Miss S (2020–…): Season 1, Episode 28 - Temptation of the Candied Hawthorn Part 2 - full transcript

Inspector.

This is the invitation

for Aunt Hanrong's birthday party.

You know I don't like social events.

I know. But this isn't just some event.

It could potentially be a crime scene.

Don't forget.

Something could happen any moment.

Besides...

I think I need you by my side

to remind me not to lose my composure.



Get some rest. I'll be there.

Miss Su.

Do you really think Ding Rushan is still alive?

I don't know.

It might be just as Inspector Luo said.

Ding Rushan is dead

but his ghost continues to haunt me.

Thank you.

Xiao'an.

- Xiao'an. -Taozi?

What are you doing here?

I need you to help investigate something.

What is it?

Check if Ding Rushan is still alive.



Why are you being paranoid like Miss Su?

Ding Rushan is dead.

Can't you just double check to be sure?

Ding Rushan did try to break out of prison

but he was killed in a fight.

His cousin sent his body to be cremated.

What's his cousin's name? Tell me.

I'll look into it myself.

They have the cremation record.

Why won't you accept that?

Records can be forged.

Don't forget it was a rogue police inspector

who tried to help Ding Rushan escape.

I've been working with Miss Su for a long time.

Her instincts are always right.

Maybe she's wrong this time.

Are you going to help me or not?

OK, I will. Why don't you go back first?

You could've just said yes and save us all time.

What are you guys looking at?

Song, Tan.

- Miss Su. -You can wear these tonight.

This is yours. Here you go.

What... are these?

This is from Shi Qian Steals A Hen.

Mine is Jiang Gan Steals A Letter.

You two know your literature.

Just do as I say.

Everyone has to be in character tonight.

We're just here to serve drinks.

We can just wear our usual clothes.

- He's right, Miss Su. -No.

Tonight, even the waiters have to be in costume.

You hear that?

Yes, you're right, Aunt Hanrong.

You're always right, Aunt Hanrong. Right.

Aunt, the osmanthus cake I ordered

from the Songyue Restaurant is here.

- These two can go and get it. -Sure.

Wait a moment. This is good timing.

I have Ah Xiang's personal effects.

Song, please come with me

and bring it to Li's room in the back garden.

- OK? -Certainly.

What's among her belongings?

I don't know.

In any case, the police have been through it.

So I thought I should hand it over to Li.

- They're mementoes of his daughter. -Yes.

- Good. Come with me. -OK.

We have to work in costume?

This old lady really is troublesome.

Just do as you're told and put it on.

Also, the both of you have

a very important mission tonight.

- What is it? -Protect Suyun.

- Why? -Why so many questions?

Just do as I say.

Things can get dangerous in a crowd.

Understand? Hurry up and go.

Understood. I'll go right away.

Song.

What's all this?

Pack it up and take it over to Li.

Quickly.

I'm watching from the tower...

Uncle Xiang...

Don't drink too much. You've had about enough.

I'm fine, Miss Su.

Madam Wu?

She came and said goodbye this morning.

We both came from Suzhou

so she would often visit my stall.

We'd chat a little whenever she came

to buy groceries.

Ma'am, did she tell you

why she left her master's house?

She didn't tell me the details

but it seemed there was something going on

that she didn't approve of.

She quit because of that?

I've never heard of a servant doing that.

She said it was wrong.

That there'll be karmic retribution.

Even though she'd quit

she would still offer joss sticks

to the Buddha for her master.

She said once she was done

offering joss sticks

she would head back to her hometown.

She's offering joss sticks?

Where? Yuanming Hall?

I don't know about that.

Jade Buddha Temple.

You forgot your cucumbers!

- Is that her? -I think so.

- Let's go. -Wait.

Let's pay our respects first. Come on.

We'll wait for her to come out.

It's her.

Madam Wu.

We finally found you.

Please come with us. It's urgent.

- Where are we going? -Let's go.

Such fine fabric.

The handiwork is exquisite.

You can tell it's expensive at a glance.

Do you know who it belonged to?

Who?

Ah Xiang.

Ah Xiang?

Ah Xiang definitely couldn't afford

a nightgown like this.

