Original subtitles

Timing and Subtitles brought to you by Eeny, Meeny, Miny, 2nd ML Team@Viki

"Soft Thistles Blossoms" - Sabrina Zhuang

♫ When the flowers bloom in the afternoon ♫

♫ The signs of spring are fading ♫

♫ An encounter of destiny ♫

♫ I'm not ready and prepared to be caring and gentle ♫

♫ A swan walks with its head held high ♫

♫ Its ambition is spreading far and wide ♫

♫ Over mountains and rivers, waving at the brilliant sun ♫

♫ Take the first step toward realizing one's full potential ♫

♫ Devotedly pursuing my initial aspiration ♫

♫ I'll hold onto my devotion while laughing away my worries ♫

♫ I'll keep moving forward ♫

♫ With these courts standing ♫

♫ Bring justice to people ♫

♫ Rainbows will come after storms ♫

♫ Plans and schemes are all entangled ♫

♫ If we remain comitted ♫

♫ At the end of the story ♫

♫ With a great legacy left behind, who will fear ♫

♫ All the years to come ♫

[Miss Chun is a Litigator]

[Episode 5]

Brother Coachman,

what are you doing here?

I'm just passing by.

So, I'm wondering if you could help me get in.

Come up.

Get down.

I'll help you.

Thanks, Brother Coachman.

My surname is Ye.

All right.

I'll report to Lord Han.

- You keep your eye on it. - Yes.

Be careful. It's hot.

Look at this wooden shelf.

It seems to be broken before it could be fixed.

Is it a fabric on the top?

What's the stain on it?

It's blood. It's human blood.

You can smell it?

Brother Ye, you know a lot.

Then please help look in the kitchen and see if there's any more blood.

All right.

No.

That means this person came in through the window,

hit the shelf on the way in accidentally,

and then his clothes got caught by the wood splinters.

He was injured, so there was blood on the fabric.

But... we don't know when he came in.

There's no timeline. Litigator Sun will not admit it.

Not more than three days.

The smell of fresh blood on this wood splinter suggests it's not more than three days.

The day it happened was the 24th, and it is the 26th today.

Then that's clear now.

Brother Ye, can you help me take it down?

This is important evidence.

Your house is straight ahead.

I'm leaving.

- Brother Ye. - What is it?

There's something I can't figure out.

Why were you nearby so late?

Jin Yi and I just got back.

Then I went out for some food.

I saw you in the back alley of Waterside Tavern on my way home.

Actually, we were not that close, but you've helped me a few times.

I think you're as committed to punishing evil as I am.

- Actually I- - Actually you are warm-hearted but with a cold face.

Do you trust someone so easily?

Nothing.

From now on, I will try my best to help others and adhere to my principles like you.

Brother Ye, you can go. I'm leaving too.

Take care.

Who is it?

Little Girl, you ran quite fast.

- Let go of me. - Who took you away?

I ran by myself.

Then try again.

What do you want?

There are only two people in Zhao Laoqi's family.

Zhao Laoqi is dead, and his woman is the family of the victim.

At this time, she should stay in the government office.

How could anyone be in their house?

Who is "his woman"? She has a name. Pay some respect, alright?

What's her name?

It's…

I find you seem to be very demanding of me.

Someone is coming out of there.

Why is there a woman?

Didn't you just say that Zhao Laoqi's wife was at the government office?

- And who is this woman? - How should I know?

Who can see it clearly so far away?

- But this man is supposed to be a soldier. - Why do you say so?

He is familiar with climbing over the wall and mounting a horse.

The highest military officer in Bian State is you.

Then he is your subordinate?

Let's go. I'll have someone take you back.

I'll keep an eye here.

You! Find someone to take her back.

- Yes! - Thank you, Lord Han.

Lord Han, I don't think you'll take my words seriously.

But you have to tell Lord Kang exactly what happened today, and I won't resist being condemned or punished.

It's my business that I wanted to help you.

Why would Xiao Zheng punish you?

You are the Commander in chief of Zhechong Prefecture.

You should avoid all matters of court, and you shouldn't help me either.

You should walk away every time you see me.

Where did you learn such useless things at such a young age?

Rules matter.

Are you lecturing me?

You're fearless, so you don't care about anything, but I can't.

