Original subtitles

[The Wanted Detective]

[Episode 23]

[Secret Investigation Unit]

Xiao Beiming,

I'm somewhat puzzled.

With your intelligence and wit,

as Yesha,

why would you have revealed yourself for a woman?

Bonds between people

are something you may never understand

in your whole life, Chief Zhuge.

All you can do now

is mock me.

Even if you showed up,

it won't help

with Zhong Xueman's case.

If you can't find proof of her innocence,

even if she isn't executed today,

she'll be executed in autumn.

If she isn't executed in autumn,

she'll be executed come spring.

But what if I do have evidence?

You found any?

What makes Zhong Xueman

the only suspect in this case

is that she and Old Bug

were together at the Yaksha Temple,

and Old Bug was killed soon after.

Since no third person

was seen entering or leaving the scene,

she was deemed the killer.

Don't tell us

what we already know.

Tell me whether you've actually

found evidence of a third person

entering or leaving the Yaksha Temple.

I haven't.

At least you're honest.

Guards,

take these two to prison.

Yes!

Father, don't rush.

Let him finish.

Chief Zhuge,

though there was

no third person at the scene,

the killer wasn't Zhong Xueman.

Nonsense!

Do you realize what you're saying?

If not Zhong Xueman,

are you suggesting Old Bug committed suicide?

There was a killer,

but the killer

wasn't human.

Not human?

What, a ghost then?

It was the heavens.

What?

Are you saying

the heavens killed Old Bug?

It was lightning.

That's right.

It was lightning.

Around the time of his death,

there was a downpour with thunder and lightning.

What killed Old Bug

was a lightning strike.

Utter nonsense.

Utter nonsense!

You don't have to believe me,

but the body doesn't lie.

Have a coroner examine it.

Bring over Old Bug's body.

Yun.

Father, let him do it.

I want to see

what tricks he's gonna pull.

Bring it over.

Yes.

Chief Zhuge,

I'm no expert in autopsies.

Could Coroner Feng

from the Elite Constabulary Unit

do the examination?

Feng Qingzhuo.

Examine it carefully.

We must ensure…

fairness and clarity.

Yes, Chief.

There's a crack running from the top of the skull

along the cranial suture to the back of the head.

Swab the nasal cavity,

and you'll get charred brain fluid.

The iron object the deceased carried

is magnetized as well.

These signs

are characteristic of a lightning strike.

The body is so badly charred.

That's also caused by the lightning strike?

Yes.

The deceased was a drunkard

and had drunk a lot of alcohol before death.

Alcohol is flammable,

so the body was charred.

It was precisely because of the severe charring

that the usual signs we rely on

to determine death by a lightning strike

were destroyed.

For example,

skin at the strike point would contract,

muscles would spasm,

and the chest, back, neck, and nape

would all show marks

resembling seal script.

None of them are present on this body.

And that's not all the evidence.

The Yaksha Temple has been in disrepair for years,

and its roof has leaks.

I found

that directly above the body

is the largest hole in the roof,

and the weeds beside it

all show signs of recent burning.

All this proves

that Old Bug was killed by lightning.

Take the body away.

Yes.

Chief Zhuge.

If Old Bug was killed by lightning,

then that should be considered

an accidental death, right?

This means

we now have evidence

that Zhong Xueman is innocent.

Chief Zhuge,

can we release her now?

Release Zhong Xueman.

-Yes. -Great.

Zhong Xueman's case

is closed here.

But Xiao Beiming,

I still need to look closely

into your case.

Guards,

take him to prison!

Yes.

No!

Zhong Xueman!

Constable Zhong!

While you've cleared yourself of murder,

whether you've been

harboring a key criminal

is still unclear.

If you obstruct the Secret Investigation Unit,

I don't mind

putting shackles back on you

and trying you together.

Take him away!

Yes.

An imperial decree!

Zhuge Tong and Zhuge Kongyun

of the Secret Investigation Unit,

Fang Tianzheng of the Elite Constabulary Unit,

heed the order!

His Majesty commands

the three of you to enter the palace at once.

