Confucius (孔子 I'd Like to See Your Policies Applied Kǒng Zǐ) (2010) Throughout the Kingdom of Lu! I Have No Position, Movie Script It Is Not for Me to Say

a year shows progress, Confucius (孔子 I'd like to see your policies applied Kǒng Zǐ) (2010) throughout the Kingdom of Lu! I have no position, Movie Script it is not for me to say. This could be easily rectified.  2010 Chinese biographical drama I'll appoint you to the right position. film Lord Ji Yiru has just died.  Written and directed by Hu Mei His oldest son Ji Sunsi  Starring Chow Yun-fat as has become Prime Minister Confucius, ancient Chinese and Chief General of the Army. philosopher But the post of Minister of Law is vacant.  Shot on location in Hebei Province The 3 Noble Families and in Hengdian World Studios, all have their own nominees. Zhejiang But I'm inclined to appoint you. I cannot presume to be worthy. I've grown old. I will support you! It's so long since I last You and your disciples dreamed of the Duke of Zhou. could civilize the Kingdom of Lu. My ideals of ethics, music, You could challenge those humanity and harmony you've called unworthy can be fulfilled only in the past. in times to come. Do you dare? Is it Master Kong Qiu, Run! Hurry up! the mayor of Zhongdu? Run! Hurry up! Indeed! My Lord, a burial slave Kindly follow me. has just escaped! Master Kong, you may bow inside. What? Who is it? Announcing Master Kong Qiu, The late lord's favorite the mayor of Zhongdu. young servant, His Majesty arrives. Qi Sigong! Kong Qiu, you're here. That little boy. Your humble servant Kong Qiu My father ordered that greets Your Majesty. this boy would be buried Kong Qiu, with him! Get him back! you've been mayor of Zhongdu Yes. for about a year now. This way... Stop! Many things have changed. There he is. Stop... Streets are safe, Stop... homes are secure. This boy! Stop! Your Majesty, Over there! Poisoned-arrow... as your humble servant has said of Master, help me... observing the rituals of Zhou, Teacher, in your opinion,

1 could the Kingdom of You haven't eaten yet? Lu grow stronger You must be hungry. by emulating the Dukedom of Qi? Don't be afraid. Who are you? Your Majesty, I... I'm Qi Sigong. the people of Qi obey the law Child. because they fear punishment. Master. If we respect the law Yan Hui, bring a doctor, quickly. because we're civil, honest I will. Hurry, call for a doctor. and have integrity and dignity, What's this all about? isn't that much better? Master, as I came here, When honorable and credible men Ji Family troops were are given office, chasing this boy. theft and corruption So I rescued him. will disappear. He was a burial-slave. Men who care for The Ji Family soldiers their parents and children want him back. also care for others. Master, let's avoid trouble. Men should perform their duties while I can leave him with my brother-in-law women would be given a home and family. in the Kingdom of Wei. Then orphans and widows, This might be better for everyone. the old, the sick No, Zilu, he can stay here. and the weak would Helping others is a measure of bravery. be taken care of. Then Lord Ji Sunsi Then the people will will be furious. live well and work cheerfully. Zilu, you did the right thing. Universal peace Stop! and harmony will reign! What do you think you're doing? Mother... Who are you? Don't close it! General Gongshan Niu of Let me out! Lift the stone! the city of Biyi. Don't close it... Search the house! Prepare the meal. General Gongshan! Men should love their parents Master... and children indiscriminately... Kong Qiu. What do you want? Then the old would be taken care of, It is reported that and the strong would the Minister's escaped slave apply their skills. is hiding here. Your father has returned. If you don't turn him How do you know? over to us now, I heard his voice. it may damage your relations He'll be surprised with the Minister! I've brought you to see him. Minister Kong, a word in private. Hurry, take this to him. Minister Kong, I too despise the Father. You're back. arrogance of the 3 Noble Families. You've been gone for half the day! Today I can report that Mother and I've been waiting. I found nothing.

You and I should be friends agrees with Lord Shu's opinion. and partners. Then you ministers? Drive out the Noble Families Your humble servants also and rule the kingdom ourselves. agree with the Ministers' opinions. Tell me. Since all are in What do you think? agreement, so be it! Our roads are different. Let the pheasant be released General, it's getting late, into the mountain forests. you should be on your way. Good... Go! Your Majesty, your humble servant My lords and ministers, wishes to speak. everyone has come to Speak. observe the Winter Sacrifice. I request But before we can begin, an end to the evil ritual of a strange occurrence burying living servants demands explanation. with their deceased masters. Yesterday, the officer responsible Kong Qiu. for the sacrifice of birds Why do you make such a request? reported that one of Because today your humble servant the 10 pheasants is pleading for this slave's life! prepared for the ceremony Which slave? had pecked off its own tail! Him! So today I must seek your Uncle. exalted opinion. Isn't that the slave Ought we to cancel the ceremony? who ran away from your home? Or delay? Kong Qiu! I wish to speak. He was my family's slave. Speak, Shu Sunwu. You brazenly took him In my opinion, into your house! since the Winter Sacrifice marks How dare you? the most important sacrifice at year-end, Master. it must not be delayed nor canceled! Minister, please pardon him. We address the gods This boy should not accompany through this ceremony Lord Ji Yiru to the grave. the omen reflects a message Don't you always approve of from Heaven. observing our ancient traditions? Therefore, the pheasant should be This is just one of them! spared from sacrifice. Minister. Otherwise we would Benevolence is love towards disrespect heaven. our fellow men. We must obey the will of heaven A ritual murder is still murder, and allow this bird to live. even if it complies with tradition! Good... Lord Shu, Kong Qiu, what is your view? you showed benevolence Your Majesty, towards a pheasant. your humble servant fully Now I ask you,

