Original subtitles

Timing and subtitles brought to you by ⚖Defenders of the Law ⚖ Team @ Viki

["Water and Flame" by Shu Linzuo]

♫ The boundless world is pitch-dark as the night ♫

♫ Your appearance is like a lightning bolt that tore through the night ♫

♫ My birth is neither impure nor pure, neither born nor destroyed ♫

♫ Perseverance is in my heart behaving atrociously, who can comprehend? ♫

♫ The sharp sword that penetrates desire is stained with blood ♫

♫ The season tainted with the hypocrisy of the world is prosperous yet withering ♫

♫ Give me some time, I can change everything ♫

♫ The courageous moth can also extinguish a sea of flames ♫

♫ Sorrow and delight are interweaving with colors ♫

♫ Layers upon layers covered by a dense fog ♫

♫ Numerous obstacles cannot stop me ♫

♫ To uncover the truth ♫

♫ A region of burning fire and deep waters ♫

♫ Calm and blazing both existing ♫

♫ Who will indulge the wicked flames ♫

♫ To boil the deep sea ♫

♫ This is the era of survival of the fittest ♫

♫ Everything will be planned by oneself ♫

♫ Even if it is a proud and aloof predestination ♫

♫ Even if completely incompatible, I’m still here ♫

[The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty]

[Episode 13]

I already saw you!

Come on out.

I saw you.

Let's go.

Go.

- Dong. Can you count? - Yes.

Count to one thousand.

- If I still haven't come back by then, just run down the mountain. - Where are you going?

Listen to me. You just keep running until you meet the first person.

Do you understand me?

OK.

One, two, three…

Sir, this is what happened.

So, the network we have been operating for a long time in the capital

was destroyed overnight and it was all thanks to Tang Fan?

This Tang Fan is really abominable!

Sir, don't worry.

I will get rid of him.

He's mine.

Yes, sir.

Is everything ready?

Yes.

No one can stay alive to tell our secrets.

Good.

Well done.

You can't stay in the capital anymore.

Go to Yunhe.

I have new plans for you.

Yes, sir.

Your Excellency, how can I help you

for such a visit to my house late at night?

I just passed by your door.

I felt thirsty so I was wondering if you can give me some water?

Just for water?

It's a little weird since you came in the middle of night

with so many soldiers.

Weird?

You are so dressed up

yet you're living alone in this remote mountain forest.

Isn't that even weirder?

Do you know what the punishment is for kidnapping children

according to the Law of the Ming Dynasty?

Death penalty.

I want to see the people in your house.

I am afraid that's not very convenient.

You are already surrounded.

You will never escape.

I get to decide if it's convenient or not.

You misunderstood me, Your Excellency.

Actually I am also an official of the royal court.

This kind of crap means nothing to Western Depot.

So you're Commander Wang of Western Depot.

I am sorry that I didn't know who you were.

I am willing to make a deal with Your Excellency.

You think you can get away with it after you

committed such a serious crime?

I shall not dare to think so.

I am not in the position to negotiate with Your Excellency.

But I just hope you can spare my life.

On the fifth day of the eleventh lunar month, Year of Bingshen.

Five hundred taels of silver to the Commander as a gift to his promotion.

On the fifth day of the first lunar month, Year of Dingyou.

Five hundred taels of silver as New Year's gift.

On the 18th day of the fifth lunar month, Year of Dingyou.

1,500 taels as the Commander's birthday present.

What? Commander Wan celebrated his birthday twice a year?

More than twice.

As long as Commander Wan is happy,

he can have as many birthdays as he wants.

Commander Wang, how many birthdays do you celebrate a year?

Ever since I entered the palace when I was a kid,

I only celebrated the birthdays of His Majesty and Noble Consort Wan.

I have long forgotten when my birthday is.

Your Excellency are loyal to His Majesty and the country.

I'm really…

Can you still save him?

He's dead.

Let go of me!

Big guy.

Count to ten.

If he won't come out by then, tear this buddy into halves.

Only count to ten?

Because he can only count to ten.

One, two, three,

four,

five, six,

seven, eight, nine…

You were army deserters.

Since you were once in the army,

put down your arms and I won't kill you.

