Original subtitles

[Strange Chronicles of Tang]

[Episode 2]

[Save Lives, Relieve Woes]

Here you go.

[Save Lives, Relieve Woes]

Could this be

human blood?

Correct.

It was discovered

in a secondhand robe with an unclear provenance.

It appears to have been written

by someone pleading for help in a moment of crisis.

Based on the state of the blood,

Su Wuming places

its writing at a fortnight ago.

That suggests the writer is

in grave peril, if not deceased.

A fortnight?

The blood still has its metallic scent.

To my senses,

it can be no older than five days.

Five days?

Allow me another examination.

This final, incomplete character…

barring any error,

leans heavily towards "You".

"Xia" is a remote possibility,

but exceedingly slim.

If the preceding character is "Xie", the surname,

then the two characters together

should be read as "Xie You."

If it's not a surname,

then the phrase would simply mean "Relief-from-Woes."

Relief-from-Woes...

What a profoundly strange message

to leave in a plea for help written in one's own blood.

Indeed.

So you should first investigate

anyone named Xie You.

Thank you, Xijun.

Thank you, Mr. Fei.

Hold a moment.

Take an umbrella. Rain is coming.

[Fair Winds and Gentle Rains]

Madam Master of Rain,

you are something else!

You command the skies,

and they obey.

How about

another dance?

See if you can

[Da, District Ne'er-do-well]

stir up a storm

in my heart too.

Get out.

I come to watch

every single one of your rituals.

Doesn't that earn me a little gratitude?

No one's around now,

why not be a little nicer to me alone?

Just leave,

or you'll regret it.

Fine—have it the hard way.

What's wrong with flirting with you?

You're lucky I haven't hit you yet.

My last wife ran off because I beat her.

How about you be my new wife?

I won't hit you every day—

just every now and then,

enough for me to feel good

and for you to stay obedient.

Take your hands off me,

or you will surely regret this.

You think I'm scared?

I, Da,

have never regretted anything in my life.

Fine,

then tell me your address.

What for?

What's the matter?

No nerve?

Nerve? I've got plenty.

My house is right by Zhao Jinggong Temple in Changle District.

That's my place.

Got a problem with that?

Noted.

How did you get that wound on your forehead?

Did your man hit you too?

Let me take care of my wife.

Stop right there!

Who are you?

How dare you harass the Master of Rain

in broad daylight?

She's my wife.

What business is it of yours?

He's talking nonsense!

Who is your wife?

Your impudence knows no bounds!

Do you not fear arrest by the district office?

Arrest me?

Who's going to testify

that I harassed her?

I'll be the witness.

A witness must be alive to testify.

The mobile tribunal of the Judicial Officer

is nearby.

I don't believe you'd dare commit violence.

With the rain pouring outside,

who's going to see anything?

Besides,

my dear wife won't report me to the authorities,

will you?

You insolent brute—

release her at once,

or you will certainly regret it.

Are you two together or something?

You talk the same.

I'll gut you first.

Let's see who has regrets then!

Lu Lingfeng,

help me!

Seeking death?

How dare you touch my charge!

Since when was I your charge?

I am,

and always will be,

your charge.

Madam Master of Rain,

I visited

Lady Hong's Secondhand Store earlier.

The shopkeeper there

said this robe

was sold to him by you.

Yes, it was.

I sold it for forty wen.

If you need it to be refunded, I can do so anytime.

If a penalty is required, I'll accept it as well.

If the robe was rightfully yours to sell,

there would be no question

of a refund or penalty.

Then…

it was not mine to sell.

Then where did it come from?

The rain will cease

in a quarter of an hour.

Then I will lead you to the place

that holds the answer to this robe's origin.

Are you some kind of immortal?

You even know when the rain will stop?

I was the one who called for this rain.

If you don't believe me, ask him.

What's going on?

You two know each other?

How?

I'd never met her until today.

I was on duty

with Lu Lingfeng's

mobile tribunal

and just happened upon her rain ceremony.

[Integrity and Moral Uprightness]

[Yongzhou Prefecture Household Register]

Official Lu,

I'm back.

How did it go at the Household Registration Office?

No one named Xie You was found,

but we did locate two people named Xie Xia—

one male, one female.

Luo and I split up to investigate,

and both individuals

were safe at home,

without encountering any danger.

Official Lu,

I have a document here!

[Loyalty]

Look.

[Just and Selfless]

[Xie You]

Xie You?

This person is not a registered resident of Chang'an—

they came from another prefecture to take the examinations.

Therefore,

they only appear in the temporary household registry

of Yongzhou Prefecture.

