The Virtuous Queen of Han (衛子夫)

You also carry the inauspiciousness of the Goddess of Drought.

Now that you've come onto the platform

I'm afraid that you'll hinder the ritual of the rainfall

and cause this ritual to fail.

Please leave the platform right away so as not to offend the gods.

General Wei, get off the platform!

General Wei, get off the platform! Don't offend the gods!

General Wei, get off the platform!

How audacious!

King of Huainan first slanders the Empress

and then humiliates the general who fought to protect Great Han.

You've treated me like some ignorant child.

Do you expect to manipulate me?

What exactly is your intention?

Your Majesty, please look around.

I only came here to plead for rain on behalf of the people.

Empress left the palace upon the will of Tai Yi in order to plead for rain.

At this critical moment

I hope that Your Majesty can put the interests of the people first

and order the man who is tainted by inauspiciousness to leave!

Let the ritual for rainfall continue

and we may pray to the gods to plead for rain!

I beg Your Majesty for the sake of the people!

King of Huainan is a kind man.

He loves the people like his children.

General Wei, get off the platform!

Your Majesty, please get General Wei to step down from the platform!

Your Majesty, have pity on us!

Get General Wei to step down from the platform!

Brother, didn't you say that after putting on your show

you'd return to Huainan to prepare for your great plans?

You're now holding a ritual to plead for rainfall

but if it should stir up any trouble, wouldn't it become a hindrance?

Ants are moving and the crows cawed late.

Wind and rain are sure to come.

When I first entered Chang An, I noticed those signs.

The gods are in my favor.

How could I not make good use of that?

The Empress is now jinxed as the Goddess of Drought

and she is favored by a fatuous emperor.

I can win over the hearts of the people in this battle of good versus evil

as the godly wise man.

Your Majesty, have pity on us!

Your Majesty, have pity on us!

I beg Your Majesty to understand the sufferings of the people.

May the well-being of the people be taken into account!

The well-being of the people is not decided on a ritual for rainfall.

King of Huainan incites the people and

deliberately mystifies a common phenomenon.

Are you not to be suspected of winning fame for yourself?

I beg Your Majesty to uphold justice.

Besides the welfare of the people, I have no other intentions.

I beg Your Majesty not to hinder the plea for rainfall

because of the affection you have for your wife.

Why is there a need to plead for rain?

The gods have already taken pity on us

- and the rain will soon be upon us. - What is this man doing? Who is he?

Stop right there!

I'd like to hear what a civilian has to say.

Allow him to step onto the platform.

- Yes. - Thank you, Your Majesty.

He's gone insane.

How can this sacred platform be demeaned and the gods offended?

Obstructing the plea for rainfall will bring suffering to the people.

It is a deadly sin!

I am but a cook.

Am I not one of those people that you claim to protect?

With King of Huainan's great virtue, why would you have me killed

for asking a few questions?

Well said!

I allow you to ask him questions.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

I look up to King of Huainan for your great knowledge of books.

Have you heard of 'Gan and Shi's Celestial Book'?

It says that all constellations are drawn by gravity

that causes the rivers to flow.

It can cause droughts and floods. These are all signs of nature.

It has nothing to do with the power of gods.

Constellations do influence the climate.

But the changes in the palace will cause constellations to move.

I have another book in my hands.

It says here that on the first moon of spring in the year of Yin

there are floods early in the year and droughts later.

In the year of Chen there are droughts earlier in the year and floods come later.

Light famine.

A year of bad harvest.

Light famine from war.

The year of Wu is one of severe drought.

May I be so bold as to ask King of Huainan who wrote this book?

This was written by King of Huainan.

It is the chapter of 'Patterns of Heaven'

in the book of 'Philosophers of Huainan.'

According to what King of Huainan wrote in his own book

floods and droughts happen throughout the years

all following the cycle of the nature.

It has nothing to do with jinx or the gods.

But now King of Huainan keeps on insisting that

the Empress is possessed by the Goddess of Drought.

You're superstitious but also knowledgeable about celestial patterns.

