Original subtitles

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

[Episode 31]

Spare my life!

Spare my life! Please!

Immortal, please spare my life!

Immortal, please have mercy!

There're no immortals here,

only ghost officials.

A woman's soul

has reported you to the King of Hell,

so we've come to take your life.

Surrender your life!

No! I'm innocent!

I-I'm innocent!

Please, Official...

I beg the King of Hell for mercy!

The King of Hell never makes a wrong judgment.

That soul's owner is surnamed Wei.

What exactly did you do to her?

Into the oil cauldron!

Into the oil cauldron!

I'll confess! I'll confess!

I'll confess! I'll confess!

Ghost...

I saw a ghost.

What ghost?

I say it's your guilty conscience!

Keep arguing,

and I'll throw you into the oil cauldron and fry you!

Into the oil cauldron!

[Wei Mansion]

I'll confess.

Since ancient times, merchants have had no status.

[Wei Mansion]

To establish myself in Chang'an,

I sought the hand of the widow

from the Wei family who recently returned to Chang'an.

Wei Jia was proud,

and Wei Tao tried every means to stop us.

But my methods

were too clever to resist.

Finally, Wei Jia fell for me.

After a big fight with her brother,

[In Virtuous Company]

she pledged herself to me in secret.

What the hell are you doing?

Throw all these out right now!

Tao.

These flowers have done nothing wrong.

I quite like them.

I originally thought marrying Wei Jia

would bring me the benefits of the Wei family,

and it would be of help to me.

But I never expected

that not only would Wei Tao not help me,

he'd even constantly make things difficult for me!

How I despise him!

Later, my business failed,

and I ended up owing tens of thousands of coins.

The only one who could help me then

was Shi Qiansui.

He...

That old lecher...

I'm curious about

what gentry ladies are like.

If I could get what I want,

those tens of thousands of coins wouldn't be a problem.

I knew

Wei Jia would never consent,

so I had no choice but to drug her unconscious.

But I didn't expect

the dose to be too weak.

Wei Jia woke up

before dawn.

When she saw Shi Qiansui,

she tried to kill herself.

I was worried

this would reach Wei Tao's ears,

so I had no choice but to lock her up.

But she made such a scene

that I had to beat her a few times.

I never expected...

I never expected she'd go mad because of it.

Every night she'd cry and wail,

not letting anyone sleep.

At that time,

your brother He Qian was also living in your house.

He already suffered from insomnia,

so he tried to use

water-soaked paper to suffocate Wei Jia.

Let me go!

What are you doing?

We might as well suffocate her to death.

That way, she won't keep raving every night.

And with no visible wounds,

her family will have nothing to say

when they come.

You bastard!

You saved Wei Jia

not out of kindness,

but because you found a new way to make money.

She'd already gone mad anyway.

It was also Shi Qiansui's fault

for spreading this scandal.

Those merchants of the Jinguang Society

who were later killed by Wei and Du

were all willing to pay a fortune

for a night with a gentry lady.

So I made it happen for them.

Miss Wei would never have agreed to that!

It was you who kept drugging her.

You're the one who drove her mad!

Sister-in-law, who am I marrying today?

I...

You beast!

Xijun.

Xijun.

[Fair and Just]

What happened after that?

Later,

Wei Jia suddenly ran away one day.

I knew she went back to her own family.

But when I went to get her back,

they refused.

Wei Tao even threatened to kill me.

After that,

when the Jinguang Society expanded their villa,

the merit-record pillars of the Wei and Du families were dug up.

And in a fit of anger , I...

Usually,

this kind of madness doesn't remain constant.

Wei Jia must have had lucid moments

when she told Du Juniang

about the abuse she had suffered.

That's why when Wei Tao killed He Qian,

he used such a distinctive method.

He deserves death.

[Grand Princess's Mansion]

Wei Tao must not be killed.

This man has long declared

his loyalty to Your Highness,

and he's talented both in literature and martial arts.

He's someone with great potential.

Moreover,

those merchants he killed

all deserved to die.

The so‑called Jinguang Society is filled with wicked people.

According to investigations,

they've harmed many innocent women.

They should have been wiped out long ago!

Chancellor Cui,

I've never seen you so agitated before.

