Original subtitles

(Zhan Zhao Adventures)

(Episode 21)

Huo Xiao Mei, how exactly did you convince Fourth Aunt?

How else did I do it?

I just acted all sweet and clueless.

Heroine Huo, acting all cute.

Now that's a rare sight. Can't believe I missed out on it. Such a shame.

Zhan Zhao, tell me all about it.

I can't tell you.

I'm not good at telling stories.

Keep an eye on the fire.

Relax, the fire is just right.

Anyway,

about the antidote,

thank you for stepping in, Heroine Huo.

I will never forget this favor. I'll make sure to repay your kindness.

Enough, just grill your fish.

Looking at how good you are at grilling fish,

you look like a pro.

Of course. My family lives on an island, you know?

You live on an island, but you're afraid of water.

Yes. I was wondering the same thing.

After my brother's case was concluded, Xiang Cai wanted a retrial.

So he dragged me onto a boat to the prefecture to file a complaint.

But something happened to the boat.

Xiang Cai risked his life to hand me a floating plank.

But he sank to the bottom of the river.

I drifted on the river for two days

before someone finally rescued me.

Why bring this up now?

Since you taught me how to ride a horse,

how about I teach you how to swim?

Yes. If you know how to swim, you won't be scared of water anymore.

Ming Zhu was the one who taught me how to swim too.

I honestly thought all of you would believe what Jin Zhen Ping said.

I thought you would believe that I...

Turns out I was being narrow-minded

Jin Zhen Ping sounded righteous.

But he was just unreasonably expecting a kid

to think and judge like an adult.

He was asking the impossible.

If I'm honest with myself,

if I were in your shoes back then,

I wouldn't have done any better than you.

- Me neither. - Us too.

Don't be too hard on yourself.

What's in the past should stay in the past.

Even if you really can't let it go,

it's not the end of the world.

Right now,

things aren't any harder than when you were a kid.

We're all here for you.

Fourth Aunt,

did you give them the prescription?

Answer me!

Fifth Uncle believes their nonsense. Do you believe it too?

How many times do I have to say it?

They came back with a plan just to get revenge on the Jin family!

They only came back because of Jin Xue Wen's old case!

The Jin family can't take this much longer.

It's only a matter of time before they hand over the antidote.

Zhan Zhao has enjoyed a few days of peace.

It's time for you to make a move, Si Ming.

You're old friends with the Tang Sect's young master, aren't you?

Tomorrow, go and catch up with him.

That's exactly what I'm thinking.

This is a fine blade.

It's a bit old,

but it's still a great weapon for murder.

What rare herbs are you planting?

The valuable part of this pot of herbs isn't the herb itself,

but the poisonous insect eggs hidden under the leaves.

But the weather in Xiangzhou this year is colder than usual.

I really have to take care of them.

Look under these leaves...

When did you get here?

What's wrong? Am I not welcome?

You! Be careful.

You can't treat them so roughly.

What brings you here today? Just say what you want.

Even though we grew up together,

I know

you and Zhao didn't like me.

And you said a lot of bad things about me in front of Ling Long.

But I didn't care.

However,

this time,

you went a bit too far.

What do you mean?

You met with people you shouldn't have

and said things you shouldn't have.

(Yuelai Inn)

Last time, I left in a rush because of Xu An.

I didn't get to check the crime scene carefully. Let's check it out today.

Excuse me, there's an official outside who wants to see you.

Lady Huo,

Commander Shao has invited you over.

You should go.

Tang Sect's young master is waiting for you with Commander Shao right now.

I'll go with you.

Officer Zhan, you don't have to come along.

Commander Shao didn't invite you.

Like you could stop him.

You two go and meet that scoundrel first.

I'll head back to the crime scene.

Whenever we played this game as kids,

you always lost to me

I can't believe after all these years, you still haven't improved at all.

You are confronting me so early in the morning.

I thought I was walking into a trap.

It really is a trap.

No doubt about it.

Reporting to Commander Shao.

Lady Huo has arrived.

But Zhan Zhao came along too.

You used me to threaten Ling Long, didn't you?

- Giddy-up! - Giddy-up!

Ling Long!

Ling Long!

It's rare for the three of us to have had this bond since childhood.

Wouldn't it be a waste not to use it?

Looks like you are done wearing this fake mask of kindness.

Perfect timing. Let's settle this marriage matter today.

The marriage is bestowed by the prince.

It's not up to you or me.

Come in and let's talk.

You've already made me wait long enough.

Fourth Aunt.

