"Tianchang Bao Gong Legend Case" (Bao Zheng) (Lived: May 28, 999 - July 3, 1062) (A native of Luzhou, today's Hefei of Anhui Province) (and a famous official of the Northern Song Dynasty) (In 1037, he was appointed) (as the Magistrate of Tianchang County.) (Bao Zheng is famous as an incorrupt and impartial official.) (Being honest and upright,) (he didn't play up to the influential and powerful people.) (Thus, he was nicknamed Justice Bao and Lord Bao.) (He is also called China's Sherlock Holmes.) Young master, people always say that Tianchang County is an affluent place rich in rice and fish. Thus, I thought luck was on our side and for your first official position, you were sent to govern such a good place. But it's unexpected that when the county town is so close, there's still no sign of people. How many times have I told you that you should call me "my lord" from now on. From now on, we'll be in officialdom and uncertain of our fate. You mustn't be like what you were when in Little Bao Village. Giddy-up! Yes, my lord. You passers-by, don't yell. I am cash-strapped these days. I want you to lend me 10 taels of silver. Then I'll let you pass. Pitiful brigand, where did you come from? How dare you rob people on the officials' road! I can see that you don't have a lot of luggage, so I think you are not corrupt officials or rich merchants. I'll only borrow 10 taels of silver from you. If you don't lend me that, I'll make you suffer. You won't give me the silver? Then don't blame me for what I'll do. How dare a weak person like you rob people? Bao Xing, don't hurt him. I am unfortunate to have been defeated by you. Can you give me something to eat? I don't want to die while going hungry. You... Get him some food. You lords, spare us, please. Spare our lives, please. We are not brigands who rob people. I am Ma Han and he is Wang Chao, who is like a brother to me. We are the refugees from the north. We have been eating nothing for two days. Thus, my younger brother lost his head for the moment. Spare him, please. He lost his head for the moment? Listen! This is Lord Bao, the magistrate of Tianchang County. By catching you two brigands today, I honed my fighting skills. Enough, Bao Xing! Take them with us. Are you all right? I am fine. They were so hungry at that moment that they got possessed by the evil thought. Well, if you two want to go with me, you can work for me. Brother, do you feel better? Ma Han, go on resting. Bao Xing. Don't stand up. Come on, drink this bowl of decoction. Bao Xing, is Lord Bao in the official mansion? -I want to thank him in person. -Ma Han. Your Worship. Be seated. After taking another two doses of medicine, you'll basically be cured. You will recover completely soon. Look, if you two want to leave, you can use this to pay your traveling expenses. In the days to come, you should earn a living legally. Your Worship, allow me to kowtow to you. Your Worship, I'm willing to work under you and I'll be at your beck and call. I am also willing to serve Your Worship so that my mediocre martial arts can be of some use. OK. Rise to your feet, please. His Worship Magistrate Bao is here. Greetings, Your Worship. Greetings, Your Worship. Your Worship. Mr. Gao. On the occasion of my birthday, the gracious presence of Your Worship brightened my humble house. Not at all. This way, please. Let's go. After you. Hurry up. Get out of the way. Your Worship, Your Worship, please. This way, please. Everybody, on such an auspicious occasion, I prepared a simple feast to entertain His Worship County Magistrate Bao and to get together with all of you, my elders and fellows. A moment later, beauties will dance and sing to add to our fun. Start the dance and singing! Come on. Wonderful. Your Worship, come on. Your Worship, these four beautiful girls are from the famous Near Moon House of our county. I also invited Miss Willowy down here. She is the best singsong girl of the house. Miss Willowy is no ordinary beauty with only good looks. She can compose a song based on the poem written by the guest on the spot and sing it. She is elegant and refined. Oh, I was too busy talking. Your Worship, wait a moment. I'll bring Miss Willowy here right now. Please. Your Worship, please let us propose a toast to you. Your Worship, please. Come on, come on, drink. Your Worship, Miss Willowy is here. Come here, Miss Willowy. Come to greet His Worship Magistrate Bao. Greetings, Your Worship. Forego the formalities. Take a seat, Miss. Mr. Zhou, come with me. I want to have a word with you. OK. OK. Let me drink a toast to you, Your Worship. Try your best to entertain Magistrate Bao and make His Worship happy. Come on, drink. I heard that you are well-versed in poetry and can compose music on the spot. What song will you bring us today? Come on, cheers. What poem can you offer, Your Worship? I'm willing to set your poem to music on the spot and sing the song in front of everyone here. I am ashamed to say that since I was a young man, I have been poor in diction and have had no talent for poetry. You're no ordinary person, so you must be expert in the classical, historical, philosophical works and belles-lettres. It's understandable that you are not good at sentimental poetry. With whom did I climb the high towers then? I often remember how we gazed into the clear autumn. These past events are all history as if they were moments from within a single dream. Your Worship arrived at your post not long ago. Have you visited the scenic spots of our county? No, I haven't. Miss Willowy, tell me about them, please. In our Tianchang County, Gaoyou Lake and Mount Baoying by the lake feature the most beautiful scenery. At the foot of Mount Baoying, there's the Puning Temple. In the Scripture Depository of the temple, there's a plaque. On the plaque, there is the inscription of Yan Zhenqing, the famous calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. Miss Willowy, why are you still sitting here chatting with His Worship? Be careful. You hurry... hurry to fetch your pipa and sing a tune for His Worship. Your Worship, wait a moment, please. I'll go make preparations and then come back. Chop-chop. You drink first. Your Worship. Stop! Stop! Stop dancing! Everybody, I almost forgot. I also prepared... some new type of fireworks. These fireworks are so beautiful. Nice. Beautiful. Look! They are like beautiful flowers. Exactly. Your Worship, look at that. It's pretty, right? It's wonderful. It's really wonderful. Good! Good! Look! Look! Your Worship, why did you come to the servants' dining place? Do you know where the dressing room is? It seems to be upstairs. A while ago, the singsong girl Willowy was about to tell me a conspiracy. In the Scripture Depository of the temple, there's a plaque. On the plaque, there is the inscription