Original subtitles

[Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty]

[Episode 20]

It's not the custom of Ju County

to build tombs in buildings, right?

I followed my uncle's last wish.

He practiced medicine in the Hall of Life all his life.

Before he died, he told me

he wanted to guard the Hall of Life

in the underworld.

He had no children,

and left this house to me.

What reason did I have not to agree with him?

You're filial.

But it

is against the custom.

What would the neighbors think if they knew?

Yes.

So, Sheriff,

I hope you won't tell anyone about this.

As for your rent,

and the money to the shop owners,

I'll return them to you.

Please,

find another nice place to live.

No need.

I live here

very well.

You...

[County Government]

Magistrate.

Sheriff Lu, don't go.

What's the matter, Magistrate?

I heard that Sheriff Lu had caught

the murderer of the rape and murder case.

You earned the praises of the people

and cheered the people greatly.

Congratulations.

It's my duty.

Don't say that.

This is a big deal for Ju County.

Yes.

Magistrate means that

Brother Lu should wear red flowers on your chest

and ride a tall horse

to parade through the streets to celebrate.

That's right.

Assistant Ye and I will accompany you then.

Yes.

Although the murderer is dead,

the head of the deceased hasn't been found yet.

So the case is not closed.

Why need I parade through the streets?

Even if we don't parade through the streets to celebrate,

what about the feast...

No need.

If I can't find the head,

I won't drink

the farewell wine.

It was just a joke.

Don't take it seriously.

Let's go for a drink.

I must

give you a good toast

to apologize for my poor hospitality.

Thank you.

But the work you gave to me

has not been completed yet.

The roof of the Dragon King Temple

really needs repairing.

It may rain heavily tomorrow.

I have to take someone to fix the roof.

It's you who are practising swordsmanship here.

You're not afraid of ghosts anymore?

There are no ghosts in this world.

Only evil people who pretend to be ghosts.

I want to practise my martial arts skills

and kill them all.

I fell asleep.

Why didn't you wake me up?

Master.

You are too tired.

You have to catch the murderer and repair the temple.

You should sleep more.

[Tomb of Meng Donglao]

It's a woman.

A woman.

Is it

the same as the dismemberment case

of Guan Zijun 40 years ago?

Judging from the method of dismembering,

I'm afraid it is.

Report!

Magistrate,

we found a body bag at Destiny Temple.

Magistrate,

we found a body bag at Greenery Temple.

We found a body bag at Lingdang Temple outside the county.

The case 40 years ago

has really reappeared.

Ju County will suffer.

Ju County will suffer!

Who is the abbot?

Amitabha.

I am the abbot.

Today is exactly the same

as what happened 40 years ago.

You were here then.

Yes.

At that time,

I just became a monk in this temple.

I clearly remember

the body bag

was also found

on the incense table in the hall.

Even the wrappings for the shroud

are the same.

Why didn't anyone notice

the bag on the incense table?

Sheriff,

we had many pilgrims here.

I also neglected it.

Do you change the tribute every day?

Yes.

When did you change it today?

At five o'clock in the morning.

There was no bag on the incense table at that time.

The temple opened the door

to welcome the pilgrims at eight o'clock in the morning.

Find out the people who came this morning

and question them,

including the monks in the temple,

the beggars who sleep in the temple

and the scholars and Juren

who prepare for the exam here.

Anyone who visited the temple this morning

should be listed one by one.

Yes.

Also,

is there any missing person reported

in the past two days?

No.

Put up a notice.

Find out the identity of the deceased as soon as possible.

Yes.

Can you perform an autopsy?

Sheriff Lu.

Please spare me.

Spare you?

Why do you say so?

You have no idea, Sheriff.

The body of the dismemberment case 40 years ago

was examined by my father.

In less than a month,

he hung himself.

That year,

my father was 42 years old.

This year,

I'm also 42 years old.

I quit my job as a coroner.

I quit.

I quit!

Sheriff,

he's the only coroner in Ju County.

Only one coroner in the whole Ju County?

Yes.

It's pretty good

to have one in such a remote county.

Since his father died,

this job in Ju County

had been vacant for years.

Until he grew up

and went to the city to learn,

then...

