Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Episode 19 Recap
> Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Recap
Hu Shentong, proclaiming himself the top assassin of Chang'an’s Ghost Market, dramatically entered a silk shop and attacked its owner, Qian Zheng. Chu Yingtao intervened, demanding to know the reason for the assault and the employer’s identity. Hu Shentong, citing professional rules, refused to disclose his client. Initially, Qian Zheng resisted accompanying Chu Yingtao to the Yongzhou Prefecture Office, claiming busy business, but quickly relented when Chu Yingtao suggested allowing the assassin to continue his deadly work.
Both men were then taken to the office. At the public court, Hu Shentong remained silent. Su Wuming, knowing Hu Shentong's ambition, threatened to have him expelled from the Ghost Market by the newly appointed Magistrate, Master Feng Tai. Panicked, Hu Shentong admitted that he often failed assassinations but made attempts after collecting deposits, even boasting he was the "cheapest assassin." Qian Zheng, still bound, complained he was an innocent victim.
When presented with a portrait of Hongyao, both denied knowing her. However, Qian Zheng later admitted he knew Hongyao and had hired a household spy named "Old Cat" to investigate her new lover, explaining that his business rules prevented him from knowing the spy's true identity. Pei Xijun, after reviewing the descriptions provided by Hu Shentong and Qian Zheng, shrewdly observed underlying similarities, deducing that they were describing the same person, albeit disguised.
She offered to draw a new portrait revealing the person's true face without the suspected false beard. Upon seeing Pei Xijun's completed drawing, Xue Huan immediately recognized the man as Meng Buyi. Lu Lingfeng promptly ordered Meng Buyi's secret arrest, although Xue Huan reported losing track of him in the Ghost Market shortly after. Meanwhile, Meng Buyi visited Yan Junxian’s herb garden, seeking information about Hongyao.
He was troubled by Zhang San’s death in his home and wondered if Hongyao had been unfaithful. Meng Buyi then confronted Yan Junxian about his past relationship with Hongyao, questioning why he had left her after receiving his official appointment. As Yan Junxian was about to speak, he saw his servant, Ming Shi, approaching with tea and hastily changed his story, explaining that he was young at the time, feared romance would jeopardize his career, and now regretted his decision.
Meng Buyi pressed further, implying that Hongyao's recent disappearance might be linked to Yan Junxian's return. Yan Junxian vehemently denied hiding Hongyao and launched into a tirade, criticizing Meng Buyi's unranked secretarial position at the Ministry of Revenue and his preoccupation with writing "Strange Tales" instead of advancing his career. He stated that Hongyao felt "aggrieved" by her marriage to Meng Buyi, whose failure to bribe the chief examiner had stalled his promotion.
On his way home, Meng Buyi was apprehended by Xue Huan and brought before the public court. There, both Hu Shentong and Qian Zheng identified Meng Buyi as their shared employer and spy, confirming Pei Xijun's deduction. Meng Buyi and Qian Zheng engaged in a heated exchange, with Meng Buyi accusing Qian Zheng of seducing his wife, and Qian Zheng retorting that Meng Buyi's neglect was the cause of Hongyao's unhappiness.
Lu Lingfeng then confronted Meng Buyi, accusing him of murdering Hongyao. Ah Jiang, a "white-haired" squatter from Meng Buyi's house, testified that he had seen Meng Buyi climb over his own wall the previous night and later leave through the front door, carrying papers. Meng Buyi vehemently denied Ah Jiang's claims, citing a senior clerk at the Ministry of Revenue as his alibi for being on night duty.
Challenging the court's authority to detain him without proof, Meng Buyi defiantly left the office to find his wife himself. Lu Lingfeng immediately instructed Xue Huan to continue shadowing him. Lu Lingfeng, trusting Ah Jiang's account, instructed him to provide a detailed description of the man who had fled with Hongyao to Pei Xijun for a new portrait. Meanwhile, Su Wuming, despite his admiration for Meng Buyi's literary talent, agreed to verify the alibi.
At the Ministry of Revenue, the senior clerk confirmed Meng Buyi’s night duty, recounting how he had spent three consecutive nights telling Meng Buyi long "snake demon stories." The clerk proudly asserted his "unmatched" alcohol tolerance. To test this, Su Wuming invited him to a drinking contest at the Sushan Shop with its owner, Fei Jishi. However, the clerk quickly succumbed to intoxication after just two bowls, much to Fei Jishi's chagrin.
Su Wuming rebuffed Fei Jishi’s subsequent request to manage the shop, declaring his belief that the clues to the case lay hidden within Meng Buyi's "Strange Tales." Simultaneously, Pei Xijun completed the new portrait based on Ah Jiang's description, depicting a man in a light crimson official robe, indicating a fifth-rank official. Acting on Pei Xijun’s advice, drawing from her father’s experience as a Vice Minister, they decided to visit the Ministry of Personnel to identify him.
In the herb garden, Yan Junxian frantically searched for Hongyao, then confronted his servant, Ming Shi, accusing him of her disappearance. Ming Shi revealed his true dominance, chastising Yan Junxian for his infatuation and reminding him that it was his strict tutelage that propelled Yan Junxian from his humble origins as "Moorhen" in Lingnan to an official post.
Ming Shi commanded Yan Junxian to devote himself to cultivating gastrodia for the Emperor, threatening to strip him of his privileged eighth-rank position (treated as a fifth-rank) if he disobeyed. Ming Shi then laid bare his grand design: for Yan Junxian to ascend to the rank of Chancellor, enabling Ming Shi to become the "shadow ruler of Chang'an."
Overwhelmed by the humiliation, Yan Junxian lashed out, but Ming Shi quickly reasserted his authority by calling him by his old name, "Moorhen." Witnessing this disrespect, other servants assaulted Ming Shi. Yan Junxian, feigning intervention, then privately proposed to Ming Shi that they return to a simpler life in Lingnan, but Ming Shi scorned the idea. Soon after, Lu Lingfeng and Pei Xijun arrived at the herb garden and presented Yan Junxian with Pei Xijun's portrait.
Lu Lingfeng explained it was based on an eyewitness's description in a murder case and requested his cooperation. Sensing Yan Junxian's reluctance, Lu Lingfeng escorted him to the Yongzhou Prefecture Office, insisting the herb garden be searched first. Just as they arrived, Meng Buyi appeared, loudly striking the drum to report a case. In court, Pei Xijun advised interrogating both men together.
Meng Buyi confessed that he had indeed returned home the previous night, having supplied the senior clerk with wine that rendered him unconscious, allowing Meng Buyi to retrieve paper for his writing. He recounted finding Hongyao, who accused him of deception regarding his low-ranking status and demanded a divorce to reunite with Yan Junxian. Meng Buyi then asserted that he had seen a pair of brown boots under the bed, confirming Yan Junxian's presence.
Realizing the portrait had exposed him, Yan Junxian admitted to being there. Enraged, Meng Buyi physically attacked Yan Junxian, who defiantly declared that Hongyao was "his to begin with." Lu Lingfeng swiftly intervened, ordering the two men to be separated.
