The Wanted Detective Episode 24 Recap
> The Wanted Detective Recap
Zhong Xueman intended to visit Zhuge Kongyun in the Secret Investigation Unit’s prison, but the guards, who still held a grudge from a previous encounter, blocked her entry. Realizing direct access was impossible, Zhong Xueman devised a plan. She instructed Tong Shuang and Feng Qingzhuo to set off firecrackers outside the prison. Hearing the noise, Zhuge Kongyun immediately recognized it as Zhong Xueman’s doing and understood her objective.
He then released carrier pigeons, conveying information to Zhong Xueman from which she swiftly deduced that he and his father communicated via this method. Zhong Xueman suspected that this seemingly ordinary method of communication might have been the source of the leak regarding Huang Wuchang’s new transport route. She concluded that to investigate further, they needed to visit the dovecote. Zhong Xueman arrived at the dovecote and was greeted by its Director, Blue Cat.
Blue Cat recognized Zhong Xueman instantly, explaining that her master had worked with Zhong Xueman’s father, the esteemed King of Constables, and that Zhong Xueman was his only daughter and the recent events at the execution ground involving Xiao Beiming had made her famous in the capital. Zhong Xueman requested Blue Cat to accompany her to the Elite Constabulary Unit, stating that some sensitive matters could not be discussed openly at the dovecote.
Blue Cat, though initially hesitant about breaking dovecote rules, agreed to assist. At the Elite Constabulary Unit, Chief Fang apologized for the inconvenience, and Xiao Beiming was present as an observer, to Blue Cat's initial surprise. Zhong Xueman and Chief Fang questioned Blue Cat about the possibility of the carrier pigeons being intercepted, leading to Huang Wuchang's escape. Blue Cat confidently stated that her pigeons were professionally trained and highly resistant to tampering, making interception extremely difficult.
However, Xiao Beiming, observing her unusually long thumb, deduced that she belonged to the fabled Bird Tamer Tribe from a mystical island in the eastern seas. Blue Cat confirmed his suspicion, revealing that her tribe was slaughtered by the Eastern Sea Kingdom when they refused to become spies, and she barely escaped to the Qi Kingdom.
Moved by her past, and in light of the potential devastation Huang Wuchang's conspiracy could bring to the Qi Kingdom, Xiao Beiming implored her for help. Blue Cat, expressing sympathy for the innocent people, confessed that the dovecote kept detailed copies of all pigeon messages. She also revealed that her tribe possessed an ancestral skill to read sealed messages without breaking them.
She had seen the correspondence between Chief Zhuge Tong and his son, but they were in code, requiring a "codebook" for deciphering. She further disclosed that collecting and deciphering pigeon intelligence had become a thriving business, with "Book Merchants," "Scribes," and "Book Collectors" frequently operating on Sibao Street. Blue Cat promised to send the copied messages and urged them to capture Huang Wuchang quickly, expressing her belief that Xiao Beiming was not the ruthless killer Yesha as rumored.
Upon receiving the coded message, Xiao Beiming surmised that a codebook was essential for deciphering them and that they would need to find a way to communicate with Zhuge Kongyun, who was imprisoned. Given the Secret Investigation Unit's heightened vigilance, direct infiltration was deemed too risky. One officer suggested approaching Li Long, Zhuge Kongyun's loyal personal guard, despite the known animosity between the two units.
Simultaneously, Zhong Xueman dispatched Tong Shuang and Feng Qingzhuo to Sibao Street to investigate the intelligence network Blue Cat had mentioned. She cautioned them to dress as common citizens to avoid drawing attention. Meanwhile, Li Long was at a wine shop, purchasing food for Zhuge Kongyun. He overheard commoners discussing Xiao Beiming, noting the peculiar situation where he had supposedly killed Zhong Xueman’s father yet risked his life for her.
