JUSTICE PAO (1995)
SERIES REVIEW CASE NUMBER 5
Old general Chai King Mo, teaches his son, Chai So Yip the glory and essence of war. Chai King Mo shows him the pictures of General Kwan explaining his greatness, and attempts to instill these same values in his son. Chai So Yip closes his eyes and imagines that he is in the battlefield facing the same situations that General Kwan would have faced. Suddenly Chai King Mo picks up a spear and demonstrates some fighting stances. A moment later he collapses and realizes that he is now old. Chai So Yip rushes to pick help his farther back on his feet, who is about to celebrate his birthday. Chai So Yip then visits a Taoist school to obtain some medicine for his farther. At the Taoist school, Yuk Jun Ji, a female student is practicing her sword fighting skills. Chai So Yip stands back and watches, admiring Yuk Jun Ji's fighting skills. As she finishes her final moves, Chai So Yip, walks forward and acknowledges Yuk Jun Ji's fighting skills by clapping. Yuk Jun Ji then offered to give her sword to Chai So Yip whom was marveling over its perfection. Chai So Yip declined the offer stating that the sword should stay with someone whom had brilliant sword fighting skills. Upon saying this Chai So Yip leaves as Yuk Jun Ji sighs. Later during the day Jin Chiu, Cheung Lo and Jiu Fu arrive to send a gift from Justice Pao to old general Chai King Mo, a day before his birthday. Jin Chiu handed over the gift, which was a jade statute of General Kwan. Chai King Mo had hired a group of actors to perform on his birthday but they had not yet arrived. Chai So Yip decided to find out the cause of the problem after acknowledging Jin Chiu. Outside the band of actors had arrived late, but were still missing the leading actor Master Wong. Moments later he arrives but fights with another actor. Chai So Yip steps in to sort out the trouble. As he leaves Master Wong looks at the house and thinks up a devious plan. In the evening Yuk Jun Ji arrives and decides to give Chai So Yip a piece of jade to wish him luck on becoming a general. Chai So Yip thanks Yuk Jun Ji for the gift and heads back to bed. As she was leaving Yuk Jun Ji noticed that Master Wong and Mar Yuk Leung were talking suspiciously in the bush. The next day Justice Pao arrived to wish his old friend, Chai King Mo, a very happy birthday. Soon Dung Tai Si and his nephew, Wai Gat, also arrive to wish Chai King Mo a happy birthday much to everyone's surprise. At once Dung Tai Si attempts to force Chai King Mo into not letting Chai So Yip compete against his nephew Wai Gat for the position of general. Dung Tai Si made many threats but Chai King Mo handled the situation well. Later Lord 8 would arrive to great Chai King Mo. At once Wai Gat, tries some ass kissing tactics in the hope that Lord 8 would personally pick him for the position of general. Lord 8 was unmoved by Dung Tai Si, and Wai Gat's tactics. At once he announced that Chai So Yip would be his general and help lead his troops in the war. Upon hearing this Dung Tai Si and Wai Gat makes a angry exit. Moments later the play begins. During the play Chai King Mo, receives a letter and has a heart attack and passes out. Justice Pao noticed that the letter had caused Chai King Mo some grief and made moves to pick it up. A servant came by and picked up the letter before Justice Pao could touch it. The next day Master Wong's body was found outside Chai King Mo's house. Days later the King summoned Justice Pao, and Lord 8 to the palace. Dung Tai Si complained that it was unfair that Lord 8 selected Chai So Yip for the position of General instead of his nephew Wai Gat. Dung Tai Si suggested that the position should be selected on the basis of who won a number of contests. The King agreed and decided to judge the contest after Dung Tai Si refused to have Justice Pao judge it. The King also ordered Justice Pao to investigate the illness of Chai King Mo and the related death of Master Wong. Jin Chiu and the others were sent to investigate the mysterious death of Master Wong. Jin Chiu investigated the house of the actor who had fought with Master Wong days earlier. Jin Chiu returned with few clues, but Justice Pao suspected that the letter had been sent to blackmail, Chai King Mo. Next Justice Pao investigated the acting school of Master Wong. There he realized an old