Original subtitles

[Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty III: To Chang'an]

[Episode 20]

Sir, one more serving.

Okay, coming right up.

Scholar,

stop reading.

I'm really overwhelmed with work.

It would be nice if you could help serve customers.

Yingtao,

I'll leave the Sushan Shop to you for now.

Hurry up, you over there!

Fei, come with me.

What for?

Where is he?

Fei!

I knocked him out in drinking, huh?

How...

How dare he claim to have never been drunk in the Tang Empire?

What a bragger!

I am the real unmatched drinking champion in Chang'an.

Seven years ago,

right before the imperial exam,

my classmates and I

went to Pingkang District

for a few drinks to unwind a bit.

We met Hongyao

on the same day.

But Hongyao didn't even

spare him a single glance.

Words like "charismatic"

or "handsome" simply

had nothing to do with him.

Before coming to Chang'an for the exam,

he was just a country snake catcher.

You...

He was poor and extremely stingy.

Who would fall for someone like you?

That being the case,

seven years ago, you and Hongyao were...

An inseparable

perfect match.

That's why I was envied

by my classmates so much.

Naturally, he was also jealous of me.

You messed with and ditched her.

You failed Hongyao!

I didn't take Hongyao with me,

but that was because...

Before the selection exam of the Ministry of Personnel,

I sent the chief examiner

some local specialties.

I later learned that it's common practice.

But back then, I felt

that I had done something shameful

and feared it might put my career in danger.

So I left overnight as soon as I

received my appointment.

I couldn't take Hongyao

with me as my family.

I do regret it somewhat.

I was young then, and didn't know

how to cherish what I had.

Meng Buyi,

how did Hongyao

end up marrying you?

Don't do this.

Shame on you, Meng Buyi!

You used her vulnerability

to win Hongyao's heart!

Yan Junxian,

Hongyao almost committed suicide because of you.

I don't think it's appropriate

for you to say so.

Not long after,

I got a position in the Ministry of Revenue.

With a glimmer of hope,

I went to find Hongyao.

I thought,

even if she rejected me,

it wouldn't matter.

If in this life,

I couldn't even express my true feelings,

that would be my greatest regret.

Unexpectedly,

Hongyao said yes

and agreed

to marry me.

Fei.

Come check this out.

This is...

A snake scale?

A snake scale.

Zhang San

must have been strangled by a snake first,

then stabbed with scissors.

And it's even purple.

When my mentor, Master Di,

taught me autopsy techniques,

he specifically told me how to tell apart

animals with fur, feathers, scales,

shells, and those with nothing.

But whether there are actually

purple snakes,

I'm a bit unsure at the moment.

[Strange Tales from the Western Capital By Meng Buyi]

Let me finish reading this part,

and I might find the answer.

Finish reading?

Hey,

can you go somewhere else

to read strange tales?

This place is so gloomy.

Doesn't it give you the creeps?

Hongyao was a pipa player

and spent years in entertainment houses.

She had an open, energetic personality

and loved lively places.

While I am the quiet type.

So, within two years of our marriage,

we began to quarrel.

All these years,

I've been writing

strange tales and supernatural stories

about ghosts and monsters,

with hardly a hint of romance.

So the conflicts between us

only got worse.

Hongyao was from Youzhou.

After she came to Chang'an,

she went straight to Pingkang District.

She was actually unfamiliar with the capital.

She once asked me to show her around Chang'an.

But I was afraid of the high expense,

so I turned her down with the excuse of being busy

with work.

Now that I think about it,

I really shouldn't have done that.

You really shouldn't have!

For a while,

whenever we had a fight,

she would go to the small square in the district

to play the pipa

for the dancers.

As time went by,

it became her habit.

I was

so worried about this.

Although the dancers were

mostly women,

the spectators were mainly men.

So I often dreamed that she...

So I felt restless

and couldn't even fall asleep.

So you couldn't sleep well

because you suspected Hongyao?

Had I known, I wouldn't have

given you any prescriptions.

Just tell the facts

and don't slander each other.

So was I wrong to be suspicious?