of Yan Zhenqing, the famous calligrapher of the Tang Dynasty. It's surprising that there is the authentic work of Yan Zhenqing here. Yes. When you go to the temple, you should look at the plaque carefully because it is about the truth of an affair. Unexpectedly, she was killed a moment later. This suggests that her death is definitely connected with this conspiracy. It was extremely audacious of the evildoer to kill her under our noses. All the things in the room and on the table are in apple-pie order. This proves that after the murderer came, they didn't clash with each other. -Ma Han. -Yes. Go bring her servant girl here. Your Worship. Miss. Little girl, don't be afraid. Stand up. You are Miss Willowy's servant girl? Yes. My name is Swallow. Swallow, I'd like to ask you a question. Why didn't you wait upon Miss Willowy just now? Where were you? Your Worship, you can't blame me. My lady just got back from the feast and said she would fix her make-up and change her clothes. I was wiping her sweat away when a knock on the door reached our ears suddenly. I was about to open the door when my lady walked over suddenly and frantically. Then she said, "Swallow, go fetch me some snacks." Then I went to the kitchen. OK, Swallow, you can leave now. The murderer must be among the guests. How could that be possible? How could any of us be a murderer? Right. Who is it? I am sorry that you'll be troubled. I will try the murder case of Miss Willowy. What? What? Miss Willowy was killed? What happened? Who did it? Right, who did it? You Worship, when did this happen? It happened just now while we were watching the fireworks. Miss Willowy was killed in the dressing room. All of you present here can't distance yourself from the murder. Your Worship, what you said doesn't make sense. All the guests here today are respected people of Tianchang County. Yes. How could they kill a singsong girl? Right. Everybody present here, please recount what you did just now and who can testify for you. Your Worship, in any case, today we are celebrating my birthday. Do you think it's proper for you to... to try the case here? Someone was murdered. Mr. Gao, you tried in every way to stop me. Are you hiding something? Your Worship, calm your anger, please! Your Worship, calm your anger, please. Your Worship, calm your anger, please. I'll come clean! I'll be the first to come clean! After I come clean, I'll... Your Worship, my poor Willowy. She was murdered for no reason. Stop crying and making a fuss. Tell me the background of Miss Willowy. Willowy turned 19 this year. She appeared in front of the gate of my place two years ago. She said she was a refugee from the north. Her parents both died and she couldn't make a living. Thus, she wanted to sell herself to me for food. Was Miss Willowy fond of fancy writing? Yes, she was. Those young masters of the prominent families all wrote poems and showed them to her. She could set them to music within minutes. From then on, our business has been booming. Those officials, dignitaries and rakish young masters vied to spend money in our place just to meet her once. Some of them even wanted to buy back her freedom. About this, there was something odd. She accepted all the gifts and money from the guests, but refused their offers of buying back her freedom. Who were those wanting to buy back her freedom? There was Yan Shidi, the owner of the money shop. He offered 1,000 taels. There was also Mi Qianzhong, the tea-dealer. Well, Gao Zhongyuan, the wealthy man of our county wanted to buy her, too. Was she in love with someone? I know nothing about that. Was there anything unusual about her behavior these days? Unusual? I know that she went out about every ten days and didn't come back till quite a while later, She did this furtively and didn't take her servant girl with her. Over the past two or three months, she has been going out more frequently. Sir, I have finished the autopsy. The dead girl is 18 or 19 years old. There are three fatal wounds on her neck. The wounds are deep and narrow. The weapon should be a pair of sharp scissors or something like that instead of a dagger, a knife and the like. The scissors belonged in the dressing room. This proves that the murderer didn't bring the sharp weapon. Thus, this is not a premeditated murder and something unexpected caused the murderer to kill Willowy suddenly to keep her mouth shut. Well, sir, I forgot to tell you one thing. The dead girl has been in the family way for three months. Who is it? Me. Steamed stuffed bun. Hot steamed stuffed bun. Come to have a look. Third young master, I haven't seen you be so slovenly in a while. Dressed in these clothes, you look like what you looked like in Little Bao Village after you fought with the young ruffians. You brat, now we are two idle vagrants. Be careful not to address me wrongly. Call me Lu San. OK. I will be your lackey. You can call me Xing'er. All right. It's about noon now. I'll treat you to a meal in this restaurant. Let's go. Wait. Wait. There are so many decent restaurants in Donghu. Why must we eat in this dirty small tavern? We'll eat in it. Let's go. Well... Be seated, please. What do you two want to eat and drink today? Bring us a pot of wine, peanuts and green soybeans. Go. Have you heard that in a pleasure boat on the Gaoyou Lake, a prostitute was murdered. It's at a feast of the officials and dignitaries. Yes. It's said that our County Magistrate was also at the scene. Someone still dared to kill the prostitute? Who do you think committed the murder? Those prostitutes and playactors are all troublemakers. They shouldn't have tantalized the playboys and made them rivals in love, right? Hello, guys. The two of us are strangers here. I heard that a prostitute was murdered. Has this murder case been cracked? You poor man, where did you come from? If you give me two strings of cash, I'll tell you a piece of intelligence. You can report it to the yamen and collect the reward. You... Second brother, why must you joke with him? Let's eat and drink to fullness and leave hurriedly. You fools, how dare you make fun of my big brother? I will... You dared to cause trouble in Mr. Bai Wu's territory. I can see you want to be kicked out of Tianchang. Qi Lao'er, if you have eaten and drunk enough, leave quickly. Let's go. You two are from... Bro, we are from Chuzhou. We left our hometown because we've caused some trouble there. Actually, it is not a big deal. The thing is, we met a rich traveling trader and sang the well-wishing song for him. Then he paid us 20 taels of silver. Unexpectedly, after he sobered up,
