"Holds A River Sacrifice In 210 B.C." "Would Sire begin the rites, please?" "Would Sire begin the rites, please?" "The rites will begin!" "Sing the imperial anthem!" "By decree!" "Sacrifice the instruments!" "Music is a base thing." "And musicians are base people." "After my death... execute anyone... who supports a musician." "Bow-wow, bow-wow Bow-wow, bow-wow" "T wo little doggies" "Dreaming of a bone" "Bow-wow, bow-wow" "Biting all night long" "Biting all night" "Mouths full of fur" "Bow-wow, bow-wow" "Not a bone in sight" "The dog has a bone, but the Qin prince... hasn't even got his mother's breast." "He's tough." "Bites so hard it hurts." "He takes ten times as much as our son." "Our Jianli is weak as a lamb." "Like you, only up to playing the qin." "Gao Jianli, is that all you can play?" "Give us something soothing and f eminine." "Time to get to work." "Prepare to execute the Qin hostages!" "How dare you look at me!" "Ying Zheng!" "Execute the Qin hostages!" "Begin!" "Don't be afraid." "Close your eyes and listen to my music." "The axe is sharp." "It'll be over in one blow." "You won't feel any pain." "Keep the prince." "He'll come in handy." "We can use him for a sacrifice." "Two little doggies" "Dreaming of a bone" "Bow-wow, bow-wow" "Biting all night long" "Biting all night" "Mouths full of fur" "Bow-wow, bow-wow" "Not a bone in sight" "We're going to die." "For sure." "What will happen after we die?" "I'll order them to take us... back to Qin." "Our burial mound will be a mountain." "Both our names will be on the tombstone." "Where will our heads be?" "On top of the burial mound." "No, that's dirty." "I'll put them on top of your qin." "No!" "Your prince is a hostage in my state." "Take the Qin prince home!" "26 Years Later" "I've only conquered half of my rivals." "Y et you play this romantic stuff." "T rying to make me seduce your mothers?" "Court music has always been this way." "Court music!" "I want a national anthem!" "Who wrote this stuff?" "It's not even up to Gao Jianli's ditties." "This is your speech." "Read it!" ""In the west, HanZhong fortress is mine." "North, I have animals that can be ridden." "To the south, I have a mountain barrier." "In the east, Yaohan fortress is mine." "The fields are fertile, the people rich." "I have a formidable army... the best resources and forces in China."" "Sire, you must wear these robes." "All the other kings wear them." "And that's why they've failed." "Victory to Your Majesty!" "Father!" "I've come to watch the fun... but that guy didn't want me to." "You're here now, aren't you?" "You're plumper now." "I can marry you off." "I'm sure someone's here to ask f or you." "When we conquer the Y an kingdom... may my son marry your daughter?" "Let's go." "That's enough." "Don't be in such a hurry." "There are two more kingdoms after Yan." "Wang Jian." "Once you've conquered them all... your son will marry the princess." "I swear this before the gods... and bef ore all the men assembled here." "Victory to Your Ma jesty!" "For 550 years... we've been fighting to conquer all under Heaven." "I'm the 32nd king in the Qin line." "Now Heaven is smiling on me." "I've conquered three kingdoms already." "Only three remain:" "Y an, Chu and Qi." "When I have conquered them all..." "I will cease to be a king." "I will become the first emperor!" "An eternal empire begins with you!" "Sire, isn't Chu set down... to be conquered bef ore Y an?" "I changed the order." "Why?" "Because there is someone in Y an who can write me an anthem." "Such precious wood!" "Ruined!" "I must bring the Qin king a trophy." "You mean this?" "You are most perceptive." "If I take your head and a map of Y an... then I can approach him." "I can avenge your family and the nation." "Okay, I'm bound to die soon anyway... but you will need someone's help." "Varnish it." "I've kept you waiting." "I hear you're leading the Y an resistance." "Is that so?" "The Qin king f orced me to flee." "He slaughtered... my whole family." "What's past is past." "Jianli." "The Qin king has sent f or you many times." "He must like your music very much." "So why doesn't he come himself?" "He is coming." "The Qin are at our borders." "If you'd accompany our assassin... you'll prevent Qin hegemony." "Unification would be good." "Musical notes could be standardized." "Then music could spread everywhere." "Let me play my new tune." "Never pass up a chance to savor beauty." "This guy's no assassin." "Having the chance to hear your music... is worth dying f or." "You're so noble to sacrifice yourself." "If you really can kill the Qin king... use one blow to avoid pain." "The Y an ambassador is here to surrender!" "The Y an ambassador is here to surrender!" "The Y an ambassador is here to surrender!" "There have been 17 attempts on my lif e." "Changing clothes is a security measure." "I hope you understand." "T o demonstrate Y an's sincerity..." "I have brought a traitor's head." "General Fan, why did you betray me?" "The world has one less hero now." " Bury it in his family grave." " Y es, Sire." "I also wish to present this map of Y an." "That's not necessary." "I know Y an better than the Y an king." "It's already included on our map." "The Y an ambassador will depart!" "I have a message from Gao Jianli." "Gao Jianli?" "How is he?" "He rises and sleeps with his