After his return to Chang'an,

he often used the excuse

of visiting his classmate to drop by my house.

That was all for Hongyao!

Hongyao returned to my embrace

because you kept hiding the difference

between an official and a clerk,

which really irritated her.

She returned to where?

Say that again.

Returned to your "embrace"!

I-I said

she returned to my embrace,

and it's just a figure of speech.

It never happened, actually.

I visited his place last night,

and it was also because Hongyao begged me

to find a way to help

this good-for-nothing man of hers

get promoted from clerk to official.

Who would believe that?

For the thing you said,

was it necessary for you to take off your shoes and get into bed?

Yes,

Hongyao and I opened up to each other,

and feelings prevailed.

I did take off my boots

and got into bed.

Hongyao,

let's leave Chang'an

and go somewhere far away,

somewhere no one

knows who we are.

How is that possible?

You'll give up your position?

For you,

I'm willing to do so.

What...

Isn't Meng Buyi on night duty?

Yes.

Why did he suddenly come back?

Come on, get inside quickly.

Hurry up.

So you were hiding under the bed.

If I had known then,

I should have dragged you out!

The one who came in wasn't you.

Was it Zhang San, the mutton soup seller from Qinglong District?

I did hear Hongyao call him

Zhang San.

Under the bed at that time,

I found that I had

forgotten to hide my boots well.

Why is it you?

What? You didn't expect this?

Have you made an appointment with another lover?

Zhang San,

you scoundrel, get out!

W-What are you doing?

What am I doing?

What do you think I'm doing?

D-Don't come any closer.

Or I'll scream for help.

Go ahead and scream.

It's been quite a while

since I heard you scream last time.

Back in the day,

when I was rich,

I also kept you as my lover,

the top courtesan of Pingkang District.

I'm a married woman now,

not who I used to be.

I-If you don't leave,

I'll call the officers to catch you!

Call the officers to catch me?

Don't think I'm trying to make out with you.

Let me get to the point.

Where's the money?

My husband is just a minor clerk in the Ministry of Revenue.

We don't have any money left.

You know I'm not gullible.

If you don't tell me

where your money is,

I'll strangle you to death!

Isn't your husband

on night duty at the county office?

As beautiful as I am, my husband

can't rest assured leaving me alone.

He returns to check on me at a fixed time every night.

Otherwise, how would I

have opened the door for you?

W-What are you going to do?

I'll kill him.

No, you can't.

My husband is a Secretary in the Ministry of Revenue.

If you kill him,

you'll lose your life as well,

unable to get away with it anymore.

I'll hide... I'll go hide myself.

No, not there!

Here, here.

Come, get in.

Keep quiet about it.

Or I'll kill both of you!

Okay.

The next one who came in was you.

After Meng Buyi left,

I heard clangs

from that cabinet

and Zhang San's continuous

low groans.

It was so terrifying

that I was scared, too.

Honey,

come out quickly.

Shoes, your shoes.

Hurry.

Go quickly.

As I expected!

Yan Junxian confessed!

He was the one

who took Hongyao away!

Tell me

where you've hidden my wife!

-Give my wife back! -Stop!

Meng Buyi!

You...

I didn't take Hongyao away.

Last night,

she walked me

to the small square in Qinglong District

and told me to go first,

and then she went back herself!

After that,

you've never seen Hongyao again?

No!

I, Yan Junxian, am an official of the court.

I've already admitted

such a shameful thing.

What else would I hide?

What do you think?

This case is quite interesting.

What's clear stands out.

What's murky is buried deep.

"What's clear stands out.

What's murky is buried deep."

Well said.

Neither Yan Junxian

nor Meng Buyi is simple.

They seem to have come clean,

yet they are still hiding something.

You're right,

I have the same thoughts.

Based on the current testimonies,

there's no substantial evidence against either of them.

We had to let them go for now.

Thankfully, you drew

Hongyao's portrait.

I've ordered

a hundred copies to be made

and distributed to all night shift officers in the city

-to search for her in full force. -Lu Lingfeng!

I got it!

I've figured it out!

It was a snake.

Here's my preliminary conclusion.

