Original subtitles

[Strange Tale of Tang Dynasty]

[Episode 34]

His signs his name Nanshan Salouzi.

I guess he is living in seclusion

in Zhongnan Mountain now.

But there are thousands of real and fake recluses

in Zhongnan Mountain.

How can we find

this Salouzi?

I know what is the surname of

this Salouzi.

The five surnames and the seven families are ranked top

among the noble families of Tang.

Except we Lu family of Fan Yang,

there are also Cui, Li, Zheng, and Wang.

But the Wang family of Taiyuan

is not as good as before,

so they were called the Salou Wang family.

Their power and wealth do not match their name.

Since the author used the pen name of Salouzi,

it indicates that

he might be from the Wang family of Taiyuan

and was mocking himself.

The Wang family of Taiyuan.

Great job, Lu Lingfeng.

You've just narrowed down the scope.

Since he's from the Wang family of Taiyuan,

and understand my master well.

At the same time, he was familiar with

the secret news of the Concubinus Institution.

I already know who he is.

But why is he hiding in

Zhongnan Mountain?

Even if he's there,

there are many recluses there.

How can you search for him?

How can you investigate?

It depends on

who's the one investigating it.

What?

Do you have any idea?

My family have a book

called the Book of Nanshan's Recluse.

It was written privately by my father.

He likes

to recommend talents to the imperial court.

So he took a lot of time

to visit those recluses in Zhongnan Mountain.

And he will update the content

every two months.

I'll bring the book tomorrow.

No matter who you want to investigate,

you can find out

if you read that book.

[Book of Nanshan's Recluse]

What do you think?

In order to write this Book of Nanshan's Recluse,

Assistant Minister Pei has put a lot of effort into it.

It contains

a total of 891 recluses,

and were arranged based on their surname.

Many people surnamed Wang,

but none of them matched with the other criteria.

Most importantly,

the person in my mind

is not in this name list.

Was my analysis

yesterday wrong?

This Nanshan Salouzi

is not surnamed Wang.

Authors of this kind of books

like to use pen names and nicknames,

and they have some deep meaning.

I think your analysis yesterday

makes sense.

The person who wrote the Tale of Sass must be surnamed Wang.

Nanshan Salouzi.

Would it be that the Nanshan here

is not Zhongnan Mountain,

but other Nanshan instead?

There is another possibility.

The content written

in Assistant Minister Pei's book

is not detailed.

It seems that the best way now

is to visit him myself.

Assistant Minister Pei?

Su Wuming.

Are you crazy?

Coming to the capital without permission

is already a serious crime.

Now you even want to visit Assistant Minister Pei.

I think

you're digging your own grave.

[Assistant Minister Pei]

Assistnat Minister Pei.

Lu Lingfeng,

you managed to kill Sass

after you took office.

You are very famous

in Chang'an now.

What can I do for you?

This book was written by me,

why is it with you?

I've borrowed it from Miss Xijun

to look for clues yesterday.

Assistant Minister has dedicated yourself

to search for talents for the Tang.

The academic background of every recluse,

their hobbies,

and their temperament

was recorded clearly in the book.

I really admire you,

Assistant Minister.

Minister Lu, you're flattering me.

I was looking for someone,

but I couldn't find him in the list.

So,

I can only consult Assistant Minister Pei in person.

Who are you looking for?

I don't need to read the book,

it's all in my mind.

He used to work with Di Ren Jie,

and was familiar with

the Illusion Killer, Sass who used to

be the vice department chief of the Concubinus Institution.

This person should be surnamed Wang.

Assistant Minister Pei,

is there anyone like him?

Yes.

But he's not in the book.

He is different from other recluses.

Although he lives in Zhongnan Mountain,

he is still working

as an official now.

Who?

Wang Yuantong.

He was the one I thought about last night.

Who is this Wang Yuantong?

When His Majesty was still the Premier,

he was once the Administrator of the Premier's Residence.

Later, he was promoted to the Assistant Minister of the Phoenix Pavilion

and acted as the Prime Minister.

Back then, he and my master were

against the establishment

of the Concubinus Institution by the Heavenly Empress.

The Heavenly Empress was cruel.

She didn’t kill him

nor demoted him to the other state.

She just let him

to be the assistant chief of the Concubinus Institution.

Working for the Heavenly Empress’s concubinus,

the humiliation of the world

is nothing more than this.

Yes.

So later,

Wang Yuantong resigned and returned to his hometown.

His hometown

is Shazhou, I think.

It's Shazhou.

When he resigned,

my master was seriously ill.

