Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Episode 32 Recap
> Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Recap
Su Wuming personally examined the female corpse, confirming Yin Yao's findings down to the last detail. He commended Yin Yao for not using cosmetics to conceal the strangulation marks and finger imprints on the victim's neck, which was crucial to uncovering the truth. The victim's father had already harbored suspicions about the killer. He explained that his remarried wife was unfaithful and often engaged in illicit affairs while he was away, an act once witnessed by his daughter, the deceased.
The stepmother's suspicious behavior—claiming fear and fleeing to her family home after discovering the hanged body—further fueled his doubts. Chu Yingtao was tasked with apprehending the stepmother and her lover. Su Wuming advised her that the lover, an alchemist skilled in martial arts, lived nearby. He instructed her to question him, check his home for signs of escape if he was absent, and prepare a sketch for his arrest if he had fled.
Meanwhile, Su Wuming and Fei Jishi watched Yin Yao meticulously prepare the body, impressed by his skillful makeup. Noting Wannian County's urgent need for coroners, Su Wuming extended an invitation to Yin Yao for drinks, hoping to recruit him. However, Yin Yao, a man of proud disposition, politely declined, citing other important commitments. Fei Jishi found Yin Yao's refusal arrogant, but Su Wuming appreciated the talented man's pride. Soon after, Chu Yingtao returned with the two suspects.
They both confessed to strangling the victim after she discovered their affair and then staging the scene to appear as a suicide, thus solving the case. Following a lead provided by Captain Xu, Su Wuming, Fei Jishi, and Chu Yingtao sought out the legendary coroner Geng Wushang. Chu Yingtao knocked several times, and when the door creaked open, a figure wearing a terrifying green-faced, fanged mask emerged, causing the trio to instinctively recoil.
Upon hearing Su Wuming introduce himself, the masked figure removed it to reveal a young woman, Suchan, Geng Wushang's daughter. Geng Wushang warmly greeted them, recognizing Su Wuming as Master Di's former companion, and noting his rise in officialdom. He explained that his lifelong career as a coroner had garnered him many enemies, leading to frequent harassment. To deter these unwelcome visitors, he had Suchan wear the frightening mask.
Fei Jishi jokingly suggested the harassers might be drawn to Suchan’s beauty, not her father’s enemies. Suchan then informed them that it was Geng Wushang's 70th birthday, and his eldest disciple, Zhong Shizai, had reserved the Lanting room at Dukang Restaurant for a celebratory banquet. She also mentioned that his second disciple, Yin Yao, would be in attendance. Su Wuming confirmed having just met Yin Yao and praised his invaluable contribution to the recent murder case.
Geng Wushang spoke highly of Yin Yao's talent but expressed regret over his decision to leave the coroner profession. Su Wuming, seizing the opportunity to recruit talent, requested to join the birthday celebration, which Geng Wushang graciously accepted. Fei Jishi, observing Geng Wushang, noted signs of a skin disease and offered to treat it in exchange for a drink, an offer Geng Wushang dismissed as merely signs of old age.
At the Dukang Restaurant, in the Lanting room, Su Wuming introduced Fei Jishi and Chu Yingtao to Zhong Shizai and Yin Yao. Zhong Shizai, out of humility and respect, initially offered the main seat to Suchan, acknowledging her filial devotion to her father. However, Geng Wushang insisted that Zhong Shizai, as the host and eldest disciple, occupy the seat.
Their meal was interrupted when a man named Dong Yue mistakenly entered their private room, looked surprised, and quickly retreated after checking the plaque outside. Su Wuming, intrigued by their odd reaction, inquired about the man. Zhong Shizai explained that Dong Yue was a fellow coroner, and his master, Ge Jiuquan, a former coroner from the Ministry of Justice, had a long-standing feud with Geng Wushang, prohibiting any association between their disciples.
As the group raised their cups to toast Geng Wushang, a terrifying scream echoed from the adjacent Meiwu room. Rushing to investigate, they found Dong Yue collapsed on the floor, a sharp arrow lodged in his neck, already dead. Su Wuming directed Chu Yingtao to check the building across the street for clues, where she discovered fresh footprints. Su Wuming noted that all the other occupants of Dong Yue’s table were also coroners.
Su Wuming brought all the coroners present at Dong Yue's table back to the county office for interrogation. They claimed to have been invited by a "General Lyu," whom none of them knew personally. However, they felt compelled to accept due to the general's presumed high status and the allure of dining at the newly popular and expensive Dukang Restaurant.
They recounted that General Lyu had instructed the restaurant to serve food promptly at 3 PM, regardless of whether all guests had arrived. During the meal, Dong Yue complained about the sun shining on him and stood up to close the window, at which point the fatal arrow struck. Su Wuming then summoned the restaurant manager and Qiu, the servant who had served the Meiwu room.
The manager revealed that Qiu had been caught stealing food from customers three days prior and was facing dismissal. Qiu had been working extra diligently to save his job, but inexplicably fled after the murder. The manager provided Qiu's address. He also disclosed that the Meiwu private room had been booked by a booking agent named Gao Wuniang on behalf of "General Lyu," a common practice where real names are often replaced with aliases.
Gao Wuniang was also brought in for questioning. Chu Yingtao located and apprehended Qiu, who, in a state of panic, confessed to being paid 100 coins by a masked man to open the window while serving dishes in the Meiwu room, unaware that his actions would lead to a murder.
Su Wuming, considering Qiu's greed-driven complicity, sentenced him to three strokes of the cane as a punishment, advising him to abandon petty theft and choose a different profession if he could not resist temptation. Gao Wuniang corroborated Qiu's story, stating that a masked man, identifying himself as "General Lyu," had hired her to book the specific Meiwu room, providing precise instructions for the time and prompt food service.
Chu Yingtao was instructed to obtain a detailed description of the masked man from Gao Wuniang for a portrait. Dong Yue's apprentice arrived to retrieve his master's body. He revealed that Dong Yue had received the invitation without suspicion, confidently believing he would win the title of "Chang'an's Best Coroner" from Geng Wushang, despite an upcoming Coroners' Contest.
Su Wuming realized that the news of the Coroners' Contest, which he previously thought was only known to Yongzhou Prefecture officials, had already spread throughout the coroner profession. Fei Jishi suggested that a rival coroner might be the killer, but Su Wuming found this deduction too premature. Back at his home, Geng Wushang learned of Zhong Shizai's intention to participate in the contest.
With Yin Yao and Suchan as witnesses, Geng Wushang announced his decision to formally expel Zhong Shizai from his tutelage. Despite Zhong Shizai's distress and confusion, Geng Wushang explained that this was for his disciple's own good. He believed that if Zhong Shizai remained his disciple, he would hold back during the competition out of respect, preventing him from fully showcasing his abilities and potentially jeopardizing his future.
Geng Wushang also declared his own participation in the contest, motivated by a desire to abolish his lowly status, secure a position in the county office, and ensure a better future for his daughter, Suchan. Shocked but understanding, Zhong Shizai accepted his master's decision, committing to compete without reservation.
