【Multi | FULL】EP31 The cloth shop owner was killed | 唐朝诡事录之西行 | iQIYI
[English subtitles are available] [Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty II To the West] [Episode 31] [Tianyi Fabric Shop] Why is your face covered in yellow paper? Let me peel them off for you. There are yellow paper on my face? You’re right. There’s another piece. That feels much better. Give me the mirror! My face! My face! Husband. What’s wrong with you? It’s nothing. I just had a nightmare. Bad luck. [Tianyi Fabric Shop] [Letter from Shangxian Hall] Master, your letter. [Li Yun, Owner of the Tianyi Fabric Shop] Who delivered the letter? It was left at the shop entrance. [Li Yun’s wife Shen Ping] I didn’t see who delivered it. Who is it from? My distant cousin. You still remember him, right? That good-for-nothing brat. Li Men, right? That’s him. What happened to him? He’s going to Shazhou to make a living this time and he’s passing through Yunding. Because he’s been doing too poorly these years, he is too embarrassed to visit us. So, he wrote a letter to say hello. Doesn’t that mean he wants to see you? I guess he wants to borrow money for travel expenses. Master, Madam. Have some chicken soup. It was cooked fresh this morning. It’s Master’s chicken that lost in the cockfight yesterday. I slaughtered it. You talk too much. Honey. You see, cockfighting does have its benefits, right? At least we have chicken soup now. It’s not that I complain whenever I see you lose money, but think about it. When have you ever won? Cockfighting is gambling. I’ll advise you one more time. Don’t do it anymore. And that Fang Jiong. He drags you to cockfights every day. He’s up to no good. Don’t pay him any attention from now on. But life is so boring. What else is there to do besides cockfighting? Shouldn’t you focus on running the fabric shop? The reputation of our fabric shop has long been established. In all of Yunding, our family makes the best clothes. Besides, with Dade and Changle’s help, there’s no need for me here. Business at the fabric shop is indeed good. Recently, we have gotten requests for in-house measuring every day. I’ve been so busy, I can barely keep up. Quite a few customers are coming to the shop too. It’s just that some customers insist that the Master personally tailor for them. No need to pay them any mind. Changle, you’re really talkative today. You may go. Yes, Master. I see your mental state still isn’t good. Actually, I’ve also been feeling tired and a tightness in my chest lately. The heart palpitations that haven’t acted up in a long time might be acting up again. But it’s strange. Once I start cockfighting, I feel energized. So, when you reach middle age, you still need to find things you enjoy doing. The same goes for you, honey. For example, you love drinking chicken soup. Then you should drink it every day. It’s not like we can’t afford it. Drink it for half a year. I guarantee you’ll be strong and healthy. Come, come. Let me add some more pepper for you. Don’t be so attentive. I don’t have money here for you to go cockfighting. Don’t be angry. I… I’ll stop cockfighting, okay? Really? But, there’s something I want to discuss with you. Is it about your cousin? Honey, you really are considerate. It seems he’s at the end of his rope. After all, he’s family. He wants to go to Shazhou to dig caves. That’s exhausting work. To think of earning money this way to support himself, I think there’s still hope for him. Where does he live? He’s already down and out, where else could he live? In Shangxian Lane, of course The inns there are the cheapest in all of Yunding. When relatives are in trouble, we should still help them. I’ll go get you a silver ingot. Really? Honey. you are so nice. [Tianyi Fabric Shop] Watch where you’re going! Fine. let’s pretend I didn’t see you. Sorry. Move aside. Distinguished guest. What kind of robe would you like? Let me take a look first. Your figure is truly exceptional. How about this? I’ll take your measurements first. You can select the fabric later. It’s not for me. I want to order one… For your family member? Do you have your wife’s measurements with you? Measurements? I… I don’t know. You should know best. You’re here to have clothes made for her. Even if you’re not husband and wife, you must be very close. How could you not know? She’s… Probably… This tall? No. This tall. This… this can’t be estimated. If you really don’t know, it will be difficult for us. What’s so difficult about it? Just make it according to the most slender woman’s figure in the world. Wouldn’t that work? Well… Please have some tea first. If it’s inconvenient for the family member, please provide the address. I can go there to take measurements. I’m doing this to give her a surprise. If you go to take measurements, wouldn’t my thoughtfulness be in vain? I see. You are truly a considerate gentleman. But how should we approach this matter? She’s a bit taller than you, slimmer than you, also a bit older than you. Then I understand. Rest assured, no need to take measurements. We can make it. After all, we are the best fabric shop in Yunding. Just come here to select the fabric. His name is Ding Dade. He’s a good tailor. [Tailor Ding Dade] Don’t worry. If you are