01x09 - Episode 9

[bunniefuu]

Just... Just surrender!

Your Majesty, Your Majesty...

Perhaps if we surrendered

we could still keep
the Zhou royal family alive.

Your Majesty...

Surrender!

Reporting to Prime Minister.

(Qin)
The Eastern Zhou state

lowered the flag and wished to surrender.

Please inform your acceptance.

Surrender accepted.

Retreat three miles.

Yes!

Retreat three miles.

Yes!

Prime Minister,
this army of Top General

has been planned long ago.

Can it be that you knew all along

that both Han and Wei states

did not intend to aid
the King of Eastern Zhou?

I brought 50,000 men to
suppress Eastern Zhou

so that the five states

let down their guard.

Han and Wei will surely take this chance

to seize the land of Eastern Zhou.

Once they start fighting with each other

one of them will certainly fall.

When that time comes,
General Meng Ao leads the army to raid.

Prime Minister has a plan
for everything.

I am impressed.

Prime Minister, I really admire you too.

Weren't you going to run for your life

and leave me here?

I am loyal to the Prime Minister.

I dare not disregard
the Prime Minister.

Fan Wuji.

Here.

Go to Top General immediately

and invite him to accept the surrender.

Yes!

The King of Eastern Zhou

along with all the officials

come out to surrender.

Kneel!

Top General.

I am not good at this.

Please, Prime Minister.

(Qin)

Prime Minister of the great Qin,
I hope for your mercy

to spare the Zhou royal family.

Today I surrender to the great Qin.

From now onwards,

Zhou will no longer exist!

Enter the town!

(Luoyi)

(In 249 B.C.)

(Qin conquered Eastern Zhou.)

(Once again showing the six states)

(Qin's determination to rule
the whole country.)

(And Lv Buwei's status)

(was also established in front of)

(people of Qin and all other states.)

(In 248 B.C.)

(Qin conquered many lands of)

(Zhao, Han and Wei one after another)

(and established Sanchuan and
Taiyuan counties.)

(Qin's forces further
expanded to the east)

(threatening the six states
in the east.)

(Another allegiance)

(is gradually brewing up.)

(Lantian Battalion, Qin)

They're back!

They're back! They're back!

They're back!

(Dong'er)

Prince Zheng won!

He won! Prince Zheng has won!

(Ying Zheng)
Dong'er, water.

Here, drink slowly.

(Meng Yi)
Cheers! Cheers!

Wine? And it's such a strong wine!

Dong'er, I want a drink too.

No wine for losers.

Besides,

I always see you lose.

Dong'er, you're so biased.

Even if he lost, he still won.

Everything about him is good.

If you're unsatisfied,

let's compete another round.

If you win, you drink the wine.

Compete! Compete! Compete!

I'm game!

Compete! Compete one round!

Report!

Compete!

My lord.

Queen Dowager Huayang invites you to
Huayang Palace to discuss business.

(Huayang Palace)

Ying Zheng greets the Queen Dowager.

Get up.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

Have a seat.

What good manners you have.

The Qin sword is always by your side.

This Qin sword

is an important weapon of the great Qin.

I carry it with me everyday,

never neglecting it.

It has been three years since
you came back to Xianyang.

Since you frequently follow the
King and Prime Minister

to familiarize with
the nation's affairs,

I'm sure you know a lot of things.

How about tell me something about it?

I barely leave house.

Let me hear about something else.

I do not dare to discuss about
the nation's affairs rashly.

Even more so, I do not wish
to disrupt Queen Dowager's peace.

Never mind. Just to k*ll boredom.

Then Ying Zheng shall speak freely.

Queen Dowager is from Chu.

Have you met the current King of Chu?

Yes.

He came to Qin when he was young,

and we were very close friends.

Queen Dowager, do you know

what goes on in the mind of King of Chu?

Qin and Chu are thousands of miles apart

and it has been years since we met.

How would I know

what the King of Chu thinks about?

I know.

You? How do you know?