If I can't adhere to the law, I would be like a joke for the coming years.

I…

Lord Han, you are a general.

Don't you respect the law?

Miss, what took you so long?

I'm so anxious.

I'm dying of thirst. Let me have some water first.

You scared me. I was afraid something would happen to you.

Did you find out everything I asked you to?

Yes, it turned out this Zhao Laoqi is a bastard.

His surname was not Zhao before.

He changed his surname after marrying his wife.

- So he's a matrilocal son-in-law. - Right.

He is not a local.

There was a heavy snow one year. He almost starved to death on the roadside.

Zhao Wanruo found him and saved him.

The parents of the Zhao family have only one daughter.

They thought he was a non-local and had no relatives, so they married their daughter to him.

But after getting married, he changed immediately.

He's been idling around all day, and often abusing and beating Zhao Wanruo.

If so, didn't the Zhao family lecture him?

I heard the Zhao parents and daughter tried to fight back,

but then somehow, they got threatened to withdraw the lawsuit.

Then the Zhao parents died one after another.

They died less than a month apart.

After that, Zhao Laoqi became even worse.

If he wasn't a matrilocal son-in-law, Zhao Wanruo would have divorced him long ago.

So Zhao Wanruo and Zhao Laoqi are not in love.

Although he was thin and small, he was a man of martial arts.

He pretended to be weak.

In fact, he did it for occupying the Zhao family property legally.

There were some neighbors who couldn't bear to see his evil deeds and said some justice words

but got avenged by him.

Miss, have you figured out what to do?

This Zhao Laoqi was really a wicked man.

He was evil when he's alive, and he dragged Miss Fang down even after his death.

The law is the presumption of guilt.

If neither side has concrete evidence, then the defendant will be sentenced.

So what are we going to do?

You're being ridiculous!

Why are you all saying so to me?

How many times have I told you?

Don't use the boldness of battlefield strategy in the court.

You have to respect the law.

Chun Tumi was right.

Her trespassing as a litigator is not the same as your trespassing as a Commander in chief.

You can have your standpoint as an official.

But you can't put your standpoint on a case.

This is the rule.

As for her, I will punish her.

Xiao Zheng, don't punish her.

You can punish me.

I don't understand your stuff.

Just tell me until I get it.

Miss, you have a photographic memory, right?

Of course not.

You know how hard it used to be for me to memorize those poems.

Yes, but how do you memorize all this?

In fact, my mind was confused at first,

but then I started with that first sentence and followed everyone's logic

one by one, and they all just came out.

I don't have to memorize it.

I figured out what was going on here, and then it was obvious to anything weird in the court.

Father.

I'll do it, Master.

Father, are you looking for me?

You've been working so hard, my good girl.

I made you some soup.

Is there any new clue in this case?

Yes, but I have to figure it out, so Scholar Sun could not refute me.

Master, Miss.

Lord Han is here.

- Greetings. - No need to be that polite. - My Lord.

We're not strangers.

Lord Han means...

You and father are both from Zhechong Perfecture, so we're not strangers.

Is this what you mean?

Of course not.

Does Assistant Captain Chun know about you and me last night?

Father, I went to Zhao Laoqi's house last night to investigate the case.

I did not expect to meet Lord Han.

Lord Han came to help me.

I didn't want you to worry, so I didn't tell you.

Don't do it again. This child of mine.

Don't even try to complain about me.

- I… - So Lord Han, who were the people in Zhao Laoqi's house?

It looks like Assistant Captain Chun really doesn't know about it.

I don't know.

I'm afraid Assistant Captain Chun

is more familiar with the people who were in Zhao Laoqi's house last night than I am.

Zhang Wuniang... and Fu Gui.

It is easy for me to find them.

But I can't figure out why they did something like this.

I wonder why Scholar Sun knows about the matter of Miss Fang and Zhao Laoqi.

I see now.

If so, that's a lot easier to explain.

But why were they at Zhao Laoqi's house?

I'll leave the court thing to you.

Now that I've told you everything I know.

Now it's your turn to answer my question.

What do I have to answer?

Who was the man you were with last night?

- Brother Ye. - When did you meet?

A few days ago.

- What does he do? - Coachman.

- Have you seen any coachmen who can fly over walls? - No.

Well, it's normal for a man who wanders around the martial arts world to know some martial arts.