Before he left Luoyang,

he even visited my teacher.

But now,

why did he go to the Zhongnan Mountain?

One year ago,

His Majesty

suddenly remembered Wang Yuantong.

So His Majesty asked Assistant Minister Pei to go to Shazhou

to invite him back.

I think he missed the old days.

But I didn't hear

him getting any important position.

What is his position now?

Just an unimportant job,

the Chief of the Department of Bamboo managing bamboos.

The biggest bamboo forest

is in Zhongnan Mountain.

So Wang Yuantong has been

living there for a long time.

Everything is connected now.

The Tale of Sass must be

written by Wang Yuantong.

Lu Lingfeng,

come with me to Zhongnan Mountain.

Wait a minute.

Xijun has drawn

the portrait of Helan Xue.

Let's take a look at it

before doing anything.

Xijun,

you must have put in all your efforts

for this this painting.

It's so vivid.

Wait.

What is this?

A mole?

I've read

everything about Helan Xue's description

in the Tale of Sass,

but I didn't find that she has a mole.

That's because you did not

read it carefully.

According to the book, she is the most beautiful

when she cries.

A transparent tear

and a red tear

are on her face at the same time.

How would people

have read tears?

So I think

Helan Xue should have a mole,

a red teardrop mole.

What was written in the book

was just a moment

where her tear crossed her teardrop mole.

I've read those lines

several times,

and I was confused.

But I didn't expect

it was a teardrop mole.

My sister's wisdom

is really incomparable.

This woman does not

look young.

She should be 35 or 36 years old.

Yes.

The content of the book

was about the event 12 years ago.

Sass had

prepared a gift from Dongdu,

and he rushed to Chang'an

to celebrate her 24th birthday.

Everyone only knows Zhang Xuan,

the painter of the painting of the Stone Bridge

as the best painter in the world.

In my opinion,

my sister is nothing less

compared to Zhang Xuan.

She's way much better and

nothing less compared to him.

Thank you.

Su Wu Ming.

Time is running out.

Go to Zhongnan Mountain

to find Wang Yuantong.

I'll go find Helan Xue.

We'll split up.

OK.

Xijun,

can you lend me

that beggar again?

What can he help you with?

According to the book,

Helan Xue is

at the Cloud Tower in Pingkang Fang.

That place...

I...

Have you never been to

any brothel?

I don't believe it.

I've never been there.

Sir, come in.

Come in and have a seat.

Come on.

Come in.

What are you doing?

This outfit

is not as comfortable as it was in the Assistant Minister's Residence.

You've only been there for a few days,

and you can't get used to be a beggar anymore?

I have a name.

What's your name?

Yang Ji.

What did Pei Xijun tell you?

How dare you

make fun of me.

No...

No.

My name

is Yang Ji.

Which two words?

Yang of the Yang Tree,

Ji of the Jiangshan Sheji.

You can write?

No, I can't.

Then how did

you say that?

When I was five,

my father told me that

before he died.

Alright.

Stop crying.

I've wronged you.

Did you see that man?

-Come. -Sir.

Please come in.

Give him this painting.

Tell him that the person on the painting is your mother,

and tell him to hand over your mother.

This...

Don't worry.

If he dares to hit you,

just run back.

I'll take care of him.

Go.

Please come in.

Sir, come here.

Take care.

Take care of him.

Sir.

Sir.

Have you seen

the person in the painting?

Where did you get her portrait?

This is my mother.

Let me ask you again.

Where did you get her portrait?

This is my mother.

Stinky beggar!

How dare you fool me?

You hit me!

Is this your mother?

I'm your father.

Someone is hitting me!

Stinky beggar! Come back!

Stinky beggar!

Let go of me!

Who do you think you are talking to?

Sir,

please forgive me.

Please let me go.

Yang Ji.

Come here.

Show him

the portrait of your mum.

Do you know him?

No.

It hurts.

I know her.

Her name is Helan Xue.

We call her Xue anyway.

Is she still in the Cloud Tower?

She has

left,

at least two or three years.

Where did she go?

I don't know.

I really don't know.

Please spare my life.

Did anyone redeem her?

No.

Are you sure?

Every year,

they would be customers trying to redeem her.

But she refused.

She seemed to be waiting for someone.

Later, she had nowhere to go.

So,

she went to that place.

Where?

The Resentment Tower in Ghost Market.

I've heard about

the Resentment Tower in the Ghost Market.

They are all old singers who

had no other choices.

Although Helan Xue

is a bit old,

I don’t think she’s that old.

