"In kung fu, we say..." ""One hand lies the other hand tells the truth."" "Try that again." "If you, one day, make it back to the West... what will you tell men of this strange word, "kung fu"?" "Will you tell them that it means to fight?" "Or will you say... like a monk from Shaolin... to summon the spirit... of the crane and the tiger?" "Kung fu." "It means, "supreme skill from hard work."" "A great poet has reached kung fu." "The painter, the calligrapher... they can be said to have kung fu." "Even the cook, the one who sweeps steps... or a masterful servant... can have kung fu." "Practice." "Preparation... endless repetition." "Until your mind is weary, and your bones ache." "Until you're too tired to sweat... too wasted to breathe." "That is the way, the only way... one acquires kung fu." "Unfortunately, boy... you have not." "A more fearsome army, I have never seen!" "It is no wonder the barbarians fled." "Yet... it has come to the attention of your Chancellor... that some of his soldiers have questioned the political order of the Song court... now that the Emperor has passed beyond our world." "General." "Who is the most supreme fighter within your ranks?" "Yang Chun." "In Shantung Province, he is known as..." ""Whirlwind Tiger."" "He has mastered the Five Animal Styles of Shaolin." "May Song dynasty endure 10,000 years!" "What do the men say about your Cricket Minister's praying mantis games?" "With humility and respect... some have spoken of the Chancellor's insect games as a... curious hobby." "Those were the only words whispered, My Chancellor." "Demonstrate... why the name Whirlwind Tiger is so famous." "Defeat me, and you are promoted to a command post with all its residual income and pleasures." "However... should I defeat you... you are my chamber boy." "Praying Mantis Kung Fu." "Curious little hobby?" "Ariq was my brother." "But he was a traitor." "Now, he is dead." "I took his head, soaked the earth with his blood..." "I loved him as a brother, but I killed him as a traitor." "In my heart and by our laws..." "I know this to be necessary and just." "Those who disagree with my actions, speak now without repercussion." "That is the last we shall speak of my brother." "Cousin Kaidu will inherit his lands, his armies, his people." "Now... as to the war deferred with the Song rebels..." "We were dishonored at the Battle of Wuchang." "We must visit hell upon the Cricket Minister." "With respect to my cousin, Jingim... the Khan must now assert his dominion." "Our forces?" "With Karakorum's men finally standing ready..." " you are two armies strong." " Three." "The armies of the West are prepared for battle, Great Khan." "We await your command." "I have much to think on." "Great Khan..." "Tomorrow evening, at my encampment, if I may..." "I invite you to a feast... in your honor." "I will attend, Kaidu." "Thank you." "A tribute from the Song Chancellor, Great Khan." "How many Song prisoners did we take at Wuchang?" "A mere dozen, Father." "Rip their bodies asunder, Sire." "Send Sidao their parts." "My Minister of Finance, identify these brave warriors." "See their families receive tribute from the treasury." "That is your place." "It will be done, Sire." "To service the Khan is not merely an honor... it is a blessing." "To be sure, those who satisfy the Lord Khan's carnal needs here on Earth... will be granted supreme favor in the next life." "As well as 20 karats of gold." "You will be tested by the royal concubines." "The most proficient in the art of arousal will earn the privilege of residing permanently here... in our Great Khan's Hall of Five Desires." "By "permanently," I mean just that." "If selected, you will remain in the Hall of Five Desires until released from royal service." "If you are chosen to become a Royal Concubine... all needs will be met." "Those not chosen will be delivered to the Ministry of Finance to be sold off to the Khan's court." "Those unclaimed by the court will be sold to whorehouses in outer Cambulac." "Perform as though your life depends upon it." "It most likely does." "Horseman." "Sit." "I'm in a hurry." "I said sit." "Business done quickly is business done badly." "Do you want me to do bad business, hmm?" "There." "Eyeball to eyeball." "Now, we can either deal... or fuck." "Your choice." "Your loss." "It's opal and silver." "And?" "Last time, you gave me twice that." "I had bad month." "Hold, Europa." "What's your business here?" "I'm a customer with coin." "Let me pass." "Hey." "Where is the man who owns the bay gelding outside?" "Go ask the horse, Latin." "The grassland was sweet and cool tonight, Za Bing." "So