Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Episode 21 Recap
> Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Recap
After managing to escape his shallow burial, Meng Buyi stumbled to the Yongzhou Prefecture Office and began beating the grievance drum. In the courtroom, he confessed that the purple snake, known as the Perfect Purple, was his. He explained that two months prior, he had visited Yan Junxian at the Imperial Academy of Medicine’s herb garden. When a herbalist reported that a purple snake had escaped, Yan Junxian dismissed it as unimportant, telling him to simply record the incident.
Meng Buyi, however, recognized it as a rare Perfect Purple snake. Knowing that the herb garden bordered the Qu River, he spent several nights using mugwort smoke to coax the snake out. Its tongue was still red, indicating it was not yet 60 years old and thus not ready for its gallbladder to be harvested, so he privately kept it. Unexpectedly, a few days ago, its tongue turned purple, signaling its maturity.
He had then begun negotiations with Kangzai Pharmacy in the West Market to sell it for 30,000 coins, though the transaction had not yet been completed. Meng Buyi revealed his motive was to exact revenge on Yan Junxian for his affair with Hongyao. He admitted to hiding the Perfect Purple snake in the wardrobe and deliberately getting the senior clerk drunk so he could return home.
His intention was to have the snake attack Yan Junxian, whom he suspected was rekindling his relationship with Hongyao. Meng Buyi stated that after seven years of marriage, he could sense his wife's infidelity. However, he was surprised to find Zhang San, not Yan Junxian, in the cabinet that night. Despite seeming to provide a detailed account, Meng Buyi insisted he had revealed everything, even though Su Wuming felt he was still holding back key information.
Su Wuming noted that Meng Buyi’s own book of "strange tales" contained a description of the Perfect Purple’s origin and lethality, disguised as a beautiful purple-clad woman, which is how they knew about the snake. Meng Buyi also warned them that Ming Shi, Yan Junxian's servant, was truly evil and expressed concern for Hongyao's safety. Meanwhile, Lu Lingfeng arrived at Yan Junxian’s residence only to find that Yan Junxian and Ming Shi had already departed.
Servants claimed they had gone to Mount Zhongnan to collect herbs and would be away for several days, a detail Ming Shi himself had communicated. Pei Xijun, after hearing the servants' description of Ming Shi, quickly sketched his portrait. Lu Lingfeng realized that the Mount Zhongnan story was likely a ruse, as they had left through the East Gate, not the direction for Mount Zhongnan. Thanks to Pei Xijun's swift drawing, he was able to alert the city guards.
As Ming Shi drove the carriage away from Chang'an, he expressed his contentment with leaving the city and the complications of politics behind. He shared his life story with Hongyao: he was born into a merchant family but, obsessed with martial arts, trained for twelve years. He then joined "Blood Drop," the largest assassin organization, and became known as "Beacon Fire," the top assassin in the martial world, within three years.
Growing weary of the endless killing, he retired to Lingnan with his considerable wealth. He revitalized his family's declining business, making them rich again in five years. Despite his wealth, Ming Shi craved political power but was barred from official exams due to his merchant status. So, he embarked on a cunning plan: he found a young, uneducated cowherd named Moorhen and meticulously groomed him for an official career, even bestowing upon him the name Yan Junxian.
Hongyao listened with growing admiration. Ming Shi then stated that Yan Junxian had become a liability, especially after attracting the attention of formidable figures like Lu Lingfeng and Su Wuming. He felt it was better to abandon the political ambition and return to Lingnan with Hongyao as a wealthy merchant, rather than risk exposure. Stopping the carriage in a secluded forest clearing, Ming Shi made it clear that Yan Junxian was to be eliminated.
Yan Junxian, who had been buried up to his neck, pleaded for mercy from both Ming Shi and Hongyao. Hongyao, feigning indifference, stated it was a matter between master and servant. Ming Shi taunted Yan Junxian, reminding him that he had given him his name and status, only for Yan Junxian to plot against him. Hongyao then offered Ming Shi some wild mint leaves, knowing he enjoyed them. Ming Shi, feeling that life was like a dream, chewed the leaves.