qin." "Have you heard him play?" "His music is as mighty as your name." "What is his message?" "I'm afraid to repeat it." "I guarantee your lif e." "He advises peace and an end to killing." "All disputes can be negotiated." "Then all people can live in peace." "T o express sincerity..." "Gao has cut off his f orefinger and put it in the map." "What?" "T o express sincerity..." "Gao has cut off his f orefinger and put it in the map." "He asked me to present it to you." "Bring it over." "Only Gao's hands can produce such music." "How could he cut his finger off?" "Open it." "Now you have been cheated, too." "Conquer the Y an kingdom!" "Lay it to waste!" "Study with me f or one year." "Then you will see things my way." "The Qin army has entered the city." "I can only become your pupil after the war." "Your grasp of the qin is still shallow." "The key is expressing divine virtue." "Don't worry about the war." "The Qin wouldn't dare come near me." "Gao Jianli!" "Show yourself!" "What an awful voice, like a broken drum." "There's no need to be polite." "No!" "My mother nursed your king!" "Why did our king spare you?" "I need to piss." "Piss in your pants." "So this is your 24-hour companion?" "It's just a lump of wood." "Have you heard the Qin drums?" "That's music to my ears." "You don't appreciate fine music... but one can always improve oneself." "Put your ear close." "You'll hear Heaven." "Hear it?" "Now that's music to the ears!" "Your kingdom's crack troops-- only fit to work as slaves... on the Great Wall and the sacrificial altar." "When he rules all, our king... will be called emperor." "Why won't my father give me some slaves?" "Aren't you tired, carting me about?" "He should swap you around." "That's impossible, ma'am." "Only eunuchs like us may serve you." "That's an iron-cast rule." "What a place." "Even whores act so grand." "You've insulted my fiancée, the princess." "Brand this one now!" "What are you doing?" "I'm Gao Jianli!" "Stop." "Ma'am, this prisoner insulted you." "Really?" "Say it again!" "Even whores act so grand." "T ake me over there." "Prepare the brand." "I want some fun, too." "Get your king here." "Say it again!" "I'll brand you each time." "Get your king here!" "What is this man's crime?" "Hiding banned books, spreading rumors." "What is a banned book?" "Any book you ban, Sire." "And what is rumor?" "Any speech you have banned, Sire." "Good." "What should his punishment be?" "Who is this?" "Why don't I recognize him?" "This is Prince Xianwu." "Xianwu?" "Your son by Concubine SuZhu." "How come you know it all so well?" "Because she and I are both from Zhao." "SuZhu?" "She's dead now." "HuHai, what do you think?" "Draw and quarter him!" "Good." "Draw and quarter him f or plotting!" "Remember, my decrees are the law of Qin." "My will is the will of the state." "All that adds up to one basic principle." "You are princes, but you are my sub jects, too!" "Y es, Sire!" "Jianli." "Wang Ben, who did this?" "Your Ma jesty decreed all Y an prisoners be branded." "Did I order you to brand Gao Jianli?" "Sire." "Remove this brand." "Doctor!" "Remove this brand." "Jianli, this is all my fault." "The wound is too deep to be removed." "You must find a way." "Go!" "Y es, Sire." "Jianli, you have suff ered terribly." "But if Y an had won, I would have been branded." "In that case, would you have visited me?" "Sire!" "Release him!" "You're no swordsman." "You weren't a brave kid, either." "You wet yourself when we buried that guy." "When they executed hostages, so did you." "Your cruelty makes Heaven weep." "You are as poisonous as a snake." "You are as poisonous as a snake." "You are as poisonous as a snake." "He's the only man I ever heard curse you." "Jianli, you're becoming incoherent." "I've heard all this bef ore." "Cursing isn't one of your talents." "The people share my ambitions." "Stick to music." "You're good at that." "Jianli." "You can live here in complete peace." "You'll live like a king." "But if you act like a spoiled child, history will remember you as a f ool." "You're not allowed to leave, sir." "I want to shit!" "Please go ahead, sir." "You're going to watch?" "Get out!" "But we must guard your saf ety." "I'm getting closer to my grave now... but I will conquer the Chu kingdom." "However, I will need one million men." "You're not in your dotage yet." "One million men is our whole army." "If you fail, the kingdom will collapse." "I f eel 500,000 is enough." "The job requires one million." "Victory will be difficult with less." "I still f eel 500,000 is our limit." "You know Chu like the back of your hand." "Your son, Wang Ben, will fight with you." "No one can stand up to your bravery." "We're so powerful, they'll be destroyed." "His Ma jesty is exhausted from work." "He has many things to attend to." "Let's discuss it again tomorrow." "Wang Jian, Li Si." "Both of you have got a point." "T o def eat Chu requires a great f orce." "Wang Jian, I'll give you one million." "You can drown the Chu capital in blood." "But just be sure you conquer it." "I will set out at once and smash Chu." "We ask to leave!" "Wang Jian." "Sire." "You say you're closer to your grave." "No, your son is closer to becoming prince." "Sir, we beg you." "Please eat." "If you don't, we may die." "Save our lives." "T ake a bite." "Whose idea was this?" "He was