Marco Polo (2014–2016): Season 1, Episode 7 - The Scholar's Pen - full transcript

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What makes you laugh?

I'm happy. You make me happy.

A little extra for you
this week, Sunflower.

Come in now.

You were long today.

Go wash your face and hands!

Give it back!

How much do we have?

I'm busy.

When I'm finished counting,
I will tell you.

Do we have enough to go to the festival?



You're not smart. You never were.

Mother and Father said so.

Don't talk to me like that.
I'm your older brother.

In years only.

If it weren't for my work,
you'd starve to death in the streets.

All I said was
that I want to go to the festival.

Play for a little while only.

And what do we buy food with?

Look at all these coins.
I'm sure we could spare a few.

Go, then.
But do not return looking for more.

Maybe you aren't
as stupid as I thought, Sidao.

I'm sorry, Mei Lin.

Great Khan, please!

Lower your eyes
when you speak to the Khan of Khans!



I never meant to harm you!

No!

Only my beloved!

Who sent you?

Chancellor Jia Sidao.

He instructed you to kill the Empress?

At first, I was to gather
knowledge of your court.

But he sent an emissary
the night of the White Moon

with new orders.

Why the Empress, not the Khan?

Who knows my brother's mind?

Brother?

Who is the emissary you speak of?

A concubine within the court. A friend.

Does she lay in wait in Cambulac,
to strike as you did?

No, she fled.

As soon as she arrives in Xiangyang
with news of my failure,

Jia Sidao will kill my daughter!

I did this, all of this,
to save my little girl!

Empress, you have given birth.

You know the bond between mother and child!

What would you not do to protect them?

- Please, no.
- Whore.

How dare you speak to me of love?

I know the Walled City.
I know the Song court.

My words can save so many lives.

All I ask

is that you save one.

Remove her.

The concubine was a tool.

Like a sword, she has no say
into whose body she is thrust.

You wanted her head yourself.

Don't weaken your resolve now, wife.
I will not weaken mine.

What I wanted in a weaker moment,
husband, I resisted.

I ask you do the same.

Allow her life.

To have Buddha on our side
is a great ally, I know this.

But as the Bible says,

"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

Kublai,

you quote whatever holiness
suits you at the time.

Are there no shallows
in the lake of your compassion?

Just because she is a mother
who weeps for her child?

Because she is the sister
of our greatest enemy!

And an agent of the Song court.

If you spare her... you may use her.

Fine.

If the bitch lives,

she lives with the knowledge that
everyone she knew has died by my sword.

If you attack Xiangyang,
thousands will perish.

Tens of thousands.

I will not bathe in that blood.

I will not have war in my name.

I deserve revenge.

As do I, my love.

But do not use a battering ram
when an arrow will do.

Let your vengeance fly exactly, Kublai.

There is a better way.

You need not fear.

Shh.

If we wanted you dead...
you wouldn't have awoken.

I've heard the songs they sing about you.

How your brother crawled up
and into the Imperial Court

through the wet spot in your bed.

Whose prisoner am I?

You are the prisoner of the Grand Khan.

Then why am I in your quarters?

All currency is my jurisdiction.

And whores are bought and sold.

Why does your brother
want Empress Chabi dead?

To defeat Kublai
in the shadow of the Walled City

would win Sidao great fame
and save the Song dynasty.

If the Khan leaves these gates,
he brings the wrath of Genghis.

Has your brother no wisdom?

Some men have mastered wisdom,

some devilry.

Does Sidao hide devilry
behind the walls of Xiangyang?

Of course.

If you knew
and surrendered that information,

you'd be out of currency, wouldn't you?

Why do this?

Pretend to care.

You will heal.

Fully, I expect.

I want to see!

Ling!

I missed you.

I've missed you, too, sweet one.

I must speak to the Empress.
We will play later, yes?

Something pains you, my child.

What I'm about to confess
could lose me my head.

Are you certain
I am an appropriate confessor?

I can only hope...
for I have nowhere else to turn.

I have lied to the Chancellor.

A word of truth lasts forever.

A lie lasts only a moment, my child.

Jia Sidao sent me to Cambulac

to find Mei Lin and charge her
to assassinate the Mongol queen.

Lady Chabi is dead?

No, Empress.

Mei Lin failed.

But I reported otherwise.

It's only a matter of time before
the Chancellor discovers my deceit.

I have signed my own decree of death.

And Ling's too, I fear.

Then a lie must last one day longer.

When the sun sets tomorrow,
so will Sidao's service.

He's done.

And Ling?

We all must bide our time.

Keep her from the Chancellor
until after the coronation.

Be strong, young one,
for your charge and for your future.

You are a Taoist monk.