3 surely you must also speak up What say you? for this wounded boy. You... you're mad! We come today It seems the General is not willing only to discuss to serve his master beyond the grave. the Winter Sacrifice. He imposes on others This matter is unrelated! what he will not impose on himself. No, there is a close relationship! Your Majesty, your humble servant The Zhou code of ethics teaches us has no more to say. to value human life above all. The scholar's words seem The burial of slaves was to be profound! practiced in barbarous times. I suppose. It was outlawed in our dynasty Approved! Release him. when the Zhou reign commenced. Good... Our Kingdom of Lu is the ancient Great! You need never go back home of the Duke of Zhou to the house of Ji. and known for its ethics. Second bow. We should think afresh and Boy! Don't cry, stand up. abandon outdated traditions. Qi Sigong, what's wrong? Right... Are you alright? Your Majesty, my lords. I'm not crying. On my own life, May I really stay here? I ask that you spare Alright now... this young slave. This is a special day. Spare him... Zilu, let's drink to it. Kong Qiu! Good! It was Lord Ji Yiru's Ziqian, Boniu, dying wish that help me fetch the wine. those he loved should die with him. Boy, come here Come here. It is not cruel This is now your home. to bury this slave. They are all your brothers. Rather, it demonstrates They will take care of you. the Minister's filial piety! I know, Master, I know. His love for his father! So we're family now! General Gongshan! I know Master, I could hardly believe it you served Lord Ji Yiru for years. when Ji accepted your proposal. I hear he said many times that Here comes the wine. he could not live without you. Come, what about you? Right, that's correct. I have this. Given how close you were to him, Drink all you like. he must still need you now that Very well, drink up! he has passed on to the next life. Drink up! If you were willing to It tastes horrid! accompany your lord in death, Your Highness. I could not object to you taking Making Kong Qiu a minister this young slave with you. with many responsibilities You. will surely strengthen

4 the Kingdom of Lu. I will. And their strength threatens us Zilu. Master. in the Dukedom of Qi. You and Zigong will be the only men Lu's strength is a threat to Qi. to carry swords on the meeting platform. For almost one hundred years, Guard His Majesty carefully, all rulers of Qi have dreamed regardless of what happens. of conquering Lu. Understood! Clearing our way to Ran Qiu. Master. the western border. Go in advance to Jiagu Kong Qiu has already asserted to inspect the area his authority in the Lu court. around the meeting platform. Your Highness, Look for any hiding places. perhaps we should call a meeting What do you want me to congratulate Lu. to do, Master? We could invite the ruler of Lu Master, the military commanders and Kong Qiu are here. to Jiagu on our border. Our respects, Minister of Law... Kong Qiu is a man of letters, Please. unfamiliar with military affairs. Qi specified the place He knows ethics, not bravery! for the alliance talks. During the ceremony, It's known as a ravine. we'll take Lu's ruler hostage. A dead end. And make him and I'd like you to bring the 3 Noble Families chariots nearby submit to Qi's will! in case we need them. An excellent proposal! Minister, we're headquartered Minister Li, prepare in barracks. a formal invitation We have only carriages at our to the ruler of Lu. command, no war chariots. Invite him to Jiagu Minister Ji and to discuss forming a new alliance General Gongshan Niu between our states. control them all. Dispatch it immediately! Minister, Yes, Your Majesty. I hear that the Prime Minister This meeting at Jiagu and Gongshan Niu is my first challenge are holding an archery as a minister. tournament in Biyi. It is a matter of honor Very well. or humiliation, gain or loss. Then I'll have to pay them a visit. And it will have significant Master, we're approaching Biyi. consequences! Yan Hui. Master, they say that Biyi His Majesty agrees has more mounted soldiers that you should and slaves take charge of the ceremony. than any other city in Lu. Ensure that both parties have Be advised! equal ground and equal respect. Those who shirk labor,

