Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Episode 36 (Ending) Recap
> Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Recap
The grand illusion ceremony was in full swing. One magician displayed an act of "borrowing moonlight," filling his cloak with light. Another ascended a sky ladder to retrieve a "moonlight delicacy" for the Emperor. When the Emperor prepared to taste it, remembering the Crown Prince's warning about unknown origins, he bestowed the delicacy upon the people instead.
A third illusionist summoned a magnificent dragon, portraying it as the Emperor's true form, prompting mass worship from the crowd and delighting the Emperor, who rewarded him generously. As the performances continued, Chamberlain Feng advised the Emperor, who appeared fatigued, to retire to the tower for rest. However, Su Wuming, Administrator of Luozhou, intervened, respectfully urging the Emperor to remain seated.
He explained that the Sky-scraping Tower and the illusion show held many unpredictable elements that night, and the safety of the commoners, nobles, and foreign envoys could be jeopardized if the Emperor left. Su Wuming reassured His Majesty that thorough arrangements had been made for his protection and asked him to enjoy the festivities with his people. The Emperor, though visibly annoyed, acquiesced. He then quietly questioned Su Wuming about whether the Princess or the Crown Prince had instructed him.
Su Wuming affirmed that both were loyal to the Emperor. Earlier, the Crown Prince had indeed expressed concern about the Emperor and the Princess attending the Sky-scraping Tower event and had intended to halt the imperial procession. Su Wuming cautioned against such an action, warning it would provide an opportunity for ill-intentioned individuals to accuse the Crown Prince of treason, especially since the Emperor himself had insisted on holding the event.
When the Crown Prince asked if Su Wuming suspected the Emperor's knowledge of any hidden dangers, Su Wuming refrained from direct accusation but highlighted Chamberlain Feng as highly suspicious. Consequently, the Crown Prince authorized Su Wuming to stay by the Emperor's side during the magic show and to act as circumstances required. Suddenly, countless wooden birds, fashioned as arrows, flew from outside the tower, targeting the Princess and the Crown Prince.
Thanks to Lu Lingfeng's timely preparedness, which included activating defensive shields, many were saved from harm. Lu Lingfeng announced that the illusion killer Sass was present and called for Wang Yuantong, the Chief of the Department of Bamboo, to reveal himself. When Wang Yuantong appeared, Lu Lingfeng challenged him, praising his art of lightness and illusion skills.
Lu Lingfeng then explained that he and Su Wuming had only suspected Wang Yuantong's true identity, and this public challenge was a ruse to force Sass to display his unique abilities, thereby providing concrete evidence. The Emperor, startled, questioned when Wang Yuantong, a former Administrator of the Premier's Mansion, had acquired such martial and illusionary prowess. Sass, revealing his true self, taunted Su Wuming, asking how he uncovered his deception at Zhongnan Mountain Villa.
Su Wuming recounted that Wang Yuantong, a close friend of his master, Detective Di, had failed to recognize him during his visit to the villa, which was the first anomaly. Secondly, the real Wang Yuantong cherished calligraphy, yet there was none displayed in the villa, and the gate's inscription wasn't in his preferred style. Thirdly, Yingtao, hidden in the bamboo forest, had witnessed wooden birds flying out of the villa.
Sass, now enraged, confessed he had even severed and reattached his own legs to perfectly mimic Wang Yuantong's appearance and physique, fuming that his secret had been exposed. Su Wuming confirmed that the real Wang Yuantong had likely been murdered by Sass twelve years prior. He recounted how Detective Di had captured all of Sass's accomplices but Sass himself had vanished, unable to escape a secretly blockaded Luoyang.
During Detective Di's grave illness, "Wang Yuantong" had visited him before resigning and leaving Luoyang. Too ill to speak, Detective Di later instructed Su Wuming to bring him paper and pen, on which he wrote half a character. Twelve years later, Su Wuming finally understood it was the character for "fake," confirming Detective Di had seen through Sass's disguise. Sass further admitted that after fleeing Luoyang, he settled in Wang Yuantong's hometown of Shazhou, initially planning to escape further west.
However, the reverence shown to "Wang Yuantong" by local officials, who hailed him as a loyal subject destined for the premiership, ignited Sass's ambition to become the Grand Minister of Tang. Su Wuming reminded Sass of his past as Vice Supervisor of the Imperial Bureau of Control, eliminating dissidents for Empress Wu Zetian, all for this dream. After waiting eleven years in Shazhou, the Emperor sent Pei Jian to recall "Wang Yuantong" to Chang'an.
Though not given a high-ranking post, Sass saw his opportunity when Yuwen Mukai consulted him on the Sky-scraping Tower's construction, believing he could help the Emperor secure his power. Su Wuming rebuked Sass's delusion, stating that he had used Helan Xue as bait for twelve years, but Sass's caution, driven by his ambition, prevented him from falling for it.
It was the "fake Sass" who provoked the court, leading to the true Sass's furious retaliation with wooden birds, tragically killing Wan An, the Minister of Justice of Yongzhou. Su Wuming then detailed Sass's past blood crimes in Luoyang and the recent murder of Yuwen Mukai, demanding his surrender. Sass, declaring himself a pawn used and discarded, an avenger for Helan Xue, and a deranged illusion killer, vowed to bring down the Tang Dynasty with him.
