Checkmate Episode 14 Recap
> Checkmate Recap
Li Ying was interrogated by Situ Yan about the disappearance of Shen Huatang. She recounted how Shen Huatang had ordered a facial cleanser from Unifon. On the day of pickup, Shen Huatang waited at a nearby cafe while Li Ying went into the store. Shen Huatang was then forcibly taken away by a young man whom Li Ying could not clearly identify, only noting his youth.
Situ Yan suggested it was a premeditated act, given that the assailant seemed to know Shen Huatang's schedule. However, later, the Li family's butler arrived at the police station to withdraw the report, claiming Shen Huatang had returned home unharmed. He dismissed the incident as merely being stopped by a beggar, who left after receiving some money, and attributed Li Ying's report to excessive worry. Later, during a dinner, Zhou Mowan suggested arresting Shen Huatang to extract a confession.
Situ Yan cautioned against it, concerned about potential repercussions from Yu Daren. Luo Shaochuan then explained that true agents conceal their identities. Situ Yan elaborated, pointing out that both "Zhao Qiansun" and "Feng Chengchu" were common names from "The Book of Family Names," suggesting they were aliases. He found it suspicious that Mrs. Feng publicly proclaimed her husband's name as Feng Chengchu while simultaneously trying to hide her own identity.
Luo Shaochuan agreed, and Situ Yan tasked Sergeant Bao with investigating. Zhou Mowan then remarked on Luo Shaochuan's slowness, revealing that Situ Yan had already assigned Jin Qiming to handle the matter. Sergeant Bao received a report that Yu Daren had been assassinated. To his relief, Yu Daren had only sustained minor injuries and had returned home after receiving medical attention.
Situ Yan and Zhou Mowan discussed the fragmented clues, noting that the killer had framed Moly for Li Chengyan's murder and then disguised Mrs. Feng's murder. They wondered about the killer's motives and remarked that Butler Li looked familiar. The police apprehended the assailant, identified as Chen Qingshan, a student known for participating in revolutionary party protests.
Recognizing Chen Qingshan as the young man from the Moly restaurant wanted poster, Sergeant Bao concluded that he was a southern operative aiming to kill Yu Daren and decided to interrogate him personally. During the interrogation, Chen Qingshan remained silent despite threats of torture. Situ Yan, through a note, prompted Sergeant Bao to ask if Shen Huatang had instigated the attack. Upon hearing Shen Huatang's name, Chen Qingshan reacted with great agitation, vehemently denying her involvement in the matter.
Following this, Situ Yan dispatched Zhou Mowan and another officer to visit Shen Huatang and observe her reaction to Chen Qingshan's arrest. Before meeting Shen Huatang, Zhou Mowan discreetly instructed Li Ying to pass a hidden note to the police waiting outside if Zhou Mowan coughed. During her conversation with Shen Huatang, Zhou Mowan informed her that Yu Daren had been shot and that Chen Qingshan had been arrested and confessed everything.
Shen Huatang was shocked and initially denied knowing Chen Qingshan, though her reaction indicated otherwise. When Zhou Mowan implied Chen Qingshan had confessed that Shen Huatang ordered him to kill Yu Daren, Shen Huatang became furious, accusing Zhou Mowan of deception and calling Chen Qingshan ungrateful. She vehemently denied any such instruction. Although Shen Huatang expressed her anger at being tricked, she did not explicitly continue to deny knowing Chen Qingshan.
Back at the police station, Situ Yan pressed Chen Qingshan, emphasizing that his silence would lead to Shen Huatang being implicated in other murders and branded as someone who desired to kill her father. He urged Chen Qingshan to reveal the truth to protect Shen Huatang's reputation. Chen Qingshan confessed that he did intend to kill Yu Daren but missed his shot.
He denied any involvement in the deaths of Li Chengyan, Moly, or Mrs. Feng, stating he didn't even know them. He clarified that he went to Jasmine Restaurant to persuade Yu Daren, who disapproved of his marriage to Shen Huatang due to his humble background. He believed Shen Huatang loved him and had accepted his proposal. Shen Huatang, however, presented a different version of events.
She called Chen Qingshan a "hooligan" who harassed her after she helped him following a police beating during a protest. She found his persistent romantic overtures and marriage proposal ridiculous. She explained that she had told him her father disapproved of their marriage due to his poor family, hoping he would understand.
She denied explicitly telling him to meet Yu Daren, but admitted she had told him Yu Daren would be at the Jasmine Restaurant, hoping they might resolve their differences or that Yu Daren would "educate" Chen Qingshan. She expressed fear that if Chen Qingshan was caught, Yu Daren would believe she wanted to kill him. She admitted to buying him a train ticket to Russia and advising him to flee for his safety.
