Luoyang Episode 2 Recap
> Luoyang Recap
Baili Hongyi, the second son of Baili Yan, the Minister of Works, sought out Gao Sheng at the Grand Court, requesting to examine the bodies of Lin Zhong and Lin Yan. Gao Sheng, citing the bodies' importance to an ongoing case, refused Baili Hongyi's request. When Baili Hongyi then asked if Gao Bingzhu was the criminal being interrogated and requested to observe, Gao Sheng dismissed the idea as ridiculous and had Baili Hongyi escorted out.
Inside the Grand Court, Wu Siyue of the Interior Guard Services pressed Gao Bingzhu on why he committed the murder and then surrendered, referencing the assassination case in the capital's south market. Gao Sheng interrupted, asserting that the Grand Court was not the Interior Guard Services and that she had no authority to conduct an interrogation. Wu Siyue countered that the case implicated royal safety, thus granting the Interior Guard Services jurisdiction.
Gao Sheng maintained that her presence was already a courtesy and ordered Gao Bingzhu taken to jail. Wu Siyue intervened, insisting there were still unresolved doubts and asked for more time for questioning. At that moment, a written order from the empress arrived, summoning Gao Sheng and Wu Siyue for an immediate audience at the palace. At the Palace of Immortality, the empress's secretary, Yang Huan, questioned Gao Sheng about the south market assassination.
Gao Sheng, flustered, admitted the case was still under investigation but confirmed the sole captive had been killed in the Grand Court's jail due to his oversight. He reported that the killer, Gao Bingzhu, had been apprehended. Wu Siyue interjected, highlighting the inconsistency of a killer surrendering after eliminating a key witness, suggesting a deeper conspiracy beyond a simple attack on Princess Yongchuan, and urging the empress not to let Gao Sheng hastily close the case.
Gao Sheng quickly tried to explain that Gao Bingzhu had only surrendered that morning and they hadn't yet questioned him thoroughly. Yang Huan chastised Gao Sheng for trying to use a random person as a scapegoat. The empress then revealed her suspicion that the attackers were targeting informers, noting that she hadn't seen any informers since the first year of the Taicheng period because they were being killed upon entering the capital. Gao Sheng profusely apologized.
The empress then dismissed everyone except Wu Siyue. The empress privately tasked Wu Siyue with investigating the informer case, granting her the Hibiscus Peony Token, which gave her authority over the Intelligence Services, the Grand Court, and all allied soldiers. Wu Siyue thanked her and requested an imperial edict to personally interrogate Gao Bingzhu.
Later, Wu Youjue, the Imperial Attendant of Interior Guard Services, reprimanded his sister, Wu Siyue, for openly defying Gao Sheng in front of so many officials, warning her that the empress's leniency this time might not be repeated. Wu Siyue explained her intention to transfer Gao Bingzhu to the Interior Guard Services for questioning. Wu Youjue advised her to let Lu Zhi and other Interior Guard Services officers handle the transfer, given her recent conflict with Gao Sheng.
Meanwhile, Baili Yan conducted an ancestor worship with his son, Baili Hongyi. He spoke of the Baili family's esteemed lineage and his own high position as Minister of Works, expecting Baili Hongyi's marriage to Liu Ran, from the powerful Liu family, and the near completion of the Supreme Buddhist Temple project.
Baili Hongyi, however, openly refuted his father, stating that the Supreme Buddhist Temple project would not be finished for a long time, especially since Baili Yan had resigned from the Ministry of Works. He also declared his refusal to marry into the Liu family or continue the family line, even offering to issue a divorce certificate to call off the engagement.
Baili Yan was enraged, arguing that the Liu family was a powerful house and questioning why Baili Hongyi disliked Liu Ran, whom he had known since childhood. Baili Hongyi retorted that his feelings were irrelevant to the forced marriage, accusing his father of trying to climb the social ladder and abandoning the family's traditions as skilled workmen by clinging to the Liu family. Enraged, Baili Yan slapped him.