754.

755.

756

757.

Sui!

It's OK. It's OK.

Don't be afraid. We are the officials. We're here to save you.

Over there!

- Take him down the mountain. - Yes, sir!

Let's go.

There is a mechanism in the secret tunnel.

When I went after them halfway, the tunnel collapsed.

Do you know where the tunnel leads?

I already sent someone to check.

He took the poison before he came out to see me.

The token and the ledger were just to buy time

to let others inside the house escape.

I wonder what kind of person

had such a loyal subordinate.

Keep your voice down.

Dong just fell asleep.

You are in any case a martial arts master.

Yu cannot stand this kind of pain?

What are you doing, Pei?

Traumas can divide into superficial wounds, bone fractures and muscle injuries.

Different traumas require different treatments.

His injury is now bone-deep.

If I only apply vulnerary, it can only stop his bleeding.

That won't cure his injury.

Now I am using a hot iron to seal the wound together.

Then I will gradually apply medicine to condition his wound.

This way he will be fine in more than ten days to one month.

What kind of treatment is that?

It's scarier than the Western Depot's tortures.

This kind of treatment is often used in the army, too.

Right?

You don't understand the world of medicine,

which is complicated and profound.

If you don't understand something, just keep quiet.

You can come and observe when I dissect a body next time.

Then you'll know I wasn't bluffing.

Give me a break.

If I hadn't known you for three years and known you are just a medical maniac,

I might think you are a serial killer

because you're so keen at disemboweling people.

Ignorant.

There you go.

Your Excellency Wan. You haven't come here in a long time.

I think the girls in Huanyi Brothel don't suit your taste anymore.

I have been busy with work recently. Of course, I'll come! You're so pretty.

It doesn't matter if I'm pretty or not.

You Huanyi Brothel has degraded yourself

by receiving him as your customer.

Your Excellency Wan, don't be so mean.

Commander Wang is one of our investors.

His Excellencies are talking.

There is no place for you guys to chip in. Get out.

Don't look at these girls, Commander Wan.

Sit down. I'll leave you two to chat.

I'm go get some snacks to go with the wine. Be right back.

They all say that you don't like money.

It seems to be a fallacy.

Aren't you ashamed to earn money from investing brothels?

Who doesn't like money?

As long as it's not ill-gotten, I am fine.

Don't you agree with me?

I sense you're implying something.

We caught a group of human traffickers yesterday.

We believe they also kidnapped the son ofAssistant Minister of Ministry of Personnel.

Their leader was Qian Tai, the owner of Wantai Tea House.

He gave me this when he was caught,

saying he was also working for your department.

We Imperial Guards have a large and wide scope of work.

There are many people working for us secretly or publicly.

It's normal that some of them lost their tokens.

You won't try to give me a hard time because my guys lost some tokens, right?

Commander Wan, you're so good at making jokes.

I just helped you get this token back

so that you can return it to the owner.

Thank you.

As you said, this token can't prove anything.

Then what about this ledger?

When Qian Tai saw me,

he immediately took this out,

saying he wanted to make a small deal with me.

Where is this person now?

Commander Wan, you can rest assured.

He can't talk, not anymore.

So, what you mean is…

In terms of emotions, I should give this to Noble Consort Wan.

In terms of reasons,

I should give it to His Majesty.

But I don't want to make Her Highness sad

or put His Majesty in a difficult position.

Commander Wang.

This time, I have done you a favor.

I hope you can remember what I did.

I act under one simple rule.

I help you, and you help me.

How many children?

In the past eleven years from the third year of the Chenghua reign to now,

a total of 1,138 children.

How many of them can be found?

About more than thirty.

This is the capital right under my nose.

How can there be such an evil and outrageous crime!

These human traffickers wouldn't have been so bold

if there weren't court officials behind their back.

Did you find out

who the officials are?

Do you know why I ordered you to set up the Western Depot in the first place?

Because the Eastern Depot and the Imperial Guards grabbed all the power

and wanted to keep me in the dark.

Yes. They made me a mere figurehead high above.

I couldn't see or hear what was really happening.

If even you don't tell me the truth,

what do I need you or the Western Depot for?

