Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Episode 16 Recap
> Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Recap
Headman Xie reported that Dugu Xiashu, after drinking all night at a song house, had attempted to flee the city that morning, swaying unsteadily. Headman Xie had to physically stop and bind him when Dugu Xiashu ran. Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng took Dugu Xiashu back to his home, where an elderly neighbor approached them. The old man asked if Qinghong's body had been found, asserting that Dugu Xiashu returned home at 5 p. m.
(the time the Zixia Building lanterns were lit) and likely killed his wife that night. He distinctly remembered hearing Dugu Xiashu sharpening a knife at midnight, despite the rain and his own poor hearing. He also noted that Qinghong, in all her years of marriage, never stayed at her maiden home for more than a day or two, making her prolonged absence highly suspicious. Lu Lingfeng also confirmed that Qinghong's brother in He County had not seen her.
Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng then confronted Dugu Xiashu about Qinghong's whereabouts. He admitted that, in a fit of rage upon discovering her "shameful" actions, he had almost strangled her. However, he was overcome with guilt, recalling his neglect of her over the years. He then went to the kitchen to make her favorite wontons, realizing the knife was dull and sharpening it to mince meat. He claimed they had reconciled.
Su Wuming inquired if he suspected an affair between Qinghong and Liu Youqiu, which surprised Dugu Xiashu, though he admitted to having threatened Liu Youqiu. He claimed he intended to interrogate Qinghong first before confronting Liu Youqiu. He said Qinghong became angry, hit him, then stated she was hungry. After he prepared the wontons, he found her gone and assumed she had returned to her maiden home in He County out of anger.
When confronted with his earlier statement that she left in the morning, Dugu Xiashu revised his story, reasoning that she must have hidden somewhere until daybreak before attempting the dangerous, rainy mountain road. Lu Lingfeng accused him of fabricating stories to evade responsibility, and Dugu Xiashu, in a dazed state, intermittently denied and then confessed to killing someone.
Su Wuming suggested they re-examine Dugu Xiashu's house, recalling the masked intruder from the previous night who had gone straight to the large rice pot. He hypothesized that the intruder was not interested in the pot's contents but needed to move it. Su Wuming ordered the visibly weak Dugu Xiashu to move the heavy pot himself. With great effort, Dugu Xiashu complied, revealing buried ground. Digging further with a hoe, he unearthed one ancestral silver ingot.
He explained that his ancestors were officials, and seven such ingots were given to Qinghong for safekeeping until he passed the imperial examination. Realizing only one was present, he frantically searched for the missing six, concluding that a thief must have stolen them. Dugu Xiashu then pointed to the Land God temple on Minor Stone Bridge Mountain, also known as the back mountain, as a possible hiding place.
Meanwhile, Dong Lang, having rapidly recovered from his injuries after using the medicine provided by Su Wuming, went to the Land God temple to pray for good fortune. Hoping to find hidden treasures, as he had previously done in the Wen Temple, he searched the Land God statue. Instead, he discovered Qinghong's body concealed within. Su Wuming ordered Dugu Xiashu to be brought to identify the body.
Seeing Qinghong's lifeless form, Dugu Xiashu broke down, crying out her name, and vivid memories of chopping her flashed in his mind. Lu Lingfeng then accused him of discovering Qinghong's affair with Liu Youqiu, feigning a book-buying trip, sneaking home to kill her, dragging her body to the back mountain, hiding it in the statue, and then falsely claiming she returned to her maiden home to create a scenario of a mountain accident.
His plan to go to Chang'an for the exams was merely a cover for his escape. Overwhelmed, Dugu Xiashu confessed, crying, "It's all my fault. I killed Qinghong!" He then shockingly declared, "Liu Youqiu must also have been killed by me! I killed Qinghong and Liu Youqiu! They deserve to die!" Imprisoned, Dugu Xiashu experienced vivid dreams.
He dreamed of preparing wontons for Qinghong, followed by a tender reconciliation where she urged him to move out of the Wen Temple and join her in Chang'an for his exams. She spoke of engraving his name on the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda and fulfilling his mother's wish for grandchildren, promising to bring the ancestral silver ingots.
He awoke believing they had reconciled and that he hadn't killed anyone, only to be immediately overcome by the conviction that he had indeed killed both Qinghong and Liu Youqiu, his mind caught in a cycle of confusion between reality and dreams. Su Wuming remained silent after the autopsy at the Land God temple, prompting a sarcastic remark from Lu Lingfeng, who assumed Su Wuming was displeased with his firm stance on Dugu Xiashu's guilt.
Su Wuming clarified that Dugu Xiashu's confession was unreliable due to his mental state, contradictory statements, and lack of the "hostility" typical of a murderer. Furthermore, Dugu Xiashu's physical weakness, evident when he moved the pot and dug the ground, made it highly improbable he could have single-handedly transported Qinghong's body to the remote Land God temple.
Lu Lingfeng countered that Dugu Xiashu's trance could be a result of the murder, the concept of "hostility" was subjective, and he could have had an accomplice, possibly the masked man. Su Wuming acknowledged Lu Lingfeng's astute observations before revealing crucial details from the autopsy: Qinghong was not killed by a knife. While knife wounds on her neck could be fatal, their appearance indicated they were inflicted post-mortem.
More significantly, Su Wuming discovered an almost imperceptible pinhole behind her neck, surrounded by black-purple discoloration, indicating poisoning. He deduced that this was the true cause of her death. He concluded that the masked intruder, who knew the location of the silver ingots and used a poisonous needle, likely had a close relationship with Qinghong. While Dugu Xiashu might not have killed Qinghong, his guilt in Liu Youqiu's death remained a possibility.
Su Wuming also mentioned that his analytical and autopsy techniques were documented in some old books he had lent to Lu Lingfeng in Chang'an, encouraging him to read them. He concluded that, without new leads, they must focus on Dugu Xiashu, whose mind seemed to blend reality with his dreams. Lu Lingfeng observed Dugu Xiashu in his cell, sleepless due to constant nightmares.
To address this, Lu Lingfeng had Chicken Fed confined to Dugu Xiashu's cell, ostensibly for his alcohol addiction. Dugu Xiashu begged for execution to escape his recurring nightmares. Chicken Fed, realizing the true purpose of his imprisonment, engaged Dugu Xiashu. He explained the nature of dreams, mentioning local folklore of a "Dream-eater" called Boqi, and discussing various dream theories from Buddhism and Taoism. He emphasized the idea that dreams often reflect one's deepest desires and past experiences.
Chicken Fed then diagnosed Dugu Xiashu with symptoms of "deficiency of Qi and blood, lack of spiritual energy, or Liver-qi Stagnation," which often leads to frequent nightmares. Though initially skeptical of Chicken Fed's disheveled appearance, Dugu Xiashu was convinced by his detailed knowledge and agreed to acupuncture treatment. Chicken Fed performed a comprehensive treatment, using over a hundred needles across Dugu Xiashu's body.
After the treatment, Chicken Fed explained to Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng that Dugu Xiashu's nightmares were not due to common respiratory issues. He theorized they could be caused by shock, congenital hysteria, or even the administration of "ecstasy incense" by an unknown assailant. Further investigation by Su Wuming revealed that Dugu Xiashu's relatives confirmed he had no history of hysteria and was a naturally cheerful person who always slept well.
As predicted by Su Wuming, after sleeping soundly for twenty-four hours without a single nightmare, Dugu Xiashu awoke, now firmly denying that he had killed either Qinghong or Liu Youqiu, completely retracting his earlier confession.
