Original subtitles

[Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty III: To Chang'an]

[Episode 16]

Who dares to hurt Su Wuming?

Su Wuming!

Are you hurt?

No.

Madam Yingtao,

you're truly my protector.

Husband!

Husband!

Master!

-Official Lu! -Official Lu!

Please step back.

I'll catch the criminals for you!

Lu Lingfeng!

What happened?

Why are so many people dead?

Master Fei,

quickly treat his wounds!

-Hurry! -Come on.

Help him up.

Bring him there.

Fei,

Lu Lingfeng is in your hands now.

Don't worry.

Come.

With me here, he won't die!

Hold on.

How dare you hurt my husband?

Yingtao,

watch out for hidden weapon!

Using hidden weapons against me?

Zi!

Zi!

Mother!

Zi!

Mother!

Zi!

Daughter!

Daughter!

Huo Jing!

Daughter!

Daughter!

Daughter!

Huo Jing.

Huo Jing!

Huo Jing!

Huo Jing!

Daughter!

You killed my wife and daughter!

None of you will live!

What is this thing?

I don't know either!

Deer antlers

and a tiger head.

Could it be Bai Ze?

It can't be.

Bai Ze is an auspicious beast.

It shouldn't look this fierce.

It is Bai Ze!

The so-called auspicious beast

is just a fabrication.

This beast is raised by me.

It's my mount.

His Majesty likes it,

so I'll let it into Chang'an

to feast as it pleases!

Fei!

Spear!

What?

Give me the spear!

This is definitely not Bai Ze.

This scholar

is as weak as a kitten.

Leave him to me later.

I'll smoke him into jerky

to feed my mount.

The mummy!

This is Ao Tian.

It resembles Bai Ze but is a ferocious beast.

It likes to eat dried meat.

Fei,

come with me quickly to carry the mummy.

Wait!

It likes dried meat?

Well...

Would beef jerky work?

I just bought it at the West Market.

I was planning to share it with everyone.

This should work too.

Fei,

I'll leave it to you.

Alright.

Jia, Luo,

help me get on the roof!

-Hurry! -Hurry!

Lu Lingfeng!

Lu Lingfeng!

Lure it over here.

Don't eat it!

Don't eat it!

It's poisoned.

You can't eat it!

Bite off those people's heads!

Don't eat it!

No!

Ah!

Stop!

Stop now!

Stop immediately!

Stop!

Stop right now!

[Bai Ze Temple]

Let me see.

Lu Lingfeng,

who hurt you?

Was it this female regimental commander?

She doesn't seem that skilled.

Could it be

she used her feminine charms?

Don't talk nonsense.

Tie her up.

Take her back for questioning.

You want to capture me

to claim credit before that Emperor

surnamed Li?

Dream on.

This sword

was a birthday gift

she gave me when I was 14.

She gave me my life.

Now, I'm giving it back to her.

Hey, don't!

Don't!

Though your crimes are unforgivable,

I have one thing

to ask you.

Does the Princess know about...

your actions today?

You'll never know.

Lu Lingfeng,

could you please ask the Princess

to bury me on the Hongdu Plain

next to Shangguan Zhaorong's tomb?

If possible,

I need no epitaph,

just a simple stone

inscribed with

the words "Daughter of Shangguan Wan'er."

That would be enough for me.

Mother.

I'm coming.

[Bai Ze Temple]

Put me down.

Master, we're not tired.

I said put me down.

Careful, slowly.

Here, slowly.

Gently.

Do you know what I'm thinking?

To walk in the last rays of sunset

and retreat far into the mountains.

The one who knows me

is Lu Lingfeng.

We are senior and junior brothers, after all.

All these years solving cases together,

we've become like family.

Get to the point.

Don't waste time with idle talk.

When reporting to His Majesty,

we absolutely cannot

reveal the whole truth

about what happened on Mount Zhongnan.

Talking about Ao Tian

is fine,

but Li Nai'er's identity

must not be mentioned at all.

Why not?

We cannot cause further conflict

between His Majesty and the Princess.

That would plunge Chang'an

into bloody chaos.

Su Wuming.

Can such a thing

really be kept secret?

For now,

we should be able to keep it hidden.

When it can no longer be concealed,

we'll have to leave it to fate.

You want me to lie before His Majesty.

I cannot do that.

That makes it even easier then.

Official Lu

is severely wounded and unable to see His Majesty.

I will go in your place.

I'll follow your advice for now.

But there are things

I must ask the Princess.

There are matters

I need to understand clearly.

Why bother?

Some things are better left unclear.

I cannot remain in the dark.

You know my relationship with her.

People would say

I am the closest person to her.

Yet I am also very distant.

So distant

that I don't truly know her at all.

It's as if

I never knew her.

Ji.