Your Majesty. It's not that I don't want to tell the truth.

I just don't want to make Your Majesty angry

or upset Her Highness.

These 1,138 children

are all the Ming Dynasty's children.

They are also my children.

Wang Zhi. I want you to do something for me.

We have been waiting for a long time.

Look at that.

What's going on today?

It's already past the time of meeting with His Majesty.

Why is the palace gate not open yet?

What is His Majesty doing?

Commander Wang. Do you know what is going on?

His Majesty has arrived.

Your Majesty.

Thank you, Your Majesty.

[The Law of Ming Dynasty Penal Code]

By the Law of the Ming Dynasty,

criminals kidnapping children shall be beheaded immediately.

By the Law of the Ming Dynasty,

criminals kidnapping children and causing the death of them

shall be cut in two at the waist.

By The Law of the Ming Dynasty,

criminals kidnapping children and cutting the children's limbs and disfiguring them,

shall be put to death by dismembering.

You left your post and went to Jiangxi alone without telling anyone.

It's only justified that I cut your pay for half a month, right?

Yes.

OK.

You competed against with the Imperial Guards for credit and yet you failed.

You made our Shuntian Prefecture look bad.

It's only justified that I cut your pay for another half a month, right?

Yes.

Good.

You defied orders from the superior and didn't follow the dispatch.

The case was closed yet you kept digging.

It's only justified that I cut your pay for another half a month, right?

Now you're like a dead mouse which feels no cold, eh?

Say something!

Anyway, you have already deducted my salary to even next year's. I don't care anymore.

I don't care anymore.

I'm telling you, Tang Fan!

Don't use this attitude of "I don't care" to threaten me.

Cutting your salary is not my purpose, do you understand?

I'm doing this for your own good.

You have to learn a lesson from it.

You have to know your place and what's in your power.

Think about it, if you nail all the cases I tell you to do,

I don't have to deduct your salary.

- Thank you, Bin. - I didn't say I won't deduct it.

There is an urgent case.

Take a look.

The Minister of Court of Judicial Review lost a fur coat which is worth

several hundred taels of silver.

Anyone can solve this case in a breeze.

Just give it to anyone.

There is a case that I am very interested in.

Let me investigate it!

Serial female body case?

This is a cold case.

Yes!

When was the last time you solved a major case?

What do you want?

As for this old case, the Imperial Guards didn't solve it,

and both the Eastern and Western Deports didn't solve it.

If you solve it, think about the huge credits you will take!

Don't even think about it.

Just go to do some down-to-earth work and

find the fur coat since you said it is so easy.

-But I… -There's no but!

Do you still want your salary or not?

Fine! I will solve the fur coat case.

Can you let me work on the serial female body case then?

Find the coat and we'll see.

You always put your finger in another's pie.

What are you doing?

Take a look at where this coat is.

Stop! What is in your wagon?

Sir. These are just straws.

You can go.

Thank you, Sir.

Wait!

- Sir? - I have been working as a constable for many years.

I only heard that people would transport straws from outside the city.

I have never heard people would take straws from the city to outside.

I'll give you two options.

First, tell me everything.

Second, being dragged to the jail and rot there.

You think about it.

He took her heart out through such a small cut.

The murderer's knife technique has improved again.

Come here.

Look at this one.

The first female body with her heart taken out

discovered in the third lunar month of the third year of the Tianshun reign.

Look at this wound.

It was a big cut.

The murderer broke two ribs

trying to take out the heart of the deceased.

The wound had become a big hole.

This is the fourteenth female body

found in the ninth month of the second year of the Chenghua reign.

Although the cut was still large,

it was no longer badly mutilated.

This means when the murderer killed his victim,

he had become very calm and he was getting good at it.

When it comes to this body,

the cut is like a thin line

just enough to take the heart out, no more, no less.

Are these all the victims with their heart removed?

These are only a part of them.

If like what you said, the first case discovered happened

in the third year of the Tianshun reign,

that was eighteen years ago.

But why did this file say

this case happened only six or seven years ago?

It's a long story.

Take your time. I will listen.

I have all the time in the world.

Any progress?

