Original subtitles

[Strange Chronicles of Tang]

[Episode 15]

Fei,

can he be saved?

No, it's too late.

Years ago,

I made suicide pills

that could be hidden in false teeth

for the Crimson Pact.

Once the pills are taken,

there's no chance of survival.

What are you doing?

I'm trying to find out

if he put on a mask

made of Chen Qian's face.

I checked.

He didn't.

[Yongzhou Prefecture]

[Orderly Administration]

Magistrate Xin,

greetings.

Official Lu,

is the investigation

on the Relief-from-Woes Shop over yet?

When will Ruiqiu be released?

Ruiqiu?

I mean Madam Master of Rain.

Since I became Magistrate of Chang'an County,

I may have made some mistakes,

but I did nothing wrong by using

Madam Master of Rain's

influence to build Xiuzhen District

into a cultivation destination.

Official Lu, please show some mercy

and release Ruiqiu soon.

Vicious though that shop was,

all Madam Master of Rain did there was dance,

by which she earned a little money for her family.

She has nothing to do with the plot

to assassinate the Emperor.

Now, the Rain Master's Dance

is somewhat famous in Chang'an.

With a bit more promotion,

it could become popular throughout the capital.

I, Xin Zifang, am vouching for Ruiqiu with my position

as a magistrate.

I've also implored the chancellor

to beseech His Majesty to grant Ruiqiu leniency.

[Benign Governance with Ease]

Tell Lu Lingfeng

to release her if possible.

The Tang Empire is vast and magnificent.

There is room for a woman

who has committed minor wrongdoing.

Besides,

isn't it nice to have a female Master of Rain

in Chang'an?

Why are you sighing

like that?

Should we release her or not?

My mentor, Master Di, once said,

"No case is too small or big,

and each must be thoroughly investigated."

Since Ruiqiu was put into prison,

she hasn't said a word.

On top of that, many doubts about this case haven't been resolved.

How can it be closed so soon?

Wuming,

Lu Lingfeng,

is there anything I can help with?

When you're in there,

depict your criminal acts

in a drawing.

[Yongzhou Prefecture Prison]

I've seen you before.

Madam Master of Rain?

How unfortunate it is

to share a cell

with you.

How is it unfortunate?

When I worked as a painter,

I once visited your home as I provided assistance to the office.

That was how I learned about the Relief-from-Woes Shop.

I found it interesting,

so I opened one

at my own place.

For that, I was arrested and convicted

by the office.

They even asked me to draw

all my illegal acts.

Aren't I in bad luck because of you?

What's the drawing for?

Who knows?

I've been convicted,

so it can't be used as evidence.

Maybe it's for future generations to see.

For me,

it's a way to give myself closure.

For future generations to see...

To give myself closure...

Miss,

can you also draw a painting for me?

Miss,

since I'm in prison now,

I can't repay you with anything.

Gratitude is all I can offer.

I was born into a family of Masters of Rain.

Since I'm not a male,

I couldn't have inherited the position of Master of Rain.

For that, my father barely showed me regard.

My mother passed away when I was little.

My father was often fined for his unanswered

prayers for rain.

Feeling frustrated,

he'd drink and beat me.

Our neighbors also began to avoid me.

They even cursed me and chased me away.

At that time,

only in the Ascension Forest

could I feel peaceful

and safe,

as there was nothing but birdsong and insect sounds.

Later,

I met a boy.

Who are you?

Where are you from?

Why are you stealing dew from my forest?

My apologies!

I was just playing a prank on you.

I didn't mean to frighten you.

I'm sorry.

That terrifying sound just now

was made by you?

Yes.

Was it fun?

I don't believe it.

Then listen carefully.

The entire Ascension Forest belongs to me,

including every drop of dew here.

It really was you.

You're so weird.

How am I weird?

My father taught me this skill.

It's exclusive to our family.

In fact, it was I who created the profession

of dew collectors.

I sold dew to those who came

to the district for cultivation,

so I could bring home money.

After meeting him,

I became able to collect more and more dew,

which naturally increased my income.

My father was pleased to see all that money

and abused me much less often.

Time quickly went by.

Soon, the boy and I grew up.

He no longer

pranked me with strange noises.

He never talked to me again either.

He always stayed far away from me,

as if an insurmountable mountain

was standing

between us.

[Just and Selfless]

These are their portraits in adulthood.

I didn't know who he was,

or where he came from.

All I knew

was that he lived in Xiuzhen District.

I made up all sorts of excuses

to enter each and every household

in the district,

yet I couldn't find him.

In a morning seven years ago,

he suddenly came to see me.

That was the first time

he spoke to me after we grew up.

I may have to be away for a while.

When I return to Chang'an,

will I see you again?

Yes.

I've been living in Xiuzhen District since birth.

Now, I have taken over my father's job

as the local Master of Rain.

