Resumen del episodio 9 de Unveil: Jadewind
> Resúmenes de Unveil: Jadewind
Li Peiyi hurried to the prison to interrogate Lu Zhenglian, only to discover that he had been processed for retirement and sent back to his hometown at dawn. The order had come directly from the palace, bypassing the usual lengthy procedures. Sensing a conspiracy to silence him before he could speak about the palace maid's death, Li Peiyi immediately set out on horseback to intercept him.
Meanwhile, the Prince of Heng and the Right Chancellor were engrossed in a game of Go when they received word of the pursuit. The Prince grew anxious, fearing Lu Zhenglian might expose their secrets. However, the Right Chancellor remained calm, advising him that even a desperate situation could be turned around. He suggested a strategy of redirection—besieging Wei to rescue Zhao—to break the deadlock and ensure Lu could never speak against them.
On the road, Lu Zhenglian’s carriage driver received a secret message via carrier pigeon. After swallowing the note, the driver intentionally steered the carriage into a massive rock. Although both survived the crash, the horse and carriage were destroyed. As Lu attempted to flee on foot, Li Peiyi caught up to him. Cornered, Lu brandished a dagger and threatened suicide, but his fear of death outweighed his resolve.
Hoping to trade information for his life, he began to confess about the Xiuhong House. However, just as officials from the Court of Judicial Review and the Palace Investigation Bureau arrived, the driver pushed Lu onto Li Peiyi's sword and then took his own life. With his final breath, the driver shouted that Li Peiyi had murdered Lu, leaving her as the only suspect in the eyes of numerous witnesses.
Xiao Huaijin arrived to find Li Peiyi in a dire situation. Though she recounted the events truthfully, explaining that the driver had forced Lu onto her blade, the lack of independent witnesses made her defense weak. Despite the dubious nature of the testimonies, the Court of Judicial Review insisted on her arrest. At the palace, the Emperor was incensed by the chaos, suspecting Li Peiyi was being framed because she had touched a nerve.
Concurrently, the Ministry of Personnel fast-tracked Du Zhixing's retirement to remove Li Peiyi’s support. Even Prosecutor Gu was dismissed and made a commoner for his perceived failures. While Li Peiyi was held in prison, Wu Ren brought her food and pleaded with her to drop the investigation for her own safety. Wu Ren feared that their unknown enemies, who had already killed so many, would eventually resort to killing her as well.
Undaunted, Li Peiyi remained steadfast, insisting that Wu Ren stand by her side. At the imperial court, the Right Chancellor proposed appointing a new official to conclude Lu’s case quickly. Breaking the silence of the other ministers, Xiao Huaijin volunteered. Leveraging his position in the Astronomical Bureau and his imperial qilin badge, he received the Emperor's blessing to take over the investigation. Grand Tutor Xiao was furious with his son for diving into court disputes.
He warned Xiao Huaijin that those who could frame Li Peiyi would have no qualms about destroying him. Xiao Huaijin retorted that as long as his father remained an upright official, he had nothing to fear. He then visited Li Peiyi in jail to strategize. She pointed him toward Ruyi, the only person left who might know the identities of the patrons at Xiuhong House.
Xiao Huaijin sought out Ruyi, who spoke cryptically about watching the stars to survive her time at the house. Realizing that the bathhouse location offered no view of the sky, Xiao Huaijin deduced that Ruyi was providing a clue. He discovered a pot of Elephant Ear, a plant that "drips" at night, and found a hidden guest list tucked inside the soil. Without reading the names, Xiao Huaijin delivered the list to Eunuch Guo for the Emperor.
Shortly after, a fire broke out in the palace, allegedly caused by a cat knocking over a candle. Eunuch Guo later informed Xiao Huaijin that the Emperor was safe, though many official documents—including the list—had been destroyed. Fortunately, a surviving jailer from Lu’s accident eventually regained consciousness and testified to Li Peiyi’s innocence, leading to her release. Li Peiyi was outraged to learn that the evidence she had risked everything for was gone.
Xiao Huaijin explained that the list likely contained the names of many trusted ministers. If the Emperor had acted on it, the government would have collapsed during a time of national crisis. He suggested the Emperor had burned the list as a balancing act to maintain stability and protect Li Peiyi. Bitter and disillusioned, Li Peiyi lamented that the pillars of the country were rotten.
Meanwhile, the Prince of Heng, thinking he was safe, indulged in a private party with Vice Minister Yang and Vice Minister Yu. They enjoyed a steam bath from the Western Regions, where water is poured over heated stones. The next morning, the residence was a scene of horror: the Prince, the officials, and several dancers were all found dead. Wu Ren informed Li Peiyi of the massacre.
Having been on leave and drinking to dull her frustration, Li Peiyi found Xiao Huaijin asleep at her home. The previous night, he had visited her, expressing his commitment by discarding his qilin badge to stay by her side. He had even tried to use a heart-to-heart tactic to comfort her, though Li Peiyi jokingly called him heartless for his efforts. At Vice Minister Yang’s residence, Li Peiyi met with Prosecutor Gu, who was working as a lowly petty clerk.
Examining the bodies, she noticed their bluish lips and fingernails, suggesting they had been poisoned. Since the food and wine were clean, she concluded that the victims had inhaled a toxic vapor released by the heated stones. Xiao Huaijin arrived and noted that a person in the seat of honor was missing. A man who had arrived late with the dancers had fled. Deducing that this individual must have been poisoned as well, Li Peiyi ordered a search for any high-ranking official who had failed to report for duty that day.