Where is Yesha, Xiao Beiming, now?

Your Majesty,

he's detained at the Secret Investigation Unit.

Xiao Beiming

was wanted for three years

and had been nowhere to be seen.

Now he's suddenly

appeared in public.

Give me an explanation.

Give me an explanation!

Your Majesty,

I think he appeared

for the girl.

Xiao Beiming appeared at the execution ground

to save Zhong Xueman.

Absurd!

Your Majesty,

as for why Xiao Beiming

suddenly appeared

and what he's after,

we'll know once we interrogate him.

Now that he's in custody,

which of your two units

will interrogate him?

Naturally…

Naturally, the Elite Constabulary Unit should do it.

Zhuge Kongyun,

the Yesha case

has always been handled

by your Secret Investigation Unit,

and he is

also detained at your unit,

so why do you say

he should be interrogated by the Elite Constabulary Unit?

I have my reasons

for making this suggestion.

Your Majesty,

Xiao Beiming and I

grew up together.

We've been dealing with each other for years.

To be fair,

I have never bested him.

Moreover, Xiao Beiming

was formerly a constable of the Elite Constabulary Unit,

a man of great talent,

solving countless cases.

He knows normal punishments and interrogation methods

better than anyone.

They're useless on him.

If he doesn't want to talk,

no amount of torture

will get even

half a word out of him.

And the Yesha case is not an ordinary one.

Several high-ranking officials have been killed over the years,

along with civilians,

causing serious unrest.

Even with Xiao Beiming captured,

if we cannot uncover his schemes

and eliminate all his accomplices,

the Qi Kingdom

will remain in turmoil.

So are you saying

there's nothing we can do about him?

No.

Maybe one person could help.

Who?

Zhong Xueman.

Why her?

Xiao had been hiding for three years,

and his sudden appearance today

must have something to do with Zhong Xueman.

Whether he's still into her or not,

no one knows Xiao Beiming

better than Zhong Xueman.

Fang Tianzheng.

Your Majesty.

The interrogation of Xiao Beiming

will be handled

by your Elite Constabulary Unit.

Yes, Your Majesty.

You may go.

Your Majesty.

There's something else?

Your Majesty,

the key criminal Huang Wuchang

escaped from my custody.

It was my dereliction of duty,

and my advice to my father

almost caused the wrongful execution

of Constable Zhong Xueman.

Although Xiao Beiming's appearance

has brought progress in the Yesha case,

I know my mistakes are unforgivable

and ask Your Majesty to punish me.

Very well.

Then I sentence you

to 50…

to 30 strokes of the rod

and confinement for reflection in the Secret Investigation Unit.

During this time,

you're forbidden from working on any cases

or contacting anyone.

When you've thought things through,

you may return to work.

Yes, Your Majesty.

-Chief. -Chief.

Open the cell door

and hand Xiao Beiming over to the Elite Constabulary Unit.

Did you not hear what I said?

Open the door.

Bring him out.

Unlock it.

Take Zhuge Kongyun into the cell.

Chief, this...

I'll walk in myself.

Give Zhuge Kongyun 30 strokes of the rod.

30 strokes of the rod?

-Ch… -Chief.

[Elite Constabulary Unit]

[Elite Constabulary Unit]

[Elite Constabulary Unit]

♪ If there's no solution ♪

♪ Then say no more ♪

♪ Burn half of my life's passion, don't ask about tomorrow ♪

♪ A journey of pain, a journey away ♪

♪ Don't look back, don't leave regrets ♪

[Discretion Ensures Success]

♪ Breaking through the light, what is there to fear about obstacles? ♪

♪ No regrets, no resentment ♪

♪ Love and hatred are one obsession ♪

♪ If by the abyss ♪

[Discretion Ensures Success]

♪ Take a glimpse with this body ♪

♪ For the blood of sincerity ♪

♪ For the brave decision ♪

Great! Great!

♪ For the wish made ♪

Let's get one thing straight.

How are we splitting the reward?

