A League of Nobleman Episode 19 Recap
> A League of Nobleman Recap
After attempting to decipher the stolen examination scroll all night without success, Lan Jue dismissed Xu Dong's suggestion to seek help from Zhang Ping, emphasizing the high risk they had already taken. Meanwhile, Zhang Ping approached Tao Zhoufeng at the Court of Judicial Review, presenting a gold leaf as evidence suggesting Ma Lian's involvement in Chen Zishang's murder. However, Tao Zhoufeng dismissed this, stating the autopsy indicated Chen Zishang died after the hour of Hai (approx. 9-11 p. m.
), while Ma Lian had a confirmed alibi, having been in Banyue Pavilion the entire night since the hour of Xu (approx. 7 p. m. ). Tao Zhoufeng cited a neighbor who saw Chen Zishang alive around the second watch (approx. 9-11 p. m. ) as proof of the death time and pointed to multiple witnesses, including Jiexiang, a waiter, and several guests, who could verify Ma Lian's presence at the pavilion.
Lan Jue also learned about Ma Lian's presence at Banyue Pavilion before the imperial examination. He found it peculiar that Ma Lian had declined a banquet invitation from Cheng Bai, the vice director of the Ministry of Personnel – a key official for post-examination appointments – choosing instead to listen to music. Lan Jue suspected the music was a cover for trading examination questions.
Tao Zhoufeng remained confident in his findings, asserting that Chen Zishang's death had nothing to do with Ma Lian. He claimed to have found the actual murderer: a habitual thief who broke into Chen Zishang's home, was caught, struck Chen Zishang with a stone used to steady a vat, and then covered up the crime.
Tao Zhoufeng added that this thief had committed suicide out of fear after learning the Empress Dowager was involved in the case, leaving only a confession letter and the autopsy report.
When Zhang Ping raised the issue of Chen Zishang's draft matching Ma Lian's answer sheet (as evidence of cheating), Tao Zhoufeng dismissed it as coincidence, suggesting Chen Zishang might have accidentally discovered and copied Ma Lian's pre-prepared essay, and that Ma Lian felt guilty after Mr. Jinghu made the prediction, prompting him to want to return home.
Tao Zhoufeng firmly refused to let Zhang Ping investigate further, referencing a past case where Zhang Ping's involvement had caused trouble for the Court of Judicial Review staff and noting the Empress Dowager's current close attention to the matter. Lan Jue visited Banyue Pavilion to question Jiexiang. She confirmed Ma Lian arrived around the hour of Xu (approx. 7 p. m.
) and stayed in her room the entire time, not leaving or meeting anyone else, except for drinking briefly with some guests upon arrival. She also mentioned he hadn't brought or studied any books and his examination box was only sent to the Exam Hall the next day by his servants. Lan Jue noted that her account seemed consistent with Ma Lian simply drinking and listening to music, making the timing of the murder difficult to reconcile.
Back at his residence, Lan Jue was visited by Wang Yan, who informed him the Court of Judicial Review had closed the case and acquitted Ma Lian, referring to Tao Zhoufeng as a cunning old fox skilled at muddling the waters. Wang Yan pointed out that if Ma Lian was cleared, he would never admit connection to Mr. Jinghu.
Wang Yan stated that while he wanted to help, he couldn't directly investigate because his father and superior were involved in setting the examination, which would cast doubt on any evidence he found. He urged Lan Jue to team up with Zhang Ping, stressing that their separate investigations had allowed Tao Zhoufeng to find an opportunity, and that collaborating was the only way to find Mr. Jinghu.
Later that night, Zhang Ping arrived at Banyue Pavilion but was initially turned away by the staff. Lan Jue arrived and promptly granted Zhang Ping entry. Inside, using the pretext of listening to music, Lan Jue questioned Jiexiang again. He noticed her fingers were sore and learned it was from playing music for Ma Lian for a whole night. Zhang Ping joined the conversation and directly accused Jiexiang of lying.
He presented evidence: although Jiexiang claimed Chen Zishang never came there, germinating wheat was found in a plant pot in her room. Zhang Ping connected this to the neighbor's story of encountering Chen Zishang around the second watch (approx. 9-11 p. m. ) and accidentally spilling wheat on him. He deduced the neighbor actually saw Ma Lian disguised as Chen Zishang, taking advantage of the darkness and their similar build.
