Original subtitles

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

[Episode 21]

I admit it.

That Perfect Purple is mine.

Two months ago,

in the herb garden of the Imperial Academy of Medicine…

You don't need to buy

these herbs elsewhere.

I'll have an herbalist prepare them

for you later.

That's too much trouble.

Don't mention it.

We were classmates after all.

This is the least I can do.

Mr. Yan!

Mr. Yan!

Bad news.

That…

That snake got loose!

Snake?

Which snake?

The purple one

sent by the Palace Secretariat.

I remember now.

It's quite scary.

Let it be.

It ran off on its own.

Not our fault.

Just make a record

to avoid trouble later.

Yes, got it.

The moment I heard "a purple snake,"

I knew it was a Perfect Purple.

The herb garden borders the Qu River.

I figured that snake

must've slipped out of the herb garden.

So at night,

I took mugwort and smoked it out.

It took me

three or four nights,

and I finally smoked it out.

However,

its tongue was still red,

meaning it wasn't 60 years old yet.

I couldn't take its gallbladder.

So I thought,

before I could get

its extremely precious gallbladder,

I'd have to raise it

for a very long time.

I never expected

that a few days ago,

it actually changed.

Its tongue turned purple.

A pharmacy owner heard about it

and offered 30,000 coins for it.

I just haven't delivered it yet.

It's the Kangzai Pharmacy in the West Market?

How do you know that?

Nothing stays secret

unless you never do it.

Official Lu already looked into it

and drew a portrait

of you dressed as a woodcutter.

Where's Yan Junxian?

Mr. Yan went to Mount Zhongnan for herbs.

He said he'd stay there for a few days.

Mount Zhongnan?

Are the herbs here not enough?

We find it strange too,

but that's what he told us.

Who went with him?

His servant Ming Shi was driving the carriage.

There should have been no one else.

What do you mean, "should have"?

Mr. Yan was inside the carriage

and didn't say a word.

And it was Ming Shi

who told us about the trip.

I'll go after them right now.

But…

we don't know which gate they left through.

If they were going to Mount Zhongnan,

they should've taken…

No.

The trip is probably just an excuse.

What should we do now?

I can sketch Ming Shi's portrait.

Do it fast.

If I'm right,

you hid the snake in the wardrobe first,

deliberately got the senior clerk drunk,

and then rushed back home,

planning

to use the snake on Yan Junxian, right?

Yes.

Hongyao

was once abandoned by Yan Junxian.

And she tried to kill herself because of him.

Even though she married me later,

once Yan Junxian

came back to Chang'an,

he started seducing her.

How could I tolerate that?

Then how did you know

Yan Junxian would go to your house that night?

I'm observant.

Hongyao and I

have been married for 7 years after all.

When she was cheating on me,

I'd notice.

I just didn't expect

that the one hiding in the wardrobe that day

would be Zhang San.

Since things have come to this,

you should tell me everything you know

without holding anything back.

I've told you everything.

Then…

then where did I slip up

that led you to investigate the Perfect Purple?

Your strange tales

are quite well written.

You didn't only record

the origin of the Perfect Purple

but also described

how it strangled people to death.

Of course, in your writing,

the Perfect Purple becomes

a beautiful woman dressed in purple.

So you read

my strange tales.

Thanks for liking my writing.

Then did you also notice

that in my book,

I also wrote about

an extremely wicked servant?

I mean that so-called servant

named Ming Shi, who's always

around Yan Junxian.

He's the truly vicious one.

I just don't know

whether Official Lu

can still find Hongyao.

If he's too late,

Hongyao

will die by Ming Shi's hand.

If my instincts are right,

you're still hiding something.

What exactly are you hiding?

I've told you everything.

[Jinguang Gate]

Official investigation.

Have you seen this man?

Official investigation.

Did you see this man

leave the city with a carriage?

Has this man left the city?

Have you seen him?

No.

[Chunming Gate]

Yes.

This man was driving a carriage

and left through the east gate an hour ago.

Are you sure?

Positive.

Sure enough,

he wasn't going to Mount Zhongnan.

Fortunately, you drew the portrait quickly.

Thank you, Xijun.