♪ Even if I die from exhaustion ♪

Beiming, you're both handsome and clever

and good at everything.

Don't forget

you have a junior brother

called Mo Xiaochong.

♪ For the destined fate ♪

So I don't have to

pay back the money I owe you, do I?

Consider it forgiven.

♪ For the endless thoughts ♪

Great!

Aren't you hard of hearing?

You…

♪ Drink to this farewell ♪

Time for rewards!

♪ From daybreak ♪

Chief said

everyone contributed to this case,

♪ The sun and moon in my heart ♪

so everyone gets a red envelope.

Slow down.

Here.

This is yours.

Yours.

Xueman,

do my uncle and I get one?

Of course.

Xueman.

[Eat Only What's in Season]

I did the most work

and made the biggest contribution.

Why do I only get one?

Take a guess.

You little money-grabber,

you took my money again.

Quick, help me stop him!

Xueman.

Liu Feng.

Stop right there!

Liu Feng.

The debt you owe me is not forgiven!

♪ If there's no solution ♪

♪ Then say no more ♪

♪ Burn half of my life's passion, don't ask about tomorrow ♪

There's just no way

♪ A journey of pain, a journey away ♪

Beiming could be Yesha.

[Discretion Ensures Success]

What do you think?

♪ Don't look back, don't leave regrets ♪

♪ Breaking through the light, what is there to fear about obstacles? ♪

♪ No regrets, no resentment ♪

♪ Love and hatred are one obsession ♪

♪ If by the abyss ♪

♪ Take a glimpse with this body ♪

♪ For the blood of sincerity ♪

♪ For the brave decision ♪

♪ For the wish made ♪

♪ Even if I die from exhaustion ♪

♪ For the destined fate ♪

♪ For the endless thoughts ♪

♪ Drink to this farewell ♪

♪ From daybreak ♪

♪ The sun and moon in my heart ♪

Chief.

Chief.

Everyone, please leave us.

I need to speak

with Xiao Beiming alone.

Chief,

Young Master told them

not to hold back.

He said His Majesty ordered it,

so…

He deserved such punishment!

-Chief. -Chief.

Open the door.

Yes.

No need to open it.

Chief,

shall we send Young Master

back to his room to recover?

You dare defy His Majesty's order?

How did things

come to this point?

Chief Fang,

what would you like to know?

I practically watched you grow up.

All these years,

I've seen you solve case after case

and become the youngest elite constable

in all of the Qi Kingdom.

I never imagined

that you and I would meet

under these circumstances.

I didn't expect this either.

Maybe it's better.

When we worked together before,

we never had a chance

like today

to have a calm conversation.

I promise,

I'll tell you everything I know

and hold nothing back.

Good.

Then let me ask you—

are you,

or are you not, Yesha?

Young Master is awake.

Father,

are there many questions

you want to ask me?

I do have a lot of questions.

These past few days,

everything you've done

feels so unfamiliar to me,

as if I don't know you anymore.

Are you still my son?

Li Long,

help me up.

Okay.

Lie still.

The whole world believes I'm Yesha.

Why do you still ask that, Chief Fang?

I once believed this

without a doubt—

until you showed up

at the execution ground today.

By all logic,

the one who hates you most in this world

should be Zhong Xueman.

After all, her father

died tragically on Fengbo Lake.

If she saw you,

even if she didn't cut you into pieces,

she would certainly do everything

to throw you in prison to face justice.

But instead, she…

And you—

if you were truly the evil Yesha,

with so many lives

lost at your hand,

as cold and merciless as you were,

how would you have revealed yourself

just for a woman?

There must be

more to it.

So,

you have second thoughts.

So,

are you, or aren't you?

Did you already know

Xiao Beiming was in the capital?

It was just a feeling.

No proof.

But the word "feeling"

has already become taboo to you.

I asked you to execute Zhong Xueman,

but it was a gamble.

I wasn't certain at all.

You won—

won against Xiao Beiming for once.

But what I don't understand is,

now that Xiao Beiming has shown up,

he should be under the control of the Secret Investigation Unit.

