Original subtitles

[The Wanted Detective]

[Episode 11]

No.

It wasn't me. It wasn't me.

Feng Qingzhuo. Feng Qingzhuo.

It's okay now.

It wasn't me.

Feng Qingzhuo! Feng Qingzhuo!

It's okay now.

How did I end up here?

Tell me first,

what happened back then?

Back then,

on my way back to Dingfeng Pavilion,

I noticed a medicine bottle was missing,

so I hurried back to the Huo Mansion to look for it.

Suddenly I saw Mrs. Huo

hurrying toward the backyard.

Mrs. Huo was alone,

looking anxious.

And the backyard is

where the Huo family disciples live.

I thought it was suspicious,

so I followed her.

When I woke up,

Xue Qianshan's body

was lying right next to me.

I... I don't know

what happened.

It's Mrs. Huo again.

I really didn't kill him.

I swear I didn't kill him.

I'm not a murderer.

Beiming, what should I do?

Don't panic.

This case

isn't that complicated.

Zhuge Kongyun said the same thing.

Did he discover something

that I missed?

Xueman,

when you arrived at

Feng Qingzhuo's place,

when did the people

from the Huo family arrive?

Stop him.

It was only a short while

before Mrs. Huo arrived with a group of disciples

from the Huo family.

That's exactly the problem.

What do you mean?

I... I don't understand.

Look.

This is where the disciples live.

This is where Xue Qianshan lives.

Both are in the backyard.

It is not surprising

that the disciples rushed to the scene

as soon as they heard the shouting.

But Mrs. Huo lives in the south courtyard.

From the south courtyard to the backyard,

even if the servants went to report

immediately,

it would take some time

to go back and forth.

Mrs. Huo immediately arrived with a group of disciples

from the Huo family,

which is the inconsistency.

And Coroner Feng also mentioned

that he saw

Mrs. Huo entering the backyard at dusk.

This means

Mrs. Huo was in the backyard

from dusk until late night.

So... what?

What does that prove?

Mrs. Huo

secretly

sneaked into

the backyard alone

and stayed until late night.

What do you think that suggests?

Are you suggesting

she was having an affair with one of the disciples?

If this is true,

then the man she was having an affair with

is Li Xiao.

Why would it be Li Xiao?

I think Huo Dairong must have

discovered this affair.

That night when we sneaked into the Huo Mansion,

she deliberately led me to the bedroom,

probably wanting me to catch

Mrs. Huo and Li Xiao in the act.

Unfortunately, I arrived too late.

[Noble Character, Pure Integrity]

Li Xiao had already left,

leaving only Mrs. Huo behind.

Not only that,

Huo Dairong once told me

Mrs. Huo wasn't happy after her marriage,

until Li Xiao joined the household 3 years ago,

and only then did her mood improve.

When did you

join General Huo's service?

Have you ever gone to battle with General Huo?

I joined the household 3 years ago,

too late to have seen any battlefield action.

That could just be a coincidence.

There's something even more important.

I think I've seen

this mark somewhere before.

This is the unique mark

of the Kunwu Knife Factory.

Kunwu Knife Factory?

Do you still remember what I told you

about Mrs. Huo's father,

who runs a weapon workshop?

Xueman and I saw a small knife

at Li Xiao's bedside,

-and there's this mark on the knife. -It’s a gift from my family.

I keep it by my bedside

to think of my family day and night.

Family?

Or lover?

So I guess this knife

was a gift from Mrs. Huo.

Moreover,

they must have been lovers before.

Could it be that General Huo

was killed by them?

A murder for love?

Without catching them in the act,

even with this kind of evidence,

we can't prove anything.

Then what does this have to do

with Xue Qianshan's death?

Xueman,

do you remember the conversation

between Xue Qianshan and Li Xiao

at the entrance of the gambling den?

The property of the entire Huo family

is in your hands,

far more than just 500 taels.

Those despicable things you've done

will not only ruin your reputation,

but you can forget about taking

even a single tael from the Huo family.