5 within 3 days, Master Ji, will be dragged out may I ask how Lu stands today? and put on public display. It might just be that the Ji Family's Compete at what? real enemy is from within. Archery. Please. Not across the border. The alliance talk between Lu Good! Right, full score! and Qi is a serious matter. I hear you had no father. Can Your Lordship provide army Who taught you such fine archery? chariots to protect our ruler My father was a warrior, and show our might? but he left this world before his time. How many? 500. A diligent student needs no teacher. Isn't it supposed to be I taught myself! an alliance meeting? Right, full score! Excellent! Why do you need such Right wins. a show of force? The minister has been As Zhou Gong taught us, most courteous. any civil servant So you have your 500 chariots should be back up words for the alliance talks. with weapons. Address your request to Gongshan Niu. Qi is a barbarous country We have a kingdom because which has long wanted we have an army! to conquer Lu. And who raised and trained So we must be prepared! Good. that army? Then let us have a match. Not your King of Lu! My teacher respectfully requests It was my Biyi! a match and drinks to you. Right, it was our Biyi! If you win, I'll grant you Why should I blindly turn over The archery match will begin. my chariots to you? Please take your places. So that you can march my army You have my word. into the desert and starve them? If you win, they're yours. We will see. Let's go... If you lose, you'll get nothing! See, what I say doesn't Agreed. always count. A pure heart makes a pure shot. I gave the order, but... Right, full score! Its implementation is A new minister with high ambitions! your own concern. Full score! Good... Master. Who would have thought that the Biyi Halt! Your Majesty! Master! city walls would be more than 18 feet high? Greetings, Your Majesty, Master! Built to conceal their injustices Has Gongshan's army moved or not? and their onerous taxation! I don't know what's happening. The tyranny within these walls Not one soldier or horse puts tigers to shame! has moved yet. Prime Minister, But that... has all this escaped your notice? that cannot be correct? Good! Right, full score! Ji Sunsi ordered them

6 to deploy days ago. Emperor Zhou's ancestral territory. Put our second plan Excellencies, into effect, immediately! your humble servant advises that Yes, Master. when this alliance is formed, Go! each state must commit to Master, Qi has brought aiding the other. so much cavalry. Should Qi one day find Is there anything to itself at war, concern us about this? Lu would be asked Your Majesty, rest assured to provide 500 chariots as we're prepared. to supplement our army. Since Qi is host and Lu is guest, Excellent idea! we request that the Nobles of Qi Excellencies, descend to welcome. your humble servant would also Your Highness, no undue courtesies. like to make a request. We invite An alliance between us the King of Lu to ascend. should be found on sincerity. Your Majesty. And we request Lu is the Guest and Qi the return of is the Host. the 3 cities of Wenshang The Zhou Protocols mandate that won from Lu 30 years ago in war. the nobles of Qi should descend. I can see your point. Qi initiated the alliance talks. Your Majesty... How could Qi dishonor its guests? A gentleman's word is golden, Your Highness, Qi and Lu Your Excellency. share a close relationship. Good... Our ruler has come to rebuild I thank you for returning our our brotherly alliance. land to us, let's drink to it. Please... Kong Qiu, it seems that Please. you and your Master It is our desire have no plan to leave here today. to respect each other Look. and forever abandon war! Yan Hui. Although our states Your excellencies, we've come here have different surnames, in peace today. in reality we are like brothers. We brought only With this alliance, But to safeguard the negotiations we will be like a single state! from any unforeseen threats, What Lord Li says is interesting. another 500 chariots All the territory and peoples are waiting nearby. belonged to the emperor. Need we summon them here? All the ministers and officials Look! were just his servants. Your Majesty! Therefore, Your Excellencies The advance party is here! both have responsibility me to Jiagu. for protecting the We await your orders.

Minister Li, But you let a woman do you want to see meddle in affairs of state! this ravine run with blood? You let her make decisions! If this is how you demonstrate Madam, you're back. the workings of an alliance, Your Majesty. who will ever again What is so important that trust the Dukedom of Qi? the prince demand a talk? Why are you still standing here? There's a message from Dismiss the troops! General Gongshan Niu. Your Majesty... I wasn't asking you! Please forgive my minister's This Gongshan Niu, he's shameful act. an army general May the alliance between with the Ji family in Lu. us last forever. He wants to know We make use of one hundred ox carts if we'll give him refuge to scare off Qi's 500 chariots. in our kingdom. Another triumph for our Master! So Wei is to become a haven As he always says, for cast-offs now? military strategy hinges That's exactly why I didn't approve. on innovation. Gongshan Niu is ready to serve us. Come on, there Why can't we give him refuge? are drinks waiting! Giving him refuge would Our Lady... bring no benefit. Has she gone missing again? He has served the Ji family Our Lady! Where are you...? for many years Sir, the prince has and the late Ji Yiru stormed into the palace was good to him. and is arguing with Not only was he put His Majesty again. in charge of Biyi, Our Lady can't be he was also exempted found anywhere. from taxes for years! She hasn't passed me. And now he turns his Then what can we do? back on them. This is awful! What use do we have Let's go back. for a turncoat like that? Go. I can control him. Father, I'm almost 40! Learn to control yourself first! I have been prince The kingdoms of Lu and Wei for almost 20 years. depend on each other You are getting old, for their survival. and our kingdom is stagnating. If we took in Gongshan Niu, But you just won't let go, wouldn't we offend Lu? will you? Have you forgotten? Kong Qiu in Lu has a saying. The mighty Kingdom of Jin Women and servants are is to our west hard to raise. and the rough Kingdom of Chu

