Original subtitles

[Strange Chronicles of Tang]

[Episode 9]

The one holding the wooden tablet numbered three

may come forward and confess.

[Three]

You both have such difficult lives.

I originally thought

that being born into the martial world

meant my fate was that of a wanderer—

I should wield my sword freely

and ride through mountains and rivers.

Yet, I never expected,

through twists of fate,

to find the love of my life.

My beloved

is one of the greatest minds of this age.

Though

he is not very attentive toward me,

he's acceptable, I suppose.

Yet... Yet I too have sorrows.

My sorrow is this:

can he give me the home

I desire in my heart?

If he can,

could he please hurry up?

If this drags on much longer,

I'll be old before I know it!

To put it plainly,

I hope to break free

from

the shackles of this dreamlike Chang'an and ride away

on horseback with my beloved.

Would he be willing to do so?

If so,

on what day

and in what year?

That's all.

I still haven't had it as hard as you two.

Thank you, Master.

I've come many times

and finally have gotten the chance to confess.

I'm different from the others.

I shall begin my confession

with a story.

Once upon a time,

there was a country

called the Huai Kingdom.

In this country lived a man named Xinba,

who prided himself on his talents.

After 10 years of arduous study, he finally became a jinshi scholar

and was appointed to office in the capital.

The capital was divided into

northern and southern prefectures.

Xinba served as prefect

of the south.

However, the northern prefecture had superior conditions:

it was naturally endowed with wealth and prosperity.

The southern prefecture was impoverished,

with no signs of vitality.

When Xinba first took office,

he worried day and night,

determined to revitalize the southern prefecture.

He then performed his duties diligently,

worked tirelessly,

attended to every matter personally,

and fulfilled all his responsibilities!

However,

simply because the south was less prosperous

and tax revenues fell short,

his superiors

turned a blind eye to his dedication

and criticized him for incompetence!

He treasured the common people,

yet not a single one of them

took him seriously as their prefect!

After two years,

Xinba was exhausted

and unable to sleep at night.

He often dreamed of dying from overwork at his post,

with no one to mourn him!

Such suffering!

Indeed, suffering...

-Suffering indeed. -Suffering indeed.

The one holding the wooden tablet numbered five

may come forward to confess.

Once you enter the palace, it's as deep as the sea.

Guards!

Take Su Wuming

away

and beat him to death with clubs!

In the past,

there was a dynasty.

Behind a pillar in the court

stood an obscure little eunuch.

People say all eunuchs are treacherous,

that their incomplete bodies

make them wicked.

However,

history has seen many eunuchs who were loyal and virtuous.

During the reign of Emperor He of Han, there was Zheng Zhong,

who helped the emperor eliminate the Dou consort clan,

ushering in a prosperous era for the Han dynasty.

There was also Cai Lun,

who invented paper,

benefiting generations to come.

That little eunuch behind the pillar,

though starting from nothing,

was righteous

and had great ambition.

He wished to assist the Emperor

in creating a golden age

and to overturn the world's

prejudice against eunuchs!

However,

helping the Emperor

requires one who is wise, resolute,

decisive, and efficient—

one who acts when needed.

But instead, the Emperor

hesitated,

wavered,

and time and again

missed his opportunities!

This led to power slipping away.

Even his throne

was in jeopardy.

That eunuch,

though loyal, brave,

insightful, and strategically skilled...

had no chance to put his talents to use.

Instead, he suffered slander

and even

accusations of usurping power.

He faced the threat of execution at any moment.

Tonight at the Confession Assembly,

five confessors

have all finished their confessions.

Master, please decide the final winner.

Tonight, the one who bears the greatest suffering is...

Lady Flatbread.

Thus,

the Demon-Slaying Ritual

will be performed by Lady Flatbread.

[Abode of Transcendence]

Demon-Slaying Ritual,

begin!

-Kill! -Kill!

-Kill! -Kill!

-Kill! -Kill!

Your suffering

exceeds that of the other confessors.

Therefore, the Master

has bestowed upon you the luck to slay

the Demon of Woes!

Step forward

and swing your sword to cut off its head!

It's the Demon of Woes,

a great evil!

All the troubles and anxieties

of Chang'an's gentry and commoners

stem from this demon!

Kill it. Kill it!

-Kill! -Kill!

-Kill! Kill! -Kill! Kill!

-Kill! Kill! -Kill! Kill!

-Kill! Kill! -Kill! Kill!

-Kill! Kill! -Kill! Kill!

Slay the great demon,

and for the rest of your life,

you'll have no more troubles!

-Kill! Kill! -Kill! Kill!