Perhaps even Master

was killed by you two.

-Master’s death has nothing to do with us. -Xue was referring to the two of them,

not just one.

He also mentioned the despicable things they've done.

So I suspect Xue Qianshan had

evidence of the affair between Li Xiao

and Mrs. Huo.

Huo Dairong also mentioned

Xue Qianshan told her

he had something valuable

that could bring him continuous income.

That matches up.

I understand now.

So,

Mrs. Huo and Li Xiao were having an affair,

and then

Xue Qianshan got hold of evidence,

and he used this evidence

to blackmail Li Xiao.

Li Xiao and Mrs. Huo couldn't take it anymore,

so they killed Xue Qianshan

and framed me for it.

Everything makes sense now.

Then the evidence Xue Qianshan had

is what we need!

The evidence must still be at the Huo Mansion.

I'll go there right now.

It's too late.

If it was

really that important,

once Xue Qianshan died,

Li Xiao and Mrs. Huo

would definitely have taken it.

But without the evidence,

without proof,

Coroner Feng cannot

prove his innocence.

Don't worry.

I've asked Tong Shuang to watch the Huo Mansion.

If anything happens,

he'll notify us immediately.

Zhuge Kongyun

also seemed to know everything.

Could he have reached the same conclusion as you?

With his intelligence,

it's not surprising that he could

figure all this out.

Beiming,

Constable Zhong,

this time

I owe you both so much.

Otherwise, I...

Go get changed.

Don't catch a cold.

Alright.

Next time if I pass out again,

just use a needle on my Baihui acupoint

and that will do the trick.

No need to splash me with water again.

Go now.

-Don’t... splash water. -Go now.

Will everything be alright?

Don't worry. I've arranged everything.

I never thought

it would come to this.

The property of the whole family

has really fallen into

the hands of Huo Dairong and her mother.

Those constables

will investigate us sooner or later.

Before they figure it out,

we should leave as soon as possible.

The property is just material possession.

As long as we're safe and together,

that's all that matters.

Zhuge Kongyun suspects you?

It's my fault for not being careful enough,

making him suspicious.

I managed to cover it up last night,

but with his suspicious nature,

he'll definitely keep a close eye on me from now on.

I'm afraid if I can't hide it well enough,

something might go wrong.

You're not really someone

who knows how to lie and cover things up.

With his keen eyes,

no matter how well you try to hide it,

you won't escape his notice.

What should I do then?

Then don't hide anything.

Be yourself.

Didn't he say

you're like your old self?

Then just

be your old self.

As long as you're confident,

do whatever you want.

He can't do anything to you.

My old self?

So you're saying

if he suspects me again,

I should just beat him up?

That's not a bad idea.

I've been wanting to beat him up.

I'm actually looking forward to it now.

Hit him hard.

I've been putting up with him for too long.

Beiming.

What is it?

Something's happening at the Huo Mansion.

[Huo Mansion]

Mrs. Huo left early this morning

for Biyun Temple,

saying she wanted to pray for blessings.

I guess she'll be back tonight.

She'll be back tonight?

Yes.

Okay.

Young Master,

perhaps we should wait for her to return.

Going to Biyun Temple

is just a day trip,

no need to bring much luggage.

The wheel tracks would be relatively shallow.

Look at these two wheel tracks.

They're deep.

Clearly the carriage

was loaded with valuables and luggage.

It doesn't look like

she's coming back.

Then...

She... she's escaped?

Take more men and go after her immediately.

Yes.

Sir,

help me with the luggage.

Don't you understand what I'm saying?

We need to get going.

You two seem in quite a hurry.

Where are you going?

Be sensible.

Don't make us use force.

We won't go with you.

We'll fight if we have to.

Xiao!

Don't!

Beiming, what should we do next?

Take them to the Secret Investigation Unit.

The Secret Investigation Unit?

What about you?

I need to go back to the Huo Mansion.

Alright.

[Huo Mansion]

No wonder you're the top constable in the Qi Kingdom.

