Gone with the Bullets Page #7

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Sis, please. Ma Zouri isn't worth this.

If it wasn't for him...

...our father would've

made Xiang a monkey.

Out! Out! Out!

See, he acts like a monkey.

I didn't want them to eavesdrop.

You should attend the opera.

You should be hanging out with stars...

...not slumming at a police station.

Or cosying up to a male jailbird.

Has your promotion gone to your head?

- How dare you.

- Please.

We all benefited from the empire's fall.

- New power, new money.

- You're a Manchu.

Your people fell with the empire.

Hey, I'm French now. Bruno Xiang!

When Jean-Pierre is not around,

I run the French Concession.

I can kill Ma whenever I want.

You only do

what your French master says.

You said I was new power.

I'll show you new power.

I'm taking the film with me.

Nobody kills Ma.

I'll have him extradited

to the Shanghai Garrison.

So you command your father now?

Watch me.

It's a legal matter.

- Leave it to the courts.

- So our movie's dead?

And we don't get to kill Ma Zouri?

Killing Ma Zouri is up to you.

- I can't do that myself.

- Yes, you can.

Your sister may be a softie, but--

Get out! Justice is my job.

Killing Ma Zouri isn't personal.

For two years, the public has cried out.

Be a hero. Kill him for the people.

You're not killing Ma Zouri,

the people are.

I totally got it.

That's a good baby general.

Ma Zouri!

The one the public has wanted dead

for years?

- That guy?

- That's him.

He's innocent.

Have him extradited,

give him a fair trial.

That's between two countries.

- I can't decide that.

- But you have to.

Aren't you a general?

A true general

doesn't only kill who he wants.

He saves who he wishes.

Man!

Go to the French Concession...

- ...and bring that....

- Ma Zouri.

Ma Zouri. Bring him to me. Alive.

Also, don't marry

any more concubines.

- Why not?

- It's embarrassing.

The French mock

the concubine tradition.

They are just jealous!

They talk about science and democracy,

but they think like perverts.

One request a day! What will it be?

Concubine for me or Ma Zouri for you?

- Ma Zouri.

- Okay. Deal.

Sit.

Little Six...

...I'm getting old,

and you are grown up.

I want to let you in on a few secrets.

My heart will always be

in your mother's stomach.

You think I like having concubines?

Wrong! It's exhausting.

- Carry on.

- These concubines...

...are strategic assets.

If I don't marry them...

...some other warlords will. They'll

form new alliances through them...

...and threaten our power base.

I've faced death for this family.

For your future,

I'd wed all the concubines in the world.

No regrets. It's all strategy.

Are you with me?

Ma Zouri! Don't forget!

- Hello? Bonjour.

- Bonjour my ass. It's me.

My baby general.

Witnesses and evidence

are all lined up.

I've dealt with my father and sister.

How's the extradition coming?

Local and international press

are invited.

I have one concern, your sister.

She may be dragged through the mud.

What if she is? Big deal.

This is a major event.

We should film it.

Like we'll film Ma Zouri's execution.

Extradition, execution, movie.

Three birds with one stone.

You are a better strategist

than your father.

- And a better filmmaker than your sister.

- Still not as wicked as you!

- Am I wicked?

- Nasty.

Do I have the face of a villain?

Now, Ma Zouri,

he was born looking evil!

You need to look presentable

tomorrow.

Once extradited, I can at least

guarantee you'll get a fair trial.

But you have to act humble.

The press will be there.

My old man needs it to go well.

Be upbeat, but don't smile!

The extradition is a major bilateral event.

The French like to be wooed, not wowed!

Use your brain, not your mouth.

Did that hurt?

- Did it?

- Yes.

Just remember

what you can and can't say.

No bullshitting!

Let Chinese people

handle our own affairs!

Chinese criminals

should be tried by the Chinese!

Let Chinese people

handle our own affairs!

Ladies and gentlemen!

Today!

Today is history!

Today we make history!

And today, we are part of history!

"Extradition a ruse!"

"Cover-up affair

between killer and Wu-Six!"

"Personal desires sink public interest!"

You're just a sissy with a beard!

Extradition was meant

to be a show of force.

No, we've become a joke!

Your bloody wedding!

Had I known about this...

...I would've banned

all your concubines.

Teacher Qi....

Concubines come and go.

You are forever.

Tomorrow, in an interview,

I'll deny the rumours.

Moron! Denial only spreads rumours!

- What should I do?

- Sit!

Sit!

Let's play along.

You want to save Ma Zouri?

We'll execute him!

What's going on?

Why is Ma Zouri in the stable?

At least the French put him in a cell.

- Here.

- You believe this trash?

Others do!

Let them! Who cares?

Dad, at your wedding,

can you pardon all prisoners?

That's a thought. Inform the press...

...that you'll grant an amnesty...

- ...except for Ma Zouri.

- Why?

- After the wedding, he'll be executed.

- What?

Think big picture.

- You don't love him.

- Shut up!

Who's talking about love? Mother.

Please!

Dad, you promised!

Life changes like the weather.

- Get out, you two!

- Teacher Qi!

Out!

Listen to your mom.

She's the brains here.

Sweetie. Let's talk.

Come here.

Sit down. I have something

to say to you.

You are my only daughter.

In this world, I love you most.

When I was young,

I was a beauty too.

With a waist so small,

it could be broken with one hand.

Many gentlemen proposed...

...but I liked the "lost puppy" type.

- Thought I could save them.

- Was Dad a "lost puppy"?

God, no! He's just a dumb soldier!

But he won me. Why? I chose him!

He had a future. And money.

And power.

I didn't pick a man for me...

- ...but a father for you.

- Mom.

Stop guilting me.

I didn't ask to be born.

Besides, I wouldn't brag about that.

It's revolting.

It's opportunism.

No, it's the natural order!

Have you read Huxley's

Evolution and Ethics?

The Manchus were still in power. How'd

you know Dad would be a general?

- I had a vision.

- What if Ma succeeds one day?

I knew him as a child.

A bum if I have ever seen one!

Mom, have you ever been in love?

Love? A brief hormonal rush.

But I like that rush.

A moment of joy you've never known.

Please! I said the same things

to my mother.

A woman will pick one of two types:

Rich and powerful.

Or dreamy and desirable.

What's Ma Zouri?

Rich and powerful? Not really.

- Dreamy and desirable?

- I like him.

I want to help him.

I won't see him suffer.

What do you know? You're new to men.

Talk to me again...

...after you've bedded 40 of them.

My understanding...

...comes from cumulative experience!

You? With your looks? Forty men?

It's a metaphor!

Four, forty, what's the difference?

What have you done?

Slept with him?

Kissed? Held hands?

Mother. The other day, Dad said...

...concubines were tactics.

Today, you say sex is a strategy.

You're one of a kind!

Come back when you've grown up!

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