Permitted to eat meat, drink wine,
enjoy a woman.

Yet...

you have never taken a wife.

I devoted my life to the service
of the Great Khan and his empire.

I only have so much time on this earth.

I have never taken a wife because
I do my best to avoid disappointment.

Hmm.

My second wife, she has a golden tongue.

You are blessed, Lord Kublai.

I give her gold to keep it
in the abyss she calls a mouth.

My third wife...

she has small and wrinkled teats,
like the dried fruit on a fig tree.

But Chabi...

she is an irreproachable gift
from the Eternal Blue Sky.

Had someone taken her from me...

You will go to Xiangyang
and kill Chancellor Jia Sidao.

Some may question
the wisdom of sending a blind monk

to assassinate the prime minister.

A blind monk who
once killed 25 of my best soldiers.

A Wudang warrior said to be
able to pass through walls unseen.

Suddenly, you are lame?

And should I pass through
the open gates of Cambulac,

what makes you think I will ever return?

What makes you think I want you to?

The Latin, is he accomplished?

For someone who has no accomplishments.

Good.

He will be your eyes and escort.

You do not listen, do you?

Oh, I do listen.

Then I hear what I want to.

Princess.

Empress Chabi has summoned you to court.

Has she summoned
all the women of the Hall of Fragrance?

Only you.

She has never invited me
for a private audience.

Be calm.

Lady Chabi knows nothing of your past.

You are the Blue Princess of Bayaut.

No one will challenge this.

I challenge it.

Worry not, Princess.

I will make you regal.

Ah!

What is the reach of
the highest wall in Italy?

The upper church of
the Basilica Papale di San Francesco.

It stands five stories.

To bring your people
that much closer to your God?

Or further from our demons.

Now, imagine a wall stretching
far closer to the sky.

Xiangyang.

I present to you the gerege.

With this golden tablet,
gates will open before you

as you ride to the south.

You will infiltrate the Song fortress.

While Hundred Eyes attends to his task,

you will gather information
as to the defenses of the rebels.

May I inquire as to Hundred Eyes' task?

He will kill Chancellor Jia Sidao.

Sidao's sister has
an ally within the walls.

Another whore by the name of Jing Fei.

She also utilized a treacherous
stable-boy from our slums

to send messages to Xiangyang.

That is all we have learned at this time.

The Song coronation draws near.

In that moment, the Empress Dowager
will preside over a shift in power.

Sidao seeks to secure war
before that happens.

Securing war secures his power.

His death averts it.

Ride swiftly, Master Marco.

Mei Lin has a message
she would like delivered to Jing Fei.

I do not know these names you speak.

Your family, their village,
is it far from here?

No, Chancellor.

You do not need to
call me that, brightness.

Not anymore.

What would you have me call you?

What do you like?

You are my Chancellor.

Which village is it?

Luzhi.

I do not know it.

It is quite insignificant.

Impossible.

It produced you.

Do you see them?

Your parents?

Why?

They do not approve of me.

They are ashamed.

There are so many rules.

It is the rules that build the walls.

To keep us apart.

And no matter how we wish
to break those walls down...

the rules allow no margin.

So there we are,

resting our hands
on either side of the divide.

No matter the side, we are just people.

That's why I did what I did.

For you people.

Do you believe that to be true?

I believe your heart and your mind
are true to one another.

In this moment...

you are most significant to me.

Do you wish to take me, my Chancellor?

I... I need you to tell me.

Tell me once again.

The Khan's wife is dead.

Mei Lin announced her cause
and you her master

as she slew the Empress.

Do you wish to take me?

I wish to pay a visit
to your parents' house...

to try to correct their way of thinking.

This is Ba-Tu. Care for him well.

Until my return.

We've got to keep moving.

The scum have attacked our father,

the Lord Khan!

The vermin have attacked the Empress!

The Song have vowed to destroy

everything that we prize and hold dear!

Do the sons of Genghis accept this quietly?

- No! No!
- Good!

My men and the men
who follow Princess Khutulun

become one force with one purpose!

To teach the Song devils
that we are Mongols

and the world is ours!

Why should we follow the Princess?

I understand your apprehension.

What does a girl know of battle?

What of your great-grandmothers
who rode into war with Genghis Khan?

To erase your doubts and ease your fears,

I will wrestle the best of you.

Byamba!

Byamba! Byamba! Byamba!

Byamba! Byamba!

Byamba! Byamba! Byamba!

Ohh!

Ohh!

You're not the butterfly I expected.

And you are not the lioness!

Is the Hall of Fragrance
suitable to your comfort?

Yes, it is most pleasing.

Tell me about the palace
in which you were raised.

