Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Episode 9 Recap
> Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty Ⅲ: To Changan Recap
After Chu Yingtao subdued Mr. Tao, he immediately changed his demeanor, pleading with her to help retrieve a golden tablet, emphasizing its critical importance to the Tang Empire. Just then, a man in black attempted to escape, but Chu Yingtao, quick to react, captured him. The man identified himself as a treasure hunter and surrendered the golden tablet.
He explained that a client, a hermit with white hair and beard but a young face, had offered him 10 gold coins to find the golden tablet, which was an offering from Empress Wu Zhao for atonement. The client had instructed him to meet at the foot of Dayan Pagoda at the end of the month.
The treasure hunter also recalled that during a meeting, his client had discreetly added powder to a storyteller's wine, leading Su Wuming to later infer that the hermit had drugged Kuai Wu, preventing him from getting drunk naturally. When Lu Lingfeng and his team interrogated Mr. Tao, he remained silent. Chu Yingtao expressed her anger over Liu's injury, demanding an honest confession.
Su Wuming then presented the golden tablet and read its inscription, which dedicated it to Empress Wu Zhao for absolving her sins. He reminded Mr. Tao that in the first year of Jiushi, the Empress had ordered Daoist Hu Chao to cast this very golden tablet from Junji Peak on Mount Song during her visit to Sanyang Palace, intended to be a permanent sacred artifact.
Su Wuming pointed out the strange sight of it being found in Mr. Tao's humble home, weighed down by a stone, and questioned his true identity. He also noted that Mr. Tao had converted his residence into a temple worshipping Duke Zhao Zhangsun Wuji, with statues resembling Xu Jingzong, Li Yifu, and Yuan Gongyu kneeling before him, suggesting a deep connection to political history. Unable to withstand the questioning, Mr. Tao confessed his real name was Li Fengjie.
He described himself as a fiercely tempered young man skilled in martial arts some 50 years ago. He had once traveled to the capital to accuse an official, becoming entangled in an old case presided over by Di Renjie, a detail Su Wuming had heard from his mentor. During Emperor Gaozong's reign, Empress Wu Zetian sought to eliminate Duke Zhao Zhangsun Wuji.
Her confidant, Xu Jingzong, seized the opportunity to frame Duke Zhao, coercing Li Fengjie into falsely accusing the Duke and the official he had previously reported of conspiring in rebellion. As a result, Duke Zhao was demoted and driven to suicide, allowing Empress Wu Zetian to consolidate her power. After the political upheaval subsided, Li Fengjie was filled with remorse but also feared assassination. He assumed a new identity and lived as a charcoal seller.
He expressed constant regret for failing Duke Zhao and harming the Tang Empire, converting his home into a temple for Duke Zhao. Years later, driven by a desire to prevent Empress Wu Zetian from reincarnating, he risked his life to retrieve the golden tablet from beneath the cliff on Junji Peak 13 years prior. He then placed it under a stone before the statue of Duke Zhao, hoping to forever suppress her ability to atone.
His deep-seated hatred resurfaced when he recently encountered Wu Yang, whose striking resemblance to the young Empress ignited a murderous intent. Despite Lu Lingfeng pointing out the fantasy of reincarnation and the age discrepancy, Li Fengjie only cared about the resemblance. After Lu Lingfeng recorded his confession, he ordered Li Fengjie to be taken to prison. Still defiant, Li Fengjie demanded to know how his deception was uncovered.
Chicken Fei then revealed that the "Fairy Beauty Powder" found in his possession, an item unsuited for a male charcoal seller of his age, was the clue that exposed him, leaving Li Fengjie utterly frustrated. Pei Xijun diligently tended to the injured Liu, offering him medicine.
During their conversation, Liu's casual remark about wishing for a beard like Guan Yu triggered a sudden realization in Pei Xijun: the white-haired hermit was none other than Householder Chenkong, the wealthy keeper of the Great Buddha Hall at Chengfo Temple. When Lu Lingfeng asked about Chenkong's whereabouts, it was revealed he had left the temple the previous night.
Abbot Guangxiao then led the team to search Chenkong's meditation room, where they unexpectedly discovered a comb identified as belonging to Wu Yang. Shortly after, a constable reported that Chenkong's whereabouts had been traced to Shengye District. At the same time, Householder Chenkong located Auntie Ling's residence, offering her a large sum of money to perform a ritual to summon the Empress's spirit. Greedy for the gold, Auntie Ling brazenly pretended to be possessed by the Empress's ghost.
However, Chenkong quickly saw through her ruse when she mistook him for Xue Huaiyi, the actual person who burned down Ming Hall. Enraged by her deceit, Chenkong brutally murdered her. As he prepared to return to Chengfo Temple, he unexpectedly encountered Lu Lingfeng and his group. The bloodstains on Chenkong's sleeve immediately exposed his crime, leading to his swift arrest. During the arrest, Chenkong pleaded for his face not to be harmed, fearing the Empress would not recognize him.
In court, Householder Chenkong confessed his real name was Shen Yu. He revealed he had once been a favored attendant to Empress Wu Zetian and was deeply devoted to her. After the Empress's death, Shen Yu was overcome with despair and intended to become a monk. However, upon meeting Wu Yang, he became convinced she was the Empress reincarnated, claiming the Buddha had granted his wish. He recounted his initial approaches, often in disguise, leading to a developing romance.
Due to Chi Ying's strict oversight, Shen Yu frequently relied on Ah Mu to deliver messages to Wu Yang. Originally, Wu Yang had considered eloping with Shen Yu, but her discovery that he viewed her merely as a substitute for the Empress led to her profound disappointment and their definitive breakup. Shen Yu denied knowing Wu Yang's current whereabouts, though he admitted to taking her from a residence after someone else had already kidnapped her.
On the night of the lion dance, Shen Yu witnessed Wu Yang being kidnapped. He followed the abductors to a residence, where he incapacitated the guards with slumbering incense and took Wu Yang to the Great Buddha Hall, hoping to awaken her past life memories. Wu Yang, however, scorned him as a lunatic and fiercely rejected his proposal to take her to Wenshui in Bingzhou, her hometown, and make her "his empress."
She remained resolute, prompting Shen Yu to consider killing her, but he found himself unable to do so, struck by her composure which profoundly reminded him of the Empress. During this struggle, Shen Yu was ambushed from behind and knocked unconscious, seeing another man carry Wu Yang away before he blacked out. Shen Yu confessed his elaborate, months-long scheme.
He had orchestrated the "female ghost" haunting Chengfo Temple by utilizing "Night-Wandering Ladies" birds, known for their mournful cries, to deter visitors. This allowed him to secretly carve a stone coffin behind the Buddha statue. He also hired the treasure hunter to find the golden tablet. His ultimate goal was to merge Wu Yang's physical body with the golden Buddha statue and the golden tablet, thereby summoning the Empress's soul back.
He explained that on the night in question, he had used these birds to scare away Chi Ying and Mr. Tao, who were stubbornly refusing to leave the Great Buddha Hall. Regarding Kuai Wu's death, Shen Yu admitted to poisoning his wine at the restaurant, causing him to become delirious, and then throwing him down a well.
He justified this act by stating Kuai Wu deserved to die for publicly slandering the Empress, declaring he would kill anyone who dared to do so. Chicken Fei, appalled, criticized Shen Yu for disgracing the medical profession by using his skills for murder. Just then, a report arrived that a female corpse, similar in age and appearance to Wu Yang, had been discovered in the Ghost Market.