There was a purple snake

that attacked Zhang San

in that wardrobe

and coiled around his neck,

causing him to lose consciousness

and fall out of the wardrobe.

Thus,

the blade

that Zhang San held had no blood on it

and just fell beside him.

Wuming, you're a genius.

It matches perfectly

with Yan Junxian's testimony.

I heard Hongyao call him

Zhang San.

According to Yan Junxian's words,

Zhang San seemed

to be fighting

a snake in the wardrobe.

But a purple snake?

I've never heard of such a thing in my life.

But this book of strange tales mentions

that there's an island

called Dongyi.

Though it's far across the sea,

the island rulers throughout generations

have all claimed to be scions of Emperor Shun.

The island abounds with strange rocks and unusual trees,

and is home to all sorts of animals.

Most of the islanders

have short hair and tattoos on their bodies,

mastering mysterious sorceries.

When the Tang Dynasty was just founded,

during the Wude era,

the Ruler of Dongyi Island traveled for months

to reach Chang'an.

But he felt he wasn't properly received

by the Court of State Ceremonials.

So he held a grudge

and dumped all the specialties he brought

into the Qu River.

Among them, there was

an extremely precious medicinal herb

called Perfect Purple.

A medicinal herb?

What does it have to do with snakes?

It's a snake gallbladder.

This Perfect Purple is

both the name of an herb

and the name of a snake.

It's priceless

because the gallbladder must be taken out while the snake is alive.

It can not only detoxify and heal sores.

Most importantly,

it's said to be able to bring

dead people back to life!

So,

what they dumped into the Qu River were

all live snakes?

That's right.

Legend has it

that these snakes live extremely long lives.

Each one

can live for over 60 years.

What's more amazing about it is

that when the snake hits 60,

its tongue goes from red to purple.

And only at this time,

the gallbladder extracted,

while it's alive, is most valuable.

I remember now.

It's definitely not just a legend.

My old mentor

once used Perfect Purple

to bring someone back to life

from the brink of death.

Wait a moment.

I remember Yan Junxian also said...

Before coming to Chang'an for the exam,

he was just a country snake catcher.

You...

[Fair & Square]

It seems that I need to go

visit the Meng Residence again.

I need to confirm

if Zhang San's death was

directly related

to this Perfect Purple.

But Meng Buyi is

a hard nut to crack.

Even if Zhang San was

truly strangled to death by a snake,

he would never admit

it had anything to do with him.

After all, the Qinglong District is close to the Qu River.

He would say

the snake crawled into his house on its own.

That's right.

Since Perfect Purple really exists,

the most expensive pharmacies in Chang'an

must have some leads.

After all, these pharmacy owners are

the wealthiest people.

For something like this,

a medicine that can bring people back to life,

someone will buy it no matter the price.

Also,

Yan Junxian is a deputy chief imperial physician.

Perhaps

the Perfect Purple came from the Imperial Academy of Medicine.

Then we should

split up.

Have you ever seen a purple snake?

-No. -No, I haven't.

A purple snake?

It's said every spring,

for His Majesty's safety during his spring outings,

the Palace Secretariat would clear

all snakes along the Qu River.

The ones caught are

sometimes sent to the herb gardens nearby.

I only became the deputy chief imperial physician this year

and started managing this herb garden.

Shortly after I assumed the post,

they brought here a purple snake,

saying it had medicinal properties.

But I truly didn't know how to use it.

Where is the snake now?

No one in the herb garden knew how to keep it.

It wouldn't eat anything we fed it.

After some time, it disappeared.

I guess it burrowed into the ground

and escaped.

Come with me.

Follow me this way.

Please.

Official Lu,

you still suspect I abducted Hongyao?

I didn't hide Hongyao!

What's the point of searching

for her in the herb garden?

They're not looking for a person,

but for a snake.

Has that escaped Perfect Purple

ever hurt anyone?

No.

This place is not far from the Qu River.

Wild flowers and trees abound there.

The snake probably crawled back to the Qu River.

How long has the snake been missing?

Two months.

I remember when the snake disappeared,

Meng Buyi happened to visit me.

I was prescribing

sleep-inducing herbs for him.