You've caught the murderers so quickly.

Miss Huo, I have a favor to ask.

What can I do for you, Mr. Xiao?

I'm at your service.

Could you take me to

General Huo's study for a look?

My father's study?

What do you want to see?

There are still some clues I haven't figured out.

I'd like to investigate further.

We're still searching,

yet you've brought them back.

This means before I discovered

their escape this morning,

you already had your suspicions.

Why didn't you say anything about it?

Or perhaps someone behind you

has been giving you answers,

and you were lying in wait for them?

Constable Zhong,

don't you want to

explain yourself to me?

What are you doing?

Do I need to explain myself to you?

What exactly do I need to explain?

You've repeatedly

questioned me in roundabout ways.

Am I a prisoner of your Secret Investigation Unit?

If it weren't for our cooperation,

and my consideration for the bigger picture,

I wouldn't have tolerated this again and again.

You take my patience for granted

and keep picking fights with me.

You already discovered the truth

about Coroner Feng's case.

Did you ever explain that to me?

If I hadn't figured it out myself

and gone to stake out the Huo Mansion,

I wouldn't have noticed them

sneaking out

and followed them all the way.

I went through all that trouble to catch them for you,

and now you're taking

the tone of an interrogator with me.

Who do you think you are?

I...

Calm down.

Calm down.

If you don't want to cooperate,

I'll take them back

to the Elite Constabulary Unit right now.

But if you dare provoke me again,

I swear I'll beat you up just like before

so badly that you won't be able to get out of bed.

It's my fault.

I apologize to you.

Let's talk things through properly from now on.

Don't get angry. It's bad for your health.

She has such a short fuse.

She hasn't changed a bit.

Have you found anything?

Miss Huo, what is this?

I've never

entered this study before,

so I don't really know

what my father was doing.

As you can see,

the Secret Investigation Unit

has many ways to deal with suspects.

If you don't want to suffer,

just answer whatever is asked.

Don't worry, both of you.

We won't force a confession.

As long as you tell the truth,

we won't make things difficult for you.

What do you want to ask?

You killed

Xue Qianshan, right?

Xue Qianshan discovered

your affair,

and blackmailed you for money,

so you decided to kill him.

Coincidentally, Coroner Feng

showed up unexpectedly last night,

and you took the opportunity

to kill Xue Qianshan

and frame Coroner Feng.

Am I right?

I confess.

I did kill Xue Qianshan.

Xiao!

He blackmailed me and Ying.

He deserved to die.

I know what you're trying to do,

but the crime

isn't something you can just take the blame for.

Because you didn't kill him,

Mrs. Huo did.

You're talking nonsense!

Last night when I examined

the wound, I discovered

that the fatal stab wound

on Xue Qianshan's body

was delivered from below upward.

Judging from the angle of entry,

the killer's height must be

at least 10 inches shorter than Xue Qianshan,

and Mrs. Huo's height

is exactly 10 inches shorter than Xue Qianshan.

Although your martial skills

aren't as good as Xue Qianshan's,

he would have been on guard against you,

making it nearly impossible for you

to kill him face-to-face.

But someone who appears

as fragile as Mrs. Huo

could lower his guard,

and killed him with one strike.

I told you.

I killed him.

Xiao!

Yes,

I killed him.

If Xue Qianshan disappeared,

no one would know about

the secret between Xiao and me.

The Huo family's property

would naturally

fall into my hands.

I thought

that if I did it myself, it wouldn't

raise suspicion easily,

but I never expected...

Ying.

General Huo's death

is also connected to you, isn't it?

No, I didn't kill General Huo.

General Huo's death

has nothing to do with us.

Xue Qianshan was merely asking for money

when he was killed.

If General Huo

had discovered your affair,

you probably wouldn't have survived, right?

How could General Huo's death

have nothing to do with you?

General Huo's death

truly has nothing to do with us.

Hallucinogenic drugs were found

in General Huo's body.

The pharmacy has always been

under Mrs. Huo's supervision,

and if poison is found

in those tonics,

it would be irrefutable evidence.