People from the Cloud Tower were very sure of it.

They also said that Xue

refused to be redeemed.

She was waiting for someone.

Waiting for Sass?

I think so.

Call your men to go to the Ghost Market with me.

What's wrong?

When we were investigating the Chang'an black tea case,

didn't Wu and the others

died in the Ghost Market?

Later, General has publicly prohibited

Imperial Guards to enter the Ghost Market.

That's why.

But I can go with you.

It's just that I don't want to

involve other brothers.

Forget it.

I am now the Minister of Justice of Yongzhou,

I shouldn't order the Imperial Guards around.

[Administrator's Residence]

Administrator Du.

You came at the right time.

The magic show is coming soon.

As the Minister of Justice,

don't you know

what to do?

By then,

His Majesty will be enjoying the joy with the people.

But we can't have all the people in Chang'an

entering the Sky-scraping Tower.

We have to

filter the candidates.

This is your job.

Since the real Sass

has not been caught,

then arresting him

is my main duty.

Minister Lu,

you're just choosing

those jobs which can build your own career.

Fine.

I'll do

I'll do it for you.

However,

from now on,

I will take over

your men.

I need some extra hands now.

I just got

a new clue about Sass today.

I...

Don't tell me anything

about the investigation.

Once you tell me your clues,

who will be rewarded

if we arrest Sass.

New clue.

It has been 12 years.

I don't believe that

you can arrest Sass before me.

-General. -Isn’t this…

Greetings, General.

No, he's now the Minister of Justice.

Yes.

He just killed the Sass,

have you forgotten?

Yes.

Greetings, Minister Lu.

Greetings, my three brothers.

What brings you here

to Chang'an County?

I'm here

to seek for your help

for some investigation.

This...

This...

Investigation?

Before returning to Chang'an,

Su Wuming has reminded me

that in Chang'an County,

you, Jia,

you, Luo,

and you, Liu,

are brave and astute,

and capable to bear big responsibility.

What?

You don't want to help me?

Help?

How could you mention the word "help"?

Yes.

You are now

the Minister of Justice of Yongzhou,

we are all under your control.

Yes.

To be honest,

the three of us were

complaining about it just now.

It's boring to patrol the streets every day.

During the Hungry Ghost Festival last year,

we were following Sheriff Su

and you

fighting at the Ghost Market.

That was really fun,

was the best days of my life.

Great.

It's still the Ghost Market again.

Besides,

you might get to meet

some beauties.

Beau...

Beauties?

Minister Lu

is indeed the Crown Prince's man,

he's so generous.

[Resentment Tower]

He even let us

spend in this Resentment Tower.

I never had this treatment

in my life.

But I'm wondering

if the women here

are better than those in Pingkang Fang.

We have money, what are you afraid of?

Just pick the best one.

Mine.

Mine.

This is really not a good job.

Let's get down to business.

Xue,

is indeed in the Resentment Tower.

But ordinary people can't see her.

Doesn't she serve guests?

I heard she's very arrogant.

We can only see her

by giving her gold.

But think about it,

those who came for the women in the Ghost Market,

who would give up gold?

I think that's crazy.

She always said someone would pick her up.

But after two years,

no one came.

But she must have some money,

as she lives in

the biggest room in the Resentment Tower alone.

If she had no money,

she would have been driven away by the shopkeeper.

And...

What?

Something

seems to be wrong in this Resentment Tower.

I think so too.

I feel like a pair of eyes is

staring at us.

But you can't see

where the eyes are.

[Helan Xue]

What are you doing?

Looking for someone.

Everyone here is

to find someone.

But you came at a bad time.

[Master of Resentment Tower]

Why is it not the right time?

This is the Ghost Market.

We do not operate our business

in the daytime.

I'm here to pick someone up,

not for any business.

Guards!

Do you want to die?

I mean no harm,

but you want to kill me.

Are you ignoring the law?

Ghost Market

has the law.

Well...

Sir,

women in the ghost market

are not as good as those in Pingkang Fang.

Paying this much,

I'm afraid you'll regret it.

I'm here for my old lover.

Even if I have to spend thousands of gold more, I have no regrets.

May I ask

who you are looking for?

Xue.

What?

Sir,

are you serious?

Xue is waiting for someone.

But judging from your age,

you can't be her old sweetheart.

So,

you know

who her old sweetheart is?

Well...

I don't know.

I heard

she has been waiting him for years.

Take me to see her.

You want to see Xue?

Just with this...

You can't!

You also know

you have to pay gold ingots to see her?

