Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Episode 36 Recap
> Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Recap
Lu Lingfeng was summoned to Yongzhou Prefecture by Chancellor Cui, who had come unexpectedly from the palace. The Grand Princess met with Lu Lingfeng, expressing her constant worry for the prosperity of the Tang Empire, especially concerning Yenisei Kirghiz, who still coveted Tang borders. She recalled the defeat at the Battle of Wushan and warned Lu Lingfeng that Yenisei Kirghiz was adept at espionage and sowing discord, having planted formidable spies in Chang'an with malicious intent.
To avoid potential complications for her own household, she instructed Lu Lingfeng to execute any captured Yenisei Kirghiz spies immediately without interrogation, as any confessions would likely be fabricated lies meant to divide the Tang. Lu Lingfeng relayed the Princess's message to Su Wuming, admitting he couldn't discern her hidden meaning. Su Wuming clarified that the Princess's proactive warning indicated her household might indeed have connections with Yenisei Kirghiz, but she would never act against the Tang Empire.
Therefore, if a spy were to implicate the Princess's Mansion, Lu Lingfeng should kill them on the spot. He affirmed that Chang'an's safety required robust intelligence gathering, a task managed by various high-ranking figures, including the Emperor and Princess. Unfortunately, Su Wuming, now the Wannian County Sheriff, was tied up with his own cases and couldn't assist directly. However, he provided two crucial leads: the Ghost Market Intel Stall and the Bafang Inn, where Yenisei Kirghiz people frequently stayed.
To infiltrate the Bafang Inn, Lu Lingfeng sought the help of Chicken Fei. Chicken Fei confidently accepted, boasting about his expertise in catching spies. Upon arriving at the Bafang Inn, Chicken Fei found it was also a wonton shop run by Lady Chong the Thirty-Sixth, who was struggling to pay rent due to poor inn business. Chicken Fei proposed opening a branch of his Liuhe Sushan Shop in her empty space.
Lady Chong initially dismissed sushan as mere shaved ice and refused. Unfazed, Chicken Fei insisted it was destiny, pointing out the numerical coincidences in their names and businesses (Bafang, Sixi, Liuhe, and Lady Chong the Thirty-Sixth, where 36 equals 6 times 6).
He warned that refusing might bring her bad luck and offered a deal: discounted sushan for her wonton customers and free sushan for inn guests, even if it meant a loss for him, claiming his motive was simply her beauty. Amused by his charm and persistence, Lady Chong agreed. Chicken Fei then introduced Yang Ji, his assistant, who would be stationed there permanently and would also help Lady Chong with any heavy lifting.
Lu Lingfeng went to the Court of State Ceremonials, where he encountered Li Zhuang, his former comrade from the Imperial Guard. Li Zhuang explained that his new role involved intelligence gathering for the Grand General. He admitted that collecting intel from foreign delegations was difficult, so he relied on secret agents, like a man named Liu Xi, to frequent the Ghost Market Intel Stall. He revealed that he had paid 100,000 coins for a piece of intel.
Lu Lingfeng demanded to meet Liu Xi. Xue Huan soon apprehended Liu Xi, who, upon interrogation, disclosed that the intel came from Sun Zi, the tenant of the Ghost Market Intel Stall. Liu Xi led Lu Lingfeng and Xue Huan to the Intel Stall. Feigning a twisted ankle on the stone steps, Liu Xi instructed them to proceed to the backyard without him. There, they were ambushed by three crossbow-wielding assassins.
One assassin swallowed poison and died upon capture, while Liu Xi was killed during his escape. The remaining two assassins managed to flee. After Xue Huan reported that Sun Zi hadn't been to the Ghost Market that day, Lu Lingfeng and Xue Huan located Sun Zi's residence in Fengyi District. As they arrived, a woman emerged, and when asked about Sun Zi, she silently pointed inside before quickly fleeing in a cloud of purple smoke.
Inside, Lu Lingfeng found Sun Zi gravely wounded with a knife in his chest. Xue Huan gave chase but lost the woman. Chicken Fei arrived and stabilized Sun Zi's condition. While on his way back, Chicken Fei ran into Xiong Qiannian, the Chief Administrator of Yongzhou, who thanked him for his past hospitality in Nanzhou and invited him to share some Nanzhou free-range chicken and local bamboo shoots. Upon regaining consciousness, Sun Zi thanked Lu Lingfeng for saving his life.
