A League of Nobleman Episode 5 Recap
> A League of Nobleman Recap
Zhang Ping awoke and explained that after using the Water Illusion technique, he always sleeps for two days, which is not unusual. He learned that Li Niang was dead, having died at the grave of her father and brothers on the Sentry of Loyal Spirits. He also discovered that the witnesses from Banyue Pavilion, including Mr. Jia and Miss Zhi Xia, had been silenced. Believing all clues were gone and there was no more proof, Zhang Ping decided to leave.
As Zhang Ping prepared to depart, Xu Dong arrived with news that Chen Chou had accidentally overfed Lan Jue's cherished five-year-old goldfish, causing it to die from overeating. Chen Chou admitted his mistake and offered to compensate Lan Jue, but was shocked to learn the fish was worth one hundred taels, far more than he could afford.
Lan Jue offered Chen Chou the chance to work off the debt at his mansion, requiring him to perform chores that need manual labor. Since the situation arose while Chen Chou was caring for Zhang Ping, Zhang Ping decided to stay and work alongside Chen Chou to help pay the debt.
Lan Jue agreed, privately noting that this would keep them contained for a time and prevent them from spreading rumors that could cause further disturbances, as the recent events were just resolved. Xu Dong took them to the woodshed and instructed them to chop all the firewood neatly, emphasizing that Lan Jue was very particular about his food.
The next morning, Lan Jue came to the woodshed and found that the work expected to take over ten days had been completed by the two of them in just a few days. Zhang Ping had even classified the firewood according to which dishes it was suitable for, such as fruitwood for smoking, pine for stir-fry, and oak for stewing meat, explaining that this improved the food quality by pairing different woods with different dishes.
Chen Chou excitedly demonstrated the "wood-chopping artifact" Zhang Ping created, which framed the wood, allowing a single hammer blow to split it efficiently against an axe. Chen Chou offered the artifact to Lan Jue for continued use at the mansion. However, Lan Jue pointed out that the debt was calculated by the number of days worked, not the amount of wood chopped, implying they hadn't worked enough days to pay off one hundred taels.
He quickly assigned them a new task: cleaning all the latrines in the mansion. Chen Chou complained, suspecting Lan Jue was deliberately making things difficult for them, but Zhang Ping urged him to just finish the work so they could leave. While working, Lan Jue saw Zhang Ping making porridge in the kitchen. Chen Chou brought a bowl to Lan Jue, suggesting he try it as the jujubes were sweet and delicious.
Zhang Ping explained that he discovered silk handkerchiefs and rice paper were being used in the latrines for wiping, and jujubes were used to plug noses. He stated that according to convention, silk should be for clothes, paper for writing, and food for eating, and he felt they were being used incorrectly. Therefore, he replaced the silk and paper with bamboo chips and coarse cloth, and the jujubes with silkworm cocoons, then used the discarded jujubes to make the porridge.
Hearing this, Lan Jue immediately vomited the porridge he had just tasted. Lan Jue confronted Zhang Ping, asking why he would humiliate him. Zhang Ping dismissed the idea of humiliation, noting he himself ate two bowls and would have had more if he hadn't saved some for Lan Jue. He stated he guessed Lan Jue deliberately kept him at the mansion after the wood shed incident.
He added that he isn't interested in Lan Jue's methods and no longer has evidence to expose him, so Lan Jue doesn't need to focus on him. However, he warned that if a similar situation arises, he will still investigate. Zhang Ping then asked why Lan Jue returned to save him at the Sentry of Loyal Spirits if he suspected Zhang Ping's motives.
Lan Jue explained that at that moment, Zhang Ping was a victim, and he couldn't just watch Li Niang commit murder and break the law. Lan Jue admitted it's the first time he's encountered someone like Zhang Ping. He offered to write off everything else if Zhang Ping promised to keep quiet about the events. Zhang Ping agreed but demanded the five pennies Lan Jue owes him for noodles, stating that paying the money will make them completely even.
Finding Zhang Ping's focus on the five pennies amusing after everything that happened, Lan Jue instructed Xu Dong to give him the money. Xu Dong gave him five pennies. Zhang Ping noted that one penny was missing before bidding Lan Jue goodbye and leaving. Lan Jue invited Wang Yan, whom he called Mowen, for tea, and Wang Yan addressed Lan Jue as Peizhi.
Wang Yan commented that seeing Zhang Ping reminds him of Lan Jue ten years ago, describing Zhang Ping's straightforward nature. Lan Jue denied being so straightforward back then. Wang Yan disagreed, recalling their first meeting a decade prior: Wang Yan, the son of the Grand Commandant, accidentally knocked over Lan Jue's calligraphy and painting stall while riding his horse. Instead of demanding compensation, Lan Jue gave Wang Yan a copper coin, telling him it was to mend his clothes.
Wang Yan found this act of an "ignorant poor" person challenging the Grand Commandant's son to be quite straightforward, but admits the coin was the reason they became friends. Wang Yan praised Zhang Ping's ability, mentioning that he went to the Banyue Pavilion afterwards to handle the aftermath and heard from Mr. Jia that Zhang Ping quickly used a "wonderous technique" to find the real culprit, Li Niang.
Wang Yan explained this technique, called Mirror Flower Water Moon or Water Illusion, allows one to look into their heart and create a flashback from memory. He suggested that since Lan Jue has been looking for the woman who took his father away, this technique might help him remember more details. Lan Jue found Zhang Ping, who was taking a bath, and asked about Water Illusion.
Zhang Ping explained he was an orphan and when his master found him, the water vessel was already with him. Although he doesn't remember his childhood, he feels a strong, almost innate connection to the vessel. He doesn't know the origin of the technique, but his master named it Mirror Flower Water Moon, saying it allows one to see their "original mind" within the "virtual reality of the mirror image."
He clarified that if someone is subjected to Water Illusion, it's like being completely honest with him; all secrets will be revealed without reservation. Lan Jue expressed that if someone has "other secrets" they cannot be honest about, then Water Illusion won't work. Realizing this applied to him, Lan Jue said to pretend he never came and left.
Twenty days later at Feihua Pavilion in the Pingkang Community, the Painter-sage Wei Mao was hosting an event to select a talented official lady from the capital to be painted on his final work. He complained about the previous performers being boring and remarked that the precious E'xi silk parchment was too rare to waste on them. The next performer was Chu Qi'er, the daughter of the Minister of Revenue, who presented a dance for Mr. Wei.
Her dance was described as beautiful and like being in a fairyland, drawing praise as a masterpiece. Wei Mao declared Chu Qi'er had won and finished his painting. However, moments after finishing her dance, Chu Qi'er was found standing motionless on stage, having died. The attendees were shocked and asked what had happened.
