The Wanted Detective Episode 31 Recap
> The Wanted Detective Recap
As Zhong Xueman's group navigated the deep, extensive tunnel, a sudden explosion startled them. Realizing someone might be following, they quickly rushed out of the cave just as a massive boulder plummeted from above. Without hesitation, Tong Shuang pushed Xiao Beiming out of the way, but he himself was crushed by the falling rock, dying instantly. Xiao Beiming was utterly devastated, recalling all his moments with Tong Shuang, from shared laughter to fighting side by side.
He was consumed by regret, remembering his promise to arrange Tong Shuang's marriage and give him a happy life. He blamed himself for not solving the case sooner, for delaying Tong Shuang's new beginning, which ultimately led to his tragic death. Overwhelmed by grief, Xiao Beiming impulsively declared he was going to Lonely Town, convinced Tong Shuang was waiting for him there. Zhong Xueman, seeing his state, slapped him to snap him back to reality.
She sternly reminded him that Coroner Feng risked his life for them, Dairong (Sister Huo) insisted on accompanying them to Haiya despite not knowing martial arts, and Chief Fang Tianzheng and Zhuge Kongyun risked their families' lives by supporting them in the capital. She told him everyone was grieving and had regrets, but the case wasn't over, and he couldn't give up.
She offered to go to Lonely Town with him and dig through the rubble for years if needed, until they found Tong Shuang, so he could see the man he saved and judge if his sacrifice was worth it. Though they searched tirelessly through the debris, the group only found Tong Shuang's peace talisman. Luo Shu expressed his understanding of Xiao Beiming's pain, acknowledging that everyone in their community had experienced losing loved ones.
He emphasized that after such losses, there was no choice but to wipe away tears and grit their teeth to live on, because losing hope was far more terrifying than losing life itself. He then thanked Xiao Beiming's group for rekindling their hope, apologizing that they couldn't offer more help. The following day, with heavy hearts, they erected a tombstone for Tong Shuang.
Xiao Beiming bade him a tearful farewell, promising to complete the unfinished case and bring back the pastries from Phoenix Market and the wine from Huangni Village. He urged Tong Shuang to rest, assuring him he would keep all his promises, except perhaps for the tofu maker's daughter, as Tong Shuang's impatience might have scared her off. Xiao Beiming vowed to catch Yesha, avenge Tong Shuang and his family, and finally bring him home.
Luo Shu then confirmed that his brother and others were poisoned by the water in Lonely Town. Xiao Beiming explained that after the massacre, the Canfeng Army burned the numerous bodies and dumped them into the stagnant lake, causing a pill toxin to spread throughout the water. He deduced that Luo Shu's brother and his group must have accidentally contacted the water while gathering supplies in the town, leading to their eventual poisoning.
He further speculated that the wild beasts in the area, having also drunk from the poisoned lake over generations, transformed into the crazed creatures they encountered. Though there was no immediate cure, Xiao Beiming assured them that with the Swift Wind Pill's formula and a skilled physician, an antidote would be developed. He warned everyone against touching the lake water if they had to enter Lonely Town.
The Haiya people, while grateful, decided not to accompany them, believing they would be a burden and preferring to stay in their homeland until the matter was fully resolved. Xiao Beiming expressed his deep gratitude, stating that they had helped him regain his clarity and purpose. He promised that he and his friends would ensure the Haiya people received a satisfactory explanation. Luo Shu's group then helped Xiao Beiming's party prepare their bags, and the companions resumed their journey.
That night, Xiao Beiming revealed that the entire situation stemmed from the Case of the Blood-Weeping Statues, explaining that when the late emperor was gravely ill, four officials served as senior aides, and according to his father's records, they instigated the Haiya massacre. Therefore, Yesha's revenge targeted these four.
His father, a member of the Canfeng Army, immediately knew the blood-weeping statues case was connected to Haiya, and even before the Fengbo Lake incident, Master had already identified the real, or rather, the first Yesha: Miao Jie.
The others expressed confusion, questioning why Miao Jie, a former Canfeng Army member, would seek revenge on himself after the massacre, especially since both King Zhong of Constables (Zhong Yunchi) and Xiao Beiming's father, also Canfeng Army members, had remained silent about the past. Xiao Beiming clarified that Miao Jie was different; he was a Haiya native who had witnessed his home being massacred, and he was the first Haiya orphan.
Xiao Beiming explained he deduced this from a specific hand gesture he'd seen Miao Jie make three years prior, a farewell gesture unique to Haiya, meant to guide souls back to their homeland, which he had also seen at Luo Sen's funeral. This led him to believe Miao Jie was in fact bidding farewell to himself, hoping his soul could return home.
Xiao Beiming revealed that the entire Fengbo Lake case was a deadly trap set mutually by Miao Jie and Master, using themselves as bait. He further explained that Master had known Miao Jie was Yesha before the incident and had prepared for Miao Jie's next target to be him. Master's original plan was to incapacitate Yin Er and Mei Baiyu by putting knockout drops in the tea.
However, Miao Jie, having fallen for the "four-carriage trap" and realizing his identity was exposed, foresaw Master's every move, including the wedding being a trap. He swapped the incense on the ship with knockout drops, ensuring everyone would be poisoned regardless of the tea. Consequently, Zhu Yitie, acting on Miao Jie's orders, killed everyone on board, including Miao Jie himself, sparing only Xiao Beiming.