he wanted his silver back. We didn't return the silver to him and beat him. Thus, the government sent people to catch us. Then we fled eastward and arrived here. Well, are you the shopkeeper... Unfortunately. Based on what you said, I can see you are our kind. Our boss is not here today. If you want to make an appointment with our boss, you should come tomorrow. OK. Then we'll come some other day. -Please see yourself out. -Bye. -Milord. -Milord. I went to make investigations early this morning. It's said the owner of that Hongfu Tavern is Bai Wu. He is the leader of the beggars of our county. All the beggars, loafers and thieves in the county town join his underground gang. Milord, you have read letters for two days. Did you find any clue? The letters suggest that they had strong emotional ties. However, in the past three or four months, they have been at odds with each other seriously. Moreover, there is a note of menace in their words. (A conspiracy is going on in the city.) What Willowy told me has implied meanings. You two go dress yourselves in plain clothes. We'll pay a visit to the Puning Temple. Yes, milord. Milord, this is the Scripture Depository. OK. Willowy especially mentioned it to me. Look it over carefully after you go in. OK. Let's go. (Countless Collections) This is the plaque mentioned by Willowy. There's Yan Zhenqing's inscription on it. The calligraphy is really good. "No Collections". There are no books housed here, but it is called Scripture Depository. Wang Chao, what should I say about you? Who taught you when you started schooling? It's "Countless Collections". Don't laugh at me, milord. At least, I know two of the three Chinese characters on it. There is also the seal of signature beside the three characters. How many characters on it can you recognize? The characters on the seal are small and cursive, so I really don't know any of them. They are scriptures. No wonder you don't know them. Nevertheless, they look weird indeed. Benefactors, it's getting late, so our temple is about to close. Thank you for everything. Please come with me and leave through the back side gate. Let's go over there and take a look. Do you two know what place this is? Milord, I have found the map you ordered me to look for. Look! This is Qingfang Street. Turn right at the second intersection up ahead and we'll reach the most lively street of Donghu District. Ma Han, you have become a more capable Head Constable. Look. The front gate of Puning Temple is right at the foot of Mount Baoying. We arrived after walking a long way on the mountain path. Surprisingly, its back gate is so close to the busy street. Let's go. This fish is so yummy. We can live in such comfort working for His Worship in this place where products are plentiful and people are rich. Right. Since we started to work for His Worship, our lives have been interesting. We have learned about so many things. We haven't come across the hard and complicated things of officialdom. In the coming days, you two must try hard to learn and strive to be good constables. (Zhou Family's Manor) Out of the back gate of Puning Temple, there's Qingfang Street. This manor on Qingfang Street is... The manor on Qingfang Street... That's the Zhou family's manor. It's very imposing. So the Zhou family's manor backs on to Puning Temple. My lord, your mind is occupied by the map. These dishes are so good, so you should eat more. After you finish eating, we'll leave. Bao Xing and I will go see someone tonight. Milord. Oh, you two came. This way, please. Mr. Bai, the two bros are here. Hei Liu, is he the Lu San you spoke of? Yes. Yes, Lu San is me. This is my mate Xing'er. I have long heard of your great name, Mr. Bai Wu. Thus, my brother and I came to you for shelter. We are willing to be at your command. You two have strong bodies. Lu San, what did you do for a living? Why are you speaking in a genteel manner and like a school teacher? Well, my elder brother ever worked as a petty official in the yamen's prison of my hometown. Thus, he learned speaking the official language of the yamen runners. This is kind of interesting. You can write, right? Then you can help Liu with bookkeeping and stuff in the days to come. If you want to join us, put a string of copper coins into this jar. OK. You are my brothers now after joining our gang. I have a rule that you should bear in mind. It is that from now on, no matter what happens, you mustn't use a knife or things like that. If you want to kill people under my nose, I'll make you pay a price for that. I don't want to deal with the yamen every day. Have you understood the rule? Yes. Good. Finish up this cup of wine and we'll be like a family. Come on. Thank you, Mr. Bai. Come on. Cheers! The Zhou family's manor enjoys peace in the noisy surroundings. Milord, The Zhou family's manor is the biggest house on Qingfang Street. But have a look. We walked through the back side gate of Puning Temple just now. Then we stood just beside the Zhou family's manor. After walking out of the house, the Zhous can see the Bodhisattva. What did you say? I just blurted it out. Look, if Mr. Zhou wants to worship the Bodhisattva, he need not make a detour on the mountain because the Bodhisattva is close at hand. Wang Chao, good point. You brought me good luck. Let's go. Your Majesty ordered the several prefectures of Jiangnan to look for skilled shipbuilding artisans. The mission has been completed. In Tianchang County of Yangzhou, there is a renowned shipbuilder. The prefect of Yangzhou ordered them to build a new type of warship two months ago. They will finish building the ship in a few days. Great! You did a great job. In recent months, the Liao Empire has been aggressive, attempting to attack our Song Empire from the sea. I have been sleepless, worrying about the threat from the Liao Empire. Unexpectedly, you found me the skilled artisans who can build the new type of warship. This took a load off my mind. The prefect of Yangzhou said in his memorial that on the 1st day of the 7th lunar month, the new warship will set sail in Tianchang County and will reach the dock of the Eastern Capital Bianliang on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month. You mentioned Tianchang County just now. Fan, isn't Bao Zheng the magistrate of Tianchang County? Your Majesty has a good memory. The shipyard is exactly in Tianchang County governed by Bao Zheng, styled Bao Xiren. Your Majesty ordered them... Good! On the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, I myself will go to the grain transporting dock outside Bianliang City to see the new warship. I want you two to go with me by then. Then, the prefect of Yangzhou and Bao Zheng will both be granted rewards and titles. Thanks to Your Majesty. My lord, my lord, something bad happened! My lord. What made you flustered? The thief broke into the morgue of our yamen yesterday and stole a corpse. How could this happen? What else was stolen? Nothing else. Only the corpse is missing. Take