That way, the Yesha case could be closed,

and our unit

would gain endless glory

and trample the Elite Constabulary Unit

completely underfoot.

Yet you handed Xiao Beiming over

to the Elite Constabulary Unit.

Father,

do you think what I said

to His Majesty in court was just an excuse?

Whether I'm Yesha or not

must be proven with evidence.

Chief Fang,

for the past three years,

I've been searching for the truth.

I can tell you

everything I know.

As for whether I am Yesha or not,

you can judge for yourself.

Go ahead.

It all started

in a place

called Haiya

and with an army

called the Canfeng Army.

Why have I never heard of them?

A place that has disappeared

from the Qi Kingdom's map

and an army

that slaughtered countless civilians.

My master Zhong Yunchi

and General Huo Zongyao

both served in this army.

Actually,

I haven't really won over Xiao Beiming this time.

What do you mean?

You forced him to appear,

which he certainly didn't expect.

Xiao Beiming is no ordinary man.

If he dared show up at the execution ground,

he must have had a backup plan.

He would never just surrender

and wait for execution.

If we couldn't get him to talk

and didn't dare execute him,

we'd be caught in a bind.

If he wouldn't confess, we'd just execute him

and close the case.

I never found Haiya.

Everything I know about it

came from Yesha's subordinates.

Whether it existed

and whether that massacre truly happened

still need to be verified.

What about Yesha?

I suspect

he's an orphan from Haiya.

An orphan from Haiya?

The murder of high-ranking officials three years ago

and the Fengbo Lake case—

both were Yesha's revenge.

Or rather,

the revenge of the Haiya orphans.

And this revenge

still hasn't stopped.

Do you have proof?

Before Old Bug died,

I was there.

He told me himself

that Yesha had ordered him

to make a certain pill—

one with immense power.

If it were successfully made,

the Qi Kingdom would fall.

Then investigate it.

No.

At least, you mustn't.

Why not?

Because this is a taboo

for the Qi Kingdom.

Unless you don't care about your own life anymore.

I admit,

interrogating Xiao Beiming

will not go smoothly.

But even if we get nothing from him,

or he dies during interrogation,

closing the Yesha case

would only benefit the Secret Investigation Unit.

What about the truth?

Isn't the truth what matters most?

The truth matters,

but it depends on

whose hands it's in.

If the Elite Constabulary Unit

discovers the truth,

then it's worthless—

even worse than having no truth at all.

So by your logic,

I can't keep investigating.

Huang Wuchang—

he should have seen Yesha.

Our top priority now

is to capture Huang Wuchang as soon as possible.

The Qi Kingdom will fall.

The Qi Kingdom will fall.

What a bold claim.

If Xiao Beiming died

and Yesha's underlings struck again,

what should we do?

Kill them if they come.

Leave none alive.

But would His Majesty

give us another chance?

Father,

passing this hot potato to the Elite Constabulary Unit

is already

protecting ourselves.

Please trust me one more time.

This case

won't end so soon.

We'll have another chance.

You just stay here and rest well.

Reflect on your mistakes.

Since I've been handed over to the Elite Constabulary Unit,

my life is in your hands.

You now have three choices.

First,

declare me to be Yesha,

close the Yesha case,

and even execute me.

But if Yesha kills people again in the future,

the consequences will be unimaginable,

and that may not be something

you can bear.

And the second?

Second,

keep me in custody for now

while the Elite Constabulary Unit pursues Huang Wuchang.

But with your current capabilities,

whether you can catch him is uncertain.

This is a game,

a race against time.

What's at stake are countless lives,

even those of innocent civilians.

If we lose to time

or to Yesha,

either will be

a major disaster.

And the third?

Trust me.

Let me go capture Huang Wuchang.

Stop pacing in front of me.

Stop pacing in front of me!

Uncle,

you came.

Please sit.

Here, Uncle.

Chief,

Xiao Beiming is not Yesha.

I can stake my life on it.

So can I.

I can be a witness.

I can vouch for Beiming.

Stop calling him that.

He's a suspect.

What proof do you have?