hitting his head on the wall... biting people and refusing f ood." "How long has he been on hunger strike?" "For three days." "He has even refused water." "You idiots!" "I don't care how, but make him eat." "I've sent men to exhume the Y an king... from his burial mound." "Your mother's remains are there now." "They were buried with full honors." "You're devoted to her." "She nursed me." "So this is my gesture of respect." "Jianli, after becoming king of Qin..." "I sent f or you many times." "The Y an king said if I needed you... he'd send me your head." "I had to kill the chicken to get the egg." "We've got some in!" "Stay still... or you'll be a deaf king." "Oops." "I mean a deaf emperor." "Even an emperor is powerless sometimes." "Is it that Gao Jianli again?" "Let him die if he wants to." "That would be easy, but I want him to live." "If he died, I'd get all your attention." "You're as bad as he is." "Other side." "Other side." "If he dies, and then you get married..." "I'll be left completely friendless." "I don't have any friends, either." "You say he dabbles at the qin." ""Dabble at the qin"?" "I want to make him court composer." "Nonsense!" "You get the world under your thumb." "I'll get this madman under my thumb." "You're the mad one." "Women have their ways, you know." "Okay, you can have a go." "But if I succeed, I want him to teach me... and to f ollow me everywhere." "It's a deal." "By hook or by crook, I'll succeed." "Just prepare it this way!" "Were you raised on sow's milk?" "The meat hasn't been hung properly." "It stinks." "Carry me over." "Ma'am, this is steamed lizard." "Delicious!" "If I could only walk... brands all over my body wouldn't bother me." "I'd be a happy woman." "Gao Jianli, if you really are worse off than me... maybe you are better off dead." "This is stewed wild boar." "My father has more than 30 daughters... but he loves me the most." "I was the first born." "Later on, when he had more children... they didn't seem so special to him." "One time... he took me riding." "The horse reared and threw me." "I haven't been able to walk since." "I was like you then." "I wouldn't eat or drink." "I just wanted to die." "My father has told me so often... that you are a great musician, but that's not the man I see." "I just see a walking corpse... acting as stupidly as I once did." "A hero doesn't go back on his word." "Come walk on clouds with me." "As soon as we have unified China... we must standardize language... currency... and the law." "And weights and measures, too." "We must also gather all weapons... and execute anyone hiding them." "Weapons are material." "That's easy." "But what about the nonmaterial?" "How do we control that?" "By "nonmaterial," you mean" "Hearts and minds." "Hearts and minds." "The key to success or failure." "Unless we gather them in... the empire will be unstable." "Only when we've got them behind us... will the empire's future be secure." "Sire's words are pearls of wisdom." "You can write the Qin imperial anthem lyrics." "Thank you, Sire." "But as f or the music..." "Gao Jianli must compose that." "Jianli." "You're dying." "Bef ore you die, I have something f or you." "Bow-wow, bow-wow Bow-wow, bow wow" "T wo little doggies" "Dreaming of a bone" "Bow-wow, bow-wow" "Biting all night long" "Biting all night" "Mouths full of fur" "Bow-wow, bow-wow" "Jianli." "Don't you have a last wish?" "These are f or your composition, sir." "This is the deer's blood you wanted." "What an achievement!" "It seems women really do have their ways." "Now he can f ocus on that anthem." "Remember, we've got a deal." "I've brought him round." "So make him my qin teacher." "Make him become my shadow." "I want to change him." "I want to tame him like a horse." "A horse?" "I was only kidding." "You can't hold me to it." "You rule all the land on Earth." "Everyone is your sub ject." "He is my only captive." "Now you want him back." "A king never kids around!" "All right, he can teach you the qin." "He can be your shadow." "I give my consent." "You silly girl." "Even you belong to me." "This capital of Chu... will be my fifth betrothal gift." "Once we take Qi, even Ying Zheng... will have to stick to his word." "You mean we're risking our lives just so I can marry a cripple?" "Grow up." "So what if she's crippled... or blind, deaf, a hunchbacked cretin?" "You must marry her f or me." "She will ensure the family future." "Master Gao is here f or your lessons." "Gao Jianli, come in!" "Have you remembered your scales?" "Caress it." "Don't pluck at it." "Begin." "Plucking at it again?" "It's not your fault." "I can't quite compose this piece right." "I am a slave now." "I have a miserable lif e ahead of me." "My last request in this lif e... is to possess your body... to commit a capital off ense." "You've broken my leg." "And my ankle, too." "I've transgressed against the king." "I'm sure to die." "So, you still want to die?" "Bef ore I die..." "I want to give this to your fiancé, Wang Ben." "If you've got the guts... give it to my father." "Come back!" "You're standing up!" "Y ueyang, you're standing up!" "You've broken my leg." "You've broken everything." "An angel has descended!" "I wanted to die all along." "I wanted to die all along." "Li Si, Zhao Gao, you're so learned... but which of you could do this?" "Gao's music can