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The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty
Episode 8
Kan Dun. Ye Xu. Jing Di.
What's the problem?
What do these words mean?
Someone stays in a quiet yard alone
for the whole night
till dawn.
Right. What does it mean?
I just explained.
Someone is asking for help!
Do you think I'm illiterate?
Hold on. Listen to me.
According to Fanqie, a method in traditional Chinese lexicography,
[Kan Dun Ye Xu Jing Di]
we can get the pronunciation of a new character by using two other characters,
one with the same initial consonant
and one with the same rest of the syllable.
Then we get three new characters,
which mean
"Trapped in Ji'an".
Do you understand?
Trapped in Ji'an. Sui Zhou is trapped.
Guards!
[Kun Yu Ji (Trapped in Ji’an)]
Yes sir.
Drive this crazy out.
Go.
Mr. Wan.
Something really happened to Sui Zhou!
Sui Zhou is in danger.
We can't keep waiting here.
Mr. Tang,
are you sure
it's Mr. Sui that's asking for help?
Of course.
Sui Zhou must be in great danger,
or he couldn't have used this method.
Maybe it's a fatal disaster.
We have to set off for Ji'an at once.
How long does it take at least to go to Ji'an from the capital?
Seven days.
Let's go.
No hurry.
It's the case for me.
As for you…
How long will it take for me?
You're a scholar.
You can travel 45 to 75 km at most per day.
Even if you set off right away,
you won't reach Ji'an until 15 days later.
What should we do?
Go south along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal by boat
and we'll arrive in Anqing in two days.
After shifting to the Yangtze River,
we'll arrive at Poyang Lake in one day.
Then we'll go to Ganjiang River from Jiaolongkou.
It takes about five or six days in total
to arrive in Ji'an.
This is the quickest way.
Why are you here?
Sit down.
I'm here to save you.
How?
Don't worry.
Wait here patiently.
When I get out of here,
I'll report to His Majesty about what happened here.
It's just that
I don't have evidence.
Someone reported secretly to His Majesty on Huang Jinglong.
I need to know who it is
to plead with His Majesty.
Only Mr. Tang knows who it is.
Which Mr. Tang?
You're not Wang Zhi.
Loser.
Mr. Huang, I can do anything
Wang Zhi can do.
Guards!
I have 100 ways to torture you.
Now that you have to tell the truth sooner or later,
why bear all this?
If you want to drink water,
tell me who that spy is.
I'd like to see
how long you can bear this.
It's so dark.
It's hard to tell where we are.
I'm not sure if we've arrived.
Judging from the time it usually takes,
I think it's close.
Right ahead.
We're almost there.
Guys, keep going.
Let's go.
Several hundred good horses prepared by the four tribes
in the northern pasturing area for the opening disappeared overnight.
It's urgent.
Tribes began to blame each other.
The Jurchens and the Doyin Guard have got into a free-for-all fight.
The Fuyu Guard and the Ujiyed Guard are on their way.
Commander, only trace of humans living is found inside.
There is no trace of horses.
I can't even see any horse dung or horse hoof tracks.
It seems like all horses vanished into thin air.
Right. It must be them.
Where are the owners?
What happened last night?
Tell me the truth.
We were sleeping last night
when we heard some noise outside.
We came out of the tent
and found we were surrounded
by some masked guys.
Then
they took all the horses away.
We heard those guys
spoke the Jurchen language.
What did you say?
It's really you.
Is there anything you want to say?
Commander Wang, if we had stolen the horses,
we must've killed them
to stop them
talking nonsense.
You must've let them escape
through an oversight.
Everyone, please calm down.
I'm curious about one thing.
If the thieves can get rid of
all the trace of horse dung and horse hoof tracks,
how could they ignore
you three living persons?
What you said is full of questionable points.
Without solid evidence,
you made an unfounded attack upon them.
Why did you do that?
I was curious why
the yard was so clean.
It turns out
the three of you stole the horses under your care.
You've plotted everything.
Sir, please find the truth out. How dare we do that?
-We didn't steal horses. -We really didn't steal horses.
Then why did you lie?
