Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Episode 18 Recap
> Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Recap
As Hongyao played her pipa, filling the Qinglong District with music, a sudden and violent hailstorm erupted, scattering the crowd. Hongyao sought refuge in the Rain God Temple, where she was met by Qian Zheng, who had come to find her, expressing concern for her getting caught in the rain.
He tried to draw her close, but she rebuffed his advances, reminding him that she was a married woman and threatening to report him to the district head if he continued to harass her. She then snatched his umbrella and left him, drenched and bewildered, convinced she had found a new lover and vowing to uncover his identity. Returning home, Hongyao was startled to find a young man with striking white hair inside her house.
He introduced himself as A-Jiang, a "house-squatter" who temporarily occupied vacant homes without stealing, meticulously observing the residents' routines. Convinced of his unusual but harmless profession, Hongyao saw an opportunity. She offered him a silver ingot as an advance, promising another upon completion, if he would kill Zhang San, the owner of a local mutton soup shop. A-Jiang, initially reluctant, was swayed by the substantial reward.
Driven by his suspicions, Qian Zheng secretly hired a renowned investigator named Old Cat to dig into Hongyao's affairs. Unbeknownst to Qian Zheng, Old Cat was Meng Buyi in disguise, who was already harboring doubts about his wife's fidelity. Qian Zheng’s account of Hongyao’s recent coldness, her refusal of intimacy, and her mention of her husband at the Rain God Temple only fueled Meng Buyi's growing belief that his wife was unfaithful.
Meng Buyi accepted the task, promising to deliver a report in three days. During this period, a distracted Meng Buyi encountered his former classmate, Yan Junxian, now a respected deputy chief imperial physician and master of a medicinal herb garden. Yan Junxian, noticing Meng Buyi's troubled demeanor, inquired about his well-being and a calming medicine he had prescribed. Meng Buyi, offering a familiar, unfulfilled promise of treating Yan Junxian to a drink "another day," hastily excused himself.
Three days later, the senior clerk found Meng Buyi still at the county office at dawn, engrossed in writing his "Strange Tales," and urged him to go home to his wife. However, Meng Buyi, having completed his investigation as Old Cat, did not go home. Instead, he covertly headed to the Ghost Market, inquiring after the assassin Hu Shentong.
He was informed that Hu Shentong had already left to carry out the very task Meng Buyi had commissioned in his disguise. Meanwhile, business was booming at the Liuhe Sushan shop, where Su Wuming was struggling to keep up as a waiter. Old Luo arrived with an urgent message from Lu Lingfeng: due to all Yongzhou Prefecture Office coroners being dispatched to outer counties, Su Wuming's expertise was urgently needed for a murder case in Qinglong District.
Excited by the call to investigate, Su Wuming quickly gathered his tools and, accompanied by Chu Yingtao, rushed to the crime scene. At the Meng Residence, a large crowd had gathered, among them a visibly anxious Qian Zheng, worried for Hongyao. Su Wuming noticed A-Jiang, the white-haired house-squatter, among the onlookers but paid him little mind.
Inside, Mr. Guang, the district head, explained he had discovered the body of Zhang San, the local mutton soup vendor, a man known for his cunning and unsavory character, after finding the Meng Residence door ajar. Su Wuming’s examination of the body concluded that Zhang San had died around midnight from a fatal neck wound, likely inflicted by a small, sharp object such as scissors.
He also noted facial bruises and strangulation marks on the neck that were not consistent with a rope. Meng Buyi soon arrived at his residence, frantically calling for Hongyao, only to learn of her disappearance. When questioned by Lu Lingfeng, he claimed he had been on night duty at the county office and then visited the Ghost Market to buy Yangzhou Liuhe paper for his "Strange Tales" writing, denying he had been home or knew Zhang San.
However, Lu Lingfeng discovered several white hairs on the bed, which prompted Su Wuming to recall A-Jiang. Recognizing the significance of this, Lu Lingfeng immediately ordered his constables to find A-Jiang. Meng Buyi, distraught, pleaded with the officials to search for his missing wife. Xue Huan, analyzing the case, theorized that Hongyao was involved.
He suggested Zhang San, intending to steal, might have been hiding in a cabinet and was discovered and killed by Hongyao with scissors, after which she fled with the weapon to avoid prosecution. Su Wuming, however, challenged this theory, pointing to a knife found at the scene, the unexplained white hairs, and the unusual nature of the strangulation marks on Zhang San’s neck, none of which fit Xue Huan's narrative. A-Jiang was soon apprehended and brought in for interrogation.
Confronted with the white hairs, A-Jiang admitted they were his and explained his house-squatter lifestyle. When Lu Lingfeng artfully led him to speak about Zhang San's death without explicitly naming the victim, A-Jiang, realizing his deception was exposed, confessed everything. He revealed that Hongyao had offered him two silver ingots to kill Zhang San, but he, a novice, hesitated.
Zhang San, upon discovering A-Jiang's butcher knife and silver ingot, had disarmed him and taken the money, mocking him as an "assassin." A-Jiang, humiliated, then secretly followed Zhang San to the Meng Residence, suspecting him of theft. A-Jiang recounted observing Meng Buyi returning home that night by scaling a wall, leaving shortly after with a roll of paper and neglecting to close the front door.
About half an hour later, A-Jiang witnessed Hongyao and Yan Junxian rushing out of the Meng Residence in a panic. Peering inside, A-Jiang saw Zhang San lying dead on the ground, initially without visible wounds. To his horror, A-Jiang then saw Hongyao return to the house, armed with a pair of scissors, and repeatedly stab Zhang San.
Despite A-Jiang's detailed account, Lu Lingfeng found no corroborating evidence and ordered A-Jiang detained for further investigation, sternly warning him about the severe penalties for fabricating testimony. In a desperate attempt to deal with his escalating problems, Meng Buyi returned to the Ghost Market, but Hu Shentong was still unavailable. He then tried to hire other assassins, initially asking them to merely "find someone." The assassins, insulted by what they perceived as a mockery of their profession, became violent.
Meng Buyi quickly clarified that he needed help locating his target, whom he intended to kill or hire them to kill once found. A heated argument over payment ensued, with the assassins demanding half the usual fee for a full assassination, while Meng Buyi insisted on a much lower rate. As the dispute turned dangerous, Xue Huan, who had been secretly tailing Meng Buyi under Su Wuming's instructions, intervened, identifying himself as a captain of the Yongzhou Prefecture Office. The assassins scattered, and Meng Buyi seized the opportunity to escape in the ensuing chaos.
