Original subtitles

[Judge Dee's Mystery]

[Based on the novel of the same name by the Dutch author Robert van Gulik]

[Episode 3]

[This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance is purely coincidental.]

[Day five]

[Department of State Affairs]

Stop.

Go.

Stop.

Open it up.

Is there anything in it?

You guys

look new to me.

We're new.

Go now.

What's wrong?

Clean up now.

[Archive]

So many.

What are we looking for?

We're looking for the list of those

who left the capital nine days ago,

on the tenth day of the fifth month.

There are so many. How can we find it?

Split up and search for it.

Qiao Tai,

you go over there.

How about me?

Wherever you choose.

What...

What does he mean by "wherever I choose"?

You don't know how to read. You...

Shut up.

I don't know how to read, so what?

So what?

Fine.

Whatever you want. Okay?

[The tenth day of the fifth month]

[List of Personnel Who Left the Capital on the Tenth Day of the Fifth Month]

Here it is.

On the day you mentioned,

ten people left the capital.

Yangzhou, Shannan Circuit.

Four of them went there.

General Kang,

we found something suspicious here.

This place is not planned for remodeling.

General Kang,

we have checked everywhere.

Nobody is here.

Check the armory again.

Don't leave anything to chance.

Yes.

Mr. Di,

why must we check the Yulin Guards' records of leaving the capital?

On the second day

of these Yulin Guards' departure from the palace,

the Governor of Yangzhou, Chen Zhuliang,

was forcibly poisoned and killed.

The ones who delivered the decree

were the Yulin Guards.

From Chang'an to Yangzhou,

it takes half a day at top speed.

So those four were the ones who delivered the forged imperial decree.

They were silenced?

The forged imperial decree

is the cause of the violent criticism.

From Jushui Entertainment House,

all the deaths

are related to the Phoenix Seal.

The Yulin Guards are the royal army.

Who has the guts

to kill the Yulin Guards?

Let's investigate.

On sale. It's fresh.

Make way, please.

Come and take a look.

Sea animal and grape pattern.

Remember what it looks like.

Let's split up and look around

to see if we can find anything similar.

I'll go over there.

I'll go that way.

Small bowls.

Beautiful plates.

A wine glass that ran across the sea.

Excuse me,

is that a picture of a sea animal?

Yes.

It's an animal.

Where did it come from?

Can you tell me where it came from?

It's a wine glass brought from far away.

Well,

well.

Stop. You don't have to say anymore.

Forget I asked.

Welcome.

Sir,

you're from the Xuanjia Army, right?

Me?

This is the unique decoration

on the Xuanjia Army's sword.

The Xuanjia Army greatly contributed

to Emperor Taizong's defeat of Xueyantuo Khaganate.

It's made

of pure copper.

It's a rare item nowadays.

I'm afraid

only General Kang Huai'en's soldiers

would have it.

Kang Huai'en.

I've heard that name before.

He's a rebel, right?

Yes.

He had no vision.

Even we Kucha people know

that Emperor Taizong would win,

but he defected to Xueyantuo.

Are you selling this?

I can offer you this much for it.

[Wei's Residence]

Stop drinking.

Have some water.

You see.

All the cases related to the Heavenly Fire are linked to the Empress.

Everyone out there is saying

that anyone who supports the Empress

will be punished by Heaven

and burned by the Heavenly Fire.

Do you think it's true?

It's all due to the political rivals.

This case

seems simple,

but it's full of suspicions.

For example, what does this

have to do

with Kang Huai'en's soldiers of the Xuanjia Army

who battled

against Xueyantuo Khaganate?

Why don't we write the character "Niu"?

Don't write "Ma" anymore.

"Yang" is fine, too.

Why is it so hard to write the character "Ma"?

Why do you have to do this?

Why don't you just tell Mr. Di

that you don't know how to read?

I can tell anyone but him.

I'm warning you.

Don't you tell him.

Preferring to save face even at the cost of suffering.

You've been writing all morning.

You...

[Ma]

This one is not bad.