me to see the county magistrate quickly. I am delivering the official document from Yangzhou's prefect. Get in hurriedly, please. Your Worship Magistrate Bao, on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month, His Majesty will go to the dock outside the Eastern Capital Bianliang to witness in person the arrival of the ship built by the shipyard owner Zhou Huan of your county. The 1st day of the 7th lunar month, the sailing date, is around the corner. You must ensure this can be done smoothly. Recorder, this made me extremely apprehensive. I was surprised that I didn't know in my county, such a big thing had been going on. Your Worship, it's not late for you to know it today. Originally, our prefect didn't want it to be widely known. After all, this matter was entrusted by the Capital Bureau of Military Affairs secretly. Our overseer said that the big ship was being built very smoothly. Within the eight days before its completion, Your Worship only needs to make things convenient for Mr. Zhou's shipyard. I promise you I'll do my best. Then allow me to take my leave. I'll let you see yourself out. Milord, this is Tianchang's county annals you wanted. Several pages of it are the records of Puning Temple. According to the records, from the Tang Dynasty to today, in the surrounding areas of the temple, several earthquakes and landslides occurred. The houses inside Tianchang County collapsed while the houses inside Puning Temple remained intact. Your Worship, do you think the legend about the treasure might be true? It might be true that some sinful officials buried their family property, but I never quite believed in the supernatural stuff. The official document from the prefecture's yamen was delivered suddenly just now. Thus, I have no time to dwell on Puning Temple's issue. Take Wang Chao and Ma Han and let's go meet this Mr. Zhou. -Let's go. -OK. His Excellency the prefect had a letter delivered to me, which said that your Zhou family's shipyard is building a new warship for His Majesty. I have heard nothing about it. This made me feel very ashamed. Your Worship, several months ago, His Excellency the prefect assigned me this task secretly. Thus, I was not allowed to let the matter out. In fact, my shipyard has been focusing on the production of civil transport ships and has never built any military ships. Thus, we have overcome a lot of things. We didn't hide it from you deliberately. We were just worried that if we couldn't do a good job, Your Worship would be implicated. Mr. Zhou, what are your grounds for saying that? It's said that His Majesty will head for the dock of Bianliang to watch the ship. Such kindness from His Majesty. May I ask how the building of the big ship is going? We almost finished building it. According to plan, on the 1st day of the 7th lunar month, it is to depart from the dwarf of our county. Mr. Zhou, you are highly skilled at shipbuilding, but it will be presented to the imperial court, so as the governor of this county, I should contribute my bit. I will definitely see you off at the dock on the 1st day of the 7th lunar month. Thank you, Your Worship. May I ask whether the man in the picture is your ancestor? He is my grandfather Zhou Shizhao. When I was still a child, I heard that General Zhongwu overawed the Sixteen Prefectures of You and Yun and defeated the army of the Liao Empire repeatedly. Did General Zhou return to this manor to live out his life in retirement? My grandfather died on the battlefield of Chanzhou 33 years ago. My father went to the capital city and brought home his remains. Our Zhou family has lived here generation after generation. Thus, we buried our grandfather's remains in a clearing of the backyard. So that's what it is. I am not very capable, so I can only rely on the property I inherited from my ancestors to live a rich and idle life. It made my heart ache to have reminded you of your grief. However, I have been very perturbed recently. I don't have any clue about the homicide that happened in the restaurant. What's your opinion on it, Mr. Zhou? Are you talking about the dead singsong girl? Mr. Zhou, you know Miss Willowy? Except studying shipbuilding, I am not interested in other things. I have only one wife. And I have never visited any brothel. Therefore, I don't know her. The officials and dignitaries of our county vied to buy back her freedom. She is the best singsong girl, so it's natural that so many men are infatuated with her. Beautiful women always tend to be ill-fated. Yes. I want to find the murderer as soon as possible. Your Worship works so hard for the peace of our county. I admire you a lot for that. Thank you. I am flattered. Then I'll take my leave. See you at the dock on the 1st day of the 7th lunar month, -All the best, Your Worship. -Till next time. (Zhou Family's Manor) Milord, the turf in the backyard of his manor is really big. Why do I think it looks like a martial arts arena? It's kind of unusual indeed. He is a gentle and frail-looking trader. Why need he build an arena in his manor? Besides, the marks on the ground suggest there's not only one horse. Take out the map and check whether there's the location of the Zhou family's shipyard. Since I was informed of this ship, I have had a vague foreboding feeling. Milord, look. Look here. This is the branching stream in the lee behind Mount Baoying. All right, let's go and check now. The biggest ship there is the warship to be presented to the imperial court. Now we can't go near and look at it. After nightfall today, you two shall come again and find a chance to take a close look at it to see whether there's anything strange with the ship. Got it, milord. Milord, the procuress of the Near Moon House wants to see you. -Let her in. -Come on in. Greetings, Your Worship. Do you have anything to tell me? I have tried to recall things again in the past two days. I think that there's one thing I should tell Your Worship. Mr. Gao Zhongyuan, the owner of a gold shop, often visits our Near Moon House and invites some singing and dancing girls to perform at the banquets held in his house. Though he looks honest and well-behaved, he is actually a lecher. He has six concubines. However, none of them ever bore him a child. Thus, he indulges in sensual pleasure every night and gives himself over to debauchery waywardly. Sometimes, he makes our girls stay overnight in his house and sends them back the next day. Don't you know the registered courtesans can only perform at feasts and can't sell their bodies? How could I not know? It's also a crime for the scholar-officials to go whoring. But Gao... Mr. Gao is very influential in the county. Does anyone else know these things about Gao Zhongyuan? No. I dare not tell others. Has Miss Willowy stayed overnight in Gao Zhongyuan's