The key of this case is the autopsy.

Even if I'm not a coroner,

I know a little about it.

I can have a try.

[County Government of Ju County]

Give me a basket of oranges.

Pick the best ones.

Okay.

You really don't need to write a letter?

No need.

Just send this basket of oranges

to Commander Su of Nanzhou.

Be careful.

Be quick.

Don't worry.

For Lu Lingfeng,

the hardest thing is to ask for help.

Therefore,

if you find that he needs help,

send a basket of oranges here.

Xijun.

Come here.

Have a taste.

What is it?

Oranges.

Xue Huan is so thoughtful

to send a basket of oranges

all the way from Ju County.

I'm not sleeping.

The dismemberment case has reappeared.

I can't even eat.

How can I sleep

when I'm hungry?

Magistrate cares about the people.

I admire you.

Stop!

Don't flatter me.

I'm worried about myself.

40 years ago,

the former county magistrate lost his post

because of the dismemberment case.

I'm just unlucky.

Isn't Lu Lingfeng in Ju County?

He's just a sheriff.

Even if the higher-up wants to apportion blame,

will he be blamed?

He has a background.

If he can guarantee it,

when the higher-up wants to apportion blame,

we can let him take responsibility.

Thank God.

His Majesty's grace is immeasurable.

It's a great honor

to have Sheriff Lu in Ju County.

You solved the rape and murder case

seven days after taking office.

You have made the first contribution.

Now the dismemberment case

has reappeared after 40 years.

That means the murderer

is still alive.

Isn't it a good chance for you

to make another great contribution in Ju County?

-Yes. -I believe

you can bring the murderer

to justice

and give back the clear sky of Ju County!

That's right.

I'm here today

to tell you that

from now on,

I'll take care of

all the trivial things.

Even if I have to collect taxes

from door to door.

I will also repair the roof.

Although I'm weak,

I can still

climb the ladder.

It...

It's not appropriate.

It's my duty.

I wouldn't dare to trouble you.

No, no, no

In the face of a serious case,

you should focus on solving it.

Yes.

You are so reasonable, Magistrate.

I'm grateful for your kindness.

Please forgive me

my previous disrespect before.

But, brother,

the people are looking forward to it.

We should set a deadline

for this case.

Seven days.

Master!

Seven days.

It's too short.

That's right.

One month is fine.

Why do you push yourself so hard?

You just need to give people

an explanation.

Just seven days.

Please arrange

the feast seven days later.

The rules

are the same as last time.

Brother Lu is really heroic.

I'm impressed.

By the way,

Magistrate has asked me

to find a coroner in Nanzhou.

Even if it costs a lot,

I will invite the best coroner

to Ju County.

Sheriff Lu.

Sheriff.

Outside the county government,

a few people came to see you.

The leader said he was the coroner you hired.

When did I hire a coroner?

They should be here.

Mr Su.

Miss.

Fed.

You're all here.

Why are you...

Where are the bodies?

How many bags in total?

They're in the icehouse. Four bags in total.

Take me there.

Look at the dress.

You are the magistrate,

and you are the assistant of county magistrate?

Do you have any good wine in Ju County?

Who are you?

I am

Military Commander of Nanzhou,

Su Wuming's guest.

You two

are so ignorant.

Why didn't you

greet Commander Su just now?

Commander

Su?

Is the one who went in just now

the famous Commander Su?

He's the coroner, isn't he?

Coroner?

What is the relationship between Commander Su

and Sheriff Lu?

They're close.

Well...

You won't understand.

There's one more here.

This is

the daughter of Assistant Minister Pei of Ministry of Personnel Administration.

Miss. Xijun.

Greetings, Magistrate.

Assistant of county magistrate.

I dare not.

Go prepare some food and wine.

Miss. Xijun had a tough journey.

She must be starving.

Yes.

Yes.

Please.

The bags are well stored.

Leave the autopsy to me.

Go

find other clues.

Please!

All the relevant people of Radiance Temple, Destiny Temple,

Greenery Temple,

and Lingdang Temple

have inquired.

Someone claimed

to have seen the suspect who took the bag.

Tell me.

However,

people's descriptions are quite different.

Some people said it was an old man.

