Episode Summary
The Princess warns Lu Lingfeng to kill any captured spies on sight, revealing her own desire to avoid political fallout. Lu Lingfeng sets up a surveillance operation at an inn while investigating a lead in the Ghost Market, which results in an ambush and several deaths. The investigation leads to Sun Zi, an informant who was stabbed by a man disguised as a woman. Sun Zi reveals the true source of his intel was a mysterious, six-fingered man. After a false accusation against Li Zhuang, a new suspect, Liu Jun, emerges. Pei Xijun follows Liu Jun, only to be captured by his co-conspirator, Yu Matong.
Spoiler Alert
Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty, Episode 36: The Walls Have Ears
Alright, let's get into it. The hunt for the Helan spies is officially on. But this isn't just a straightforward investigation. Politics are already muddying the waters, and everyone seems to have a secret agenda.
A Warning from the Princess
Lu Tong rushes from the palace straight to Lu Lingfeng. He delivers a message about the spy situation. Then, Prime Minister Cui shows up out of nowhere. He tells Lu Lingfeng the Princess wants to see him immediately.
The Princess gets right to the point. She knows Helan spies are hiding in Chang'an. She's worried this will cause trouble for her. So, she gives Lu Lingfeng a direct order. If he catches a spy, he is to execute them on the spot. He shouldn't listen to a word they say. No interrogation, no trial. Just a sword.
Lu Lingfeng relays this to Su Wuming. Su Wuming immediately understands what the Princess is doing. She's just covering her own back. He tells Lu Lingfeng to follow her orders for now. Su Wuming is stuck handling a case in Wannian County, so he can't help directly. Instead, he gives Lu Lingfeng two leads. First, the information shop in the Ghost Market. Second, the Bafang Inn, where the Helan delegation always stays.
Setting Up a Sweet Trap
With his leads in hand, Lu Lingfeng goes to Master Fei for help. He needs eyes and ears inside the Bafang Inn. Master Fei heads over to the inn himself. He speaks with the owner, a woman named Chong Sanshiliu Niang. He proposes renting some of her unused space. He wants to open a branch of his famous sushandessert shop.
At first, she says no. But Master Fei is persistent. He eventually wears her down and they make a deal. They put Yang Ji in charge of managing the new dessert shop. It's the perfect cover for surveillance.
The Ghost Market Goes Wrong
Lu Lingfeng decides to check out the other lead himself. He goes to the Honglu Temple and is surprised to find Li Zhuang working there. Li Zhuang tells him he spent a fortune at the Ghost Market to get intel. His source was a man named Liu Xi.
Xue Huan tracks down Liu Xi and brings him to Lu Lingfeng. Liu Xi confesses he got his information from a man named Sun Zi. Sun Zi is the one who runs the info shop.
Liu Xi agrees to lead them to the shop in the Ghost Market. As they walk down a set of stone steps, Liu Xi fakes a fall. He tells Lu Lingfeng and Xue Huan to go on ahead to the back courtyard. But Sun Zi isn't there. Instead, three assassins in white robes are waiting for them. They manage to capture one, but he immediately swallows poison and dies. During the chaos, Liu Xi tries to run but is silenced by an arrow. The other two assassins escape.
The Man with Six Fingers
The investigation hits another dead end, but not for long. Lu Lingfeng and Xue Huan learn that Sun Zi has a house in Fengyi Fang. They arrive just as a woman is leaving the residence. She silently points toward an inner room when they ask for Sun Zi.
They go inside. They find Sun Zi on the floor with a knife in his chest, barely breathing. Xue Huan runs out to catch the woman, but she throws a purple smoke bomb and vanishes. Master Fei arrives and manages to save Sun Zi's life. On his way back to the inn, he runs into Xiong Qiannian, who invites him for chicken and wine.
When Sun Zi wakes up, he's grateful to Lu Lingfeng for saving him. He tells a story. He says a beautiful woman lured him home. But the woman was actually a man in disguise. The man demanded to know about his intel network. When Sun Zi refused to talk, the man stabbed him. Sun Zi also mentions something about a carrier pigeon taking a month and a half to arrive. Lu Lingfeng knows this is impossible. He calls Sun Zi out on his lie.
Cornered, Sun Zi tells the real story. About two weeks ago, a man in a black robe and a mask came to his shop. This man gave him the exact time and place for the Helan spies' meeting. Sun Zi sold a piece of this information to Liu Xi for a small fee. He remembers one key detail about the masked man. He had six fingers on one hand and was very tall. Lu Lingfeng immediately orders a city-wide search for this six-fingered man.
A Capture and a Confession
We learn the person disguised as a woman was Yu Matong. He also hired assassins to kill Lu Lingfeng, but the attempt failed. When the surviving assassin comes to him for payment, Yu Matong kills him instead to tie up loose ends.
Pei Xijun draws a portrait of the suspect based on the description. The drawing leads Lu Lingfeng to suspect Li Zhuang might be involved with Liu Xi. He confronts Li Zhuang at the inn. Li Zhuang insists he is innocent. He becomes so distraught that he draws his sword to kill himself. Lu Lingfeng stops him just in time and apologizes for the false accusation. To calm everyone down, a relieved Master Fei announces that all the sushanis free for the day.
Lu Lingfeng asks Li Zhuang who else knew he was buying intel. Li Zhuang remembers telling Liu Jun, the Sima of Yongzhou. Since Chu Yingtao is busy in Wannian, Pei Xijun volunteers to tail Liu Jun. She follows him and sees him having a secret meeting with Yu Matong.
Liu Jun is furious with Yu Matong for being so sloppy. He's worried Lu Lingfeng's investigation will trace back to him and ruin his career. Suddenly, Yu Matong hears a noise outside the window. He moves instantly, grabbing Pei Xijun from her hiding spot.
Meanwhile, in a completely different plotline, the Emperor has tasked You Tiancai with designing a special polo ball to symbolize the empire's prosperity. Xiong Qiannian casually remarks to You Tiancai that the Emperor is only giving him this hard task because Pei Mian, Pei Xijun's father, advised the Emperor not to play polo. Pei Mian overhears and argues back, and the two officials get into a verbal sparring match.
