Checkmate Episode 19 Recap
> Checkmate Recap
Situ Yan opened Fang Huaijin's wardrobe, realizing the morphine was in a pocket of clothes within it. He then requested to see An Qiuzi's room, which was dusty and contained a book with a folded page. Next, he visited Zhou Ze’s studio with Zhou Mowan, where she identified a painting as "the foreign woman he painted." Situ Yan stated that Zhou Ze never intended to abandon Zhou Mowan and "actually loved you very much."
Zhou Mowan agreed, but emphasized that her father "loved his child, but not her mother," and wanted to abandon his entire family, calling him a "scumbag." Situ Yan clarified that Zhou Ze's greatest fault was "selfishness, not betrayal." Luo Shaochuan arrived at the Zhou Mansion with Ge Ai. Ge Ai expressed bitterness towards Fang Huaijin, believing that woman "has ruined my life" and she would never forget her. She came to witness the misfortune of Fang Huaijin's descendants.
Feeling at home in the mansion, Ge Ai asserted that she, not Fang Huaijin, should have been the lady of the house. When questioned by Situ Yan about the day of the murder, Ge Ai claimed Zhou Ze had proposed divorce, but Fang Huaijin made excuses, mentioning their child and An Qiuzi. Ge Ai recalled Fang Huaijin interrupting her painting session with Zhou Ze. Zhou Ze, seeking "more intense, more creative, and hotter" inspiration, was embraced by Ge Ai.
Fang Huaijin then insisted on a private conversation with Zhou Ze, prompting Ge Ai to leave and retrieve a shawl, claiming she felt cold. Upon her return, the argument was over, and Zhou Ze asked Fang Huaijin for drinks, which he then mocked her about. Zhou Ze's later comment, "How come everything I drank is sour?"
was recalled by Ge Ai, who speculated that Fang Huaijin had intended to kill her but accidentally poisoned Zhou Ze, allowing them to become a "ghost couple." Situ Yan countered, asserting that Zhou Ze never intended to divorce Fang Huaijin and had only humored and engaged with her to complete his painting. Ge Ai vehemently denied this, insisting on Zhou Ze's love for her, before being escorted to a makeshift laboratory with the others.
In the lab, Situ Yan began the reconstruction, aiming to find the "real murderer." Ge Ai and Li Yuanpu maintained that Fang Huaijin was undeniably the killer. Situ Yan then unveiled his theory: Zhou Ze did not wish to divorce Fang Huaijin, and their argument was instead Fang Huaijin defending Ge Ai. Zhou Ze's plan, according to Situ Yan, was to send Ge Ai away once he had completed that painting.
Situ Yan refuted Ge Ai's earlier statements about the divorce, explaining that the emotional context of their argument didn't fit. He clarified that Fang Huaijin knew Zhou Ze's threats to send An Qiuzi away were idle words, and therefore, her repeated arguments with Zhou Ze were about sending Ge Ai away. He further suggested that Fang Huaijin offering Ge Ai a drink was an act of "sympathy," not hatred, as Zhou Ze "didn't love you at all."
Situ Yan then exposed Ge Ai's lie about going to get a shawl, noting it was not cold that day and the time taken was too long. He accused Ge Ai of going to Fang Huaijin's master bedroom to steal morphine from her clothes, a fact Ge Ai knew after seeing Fang Huaijin with it while speaking to Li Yuanshun. Ge Ai's motive, Situ Yan explained, was to kill Zhou Ze, get back at him, and then frame Fang Huaijin.
Situ Yan demonstrated how Ge Ai, after Zhou Ze asked for pure vodka, seized the opportunity to pour the morphine into his glass. Zhou Ze's subsequent remark, "How come everything I drank is sour?" was proof that she put morphine in the drink, as morphine is purified with acetic acid and tastes like vinegar. Ge Ai then confessed, stating Zhou Ze "ruined me and my feelings."
She revealed her anger at having given her true feelings while Zhou Ze only cared about his painting and never intended to divorce. She wanted his love to remain "a specimen in my memory" and boasted that she was still alive while the deceased couple was not. However, a critical discrepancy emerged when the morphine in Situ Yan’s experimental setup failed to dissolve properly in alcohol.