house? No, never. Mr. Gao is especially respectful to Willowy. Maybe it is because Willowy is reserved and aloof. Every time, he prefers to use the services of the lively and passionate girls. Your Worship, you mustn't let others know what I told you today. Otherwise, the wealthy men might go to my place and pull down my Near Moon House. OK, I promise you. Thank you, Your Worship. Excuse me. Off you go. Milord, Gao Zhongyuan has a lot of nerve. It's unexpected that he is so audacious. As a disreputable man, how could he attract Miss Willowy? That's hard to say. This hobby of Gao Zhongyuan caused Willowy to quarrel with him. It's time for us to visit Mr. Gao. Lift it. Lift it. Stay safe. Put it down. Put it down. Put it here. Slow down. Slow down. OK. OK. Come on, be careful. Hurry up. Hurry. Make way. All right. They have been moving these things for four hours. What exactly are the things? Could they be the food and fruit that the watermen will eat on the way? From here to Bianliang, along this canal, there are prosperous counties and cities. They can get off the ship and buy what they need at every dock. Why need they bring so much food at the time of departure? Hurry up, all of you. Heaven knows what they are up to. My arms have gone numb. His Worship got it right! He guessed something unusual is going on at this dock. -Put it down clearly. -Got it. Mr. Gao. Your Worship Magistrate Bao. Thriving business. Your Worship, how come you got time to visit my shop? It has been brightened by your presence. Your Worship, take a seat, please. Serve tea. Your Worship. As for business, nobody in our Tianchang County can rival you, right? Your Worship, I was overpraised. Mr. Zhou, the owner of the shipyard, is also very successful at doing business. His family has large shipyards in both Suzhou and Hangzhou. However, in our county, his shipyard is not the largest. I envy him a lot. Since he does business in both Suzhou and Hangzhou, why does he live in Tianchang County? For the past couple years, he has been going back and forth between several places. But in the past two years, he has lived in his old residence in our county most of the time. Maybe he has been tied up with something. Your Worship, do you know that his shipyard is going to present a big new ship to the Eastern Capital Bianliang. Mr. Gao, you are so well-informed. Um, I spoke out of turn. I talked too much. However, a few days ago, Mr. Zhou seemed to be short of money in business because he ever asked me indirectly whether I had any surplus silver that he could borrow to meet his urgent need. In recent days, I have also been troubled by a matter. So far, I have got no leads as to the homicide that happened in the restaurant. Mr. Gao, what are your thoughts about it? Your Worship, it's really a pity that Miss Willowy died, but she is no more than a singsong girl, so you need not bother yourself so much, right? You can fabricate a pretext randomly and close this case. I can't agree with you, Mr. Gao. This is a case of homicide. As the governor of this county, how can I close the case at will? Mr. Gao, do you have any unmentionable secret? Why do you want me to close the case quickly? Yo-Yo-Yo-Your Worship, your, your, your question is a ha-hard question for me to answer. For the character and singing talent of Miss Willowy, I respect her a lot. But a dead person can't come back to life. A singsong girl also has parents. Mr. Gao, when the same thing happens to your daughter, will you still want me to close the case hastily? Besides, the singsong girls are all on the register of the government. When something bad happens to them, how can the authorities not get to the bottom of it? Right. Right. You are right, Your Worship. Milord, Gao Zhongyuan is an old fox indeed. He flirts with prostitutes in his house, so I think he never sees them as humans. There might be secrets hidden in his house. He repeatedly persuaded me to close the case hastily. I don't know what he is up to. Well, you sent more men to keep an eye on him to find out whom he will meet and where they will meet. Yes, sir. It's still early. Let's go to Puning Temple again. I have had a feeling that in the Scripture Depository, we have ignored something. Let's go. (Main Hall) Benefactor, are you His Worship the County Magistrate? How come you know? Our abbot invites you to see him. Amitabha. Welcome, Your Worship. Forgive me for not going out to meet you. Why did you know I am the magistrate? A high official like you arrived. How could I not know? Are you a native, Reverend? I am from Suzhou. All these are history. Why did you ask about this, Your Worship? I heard the local people say that the treasure from the Tang Dynasty is buried here. Is it true? It's just a rumor spread by people. Haven't we heard enough rumors about the treasure? In the end, they all turned out to be illusions. You got a good point there. Reverend, you must have much work to do, so you need not accompany us. The three of us will just wander around. Since Your Worship is here, how can I not accompany you? -This way. -OK. Your Worship, this way, please. I have showed Your Worship around the whole temple. Some rooms in the temple are places where our eminent monks practice Buddhism. Thus, it's not convenient for me to take Your Worship there. Today I still have a lot of things to attend to, so I'll take my leave. Forgive me, please, Your Worship. Amitabha. I am sorry I cannot escort you farther. Amitabha. Be careful. Go. (Countless Collections) You two go find something higher so that I'll be able to get a closer look. Yes, sir. (Countless Collections) Milord! Milord! I'm all right. Luckily, it didn't hit me on the head. So strange. Where did such a big rock come from? This must be the monks' conspiracy against us. How dare they lay murderous hands on Your Worship? I'll pull down this bloody temple. Don't act rashly. It seems that our whereabouts have been known. We can't stay here longer, You shall continue to keep an eye on the big ship tonight. It is about to set sail tomorrow. Go. You've already committed a sin killing that girl. My worthy brother, stop doing this. I didn't mean to kill her. However, if she went on leaking our secret, I was afraid that we would be in great danger. I have been feeling guilty in recent days, so I especially came to pray to the Buddha. Now the county magistrate has become alert to the secret hidden in my temple. To do this, we have waited patiently for over 30 years. There being such a big chance, we'll achieve our goal soon. You want me to give up now? How could I? We have watched them here for four or five days, but they still haven't finished the work. What exactly are they loading onto the ship? What's more, they didn't work in the daytime and only started working after the