Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Episode 20 Recap
> Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Recap
In court, Yan Junxian recounted his past with Hongyao. Seven years ago, right before the imperial exam, he and his classmates went to Pingkang District to unwind. There, he met the courtesan Hongyao and fell in love with her. He claimed Hongyao never looked at Meng Buyi, who was merely a poor and stingy country snake catcher before coming to Chang'an. Meng Buyi, enraged, accused Yan Junxian of abandoning Hongyao.
Yan Junxian admitted he didn't take Hongyao with him because he had spent heavily bribing the chief examiner and feared for his career, leaving him with no funds to buy her freedom. He regretted his youthful carelessness. Meng Buyi then explained that he rescued Hongyao when she attempted to drown herself. Hongyao accepted his proposal, and they married. However, their marriage quickly soured.
Hongyao, from her background as a pipa player, loved lively environments, while Meng Buyi was a quiet man obsessed with writing strange tales, lacking any romantic flair. Their differences led to constant quarrels. After moving to Chang'an, Meng Buyi, being frugal, often declined Hongyao's requests to explore the city, citing work. His suspicions grew, and he began to believe Hongyao's old feelings for Yan Junxian were rekindling, causing him to lose sleep.
Yan Junxian confessed that Hongyao had indeed invited him to her home to ask for his help in getting Meng Buyi promoted from a clerk to an official. Their old feelings resurfaced, and they were about to be intimate when Zhang San, a mutton soup seller from Qinglong District, unexpectedly arrived. Yan Junxian hastily hid under the bed. Zhang San, a former patron of Hongyao who was now penniless, demanded money from her, threatening to strangle her.
Just then, Meng Buyi returned home. To avoid being caught, Zhang San hid in a wardrobe. From his hiding spot, Yan Junxian overheard clanging noises and Zhang San's low groans coming from inside the wardrobe. Terrified, Yan Junxian and Hongyao fled the house together. Upon hearing both testimonies, Pei Xijun remarked that the case was intriguing, with some parts clear and others deeply hidden. Lu Lingfeng agreed that both Yan Junxian and Meng Buyi seemed to be holding back information.
Since there was no substantial evidence against either, they were released for the time being. Lu Lingfeng instructed for a hundred copies of Hongyao's portrait, which Pei Xijun had drawn, to be distributed to night shift officers across Chang'an to aid in the search. Meanwhile, Su Wuming, after pondering an account of a snake demon in Meng Buyi's collection of strange tales, concluded that Zhang San was likely strangled by a snake.
He went back to Meng Buyi's house with Fei Jishi and found snake scales in the wardrobe. Su Wuming theorized that a purple snake had attacked Zhang San in the wardrobe, coiling around his neck until he lost consciousness and fell out, which explained why the blade he held had no blood on it. Lu Lingfeng praised Su Wuming's deduction, noting that it aligned with Yan Junxian's account of noises from the wardrobe.
Su Wuming then shared his findings about the "Perfect Purple" snake from Dongyi Island, whose gallbladder was a rare medicinal herb said to possess life-saving properties, especially when extracted from a sixty-year-old snake whose tongue turned purple. Fei Jishi confirmed this, recalling his old mentor using a "Perfect Purple" to revive someone from death's door. Pei Xijun also remembered that Meng Buyi was a snake catcher by trade.
Recognizing that Meng Buyi would likely deny any involvement without irrefutable proof, the team decided to split up: one group would investigate pharmacies for clues about the snake gallbladder, while the other would go to the Imperial Academy of Medicine, where Yan Junxian served as deputy chief physician, in case he had relevant information. At the Imperial Academy of Medicine, Yan Junxian initially denied knowing anything about purple snakes.
However, under questioning, he admitted that the Palace Secretariat had sent a purple snake to the herb garden earlier that year, as part of their spring clearing of snakes along the Qu River for the Emperor's safety. He explained that no one in the garden knew how to care for it, and it eventually disappeared, presumably escaping into the nearby Qu River two months prior. He also mentioned prescribing sleep-inducing herbs for Meng Buyi around that time.
