Original subtitles

[Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty]

[Episode 28]

Look at you.

So masculine.

I can't help but

be drawn to you.

Of course I'm masculine.

You know what I do for a living?

Exorcising evil spirits.

Stop kidding.

You don't believe me?

No.

Tell me something.

Since that Tocharian woman

is a regular guest in your inn,

have you seen the Face Flowers she sells?

Why are you interested in that?

Everyone in Luoyang is talking about that.

I'm curious.

Lady Hu Shisi,

have you seen them or not?

Of course I have.

I even possess some.

Do you want to have a look?

Where's them?

In my room.

Come upstairs with me.

Fill the glass.

You have a sword with you.

Will it be used to force me into obedience later?

Cut the bullshit.

Do you have

the Face Flowers or not?

Of course I do.

Otherwise, how do I manage

to have flawless skin at my age?

Aren't the Face Flowers poisonous?

Besides,

you're not old.

The year when I left the imperial palace,

Emperor Yang of Sui

enjoyed flowers in Jiangdu.

You're out of your mind.

Almost one hundred years have passed

since Emperor Yang of Sui visited Yangzhou.

That's total gibberish.

Are you scared?

Then let it be gibberish.

Follow me.

I can tell

you are not a lesser mortal.

So I must not skip the niceties.

Let me light the incense first.

This place is treacherous.

So is that incense, right?

You'll know

after you smell it.

You think I'll harm you?

I'll be heartbroken if you're harmed.

Why does it smell like mint?

See? I mean you no harm.

After you inhale the scent of my incense,

you will be clearheaded.

You'll know

whether

you truly love me or not.

Let's talk about the Face Flowers.

What's the rush?

You don't have them, do you?

If I didn't,

how could I stay young forever?

The Face Flowers were a precious gift

given by the Persians to the Emperor of Sui.

When I left the imperial palace,

I stole a box of them out.

So many years passed. They're dried now.

But soaking them in water

can make them as fresh as they once were.

They can help me

stay young forever.

Are you really from the Sui Dynasty?

Why don't you help me exorcise evil spirits now?

I have

been suffering from them.

Tell me where the flowers are.

If you stare at it,

you will see

a face blooming like a flower.

Someone is coming.

Who cares?

Tonight,

you're my little darling.

What a buzz kill.

The sound

is approaching.

You...

What's that incense?

A mint-flavored incense.

My word, there's really an evil spirit!

Where's Su Wuming?

Damn.

Su Wuming.

Su Wuming.

[Paradise Inn]

That Tocharian woman!

Go get her!

-Yes. -Yes.

What happened upstairs?

Who did you fight with?

Move.

Hey there. Why are you still up, dear?

Lu Lingfeng is so unreliable.

How could he let you do something so dangerous alone?

Su Wuming.

Where is she?

She ran away?

Weren't you here for an autopsy?

The dead came back to life?

Why did it take you so long to find the female inn owner?

I almost...

I…

I got into trouble.

Thank you, Miss Yingtao.

You saved me.

What trouble did you get into?

An evil spirit.

Yes.

An evil spirit in bronze armor.

Seems that the Paradise Inn

is not just an inn.

What happened

with that Tocharian woman?

When I was examining

the corpse, which it wasn't,

I noticed that the nails of her fingers and toes

were all purple.

So,

I checked her nose.

Why did you check her nose?

Because I suspect

she used the Soul Returning Incense.

She came back to life?

In the Chang'an black tea case,

the Soul Returning Incense

was used

on the body of Miss Dou, right?

Right.

Fed told me about that incense.

Later,

I did some research and learned

that applying it on the dead's bodies

can keep them from rotting for days.

If you put it in your nose,

it can temporarily shut down your breath.

That's why it's called the Soul Returning Incense.

In the past, sorcerers used it

to temporarily leave the mortal world

and approach the gods.

After that incense

shuts down the user's breath,

the user's nails

will all turn purple.

It's wicked.

Not something good.

In that case,

after that Tocharian woman

was stopped in the inn by Xing Ying,

she decided to use

the custom of the Double Fifth Day

and the Soul Returning Incense to escape.