much like my old home." "And so much like his." "What treasure did you leave for him this night?" "You know better than to ask." "My ignorance is not deep enough to protect me." "And I do not trust the scoundrel to protect you." "Tulga would not hurt me." "As long as the jewels come." "As long as he harbors hope to be with me." "That tether will weaken, Kokachin." "And he will expose you." "This must stop." "Whom do you serve?" "We speak of this no more." "And you have nothing to fear." "That is precisely what I am bid to do." "Fear." "I must protect you." "And as you protect me..." "I will protect you," "Za Bing." "You're my only friend in this world." "Sunflower?" "Where is your servant?" "Attending to my breakfast." "Excellent." "Enjoy." "Why would he summon me?" "My suspicion?" "Yes?" "Is that you will discover the answer to your question... rather soon." "Perhaps you might lend your venerable insight to another query." "I would rather enjoy my wine." "The Bayaut tribe." "Who are they?" "I grasp the spirit of your question." "Tread carefully, Master Polo." "Her parents, siblings, countrymen... they were slaughtered for refusing to bend to the Khan's will." "The Blue Princess is the last of her clan." "How did she survive?" "Her royal blood is valued." "She is destined to be sold for political currency." "Steer your eyes from her visage." "She is beyond your reach." "So I've been told." "You called for me, Sire?" "Do you have brothers?" "I wish I had." "Someone to play with." "Someone to conspire with." "Brothers..." "Sometime blessing, sometime curse." "Like those in your holy book." "Cain and Abel?" "Tell me of them." "Sons of Adam." "Cain was the first man to be born." "Abel, the first to die." "By the blade of his brother, yes?" "Envious of God's love for Abel," "Cain killed his brother, concealed his body... and lied to the Lord above." "What became of the murderer?" "He bore the mark of Cain... and was cursed to roam the Earth." "Endlessly." "To this day?" "No." "He wandered until he could wander no more." "So, he took a wife, built a house... and lived there until it collapsed and crushed him dead." "Some say this is an invented story, nothing more." "Meant to impart a greater lesson." "Which is?" "The scholars and historians of Venice are superior to all others across the land." "I have not the studies to begin to explore such questions." "Try." "It is in our nature to seek our brother's possessions." "And be willing to destroy to obtain them." "Superior to all others, hmm?" "I did not mean to offend..." "You shall attend my cousin Kaidu's feast tonight." "I await your thoughts on a lesser culture." "Six of them?" "The youngest was 16." "Maidar's boy." "Taban." "Taban." "How many times had I told Maidar... he was not prepared for war." "Like you, as a boy, his head was always in numbers." "And now it's in a thatched trunk." "Ahmad." "Please." "My apologies, Empress." "Send Maidar a purse of silver." "It is done." "The Khan commanded gold." "Impressive." "I will not choose my husband's concubines based upon Shria's judgment." "I've seen her faint when a puppy licked her face." "Well... that's no puppy." "Have you already taken tally, Ahmad?" "Perhaps you'll add that one to your harem before selling the castoffs to the brothels?" "Whatever turns profits for the Khan and fills a treasury..." "I will oversee." "As is your duty." "Yes." "But not why I come to you." "I know it's not my place, and..." "I do not wish to overstep my bounds." "You are as a son to the Khan and to me." "You need not hold your tongue." "Have you any insight into the Khan's private thoughts?" "Concerning?" "Spilling the blood of that savage, Jia Sidao." "Hatred does not cease by hatred." "But it may be stopped by a saber." "Until they eventually turn the saber back on you." "Are these matters of finance, Ahmad?" "Finance fuels the crucible of war... and its spoils fill our treasury." "They are one and the same." "Why speak of this to me?" "Why not Yusuf?" "The Khan's ear opens widest for you, Empress." "You are a magician." "You are certain to be selected." "Report to the Hall of Purification for cleansing." "Stop." "Lift up your hair." "Sit." "When did you meet Ling?" "I held her on her third day." "How did you come to know my sister?" "You whored together." "Mei Lin was my friend." "Chancellor." "Do you enjoy your current station in life?" "As concubine?" "Yes..." "Chancellor." "You may speak freely." "I do, Chancellor." "It seems to me that yours is the work of animals." "I see no worth in it, as it speaks to our most base instincts." "But I suppose some in life must make