When Lu Lingfeng pressed him about Hongyao's disappearance, Yan Junxian became agitated and threatened to complain directly to the Emperor. Pei Xijun subtly reminded Yan Junxian of Lu Lingfeng's close relationship with the Emperor, causing Yan Junxian to become noticeably more cautious. Lu Lingfeng then affirmed that his men would thoroughly search the herb garden for the dangerous snake and, implicitly, for any hidden persons.
Back at Meng Buyi's residence, Su Wuming and Fei Jishi continued their investigation in the wardrobe. Su Wuming discovered more snake scales, and the very same purple snake, a "Perfect Purple," was still lurking inside. It suddenly attacked Su Wuming, coiling tightly around his neck. Fei Jishi, initially panicking, tried using mugwort to repel it, which only agitated the snake further.
Su Wuming, despite being strangled, instructed Fei Jishi to use calming agarwood, which finally caused the snake to retreat, saving Su Wuming. Recovering, Su Wuming reiterated his conviction that Zhang San was strangled by the snake, but he still wondered who inflicted the blade wound on Zhang San's neck and why Hongyao was involved. Meanwhile, Lu Lingfeng and Pei Xijun visited Kangzai Pharmacy in the West Market, known for its extensive snake gallbladder collection.
The pharmacist offered "Perfect Purple" for 100,000 coins but insisted that customers couldn't inspect the goods beforehand and had to wait for delivery, leaving a 30,000-coin deposit. When Lu Lingfeng questioned if the "Perfect Purple" was extracted from a live snake, the pharmacist admitted he only recently learned that fact. Upon seeing Lu Lingfeng's official token, the pharmacist confessed that a man dressed as a woodcutter had tried to sell him a live purple snake a few days prior.
Unsure of its value, he had consulted three famous physicians overnight, two of whom confirmed it was indeed the rare "Perfect Purple." The next day, he haggled the price down to 30,000 coins but didn't buy it immediately, instead arranging to finalize the deal on the tenth of the month while he sought a buyer. Lu Lingfeng asked for a detailed description of the woodcutter, who had a high nose bridge and a fair, clean face.
Lu Lingfeng quickly realized the description matched Meng Buyi. That night, Meng Buyi secretly entered the herb garden, searching frantically for Hongyao. He confronted Yan Junxian, demanding to know her whereabouts and warning him that his servant Ming Shi was not to be trusted. Before Yan Junxian could fully respond, Ming Shi appeared and struck Meng Buyi from behind, knocking him unconscious.
Ming Shi then commanded Yan Junxian to bury Meng Buyi in a pre-dug pit in the Gastrodia field, sternly reminding Yan Junxian of his "Moorhen" past and threatening to ruin his career if he disobeyed. Ming Shi, sensing he was being followed, went to a private estate, where Hongyao was waiting. Hongyao revealed that she had never truly loved Yan Junxian; it was Ming Shi she had fallen for at first sight, sensing his extraordinary background.
Ming Shi, now openly affectionate, confessed that he had manipulated Yan Junxian to abandon Hongyao years ago because he had already considered her his own. He promised to formally marry Hongyao and give her a life of luxury in Lingnan, even revealing hints of a powerful, bloody past. Hongyao was utterly captivated by his mysterious allure. Yan Junxian, who had secretly followed them, burst into the room, horrified to see Hongyao with Ming Shi.
Ming Shi casually kicked Yan Junxian to the ground, mocking him while Hongyao watched with a cold, disdainful smile. Despite being left for dead, Meng Buyi miraculously escaped his burial. He rushed back to the Yongzhou Prefecture Office, frantically beating the drum of grievances once more, declaring that he knew Hongyao's whereabouts and urging the officials to save her immediately.