I have evidence

that can prove our innocence.

This is strange.

What's this

on the pill?

Well,

what have you found?

It seems to be some kind of medicine

that was ground up

and mixed into General Huo's

daily tonics.

But this pill...

There's something wrong with it?

The powder on it

contains mainly red crystal.

The red crystal is extremely rare.

I've only seen it mentioned

in my master's ancient books.

A trace of it can cause hallucinations.

So this confirms

that General Huo died from

consuming hallucinogenic drugs.

But the red crystal is incredibly rare.

It must be extracted from

rare minerals.

The extraction process is very complex.

Those who can extract the red crystal

must be experts in pharmacy.

There's no one like that in the Huo family.

What kind of evidence is this?

My hands

were crippled by General Huo.

In other words,

he had long known about

my relationship with Ying.

What did you say?

Back then,

my father and brother

forced me to marry General Huo

to save the knife factory.

But before marrying him,

Xiao and I had already

pledged ourselves to each other.

After marrying General Huo,

I lived in constant fear.

Until 3 years ago,

Xiao was willing to sell himself

to become General Huo's disciple just for me.

But General Huo was shrewd and ruthless.

We couldn't hide it from him.

Six months ago,

General Huo

discovered our relationship.

In a fit of rage,

[Senior and virtuous]

he beat me up badly.

My wounds haven't healed to this day.

And Xiao,

in order to appease General Huo's anger,

went so far as to sacrifice his hands,

plunging them into a pot of boiling oil

as penance.

If General Huo found out about

your relationship,

would he still keep you at the Huo Mansion?

To be honest,

I've never understood

this matter either.

Later on,

he just stayed in his study,

ignoring both me and Xiao,

acting as if

nothing had happened.

The more he acted this way,

the more anxious we became.

With his influence,

we didn't dare run anywhere.

We suffered like this

until the day before he died.

He did something

that Xiao and I

still can't understand.

Master.

[Divorce Agreement]

Divorce agreement?

The evidence Xue Qianshan obtained

was precisely this divorce agreement.

Recently,

I discovered I was pregnant.

General Huo had got some unmentionable disease,

so he certainly knew

the child wasn't his.

Unmentionable disease?

General Huo was infertile.

He was seriously wounded

on the battlefield in his early years.

He had been taking medicine all along

but he never got better.

Once Ying's pregnancy became visible,

we would certainly die.

Death seemed inevitable either way,

so I confessed to General Huo

about the whole affair.

But to my surprise,

he gave me this divorce agreement.

It stated that

[Divorce Agreement]

although he despised me,

for the sake of the child

[Draftsman of the Divorce Agreement: Husband Huo Zongyao]

in my womb,

he would spare Xiao and me

and let us live.

General Huo treated us so well.

We couldn't be more grateful.

How could we possibly kill him?

You claim this divorce agreement

was given to you

the day before General Huo died,

but you didn't leave.

Was it because his death

gave you some wicked ideas?

Yes.

General Huo died suddenly.

We discovered that no one knew

about the divorce agreement.

If Ying continued as Mrs. Huo,

we could rightfully

inherit all the property.

But unexpectedly,

Xue Qianshan stole the divorce agreement

to blackmail us.

But we never intended to kill him.

We just wanted to talk to him

and see if we could use some money

to buy back the divorce agreement.

But

we never expected...

I have something valuable.

Making money with it is the most reliable way.

What could be so valuable?

It isn't valuable itself,

but it can bring me

a lot of money.

Really?

You don't believe me?

Fine.

I'll bring it

to show you right now.

Wait for me, Dairong.

If Huo Dairong saw

this divorce agreement

and knew

that she was the only heir

to the Huo family,

then we would be done for.

So

we had no choice but to kill him

and used that unconscious coroner

as a scapegoat.

Ying,

how could you be so careless?

What should we do now?

The top priority now is the matter at hand.

Carry him inside first.

General Huo had been poisoned for a long time.