I…
Last night,
we were really tired.
We fell asleep after having dinner.
We slept like a log.
When we woke up, everything became what it's like now.
It…
Where are the horses?
Where have they gone?
We're afraid we'd be punished,
so we ganged up
and planned to pass the buck to the Jurchens.
Several hundred horses disappeared all of a sudden.
How could it be possible?
Witchcraft. It must be witchcraft.
Right. It's you Jurchens' trick.
You stole the horses.
Nonsense.
Stop talking wildly.
This is really too much to bear.
If you keep framing us up,
I'll kill you with my knife.
Do you still remember
why we came to Guangning?
Crossing mountains and rivers,
we travelled thousands of miles to be here
just to reopen the horse market.
And you planned to earn money
by selling those horses to the Ming Dynasty.
I know
what you're thinking about.
You think you'd earn less
if I earn more.
Please think it over.
If we fight and His Majesty is pissed off,
the horse market won't be reopened.
Then
nobody could earn money.
But those horses…
Where is it?
Answer me. Where is it?
Guangning Town.
It belongs to the Ming Dynasty.
If anything is lost here,
the Ming government will get it back.
I'll find the truth out
and give you an explanation,
before the market opens.
So, now,
please go back.
Commander.
I have something to say to you.
The current situation is chaotic.
The Jurchens are the most likely suspects and also a target for all.
How about taking them into custody
to keep everyone quiet down?
It's an obvious fact that
the Three Guards ganged up to aim at the Jurchens.
Besides, even if we arrest them,
without finding the horses,
we can't close the case
and the market can't be opened.
Commander, you came from the capital,
so you may not know well about the situation at the border.
In recent years, the Jurchens have grown stronger.
Those lost horses can be used
as a good excuse to suppress them.
General Chen, do you think
you're wiser than His Majesty?
Let me ask you a question.
According to the present situation,
the Jurchens are powerful enough
to make a diversion from the Three Guards
and stop them developing.
If the Jurchens are wiped out,
what to do with the Three Guards?
I've been stationed at the border for years.
I know these tribes' nature well.
The Three Guards are shortsighted.
We can buy them over with money.
They couldn't be a threat to us.
But the Jurchens
have been coveting our territory for years.
They've been planning to attack the Ming.
Besides, as for the lost horses,
I don't think
finding the culprit is important.
We just need to give them a convincing explanation.
If this matter becomes serious,
the horse market may not be reopened.
What's worse, I'm afraid
the rare peace at the border will be gone.
By then…
Your Excellencies,
please show us your official documents.
I'm Xue Ling, xiaoqi of the Northern Administrative Court
of the Imperial Guards.
It's something urgent,
so I don't have my official documents with me.
I hope you can let me pass.
I'm sorry, Mr. Xue.
We just received an urgent letter from the capital,
which said an official boat was stolen.
So I can't let you go.
You stole this boat?
No. I borrowed it.
Your Excellencies, you have to send a letter to the capital
and ask them to send your official documents here
to prove your identity and your purpose of coming here.
It's really urgent.
There is one more option.
You can go on by land
from here
and leave your boat detained at the ferry.
You can take it back after receiving your official documents.
That's all
I can do for you.
Fine. We'll do as you say.
Please let us get on the boat and pack up.
Give it to me.
I caught it.
Give it to me.
Loosen up.
Give it back.
Give it back. It's mine.
Give it back. Loosen your grip.
It's mine.
No one can eat his fill here,
so stay out of it.
Why can't they eat their fill?
Because they're serious criminals?
Then why are you here?
Those two guys
were neighbors.
The eaves of one's house
were pinned down by those of the other's,
so they fought each other.
Then they were arrested.
The guy who got the mouse
used to idle about.
He was arrested
because he stole some salted meat.
Actually, few of people here
are unforgivable criminals.
Just like me,
they were imprisoned because of trivial matters.
But we're all treated in the same way.
Don't do that.
It smells good.
It's dinner time.
Come on. Get some for our boss.
Why don't you go eat?
Aren't you hungry?
That's the rule here.
Those guys have meals first.