Yes. The case is getting more complicated.

The time period the serial murderer committed the crime was longer than we thought.

In other words, there are more victims.

I caught someone.

This person is probably the murderer.

Why did you arrest him?

During our routine inspection,

we found a female body being transported outside the city.

The body was gutted, which is

highly similar to the bodies of the serial murder.

Following the lead of the body transporter, we found him.

When we arrived at his clinic,

he was cutting open another female body.

I have known him for many years! He is just a medical manic!

He always does things that ordinary people cannot understand.

But I know his character.

It's absolutely impossible that he is the murderer of the serial female body case.

Before the law, you can't use a person's character and trust to defend him.

The only thing matters is evidence.

Now we have both witnesses and physical evidence.

Besides, the time just matches the time span of the murder.

He is the biggest suspect now.

What time span?

He came to the capital seven years ago.

The first victim of this serial murder case appeared seven years ago.

There is a problem with this time span! I will explain to you later.

- Can you release him first? - No can do.

I know my friend.

I believe he is not a murderer.

Just like I believed you would not break the law,

so I went to Jiangxi to save you.

Weren't you just afraid that if I died you wouldn't have a place to live?

This is very ungrateful!

I went to save you because I believed in your innocence!

That's it.

The two of you are royal court officials.

Don't you feel ashamed to quarrel in front of a prisoner?

Get out! If you have anything to say, say it outside.

Get out!

I put him in a single cell.

Don't torture him.

I don't like torturing inmates.

I will prove that he is innocent.

Then do it quick.

What happened to you?

Time for dinner!

I'll pass.

Tang said he'll pass dinner.

He said that?

Just the right timing.

I summed up four doubts, take a look.

Firstly, according to the files and drawings Sun the coroner made and kept over the years,

all the deceased in the cases all died because someone took out their hearts.

And the bodies Pei dissected mostly died because of acute diseases

and they died more than two or three days ago.

Secondly, Pei bought the bodies he dissected.

Most of them are homeless or no one came to claim the bodies.

That's why he bought a graveyard outside the city to bury these bodies after he dissected them.

If he is the murderer, he can just dump the bodies like the murderer did.

Why would he buy a piece of land which is so easy to track?

Thirdly, the murderer's technique is different from that of Pei.

Pei did dissection of the bodies to investigate the cause of them.

And the murderer only took their hearts.

Fourthly, Pei has only been in the capital for the past seven years

But according to Sun's account, the first murder happened eighteen years ago.

At that time, Pei was not in the capital.

On top of that, he was only twelve or three years old back then.

Have something to eat first.

Do you understand what I said?

Yes.

Can you let him go?

What you said makes sense.

But there is no direct evidence

which can prove that Pei Huai is not the murderer.

Sui Zhou, you are as stubborn as a donkey!

After my thorough explanation, why didn't you get it?

OK, let's go to interrogate Pei Huai overnight.

With the brains of the two of us, we will definitely make progress.

Let's go now.

Eat some food first.

We're going now!

We will, after you have your dinner.

You and I can still have dinner at home.

But Pei is not in the mood to eat anything now!

Not necessarily.

Of course you'll say that.

It's not you who is in prison now.

Uncle Pei ordered from prison roasted duck, stewed pork with brown sauce,

boiled vegetables and four sesame cakes, and a pot of rice wine.

Sui paid for the bills and I got the takeout from different restaurants.

Eat your dinner.

So that duck drumstick is… Uncle Pei gave it to me.

He said he could not eat so much by himself.

Eat.

Then… Let's have dinner first.

He can wait a moment.

Sir.

You came just in the nick of time. Have dinner with us.

Mr. Tang, I found someone who should have something to do with you.

What is going on?

He was found by a child shepherd outside the city.

The kid filed it to the constable.

They found on him an ID of the Shuntian Prefecture.

They thought he must steal or rob it from someone.

So as usual, the constable reported it to the Imperial Guards.

I saw and found out this is your ID.

The patrolmen who sent him here said he was a tough guy.

He fell from a high cliff

and got injured. But he still managed to climb another 1.5km after that.

How is he?

I can't find my heartbeat.

I'm afraid there's nothing I can do.