Mr. Yan, did you study medicine

through a family tradition?

No.

Then did you learn from a medical master?

No.

It was just fate.

The county I governed these years is known

for producing Gastrodia.

It's offered to the court every year.

Over time,

I developed

some knowledge of herbs.

After the new Emperor ascended the throne,

he particularly valued Gastrodia.

So I had the opportunity

to become the deputy chief physician

and herb garden supervisor.

Though it's the eighth rank,

it's treated as the fifth rank.

I can wear a light crimson robe

and was granted a silver fish-pattern pouch.

This made Meng Buyi,

that petty clerk, even more jealous,

so he framed me.

Let me say this again.

Last night,

I did leave together with Hongyao.

But after she walked me

to the small square in Qinglong District,

she just went back.

Her disappearance has nothing to do with me.

If you continue

to harass me like this,

when I have an audience with His Majesty,

I will certainly file a complaint.

Mr. Yan, are you threatening us?

When you were young, you studied with His Majesty.

You spent day and night together.

You know His Majesty best.

Would he fail to distinguish right from wrong

and believe others' accusations?

Mr. Yan,

my men

will search the herb garden thoroughly.

That snake could hurt people.

It's also

for the sake of your safety.

Of course,

there are so many buildings in your herb garden.

If someone is hiding in a secret spot

and you haven't discovered it,

they will help you find her.

Goodbye.

Take care, Official Lu.

Fei,

hurry up,

bring the candle over here.

Hold it higher.

This is a snake scale.

We didn't notice it

during the last inspection.

Su Wuming.

I think there's more than just scales.

Don't panic.

This snake isn't venomous,

and it doesn't bite.

It just likes to coil around things.

You...

Do not struggle against it.

The more you resist, the tighter it wraps.

Fei,

help me!

This snake must fear mugwort.

Here comes the mugwort.

The snake does fear mugwort,

but the smoke makes it more agitated.

Pacify it. pacify it.

Pacify...

Agarwood!

Mugwort is too strong.

The opposite of that is

gentle agarwood.

This snake must like agarwood.

Su Wuming.

Su Wuming!

The snake is gone.

Stop playing dead.

Su Wuming?

Did I get you killed?

Well...

One, two, three.

No way.

Three taps should have woken him up.

How am I going to explain this to Yingtao?

Oh, God...

One, two, three, four, five, six,

seven, eight, nine.

You're awake.

Finally.

Zhang San.

What did you say?

Zhang San

must have been strangled to death by this snake.

But who caused the blade wound

on his neck?

According to Jiang's testimony...

Was it Hongyao?

But why would she do that?

You were on the brink of death,

yet you're still thinking about others instead of yourself.

If you had died,

how would Yingtao feel?

It won't be easy

to check pharmacies.

There are over a hundred pharmacies in Chang'an.

Where should we start?

Then let's start with the West Market.

There's one called Kangzai Pharmacy, claiming

to have the most complete selection of snake gallbladders in Chang'an.

[Kangzai Pharmacy]

Are you two looking to buy snake gallbladders?

We have the most complete selection.

What quality are you looking for?

Perfect Purple.

Perfect Purple?

Are you sure?

That depends

on whether you've brought enough money.

Name your price.

100,000 coins.

But we need to check the goods first.

Check the goods?

You clearly don't know how this works.

To buy Perfect Purple,

you'll have to wait.

Do you really have any?

Could it be all just a scam?

I swear it's not a scam.

You may leave 30,000 coins as a deposit.

If we can't offer you Perfect Purple,

I'll return the full amount.

Do you know that Perfect Purple is

a gallbladder extracted from a live snake?

I didn't know before

and just learned about it recently.

Did anyone try to sell it to you?

Who is it?

Why should I tell you?

Could it be

that you also run a pharmacy?

Which one are you from?

Among all pharmacies in Chang'an,

our Kangzai ranks

second to none.

Given your capabilities,

you also want to get your hands on such a treasure

as Perfect Purple?

Can you even afford it?

[Yongzhou Prefecture Office]

It's an investigation by the Yongzhou Judicial Court.