Do you know what wandering around the martial art world means?

I-I read about it in a book.

Don't they do so like Brother Ye?

And for my father's case, I rushed out anxiously without taking money.

It was Brother Ye who lent me the money.

He always helps me without hesitation.

I think this young man is a nice person for being so helpful.

I found the people in Bian State are really simple.

Lord Han, I won't see you off if you don't have anything to say.

Little Girl! After using me, you want to chase me out, right?

Lord Han, what is your purpose in coming to our house?

I want to warn you to be careful.

You're afraid that man will do something bad to me.

The court is on tomorrow.

He is sure to be convicted, so he can't do evil deeds anymore.

I'll have people around your house to protect you.

I planned to do so in secret, but I do go above and beyond.

Chun Tumi, don't let me down.

All right, I have nothing to say. I'm leaving.

Yes, about last night, Lord Kang said the same thing you did.

As what I expect from Lord Kang.

I think you always see the good in other men.

Lord Han, you are joking.

Isn't a litigator supposed to investigate a case?

Lord Kang must think in the same way.

If you need help, you can ask my men who protect you to run errands for you or something.

I don't want to rely on your power.

I don't mean to disgrace you.

If you can make the world rely on you, then I won't argue.

Otherwise, instead of relying on your power,

it is better for me to rely on my own ability to do something practical,

so that more people can rely on me.

Someday, what if I could be relied on by the world?

Then of course I'll rely on you.

Remember what you said today.

What are you sighing about?

No, I'm wondering why the people of Bian State can trust someone so easily.

You met Chun Tumi again.

My man noticed that the coachman around her was pretty agile last night.

You met a rival in love?

I'm not joking.

I suspect I made a mistake earlier.

I think the man who visited Chu You's study and fought with me that night is still in Bian State.

You're suspicious of this coachman?

If this coachman is who I think he is,

then I have a long history with him.

So you went to Chun's house to give hints to Chun Tumi?

Hey, hey, hey. I wouldn't dare to.

She thought that the coachman was a good man who wanders around the world.

Is it possible that Chun Tumi is the bait arranged in our side?

I think your paranoia occurs again.

I've done some research on Chun Tumi before.

She grew up in Bian State, and lives a simple life, so there's nothing unusal with her.

It would be complicated if the inkstone thief found her and then circled back to me.

Aside from the fact that there's no evidence to support your theory about this coachman,

even if there is proof that he is the one you want to catch,

there is no way to prove that Chun Tumi is related to this.

In addition, Chun Tumi is an ordinary girl in Bian State.

Isn't it more bizarre for her to know you, Han Wuwei,

than it is for her to know someone who wanders around the world?

Are you defending Chun Tumi?

You are such an indifferent person.

I can't believe you are defending Chun Tumi.

Are you the same Xiao Zheng I know?

I'm just talking about the thing.

Do you have anything else to say?

Get out of here if you don't.

Y-Yes!

Last night I found a man in the army in Zhao Laoqi's house who is related to the case of Waterside Tavern.

- Who is it? - You'll find out tomorrow in court.

Please.

Sister-in-law Wanruo.

I brought you some pastries. They are stuffed with persimmon, soft and sweet.

Just relax. I just want to talk to you.

You are so kind.

You were so surprised. You weren't expected me, were you?

In fact, you are the family of the victim and I am the litigator.

It's normal that I come to ask you a few questions.

You have the right to refuse. So do you in the court.

I haven't heard someone call my name for a long time.

I almost had forgotten it.

Right, they all call you sister-in-law or wife of Zhao Laoqi.

But Zhao Laoqi did so many evil things before he died.

Now he's dead.

I'm sure you don't want to live with his name anymore.

Actually, you're a material witness, so they're keeping you here.

Otherwise, I'd like to invite you to the pastry store.

We can have tea sitting there and have pastries.

You don't have to buy pastries by weight, and you can eat any flavor, so you'll be a little more comfortable.

I'm fine and comfortable here.

Thank you for your concern.

Magistrate Yuan has been very generous to you.

When I questioned Zhang Wuniang, she was detained in prison.

Magistrate Yuan is much more generous than Magistrate Zhang.

I'm allowed to go out in the daytime.

Sister-in-law Wanruo, you are skillful at handwork. This pattern is beautiful.