Since father acceded the throne,

he revived our ancestors' ambition
to conquer the east.

Although it has only been three years,

he has conquered various states.

Even though Chu and Qin

have in-laws relationship,

it's not surprising that the King of Chu

feels uneasy and worried.

I am guessing that the

King of Chu might send spies into Qin

or form alliances with other states

to attack Qin together.

I think the King of Chu
may not have this intention.

He is an ambitionless person

who just wants to lead a secure life.

I know that about him.

Even if the King of Chu has
no such intention,

what about Lord Chunshen?

And the Qu, Jing and Zhao families?

They are not people who

sit and wait.

They are them.

King of Chu is King of Chu.

Who is actually in charge in the Chu?

I am sure you know the answer.

You are still young,

how do you know so much
about the affairs of Chu?

To do a great job,

one must first sharpen his tools.

Ever since Xiao Gong of the great Qin

wanted to rule the whole country,

we have been on alert for
more than a hundred years.

To this day, I should not

be neglectful even more so.

Seems like you are an ambitious person,

the late King was right about you.

Be rest assured, Queen Dowager.

I carry this Qin sword every day,

just so I can always remind myself

not to forget the grand
ambition of late kings.

To unite the whole country

is also my life goal.

(Handan, Capital of Zhao)

Please come inside.

Let go of me.

(Zhao Yan)
Welcome inside.

I'm telling you, don't touch me!

Come with me to see the King now.

Let go! I...

-I...
-Go!

I will go...

(Guo Kai)

You already have a wife,

but you still frequent the brothel.

Even if you're not ashamed, I am.

I heard you even wanted
to marry a prost*tute.

Among the seven states,

have you heard of any prince

who marries a prost*tute?

I...

I really want to marry her.

Presumptuous! How dare you talk back!

Father, don't be angry.

(Zhao Yi)
Take care of your health.

Learn from your brother.

He does not worry me.

I can't.

I'm not the Crown Prince.

Get down on your knees!

Slap yourself.

Do you need me to do it myself?

Slap harder!

Slap harder!

Father, let it pass.

Zhao Yan was just too playful.

He will understand your intentions.

Fine.

Yi.

Take him to the Forbidden Palace

and lock him up.

Do not let him out

without my orders.

Yes.

Go.

Where are your manners?

We shall retreat now.

Lock me up?

I insist on marrying her!

My lord,

Queen Dowager Xia ordered to send
you some nourishing soup.

Come in.

How is Queen Dowager's health?

My lord, Queen Dowager is fine.

Tell Queen Dowager,

when I have free time,

I shall visit her.

Yes.

What good food are you having

while hiding here?

Dong'er, you came.

Just the right time.
Queen Dowager made me soup.

Please have some too.

Serve one more bowl.

What soup is this?

This... This is specially made

by Queen Dowager for you, my lord.

What's the matter, Dong'er?

What is this soup

made by Queen Dowager?

Ant... Antler soup.

That's weird.

Antler soup doesn't smell like this.

Drink it.

I told you to drink it!

Lv Buwei, why are you only here now?

Did you know that Zheng was poisoned?

I just knew about it as well.

I'm asking you now.

Zheng was nearly k*lled.

What are you going to do about it?

Leave this matter to me to investigate.

I will find out the culprit.

(Handan, Capital of Zhao)

My lord, my lord!

Here!

My lord.

How did you get in here?

Spend some money,

and there's no door you can't enter.

You're surely hungry.

I brought you some good wine and meat.

Here.

My lord.

Have a seat.

Eat something first.

Then why didn't you spend more

getting me out of here?

My lord.

The King has given strict orders.

Who would dare to defy?

My lord.

For now,

I think that

it's important to marry

the person you love.

That's the only way now.

Once I'm out of here,

I shall secretly marry her.

But for the time being,

you must take good care of her.

Rest assured.

I will do my best to take care of her.

Guo Kai,

you really are my confidant.

I will treat you well in the future.

You are the top priority of my life.

Look at your stupid face.

I can't forget your face too.