It pales beside
the palace of the Lord Khan.

You miss it?

I miss the fresh blue lake...
and my friend, Nergüi.

What became of her?

She died.

During the siege?

Yes.

It must be difficult living amongst
those who massacred your people.

My people had the opportunity to surrender.

They chose to fight.

You have friends here in Cambulac?

My eunuch cares for me well.

What of your sisters
in the Hall of Fragrance?

They have little understanding
of the people or of the land.

You find them unworthy?

They're worthy in their ways

but know not of the horse and bow.

Life's truest pleasures.

My days of riding unfettered
have long since passed.

We were raised in very similar fashion.

Perhaps we might ride
together one day, Empress.

Tell me, Princess...

how do you see your future?

My Lady?

You know that you will not inhabit
the Hall of Fragrance forever.

I never really think about it.

You may open your heart to me.

I was once your age.

I know the dreams
that cloud a royal virgin's head.

I may have wondered.

Who is the lucky man of your thoughts?

Is he a prince? A king?

Power and prestige are the concern
of the other girls, Lady Chabi.

Surely, when you close your eyes at night,

you pray for a man of noble character.

To give my future husband many sons,
that is all I pray for.

We shall talk much, Princess.

My father sent Polo
to assassinate our enemy.

Why can I not understand this?

- Please, explain this to me.
- Your father has his reasons.

I have this terrible recurring thought.

Perhaps the wrong brother fell bloody
in the dirt all those months ago.

Do not repeat those words aloud, my Prince.

I will forget them myself.

Make no mistake, Ahmad,
I love my father, I revered him.

"Revered"?

The kingdom has turned its eyes away
as it relates to my father's pets.

But no other has risen so quickly

or closely to his side than the Latin.

"Open the gates to outsiders
and secrets will spill."

My uncle said those words to me
when I traveled to Karakorum.

He may not have been referring
specifically to the round-eyed rat,

but he could sense it.

My advice? Let us see what transpires.

If Jia Sidao falls and the wall with him,

then the boy is beyond reproach.

Your father's plan would have succeeded.

But if he fails

and if the Khan is not motivated to
push the boy aside by his own hand,

then we will guide it for him.

The death of Empress Chabi
puts us in a position of power.

It was the act of a coward and a scoundrel.

What lives will our people have

when they're enslaved by the Mongol hordes?

I so tire of this conversation.

The coronation is upon us.

You will be filled with vigor soon enough.

And in the end,

you may have achieved what you set out to.

Our position at the negotiating table

has been weakened by
your foolish play against the Khan.

And this is why I suggest, once more,

that we postpone the transfer of power
until certainty dawns.

No.

Did your sister fall?

One can only assume.

Is there no hole in your heart?

Do you not fear the admission to a daughter

who must face a life without a mother?

Life will continue.

And I hope, as her memory fades,

Ling will only remember
Mei Lin for what she was...

a whore.

After you've packed your porcelain,

we will clean up the shambles
you've left behind.

What choice do I have?

You have succeeded
in your mission, Empress.

May I remain after the ink has dried?

To bear witness the outcome
of your bargains with the devil.

You are a free man, Jia Sidao.

Free from responsibility, free from blame,

free to stake your claim
wherever you see fit.

Outside the palace.

You will always be a citizen of the Song.

If only that were true.

It is as if the gates of hell have opened.

It is the warm embrace of home.

When did you last feel it?

Be mindful of our mission, Master Polo.

It is a hard thing we do.

A hard thing you do, Sifu.

I draw pictures while you draw blood.

The Khan makes considerations
for my failure

and entrusts you with them.

That is no small thing.

This may not end well.

You continue on, however.

One death weighed against a massacre.

And should we fail,
we fail for a true cause.

Did I say something to amuse you?

I fear your mind
has followed your body into bondage.

You do not believe in the cause?

What one chooses to believe in
and what one is compelled to believe in,

there is a difference.

Don't stop.

Stop!

What is your purpose here?

Open up, show me!

-Get away! Move! Go.
-Hey!

You want to see?

Here.

In honor of the Emperor.

You wish to confiscate
the food of His Holiness?

Where is she?

She is favored by the Chancellor.

I will not bring her round
in the light of day.

If I sense you've raised an alarm,

I will find you before my days are done.

Do you believe me?

I could have left you at the gate, monk.

Once I finish,
I will no longer be at your service...

yes?

Mmm.

Meet me here when the moon is low.

My son, home from the hunt.

I see your new hawk proves well.

A fruitful and welcome diversion.

Were you on the grasslands?

Your mother is a lovely rider.

I can only assume the Princess is as well.

It was difficult to discern through
all the dust kicked in my face.

