Judge Dee's Mystery Episode 1 Recap, Plot

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Sunset descended upon Chang'an City, the night grew dark, thunder rumbled, and rain formed a misty cage. The imperial palace was fraught with unpredictable schemes; some sought to eliminate rivals by using the Empress's hand, fabricating an imperial decree to poison Chen Chuliang, the prefect of Yang Prefecture, leading to the complete eradication of his entire family. At the same time, heavenly fire burned an ancient phoenix tree, causing an uproar.

The imperial examinations now differed from previous years, as the Empress had reformed the system, removing restrictions based on family background. Consequently, numerous students in plain clothes arrived in the capital carrying their documents, lodging at the courier station where Di Renjie had long resided, making it exceptionally lively. As the regular civil service examination was approaching, Di Renjie remained indifferent, showing no inclination to sit for it.

His father's former subordinate, Hong Liang, could no longer sit still and rushed to find Grand Scholar Wei Wuji to request a recommendation letter and persuade Di Renjie to pursue a career through the examinations. However, Di Renjie still desired to travel the four corners of the world and had no ambition to enter officialdom. While they were speaking, a team of constables rushed into the courier station to apprehend the thief who had stolen a bright pearl.

As it was difficult to identify the thief's disguise, the constables decided to take everyone in for questioning one by one. Di Renjie was skilled at observation. Based on everyone's living habits, he first eliminated the homesick deserter, the elderly student nearing the end of his life, and the man with a family in tow. Finally, he locked onto two individuals with higher suspicion and deduced through clues that the thief was the bookkeeper.

Indeed, the fake bookkeeper confessed without hesitation, and the case was smoothly solved. Considering that the deserter had defended the border for the Great Tang and had both merits and demerits, Di Renjie pleaded with the leader to show leniency. Although the leader did not respond directly, he effectively gave his answer, lifting a heavy weight from Di Renjie's heart.

The guests at the courier station, having witnessed this event, bowed and thanked Di Renjie one after another, treating him with increased respect. Meanwhile, Ma Rong set up a gambling stall on the streets of Chang'an City, attracting crowds by using the incident of the heavenly fire burning the tree to speculate whether it was a natural disaster or human caused.

Qiao Tai deliberately took the opposite stance, insisting it was human caused, and ended up winning multiple rounds, making a huge profit. However, they were eventually discovered to be colluding and cheating. While Ma Rong and Qiao Tai were fleeing in embarrassment, several people were chasing a scholar on horseback, and this person was none other than Di Renjie's childhood friend, He Dajing.

Di Renjie righteously intervened to rescue his friend from danger, quickly dealing with the seemingly difficult attackers with a few punches and kicks. He then encountered his retainers Ma Rong and Qiao Tai, resulting in their entire group being arrested and thrown into the county yamen jail. Fortunately, his teacher Wei Wuji came to rescue them and further advised Di Renjie, hoping he would participate in the imperial examination the next day.

Di Renjie returned to the courier station with his retainers. Hong Liang warned Ma and Qiao to be discreet in Chang'an and not to discuss palace affairs casually. Unfortunately, the two were not easy to manage; after eating their fill, they sneaked into the dilapidated Di mansion, curious about Di Renjie's background. Even at this moment, Di Renjie was still uncertain whether he should take the exam.

Hong Liang imitated Ma Rong by using different colored stones to help him decide. Although Di Renjie insisted that his fate was in his own hands, his heart was still touched when he saw the board full of white stones. Ultimately, he decided to enter the examination hall with everyone else.

When night fell and the imperial examination ended, the students felt reborn, eager to go out, enjoy boating on the lake and viewing lanterns, and drink under the moon, immersing themselves in the festive atmosphere, seeking a space of freedom to console themselves. He Dajing took Di Renjie to a tavern to drink heartily, only to find that the tavern had been reserved by Grand Commandant Zhangsun Qing, forbidding anyone from entering.

A familiar tune from Bingzhou suddenly came from afar, attracting Di Renjie to follow the sound straight to the front of the Jushui building. The owner, seeing officials patrolling nearby, had to let them in, stating that the building was closed for the day and could not host guests. But He Dajing insisted on staying to drink, enjoying a lively drink with Di Renjie.

During this time, He Dajing revealed a piece of information to Di Renjie: Wei Wuji was working for the Empress and had been ordered to compile the 'Surname Records' based on the 'Zhenguan Genealogy', which included the Five Clans and Seven prominent Families. Therefore, in Di Renjie's view, the order of the world might undergo immense change, and the former esteemed noble families would likely face considerable difficulty.

As the two drank more and more wine, He Dajing gradually became disoriented, and Di Renjie also felt hazy with drunkenness. Only the owner was extremely anxious; taking advantage of a moment when they weren't looking, he slipped into a secret room to tell his sister Yaxin to hide well and absolutely not let the Jinwu Guard discover her whereabouts.

While searching for a changing room, Di Renjie unexpectedly spotted a secret door, but the owner found an excuse to lead him out of the building. That night, amidst the thunder and rain, a fire inexplicably broke out in the Jushui building. Di Renjie personally witnessed He Dajing perish in the fire, which instantly sobered him up.

Episode 2 Recap

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