Original subtitles

[Strange Chronicles of Tang]

[Episode 10]

What's the happy occasion today?

To serve at Your Majesty's side

is my every day joy.

No, that's not it.

You've been frowning lately,

but you're smiling today.

Did something good happen?

Tell me, so I can be happy too.

Nothing special.

It's just that...

I went to a place yesterday

called Relief-from-Woes Shop.

You can share your woes

and all of it will vanish instantly.

There is such a place?

Yes.

I can only say

the only way to relieve your woes

is to visit the Relief-from-Woes Shop.

Can you take me there?

Your Majesty.

This shop is in the remote area of Xiuzhen District.

You can't go there, Your Majesty.

Why not?

I also have troubles weighing on my heart

that I need to get off my chest.

All of us are witnesses to it as your servants

and it pains our hearts,

but...

a place like the Relief-from-Woes Shop

is only suitable

for people like us to visit.

Your Majesty's safety

is the foundation of the Tang Empire.

We cannot risk any mishap.

Besides, you need to exchange passwords

and wear a mask.

So...

So that sounds interesting.

Once I wear a mask,

no one will recognize who I am.

If you can't recognize me,

neither can those who wish to harm me.

Therefore, safety won't be an issue.

Here in Tang Empire's Chang'an,

peace reigns all too well.

That still won't do!

It's all my fault

for speaking nonsense.

I deserve a beating!

He looks familiar.

I just can’t seem to recall it right away.

Isn't this Ruiqiu's husband,

Chen Qian?

No wonder he looked so familiar.

It is Chen Qian.

Who drew this?

It looks so much like him.

Ruiqiu,

the female Master of Rain?

Yes, she's the Madam Master of Rain.

Where does she live?

Over there.

Anyone there?

Yongzhou Judicial Office here for a case!

Official Lu.

Magistrate Xin.

You're here for a case?

You'll have to wait.

What I'm currently discussing with Ruiqiu

is no small matter either.

It might even be more significant than the case

you're investigating.

Ruiqiu,

to put it simply,

I want you to select

some beautiful woman who possess

natural grace and charm from

within the district.

Perhaps five, seven, or nine of them,

practice some dance routines together,

and perform in all districts of Chang'an.

We could name it

Xiuzhen District's Madam Master of Rain Dance Troupe.

This way,

we can attract more people,

especially the officials and nobles

from Wannian County.

Let's make them

buy houses here,

practice cultivation here,

and dine and wine here.

Then this desolate Xiuzhen District

will become prosperous, won't it?

As for your wages,

it will be covered entirely by Chang'an County.

Of course,

masks cannot be worn during performances.

This is very important.

Magistrate,

this won't work.

Why not?

I have given this careful thought.

I can make you

the most famous woman in Chang'an.

But I don't want

to be that kind of woman.

Well...

Ruiqiu,

why don't you give it another thought?

District Head Li,

back in that year of severe drought,

Chang'an saw only

a handful of rainfalls.

But Xiuzhen District

didn't receive a single drop of rain.

It was not long after my father's passing.

The neighbors all blamed me

because our Master of Rain family had no male heir.

That's why I had to steel myself,

put on a mask, and performed the rain prayer ritual.

Indeed, indeed.

That night, heavy rain fell in Chang'an,

and Xiuzhen District

received the most rainfall.

Otherwise, Chang'an

wouldn't have

a female Master of Rain, right?

The previous time,

when you asked me to remove my mask,

I already did.

But asking me to lead several women

and go out there dancing

is quite the challenge for me.

My husband is preparing for his exams.

I need to cook for him.

Is your husband's name is Chen Qian?

Yes.

Come over here and look at this painting.

Is he this man?

Who painted this?

It looks a lot like him.

Where is he?

Where is he now?

He's sleeping inside.

Sleeping?

The Magistrate comes to your home,

and yet your husband is sleeping?

Isn't that inappropriate?

He studied all night

and is exhausted.

When the Magistrate arrived,

I wanted to wake him,

but the Magistrate said it wasn't necessary.

That's right.

I came to discuss matters with Ruiqiu.

I don't care if her husband

is sleeping inside.

Isn't this how a gentleman should behave?

Of course.

That's how it should be.

The Magistrate is down-to-earth

and doesn't fuss about minor details.

I admire that.

Ruiqiu.

Let me ask you again.

Besides preparing for the exam,

does your husband do anything else for a living?

He worked as a courier for a while.

I told him it was too exhausting,

so I persuaded him to quit.

Is he really sleeping inside?

If not,

Madam Master of Rain,

have you thought about how to cover up your lie?

The Magistrate is at my home.

How could I possibly lie?

Since you're so eager to see my husband,

please wait a moment.

I'll go wake him up.

Chen Shubao!

Didn't you meet a wealthy young lady

while delivering something

to Xuanyang District,

and planned to enjoy

a life of luxury with her?

What's your intention

of saying such things

in front of my wife?

I...

-Didn’t you say your wife… -Shut up!

I'll admit

Ruiqiu and I had a disagreement.

I was upset

and said some things outside

that I shouldn't have.

But my wife and I have reconciled now.

Why are you stirring up trouble?

I...

Besides, my name isn't Chen Shubao.

That was just an alias.

After all, it's not dignified

for a scholar to work as a courier.

Su Wuming.

Do you recognize this clothing?

This clothing?

He was suddenly wearing a new outfit

when he returned the other day,

so I was very curious.

