Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Episode 33 Recap
> Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Recap
Wei Fenghua, a trusted aide to the Princess, expressed his apprehension that if the Crown Prince were to ascend the throne, he would face banishment or even death. The Princess reminded him of the past when Empress Wei poisoned the former emperor, and how she and the Crown Prince united to quell Empress Wei's faction, a conflict that led to the Crown Prince personally killing Wei Fenghua's uncle.
She questioned if Wei Fenghua's relentless urging to use Sass to eliminate the Crown Prince during the upcoming magic show was in fact a personal quest for vengeance. Wei Fenghua denied this, insisting his concern stemmed from fear for the Princess's safety, and reiterated his unwavering loyalty. The Princess, seemingly appeased, instructed Wei Fenghua to meet Sass on the seventh of August with a substantial sum of money.
He was to promise Sass not only more rewards upon success but also the restoration of his career, potentially even his former position as deputy supervisor of the Concubinus Institution if the Princess were to assume power. Wei Fenghua readily agreed, affirming his anticipation of that day.
Lu Lingfeng formally accepted his appointment as the Judicial Assistant Minister of Yongzhou, thanking Assistant Minister Pei Jian for his trust and pledging to exert all his efforts to capture Sass and ensure a smooth Mid-Autumn Festival magic show. Pei Jian introduced Lu Lingfeng to Administrator Du Ming of Yongzhou, who immediately displayed his disapproval, cautioning Lu Lingfeng against repeating the mistakes of Judicial Assistant Minister Wan An, who had died pursuing glory.
After Lu Lingfeng was dismissed, Du Ming privately questioned Pei Jian about Lu Lingfeng's capabilities, expressing skepticism despite acknowledging that both the Princess and the Crown Prince had jointly recommended him. Du Ming, a former Judicial Assistant Minister himself, felt he was left to handle the Sass case alone, convinced that Lu Lingfeng was unreliable for such an investigation.
Later, Lu Lingfeng received a cryptic note, delivered by a messenger, guiding him to the Sky-scraping Tower if he wished to capture Sass. There, he was met by the Princess, who confessed to sending the message and to supporting his appointment alongside the Crown Prince. She explained that she had only considered him for the dangerous post due to the Eastern Palace's recommendation.
Lu Lingfeng, currently without any leads on Sass, was then instructed by the Princess to closely monitor Wei Fenghua on the upcoming seventh of August, hinting that this could be his opportunity for a significant achievement. She emphasized that he should enforce the law impartially, even if it involved her own subordinate. Following this, the Princess invited Lu Lingfeng to admire the panoramic view of Chang'an from "Beyond Heaven," the uppermost floor of the tower.
On the agreed date, the seventh of August, Wei Fenghua met Sass in the bamboo forest in the western suburbs. Wei Fenghua presented a hefty payment, but Sass dismissed the money, stating that his skills were too great to risk killing the Crown Prince merely for wealth, which would reduce him to a common bandit. Instead, Sass boldly demanded to be made the Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty.
Wei Fenghua, implicitly leveraging the Princess's authority, agreed to this demand, leading Sass to correctly infer that the Princess was the true mastermind behind the plot. Satisfied, Sass accepted their alliance. However, Lu Lingfeng and his men suddenly appeared. Lu Lingfeng intended to take Sass alive, but a subordinate, wary of Sass's deceptive illusions and recalling the death of Judicial Assistant Minister Wan, recklessly killed Sass. Lu Lingfeng then confronted Wei Fenghua, demanding to know who had orchestrated his actions.
Wei Fenghua, refusing to implicating anyone else, fiercely declared that his sole motivation was his profound hatred for the Crown Prince and a desire to avenge his uncle. Refusing to surrender, he engaged in a desperate fight and was eventually killed by the surrounding forces. Upon returning to report Sass's death, Lu Lingfeng faced disbelief from Du Ming, who accused him of faking the achievement out of ambition.
Lu Lingfeng countered by citing his constables as witnesses to the fact that the deceased was indeed Judicial Assistant Minister Wan's killer. Du Ming, making a sarcastic reference to Lu Lingfeng's powerful backing, reluctantly agreed to examine the body. After seeing the corpse, Du Ming offered congratulations, acknowledging the man as Sass and suggesting Lu Lingfeng's promotion was imminent.
However, when Lu Lingfeng sought further identification from various individuals, opinions were divided; while some recognized the man as Sass from his past as a deputy supervisor in the Concubinus Institution, others maintained he did not resemble the Sass they remembered from over a decade ago. Later, a young beggar delivered a drawing from Pei Xijun.
