Original subtitles

[English subtitles are available]

[Under the Microscope]

[Episode 4]

Assistant Magistrate Ren.

How are you feeling?

Much better.

Thank you, Prefect Huang.

You may rise.

I found a good physician in the city

especially for you.

You can

join the discussion now.

Let's continue to discuss

the Silk Poll Tax.

All of you are busy

with the affairs of your respective counties.

Let's finish the discussion quickly

so you can head back as soon as possible.

Yesterday,

Shuai Jiamo filed a plaint

and requested that the eight counties of Jin'an

open their Archives

so he can check the original records.

What do you think?

I'm against it.

Magistrate Mao.

You must have a reason for it.

What reason do I need?

He's just a commoner.

How can we open the Archives to him?

It will damage the government's authority.

Besides,

if everyone

follows his lead,

our county offices

will never hear the end of it!

Don't make a scene here, Magistrate Mao.

This is no longer

merely a plaint from a commoner.

This is something

Jin'an Prefecture must investigate carefully.

The Silk Poll Tax

has been around for over 100 years.

If we don't open the Archives and check the original records,

how can we get to the root of the problem?

How can we rectify it?

I suddenly remembered

that the Houhu Yellow Register Archives in Nanjing

reported a case

five years ago,

about a father and son who sneaked into Houhu

and tried to tamper with the record

of their ancestral home,

and were arrested for it.

I remember it very clearly.

They were sentenced to strangulation.

It shows that the Archives are a place of importance

and must not be treated lightly.

There are rules to be followed.

Although our Archives

are not very grand,

special guards are appointed to stand guard outside.

Even I have to report and register my name

when I go in.

Magistrate Fang.

When you found out that

he had trespassed into the Archives,

why did you let him off so lightly,

with only a flogging?

Are you disregarding

the safety of our country's records?

Magistrate Mao.

Don't say that.

How could I have known

he wanted to raise an uproar

in Jin'an Prefecture?

However,

I passed an order immediately,

prohibiting him from entering the Archives again.

It was no match

for his tricks, though.

We are talking about

the Silk Poll Tax,

not

Shuai Jiamo's sentence.

Prefect Huang,

that's not right.

Shuai Jiamo was ill-intentioned

from the beginning.

If we sit here

talking about the silk tax,

wouldn't we be letting him get the better of us?

You always talk about getting to the root of problems.

We must

get to the root of this.

What are Shuai Jiamo's

ulterior motives?

Why is he creating dispute

around the Silk Poll Tax?

That's right!

Jin'an Prefecture was doing perfectly fine.

Then, he suddenly appeared

and tried to create an uproar.

This is too strange.

When things are strange,

something deeper must be at play.

Shuai Jiamo is an orphan and a bachelor,

he's the only one in his household.

Even if I voided

the Silk Poll Tax for Renhua County,

what would Shuai Jiamo

get out of it?

That's even stranger.

Why would he do this

if he can't get anything out of it?

Magistrate Deng, look at him.

He's just an arithmetic nut.

What ulterior motives could he have?

I see!

You mean

someone is instructing him!

Everyone.

We are talking about

how to deal with the Silk Poll Tax,

not how to settle old scores with Shuai Jiamo,

nor how to appraise his character.

If someone is diligent for no reason, he must be up to no good.

Think about it.

He's working so hard on something

that doesn't even benefit him.

There must be a greater conspiracy

behind this!

If we ignore

these details

and allow him to lead us on

in discussing the Silk Poll Tax,

we would be missing the point

in a very grave manner.

What exactly do you want?

We want Shuai Jiamo

to make clear

what his true purpose is

in raising the matter of the Silk Poll Tax.

If he cannot make himself clear,

we should follow the example set by the

yellow register tampering case in Houhu, Nanjing:

punish him severely

as a warning to others.

Shuai Jiamo.

Tell us.

Why did you go

to the Archives?

Yes.

When I helped people

measure their land,

I found that the numbers didn't tally

with those in the fish-scale map registers.

I get a headache

whenever I find anomalies in numbers,

so I went to the Archives to look it up.

At first, I was checking the fish-scale map registers.

Later, it led me to the tax registers.

