A League of Nobleman Episode 6 Recap
> A League of Nobleman Recap
Officials from the Ministry of Justice arrived at the scene of Chu Qi'er's bizarre death. Witness accounts described her dying suddenly, as if frozen and possessed by evil spirits. Heading the investigation, Wang Yan dismissed the supernatural explanations and quickly identified poison as the cause, noting Chu Qi'er's dilated pupils, blackened fingernails, and hardened and cracked skin. Considering the performance involved smoke art using a special instrument, Wang Yan initially hypothesized the poison was in the smoke.
However, Zhang Ping immediately pointed out that if the smoke was toxic, everyone present would have been affected, not just Chu Qi'er. Wang Yan proceeded to question guests, who reported experiencing headaches, dizziness, and distorted vision during the performance, suggesting the presence of a hallucinogen in the smoke, though Zhang Ping believed this alone wouldn't be lethal.
Meanwhile, Xu Dong informed Lan Jue that the case was complicated and the person they were trying to protect feared leaving behind incriminating evidence, urging him to handle it swiftly and secretly. Upon seeing Zhang Ping at the scene, Lan Jue worried he would interfere again. He decided to distract Zhang Ping to allow Xu Dong to carry out his task discreetly, especially since Zhang Ping had nearly discovered Xu Dong in the underdrain.
Lan Jue then greeted Wang Yan, who explained he had brought Zhang Ping to settle a previous score from an incident at Banyu Tower and made a bet: if Wang Yan solved the case first, Zhang Ping would join his staff; if Zhang Ping won, Wang Yan would work at his noodle stand. Noting Wang Yan's advantage in resources within the Ministry of Justice, Lan Jue proposed joining Zhang Ping's side to make the contest fair.
Zhang Ping initially wanted to investigate independently, but Wang Yan accepted Lan Jue's suggestion, overriding Zhang Ping's attempt to decline. Wang Yan's subordinate, Bai He, reported that the smoke art originated from nomadic people in the western region and often incorporated hallucinogens for dramatic effect. Chu Qi'er had learned the technique from an acrobat known as the Immortal of Nomadic Smoke, who also prepared her smoke blocks. Wang Yan ordered the smoke block's ingredients analyzed by a physician.
Zhang Ping maintained that Chu Qi'er's death was too unusual for ordinary poison. Examining Chu Qi'er's dressing case, Zhang Ping found nothing overtly suspicious. However, while Zhang Ping was distracted, Lan Jue secretly swapped the forehead makeup (hua dian) Chu Qi'er had been wearing with one from her dresser.
Lan Jue then drew Zhang Ping's attention to the difference between the two pieces – noting one was shaped like a tree peony and the other a herbaceous peony – and suggested the killer might have poisoned her makeup and replaced it to hide the evidence. Lan Jue later confirmed to Xu Dong that he had successfully distracted Zhang Ping when he nearly discovered Xu Dong in the underdrain, stressing the need for greater caution.
Xu Dong informed Lan Jue that Ministry of Justice officials had checked the forehead makeup and found it non-toxic. Despite this, Zhang Ping, still feeling something was amiss, decided to investigate independently. Revisiting the dressing case area, he noticed disturbed soil near the underdrain opening and recalled seeing a flash of light there earlier. He concluded the well lid had been recently opened. Descending into the underdrain, he discovered scattered rouge powder.
A physician's analysis confirmed that Chu Qi'er's smoke block contained jimsonweed powder (mandala flower powder) in excess of normal hallucinogenic doses, but still not a lethal amount, which explained why other guests were unaffected. Zhang Ping arrived and presented the rouge from the underdrain, pointing out a clear circular imprint suggesting a missing rouge box. He noted that no one present admitted losing a box, proving someone was lying and the rouge was likely connected to the crime.
Zhang Ping also mentioned seeing a flash of firelight from the underdrain opening, but Wang Yan and his subordinate dismissed it, suggesting he was mistaken. Convinced he had enough evidence based on the smoke block analysis and the Immortal's potential connection, Wang Yan ordered the area secured and witnesses taken in for questioning. Zhang Ping, however, took the rouge home and tested it, finding it contained no poison.