actor's trick of creating facemasks. Justice Pao then obtain an order to open the coffin of Master Wong. Jin Chiu removed the facemask and discovered that the body belonged to the actor that Master Wong, fought days earlier. Master Wong now became a suspect to the blackmail letter. When Master Wong discovers that Justice Pao has uncovered his plan, he became frighten. But he was still determined to get his money. He had arranged to meet with Chai King Mo's wife to collect the money the next day. However with Jin Chiu and the others on a stake out mission, the money could not be exchanged from Chai King Mo's wife to Master Wong. Upset that he did not receive the money Master Wong wanted to reveal the secret to Dung Tai Si in exchange for some money. Meanwhile Chai So Yip and Wai Gat were competing against each other in a number of tests to determine who would be named as general to lead the troops against forces from Sai Ha. Chai So Yip and Wai Gat were both as accurate with the arrow. Chai So Yip defeated Wai Gat in a battle with spears. Finally Chai So Yip was better than Wai Gat on the subject of war tactics. The King, Lord 8 and Justice Pao were all impressed with Chai So Yip's abilities. He would be named as the general the following days. Dung Tai Si returned home a disappointed man along with Wai Gat until, Master Wong informed them of a dark secret that Chai So Yip was not Chai King Mo's son. In light of this new information, Dung Tai Si, approached Chai King Mo attempting to blackmail him into forcing Chai So Yip to concede the position to Wai Gat. Dung Tai Si then gave Chai King Mo three days to think it over. Chai King Mo then revealed the truth to Chai So Yip. Twenty Six years ago, the Chai family had a baby who did shortly after birth. Mar Yuk Leung who was with the family had twins. In a kind gesture Mar Yuk Leung decided to let the Chai family raise the eldest twin as their own son. Mar Yuk Leung then married Master Yung. Chai So Yip did not take it too well, because it meant that he would loose his opportunity at fame and fortune. The next day Chai So Yip went to locate Master Yung and Mar Yuk Leung, and spent time with them. Chai So Yip saw his brother Yung Yee, who was mentally disabled and burnt from a fire twenty years ago. Finally Chai So Yip decided that he must kill his own parents in order to prevent others from finding out the truth about his own identity. At first Chai So Yip wanted to push Master Yung and Mar Yuk Leung down the mountain. He was unable to go through with it however and ended up saving their lives. Yuk Jun Ji knew that Chai So Yip wanted to kill his own parents but did not know why. Even then Yuk Jun Ji loved Chai So Yip too much to expose him. Instead she helped him keep things a secret. Upon arriving home, Chai So Yip overheard Dung Tai Si making another threat to Chai King Mo. In the evening Chai So Yip pondered over the correct action to take. He wanted to help the Chai family and himself. Finally he decided on hiding the truth, which meant he had to kill Master Yung and Mar Yuk Leung. Chai So Yip went and killed Master Yung and then Mar Yuk Leung, who managed to remove his face mask. She was shocked that her own son wanted to kill her. Chai So Yip revealed that he had no other choice. Before dying Mar Yuk Leung revealed that Master Wong was Chai So Yip's real farther. This did not concern Chai So Yip at first because he thought Master Wong was dead. He then proceeded to kill his own brother Yung Yee but Yuk Jun Ji arrived to prevent him from doing so. She asked Chai So Yip to spare his own brother who was mentally disabled. Chai So Yip agreed and he went home to inform Chai King Mo of what he had done. Chai King Mo felt sadden that Chai So Yip had too kill his own parents, but at the same time thanked him for helping the Chai family keep their face. When Dung Tai Si discovered that Master Yung, and Mar Yuk Leung had been killed, he wanted to kill Master Wong and his partner, Lee Sau Gin, to protect himself against Justice Pao. Master Wong then revealed that he was actually Chai So Yip's real farther. Dung Tai Si allowed Master Wong to leave but wanted him to write a letter explaining everything as evidence. Master Wong suspected that he would be murdered upon completing the letter. Therefore he agreed to write the letter on the condition