8 is to the south. And now we're supposed to We have enemies on all sides! promote him even higher? If we lose our main ally, Does Your Majesty plan to what then? make him a living god? Get out! Next time, don't. At the alliance meeting If there's a next time, between Lu and Qi, you'll no longer be the prince. Kong Qiu regained territory The prince can't even and enhanced our weigh up gains and losses. national prestige. How can I make him the regent? The whole country praises Invite Kong Qiu here him for that. to teach your prince. Kong Qiu was born a commoner. Then Wei will be safe. But your father admitted Your Majesty, write he is descended from a formal invitation a noble Song family. to Master Kong. He won back the Three Cities Do you think Master Kong without using a single would come? soldier or chariot. Master Kong's talents He may be a mere commoner are undervalued. but his ideal of civility In Lu, the 3 Noble Families in government works! keep his talent in check. When my father died, Our invitation will be seen as Kong Qiu was made Minister of Law. an appreciation of his talent. Now I could vacate If he comes, that'll be best. the post of Interior If he doesn't, Minister for him. Lu will put him to better use. If Your Majesty approves, Lu will prosper, I could serve only and will bring Qi to heel. as Prime Minister. That will suit us too. Very well! What is this? I am glad that our Prime Minister Letters of invitation has such a breadth of mind. from both Wei and Qi. Good! This is wonderful. We should start using When a country is in turmoil, Master Kong better it has need of its talents. or others will take him. Besides Kong Qiu, So how should we make most of his disciples are use of his talents? available to serve our country. One moment. Master Kong, this is This Kong Qiu has no an outdated tradition. proper line of ancestry. The servant I dispatched to Your Majesty gave him a role the palace has reported secretly. in court less than a year ago. Minister of the Interior Kong Qiu First he was mayor of Zhongdu. is not focusing on his Then he was appointed government work. Minister of Law. He's been preoccupied with building

9 the high Wuzi Platform. I think this is courting Doesn't he claim it's part of great danger! a defense against flooding? Yes, Master, this Yes, that's what he says. is very dangerous! I do not trust him. Won't you reconsider? I think he has something Reconsider what? else in mind. Disciples, Kong Qiu is a mere commoner. my late teacher Master Zichan The ruler made him Minister of Law. had 2 fine sayings. Now the ruler's made him Acting Minister Please remember them of the Interior too! all your life. Uncle, I sense a conspiracy here. Put your country He did not... did not eat again. ahead of your life. Cut off your tongue if And Obstacles will be many, you stammer again. so maintain your Get out! Yes, Master. strength of spirit! Zhongni, I've made some What we are doing now new black ink for you. is not only for the short term. It won't wash off easily. Minister of the Interior Kong Qiu Try it! is here to see His Majesty. Very well! Teacher, Tomorrow in court, the petition is ready. your humble servant will call for Please take a look. It is fine! Razing the Three City Walls. It's fine! Razing? What exactly Gong Boliao, ready the cart. does that mean? It's so late! Where are you going? When the Duke of Zhou ruled these It is urgent, I need to lands, it was established go to the Palace. that no fiefdom should build walls Wake up! Gong Boliao. around its city more than Leave me alone! The aim was to prevent the nobles Rotten wood is hard to carve! from abrogating power to themselves. Leave him alone. But in recent decades, Master, these 3 families have made you've worked all day their cities seats of power. and into the night. And their city walls It's too hard! have grown taller. If this is for the betterment of I humbly propose that the walls of Lu's citizens, I don't mind. these 3 cities be razed Master, you're ordering to reunify the state. city walls to be demolished. That is a serious matter. Won't the 3 Noble Families rebel It will stir up discontent. against your authority? Can you win this? It's time to curb the power If you fail, of the Three Families. you'll unleash chaos everywhere. We must act, Your humble servant did and act quickly! Master, a fortune reading.

The reading was Headless Dragons. in tearing down their walls. That's very auspicious. Excellent! Well done! To strengthen the throne, the power Good, we caught them by surprise. of the nobles must be reduced. The Minister must be congratulated We must cut off on his famous victory! the dragons' heads. Come, drink! Serve my man here with Today we must celebrate. the best wine and food. No, it's not over yet. Thank you, Minister... Hou Fan will continue Didn't I say this would happen? his resistance. It is vicious. Ensure that Shu and Zigao Razing the Three City Walls! tear down the walls quickly To pull down our walls or the rebels will is to undermine our strength! regroup behind them! Kong Qiu wants to bring down As I arrived in the city, the fiefdoms of the Three Families. I saw Zilu and his army Our fiefdoms? encamped nearby. Have we any fiefdoms? Your Biyi is about to have Maybe Meng's fiefdom its walls torn down. still belongs to Meng. You need a plan. Does your fiefdom belong to you? Let them tear down the wall! Or General Hou? They'll be leaving Is Biyi still mine? the capital undefended! Kong Qiu calls for demolition. My plan is to seize the capital Fine, that would benefit us. and execute Kong Qiu What should we do now? and banish the Three Families! Laozi teaches us. Halt... Every gain is balanced by a loss. Inspection! Support Kong Qiu! Don't you recognize the Ji banner? Raze the 3 city walls! We are delivering Biyi's More speed! land taxes to the palace. We must reach Biyi tonight Open up! to see General Gongshan. The Minister of Law has ordered Come on! Fight! Peck... that all carts be inspected. Urgent report from Seize the king of Lu! Slay Kong Qiu! the city of Houyi! Seize the king! Slay Kong Qiu! Urgent report from Drive out the Three Families! the city of Houyi! Kill them all! Acting Interior Minister. Report! General, Just speak. the king is not in his palace. Yes, sir. Where is he? Hou Fan, rebel general of It seems he has sought refuge Shu Sunwu's territory, with the Ji family. has escaped from Houyi! Find him! Shu and Zigao's forces Open the gate! Open it! have succeeded In such a key moment,

