Original subtitles

[Melody of Golden Age]

[The ad is aired at this period of time]

[Episode 4]

Morning, Grand Minister

It's already so late

It seems that usually

the Ministry of Justice is not strict in discipline

Thanks to you

I slept so well last night

How confident that you think

the killer isn't from the second branch

Ninety percent

Go check it out quickly

While your head

is still on your neck

If you still keep me

awake all night

Even if my head is still there

I'd have to die in peace

Young Master

Young Master, madam

Have breakfast

Not hungry

Whoa!

Really messy

Yan Xing

Yan Xing

Chuichui

Come on

The Shen family doesn't care about meals?

Eating together with him

Can I still be alive?

I'm afraid of choking

Seems fine

Let's go

Choking

Are you serious?

I heard you and White Impermanence

had a deep romantic relationship

You always follow each other

and even get along well together

I've heard

the intimate horse-riding events

Tell me honestly

Indeed

Good things do not go out,

but bad news travels far

Bad news

You are now well known

inside the circle of

noble ladies in the Imperial City

That year,

a woman pretended to faint

and fell into Shen Du's arms,

she was taken by the Internal Affairs

and charged with

offending the Grand Minister

That's really what he'll do

Since then,

whenever a woman in Xiang'an City

sees White Impermanence,

they avoid him like the plague

Yet he still shows public affection with you

Even intimate contact

It's better to have less contact

This is...

The night of your wedding,

the Ming Hall caught fire,

The Empress Dowager was furious

Several people from the Internal Affairs

were held accountable

Even your husband

was fined

Such things happened?

I heard that

that poor scholar named Chen Baiyi

self-immolated in the Ming Hall

because he couldn't achieve success

He's dead now

He should have been implicated

But in the end,

There's only their family left

This nearly sixty-year-old

elderly person with failing eyes and ears

Empress Dowager is kind

She had originally pardoned her

But this old lady

actually went to the Ministry of Justice

to sit in protest

Saying she must seek justice

She sat there for a day and a night

Just think about it

Who dares to take it on?

Don't you wanna be alive?

No matter what, heads will roll

Anyway, I only have one head

Old lady

If there's something, please stand first

If you truly have grievances

we'll definitely

offer you with an explanation

Thank you, miss

Who's so bold

to take the old lady's petition?

Come forward

Step forward yourself

I'm in a good mood today

I promise not to kill you

Who took her petition?

Was it the old woman at the door?

I've already sent her back home

Dismissed

Dismissed

How come again...

Actually, the old lady

should be comforted properly

Otherwise, sitting in front of

Ministry of Justice gate all day

That's not right

Regarding Chen Baiyi's self-immolation

This case

I've already handled it seriously

The follow-up will be handed over to。。。

Feng Gui

Keep an eye on the old lady for me

Don't let her come again

I'll take my leave

Master Wu

I think

Come over

The Liang family's murder case

has been taken over by the Internal Affairs

Everyone

No more interference allowed

The Internal Affairs

is not a place where

casual interference is permitted

If there's any resistance

I'll severely punish you by law

Yes

Go and get busy

Master Wu, I...

Yan Xing

Chuichui

You two are still sorting out

the files, right?

Work hard

I'm just...

Yan Xing

I suddenly remembered

that Grand Minister Shen wanted to

invite you to lunch, right?

It's getting late

Well...

The file isn't so urgent

Lunch is more important

Lunch is more important

Let's go

Put down your business

and follow me

Okay

It's up to you then

Sorry, Madam

Tongming Pavilion has always had a rule

to only accept male guests

and not female guests

We are not guests

This is an official matter

How about this?

Sending another official to handle it

Although I am a scribe,

this person is recorded

in the Ministry of Justice

a ninth-grade scribe

Blocking us like this

Could it be a deviation

from the system of

selecting officials for the government?

Madam, please don't make things difficult for me

If you two ladies enter today,

I'm afraid

I won't be able to

keep this job for long

How about this?

Take another look

Are we male guests

or female guests?

Male guests

This way, please

My Zhanxin

How could you be so unfortunate?

I thought

she would have a good life

with Liang Chenzhong

Who could be so cruel

as to kill her?

RIP, please

Do you remember

if anything unusual happened

before Kuang Zhanxin disappeared?

Or...

did she have any disputes

with anyone?

