An Oriental Odyssey Episode 27 Recap
> An Oriental Odyssey Recap
Zhao Lanzhi arrived at the Ye Mansion to deliver dendrobium orchids, a gift from the Empress. Seeing an old man there, he inquired about him. Minister Ye, fearing repercussions, lied that the man was a distant relative. Zhao Lanzhi then spoke with Ye Yuanan, who was cold towards him due to Mu Le's death. She openly expressed regret for ever knowing him, stating, "He's dead. I buried him," when he asked about Mu Le.
Zhao Lanzhi defended himself, insisting he never ordered rocks to be released and did not attack Mu Le sneakily from behind. He reminded Ye Yuanan to be careful as Tianshu's matter could bring trouble, adding, "you can play tricks. But you can never disregard the law." Ye Yuanan, angered by his detached, business-like attitude, retorted that he was "the law" and despised his lack of feeling. She declared that after he left, they should not see each other again.
At his office, Zhao Lanzhi reviewed old case files, including documents about the Ci'en Temple massacre and an imperial arrest warrant. He was shocked to realize that the portrait of the wanted criminal, Chen Tianshu, was none other than the old man at the Ye Mansion. He recalled trying to pursue Chen Tianshu in Annan years ago but he had escaped.
Zhao Lanzhi, realizing Ye Yuanan had hidden a wanted criminal and caused trouble for him, vowed to arrest Chen Tianshu. Meanwhile, Minister Ye also began to suspect the old man's true identity and urged Ye Yuanan to send him away to avoid implicating the Ye Mansion, but she refused to abandon someone who had helped them. Later, the Emperor suffered a severe headache after a nightmare where Chen Tianshu attacked him.
The Empress, after realizing she had disposed of the State Preceptor's elixirs, urgently summoned him. The State Preceptor arrived and performed treatments, then connected the Emperor's dream to the Ci'en Temple massacre nineteen years prior, claiming it was a warning from heaven and earth that Chen Tianshu must be arrested to appease the dead. Convinced, the Emperor ordered Chen Tianshu's immediate arrest.
The State Preceptor then had Princess Minghui reveal that Chen Tianshu was hiding at Minister of Finance Ye Fucheng's mansion, specifically with his daughter, Ye Yuanan, and recommended Zhao Lanzhi to lead the search. Despite the Empress's initial desire to speak for Ye Yuanan, the Emperor insisted, and she ultimately issued a decree for Zhao Lanzhi to search the Ye Mansion that very night for Chen Tianshu and arrest anyone found to be harboring him.
Zhao Lanzhi arrived at the Ye Mansion with his troops in the middle of the night. Minister Ye and his family were terrified. Ye Yuanan feigned ignorance, claiming she had never heard of Chen Tianshu. Zhao Lanzhi urged her to cooperate, promising to seek leniency from the Empress. An initial search of the mansion yielded nothing, but a soldier reported something suspicious in the basement of the back garden. Zhao Lanzhi remembered Ye Yuanan's basement and ordered a search.
Ye Yuanan opened the basement, which only contained a few monkeys, startling the soldiers. Zhao Lanzhi, knowing she was hiding him, repeatedly demanded to know where Chen Tianshu was, but Ye Yuanan continued to act innocent, even offering him breakfast. Unable to find the suspect, Zhao Lanzhi and his men left, with Zhao Lanzhi stating he would report to the Empress that no one was found, dispelling her doubts.
After Zhao Lanzhi's departure, Minister Ye pressed Ye Yuanan, knowing she hadn't sent Chen Tianshu away. Ye Yuanan revealed that Chen Tianshu had been disguised as a family servant, standing in plain sight during the search. Realizing the danger, Minister Ye insisted Chen Tianshu leave immediately. Tianshu, understanding the trouble he was causing, agreed to depart, thanking Ye Yuanan for her kindness.
Ye Yuanan then arranged for a decoy carriage to divert the guards and personally escorted the disguised Tianshu out of the city. By a river leading out of Luoyang, she provided him with official documents and money, advising him to go to Wanxing Temple outside Luoyang if he had no other place to stay, mentioning her good relationship with the temple master. Tianshu, touched, expressed his wish to have a disciple like her, lamenting he hadn't had one.
Suddenly, Zhao Lanzhi appeared, intent on arresting Tianshu. Ye Yuanan immediately blocked him, feigning injury and persistent pleas for him to let Tianshu go. Tianshu then calmly addressed Zhao Lanzhi, asserting he was unfairly judged nineteen years ago and that there was no fairness in the world. Ye Yuanan's pleas eventually wore Zhao Lanzhi down. He relented, stating he would pretend he hadn't seen Tianshu, acknowledging the debt he owed her.
Tianshu, without waiting for a boat, used his martial arts to fly across the lake and escape. Ye Yuanan expressed concern about how Zhao Lanzhi would report this to the Empress, and he confirmed he would lie, claiming he found no one at the Ye Mansion, acknowledging it was a "crime of deceiving the Emperor." Unbeknownst to them, Princess Minghui had secretly witnessed the entire encounter.
Zhao Lanzhi reported to the Empress that he had found no trace of Chen Tianshu at the Ye Mansion, leading the Empress to believe Ye Yuanan had been wrongly accused and consider dropping the case. However, Princess Minghui arrived and contradicted Zhao Lanzhi's report, claiming he was "a step too late." She stated that her subordinate saw a carriage leaving the Ye Mansion after midnight, suggesting Ye Yuanan had helped Chen Tianshu escape.
Zhao Lanzhi then confronted Minghui, questioning her motives for framing Ye Yuanan. Minghui dismissed him, accusing him of not handling things fairly and of having released the suspect, calling it a "crime of deceiving the Emperor," implying she saw Zhao Lanzhi let Tianshu go. Minghui insisted that Ye Yuanan knew Chen Tianshu's whereabouts and recommended she be imprisoned at the Ministry of Penalty and interrogated with torture. Despite the Empress's initial doubts, Minghui guaranteed her information with her life.
The Empress then ordered Minghui to handle the case. Minghui subsequently arrived at the Ye Mansion, announcing her imperial order to arrest Ye Yuanan for harboring Chen Tianshu. Ye Yuanan, recognizing Minghui's malicious intent, defiantly challenged her to try and capture her. A fight ensued, but Ye Yuanan was outmatched and captured. As Ye Yuanan was led away to the Ministry of Penalty prison, Minister Ye fainted from shock.
He pleaded with Minghui not to torture his daughter, but Minghui coldly warned him to worry about himself if Ye Yuanan was found guilty. Zhao Lanzhi tried to visit Ye Yuanan in prison but was denied entry without an official document. He then found Minghui inside, attempting to torture Ye Yuanan with a branding iron, eager to get revenge for past humiliations.
Zhao Lanzhi begged Minghui to spare Ye Yuanan, reminding her that he had once taken a poisonous dart for her at Huodu Mountain. Minghui dismissed his plea, stating he "was willing" to take the dart, so she owed him nothing and advised him not to mix official business with personal favors. In desperation, Zhao Lanzhi knelt before Minghui, begging her to give Ye Yuanan a way out.
Enraged, Minghui demanded to know, "What's so good about her, worthy enough for you to do this?" Zhao Lanzhi simply replied, "In other people's eyes, she may not be good enough. But she's Yuan'an."