We can only eat the leftovers.
Leave some to me.
Don't grab.
This is mine.
Don't grab.
Here. Have a bite.
Here. Drink.
Come on. Open your mouth.
Okay. Let me give you a kiss.
Drink more.
Get lost.
Mr. Huang,
you lack a sense of romance.
Come on. Let's drink together.
I warned you.
Don't act ostentatiously.
How dare I
ignore what you said?
Didn't you see that
I closed the door when there were girls here?
Wang Zhi is a eunuch.
How could he whore?
Mr. Huang,
there is something you don't know.
Wang Zhi is not a common eunuch.
He has invested in Huanyi Brothel,
the biggest whorehouse in the capital.
I'll be cautious.
I'll just look and won't touch them.
No.
I'll just touch them. No sex.
I can let you go and arrest you.
No matter when it is,
I can imprison you again.
I know
I'll die no matter where I am.
You keep me alive
just because I look like him.
You want to make me a shield or
a scapegoat at the critical moment.
Now that I have to die sooner or later,
why can't you let me
do what I want while I'm alive?
In this case, I'll be happy to die for you.
How many times has it happened today?
Three times.
They fought over a hitching post this time.
How about those who got involved in the first two fights?
They were arrested and then set free.
Mr. Wang's order.
General, what do you think we should do?
Weird.
Weird?
As far as I'm concerned,
There are several ways to cover
horse hoof tracks and horse dung.
But here,
I failed to find any trace.
If it were you,
how would you hide them?
Such a large number of horses.
I can't do it.
They couldn't be common horse thieves.
Commander,
the Doyin Guard and the Jurchens
are fighting.
The situation is getting worse.
The Fuyu Guard and the Ujiyed Guard
have sent guys back for reinforcements.
I've sent soldiers to stop them,
but we couldn't stop them forever
even if we can make it this time.
I wonder…
Just go ahead.
I wonder if we can delay reopening the horse market
and wait till the situation gets…
Reopening the horse market
is what His Majesty ordered us to do.
If we can't find the truth out
and leave the case unsettled,
I'm afraid there'll be endless trouble.
If that guy is here,
the case will be readily solved.
Which guy?
Tang Fan of Shuntian Prefecture.
Mr. Tang, let's go to the local government
and ask about Mr. Sui's whereabouts.
Not now. We still don't know
what has happened to Guangchuan.
Besides, he's here
to investigate the local magistrate.
If he's arrested by the local government,
we'd get into trouble
if we go there.
What should we do?
Where does Guangchuan usually stay
when he goes on business?
He stays in inns.
Okay. Let's go to the post house
and ask about him.
Let's go now.
No.
What's wrong?
I'm too weak.
I need to eat something.
There is no time to lose, Mr. Tang.
How about like this?
You stay here and eat.
I'll be back soon.
Steamed buns. Hot steamed buns stuffed with meat.
It's delicious.
It's the first time you came to Ji'an, right?
Exactly.
You just ordered the right dish,
Cold Rice Noodles in Sauce.
The ingredient is Xiajiang rice noodles
which are well known in Ji'an.
That explains why.
I've long heard that Xiajiang rice noodles
don't get mushy or broken even if they're boiled or cooked for a long time.
It lives up to its name.
Judging from your accent, you come from the capital, right?
People from the capital know what's what.
One of my customers
knew all about it too.
Hold on.
The other day, some people from the capital came here too?
How did you know that?
That day,
the group leader saved a thief
and clashed with officials.
Later, he was taken away by yamen runners.
Sir, three bowls of rice noodles.
Okay. Just a second.
Sir.
What's wrong?
Don't talk to me.
Follow me.
Something serious happened!
What is it?
I went to the post house
and they told me Mr. Sui and two of his subordinates
had left two days ago.
But
I saw his horse in the stable.
So I looked around again
and found the homing pigeon cage
he took when he left the capital.
He couldn't have left
without these two things.
I saw Wang Zhi just now.
Wang Zhi? Didn't he go to Liaodong?
He should be in Guangning at this point.
What's weirder,
Wang Zhi didn't recognize me.