Here.

I need you to do
an important task for me.

(Zheng Yi)

(Zheng Yi)
As you command, Prime Minister.

Go to the Jixia Academy
in Linzi in the state of Qi.

No matter the scholars are from

which school or faction,

as long as they are talented,

(Zheng Huo)
invite them all to Qin.

Don't worry about the expenses.

The key is to find great talent

for the Qin and for me.

Great talent...

Jixia Academy wine offerings

is the famous Master Xunzi.

He researches intensively
on imperialism.

You must think of every way

to make Xunzi speak

and recommend great talents for you.

Understood.

Before unity of the whole country,

externally, engage in wars;
internally, govern the people.

This can strengthen the country.

If it is still the same
after unification,

I'm afraid that
it will always be lacking,

and extremities will make us fall.

Which is why I wish to write a book

as the political program for Qin
in uniting the whole country.

Use the book to educate future Kings

on governance of the country.

Only with this way

can the great Qin stay safe and stable

for generation after generation.

That is my wish.

Make your move the day after tomorrow.

Yes.

(Chang Nv)

Cheers!

Father is very ill

and I'm very concerned about him.

I just want to cheer my father up

by having a marriage at this time.

Hoping that he will get well soon.

You're absolutely right.

Yeah.

Now

let's raise our glasses

and cheer for the King!

Good!

Serve the wine.

Serve the wine.

Cheer.

Come, come. Pour the wine.

Come, come.

(Linzi, Capital of Qi)

Hey, Lee.

I will never forgive you.

You keep that in mind.

I will not forgive you!

Li Si.

Li Si.

Open the door.

Come out!

(Jixia Academy)

Please start the academy wine offering
and theme announcement.

(Xunzi)

Nature is the true law.

(Han Fei)
It does not live nor die for anyone.

Today's first debate is

what is the best way of governance
in this chaotic world.

Ugh...

The best way

in my humble opinion,

is when the King governs his people

with etiquette and courtesy.

Everything is in order.

The Kings of Yao, Shun, Yu and Tang

acknowledged the good in people,

and governed the people with mercy.

That is the way of a noble King,

and it is also the best way.

Nonsense.

Zhou ruled the country
for eight hundred years.

The Five Hegemons repeatedly
fought against each other.

The Emperor could do nothing about it.

In the end the palace was destroyed,

and became a laughing stock
of the world.

How pedantic.

As teacher said just now,

nature is the true law.

It does not live nor die for anyone.

Then, the best way shall be

to do nothing in governance.

If all the kings of every state

could cut burdensome matters
and reduce tax collection,

and not take away people's time,

then there would be peace.

Doing nothing would actually
be doing something good.

Doing nothing in governance
and going with the flow

is the best way.

What huge nonsense!

Nature is the best way
is teacher's theory.

How dare you denounce it like that

and disrespect our teacher?

The worthy disciple excels his master.

The student surpasses his teacher.

My fellow scholars,

please heed the words of Li Si.

(When Ying Zheng
gives his leading edge in Xianyang)

(Li Si, the officer who would
assist him to become the emperor)

(has been at Jixia for some years)

(learning imperialism
from Master Xunzi.)

(Li Si)

Nature is the true law,

but people can create their own destiny.

The Zhou dynasty began as one,

but later governors were appointed
and lands were divided,

and the world was thrown into chaos.

The battle went on relentlessly
for more than 500 years,

the earth was in ruins,
people lived in misery,

there were disorders and restlessness.

Unification of the whole country

is our destined fate,

and also what we desire.

Among the seven states,

our King has the grand ambition

to unify the whole country.

How can we do nothing about governance

if we are to fight such a grand battle?

Good!

Good!

If that is the case,

where should we scholars go?

Assist the king to serve our motherland,

so that what we've learned
will not be wasted.

Why should we limit our talents

only for our motherland?

We are scholars of the world.

We should follow our destiny

and contribute our efforts

in unifying the whole country.

How can we contribute to that?