She also asserted that she did not love him and viewed him as the source of her fears. She said her rejection was subtle, telling him he had "a bright future" and did not need to "stop for her," which she believed was a clear enough refusal. Chen Qingshan confirmed that Shen Huatang informed him of Yu Daren's dining plans at Jasmine Restaurant. He arrived at 11 AM and waited until 12:20 PM.
He observed Yu Daren order Meat Sauce Spaghetti and then go to the restroom around 12:15 PM, just before the meal was served. Feeling intimidated and unable to approach Yu Daren, Chen Qingshan left through the back door at 12:20 PM. He noted that the kitchen was empty when he left, though a bowl of noodles was on the pick-up table.
Situ Yan found this detail significant, questioning who made the Meat Sauce Spaghetti that was served at 12:30 PM if the kitchen was deserted at 12:20 PM. Zhang Xiaoxi, a waiter, later recalled that Moly usually rang a bell at the pick-up counter after completing an order, but on that specific day, he did not hear the bell and only collected the dish after being prompted by his superior.
Meanwhile, Zhou Mowan reported that Mrs. Feng's shoes were British imports, size 5, but the pair she was wearing was size 4. Situ Yan inquired about stocking sizes and asked Zhou Mowan to try on the victim's size 8 stockings, which were too small for her. Zou Jingxuan, however, could fit them, confirming she usually wore size 4 shoes but would sometimes wear a size 5 for comfort in non-heeled footwear.
Situ Yan then revealed that the victim found in Plain Lane was indeed Cheng Xiangjun, but not the same Cheng Xiangjun they had initially investigated. He explained that the shoe size discrepancy and the burn mark on the body's wrist, among other details, proved the victim was not the "original" Cheng Xiangjun, suggesting they had been misled by the killer.
He also recalled Zhou Mowan having previously encountered a woman named Cheng Xiangjun at the bank, whom Yu Daren denied knowing, reinforcing the idea of two different individuals named Cheng Xiangjun. Luo Shaochuan informed Situ Yan that Chen Qingshan was scheduled for execution the day after tomorrow, with the murders of Moly, Li Chengyan, and Mrs. Feng being consolidated under his name.
He explained that high-ranking officials were keen to close the case because Feng Chengchu was discovered to be an agent of the Beiyang Government, making the matter politically sensitive and preventing further investigation. Chen Qingshan was merely a convenient scapegoat. Luo Shaochuan further revealed that Zhao Qiansun had been killed by a professional assassin, with no traces left behind and valuable gems stolen. Only a select few high-ranking officials were aware of this.
Situ Yan stressed the unique nature of gems, advising them to monitor potential sales channels for clues. Shen Huatang arrived at the detective agency. Situ Yan informed her that strychnine does not cause chronic poisoning, implying her mother, Shen Baifeng, was murdered, not accidentally poisoned. He highlighted that her brother, Shen Huarong, a medical student, was the one who pushed to close the case, which was suspicious given his medical knowledge.
Shen Huatang angrily accused Situ Yan of suggesting her brother was the killer and attempting to extort money. Zhou Mowan intervened, vouching for Situ Yan's integrity. Shen Huatang then agreed to recount the entire story of her mother's death, provided her family, including her brother and sister-in-law, were not harassed. Shen Huatang began by describing the old Harbin case from three years prior, when her mother was found dead in bed.
Yu Daren was initially the prime suspect because a doctor reported him buying strychnine, and Shen Baifeng's will left most of her assets to him. However, Yu Daren vehemently denied the murder, questioning why he would personally buy the poison and citing his alibi of checking bank accounts all night, a claim supported by his busy employees. The doctor who identified Yu Daren at the pharmacy was uncertain, noting Yu Daren was wearing a hat and appeared thinner than remembered.
The case was eventually closed after Shen Huarong presented his mother's beauty medicine, which contained strychnine, as the cause of death, and subsequent tests confirmed the poison. Shen Huatang admitted her initial prejudice against Yu Daren due to their age difference and his perceived lack of wealth, but three years later, seeing his dedication to the bank and his care for her and her brother, she believed they might have wronged him.
She recalled that the day before her mother's death was her birthday, and they returned home late due to a power outage. The next morning, her mother and sister-in-law had a loud argument. The sister-in-law accused Shen Baifeng of covering up Shen Huarong's infidelity, claiming he had other women and was about to bring his "childhood crush" into their home.
Shen Baifeng defended herself, stating she treated her daughter-in-law as her own child and reminding her that the Shen family's current status was due to her father's influence, warning that a divorce would incur her father's wrath. Shen Baifeng was trying to conceal a love letter from Shen Huarong to his mistress, hoping to manage the situation herself. Shen Huatang had rudely interrupted the argument, asserting that given their family's wealth, her brother was entitled to have "ten or eight wives."
