Episode Summary
Lu Lingfeng and Su Wuming return to Chang'an with a secret tribute for the Emperor. The tribute is a map hidden inside a golden peach, part of a plan to reopen the Silk Road. The reunion is interrupted by a vicious attack from a giant bird, which is revealed to be the assassin Liu Shiqi in a disguise. General Lu Tong is gravely injured, court politics flare up around the incident, and Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng split up to handle the fallout.
Spoiler Alert
Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty 3, Episode 1: A Royal Welcome and a Giant Bird
Our guys, Lu Lingfeng and Su Wuming, are finally on their way back to the capital. They're escorting a special tribute from the Kang Kingdom. It's a shipment of golden peaches. You'd think after everything they've been through, this would be a simple delivery job. It is not.
Before they can even get into Chang'an, they're stopped at an inn. General Lu Tong of the Jinwu Guard blocks their path. It turns out, he's not alone. The Emperor himself is waiting for them in secret. Su Wuming immediately senses something is off. He tells Cherry he has to go and rides off on his own. Lu Lingfeng, however, is led to the backyard to meet the Emperor.
The Peach Has a Secret
Lu Lingfeng presents the official documents from their journey. He also gives the Emperor a three-point plan for peace written by Su Wuming. The Emperor is a bit of a snob about it. He dismisses Su Wuming's ideas because he's just a commoner. Lu Lingfeng stands up for his friend. He insists that Su Wuming is brilliant and deserves a real position.
Then the Emperor gets down to business. He has the crates of golden peaches brought in. He opens one himself. Then he tells Lu Lingfeng and General Lu Tong to open the rest. Lu Lingfeng is suspicious but follows the order. Inside one of the peaches, the Emperor pulls out a leather map.
We learn the whole tribute was a setup. The Western Regions have been hostile for years. They completely cut off the Silk Road. The Emperor, back when he was still the Crown Prince, cooked up a long-term plan with Lu Tong. They sent elite spies to the Kang Kingdom. Their mission was to map out the entire region. The problem was getting the map back to Chang'an. So they came up with this. They literally grew the map inside a young peach to smuggle it past enemy eyes. The goal is to finally secure the border and reopen the trade routes.
The Emperor wants Lu Lingfeng to stay and work for him. He says he doesn't care about Lu Lingfeng's secret family past. Lu Lingfeng doesn't give him an answer. The Emperor doesn't push it. Instead, he calls for his eunuch, Lai Fu, to bring wine. Bad move. We see that Lai Fu has poisoned the wine on orders from a man named Yang Xu. The plan is to kill Lu Lingfeng before he ever sets foot in Chang'an.
Court Politics Are a Mess
While Lu Lingfeng is with the Emperor, Princess Taiping is fuming. She was expecting to meet with Lu Lingfeng. She's furious he went to see the Emperor instead. Su Wuming shows up to deliver the message, which calms her down a little. But Prime Minister Cui is there, and he clearly hates Su Wuming.
The Princess is obsessed with her own power. She wants to be Empress. She sees the Emperor and his allies as obstacles. When she learns Lu Lingfeng met with her brother, she gets angry. She gives Su Wuming a cold warning. If he's truly loyal to the Tang Dynasty, he should be helping her.
The Attack at the Inn
Back with Lu Lingfeng, things get tense. Before they drink, Lu Lingfeng asks the Emperor if he's trying to kill him. He brings up the two assassination attempts from their time in Shiyang County. One group was sent by General Lu Tong, but their target was actually Su Wuming. The other group was made of highly trained killers. The Emperor sees the eunuch Lai Fu looking nervous and sends him away. He tells Lu Lingfeng the mastermind was the "White Shirt," who is now dead. He declares the matter closed.
Just as the Emperor is handing out the golden peaches, a giant bird attacks. It swoops down from the sky, aiming straight for the Emperor. Lu Lingfeng and Lu Tong immediately jump in to shield him. The bird is unbelievably fierce. During the fight, a broken arrow flies out and hits General Lu Tong right in the eye.
Lu Lingfeng is overwhelmed. Luckily, Master Fei and his apprentice Xue Huan hear the commotion and rush to help. Xue Huan and Lu Lingfeng fight the creature together. In the chaos, Lu Lingfeng gets a clear look. This is no monster. It's Liu Shiqi, the supposedly dead assassin, wearing some kind of winged contraption. Liu Shiqi gives him a cold, taunting smile and flies off into the night.
The Aftermath
Master Fei is a student of the legendary Medicine King. The Emperor begs him to save Lu Tong. Master Fei manages to keep the general alive, but his eye is gone for good. Su Wuming is shocked to hear that the Liu brothers are still out there. Lu Lingfeng is absolutely certain it was Liu Shiqi.
With Lu Tong badly injured, the team has to adjust. Su Wuming volunteers to take Lu Lingfeng's place on a mission to Gantang. This leaves Lu Lingfeng to guard the Emperor and investigate the giant bird. Before he leaves, Su Wuming gives a serious warning. The danger isn't over. He tells Lu Lingfeng to lock the city gates for the night.
Right on cue, more trouble arrives. General Li Feng shows up with his troops, claiming he's there to protect the Emperor. Lu Lingfeng has to negotiate with him, finally convincing him to set up a defensive perimeter outside the inn. At the same time, Su Wuming is ambushed by men in black. Cherry shows up just in time to help him escape. Elsewhere, Liu Shiqi finds a paper shop owner who knows him. He kills the man to silence him.
The Next Morning's Headache
The next day, local officials arrive to see the Emperor. They report that there are no records of any giant bird attacks in the area. The Emperor figures the attacker must have come from outside the city and orders them to solve the case. Lu Lingfeng asks to help with the investigation, but the local magistrate, Du Ming, shuts him down, citing official rules.
On the way back to the palace, the Emperor talks with General Li Feng. We learn that Li Feng's career was stalled because he offended Princess Taiping. Back at the palace, Yang Xu suggests to the Emperor that the Princess might have been behind the bird attack.
The Princess hears the news about Lu Tong's eye. With the general's position now open, she immediately starts scheming to get one of her own people into that powerful role.
The episode ends with two final scenes. The junior official, Wu Wenbin, starts investigating the paper shop owner's murder. And Liu Shiqi meets with a mysterious masked man. They were suspicious of each other at first, but they quickly realize they are allies with a shared, unfinished goal.