Fourth Aunt. What are you doing here?

You didn't come back to Jujing Hall all night.

I was worried you would be upset after hearing Xu An and the others gossip.

Third told me you've been at the old house these days.

So I came to check on you.

Don't worry. I'm fine.

Jin Zhen Ping didn't give you a hard time about the prescription, did he?

No.

Third told me

you brought Zhan Zhao and the others here

to overturn Nine's case.

Is that true?

It's been so long since it all happened.

If you bring it up again for no reason,

isn't that just making things harder for yourself?

It was a sin Nine had committed.

And you were already dragged into it once.

Why keep torturing yourself?

I'm doing this so I can finally bring peace to my mind.

That's why I have to bring up the past.

Fourth Aunt, I've always felt that my brother might have been wronged.

Now. I finally have a chance. I have to find out the truth.

Is the truth really that important?

Go ahead and investigate it.

If you want to look into it,

then do it.

Fourth Aunt.

Did you come here this time because you had something to tell me?

I heard you are investigating the old case from Huaihua Alley.

I actually know a bit about it.

That's why I invited Ling Long here

to help you with the investigation by offering some clues.

Speaking of which, that female victim back then really had a tough life.

Her wounds weren't fatal.

But that drug left her unable to fight back.

She couldn't move or even call for help.

Even after death, she wasn't treated with dignity.

- Her clothes were disheveled. - What are you really trying to say?

Stop beating around the bush.

Ling Long, have you ever thought about this?

Uncle Huo isn't an old-fashioned person.

So why did he keep you locked up in Linglong Manor for over 10 years?

No matter how much you begged, he kept you away from the martial world.

If I were Uncle Huo

and my own sister died so tragically and in such a horrible way,

I wouldn't let you leave either.

What nonsense are you talking about?

My aunt died of an illness.

It was just a story they made up to save her dignity.

Tang, I'll take Ling Long and get going first.

Alright.

Ling Long.

Life really is full of twists and turns.

Aunt Huo loved you most when she was alive.

She always kept you by her side.

- Shut up. - But you became best friends

with the murderer's brother and even tried to clear the murderer's name.

Are you doing right by her?

Enough!

I'm not the only one who knows the truth about this case.

I'm just telling you what I know.

If you don't believe me,

you can ask for yourself.

(Your aunt's old friend lives at the end of Huaihua Alley.)

(She was a witness to the crime back then.)

(If you want to know more about the case, )

(you can just ask her.)

Your aunt

was indeed killed by Jin Xue Wen.

She really had a tragic fate.

That day, I asked you

why you went to the courtyard next door because I was worried about you.

But when I saw you looking like you had no clue about the truth,

I figured the truth would be too cruel for you.

So I didn't say anything more.

You were a witness to the case back then.

What exactly did you see?

I saw Jin Xue Wen

enter Ling Long's courtyard

on the night of the incident.

Jin Xue Wen entered your friend's house at night.

Didn't you think that was strange?

I had seen Ling Long hanging out with Jin Xue Wen before this.

I even warned her about what kind of person Jin Xue Wen was.

But Ling Long said

Jin Xue Wen wasn't as bad as the rumors said.

Maybe I misunderstood things back then.

I thought the two of them were in love.

Looking back now, I really regret it.

At the time,

I didn't go in and take a closer look.

Are you sure

it was really Jin Xue Wen you saw?

It was him, no doubt.

Giddy-up!

Before you begged for the Naiheyin Pill on your knees,

the authorities had already sent Nine's written confession

to the Jin family.

The reason the Jin family didn't save him

was because Nine confessed and signed his name.

He admitted to everything he did.

The authorities had already sentenced him to death.

The Jin family originally wanted to tell you the whole story.

But when I saw you kneeling in the rain begging so desperately,

I realized how close you were to Nine.

I couldn't bear to tell you the truth.

I begged the clan leader to keep it a secret.

But I never expected

that it would cause you such a huge misunderstanding

and make you hate the Jin family so much.

Impossible.

Jin Zhen Ping put you up to this, didn't he?

He made this up, right?

No.

I know

it's hard for you to accept it right now.

But it's better I tell you now

than let you get hurt all over again

after keeping your hopes up and pouring your heart into the investigation.

Sir, are you here for a meal or a room?

(Huo Feng, Young Master of Linglong Manor)

I'm looking for someone.

You should eat something.

Zhan, do you still remember that pool of blood?

Shao Ji Zu's words

and that pool of blood

keep replaying in my mind over and over again.