To be honest,

when Xue came to the Resentment Tower,

she set this strange rule

for herself.

It's been almost three years.

But none of the men is

willing to pay gold.

[Fragrance Chamber]

What is it?

Miss Xue.

Someone is here to see you.

Please wait a moment.

Come in.

I want to see you play the pipa reversely.

I'm getting old.

I can't play it anymore.

In the past,

in Cloud Tower,

you outshone every other girl with your pipa skills.

And in my eyes,

you haven't aged at all.

Same as back then.

Hearing your words,

you must be an old friend of mine.

But...

How can I not remember you.

Besides, you're so young.

Are you making fun of me?

I was only 13 that year.

I came to Chang'an with my uncle for business.

I made a vow when I see your beautiful face.

I must bring you away

when I make a fortune.

After all these years,

I finally earned some wealth,

so I went back to Chang'an to look for you.

But you left the Cloud Tower.

It took me a lot of effort

and money

to find you.

I almost take it seriously.

It is true!

That year,

there was a beauty gathering in the Pingkang Fang.

Guri, the girl from the northern tribes who is good at dancing,

and the singing girl from the south, Rouhuan,

were all outstanding.

But in the end,

you won the crown by playing the pipa reversely.

That day,

I had been watching you under the stage.

Sir,

you've read this book, right?

This book seems to be prohibited.

But you've read it carefully.

I think you find me

because of this scroll of book, right?

You're an official!

You want to use me to catch Sass!

You're still young.

Do you want to die?

I admit

I'm the Helan Xue

in the book.

Didn't you

have been watching me for more than a decade?

If you want to kill me,

then hurry up.

If you don't,

then get lost.

Lu Lingfeng.

He even went to the Resentment Tower.

He is really something.

Administrator Du,

I have been keeping an eye on Helan Xue by your order

for 12 years.

For her, we even spent a lot of money

to buy the Resentment Tower in the Ghost Market.

Now,

if our great merit was stolen

by others...

Don't worry.

Even if he finds Helan Xue,

it's useless.

If anyone can catch Sass,

will Detective Di

assign this important task

to me back then?

I think

Sass will take Helan Xue away

before the Magic Show.

It's only a few days away.

Keep a good eye on her.

If anything happens,

report to me immediately.

Yes.

Last night,

you three

have done a good job.

Tonight,

you have to come back there again.

What!

You all couldn't find a lover

at the Resentment Tower last night?

Even if not,

tonight,

you all have to find someone

and stay there for a long time!

At least until the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Well,

it's still four or five days away.

To catch Sass

and perform meritorious deeds.

Brothers,

I'm sorry for your troubles.

Well...

This...

It's too hard.

You don't want to be a beggar anymore,

right?

Let's get changed today.

You can wear the one from the Assistant Minister's Residence.

I'll give you a cushy job.

Buy some Cherry Dumplings

from Pingkang Fang

and send them to Xue's room

at the second floor of the Resentment Tower.

That much?

The dumplings won't cost this much money.

Keep it for now.

We need to buy something else tomorrow.

Xue

has been in the Ghost Market for almost three years.

She must miss the delicacy

of Chang'an.

I need to find out

what she likes to eat.

You like her?

Then,

why don't you send her something delicious yourself?

Why are you so full of crap?

Well,

what if she asked?

What should I say?

Just say

a tall and handsome man

gave you some money

to run errands for him.

[Resentment Tower]

Come here!

Drink.

Drink it.

One more sip.

Slow down.

We can't have fun without you.

Come on.

Come on.

Have another one.

Leave it here.

I won't give you a hard time.

Cherry Dumplings!

Come on!

Can you tell me something about Xue?

She just lives next door.

Why are you keep mentioning her?

I will be angry.

Come on.

Don't...

What's the rush?

I can see that

you are not here for me.

Otherwise, you wouldn't be asking about her.

This should be the place.

Although he returns to Chang'an,

Wang Yuantong only takes

an idle official, Department Chief of Bamboo.

He is really

a recluse.

[Zhongnan Mountain Villa]

Department Chief Wang?

Department Chief Wang?

He's not home, is he?

No.

Didn't you hear the music?

No.

I think there must be other recluses

drinking in the Zhongnan Mountain Villa.

And I'm sure Wang Yuantong

doesn't have too many servants.

So,

no one will open the door for us.

I've met him a few times.

I can be considered as his old friend.

We can go straight in.

Let's go.

Who are you?

The Administrator of Luozhou, Su Wuming.

Greetings, Department Chief Wang.

[Department Chief of Bamboo, Wang Yuantong]

Su Wuming.

