworks
set off some beautiful pattern even typeface.
This is the matter of mechanism.
Sounds interesting!
Boss,
it's here!
Let's get in.
Who is Meng Dong?
Boss.
This twink is Meng Dong.
What do you want?
Wow, what a hottie!
Hands off!
Tough guy?
How dare you refuse me?
My bro wanna take a price of 3 pennies
to buy your so-called wooden ox and glinding horse.
How dare refuse to sell it?
I'm a reasonable man.
One more penny, sell it or not?
I've put strenuous effort in the wooden ox.
If you were my bosom friend, I would give you for free.
But a scoundrel like you
I won't give it to you no matter how much you pay!
Boss.
Are you fine?
Xiongda, Xionger
Smash the store!
Boss
Fuck off.
Go!
You're bleeding.
Look at them.
Like a couple in love with each other for years, right?
Hey, I'm talking to you!
Mrs. Meng,
The tea your boyfriend is making smells so good.
No kidding!
She always make jokes with me.
Just take for granted.
It's okay.
Yaoguang is simple and innocent.
So adorable!
What? Simple and innocent?
Adorable?
Right.
Our Yaoguang is simple and innocent.
So innocent, like an idiot.
Wanna be a dead man?!
A guy who find you simple and innocent
must be blind.
Dare you say?
Come back!
You're dead!
They're always like that.
Why stay up so late?
Can't fall asleep,
wanna chat with you.
Sis Kaiyang,
The tea you brewed
is far from good compared with waht Meng Dong did.
Sis Kaiyang,
Are you into Meng Dong?
I think,
I kind of like him.
I'm into him.
Have you told him?
No.
Why not?
There're things people understand
even it remains unmentioned.
He won't know it if you don't tell him.
Are you embarrassed?
Let me help you.
Have you read too many novels, wanna be a matchmaker as well?
I'm worried about you.
I'm not an old spinster.
no need to run to him
and confess my love.
Maybe not telling him,
You can still give him some hint.
How?