-Kill! Kill! -Kill! Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

Kill!

-Master! -Master!

Mr. Fei!

You're finally awake.

Quickly, look—

which of these medicines can save your life?

Dissolve it in yellow wine

and apply it to my wound.

Xijun, hurry.

Alright.

Alright.

-Official Lu! -Official Lu!

Official Lu!

[Honesty and Diligence]

How did it go?

By the time we reached the Ascension Forest,

there was no one left!

The body was gone as well,

devoured by the Ghost Birds!

Only a few bone fragments remained.

Along with pieces of black

and red clothing!

So frightening!

What's frightening?

It's definitely not as terrifying

as what we've witnessed!

Official Lu,

you should gather the officers

and destroy the Relief-from-Woes Shop!

What?

Yingtao,

don't talk nonsense.

But the one they killed...

Can't you tell?

Of course, I can tell.

Official Lu,

tonight Yingtao and I were at...

W-Why is there such a strong smell of medicine?

It's Mr. Fei.

Who is Uncle Fei treating?

He's not treating anyone.

He's treating himself.

Treating himself?

Replenishing blood isn't

something that happens quickly.

Xue Huan,

go get another blanket and cover him.

Keep him warm

so he can sleep longer.

Alright.

Yingtao.

You can go keep an eye on that place later. Now go.

Xijun, you've worked hard.

Why don't you take a break?

No need.

In another hour,

I'll complete

Chen Shubao's portrait.

I'll get back to drawing now.

What Relief-from-Woes Shop?

It's nothing but a place to trick people out of their money.

How did they manage to swindle your gold coins?

Su Wuming,

you're not that old.

How did you become so muddle-headed

and let others fool you?

You think the Yongzhou Prefecture Office

is full of gold coins?

This is the first time

I've used gold coins

since I became Chief of Secret Agents!

What's more, this Relief-from-Woes Shop

is definitely not as simple as you said—

merely a place to fleece people.

There's something very strange about it.

How strange exactly?

Just their identities—

some of those

who come seeking relief

are

beyond imagination.

Oh, right.

This shop opens once every three days.

Why don't we go together next time?

I have a feeling

that the word "Relief-from-Woes"

on that blood letter

refers to the Relief-from-Woes Shop.

It was just never finished.

If what you say is true,

then the Relief-from-Woes Shop

may indeed have caused multiple deaths.

But when the office made its circuit to Xiuzhen District,

the only report

came from Lai, who is now missing.

No...

No, you...

W-What do you people want now?

Murder for money, is that it?

I'm telling you,

I'll yell for help!

I'll report you to the authorities!

Don't you know

he is with the authorities?

Still, you can't break into private residences

and kill people!

You scammed us out of our gold coins,

and now you're acting innocent?

When did I ever scam you?

You paid for

the gold memberships willingly!

One gold coin

for two spots.

I'm the one losing out here!

Let me ask you,

what exactly did you say at the time?

What do you mean?

Gold membership spots

are limited.

According to the rules,

only those who have paid for 100 visits

qualify to compete for one spot.

But I have some connections,

so I can

use worldly possessions—

like gold and silver—

to help those who want to vent publicly

and unburden their hearts

become gold members.

I didn't say anything wrong!

I never said

that becoming a gold member

guaranteed you a chance to confess!

Quibbling!

I'll cut out your tongue! Try me!

I...

Come on, come on, come on!

Go ahead, cut it. Cut it!

If you cut out my tongue,

I'll write a blood letter!

I'll go report you to the Emperor!

You've written a blood letter before?

Well, no.

That would hurt terribly.

Yingtao.

I just remembered.

He really didn't guarantee

that everyone would have a chance to confess.

What?

Su Wuming, you...

You know what?

You're actually quite reasonable.

A gentleman desires wealth but acquires it properly.

You've tricked me twice already.

But I admit you got me fair and square.

You're becoming more and more reasonable.

I almost want to be friends with you.

That's exactly why I came— to be friends with you.

Last night, I didn't get a chance to confess,

and I couldn't sleep at all after I went home.

So,

I want to go there again.

Sure.

Gold members

enjoy this privilege for life.

I want to...

bring more people with me.

They all want gold memberships?

One gold coin

for each spot.

You're not being much of a friend.

Officer,

friendship is one thing;

business is another.

But I, Sheng, value loyalty above all.

How about this?

One gold coin

for two spots.

How's that?

You're forcing my hand here.

I...

Yingtao,

I'll leave this man to you.

Dump the body

in Ascension Forest after dark.

The body...

Hold on!

Fine! You win!

I'll do as you say!

Happy now?