An Oriental Odyssey Episode 7 Recap
> An Oriental Odyssey Recap
A high-ranking eunuch, Li Gonggong, urgently informed Zhao Lanzhi that the Empress's most cherished painting, "Beneath the Shade of the Banana Tree," had been lost from the Imperial Library. The painting was of immense personal value to the Empress, who had kept it by her side since before entering the palace. Li Gonggong stressed the gravity of the situation, stating that the lives of everyone in the Imperial Library depended on Zhao Lanzhi's success in recovering it.
Zhao Lanzhi deduced that due to the palace's stringent security, the theft was likely an inside job. A subordinate then recalled that a minor eunuch named Cao Yi had taken leave five days prior and had not returned as expected. Zhao Lanzhi identified Cao Yi as a crucial lead, vowing to track down the missing eunuch and the painting. To further his investigation, Zhao Lanzhi approached a coroner, inquiring about any unusual deaths.
The coroner confirmed receiving the body of a eunuch the previous night. Upon examining Cao Yi's portrait, it was determined that the deceased was indeed Cao Yi. Mu Le had been found at the scene of the death and was subsequently arrested by the constables as the murderer. Zhao Lanzhi sent Mu Le's waist tag to Ye Yuanan, who outwardly appeared indifferent but secretly devised a plan.
She intentionally committed a petty crime, stealing an officer's horse, to ensure she would be imprisoned alongside Mu Le. Inside the prison, Ye Yuanan was deeply distressed to see Mu Le suffering from severe beatings. She engineered their escape by feigning a sudden illness, causing a distraction, and then knocking out the unsuspecting guards. Disguised in guard uniforms, they fled the prison.
En route, they encountered Zhao Lanzhi, who recognized their true identities but deliberately allowed them to pass, realizing their involvement could unveil more truths. Ye Yuanan pressed Mu Le for the full story, and he vehemently denied the murder, claiming he had been tricked by a man named Ni Gu. Mu Le recounted how Ni Gu had coerced him into stealing money from Cao Yi, falsely asserting that the funds rightfully belonged to Ni Gu's family.
During the intrusion, Ni Gu unexpectedly stabbed Cao Yi, then snatched a money bag and escaped, leaving Mu Le behind. Unbeknownst to Ye Yuanan and Mu Le, Zhao Lanzhi had been following them, having intentionally let them escape from prison in hopes that Mu Le would expose the full truth. Now armed with Ni Gu's name, Ye Yuanan, disguised as a young master, visited a brothel and questioned the madam about Ni Gu's favorite courtesan, Chun Hua.
The madam revealed that Chun Hua had recently been bought out by her lover and suffered from chronic headaches, requiring her to visit the Herbal Hall at the eastern end of town for medicine at the beginning and middle of each month. Following this lead, Ye Yuanan and Zhao Lanzhi tracked down Ni Gu and Chun Hua.
Upon learning of Ni Gu's criminal actions, Chun Hua voluntarily surrendered all of Ni Gu's money, but the valuable painting was nowhere to be found. Under intense interrogation from Zhao Lanzhi, Ni Gu finally confessed that he had thrown the painting away at a casino. Meanwhile, Princess Ming Hui visited the tomb of her late servant, Jiang Ren, vowing to avenge him by eliminating Ye Yuanan and Zhao Lanzhi.
It was revealed that Ming Hui had orchestrated the theft of the "Beneath the Shade of the Banana Tree" painting by bribing Cao Yi, intending to exchange it with a man named Mr. Xue for the Nine Divine Beads. The State Preceptor, aware of Ming Hui's visit to Jiang Ren's tomb, cautioned her against allowing personal vendettas to jeopardize their larger, more important objectives.
Back at the Ye residence, Ye Yuanan returned Mu Le's waist tag and sincerely apologized for her previous actions, promising that no one in the household would ever bully him again. Believing that Mu Le's recent troubles stemmed from Tian Shu giving him an experimental medicine, Ye Yuanan reprimanded Tian Shu.
Concurrently, the coroner provided Zhao Lanzhi with crucial new information: Cao Yi had already died from a precise throat wound before Ni Gu's abdominal stab, suggesting that the latter wound was inflicted post-mortem. The coroner also indicated that more than one person had been present at the crime scene.
Zhao Lanzhi concluded that the true murderer was after the "Beneath the Shade of the Banana Tree" painting and was likely someone Cao Yi knew, enabling them to launch a surprise attack so successfully. It came to light that Ye Yuanning, Ye Yuanan's brother, had accumulated significant gambling debts and had been secretly selling family valuables to cover them, which was why Mu Le had been wrongly accused of theft.
Ye Yuanning attempted to use a fake mutton-fat jade bottle to pay off his debts to a man named Huo Yang at the Luotian Cave. Huo Yang, recognizing it as a forgery, immediately smashed the fake and held Ye Yuanning captive. Ye Yuanning's subordinate rushed to inform Ye Yuanan. Connecting this incident with her stepmother's complaints about missing household items, Ye Yuanan finally understood the full extent of her brother's deceit and Mu Le's innocence.
Ye Yuanan and Mu Le set off for Luotian Cave to rescue Ye Yuanning. They soon lost their way by a river. As they pondered their next move, a veiled Princess Ming Hui appeared, informing them that only a familiar guide could safely lead them into Luotian Cave. Ming Hui inquired what valuables Ye Yuanan had brought. With no alternative, Ye Yuanan reluctantly produced a short sword, a precious heirloom that Emperor Gaozu had bestowed upon her grandfather.
Ming Hui briefly held the sword before returning it, allowing Ye Yuanan to proceed. At Luotian Cave, however, Huo Yang declared that since the "Ghost Market" had now opened, Ye Yuanan must publicly sell the sword to secure Ye Yuanning's release.
Ye Yuanan agreed, hoping to save her brother, but as she attempted to present the revered blade to the crowd, it was revealed that Ming Hui had already tampered with it, replacing the precious sword with a piece of wood.