♪ Autumn geese return in spring ♪

♪ When will the exiled come home? ♪

♪ Tears shed as I leave my homeland ♪

♪ Soak the clothes of those returning ♪

Ming, you sing beautifully.

Are you tired? Let me take the reins for a bit.

You can drive a carriage?

I'm from Youzhou in the north.

Not only can I drive,

but I can ride too.

Alright.

Then you take over.

Go on.

Here. Be careful.

You seem in good spirits.

Don't you miss Chang'an at all?

Will you blame me someday

for keeping you from being the secret county sheriff?

Who doesn't like power?

Shame, though,

Yan Junxian was far too careless.

He provoked Lu Lingfeng and Su Wuming.

Those two

are hard to deal with.

Given time,

my manipulation of Moorhen from behind the scenes

would eventually be exposed.

Then I'd suffer a huge loss.

Rather than living in anxiety,

taking risks,

and waiting for some

uncertain future that may never work out,

it's obviously better

to go home with my pretty girl

and be a rich, happy merchant.

It's just that nowadays,

people look down on merchants

from the bottom of their hearts.

But I believe

one day

people will look up to them.

Last night,

you said you'd tell me

who you used to be.

You want to hear it?

Of course I do.

I've been dying to know.

Ever heard of the top assassin in the martial world,

the one called Beacon Fire?

That was you?

I was born into a merchant family,

but I loved martial arts.

So I trained under a master and completed

my training after 12 years.

Back then,

the biggest assassin organization

was Blood Drop.

I'd been in it for less than three years

and became famous across the land.

So you really were Beacon Fire.

I heard that name

when I was little.

Over those ten years,

I killed too many people to count.

But the killing became too much,

and I grew tired of it.

So I took my fortune

and returned home.

But when I returned to Lingnan,

I found my family in decline.

So I took over the business.

In five years, I rebuilt our wealth,

becoming one of the richest around.

But

being a merchant

was never my true ambition.

What I really wanted

was to earn an official rank.

I was excellent at studying

with a photographic memory.

But I was registered as a merchant,

and the exam vetting was very strict.

There was no way to slip through.

So,

I came up with

a brilliant plan

and began to groom Moorhen.

Master,

you mean you want me

to take the exams for you?

You are my servant,

but you're not a slave

or from a merchant family.

So from today on,

you'll focus only on studying

and follow all my instructions.

Master,

do you truly trust me that much?

I've watched you quietly

for a long time.

Study with undivided attention

and try to become

a Metropolitan Graduate in three years.

But you can't be called Moorhen anymore.

From now on,

you'll take the surname Yan.

I'll give you a name too.

Yan Junxian.

Moorhen

truly has a talent for studying.

A cowherd

passed the exams in three years.

This shows

we southerners, especially those from Lingnan,

are no worse than those from the Central Plains.

We absolutely

don't lack the talent for studying.

Why didn't he

prepare more mint leaves for me?

Useless!

Lingnan is so far away.

How long will it take

to reach your home?

With you beside me,

why worry about the long journey ahead?

But on this journey,

we aren't alone.

It ruins the mood, doesn't it?

Don't tell me

you'll still need

this former official

by your side back in Lingnan.

Not at all.

I have plenty of servants.

I didn't leave him in Chang'an

because someone might find his body.

Then we wouldn't be able to travel freely.

So now…

Stop for a moment.

Let's leave him

right here.

Ming, are you thirsty?

Yeah.

If only I had some mint leaves

to chew.

I just saw some wild mint

over there.

I'll go pick some for you.

Ming.

Look.

I picked this for you.

This…

Where did you get it?

I didn't see any mint.

That's why I've got good eyes.

I fell for you at first glance.

No wonder Moorhen was

so infatuated with you back then.

You are

a born temptress.

"Life feels like a dream."

That phrase

is exactly how I feel right now.

Business first.

He seems to have something to say.

Master.

Master, spare me.

I'll go back to Lingnan

and keep serving you, Master.

Gorgeous,

what do you think?

It's between you

and your servant.

I won't interfere.

Hongyao,

plead for me, please!

Everything I've done to get here—

it was all for you, Hongyao!

You're totally delusional!

You were nothing more than a fling to her!

Seven years ago,

the one she fell for at first sight

was me.

Impossible.