-Huh? -Something must've happened to Sui Zhou.
He must be
in the control of Huang Jinglong.
What should we do?
We have to go to the prison and find it out.
Won't we get into trouble
if we go there at this point?
Eat the three cakes according to the order.
Now you can eat cake A.
Eat cake B this time tomorrow.
When things really don't go right,
you can eat cake C.
What did I say just now?
Repeat it.
Mr. Tang,
I'm not stupid.
I won't forget it.
Are you sure?
Shout aloud.
Catch the thief!
Food is sent here.
Here is our food.
What do you want?
There is no enough food.
If everyone can have a share,
all of us can survive
although nobody can eat his fill.
But if you eat your fill,
someone will starve to death.
What if I don't want to share?
You're still the boss here if you do.
So,
you want to fight with me, right?
Buddy,
obviously, you're not an ordinary person.
We'll treat you as one of us.
After our boss finishes,
we can eat together. Okay?
I know the rules here.
The best fighter has the final say.
I'll show no mercy to you if you don't share.
Okay. Let's fight one on one.
Step aside!
Boss, how are you feeling?
Boss.
Who wants to challenge me?
From now on, we'll share all food.
Mr. Wang, sorry for having kept you waiting.
My master asked me to apologize to you.
Can you tell me why you want to see him?
Do you know what this is?
This is the imperial edict that
I'm responsible for reopening the horse market.
Seeing this
means you see His Majesty.
You should knock your head on the ground thrice at each prostration.
He's neither a man nor a woman.
How dare he ask me to kowtow?
Mr. Wang,
my master said you're talented and capable
because you won His Majesty's trust
at such a young age.
Ask him to cut the crap.
He asked me to come here
just to talk about reopening the market.
But those horses are stolen.
The Doyin, Fuyu and Ujiyed Guards have horses,
but they're too far away.
Only the Jianzhou Guard's horses are close.
Tell him
I can sell horses to him
if he triples the usual price.
Ask him not to pressure me by mentioning the emperor.
He'll be the first one to be punished if the horse market fails to reopen.
He's a eunuch.
Does he think he's an official appointed by the imperial court?
Showing no respect to the imperial edict
means no respect to the Great Ming and His Majesty.
Guards! He's disrespectful to His Majesty.
Flog him 50 times.
What do you want to do?
Don't move. Go.
Wang Zhi, do you know who I am?
100 times.
Be prepared.
Someone will come and drink tea.
Silence!
Why are you two here?
Your Excellency, I'm Chen Wu.
I passed by Ji'an and stayed in an inn.
But this thief stole my money.
Your Excellency, I'm wronged.
I didn't steal his money.
Who are you?
I'm Kong Liu.
I'm also a passing traveler.
Can you prove you're innocent?
Your Excellency, it's hard for me to do that.
How dare you play tricks on His Excellency?
I don't dare to.
Now that you can't prove your innocence,
why do you say you're wronged?
Before answering you,
I have a question for you.
Go ahead.
Your Excellency, how will you prove
I stole his money?
If you can't,
it means I'm innocent,
so I don't need to prove it myself.
You unruly guy. You stole money,
argued irrationally and despised the law court.
Imprison him.
Dismissed.
Silence!
Go in.
-What do you want? -Stop!
It's mine.
Why are you here?
I saw your letter,
so I'm here with Xue Ling to save you.
Things are in a bad way.
Huang Jinglong is trying everything
to force me to tell him who reported him.
I couldn't hang in for long.
Can you hang in for another month?
15 days at most. By then, no matter if I tell him,
he'll kill me.
Your Excellency, when I went back,
I found I've wronged that guy.
I found my lost wallet under the bed.
What? Then you've committed a serious crime.
What is it?
You faked a crime
and wronged a good guy.
Now you have two choices.
One is to go to prison.
As for the other,
that unlucky guy has been sentenced by Mr. Huang.
If I'm in a good mood,
I may not punish you.
Which one do you choose?
Think about it before you make a decision.
Your Excellency, can I eat something
to get over the shock?
I'm telling you.
You'd better not play tricks on me.
