Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Episode 33 Recap
> Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Recap
Su Wuming and Fei Jishi arrived at Geng Wushang's home, where they witnessed Geng Wushang expelling his senior disciple, Zhong Shizai, from his tutelage. Once Zhong Shizai left, Geng Wushang, anticipating Su Wuming's questions, explained the current state of coroners in Chang'an.
Since his retirement, and Yin Yao's departure from the profession, only five acknowledged coroners remained: Dong Yue, who served the Ministry of Justice; Xiahou Shuang, associated with the Court of Judicial Review; Liu Wei from the Yongzhou Prefecture; Zheng Hao from Chang'an County; and Zhong Shizai himself. Geng Wushang clarified that Zhong Shizai could be ruled out as a suspect in Dong Yue's murder, as they were both at Geng's birthday banquet when the crime occurred.
He suggested that if the other three coroners had heard about the upcoming Coroners' Contest but kept it hidden, they would be primary suspects. On their way back, Fei Jishi expressed disdain for Geng Wushang's decision to compete at his age, calling him an ordinary man, but Su Wuming countered that it highlighted the coroners' profound desire for such an opportunity. Later, Su Wuming met with Lu Lingfeng to analyze the case.
They quickly eliminated Liu Wei, who was with Lu Lingfeng at the time of the murder. Xiahou Shuang was also temporarily ruled out due to his known integrity and their prior acquaintance. Their investigation then focused on Zheng Hao. Su Wuming explained Zheng Hao's unique background: he hailed from the prestigious Zheng family of Xingyang, one of the Five Clans and Seven Surnames.
His ancestor, a skilled archer and general under Dou Jiande, was punished by Emperor Taizong, who, enraged by the ancestor's refusal to surrender and his continued pride in his noble status, condemned his lineage to work as coroners for generations, forever retaining their lowly status. Given Zheng Hao's ancestral archery prowess and Dong Yue's death by a feathered arrow, he became their prime suspect.
Feeling uncertain without Chu Yingtao's martial arts support, Su Wuming persuaded Lu Lingfeng to accompany him to Zheng Hao's residence. At Zheng Hao's home, they observed freshly hunted foxes and hares, all killed by a single arrow, confirming his legendary marksmanship. Zheng Hao, an arrogant man, initially denied any knowledge of the Coroners' Contest or Dong Yue's murder. However, Su Wuming quickly exposed his lies.
He pointed out that the hunting kills displayed did not appear to have been shot that afternoon as Zheng Hao claimed, but rather earlier in the morning, judging by the wounds and the smell of blood. When Lu Lingfeng asked to see his bow, Zheng Hao, enraged, attempted to shoot them but was swiftly disarmed and subdued by Lu Lingfeng. At the county office, Zheng Hao continued to deny the murder.
Su Wuming presented his evidence: footprints found at the crime scene, on the second floor of the wine storeroom across from Dukang Restaurant, perfectly matched Zheng Hao's boots. Furthermore, the arrow that killed Dong Yue was a brand-new feathered arrow. Su Wuming explained that a standard quiver holds thirty arrows, and new quivers typically come with new arrows.
After accounting for the two arrows from hunting and the two arrows Zheng Hao fired at them, his new quiver should have contained twenty-six arrows, but only twenty-five were present. The missing arrow was the one that killed Dong Yue, proving it came from his quiver. Faced with this overwhelming evidence, Zheng Hao finally confessed.
He admitted he had borne a grudge against Dong Yue since an incident a fortnight prior when Dong Yue, while dismissing him, had insulted his family's lineage and belittled his skills. He then received an anonymous letter providing a detailed plan to shoot Dong Yue from the Gaochang Tavern's warehouse.
He chose to act, not only for revenge but also to eliminate Dong Yue, whom he considered the most skilled among the five coroners, thus increasing his own chances in the upcoming Coroners' Contest and a potential opportunity to lift his family's lowly status. Su Wuming then examined the anonymous letter, confirming it was written by a single person. Pei Xijun sketched a portrait of the individual who delivered the letter, based on Gao Wuniang's description.
However, the man had worn a cleverly crafted fake beard, making his true features difficult to ascertain. Later that evening, as everyone gathered, Chu Yingtao requested permission to stay in Wannian County to protect Su Wuming, which Lu Lingfeng granted. Suddenly, Su Wuming expressed concern for Geng Wushang's safety and instructed Chu Yingtao to go and guard him discreetly.
Meanwhile, Zhong Shizai was chastising his son, Zhong Pi, for failing to fully recite "Ode to the Goddess of Luo" for the second consecutive day. His daughter, Zhong Jie, intervened, explaining that a local rascal had been harassing Zhong Pi, mocking him for studying poetry instead of learning to examine corpses, and Zhong Pi had been protecting her.
Moved by his children's plight, Zhong Shizai shared his ambitious plan: he intended to win the Coroners' Contest to shed their lowly status, enabling Zhong Pi to take the imperial examinations and Zhong Jie to become a renowned painting master and marry into a noble family.
At the same time, Geng Wushang, seemingly in ill health but working diligently, was completing his magnum opus, a comprehensive coroner's manual, and teaching his daughter Su Chan critical autopsy techniques, including how to identify strychnine poisoning, which he noted was rarely seen but crucial for a good coroner to know.
Later that night, a young woman, having recently found a purse containing forty-nine coins and a slip of paper marked with "one," interpreted it as a sign of a fated romance arriving within a day. She was lured by a man reciting romantic poetry outside her door to a nearby abandoned house, where she was brutally murdered by a sharp weapon. Concurrently, Zhong Shizai, clad in a mask and dark clothing, infiltrated Geng Wushang's residence, intending to murder him.
However, Chu Yingtao, who was secretly guarding Geng, leaped down from the rafters and intercepted him, forcing Zhong Shizai to flee. Geng Wushang, having anticipated the attack from his once beloved disciple, felt a deep sense of betrayal and sorrow. The following day, as Zhong Shizai attempted to leave the city with his children, Lu Lingfeng intercepted him. Mindful of the children, Lu Lingfeng did not disclose the reason for the stop.
Zhong Shizai, understanding the unspoken accusation, sent his children home before engaging Lu Lingfeng in a fierce but ultimately losing battle, leading to his capture. At the county office, Su Wuming interrogated Zhong Shizai. Observing Pei Xijun's exquisite paintings, Zhong Shizai knelt and desperately pleaded with her to take Zhong Jie as an apprentice, or even adopt her, to spare his daughter from their family's lowly status.
Su Wuming acknowledged Zhong Shizai's deep love for his children but lamented that it could not justify his crimes. Zhong Shizai, in tears, vehemently denied directly killing anyone, insisting he merely invited people to a meal and that Zheng Hao was solely responsible for the revenge murder.
Su Wuming then presented further evidence: the ink used in the anonymous letter contained brown pigments, indicative of painting materials, and it was written in a disguised hand, connecting Zhong Shizai to the letter through his daughter's art supplies. He then revealed that the masked clothing and fake beard matching the description of the letter carrier, as depicted by Pei Xijun, had been found in Zhong Shizai's home.
Su Wuming pressed him, questioning his attempt to murder his own mentor, Geng Wushang, all for victory in the Coroners' Contest. Zhong Shizai denied this too, but Geng Wushang had already foreseen his attempts to escape responsibility.