11 where is Minister Ji? between Qi and Lu. He's out for a hunt, Your Majesty, The high walls of Chengyi follow me please. serve as a bastion Your Majesty, be careful. against a Qi invasion. Don't engage them, just try to They must not be demolished. hold them back for 2 hours. How can you go back Then lure them to the Wuzi Platform. on your own word? Yes, Minister. Didn't you approve Ji picked a fine time to go hunting. the razing of the city walls? Quick! Kill them all! Let him finish. Ruler! Kong Qiu! Kong Qiu reclaimed the Three Families! Hear this. The 3 cities which used to Today, in the name of the late belong to your family. Lord Ji Yiru, under heaven's mandate, But were they returned to you? I will annihilate all No, they were handed who defy the will of heaven! to the ruler of Lu. Annihilate all... Kong Qiu forced General Hou Fan Destroy them! out of the city of Houyi. March on! And who is now Kill the king, kill Kong Qiu! in charge of the city? Retreat! Zigao, Kong Qiu's disciple. Flames! And Biyi? Has it been Pull! returned to your family? Release. No! Report! Minister! Zilu, another of Kong Qiu's disciples, Gongshan Niu and has been put in charge! his rebel army are defeated. See? They are retreating And if they now take from the capital. over my Chengyi, Uncle... it will be handed over An urgent report from the capital... to the ruler of Lu. It's just as you predicted. Will there be any land Gongshan Niu was defeated or city left to us? at the Wuzi Platform. You Ministers, are you really Then what are you waiting for? willing to give the Kingdom Send the troops in, back to the ruler of Lu and Kong Qiu? capture Gongshan alive. Acting Interior Minister. Yes, sir... By the order of the Prime Minister, Take Gongshan Niu alive! no one is allowed in. Pull... Please wait here, Release! I will make a request. Pull! Master, those carriages are Release! from the Meng and Shu families. Nobody is demolishing my Chengyi. Master! Kong Qiu is Why? requesting to see you... Chengyi stands right on the border I won't see him.

They're all inside. Who will be left to care about ethics Master. if we're defeated in battle? I'm sure those are Meng Victory and defeat and Shu carriages. are what matter. Master... Not ethics! Master. Don't you remember? Come... Let's drink. My father Prince Zhao was driven All of you should drink more. out of Lu by the Three Families. Listen! Once all He died in exile! the walls have come down, If the Three Families we will truly become turn against me now, one big family. my fate will be much Am I right? Right... worse than his. Father... Your Majesty! Say no more! How far is the Qi army I have supported you for from our border? the past one hundred days. Less than 30 miles. And so did the Ji family. But the Duke of Qi has sent Last night Ji came to see me. an ambassador, Li Chu His words implied more bearing gifts. than they said. Gifts? What gifts? If the walls of Chengyi more than 100 horses. are demolished, Has Li Chu made any demands? it seems the Qi army will seize He demanded that Kong Qiu the chance to occupy the city be dismissed. with an army of 30,000. Off to the palace, Everything will we must see His Majesty tonight. be reduced to chaos. The Acting Interior Minister Kong Qiu... is here! You should follow Your Majesty. my example sometimes. We cannot pull back now! Play a little stupid. We've won back 2 of the cities, Didn't your revered Laozi we cannot abandon the 3rd! teach that Do you know? accomplish everything Li Chu has 30,000 Qi soldiers by doing nothing? amassed on our border Kong Qiu, the times ready to invade. are out of joint. If they form an alliance Chaos is everywhere. with the city of Chengyi, But you still go your own way we will be encircled. with your rituals, music, But you have proclaimed the razing of benevolence and harmony. the 3 city walls, Your Majesty! I'm so ashamed. A man of high principles must be I've achieved nothing. willing to die by his word! Then stop trying. He cannot bend his principles Men habitually long for to save his life! fame and authority.