He recounted how earlier that morning, a seductive woman had approached him. He brought her home, only for her to transform into a man who furiously demanded to know the source of his Yenisei Kirghiz intel. When Sun Zi refused, citing the "rules of his trade," the man stabbed him before leaving. Sun Zi claimed the intel arrived via carrier pigeon a month and a half after being sent from Yenisei Kirghiz.
Lu Lingfeng, recalling his mentor Master Di's records of pigeons flying much faster, immediately called out Sun Zi's lie. With Xue Huan sternly reminding him of the consequences of lying to an official, and Lu Lingfeng threatening to leave, Sun Zi finally confessed the truth. Half a month prior, a tall, six-fingered man in a black robe and mask had approached him, offering the meeting time and location of the Yenisei Kirghiz spies in Chang'an.
Sun Zi had then resold a portion of this information to Liu Xi for 10,000 coins, planning to profit further from the original intel. Lu Lingfeng promptly ordered a city-wide search for a six-fingered man with a booming voice, over six feet tall, emphasizing not to alert him. Elsewhere, Yu Matong, disguised as a woman, met with a surviving assassin who had failed to kill Lu Lingfeng at the Ghost Market.
The assassin demanded his payment to bury his two fallen brothers, accusing Yu Matong of not revealing Lu Lingfeng's identity as a highly skilled Imperial Guard, which would have deterred them. Yu Matong, after verbally agreeing to pay, swiftly killed the assassin. Meanwhile, Pei Xijun, using details from Sun Zi, meticulously drew the disguised man's true face.
Recognizing the challenge of a city-wide search due to the suspect's mastery of disguise, Lu Lingfeng assigned three men, Jia, Luo, and Liu, to systematically search the districts surrounding Fengyi District with copies of the portrait. Lu Lingfeng then sought out Li Zhuang again. After acknowledging their past camaraderie and the loss of their mutual friends, Lu Lingfeng directly confronted Li Zhuang about the ambush at the Ghost Market.
He explained that only Li Zhuang knew he was investigating the intel source, and Liu Xi seemed to know about the ambush. He highlighted Liu Xi's massive profit from the intel (selling for 100,000 coins what he bought for 10,000) and questioned if Li Zhuang had shared in this illicit gain. Li Zhuang, distraught and unable to prove his innocence after Liu Xi's death, attempted to commit suicide with his sword, proclaiming his innocence was more valuable than his life.
Lu Lingfeng quickly intervened, stopping him and sincerely apologizing for his rash and unfounded suspicions. A relieved Chicken Fei, who had witnessed the scene, declared all sushan in the shop free. Lu Lingfeng then asked Li Zhuang if anyone else knew about his investigation into the intel's source.
Li Zhuang recalled that after their meeting, he had informed Liu Jun, the Magistrate of Yongzhou, about the Yenisei Kirghiz spies, as Liu Jun was the liaison for the Yongzhou Prefecture in their collaborative efforts for the upcoming polo tournament. Li Zhuang confirmed that no one else was aware. With Chu Yingtao occupied in Wannian County, Pei Xijun volunteered to covertly follow Liu Jun.
Lu Lingfeng reluctantly agreed, cautioning her to maintain a distance, merely observe his movements, and return before dusk. Pei Xijun diligently tracked Liu Jun to a fish market, where she witnessed him meeting Yu Matong. Liu Jun berated Yu Matong for her failed attempt on Lu Lingfeng's life, expressing fear that Lu Lingfeng's ongoing investigation would jeopardize his newly appointed position as Magistrate.
Yu Matong, unfazed, reminded Liu Jun that they were now both irrevocably committed to their path and could not back out. She then grew suspicious, scanning their surroundings and quickly spotting Pei Xijun, whom she promptly captured. Concurrently, the Emperor tasked You Tiancai with designing an imperial polo ball that would symbolize the prosperity of the Tang Empire for the upcoming international tournament finals.
Xiong Qiannian subtly suggested to You Tiancai that the Emperor's demanding task was a consequence of Chief Minister Pei Mian's earlier advice against the Emperor participating in the polo match. Pei Mian overheard this and fiercely refuted Xiong Qiannian's gossip, leading to a heated argument. Pei Mian chastised You Tiancai for a lack of innovative design beyond a scented ball, reminding him that the polo ball was meant to represent the Tang's glory, not just the Emperor's personal preferences.
He also severely reprimanded Xiong Qiannian for sowing discord between the Emperor and his officials within the palace. Both You Tiancai and Xiong Qiannian hastily apologized, with You Tiancai promising to create a polo ball that would satisfy the Emperor.