make a cripple walk!" "Sire, Gao Jianli's gone mad." "organize a banquet." "T onight we celebrate." "You beast!" "You shat in my bed!" "Such precious wood!" "Ruined!" "Y ueyang is walking." "It's a miracle." "I'll bury your miracle!" "It is a miracle!" "I'll bury your miracle!" "I've got the key to my tune!" "Your tune will be your muffled cries." "The most beautiful sound on Earth!" "And I'm the only person to hear it." "What a shame!" "I wanted to die all along." "Dig him out!" "You won't get the better of me." "I'm scared, Father." "Put me down." "I won't do it." "I'm too scared." "I made you fall off one horse." "Now I want to see you ride another." "What's that stink?" "They're scenting my clothes with calamus." "We use absinth in Qin." "No change is allowed." "Gao uses calamus." "I can smell it on him." "How dare you mention his name!" "You wanted to tame him like a horse." "How could you let the horse ride you?" "Your robes, ma'am." "I grew up with eunuchs-- non-men." "You've always talked to me of Gao Jianli... and you gave him to me." "I saved his lif e... and he made me walk again." "Aren't you happy?" "Kneel!" "Do it properly!" "Saving Gao was your father's command." "Marrying Wang Ben is your king's command." "That's loyalty to me and the state." "Gao is a wonderful musician... but he doesn't respect my law." "He's finished unless he changes his ways." "I'm not a virgin anymore." "You're my daughter, the princess of Qin." "I won't be married to Wang Ben." "Disobeying me is a capital crime!" "You're the bond I promised." "You're my bargaining chip with the army." "You're a hostage to my will." "Understand?" "I am not a hostage." "I am your daughter." "You've helped me, so I will f orgive you." "Okay." "You can learn the qin with him." "But there's to be no more funny business." "Remember." "My decrees must be obeyed." " Come in!" " Father" "T ake her to pray in the clan temple." "Def eating Chu is a great victory." "So why do you all look so miserable?" "We have just risked our lives in battle." "How can we be insulted like this?" "This matter has ma jor consequences." "Gao even dared violate the princess." "If we do not execute him... how can we uphold the law?" "You're completely off the mark." "You cannot arrest without a complaint." "Who's the plaintiff in this case?" "I can accuse him as chief justice." "But your daughter hasn't been violated." "Has she made a complaint to you?" "I'll accuse him!" "But you have to catch them in the act." "What evidence do you have?" "Listen." "If there is a plaintiff in this case, it's Gao Jianli." "It was Y ueyang who violated him." "In that case, she must be punished." "A woman violating a man?" "Do we have provisions f or such a crime?" "I know our law, and we do not." "Your oversight, Chief Justice." "I guess Sire is changing the law again." "Violators and the violated get promoted." "In that case, please let me step down." "Listen." "Violation and illicit sex are diff erent." "I'm not even sure it was illicit." "She took him like taking medicine... and he's made her walk again." "Actually, Wang Ben... you're the one who reaps the benefit." "I've given Gao a warning already." "If it happens again, I'll castrate him... to protect him from future violation." "Put your hat back on, Chief Justice." "We'll see how you handle this." "You are involved in matters of state." "Why do you care about love affairs... and other people's sex lives?" "Do we rely on sex to build the empire?" "The Qi sword still hangs here." "Do you see it?" "Wipe your eyes." "Look." "Zhao, read this." ""By royal decree, Wang Ben is now... a marquis with 3,000 serf households."" "Thank you, Sire." "The sacrificial altar is your job." "You have f our months to finish it." "If you fail, you'll be punished." "The grasses made you immortal, right?" "Y es." "How old are you now, then?" "I don't remember exactly... but over 2,500 years old." "What bull!" "But it is very poetic." "Your Ma jesty." "In my humble opinion... these sorts cause trouble." "You're wrong." "If the nobility get involved in this... they won't think to rebel." "Moving boulders" "One thousand pounds on my back" "T en thousand men stoop..." "So one can reach Heaven" "Gao Jianli is a troublemaker." "Listen." "He's inciting mass rebellion." "Wrong again." "The song moves me." "At the river sacrifice... we'll have Gao Jianli lead the chant." "Have you written the lyrics yet?" "We lost on the battlefield." "But our Gao has conquered the Qin in bed." "He should be rewarded with a promotion." "Let's call him the Music King." "A king with no kingdom is worth a fart!" "He should be a saint." "The Music Saint!" "No!" "He's the Saint of womanizing!" "The Saint of womanizing!" "The Saint of womanizing!" "I have come f or the Saint of womanizing." "River, river" "So vast and wide" "Rushing, roaring" "Down from the skies" "Chanting, chanting" "We join the tide" "Blasting, smashing out" "The mountainside" "Your Ma jesty, the princess has yet to gain full use of her legs." "This is most dangerous." "What a pity she's not a prince." "Then I'd have a worthy successor." "Gao has changed my lyrics." "Listen: "blasting, smashing."" "He's criticizing you and suggesting... the kingdom is unstable." "The song is brilliant!" "Now you grasp that hearts and minds matter... and so do musicians." "But