[Official Records of Personal Identity]

Where did you get this paper?

Why?

I took it from the Archive.

[Kang]

You don't know how to read, right?

Why did you take this?

It's so pretty.

It can be a souvenir.

Mr. Di,

we've found something important.

An unexpected find.

It's Kang Zhiyi's profile.

Where did you get this?

Rong...

I knew you'd need it,

so I found it for you.

Kang Huai'en is Kang Zhiyi's father?

Kang Zhiyi killed the people in the silkworm house?

How about Jushui Entertainment House?

That night,

I did see his horse

in Pingkang Ward.

That's not right.

Kang Zhiyi works for the Empress.

Why would he do anything against her?

Maybe he was told to do it.

Back then,

his father was sentenced

to death for rebellion,

but his family survived

because

of a guarantor.

Afterward,

he was recommended

to serve in the palace

as the commander of the Yulin Guards for Zhangsun Qing.

Kang Zhiyi.

Zhangsun Qing.

What did you find?

Nothing.

This case

still has doubts.

[Imperial Academy]

Mr. Wei.

Huaiying,

how can I help you?

I have found out the truth.

So, who was it?

The Empress's guard,

Kang Zhiyi.

He stole the Phoenix Seal,

forged the imperial decree,

and ordered the Yulin Guards to poison and kill Chen Zhuliang.

Then,

he set fire to kill the palace maid Yaxin, who was responsible for the Seal,

as well as the four Yulin Guards, who delivered the forged imperial decree.

This is not the place to talk.

Kang Zhiyi

has been guarding the Empress

since she entered the palace

and is trusted by the Empress.

Even with the Phoenix Seal missing,

there's no reason to suspect him.

But I found out

that Kang Huai'en is Kang Zhiyi's father.

Back then, the one who saved the Kang family

from being executed

was Zhangsun Qing.

In the first year of the Yonghui Reign,

the late Emperor passed away.

Kang Zhiyi returned to Chang'an.

The person who guaranteed his entry into the Jinwu Guards

was also Zhangsun Qing.

So you suspect that Zhangsun ordered him to commit the crime?

Zhangsun Qing is the Empress' biggest political rival.

He had reason to frame the Empress.

On the night of the incident at Jushui Entertainment House,

Kang Zhiyi was meeting Zhangsun Qing

in Pingkang Ward.

Are you two guests of Grand Commandant Zhangsun?

A private event is held here.

We can't serve you today.

So,

time,

place,

and motive,

Kang Zhiyi has all.

It must be him.

What are you going to do?

Report to the Ministry of Justice

and the Court of Judicial Review.

Ask for a state trial

to justify the Empress.

Just with your testimony,

the Court of Judicial Review wouldn't care.

Let me tell you something else.

Zhangsun Qing has worked with Minister Xu Yuan

and Left Vice Director Sun Zhining

and written to His Majesty together.

Deposing the Empress

is only a matter of time.

However, the Empress

is protected by Xu Jingzong and other ministers.

They can fight, though.

However,

Zhangsun Qing served under three emperors.

He's a minister of honor, a relative of the Emperor,

and the highest leader of Tang's noble forces.

The head of most of the people

who oppose the Empress.

He's like a big tree

with strong and deep roots.

You can't cut it down.

It's a massive tree.

But if it fails from the inside,

we can cut it down

as long as we find the right moment.

You remind me of Di Zhixun.

Your father and I studied under the same teacher.

We were quite close.

Huaiying,

this case is over.

Don't investigate any further.

The magistrate of Wannian County

and the Ministry of Justice,

I'll do my best to negotiate with them.

If you keep investigating,

not only you,

Hong Liang

and the siblings following you

will all be implicated.

The fight in the palace

is much more intense than we think.

Huaiying,

it's all fate.

You can't fight it.

Greetings, Grand Commandant Zhangsun.

There are too many people who oppose the Empress.

And are all in high positions.

Chang'an

is not yours or mine.

It's theirs.

