Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Episode 13 Recap
> Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Recap
Zhong Boqi brewed tea for everyone gathered at Stone Bridge Mountain. Just as the tea was ready, Leng Ji arrived, prompting Prefectural Governor Xiong to remark on the brothers' synchronicity. Zhong Boqi, however, was in poor health, coughing severely and spitting blood. Su Wuming summoned his guest, Chicken Fed, to examine him. Chicken Fed confidently stated that Zhong Boqi was not terminally ill, attributing his condition to misdiagnosis by inexperienced doctors in Nanzhou.
Zhong Boqi, disdainful of Chicken Fed whom he perceived as a swindler, dismissed his diagnosis, asserting his illness was incurable and demanding to know his lifespan. Chicken Fed declared, "Eighty years old. That's for sure." When Zhong Boqi accused Chicken Fed of being a fraud, Chicken Fed retorted by questioning the reputation of the Nanzhou Four Scholars. Leng Ji attempted to defend them, and Su Wuming waved Chicken Fed away.
Despite the interruption, Zhong Boqi and Leng Ji spoke of their fifteen years of brotherhood. Zhong Boqi lamented the absence of Yuanfu and Gongfu, expressing a wish for all of them to reunite in the underworld after death, still as the Nanzhou Four Scholars, to drink tea and enjoy music together. Su Wuming observed Zhong Boqi's vigorous laughter, noting he did not sound like a man on his deathbed.
Challenged by Zhong Boqi to provide answers, Su Wuming, joined by Lu Lingfeng, began to recount the story of the Nanzhou murders, promising that the murderer would reveal himself amidst the mists of Stone Bridge Mountain. Su Wuming reminded Leng Ji of the "Black and White Guards of the underworld" he encountered during Lu Gongfu's vigil, admitting he orchestrated the event to conduct an autopsy.
Lu Lingfeng explained that the autopsy revealed Lu Gongfu was strangled before being stabbed, proving Lin Bao was not the true killer, despite his confession. He admitted that Leng Ji had initially been a suspect due to his attempts to prevent the coffin from being opened, but the later capture of Tu Yanpi, who confessed to being hired by Zhong Boqi and Leng Ji to apprehend Lin Bao, shifted the focus.
Lu Lingfeng then detailed their investigation into Lu Li, who was suspected due to his keen desire for "The Stone Bridge" painting, possibly killing those depicted to devalue it. While Lu Li had stolen Lu Gongfu's guqin, he had no alibi for the murders and was now imprisoned. Similarly, Ouyang Quan was investigated due to his ambition to become a renowned scholar and resentment towards the Nanzhou Four Scholars' disdain for his merchant status.
However, Ouyang Quan also had no alibi. Su Wuming credited Prefectural Governor Xiong's invitation to a banquet and the presence of Pei Xijun as crucial turning points in the case. Pei Xijun, a skilled artist, recognized the two young men at the banquet as the children playing chess in "The Stone Bridge" painting from fifteen years ago, and the old servant who committed the recent murders as another figure in the painting.
This led Su Wuming to the theory that all individuals depicted in the painting were targets. Su Wuming further explained that his autopsy of Yan Yuanfu uncovered a small hole in his head and a Poison Bug's shed skin in his hair, confirming his death by the bug, locally known as "Ink Crazed." He revealed that this specific bug was sold by Mr. Huang, who initially thought the buyer was a wandering monk.
Pointing to Zhong Boqi's background in collecting and planting tea on Stone Bridge Mountain, Su Wuming pressed him. Under pressure, Zhong Boqi removed his wig, revealing his bald head.
Su Wuming then detailed his deductions: he had noticed Zhong Boqi's servant driving away a comb seller, and further inquiry with the servant revealed Zhong Boqi's gradual hair loss over two years, with none in the past six months, indicating complete baldness, which Su Wuming attributed to anxiety over a presumed terminal illness.
Su Wuming also recounted his visit to Yan Yuanfu's wife, who confirmed her husband was healthy but had shared tea with Zhong Boqi just days before his death. She had noticed Zhong Boqi brought a luxurious glass bottle for tea. A pharmacist later explained that "the glaze of the glass is the best for restraining this bug," preventing it from entering orifices and killing.
Given Yan Yuanfu's love for calligraphy and the inherent scent of ink on him, the "Ink Crazed" bug would naturally target him. Regarding Lu Gongfu's death, Su Wuming stated that a beggar witnessed a bald man strangling him. He deduced that after Lu Gongfu's guqin strings broke at Yan Yuanfu's funeral, Zhong Boqi provided new, "great" strings.