My aunt was always afraid of pain since she was little.

So much blood.

So much blood.

How much she must've suffered.

I always thought my aunt died of illness.

It never crossed my mind that she would die like this.

If there's anything you want to say,

just say it.

Don't keep it bottled up.

I'm sorry that I let you down.

I went to the magistrate's office

and saw my brother's confession.

That was when I learned the person he killed back then

was your aunt.

You already know.

Back then, my brother used this very dagger

to kill your aunt.

This is his debt.

I'll pay for it with my life.

Jin Xue Wen is already dead.

A life for a life.

His debt...

If you don't know how to take revenge,

I'll do it for you.

All of you, step outside.

Don't worry.

That person is the young master of Linglong Manor.

Huo Feng.

Are you sure this dagger belonged to Jin Xue Wen?

Did you see the case file?

You only brought back the confession,

but not the case file?

Why bother looking for the case file?

The confession clearly states all the evidence of his crime.

I checked it myself.

It's definitely his handwriting.

I don't want to look into this anymore.

If you want to keep digging, then do it yourself.

Leave me out of it.

Since you left home,

have you even had a proper meal?

You've gotten so thin.

This is your favorite pastry that Dad asked me to bring for you.

When we were kids,

Aunt used to make this for me all the time.

Dad just didn't want you to be sad.

So he made up a lie to protect you.

He endured the pain of losing his sister,

and still had to find ways to keep up the lie in front of you.

The pain Dad went through back then

is something neither of us can truly understand.

Dad told me himself that he regrets it now.

He regrets forcing that engagement on you

and making you run away from home.

Ever since you left,

Dad has been worried sick day and night.

It's my fault.

I should've written home to let everyone know I'm okay.

About what's going on with you,

Shao Ji Zu has kept the family updated about everything.

But Dad still worries about you.

He's always afraid that you're too naive

and don't know how dangerous the world can be.

About the engagement, Dad has agreed to reconsider it.

Ling Long.

You've been out wandering for so long. You must be tired.

Come home with me.

Are you

still planning to stick with Bai Yu Tang?

What Jin Xue Wen did to Aunt can never be repaid.

How can you and Bai Yu Tang

still be friends after all this?

I can't believe Jin Xue Wen really was the killer.

And Bai still tried so hard to clear his brother's name.

We're totally done for.

Not only can we not overturn the case,

but Bai and Huo have also ended up as enemies.

Young master, what are we supposed to do now?

Tomorrow, let's go to the Xiangyang County office

and request to review the case file for Jin Xue Wen's case.

Did you spot something suspicious in this confession?

Then why check the case file?

What happened today was just too much of a coincidence.

From Ling Long learning the victim was her aunt

to Bai Yu Tang giving up on the appeal

and accepting Jin Xue Wen as the real killer.

It feels like someone's pulling the strings.

Everything we see

is exactly what this person wants us to see.

The fact that the victim was Ling Long's aunt

isn't really a secret.

As long as we check the case file, the truth will come out anyway.

So why did Shao Ji Zu have to expose the truth to her in person?

If you ask me, he was just playing mind games

to divide us and stop us from investigating further.

But

if Jin Xue Wen really was the killer,

then why would he be afraid of us digging any deeper?

Are you saying

that Shao Ji Zu came to us on Si Ming's orders?

At first, I was worried that even if we solved this case,

we might not be able to expose Si Ming.

But seeing how he's so desperate to stop us now,

it actually tells us

that the Jin Xue Wen case

is his weak spot.

(Xiangyang Magistrate Office)

Officer Zhan.

Please, come inside.

Officer Zhan, sorry to keep you waiting.

What brings you here today?

Is there something left unresolved about the Zhongxiao Courtyard case?

I'm here this time for an old case.

Guards.

Bring us some tea.

Where did those brats run off to?

Guards!

Bring us some tea!

Where is everyone?

Officer Zhan, maybe those brats

are scared by your presence and don't dare to show up.

This is such a backwater place. Please don't laugh at me.

I'll go make you some tea myself.

No need for tea.

Have a seat.

I'm here to check the case file from 15 years ago

in your county.

From 15 years ago?

That's a long time ago.

Which case is it?

Fifteen years ago, there was a homicide case in Huaihua Alley.

That case seems a bit strange.

But since it's been so long, it's hard to investigate.

So I want to review the case file.

A homicide case from 15 years ago.

Is there something strange about the case?

Is it a wrongful conviction?

It's possible.

To review the case file,

we'll have to follow the protocols.