Got it.
I'm in a good mood.
Get lost.
Your Excellency, I didn't mean to wrong that guy.
It happened because of me.
Could you please
set him free?
To set him free? It's not impossible.
But that means Mr. Huang made a mistake
and you want to reverse the case.
You know, you need to pay a lot for that.
I see.
Okay. No matter how much it costs,
justness is worth it.
Set him free.
How are you doing? Is Mr. Sui okay?
We're pressed for time.
We need to go to Liaodong.
Okay.
My humble house is honored by your presence.
I wonder what brings you here.
You don't know? Wang Zhi,
you beat my son.
Even if His Majesty were here today,
you'd have to give me a convincing explanation.
Take your time. Sit down and drink some tea.
As for what happened, you should thank me.
Sorry?
Have you heard of Li Manzhu
and his son Li Gunaha?
At that time,
Li Manzhu was the most powerful among the three Jurchen guards,
acting as Associate Military Commissioner.
Neither the Ming nor North Korea
wanted to offend him.
It may be said nobody was his match.
I wonder who is more powerful
between you and him.
I'm not his equal.
But pitifully,
his son was unpromising.
Li Gunaha was swollen with arrogance.
In the third year of the Chenghua reign (1467)
when he and Dong Shan, commander of the Jianzhou Left Guard,
went to the capital to visit His Majesty,
he acted wildly and made trouble everywhere.
He asked for a lot of things, even including embroidered robes with patterns of the four-clawed dragon.
As a great power, the Great Ming gave him everything he wanted,
hoping that the Jurchens
reconciled the parties concerned.
But on their way back after paying tribute,
Dong Shan and Li Gunaha plundered Guangning.
Our soldiers rose in resistance.
Dong Shan was killed on the spot
and Li Gunaha escaped.
Knowing about the battle,
His Majesty flew into a rage
and ordered North Korea to join hands with us and suppress the Jurchens.
Yu Youzhao, a North Korean general, was assigned to do it.
Jianzhou was conquered by the Ming and North Korean army.
Li Manzhu and his son died in battle.
The Jurchens were almost wiped out.
Later, His Majesty forgave and forgot
and kept supporting the Jurchens.
I thought you'd feel deeply grateful,
but unexpectedly…
What do you mean by doing that?
I'm grateful for your discipling my son.
Please tell His Majesty
I'd never
repeat the same mistake as Li Manzhu and his son.
You're too polite.
Stand up please.
Let's get to the point.
As for the horses,
everyone thinks
the Jurchens stole them.
No matter if you really did that,
you'd get into trouble.
Commander, we didn't do that.
I'll give you a hand this time.
No matter if the Jurchens stole them,
I'll clear your name.
I help you and I hope you can help me too.
You do me two favors.
I hope I can have a chance
to repay your kindness in the future.
His Majesty ordered me
to reopen the horse market in Guangning.
All the Jurchens will try their best
to help you make it.
Let's go to Liaodong for Wang Zhi.
Okay. I'll get several good horses from the Northern Administrative Court.
Xiaoqi Xue, I'm sorry,
but Commander Wan ordered us
to arrest you
because you stole an official boat.
It's okay if you want to arrest me,
but Mr. Sui is in danger
and only Mr. Tang can save him.
I hope you can let him go.
Mr. Tang, are you an accomplice
of Xiaoqi Xue?
I knew nothing about that.
Commander.
There are so many horses in Liaodong.
I wonder if there is enough fodder available.
Once the horse market is reopened,
all the commerce and trade in Liaodong will be vitalized.
There will be a complete supply system for fodder.
After the horses were stolen,
all passes have been closed,
so the horses couldn't be carried away.
Then they'll have to need a lot of fodder.
I see.
I'll send guys to check
all the transactions of fodder in the past ten days.
Tang, you're not trustworthy.
How can you leave Xue behind like that?
What's most important is to save Sui Zhou.
If I'm arrested too,
Sui will be dead meat.
Fine.
But without Xue Ling,
how can I go to Liaodong?
Besides, at this point,
where can I get a good horse?
I know where we can get one.
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