don't read too much into the song." "That Gao will compose the anthem is set." "I might make him court composer, too." "Are you kidding, or making a decree?" " What do you think?" " I think you must be kidding." "But the gods were angry." "Why?" "Because half the kids... weren't virgins." "No wonder they wouldn't let us land." "Xu Gui." "Your Ma jesty." "How about I send your brother... with 1,200 children to get those grasses?" " Wonderful." " Excellent." "And I guarantee they'll all be virgins." "Thank you, Sire." "Okay, float downriver to the China Sea." "T alk it over with the island gods." "No, Your Ma jesty!" "Understand?" "The king never jokes." "Music is like people:" "full of sadness." "Y es, but no hatred." "It's sublime." "Have you seen a genius like him bef ore?" "My only wish is to make Y ueyang smile." "If she smiles, I smile, too." "And if I smile, everyone smiles." "But, Sire, I want to weep." "If you weep, I weep, too." "And if I weep, everyone weeps." "Gao, only you have this ability." "Father, you are incapable of tears." "This is the second time we've shared a ride." "You first." "Your Ma jesty, I wouldn't dare." "But you have my consent." "You might throw me out again." "It wasn't me that did that." "Look." "We've served His Ma jesty so long... but has that ever happened to us?" "Stop!" "Those two brothers thought they'd con me." "I certainly played along with them." "One's dead." "The other's off to sea with the kids." "If he can find that island... we'll incorporate it into the kingdom." "If he can't, the fish'll eat him." "You can't f eed the kids to the fish, too." "Why not?" "It's a gamble, but losing can be fun too." "I think it was Xu Fu who smelled fishy." "He's the one who's not a virgin." "You're right." "Why didn't I think of that?" "Stop." "Your brother must be out at sea by now?" "He wouldn't dare delay an important job." "I want to see if you are a virgin or not." "Your Ma jesty." "You're pushy, just like your father." "No one can resist." "The calamus and absinth are mixed now." "Do you still want to die?" "I'd willingly die to be with you." "An assassin!" "Block the roads and catch him!" "Your wagon has fallen into a trap." "Your Ma jesty." "Gao Jianli protected the princess... but he himself is seriously wounded." "Save him!" "This is the 19th attempt on my lif e." "We're searching f or the assassin." "When he conf esses, we'll get them all." "That's no use." " Kill everyone f or a mile around." " As Sire decrees." "Better make it three miles." "Do as he says." "I've lost again." "I won't play anymore." "You eunuchs are too clever." "It was my only brother who castrated me." "But as a prince you have many brothers." "Just think if they took up the knif e." "Sir, I've won again." "Even a dwarf like you dares outdo me." "We've f ound it, Sire." "We need a man with yang energy's hair." "It can restore circulation." " We will seek such a man at once." " Cut the crap!" "No, not a hair on your head may be harmed." "Your Ma jesty." "Word from General Wang Jian." "He is too sick f or the strategy meeting." "You're tired too." "Shall we postpone?" "We will proceed as planned." "Winning Qi is our final task." "No delay." "I have an order!" "Send ten doctors to see Wang Jian." "If he's breathing, he'll be here." "He's alive!" "Jianli's alive!" "So, your hair got his circulation going." "You've had a nice long nap f or five days." "Y ueyang's been by your side all along." "Wasn't I perf orming f or you just now?" "The river mists have lifted." "My spirit has been released." "I call this "Ode to Y ueyang."" "If you can express our valor... in the anthem... even Heaven itself will be moved." "My strength is elegant little tunes." "Anthems are grand, not what I do best." "No." "Listen to their chant." "Nothing light and romantic about that." "And didn't you compose it?" "That's just a f olk tune from my home." "I've been a hostage since I was born." "Get out of here." "My lif e's been at risk f or twelve years." "I could have died anytime." "Only this tune of yours... which you call just a f olk tune... rescues me from the f ear of death." "I have sought death, but without success." "I have tried but failed to throw it off." "Sometimes I try to strike out against it." "But something holds me back." "Death is my addiction." "Jianli, Fate gave you to me." "You are a part of me now." "You must suff er together with me." "The Qin anthem is a kind of ode." "You've written an ode to Y ueyang." "So you can make millions sing my anthem." "You will not only compose the Qin anthem." "You will also become court composer." "Sometimes self-sacrifice is unavoidable." "I only compose music to amuse myself." "A million-strong army has set out." "Once Qi is conquered, I'll be Wang Ben's." "You will never see me again." "You must compose the Qin anthem." "You must become court composer... but make marrying me your condition." "Your Ma jesty." "Get out of here." "I want to see you drunk." "T ake Gao back to his chambers." "He is recovering, so take care with him." "Y es, Sire." "The princess is confined to her quarters." "How far may she go?" "The two watchtowers." "No one may enter." " What about...?" " What about who?" " Gao Jianli." " No one." "The scripts of the other kingdoms... including soon-to-be-won Qi... will be replaced by those of