Miao Jie's death was central to his "three birds with one stone" plan: first, to kill Master since his identity was exposed; second, to frame Xiao Beiming and make him a fugitive, thereby diverting all attention and concealing the true, younger second Yesha, who was the actual target of Qing Ying, Huang Wuchang, and Old Bug's pursuit; and third, and most importantly, to manipulate Xiao Beiming himself.
Miao Jie knew Xiao Beiming's competitive nature and deep affection for Master, calculating that once Xiao Beiming escaped, he would inevitably investigate Haiya and uncover its history, thus putting them right where Miao Jie wanted them. It was revealed that Miao Yun, the adopted son of Miao Jie, was suspected to be the second Yesha, but his whereabouts were unknown. The group continued their journey, hoping to reach the capital by dawn, knowing Chief Fang Tianzheng was covering for them.
However, they soon learned that Chief Fang Tianzheng had been arrested by the Secret Investigation Unit. Zhuge Kongyun caught up to them, explaining that his father, Zhuge Tong, had received an anonymous tip-off and stormed the Elite Constabulary Unit's prison, arresting Fang Tianzheng for illegally releasing a key criminal – Xiao Beiming. Despite torture, Chief Fang Tianzheng remained silent. The Emperor had decreed that if there was no confession within ten days, Fang Tianzheng would be executed.
Zhuge Kongyun explained he hurried to them after receiving Xiao Beiming's carrier pigeon message about Haiya. Xiao Beiming quickly determined they could not return to the capital, as they were wanted fugitives, the Elite Constabulary Unit was sealed, and their allies were under surveillance. He reasoned that even if they revealed everything, they lacked sufficient evidence, and exposing Haiya's dark history would destabilize the Qi Kingdom, which was precisely what the new Yesha desired.
The only way to save Chief Fang Tianzheng was to capture the new Yesha within the ten-day deadline. Zhuge Kongyun had already investigated Miao Yun's whereabouts based on Xiao Beiming's earlier message. He discovered Miao Jie, who lived a solitary life, had secretly bought a remote house in Mount Nan, outside the capital, which he suspected was where Miao Yun was hidden. He provided Xiao Beiming's group with Secret Investigation Unit uniforms for their covert operation.
The group located the secluded courtyard and learned from a local physician, who had practiced medicine there for over a decade, that he had once treated a child from that house. The child, who was feverish and spoke nonsensically, had scars all over his body, new and old, and a limp, looking like an old soldier despite being so young.
The physician recounted that the family moved away shortly after, and the house had been abandoned for over ten years, a fact confirmed by the dust inside. Xiao Beiming deduced that if the physician's story was true, Miao Jie must have taken Miao Yun for treatment.
Given Miao Jie's public persona as a solitary official, he wouldn't have been able to keep Miao Yun by his side without arousing suspicion, especially since Master and General Huo also adopted Haiya orphans and would notice. They concluded Miao Jie must have used a method an Imperial Secretariat official would employ, but Yesha wouldn't, to conceal Miao Yun: sending him to the Cixin Orphanage.
The administrator there remembered Miao Yun as a mentally impaired, limping child with scars, who could only smile foolishly and often wandered off. He had stayed only a few days before disappearing, and despite their search, he was never found. While the administrator could attempt to draw a portrait, its usefulness was limited given the passage of time.
The group acknowledged that Miao Yun's mental impairment could have been a disguise and that finding him now, possibly in the vast capital and as fugitives, would be incredibly challenging. That night, Zhuge Kongyun urgently appealed to his father, Zhuge Tong, to reconsider Fang Tianzheng's case, believing there were hidden details and asking for an extension on the execution date.
Zhuge Tong adamantly refused, citing the Emperor's unchangeable decree and the need to quickly execute Fang Tianzheng to restore the court's dignity. Zhuge Kongyun argued that Fang Tianzheng was a cautious man, suggesting something extraordinary must have forced his hand. His father, however, was resolute in Fang Tianzheng's guilt for releasing a key criminal.
Zhuge Kongyun then cautiously suggested that Xiao Beiming might be innocent and that he had used his methods to gain Fang Tianzheng's trust, convincing him to risk his life for an appeal, especially since the Fengbo Lake and Huang Wuchang cases were full of inconsistencies. Zhuge Tong vehemently rejected this, proposing instead that Xiao Beiming and Fang Tianzheng were both Yesha's accomplices.
He theorized that Zhong Yunchi had discovered their sinister ambitions, leading to the murders on Fengbo Lake, with Xiao Beiming escaping and Fang Tianzheng remaining to continue their evil deeds. Zhuge Kongyun vehemently countered that his father's reasoning was too far-fetched, accusing him of trusting questionable evidence over the possibility of a fugitive's innocence.
He boldly declared that his father's judgment on the Yesha case had never convinced him, asking why, with so many doubts, he was so fixated on Xiao Beiming as the sole suspect. He questioned how King Zhong of Constables (Zhong Yunchi), being so close to Xiao Beiming, could have missed his supposed malicious intent.
Zhuge Tong erupted, claiming Zhong Yunchi was a hypocritical and cunning individual, stating that the entire Elite Constabulary Unit, despite its righteous facade, was internally corrupt and despicable. He added that he wouldn't be surprised by any evil committed by their disciples or subordinates.
When Zhuge Kongyun questioned his father's deep-seated prejudice, Zhuge Tong revealed the shocking truth: his current disposition was entirely due to Zhong Yunchi, whom he knew better than anyone because he himself had once been a constable in the Elite Constabulary Unit.