The listed address is

a dwelling beside the East District gate,

identifiable by a well at its entrance.

Let's go—

to Xiuzhen District.

This should be the place.

The door's locked.

Looking to rent?

This is a fine property.

Right!

If you want to rent a house,

Xiuzhen District

is just the place.

It feels a bit remote, sure—

but even if it's remote,

it's still in the northern part of the city.

Better rent soon.

More and more people are coming

into the district to cultivate immortality—

prices are about to go up.

Exactly.

I'm not here to rent.

May I ask you three ladies—

does the person

who lived here go by the name Xie You?

Oh, not a tenant—

you're looking for Scholar Xie.

He…

has already moved away.

Do you recall when exactly he left?

About 3 or 4 months ago.

Could you be more specific?

Young man,

there's no need to be so fierce.

Xue Huan.

[Yongzhou Prefecture Command Authority]

This is an official investigation!

A blood letter pleading for help

was found in a robe sold

at a secondhand shop.

It may have been written

by this Scholar Xie.

Do you know

where he moved to?

A plea for help…

in blood?

Why—is something wrong?

Well…

we neighbors

find it hard to believe.

How could anything have happened to him?

He was such a kind person.

Exactly.

He's a scholar of such standing,

yet not arrogant in the least.

Right,

he often helped us with chores

and even wrote poetry for me.

We often made him delicious meals too.

He was from Nanzhou Prefecture,

and had a fondness for mushrooms.

This year, for his birthday,

we made a special trip to Leyouyuan

to gather some

and prepare a soup just for him.

For his birthday?

It sounds like you were all

on very good terms.

Hush now—

the Officer is investigating.

Sorry, my tongue runs away with me.

What are your names, please?

Manniang.

Cong.

Hua.

I am Lu Lingfeng,

Judicial Official of Yongzhou Prefecture.

Ladies,

if you have any leads regarding Scholar Xie,

report them to the district office immediately.

Let's go.

Official Lu,

please have some tea.

District Head Li,

you recognize the Xie You

I mentioned earlier?

Of course—

how could I not know a candidate scholar

in my own district?

What if he places high one day?

Wouldn't it be too late

to get acquainted then?

That makes sense.

What kind of person was he?

A good man.

[Li Changgeng. Head of Xiuzhen District]

Otherwise,

why would they call him "Woe-Reliever"?

What does "Woe-Reliever" mean?

Well,

even though he was a tenant,

he was

warm-hearted

and loved helping others.

So the women

in the neighborhood

gave him that nickname.

The women in the neighborhood?

I met some today.

Scholar Xie

rented Manniang's house.

And—coincidentally—

all the neighbors

around that house

were widowed women.

Scholar Xie

often helped them write letters,

compose poems,

sometimes

even did heavy work for them.

But when it came to the dirtier, tougher tasks,

the neighbors wouldn't let him overexert himself.

So yes, you might say

he was a good man—to them.

But as for me…

What?

He wasn't respectful to you as the district chief?

Oh, he was respectful enough—

but he made a fool of me

and left me in an awkward position.

Could you explain in detail?

Well,

he once asked me

to help him find a diviner,

to see if he might succeed

in the next year's exams.

So I brought him

the best diviner

west

of Zhuque Avenue.

The diviner told him he would pass with flying colors.

He was so overjoyed

he practically danced on the spot

and arranged a feast

to thank me

and the diviner on his birthday.

hen he vanished—

cleared out without a word.

And that diviner

held me to the promise of a feast!

I was out of pocket

for the whole affair.

His birthday?

He moved away before his birthday?

That's right.

Xue Huan!

I heard it—

the timing doesn't match.

What's your move?

Take them in.

Hua,

you're here.

Quick, get me out

of this cage—

let me walk around a bit.

I was in the wrong yesterday,

but it's not that I didn't want to try—

I was just too tired.

Don't punish me anymore.

Let me out of the cage

and let me rest in bed for a couple of days.

Once I've recovered my energy,

I promise I'll…

Promise what?

Promise to be good to her, is that it?

Then what about me?

Cong.

You… you're here too?

Manniang?

Did you all come together?

Perfect—

please, I beg you, let me go.

I really can't take it anymore.

Scholar Xie.

So you've been wanting to leave all along,

and that's why you wrote the plea in blood,

hoping someone would rescue you.

[Xie You, Scholar Candidate]

I'm just curious—

how exactly did you manage

to get that blood letter out?

Now that all three of us are here,

speak up.

Who helped you

deliver it?

Tell us,

so we sisters won't have

to doubt each other.

Otherwise…

No, no—

I don't know anything about a blood letter.

When did I ever write a blood letter?