Instead of a portrait, it depicted the terrified scene of Judicial Assistant Minister Wan's death, with the killer looking up at the sky, which the beggar confirmed to be an exact rendition of what he witnessed, raising further questions about the identity of the person Lu Lingfeng had killed. Unbeknownst to Lu Lingfeng, Su Wuming, without official summons, arrived in Chang'an, having been secretly followed by Yingtao.
Yingtao convinced him that posing as a married couple would offer better concealment than him traveling alone, given the severe penalty for an official entering the capital without permission. They soon encountered the public notice proclaiming Lu Lingfeng had captured and killed Sass. Yingtao was relieved, believing the threat was over. However, Su Wuming harbored deep skepticism, recalling that the Sass case was his master Detective Di's last unsolved regret.
He felt that Sass's capture seemed too easy and was suspicious of the news. Lu Lingfeng, also harboring doubts, confronted Du Ming, questioning the premature posting of the notice when the identity of the deceased was still disputed among witnesses. Du Ming revealed that the order came from the Crown Prince, suggesting it was a strategic move to fast-track Lu Lingfeng's career for future service.
Du Ming admitted that despite some resemblance, he personally never believed the man was the real Sass, as it would make his own twelve-year pursuit seem futile. Lu Lingfeng then met with the Crown Prince, who explained the dual purpose of the public notice. First, with the Mid-Autumn Festival and the magic show approaching, it aimed to calm the public, who had been disturbed by Sass's past and recent challenges.
Second, if Sass were still alive, seeing the notice might cause him to lower his guard, thus aiding Lu Lingfeng's capture efforts. The Crown Prince commended Lu Lingfeng's newfound competence, attributing it to his travels south. Next, Lu Lingfeng visited the Princess to thank her for her initial clue, again expressing his uncertainty about the dead man's identity. The Princess, unperturbed, stated that his identity was irrelevant to her; she was grateful to Lu Lingfeng for eliminating Wei Fenghua.
She revealed that Wei Fenghua, despite his loyalty, had attempted to manipulate her to settle a personal vendetta against the Crown Prince, her nephew, a family matter she considered off-limits for outsiders. The Princess then expressed an unexpected warmth towards Lu Lingfeng, noting that his act of saving her had made her feel a strong connection.
She revealed that she had a son the same age as him and hoped her child, upon learning of her hardships, would forgive her past failings, which she portrayed as desperate measures. She then mused about whether she would retain her privileged view from Beyond Heaven if the Crown Prince were to become emperor.
Back in Chang'an, Su Wuming diligently searched for "The Tale of Sass," a book he believed was crucial, as Sass's case was Detective Di's final, unfulfilled mission. He and Yingtao visited a nameless bookstore, where the owner, after some probing, admitted to having the banned book but demanded an exorbitant sum of five thousand coins. Su Wuming, angered by the price, left without purchasing it. Later that night, Yingtao, employing her "jianghu" methods, stole the book for Su Wuming.
To show his appreciation, Su Wuming treated her to Chang'an's famous Cherry Dumplings. Concurrently, Lu Lingfeng also managed to acquire a copy of "The Tale of Sass." He asked Pei Xijun to draw a portrait of Sass's former lover, Helan Xue, mentioned in the book, suspecting Sass would seek her out. Pei Xijun agreed, but only if Lu Lingfeng would take her out to eat freshly made Cherry Dumplings. Coincidentally, both pairs encountered each other at the same food stall.
After their meal, Lu Lingfeng brought Su Wuming to examine the body of the man he had killed. Su Wuming, recalling a brief encounter with Sass twelve years prior, confirmed that while the deceased resembled Sass, he was at least a decade younger and lacked Sass's distinctive, long-legged physique—a detail Su Wuming knew from rumors about Sass's unique criteria for selecting male consorts at the Concubinus Institution. It was conclusive: the dead man was not the true Sass.
During their discussion, Lu Lingfeng offered Su Wuming temporary lodging in a house provided by the Crown Prince, as all inns were full due to the magicians for the upcoming festival. Su Wuming accepted, reaffirming his resolve to solve the Sass case, regardless of his impulsive entry into the capital. Examining "The Tale of Sass," they noted the book's explicit mention of Sass's monthly trips to Chang'an to visit Helan Xue.
Crucially, the book also contained a highly personal detail about a Bichen Pearl placed by Detective Di's bedside during his illness. This private information, known only to Detective Di's inner circle, strongly suggested that the author, who signed himself as Nanshan Salouzi, was a close colleague of Detective Di. Realizing this, Su Wuming confidently declared he now knew Nanshan Salouzi's surname, a vital clue for finding him among the many recluses in Zhongnan Mountain.