do with the meager skills birth has bestowed upon them." "I make no judgment, of course." "You are quite stunning." "I never took notice." "Providence is upon you." "Your days will not be spent pinned beneath stinking flesh on the floor." "You are to report every morning to my sister's chambers to care for my niece." "What you do with your nights is entirely of your choosing." "You are excused." "No." "How old?" "Nineteen." "What of this one's family?" "Her father works in the salt mines beyond the Wall." "And her?" "Father died at Wuchang, Empress." "Before that?" "He was a potter." "Not you." "You." "No, Empress, please, you must..." ""Must"?" "That is all for the Khan." "Take them to be dressed." "Do you attend the feast?" "My head and my heart do not yearn for airag this evening." "Are you unwell, Sire?" "A complicated answer to a simple question." "Prince Jingim will stand proxy." "What do you make of the boy?" "As heir?" "No, not that one." "The Latin." "He appears... insightful..." "Passionate... reckless." "Time will determine if he will be of use to the Khanate." "Hmm." "Good night." "Greetings." "Welcome, cousin." "We've slaughtered 20 pigs, 30 goats, and a dozen antelope for the fire... prepared wine and nermel for days." "When does the Khan's party arrive?" "My men are ready to commence." "Pour the drink." "To begin before the Khan arrives would be a great dishonor." "The Lord Khan had other matters to attend to?" "Hobbled by gout..." "he sends his regrets, and me in his stead." "Then let us honor the General who led our warriors at Wuchang." "May I take your horse, Master Polo?" "Arrows and sabers, I can withstand." "But the gout... it's a curse from the Eternal Blue Sky." "That..." " and an excess of wine." " Yeah..." "So much tension, husband." "Grandfather appeared to me whilst I slept." "Urged me to walk the kingdom with him... and gout wouldn't let me take a step." "Genghis laughed at me." "He went off on his own." "The Great Genghis did not have a brother like Ariq." "A Khan has no qualms or regrets." "Ahmad spoke to me." "He thinks war is the answer." "Why does Ahmad speak to you of war?" "He is a trusted minister." "I am his Queen." "He has much doubt his Khan will make the true decision." "He wanted to use you to sway my mind." "Well, he clearly came to the wrong person." "Hmm." "I should feed his balls to feral cats." "He takes liberties with his station." "He defends you and wants only the best for you." "He worries what may come in the wake of Ariq's death." "You counseled me to kill my brother." "I did and I did it well." "Now, you must consider all roads before you." "But the journey must not linger in the deliberation." "I can only assume you have an opinion as to which road must be taken." "Choose wisdom over wrath." "Heal any rifts within yourself, your armies, your people." "The Walled City will continue to stand... only to fall at a time of your choosing." "I have heard much of you." "Marco..." "Polo." "What does that mean?" ""The Great Explorer."" "No." "I think it means..." ""Pale Flower."" ""Flower"?" "You look... delicate to the touch." "I have killed hundreds of men in battle." "I didn't say the Pale Flower didn't have thorns." "Sharper than a Mongolian's arrow." "Should I be afraid?" "Only if you insult me." "Then..." "I must watch my words." "And the women you have conquered." "Did they melt in your hands?" "Like snow in the desert." "Take me in your hands." "Not that." "Do you wrestle in Venice?" "Of course." "Show me." " I don't want to hurt you." " Oh." "Mmm?" "If the Gods are always watching... we might as well put on a good show." "The inability to sleep is the curse of the aged... and the guilty." "And the gout- stricken." "Pardon me." "I foolishly assumed you were dreaming about your brother's head rolling in the dirt... his body, a feast for vultures." "Do they hate me?" "It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not." "You're a drunken fool." "So, kill me." "I have thought about it." "But you wish to sleep." "I know you want to tell me one of those endless stories from that infernal Chinese teacher of yours." "No stories tonight, Sire." "No Zen riddles?" "I will offer a truth instead." "Had you spared Ariq... you would have encouraged other traitors." "His execution was just." "No." "But it was necessary... in that moment, to preserve your Empire." "You ease one worry, but aggravate one greater." "As life is wont to do." " Open your mouth!" " No, no, no, no, no." " Open it!" " No, no!" "Shut it!" "Tell us, Marco." "Do your feasts compare to this?" "They are different." "Here, we eat the pig." "In