Zhong Boqi then used the old strings to strangle Lu Gongfu, and his wig likely fell off during the struggle, leading the beggar to see a bald man. Zhong Boqi confirmed bringing the new guqin strings. Leng Ji, reeling from the accusations, pleaded with Zhong Boqi to deny them. Zhong Boqi, however, confessed, explaining that he believed he was terminally ill with only three months to live.
He claimed he acted out of deep care, wanting to take his friends with him to the underworld so they could continue their camaraderie. Su Wuming denounced Zhong Boqi's actions as "selfish, arrogant, and cruel." When asked why he targeted everyone in "The Stone Bridge" painting, Zhong Boqi revealed he killed the woodcutter by giving him new black clothes soaked in ink, containing another Poison Bug, causing him to fall to his death.
As for the Xie family's old servant, Zhong Boqi stated the servant "sought his own death" after he "ignited the anger to revenge in his heart" during a tea invitation. He coldly justified these killings by saying the painting "would not be perfect" without all its subjects. Leng Ji, horrified, called Zhong Boqi "crazy" and "scary," expressing profound regret for their friendship and attempting to commit suicide by crashing into a tree, only to be stopped by Lu Lingfeng.
Zhong Boqi then calmly revealed he had poisoned Leng Ji's tea with a slow-acting poison, stating that as renowned scholars, they deserved a graceful death. He assured Leng Ji, as the youngest, of a peaceful passing, and disdainfully dismissed Prefectural Governor Xiong and Administrator Luo, claiming they were "not even on a par with the grass or trees on the painting of the Stone Bridge."
As Zhong Boqi gloated, Su Wuming dramatically declared he had swapped the poisoned tea bowls when Zhong Boqi went to greet Leng Ji, saving his life. Chicken Fed then added that Zhong Boqi's illness was not terminal and was easily curable, as he had successfully treated many similar cases in Nanzhou. Pei Xijun unveiled her painting depicting the day's events, publicly exposing Zhong Boqi as the murderer.
When Prefectural Governor Xiong posted a public notice of Zhong Boqi's crimes, Ouyang Quan, unable to accept the truth, tore it down and attempted to hang himself, seeking to join the "renowned scholars" in death. Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng rushed to his home and saved him. Lu Lingfeng affirmed Ouyang Quan's true nobility, highlighting his extensive philanthropy in Nanzhou, such as employing young men and distributing grain to the poor.
He told Ouyang Quan, "In my eyes, you deserve the reputation of a scholar more than those people on the painting of the Stone Bridge." Su Wuming agreed, adding that Lu Li would return "The Stone Bridge" painting at its original price, and Pei Xijun would add Ouyang Quan to it. Lu Lingfeng invited Ouyang Quan to join them and Chicken Fed to "enter the bamboo forest together" like the Seven Sages.
When Su Wuming mentioned the expensive medicine needed to treat many Nanzhou citizens suffering from the same cough as Zhong Boqi, Ouyang Quan immediately pledged to donate his wealth, earning him praise as a "true renowned scholar." Later, Leng Ji visited a cured Zhong Boqi in prison, who, after receiving medicine, no longer coughed. Zhong Boqi confessed he had written to Prefectural Governor Xiong, offering to donate all his assets for the treatment of Nanzhou's sick.
He admitted to Leng Ji that he was now afraid to die and ashamed to live, fearing the vengeance of those he had killed in the underworld, and pondered his uncertain fate "between the Heaven and the Earth, and between the human and the ghost." Recalling Su Wuming's advice to "pay attention to the details," Lu Lingfeng realized they had overlooked crucial clues about Liu Shiba at Gantang Post.
They requested a month's leave from Prefectural Governor Xiong to return and investigate the strange events there, which Xiong granted, offering a letter of introduction to his former classmate, Wang Nailing, the diligent Magistrate of Gantang. To avoid recognition, Pei Xijun suggested Su Wuming shave his beard, which he reluctantly did. She also helped Lu Lingfeng by attaching a fake, full beard, transforming him into a commanding general. Lu Lingfeng, disguised as a general, arrived at Gantang Post.
Liu Shiba, the same attendant, tried to deter him, claiming the post was abandoned and haunted. Lu Lingfeng insisted on staying due to impending heavy rain and asserted his authority as an official, offering money to Liu Shiba. He requested wine and chicken, but Liu Shiba claimed weasels had killed the chickens, offering other cooked meat instead. Wary, Lu Lingfeng declined the meat and requested wild vegetables. Liu Shiba served him wild vegetable balls, which Lu Lingfeng found palatable.
Liu Shiba explained he hunted "mountain monkeys" from the expansive mountain behind the post, setting traps for them when they "harassed" him, then cooking them for food. Lu Lingfeng, with a pointed gaze, asked if these "mountain monkeys" were human-shaped.