Seek a wise king,
assist a strong nation.

What are you doing?

Get on your knees.

The wise are those
who suit their actions to the times.

Mr. Li.

I am the special envoy of
the Prime Minister of Qin.

I have been entrusted by Prime Minister

to sincerely seek great talents.

My person Zheng Huo did not behave and

caused trouble at the academy yesterday.

He spoke recklessly

so we came here today to apologize.

I hereby apologize to Mr. Li Si.

My apologies.

Sir.

In the Qin state,
from the reign of Xiao Gong,

Shang Yang, Xi Zhou, Zhang Zi to Fan Jv,

they were all commoners

who were regarded highly by the king.

They were appointed as ministers and
governors, and took part in politics.

That is why Qin is so strong today.

The culture of appreciating the scholars

is deeply rooted in the hearts
of the people of Qin.

I am here today because the

Prime Minister of Qin emphasized that

whichever scholar from Jixia Academy

who desires to enter Qin

shall be welcomed by carriages
and gifted with plenty of gold.

Once they are in Qin,

they will enjoy generous salary
and high-ranking positions.

We have vacancies waiting for you.

This is a good opportunity!

What do you think?

Sir, please follow me to Qin.

Qin treats scholars so generously,

I want to go to Qin too.

Mr. Li Si.

I offended you a few days ago,

please forgive me.

I realised my mistakes.

Please follow us to Qin.

Sir.

You... Why did you leave...

You uncivilized thing.

You must've caused a lot of
trouble at the academy.

Continue kneeling here!

Sir!

I don't know when we can meet again

after we bid farewell this time.

Don't worry.

I'll visit you next year.

Brother Si.

That's mine.

You...

Want to leave?

I don't learn for the sake of learning.

I learn for the world.

It is my destiny to
apply what I have learned.

I should be leaving.

How about you?

Are you not going back to Han,
Prince of Han?

I heard that Wei, Chu, Yan and Zhao

sent their armies to save Han and

achieved victory against the Qin army.

Although Han is saved,

the five states are still

unable to win against Qin.

Nowadays, I'm afraid that

the only one who can defeat Qin

is Qin itself.

The six states repeatedly allied

but at best they only forced Qin

to retreat to the Hangu Pass.

Give it a little time,

Qin will certainly rise again.

Each time stronger than the previous.

Over the past hundred years,

Qin has become increasingly powerful,

but the six other states became weak.

It will not be so long
before the unification of the whole country.

After Qin went through the
political reform of Xiao Gong,

with more than 100 years of efforts,

its land area has exceeded the
sum of those of the six states.

And it's the most powerful of the seven.

With only one or two more good kings,

the six other states

will definitely be captured by Qin.

Brother Si.

You should go.

Do you mean I should go to...

Qin.

I am conceited.

I have the talent of heaven and earth,

but I can't save Han.

You should not bury your ambitions.

Han Fei.

Unification of the whole country

is destined as my legacy in this life.

Once I enter Qin,

Han will be in danger.

Would you still want me to go?

Someday, when you become a great man,

you don't have to pity Han.

(Mu Ge)
Li Si.

I think Han Fei is right.

You should go to Qin.

I happen to be going to Xianyang
to write books,

we can go together.

You want to write books there?

The Prime Minister of Qin

offers a very attractive reward.

My family is poor, and I can't reject.

After years of studying,

I just want to land a good job.

My ambition is different from yours.

I only want to go to Qin

to be the Prime Minister of Qin.

Do you think he will be
willing to abdicate?

Yes!

Li Si.

Greetings, teacher.

Please get up.

You aim for the world.

I cannot bear to keep you

in this academy the whole day.

Teacher, you understand me.

Please enlighten me.

Alternation of the sun and moon,

ups and downs,
separation and combination,

these are the cycles of nature.

Only finite livings like us

will miss the day and night.

The life of a man in this universe,

is like a grain of rice in a warehouse.

With one's own efforts,

if we can ride the stormy waves,
follow the right path,

and save the people from disasters,

his merit will shine through the ages.