Officer Zhan,

do you have an official order to review the file?

This is the token of Prince Hui from Nanqing Palace.

And this is the official order.

Officer Zhan, the prince's order is clear.

The task he assigned you is the Zhongxiao Courtyard case.

But right now, the file you want to review is for a different case.

- Well... - These two cases are connected.

How could this case be related to the Zhongxiao Courtyard case?

We'll only know after checking the case file.

This is really tricky.

If you can't confirm the connection between the two cases

I'm afraid this file can't be reviewed.

If the prince's token is not enough, we still have...

How about this?

We won't take the file away. We'll just read it here.

And all of you can supervise us right here.

That's still against the protocols.

If the higher-ups decide to pursue this matter...

Officer Zhan.

My connections are nowhere near as powerful as yours.

You have a say even in front of the officials.

Magistrate, someone from the prefecture office is here.

They're waiting for you to respond. Looks like it's urgent.

I have to see to it now.

Officer Zhan, today really isn't a good day.

I have to handle some official business.

Registrar, please wait a moment.

- Registrar. - Registrar.

Officer Zhan, what do you mean by this?

Don't be scared.

I just have a few questions. Then I'll leave.

Don't say that. A minor office like ours

could never hope to host someone as important as you.

Ask whatever you want.

Is there anyone here

who's been working in this yamen for over 15 years?

I don't really know.

I've only been here for three to four years.

That was way too long ago.

I really can't say for sure.

The registrar handles money, grain, and household records.

Everyone's background information in the county is in your hands.

There are only so many people in this yamen.

You should know, right?

Let me think again.

I remember

there are two yamen runners here

who've been working here for many years.

I'm from the prefecture office.

Usually, I go between all the county offices.

I remember there are two familiar yamen runners

in this Xiangyang yamen.

If I remember right, they've been working here for over 10 years.

Not sure if they're who you're looking for.

Thank you.

Go ahead.

Look at my memory. I remember now.

As he said, those two yamen runners, Yao Yu Shan and Wang Xing,

have been working here for almost 20 years.

Can I see them?

Unfortunately,

both of them took leave yesterday.

I have no idea when they'll be back.

Officer Zhan, maybe you could come back another day.

The magistrate was hoping to chat more with you.

Young Master, why did you stop me from taking out the imperial token?

If you did that, the imperial plan would've been exposed ahead of time.

Where are we going now?

Zhao Zhi Er, head back to the inn first

and look after Lady Huo and Bai Yu Tang.

- Alright. - Ming Zhu Er.

Come with me to Wang Xing's and Yao Yu Shan's house.

Looking for Wang Xing? He's not home. He went to visit a relative.

Wang Xing took leave yesterday.

Ye. He went to the yamen yesterday.

He came back not long after

and packed a few clothes in a hurry.

He said he was heading to Jingzhou to visit his uncle.

Usually, he only visits his uncle once a year during New Year's.

No idea what had gotten into him.

Have you heard about the murder in Huaihua Alley 15 years ago?

Huaihua Alley?

Are you talking about the case where a scholar killed someone?

And the victim was a beautiful young woman?

Yeah, that's the one.

- Do you still remember it? - Of course I remember.

It was Wang Xing who caught the killer.

He looked like a gentle and weak scholar.

Who would've thought he was actually a killer?

Did Wang Xing ever tell you about this case?

He barely talked about it.

The case was solved quickly, and the sentence was handed down fast too.

After that, he never brought it up again.

Can you describe what Wang Xing looks like?

So we can look for him in Jingzhou.

Jingzhou is huge. How could you possibly find him?

Just tell us, please.

He's in his forties and has a sturdy build.

Oh, right, there's a pretty big mole on the outside of his left ear.

So he's easy to recognize.

Thank you.

Young Master, are we heading to Jingzhou?

Registrar, when I was gathering herbs this morning,

I saw this person hanging from a tree on the cliff.

He looked like he'd been dead for a while.

He must've slipped and fallen to his death from the mountain.

Note this down. He said he accidentally fell from the mountain.

Who are you?

He is Officer Zhan from the capital.

Stop throwing your weight around.

(There's a pretty big mole on the outside of his left ear.)

So he's easy to recognize.

Officer Zhan, you just said you were looking for Wang Xing,

and now he's suddenly dead.

What a mess.

He didn't die from a fall.

His neck bones were crushed to pieces.

That won't happen from a fall.

Someone twisted his neck and threw him off the back of the mountain.

Registrar, are you still going to keep those case files from me?

