Checkmate Episode 17 Recap
> Checkmate Recap
Attorney Li Yuanpu described Fang Huaijin as a meticulous individual, noting that no one expected her to steal morphine from his brother’s laboratory to kill Zhou Ze, despite her appearing calm. The police later found the morphine in Fang Huaijin’s wardrobe, confirming she used the opportunity of serving Zhou Ze a drink the following day to administer the poison.
Li Yuanpu explained that on the day before the murder, Fang Huaijin’s sister, An Qiuzi, had instigated Zhou Mowan to play a prank on Zhou Ze. In retaliation, Zhou Ze threatened to send An Qiuzi back to her hometown, causing a significant argument between him and Fang Huaijin. During their heated exchange, Zhou Ze insisted on sending An Qiuzi away, while Fang Huaijin questioned how he could treat her like that, accusing him of wanting to hurt more people.
Zhou Ze, annoyed, declared he needed a glass of wine. Ge Ai offered to get him beer, but Zhou Ze demanded pure vodka, and Ge Ai asked for some herself. Li Yuanpu recounted that before meeting Ge Ai, Zhou Ze's favorite drink was cold beer prepared by Fang Huaijin, but this changed after Ge Ai's arrival, leading him to prefer stronger vodka. Li Yuanpu believed this shift was what prompted Fang Huaijin’s decision.
He also revealed that he, his brother Li Yuanshun, Fang Huaijin, and Zhou Ze grew up together. Li Yuanshun had always admired Fang Huaijin, but she loved Zhou Ze, though she never explicitly rejected Li Yuanshun. Despite Zhou Ze’s philandering nature, he showed some restraint in front of Fang Huaijin, which led to their marriage.
Li Yuanpu characterized Fang Huaijin as not as innocent as she seemed, especially during her trial, where she used silence to appear pitiful and garner sympathy. Based on this, it was concluded that she had murdered Zhou Ze. During the trial, when asked if she had anything to add, Fang Huaijin repeatedly insisted, "I didn't kill anyone" and "He committed suicide," despite her lawyer, Li Yuanpu, urging her to cooperate for a lighter sentence.
The judge questioned how a passionate artist like Zhou Ze, who was working on a creation until his last moments, could commit suicide. Li Yuanpu dismissed the idea of an injustice, stating that as a lawyer and an eyewitness, he was certain of Fang Huaijin’s guilt, attributing her claims to desperation to deflect blame. He suggested that if she hadn’t been his friend, she might have said more.
Luo Shaochuan noticed Situ Yan’s troubled expression and immediately recognized that there was something suspicious about the case, a notion Situ Yan readily confirmed, expressing his intent to re-investigate. Meanwhile, Mrs. Shen, worried because Situ Yan and Luo Shaochuan had been out all night, went to Zhou Mowan at the Women’s Normal University.
Zhou Mowan then went to the police station, where a police officer accidentally revealed that Luo Shaochuan and Situ Yan had gone to Fengtian overnight to return case files. Upon returning Fang Huaijin’s case file, Situ Yan inquired about the officer who handled it, identified as Officer Zhang. They learned he was an old, soon-to-retire officer known for gambling. Finding Officer Zhang at a casino, he initially claimed no recollection of Fang Huaijin.
After being reminded of the case—painter Zhou Ze’s morphine overdose, his wife Fang Huaijin as the suspect for poisoning his vodka—Zhang dismissively stated that the verdict was the judge’s responsibility, not his. He cynically remarked that "all crows are black" and judges prioritize closing cases over sufficient evidence. Situ Yan challenged him, contrasting a police officer's honorable duty with being the daughter of a murderer, highlighting the lifelong stigma.
Zhang argued that women who cannot tolerate a philandering husband should not marry him, or else they might resort to murder. He insisted that Fang Huaijin poured the poisoned wine, and although her fingerprints were on the glass, they were not on the bottle, which he believed meant she had wiped them off to conceal her guilt. Situ Yan questioned the logic of wiping fingerprints from the bottle when everyone knew she served the drink.