Qin." "Then I will write my first edict." "This will be to make Gao court composer." "That position is responsible f or rites." "Only royalty has had the job bef ore." "A branded man cannot do this job." "What battles has he won to merit this?" "A biting madman... whose jumbled tunes jangle the senses." "Who else f eels this way?" "We all do." "Zhao Gao, what about you?" "I think he's fine f or the anthem... but as f or becoming court composer " "I see you're opposed, too." "Wang Jian, what do you think?" "I'm sick." "I've got one f oot in the grave." "I dare not meddle in the affairs of state." "Li Si, you're my sole supporter." "I'm still unclear when you're kidding." "One more time:" "The king never jokes." "Then send Gao to sea to f eed the fish." " Meng Yi." " Y es, Sire." "I sent you to register households in Wei... but you brought back ten concubines." "Your wif e is distraught." "Is that proper?" " Feng Jie." " Y es, Sire." "Your skill with the dice is legendary." "You gamble and use winnings f or usury." "What sort of proper behavior is that?" " Zhao Gao." " Y es, Sire." "I heard you got married again." "Your 31st time, right?" "T rying to outdo my predecessors, huh?" "Why wasn't I asked to the reception?" "I didn't dare disturb you, Sire." "Why does a eunuch get married anyway?" "T o have someone to talk to." " Li Si." " Y es, Sire." "You're the only one without concubines." "I have no time f or such matters." "Really?" "You share your bed with boys." "I'm not kidding, am I?" "It's true." "But apart from that, I have no hobbies." "I'm going to give you a rare opportunity." "There are 600 boys out at sea now." "I think you'd be their ideal companion!" "The Qi sword is still hanging up there." "My ancestors are still not at rest." "The blood we've spilt hasn't dried yet." "We're getting decadent, like our rivals." "Stupid and debauched!" "Desire can lead astray or give an aim." "Music tricks the ear but can also move it." "It can make me sing or weep... and make everyone else f ollow along." "We don't just want to brand prisoners." "We also want to brand hearts and minds." "This anthem will enable us to do this." "And the only person who can compose that anthem... is Gao Jianli." "Is anyone still opposed?" "Good." "Don't cool your asses in the breeze." "Sit up." "Set f orth." "T ake the ma jor Qi towns first." "When you attack the capital, I will come." "With this battle, we will unify China." "And Gao will fight f or hearts and minds." "You are all dismissed." "Yes, Sire." "I'm working to guarantee the marriage." "We'll hold the wedding when we return." "What do you think?" "No need to be so formal." "The whole game hangs on this final move." "I hear I have 8,000 palace women." "I've picked you a few." "There are others." "Lovely." "Very nice." "I should have done this long ago." "I've told my courtiers to forgive you." "Without women, they'd be like caged cats." "Hang on." "You're a puny little guy." "These are f or Wang Ben." "I want Y ueyang." "She's my masterpiece." "Of the bunch, I only want one bloom." "Okay." "Go ask Wang Ben." "Then Wang Jian." "They've served us f or three generations." "Think the army and ministers will agree?" "If you won't give me Y ueyang, kill me." "Killing you is the same as killing... the Qin anthem Heaven desires." "My desires come bef ore Heaven's." "You want Y ueyang, and she likes that." "So do I." "But you must yield f or the Qin Empire." "Wait until you've made your name." "Then you can turn the game around." "I'd rather join the work gang again... and die on your sacrificial altar." "Is that up to you?" "My brother is at the East China Sea." "He has sent news to me in a dream." "I wanted to send you floating after him." "I shall set out the minute I hear you have become emperor." "Are these the virgins you have prepared?" "Wonderful." "What a pity there aren't enough of them." "You could pick up a trick from him." "Why have you come to this lowly place?" "General Wang." "Your father has almost conquered Qi." "His Ma jesty will lead the final charge." "You do things too much by the book." "When you conquered Y an, a quick move... and Gao wouldn't be bothering you now." "Y ueyang can walk now, and I will benefit." "So Gao's done me a favor, really." "How magnanimous!" "Your ancestors must be proud of you." "T oday I must thank him properly." "Your Ma jesty, something's happened." "We've discovered some words on a rock." "The slave says it's a heavenly prophecy." "What does the prophecy say?" "Ying will die and his empire divide." "So Heaven wants me dead?" "Is that it?" "Some of you have dared... to f orge the word of Heaven." "You are all shielding the criminals." "You will be divided into groups." "A group dies each time the drum sounds... until you hand over the culprit!" "Jianli." "I'm waiting to hear a prophecy... that Ying will die and his empire divide." "Why do you have to kill to rule?" "Why do you need strings to play a tune?" "You're killing like mowing down grass." "If I die and the empire is divided... it will revert to chaos." "Which group is this?" "The 21st." "The 22nd." "A rare guest." "Bring him in." "Still no one has owned up." "You dare come just to tell me that?" "The blades are dull with use." "I've sent f or fresh ones." "I'm docking ten days' pay." "Dismissed." "Killing is against the Way of Heaven." "I'll show you the Way of Heaven." "In the 15th year of Duke Zhuang... 