Resumen del episodio 25 de The Longest Day in Chang'an
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Tan Qi and Is were waiting outside Liu's Bookshop when a flurry of drumbeats echoed through the city. Tan Qi, sensing urgency from Jing'an Si, immediately sent Is to find a nearby watchtower. Is, who had learned the watchtower codes by observing messengers and listening to barracks talk, quickly deciphered the message: "Kill on sight." Tan Qi realized this was an unprecedented order, indicating serious trouble at Jing'an Si.
She urged Is to flee for his life and prepared to warn Zhang Xiaojing. Is, however, insisted on helping, demonstrating his parkour skills, but accidentally fell into an alley near a group of waiting Shouzhualang. They were about to question him for scouting when a whistle sounded, signaling that the Fire Master was in trouble, and they rushed off.
Just then, Zhang Xiaojing emerged from the bookshop, offered no explanation, grabbed Tan Qi, and quickly ran, with the Shouzhualang giving chase. At his hideout, Long Bo also heard the watchtower drums and asked Li Bi to explain their meaning. Before Li Bi could answer, He Fu excitedly arrived, declaring that the watchtowers were signaling a city-wide manhunt for Zhang Xiaojing, to be killed on sight. He gloated about his "flawless" plan.
He then dismissed Long Bo and the Bi Fu, wanting to speak privately with Li Bi. He Fu revealed that his years of pretending to be mad were all part of a calculated scheme to kill Lin Jiulang and avenge his parents. He taunted Li Bi, claiming that Li Bi's own "outshining" wit and arrogance prevented him from truly achieving greatness.
Li Bi fiercely condemned He Fu for risking the lives of hundreds of thousands of Chang'an citizens for a personal vendetta. He Fu retorted, questioning Li Bi's own supposed altruism, suggesting he was merely a self-serving social climber. Enraged, Li Bi attacked He Fu, attempting to strangle him. He Fu screamed for Long Bo and warned Li Bi that if he died, the Crown Prince would be implicated.
He also revealed that Lin Jiulang possessed records of the Crown Prince's secret meeting at Jinglong Temple and asserted that only one of them could survive. Long Bo then kicked Li Bi away. He Fu, annoyed, cursed Long Bo for his slow reaction. Long Bo, in turn, angrily slapped He Fu, criticizing him for unilaterally reducing the Bi Fu's payment and his arrogant "master" demeanor.
Long Bo scoffed at He Fu, calling him a spoiled noble child whom He Zhizheng had failed to teach respect, despite successfully mentoring the Crown Prince. He Fu, desperate for his revenge, apologized and offered to triple the Bi Fu's pay. He demanded to be brought to the ambush site to witness Lin Jiulang being torn to pieces by the "Crouching Fire," ensuring his public humiliation for generations to come.
Long Bo agreed but stated a chilling condition: he would gouge out He Fu's eyes before the attack, as he disliked He Fu's way of "apologizing with money." Despite He Fu's pleas, Long Bo remained unmoved and ordered his men to take him away. Long Bo then turned his attention to Li Bi, mocking his unwavering devotion to the Crown Prince, especially with Jing'an Si in ruins and Zhang Xiaojing declared a fugitive.
Li Bi staunchly declared that the Crown Prince was the future of the nation, warning that his downfall would plunge the Imperial Court into chaos and bring suffering to the common people. He emphasized the Crown Prince's vision for new policies and his ongoing search for capable officials. Unmoved, Long Bo ordered Li Bi to be taken away as well. Wen Ran watched the entire exchange silently.
Li Bi's mind replayed a past conversation he had with the Crown Prince and Han Chaozong, the Governor of Capital. Han Chaozong had confessed to bringing the talented poet Li Bai to a hidden residence on Mount Nan, where the Crown Prince had secretly gathered various brilliant individuals for his future endeavors. Concerned that Lin Jiulang would use this against him, the Crown Prince had ordered Han to dismiss them all.
Han also delivered good news about Pei Mian's successful cultivation of 3,000 mu of farmland in Lingwu, where new, lower tax policies had encouraged runaway farmers to settle peacefully for three years, with no one leaving. The Crown Prince was greatly pleased, hoping to expand these reforms nationwide. Han further reported that General Huangfu Weiming, recently returned victorious from battle, intended to impeach Lin Jiulang for his oppression and the killing of several officers.
Li Bi, however, had cautioned against this, fearing the Emperor would suspect the Crown Prince of conspiring with border generals, especially given the Emperor's history of executing his own sons. Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaojing and Tan Qi were still being hotly pursued by Shouzhualang. Zhang Xiaojing told Tan Qi to return to Jing'an Si and find Li Bi, as their lead at the Fire Master's location had vanished, hoping Li Bi might have extracted information from Yu Chang.