♪The land nurtures sweet osmanthus♪

♪Distant woods stand tall and strong♪

♪Leaves open, unfolding brilliance in the wind♪

♪Flowers bloom, radiating moonlight♪

[Di Zhixun]

Father.

Father.

Father.

Father.

[Wei's Residence]

Mr. Di,

why are you in such a good mood

and even drinking with me today?

Is the case about to be solved?

What do you mean by "solved"?

Mr. Di,

I've searched for a long time and found nothing.

But in a burnt tree branch,

I found this.

What do you think it is?

Is it related to the tree that caught on fire?

No, it's nothing.

Ma Rong,

you've been in Chang'an for so long.

How do you like it?

Do you like Chang'an?

Why are you asking me this all of a sudden?

Chang'an

is just as I thought it'd be.

No, not really.

Let me explain.

As long as you have money,

you can eat, drink, and have fun here.

But if you don't have money, you're nothing.

People here dress nicely

and talk nicely.

But the things they do

don't seem so nice.

Think about the three of us

in the desert.

Three people, three horses,

nothing in sight,

but I was so happy.

In Chang'an,

there are so many people on the street.

But I always feel empty inside.

This is Chang'an.

It's just

like that ridiculous case.

It's all about power struggles.

There are no supernatural beings.

It's all excuses.

The truth?

There is no truth.

There is no emotion.

It's just

the perception

of a blinded heart.

There's no truth,

only...

Hong.

You're drunk.

Look at you now.

It's been five days.

You only have half the time.

Do you still have time

to be sentimental here

and talk about strange things

that nobody understands?

From the very beginning, I shouldn't have let you

investigate the incident at Jushui Entertainment House.

Now,

you got to Zhangsun Qing.

Tell me.

If the person recruited by the Grand Secretariat

can't protect you,

what should you do?

Have you thought about that?

If he can't help me,

then that's it.

This case

is over.

If you two

don't like Chang'an,

you can leave.

Anytime.

Just say the word

and we'll go and kidnap that Zhangsun fellow.

If you want to leave,

I'll pay for your passage.

What...

Mr. Di is in trouble.

We can't leave now.

Tai.

What is he taking us for?

He doesn't want to keep us.

We should leave.

What are you talking about?

You got drunk too?

Ma Rong.

Stop there.

Ma Rong.

Are you really leaving?

Di Renjie is in big trouble.

All the more reason not to leave.

I know him too well.

Even if we keep on bothering him,

he still won't say anything to us.

Anyway,

let's just keep an eye on him in secret.

We must appear timely

so that he'll know we're precious to him.

Let's go.

It's under curfew.

We'll get caught if we go out.

I'll take you to a nice place.

[Wei's Residence]

I don't have any money.

Hong,

do you believe in fate?

If I hadn't brought

Ma Rong and Qiao Tai back,

I wouldn't have met He Dajing that day.

If I hadn't met He Dajing,

I wouldn't have sat for the imperial examination.

That day,

after the examination,

we went to Pingkang Ward.

So many taverns and entertainment houses were in Pingkang Ward,

but I chose Jushui Entertainment House.

[Jushui Entertainment House]

Now,

I can't help but think.

This may be my fate.

Do you remember

my father?

Except for the scene on the Weishui River,

I can't remember

anything else.

Like you,

he loved to fight against fate.

There are still five days left.

Try your best.

Father.

Huaiying,

go.

You haven't finished your job yet.

Go and find it for me.

Find the truth.

[Day six]

This is Mr. Zhangsun.

Mr. Zhangsun.

[Pingtai Tavern]

Move aside.

Move aside.

Grand Commandant Zhangsun,

please take care of your health.

Please get on your horse.

Since the ceremony of worshiping the Cypress of the Tang Empire,

you haven't said a word

and are just walking

with such a heavy burden.

We can't bear to see it.

Yes.

Grand Commandant Zhangsun,

please don't walk anymore.

Empress Wu's misdeeds

have brought Heaven's wrath

upon the people of Chang'an.

What does this have to do with you?

What does that have to do with me?