Some people said it was an old woman.

Some people even said

it was a beggar.

But we have clues

to the victim's identity.

Just say it.

Recently,

except for a woman

named Lady Hui,

no one else went missing.

Lady Hui?

She lived in the south of the county.

She had a mother.

She was the mistress of Qian Xiaoyi,

who is the owner of the Fujia pawnshop.

Lady Hui's disappearance

must be her fault.

Who is she?

My wife.

Half a month ago,

she chased Lady Hui with a knife.

If I hadn't stopped her,

Lady Hui would have been killed.

In that case,

your wife

didn't know you had a concubine before?

[Pawnshop owner, Qian Xiaoyi]

Yes.

Otherwise,

she would have already cut Lady Hui into pieces.

She will do this.

Because she hates her so much?

No.

Because she can butcher pigs.

Before my wife got married with me,

she followed her father to butcher pigs.

They are the people

who kill the most pigs in Ju County.

Is your wife

the daughter of Carver Hu?

Exactly.

You know him?

Your father-in-law

is a famous butcher in the county.

Everyone knows him.

Where is your wife now?

She's feeding pigs at home.

Bring her to question.

Yes, sir.

Who is it?

It's me.

What's the matter?

Mr.

You have been performing the autopsy for four hours.

Take a break.

No need.

My Lady asked

if you needed her

to help you record.

This body has no bones.

It's extremely horrible.

Don't let her come. It'll scare her.

You can tell Lu Lingfeng first

that this is a female body

with a red mole on her right chest.

Qian Xiaoyi.

Is there anything special

about Lady Hui's body?

Did something really happen to her?

Answer me.

There's a red mole on her right chest.

Qian Xiaoyi.

You even know that?

You even remember it's on her right chest.

I'll kill you!

How dare you!

Who are you?

This is Sheriff Lu.

Don't be rude.

Sheriff?

[Qian Xiaoyi's Wife]

What?

That bitch is dead.

Is she the victim

of the dismemberment case？

It's karma.

Why do you carry a knife with you?

What's wrong? It's my habit.

Sheriff is asking you about the case.

Stop fooling around.

I have slaughtered pigs since I was young.

So I'm used to carrying a knife.

Where were you the night before yesterday?

I fed the pigs.

Did you feed the pigs all night?

After feeding pigs, I went back to my parents' home.

My father is not feeling well recently.

I'm his only daughter.

I have to serve him.

Your father, Carver Hu,

is a famous man in Ju County.

Since he's sick,

I have to go visit him.

Lead the way.

Miss, look at these oranges.

They're fresh.

Let me pick some for you.

It looks good.

Let me wrap it up for you.

Thank you.

Commander Su's autopsy report

matches with Qian Xiaoyi's confession.

The victim should be Lady Hui.

Before the accident,

Qian Xiaoyi wanted to break up with Lady Hui.

They had a fight because of it.

And his wife

treated Lady Hui as a thorn in her eyes.

She kept saying all the time that she wanted to kill her.

Both of them have motives.

I think

we should

throw them into prison and torture them.

They are suspected.

But it's still early to send them to jail,

and it's inappropriate to torture them.

Keep an eye on them

and don't let them get away.

Okay.

You two, keep an eye on Qian Xiaoyi.

Hurry.

Sheriff?

Yes, Father.

The new sheriff

knows you have worked hard all your life,

so he came to visit you.

[Carver Hu, butcher of Ju County]

I've killed pigs for 40 years.

What's the credit?

40 years?

How old are you?

51.

I've been butchering pigs since 11,

and I've butchered pigs all my life.

I heard from your daughter

that you had a headache?

The doctor said it was serious.

I'm hopeless.

But you're not that old

and you are still sturdy.

Why are you so pessimistic?

Many people in the county

died of a headache.

Especially the severe cases,

they are almost incurable.

It doesn't matter if I die.

But I just can't bear to leave her.

I have no son.

I only have one daughter.

Father.

Father.

You will get better.

Father.

The night before yesterday,

What

did your daughter cook for you?

The day before yesterday?

By the way, Dad,

where did you go the night before yesterday?

I made dinner

and waited for you all night.

But you didn't come back.