As someone close to him,

and as the person

in charge of General Huo's pharmacy,

have you noticed

anything unusual?

Speaking of unusual things,

there were some.

But I only noticed them

after his death.

Feng Qingzhuo.

Why does this pill

have such a fishy stench?

Of course.

The red crystal naturally

has this distinctive fishy odor.

If it's not properly processed,

it's quite easy to identify.

That's not right.

What is it?

If that's the case,

then Mrs. Huo and Li Xiao

might not be the murderers.

What?

Didn't you say that

General Huo had been taking this medicine

for at least half a year?

This medicine is so foul-smelling.

How could General Huo not have noticed

after taking it for so long?

What do you mean?

Are you suggesting

someone used these pills

deliberately to misdirect us?

Exactly.

But this person was too obvious

and ended up revealing flaws in his plan.

If Mrs. Huo and Li Xiao

were not the murderers,

then who would it be?

Feng Qingzhuo.

Please find Tong Shuang for me.

I have something for him to do.

Okay.

General Huo came from a military background.

He used to have a bad temper

and was rather harsh with the household staff,

resorting to physical violence sometimes,

but he was also fair and impartial,

keeping strictly the rules for reward and punishment.

But over the past six months,

his temper

had become increasingly erratic,

and he frequently resorted to physical violence.

His disciples

suffered terribly.

A few days ago, I passed by his study

and heard strange noises.

And I actually saw...

Master.

Master.

Eating raw meat

like a wild beast?

That should be a symptom

of the hallucinogenic drugs that General Huo took.

The next day when I saw him again,

he had absolutely no memory

of what happened the night before.

I didn't dare to make a fuss,

so I kept it

to myself.

Soon after,

he handed me the divorce agreement.

I've told you everything.

It was our greed

that caused this terrible mistake.

I'm willing to confess and accept punishment

but I have one request

that I hope you both can grant.

Speak.

A life for a life.

I killed Xue Qianshan

and I'll pay with my life.

But before that,

would you allow me

to give birth to this child?

This child is innocent.

Ying.

I promise you.

According to the laws of the Qi Kingdom,

pregnant women who commit capital crimes

must wait until the child is born

before execution.

I'll ensure your child is born safely

before the case is solved.

Thank you, Constable Zhong.

Thank you, Lord Zhuge.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Li Long.

Prepare two clean cells.

Also,

do not torture Mrs. Huo.

Without my permission,

no one is allowed to interrogate her.

Yes.

That's how it is.

Mrs. Huo and Li Xiao

are not the murderers of General Huo.

If they're not the murderers,

who could it be?

Tong Shuang.

I found out

that for the past six months, General Huo

had been sleeping alone in his study at night.

This matches the interrogation result.

General Huo moved to the study

because he discovered

the affair between his wife and Li Xiao.

For six months, General Huo

had Madam Feng keep him company.

When his newly wedded wife had an affair,

he remembered the virtues of his concubine,

which is understandable.

Madam Feng said herself

that she and General Huo were very close.

Yes, very close indeed.

The butler also mentioned

that General Huo loved tea.

For General Huo's sake, Madam Feng

specifically visited a famous doctor

to learn how to make medicinal tea,

which she brewed for him every day.

General Huo loved it so much.

The butler also said

that General Huo's face

never showed any smile before.

But whenever he drank the tea,

he would grin with delight.

Madam Feng?

Madam Feng had no motive

for the murder.

The crux of the matter does not lie with Madam Feng

but with Huo Dairong.

Miss Huo?

What's wrong with her?

The reason we suspect

Mrs. Huo and Li Xiao

isn't without foundation.

Since our night visit to the Huo Mansion,

Huo Dairong has been deliberately

steering our investigation

toward those two.

If it weren't for that divorce agreement,

based solely on the toxic powder on the medicine

and their affair,

without any other

solid evidence,

it would have been possible to determine

that they were the murderers.

What's wrong, Xueman?

Huo Dairong discovered your identity

but didn't expose you.

