Judge Di's Mystery 大唐狄公案 Episode 5

Di Renjie went to Penglai to take up his post. On the way, he found the body of an unknown man. He became suspicious and decided to take the body into the city for further investigation. However, under the city gate, there were strict officers and soldiers. Fortunately, Di Renjie showed his identity and was able to pass. Although Penglai is not as prosperous as Chang'an, it does have a quiet beauty. The market is orderly and the people live in peace. According to Hong Liang, the former county magistrate was imprisoned for smuggling, but the people were in good order, which shows that he governed well. Ma Rong caught a glimpse of a woman in the market applying white powder, and out of curiosity, he asked the vendor to find out what was going on. Only then did he learn that this was the most popular cosmetic product at the moment, and he had an idea.

When Tengkan heard that Di Renjie had taken office, he came to greet him and even invited him to attend the Yichun banquet to celebrate the festival. Di Renjie had heard a little about Tengkan and knew that he had won the first prize in poetry in Gyeonggi Province, and it was difficult to refuse the great hospitality today, so he simply asked Hong Liang to take Ma Rong and Qiao Tai back home first, while he went to the banquet alone. During the banquet, Tengkan introduced his wife Anemone, and the love between the two made others envious. The guests all congratulated Tengkan on winning the first prize for his poem, and Tengkan thanked them one by one. Di Renjie also raised his glass and made a toast. The atmosphere was very harmonious. The singer Cao An arrived late, and a Bingzhou tune evoked Di Renjie's endless reverie, and the feeling of déjà vu arose spontaneously.

After three rounds of drinking, Di Renjie got up and made a speech with his eyes half drunk. Before leaving, he heard the guests talking about the four-painted screen, so he asked Tengkan for details, but Tengkan downplayed it, saying that it was a small matter at home and nothing to worry about. However, Di Renjie and Anemone's eyes turned to the corridor, and there seemed to be a ghostly figure passing by. He saw the panic look on Anemone's face again, and his doubts were temporarily suppressed.

Di Renjie and Hong Liang then examined the unknown man's body and found fatal stab wounds on his chest and back. The murderer's methods were cruel and he seemed to have a deep hatred for him. Hong Liang asked Ma Rong to find a painter to paint a portrait of the male corpse so that the whole city could identify the corpse. Because the deceased had been disfigured by leprosy, it was difficult to identify him for the time being, and it might take some time. At the same time, Cao An was dressing up in the mirror, recalling that she was almost bullied by the Peng Hai gang many years ago, but was fortunately saved by the masked man "Black Flame". Now she meets Di Renjie, which makes her feel complicated.

Early the next morning, Di Renjie checked the county government files and was surprised to find that Penglai County magistrate had been vacant for more than three months, and no one complained. This kind of tranquility was so strange that he couldn't understand it. While passing by Mingyuefang, Di Renjie heard the Bingzhou tune again. After being revealed by the supervisor, he found out that the person singing the tune was Cao An.

After returning home, Di Renjie inquired about the Cao family from Hong Liang. Hong Liang recalled that Cao Hexian's home had been confiscated for coining coins privately, and he had no friendship with Di's father. Ma Rong taught a maniac on the street, and when he returned, he bought new boots for Di Renjie and applied white powder to look beautiful. Unexpectedly, Di Renjie was confused and asked Ma Rong to return the stolen money bag. Although Ma Rong complained, he still threw the money bag into the men's house to avoid causing trouble for Di Renjie.

At this time, the three bandits wanted to kidnap Ma Rongjian, the king of the mountain, but they ended up being defeated. Ma Rong wanted to meet Ba Zong, so he volunteered to be kidnapped into the village. Although Ba Zong is the leader of the bandits, he still has his own way of stealing. It is strictly forbidden to steal from the widowed and lonely people, and those who violate it will have their hands thrown away. Ma Rong came forward to negotiate and warned Ba Zong to abide by the king's laws. Since Di Renjie has been appointed to the Penglai Ming Palace, he must maintain the rules. Ba Zong was dissatisfied and ordered his men to teach Ma Rong a lesson. Qiao Tai hid in the dark and was ready to take action at any time. Unexpectedly, the other party actually proposed a drinking competition, which was Ma Rong's strength.

As night falls, Di Renjie visits Cao An to test his identity. Cao An avoided talking and played a pipa for him. The strings contained profound meaning. And a horrific murder occurred in Teng Mansion. Teng Kan seemed to be possessed by evil spirits and killed his beloved wife Anemone with a long knife. After Tengkan woke up, he walked on the streets in a daze, constantly recalling the bloody scenes. Finally, he came to the county government office, played drums, and begged Di Renjie to grant him death.

Di Renjie ordered people to place Tengkan properly first, and then rushed to the site with Hong Liang to investigate, and found the remains of a screen in the corner. The butler led Di Renjie and Hong Liang to the side hall to display the screen. The housekeeper confessed that when the family owner purchased the four-lacquered screen, the picture was supposed to show a couple embracing, but five days ago it changed for no reason. The man holding the cup turned into a ghost holding a sword and stabbing the woman. Since then, the four-painted screen seemed to be entangled by evil spirits, and there was no peace in the house. The maid even witnessed the terrifying scene of the owner being possessed by a ghost.