Back then, I was the master, and you were the servant.

How could she ever…

Yan Junxian!

Ming was just praising you

for being smart,

yet now you're being so stupid.

If I were Ming,

I'd bury you alive!

Exactly.

If I weren't burying him,

why would I have dug such a big pit?

Master,

don't bury me!

Master, please! Don't!

Hongyao,

plead for me!

Hongyao!

Master,

for all the years

I've served you,

spare me, please!

I was wrong, Master.

Maybe…

you should spare him?

Master.

It's too late for that.

After all this,

if I keep him by my side,

what if he finds a chance

to poison the mint leaves

that I eat every day?

Wouldn't I

die an ugly death?

Moorhen,

you didn't even have a surname.

I gave you the name

Yan Junxian.

But you didn't behave

and even tried to kill me.

Once I'm back in Lingnan,

I'll build you

a proper cenotaph.

After all, back in the county,

you let me be the real county sheriff

behind the scenes.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Oh right,

on the cenotaph,

I'll carve the name

Yan Moorhen.

How's that?

Isn't that a homophone for a dish?

What a pity.

He didn't live up to expectations

and ended up as a dish.

Master!

Don't bury me, Master!

Hongyao!

Beg him for me, please!

Master!

Please spare me, Master!

I'm begging you!

Why do you keep staring at me?

Do you want me

to stare at this dying man instead?

You said

you're from Youzhou?

Yes.

Northern Youzhou.

Have you been there, Ming?

I went there once

many years ago.

Hongyao—

your name rings a bell.

Hong means red flowers.

Yao means peonies.

No.

Hong means crimson blood.

Yao means fatal.

You're really funny.

That look in your eyes—

I've seen it before.

19 years ago,

at that time,

I was seven.

[Hongyao's Old Home in Youzhou]

I bear you no grudge.

Why kill me?

I'm an assassin.

I kill for whoever pays.

The one who hired you

is definitely a Yan.

I only have one enemy.

Back then,

I served as an official in Gaotang.

That Yan scoundrel was my superior.

That year, the river flooded,

and people were starving to death.

That scoundrel embezzled

the relief funds and supplies from the court.

I couldn't stand seeing civilians starve,

so I reported him.

I just take the money and kill.

I don't ask why.

Save your breath.

Do you dare leave your name?

Assassins don't leave names.

But my title

is known throughout the martial world—

Beacon Fire.

The top assassin in the martial world.

After you die, you can haunt me.

But I'm not afraid.

Because I kill ghosts too.

Sir,

please don't kill my father!

Hongyao,

stay back!

Run!

No need.

The employer didn't pay me to kill you.

Father!

Father!

Father!

Beacon Fire.

Someday I'll kill you

to avenge my father!

You're Hongyao.

You're that Hongyao.

The Hongyao from that snowy night in Youzhou.

Back then,

I was just an insignificant little girl.

You, the top assassin,

truly didn't remember my name.

S-So you're my enemy.

So you…

you schemed so hard

to be with him,

to marry Meng Buyi—

everything you did

was just to get close to me

and take revenge?

I know no martial arts.

This was the only way.

Then why confess now?

Don't tell me

you want to die together with him!

The one who will die is you!

Well?

My acting was convincing, wasn't it?

I gave Hongyao

the deadliest poison in the world!

I just saw some wild mint

over there.

I'll go pick some for you.

Business first.

You're always too suspicious.

Even the mint leaves I washed for you—

you would

wash them again yourself.

If not for this,

we'd never have gotten the chance to kill you.

Hongyao,

I've been so good to you…

Hongyao, now, get me out.

You want to poison me?

Then both of you

have to die with me!

Hand…

His hand! Deal with it!

You bastard!

You've been lording over me for years.

Now I finally get to bury you.

Hongyao,

how should you thank me?

That day at my house,

if you hadn't confessed early,

the one who died wouldn't have been Zhang San.

It would've been you.

Hongyao,

let's leave Chang'an.

I'll go back to your hometown with you.

Youzhou, right?

I don't care if it's a cold and tough place.

You're giving up your post?

Yes.

It was never my post anyway.

What do you mean by that?

Do you remember

that servant of mine,

Ming Shi?

All these years,

I've been his puppet,

his marionette,

controlled by him at every moment.