Now that Wang Xing has been silenced,

the next one could be you.

What are you talking about?

Officer Zhan, please excuse me.

The coroner's autopsy should be done as early as possible.

- Guards. - Here.

Take him away now.

Move along. Come on, move along.

Officer Zhan, I'll get going now.

That guy's clearly playing dumb.

Nothing gets through to him.

Let's go to Yao Yu Shan's place.

Wang Xing is already dead.

Whoever silenced him will definitely go after Yao Yu Shan next.

Please, you have to be honest with me.

I'm telling you the truth.

Yao just left without saying anything.

I honestly don't know where he went.

When he left,

didn't he say anything to the family?

Nothing at all.

He never talked about work at home.

About the Huaihua Alley murder,

did he not say a single word about it?

Nothing.

That case back then caused a huge stir in the whole city.

I kept pestering him with questions every day,

but he wouldn't say a word.

When he was investigating the case,

did anything happen that was out of the ordinary?

A few days after the case was closed,

he brought home a sum of money.

Does that count?

How much money was it?

At least twenty taels, I think.

Our house was in bad shape back then.

Yao used that money to rebuild the house.

He never said where the money came from?

He just said a distant uncle died and left the money to him.

I didn't think much of it.

Yao's family has lived here for generations.

They have a lot of relatives in the nearby counties.

I couldn't be bothered to ask.

Where are all of Yao Yu Shan's relatives?

There are a lot.

They're in Sui County, Yicheng, Yunmeng, everywhere.

It's been a long day.

Here, have something to eat.

Young Master.

We've pretty much visited all of the Yao family's relatives.

Do you think something bad has happened to him?

Tomorrow, I'll send a letter back to the capital.

I'll ask Lord Bao to use the name of the Kaifeng Tribunal to check

the appointments and dismissals of officials in Xiangzhou over the years.

We need to find out

who the county magistrate was back then, when the case was tried,

and where that person is serving now.

Do you think the magistrate from back then

is the one who targeted the two yamen runners?

Yes.

The current county magistrate and registrar of Xiangyang

weren't working here 15 years ago.

They wouldn't kill someone over this.

The one with a motive to silence witnesses, and who knows

which jailer arrested Jin Xue Wen

can only be the person handling the case.

He must be afraid that the case will get exposed and ruin his career.

That's why he'd go to such extremes.

This person must still be serving in Xiangzhou.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten word so quickly

and silenced those people just in time.

If this person holds a high enough position,

a lot of things that happened before

would finally make sense.

The magistrate of Yicheng mentioned that someone knows all the details

of the wrongful convictions he made,

and has it all written down.

Yes. The court has a rule that for every major case,

after rendering a verdict, county-level officials

must submit everything to the higher authorities for review.

That person probably used that opportunity

to get dirt on these officials.

So,

that person is most likely Si Ming.

Officer Zhan, you're finally back.

Bai drank too much at the tavern.

I tried to bring him back, but he just wouldn't come with me.

Zhu, come with me and help me take him back.

I'll go.

- Fourth Madam. - Xu An has been telling everyone in the manor

he saw Little Seventeen drunk out of his mind on the street.

I couldn't stop worrying about him. So I came to check on him.

Get up and drink the hangover soup before you go back to sleep.

Since I've been here,

no one in the Jin family has treated him kindly.

Only you have a truly kind heart.

You genuinely care for him.

He has always been close to his fourth uncle since he was little.

His fourth uncle never liked acupuncture, though.

He was only interested in studying internal organs.

He'd often work with coroners to study autopsies.

He'd even bring organs home to examine.

Everyone in the Jin family

looked down on that profession.

Only Little Seventeen liked learning from him.

Those two never liked sugarcoating things. They weren't the charming type.

They had really similar temperaments.

So, they were closer than most.

When he was a kid, was he actually a closed book?

Does he open up about what's on his mind now?

Not really. He talks a lot most of the time.

But he never shares what's really in his heart.

That's why I'm worried.

I get what you mean.

Don't worry.

I feel sorry for this kid.

As long as he's part of the Jin family,

I'll do everything I can to protect him.

It's getting late. I'll head back to my room now.

Zhao Zhi Er and Ming Zhu Er have been running all over the place for you,

busy as can be.

But look at you, just slacking off and getting yourself wasted.

Tell me honestly,

aren't you even a little ashamed?

Today,

we went to find the two yamen runners

who handled the Huaihua Alley case 15 years ago.

One of them has gone missing,

and the other was killed.

So this case is almost certainly fishy.