A man must have given this to her.

Giving a girl this for a gift? That's unseemly.

You might not realise this, Taozi

but for rich and powerful men

this sort of gift is a symbol of their status.

Assuming that Ah Xiang had

a man like that around her

who was it most likely to be?

- Qiu Zilong. -Exactly.

My cousin, Qiu Zilong.

Hello?

Xiao'an.

OK, I'll be there in a minute.

I'm heading to the police station.

Hold on to this for me.

Miss Su, there you are.

Did Madam Wu provide any useful leads?

Song and Tan found her.

She's in the interrogation room now

but I couldn't get anything out of her.

She said she couldn't tell it to a man.

She insisted on talking to a female officer.

There are no female officers here.

Exactly. I've been telling her that

but she's adamant that

she couldn't talk about it to a man.

That's why we asked you over.

The police station should just hire me.

It'd save you all a lot of trouble.

Is that for her?

Give it to me. I'll take it to her.

Interrogation Room

So, you didn't leave the Qiu family

because of my aunt?

No, no, not at all.

She treated me very well.

Why did you leave then?

Well, it's...

Amitābha...

Listen, Madam Wu.

The day you left the Qiu household

someone died.

- Who? -First, you must tell me why you left.

If you can't give me a clear answer

you'll be the prime suspect in this murder case.

I... this is what happened.

The night before I left

I... I saw something I shouldn't have.

What did you see?

I went upstairs to bring Master Zilong

his evening snack

and the door to his room was ajar.

I swear...

I swear I didn't mean to spy on them.

Just tell me what you saw.

I saw a woman...

in his bed.

Was it Ah Xiang?

Yes, it was Ah Xiang.

That girl...

how could she be so shameless?

Stop it.

Who gave this to Ah Xiang?

Madam Wu told you, didn't she?

Lurking behind the door like a thief.

Being like this with Yaqi is one thing.

But Ah Xiang was a naïve country girl.

How could you do this to her?

Do what?

I didn't make her do anything. She wanted it.

If you didn't tempt her with your money

would she have done it?

Wenli, do you really think

I have to work that hard to get a girl?

You have no idea how forward she was.

She even demanded that I make her my mistress.

I advise you to be careful with your words.

If you're saying that Ah Xiang threatened you

the police can conclude that

you have a motive for murder.

Do you understand?

Why does that make me a suspect?

What about Li?

Would Li kill his own daughter?

Who knows?

I'm telling you. That night

when Ah Xiang was leaving my room

she bumped into her father.

That stupid girl

got dragged into the garage by her hair.

I'm sure she got a beating.

So you gave Li a few bottles of Australian wine

to keep his mouth shut. Is that right?

Li found out his daughter was a trollop.

I'm sure he was infuriated.

It's entirely possible he killed her

by accident, in a fit of rage.

Otherwise, why would he want me

to provide him with an alibi?

Which one of you asked for an alibi?

He did, of course.

Where was Li around 9.00am

on the day of the incident?

I have no idea. You'll have to ask him.

Where were you?

Fine, I'll tell you what really happened.

That old hag saw Ah Xiang with me

and spoilt my evening of fun

so I sneaked out to see Yaqi.

We went to the Columbia Club for drinks.

I got drunk and spent the night there.

Yaqi and I sneaked back into the house

through the back door at 7.00am.

Ah Xiang was killed

between 7.30am to 8.30am...

No, it was between 8.30am and 9.30am.

You sneaked back home with Yaqi at 7.00am.

So you were around at the time of the crime.

Wenli, how could you think your own family

is capable of such a heinous deed?

You know what you've done.

What did I do? What could I have done?

My mother didn't want Zihao involved in this

so she insisted that I say

I discovered the body.

What could I do?

What about Yaqi?

Yaqi went back to bed

after she had breakfast with me.

In other words, you assumed

Yaqi went back to bed after breakfast

but the truth is

you didn't actually see her do it, did you?

My dear Wenli.

You win. I'm begging you.

Can you please have some faith in us?

Please.

You're not a boy anymore.

You really should learn to behave.

Don't cause any more trouble.