Could she be using you

to help her expose the affair

between Mrs. Huo and Li Xiao?

No.

No.

Aren't you overthinking this?

From Miss Huo's perspective,

everything makes perfect sense.

She discovered the affair

between Mrs. Huo and Li Xiao.

Her father was killed

and she wanted to bring them to justice.

Is there a problem?

Besides, she had no motive

for the murder.

Regardless of her motives,

now that Mrs. Huo has been sentenced,

the ones who benefit the most

are Huo Dairong and her mother.

That's a fact.

Speaking of motives,

I have a new discovery.

[It's too late to regret the chaos at Haiya.]

[It's too late to regret the chaos at Haiya.]

It's too late to regret the chaos at Haiya.

Where did you find this?

In General Huo's study.

Well, in that case,

General Huo was indeed

involved in the Haiya case.

Didn't Mrs. Huo mention

that General Huo was infertile?

That's right.

She said he had been seriously wounded

on the battlefield in his early years.

Madam Feng said

General Huo took her as his concubine

after returning from the battlefield,

which was 23 years ago.

What if General Huo was already infertile

before he went to the battlefield?

Are you saying

Huo Dairong might not be

General Huo's biological daughter?

Miss Huo isn't his biological daughter?

How is that possible?

How could she possibly

keep that from General Huo?

With General Huo's temperament,

how could he possibly

allow them to live

in his mansion for so long?

What if he had

a reason he couldn't send them away?

What reason?

What year was it 23 years ago?

The 36th year of Ningtai.

The fact that they mentioned this year during their argument

must be significant.

[The Dossier of the Imperial Secretariat Zhong Yunchi's Dossier]

[The Dossier of the Imperial Secretariat Zhong Yunchi]

King Zhong of Constables, in the 36th year of Ningtai...

The 36th year of Ningtai...

[The Dossier of the Imperial Secretariat Miao Jie]

The 36th year of Ningtai.

[The Dossier of the Imperial Secretariat Huo Zongyao]

The 36th year of Ningtai?

Haiya?

If Huo Dairong

really had something to do with Haiya,

then General Huo might indeed

have concealed this matter.

Wait.

So this means Huo Dairong could be...

An orphan from Haiya.

Every single survivor

of Haiya is Yesha.

As long as there's one survivor

still breathing,

Yesha

will keep coming back.

Then the motive for the murder

makes perfect sense now.

So this case is not

completely unrelated to Yesha.

But we don't have any

substantial evidence.

What if General Huo

had Huo Dairong first

before going to the battlefield

and getting seriously wounded?

Then all our previous deductions

would be wrong.

Yes.

So everything we have now

is just speculation.

But whether we're investigating Haiya

or General Huo's death,

we can't avoid

Huo Dairong and her mother.

Miss Huo doesn't seem like

a bad person at all.

You can't judge a book by its cover.

You're so naive

that you're easily fooled by women.

We need to go to the Huo Mansion now.

Everyone, get ready.

What's the reason

for us to go this time?

Medical treatment.

Madam Feng has a deficiency in vital energy,

which fails to nourish her tendons and vessels,

resulting in blood stasis.

If she doesn't rest properly,

I'm afraid...

I know my own body

very well.

Coroner Feng,

just put it plainly.

I'm afraid you might become paralyzed.

Mr. Feng, please save my mother.

As long as you can save my mother,

I'm willing to do anything.

Dairong.

Miss Huo, please get up.

Miss Huo, as a doctor,

I will do my best.

Thank you, Mr. Feng.

Miss Huo.

I need a quiet place

to prepare medicine for Madam Feng.

Okay.

Mr. Feng, please follow me.

Goodbye.

Thank you.

You're welcome, Madam.

I'm your junior

and I'm also Miss Huo's friend.

Dairong is truly

fortunate to have

friends like you.

Constable Zhong,

do you have something

to ask me?

I came today

because I do have

some questions for you.

Go ahead.

Then I'll be straightforward.

Miss Huo is not

your biological daughter

with General Huo, is she?