Situ Yan’s brother, Li Yuanshun, clarified that "morphine acetate is soluble in water and slightly soluble in alcohol." This revelation led Situ Yan to question what else Zhou Ze might have consumed, prompting him to recall that Li Yuanpu had given Zhou Ze a glass of water. Situ Yan identified Li Yuanpu as also meeting the three conditions for the murderer: knowing about the morphine, having the opportunity to steal it, and providing Zhou Ze with poisoned water.
Li Yuanpu dismissed this, but Situ Yan detailed how Li Yuanpu had moved positions during a lab visit, observed Fang Huaijin with the morphine, and, after confessing his love to Fang Huaijin and being rejected, was left alone in her room with access to the substance.
Situ Yan further challenged Li Yuanpu's professed love for Fang Huaijin, pointing out that as her lawyer, he chose a "defense of innocence," knowing it would anger the judge and likely lead to a death sentence, rather than seeking "abatement from penalty" to save her. This suggested Li Yuanpu intended to frame Fang Huaijin and ensure her execution.
Situ Yan then revealed Li Yuanpu’s true affection: he had described seeing Fang Huaijin "drinking tea in the sun" as the "most beautiful painting in his heart," yet Fang Huaijin was "allergic to UV rays" and never sunbathed, preferring "lighter colors" in her clothing.
Situ Yan observed that Ge Ai, in fact, fit this description more accurately, concluding that Li Yuanpu had unconsciously "replaced the image in your head with hers" when describing his love for Fang Huaijin, meaning "the person you love was not Fang Huaijin, but Ge Ai." Li Yuanpu admitted his self-deception, having fooled himself for years. His true motive for murder was jealousy: Zhou Ze "easily played with" Ge Ai, whom Li Yuanpu treasured.
Zhou Ze's derogatory remarks about Ge Ai, calling her a "slug" he wanted to get rid of after finishing his painting, fueled Li Yuanpu's murderous intent. Li Yuanpu had killed Zhou Ze with "poisonous water" and then framed Fang Huaijin. The changes in color and light in Zhou Ze's final painting were not artistic breakthroughs, but effects of the morphine. Li Yuanpu's attempts to deny the accusations were futile, and he was arrested by the authorities.
Following the resolution of the murder case, Situ Yan told Ge Ai that while Li Yuanpu was the murderer, her actions were also criminal, but she had "already been punished" by her ruined life. Zhou Mowan then offered Ge Ai Zhou Ze's painting. After Ge Ai initially expressed a desire to purchase it, Zhou Mowan insisted that it rightfully belonged to Ge Ai, who then accepted it. Ge Ai expressed envy for Zhou Mowan, who "won't repeat your mother's mistakes."
An Qiuzi, still puzzled by Fang Huaijin wiping fingerprints from the bottle, mistakenly believed Fang Huaijin thought An Qiuzi was the murderer. Situ Yan clarified that An Qiuzi had not poisoned Zhou Ze; she had only intended to put "magnesium sulfate into your brother-in-law's glass to make him diarrhea" as a "prank." This revelation led to an emotional reconciliation between Zhou Mowan and An Qiuzi. Zhou Mowan placed a "For Sale" sign on the Zhou Mansion.
She thanked Situ Yan, expressing that with her mother's name cleared and her father's complexities understood, she no longer needed to escape her memories. She reiterated her belief that any truth Situ Yan uncovered "must be the fact." Luo Shaochuan jokingly took credit for bringing Situ Yan, while Situ Yan asserted that when he set out to investigate something, "no one can stop him."
As they prepared to leave, General Lu's soldiers intercepted them, kidnapping the trio and strapping a "timer bomb" onto Luo Shaochuan. General Lu demanded Situ Yan find Consul Kondokawa of the Japanese Consulate in Fengtian, who had disappeared in Harbin, to prevent a "military confrontation." Situ Yan agreed to help, prioritizing Luo Shaochuan's life.
General Lu explained that Kondokawa had been ambushed on his way to the train station in Fengtian, escaped to Harbin, but was then kidnapped by individuals disguised as Lu's men. Kondokawa's interpreter, Wang Chaowei, was found "under anesthesia and in a state of confusion," unable to communicate. General Lu emphasized that Kondokawa's driver, Jin Yanping, had "suddenly drove off the set route," leading to Kondokawa being discovered later, wounded.