All right, all right.

Li.

I know about Ah Xiang and Zilong.

I'm sorry.

You must be furious.

Even if I was, what could I do?

I'm just a chauffeur.

Even if I saw Ah Xiang coming out of

Master Zilong's room, what could I do?

Do you mean the night before the incident?

Get in here!

You shameless girl! Kneel!

I'm going to teach you a lesson!

Say it!

I... I'm not...

You're not? You're not what?

You were lying on his bed!

Are you going to lie to me?

Look what you've done. You've let me down!

And you've let your late mother down too!

Tell me! Tell me now!

You say I've let you and Mother down?

You are the one who let me down!

Did you think I didn't know?

Mother didn't die.

She couldn't stand you beating her

when you got drunk

so she ran off with someone else!

How dare you! What nonsense!

How dare you!

Look at yourself. All you do is drink.

You spent my wages on liquor.

I'm a girl. I want to look pretty.

But have I ever worn a nice dress

or a pretty pair of shoes?

Look at yourself. Who do you think you are?

Master Zilong is getting engaged.

You think he would marry you?

I know.

But if I could be with him

I'll get to live a good life.

I could even be his second wife one day

and have my own servants.

I don't want to be a failure like you.

I'm going to beat you to death

for what you just said!

I dragged Ah Xiang to my room

and gave her a good whipping.

After that...

After that, I started drinking.

I drank a lot.

I didn't even know when I fell asleep.

When I woke up the next day, they told me

Ah Xiang was gone.

I really...

I really don't know what I've done.

Maybe I lost control

and beat her to death.

Ah Xiang was right.

I'm such a failure.

To: Su

This must be for Miss Su.

- You're so beautiful. -Grand-aunt!

You're so handsome.

Grand-aunt, happy birthday!

Thank you, my dear.

- Mrs Qiu, wishing you longevity. -Thank you.

- Happy birthday, Mrs Qiu. -Thank you.

Thank you. My best wishes to all of you too.

Enjoy your evening... thank you.

Enjoy the party tonight. Thank you.

Gentlemen, I'm counting on you

to provide excellent service tonight.

Be careful, don't break the wine glasses.

Now look here, Aunt.

I'm dressed like Shi Qian the thief.

You'll be lucky if I don't steal anything.

- Bye! -Thank you.

They're dressed as the adulterous couple

Xi Menqing and Pan Jinlian?

Raise your glasses!

That's going a bit far, even for them.

Can you believe them?

You look splendid.

Mother.

You must drink to your heart's content tonight.

That's enough.

Yaqi, you're more beautiful than ever.

Wenli.

Suyun.

Our little Chun Xiang looks so adorable

in her costume.

Miss Su, why aren't you

in your Imperial Consort Yang costume?

I'll put it on later.

I'm waiting for my companion.

Why isn't Zihao here?

I feel bad for him.

I heard that his brother...

His brother won't let him come down

because they have guests over.

He's still in his room.

How could he?

That reminds me.

There's a mask under Zihao's bed.

It's a porcelain mask.

He can put it on and join us.

No one will know it's him, right?

Sounds like a good plan.

He won't alarm the guests with a mask on.

That's right. I'll invite him down.

You wait for him here.

Oh, I nearly forgot, Miss Su.

Someone slipped a letter under the door.

I think it's for you.

I've left it on the dressing table.

All right. I'll go and get it.

Oh, and when Inspector Luo gets here

tell him I'm waiting for him upstairs.

OK.

You're so mischievous.

Why aren't you downstairs?

There are too many people.

It's not safe. Mother won't let me.

It's not your mother, but your brother

who won't let you go down, isn't it?

I'm fine here.

I can read my comics.

It's fun downstairs, you know.

Everyone's wearing beautiful costumes

and they're performing opera downstairs.

Do you want to join them?

Don't you want to go down for dinner?

Listen. I brought you

your favourite osmanthus cake.

It's right here.

You can eat it if you're hungry.

Look. You've got this mask, right?

If you want to go down and play

just put on this mask.

No one will recognise you.

Put on this mask and look for Suyun.

She'll keep you company.

Even your brother won't know it's you.