nightfall. Brother, look. There has been nobody for quite a while. Could they have stopped work? Let's move closer and have a look. What, what is this? It's gunpowder. Take care on the way! Bon voyage! Take care! Bon voyage! Stay safe! Take care! Take care! Take care on the way! Take care! Your Worship came to see them off in person. Your Worship. It's too much of an honour for me. Why are you so modest, Mr. Zhou? You built this warship for the imperial court, which is a special honor for our Tianchang County. If my insignificant skills can bring peace to the country and happiness to the people, I'll feel very honored. Set sail! Goodbye! Take care on the way! Bye-bye! Take care! Bon voyage! Stay safe! Take care! Take care! Bon voyage! Bon voyage! Bye-bye! Bai Wu, show yourself! Bai Wu, someone reported the spy is hiding in your tavern. Hurry to hand him over! Where can you see a spy here? In the middle of the night, are you officers doing this to us for fun? Right. Cut the crap. If you don't hand him over, you'll have to come to the yamen with us. Move! Get the weapon! Mr. Bai! OK. I'll go with you. I'll take all the blame. Don't harass my men. Liu, watch our men and don't let them go make trouble in the yamen. Behave yourselves and wait for my return. Yes, sir. This is His Worship the county magistrate. Mr. Bai, forgive me for the offense. So you are His Worship the country magistrate. What did you do for a living in the past? Why are you speaking in a genteel manner and like a school teacher? Several days ago, we hid my identities from you. We really had no choice. I am out of luck today. Since I was caught by your officers, you can do as you like with me. Don't be angry, Mr. Bai. The thing you said really happened, but I didn't give my consent. One month ago, the influential tea-dealer Mi Qianzhong went to see me in my shop secretly. Mr. Bai Wu. Mr. Bai Wu, we meet again. Have you been well? Mr. Mi, what has brought you here? Mr. Bai Wu, you have been doing things like Robin Hood. Everyone in the martial art world says you're a true hero. You flattered me. I was very impressed. Now I am offering you a big business chance. Will you jump at it? Mr. Mi, cut to the chase, please. I want to say... revolt. You! You are going to rise in rebellion? Don't panic, Mr. Bai Wu. Take a seat. Come. Mr. Bai, don't worry. We won't need your men to fight. When the time comes, your brave men will only be seconded and will stay inside the city to collaborate with our forces from outside and to lead the way for our soldiers who don't know the way. What is this for? Mr. Bai, this man and I are good friends. He is from Koryo and is one of us. The 100 taels here are the earnest money. You can take this certificate and draw the rest of the money in Datong Money Shop. Our Commander-in-chief said that you would be a founding minister of merit after our success and would enjoy no end of wealth and honour. Why must you dwell in this dilapidated and small tavern? Mr. Mi, what your leader wants to do will court death. He even wants me to join you. Go back to tell him that it's his wishful thinking. Someone, come to see off the guests. Mr. Bai, why are you so stubborn? This is a no-lose deal. Think about it. Seven hundred taels of shining silver. You'll be well fed and clad for the rest of your life. You think it over. I'll wait for your good news tomorrow. Your Worship, look. This is the silver certificate. Here you are, my lord. Datong Money Shop. Why does it sound so familiar? It's Yan Shili's shop. It's on Donghu Street. Yan Shili. I have been oblivious of him these days. I have told you all I know. I also gave you the silver certificate. You can kill or imprison me as you wish. Mr. Bai, thank you for being honest with me. What you said is vital for my solving a major case. You not only proved your innocence, but also rendered extraordinary service to the imperial court. What did Your Worship say? I did a deed of merit? I dare not take the credit. I only hope that Your Worship can crack the case soon. Otherwise, the yamen will give my men trouble again. I can't afford to bear the blame. But in any case, I won't join in the revolt. Bao Xing. I know you keep your men under proper control and forbid them to use knives in particular. Here are 10 taels of silver and a token. With it, you can come to my mansion to report things to me at any time. What Bai Wu said last night keeps coming back to haunt me. The conspiracy mentioned by Willowy before her death was gradually revealed. In Tianchang County, there are really some people plotting a rebellion and the people from Koryo are also involved in it. Milord, in this case, our Tianchang County is in a severe crisis, right? Yes, we have to deal with it urgently. We must go into action first. Well, you two dress yourselves in plain clothes and go to the small mountain villages near Baimatang to see whether there are the rebel forces. If there is really any, find out how many men there are and what weapons they have. Rest assured, milord. We have ever been forest outlaws for a while, so we'll find the rebels' den for sure. Go quickly. Give me some silver, please! Give me some food, please! Give me some silver, please! What are you making noise here? Your Worship. What's the emergency? Something is really going on these days in the several places you ordered us to watch. I specially sent several personnel to patrol the areas around Puning Temple. They saw a few people wearing the Koryo's clothes frequent the temple. The foreigners are eye-catching. They followed the Koryo's men into the mountain, but then lost them. Guess what happened four or six hours later! Our men on a stakeout behind Puning Temple found that the Koryo's men walked out of the side gate stealthily. Your Worship, this is the letter I stole from the Koryo's men. Good! Bai Wu, you are really capable. Milord, in the three villages near Baimatang, we did find some unknown forces stationed there. They did things in an organized manner. They assigned special persons to buy rice at the village fair. There was a squad training furtively in the mountain. We watched them secretly for a while. They were really well-organized. Luckily, Bai Wu came to inform us of it, or we wouldn't come to know that our Tianchang County that looks peaceful is actually in an extremely precarious situation. Take a look. (Rebellion) This riddle seems a mess, but it is strung together by one clear thing. It's that some people of Tianchang are plotting a rebellion. Willowy revealed this to me. Unexpectedly, she was killed immediately after that. We know that the murderer of Willowy is her secret lover. They have been united in affections and deep in love. However, in the past three or four months, there have been heated disputes between them. The reason must be that