busy, just leave the address. Dade can deliver it to your door. This way, if the clothes don’t fit well, they can be altered on the spot. Good idea. Thank you. [Shangxian Lane] Sir. Sorry to bother you. May I ask if Shangxian Lane has a place called the Qiongquan Alley? What alley? Qiongquan Alley! Yes. Wanquan Alley It’s just up ahead. Not Wanquan Alley, Qiongquan Alley! It’s not Qiongquan Alley? Then what alley is it? Madam. Madam. Do you know where Qiongquan Alley is? Are you blind? It does say Qiongquan Alley… Qiongquan Alley? After you pass the intersection ahead, turn left three times and you’ll be there. Thank you, sir. Where’s your manners? You should call me Mister. [Qiongquan Alley] [Shuiyun Inn] [Dew Restaurant] [Yunyu Inn] Where is this Biluo Inn? Is anyone there? Young man. Looking for a room? No, no, no. I’m looking for a place called Biluo Inn. But I’ve been going around in circles and can’t find it. This is it. [Biluo Inn] I’m not staying. I’m looking for someone. It’s all the same. Come on in. You two, wait outside. I’ll examine the body. You go interrogate. Okay. You are the landlady? Yes. I was the one who discovered the body. [Biluo Inn Ms. Yin] I went upstairs to check this morning and saw that the door was half open. What was the name of the deceased? I don’t know. All the inns on Shangxian Lane are family-run. We don’t keep records of visitors’ names. He only arrived after dark last night. At that time, [Biluo Inn] I’m not staying. I’m looking for someone. It’s all the same. Come in. [Li Yun’s cousin, Li Men] Cousin. Li Men? Madam, are there any more details you can share? Especially the details of his facial features. How about any characteristics that left you a strong impression upon first meeting? That man, although handsome, looked a bit like a scoundrel. Does this count as a detail? Of course it does. Thank you, Madam. This person called the deceased his cousin and the deceased directly called out his name. Yes. Li Men… He checked in two days ago from another state. People who stay at my small inn are either single folks living in this city, or poor travelers from other states. How many people stayed here last night? I only have one guest room on the first floor which is the cheapest. Li Men stayed there. The three rooms on the second floor were all occupied. Who stayed in each room respectively? Those staying were all women. Let’s start with the most expensive room. An ugly freak stayed there. An ugly freak? Yes. She is extremely ugly. When she came to stay three days ago, she gave me quite a fright. How many days will you be staying? Three days. You can go upstairs first. I’ll bring the hot water up to you right away. With an appearance like that, no matter how expensive a house you live in, I’m afraid it won’t do you any good. Are you talking about me? I was right. At night, she seldom stayed in her room. She probably went to the night market to hook up with men. What a pity that she never brought any men back. Last night, she seemed to come back a bit earlier and even asked me for bath water. But she wouldn’t let me carry the bathwater into her room for her. I want to take a bath. Boil more hot water. Just put it at the stairway entrance for me. I can put the hot water in the bathtub for you. You wouldn’t want to scrub my back, would you? You’re too old. No need. Just put the hot water at the stairway entrance. I’m young. I can carry it. Oh goodness. That dead man didn’t come to look for her, right? That young master was graceful and charming and dressed like he was very wealthy. He could have gotten better women. Impossible, absolutely impossible. When did that woman leave? I don’t know. This room was occupied by a woman wearing a veil. She arrived yesterday afternoon. A veil? Did you see her face? The water was just boiled. Drink with ease. Thank you. No matter how beautiful you are, there’s no need to always wear a veil. We’re already inside the room. Is there anything else? I won’t disturb you then. Although she was wearing a veil, I could still tell she was a great beauty. She was just not much of a talker. She was probably from another city. Do you know when that veiled woman left? That I know. Not long after the deceased arrived, she left. Going out? I have an appointment with a friend to drink together. Will you come back then? It might be late. Maybe I won’t come back at all. What? Is that not okay? I gave you the room charge for the whole day, didn’t I? By the way, right after the woman wearing a veil left, the ugly woman came back. After that, she asked for bath water. The one staying in this room is not that good-looking but not ugly either. She’s the chubby type. She is voluptuous and flirtatious. Men like women like her. She is a local and comes often. Whenever she comes, there will be men coming to stay in the middle of the night. Last night too. This so-called family inn of yours doesn’t lock the door at night? Those who come here are mostly men and women having secret trysts. The men are afraid of being seen and exposing their identities, so they all come in the middle of the night. If I lock the door, won’t I lose business? Why are there so many piles of things from the burial goods store? This is my main