However, you went there to examine her body.

Alright.

Let's talk about you.

What's the evil spirit you mentioned?

I don't know who was under that bronze armor.

He was very powerful,

and hard to defeat.

By the way,

the inn owner is called Lady Hu Shisi.

She claimed to be an imperial maid of the Sui Dynasty.

She also said she had the Face Flowers.

From the Sui Dynasty?

That would make her over one hundred years old.

Nonsense.

Did she buy

her Face Flowers

from the Tocharian woman?

She said she stole them

from the imperial palace of the Sui Dynasty.

She also said

it's because of those flowers

that she doesn't age.

Bullshit!

This inn

is dangerous and wicked.

We must leave immediately.

Leave?

You want to stay here?

You almost

got yourself killed.

Don't put Su Wuming in danger again.

I was weakened by that incense.

It smelled like mint

at first.

I felt refreshed after smelling it,

so I let my guard slip.

We can't leave now.

That's too humiliating.

You are captivated

by that beautiful inn owner, aren't you?

That's why you wouldn't leave.

I agree.

You...

No more bickering.

After what happened tonight,

no matter how wicked this inn is,

and how mysterious the guests here are,

nothing will happen

in a short period of time.

We need to leave this place

to better observe what's going on here.

Lu Lingfeng, let's go.

It's already after curfew.

I don't think it's wise for you two gentlemen

to walk around at night with a lady.

Aren't you afraid of being caught?

Your inn is indeed an old one.

I've heard that the inn owner is also a quaint beauty.

Aren't you the master?

You share everything with your servant?

I told him that because I like you.

By the way,

my servant wants me to remind you

that Luoyang

is not an ordinary place.

Your little spooky tricks

may get you into trouble.

Su Wuming.

Which one of you is the servant?

You or him?

I'm confused.

You're confused because this inn

has scared you out of your wits.

Let's go.

[Administrator's Residence]

Who was that man in black?

Why did he save me?

I must

have missed

an important clue.

Darling, I wasn't expecting you.

You've really fallen in love with me?

Where's that man?

You're the only one in my heart.

I would in no way let him get on my bed.

I left that door

open especially for you.

Cut the crap!

Tell me which room

that man in black last night is in.

Isn't him with you?

Tell me now,

or I'll cut your face

with my sword

and see how old you actually are.

He's on the second floor,

in the room opposite the one

you once stayed in.

The Face Flowers.

Didn't you steal a box of them

from the imperial palace of the Sui Dynasty?

If you really like me,

give me some of them.

You're a man.

What do you need them for?

No problem.

Great General!

Not here.

Let's go inside.

[Administrator's Residence]

Sure enough. Administrator Su

has taken office.

Are you Minister Xing?

The administrator

knew you would come.

I'll take you to see him now.

Your presence is already an honor.

You don't have to bring any gifts.

You're so considerate.

Sorry.

I need to give it to Administrator Su myself.

You've been working hard on the cases, Minister Xing.

Please sit down.

Thank you, Administrator Su.

I've heard

that you've been fretting over

whether to take the position or not.

So I bring you a kind of herb.

It can help with depression and anxiety.

What kind of herb is this?

It's called Aspiration.

Aspiration?

You're here to tell me the famous story

about Prime Minister Xie An of the East Jin Dynasty?

I dare not.

It's true that the herb can alleviate anxiety.

Back then, Xie An was determined to be a hermit

and had no intention to serve the emperor.

Later, he had no choice but to accept the emperor's offer

and left his hermitage.

People said he made that choice

merely for the prosperity of his family.

Therefore, someone used this herb

to mock him.

This herb is also called Little Grass.

That guy implied that Xie An once was an honorable man with aspirations,

but

he became ordinary after succumbing to secular desires.

I don't mean that.

You're already the administrator.

No one dares to compare you to grass.

In my opinion,

this herb doesn't have two names.

Only its leaves above the ground are called Little Grass.

Its roots

are called Aspiration.

I think I'm just like this herb.

My aspirations are deeply buried underground.

No one knows what I really want.

People can only see

the small part of me

above the ground.

Well...