The Heavenly Fire

hurt many people in Chang'an.

I

am the grand commandant.

Tell me

what this has to do with me!

Heaven has established the order.

There is order and decency.

Seniors and juniors, that is the order of seniority.

I thought

this is

the order of the world.

But when confronted

with decrees that disrupted the order,

I didn't try my best to stop it.

When confronted with those who disrupted the order,

I didn't try my best to take them down.

This

angered Heaven

and incurred its wrath.

I, Zhangsun Qing,

should apologize to all the civilians.

I'm

guilty.

Grand Commandant.

Grand Commandant.

Grand Commandant.

Grand Commandant.

Just now,

when I saw the Cypress of the Tang Empire

still flourishing,

I felt ashamed of the trust

of the two former emperors,

Gaozu and Taizong.

Today,

I'll give this branch of the Cypress of the Tang Empire

to His Majesty

and urge him

to punish those who disobeyed the order.

Tomorrow,

I'll go to the Qinglong Temple for a one-month retreat

to pray for the Cypress of the Tang Empire.

I'll

donate incense and candles that are worth 20,000 guan

and keep them burning day and night

to pray

for the people of Tang,

wishing that the Heavenly Fire disappears

and people can enjoy peace forever.

Thank you, Grand Commandant.

It is useless.

The Heavenly Fire

will come again.

Fire

is the hexagram "Radiance" in Bagua.

The upper and lower trigrams of the hexagram

both have five lines.

That means

the Heavenly Fire

will come at least five times.

Five times?

When will the next fire come?

Right.

Fire is the utmost yang,

attracted by the sun.

It will change every three days.

Since the last Heavenly Fire

destroyed the silkworm house,

it has been 24 hours.

That means,

in two days,

the Heavenly Fire

will surely come again.

Where will it be this time?

Does it still have something to do with the Empress?

Of course.

The Heavenly Fire

first burned down

the Empress's favorite Wutong tree.

For the second time,

it set fire

to the entertainment house praised by the Empress.

For the third time,

it burned

the farmer who raised silkworms for her.

Then the next one...

By order of the Empress,

he's compiling Great Families

based on the Record of Eminent Families from the Zhenguan Period.

The Empress's four families are listed in the first class.

Grand Commandant Zhangsun

will have a hard time in the future.

Great Families.

This is the Empress's biggest political move

in recent years.

The order of the world

will be reset.

If the Heavenly Fire

hates the new world,

then

it will come to it.

What if

the Heavenly Fire stops?

Then it means

there is no Heavenly Fire.

Everything

is man-made

to frame the Empress.

Who is

this man?

Di Zhixun's son,

Di Renjie.

When we get out of here,

you'll all listen to my command.

We'll move as one.

When we get out,

don't all go the same way.

Let's split up.

But our ultimate goal

is to go to Lanling Ward.

Understand?

Yes, sir.

Please forgive me, Mr. Wei.

Forgive you for what?

I deliberately enraged Zhangsun Qing

and put you and your students

in danger

so that he and Kang Zhiyi

would take the initiative

and reveal themselves.

Only then

will I be able

to catch them in the act

and expose their plot.

You're leaving an empty house as bait.

He will be able to tell

that you're egging him on.

They've already killed so many people.

If they don't bring down the Empress,

they'll lose everything.

I bet

they'll take the risk.

You want them to go to Lanling Ward?

Yes.

As far as I know,

Di's Residence is in Lanling Ward.

No one will remember

that guilty man.

A forgotten place

is the safest.

I'll escort you there myself.

I'm not going.

I'll stay.

Mr. Wei.

I'm over 50 years old.

Life and death

are no longer my concern.

I want to stay and see the Heavenly Fire with my own eyes.

It's too risky.

Mr. Wei.

Huaiying,

stop trying to talk me out of it.

People

can't

escape their fate after all.

If I can have a chance

to see the real face of the manipulator of fate,

it's worth it.

I will be sure to keep you safe.

[Wei's Residence]

Good.

Bravo.

Wonderful.