Zhang, claiming superior understanding of criminals, attributed it to a murderer's urge to cleanse themselves. Situ Yan, firm in his conviction, declared he would reopen Fang Huaijin’s case. Situ Yan outlined his plan to re-examine the case, noting that besides Fang Huaijin, six other individuals were present at the scene: Li Yuanpu, Li Yuanshun, Ge Ai, Xi Wanzhi (the long-term laborer), An Qiuzi (Fang Huaijin’s sister), and Zhou Mowan.
He reasoned that Zhou Mowan, who was playing piano in her room, likely knew nothing, making the remaining five crucial. Luo Shaochuan theorized that Li Yuanshun, a doctor specializing in drugs and Fang Huaijin’s admirer, might have framed Zhou Ze out of unrequited love. They discovered that Xi Wanzhi was still working as a laborer in Fengtian, Ge Ai had returned to Russia, and An Qiuzi had moved to Shanghai to study. They decided to prioritize interviewing Li Yuanshun.
Later, Officer Zhang brought Fang Huaijin’s suicide note, intended for her daughter. In the letter, Fang Huaijin asserted her innocence and urged Zhou Mowan to live well. Zhang explained that Zhou Mowan had gone missing after the incident, and he couldn't reach her, asking Situ Yan and Luo Shaochuan to deliver the letter if they found her.
He admitted he had also questioned the verdict but was swayed by the seemingly solid evidence, suggesting Fang Huaijin's claims were merely to comfort her daughter. Situ Yan, however, was determined to uncover the real truth. Luo Shaochuan then lightheartedly suggested that Fang Huaijin was a master manipulator, teasing Situ Yan about potentially competing with his "future mother-in-law," to which Situ Yan humorously responded, "Go away."
Zhou Mowan confronted Situ Yan at the hotel, angered by his secretive investigation into her family. She accused him of using his intelligence to expose her private pain. Situ Yan clarified that Luo Shaochuan had discovered the files by chance while working on a school case in Fengtian. He apologized, explaining he valued their friendship and didn't want to offer false hope before confirming the facts.
Zhou Mowan, however, tearfully condemned his aggressive approach to uncovering truths, comparing his words to a "murderer's knife." Situ Yan then handed her Fang Huaijin’s letter. In the letter, Fang Huaijin expressed deep sorrow over her daughter facing ridicule for having a murderer mother, but she steadfastly declared her innocence, stating, "Mom didn't kill anyone, let alone your dad who loved you like I did."
She confessed to an impulsive thought of suicide due to disappointment in Zhou Ze but had abandoned the idea. She implored Zhou Mowan to grow up healthy and happy, promising that she and Zhou Ze would watch over her from another world. The letter brought Zhou Mowan a sense of closure, convincing her of her mother’s innocence. Luo Shaochuan, arriving with apology gifts, found Zhou Mowan gone from the hotel, leaving the letter behind.
They then went to Li Yuanpu’s office, but he had not seen her and reiterated that reversing the case was impossible. Situ Yan pressed Li Yuanpu for more details. Li Yuanpu recalled that the day before the murder, Ge Ai had confronted Fang Huaijin, revealing Zhou Ze’s intention to divorce and marry her. Li Yuanshun interrupted this confrontation, inviting everyone to his laboratory to ease tensions.
In the lab, Fang Huaijin asked about morphine's addictive and lethal properties, specifically inquiring, "How much of it can take a person's life?" Li Yuanshun stated "250 mg for the pure type." Li Yuanpu noted that this was when Fang Huaijin first showed interest in morphine. The next morning, Zhou Ze and Fang Huaijin had a major argument about their impending divorce.