Tan Qi, seeing the Shouzhualang closing in, reluctantly turned back. Zhang Xiaojing then confronted the Shouzhualang alone, fighting fiercely. He managed to take one hostage and urged the others to leave, but they refused, demanding blood revenge for the Fire Master, whom they wrongly believed Zhang Xiaojing had killed. Zhang Xiaojing denied the accusation but prepared to face them by himself.
Tan Qi eventually reached a Wuhou outpost where Fatty Luo, a Buliangren leader, and his comrades were warming themselves with camel stew. She concocted a story: she and her "husband" had been ambushed by bandits in an alley after a meeting with the Right Counselor Lin Jiulang, and her husband had been taken. She implored them for help, mentioning Lin Jiulang's name to ensure their cooperation. Fatty Luo, believing her, agreed to lead his men to the rescue.
Upon arriving at the fight scene, Fatty Luo and his Buliangren discovered that Tan Qi's "husband" was none other than Zhang Xiaojing. The Buliangren hesitated, remembering the strict code they had against Zhang Xiaojing ever since he betrayed and allegedly killed their brother Xiao Yi. They watched as Zhang Xiaojing swiftly subdued the Shouzhualang. He reiterated that he had not killed the Fire Master, but the Shouzhualang remained unconvinced, vowing future revenge before retreating.
After they left, Fatty Luo approached Zhang Xiaojing, acknowledging his past admiration but lamenting Zhang Xiaojing's perceived downfall. He told Zhang Xiaojing that he would acknowledge him as "Leader Zhang" for one more day, implying it would be the last. Zhang Xiaojing, seeing Tan Qi, realized she had brought the Buliangren to help him. He chided her for returning, but Tan Qi simply stated she was afraid he would run away.
Just then, a Wuhou messenger arrived, urgently informing Fatty Luo and his men about a disaster at Jing'an Si: it had been attacked and burned, with many casualties. A new Chief, Ji Wen, swiftly appointed by the Right Counselor, had issued a "three feather order" with a hefty bounty for a tall, bearded killer, specifying Zhang Xiaojing by name. Fatty Luo attempted to dismiss the messenger, but the messenger recognized Zhang Xiaojing.
Zhang Xiaojing calmly questioned the messenger about the situation at Jing'an Si, specifically asking about Li Bi, whom the messenger reported as "lost," before intimidating him into leaving. Zhang Xiaojing then instructed Tan Qi to find Li Bi. Fatty Luo, understanding Zhang Xiaojing's need to escape, loudly ordered his Buliangren to search the narrow side alleys for the fugitive, creating a diversion and buying Zhang Xiaojing crucial time.
Back at Jing'an Si, Yao Runeng confronted the newly appointed Chief Ji Wen, asserting that Zhang Xiaojing was not the real killer and had selflessly protected Chang'an from the Wolven Squad. Ji Wen, however, adamantly insisted that Zhang Xiaojing's actions against the Wolven Squad were merely a smokescreen for a deeper conspiracy. He warned Yao Runeng against defending Zhang Xiaojing, criticizing him for saving Wen Ran, Zhang Xiaojing's acquaintance who had abducted Wang Yunxiu.
Ji Wen then used the sensitive topic of Yao Runeng's father's public execution as a veiled threat. Yao Runeng, feeling cornered and wishing to atone for his father's past misdeeds, reluctantly submitted and requested an assignment, but Ji Wen simply told him to wait. Meanwhile, Yuan Zai, trying to impress Wang Yunxiu and predicting that Ji Wen would give him a difficult task to prove himself, was summoned by the new Chief.
Ji Wen tasked Yuan Zai with leading the Right Cavalry to Liu's Bookshop on Pingkang Street to capture Zhang Xiaojing, giving him two hours to deliver Zhang Xiaojing's head. He also instructed Yuan Zai to "deal with" Yao Runeng. Wang Yunxiu openly scoffed at Ji Wen's decision, calling him a villain for assigning such a dangerous task to the militarily inexperienced Yuan Zai. Yuan Zai, despite the challenge, accepted with a grand declaration of upholding justice.
In the ruins of Jing'an Si, Yao Runeng surveyed the bodies of the slain officials, a heavy feeling in his heart as he remembered their faces. He discovered a charred body, identifying it as Xu Bin when he removed a necklace from its neck. Overcome with grief and remembering Xu Bin's dedication to his work and unique memory skills, Yao Runeng silently prayed for his fallen colleague.