Come here quickly.

Mother.

It's freezing cold.

Why are you using a fan?

Leave!

Your Highness, please wipe your sweat.

Lu Lingfeng

is brave yet cautious,

and skilled in martial arts.

With Su Wuming by his side,

he should be safe.

What?

Su Wuming,

repeat what you just said.

Is...

Is it that I

may not have spoken clearly

in some parts?

His Majesty wants you to repeat everything.

If there's even half a lie,

I'll cut off your head!

Then allow me to report from the beginning.

Your Highness!

Your Highness,

the team searching for Bai Ze

has returned from Mount Zhongnan.

Why are you so flustered?

Commander Li and her guide Huo Jing

didn't come back.

What happened?

They encountered a fierce beast

and died.

What about Lu Lingfeng?

Official Lu is severely wounded.

Only Su Wuming escaped unharmed

and went to report to His Majesty.

No wonder I dreamed of my son.

Where is he wounded?

Is his life in danger?

The details are unknown.

Where is my son now?

That's roughly what happened.

Though they drove away the beast Ao Tian

and forced it off a cliff...

General Ding Heng of the Right Imperial Guards,

Records Official Chen He,

Military Affairs Official Wei Qi,

and Cavalry Official Huo You

all perished in battle.

Commander of the Princess's Guards, Li Nai'er,

also lost her life.

But these five people

all faced the danger without fear.

Together with the Yongzhou Judicial Official,

Lu Lingfeng, they fought Ao Tian to the death.

The scene was heart-stopping

and what was even more touching

was that the five worked together,

each willing to sacrifice their lives.

Whenever I

recall that scene,

I just...

Your Majesty,

condolences.

How dare you, Du Ming!

You only listened to one hunter's words

and falsely claimed an auspicious beast had appeared,

leading to today's tragedy.

How do you answer for that?

I...

I dare not speak carelessly.

I only reported what the hunter said

exactly as it was told

to Su Wuming.

The one who concluded it was Bai Ze

was him.

Chief Administrator Du!

Chief Administrator Du,

what was wrong

with my conclusion?

It wasn't Bai Ze at all.

It was the fierce beast Ao Tian.

-You said it yourself. -Let me ask you!

Does Mount Zhongnan fall under Yongzhou Prefecture's jurisdiction?

Well...

There was someone in the mountains calling himself Hermit Baize

who occupied a temple and raised a fierce beast,

robbing and killing people.

Whose responsibility is this?

Du Ming

bears an inescapable responsibility.

When a wise ruler appears, Bai Ze appears.

This is heaven's way.

Because the fierce beast Ao Tian terrorized Mount Zhongnan,

Bai Ze had descended to our world,

but we were not fortunate enough to see this auspicious beast.

But our Tang Empire warriors,

united as one,

killed Ao Tian

and suddenly saw the sky clear and clouds part.

and golden light shines through the clouds,

and the call of the auspicious beast was heard.

At that moment,

birds sang, swallows danced, deer called, and monkeys cried.

All sounded like celestial music

and we felt as if bathed in spring breeze,

refreshed in body and mind.

Even Lu Lingfeng who was severely injured

suddenly

improved quite a bit.

Is it really so?

Did you really hear the call

of the auspicious beast?

It's absolutely true.

That sound was almost like human speech,

as if expressing

a longing for peaceful times.

Not only did I hear it

but everyone from Yongzhou Prefecture

who came to help

also heard it.

-Congratulations, Your Majesty. -Congratulations, Your Majesty.

-Congratulations to the Tang Empire. -Congratulations to the Tang Empire.

It's just a pity about Ding Heng.

They were all meritorious officials of the Tanglong era,

my beloved generals.

But because of a fierce beast,

they perished in Mount Zhongnan.

Where are the bodies

of Ding Heng and the other three generals?

They're temporarily placed at the Bai Ze Temple on Mount Zhongnan.

Go there on my behalf

and give those four generals a proper burial on Mount Zhongnan.

Yongzhou Prefecture will certainly handle this matter well.

Did I tell you to go?

Please calm your anger, Your Majesty. I acknowledge my fault.

What fault do you have?

Tell me,

was Su Wuming telling the truth?

I don't know, Your Majesty.

He speaks nothing but nonsense.

Are you saying

that there is absolutely

no such thing as Bai Ze appearing in this world?

No, no.

Either

my beloved generals killed each other,

or those four imperial guards

were no match for a female regimental commander.

How could that be possible?

Then why did you say he was speaking nonsense?

What a formidable disciple of Master Di.

Not a single word of truth,

yet impossible to find fault with.

And he still manages to save my face.

Yes,

how frightening indeed.

If in the near future,

he stands among the enemy ranks,

he would become Your Majesty's greatest threat.

For such a person...