The numbers

are all related.

Each implicates the others.

Later, I followed the lead

and found

there was a problem

with the Silk Poll Tax.

Enough!

Prefect Huang.

Listen to him.

What nonsense

is he spouting?

Shuai Jiamo!

Be serious.

I am serious.

Looks like

it's up to us

to reveal the truth.

Tell me your name.

I'm a student from Lanxi County,

Cheng Renqing.

How do you know

why Shuai Jiamo went to the Archives?

All the affairs of the world can be boiled down to six words:

common sense, human sentiment, justice, and public-mindedness.

I infer based on common sense,

judge based on human sentiment,

argue based on justice,

and defend based on public-mindedness—

Stop that.

Hurry up and tell us.

We need to trace this back to

20 years ago,

during the 38th year of the Jiajing reign,

when a tragedy happened in Renhua County.

A home caught on fire,

killing a couple

and leaving behind their orphan.

The husband in this couple

was called Shuai Duncheng

and the wife was called Liu Yue'e.

This Shuai Duncheng

was a copyist

in Renhua County's Revenue Office.

He was well-known for being a master of arithmetic.

Cheng Renqing.

Don't talk about irrelevant matters.

Assistant Prefect Song, calm down.

Let him finish.

In the 38th year of the Jiajing reign,

there was a corruption case in Jin'an Prefecture.

It involved a shockingly huge

sum of money.

The Grand Coordinator and Regional Inspector were alerted of this

and their offices issued orders

for a thorough investigation.

After investigating the case,

only one culprit was found.

It was Shuai Duncheng.

Let's set aside the matter of what Shuai Duncheng did

and how he was discovered

for today.

After the incident,

it just so happened that

Shuai Duncheng and Liu Yue'e's house

caught on fire.

Both of them died.

Rumor has it that

they committed suicide to escape punishment.

Only one pitiable orphan

grew up on the charity of his neighbors.

How did you know about this?

Fortunately,

only 20 years has passed since the incident.

Many people should still remember this.

Assistant Magistrate Ren,

am I right?

Yes.

I was in Renhua then.

It was a tragedy.

It's truly lamentable.

Old Mister Ren.

In your opinion,

was there anything suspicious

about Shuai Duncheng's case?

It's hard to say, after such a long time.

However,

the money involved

was probably not pocketed

by Shuai Duncheng alone.

In other words,

something was off with the case.

Yes, but not much more.

It's all in the past.

It has nothing to do with the topic of today's discussion.

No.

Old Mister Ren,

may I know

what kind of case

Shuai Duncheng's case was?

A corruption case.

Shuai Duncheng embezzled 3,530 taels

of the Silk Poll Tax.

He self-immolated to escape punishment.

Although there was something odd about the case,

it wasn't enough to reverse the verdict.

But it was certainly enough

to sow seeds of hatred

in a child's heart.

To think that

Shuai Jiamo is Shuai Duncheng's son.

How unexpected.

How unexpected indeed.

I see.

Both father and son

are involved with the Silk Poll Tax.

A seven-year-old boy

watched his parents

die tragically.

How could he forget?

As he got older,

he understood more about the world,

and so began to question

why his parents

had killed themselves in that fire.

Were they really the culprits

of the corruption case?

His curiosity about the case intensified

as time went by,

and his hatred towards Jin'an Prefecture

deepened!

But even though Shuai Jiamo wanted revenge,

he had no family to rely on,

was not qualified to take the imperial examinations,

and did not have brute strength.

What then?

The only thing he had

was the arithmetic

he had inherited from his father.

He could only use

what he was good at

to take revenge

on the whole of Jin'an Prefecture.

[3,530]

Jiamo.

Remember this number.

What's going on?

Assistant Prefect Song,

Shuai Jiamo is fine.

He just has some repressed emotions in him

that he's unable to vent.

He just needs to drink some sour date water

and get some rest.

Prepare it, quickly.

Okay.

Jiamo, how are you?

I saw my parents.

I saw my parents.

My father was holding a book.

Jiamo.

Cheng Renqing will stop at nothing

to win.

He will strike you

where you are the most vulnerable.

You mustn't take it to heart.

Yes.