I apologize for my rudeness.

Please forgive me, Your Highness.

The Yongzhou Prefecture Office

has thoroughly investigated

all the details of the case.

Although there's no testimony from Wei Tao,

I understand his anger.

My views are different from my mother's.

I value the gentry more.

As for Wei Tao,

I didn't think much of him before.

But the fact that

he would do something so earth-shattering

for his sister and for the honor of the Wei family

really makes me see him in a new light.

However,

one cannot govern a nation on impulse.

As for how to deal with Wei and Du,

I'm rather interested in waiting

to see what their attitude will be.

How could such a thing have happened?

Those bad apples are utterly despicable,

and they've tarnished the reputation of the merchant community!

Please calm down, Your Majesty.

Your Majesty.

Du Yu cannot be executed.

He was merely an accomplice.

Those vicious merchants

smashed the Du family's ancestral merit-record pillar.

How could anyone tolerate such an offense?

More importantly,

Du Yu has long declared

his loyalty to Your Majesty.

Though he's only a county sheriff,

he's a remarkable talent

of the new generation of the Du family.

Besides, his martial skills are exceptional.

He's a promising talent who could be of great use.

I've never seen you go to such lengths

to plead for someone before.

Your Majesty,

you asked me to secretly recruit talents.

After careful selection,

Du Yu was my top choice.

What a pity.

He has more than one life on his hands.

Even if I don't want to execute him,

the people

will say I favor the gentry.

Moreover,

there's also my aunt to consider.

I wonder what her opinion on this matter is.

Ji, have a seat.

Yes.

Are you close friends with Wei and Du, Ji?

Not really.

We haven't known each other for long.

You have a heart for justice—

truly a rare talent for

governing the country.

If you ask me now,

I will ensure Wei and Du

remain safe and unharmed.

Your Highness must've misunderstood.

I'm Master Di's disciple.

My mentor taught me that the law shows no mercy.

As for Wei Tao

and Du Yu,

their anger

is indeed understandable,

but taking multiple lives

is an unforgivable crime.

Though they're from the gentry

and they're talented,

the law of our country must not be violated.

This is also one of the key principles

ensuring our Tang Empire's

path to prosperity.

Is this truly what you think, my son?

Yes.

The gentry

are supposed to hold themselves

to higher standards.

If one day

I, Lu Lingfeng, break the law,

I should also

be severely punished.

Ji, you're becoming more and more like me.

What's that merchant's name?

He Bi.

If Wei and Du are to be beheaded,

then have him cut in half at the waist.

If they're to be cut in half,

then have him torn apart by 5 horses!

Tell Xiong Qiannian to inform them

that these are my orders.

As for Shi Qiansui,

strip him of his position, confiscate his property,

and banish him from Chang'an!

No,

from all Tang territory!

He's never to set foot on

the land of our Tang Empire again!

Yes.

I fully agree with my aunt's opinion.

For the position of High Priest of the High Priest's Office,

do you have a suitable candidate?

The West Market Magistrate, Kang Yuanli,

is loyal and dedicated,

with an excellent reputation.

He can be promoted to the High Priest

and keep serving as the West Market Magistrate.

Seems appropriate to me.

Have the Ministry of Personnel issue the order.

Yes.

Xiong Qiannian.

With such incidents occurring in Chang'an,

what's your view as Yongzhou's Chief Administrator?

Your Majesty,

I have failed in my governance

and am guilty.

Guilty indeed!

You'd been in Nanzhou Prefecture for so long

and only returned to the capital a few days ago.

Even if I wanted to assign blame,

it wouldn't fall on you.

What I want to ask you is,

with such a major case occurring,

what's your opinion

on it being solved so quickly?

Judicial Official Lu Lingfeng

deserves great credit.

Su Wuming has also done a lot, of course.

Very well, I understand.

You may go.

I take my leave.

Su Wuming.

Though you no longer hold an official position,

you've been even more diligent in case investigation.

I'm truly

impressed by you.

I'm still

the Chief of Secret Agents in Yongzhou Prefecture.

Although I can't exactly be called an official,

I suppose I can be considered a clerk,

and I receive a monthly salary.

Everything I do is also within my duties.

I remember

you were once Chang'an County Sheriff.

