Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Episode 24 Recap
> Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Recap
On the day of Governor Li Yu's burial, his daughter Yingtao arrived, distraught and weeping over the coffin. She vowed to avenge her father's miserable death, criticizing the government's incompetence for not arresting the murderer. Administrator Gu Wenbin prepared to proceed with the burial, but Su Wuming vehemently objected, declaring that the headless corpse in the coffin was not Governor Li. He insisted on opening the coffin for an autopsy, offering to be imprisoned if his claim was false.
Administrator Gu, after some hesitation, allowed the coffin to be opened. Su Wuming then publicly explained his reasoning. He noted the rough skin and calluses between the left thumb and index finger of the corpse, indicating long-term use of a knife, which was inconsistent with Governor Li, a renowned scholar famous for his poetry, literature, and calligraphy. Minister He Xi suggested the calluses could be from farming during his early career.
However, Su Wuming countered, revealing that Lu Yong had confessed his hired assassin, Xiao Qi, was a left-handed swordsman with a distinctive red birthmark on his left hand. Yingtao confirmed that her father did not have such a birthmark. Su Wuming concluded that the corpse was indeed Xiao Qi, who had been attacked by a giant alligator, losing his head and right arm. When asked to identify the body, Li Si, Governor Li's servant, appeared visibly frightened and refused.
Su Wuming requested to assist Minister He Xi in investigating the complex and unusual case. Minister Zeng, nearing retirement, advised Administrator Gu to allow Su Wuming to investigate but suggested postponing the case until after the Double Third Festival, which was ten days away, to focus on preparing for the God Sighting Ceremony. Su Wuming, however, volunteered to solve the case before the festival.
Administrator Gu agreed to the ten-day deadline but warned that if the case remained unsolved, Su Wuming would be imprisoned, and Minister He would also bear responsibility. Su Wuming expressed his concern that while belief in the Tuo God was natural in the lake-rich Ninghu, some exploited the deity's name to accumulate wealth and harm the populace, with many officials complicit. He pondered whether Ninghu was still truly part of the Tang Dynasty.
Meanwhile, at the prefectural governor's villa, Lu Lingfeng discovered a room adorned with "Heaven Qian Earth Kun" trigrams. Following a hidden mechanism, he uncovered a secret chamber. Upon entering, he was attacked by two giant alligators and sought refuge by hiding inside a coffin, where he surprisingly found the corpse of a beautifully dressed woman. Elsewhere, Tuo God was furious, scolding Shen Chong for his incompetence in not even knowing whether Li Yu was truly dead.
While acknowledging that Su Wuming had inadvertently provided the valuable information that the corpse was not Li Yu, Tuo God, still enraged, vowed to make Su Wuming "practice immortality within my stomach," effectively condemning him to be devoured by alligators. A subordinate reminded Shen Chong that if Li Yu was alive, he would be a living testimony against them, even without the "Records of Worshippers of Tuo God." Su Wuming pressed Yingtao for details about her life before Ninghu.
He observed her proficiency with "sleeve arrows" and questioned why her scholarly father would have encouraged her to practice martial arts. After Su Wuming mentioned the "Records of Worshippers of Tuo God," Yingtao revealed her past. Her mother died young, and when Yingtao was eight, her father entrusted her to a Buddhist nun to raise and teach martial arts, as he sought official status in Chang'an.
Three months prior, Li Si, her father's servant, located her and conveyed Governor Li's desire to meet in Ninghu. However, her master was gravely ill, preventing immediate travel. It was only after her master's death half a month ago that Yingtao finally came to Ninghu. She quickly learned from the common people that her father, Governor Li Yu, was a good official dedicated to his constituents, yet he was under the influence of the Worshippers of Tuo God.
Her father confirmed to her that he had indeed joined the Worshippers, but not out of loyalty. He described them as an "evil shrine" that was poisoning the lives of the people. His intention was to do something significant for Ninghu by meticulously documenting their illicit activities in a text he titled "Records of Worshippers of Tuo God." This document detailed their various methods of extorting money from merchants and their fraudulent practices in collecting taxes for the state.
He wanted Yingtao to take this crucial evidence to the procurator's office in Chang'an, as he trusted no one in Ninghu. Yingtao confirmed that her fateful encounter with Su Wuming at the Temple of Tuo God was the very night she went to retrieve these Records. She recounted how Lu Yong had attempted to burn the temple, only to be thwarted by Shen Chong and his men. She then cleverly impersonated the Tuo God to scare Shen Chong's forces away.
Seizing the opportunity, she took the Records and intended to head directly to Chang'an. However, she was ambushed by Shen Chong's men, who mistook her for an accomplice of Lu Yong. Fearing capture, she concealed the Records in a tree hollow. The following day, upon returning, she discovered the hollow was empty.
Minister He Xi later informed them that Lu Yong had indeed found the Records during his escape, delivered it to Gu Wenbin, who then handed it over to the Worshippers of Tuo God. When Su Wuming asked if there were multiple copies of the Records, Yingtao stated her father had only mentioned the one in the Temple of Tuo God. She emphasized that the immediate priority was to find her father, whether alive or dead.
Su Wuming inquired about Governor Li Yu's family in Ninghu, learning that before Yingtao's arrival, he had lived alone in the backyard of the government office without a prefectural governor's mansion. Su Wuming then showed Yingtao a small piece of gold foil found in her father's villa. Lu Lingfeng recognized it as a popular type of gold foil used for "huadian," a plum makeup in Chang'an.
Since Yingtao did not wear makeup and firmly denied her father having any "confidantes," Su Wuming hypothesized that a woman from Chang'an had visited the villa before Governor Li's disappearance. He advised Yingtao to remain under Minister He's protection and avoid public exposure for her safety. Soon after, Lu Lingfeng returned with a significant discovery.