58,000 Qin soldiers died." "In the 33rd year of Duke Mu... 94,000 Qin citizens died." "550 years of warfare." "All the Qin acquired were corpses." "Where was the Way of Heaven then?" "And what about when we were yoked together?" "When you jumped on the princess... where was the Way of Heaven then?" "War, legislation, your little affair." "They're all a game of chess." "I can only move by the rules of the game." "There is no other way f or me to survive." "I carved that prophecy into the stone." "Kill me and stop slaughtering the others." "You have no right to ask to die." "My aim is to put an end to war." "I may have to kill a million f or that." "I should have died a hundred times already." "But I've got unfinished business." "You can't die." "Your music helps me escape f ear... and understand my people." "Jianli." "We should f ollow the true Way of Heaven." "T ogether, we should see China united... and the people's hearts united, too." "I will compose the Qin anthem." "I will be your court composer." "I will be as loyal as your shadow." "I will let you marry Y ueyang to Wang Ben." "Just stop the slaughter." "But why did they write that prophecy?" "I wish you and your empire immortality." "Then you should kneel bef ore me." "By my decree... cease the executions." "The old Gao Jianli no longer exists." "You are now the Qin court composer... with the status of a duke." "Not powerful enough." "Add 20 more drums." "Sir, there's not enough time." "You must." "The ceremony must be perf ect." "Sir, it's just a ritual." "I don't think that's all my anthem is." "But the Qin anthem has become a Y an song." "You're a hero and highly refined." "You're even more refined." "That chime needs to be filed down." "Y es, sir." "You and I are the same." "But you've saved 25,000 slaves' lives... and you got promoted to a high position." " I pale by comparison." " Again!" "Starting with the drums!" "You must wear this in case of attack." "That's too heavy and uncomf ortable." "These Qi soldiers are half-starved." "They couldn't even pull back their bows." "You must wear it." "I can't let anything happen to you." "Look." "Do I really need to wear this?" "Note that down." "No, f orget it." "Sir." "Shouldn't we stop f or the victory rite?" "How could you dare not join in?" "So, you're an arrogant official now." "Y ueyang." "I am also under His Ma jesty's orders" "I must go to the clan temple and pray." "I'm dropping by to congratulate you." "Y ueyang." "Do you want to be a deaf composer?" "You should congratulate me, too." "I want you to play on my wedding night... when Wang Ben and I make love." "When I make love, miracles happen." "Once with you and I could walk." "Wang Ben is a great Qin general." "So he may make me ascend to Heaven." "Yueyang." "Wang Ben should have killed you in Y an... and I shouldn't have got you to eat." "How do you f eel?" "Better than I, I bet." "All the official posts and music in Qin... wouldn't stop your father.... from marrying you to Wang Ben." "That policy is absolute." "Okay, get on with your Qin anthem." "Invincible!" "The six kingdoms were corrupt and cruel." "The Qin king nobly sent out his army." "They have eliminated the violence... and peace now reigns all around." "Invincible!" "Smelt it down with the others." "I swear that I, Princess Y ueyang... daughter of the 32nd king of Qin... will do as ordered and marry..." "Get out!" "Everyone except Gao Jianli!" "I'm afraid you're going too far." "You dare instruct me?" "Get out!" "Your father's sword is on my neck." "I have no idea when it's going to fall." "Think of it as my caressing hands." "That's what makes your skin tingle." "I can make you run, make you fly." "It's me than can make you run." "Ancestors, open your eyes wide." "I am Gao Jianli's woman." "The clan temple is my bridal chamber." "Gao Jianli belongs to me." "You dare raise the Way of Heaven again?" "It's just chess to you." "I don't get it." "You've committed the worst evil possible." "What sort of a bastard are you?" "For our friendship, kill me with one blow." "One blow?" "You'll die of a thousand cuts!" "This punishment is ages old." "Horse piss is poured on hot coal." "The steam is wafted into the eyes." "It causes blindness." "But it is painless, without side eff ects." "This punishment is precise and elegant." "But it is quite involved... and it hasn't been used f or a long time." "What crime is it f or?" "Peeping T oms watching court women bathe." "They receive this punishment." "I thought you said it didn't hurt!" "That's what the book says." "T ake him away." "Gao has nothing to do with politics." "What I want is his musical talent." "His talent must serve the empire." "His death would be a terrible loss... in our fight f or hearts and minds." "Can you see me?" "I can see some monstrous shadow." "In chess, you can't avoid losing pieces." "But I will produce the anthem in time... f or your installation as emperor." "Then the game will be a draw." "After that I will only make music... to amuse myself." "A blind man cannot be court composer." "You make things very hard f or me." "I f eel as though..." "I'm between a rock and a hard place." "Jianli." "Are you a man or a devil?" "T wo dogs must fight if there's only one bone." "But who