Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Episode 16 Recap
> Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Recap
As Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng faced dire straits, Chu Yingtao arrived with Xue Huan, Fei Jishi, Pei Xijun, and three constables. Zi, seeing her husband, Hermit Baize, injured, angrily lunged at Chu Yingtao, only to be killed in retaliation. Witnessing her mother's death, Huo Jing rushed forward and was also cut down by the combined efforts of the three constables. Overwhelmed by grief and rage, Hermit Baize summoned a monstrous beast with deer antlers and a tiger head.
While some speculated it was Bai Ze, Su Wuming recognized it as Ao Tian, a fierce creature that resembled Bai Ze but was known to eat mummified flesh, a detail he recalled from Hermit Baize's past actions and confirmed in the "Bai Ze Tu" scroll. Su Wuming quickly instructed Fei Jishi to use a dried beef leg laced with a potent poison as bait. With assistance from Jia and Luo, Fei Jishi scaled the roof.
Lu Lingfeng skillfully lured Ao Tian beneath the eaves, where Fei Jishi dropped the poisoned bait. Ao Tian devoured it, and the poison took effect, sending the beast into a frenzy. Hermit Baize attempted to control Ao Tian from its back, but the frenzied creature charged towards a cliff, leaping into the abyss and taking its master with it, killing both. Li Nai'er, having lost both her loved ones and her cause, was overcome with despair.
Lu Lingfeng, who was injured by her earlier, confronted her about her actions and the Princess Protector of the State's involvement. Li Nai'er refused to answer directly, telling him he would never know. Instead, she asked Lu Lingfeng to make a final request to the Princess: to be buried on the Hongdu Plain beside Shangguan Wan'er's tomb, with only a plain bluestone inscribed with "Daughter of Shangguan Wan'er."
With her final words, "Mother, I'm coming," she drew her sword and took her own life. Later, as Lu Lingfeng was carried down the mountain by the others, he saw Su Wuming standing alone by a cliff, gazing into the distance. Sensing his companion's contemplative mood, Lu Lingfeng observed that Su Wuming seemed to be contemplating retreating to the mountains.
Su Wuming acknowledged this insight and then seriously advised Lu Lingfeng that when they returned to the capital to report to the Emperor, they must only speak of the fierce beast Ao Tian. He emphasized that Li Nai'er's identity and connection to the Princess Protector of the State must not be mentioned to avoid escalating the conflict between the Emperor and the Princess, which could lead to chaos in Chang'an.
Lu Lingfeng, uncomfortable with lying to the Emperor, offered to let Su Wuming report on his behalf since his injuries made him unable to appear before His Majesty. However, Lu Lingfeng insisted he still needed to directly question the Princess Protector of the State about her involvement, stating he couldn't remain in the dark about someone he felt so close to, yet so distant from.
Upon returning to Chang'an, Su Wuming entered the palace to report to the Emperor, skillfully omitting any truth regarding Li Nai'er. He vividly recounted the battle, portraying the deceased Imperial Guards and Li Nai'er as courageous heroes who fought Ao Tian to their deaths.
He then dramatically described a miraculous event: after Ao Tian's demise, the clouds parted, golden light shone, and the auspicious calls of a Bai Ze resonated through Mount Zhongnan, bringing a sense of peace and healing even to the severely wounded Lu Lingfeng. This narrative, while entirely fabricated in parts, served to restore imperial dignity. The Emperor, initially suspicious, found no clear falsehoods and was swayed by the tale's implication of an auspicious omen.
He shifted blame to Du Ming for mismanagement of Mount Zhongnan and ordered him to oversee the honorable burial of the four Imperial Guards on the mountain, which served as a form of atonement. Meanwhile, the Princess Protector of the State, having learned of Lu Lingfeng's severe injuries, rushed to his residence. She was relieved to find him out of immediate danger.
She praised Li Nai'er's courage in battling four Imperial Guards, but declared her death justified for having wounded her son. Lu Lingfeng, still seeking answers, pressed his mother to confirm whether Li Nai'er's actions were carried out under her command. The Princess Protector of the State subtly evaded the question, instead recounting the life of Shangguan Wan'er, a brilliant scholar and her close friend, who suffered a tragic death due to political machinations more sinister than any demon.
She revealed that she buried Wan'er in her private tomb and inscribed a 982-character epitaph, deliberately including her own name to publicly accuse the Emperor of wrongfully executing a loyal official. Though Lu Lingfeng continued to demand a direct answer, the Princess Protector of the State maintained her indirect denial, implying that if she had ordered it, Lu Lingfeng himself would not have been harmed.
Feeling somewhat reassured by his mother's indirect denial, Lu Lingfeng knelt and pleaded with her to withdraw from court politics and enjoy a peaceful old age, rather than competing with the Emperor. The Princess Protector of the State rejected his plea, questioning why a woman could not seek power.
She declared that, having been born into the unique imperial family and tutored by Empress Wu Zetian, she aspired to emulate her mother in reforming the court and bringing prosperity to the people. She dismissed Lu Lingfeng's mention of the auspicious Bai Ze as the Emperor's attempt to deceive the populace. She asserted that the current Emperor lacked Empress Wu Zetian's insight to recognize and utilize talent, which would ultimately lead to the decline of the Tang Empire.
The Princess Protector of the State concluded by stating that if she were to ever confront the Emperor, it would be for the survival of the Tang Empire, and reminded Lu Lingfeng that as her son, his allegiance, regardless of which side he chose, must always be to the welfare of the nation and its people. Later, the Emperor awoke from a vivid nightmare, where venomous snakes crawled out from old official reports written by Shangguan Wan'er.
Troubled, he wondered if he had wrongfully executed a loyal official. He summoned Yin, a palace attendant, who confirmed she had worked in Shangguan Wan'er's Ink Rhyme Pavilion for three years from the age of eight. Yin spoke highly of Shangguan Wan'er's integrity, recounting her mentor's teaching that one should never let personal interests taint one's work, just as cinnabar should not stain one's sleeves.
Yin also mentioned that after Wan'er's punishment, she refused calming incense, stating that only those with guilty consciences needed such aids, and she preferred to remain awake to atone for her sins. This revelation made the Emperor reflect on his own daily reliance on medicine to sleep peacefully, causing him to question his own conscience. Meanwhile, the Princess Protector of the State was still consumed by grief for Shangguan Wan'er.
She angrily confronted Chancellor Cui, accusing him of knowing Li Nai'er's true identity and vengeful plans when he recommended her to the Princess's Mansion. Chancellor Cui, while not directly admitting to prior knowledge, affirmed his unwavering loyalty to the Princess Protector of the State, even facing death if necessary.
He congratulated her, noting that rumors were already spreading in Chang'an about Bai Ze's disappearance being a warning that the Emperor was unworthy, and that the Imperial Guards' deaths had become a public mockery. The Princess Protector of the State, initially enraged, eventually calmed as Chancellor Cui advised her to learn from Empress Wu Zetian's decisive actions, stressing that to achieve great things, even close relatives who impede her path must be eliminated.
The Princess Protector of the State then agreed with Chancellor Cui's plan to politically maneuver Du Ming, the capital official, out of Chang'an, leveraging his earlier misjudgment regarding the "auspicious beast" as an opportunity.