Zhanxin has always been gentle

and gets along well

with sisters and neighbors

Last night, before the officials came to inform you,

you didn't know

that Kuang Zhanxin had disappeared

She went out on the seventeenth of last month

to go on an outing with Liang Chenzhong

Usually, Liang Chenzhong

would take her out to play

I thought this time,

they were just out for too long

I may come again to ask you

if there's anything else

Please accept my condolences

I heard that Chen Baiyi set himself on fire

and burned down the Ming Hall

Fortunately, you drove him out early

The Cang favors those who are filial to their parents

He, from a humble family,

wanted to soar to the top

It was simply a delusion

If he could assist me with my writing,

it would be his good fortune,

yet he is still not satisfied

These poor scholar-children

simply do not know their place

One who is just studying with me

dares to vie for first place

in the literary competition?

Disgusting!

Yan Xing

Yan Xing

Let's go

Yan Xing

Lord Xu

Scribe Lu

Lord Xu

You came to Tongming Hall for a case

It's the case that your husband

intercepted

I shouldn't call you Yan Xing

I should address you as Lady Grand Minister

Lord Xu

You should still

call me Yan Xing as usual

Okay

Then...

Don't call me Lord Xu anymore

Call me Brother Xu

Alright

Brother Xu

What happened to Kuang Zhanxin

got spread

The various masters

near Pingkang Hall

felt as if they were possessed

They always felt

that their daughters who had gone out

never returned

were all missing

There've been over a dozen reported cases

Are there anyone else missing?

No

17 girls were just reported missing

15 have been found

There are still two missing

But I think there's no major issue

But there's one thing

I haven't decided about yet

whether to report it or not

But I encountered you here

It records

the missing songstress cases over the years

Strange

These songstresses

are not the top stars in each hall

they all understand music

They're skilled in instrumental music

especially proficient in pipa

Exactly

It's too coincidental

That's why it feels suspicious

These are portraits of the missing women

These women

all have the same fairy hairstyle

Is there anything unusual?

Look

Although the faces of these women

are all different

they have common features

especially similar in expression

Right

At first glance...

there's an indescribable similarity

I originally intended to hand over these files

to your Ministry of Justice

but I felt it

inappropriate to bypass the Internal Affairs

Now it seems

it's best for you to take them

That White Impermanence

won't draw his sword to kill his wife

Right?

I'll take my leave now

In the morning, you vowed solemnly

and going out to investigate

I thought you were checking something

But it turns out you're just chatting here

I'm chatting with

Lord Xu, who leads the Yi Liangren in the city

We're discussing the case

Leading the whole city?

Impressive

Lord Xu, back then

was a great hero wanted by the court

with a reward of one hundred thousand taels of gold

It turns out Lord Xu

is the legendary one

who sneaked into the palace

and stole the Empress Dowager's jade pillow

It sounds great

But he got caught

Despite being caught

Empress Dowager appreciated his talent

Not only did she not punish him

she even freed him from slavery

Being caught is the truth

That's just falling short a bit

I...

What kind of case can you discuss

with someone like him?

I can know

the Liang family's gambling

I'm close to winning

The current evidence

Every piece of evidence points

that this long-standing

series of murders

Once I find the real culprit

Liang's second branch

will be completely cleared of suspicion

Grand Minister

Report from the surveillance of the Liang family

Said Liang's second branch

had chicken blood poured on them by the main

Mrs Liang became even more deranged

Third Master Liang, resolute

actually went to the Ministry of Justice to confess

Also

King Ying wants to see you

King Ying

only requests Grand Minister to enter

King Ying

Liang Chenyu imprisoned

This was not the Empress Dowager's wish

If I'm right,

the Empress Dowager

did not require Grand Minister

to thoroughly investigate this case

But rather, to ensure the safety of Liang's second

The evidence is currently insufficient

There is no definitive conclusion

You've always been meticulous in his work

But this time

you didn't follow the rules promptly

Don't follow your father's ways

keeping silent while handling significant matters

I dare not

King Ying must be

testing Grand Minister

Regarding the Liang family's case

the Empress Dowager already instructed

to protect the Liang family's second

But you, Madam

insist on investigating thoroughly

Now

Third Master Liang has been imprisoned

How can Grand Minister

explain this to the higher-ups?