When he is alive, he is contented.
When he dies, he has no regrets.

Teacher, you spoke straight to my heart.

I intend to seek a wise king,

and unfold my life ambitions.

Looking at this universe,

Qin is the only one who has
the ability and the aspiration

to conquer the whole world.

If one day

Qin really unified the whole country,

how will you govern the country?

The real ultimate unification

is the unification of the king's ways,

unification of the throne,

unification of the sovereignty,

unification of the government decree,

unification of the ethnics,

unification of the cultures,

the whole world would be one family.

Very well.

This enfeoffment system has been

implemented for more than 1000 years.

It has long been rooted in the
hearts of the officers and scholars.

If you want to destroy it completely,

the resistance you may face will be

no less than wiping out the six states.

To build a foundation of
peace for all ages

so that all people can be spared
from political unrest,

so what

even if I had to die for the cause?

My only wish is that

your ambition will remain unchanged.

Unchanged!

I will never forget

your teachings in my whole life.

(Xianyang, Capital of Qin)

Huayang.

Speak.

The King's health
has been getting worse.

At the assembly,

I noticed that the King looked weak.

It's hard for him to say a few words.

How about Lv Buwei?

Is there any movement?

That unscrupulous merchant Lv Buwei

sent his envoy Zheng Yi to Qi state.

Linzi?

Said he's going to Jixia Academy

to invite some talented scholars to Qin.

Looks like Lv Buwei

wants to reform the Qin government.

Once these outsider scholars arrived,

they will certainly ask
for high-ranking positions.

The Mi officials will then
be sidelined.

I don't know how badly

he is going to mess up Qin.

You're right.

If we took down that
unscrupulous merchant Lv Buwei,

the bureau of Xianyang

will still be within your control.

Your Majesty, how is your health?

I am fine.

Don't worry, Prime Minister.

I still need to review
the military myself.

I'm just about to pitch to Your Majesty

to hold a military review ceremony.

We can transfer eight thousand elite pawns
from the Yueyang Battalion,

two thousand elite cavalries and

ten thousand soldiers of the great Qin.

What do you think, Your Majesty?

Ten thousand soldiers...

is a little too many, don't you think?

The late King

had a military review before.

At that time, only five thousand armies

were transferred from Li Shan.

This military review is different
from previous ones.

Firstly, it has been three years since
Your Majesty ascended the throne.

The whole state should celebrate.

Secondly, the five states attacked Qin.

Although we were not harmed,

the morale was shaken.

So on that day,

we should celebrate grandly

and rebuild the people's morale.

You have a point.

Prime Minister,
do whatever you need to do.

Yes, Your Majesty.

(Xianyang)

(Prince of Chu, Jing Han)

The Queen Dowager has arrived!

Greet the Queen Dowager.

Jing Han.

It has been only a few days
since you left Xianyang.

Why did you come back again?

By the command of my King
and Chancellor,

I am here specifically to send some

local goods of Chu to Queen Dowager.

How considerate of Lord Chunshen
and King of Chu.

Is there anything else?

Lord Chunshen asked me

to deliver a letter to Queen Dowager,

and emphasized that I must

deliver it to you personally.

♪I remember the cold wind last night,
look at the world♪

♪It's boundless and vast♪

♪Each year is sad and very tumultuous♪

♪Military exercises at the plateaus,
horses drinking by the Yangtze River♪

♪Communicating the unification
of the country♪

♪Brandishing the safety of the world♪

♪The land was given to officials for
500 years, lives flourished and decayed♪

♪Ruined structures, sorrows, heroes'
tears, I must have great ambition♪

♪In the vast mountains and rivers,
the weather keeps changing♪

♪Bring peace to the world, build a
new universe, be like the sun and moon♪

♪Armed for battle,
the soldiers are unstoppable♪

♪A land consumed by w*r,
the beginning of the king's law♪

♪Follow the footsteps of
our ancestors and martyrs♪

♪A great nation's
iron-willed representative♪