Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Episode 4 Recap
> Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Recap
Lu Lingfeng led his team into the night market to investigate and found a unique feather with a fresh green leaf attached to its quill. Fei Jishi examined the leaf, noting its color and veins, concluding that it was a rare type of Solomon's Seal that could only grow high up on Mount Zhongnan. Meanwhile, Su Wuming awoke in a secluded courtyard on Mount Zhongnan.
He was startled to see a massive Flame Crow, entirely bird-like, standing before him, unlike the previous half-human, half-bird creature that abducted him. Shortly after, the bird-man, wearing the face of Liu XVII, appeared, claiming to be an old acquaintance and tempting Su Wuming with golden peaches. Su Wuming quickly realized he was intended to be bait for the bird and calmly placed the peaches back on the plate.
He recognized that the face did not belong to the bird-man, remembering the original owner's evil voice. The bird-man, expressing how he was "worse off than a dog" in the past, urged Su Wuming to eat, but Su Wuming refused. Lu Lingfeng and his group returned to the station, where they found Pei Xijun still working by candlelight, having completed a detailed map of Mount Zhongnan. Their examination of the map revealed that only the royal villas remained unsearched.
Lu Lingfeng then approached Grand General Lu Tong, requesting permission to search these villas. Lu Tong sternly refused, advising Lu Lingfeng to abandon the search for Su Wuming in order to regain the Emperor's trust. Lu Tong also emphasized the dangers, warning that involvement in the case could lead to severe consequences, even death. Reflecting on Su Wuming's earlier accurate deductions, Lu Lingfeng understood the intricate and perilous nature of imperial power struggles.
Despite this, his resolve to rescue Su Wuming was unyielding. He removed his broadsword, presenting it to Lu Tong with the blade facing inward, a gesture of absolute submission to whatever fate awaited him if he could not save his friend.
Moved by Lu Lingfeng's determination, Lu Tong sighed and revealed the truth: the three largest royal villas were allocated to the Emperor, the Princess, and the Retired Emperor, respectively, and even he, as Grand General, lacked the authority to order a search of these grounds. Later that night, Lu Lingfeng sought an audience with the Princess, his mother. He gravely requested her permission to search her royal villa.
The Princess was initially disappointed and furious, believing her own son was implicating her and intending to order him to be expelled. However, Lu Lingfeng addressed her as "Mother" and explained that a thorough investigation was the only way to establish her innocence, arguing that he had reason to suspect anyone, including her, until the true culprit was found and Su Wuming rescued. Impressed by his courage and meticulous reasoning, the Princess's anger turned to admiration.
She promptly ordered her villa to be fully opened for search and all her staff to comply with Lu Lingfeng's commands. She also provided him with all her remaining golden peaches and excellent wine. Meanwhile, Liu, one of the three constables, found Lu Lingfeng and disclosed that the bird-man's facial features resembled those of the paper effigy shop assistant. Combining this with other clues, Lu Lingfeng suspected that Wu Wenbin might be a descendant of the Wu clan.
When Lu Lingfeng visited, Wu Wenbin openly acknowledged their distant kinship through Empress Wu, expressing hopes for future mutual support. Seizing the opportunity, Lu Lingfeng used the pretext of mourning Cen Zhi, Commander of the Princess's Guard, to personally examine Cen Zhi's body. The following morning, Lu Lingfeng, accompanied by Pei Xijun and Chu Yingtao, headed to the royal villa. He explicitly instructed Xue Huan to stay at the station and look after Fei Jishi.
Xue Huan, confused by the order, was enlightened by Fei Jishi, who explained that Lu Lingfeng was deliberately protecting him. Fei Jishi warned that entering the royal forbidden grounds was fraught with danger; even a minor misstep could lead to charges of treason. Lu Lingfeng did not want young Xue Huan to risk his life. At the Princess's royal villa, golden peaches were laid out, and the aroma of wine filled the air.
Lu Lingfeng and his companions used the peaches and wine as bait, patiently waiting for the Flame Crow. As the sweet scent spread, the Flame Crow soared through the sky and descended rapidly towards their location. The bird-man, realizing the trap, rushed to intervene. However, Lu Lingfeng had prepared for this, using a knockout drug hidden in the peaches. Both the bird-man and the Flame Crow were successfully captured, and Su Wuming was safely rescued from the Retired Emperor's villa.
Su Wuming later explained that he had deduced his location by recognizing the cold mountain air, the old but luxurious architecture, and his dizziness from the high altitude, which matched the description of Empress Wu's former villa, later given to the Retired Emperor. After the successful rescue, Su Wuming addressed the bird-man's confusion by explaining how he deduced their whereabouts and revealed the bird-man's true identity as Lie Na, the young prince of the Amono Kingdom.
Su Wuming recounted that during Emperor Gaozong's reign, Amono, a kingdom known for birds, was destroyed by the Great Tang after it provoked and invaded their borders. Lie Na, still a child, was captured and brought to Chang'an as a slave. When Deposed Queen Wei first became Crown Princess, she developed a passion for birds.
Knowing Amono's reputation, she forced young Lie Na to care for her birds and ordered craftsmen to create a bird-shaped mask, which she made him wear at all times, preventing him from showing his true face. As Lie Na grew, his facial bones gradually conformed to the mask, eventually taking on a bird-like appearance. Outsiders came to call him "Bird Slave."
Years later, when Emperor Zhongzong returned to the Eastern Palace, the aged Di Renjie, accompanied by a young Su Wuming, visited. Su Wuming personally witnessed Deposed Queen Wei's brutal torture of the Bird Slave for a minor mistake, an unforgettable scene that allowed him to recognize Lie Na's tragic past and identity. Lie Na did not deny the story.
He confided that six years prior, he had returned to Amono only to find his homeland devastated and the Flame Crow, their national bird, nearly extinct. He had only managed to save one young chick, which became his constant companion and his only friend. Later, Lie Na learned that the Kang Kingdom planned to resume its tribute of golden peaches to the Tang Empire.
This inspired an idea: he would use the golden peaches to train his Flame Crow to specifically target and attack those who had betrayed Amono. With the help of old retainers and the former Amono National Teacher, he developed large, mechanically controlled wings to enable his own flight. With preparations complete, he returned to Chang'an. Su Wuming then explained why the Princess remained unharmed despite eating the golden peaches.
He revealed that the Princess had once shown kindness to Lie Na, saving him from having his tongue cut out by Deposed Queen Wei and later granting him freedom by removing his slave status. To repay this debt of gratitude, Lie Na had secretly sent a note to the Princess beforehand, instructing her to remain within her mansion. Consequently, the Flame Crow never attacked the Princess's residence.
Seeing that Lie Na still possessed a sense of honor and gratitude, Su Wuming urged him to disclose the identity of his accomplice. Lie Na stated that the individual always wore a mask, and their only agreement was to jointly assassinate the Emperor, the Princess, and the Retired Emperor. Lie Na also clarified that the Retired Emperor's villa, where he was hiding, was always empty.
Lu Lingfeng deduced from this that the masked conspirator must have been intimately familiar with the old passages of the Eastern Palace, making members of the Li or Wu imperial clans the most likely suspects.