Willowy found his conspiracy and tried all means to stop him. Nevertheless, he didn't listen to her. At the feast held in the restaurant on that day, he saw that Willowy told me a lot. Thus, he began to doubt her. While we were all watching the fireworks, he sneaked into the dressing room and killed Willowy there. Then he pretended nothing had happened and watched the fireworks with all the guests. However, Willowy got pregnant. How come the murderer didn't know that? Of course he knew. If he hadn't known that, he wouldn't have sent people to steal Willowy's corpse from the county yamen. I bet that the corpse is in his manor now. Look, all of you. Let' talk about his conspiracy. Over the years, he has fostered a group of confederates in our county and trained an army. The army has been hiding in the waterside villages near Baimatang of Gaoyou Lake. Mi Qianzhong, the owner of the tea shop and Yan Shili, the owner of Datong Money Shop are all his lackeys. Mi Qianzhong is responsible for secretly contacting the people he can use while Yan Shili is in charge of the overall use of money. But how do all these have to do with Puning Temple? The legend about Puning Temple's hidden treasure might be true, but the treasure is hidden in a very inconspicuous place. That's why it has been undiscovered for 200 years. The murderer is very smart. He must have found out that the treasure is hidden in the Scripture Depository of Puning Temple. Thus, joining hands with the monk Liaoran, he took the treasure. Then he used this batch of treasures to support his army. Weapons, armor and supplies all cost a lot of money. The money he earns by doing business is far from enough. What role the monk Liaoran plays in this is still unknown to us. But when we went to check the Scripture Depository on that night, he tried to kill me unscrupulously. Milord, what's the secret of the Scripture Depository? Stop keeping us in the dark. I have been kept in the dark for a long while. The answer is actually on the plaque inscribed with "Countless Collections". Didn't Wang Chao say the characters on the seal are small and cursive? Therefore, I had a close look. Surprisingly, I didn't recognize them, either. After we came back, I carefully consulted the various specimens of Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy and relevant inscriptive seals, but found none like that one. During our second nightly search of the Scripture Depository, I found the seal changed. I recognized the characters on the seal this time. They are actually "Yan Zhenqing's Seal" in the bronze script. I didn't recognize them at all last time because the square seal was placed in a wrong way. What? The seal can be moved? Yes. The movable seal must be the key to the secret chamber. Thus, when we were there last time, I saw a ladder. They must have forgotten to remove the ladder after they went in. Milord, you blew me away. For nearly a month, you have been saying and doing things like a deity with magic power. OK. We don't have time for irrelevant talk. Now what we're facing is like an arrow on the bowstring, but we only have a small force and can't gain control over the situation. Tomorrow, let's call in reinforcements. Giddy-up! Mi Qianzhong, Mr. Mi! Come to the yamen with us. Officer, my boss is not here. What did you say? Today I saw him in the rear. He sorted out a pile of account books and packed up all the silver on the counter. Then he left hurriedly. Darn it. He might have escaped. Giddy-up. Giddy-up. Your Excellency. Hurry up! Get a move on! Where is your abbot Liaoran? Hand him over! Master Liaoran is out tonight. (Countless Collections) The seal! Milord, this seal is really movable. OK. Try pushing it in. OK. Milord, come and look at this! Look. Light the candle. Mi Qianzhong. Milord, all the things hoarded here are weapons, armor and tents. Yes. It seems that the treasure was buried here. The murderer took the treasure colluding with the monk Liaoran and then enlarged this place to hide the materials for rebellion. Mi Qianzhong found he was exposed as a rebel, so he came here to fetch some valuable things. Unexpectedly, the murderer found and killed him here. Has the monk Liaoran also fled? Let's leave the monk Liaoran alone for now. The riddle will be solved tomorrow. Freeze! Don't move! Freeze! Freeze! Halt! Don't move! After the rain, Gaoyou Lake is like a fairyland on earth. Since I took office, I haven't had a chance to visit the scenic spots of our county. Your Worship, you are really in a good mood. Did you especially invite me to enjoy the scenery of the lake? Yes. Mr. Zhou, you live like an immortal. I envy you a lot. Your Worship's words made me nervous. I have no great ambition and only pursue ease. While enjoying the beauty of the lakes and the mountain, how about I tell you a story? Your Worship, go ahead, please. Since the founding of our great Song Empire, there have been frequent border conflicts between the Liao Empire and us. The Liao's army slaughtered our people at the border and plundered their possessions. During the reign of Emperor Taizong, there was a famous anti-Liao general named Zhou Shizhao. He defended the northern frontier pass by order and defeated the Liao's army repeatedly. He overawed the Sixteen Prefectures of You and Yun. Thirty-three years ago, that is, in the 1st year of the Jingde reign period of Emperor Zhenzong, a bloody battle was fought outside the city gate of Chanzhou. The Liao's general back then was Xiao Daling. He is a distant nephew of Empress Dowager Xiao. When she learned about her nephew's death, she cried bitterly. But she knew based on the situation at the border, the Liao Empire was powerless to attack our Song Empire. Thus, she decided to hold peace talks. She sent a Song's general who had surrendered to talk with His Majesty Zhenzong on the battlefront. Kou Zhun and other venerable ministers advised His Majesty to seize the good opportunity to conquer Liao which was already a spent force. However, Emperor Zhenzong was afraid of war from the start, so His Majesty decided to make peace. Unexpectedly, Empress Dowager Xiao imposed a strict condition on us. She required us to execute our general who killed her nephew. Emperor Zhenzong worried Liao might annul the treaty, so His Majesty adopted a stratagem to get General Zhou and his Protection Squadron to be ambushed by the Liao's army. On the other hand, Emperor Zhenzong signed the Chanyuan Treaty with the envoy of the Liao. It's a treaty of national betrayal and humiliation. In the Chanzhou battle, our Song's army had won a landslide victory, but the old emperor who was mortally afraid of death failed to seize the opportunity for combat and didn't drive the damn Kitans out of our territory. As a result, our Song Empire was forced to pay the Liao