You solved the black tea case then,

gaining quite a reputation.

In that case,

Lu Lingfeng deserved more credit.

How about I give you an official position?

Your Majesty,

that won't be necessary.

I'm quite content as I am.

It's just that Lu Lingfeng...

He's currently serving as the Yongzhou Judicial Official,

which is

beneath his abilities.

Recently, he has repeatedly solved complex cases

and protected Your Majesty multiple times.

He deserves a promotion.

Do I need you

to remind me about his promotions?

I spoke out of turn.

Your Majesty, please calm down.

You turned down my offer

to give you an official position.

Are you waiting for the Princess to grant you a title instead?

Your Majesty, if you have to put it this way,

I am truly speechless.

I intended to give you a higher position,

but it seems you don't care for it.

Then go back

to being the Chang'an County Sheriff.

No.

I want you to be the sheriff of Wannian County.

Your Majesty.

Are you serious?

A ruler never jokes.

Thank you, Your Majesty!

I thought

that in this lifetime,

I would never have another chance to serve in office.

So you do want to be an official.

I'm the one who gave you this opportunity.

You

must remember that.

Go back and wait for

the official appointment from the Ministry of Personnel.

Move!

Kill him! Kill him!

Excellent!

Great! Excellent!

Nice kill!

-Well deserved! -Great!

Bring the criminals,

Wei Tao and Du Yu!

The time has come.

Criminals, kneel and receive your punishment!

Father!

Don't you kneel!

We're the ones who have erred.

You're descendants of the gentry.

You must not kneel before criminals.

Your uncle is right.

Ya, do not kneel.

Darling Wei.

Yu.

Rest assured.

I will definitely raise

Qing and Ya to adulthood.

The Wei family has passed down the Book of Songs for generations,

and the Du family has always studied the Spring and Autumn Annals.

In our old residence in the south of the city,

I'll make sure to take them to the study room,

where they'll study together as classmates.

As descendants of Xuancheng

and Yuankai,

and with our family's academic traditions,

they won't fail our prosperous Tang Empire.

Qing,

Ya,

remember this above all:

you're the descendants of the Wei and Du families.

You must uphold family traditions and principles of law.

You must also study diligently,

because dignity

comes not only from bloodline,

but also from

the knowledge you carry within,

and your loyalty to family and country.

That's it.

You must

remember this moment,

but you must

forget today.

It's time!

Execute them!

Duling.

Weiqu.

The southern part of the city.

The old dreams.

He Bi has confessed.

Wei, you can write a statement

about the abuse your sister Wei Jia suffered.

I'm willing to plead for you

before His Majesty.

Don't.

Please protect my sister's reputation.

But tomorrow, you'll be...

I, Wei Tao, only sought revenge at first,

but was consumed by hatred.

My actions grew increasingly out of control,

and I nearly harmed innocent people.

As the county sheriff,

I broke the law I swore to uphold.

I, Wei Tao, took several lives unlawfully,

which cannot be tolerated by the law.

I accept it.

And I deserve it.

Wei!

Du!

I, Lu Lingfeng of Fanyang,

bid you

farewell.

Darling Wei.

Go in peace.

In our next life,

we'll be husband and wife again.

Don't be afraid, Yu.

In our next life, we'll be siblings again.

♪ Endless longing ♪

♪ In Chang'an ♪

♪ The autumn cicadas cry at the golden well's edge ♪

♪ The slight frost makes the mat's color chilly and pale ♪

♪ The glimmer from the lone lamp dwindles as my yearning worsens ♪

♪ I raise the blind, but gazing at the moon just conjures sighs ♪

♪ My love, you're as lost to me as the remotest mist ♪

♪ Above, the vast sky stretches long ♪

♪ Below, the clear waters ripple and swell ♪

♪ The long road ahead, the bitter soul ♪

♪ My dream self can't get through the gate that marks the Great Divide ♪

♪ Endless longing ♪

♪ Ripping at my heart ♪

[Wei Mansion]

Madam.

How should the spirit shrine be set up?

We await your instructions.

No need set it up.

Qing, Ya.

Take off your mourning clothes.

Qing.

If your aunt asks,

what should you say?

I'll say

my father was valued and appointed by the court

to lead troops at the border.