But such aims should Don't say I sent it. detain no man for long. Tell him it comes from Then what should I, His Majesty himself. your pupil, do? Kong Qiu is a clever man. I cannot hang useless on the door-beam When he sees this, like a dried-out gourd he'll understand. making no contribution Yes, Master, I'll take to the world. it to him now. Maybe no contribution And this too! is the true contribution. Enough to buy yourself a piece of The weak survive, good land. Go home now. the mild persist. Understand? Yes, sir! Nothing is softer than water. Come. And yet aggression and force Stable the horses from Qi. never triumph over water. It's going to rain soon. So be like water! Yes, sir! The Master's words are profound, Yes, sir. Untie the horses and but I must be loyal to my chosen path. bring them into the stables! The Master's way is Father! Gong Boliao came back. magnificent and shapeless. The King told him It's beyond time and space, to bring this to you. beyond all worldly matters. A parted jade! But my way keeps me in Father, why would the world of men. the King send this? Then tolerate the misunderstandings Parted jade. A parting gift. of those in your world. Someone wants me to leave. Unlike those who are rich, Did this come from I have no gold to give. the King himself? Only this simple advice. That's what he said, Father. The sacrifices for the year's end Gong Boliao handed this ceremonies are over. to me and then left. Has the sacrificial meat been He said he wouldn't be coming back. distributed to the nobles and officials? Find a chance to return my robe Yes, it has. of office and the crown to the king. And as you ordered, Father. none went to Kong Qiu's household. The crown symbolizes Father. ethical behavior. Have some of this. You have always treasured it. No point in waiting. It's no longer important. I don't think we will be getting Father, please wait till sacrificial meat this year. the rain stops... Good... Please at least wait My lord. What is it? for your disciples. My master wishes to see the king. Look after your mother! His Majesty has no time for him. Master! Well, give this to Kong Qiu. Yan Hui.

How did you get here? That's true. Master! The master is the body, Who would have thought the pupil is the shadow. he snores louder than I do! I will stay with my master Let's go. until the end. I am the special representative To be honest, of the ruler of Wei. I don't know where I'm going. I am instructed by His Majesty and Master. the Royal Consort to welcome you to Wei. Yan Hui, you have talents. Our Kingdom greets You would have no trouble finding Master Kong and his followers. a good position in court. Master, what is your But if you come with me, impression of Wei so far? you'll have no home or family. Compared to Lu, You will always regret it. Wei has a larger population. No, I won't! Yes, a larger population Yan Hui, look. makes it more difficult to govern. There are nothing There is more potential but hardships ahead. for disorder. No prospects for a fortunate life. Tell me, how can my government Only a vast wilderness. remedy the devastation? Aren't you afraid? By making sure the common people Tell me, in what have their due share of prosperity. respect am I wrong? The vast majority of them May I speak frankly? are quite prosperous. Of course. And yet there are signs of Master, you were wrong social disorder everywhere. to put all your faith Then the moral climate in the ruler of Lu. is not good. Master, you once told me that The people need education! if a man cannot change the world, Good! then at least he should try Good! to change himself from within. The master is truly a sage! Good. Well said. Then I hereby invite the Master The humanity I sought stands before to teach in our country. me, my complaints are groundless. We will provide land Master... to build an academy. Master, Ran Qiu and I And 60,000 stones of had some duties to finish. grain every year. That's why we're Will that suffice? late getting here. Thank you, Your Majesty. That's right, Master, look. And I wish to consult you We've brought all your scrolls. on one other matter. Master! Without me, As you can see, who will drive your cart? our Kingdom of Wei is And, with me at your side, vulnerable on all 4 sides. nobody will dare be rude to you! Each one of our neighbors

15 would conquer us if it could. What kind of a man is this Kong Qiu? So I'd like the Master In my view, help training our soldiers. just poor and disheveled scholar. As a mere wandering exile, His only pleasure is dare I even speak of soldiering? in books and rituals. But I have heard it said, Poor he may be, the Master is a brilliant but we could build up friendship. military tactician. This Kong Qiu is a worthy man. If Your Majesty speaks of You must treat him well. sacrificial rituals, I still hope I do have some small one day, we could ask him to be knowledge of them. the teacher of our young prince. But of military matters, I have already promised him I have no great knowledge at all. Please be seated, Master. Alright... Our lady will be here soon. I won't try to force you. Your humble servant greets Madam. But there's one thing You are the famous scholar Kong Qiu? you absolutely must agree to. Master Kong, please be seated. Your humble servant is a guest Thank you, madam. here, your wish is my command. I have heard one of your axioms is, My royal consort Nanzi true benevolence is the love of mankind. is eager to see you. Does this 'benevolence' You won't say no, will you? extend to a woman with Of course not. a reputation like mine? Better not to see her. I hear that you are teaching Doesn't Master know? "The Book of Odes" here. She has a very dubious reputation. Yes, I am. This woman is a great beauty. I also love poetry. But she is a succubus. That line... Her very name taints the kingdom! A beauteous lady, Master. a gentleman's fine match. Do you know of this woman's past? Can you tell me what that means? This Nanzi was raised in the The poem means house of the ruler of Song. even while courting, In Song, she had an affair with a gentleman observes all proprieties. the ruler's son, there was a scandal. Of the 300 poems in This kind of gossip is trivial. "The Book of Odes", Do you know who now so many speak of love! runs the Kingdom of Wei? All 300 have one underlying point. The King, of course! In true love, there is no evil. I can see it isn't. I have liked poetry since Wei's internal politics are very I was a child. chaotic, there are many seats of power. Will you take me as your student? But I can see that the real power I have taken on a new student behind the throne in Wei, his name is Bu Shang. is Nanzi. Although still quite young,