All right?

I'm going downstairs now.

Taozi.

- Taozi? -Xiao'an.

Why aren't you at Mrs Qiu's house

for the birthday party?

Because I thought

you might come over with news for me.

I ran another check on Ding Rushan.

It was his distant cousin, Old Madam Jiang

who requested the cremation.

Old Madam Jiang?

Why isn't her surname Ding?

She's his maternal cousin.

And she was a very distant relative.

Ding Rushan didn't seem to have

any other relatives.

I went to where she lived.

The people there remember her quite well.

They said she's mean and short-tempered.

What is wrong with this family?

I guess I'll have to go down there.

I'd rather avoid these people

if I could help it.

I don't even want to see them.

You're going to see her?

Do you have the address?

I do, but there's no point.

- Why? -She's gone missing.

Her neighbours said they haven't seen her

in two weeks. They were worried

she might've died, so they called the police.

But when the police broke into her house

there was no one there.

No one has seen or heard from her.

Would you like some?

- Inspector. -Inspector.

Inspector Luo.

No, thank you.

You look so pretty tonight!

Are you dressed as Chun Xiang?

Yes! Thank you.

Miss Su is waiting for you upstairs.

I think she has a costume ready for you.

For me?

I think I'll pass on that.

I think that's up to Miss Su.

Very well.

Wenli?

Think I'll look good in this costume?

You'll look beautiful.

Imperial Consort Yang.

And you... will wear this.

Must I, really?

You must. Aunt Hanrong said

everyone had to dress up tonight.

Who am I dressing up as?

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.

Please, not him.

Why not?

Because I wouldn't want my beloved

to die in front of me.

We're just playing dress-up.

We could be two birds in the sky

two trees growing intertwined.

I'll help you change.

No... wait, Wenli.

We have to dress up.

Wenli.

Now is not the time.

Why not?

We're here to work the case.

We can't do that in those costumes.

You're right.

Let's go downstairs then.

Let's go.

Wait. Suyun said there was a letter for me.

What's wrong, Wenli?

This is Wenfei's hair ribbon.

Wenfei's hair ribbon.

This...

Wenfei was wearing two of this hair ribbon

on the day she went missing.

I found one at the scene

but not the other one.

Someone meant for me to have this.

Who?

Ding Rushan.

- Calm down, Wenli. -No... it must be.

This must be from Ding Rushan.

Who else would have seen this hair ribbon before?

My parents, me

and Zihao.

Aunt Hanrong brought Zihao along

to go to the circus with us.

The three of us were in the circus tent

watching the performance.

And then

Wenfei probably left the circus tent

to look for Zihao.

Zihao was there when Wenfei was taken away.

He's gone.

It can't be Zihao.

Zihao wouldn't hurt anyone.

Let alone Wenfei.

But we have to find Zihao.

He witnessed both incidents.

The mask is gone.

What mask?

He put on the mask to go and look for Suyun.

Who? Zihao went to find Suyun?

Or it could be Ding Rushan.

If Ding Rushan were behind all of this...

all the girls Ding Rushan took

were around Suyun's age.

Suyun... Suyun is in danger!

- Bravo! -Good show!

Let me hear some applause!

Ladies and gentlemen.

Tonight is my lovely mother's 55th birthday.

Thank you for coming, everyone!

- Thank you. -Hurrah!

I'm sure everyone know

what a dutiful son I am.

I got someone to get me

the best red wine from Australia

just for the occasion!

To thank all of you for being here

ten third-place winners

will each get a bottle of this wine.

For the second-place prize, five lucky winners

will each receive a case of red wine!

- Bravo! -Bravo!

How generous!

As for the first prize

our beautiful Miss Yaqi...

Our exceptionally beautiful Miss Yaqi

will spend the night with the lucky man.

How does that sound?

I almost forgot something.

Where's the wine?

Well, I'll tell you.

It's hidden all around the garden.

Finders, keepers!

All right.

Let the treasure hunt begin.

- Let the hunt begin. -Off you go!

- Let's go! -Finders, keepers!

This is the highlight of the party!

The youngsters like to have fun.

Let the treasure hunt begin! Let's go!