He launched himself out of the tower on a wooden bird, prompting the Emperor to realize Sass intended to destroy the structure. Su Wuming revealed that Sass was heading for the 18th floor, recalling how Yuwen Mukai's friend, the trusted imperial aide Wang Yuantong, had once advised on extending the Sky-scraping Tower to 33 floors. Though feasible, this design made the tower inherently unstable, susceptible to instant collapse if damaged from the 18th floor.
Earlier, Lu Lingfeng had anticipated this and had instructed Feng Tai, a descendant of Lu Ban, to design a special mechanism on the 18th floor to deter anyone from quickly ascending and damaging the structure, as the Emperor had forbidden guards on the tower during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Sass fell into this trap, ultimately dying after plummeting from the Sky-scraping Tower. The Princess summoned Lu Lingfeng to Beyond Heaven, expressing her gratitude for him saving her once again.
Lu Lingfeng humbly stated it was merely his duty. The Princess lauded his actions on the Mid-Autumn night, acknowledging that four prime ministers had jointly recommended him for the position of Deputy President of the Supreme Court, and he should soon receive the imperial edict. She also informed him that the Emperor had ordered the demolition of the Sky-scraping Tower, signifying the end of Beyond Heaven.
As they gazed over Chang'an, Lu Lingfeng echoed the Princess's sentiments, proclaiming the beauty and grandeur of Tang and pledging his life to its service. The Princess, with many unspoken words and tears in her eyes, reached out as if to touch his face but refrained, simply asking him to stay with her a little longer in this place closest to heaven, where she felt at peace. She did not reveal their true mother-son relationship.
Later, Su Wuming presented Lu Lingfeng with six volumes of "Quotations of Detective Di," explaining they were his personal records from his time with his master, with the first three volumes now completing the set Lu Lingfeng had previously borrowed. Lu Lingfeng, sensing the gravity, asked for his meaning.
Addressing Detective Di's spirit, Su Wuming recounted his master's assessment of Lu Lingfeng: though young, reckless, and arrogant, he possessed a kind heart, exceptional intelligence, and a sincere nature, making him a talent with great potential. Detective Di had decreed that if Lu Lingfeng were to undergo trials, understand the suffering of the common people, and truly grasp that the populace formed the foundation of the state, then Su Wuming could accept him as a disciple on his behalf.
Declaring that Lu Lingfeng had now matured and fulfilled Detective Di's final wish by defeating Sass, Su Wuming, with incense lit and seals imprinted, formally took Lu Lingfeng as Detective Di's disciple. Pei Jian, having been implicated in the Sass affair, was demoted to Sheriff of Ju County in Nanzhou. Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng came to bid him farewell.
Pei Xijun wished to accompany her father, but he refused, emphasizing the hardship of his new post and his inability to subject her to it. Pei Jian entrusted Pei Xijun to Lu Lingfeng's care, with Lu Lingfeng promising his unwavering commitment. Pei Xijun tried to reassure her father about Ju County, explaining that Fei Jishi, her guest, had already cured the local headache-inducing miasma and had gone ahead as his vanguard.
She also presented her father with a specially made comfortable chair from Feng Tai, a descendant of Lu Ban. As Pei Jian prepared to depart, Su Wuming pressed him one last time, asking if the Emperor had known about the Sky-scraping Tower plan. After some contemplation, Pei Jian explained that the Emperor, feeling his authority challenged by the Princess and Crown Prince's factions, had sought trusted officials.
Chamberlain Feng (Feng Han) had then recommended recalling Wang Yuantong, whom the Emperor genuinely trusted as a loyal subject who had long considered the Tang court's welfare. Pei Jian, having been sent to Shazhou by the Emperor, personally brought back "Wang Yuantong" to Chang'an. Based on this, Pei Jian believed the Emperor was genuinely unaware of the Sky-scraping Tower plot and Sass's true identity.
He revealed that Chamberlain Feng's real name was Feng Han, and both he and Sass were former subordinates of Zhang Yizhi. They were involved in numerous murders during Empress Wu Zetian's reign, faced castration, but were later reinstated for their "merits." Pei Jian concluded that Feng Han must have colluded with Sass to deceive the Emperor.
Su Wuming further inquired why the Emperor had attempted to leave the magic show early if he was oblivious, and if he knew Wang Yuantong was Sass. Pei Jian dismissed these as mere speculation and sternly warned Su Wuming, who himself was demoted to Assistant of Qianling Mausoleum for his unauthorized return to the capital, to avoid probing questions or thoughts that could cost him his life, just as he had lost his Administrator position.
He also advised Lu Lingfeng, now a high-ranking official, not to emulate Su Wuming, lest Pei Xijun suffer the consequences. Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng watched Pei Jian depart. Standing on a high mountain overlooking Chang'an, they beheld the city's peaceful, bright, and dream-like prosperity. Su Wuming, however, reflected that the brighter Tang appeared, the deeper its hidden shadows.
He charged Lu Lingfeng, in his new role as Deputy President of the Supreme Court, to eradicate this darkness and ensure Tang's skies remained clear and bright. Subsequently, Yingtao accompanied Su Wuming to his new post as Assistant of Qianling Mausoleum, where he anticipated a tranquil life of cleaning by day and reading by night. Lu Lingfeng, upon assuming his duties as Deputy President of the Supreme Court, was overwhelmed to discover a backlog of over 98,760 cases. In despair, he immediately sent for his friend, Su Wuming, hoping to collaborate on solving them.