16 he is some sort of prodigy. descend into chaos. While studying "The Book of Odes" Come on, hurry up... under me, he has shown much insight. Hurry up... So I humbly recommend that Come on! he becomes your study-companion. Worldly people could probably come to Our ministers consider understand the master's sufferings. your theories But few will ever truly grasp of civility in government the depth and breadth of those sufferings. to be impracticable. That's scholar Kong! Do you truly believe Let's take a look at him! they can work? By order of Commander Huan, Ruling with civility will benefit Kong Qiu and his followers must leave the state, its community, and its people. the Kingdom of Song immediately. Why should it not be practicable? By order of Commander Huan, Without civility, Kong Qiu and his followers must leave a state will descend into chaos. the Kingdom of Song immediately. Males are born lascivious. Master, please begin. Their desires lead them Poetry, books, ethics, music... into war and bloodshed. a gentleman must understand all these. Since this is their nature, So today we will begin it will be hard to rein them in. a review of our practices. The hardness of the task is Rulers should treat the measure of the gentleman. ministers with courtesy Master, do you really believe as ministers should that a gentleman's serve rulers with loyalty. personal morality Loyalty and filial piety is the most important thing? are the keys to humanity My belief is that a man who wakes and harmony. up living a life of civility All professions may prosper. will go to his death Close to home, a justified man. attend your parents. Master, will you stay longer Further afield, placate in our country? May we meet again? your neighbors. That would not be convenient. There is also much to learn How so? Why inconvenient? including the names of birds, Because I have not yet seen anyone beasts, grasses and trees. who puts principles By order of Commander Huan Kui, before licentiousness. leave the Kingdom of Song! Worldly people could probably come to Stop! understand the master's sufferings. The tree is coming down! But few will ever truly grasp Watch out! the depth and breadth Master, let's quickly leave. of those sufferings. Master, we must go! It seems we should leave Wei now. Excuse me, friends. Why's that? Where's the river crossing? This land will soon The river crossing?

Who's that man sitting on the cart? Bring Kong Qiu back to Lu! That's Master Kong! Master Kong? Father, we mistreated The famous Kong Qiu from Lu? Kong Qiu before. Indeed! We forced him into exile. Isn't he supposed If we invite him back now, to know everything? people will mock us. Then he should know We could invite his disciple where the river crossing is. Ran Qiu back first. You fellows should He is Kong's foremost disciple, stay here and become farmers he has good military skills. instead of wandering He would know how around with him! to counter the Qi army. Avoid all the trouble out there! Alright, invite Ran Qiu back first. That's right! Wake up... Stay here as farmers! Wake up, Master! It's terrible! Yeah, stay out of politics The Kingdom of Wu is invading! like us! We have to leave at once! His thought would not Hurry up... be practicable. Have you seen an elderly foreigner? Let's stay here! At the city's East Gate... Why are you laughing? The Qi army is poised to attack Lu. Let's go. Master, Lord Ji asks you to allow Let's move on, Ran Qiu to come back to protect Lu. we will ask for direction later. Master, please agree, Go... Don't leave. for the sake of Lu! Come back! Master, we cannot let Ran Qiu go! Alright... Let's get back to work. They turn to us only when Fei, is there any news of Kong Qiu? they're in trouble. They say he spent some time in Wei, Remember how badly then went to Zheng and they treated us! is now in the Kingdom of Chen. Yes... In time of war, we need generals. How did you find me? In time of trouble, we need thinkers. An old farmer told us Back when we held he saw a foreigner near the alliance meeting, the East Gate. Kong Qiu won back the 3 cities A forehead like King Yao's. without waging war. Shoulders like Zichan's. But we sent him into exile. Had the air of an important man Now it's clear that Qi tricked us. but looked as scraggy With our ruler dead and as a stray dog. a mere child on the throne, We guessed it was you. Qi seizes the chance to invade us. I'm not brave enough Our strength is not what it was. to be important. If it comes to war, And my features don't we have no outstanding general. resemble anyone famous. Now I have a mission for you. But that old farmer got it just about