Disciple of Di Renjie?

Yes.

When I was in Luoyang,

I've met you a few times.

I remember it now.

What brings you

to my Zhongnan Mountain?

Hurry, take a seat.

Serve them some wine.

Here.

To you two.

To Department Cheif Wang.

Why isn't she drinking?

Since you are a recluse in this mountain,

yet you're keeping the singing girls

and dressing fancily

with good wine and delicious food.

You're really rising above the common herd.

Who said a recluse

couldn't listen to orchestral music

and couldn't enjoy beautiful dance?

If so,

there would be no Xie Anshi in this world.

Besides,

I still have an official position.

So, why not?

So you're following Xie Anshi's example of

living in seclusion in the East Mountain and not taking an official position.

My ambition is above the clouds

and is beyond your imaginiation.

You!

Su Wuming.

Since you're the Administrator of Luozhou,

why do you come to Chang'an

and my Zhongnan Mountain?

I'm here for Sass.

Back then in Luoyang,

the Sass case was the last case

my teacher investigated.

But the result didn't go as he wished.

Sass escaped from Luoyang,

and 12 years have passed since then.

I heard that

the Magic Show in the Sky-scraping Tower

is about to begin.

And Sass took the chance to sneak into Chang'an.

So I came from Dongdu

to catch him

so as to make up

for my teacher's deathbed regret.

I've heard about

about the case of Sass.

But what can I do

to help you this time?

There's a book

called Tale of Sass.

This is how the book ends.

In 700,

Salouzi became an official in Luoyang.

He liked the banquets at the Long Gate

and enjoyed looking far from the Tianjin Bridge.

So people wrote it down.

However, there were many other things about Sass.

In this book, only a small part is recorded.

It must be the limited space of the book.

There were many things about Sass

you didn't write about in the book.

So I came here to ask you

to find clues.

Who told you

I'm the one who wrote the Tale of Sass?

The book has appeared in Chang'an

half a year ago.

As far as I know,

you returned to Chang'an a year ago.

The time matches.

Besides, what's written in the book...

For example,

when my teacher was seriously ill,

there was a Bichen Pearl in front of his bed.

Only those

who visited him

would know.

Do you remember?

When you resigned

and before you left Luoyang,

you visited my teacher,

and I happened to be there.

Besides,

you were the assistant chief of the Concubinus Institution.

So you must know many secret tales

and many details

about the Concubinus Institution.

Also,

the author's pen name is Nanshan Salouzi.

Salou is related to the Wang family of Taiyuan.

Now you are the Department Chief of the Bamboo

and living partially in seclusion in the Zhongnan Mountain.

In the world,

you are the only one

who meets the requirements.

You are indeed Di Renjie's disciple.

Back then, I opposed the Heavenly Empress

for establishing the Concubinus Institution.

But I was demoted as the assistant chief of the Concubinus Institution.

I worked under Zhang Yizhi,

Empress Wu Zetian's concubinus.

This is the greatest humiliation in my life

that can't be undone.

In 698,

Zhang Yizhi recommended Sass as the Vice Department Chief

and set up a mansion in the Magic House

to gather all the enchanters

to eliminate dissidents through Sass.

Another year had passed

and it was the 700.

With your teacher, Di Renjie's

strong remonstration,

Heavenly Empress was forced to change the Concubinus Institution

to Fengchen Institution.

Di Renjie also found out about

Sass as the Illusion Killer.

The evidence of all the crimes he committed was solid.

A lot of Sass's pawns were arrested,

but only he escaped.

Di Renjie thought this was the biggest regret

in his life.

But I think it is nothing.

Detective Di is not a god after all.

To me,

writing the Tale of Sass,

is to kill time.

That "only a small part is recorded" in the book

is just keeping you in suspense.

I always look down on

people like Sass.

How can I know much about him?

So,

I don't have any clues for you.

Well...

That Helan Xue

who can play the pipa reversely...

What's in my book about her

is all just hearsay.

Come on, let's drink.

Otherwise,

your trip to Zhongnan Mountain will be in vain.

How would this trip be in vain?

I've visited my teacher's old friend

and have such good wine.

It's already worth the trip.

Here's to you.

So good.

Sir,

two catties of camel hump.

Make sure it's roasted well.

Okay.

What's for today?

Roasted Camel Hump.

Unfortunately, I was delayed on the way.

I think it's cold.

It doesn't matter.

I have hot wine.

I am fine with the cold meat.

Kid,

do you want to come in

and have a drink with me?

I can't drink!

♫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♫