Administrator Su,

sorry that I misunderstood you.

It's not your fault.

When Queen Wei was in power,

government posts became salable products.

Anyone with conscience

would hate informal officials.

Your indignation

proves

that you are an upright man.

Thank you for your understanding.

All right.

Let's talk about the case.

That Tocharian woman is good at hiding.

We failed to catch her last night.

When the city gates opened this morning,

she sneaked out.

We followed her to the Green Peak in the eastern suburb.

There,

we lost her again.

I suspect

that she went to the Sky Garden.

Sky Garden?

After Li Yue became the Resident Regent of Dongdu,

he built a garden

in a mountain in the suburbs.

There's a shrine of the Xian God there.

It's high up the mountain in the clouds,

looking like

it's floating in the air.

So people call it

the Sky Garden.

Su Wuming.

Xing Ying.

General.

Greetings, General.

Rise.

General.

You…

Don't call me General.

I'm in no official position now.

Lu Lingfeng

is my personal staff now.

Personal staff?

What?

You got something to say?

No.

Lu Lingfeng,

where did you go last night?

Did you go to…

Face Flowers?

Why are these flowers dried?

By the way,

just now,

I was too busy talking with Administrator Su

to tell you

that I also brought some Face Flowers.

I got these flowers

from the buyers.

My flowers are not the ones

the Tocharian woman sells in Luoyang.

They are from the Sui Dynasty.

Did you get them

from Lady Hu Shisi?

I think

maybe she didn't lie.

She is from the Sui Dynasty.

Sui?

One is dark and the other is light.

The light one is more elegant.

This fresh one

looks better,

but it's so vicious.

This flower grows in a valley

1,000 kilometers away from the southwest of the Arab Empire.

It's recorded

that there are trees

which can grow rare flowers.

If you stare at and observe them,

you will find them look like human's faces.

But as far as I know,

this kind of flower is not poisonous itself,

nor will it decay people's skin.

Most importantly,

the central region

is not the birthplace of those trees.

Sworn Brother.

How do you know

the trees grow in the central region?

The flowers sold by the Tocharian woman

were newly picked.

Yes.

Why didn't I think of it?

The dark one

is a dried flower from the Sui dynasty,

while the light one

is a poisonous one harming people.

Fed.

You are good at herbs.

Is there something in this world

that can make people's flesh and skin decayed

at the last moment?

Of course, there is,

but it's rare.

If you mix Baohuang from Persia as the main ingredient

with some Guichou of the Miao ethnic group,

then add

something else to it,

and finally make the mixture a kind of incense,

it will produce

a unique flavor.

At first, it smells splendid

and even refreshing.

Just like mint.

Then, it makes people hallucinate,

and causes myasthenia.

But

it only works on men.

That's why it's also known as the "Husband Incense".

This belonged to the imperial court of the Sui Dynasty.

It was indeed used in the imperial court of the Sui Dynasty.

I've experienced the power of it.

But that's not

what I want to ask.

-Calm down. -I...

I haven't finished yet.

If we mix Guichou of the Miao ethnic group as the main ingredient

with a little Baohuang

and some strange herbs,

and then soak the skin in it,

after some days,

it may make

the flesh and skin decayed all of a sudden.

We can buy

Guichou.

But Baohuang

was banned

as early as the period of Gaozong.

This case is trickier than I thought.

You two

should quickly go to the Sky Garden

and search for the Tocharian woman.

Yes, sir.

[Blessing Temple]

[Back Meditation Abode]

Your Highness.

Su Wuming has taken office.

You may just meditate here

these days,

and see how he looks into the case of the Face Flower.

But I feel insecure.

You mean the Crown Prince?

Your news

was released in time.

But he stayed in Dongdu,

wanting to see my ending.

It really makes me sad.

Your Highness.

Your health is more important.

Don't be angry.

Your Highness.

Prefectural Governor Gao is here.

Come in.

Your Highness.

I've read

the list you submitted.

In all these years,

you've done a good job

in Dongdu for me.

Once it's finished,

everyone on the list will get promoted.

Of course,

you are the one I rely on the most.

Thank you for your trust.