business. In this Shangxian Lane, as long as someone dies, or during the Cold Food Festival, Mingyin Festival, or the Hungry Ghost Festival, whenever they need to burn paper offerings for the dead, they all buy from me. Is this the room where the Li Men stayed? Yes. Where is he? I don’t know when he left either. Sheriff Lu. You are indeed very observant. When you’re out investigating a case with me, calling me ‘Sheriff Lu’ sounds nice too. What’s the result? Yingtao. On the right side of the brain, there are minor wounds formed by blunt force trauma. They are not fatal. His complexion is almost normal. His eyes are slightly opened. On the neck, there are signs of strangulation. Was he strangled to death? If he died from strangulation, his mouth should have been opened and hands clenched, but that is obviously not the case for this corpse. The deceased was found in a bathtub. Around the mouth and nose, there is no overflowing fine foam, nor any traces of dried foam. There are no bruises on the face either. The preliminary examination shows the victim did not drown in the tub. In that case, the cause of death is uncertain? We should start by investigating the identity of the deceased. Move aside. Yesterday, I saw him at the entrance of the Tianyi Fabric Shop. That’s right. It’s him. What were you doing at the fabric shop? It’s irrelevant to this case. If the preliminary postmortem is finished, have the body carried back to the government office first. As you wish. Does every room have a bathtub? Of course not. Only this room has one. Such a small inn, and it’s located on Shangxian Lane. Why did you install such a nice bathtub? It’s for charging more money. There are pipes connected under the bathtub. The water can be drained directly downstairs. It can even drain water directly? A room with a bathtub like this would be considered a superior room even in Chang’an. For this bit of convenience, the investment I made still hasn’t been recovered. This place is temporarily closed for business. As for when it can be reopened, the government office will inform you. Is this appropriate? It’s very appropriate. Whether in the capital or in the state government, once a murder case occurs, before it’s solved, you won’t be allowed to do business. I will seal the place off later. You are not allowed to stay here either. You’re sealing the place? As the owner, will the government office hold you accountable? That depends on whether you have concealed information, harbored suspects, or other offenses. Now, you need to cooperate with Ms. Pei to complete the sketches of the suspicious individuals. Yes… Suo Long, find the owner of the Tianyi Fabric Shop to identify the body at the county government. See if he was a guest or an employee of the shop. Yes. [Funeral] Master, He is my husband, Li Yun. How did he die? Although some external injuries were found, they were not fatal. The cause of death needs to be further investigated. My name is Shen Ping. My husband Li Yun and I run the Tianyi Fabric shop together. Yesterday afternoon, he received a letter. [Tianyi Fabric Shop] Do you like it? If it doesn’t fit, bring it back for alterations. Okay. Take care. Let’s go. [To Li Yun] The letter was discovered by me. I don’t know who sent it. I didn’t recognize you as the sheriff in the shop yesterday, I apologize for the lack of hospitality. Your hospitality was great. Madam. According to the owner of the Biluo Inn, your husband’s cousin Li Men was staying there. The letter was written by him. He is an uneducated and untalented person. But my husband still wanted to help him for the sake of family ties. So I gave him a silver ingot. He went out at dusk and didn’t return all night. I thought he must have been drinking and chatting with his cousin and slept at the inn. Did Li Yun have any chronic illnesses? He used to have palpitations and couldn’t sleep well. He often woke up suddenly from nightmares. In the past six months, Fang Jiong had been dragging him to cockfights. He disregarded his shop duties and had nothing weighing on his mind, As a result, his condition actually got better. Gambling? Yes. It’s embarrassing. How about your health, Madam? It used to be very good. but in the past year, I have indeed become a bit frail. I just inquired about it. Your husband Li Yun was very famous in Yunding. Yes. He had excellent tailoring skills and studied diligently under my father. Before my father passed away, he entrusted the shop and me to him. The fabrics he purchased were good, and the clothes he made were even better. Gradually, Tianyi Fabric Shop became famous. I see. May I take his body home? Not yet. The government office has no more questions for you at the moment. Madam, you may leave first. Our people will come to your place to inquire at any time. Why were you so silent? I’m just your personal secretary. With Sheriff Lu here, I have no place to speak or interrogate anyone. Stop your passive aggressiveness. Did you notice anything suspicious? Shen Ping just said he gave Li Yun a silver ingot. But at the crime scene, we didn’t find any silver ingot. I have seen this silver ingot before. With the silver ingot missing, Li Men should be the prime suspect for killing for money. The wounds on Li