I still have to investigate

the silk tax case.

Wait.

You're still thinking about this?

Prefect Huang is still discussing it

with the county magistrates

in the hall.

I haven't explained

the origin of silk tax yet.

What do they have to discuss?

They're not discussing the

silk tax.

They're discussing you.

Everyone.

You're hell-bent

on punishing Shuai Jiamo.

Is there really something wrong

with the Silk Poll Tax?

Prefect Huang.

I want to show you

something.

Take a seat,

all of you.

Prefect Huang.

Assistant Magistrate Ren

is a truly respectable official.

Here.

Yes.

Prepare a pair of new boots

for Assistant Magistrate Ren.

Yes.

Prefect Huang,

I've worn these boots for many years.

I've travelled through mountains and rivers in them,

and I don't know how many times I've mended them.

I didn't mean to make a show of my frugality.

It's just that money is tight.

You know that Wancheng is known for being

seven parts mountain, two parts water, and one part arable land.

But the people not only have to bear

regular taxes during summer and autumn

and apportioned corvée,

there are many other types of miscellaneous corvée work.

A family of three

working nonstop through the year,

sowing in spring and harvesting in autumn,

earns perhaps less than

half a tael of silver.

It's not even enough for a loan

to buy seeds the following year.

Even if I wanted to be corrupt,

it would be like trying to carve flesh

from a mosquito's legs.

The policies are harsh,

and the commoners find it hard to make a living.

That is why no one wants

the position of County Magistrate of Wancheng.

That's how my boots get worn out and

need repeated mending.

I dare not speak about

the Silk Poll Tax.

But I can tell you

what will happen in Wancheng

if a new tax appears all of a sudden.

Those farmers

will have to liquidate

their savings and livestock

in order to pay up.

But they are poor,

and can only borrow money from loan sharks.

They will have to either sell their land

and become métayers,

abandon their land and escape,

or

kill me and the taxmen

and join the bandits.

Every time taxes are raised,

these things happen.

Whether the silk tax is real or not,

I dare not agree

on behalf of my people.

It’s the same for Lanxi County.

If disputes due to a tax increase

cause delay in the transportation of main taxes,

the court will hold me responsible.

When that happens,

I will be forced to resign.

You...

Prefect Huang.

This tax has existed

since before I was born.

It has been around for over a hundred years.

Even if it were unjust,

it has become the status quo.

We should not be too meticulous about matters of the past.

If you insist on

pursuing the matter,

what if there is something wrong

with the other taxes?

If we open the floodgates,

the controversy will be endless.

I, Prefect Huang, have made a decision

[Jin'an Prefectural Office]

on the silk tax case.

Shuai Jiamo spread false rumors

in an attempt to seek revenge.

He has been detained and will be handed

to the Office of Justice to be sentenced.

People of Renhua,

you are not to talk about this issue

nor spread rumors.

Offenders

will be held accountable.

Go in!

[Honourable and Just]

Buying ham?

Do you want me to show you around?

I'm here to see your brother.

You found out we won the lawsuit

and came to congratulate us, right?

What a coincidence.

He might have been stopped by the people

on his way back.

Your brother

lost the lawsuit.

Your brother is fine for now,

he'll be back soon.

As for Shuai Jiamo,

he wasn't

that lucky.

He was reported

for holding a grudge

because of his parents

and trying to take revenge on the entire Jin'an Prefecture.

His parents

burned to death.

Who said that?

Me.

You?

I have to thank Ms. Feng

for telling me

about Shuai Jiamo's background,

which led me

to discover this piece of information.

Listen to my advice.

Taxes, money, and grains

are of paramount importance

to officials, and to the court.

You're seeking doom

if you interfere in these matters.

You're the one seeking your doom.

I have a second piece of advice.

Interfering with someone making their fortune is akin to killing their parents.

This has been the case since ancient times.

Competing for profit is the gravest type of enmity.

If you want to threaten

the interests of the other seven counties,

do you know how much trouble you will make?

What trouble?

I came to your branch in Tongyang today

to check if the pork you're using

comes from diseased pigs.

I’ll go to your branch in Wancheng tomorrow

to check if there are problems

with your account books.