I'll take care of this

I'll surely explain to the superiors

The Empress Dowager trusts you

Naturally, I also trust you

Just hoping that Grand Minister

will not betray this trust

I heard that the newlywed Mrs Shen

is quite interesting

I'm deeply grateful for the marriage

arranged by the Empress Dowager

Grand Minister

Five pairs of corpses were dug up

in Ximing Temple

The manner of death is the same as the previous two

It seems that

this matter is indeed

unrelated to the Liang's second branch

Together with Liang Chenzhong's previous two bodies,

six pairs of men and women,

twelve bodies in total

The killer's methods are the same

The men's hearts were dug out,

the women's faces disfigured

This isn't the soil from Ximing Temple

These bodies

have been recently moved

and reburied

Their faces are black and blue

The skin is turned out

But it can still be seen

that it's a young woman

Can the time of death

be estimated?

These two

should have been killed last month

Around the bodies

are many layers of charcoal and wood ash

They were used to mask the smell

What is this fragrance?

Is there anything unusual?

If my master were here,

he would surely discern

what's contained within

From my view

you've inherited

your master's skills

no less than

the legendary detective Pan Chi

I'm far from it

After my master retired,

he traveled far and wide

and probably has forgotten

about me, his disciple

This is the earliest

pair of bodies found

They are severely decomposed

It's difficult to pinpoint

the time of death precisely

It should be

four to six years ago

If it's the same killer

that would be cruel and insane

Cutting open and removing the heart

requires

a physically strong and skilled individual

Possibly a butcher

From what I see,

it's highly likely that the killer

is a woman

Why?

The injuries on each woman's face

are in the same place,

similar length and depth

Also, the force used with the knife

doesn't seem like a man's work

If the killer is a woman,

to kill twelve people over these years

These male victims

were not elderly or infirm

They died in their prime

How could they be killed by a woman?

Brother Xu

If something seems impossible

just because you haven't seen it,

then many mysteries in the world

can't be solved

Let's go

You...

What are you trying to do?

King Ying has ordered

the case of Ximing Temple

and the Liang's case

will be handled together

under the jurisdiction of the Internal Affairs

The officials from the Ministry of Justice

will no longer be involved

Whether you care or not

I'll take you to a place first

Where are we going?

You...

The scent of white musk

coming from her sleeves

The silk brocade embroidered with the pattern of Ruyi

The jade velvet hairpin

The peony white silk robe fan

If you have time to sit here daydreaming

It's better to think about

how to protect your own head

Where exactly are we going?

Ministry of Justice

Please put me down quickly

We're not far from the Ministry of Justice

I can walk there by myself

The real culprit has not been found yet

Third Young Master of Liang is still in jail

If something happens to him

go bury him

Grand Minister Shen

I've never lost a bet

Grand Minister, why do you have time today

to come to our Ministry of Justice?

Can't I come?

What are you talking about?

Welcome

I need someone from you

to help at the Internal Affairs

Grand Minister needs to send people

So easy

Who do you want, Grand Minister?

I'll make arrangements immediately

It's her

The case of 10 corpses at Ximing Temple

has been fully handed over to the Internal Affairs

You don't need to handle it anymore

Yes

Grand Minister

I have many more case files

that have not been transcribed yet

I can't just go to the Internal Affairs

What are you talking about, Scribe Yan?

The files are not organized yet

Hand them over to Lord Lu

Quickly go with Grand Minister

If Scribe Yan isn't coming

So this case is closed like this

Master Wu

Take those piles of bones outside the city

And bury them wherever you like

No

I'll go right now

Yan Xing

It's been found in Chen Baiyi's family

The articles he wrote

I've read them all

Every article is beautifully written

You've really been suffered a lot

these days

It's not a big deal

Watch plays at the Furong Hall

Okay

Be careful

Grand Minister

The coroner's preliminary examination has been completed

Jing Lin

If you find out that

people from the Ministry of Justice investigate this case privately

handle them as collusion and corruption

Yes

Then I have to thank

your guidance, Grand Minister

Giving me the right

to investigate this case

In the future, I'll do my best

to solve the case ASAP

It's good that you know

Since borrowing from the Internal Affairs,

Then I'm also

a member of the Internal Affairs

Naturally, I must abide by

the rules of the Internal Affairs

I am just a scribe

How can I ride the same horse

as the Grand Minister?