What are you still standing there for?

You know who can save him.

Eleven fractures all over the body.

All organs have different degrees of damages.

Anyway, I did everything I can.

Can he make it?

Normally, any other people would have died a long time ago with such serious injuries.

He is still alive now because of his will power.

As for whether he can make it,

we'll know in three days.

If he wakes up in three days, he will live.

Let's go.

Dora.

Dora!

She's not here.

When was the last time you saw her?

About two or three days ago.

Two days or three days exactly?

Three days.

That's right.

No one has been here for three days.

Something happened to Dora.

Eat it while it's warm.

It won't taste good when it's cold.

Come on.

Let me feed you.

Sui! Help!

Guys!

- Tang! - Dong!

Help! Help!

Although he is awake now,

he still needs to rest quietly. Avoid excitement.

Otherwise, his wounds will crack open again.

What's wrong with him?

I fed him some poppy.

What?

It's a sedative that can sooth him.

But…

I can't drink anymore.

It seems there are some side effects.

Wuyun! Wake up.

- Mr. Tang. - What happened?

Bamboo tube…

I can't drink anymore.

Wuyun, Wuyun!

Where is Dora? Where is Dora?

Bamboo tube…

Before the bamboo tube, what happened before the bamboo tube?

Before bamboo tube… Well-doer Zhu…

- Well-doer Zhu? - Well-doer Zhu…

Sir, then I will take Dr. Pei back to the prison.

Dong, go to the kitchen and get him a roasted duck.

OK.

It'll be better to have a bottle of rice wine.

- Dong. - Got it!

Give them to me.

- Pei... - Bye.

Do you know that Well-doer Zhu Wuyun said?

His real name is Zhu Jianmou.

He is a royal member,

a duke who enjoys a ration of two thousand dan of grains monthly.

This kind-hearted duke has done a lot of good deeds.

So people in the capital gave him a nickname Well-doer Zhu.

Let's go and ask him.

Maybe he knows the whereabouts of Dora.

Wait.

Since the Oirat is awake, can you ask him to leave?

We owe them! How can you be so ungrateful?

How many times do you have to remind me that?

Can you stop?

No.

I give him three days.

No matter how he's recovered, he must leave.

Come on.

Easy and slowly.

Be careful.

Come on.

Okay, go.

Your Highness.

Please forgive me for taking the liberty to visit you.

Please, you're most welcomed.

But what can I do for you guys?

This is a magistrate of the Shuntian Prefecture, Tang Fan.

Your Highness. I wonder if you remember an Oirat girl named Dora?

She came to you for help a few days ago.

Of course I remember Dora.

A few days ago she asked me to find a missing girl.

During the days while I asked around, I met Dora twice.

I was wondering if she found the missing girl.

Thank you for your concern.

The missing girl is my sister.

We have found her safe and sound.

That's good, that's good.

But now Dora goes missing.

I can hardly believe it!

I saw her at Orphanage the other day.

We came to Your Highness this time to see

whether you know where she is.

You can rest assured.

I don't know where Dora is.

But I will try my best to help find her.

After all, after what we've been through,

Dora and I have become friends.

Thank you, Your Highness. I appreciate that.

Timing and subtitles brought to you by ⚖Defenders of the Law ⚖ Team @ Viki

♫ Out of the mud but not tainted with the world of mortals ♫

♫ The sea drifts along while the heart is calm for a fraction ♫

♫ All alone in the world with no love nor hate ♫

♫ Being too slow-witted is also an innate intelligence ♫

♫ The cold fireworks branded the palm lines of predestination ♫

♫ New wounds cannot easily conceal old scars ♫

♫ The naked eye cannot easily break through worldly affairs, it can only hold on to one’s pure inherent quality ♫

♫ Hold his hand, don’t let him sink into degradation ♫

♫ In this mortal world together, both wandering to the end of the world ♫

♫ Brushing past each other, there’s no need to be bothered with the past ♫

♫ A fish lept over the dragon gate (after becoming successful), you eventually forgot your original identity ♫

♫ I only ask for you to always remember my expression as I gazed back ♫

♫ I only ask for you to always remember my expression as I gazed back ♫