I've been loyal to Your Highness for years.

I swear my loyalty to you.

But I got poisoned by the Face Flowers.

I'm afraid...

Your Highness.

Su Wuming has taken office to investigate the case.

I believe it won't take long to find out the truth.

Do you believe

that he can solve this case,

get the antidote,

and save my life?

Detective Di's favorite disciple

must be capable.

More importantly, Your Highness

is blessed.

Nothing evil will happen to you.

Go back

and gather all the officials on the list.

Tell them

that they must believe

Su Wuming can help me

get through this.

Don't be disloyal.

Yes, Your Highness.

Please.

Administrator Su.

Greetings, Prefectural Governor Gao.

Since Administrator Su has taken office,

I'm relieved.

Did Her Highness ask you to come?

Her Highness is waiting for you inside.

Go now.

It's not because Her Highness asked me to come.

But because I'm already in charge of this case,

and Her Highness used the Face Flowers.

It's risky for her to be poisoned.

So I

must come.

Greetings, Your Highness.

Long time no see

since we last met in Chang'an.

Yes.

You should've worn your official uniform to see me.

So stubborn.

What?

You don't want to be my official?

But I have started investigating.

You refuse to wear the official uniform,

which means you are demonstrating your attitude to me.

I dare not.

Tell me.

Why did you take this case?

The people of Luoyang

and Your Highness are the most important.

What?

You prioritize the people before me?

Forget it.

You know I'm in danger.

I'm glad you're still willing to take care of me.

Su Wuming.

I only have six to seven days.

What will you do?

I'll try my best to catch the culprit

and find the antidote.

Try your best?

It must be the Crown Prince

who wants me dead.

Where is His Majesty?

Ask him to do something.

Please calm down, Your Highness.

His Majesty has returned to Chang'an.

I want to go back to Chang'an too,

right now.

No.

Your Highness just needs to wait.

Su Wuming will do my best

to get the antidote as soon as possible.

Easier said than done.

What if you can't get it?

Instead of waiting for my face to rot,

I'd rather die now.

Before I die,

I will burn down the entire Luoyang

to let all the people in Luoyang sacrifice for me.

Your Highness.

Please don't.

Do you mean I can't die?

Yes.

Why?

Even if

Your Highness cares about nothing,

at least think about your children.

Children?

In this world,

few people understand me.

You...

I don't understand you sometimes either.

You're shivering.

Because I respect you so much.

Look at me.

You will try your best to save my life,

right?

I will, definitely.

For Your Highness

and for the people of Luoyang.

If you hadn't added this last line,

I wouldn't believe you.

You haven't changed.

All right.

Go on with your case.

Yes.

Just focus on your case and don't worry about me.

I won't kill myself.

It's not because I want the vanity of the world,

but because the dynasty can't live without me.

And revitalizing the Tang Dynasty

hinges on me.

[Sky Garden]

General.

This is the Sky Garden.

The Tocharian women disappeared

after we lost her.

She should be in this garden.

Knock the door.

Who are you?

Xing Ying, Minister of Justice of Luozhou.

I am ordered to investigate the case.

Minister Xing.

Why are you so aggressive?

A suspect disappeared here earlier.

So we are here to search this place.

There are indeed many people living in the garden.

But it is under strict control.

There isn't any criminal.

Besides,

the Sky Garden is protected by the government.

Do you want to break the rules

to search inside?

No matter what garden it is,

since it has been built in the Tang Dynasty,

you should abide by the rules of Tang.

Hindering government officials

from searching this place

will be a violation of rules.

This...

Minister Xing.

I heard that you brought people here

to investigate the case.

I'm worried that they won't let you in.

Looks like I come at the right time.

Resident Regent.

Open the door.

Yes.

Please.

Don't be afraid.

During the reign of Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian,

the other states offered various exotic animals.

Most of them have been kept here.

Could it be

the Meteorite Bear that roared just now?

Yes.

During the Emperor Gaozong period,

Kapilavastu once presented a giant bear

called Meteorite.

It is powerful enough to catch the white elephant and kill the lion.

I didn't expect

it to be kept here.