From now on, answer my questions

honestly

without telling any lies.

Yes, I will be honest with you.

[Kangzai]

Sir,

our shop is closed now.

You may come here tomorrow for medicine.

I'm not here to buy,

but to sell.

What good items do you have?

As long as it's rare,

we can negotiate the price.

Perfect Purple.

I've brought it with me.

A snake?

You...

Our Kangzai Pharmacy's snake gallbladders are

the most famous in Chang'an.

Why didn't you just bring the gallbladder?

Why did you bring the whole snake?

What if it bites someone to death?

"One should sell gold to those who know its value."

You clearly don't understand.

Forget about it.

Hold on.

I may not understand,

but there are people who do.

If you really want to sell,

come back tomorrow.

That day,

I consulted three famous physicians overnight.

Two of them

confirmed it was Perfect Purple.

Only then did I learn it was a rare snake,

and the gallbladder must be extracted while the snake is alive.

It has extraordinary medicinal properties,

capable of bringing the dead back to life.

The next day...

You're here.

[Treatment of Benevolence]

In the entire city of Chang'an,

only our Kangzai can afford

your Perfect Purple.

I can offer you

10,000 coins.

50,000 coins.

I won't sell for less.

Well.

That guy

asked for a way too high price.

I haggled with him

for two hours

and finally got him down to 30,000 coins.

But I

didn't buy it right away.

I was afraid

that if I couldn't resell it,

I'd be stuck with that item.

So I let him take it back first,

and we agreed

to meet again on the tenth of this month.

That gives me time

to find a buyer in the meantime.

You're quite the businessman.

Do you remember

that woodcutter's looks?

I do.

Describe him to me

in as much detail as possible.

Yes,

[Imperial Academy of Medicine]

Master?

Is it you, Master?

Hongyao?

Hongyao, is it you?

Where are you hiding?

I'm scared, Hongyao.

Meng Buyi?

What are you doing here?

Damn you, Yan Junxian.

You did take Hongyao away,

yet you still denied it!

Where is Hongyao now?

Give her back to me!

You're being ridiculous.

You were just calling her name.

You...

Even if Hongyao was here, so what?

She left

on her own.

Hand her over.

Otherwise,

I...

I-I'll take you to court!

Have you lost your mind?

You're trespassing in the herb garden.

This is where we grow

Gastrodia for His Majesty.

I could arrest you and take you

to court right now.

You will even lose your job as a petty clerk.

You...

Give me back Hongyao! Give her back to me!

-I really don't know where she is! -Give Hongyao back to me!

Listen,

that servant of yours is

quite evil.

If you still can't find Hongyao,

what if he's

harmed her?

This is the consequence of you

messing with that woman.

Carry him to the Gastrodia field and bury him.

There's already

a hole dug there.

What are you waiting for?

You useless Moorhen!

Do you want to ruin

the future I've

arranged for you?

Hurry up!

A high nose bridge

and a fair,

clean face.

No need to continue.

It's Meng Buyi.

50,000 coins.

I won't sell for less.

Meng Buyi?

Su Wuming,

what happened to you?

Wuming, are you alright?

He...

Don't even ask.

I just had a brush with death.

That snake

almost strangled me to death.

By the way,

I found

a Perfect Purple in the room.

It must be the one that strangled

Zhang San to death.

The murderer is Meng Buyi.

He once sold this snake to a pharmacy.

That's wrong.

If we're talking about the direct killer,

it could only be that snake.

Am I right, Official Lu?

Now we need to figure out

if the snake strangling Zhang San was

premeditated by Meng Buyi or not.

There's another possibility.

This Perfect Purple

might not have been kept

in the house for Zhang San.

After all,

Yan Junxian also visited last night.

Although I don't know much about the case,

that does make some sense.

It's just that Meng Buyi is not home yet.

Perhaps he's still on night duty

at the Ministry of Revenue.

[Ming Shi's Private Estate]

You finally came.

I'm here to tell you

to stay away from Yan Junxian.

Seven years ago,

it was you who separated

me and Yan, right?

Back then, I often hid in the corner.

You actually remember me?

Of course I do.