From now on,

no one in this household

is allowed to tell Young Lady the truth.

What my husband did

was because he couldn't bear

to see the daughter of the Wei family bullied.

Now,

Young Lady is recovering from her illness.

Let her live the rest of her life happily.

That's what my husband would want.

Got it.

Got it.

Everyone, take off your mourning clothes!

Qing.

Yes, Mother.

Put it up there.

The Wei family's merit-record pillar

is now complete.

Yes.

[The Weis, a Leading Aristocratic Clan among the Three Auxiliary Families]

[Du]

Ya.

Follow me

and put this up there together.

♪ The autumn cicadas cry at the golden well's edge ♪

The Du family's merit-review pillar

is now complete.

Yes.

♪ The slight frost makes the mat's color chilly and pale ♪

♪ The glimmer from the lone lamp dwindles as my yearning worsens ♪

♪ I raise the blind, but gazing at the moon just conjures sighs ♪

♪ My love, you're as lost to me as the remotest mist ♪

♪ Above, the vast sky stretches long ♪

♪ Below, the clear waters ripple and swell ♪

♪ The long road ahead, the bitter soul ♪

♪ My dream self can't get through the gate that marks the Great Divide ♪

♪ Endless longing ♪

♪ Ripping at my heart ♪

"South of the city, the Wei and Du families,

only 5 feet to Heaven."

The mistake of Wei and Du was

treating their self-proclaimed justice

as an excuse to overstep the law.

I used to be caught up in the distinction

between the gentry and the common folk.

The honor of the gentry

is never a reason to override the law.

If everyone were to judge right and wrong

based on status and subjective views,

the law

would become mere empty words,

and the world would inevitably fall into chaos.

Lu of Fanyang, to hear you express such insights,

I'm truly gratified.

[Rule Through the Music of the Zither]

Your Majesty is up early.

I couldn't sleep.

I remembered the memorial Lu Lingfeng submitted

upon his return from his journey to the west,

so I took it out to read.

It mentions

the coroner Dugu from Shiyang County,

which makes me feel quite sentimental.

Coroners are indispensable

in solving cases at the county office,

yet they're not considered official staff.

Their descendants can only become coroners

and cannot take imperial examinations.

This is truly unfair.

Your Majesty has countless matters to attend to every day,

so don't trouble yourself

with such trivial matters.

Some matters may seem trivial,

but are actually significant.

Perhaps it's time to change

the society's prejudice against coroners.

[Yin Yao]

[Mourn]

Your daughter was only in her twenties,

yet she died so tragically.

Your family must have offended the gods.

How about I introduce you to

a fasting and ritual master?

His Tai Sui talismans are very effective.

He'll ensure your family

never encounters such tragedy again.

That's nonsense!

My daughter didn't die a tragic death!

A tragic death is a tragic death. You can't hide it.

Your daughter hanged herself.

Even the district head knows about it now.

If Wannian County

hadn't just lost its sheriff,

officials from the county office would have been here already.

My poor daughter.

What was troubling you so much?

Why did you hang yourself?

She didn't hang herself.

What did you just say?

Say it again.

Your daughter didn't hang herself.

She was strangled to death

and then hanged.

What?

My daughter was strangled to death?

You can't make such claims lightly!

If you want her

to die without the truth ever being known,

then just pretend I never said anything.

I can use makeup

to cover the strangulation marks

and fingernail scratches on her neck,

and no one will be able to tell.

What does he do?

He must be making this up!

He's a mortician,

someone who applies makeup to the deceased.

It's a new profession.

This girl

used to be really beautiful,

and now she can still look lovely even in death.

That's nice.

How much do you charge for one body?

How's your business doing?

Not many customers, I bet?

Let me tell you,

if you want your business to boom,

you should work with me.

I'll refer clients to you

for just 20% commission.

Enough!

Stop trying to drum up business here!

This...

You say my daughter didn't hang herself.

Besides these fingernail marks,

do you have any other evidence?

A true hanging victim

has closed eyes and open lips, clenched hands and exposed teeth.

If hanged above the throat, the tongue presses against the teeth,

so the tongue often protrudes below the throat.

But your daughter shows none of these signs.

Look.