Venice, they dance with it." "If the Venetian feasts were comparable, why would our friend leave home?" "We wear masks." "For what purpose?" "The mask frees us of inhibitions." "And the butcher beds the merchant's daughter... while his wife beds the gardener." "The mask prevents embarrassment." "Interesting." "Perhaps, some of our generals should wear masks in the future." "To prevent embarrassment." "We have the greatest generals in the world and all of history." "We would have been victorious at Wuchang had Genghis Khan or our Lord Kublai commanded." "I prefer a general with aggression in his blood to one who quakes with trepidation on his steed." "I prefer a pure general." "A Mongol, raised Mongol... bathed in the blood spilt by Genghis, steeped in his ways." "A warrior like you, Byamba." "Untainted." "A true Mongol." "A man." "Or woman." "Has the Khan heeded our counsel?" "Our Khan has a will of his own." "It is a will that may break if he fails to act." "We will support and reinforce his will, whatever it might be." "Of course, Minister." "I would never suggest otherwise." "He is my Khan." "Khutulun has grown more fierce with age." "And more beautiful." "It appears my daughter will never take a husband!" " Daughter?" " She is a prized warrior... whose virginity is promised to any man who can defeat her." "Suitors abound, offering horses by the score for an opportunity to wrestle and win her." "My herds have multiplied, but..." "I will find Khutulun her match." "You should challenge her, Byamba." "You are a powerful warrior." "I am not worthy, Kaidu." "Imagine if Khutulun had commanded our armies at Wuchang." "A glorious victory she would have given our Lord." "We are one wrestler short, Prince." "Care to test your skills?" "Show us the... aggression in your blood?" "I would be honored..." "Lord Kaidu." "Son." "Am I?" "I doubt the Great Khan would humiliate his one true heir." "No, the Khan wouldn't shame his one true son by leaving him to attend a feast with a Latin and a bastard whose..." "Go on!" "Kill me." "When my uncle, ÃgÃ♪dei, became gravely ill... the healers and shamans... thought they could appease the spirits... by sacrificing goats, boars and stags." "But ÃgÃ♪dei's illness just grew worse." "So, they tried offering women... beggars and peasants." "Nothing." "Then men from the court." "Still, his illness increased." "And soon, when he was at death's door... his most trusted shaman determined that... the only way to cure him was..." "to sacrifice a member of his family." "My father, Tolui... volunteered." "He drank from the poisoned cup and when he died..." "ÃgÃ♪dei rose from his bed." "That, son, was a tale conjured to save Tolui's face." "Losing face." "Chinese concept you've been taught... and have experienced." "Truth is..." "Father was a weak man." "Screwing whores and drinking airag till his liver burst." "He never deserved to occupy the Mongol throne." "Honor... he had none." "Courage... he spent it at the gaming houses." "I still hear his whining in my ear." "You, too, whine like a woman." "A man who would be Khan must stand tall and crush those who dare mock him." "You don't see?" "If I whine like a woman... it is because you molded me that way." "They mock me because I think Chinese... because I act Chinese!" "Because you made me Chinese..." "You were taught by Chinese scholars." "That does not make you less Mongol." "You act it... or I will kill you." "I hear he has hundreds of consorts." "I hope he has thousands." "Being mounted once a year is more than enough for me." "Daiyu says his cock is like that of a horse." "Then feed it oats and leave me alone." "A ladle?" "Your cousin said it was made by the greatest artisan in India." "From the ball sack of an elephant." "Perhaps it is meant to be ornamental." "And?" "What were your thoughts on true Mongol culture?" "How was the airag?" "It was enjoyable." "Is that the only word you can conjure?" "Highly enjoyable." "Hmm." "How did they speak of me?" "With respect." "Befitting one of your magnitude." "Hmm." "And my son?" "Did they afford him similar esteem?" "He was shown the honor due the son of the Great Khan." "Describe for me what you saw, Latin... as you saw it." "A lie... can cost innocent lives." "A lie about how the House of ÃgÃ♪dei... treats the son of Kublai... endangers this entire Empire!" "Such lies should be punished." "No." "Sire, no!" "Well, if I let him walk away, he will have his wine six nights from now and say..." ""Khan was lied to by a lowly foreigner and gave that liar his leave."" "He shares your sin now." "He is your scapegoat." "Go, Latin." "Sleep off the drink."