I'm not good at horse riding

Lord Jing takes care of his subordinates

You certainly won't

leave me alone

Right?

I...

Then today

I'll have to trouble you, Lord Jing

to ride together with me

Lady, if you wanna ride a horse

you'll be with the Grand Minister

I'll just...

I'll lead the horse for you

I'm really sorry

Let's ride together instead

Gender doesn't matter in handling cases

Lord Jing

Just consider me as

an ordinary colleague

Lady, please stay seated

How long do you need to chat?

If you keep chatting like this

deduct half a year's salary from you

I...

Grand Minister

These

were taken from the earliest bodies

Made in

the first year of Shengli

This is worn by the male corpse

in the earliest victim

The first murder by the killer

should have been six years ago

Why?

The killer's methods

are consistent every time

The time of the crime

must also have its own pattern

An inch of difference

leads to a thousand miles of error

If the speculation is wrong

It won't be easy

to find the real culprit

Baoxiang Twin Fish Pattern

Jinxiu Workshop

This Baoxiang Twin Fish Pattern

was a popular design

by Jinxiu Workshop back then

It was swept the nation

Jinxiu Workshop was the largest

silk factory in the Imperial City

They offered silk tribute to the palace on the first day of each month

Until June of the third year of Shengli

Jinxiu Workshop offered

excessive summer clothes to Princess Runing

for which they were punished for insubordination

Since then

No one in the Imperial City

dares to wear fabric outside

This male corpse

must have died

before the rebellion case of Jinxiu Workshop

Golden medal made in the first year of Shengli

It's possible that

he died in the first year of Shengli

Impossible

Baoxiang Twin Fish Pattern

was the spring clothing style made by

Jinxiu Workshop in the third year of Shengli

Only available from February to April that year

You remember so clearly

In the case files

the old case files of Jinxiu Workshop

A volume of illustrated books

recorded on the floral patterns

of Jinxiu Workshop for ten years

Jing Lin

Go and compare for confirmation

No mistakes are allowed

Yes

Madam

Inside the case files

are precious items and rare books

Don't wander around

And don't touch anything

Got it

Let's split up to search faster

You go over there

Don't touch anything

Hongwen Hall's selection of examination essays

Hurry up with the work

Faster

Don't drop things

What's going on?

Wait a moment

No

Why are you here?

Aren't you transferred

to the Internal Affairs?

I need to see Master Wu

There's progress in the Chen Baiyi's self-immolation case

Master has instructed

no one is allowed to mention

the incineration case in the Ming Hall

If asked again

Submit a resignation letter

There is really more to it

I need to see Master Wu

Wait a moment

Didn't you see

the whole Ministry of Justice today

is in chaos

because of a nursery rhyme

Who has time

to investigate a self-immolation case?

Is it

What's the nursery rhyme?

Don't you know that?

You'll lose your head

Every household in the palace

is talking about it

I need to see Master Wu

I really don't know what

will be in trouble this time

Slow down

Watch your step

People have no heart

Buddha has eaten the heart

The disorder under heaven's rule

Buddha hides the sin of appetite

Black Rakshasa is coming

Kid

Do you know what you just said

is extremely rebellious

Tell me

How should we punish you?

Try this new invention

"Enter the pot"

Later on

roast the pot on the fire

You'll have more fun playing

Come in

No, my lord

No, my lord

No, my lord

My lord, no

He is just a child, my lord

Please spare him, my lord

Spreading such blasphemous words

Wouldn't the imperial city

become a lawless place?

No, my lord, you misunderstand

I'll educate your kid

if you don't educate him properly

Please, my lord, no

Make way for the King Ying's carriage

Your Highness

This person seems familiar

What is the commotion about?

Your Highness

Please save my child

Please save my child

Your Highness

I came out to patrol the streets

and heard a child speaking boldly

and disrespectfully

So I detained the child

Apologies for disturbing you, Your Highness

I see

Your Highness, please spare

Child speaks without restraint

I'll educate him well later

Yes, Your Highness

If a child is not taught,

It's the fault of the parent

You cannot escape responsibility

Vice Manager Lai

Who is without fault?

Moreover,

this is just a child's talk

You are always wise

Why tarnish your reputation

for a child?

Although that's true...

Since I've seen it

It means

there is a connection between us

Vice Manager Lai

Can you consider my face,

and spare this child?