Kill him

to prevent future trouble.

But he ventured into the secret realm of Mount Zhongnan

and brought back news of Bai Ze.

How can we kill him?

Make way!

-Move! -Move!

The Princess has arrived!

Those inside, come out to greet her!

[Great virtue can carry the world]

[Pei's Mansion]

[Great virtue can carry the world]

Fei Yingjun,

I trust your medical skills,

but I also know how vicious beasts can be.

[Great virtue can carry the world]

I just want to hear from you directly.

Is my son's life in danger?

Of course...

there's no danger to his life.

I was just

about to change his dressing.

Your Highness,

[Great virtue can carry the world]

Lu Lingfeng was seriously injured,

but with Miracle Doctor Fei's treatment,

he is out of danger now.

He's just preparing to have his dressing changed,

so he couldn't come out to greet you.

Then I can rest assured.

Take me to see him now.

Well done, Shangguan Nai'er.

Fighting four enemies alone,

she eliminated Lu Tong's right-hand men in one breath.

Truly a woman matching any man's valor.

But she hurt my Ji.

She deserved her fate anyway.

Was Li Nai'er acting under your orders?

You must answer truthfully

without concealment.

I am the Grand Princess.

How dare a mere bandit-catching officer

interrogate me?

Your Highness still hasn't answered

my question.

Li Nai'er

killed a few people

to avenge Wan'er.

What's wrong with that?

That night Deposed Queen Wei was killed,

the night of rebellion,

I led the charge

as the General.

So...

In your plan,

should I die too?

Here.

Let me tell you about

Shangguan Wan'er.

Wan'er suffered tragedy as an infant,

so the palace became her home.

She was brilliant from a young age,

able to memorize everything at a glance.

At 14 years old,

she went to Empress Wu Zetian's side,

handling official documents

and participating in important decisions.

Writing with remarkable fluency,

she was admired by all at court.

She was one year older than me.

In that cold, fragrant palace,

with only the moonlight for company,

we became the best of friends.

During the Shenlong era,

Zhang Jianzhi and others forced my mother to abdicate.

Under the pretext of restoring power to the Li family,

they wanted to seize power for themselves.

If not for the support Wan'er and I

offered,

how could my weak brother,

the Emperor Zhongzong,

have secured his throne?

Later,

the Wei family seized power.

Wan'er navigated carefully between factions,

trying to stabilize a precarious situation.

Did you know

that Wan'er and I had already agreed

to work together from both sides

to support the current Retired Emperor's ascension?

We were the true planners

of the Tanglong Palace coup.

The one

sitting on the throne now

was merely the implementor

who stormed the palace.

Yet for the sake of power,

he caused Wan'er

to die in the capital.

Humans are more treacherous than demons.

I've witnessed it myself.

I buried Wan'er

in my family cemetery.

Also buried with her

was a 982-character

epitaph.

I deliberately had my name

engraved on it,

as a slap to his face,

accusing him of brutally killing a loyal official.

I want future generations to know

that heaven has its own justice.

Your Highness,

you still haven't truthfully answered

my question.

Answer what?

Li Nai'er avenged Wan'er.

She killed those who were the executioners back then.

Ding Heng was the one

who killed Wan'er.

He deserved to die long ago.

Answer my question!

Li Nai'er, Commander of the Princess's Guards,

murdered four commanders of the Imperial Guard.

Was it under your orders?

This concerns many lives.

You should answer truthfully.

Since you're no longer in danger,

just focus on recovering.

I'm leaving.

Mother!

I want to know

the truth.

Silly child.

If I had ordered it,

how would you have gotten hurt?

That's good then.

Since it wasn't under your orders,

then what I fear most

won't happen,

right?

What are you worried about, my child?

Speak plainly.

The Tang Empire cannot withstand more turmoil.

The people need peace and stability.

Mother,

I sincerely ask you

to stay away from court affairs

and enjoy your remaining years.

Enjoy my remaining years?

Am I that old?

My mother

ascended the throne at 67 years old,

becoming China's first female emperor.

Why

can't I follow her example?

Empress Wu, for the sake of power,

either forced or harmed

and killed her own two sons.

Do you wish to follow that example too?

Unresolved incidents from the past

shouldn't be spoken of carelessly.

Sometimes,

past events are just stories told by people today.

Then let's talk about the present.

On Mount Zhongnan,

we didn't find traces of Bai Ze,

but we did hear the call of an auspicious beast.

The appearance of Bai Ze

is a good omen for the Tang Empire.

It also indicates

that the current Emperor

is a wise ruler.

I beg you, Mother,

not to go against heaven's will.

This was also authorized by the Emperor, right?

Fooling the common people is one thing,

but trying to fool me?

Besides,

how do you know

I wouldn't be a better emperor than him?