I know.

I've seen you dance

to pray for rain.

You dance beautifully.

Try dancing more.

Goodbye.

I never saw him again

in the next two years.

But one day...

-Why did you stop? -Why did you stop?

Why did you stop dancing?

Madam Master of Rain, go on with the dance!

Why did you stop?

-Dance! -Dance!

Sir!

You mean me?

Who are you?

What a strange costume.

I am the Master of Rain.

Just now...

You were the one praying for rain, right?

It's a real shame to cover

your pretty face with a mask.

He seemed to have forgotten our past.

I thought he was joking with me

and playing dumb.

After all, he enjoyed doing that as a child.

I then married him with ardent haste.

[Wedding]

After that,

I took him to the Ascension Forest.

I thought,

when we got there,

he'd stop messing around.

What stupid place is this?

This is

where we met in childhood.

How did I meet you in childhood?

My ancestral home is Xu County, Yingchuan.

I was born in Lantian, Yongzhou.

This is my first time in Chang'an.

Have you been

with another man before?

And he looks exactly like me?

How is that possible?

I get it.

You're lying to me, aren't you?

In this world, there can't be another man

as handsome and elegant as I am.

I knew I had made a mistake.

Regrets filled my heart.

But it was too late,

since I had already married him.

In the first year of our marriage,

we were a loving and happy couple.

But things completely changed when he failed

the imperial exam for the first time.

Tell me.

Why did I fail the exam?

Did you bring me bad luck,

you female Master of Rain dressed like a creepy ghost all the time?

How am I so unfortunate?

Why did I even marry you?

As the Master of Rain,

I was often harassed by ruffians.

Instead of protecting me,

he blamed me for drawing those guys' attention.

He started humiliating and abusing me

non-stop.

As he failed one exam after another,

the situation got worse.

Half a year ago, he said

he couldn't live off me forever,

and that he wanted to find a job.

I was actually glad about it.

But later on,

I often smelled a scent of rouge

on his clothes.

Only rich ladies

could afford that kind of rouge.

I finally realized

why he worked as a courier

in an Express Delivery Shop.

But what I found even more unbearable

was that he actually started stealing.

What took you so long?

Did you hide a man at home?

Sorry, my love.

I was cooking and didn't hear you.

Where did you get this robe?

I bought 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.

How many times has it been?

You must shake off

the habit of stealing.

You're a jinx, woman.

How dare you tell me what to do?

You go out once every three days.

What have you been doing?

Nothing.

Refusing to tell?

I'll beat you to death!

That was how I got the scar

on my forehead.

He scolded me for going out once every three days,

and it was true.

I made those visits to the Relief-from-Woes Shop

for a chance to relieve woes,

but I never got to tell my story.

Then, the Altar Attendant invited me

to be the Lamp-Lighting Messenger,

who would perform rituals before the slaying

of the Demon of Woes.

It sounded similar to what the Master of Rain

would do to pray for rain.

So I agreed.

After all, the pay was good.

I told Chen Qian everything about it.

That was too much of a coincidence.

I bet you earned

all that money by sleeping

with other men!

Don't you think I don't know that.

You vile Master of Rain!

Take this!

It's a letter of divorce.

You jinx, with you out of my way,

I'll surely pass the imperial exam.

My husband,

you can't do this to me!

Go away!

In despair,

I decided to end my life

in the Ascension Forest.

My husband?

Have you changed your mind?

I'm not that man.

But from today on,

I can take his place.

I-Is...

Is it you?

Will you come collect dew tomorrow morning?

Too bad that I can't help you,

since I'll be occupied.

It really is you.

This is my fault.

I should've come back earlier.

Part of the blame is his.

I didn't expect him

to come to Chang'an and meet you.

I didn't understand what he said.

When I found that robe

in the Ascension Forest,

I was terrified.

You must be tired from collecting dew.

Come have lunch.

I just made it.

Who are you?

About my husband Chen Qian, did you...

As I said,

I can replace him.

From now on, I am Chen Qian.

He showed enormous care

and affection for me.

[Chen Qian]

He was named Xun Jiao

and came from a family of assassins.

[Xun Jiao]

He had a twin.

Feeling reluctant to turn both boys

into assassins,

his father gave Jiao's twin brother

to a Chen family in Lantian,

who was then named Chen Qian.

Jiao left Chang'an seven years ago

because of a task he took on.

He traveled far to the Western Regions

and various countries

just to complete that task.

When he came back to Chang'an,

he planned to marry me.

Unexpectedly,

I had married to Chen Qian by then.

That must be what people call

"the irony of fate."

[Just and Selfless]

This seems like what the Crimson Pact would do.

They actually spent as long as seven years

in completing an assassination mission.

It wouldn't be a surprise if they established

the Relief-from-Woes Shop

for the purpose of killing the Emperor.