wants the bone if one dies?" "I've understood that since I was a kid." "I was made king at the age of 13." "I had the strangest dream that night." "Headless ghosts were chasing me." "They have to be the six kingdoms." "I ran." "I ran to you." "Then the ghosts went away." "You were playing your qin." "That has to be the Quin anthem." "Then I flew up into the clouds." "I was still running and running... until I e jaculated." "Y es!" "That must mean climbing the sacrificial altar... and lighting the fire." "Know what I dreamt of the first time I came?" "You?" "What else could it be but a woman?" "And I was sucking your mother's tits." "And it came true." "It came true with Y ueyang." "You sensitive musicians." "Whining all the time." "You're just not patient enough." "Jianli, all rivers end up in the sea." "Wait two or, at most, five years." "Wang Ben will have died in some war." "Yueyang need only observe... one year of mourning." "Then she can marry you." " Can't you hold out that long?" " Your Ma jesty." "Don't call me that." "As many people as ants call me that... but very f ew are sincere." "You are the only person who has the right... to call me brother." "Bef ore you marry Y ueyang..." "I want to hear you call me brother." "Your Ma jesty." "Your promotion has come to nothing... and so has your Qin anthem." "But Ying Zheng knows what you're about." "T rue." "His sword could land on my neck anytime." "But I have a little dagger up my sleeve... because I know what this court is about." "We bet with our lives and are doomed." "But a little dagger can kill, too." "Hasn't enough blood been shed?" "Do you think becoming court composer... has lessened the bloodshed?" "You saved 25,000 Y an prisoners... but they were killed at the Great Wall... because another stone was f ound... and on it were the same etchings." "Your f orbearance has been useless." "You are a meaningless sacrificial pawn." "All your eff ort has gone to waste." "You don't see it, but I do." "The Great Wall is red with blood." "T oday is a day of red upon red." "Ying Zheng stains the Great Wall red... and dresses his daughter in bridal red." "Sir, are you going to see the bride off?" "There are six swords in my hair now." "We are both Qin slaves now." "One and the same." "And yet not." "I will never see you again." "Maybe that's f or the best." "You'll never see me grow old." "My condolences, sir." "I'm playing f or Y ueyang." "Eunuch, your not-male, not-f emale hands... have polluted my tune." "We eunuchs cannot compare with you, sir." "Your passion made Y ueyang... such a thorn in his side... that Wang Ben soaked the bridal chamber in blood." "I was only able to lend a hand." "I killed him and jailed his father." "I suppose I have avenged you, sir." "In fact, Y ueyang tried to commit suicide." "She bit off her own tongue." "It's Y ueyang's hands." "You keep them." "So many murders." "What a storm." "If it goes on like this... the ceremony will be rained out." "Such a bad omen f or the empire." "What can we do?" "The ceremony starts in two hours." "Put on your imperial robes, Sire." "Why won't you tell me the truth?" "Wait till after the ceremony." "Our condolences to Your Ma jesty." "T oday's ceremony establishes the Qin empire... and makes you the emperor." "An eternal empire begins with you, Sire." "All families have lost members f or Qin." "Could yours be the only one not to?" "Everything has its price... but why did it have to be Y ueyang?" "She had just learned to run." "And she ran so beautifully." "Why won't you tell me the truth?" "Okay, but you must put on your robes... because you must complete the ceremony." "Wang Ben cut her head off first." "Then her f eet, her hands and her breasts." "Finally, he cut out her vagina." "Then Zhao Gao and I killed him." "Gao Jianli, you caused Y ueyang's death." "We were both only Sire's pawns." "Even wild animals can cry, but not you." "This rain is the tears of wronged ghosts." "It will drown your capital." "Then let the wronged ghosts sing f or me." "I'll tell you the real Way of Heaven." "It is the victor's face." "An eternal empire begins with you!" "I, Ying Zheng... have unified China." "I proclaim myself the first emperor." "After me will come the second and the third... and so on unto eternity." "Qin's glories and virtues are numberless." "I command the Qin anthem be perf ormed... in honor of the gods... and I light the sacrificial flame." "I proclaim the Qin" "I command the Qin anthem be perf ormed... in honor of the gods... and I light the sacrificial flame." "I proclaim" "History will record that when you were installed..." "I attacked you." "Wrong." "I write the history books... and they will say that I kept you alive.." "because you are my eternal shadow." "Gao has taken poison and will die." "After f our hours of extreme pain... his organs will fail and he'll die." "Jianli." "Brother." "All the dry land" "That is the empire" "From the western deserts" "T o the south" "From the eastern sea" "T o the north" "Every human lif e" "An imperial sub ject" "Even animals see" "The emperor's virtue" "All benefit" "And live in peace" "Everlasting, immortal" "Everlasting, everlasting" "Everlasting" "Ying Zheng Became First Emperor In 221 B.C." "He Died On A Military Campaign In 210 B.C." "The Empire Fell In 207 B.C. It Lasted Only 15 Years."