He reported finding a secret tunnel within the villa and, inside a coffin in a hidden chamber, a female corpse, which he believed might have had "huadian" on her face, though the dark conditions and his fear of the alligators prevented him from confirming. They quickly returned to the secret chamber, only to find the coffin empty. Following the secret passage, they stumbled upon Li Si, Governor Li's servant, attempting to bury the woman's body.
Cornered, Li Si quickly penned a confession, admitting to raising the giant alligator in the villa and using it to kill Governor Li Yu. His motive, he claimed, was to possess the woman from Chang'an, for whom he had prepared meals that Su Wuming had previously seen. When the woman refused his advances, he confessed to killing her as well.
As Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng tried to press for more details, particularly about Governor Li's body, Li Si, with a defiant gesture indicating the lake, bit his tongue and committed suicide. Lu Lingfeng immediately concluded that Li Si's all-encompassing confession was a ploy to "hide something," strengthening his belief that Governor Li Yu was still alive. They then discovered a jailer eavesdropping on their conversation.
The jailer tearfully admitted he was coerced by the Worshippers of Tuo God to act as their informant, with the threat of being thrown into the deadly Swamp of Alligators if he refused. Su Wuming sternly rebuked this, emphasizing that no circumstance justifies aiding evil. Su Wuming then asked Yingtao to identify the body of the Chang'an woman.
Yingtao vehemently denied knowing the woman or her father having known her, initially refusing to view the body, but Su Wuming had the corpse brought to her. She confirmed she did not recognize the deceased. Upon learning of Li Si's confession and subsequent suicide, Yingtao was overcome with grief for "Uncle Si." Su Wuming arranged for Li Si's burial, declining Yingtao's offer to repay him.
Su Wuming suspected that Li Si's dramatic death was intended to conceal a greater truth and pressed Yingtao for information. She, however, stated she would only reveal everything if he found her father. A flashback revealed that Li Si had indeed told Yingtao that her father was safe and urged her to leave Ninghu, instructing her not to seek him out.
Li Si refused to accompany her, stating he had "things to do" and could not leave "any trouble to master." Back in the present, Yingtao, still evasive, insisted Su Wuming stop calling her "Li Yingtao" and maintained that finding her father was his official duty, unrelated to her, unless he had concrete news of her father. Given the remaining eight days before the Double Third Festival, Su Wuming strategized.
He assigned Lu Lingfeng and Chicken Fed to covertly search for Li Yu, while he and Minister He continued their overt investigation. Su Wuming reasoned that Li Yu was likely still in Ninghu because Yingtao had not left. Meanwhile, Tuo God, dissatisfied with his subordinates' failure to locate Li Yu, ordered them to search Hanshan, explicitly stating that Li Yu "mustn't survive the Double Third Festival."
Minister Zeng, in a seemingly casual visit to Minister He, subtly hinted that Governor Li might be hiding among the poor in Hanshan, although he quickly dismissed the idea due to Hanshan's dangerous reputation and its control by the Worshippers of Tuo God. Minister He, recognizing the potential lead, rushed to inform Su Wuming. Chicken Fed, who had overheard, joined them, enthusiastically describing Hanshan as "Ninghu's Ghost Market," the perfect hiding spot.
He mentioned the three-day "Hanshan Banquet" held annually before the Double Third Festival, where free Tuo God wine was served, suggesting Li Yu, if he loved wine, would surely attend. Lu Lingfeng, who had been secretly scouting Hanshan for three days, confirmed its dual nature: quiet by day, but bustling and chaotic with a mix of people and thieves at night.
He explained that Hanshan's unique housing system, with many ownerless properties, made it difficult to find anyone, except during the Hanshan Banquet when all houses and shops would remain unlocked for the communal feast. He reiterated that he would need Minister He and Yingtao's assistance to identify Li Yu. With the banquet starting at nightfall, Su Wuming quickly ordered Minister He to bring Yingtao, and they would all attend the Hanshan Banquet together.
Su Wuming, accompanied by Lu Lingfeng, Minister He, Chicken Fed, and Yingtao, arrived at Hanshan for the banquet. Chicken Fed was particularly delighted by Hanshan's bustling atmosphere, which reminded him of Chang'an's Ghost Market, and the promise of free Tuo God wine. Minister He explained that the Worshippers of Tuo God had established Hanshan as Tuo God's previous residence before his rebirth, providing housing and tax exemptions for the poor.
He also noted that Governor Li Yu had a fondness for the place and visited frequently. At the Hanshan Banquet, held at the Goodwill House, Tuo God would host and occasionally distribute money to the poor, making it the most lively gathering. Inside the Goodwill House, they observed the lack of staff due to everything being free, and they enjoyed the highly sought-after Tuo God wine.
Suddenly, Minister He received a secret note, discreetly passed to him, warning: "It's dangerous here. Leave now." Minister He immediately conveyed the urgency to his companions. Though Chicken Fed was reluctant to stop drinking, they prepared to depart. Just then, Yingtao spotted her father, Governor Li, leaving the Goodwill House. Su Wuming confirmed her sighting, and they began to pursue him. As they attempted to exit the building, they were met with a volley of arrows, forcing them back inside.
Su Wuming shielded Yingtao, sustaining a minor arrow scratch. Moments later, a giant alligator burst into the Goodwill House. Lu Lingfeng bravely confronted the beast, but the fight proved challenging. Desperate for a solution, Su Wuming turned to a still-tipsy Chicken Fed, who, despite his state, recalled that Tianzhu Incense was the alligator's favorite and would make it "sleep happily." Su Wuming quickly inquired about where to find such incense.