Rather than serving as an official,

I've been suffering.

My life has been worse than death.

Isn't Meng Buyi on night duty?

Get in here.

Hurry, get in.

It doesn't matter anymore.

It's all over.

I'm going back to Chang'an

to resume being the deputy chief imperial physician.

That light red robe

will become crimson

and then become purple.

I, Moorhen,

will one day become

the Chancellor of the Tang Empire!

I'll be a man of high status who's controlled

by no one

and bows to no one!

Back in that tiny county,

I was only an eighth-rank county sheriff.

But in the unseen,

the door of fate

has always been waiting for me,

waiting for me to open it bit by bit.

That feeling

is intoxicating.

What about me?

Why did you

marry Meng Buyi back then?

If I hadn't married him,

how would I have waited for your return?

If you hadn't married him,

when I came to Chang'an this time,

I would've taken you

out of Pingkang District!

A perfect couple

being together again— how wonderful!

What is the use of saying that now?

I'm asking you—

how will you treat me now?

All I can say is I'm sorry,

Hongyao.

You must die here.

Otherwise, sooner or later,

you'll expose everything I've done.

That would ruin my career,

my future,

and my chance to bring honor to my family!

You're going to kill me?

Of course I won't admit it.

This is Ming Shi's sword. No.

It's the sword of the top assassin,

Beacon Fire.

You poisoned him.

He killed you with one stroke.

The two of you would be buried together here.

Perfect, isn't it?

You're so evil.

How are you any different from Ming Shi?

I can endure better than he ever could!

I was born low.

If I hadn't endured,

I wouldn't be here today.

Hongyao,

you think I'd give up

my promising future just for you?

Truth is, with you,

I was merely playing along.

Back then,

if I hadn't pretended to be intimate with you,

he would've already

seen through my ambition.

Then how would I

have survived until now?

How would I have waited for him

to pay my way up the ladder?

I refuse to accept this!

I… I don't want to die.

It's too late.

Everything's far too late.

I don't want this either,

but…

Don't…

I have no choice!

If he were a trained fighter,

even if he couldn't dodge,

he'd still flinch a little,

so it wouldn't have hit so precisely.

My bad.

I forgot he couldn't fight at all.

The best secret agent in Chang'an

is none other than Madam Yingtao.

Me?

Remember—

follow him all the way

until the crucial moment

before revealing yourself.

[Imperial Academy of Medicine]

May I know your name?

I once shared your fate,

but now I have a different identity.

I must take you back to Yongzhou Prefecture Office.

Yan Junxian?

What's going on?

Official Lu,

I was ordered by Su Wuming

to follow Meng Buyi.

Then I found Yan Junxian

quite suspicious.

So I followed him next.

Then I found his servant Ming Shi

abducted Meng Buyi's wife, Hongyao.

Where is Ming Shi?

In the pit.

Yan Junxian poisoned him

and stabbed him to death.

We can dig him up and take him back for an autopsy.

Ming Shi had another identity.

He was known as

the top assassin,

Beacon Fire.

And this guy…

Yan Junxian was vicious.

After burying Ming Shi,

he tried to kill Hongyao to silence her.

Following Su Wuming's instructions,

I didn't show myself

until the final critical moment.

But when he was about to kill

an unarmed woman,

I had no choice but to intervene.

Unfortunately,

my sleeve arrow was too accurate

and killed him on the spot.

But I've been there for quite a while.

Through Yan Junxian

and Ming Shi's conversation,

it's clear that the master and servant,

or rather the servant and master,

were both wicked men.

Especially Ming Shi,

who killed countless people and committed hideous crimes.

Hongyao

is an innocent victim.

Escort her back to Yongzhou Prefecture Office first.

We'll question her before making a final judgment.

Yes.

Secretary Meng.

Secretary Meng.

I saw your wife.

Where?

She was being escorted by two people

heading toward Yongzhou Prefecture Office.

[Yongzhou Prefecture Office]

I kept vigil for my father for three years

and studied the pipa for three years.

At 13, I wandered the martial world,

searching for news of Beacon Fire.

Later, I learned

that he served Blood Drop,

a notorious

assassin organization

hidden right inside Chang'an.

So I came here.