annual tributes of 200,000 bolts of silk and 100,000 taels of silver. After the Chanyuan Treaty was signed back then, the son of that General Zhou brought his remains home. Later, he came to know the details of the whole event based on hearsay and became downhearted. Thus, he and his whole family returned to his hometown. From then on, he began to forbid his offspring to become officials and serve the imperial court. Several years later, he died of illness, filled with indignation. Your Worship told such an interesting story. However, such ancient history has been untold for many years. But one of General Zhou's grandson is a genius. After growing up, this descendant of the general decided to revenge his grandfather and father. Thus, he has intrigued for many years and hatched a shocking plot. He mustered a force in the county. He is ready to rise in rebellion at the first opportunity. Though the man volunteered to fight for the country, he disappeared into oblivion after death. The Zhou family has held high offices for generations, but it ended up so wretchedly. The emperor even hypocritically bestowed on General Zhou the posthumous title "Hero of Loyalty and Prowess". For the Zhou family and the 800 brave men, it is a kind of sneer. Bao Zheng, what you said is true. I am the mastermind behind all of this. I killed Willowy. I killed Mi Qianzhong too. A couple of months ago, the imperial court ordered personnel to look for skilled artisans who can build a warship. You thought this was a godsent chance. If I my guess is right, there must be a lot of gunpowder hidden in the ship. What will appear on the dock of Bianliang on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month won't be a ship that can ward off the Liao invaders, but a huge cannon aimed at His Majesty. It's surprising that you can guess that the ship is carrying gunpowder. What a pity! It's already too late even if you know it now, because you'll soon see my flawless plan will be carried out. The moment the explosion sound is heard on the Bian River, my uprising army will blow the horn of rebellion. However, you didn't expect that someone got to know your perfect plan and you never expected that it would be her. You couldn't let anyone ruin your plan, so you killed her. Your Worship guessed right. Willowy is my lover. Over the past two years, we have been an affectionate couple deep in love. Half a year ago, she accidentally found I was training the army. I couldn't manage to hide it from her, so I told her the truth generally. She besought me to stop doing such a dangerous thing. On one occasion, I met up with another person in the secret chamber of the Scripture depository. I carelessly left the door of the secret passage open. What is this place? Who is he? What are you doing? Come, come with me. I have solved the mystery on the plaque of the Scripture Depository and moved the treasures hidden in it. Don't worry. The man in the secret chamber is my business partner. I talk about important business things with them in that place. Nowadays, to do something, I have to resort to some tricks. Stop lying to me. I have checked the letters and account books in your cabinet. Nowadays, our people are living in happiness and our country is at peace. Why do you want to rise in rebellion? You want to report me to the yamen? I am pregnant. Back down on your plan, please. Let's go to a quiet place and live a peaceful life, all right? On that day, I saw Willowy talked a lot with you in the restaurant. I also saw she seemed to be talking about some plot with you. Then I realized she betrayed me in the end. But Mr. Zhou, the woman you killed with your own hands was carrying your child. You are really ruthless and merciless. Nobody can stop me from carrying out my plan. Mr. Zhou, you still don't know it, right? The big ship you designed painstakingly has been intercepted in the waterway leading to the Bian River by the troops dispatched by the Bureau of Military Affairs at the request of the Counsellor-in-chief Fan Zhongyan. Now the 5,000 picked troops brought in from Hangzhou are wiping out your army scraped together. Look at the smoke and dust in the distance. They indicate the victory of Baimatang's Government troops. Your Worship, Providence didn't choose me! Let the sins of all my life and all those crimes perish with me. What do you want to do? Do you want to preserve the Zhou family's good name? Don't mind life or death and dirtiness or cleanness. Don't mind increase or decrease because all is vanity. Your Worship, if you pity Willowy, bury her decently in place of me. I placed her dead body in Puning Temple. Don't worry about Willowy's funeral. Grandfather, your unfilial grandson Zhou Huan knows that I let down all the ancestors of our family. Thus, I came here today to beg forgiveness. (Memorial tablet of the deceased ancestor Zhou Shizhao) Your Worship. I guessed that you went home to pay respect to your ancestors, right? Your Worship's wisdom impressed me. Yes. I am the real Zhou Huan, the grandson of General Zhongwu. That Zhou Huan you saw is actually Chen Yu. His father was my grandfather's Vice Commander. He grew up in our Zhou family's Manor. When my grandfather and his 800 guards were ambushed by Kitans in that battle, his father was also there. Ten years ago, Chen Yu came across me by chance. After my father passed away, I cut off the bonds of this world and became a monk. Chen Yu kept persuading me to join him in taking avenge, but I was disheartened and was unwilling to interfere in the worldly affairs. Thus, Chen Yu suggested he take my place and restore the prestige of our family. I know I disappointed my ancestors, so I allowed him to impersonate me and live in our family's old residence. So that's what it is. Reverend, no, Mr. Zhou, you didn't get involved in the revolt and tried to stop it repeatedly instead. On that night, the rock didn't fall on my head in the Scripture Depository. It was because of your kindness, right? Karma brings us together and separates us. Karma decides our life and death. I pushed Chen Yu's arm back then, so the rock didn't hit Your Worship. All conditioned occurrences in the world are illusory. They change rapidly like the dew and lightning. We should see them this way. Master Liaoran, take care. Amitabha. (Scripture Depository) Milord, it has been more than a month since we came to Tianchang County. This is the first time that we've done sightseeing leisurely. I remember on that day, it was also on this lake that Miss Willowy asked me whether I composed any poems and said she would set them to music. I am ashamed to say this, but I really don't have a talent for poetry. Throughout my 38 years of life, I only wrote one good poem. I wrote it on this scroll to offer it to Miss Willowy as a sacrifice.