My hands were itching.

So,

I went out to gamble.

You have a severe headache,

and you still think of gambling?

I'm about to see the King of hell.

But the dice

are always calling me!

Kid, I...

-My head hurts! -Dad. Dad.

Let me give you a massage.

Your father is also an extraordinary man.

He looks rough,

but the meat

was cut so carefully.

All five layers of meat are distinct.

Every cut has followed the rules.

Of course!

Otherwise, why do people call him Carver Hu?

Go, go, go!

Other people's cats love fish,

but our cat loves pork.

And no amount of meat is enough.

Take care.

Take care, Sheriff.

Do you know how many gambling houses

are there in the county?

Yes!

Find out

whether Carver Hu gambled that night!

Yes!

Stay in the icehouse alone

for eight hours,

and won't let anyone in to help you.

You can't be like that coroner

40 years ago,

and hang yourself in a couple of days.

I came all the way

to help you examine the body.

My hips almost broke on the way.

And you still make fun of me?

I'm afraid

if you don't solve the case

in seven days,

you can't face the people of Ju County.

Whether we can solve this case

depends on

your autopsy results.

I'm afraid I'll let you down.

There are not many clues.

Was the dead girl

raped?

No.

Did she get beaten up?

Any obvious wounds on her

or any signs of poisoning?

No.

The murderer killed her with one cut.

And the murder weapon

and dismemberment weapon

are indistinguishable.

The murderer has a complete set of knives,

and is skillful.

His heart

is extremely cold.

Could it really be him?

But 40 years ago,

he was only 11 years old.

He just learned how to butcher pigs

and practiced his skills on humen?

Who are you talking about?

The most famous butcher here,

Carver Hu.

Sheriff Lu!

Sheriff Lu！

A scout reported that

Carver Hu ran away!

He left the county with a package.

What!

Stop!

Please spare me.

Please spare me, spear me!

Please!

Please spare my life!

Yes, I did come to Lady Hui.

But I really didn't kill her!

Still lying.

Looks like

we can only torture him.

Guards!

Yes.

Don't hit me! Don't hit me!

My head hurts!

Carver Hu, raise your head.

You said you went to Lady Hui.

What happened?

What?

He secretly had a concubine behind your back.

That woman is much prettier than me!

Dad, what should I do?

Dad!

That day,

I found Qian Xiaoyi

in his residence in the north of the county.

Leave!

What are you doing?

Good for you, Qian Xiaoyi!

You don't want me anymore

after the novelty has passed, right?

Fine!

Let me tell you.

I'll kill you!

-Go away! -I'll kill you!

We agreed

it was just a fling.

I can't divorce my wife and marry you.

My wife and my father-in-law

are both not easy to deal with.

Besides,

my wife is a bit fierce,

but she

truly loves me.

[Qian Xiaoyi's concubine Lady Hui]

I can't abandon her.

Fine.

Then you are heartless to me,

right?

You're heartless!

I'll give you more money!

-What did you say? -If you keep pestering me,

I won't let you off easily!

I...

I wanted to

to teach him a lesson.

But I didn't expect

he was no longer under Hui's charm.

He even praised my daughter.

When I was happy,

I just wanted to buy some good wine and dishes

and have a drink with him.

After all, I'm dying.

I have to leave my daughter to him.

-That one. -This one?

Let me tell you.

-It's a big deal. -You have a good taste.

If you are willing,

we can work together.

-Thank you, sir. -Let me tell you.

Qian Xiaoyi

is generous.

He gave me 10 thousand coins

a month.

Such a good deal,

we can't lose it.

Tomorrow,

I'll introduce a new girl to him.

What about Lady Hui?

She's in a hurry to get married.

That's why I came to you.

You pimp!

You always break other people's marriages!

I'll kill you.

What are you doing?

-I'll kill you! -Stop!

What are you doing?

Stop!

Hurry up! Hurry!

Guys, they are fighting.

I remembered.

That was him!

That day,

we were on duty,

and asked him why he hit them.

He wouldn't tell us.

So we took him to the detective house

for a night.

Why didn't you tell me

when I came to your house that day?

It's not a good thing after all.

Then why did you run?

