Resumen del episodio 23 de Treasure at Dawn
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Fu Sheng skillfully used the witch doctor’s own deceptive tactics, invoking a "heavenly immortal" to expose and subdue him in front of the gathered villagers. Seeing the angry crowd turn on them, the witch doctor’s accomplices panicked and desperately tried to pin all their misdeeds on him, begging for mercy. They confessed that their entire practice relied on a copper pot filled with Apricot Kernel and Perilla Powder, a common remedy only effective for colds.
If a patient recovered, they claimed it was a divine blessing; if not, they declared the person to be wicked or tormented by spirits. Fu Sheng vehemently condemned them for their long history of harming people, taking innocent lives, and abducting children, stating that even if he were to pardon them, the vengeful spirits of their victims would never agree.
The villagers, now realizing they had been deceived by the supposed "Hole Ghost," erupted in anger against Qin Miao and her associates. Fu Sheng revealed that Qin Miao, masquerading as Hole Ghost, had systematically stolen children and then sold them back to their desperate parents or other buyers for profit. He explained that by tasting the clay doll used in their rituals, he had identified the hallucinogenic spice, which allowed him to formulate an antidote.
Furthermore, he disclosed that replacing their skilled drummer, Wang Bo, with the inexperienced Wang Zhong, and then having Wang Bo disrupt their ritual drumming, had caused their illusion to fail. Meanwhile, Gu Tian, on his way to deliver urgent news to Wen Yu, unexpectedly encountered Guo Sishui. Due to time constraints, he brought her directly to Hole Ghost to apprehend the witch doctor and his accomplices.
Fulfilling his earlier promise, the chief then presented the Mountain-shaped Jade to Fu Sheng, who accepted it with gratitude. Guo Sishui subsequently ordered her men to escort the captured witch doctors to the Jibei Chamber of Commerce. Later that night, Fu Sheng and Wen Yu discreetly returned the abducted children to their waiting families. Wen Yu initially felt a pang of shame, believing the City Lord's Mansion's delay in arresting Hole Ghost had prolonged the suffering.
Fu Sheng, however, reassured her that she bore no blame. Witnessing the tearful reunions and the heartfelt embraces between parents and their safely returned children brought a profound sense of accomplishment to both. Before parting ways, Wen Yu shyly thanked Fu Sheng, a gesture that left him somewhat perplexed by her sudden display of gratitude. Back at their quarters, Fu Sheng, Wen Yu, and Gu Tian carefully placed the Mountain-shaped Jade onto the jade plate.
They observed it intently, but the plate remained unresponsive. Gu Tian wondered if they had arranged it incorrectly, but Wen Yu confirmed her placement followed the jade’s shape precisely. The possibility of the jade being a forgery was raised, but Fu Sheng quickly dismissed it, emphasizing the rarity of such material and the unique nature of the jade, which would make counterfeiting nearly impossible.
With no immediate solution, Ying Ying proposed that Hearsay-capturing Pavilion initiate a thorough investigation into the jade’s origins, hoping to uncover new clues. Gu Tian light-heartedly teased Fu Sheng about becoming "family" with Ying Ying. Separately, Guo Sishui urgently pressed Sun Siming to expedite his search for the Cloud-shaped Jade, Water-shaped Jade, the jade plate, and a "Painting of Luan."
Sun Siming expressed confusion over the sudden increase in required items, particularly the painting, and the implication that its location was already known. Chairman Guo, however, refused to elaborate further, simply commanding him to act swiftly. The following day, Ying Ying presented her investigative findings: the Mountain-shaped Jade had once been in the possession of Song Yuan, and the Water-shaped Jade by Song Zhe. Both individuals were among the surviving soldiers from a raid orchestrated by Song Jingye’s Royal Army.
The Hearsay-capturing Pavilion's intelligence confirmed a significant raid outside Xichuan, for which Lord Wen was responsible. Wen Yu immediately sought out her father for clarification. Lord Wen confessed that he had been coerced by the powerful Jibei Mansion to intercept what they claimed were "bandits" who had stolen a valuable treasure. During the ambush, he discovered that his targets were not common bandits but the Royal Army, realizing he had inadvertently committed a grave political blunder.
To protect his small city of Xichuan and conceal his entanglement in court strife, Lord Wen secretly saved one surviving Royal Army soldier. He then publicly declared that all "bandits" had been annihilated and, to ensure the survivor's anonymity, renamed him Meng Qin and arranged for him to live discreetly within a local theater troupe. Fu Sheng deduced that Song Jingye’s well-known fondness for theater was likely a ruse to reconnect with Meng Qin.
Meanwhile, the Jibei King was shown neglecting state affairs, indulging in frivolous pleasures, and ignoring urgent reports of famine in the Liaoyin and Zhu City regions. He had been secretly addicted to a substance for days, a potent blend of rhizoma gastrodiae powder laced with the highly toxic Japonicus, administered by the influential eunuch, Su Rang.
Su Rang, who controlled the only source of the antidote, ruthlessly exploited the King’s desperate addiction, humiliating him and forcing him to refer to him as "Father" in exchange for relief. Su Rang frequently reminded the King that his very position on the throne of Jibei was entirely dependent on Su Rang’s continued support. Fu Sheng and Wen Yu began their search for Meng Qin within the various theater troupes, initially without success.
Then, Feng Qianli arrived with a crucial update: Meng Qin had resigned from the Jixiang Crew years ago and worked several odd jobs before being taken in by a sheepskin shadow puppet troupe leader. He had become a highly skilled shadow puppeteer and married the leader's daughter. Despite being offered leadership of the troupe, Meng Qin chose to pass the role to his junior disciple, preferring to dedicate himself fully to his craft.
He was now the star performer of the shadow puppet troupe at Duoqing Pavilion, scheduled to perform his renowned "Master Huang in the East Sea" show that very night. Sun Siming, upon hearing about the special performance at Duoqing Pavilion, also hastened there, as did Tuoba Ruo, who suspected Sun Siming had hidden motives. Fu Sheng found Meng Qin in the backstage area of Duoqing Pavilion, meticulously preparing his animal hide puppets.
Fu Sheng directly questioned him about the Treasure of the Sealed Book. Meng Qin, maintaining his composure, denied any knowledge of such a treasure. He asserted that he was a lifelong native of Xichuan, born and raised there, having learned shadow puppetry at the age of eight and never having left the city or joined other troupes since.
He offered details about his parents' graves, located just outside the city, and mentioned his wife and young five-year-old son, explaining the age gap as a common difficulty for those in their humble profession. Fu Sheng observed Meng Qin’s hands, which were rough and scarred from the lime used in treating the puppet hides, a detail corroborated by Meng Qin’s junior disciple, who attested to his dedication.
When asked about Song Jingye, Meng Qin acknowledged "Chairman Song" as a frequent and generous patron of their shadow puppet shows but insisted that his "lowly" status prevented any personal closeness. Despite Meng Qin's denials, Fu Sheng's suspicions were heightened by an occasional twitch in Meng Qin's hand, which he believed was an old injury, further strengthening his conviction that Meng Qin was indeed the former Royal Army soldier they sought.
Simultaneously, the troupe leader informed Meng Qin that a "noble guest," identified as the new Chairman of the Jibei Chamber of Commerce, Sun Siming, had specifically requested his "Master Huang in the East Sea" performance, and that the entire pavilion had been closed to all other patrons to ensure privacy.