So is the pattern on your clothes.

- It's the most popular at Linlang Store these days, right? - Yes.

Why did Zhao Laoqi buy such good cloth for you, since he used to bully you?

Now he's gone.

Is there anything you can't say

or you're afraid of, or is there someone threatening you?

No one is threatening me.

He used to be nice to me, actually.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have taken me to Waterside Tavern for meals.

Actually, I've found some new evidence and I asked the coroner to examine it.

We should have an answer soon.

What evidence is that?

Do you know that Zhao Laoqi has an injury on his leg?

Miss, what's wrong?

I have a sudden stomachache.

Let's get a physician.

Miss, I'll go get the physician.

Miss Chun, did you eat something?

I just had pastries.

- What else did you eat? - Eggs.

Persimmon and egg are incompatible.

If you eat them at the same time, it can make your stomach upset.

Zhao Wanruo, time's up. Let's go back.

Food incompatibility.

One, two.

Three, four, five.

Captain.

Why isn't Chun Dashan here?

Captain, Assistant Captain Chun has a lawsuit,

- so he is on leave today. - He's quite idle.

He didn't show up a few days ago when he was arrested.

Now he's taking a leave of absence for a tenant's case.

- Tell him to meet me after he comes back. - Yes!

- Keep training. - Captain Fu.

- Lord Han. - Lord Han.

You all trained hard.

I'm here to reward you. Don't be that polite.

Thank you, Lord Han.

We will do our best.

Great.

- I need you to come with me. - Yes!

- Keep training. - Lord Han!

Lord Han must have some very important task for me.

As long as you tell me, I will do whatever I can for you.

Lord Han,

- why is this? - House cleaning.

It's the egg and persimmon causing your stomachache.

It's a good thing you didn't eat much. Otherwise, it would be more dangerous.

Thank you, Physician Wen.

- There's one more thing I want to ask. - Please.

What food will be incompatible with the fish soup?

I once read a medical book

that someone had been poisoned by eating Vitex, rice, and fish soup.

But I haven't seen it myself.

Vitex? (T/N: chaste tree or berry)

[Bian State Manor]

The third court of the case of Waterside Tavern is on.

After one day long, do you two find any new evidence?

My Lord, I reviewed all the previous evidence

and found that Miss Fang had the motive as well as the conditions and time to commit the crime.

My Lord, please severely punish the murderer and give Zhao Laoqi justice.

I'll definitely give the justice.

What about the suspected woman?

My Lord, I was thinking all day long yesterday about how to clear Miss Fang's name.

The evidence does not prove her guilt, nor clear her as a suspect.

Then I figured it out.

If I want to prove Miss Fang's innocence, all I have to do is to find out the murderer.

On that day, many diners at Waterside Tavern were poisoned and vomited, and Zhao Laoqi even died for this.

This can happen if the poison of chub mackerel isn't cleaned out properly.

So people think there's something wrong with the fish.

Naturally, the responsibility would be placed on Miss Fang who sold the fish soup.

This is a matter of nature.

I don't think so. Just because the fish soup is poisonous doesn't mean the fish is poisonous.

What if there's something in the fish soup that we don't know?

Even Miss Fang.

- My Lord, I request to invite a witness, Physician Wen. - Okay.

My Lord.

Physician Wen, may I ask whether the diners on that day vomited because of poisoning?

You've asked that question before. Why bother?

I allow her to ask. Go ahead.

My Lord, they vomited because of poisoning.

So must they have been poisoned by chub mackerel?

Not really. There are several emetic drugs

with similar effects, and the pulse patterns are similar to poisoning.

- Like what? - Like muskmelon pedicel, black false hellebore, radix dichroa, and oleander.

Chinese medicine has a medicinal taste.

Everyone knows that Hibiscus Fish Soup of Waterside Tavern is scented with flowers and smells delicious.

It doesn't make sense if there's Chinese medicine in it.

But if you put a bit of it, the smell will be covered over.

If you put just a bit of it, it'll only make you vomit but not kill you.

Then why did Zhao Laoqi die suddenly on the spot?

Litigator Sun, don't be anxious.

Let's deal with the poisoning before we talk about Zhao Laoqi's death.

My Lord, I would like to invite another witness, the coroner of the case.