Is it just because

I am a woman?

I was born into

the world's unique imperial family.

I grew up beside the Empress,

influenced by what I saw and heard.

I've always wanted to be like my mother

to rectify the court

and bring prosperity to the people.

Empress Wu Zetian had an eye

for recognizing, valuing, and nurturing talent.

Even someone like Shangguan Wan'er,

a descendant of a criminal official,

could be given important positions.

Does the current Emperor

possess

such magnanimity?

If he can't recognize talent or distinguish loyalty from treachery,

him remaining on the throne

may destroy the Tang Empire.

If one day

I truly face him in battle,

what I'm fighting for is the fate of the Tang Empire!

My title

is Princess Protector of the State.

Do you know

what "Protector of the State" means?

Lu Lingfeng,

you are my child.

My blood flows through your veins.

When the time comes,

whether you stand with him

or by my side,

what you should care about

is the nation's welfare

and the people's livelihood

to truly live up to the title "Protector of the State."

Guards! Guards!

Guards!

Your Majesty,

what's wrong?

I dreamed of many venomous snakes

crawling out from these reports.

Quickly,

take these old reports

and burn them all.

No!

What's the use

of keeping them here?

Shangguan Wan'er's

imperial edicts written on behalf of Emperor Zhongzong

are sometimes

more practical than my own

governance policies.

No wonder Aunt was furious with me

after her death.

She called her a literary star fallen to earth,

the most talented among the imperial consorts,

a devoted statesman to the empire.

Why did I have such a dream?

Could I have executed the wrong person,

leading to Ding Heng and the three other generals

meeting their deaths in the jaws of a wild beast?

You may leave now.

Yes, Your Majesty.

I remember

you grew up in the palace.

Did you ever meet Shangguan Wan'er?

From the age of eight,

I worked at

Lady Shangguan's Ink Rhyme Pavilion,

grinding cinnabar for three years.

What was she like?

She always reminded us

that when walking in the palace,

we should never let cinnabar stain our sleeves,

just as officials

should never let personal interests taint...

their work.

So, you're saying

she was a loyal official?

After she was tattooed as punishment,

she was given calming incense,

but she didn't use it.

She said...

What did she say?

She said those with guilty consciences

are the ones who use slumbering incense.

She kept her broken body awake to better atone for her sins.

Your Majesty,

the gastrodia powder is ready.

Would you like to take it now?

I must drink this gastrodia powder every day

to sleep peacefully.

Could it be because of a guilty conscience?

I didn't mean it that way.

I misspoke.

Please forgive me, Your Majesty.

Your passing is like the Xiao and Xiang Rivers run dry,

Mount Weiwan collapses,

pearls sink and break,

and jade shatters into pieces.

I gaze at the pine trees,

listening silently at your tomb.

May your virtue be extolled

for centuries onward.

Chancellor Cui,

do you know your crime?

Your Highness,

I don't know what crime I've committed.

Li Nai'er was Wan'er's adopted daughter.

When you introduced her

to the Princess's Mansion,

did you not know this?

I did not.

With your relationship with Wan'er,

how could you not have known?

Chancellor Cui,

I can make you Chancellor,

but I can also have you

imprisoned at any time.

I am well aware.

Since I chose to follow Your Highness,

even if I'm thrown in prison

or lose my head,

I have no regrets.

Today,

I would like to

congratulate you.

As soon as the team searching for Bai Ze

returned to Chang'an,

rumors spread through the districts.

They say Bai Ze's disappearance

is a heavenly warning,

that the one on the throne

is unworthy of the position.

And the four commanders of the Imperial Guard

who died in the jaws of the beast

have become a laughingstock.

It seems

you not only knew about

Li Nai'er's identity,

but also knew about

all her plans.

Weren't you afraid that my son Lu Lingfeng

might've met misfortune on this journey?

How dare you!

I'll kill you!

If one day, I fail when success is within reach

and become a ghost under my enemy's blade,

I would rather

have my life ended

by your hand today.

It would be my honor.

What failure are you talking about?

How discouraging.

The Cui clan of Boling

surpasses that of Qinghe.

We never resort to flattery.

Princess,

you are the one

most suited to rule the Tang Empire.

For that day to come,

you must plan strategically

and be resolute in your decisions.

Even if your closest relatives

stand in your way,

they must be eliminated.

On this matter,

Your Highness should think more about

how Empress Wu

handled such situations.

Du Ming, as the official of the capital,

falsely claimed auspicious signs and failed in his duties.

Will the Censorate not intervene?

Since His Majesty abdicated to become the Retired Emperor,

Du Ming

has clearly allied himself with the current Emperor.

We can use this opportunity

to expel him from Chang'an.

What a brilliant plan!

I'll see to it immediately.