Just your empty words?

To stake your lives on it?

Are your lives

even in your own hands right now?

Do you realize

how serious your crimes are?

Chief,

I admit I concealed

information about Xiao Beiming.

It was my idea

and had nothing to do with anyone else.

I'll take sole responsibility for sheltering…

Xiao Beiming is indeed a key criminal,

but whether you sheltered him—

think that over.

Chief.

Fang Yin, write this down.

Constable Zhong,

upon learning of the whereabouts

of the key criminal Xiao Beiming,

immediately reported to me

and requested to make the arrest.

However, I believe

Xiao Beiming is of great importance

and may be hiding

great secrets.

For the safety of the Qi Kingdom,

I assign Constable Zhong

to use her past ties to get close to the key criminal,

gain his trust,

and obtain more intelligence.

Now,

Xiao Beiming

has been captured.

The mission to apprehend him

is officially complete.

I

will report your bravery and fearlessness

to the Ministry of Justice

and request commendations.

Fang Yin, have you written all that down?

Did you hear

what I just said?

Y-Yes,

but...

But what?

You want to disobey your chief's order?

I wouldn't dare.

I'll write it down.

Thank you, Chief.

♪ Crossing mountains and seas isn't impossible ♪

You flatter me.

Constable Zhong,

♪ The wind sweeps past the young man with a sword ♪

by His Majesty's order,

you are now

in charge of

interrogating Xiao Beiming, alias Yesha.

♪ Fear no storm, be free ♪

Since it's His Majesty's order,

while Xiao Beiming is held

♪ Bloodshed ♪

at the Elite Constabulary Unit,

you may go in and question him at any time.

I've called back Mo Chong and Liu Feng

to guard the suspect.

As for how to conduct

the interrogation,

it's up to you.

Yes.

♪ Crossing mountains and seas isn't impossible ♪

Go.

♪ The wind sweeps past the young man with a sword ♪

Let's go.

Let's go.

♪ Fear no storm, be free ♪

♪ Bloodshed ♪

Why are all of you

still standing around here?

Can't I have a moment of peace?

♪ An elegant gentleman ♪

♪ Beauty, yet prejudice ♪

Go away.

♪ With courage ♪

♪ The gentleman understands ♪

♪ Traveling freely in this world ♪

All these years as an official,

♪ Only wielding his sword ♪

I never thought

I'd end up betting my life

on a suspect.

♪ I cry alone ♪

♪ Grieving over past grievances ♪

♪ Thinking about you again and again ♪

♪ It's just one glance ♪

♪ And I can't sleep at night ♪

The suspect is here.

How would you like to interrogate me?

Whipping or caning?

♪ Crossing mountains and seas isn't impossible ♪

Beiming.

♪ The wind sweeps past the young man with a sword ♪

Beiming.

Be gentle.

I haven't recovered yet.

♪ Fear no storm, be free ♪

♪ Bloodshed ♪

♪ Crossing mountains and seas isn't impossible ♪

♪ The wind sweeps past the young man with a sword ♪

♪ Fear no storm, be free ♪

♪ Bloodshed ♪

♪ The gentleman understands ♪

Come on.

After great peril comes great fortune.

Let me down this bowl of wine first.

Tong Shuang,

take it slow.

You can't hold your liquor.

I'm happy today.

I'll drink more later.

Give me a break.

This is like

taking off your pants to fight a tiger—

reckless and shameless.

I can make a wisecrack too.

Fine, go ahead.

Madman, you must have

mistaken arsenic for candy today—

you've got a venomous tongue.

When did you learn

all these bizarre expressions?

I learned them at the escort agency.

Didn't learn much else,

just picked up these lines.

But, Madman,

you should learn from me in the future.

That way,

all young ladies

will like you.

What do you mean?

What do I mean?

Come on.

Let's celebrate

Beiming and Xueman's survival through this ordeal.

-Come on. -Come on.

Come on.

Cheers.

I never expected

Chief Fang to be so righteous and sensible.

I was too harsh

on him before.

From now on,

I should show him more respect.