- Okay! - The coroner!

My Lord.

Coroner, have you examined any other evidence after your examination of Zhao Laoqi's body?

At Lord Yuan's orders, I also examined the fish soup and vomit that was brought in.

- Do you still keep the evidence? - Yes.

It's not guaranteed to be exactly the same on that day, but it's not quite gone bad.

My Lord, the reason I invite the coroner is to look for the new evidence.

Could you please allow the coroner and Physician Wen to examine Zhao Laoqi's vomit again?

My Lord, there's no need for that.

We've examined the vomit at the first court session.

- Chun Tumi is messing around. - My Lord, it is inevitable that that day's examination might be negligent,

so another examination today will bring the murderer to justice and exonerate the wrongdoers.

Chun Tumi, if nothing new comes out, you're liable for disruption and delay, and will be punished.

I trust my own judgment.

If nothing new comes out, I am willing to accept any punishment.

Coroner, Physician Wen, you two go to examine it.

- Yes! - Yes!

My Lord, we have finished reexamination.

- The results? - My Lord.

When we re-examined, there seems to be some crushed ginger in the fish soup,

which had been mixed with chopped muskmelon pedicel.

The color and shape of it are hard to distinguish

because it has been mixed with the fish marinated overnight,

so we have to be careful to see it clearly.

Miss Fang used the muskmelon pedicel as ginger,

leading to many people poisoning, and poisoned Zhao Laoqi to death.

Didn't Litigator Sun discuss it with Physician Wen?

It has to be in a heavy proportion to smell.

If you put a bit of it, the smell will be covered over.

It's not going to kill anyone if you just put a bit.

The diners of the day are regular customers.

They would smell the weird smell if there's something wrong with the fish soup.

No matter how much, it's a behavior of disregard for human life.

I don't know for sure the one who dosed is the murderer, but he has a lot to do with this case.

We must find him.

If he wants to add a dose of poison, he has to go into the small kitchen after chub mackerel had been minced that night.

Because the fish needs to be marinated overnight to get the flavor,

the muskmelon pedicel would change color, making you think it's ginger.

And he has to be agile.

The wall at Waterside Tavern is so high, it is impossible to enter without alerting the staff if he's not agile.

It's clear that Miss Fang added the poison.

Why bother climbing over the wall?

Litigator Sun, I just wanted to be clear with the officials.

Why do you keep interrupting me?

Maybe you're connected to the murderer.

- Y-You! - If you interrupt again, I will have your mouth clapped.

Go on.

My Lord, it was clear that the windows and doors of the small kitchen were intact

and there was no sign of breaking in,

which means this guy has a knack for picking locks.

Then here's the question. Why did he do that?

He is the competitor of Waterside Tavern, who wanted to ruin the reputation of Waterside Tavern,

or he has a grudge against Miss Fang to deliberately frame her up?

Litigator Sun, Zhao Laoqi died the next day.

Don't you think these are too many coincidences?

What did I say? Miss knows it clearly.

- Something weird. - There's something fishy about this.

My Lord, I am guilty.

What is it? I broke into Waterside Tavern last night,

but I hope you will let me off lightly for the sake of me finding a clue.

- It's fine. Just get up. - Thank you, My Lord.

- My Lord, I have another piece of evidence. - Bring it to me.

What is this?

My Lord, this is the wooden shelf of the small kitchen in Waterside Tavern.

The wood splinter on the wooden shelf, to be exact.

It's got some rag wrapped around it and the rag was torn and got tangled on it.

I think this is the trace left by the one who added the poison.

It's enough to prove who he is.

- How does she find out? - Right.

- Miss Fang, was the wooden shelf damaged on that day? - Yes.

The wooden shelf was hit by a heavy object that crushed the lower beam.

I was too busy to deal with it immediately.

That's it.

My Lord, the wood splinter on the wooden shelf was three inches long and is a little sharper than a sharp knife.

I thought the one who added poison, scrambled and fled hastily after.

He was unfamiliar with the place in the dark, so he hit the wood splinter

and got his pants torn and his leg hurt, leaving behind rags and blood.

My Lord, you'll know if you ask the coroner to examine it.

Coroner.

My Lord, the dead, Zhao Laoqi, does have a wound on his thighs.

There are still wood splinters in the muscle.