Your Highness, since you speak,

I'll naturally release him

Release him

Thank you, Your Highness

As long as the child is safe

Thank you, my lord

You may go

Thank you, Your Highness

Your Highness

Your Highness is truly benevolent

and compassionate

See Your Highness off

Back to receive twenty lashes

Yes

Who exactly is that woman?

What happened?

Lai Luozhi fabricates complaints in front of the court

Saying the Grand Minister is incompetent

The Empress Dowager issued an edict

to take the Grand Minister away

Both of you stay at the door

Report any news

regarding the Grand Minister promptly

Yes

No entry allowed

Ordered by the Grand Minister

No one is allowed near the office

without permission

Anyone who violates this rule

If you wanna break in

If you wanna break in, then

Step on me to do so

Don't flip

Or I won't be polite

Stop flipping

Or I'll kill myself

If you think

your Grand Minister has been here for too long

Then go ahead and do it

Ready for the ink

Ready for the ink

I hope we can make it in time

to present the document

You actually write

like the Grand Minister

Are you confident

that this will really

save the Grand Minister?

It's not certain he can walk away

But we should at least give it a try

Perhaps he can escape severe punishment

What are you standing there for?

Go quickly!

I'm waiting at the mansion

Stop flipping through things

Empress Dowager

The Internal Affairs has been in charge for many days

But has yet to solve the case

Now rumors are rife in the streets

Saying the court is ineffective in its appointments

And some even speculate about the Emperor's intentions

for alleging deliberate protection of the Liang

It tarnishes the reputation of the Empress Dowager

I plead with the Empress Dowager

to let the Imperial Court of Justice take over this matter

What you said

is also a matter of concern for me

Shen Du from the Internal Affairs is here

Shen Du, the chief of the Internal Affairs

pays respects to the Empress Dowager

May you live for a thousand years

Lord Shen

The case of the Liang family

remains unsolved

Shouldn't you

give me an explanation?

Report to the Empress Dowager

The Liang's case is not an isolated incident

It is related to multiple bodies

unearthed in succession at Ximing Temple

And is committed by the same perpetrator

The Internal Affairs is working on the case

based on the evidence

Liang's case involves key court officials

And Ximing Temple

is a place dedicated to worship

Now the unsolved case

is causing a stir in the city

A vulgar nursery rhyme is circulating

Tell me about it

I dare recite

this nursery rhyme

for the Empress Dowager to hear

People have no heart

Buddha has eaten the heart

The disorder under heaven's rule

Buddha hides the sin of appetite

Ridiculous

Empress Dowager, please calm down

I think

the reason this nursery rhyme is spreading

is due to

the unresolved Ximing Temple case

If the Internal Affairs can't find the real culprit

It would be better to

hold a ceremony to drive away evils

It might be effective

Empress Dowager

No need to bother

all these superstitious talks

Grand Minister Shen

You missed this

The Qianqiu Guards suddenly came to arrest me

I was currently sorting out the case

to present it to the Empress Dowager

What a phrase, "In this world, only the Buddha's heart brings peace"

Evil thoughts will never return after a thousand calamities

Unravel the truth and clear the grievance

With a keen eye, peace reigns under heaven

Good

Since you've already found

many clues related to

the Liang Family and Ximing Temple,

let's move forward

As you command

Lord Shen

You also mentioned in the report

that there is more to the self-immolation at the Ming Hall

The self-immolator

did not do it out of discontentment,

but to convey a message of sorrow through death

It was an act of helplessness

Is this true?

I'm currently verifying it

I'll report back soon

Empress Dowager

Alright

Both of you,

are my right-hand men,

each with your own strengths

Okay

Let's end it here today

You may all leave

Lord Shen

Please stay

There is one more thing

I need you to handle immediately

As you command

Grand Minister Shen

Today, in front of the Empress Dowager,

Lord Shen remained calm

and eloquent,

It's truly admirable

I'm flattered, Vice Manager Lai

I was merely stating the facts

It is said that

the Internal Affairs

are the Empress Dowager's eyes,

but their eyes are constantly shifting

You'd better not lose focus

Their actions

remain within their duties

Unlike the Imperial Court of Justice

whose teeth are always gnashing

If someone else were in charge,

they might find it hard to keep up

Hope Lord Shen will solve the case soon

But many are still

grinding their teeth