that Dung Tai Si release his partner Lee Sau Gin. Dung Tai Si agreed. When Justice Pao discovered that Master Yung and Mar Yuk Leung was dead, he suspected foul play by the Chai family. Jiu Chiu uncovered the method in which Master Yung and Mar Yuk Leung was killed. He was certain that it was done by someone with top kung fu. He also pieced some facts together, like Master Wong is found staying at Dung Tai Si's place, and Dung Tai Si is seen regularly visiting Chai King Mo. Justice Pao put one and one together and attempted to set a trap which would have all guilty parties caught red handed. He visited Chai King Mo and informed him that Master Wong was still alive, living at Dung Tai Si's house. Justice Pao then wanted take a look around the house of the Chai family, and asked Yuk Jun Ji to show him around. Justice Pao was hopping to obtain clues from her, but Yuk Jun Ji did not reveal anything. She did however make a serious mistake. She suspected that Justice Pao was investigating Chai So Yip for the murder of Master Yung and Mar Yuk Leung, and defended Chai So Yip when being questioned. Justice Pao was surprised by her actions, but now suspected Chai So Yip. Jin Chiu then visited Chai So Yip informing him that Master Wong was still alive and was seen with Dung Tai Si. Jin Chiu was trying to bait Chai So Yip into action and then catch him red handed. Yuk Jun Ji, listened to the conversation and knew that it was a trick. Yuk Jun Ji loved Chai So Yip so deeply that she went to kill Master Wong by herself. Master Wong was heavily guarded by four men with top kung fu. Despite this Yuk Jun Ji was able to kill Master Wong. Yuk Jun Ji returned with the good news for Chai So Yip, presented him with her sword and wished Chai So Yip good luck in the war before leaving. Now that Master Wong was dead, Wai Gat, attempted to kill Lee Sau Gin who jumped over the edge of a cliff. Dung Tai Si thought that he had gotten rid of all evidence that would incriminate him and worked on his next plan of exposing Chai King Mo. Later Chai So Yip, and Lord 8 led the Sung army off to war against forces from Sai Ha. Yuk Jun Ji returned to the monastery with her master who was bitterly disappointed by her actions. Justice Pao then received a mystery letter, which revealed that Chai So Yip was not Chai King Mo's son, and the reasons behind the murder. He was then summoned to see the King because Dung Tai Si also received the same letter. Now that the King had read the letter he informed Justice Pao to investigate whether it was true. Justice Pao visited Chai King Mo with the letter, but he denied everything but was acting suspiciously by pretending to be ill. Kung Sin Chuk and Jin Chiu investigated an old house which once belonged to Master Wong and Mar Yuk Leung. An old servant then informed them of some past events, which took place. She told them about a fire, which occurred 20 years ago, which burnt Yung Yee's face and made him mentally disabled. Jin Chiu and Kung Sin Chuk were surprised to discover that servant referred to Yung Yee as Master Yung's second child. They thought that the Yung family had only one child. The servant cleared this misunderstanding by informing them that Mar Yuk Leung had slept with Master Wong and had twins. It now appeared certain that what was said in the letter was correct. Kung Sin Chuk and Jin Chiu then visited Yung Yee, and took him back to see Justice Pao. Kung Sin Chuk then made too drawings. One on Chai So Yip and the other on Yung Yee. It was apparent that they look very similar, and Kung Sin Chuk suspected that they were indeed brothers. Later Chai King Mo hears news that Chai So Yip has led his army and defeated forces from Sai Ha and was due to return. One the same day he received news that Justice Pao had located Yung Yee. Chai King Mo then became worried and knew that Justice Pao was close to finding the truth. He then decided to protect Chai So Yip, and went to see the King. He took the blame for killing Master Yung and Mar Yuk Leung. He also told the King that Chai So Yip was the child that he had with Mar Yuk Leung. The King was concerned with this information and summoned Justice Pao to see him. The King ordered Justice Pao to investigate whether the claims made by Chai King Mo was true. The King also informed Justice Pao that Dung Tai Si would help him in the