He stands several hands higher
than a Mongol pony.

Mongolian crossed with warmer blood.

-Quite handsome.
-Isn't he?

Mother.

Do I embarrass you?

He is quite handsome.

My daughter.

Princess.

Shall we continue?

Are you planning on whittling her
down to a skewer for the open fire?

I think you're ready.

I'm more than ready.

War is easy.

The waiting will kill you.

How do you call your shiny friend?

Decisive.

That's a beneficial trait
for the one who wields her.

As well as for the one
about to receive its sharpened end.

Do you wish to talk about it?

What is there to talk about?

Was it merely theater in front of
the troops the other day?

You beat me. Why do you doubt?

I have seen you defeat far more
proficient wrestlers than me.

I do not have the skills...

Or the balls to marry me.

So it was a ploy.

You lost by design in order
to secure my hand in marriage.

You think much of yourself, Byamba.

If I wanted you,
I would have had you years ago.

But for now, I am engaged to Decisive.

I would never sever you from your blade.

You needn't sacrifice one for the other.

The other?

We are warriors.

Yes.

Battle me.

I've done my part. As promised.

You said I would be
released from my service.

You are.

Stop it! Stop!

We need to speak about Mei Lin.

She is dead?

She was spared
for the sake of her daughter.

She said you could help us.

I do not know you, foreigner.
How can I trust you?

I do not have the time to earn it.

Your choice.

Step aside, Hundred Eyes.
Let her run if she wishes.

I come from Cambulac with news

of the Great Khan's
pending assault on your city.

Thousands from the barbarian horde
will descend.

Song blood will flow like the Yangtze.

And you want me
to help you bring this about?

I want you to help us prevent it.

You must listen to me, Tulga.

Our lives are in jeopardy.
The Empress Chabi asks many questions.

It has become clear that
she seeks another bride for the Prince.

That is fine. We run.

-It is different now.
-How is it different?

We can be miles away before
she notices you are gone.

That is impossible.

What are you saying?

You must leave this place without me.

Then at least you will be safe.

I will not.

Someday, we shall be as one
in the Blue Sky, if not before.

For now, you must leave.

Do not contact me again.

Where were you?

I came to you, earlier.

My apologies, my Chancellor,
for not being present for you.

A gift from our brothers-in-arms
in Quinsai...

for our Emperor's coronation.

A peculiar substance.

Where were you?

At the pleasure house.

I lay with no man,

but... I will never lie to you.

I fear for my future in this house
when you are gone.

I sought assurance from the madam
that I might return to service.

I will not have it.

I have no choice.

My meager skills demand it.

Do not say that.

I was mistaken.

I did not know your heart at the time.

We carry this holy edict

in name of our benevolent Emperor

on this, his coronation day.

May his virtue extend to
the boundaries of heaven.

May his benevolence sustain the world.

I will be here with horses
when you finish, Sifu.

Godspeed.

To exalt virtue,

so that all should cherish
the spirit of kindness and meekness,

and that they should all enjoy
a reign of eternal peace.

"I hear and I forget."

I see and I remember.

"I do and I understand."

Do you know this proverb?

All too well.

Do you believe in it?

I do not judge the decisions
that you have made,

and I will not understand

until you set a scholar's pen to parchment.

May his righteousness guide

the teeming multitudes of Song dynasty

with great reverence

and by the 16 Maxims of The Sacred Edict.

Who sent you, monk?

You must take her with you.

-Who is she?
-Mei Lin's daughter.

Is it complete?

No, it's not.

Come with us.

The Empress needs an ally.
I'm all that remains.

Don't be scared.
He'll take you to your mother.

He'll keep you safe.

I'll miss you.

We must ride.

Jing Fei!

Are you prepared to take
your throne, my Emperor?

Yes.

They work at pace to repair it.

But as of now... that is our way in.

The Great Genghis,

he of the wolf,

dreamed of a Mongol empire

stretching throughout all of China.

I have sought to realize his dream
without spilling Mongol blood.

I have been patient.

My patience has been rewarded...

with the severed heads of men
who have marched beside you.

My scholars, ministers

advised me to choose peace over war.

But I am a proud Mongol.

At times...

peace can only be achieved
through cruel war.

We begin the expedition

to fulfill our destiny.

You noble men

willing to die for a cause
greater than yourselves,

return not with wealth,

nor slaves,

but with honor.

Those of you who do not return

will have your names carved

in the Secret History of the Mongols.

Your wives, children and parents

will hold their heads above other Mongols,

because in their hearts they know

their husbands, fathers, their sons

gave their lives in pursuit of
the last dream of our Great Genghis!

For Genghis!

For Genghis!

For Genghis!

March!