18 right when he said stray dog! I'll need to discuss your request Master, you teach us to with His Majesty. practice what we learnt. I fully recognize your talents. Our homeland is in peril! Stay here as our retainer. The Prime Minister No more aimless wandering asks Ran Qiu to return. with Kong Qiu. Lu's very survival is at stake. Look, a 9-tailed sparrow! As men of Lu, Seeing that bird fly past we cannot stand idly by. means there must be Well said, Yan Hui. a village not far ahead. Lu is in danger, Really? That's great! I should allow you to return We can finally get some food to save the kingdom in our bellies! from disaster. Hurry, everyone! Ran Qiu, you should go. Quick! I'm dying of hunger! I will wait for good Nobody around. news from you. Looks like this is another village Master, once the battle is won, torched by the Cai army. I'll come back for you. We're all very tired. Pull! Clean this place up a bit. Greetings, Prime Minister. I think we can spend Father. the night here. General Ran has lived Master, look. up to our hopes. It seems that the Cai troops He has routed the Qi army have us trapped in this valley. in the Battle of Lang. Master, I've found a small mountain path. The Qi army has retreated back It's very narrow, across the border. but I think it may lead This won't go unrewarded. down the mountain. I will petition the king to put you Why don't I see where it leads? in charge of the Wen Shang Cities. I might be able to find some food Prime Minister, this simple man does not or at least someone want to be in charge of the Three Cities. who can help us. I only have one simple request. You can all rest here Speak. and wait for me. My teacher, Master Kong, Zigong, you always find a way! has been wandering for many years. Come back soon. He's destitute, Let's go, Zigao. but goes on teaching. Father, doesn't heaven reward But there has never been a moment those who are kind? when the Kingdom of Lu What wrong have we done wasn't in his thoughts. to deserve this? This simple man's request How is it is that you have him that heaven allows us invited back to Lu. to starve like this? Well. He's right!

Master is wise. the Kingdom of Cai. Maybe some cannot understand The people of Cai because their thinking were forced to move south. is too backward. Come on... help me. Master taught us. Quickly... Only in winter, does the pine tree Master. show its true strength. The ruler of Wei is dead, and his Master has been playing successor greatly respects Zilu. that instrument for days now. He wants to appoint Zilu Yes, as if the music governor of the city of Puyi. would fill his belly! What are you men waiting for? Master, you haven't eaten for days. I'm waiting for a roast gigot! This soup is Let's boil the water the last of the horsemeat. and start cooking! Please drink some. I am proud to see Are you alright, brother? one of my students so honored. Brother. But enter not a dangerous state, Zilu, drink some soup. dwell not in a chaotic state. Master, I'm not hungry. The political situation You have some. in Wei is not stable. Look, I'm having some, To be frank, I do not much you have a little too. approve of you taking this post. Each of us should have a little. Master, just wait for me I'm not hungry. You have some. to show my mettle in Puyi. Master, at last you're Then I'll be able to awake! Master! raise a powerful army. Are you alright? Master! I will deal with Do you feel better? the chaos inside Wei I'm back at last. and appoint you You were gone for 7 days. the new Prime Minister. If you'd come back one day later, Undue haste has you might have been too late! no place in politics! Master, you're awake. Zilu, you are headstrong Zigong, tell me. and demanding. What's happening out there? That's very dangerous Master, we left the valley. in this chaotic world. We were hunted down, Master, I know this. we almost died. But my undue haste Thanks to Yan Zhuoju, reflects my wish Zilu's brother-in-law. to realize your ideals He brought others to rescue us. of harmony and civility That's when we found out in government. how chaotic the world has become. An official wears his Men from Wu have conquered robes of office the Kingdom of Zheng. but it's his inner character and Men from Chu have devastated spirit which reflect his true mettle.

Never forget this. Where is Zilu? Don't look at, Brother Zilu... he's dead. listen to, speak to, Wei was in chaos, or do anything Yang Hu of the Jin Kingdom which offends propriety. has taken over the capital. Master's words will Zilu tried to protect the young heir stay with me all my life. to the Wei throne. Qi Sigong, take care on the road. He went out to face Master... the invaders alone. Take care of yourself, Master, He... your students bid you fare well! He was killed! Master. Master says. What's that sound? When a gentleman dies, The ice is cracking! he should maintain his dignity. Hurry up! Move! Well said. The ice is cracking. Hurry up! Well said. Hurry up! The ice is cracking. Mighty Zilu! Yan Hui... You were a true gentleman! Hui, where are you...? My father asked me to Hui Yan Hui. present Master with this jade. Grab the rope! Master Kong, my father... Yan Hui, come back up! He is dying. Come back up! Master! Master, please eat something. I've found you at last! It has been 8 hours. Ran Qiu, you've found He will not revive, Master. your way here? Let go, Master. Master, I... Master... For the past years, Master, Minister Ji Master! has been taking off from the court Please eat something. because of his sickness. Kong Qiu hasn't come back. I'm afraid he doesn't have much time. Father, I have sent men Whenever he looks back, to look for him. he deeply regrets It's reported that having you forced into exile. they're approaching the border. He has sent his own son He will never forgive to invite you back. what I did to him. He hopes to apologize Go in my place. to you in person. When you see him, Master, please come back to Lu. give him this. A ring of jade. He'll come when he sees this. Stand up. Master... Master, for the sake of Qi Sigong, you are back? Lu's future, come home! Master, Qi Sigong is back... I can return. Master... But you must tell them Why are you back alone? that I only want to teach.

They must no longer trouble me with politics. I will stress this point to him. We will respect your wish. Master. Start packing up, we are going home. We're going home... Father, Master Kong is on his way. He'll be here soon. Go! Welcome him on my behalf. We're home, we're finally home! Lu! We're back. Lu, land of my parents. I have finally returned. Master, did you say something? Nothing. Pack up "The Spring and Autumn of Lu" and have it delivered. Yes. If the world will come to know me, it will be through this book. If the world will think ill of me, it will also be because of this book.