Where did you get this from?

I got it from a secondhand store.

How much?

A few dozen wen.

Just three days' worth of wages as a courier.

My husband, you must be joking.

Just this turquoise knot button on the collar

is worth far more than a few hundred wen.

That expensive?

I had suspected that

he had stolen it while delivering packages

for the Express Delivery Shop.

Yes.

My dear,

I've disgraced you.

I...

I'm so ashamed.

That day after our big fight,

I took

this clothing

and hung it in Ascension Forest.

I was afraid the shopkeeper would report it

and catch us with the stolen goods.

But after a couple of days, I thought,

since my husband had already worn it,

hanging it there would be like cursing him.

So I went back to Ascension Forest

and pulled it down.

But in my haste,

the most valuable turquoise knot button

came off.

I searched everywhere but couldn't find it,

so I had to give up.

After that...

No way!

Xiuzhen District's Madam Master of Rain!

To see

your true face, Madam Master of Rain,

I purposely waited for you

to remove your mask after the performance.

So I recognize you.

You are?

I am the shopkeeper of Lady Hong's Secondhand Store.

Today, I'm collecting old items in the district.

[Mr. Zuo, Lady Hong's Secondhand Store]

Are you selling

this robe?

My husband was going to return

this piece of clothing.

I am the one who took it upon myself

and sold it as a used item.

If someone must be punished,

I'll take it on behalf of my husband.

If there's a fine,

we're willing to pay.

Official Lu.

That shopkeeper, Mr. Dai,

who murdered his own nephew,

has confessed?

He had confessed.

So this robe was stolen property to begin with,

and was even worn by a dead man.

It's not worth much anyway.

As for you,

doing something like this

as a scholar

is completely unacceptable.

I, the Magistrate,

officially reprimand you.

Yes.

I acknowledge my mistake.

Official Lu,

I think we should let this matter go.

After all, it's not a serious offense.

Ruiqiu,

about what I discussed with you earlier,

please think it over carefully.

By then,

I will invite people from Pingkang District

and the Persian Pavilion

and put on Chang'an's

most beautiful makeup for you.

That Chen Qian,

in terms of appearance,

does match Hu's description of

Chen Shubao perfectly.

But I still feel something's not right.

Look at him,

there's no hint of slyness.

He doesn't seem like someone

who's been running errands for half a year.

Chen Qian,

Ruiqiu's Rain Master's Dance

matters greatly

to Xiuzhen District and

all of Chang'an County.

You must persuade her

to accept my proposal.

In your day-to-day,

take good care of your wife.

Don't let her cook for you

or get injured again.

Look at her forehead.

I understand.

I've noted everything.

Please rest assured, Magistrate.

Official Lu,

I will take Chen Qian and Ruiqiu

back for further questioning.

Nonsense!

Don't you see Magistrate Xin is here?

Even if he weren't here,

you can't just arrest people as you please.

Yes.

How I yearn for you, yet you're in Chang'an.

Rumors say I'm ordered to guard the garrisons in Gaolan.

Longcheng is far, and the garrisons are cold.

Sorrows makes one thinner,

and the belt naturally becomes loose.

Chen Qian,

what were those last two lines again?

I haven't read this poem, Sir.

Enough.

Such a vulgar poem,

yet you keep reciting it, Official Lu.

Ridiculous.

I do remember the last two lines though.

As I think of you who's not here now,

who will now embrace my waist?

It's a bit vulgar,

but still quite catchy.

Chen Qian,

where are you from?

My ancestral home is Xu County in Yingchuan,

but I was born in Lantian, Yongzhou.

Magistrate.

W-Why don't you two chat first,

and we'll leave you alone.

Farewell.

Hu.

Officer.

You said yesterday that Chen Shubao

loves reading Collected Poems of Xu Ling.

Are you sure you didn't get it wrong?

Yes, I'm sure.

If you don't believe me, ask our boss again.

I remember it was Xu Ling,

that poet from the Southern Dynasties.

Are you certain

that man just now was Chen Shubao?

Yes.

I-I think so.

In front of his wife,

he acts like a decent person.

When he hangs out with us,

he's not nearly this proper.

All right.

Thank you for your trouble.

This...

The portrait took you all night.

This is extra payment from Official Lu.

Thank you, Officer.

Official Lu.

Just now...

Should I not have interrupted?

You did well.

Xue Huan,

take this portrait to Lantian

and investigate this Chen Qian.

Yes.

He often reads Collected Poems of Xu Ling,

yet he doesn't know Xu Ling's poems.

That's very suspicious.

Official Lu.

You're getting better and better at

tracking down clues these days.

That's because Xijun reminded me.

A skilled portrait artist

can observe and capture both

the form and spirit of

their subject in the shortest time

This man's appearance is right, but his spirit is wrong,

isn't it?

It's just a feeling I had.

So it's because Xijun was

helping you secretly.

Yin.

I am the Emperor,

yet often I have no freedom.

In this palace,

there are few people I can truly trust.

Is something on your mind, Your Majesty?

Please feel free to ask me.

You're so clever.

I've heard

there's a good place in Xiuzhen District

called the Relief-from-Woes Shop.

I want to visit

but don't want too many people to know.

After all, bringing too many guards

would take away the goodness

from this good place.

But I'm not certain if this Relief-from-Woes Shop

is safe.

Understood.

I, Yin, will scout ahead for Your Majesty.

The gastrodia powder brewed today

was especially fragrant and sweet.