Judge Dee's Mystery Episode 7 Recap, Plot

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Di Renjie's official-yet-bandit-like demeanor genuinely frightened Chen Shouwei, who, in a panic, confessed that he had taken money to release Li Han ten days prior. As for the person who paid to redeem Li Han, he was dressed in long robes, wore a bamboo hat, and had a black veil over his face, making it impossible to recognize his appearance. After confirming that Chen Shouwei was telling the truth, Di Renjie left with Qiao Tai.

Qiao Tai believed that Li Han had a motive for murder because of his resentment towards Yin Lian. Subsequently, Di Renjie stepped into the Mingyue Brothel to ask Cao An about matters of love and desire. Cao An lit incense for him and played a pipa tune, which, in its melody, revealed the hearts of infatuated men and resentful women.

Di Renjie woke up and hurried to the Teng residence, where he was greeted by a scene of pure white mourning. The housekeeper, seeing him, rushed to Di Renjie for help, explaining that Teng Kan had locked himself in Yin Lian's room and had not eaten or drunk anything for a day.

Di Renjie gradually learned that Yin Lian and Teng Kan had slept in separate rooms before her death and discovered that Yin Lian was skilled at writing poetry, while Teng Kan's revised verses seemed somewhat inferior in comparison. Teng Kan invited Di Renjie to the side hall for a conversation, citing seeing objects and thinking of the person as his reason.

Di Renjie noticed a horsewhip hanging nearby, recalling that Teng Kan had abandoned martial arts for literature in his early years. During the conversation, Di Renjie revealed to Teng Kan that Li Han had pursued Yin Lian, but Yin Lian, annoyed by his harassment, had framed him and sent him to prison. From this, he inferred that the recent haunting occurrences at the Li residence were caused by Li Han, and he was the prime suspect in Yin Lian's murder.

Teng Kan was furious and expressed his gratitude to Di Renjie, hoping he could find the real killer to comfort his deceased wife's spirit. Because Teng Kan was engrossed in writing poetry, he often stayed in his room for days, not fully aware of Yin Lian's whereabouts. The housekeeper revealed that the madam had been in frequent contact with Er Niang zi of the Lai residence recently and often returned to her maiden home.

Di Renjie sensed something was amiss, recalling that Er Niang zi looked down on Yin Lian, and the two had long been estranged and completely cut off contact. Considering this, Di Renjie asked Ma Rong about places specifically for lovers to tryst. Ma Rong took him to a brothel and showed Ba Zong's token. The proprietress admitted that they did indeed have rooms for lovers. Di Renjie observed Yin Lian's handwriting and Xu Kai's lotus paintings on the wall.

From outside the window, he found sharp claw marks, guessing that Li Han might have witnessed Yin Lian's intimate moments with Xu Kai and left the marks in anger. After Di Renjie confirmed that Yin Lian had known Xu Kai before her marriage and was genuinely in love with him, he visited Er Niang zi of the Lai residence again, elaborating on the truth.

Er Niang zi denied that she was acting out of unrequited love and tore up Xu Kai's paintings in a fit of emotion, further confirming Di Renjie's speculation. Di Renjie had Ma Rong use the third token to request Ba Zong to spread the news that Yin Lian was not dead, to lure out Li Han, who was hiding in the shadows. This news caused a stir among the people in the city.

That night, Li Han sneaked into the Teng residence to find Yin Lian. When he realized he had fallen into a trap, he was ambushed by Di Renjie and others from the front and back, leaving him no time to escape. At a critical moment, Teng Kan appeared and killed Li Han, claiming he was avenging Yin Lian. Di Renjie noticed that Li Han muttered Yin Lian's name before he died and touched the cloth bag on his chest.

He personally examined Li Han's fingernails and was surprised to find that they did not match the claw marks on the window frame. This significant discovery shocked Di Renjie greatly. To verify his guess, he sought confirmation from Cao An again, and indeed, he found a new breakthrough point. Di Renjie hurriedly returned to the morgue and, combining the existing clues, analyzed that the murderer was someone else.

The next morning, Di Renjie arrived at the Teng residence and saw the servants busily moving boxes. Upon inquiry, he learned that Teng Kan was preparing to leave Penglai City. He found Li Han's lost pouch in the flower garden, containing a strand of hair, specifically the severed hair from the top of Yin Lian's head, which was enough to show his deep affection for Yin Lian.

Teng Kan had not yet noticed Di Renjie's strange behavior and still wore a sorrowful expression, then ordered the servants to discard the Four Lacquered Screens. Di Renjie subconsciously asked the name of the person who made the Four Lacquered Screens but did not receive an answer. As night fell, Qiao Tai was practicing boxing bare-chested, revealing the whip marks on his back, which reminded Di Renjie of the horsewhip hanging in the Teng residence. At this time, Hong Liang brought a significant discovery—he found the poisonous plant "Bimanzi" in the soil at the crime scene.

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