The day after tomorrow,

Jin'an will send you a note

nominating you for an imperial commission

to send 3,000 jin of

top quality-ham hocks

to the capital for free.

You can abandon your business,

but

do you want to save...

that playboy brother

of yours?

You...

Tell your brother when he comes back

that I've finished writing

a confession for him.

He was deceived by an evil person and couldn't tell truth from falsehood.

He only raised the joint plaint

because he could not turn a friend down.

Now he has repented

and is willing to testify

that Shuai Jiamo was indeed trying to take revenge

by deceiving the public.

[Shuai Jiamo wanted to take revenge]

[Yufeng Bridge]

Sir,

you seem to be in a good mood

after leaving the ham shop.

Do you really like her?

She gave me half a string of cash,

that’s all.

Mr. Cheng!

Mr. Cheng!

Sir,

should we wait for him?

No need. Go on.

Mr. Cheng!

Mr. Cheng.

Have you signed the confession?

I want you

to clear Shuai's name.

Clear his name?

That comes at a price.

Mr. Cheng!

According to The Great Ming Code,

Shuai Jiamo's crime

will get him flogged 30 times

and exiled 3,000 li away at most.

It's not heavy.

Shuai is a dummy except for his arithmetic skills,

he won't make it

if he gets exiled 3,000 li away!

Mr. Cheng.

I beg of you.

Find a way

to clear his name.

It's easy.

Take your confession and tear it up.

Turn yourself in at the government office,

and tell them

you were behind the whole thing.

He'll be fine then.

Wait.

Shuai Jiamo's sentence

depends on Prefect Huang.

I'll be off now.

[Prison]

Guards!

Help!

-Come here. -What are you doing?

Help! Help!

Why aren't you sleeping?

We need to change cells.

What's wrong with you?

Changing cells in the middle of the night.

This- This cell...

I- can't stay here anymore.

The new guy...

So what if he's new?

Is he sick

or did he see a ghost?

We wanted to intimidate him.

But he...

He...

He kept mumbling

and even drew sigils on the ground.

And I saw

a wisp of black smoke

floating in through that window

with my own eyes.

Could he be

possessed?

It's possible!

I can't live here anymore,

it's too scary.

Yes.

I'll confess everything I did.

Let us go somewhere else.

Hurry up.

Open the door.

Come on.

Here.

Wait.

-Let's go. -Look at this.

Ghost!

Master Fan.

Fortunately, I did not let you down.

Alright. You may go.

Magistrate Deng, Old Mister Ren,

farewell.

-See you. -See you.

Looks like

you have a trump card.

Hurry up.

You're too slow.

I'll hurry.

[Renhua]

It's fresh out of the oven.

You scared me!

Don't say that.

We saw a spirit

last night.

Spirit?

There are spirits

in a prison as lame as this?

Keep your voice down.

Yes.

There really was a cat spirit.

We saw it last night.

I think

the cat spirit that eats straw mats

possessed him.

Possessed who?

The one from yesterday.

He-

The one who just came in yesterday.

He's called...

Shuai Jiamo.

Him?

This is the prison.

What are you doing here?

Greetings, Sirs.

I want to visit someone.

Do you have a document from the Office of Justice

or a letter from the Prefect?

Who are you visiting?

Shuai Jiamo. He just came yesterday.

Tell him

the two of us

are on orders to stand guard here.

We have no grudge against him.

Tell him to spare us

from his hoodoo.

Please come in.

Yes, this way.

Shuai.

Are you okay?

You came at the right time.

I found

a new way to prove it—

That's not important anymore.

Why not?

I found a new way

to prove the relationship

between the Silk Poll Tax

and the provisions supplement.

As long as I get the original registers,

I can calculate it.

Shuai!

I have to get something clear

today

because it concerns

many important things.

Go ahead.

Was

what Cheng Renqing said yesterday

true?

What?

He said

you're making use of the Silk Poll Tax

to cause trouble in Jin'an Prefecture

in order to avenge your parents.

Is that true?

No.

I can't remember anything

about my parents.

I know you don't lie.

But after listening to

Cheng Renqing's story,

you responded really strangely

and then passed out.