To make a living,

I had to work in Pingkang District.

Then I heard

Beacon Fire had long left the martial world

and was no longer an assassin.

I thought

I'd never have a chance for revenge.

Until…

Meng, let's go check it out.

Come on.

I'm going with you.

Come on.

I'm not going.

At that time, I couldn't be sure

it was really him.

After all, he had been an assassin,

and I was seeing a servant.

So,

I began

looking for every possible chance.

To uncover Ming Shi's true identity,

you got close to Yan Junxian?

Exactly.

Ming Shi was extremely cautious.

After months,

I still couldn't get near him.

Yan Junxian was tight-lipped too.

Even drunk,

he wouldn't reveal

who Ming Shi really was.

Maybe he didn't know at all

that his servant, or rather

his master, used to be an assassin.

Later,

Yan Junxian left without saying goodbye.

I fell into despair.

Thinking I could never avenge my father…

I wanted to end my life.

Father.

I failed to avenge you.

I'm too ashamed to live in this world.

Hongyao!

Don't do it.

Don't do it.

I think

maybe it was divine guidance.

They were classmates.

So if I married Meng Buyi,

then one day,

when Yan Junxian returned to Chang'an,

I'd get another chance.

And indeed,

seven years later,

they returned.

Why stop?

Continue your statement.

There's nothing more to say.

You already know

everything after that.

While Meng Buyi was on night duty,

you invited Yan Junxian to your home,

intending to kill him

and draw out Ming Shi, right?

You admit it?

Then Meng Buyi

must be your accomplice

because that

deadly Perfect Purple

was hidden in the cabinet by him.

I know nothing about the Perfect Purple.

Meng Buyi doesn't know

what I have done.

Everything I said earlier

was planned solely by me.

So Zhang San

was part of your scheme too?

Yes.

I had grudges against him,

so I killed him too.

I plead guilty.

I've taken my revenge.

I can die without regret.

Who's beating the drum?

Captain Xue, go check.

Yes.

Meng Buyi!

Why are you beating the drum?

Arrest me.

I'm the murderer.

The drum beater Meng Buyi is here.

Meng Buyi.

In less than 24 hours,

you've already struck

the grievance drum three times.

This time,

what's the reason?

I've come to turn myself in.

I, Meng Buyi, Secretary of the Ministry of Revenue,

killed the bully Zhang San.

I'm turning myself in.

You killed Zhang San?

Yes.

I killed Zhang San.

Recently, I've often been in a daze.

I'm not sure

if it's because I write strange tales

or because

I suffer from insomnia and nightmares.

I suspected

that Hongyao and Yan Junxian

were having an affair!

That night on duty,

my eyelids kept twitching.

Something felt wrong,

so I went back home.

I didn't catch them in the act,

but I found a pair of men's boots

hidden under my bed.

Out of pride,

I didn't expose her on the spot.

After I left with my scrolls,

I became angrier and angrier.

So

I went back again.

What I didn't expect

was that the adulterer was Zhang San, the mutton-soup seller.

In a rage,

I grabbed the scissors.

I'm a Metropolitan Graduate

and serve in the Ministry of Revenue,

yet I killed a man out of resentment.

I deserve to be punished severely!

But someone saw

Hongyao committing the murder with scissors.

Who?

That white-haired little thief, Jiang?

That despicable house-squatter?

If his words

can count as evidence in court,

it'd be a disgrace to Yongzhou Prefecture

and to the Tang Empire!

Lu Lingfeng,

you've solved many strange cases

and gained quite a reputation.

What?

I'm turning myself in today,

and you're afraid

I'll steal your thunder?

I plead guilty.

I accept my punishment.

The case should be closed instantly.

It's good

that you pleaded guilty.

But the evidence must be solid,

and every detail

has to line up perfectly.

Only then

can Official Lu close the case.

What evidence do you want?

The murder weapon.

Where are those scissors now?

I threw them away.

Where?

Into the Qu River.

The Qu River is vast.

Where exactly did you throw them away?

How much force did you use?

How far did they fly?

I… I…

It was pitch black.

Who could remember that?

In the herb garden of the Imperial Academy of Medicine,

under a very tall Gastrodia stalk.

I buried them myself.

Hongyao!