As the poison began to take effect, Ming Shi realized Hongyao's true identity: she was the seven-year-old girl from Youzhou whose father he had killed 19 years ago. He understood that her entire relationship with him and Yan Junxian, including her marriage to Meng Buyi, was an elaborate "honey trap" designed to make him drop his guard. Yan Junxian also revealed that he and Hongyao had conspired to administer the deadly substance.
Struggling against the poison, Ming Shi desperately fought back but was ultimately overcome. Yan Junxian, now freed from his shallow grave, mockingly declared his years of subservience were over. He then took Ming Shi's sword and stabbed him, finishing the job and burying his former master. With Ming Shi dead, Yan Junxian turned his blade on Hongyao, seeking to silence her.
He scoffed at their past intimacy, admitting it was merely a performance to deceive Ming Shi and further his own ambitions. He declared his intention to return to Chang'an, rise through the ranks, and become the Grand Chancellor of the Tang Empire, unbound by anyone's control. He told Hongyao she was a threat to his future and must die.
Just as he lunged at her, Chu Yingtao, who had been secretly following, intervened, firing a sleeve arrow that struck Yan Junxian. She regretted killing him instantly, as she had intended to capture him alive, but had underestimated his lack of martial arts training. Upon Lu Lingfeng’s arrival, Chu Yingtao provided a detailed report of the events. She confirmed that Ming Shi was indeed the notorious assassin "Beacon Fire" and had been poisoned and killed by Yan Junxian.
She also stated that Hongyao was an innocent victim caught in the crossfire. Lu Lingfeng ordered Hongyao to be taken back to the Yongzhou Prefecture Office for further questioning. At the prefecture office, Hongyao recounted her arduous journey for revenge. She revealed that after her father’s death, she spent three years mourning and three years learning the pipa. At 13, she began wandering the martial world, relentlessly searching for "Beacon Fire."
Her investigation led her to discover he was part of the infamous "Blood Drop" assassin organization, which was secretly operating in Chang'an. She came to the capital, and to survive, worked in Pingkang District. Eventually, she learned that "Beacon Fire" had retired from the martial world, and she despaired, believing she would never get her revenge. However, hope rekindled when she saw Ming Shi, now disguised as a humble servant to Yan Junxian.
Though initially unsure, given his drastic change in status, she deliberately sought to get close to Yan Junxian to uncover Ming Shi’s true identity. For months, Yan Junxian remained tight-lipped, perhaps even unaware of Ming Shi’s murderous past himself. When Yan Junxian unexpectedly left Chang'an, Hongyao fell into despair again and tried to drown herself in a river. It was Meng Buyi who saved her.
She saw this as a sign and decided to marry him, hoping that Yan Junxian would eventually return to Chang'an, giving her another chance to get closer to her true target. Seven years later, her patience was rewarded when Yan Junxian indeed returned. As Hongyao concluded her testimony, denying any involvement from Meng Buyi in the murder, Meng Buyi himself dramatically reappeared in the courtroom, having escaped his burial. He again beat the grievance drum, announcing his intention to confess.
He declared himself the murderer of Zhang San, claiming a mental breakdown and suspicion of Hongyao’s affair with Yan Junxian led him to return home from night duty. He found men's boots under the bed, further fueling his rage. When he returned a second time, he discovered Zhang San with Hongyao and, in a fit of anger, grabbed a pair of scissors and killed him.
He asserted that as a Metropolitan Graduate working for the Ministry of Revenue, his crime was even more severe, demanding a swift conclusion to the case. However, Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng remained unconvinced, finding many inconsistencies in his account. Su Wuming pressed him for the location of the murder weapon, but Meng Buyi equivocated, vaguely claiming he threw the scissors into the vast Qu River in the dark.
Hongyao then interjected, correcting him by stating that the scissors were buried under a very tall Gastrodia stalk in the Imperial Academy of Medicine’s herb garden, where she had personally hidden them.