The ligature mark runs evenly and straight around her neck,

and the color is rather shallow.

This is a sign of strangulation.

There are also fingernail marks,

likely left during an attempt

to struggle for life.

Furthermore,

in true hanging, both hands should be clenched,

but your daughter's...

Could it be

that my daughter

was actually murdered?

It must have been him.

It must have been them who killed my daughter!

This...

Did Master pay you?

He went to report to the authorities.

When the coroner arrives,

he'll wipe off all the makeup.

Then I'll apply it again

and collect payment twice.

Are you a mortician or a coroner?

If you're a coroner, that's even better.

Chang'an is desperately short of coroners right now.

I can bring you business,

and I only ask for 15% commission.

Although my business is not doing well,

I can still make ends meet

and am in no need of a middleman.

Besides,

anyone who charges a commission over 10%

will be seen as monopolizing the market.

If you charge too much,

you'll be accused of disrupting the trade.

You can get caned for it.

You...

Do you ever treat people to meals?

I can book restaurants too.

Throughout all of Chang'an,

the best private rooms of the best restaurants

can all be booked through me.

If you ever want to treat someone to a meal,

you can come to me.

But don't worry

about the commission.

The restaurant will pay me directly.

[Age Borrower]

[Wannian County Office]

Greetings, Sheriff Su!

I'll be counting on all of you from now on.

[Virtue to All Corners of the Land]

For any shortcomings

in our previous case investigations,

you must've already known them in detail, Sheriff Su.

Please point them out directly,

and we'll correct them immediately.

We promise.

Didn't I just come visit a few days ago?

You've all been diligent in your duties.

I've seen it with my own eyes.

There's nothing that needs to be changed.

Are the old case files in the west hall?

They've all been prepared for you.

Good.

That's all then.

You may all return to your duties.

Wait a moment!

Su Wuming.

Didn't you ask me to come here

to boost your reputation?

Why are you letting them off...

S-So easily?

Who is this?

This is my good friend.

His surname is Fei,

and he's a miracle doctor.

Miracle Doctor Fei, if you have anything to say,

please speak freely.

Listen up, all of you!

Su Wuming may look like a mere scholar,

but he's a genuine disciple of Master Di,

who inherited his true teachings.

He solved the black tea case,

the Chengfo Temple mystery,

the Cantian Tower major case,

and also

Sheriff Wei and Du's murder case.

These are all

just ordinary small matters to him.

In Nanzhou Prefecture,

Shazhou Prefecture

and Hanzhou Prefecture,

the major cases he's solved

are too numerous to count.

[Virtue to All Corners of the Land]

It's a true blessing for you

to work under such an excellent sheriff

in Wannian County.

Therefore,

you must work hard,

follow Sheriff Su to achieve merit,

and benefit the people of Chang'an.

Anything else?

That's about it, right, Su Wuming?

Miracle Doctor Fei's words are wise.

Following Sheriff Su,

we will certainly do our utmost.

[Virtue to All Corners of the Land]

Do our utmost!

[Wannian County Office]

Chief Elder Xu.

I called you here because I wanted to ask you

about the coroner

who examined Ma Kui's body last time.

He doesn't usually work for the county office, does he?

That's right.

We called him in at the last minute.

He usually works at a coffin shop,

dressing the dead.

So, does that mean

Sheriff Du specifically arranged this?

Actually, no.

We just couldn't find

a suitable coroner that day.

Could it be that there are no good coroners

in Wannian County?

How could that be?

The greatest coroner in the world, Geng Wushang,

lives right here in our Wannian County.

Geng Wushang?

He's famous indeed,

and he truly deserves

to be called "the greatest in the world."

Back when I was still following Master Di,

I met him several times.

Is he still in good health?

It's precisely because he's not in good health

that we haven't called on him these past few years.

He does have two excellent disciples though.

One has changed professions,

while the other is very busy.

The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review

both call for him whenever there's a murder case.

That's why we failed to get him that day.

I need to see the officers!

My daughter died unjustly!

[Integrity and Harmony]

Was it you who just beat the drum?

Officer,

please seek justice for me!

My daughter was strangled to death!

Where is the body?

At my home now.

Lead the way.

Heading to investigate a case so soon?