Where's Suyun?

She was here just now.

Suyun?

Suyun!

- Suyun! Where's Suyun? -Miss Su.

She was here just now.

I told you to keep an eye on her!

Go and find her!

- OK. -Over there.

Suyun!

- You go that way. -OK.

- Suyun? -Suyun?

You look over there.

Suyun?

Have you seen a girl about this height?

- Suyun? -No, sorry.

Suyun?

Any luck?

No. Let's head over there.

Let's go this way.

I got your call and came straight here.

I had knocked off

but I know his family would want this.

So the prison sent the body over to you

after Old Madam Jiang called them?

Yes. We don't get many clients anyway

but Old Madam Jiang

made a very strong impression.

Why is that?

First of all, she has a false eye.

She's very fierce-looking. Easy to recognise.

Also, the family had to

identify the body before the cremation.

After we took her to identify the body

she suddenly disappeared

and we heard nothing more from her.

Are you sure it's Ding Rushan

who was cremated?

This is the deceased's... niece.

She came here to ask about her uncle.

Miss, I'm sorry.

We couldn't get hold of any other relatives

so we cremated the body as planned.

These are your uncle's ashes.

We've been holding on to it

for more than two weeks.

We didn't know what to do with it.

This is great.

We finally got in touch with his family.

Please take them with you. My condolences.

Thank you.

Master Zihao?

Suyun!

- I'm over here, Miss Su. -Suyun!

Suyun.

What are you doing here?

Master Zihao wanted to join in the treasure hunt.

I thought this is where it's held.

But I guess not.

Where's Zihao?

We agreed to split up and find the treasure.

I haven't seen him since.

Let's get her home first.

I have a very bad feeling about this.

I'll ask Song and Tan to bring the car over

- and take her home. -OK.

Let's go.

The body's been cremated.

How do we tell if it's really Ding Rushan?

What's that?

Bones. What else could it be?

Hold on.

It seems to be some sort of glass.

The man from the crematorium said

Old Madam Jiang was blind in one eye.

Where's her photo?

Look. Her right eye looks different.

It's also written here that

she went blind in her right eye

in an accident 20 years ago

and had a glass eye put in.

It wasn't Ding Rushan who got cremated.

It was Old Madam Jiang.

The bodies were swapped.

- Zihao. -It's all right now.

Don't be scared. Nobody's going to hurt you.

We're all here to protect you.

Zihao, try to recall. What did you see?

Tell her what you know.

Zihao, think hard.

This is very important to us.

Zihao, calm down and think.

Tell Wenli what you know.

This is really important to us.

That's not mine!

Mother doesn't let me have sweets!

Where did it come from?

It's not mine!

Mother doesn't let me have sweets!

Zihao.

Who gave this to you?

He gave it to me.

Who is he?

The candied hawthorn seller.

Miss Su... Miss Su!

Miss Su, Xiao'an and I tracked down the ashes.

It wasn't Ding Rushan's ashes.

It was his distant cousin who got cremated.

Are you sure?

Yes.

His distant cousin, Old Madam Jiang

was the one who got cremated.

When she went to the crematorium

to identify Ding Rushan's body

he seized the chance to kill her

and sent her body to be cremated.

Zihao.

Do you remember this hair ribbon?

Wenfei was wearing it in her hair.

Tell me.

Zihao, what happened just now?

I wanted to go downstairs and play.

My brother wouldn't let me.

So I put on the nice face

and went downstairs to find Suyun.

Master Zihao, are you joining

in the treasure hunt too?

Your brother said the treasure

was hidden somewhere in the garden.

Master Zihao, you go that way.

I'll go this way.

That man gave you the candied hawthorn?

What did he want from you?

The nice face.

He gave you the candied hawthorn

in exchange for your mask. Is that right?

Silly boy.

He... he hit me too.

He took all my clothes.

Zihao, do you remember his face?

Think hard. Was he the same person...

who was with Ah Xiang?

It was the person who was with Wenfei.

Ding Rushan.

Ding Rushan killed Ah Xiang.

I can't be wrong.

But why did Ding Rushan go after Ah Xiang?