Many expressed doubts that Xiao Beiming was truly the villainous Yesha, citing his recent heroic actions. Huo Dairong, Tong Shuang, and other Elite Constabulary Unit members approached Li Long, seeking his assistance. Li Long, still bitter about Zhuge Kongyun’s imprisonment, vehemently refused to help them. Tong Shuang then suggested knocking Li Long unconscious and having Huo Dairong use her disguise skills to infiltrate the Secret Investigation Unit.
However, Huo Dairong dismissed the idea, explaining that the Secret Investigation Unit had implemented daily password changes since their last encounter, rendering disguises ineffective for direct entry. Unable to directly infiltrate, Huo Dairong decided on an indirect approach. She instructed a waiter to hide a small note inside Zhuge Kongyun's pastries. The waiter, initially reluctant, complied after being shown an Elite Constabulary Unit token and threatened with charges of obstructing a major case.
Simultaneously, on Sibao Street, Tong Shuang and Feng Qingzhuo struggled to locate any "Book Merchants." Feng Qingzhuo cleverly deduced that these intelligence peddlers might be disguised as ordinary vendors and suggested they ask about "forbidden books" instead. Their inquiry led them to a sugar figurine vendor, who directed them to a discreet shop. There, they encountered a man named Du Gouzi, a "Book Merchant."
They lured him to a more private location by offering a "Heavenly Book from the Ministry of Justice" as bait and then apprehended him, bringing him to the Elite Constabulary Unit for interrogation. Under interrogation by Zhong Xueman, Feng Qingzhuo, and Tong Shuang, Du Gouzi confessed to intercepting pigeon messages. He explained that he used specially prepared bait, disguised as dovecote feed, to lure the trained pigeons off their flight paths.
However, he maintained that the intelligence he acquired was outdated and denied intercepting any recent Secret Investigation Unit information. Initially defiant, he refused to divulge more, claiming he would die whether he spoke or not. It was only when Zhong Xueman brandished torture instruments that he relented. He confessed that he had heard a rumor about a senior "Book Merchant" who had successfully intercepted critical intelligence from the Secret Investigation Unit.
This individual was known to also work as a "Scribe," understand codes, write his own books, and deal with official murder cases, leading to the strong suspicion that he was an operative within the Ministry of Justice itself. Meanwhile, in prison, Zhuge Kongyun inquired about the situation outside.
Li Long assured him that all was calm but then expressed confusion as to why Zhuge Kongyun was seemingly aiding Xiao Beiming, given his apparent disdain for him and the rivalry between their respective units. Zhuge Kongyun then revealed his true feelings, admitting his long-standing resentment towards Xiao Beiming stemmed from Xiao Beiming’s superior intelligence and investigative prowess. He confessed that he no longer believed Xiao Beiming was Yesha.
Instead, he intended to use Xiao Beiming to expose the true Yesha. He confided in Li Long, considering him a trusted friend. At this point, Li Long produced the note he had found in the pastry, which contained the two characters: "codebook." Back at the Elite Constabulary Unit, Xiao Beiming examined the coded message.
The note from Zhuge Kongyun identified the codebook as "Chronicle of Pacifying Pirates in the Eastern Sea," an out-of-print book Zhong Xueman had been unable to locate. Xiao Beiming learned that the book was famously recounted by a specific storyteller, Mr. Wang, at the Bao Yi Xing Teahouse, being the only one in the capital who knew its entire contents.
This led Xiao Beiming to conclude that if someone were using this book as a codebook, they would undoubtedly consult Mr. Wang. He swiftly connected this to Du Gouzi's confession about a suspicious Scribe possibly from the Ministry of Justice, suggesting an internal traitor. Chief Fang was immediately dispatched to question Mr. Wang. Upon arriving at the teahouse, Chief Fang asked Mr. Wang if anyone had recently copied his rare edition of "Chronicle of Pacifying Pirates in the Eastern Sea." Mr. Wang recalled one such person: Constable Jiang from the Elite Constabulary Unit.