When Ma Lian returned to Banyue Pavilion after changing Chen Zishang's clothes, he accidentally brought some wheat back, which fell into a plant pot. Zhang Ping confirmed the wheat was new and could only sprout after rain, specifically the rain on the night before the exam, proving it was from that night. He further presented the torn gold leaf found near the murder weapon, identifying it as belonging to Ma Lian's necklace, indicating a struggle.
Based on this, Zhang Ping concluded Ma Lian had killed Chen Zishang "before" the hour of Xu (approx. 7 p. m. ), then adopted the disguise to push the death time past the hour of Hai (approx. 9 p. m. ) and colluded with Jiexiang to provide an alibi for the entire night, thus creating a perfect cover.
Zhang Ping warned Jiexiang that providing false testimony for a case under imperial scrutiny was a capital offense, while Ma Lian might escape punishment due to his strong background, she would not. Overcome with fear, Jiexiang confessed to taking money from Ma Lian to lie about his whereabouts and help him sneak out secretly, though she claimed not to know about the murder.
Lan Jue promised to protect her life if she withdrew her false testimony, which she agreed to do. After the investigation, Lan Jue invited Zhang Ping back to his mansion for a meal, noting Zhang Ping's weariness. During dinner, Lan Jue observed that Zhang Ping ate rolled pancakes using a method Lan Jue had devised in his childhood.
Zhang Ping commented that he seemed to have been taught that method when he was very young, perhaps when his mother brought him to the capital twenty years ago, suggesting Lan Jue might have taught him. Reflecting on the possibility of his mother's involvement in the misfortune of Lan Jue's family, Zhang Ping declared that if their investigation led to that conclusion, he would report himself to the Empress Dowager to help clear Lan Jue's father's name.
Lan Jue reassured Zhang Ping that he would not hold him responsible, regardless of what Mr. Jinghu's prophecy revealed, and confirmed Zhang Ping's commitment to continuing the investigation. The next day, Lan Jue and Zhang Ping presented Jiexiang's recanted testimony to Tao Zhoufeng, urging him to reopen the case. Tao Zhoufeng remained dismissive, arguing that if Jiexiang could lie for money before, she could just as easily flip her testimony for money again, rendering it unreliable.
He insisted the case was correctly judged and questioned why they were persistent, hinting that their actions were targeting Ma Lian, himself, or even the Empress Dowager. Seeing Tao Zhoufeng's firm stance, Lan Jue knew he was unwilling to investigate further because Ma Lian was the Empress Dowager's niece's fiancé, and they departed. Prompted by Mr. Jinghu's recent prophecy delivered by paper crane that Chen Zishang had a grievance on his seventh day, several scholars gathered to mourn him.
During the ceremony, Chen Zishang's brush holder spontaneously combusted before their eyes. Believing this to be a supernatural sign of injustice, the scholars vowed to seek justice for Chen Zishang and marched to the palace gate to submit a collective appeal demanding a retrial of the imperial examination cheating case. Lan Jue believed that only the Emperor could successfully counter the Empress Dowager's influence in this matter.
Subsequently, Grand Tutor Liu Xian informed the Empress Dowager about the students' appeal at the palace gate, emphasizing the importance of upholding the integrity of the imperial examination system and urging a thorough investigation. The Empress Dowager dismissed the students as mere mobs to be dispersed. However, the Emperor intervened, stating he had already investigated the case himself.
He revealed that Zhang Ping had submitted evidence the previous day, leading to Ma Lian's arrest and subsequent confession to both murder and cheating after interrogation. The Emperor acknowledged the damage to the court's reputation caused by the conflicting verdicts and the public outcry. To restore public trust, he proposed celebrating the completion of the Immortal Instrument by issuing a general amnesty and waiving taxes for a year, presenting it as a benevolent act credited to the Empress Dowager.
Tao Zhoufeng attempted to apologize for his handling of the case, stating he was muddled and incompetent, but the Emperor interrupted, accusing him "not" of incompetence but of deliberately breaking the law by willfully protecting the criminal and arranging a fake murderer.
Despite Tao Zhoufeng's denial, the Emperor produced evidence and a witness (a cemetery guard) proving the "fake murderer" was an unclaimed abandoned corpse that had drowned two days "before" the imperial examination, which Tao Zhoufeng had taken under the guise of a Court of Judicial Review investigation, frozen for a day, and later placed in the water to fake the cause of death as drowning due to heart failure. Tao Zhoufeng confessed and was ordered to be taken to Judicial Prison.