I owe so much gambling debts.

Look what they

did to me!

That's also true.

When I went to gambling houses that day,

the owners all said he owed a lot of gambling debts.

Carver Hu.

What's the color of your cat?

Cat?

That cat I have is a Chinese Li Hua.

Is that true?

Yes.

Go find Qian Xiaoyi,

and ask him to pay off his father-in-law's gambling debt.

What if he refuses?

If he refuses,

tell him

that he is involved in Lady Hui's death.

I will put him in jail

to wait for a trial.

Su Wuming.

Can we do that?

I'm the Military Commander of the city,

not a local official.

Just scare him with my words and my identity.

It doesn't matter.

I'll do it right away.

Then,

thank you, Commander Su!

I kowtow to you.

I kowtow to you!

No need.

But you have to promise me

you won't gamble again.

If you go to the gumble house again,

I won't let you off easily.

Su Wuming.

Why did you ask him about the cat?

During the autopsy,

I found five cat hair.

Three of them are yellow.

And one black and one white.

Keep it.

Besides,

there is a smell of herbs

on the body bag.

About what kinds of herbs are they,

you need to ask Chicken Fed.

I smelled the herbs too.

But Fed got drunk

when he arrived.

I'm afraid

I can't wake him up today.

[Hall of Life]

Fed Thirteen.

Fed Thirteen.

Fed Thirteen.

Fed Thirteen,

Come here!

Elder fellow?

It's, it's only been decades.

How did you grow so old?

How can you say I am old?

Look at yourself.

You are older than me.

Why didn't you meet me first

when you came to my Hall of Life!

I...

What!

Have you forgotten how many times

I took the punishment for you

from our master?

You Old Weirdo,

It's been years.

Why mention it?

You forget but I can't!

You promised me

to write books and refine medicine with me

for the rest of your life.

Since you're here,

you can't leave anymore.

Let's go.

Fed!

Fed!

Fed!

Fed

What happened!

Fed,

what's wrong?

What is this place?

Our place.

Our place?

Could this place be

the Hall of Life?

This is the Hall of Life.

Did this use to be

where doctors practiced medicine

and sold medicine?

Yes.

Is the owner

of this place

Meng Donglao?

That's right.

This Old Weirdo.

No wonder he gave me a dream!

Come on!

Take me to him!

Take me to him!

He is not here.

Why?

He died last year.

Dead?

How could he have died?

He...

I have just been here.

Fed.

What are you talking about?

You were sleeping

in your bed?

Really!

Meng Donglao is inside.

Fed.

You have drank too much again.

Go back to sleep.

Don't scare Xijun.

But...

But...

Alright, go back to sleep.

But!

This...

Let's go.

A tomb in the attic?

Is there such a strange thing!

Yes.

Dr. Zhai is a filial son.

So,

I hid it for him.

Judging from what happened just now,

Chicken Fed and Meng Donglao

must be old friends.

When he heard you came to Ju County that day,

he looked in a trance

and hemmed and hawed.

I think he has long known

that Meng Donglao is here.

And their friendship

must be extraordinary.

Looks like Fed

still has a lot of secrets

that haven't told us.

Alright.

Guys, don't bother to come any further.

Goodbye.

What?

Aren't you going back to Nanzhou?

I'll leave her here

to supervise this case for me.

Her?

Supervise?

I will do my duty diligently.

Please rest assured.

You don't know.

Miss. Xijun

is

the daughter of Assistant Minister Pei.

She is now working for Commander Sue.

She is the perfect candidate

to supervise this case.

Sheriff Lu,

you have to report the daily progress of the case

to Xijun.

What can you supervise?

You will only cause more trouble.

Master.

My lady

can take care of you.

When you're busy investigating the case,

you often forget to eat all day.

-And… -You don't get to say anything here.

Get out!

Are you mad?

If you are here,

it will only make my colleagues

laugh at me.

What if I can

find something for myself to do?

What can you find to do?

Tell me.

I heard that

someone saw the one

who secretly put the body bag in the temple.

I want to draw it out.

That makes sense.

Why didn't I think of that?

In that case,

thank you, Miss. Pei.

No.

It's Inspector Pei.

You're welcome, Sheriff Lu.