Zhou Ze defiantly challenged Fang Huaijin to divorce, complaining that she was constantly surrounded by women and their troubles. He became agitated, calling love "shackles, imprisonment, torture, and kidnapping." He decided to retreat to the backyard, where a servant offered him water. Li Yuanpu observed that Fang Huaijin then tended to the children, while Zhou Ze painted Ge Ai in the backyard.
The peace was short-lived, as another argument erupted at lunchtime when Li Yuanshun arrived, prompting Zhou Ze to threaten sending An Qiuzi away. Li Yuanpu then revealed that An Qiuzi, aware of Zhou Ze's plan to divorce Fang Huaijin, had instigated Zhou Mowan to add excessive salt to the Russian dinner Ge Ai prepared, hoping to prevent their father from abandoning their mother.
Zhou Ze, already in a foul mood, was enraged and threatened to send An Qiuzi "back to where she came from." Fang Huaijin intervened, which led Zhou Ze to demand a drink, prompting Fang Huaijin to retrieve the wine, with Ge Ai also requesting a drink. Li Yuanpu concluded that these successive provocations drove Fang Huaijin to poison the wine. Situ Yan suggested visiting the Zhou Mansion.
There, they found Zhou Mowan, who was reflecting on her childhood, gazing at old drawings on the walls and remembering happy times with her loving parents. She thanked Situ Yan for enabling her to read her mother’s letter, expressing her determination to clear her mother’s name. Li Yuanpu promised to take her to see her parents’ graves.
Situ Yan explained his "pairwise elimination method" for cold cases, where consistent accounts from multiple witnesses are deemed factual, while discrepancies highlight potential lies or memory biases. He noted that alibis are ineffective in poisoning cases due to the delayed nature of the poison. Situ Yan reminded Zhou Mowan of the prank and Zhou Ze's threat. Zhou Mowan recalled An Qiuzi, who was only a few years older, telling her their father was abandoning them.
She explained that An Qiuzi, being an orphan from an early age whose stepmother treated her poorly after her biological mother passed, lived with them due to Fang Huaijin taking her in. Consequently, An Qiuzi was constantly afraid of abandonment, especially when Zhou Ze threatened to send her away. Zhou Mowan remembered An Qiuzi’s "better idea" the next morning, but their mother caught them and sent Zhou Mowan to practice piano until summoned for dinner.
Zhou Mowan and Situ Yan went to see Xi Wanzhi, who immediately recognized Zhou Mowan and asked about her long absence. Zhou Mowan shared her belief in her mother’s innocence and sought Xi Wanzhi’s recollections. Initially hesitant, Xi Wanzhi eventually stated, "It was Madam that killed Master," admitting she didn’t fully disclose the truth to the police, hoping to save Fang Huaijin, but she was certain of her guilt.
She described finding Zhou Ze unresponsive and Fang Huaijin urgently telling her to summon a doctor. Situ Yan, however, remained skeptical about Fang Huaijin being the killer. He theorized that if Fang Huaijin were the murderer, she would know the poison was in the glass, not the bottle, making the act of wiping fingerprints from the bottle illogical.
He speculated that Fang Huaijin might have been attempting to protect the real culprit, wiping the bottle indiscriminately because she didn't know where the crucial fingerprints were, thereby overlooking the glass. Xi Wanzhi then recounted the morning of the murder. The previous day, Li Yuanshun had invited Fang Huaijin to visit his lab, and as a reciprocal gesture, Fang Huaijin was hosting a luncheon the next day. Xi Wanzhi was busy in the kitchen.
Mid-morning, Fang Huaijin, fearing An Qiuzi would provoke Zhou Ze again, asked Xi Wanzhi to find her. Xi Wanzhi found An Qiuzi hiding behind a pile of wood in the yard, observing Zhou Ze and Ge Ai in an intimate moment, and evidently planning another prank. Xi Wanzhi further added that An Qiuzi frequently played pranks on Zhou Ze, who, when angered, would threaten to send her away.