So,

ordinary people are not allowed to come in,

because this wild beast

may hurt people.

Who are you?

This is the personal staff

of Su Wuming, Administrator of Luozhou.

Personal staff?

It's impressive that you are so knowledgeable.

Interesting.

Resident Regent, please

ask everyone here out.

We need to

check one by one.

They are all worshipping in the inner court.

-Please. -Please.

Here are all the people

living in the garden recently.

He is right.

If you don't believe him,

you can ask your men to search

all the rooms.

The case is the top priority.

I know what's important.

Who wants to buy fresh Face Flowers?

This Tocharian woman

must be greedy for money

so she seduced people with exotic poisonous flowers.

But after she knew there was nowhere to escape,

she committed suicide by taking poison.

The culprit has been found,

but is dead.

Of course,

we need to find the antidote as soon as possible.

But judging from the current situation,

it seems that...

You mean

the case can be closed?

I have no right to say that.

It's just a statement of fact.

What do you think, Minister Xing?

In order to solve this case,

I've done my best.

Yes.

Looks like this case

can only be pushed this far.

But we can't spread any information,

or Dongdu will be in chaos.

Prefectural Governor,

you...

What's wrong?

How is Administrator Su?

It's said that he is as intelligent as Detective Di.

But I think

it is an exaggeration.

Once he got the news,

he lost the clue.

He couldn't continue to investigate.

But he refused to admit it.

There are only a few days left.

Can he find the antidote?

You mean...

Her Highness will be in danger.

Women are women.

She wanted to be beautiful.

But in the end,

she destroyed herself.

Then...

What's your plan, Prefectural Governor?

A wise man submits to fate.

The Princess and the Crown Prince

are at odds now.

If Her Highness

can't be cured,

after His Highness ascends the throne,

he will investigate

all us followers of Her Highness.

So now there is only one way

to protect ourselves.

Before Her Highness' face

turns into a skull,

we need to go to His Highness for shelter.

Xin.

What do you think?

I was promoted by you.

I'll listen to you.

If we keep investigating, there's no clue.

If the case is closed,

we can't explain to Her Highness.

I think

Su Wuming

is in a dilemma.

Did Lu Lingfeng

spare no effort to help?

General Lu.

He...

Don't beat around the bush.

He did his best.

But I think

he hopes that Administrator Su

can close the case.

What about you?

What's your opinion?

I'm willing to pledge my loyalty to Your Highness.

If you think the case should be closed,

I will do as you say immediately

and stop investigating.

You're the Minister of Justice.

You should find out the truth,

and, more importantly,

find the antidote for the Face Flowers.

Under such a circumstance, how can you close the case now?

I...

Your Highness.

Xin Huaishen is here.

You may leave.

You need to do your best to investigate this case.

Yes.

Great General.

Greetings, Your Highness.

Get up and answer me.

Yes.

How are things going?

The Princess trusts me.

She asked me to keep an eye on Gao Zhongyi.

But she doesn't know

the one I swore loyalty to

is Your Highness.

You did not put your loyalty on me,

but on Tang.

Because of

loyal and talented men like you,

our dynasty will be more promising.

I'll keep it in mind.

I have good news.

Gao Zhongyi thinks

it's hard for Su Wuming to solve the case,

and there's not much time left for Her Highness,

so he decided to follow Your Highness.

He doesn't know Your Highness is still in Luoyang.

I think

he will write a letter soon

and send it to Chang'an.

Your Highness.

Gao Zhongyi wants to have it both ways.

You can't rely on him.

Great General, you're wise.

But

I have my own opinions.

Go ahead.

Although Her Highness is dying,

it's not

the last moment yet.

If we can weaken her strength now,

when Your Highness ascends the throne,

all the officials will say

it's in line with people's aspiration.

Isn't that great?

I'm not in the mood.

Is it so hard

to solve this case?

Won't my aunt

be saved?

I guess it's hopeless.

However,

it is not Your Highness

who conspired the whole thing.

So you don't need to...

I hope

that Lu Lingfeng can help Su Wuming

find the antidote

before aunt dies.

♫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♫

♫The people are in peace♫

♫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♫