Fed.

Fed!

A few days ago,

there was a jar of wine dug out

in the backyard of the county government.

And that jar was wrapped tightly by cloth.

It seems to be

some medicinal liquor with a great tonic effect.

But no one knows

what kind of medicinal liquor it is.

Fetch me some to drink

and you'll know.

Of course, someone has tasted it.

Then why bother bringing it up?

I made a bet with someone.

I said I have a close friend

that doesn't need to drink the wine

with only a smell of

the cloth of the jar

and he will know

what kinds of herbs are in this wine.

Then...

It's your bet.

What's in it for me?

Our wager is a three-day feast,

and drink whatever good wine you want.

Really?

Bring the cloth

for me

to smell it! Hurry up!

Deal?

Hurry up!

It smells a bit weird.

It only has the smell of medicine.

No smell of alcohol.

Is this really

that cloth wrapped around that wine jar?

Yes, yes.

Gastrodia elata.

And there seems to be...

Xue Huan.

What's with that expression?

No, nothing.

No!

It's only been half a month since you came to Ju County.

Little boy,

why do you seem to have learned something bad?

My master has been teaching me good stuff.

All right, you can leave now.

I can't smell it when you watch me here.

When I came out after burning the first stick of incense,

I saw her entering the Destiny Temple.

That old woman...

looks familiar.

I seem to have seen her somewhere,

but I can't remember.

But

I felt she was a little weird.

Don't worry.

Take your time.

Is her hair white?

Her head was wrapped in a long scarf.

But I could see that

her hair is white.

Think it over carefully.

What was wrong

with Lady Hui these days?

Besides Qian Xiaoyi,

who else

had she seen?

These days,

[Mother of Lady Hui]

she had only been with that Qian,

and often went to his house in the north of the county.

When she went back, all she did was sleep in her room.

What eles was that every three days,

she would went to have acupuncture.

Acupuncture?

She had a headache too.

This disease is not rare in this county.

But it's rare

at her age.

So she often went to the clinic during these months.

Which clinic?

Hall of Life.

I was sweeping the floor.

I saw that old man passing by me

with a package.

I didn't pay much attention to him.

Now that I think about it,

that old man seems to have the smell of medicine.

And he's short,

skinny, and a humpback.

Sheriff Lu.

Dr. Zhai!

Sheriff Lu.

Do you have a headache again?

No.

I have a few questions

and you have to answer me truthfully.

One day before the winter solstice,

did a woman named Hui

came here for a headache?

Lady Hui?

I need to think about it.

According to the practice rules,

there must be a journal.

Yes, yes, it's here.

[Book of Bones]

That day,

lady Hui didn't come to here.

It's not written on it,

which means she didn't come.

If she came, it must have been recorded in the journal.

♫The storm rises with no reason♫

♫In the night of illusions♫

♫I go into the maze♫

♫In a world of prosperity♫

♫A heart burns with obsession♫

♫With the darkness rising♫

♫I can't stop wandering through the night♫

♫With light in my heart, I'm not afraid of the storm♫

♫It's because of justice♫

♫That I seek a truth for this long, lonely night♫

♫The heaven and earth are held together by a strong will♫

00:44:42,320 ♫Carving right and wrong into a clear heart♫

♫The truth♫

♫Will reinterpret this justice♫

♫Even if there is fog♫

♫Even if there are invisible waves♫

♫I'll tell the story of the fate♫

♫Tell the love of the world♫

♫For the memory of grace♫

♫And the resentment is not yet over♫

♫The rivers and mountains are immortal, the clouds are overturned♫

♫To be consoled by the truth, even with thorns on my back♫

♫Only for justice♫

♫That I seek a truth for this long, lonely night♫

♫The heaven and earth are held together by a strong will♫

♫The people are in peace♫

♫Carving right and wrong into a clear heart♫

♫The truth♫

♫Will reinterpret this justice♫

♫Even if there are a thousand sails, it's not a waste of time♫

♫What I am afraid of is the unrighted wrong♫

♫What is the meaning of life and death?♫

♫I'll paint the sunshine into the landscape♫

♫The spirit of righteousness♫

♫Exists for the one I care♫