Yun’s head and the strangulation marks on his neck also prove there was a fight. But no fatal injuries have been found yet. Su Wuming. Have you already got a direction for the investigation, and are deliberately testing me? I wouldn’t dare. Well… I was thinking. Before Xijun finishes those portraits, I actually feel that this piece of clay should be a clue. This kind of soil is very sticky. It should be used for firing bricks and tiles. In Chang’an, when I went to the Zhen’s Office for an investigation, I have also seen similar clay. Sheriff, you’re right. In the capital, the Zhen’s Office is in charge of stone-carving and pottery-making matters. While in prefectures and counties, the place that uses this clay to fire bricks and make tiles is called a brick and tile kiln. Suo Long. Take a few men with you and search all the brick and tile kilns in the city. Any kiln worker who didn’t return home last night or went to Shangxian Lane after dark must be brought back to the government office for questioning. Yes. What do you need me for? I’m very busy at my clinic. I have to treat patients, save lives, and teach disciples. Nowadays, I’m not free at all. I know you’re busy. I’m here to buy you a drink. Not coming? I… Who do you think I am? I said I’d never drink again. It was no joke. Unless… unless all the mute slaves are cured by me. Physician Fei. We troubled you to come here this time because I, Su, have something to consult you about. Why so polite all of a sudden? What is it? Tell me. Physician Fei, when the corpse was discovered, it was soaking in the bathtub. But there were no signs of drowning. There were only light wounds on the head and neck. But such wounds are not enough to be fatal. The deceased had heart palpitations when he was alive. So we asked you here to take a look and see if he might have died suddenly during an argument or fight with someone due to a sudden attack of his condition. There are many causes of palpitations. They can be mainly divided into four categories. First, it’s due to illness. Second, it’s due to emotional stress. Third, it’s due to overexertion. And fourth, it’s from ingesting the wrong thing. For example, taking the wrong medicine. What did he do for a living? He was a fabric shop owner, the most famous tailor in Yunding. Then it shouldn’t be due to overexertion. His wife also said that he often had nightmares. Since he had nightmares, then it should belong to the second category. That is, it was caused by long-term and continuous mental stress. Lift it up a bit more. Let me take a look at the corpse. When a person suddenly falls ill and dies abruptly, it’s usually due to the heart, head, or respiratory problems. From my observation of Li Yun’s corpse, there are no signs of these three conditions. In other words, his death has nothing to do with illness. The murderer is quite skillful. Even Su Wuming’s autopsy couldn’t determine the cause of death. He seems to be implying that you are incompetent. I got it. [County] I didn’t return to my residence last night because I was visiting my lover. She is a widow. This isn’t illegal, right? I did go to Shangxian Lane. But I was just passing by. If I had known, I wouldn’t have said anything. Stop right there! So afraid of being interrogated at the government office… I’m afraid you’re more than just a kiln worker. This joint investigation file is from the neighboring county last year. It matches all your characteristics. Twelve burglaries and seven counts of murder. Did you hide in Yuding under the guise of a kiln worker because of the fine wine or the night market? If you don’t say a word, you’re just waiting to die. Now that you’ve caught me, I don’t have a chance to live. It’s good that you’ve started talking. Do you know how we found you? I don’t care to know. You murderous thief. How dare you talk louder than the sheriff? If you answer my questions properly, they might serve you wine and meat when you’re in prison. If you talk so loudly, not only will my men beat you for provoking them, they will also not give you any food or drink. Can you handle that? Tell me. Last night, did you visit the Biluo Inn? Yes. What did you go there for? To meet my lover in secret. What’s your lover’s name? I can’t say. She’s been good to me. How could I implicate her? How chivalrous of you. While meeting your lover, did you also happen to kill someone? I didn’t kill him! So you knew someone died. I… Fine. I admit it. I came across his body. I took the silver ingot. But I really didn’t kill that man. He was lying in the bathtub. His hands were cold and stiff. He had been dead for a long time. You didn’t kill this man. What about the seven lives in the neighboring county? Are you admitting to those? I haven’t admitted to anything yet! At dawn, before daybreak, that dead man’s hands must have looked eerie and horrifying. If you had never killed anyone before, would you dare to touch them? You sure know how to beat around the bush, Sheriff. Fine. I admit it. I have killed people. But I don’t admit to killing seven people. That’s way too little. You bunch of useless fools. You only investigated the neighboring county. What about what I did in Shazhou and Hanzhou? I must have killed at least 20 people.