The following day, as Zhang Ping considered returning to Feihua Pavilion, Wang Yan declared the case solved. He announced the killer was the Immortal of Nomadic Smoke, citing evidence that the bells on Chu Qi'er's neck were filled with highly toxic yellow azaleas, which, combined with jimsonweed, he claimed could cause loss of consciousness and death. Confident in his findings and his win in the bet, Wang Yan departed to apprehend the Immortal.
Unconvinced by Wang Yan's conclusion, Zhang Ping conducted an experiment at home, mixing jimsonweed and yellow azaleas powder and administering it to a rat. The rat died after about fifteen minutes, experiencing convulsions, a result Zhang Ping found significantly different from Chu Qi'er's instant, rigid death. Zhang Ping concluded that Wang Yan's theory was incorrect regarding the cause of death, or that another poison or individual was involved.
Meanwhile, Wang Yan captured the Immortal of Nomadic Smoke, who used smoke during the arrest, poisoning Wang Yan with jimsonweed. The Immortal confessed to killing Chu Qi'er, stating she had caused his daughter's death to force him to teach her his unique smoke art, expressing no regret for killing her. Zhang Ping arrived at the Ministry of Justice intending to present his findings, but Wang Yan's subordinate informed him Wang Yan had been poisoned and needed rest.
Lan Jue arrived with a licorice juice antidote for Wang Yan. Lan Jue confirmed the Immortal's confession and, acting as witness to the bet, declared Wang Yan the winner, asking when Zhang Ping would report for duty. Zhang Ping insisted that while the Immortal used poison, someone else was the true killer, presenting his experiment results as evidence of a different cause of death.
Lan Jue countered that human and rat reactions differ, and variations in mixture could explain the discrepancy. He stated that without further evidence and with the Immortal's confession, Zhang Ping had lost the contest. Zhang Ping, however, maintained that unresolved doubts remained, particularly regarding the rouge found in the underdrain, and declared he would continue the investigation. Zhang Ping remained fixated on the unexplained presence and role of the rouge, neglecting his noodle stand.
Chen Chou, locating him by following the scent of his noodles, inadvertently sparked a realization. Zhang Ping hypothesized that the rouge's strong, lasting fragrance was used as a guide for the killer to navigate the complex, dark, and identical passages of the underdrain system and locate a specific exit. He visited numerous rouge shops in the Capital but found no one who recognized the rouge or its specific properties, realizing someone was obstructing his inquiries.
Later, he learned from a woman making rouge on the street that his rouge was special because it lacked alum, a common additive. She explained that without alum, the color doesn't last as long and is easily removed, but it is also less irritating and suitable for sensitive skin, and many shops sell such rouge. Zhang Ping realized shopkeepers who claimed not to recognize it had likely been paid off.
He asked Chen Chou to find out which official lady attending the performance had sensitive skin and likely brought her own rouge that lacked alum. Chen Chou discovered that Lady Gong Yuzhen, the granddaughter of the Minister of Rites, was the only lady with sensitive skin and had indeed brought her own rouge that day.
Chen Chou also reported that Lady Yuzhen, a skilled musician initially considered the top candidate for the Painter-sage's final work, had surprisingly withdrawn from the competition the day before to become Chu Qi'er's accompanist and had not returned home since the contest.
Considering these findings and recalling Lan Jue's actions – noting that besides the Ministry of Justice, only Lan Jue was aware of his investigation into the rouge, that Lan Jue had guided Wang Yan's investigation towards the Immortal, and that Lan Jue had interfered with the makeup at Feihua Pavilion – Zhang Ping began to suspect Lan Jue was involved in obstructing the investigation, possibly to protect Minister Gong's family.
He decided to tail Lan Jue in disguise, believing Lan Jue would know Lady Yuzhen's whereabouts if he was involved. Zhang Ping's suspicion was confirmed when Lan Jue detected and set a trap for him. Falling into the trap, Zhang Ping nonetheless managed to catch sight of Lady Gong Yuzhen.