What was his motive?

Ah Xiang wasn't his target.

His target is Suyun. And me.

He killed Ah Xiang to lure me here

to Aunt Hanrong's house.

He wants to challenge me.

Ding Rushan...

must be among us.

Excuse me! Sorry!

Excuse me! Sorry!

Excuse me.

I'm a guest at Mrs Qiu's party too.

My car has broken down.

It's so remote here

that I can't even get a taxi.

Are you chaps going back into town?

Can you give me a ride?

Sure. No problem.

- Get in. -It's late. Get in, quick.

- Hop in the back. -Thank you...

Hello there, little princess.

Hello.

How did you get this costume?

This mask? I found it over there.

Cute, isn't it?

Let's go.

Xiao'an.

I've dispatched all the officers in the area.

They'll search the whole garden.

We will find him.

OK. I'm glad I sent Suyun home early.

- Bad news! -What happened?

One of the staff said

he saw a man with a porcelain mask

get in a car and leave.

There were two men and a girl in the car.

Suyun's in that car!

Ding Rushan got in Suyun's car!

Come on, we'll go after them in my car!

Calm down, Wenli.

Song and Tan are in the car.

Ding Rushan won't do anything to her.

Taozi, call home right now.

Tell Uncle Xiang that Suyun's on her way home.

Once she gets home

lock all the doors and windows.

- Don't let anyone in. -OK...

- We're home? -You sleepyhead.

Suyun, we're home.

- OK. -You sleep. I'll see her in.

- All right. -Let's go.

Bye, mister.

- Bye, Uncle Song. -Bye.

Let's go.

Uncle Xiang, I've brought Suyun home.

Uncle Xiang?

Where's Uncle Xiang?

He's probably drunk and asleep.

It's OK. I can take care of myself.

Are you sure?

I grew up in an orphanage, remember?

Off you go. They're waiting for you in the car.

All right. I'll be off then.

Bye.

Where should we drop you off?

Just turn onto Route Legendre

and you can drop me.

That's very close to Miss Su's house.

Didn't Miss Su take her key?

Coming!

Little princess. We meet again.

I left my keys at Mrs Qiu's house.

May I borrow your telephone?

I need to give Mrs Qiu a call.

Please come in.

Thank you.

Little princess.

This is a big house. Are you here all alone?

They're probably not back yet.

The telephone is over there.

Thank you.

Mrs Qiu, I'm so sorry.

I believe I left my keys at your house.

Oh, you found my keys?

You'll have them sent over?

Thank you...

Bye.

Mrs Qiu will have someone

bring the keys over.

Might I stay here a little longer?

Of course. Please have a seat.

Thank you.

I haven't asked your name.

My surname is Ding.

I'm a university professor. I teach history.

Really? A university professor?

I don't even dare to dream of

going to university.

You can succeed at anything

if you dare to dream and work hard at it.

Perhaps I could tutor you.

I guarantee you'll be able

to go to university when you grow up.

That's wonderful!

Do you like milk?

I wasn't used to it at first.

But Miss Su makes me drink it every day

to help me sleep better and grow taller.

So, you like milk now?

Yes. Miss Su makes everyone drink it

not just me.

A glass of milk every morning and night.

Everyone drinks it.

Miss Su is very kind to you.

Miss Su is a good person.

She said I reminded her of her sister.

Suyun.

Uncle Xiang, you're at home?

This is?

This is Mr Ding. We gave him a ride back

but he left his keys at Aunt Hanrong's house.

So he came to use our phone.

I'm sorry to impose.

Have you called them? Do you need any help?

I'm fine.

Mrs Qiu is sending someone over with my keys.

I think I should go.

Let me see you out.

I'll see him out, Suyun.

This way.

Little princess, we'll meet again.

Bye, Mr Ding.

- Bye. -This way.

After you, sir.

Here we go.

This way.

Suyun? Suyun!

Uncle Xiang!

Suyun!

- Miss Su. -You're here!

- Miss Su. -Where's Ding Rushan?

You mean the Mr Ding who was here?

He just left.

He left?

Looks like he's gone.

Or maybe...

he's hiding somewhere, watching us.