I've never seen that from you before!

I had a splitting headache.

Many things from the past

swept into my mind

like a gust of wind.

But they were all jumbled up.

I couldn't tell

which ones were real

and which ones were fake.

Did you really

have no memory of them

before this?

I wish I could remember.

But I can't even remember

what my parents looked like.

In the past,

even if someone scolded me,

saying my father did something wrong,

I could never get angry.

Because I didn't know

what he did.

But you remember

the arithmetic your father taught you.

Because arithmetic

is the only thing

I care about in this world.

You don't understand.

It's like how I could never understand

why you think

brothels and gambling houses

are so fun.

You will also never understand

how interesting arithmetic is.

Interesting?

Numbers are simple by nature.

Arithmetic is the most honest thing

in the world.

One plus one is always two.

Five times four is always twenty.

And the square of 12

is always 144.

People are unpredictable and hard to figure out,

but numbers are simple and never deceive us.

The relationships between numbers

are like the constellations in the sky,

they don't ever change.

As long as you understand

the principles of their workings and the methods of calculation,

you can find out

anything you wish to know!

This is what I pursue!

Even if there are infinitely many numbers,

even if the sums are complex,

fundamental principles allow me to command them!

Perhaps to you,

this is just

a room filled with

tattered official newspapers.

But to me,

this is the way to the abode of the Immortals!

Here, my spirit wanders

up into the heavens and down into the netherworld!

Countless sceneries appear

in a blink of an eye!

What is this, if not true freedom?

What's the difference between this

and becoming an Immortal?

[3,530]

Well said...

What- What does that mean?

I didn't understand either.

But it doesn't matter anymore.

Shuai,

wait for me here.

It's time to change the straw mat.

We'll change it.

-Right away. -Right now.

[Office of Justice]

No.

This is an official document.

A few days ago, Magistrate Fang

handed an official document over to me,

saying he wanted to try

the silk tax case.

Since we reached a conclusion yesterday,

according to standard procedure,

I should write an official document to Magistrate Fang

in return, right?

Ask Renhua County to execute my orders.

You mean I should

turn this official document into a bulletin

in Renhua County's name

to announce the judgement?

This incident caused a ruckus

in Renhua.

Don't we owe the public

an explanation?

If this judgement is announced,

and the people find out

they have to continue

paying this Silk Poll Tax,

I'm afraid

they will object.

How could they?

They will only praise Magistrate Fang

for being considerate of the people.

Prefect Huang,

that makes sense,

but did you know that

even though the people of Renhua

are simple and honest,

there is no lack of scoundrels either.

Shouldn't we

be more aware of their feelings?

You're new here.

If there is a disturbance

in Jin'an Prefecture,

it will be bad for your reputation.

I really don't mind.

Anyway, my orders

are only effective

within this Prefectural Office.

The ones doing the real work

are the county magistrates.

Prefect—

I have made copies

of this official document

for the county magistrates

of Lanxi, Wancheng, and Tongyang.

I believe

they will publicize it soon.

Go back and handle it according to the rules.

Prefect- Prefect Huang—

See him out!

Are you here to submit the confession?

Come back with me.

No, Sister!

I thought of a way to save Dummy.

You-

What could you think of?

[Flog 40 times, Exile 3,000 li away]

[Flog 40 times, Exile 3,000 li away]

Do you want to save Shuai Jiamo

or kill him?

Look at

what you wrote.

You want them

to punish him severely?

Slow down.

This is why it's brilliant.

Brilliant?

It's worth my effort

spending the whole night working on it.

Get to the point!

The ones who want to punish Shuai

are the four county magistrates.

Prefect Huang still supports us.

Why did he order Shuai's arrest then?

He was forced to by the circumstances.

But when he gave the order,

he said

he was detaining Shuai Jiamo

for the Office of Justice to sentence him.

Hush.

If Prefect Huang

really wanted to punish Shuai,

he would have given the order himself!

He's letting the

Office of Justice handle it

to hint that

he wants to wash his hands of the matter.

It's up to them now.

So,

I came here in a hurry

to speak to the Clerk at the Office of Justice.

