A League of Nobleman Episode 2 Recap
> A League of Nobleman Recap
The performance is interrupted by blood appearing on the stage. Lan Jue immediately realizes that Xie Hao was a proxy victim, and the events on stage were a meticulously planned setup targeting him, not Xie Hao. He understands that the person who took the bead and left the note knows about the secret letter inside. Lan Jue considers Zhang Ping a liability because he knows too much and initially instructs his subordinate Mowen/Wang Yan to deal with him.
Just as the incident is discovered, Guo Yun, Vice Minister of Rites, arrives at Banyue Pavilion after returning to the capital, expressing regret over the tragedy at what was meant to be Lan Jue's birthday celebration. Lan Jue apologizes to the assembled colleagues for the disturbance. Minister Gong leads others to the stage to see the situation. Vice Minister Wang of the Ministry of Justice, Wang Yan, arrives with his subordinates to investigate.
Lan Jue confides in Wang Yan, confirming the attack was aimed at him and requesting his assistance in concealing the true target. Wang Yan orders his men to investigate the scene and attempts to dismiss the officials present, but the Empress Dowager, who was watching the play, intervenes. She commands everyone to stay and urges them to confess or report anything they know, warning that their sins will be compounded if they are found out later.
Zhang Ping is discovered backstage investigating and is detained for suspicious behavior. He identifies himself as a scholar who enjoys solving cases. Allowed to speak, he shares his initial findings from examining Xie Hao's body: there is no smoke in her mouth or nose, indicating she was strangled before being burned. A ligature mark is visible on her neck. When she was lowered from the stage rigging, her head was slumped and body still, indicating she was already dead.
He found two clues backstage: a round oil mark in Xie Hao's dressing room with a faint pear blossom scent, matching the smell on her burned hair, suggesting her pear blossom hair oil was used for the 'ignition without open flame', though it normally requires open fire.
The second clue is a candle found on her dressing table, which had extinguished around the time of the interlude when Xie Hao was killed, and had a hole at the bottom bearing patterns resembling carvings on a bead. Guo Yun questions Zhang Ping closely about how he could be so certain the hole was for a bead and whether he knows something more.
To prevent Zhang Ping from potentially revealing the bead theft publicly, Lan Jue proposes that the scholar participate in the investigation. The Empress Dowager agrees, instructing Zhang Ping to investigate independently and report directly to her. She mandates that all other officials remain until the case is resolved. Zhang Ping enlists his friend Chen Chou to assist him, believing solving the murder will reveal why Lan Jue was so intent on obtaining the bead.
Meanwhile, Lan Jue suspects Guo Yun is behind the murder and setup. He tells Wang Yan their priority is to find the killer and retrieve the secret letter before Zhang Ping does, to keep the matter from the Empress Dowager. He instructs Wang Yan to prevent Zhang Ping from making progress. Wang Yan's subordinates attempt to bar Zhang Ping and Chen Chou from the backstage area, claiming the area has already been investigated.
Wang Yan joins Lan Jue in examining the stage's overhead rigging structure, noting its complexity. They question the puppet master, who describes the rope swinging much more violently than usual during rehearsal when Xie Hao was attaching herself, suggesting a struggle. Lan Jue deduces the killer hid on the rigging, strangled Xie Hao after she went up, and then pulled the signal rope to have her lowered according to the performance script.
Troupe Leader Jin confirms the hidden ladder to the rigging is a secret known only to troupe members, indicating the killer is likely within the troupe. Wang Yan's men find the empty hair oil bottle. Zhang Ping arrives, seeking to examine it, but Wang Yan refuses, citing it as evidence. Zhang Ping argues that Wang Yan's obstruction only confirms Lan Jue's involvement with the bead theft and Xie Hao's death.
To prevent Zhang Ping from appealing to the Empress Dowager, Wang Yan allows him back backstage to continue his search. Wang Yan gathers the dancers and musicians, stating the killer is among them and begins questioning them, but obtains no useful information, as they claim to have been changing clothes together and were unaware of anything unusual during the brief interlude. Zhang Ping and Chen Chou search backstage fruitlessly.
Zhang Ping realizes the remaining oil might have been poured into other dancers' bottles to conceal the evidence by dilution. He collects the other bottles, which are full. Remembering his master's method for separating curds and whey from milk by swinging the bottle, he applies a similar technique to separate the oil from any added combustion promoter in the collected bottles. Separately, Lan Jue searches the dancers' rooms and finds an expensive pipa in Han Yan's room.
He recognizes its value, noting the materials and carving, and finds a poem on it which includes characters implying a connection to Han Yan and Guo Yun. He confronts Han Yan, demanding the bead and offering her protection. Han Yan initially denies knowing Guo Yun well, claiming they only share interests. Under questioning, she eventually admits they are deeply attached but insists she does not have the secret letter.
She reveals Guo Yun showed great care for her well-being, particularly during a difficult pregnancy with an unstable pulse and severe vomiting, even personally obtaining specifically anti-miscarriage powder and post-miscarriage conditioning medicine for her. Lan Jue finds Guo Yun's attentiveness to a mistress, given his status and his influential father-in-law, highly suspicious. Using a wig, Zhang Ping tests the separated oil. The substance ignites easily, confirming it is pine resin oil (turpentine).
He hypothesizes that the killer used a Fire Bead during a moment of intense light in the performance (later determined to be from gunpowder added for a lightning effect) to focus heat onto Xie Hao's hair, igniting the oil and causing 'ignition without open flame'. Meanwhile, a blind beggar delivers a blood letter outside the pavilion at the appointed time. The letter reads: "Secret letters with the enemy reveal the hidden evil intent.
Having no shame drives a son to go on with his father's will." The Imperial Guards are alerted, intensifying security, and the Empress Dowager will soon be informed. Lan Jue feels trapped in a seemingly inescapable situation. Zhang Ping discovers grease on the fire bead found on stage and, upon consulting the troupe leader, learns this is a type of nail protective oil used by pipa players who play with their hands rather than a plectrum.
Only one person in the troupe plays this way: Han Yan, known as the Pipa Fairy. Based on this connection, Zhang Ping decides to request the Empress Dowager to question Han Yan. The Empress Dowager orders Han Yan brought in and also summons Lan Jue to attend the questioning.