investigation. After questioning Chai King Mo, Justice Pao knew that he was lying. When Yung Yee regained his memory and found a book with a list of names, and birthrates at the old Yung family house all was clear. Mar Yuk Leung had a pair of twins, and one of them was Chai So Yip. Justice Pao had evidence to suggest that Chai King Mo was not responsible for the murder of Master Yung and Mar Yuk Leung. Later Chai So Yip returned from war as a hero. The King presented him with a gold spear for his efforts in the war. Upon returning home Chai So Yip was faced with the fearless seven. Justice Pao announced that he was under arrest for the murder of Master Yung and Mar Yuk Leung. Chai So Yip could not believe his luck and agreed to go in for questioning. Outside the court room, Yuk Jun Ji arrived and rescued Chai So Yip. Yuk Jun Ji wanted Chai So Yip to run away and live a normal life with her. Chai So Yip refused because he did not want to live such a life and at the same time did not want Chai King Mo to suffer for his actions. In the evening Yuk Jun Ji revealed her true feelings for Chai So Yip by leaving the Taoist school. Chai So Yip revealed that he had always loved Yuk Jun Ji and the spent the night at the old temple. In the morning they attempted to run away but Jin Chiu found them. He requested that Chai So Yip return immediately to see Justice Pao. At once Yuk Jun Ji charged and fought with Jin Chiu. During the fight Chai So Yip stopped them and agreed to return to see Justice Pao. He admitted to killing his own parents, but told Justice Pao that he was forced to take such actions to protect the Chai family from being blackmailed by Dung Tai Si. Justice Pao knew that Chai So Yip was a good person and went to see the King to have mercy on him. Lord 8 agreed and wanted to King to spare Chai So Yip as well. But Dung Tai Si informed the King that he must punish Chai So Yip according to the traditional laws laid down by the King's ancestors. The King agreed with Dung Tai Si, but also sided with Justice Pao by letting the Chai family off the hook without punishment. Justice Pao was forced to carry out the King's orders the next day and punish Chai So Yip. During the final questioning session, Yuk Jun Ji, arrived to see Chai So Yip. She had taken some poison. She told Chai So Yip that she loved him and died. Chai So Yip became outraged and committed suicide. Dung Tai Si watched and laughed, because he thought that he could not be incriminated for trying to blackmail the Chai family. After Chai So Yip and Yuk Jan Ji's deaths Justice Pao became depressed. He knew that Dung Tai Si was behind all of the trouble that occurred with the Chai family but had no proof. By some stroke of luck, Jin Chiu, returned with Lee Sau Gin. Jin Chiu immediately took Lee Sau Gin to see the King along with Justice Pao. There they exposed Wai Gat and Dung Tai Si's attempt to blackmail the Chai family. Dung Tai Si claimed his innocence because there was no evidence to incriminate him. Justice Pao then requested the King to follow them to Dung Tai Si's house. At the house Lee Sau Gin was able to reveal a face mask of Master Wong which was behind a shelf. This was proof that Master Wong and Lee Sau Gin was kept at Dung Tai Si's house. At once the King became outraged, and informed Justice Pao that he had full jurisdiction over the matter. Dung Tai Si begged for mercy but the King refused. Wai Gat was then sent to serve time in jail. Dung Tai Si was to suffer thirty blows to the body before being released. RATING (7) This was one of the better cases in the Justice Pao series. This was probably due to the casting and the acting more than anything else. Patrick Tam and Esther Kwan were terrific together as a couple. The story once more focus on the issue of fame and fortune over family. Chai So Yip choose to protect his identity and killed his own parents. This story is another reminder that Justice Pao will always find the truth no matter how hard one tries to conceal the facts. Telling the truth from the beginning rather than attempting to hide the facts is a better option. This series is a testament to that. And like most of the Justice Pao stories in the series, this story ends with the death of the two main characters. Overall the story did enough to hold my interest.
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