The wound is also uneven.

There are some needling marks around the edges.

Based on the scabs, he got the wound a day or two before death, tops.

I had just examined the wood splinter.

I can be certain that the wound on his leg came from the wood splinter.

So Zhao Laoqi might be the one who poisoned the Waterside Tavern.

My Lord.

Even if Zhao Laoqi's wound matches, it only means he had been to the kitchen.

Zhao Laoqi had been doing things stealthily.

How do you know he was poisoning rather than stealing?

I beg Your Grace to invite a third and fourth witness, Yan Hua and Pu Dalang.

Zhao Laoqi bought muskmelon pedicel

and a little radix dichroa in my store on the 23rd night of this month.

I keep track of buying and selling, so I can check the account book.

Are you sure that the buyer is Zhao Laoqi?

Yes.

Zhao Laoqi often harassed the neighbors.

Our Yan Hua Store is not far from his house.

He often paid nothing for his medicine. So I know him so well.

- Did he give you money this time? - Yes.

But he had the weird look on his face.

Here is your medicine, Sir.

H-He seems like he's afraid of being seen.

My Lord, Yan Hua proves that Zhao Laoqi bought muskmelon pedicel,

and Pu Dalang can prove that Zhao Laoqi has the ability to climb over the wall.

Bu Dalang, you can now speak.

My Lord, I am Zhao Laoqi's neighbor.

I was so envious of the agility skills that I once called him my best friend.

He's done it to show off to me before.

He can't fly over the wall, but he can climb over the high wall without any trouble.

And he has the skill to pick locks.

He could open an ordinary brass lock in the blink of an eye, leaving no trace.

We've got all the physical evidence and witnesses

to prove that Zhao Laoqi was the one who added poison. It has nothing to do with Miss Fang.

No. There are still some doubtful points about this case.

Physician Wen, can muskmelon pedicel cause people to die?

I don't think so.

No matter how much you put in, right?

I haven't tested that yet.

But the muskmelon pedicel has a strong medicinal smell,

which can only be covered over by little proportion.

So there are not a lot of muskmelon pedicels in the fish soup.

Even if Zhao Laoqi framed Miss Fang by poisoning the fish soup because of a personal grudge,

it'd just make people vomit and have diarrhea.

Chun Tumi had asked before.

How can 70-year-old elders just vomit after having fish soup,

but Zhao Laoqi, a strong man, died after having it?

This is really a doubtful point to be solved.

- And the dead cannot give witness. - Right.

Unless Chun Tumi offers concrete evidence that Zhao Laoqi was poisoned to death by himself,

or a new murderer comes out to confess and tell us the way he poisoned,

otherwise, Miss Fang is still a serious suspect.

What if she knew that Zhao Laoqi had put the muskmelon pedicel in the soup

and made use of this opportunity to kill him, so she can be clear of being suspected?

Litigator Sun is right.

Indeed, this is the biggest mystery of the case.

So you want to give up, right?

My Lord, I want a pot of fish soup, a bucket of rice, a fat sheep ready for slaughter,

and a bucket of vitex.

What do you need these for?

This is about the death of Zhao Laoqi.

My Lord, please ask someone to mix the rice with fish soup and vitex, and feed it to the sheep.

Timing and Subtitles brought to you by Eeny, Meeny, Miny, 2nd ML Team@Viki

"Spring Light" - Shuang Sheng

♫ Wind chimes jingling in the middle of the night ♫

♫ You're the roots for the blooming flowers ♫

♫ Like yesterday's twilight, geese have already embarked on their journey ♫

♫ When you're by my side ♫

♫ A sweet feeling of ever-growing longing is hard to hide ♫

♫ I see you without looking at you ♫

♫ Spring makes me hope for more romantic moments ♫

♫ Flowers are still blooming and dreams haven't ended ♫

♫ Our love can't be contained as we wander the world together ♫

♫ We'll be together through fates many twists ♫

♫ Wherever you go, it's endless Spring for me ♫

♫ We'll continue the journey over mountains and rivers, into the setting sun ♫

♫ Our love can't be contained as we wander the world together ♫

♫ We'll be together through fates many twists ♫

♫ Wherever you go, it's endless Spring for me ♫

♫ We'll continue the journey over mountains and rivers, into the setting sun ♫