Actually, for us to get this far,

there's one more person we should thank.

Who is it?

Who?

Zhuge Kongyun.

Who? That sinister guy?

He's behind every bad thing

that's happened.

He and his father worked together

to frame Constable Zhong.

Beiming,

if you hadn't shown up in time,

we'd be mourning

at her grave right now.

Shut up.

I'm telling the truth.

That's true.

I used to think Zhuge Kongyun was

just a bad person.

Now I think

he's downright vicious.

Thankfully, His Majesty is wise

and let the Elite Constabulary Unit take over.

If the Secret Investigation Unit had taken you,

the consequences would be devastating.

His Majesty even gave

that playboy 30 strokes of the rod.

It served him right.

Some things

might not be what you think.

That day in Weizhou,

when Zhuge Kongyun approached the carriage,

he had already

noticed me,

maybe even earlier than that.

Get well soon.

Then why didn't he

arrest you at that time?

If he had made a move in Weizhou,

what would you have done?

If he had dared harm you,

I would have

taken his life.

He definitely

knew your intentions.

There are two reasons why he didn't act.

First,

he didn't want to see

the two units

turn on each other at that moment.

Second,

he had a question in his mind.

What question?

Why were you all

with me?

Zhuge Kongyun was never

a cruel man,

but he tried to execute his junior sister in public.

He did that for one reason only—

to draw me out.

How horrible.

He's nothing but a despicable man.

It was an act of desperation.

His Majesty had given

him and his father

just three more days.

If they had failed to lure me out,

their lives

would have been forfeit.

So that makes it fine

to trade your life

for theirs?

Alright, calm down.

Aren't I safe and sound now?

Easy for you to say.

That's because you were

lucky enough to meet Chief Fang.

It was Zhuge Kongyun

who requested in court

for the Elite Constabulary Unit to interrogate me.

Closing the Yesha case

would only benefit the Secret Investigation Unit.

What about the truth?

Isn't the truth what matters most?

The two once-renowned elite constables

of the Qi Kingdom

have both used victims as bait to draw out the killers

without the slightest scruple.

Even if the case

is solved that way, what's the point?

I never thought

that after all these years,

not only would you not have changed,

you'd have become even more despicable,

not even caring about the truth anymore!

Even so,

all he's done is just made up for his mistakes.

That's precisely the problem.

You're willing to believe me,

stay by my side,

and protect me.

But in everyone else's eyes,

I am Yesha.

Zhuge Kongyun

was in charge of the Yesha case.

Even if he had killed me,

it'd be seen as justified.

So what mistake would there be to make up for?

Are you saying

he also believes you're not Yesha?

At the very least, I'm now

reunited with you.

Zhuge Kongyun is

truly hard to read.

Not really.

Everything he's done

has been for one thing.

What's that?

The truth.

I've done everything I can.

Now,

it's your turn.

Right now, the top priority

is to find Huang Wuchang

as soon as possible.

But Chief Fang

only gave us permission to see you at any time,

not to take you out for investigation.

That's fine.

I still have you.

So where do we

start our investigation?

We still need to start

with how Huang Wuchang was taken.

He was taken away

with poison.

But the escort route was top secret,

so how did anyone find out?

Zhuge Kongyun also suspected

there was a mole inside,

but he never found out who.

Even if there was a mole,

how did they learn about

the escort route?

First, we need to know

how that route was decided

and who knew about it.

As far as I know,

Zhuge Tong changed the route at the last minute,

instead of taking the original road

from Weizhou back to the capital—

just to prevent leaks.

In that case,

only Zhuge Tong

and Zhuge Kongyun knew the route.

Zhuge Kongyun was in Weizhou at that time,

and Zhuge Tong was in the capital.

When they changed the route,

how did they pass along

the information?

It's during the transmission

that a leak is most likely.

Find out

their method of communication.

The Secret Investigation Unit

has its own way of sending messages.

We need to ask Zhuge Kongyun about it.

But he's currently locked up

in the Secret Investigation Unit's prison.

We need to find a way

to see him.