Master,

it's time to study.

I'm fully prepared.

The imperial exam is approaching.

Shouldn't you be hitting the books?

Have you forgotten

the grand ambition you pledged in Lingnan?

I should go.

I didn't let Yan Junxian get close to you

because I feared he would indulge in romance

and fail to win the Metropolitan Graduate.

Was I wrong?

After being appointed as an official,

he abandoned me without saying goodbye.

Was that also your idea?

Yes,

so what?

You're just a servant.

Why are you meddling

in your master's affairs?

It's none of your business.

Actually, what confuses me most is

why your master

would listen

to a mere servant like you.

Don't ask about that.

It's not good for you.

How so?

Your life could be at stake.

What if I insist on asking?

Take your hands off.

I came here to drive you away.

Or I'll kill you.

Go ahead.

I'm willing to be killed by you.

You were in the shadows all along,

but you kept watching me.

Yan Junxian and I

seemed to be in love with each other.

But who would know

that deep down inside,

I actually fell for someone else.

You should leave.

If you keep this up,

it will ruin Yan Junxian's career.

Don't bring him up.

Do you still have no idea

who I truly love?

The first time I met you,

I just deeply fell in love with you.

At that time,

I only thought you were

a way too beautiful woman.

You would stand in Yan Junxian's way.

Back then,

I only thought you were

so dull

that you couldn't read my heart at all.

I'm not young anymore.

Matters of love belong

to talented scholars and beautiful ladies,

but not to me.

You lied so calmly.

You must have been

through ups and downs.

Talented scholars and beautiful ladies...

That's just a fairy tale to fool children.

Since I married Meng Buyi years ago,

I've never had true love for him.

I've been thinking only of you.

I guess

your past must be extraordinary.

Am I right?

What exactly do you know?

Seven years ago, when we first met,

before I left home,

I did the fortune-telling for myself.

The divination said

that I would meet

my life-long true love that day.

The moment our eyes met,

I knew that person was you.

But I didn't expect...

Why didn't you come back to see me even once?

Do you regret it?

Regret?

I regret that when I first

laid eyes on you,

I was still hiding in the corner.

Back then, I didn't allow Yan Junxian to approach you.

I thought it was because

I feared he would be lost in romance,

and it would ruin the future

I had planned for him.

But now I think about it,

I already considered you mine.

When you and Yan Junxian

served in office in that remote county,

did you ever dream of me?

I actually did.

I dreamed that you

blamed me for breaking up a loving couple

and wanted to kill me.

That was because

I dreamed of you every day.

Each dream brought more hatred,

until the resentment gathered

and finally reached you thousands of miles away.

Hongyao,

you made me change

all my previous thoughts in a single day.

I painstakingly nurtured Yan Junxian

and planned to use him to help me

become the power behind the throne in Chang'an.

For this goal,

I spent a fortune

and invested ten years of my life.

But now,

I can give it all up.

I want to take you away.

I've long been tired

of suffering in Chang'an.

Then I'll take you back to Lingnan.

It's beautiful there with mountains and rivers.

My mansion is

the largest and finest

in that area.

My private villa is

way larger than the herb garden

of the Imperial Academy of Medicine.

If I go back with you,

would you make me the mistress

of that mansion and villa?

Of course.

I mean

the real mistress.

I, Ming Shi,

have never married anyone in my life.

After returning to Lingnan,

I will hold a grand wedding to marry you.

Aren't you afraid

that I might fall for another man

and betray you?

If I revealed my former identity,

I'm afraid

you would never dare betray me.

I knew it.

Your past was amazing.

But instead of "extraordinary,"

it was rather bloody.

That makes it even more intriguing.

I'm willing

to wash mint leaves for you every day

as your snacks.

You can enjoy them

while telling me stories of your past.

If we could really live

such a life,

even if I'm going to die,

it'll be worth it.

What about him?

I already spotted you.

You

will always be

just a lame moorhen.

Be careful!

[Yongzhou Prefecture Office]

Who is it?

Meng Buyi?

Why did you beat the drum again?

I've found out Hongyao's whereabouts.

Please go save her now!