So you mean

Prefect Huang has already hinted at his intentions,

so the Office of Justice

must find him innocent

no matter what?

No!

If he is acquitted,

the other county magistrates

will protest.

So my solution

is to do the opposite!

We'll suggest a harsh sentence.

The heavier the crime,

the more absurd it is.

The more absurd it is,

the easier it will be for Prefect Huang

to throw it out.

We'll make submissions and get them thrown out,

until the outsiders can't find any flaws.

Then, Shuai will be acquitted.

I see.

Recently,

an insolent resident of Renhua, Shuai Jiamo,

spread rumors and stirred up trouble

[Tongyang]

regarding matters of taxation.

He attempted to profit from it and throw the community into disorder.

[Wancheng]

I, the Prefect, argued logically

on the implications of the matter

such that the people will not have to suffer

[Lanxi]

an increased tax burden.

Now, the criminal has been detained.

People of our Prefecture, do not be alarmed,

all is well now.

[Renhua]

I happened to catch a cold,

and am unfit for work.

All official matters shall be postponed.

What's going on?

He's cowering

at a time like this?

He can't do anything.

This is outrageous!

[Jin'an Prefectural Office]

Deceiving the people with falsehoods

and indulging in barratry.

He should be exiled 3,000 li away.

They came up with this verdict.

The Clerk at the Office of Justice

is a long-serving functionary.

Naturally, he can read between the lines

and knows how to act sensibly.

Did you teach him that?

The people in Jin'an Prefecture are in harmony with one another.

That's my wish.

Not at all.

Am I being unreasonable?

They are the ones who were being aggressive.

Yes.

Guards!

This sentence is too harsh. Overruled.

Ask the Office of Justice to review it.

Yes.

In this way,

we all get what we want,

and the matter will be settled.

Not necessarily.

[Official Newspaper]

The Prefect's document reads:

[Ticket]

This criminal deceived the people with falsehoods

and indulged in barratry.

However, the mitigating circumstances

are pitiable.

Considering this was his first offence, he will be given a warning

and released from prison.

-Release him! -Release him!

Any recidivism

will be a serious offense

and punished harshly.

Hurry up.

-Come on. -Come on.

Turn over a new leaf after you get out!

Turn over a new leaf!

Turn over a new leaf!

-Don't come back! -Don't come back!

Shut up!

-You should go. -Go, quickly.

Get rid of the bad luck.

You did quite well in prison.

Everyone is afraid of you.

They are afraid of me

because they think

I was possessed by a spirit.

What a coincidence.

Baoyu was possessed by a spirit too.

Then you have to get rid of the bad luck for me.

Come here.

No.

Don't...

Sister.

This...

This is good.

Shuai Jiamo,

Feng Baoyu.

Prefect Huang.

Prefect Huang.

Shuai Jiamo.

This is your plaint.

Take it back.

I came up with

a new way to prove it while I was in prison.

As long as we add it into the memorandum,

we can prove—

It's useless to file this plaint

in Jin'an Prefecture.

But the Silk Poll Tax—

Didn't you understand what I said?

It's useless to file this plaint

in Jin'an Prefecture.

Understand?

Prefect Huang, take care.

The memorandum was well-written.

It's just that Shuai Jiamo

entrusted it to the wrong person.

Let me see.

[This has been the case over several reigns, but it shouldn't be so.]

Is Prefect Huang

revising your memorandum?

Let me see.

Look.

There are so many emendations.

Is Prefect Huang trying to

become your schoolteacher, Dummy?

What is this?

This is an official newspaper.

What is an an official newspaper?

You don't know, do you?

Official newspapers

report on

officials who were promoted or demoted

in a given month,

countries that sent tribute,

or decrees issued by the court.

Things like that are all in there.

It's for the reference of

the officials in the provinces.

Shouldn't we return it

to Prefect Huang then?

Right.

Let's go.

Prefect Huang.

Prefect Huang.

Prefect Huang said

we shouldn't file the plaint in Jin'an.

Yes.

What if we do it

somewhere other than Jin'an?

I understand now.

Did Prefect Huang mean to say

we should go somewhere

a level higher than Jin'an Prefecture

to file the plaint?

Look.

The spirit has possessed him again.