Isn't this paradoxical?

There are changes in everything.

This drought is not within the pattern of nature.

Since the Empress left the palace, signs of rainfall keep appearing.

It is evident that the Empress is related to the drought.

It is enough to prove that in the Empress' absence

the wind and rain would come.

The Empress arrives!

Happiness and peace to the Empress!

Great blessings to Your Majesty.

You may all rise.

- Thank you, Your Majesty. - Thank you, Your Majesty!

Since Empress is already here

I shall see if it is as King of Huainan said.

That with Empress on the platform, rain will not fall.

I ask that Your Highness leave the platform as soon as possible

for the sake of the people and nation.

I've already pleaded with the gods to soon bless us with rainfall.

Should Empress' presence infuriate the gods and cease the rainfall

wouldn't that cause more suffering to the people?

How could Your Highness bear to do so?

- Yes, exactly. - Please leave, Your Highness.

Your Highness, please leave now.

Your Highness, please leave now.

- Please leave now. - Leave now.

If my departure would bring rain and wind

I would retreat to the other side of the world.

If sacrificing my life would bring rain to my suffering people

I wouldn't dare stay living.

But the climate cannot be changed by a ritual.

I am of the imperial family.

I will not allow anyone to confuse the public with superstition.

If rain is to fall, how could it be ceased by me?

If rain is not to fall

how could it be changed by King of Huainan?

Today, the gods will be our witnesses.

We shall see who is right and who is wrong.

May the gods bless my people of Great Han

not to be swayed by superstitions.

I'm willing to share the worries and joys here with the people.

I will wait here for rainfall to nourish my people.

Empress holds the umbrella to pray to the gods

for rainfall to nourish the people!

I ask that Your Highness leave the platform quickly

so that I may plead to Tai Yi again...

Empress holds the umbrella to pray to the gods

for rainfall to nourish the people!

Leave now! Don't stay here!

Shut up! Empress is praying for rain!

- Leave now! - Leave!

Whether it rains or not

I will be be your god and watch over you.

Emperor and Empress are of one mind!

Their kindness will bless the people!

Emperor and Empress are of one mind! Their kindness will bless the people!

Emperor and Empress are of one mind! Their kindness will bless the people!

Emperor and Empress are of one mind! Their kindness will bless the people!

Emperor and Empress are of one mind! Their kindness will bless the people!

Emperor and Empress are of one mind! Their kindness will bless the people!

Gods! Please don't rain yet.

Rain after the Empress leaves.

Help my Jiao Er, gods!

Emperor and Empress are of one mind! Their kindness will bless the people!

Emperor and Empress are of one mind! Their kindness will bless the people!

Emperor and Empress are of one mind! Their kindness will bless the people!

- It's raining! - It's raining!

- It's raining! - It's raining!

- Prayers for rain are answered! - Gods bestowed rain upon us!

We owe this to the Empress!

Yes!

Thank you, gods!

God of sun, Tai Yi, took pity on us!

Empress prayed for rain!

Gods bestowed rain upon us!

Empress holds the umbrella and gods bestowed rain upon us!

It is finally raining!

- It is raining! - This is great!

This is great!

Great blessings to Your Majesty.

Greetings to Your Majesty.

You may all rise.

You've been aggrieved.

With the wise arrangements of Your Majesty

and the assistance of everyone

not only have I upheld my reputation

but the people are also unswayed by superstition.

I do not feel aggrieved.

Duan Hong, Wei Qing. I shall reward the both of you well for your credit.

I wouldn't dare take credit for it.

Your Majesty, the one who deserves the most credit is Uncle Yi.

Yi Han has indeed performed exceptionally.

If you hadn't discovered the moving of the insects in time

and the changes in the winds and clouds

Empress would have had gained a bad reputation

and the dignity of the imperial family would have been at risk.

I am but a civilian.

I just happened to know some common knowledge.

It allows me to spot signs of rainfall

and the affection between Your Majesty and Your Highness.

It's rare that you don't take credit for this.

Is it common knowledge to have read