In her investigation, Wu Siyue sought assistance from the Intelligence Services, a secretive organization that gathers information and maintains files on various individuals. She requested an audience with Lord Chu, the director. An agent informed her that Lord Chu was special and did not meet outsiders, introducing himself as Han Dongqing, the deacon of the Intelligence Services. Wu Siyue, presenting the Hibiscus Peony Token, requested to examine Gao Bingzhu's file.
Han Dongqing initially questioned her interest in a mere mortician, but Wu Siyue countered by asking why the Intelligence Services would monitor an ordinary person. Although Han Dongqing accused her of crossing a line, Wu Siyue retorted by pointing out the Intelligence Services' failure to provide early warning about the chaos in the capital's south market.
Subsequently, Lord Chu, from behind the scenes, was informed of Wu Siyue's visit, who had been brought blindfolded to the Myriad Phenomena Hall secret room. He acknowledged the many doubts surrounding Gao Bingzhu and instructed his staff to cooperate fully with Wu Siyue, hoping she might uncover the truth, as he suspected infiltration within the Intelligence Services due to the lack of warning about the south market incident.
Back at the Grand Court prison, Chen Que, the registrar, interrogated Gao Bingzhu. Gao Bingzhu insisted he had killed the in-custody murderer. Chen Que expressed disbelief, aware that the murderer had been injured before being killed, and knowing Gao Bingzhu's character, he didn't believe Gao Bingzhu was the killer. He pressed Gao Bingzhu to tell the truth. Gao Sheng, growing impatient, ordered Gao Bingzhu to be tortured.
Under duress, Gao Bingzhu confessed that he sought revenge because the murderer had killed his relatives: Lin Yan and her father, Lin Zhong, who had come to the capital to inform. Chen Que challenged him, noting Gao Bingzhu's background from the Unwelcome Well meant he had no relatives. Gao Bingzhu maintained that their relationship was unimportant, only that he wanted revenge for their deaths.
An Interior Guard Services officer, Lu Zhi, then arrived with an edict from the empress, ordering Gao Bingzhu's transfer to the Interior Guard Services for further investigation. Lu Zhi criticized the Grand Court's harsh interrogation methods. Gao Sheng reluctantly accepted the order. Meanwhile, Baili Hongyi continued to ponder Gao Bingzhu's peculiar surrender, suspecting he was either protecting someone or seeking something specific within the Grand Court. Unbeknownst to him, Gao Bingzhu was being transported.
As Interior Guard Services officers escorted Gao Bingzhu away from the Grand Court, Chen Que intercepted the carriage, feigning the need to complete paperwork for the transfer. After dispatching the accompanying Interior Guard Services officers, Chen Que confronted Gao Bingzhu, asking if he had surrendered to lure him out. Gao Bingzhu confirmed this, then demanded to know what Lin Yan and Lin Zhong had told Chen Que before their deaths.
As Gao Bingzhu pressed him to reveal who was behind him, Chen Que replied, "It's too late." Before he could say more, a hand-halberd pierced him, killing him instantly. Gao Bingzhu, severely wounded from the struggle, recognized the hand-halberd as identical to the one used to kill Xiaowu five years prior.
Upon arriving at the Grand Court, Wu Siyue learned from Li Beiqi, a Beidou of the Interior Guard Services, that Gao Bingzhu had escaped after killing Chen Que and three Interior Guard Services officers. Observing the scene, Wu Siyue noted that the Interior Guard Services had died of stab wounds, while Chen Que had a distinct cross-piercing injury. She immediately suspected a second killer, questioning how a single prisoner could possess so many different weapons.
Gao Sheng dismissed her concerns and immediately ordered a city-wide manhunt for Gao Bingzhu, mobilizing forces from the Grand Court, Interior Guard Services, Henan Prefecture soldiers, and city guards. Despite the vast net, an Intelligence Services agent remarked that Gao Bingzhu, a former Unwelcome Well officer who knew the capital's 109 wards, streets, and patrol routes intimately, had a fifty-fifty chance of escaping, as one could bypass main subdivision gates.
Gao Bingzhu, still injured, sought refuge at Ji Shan Fang casino, where he found its owner, Yao Niang. Grand Court officer Pei Tingzhang led his guards in a search of Ji Shan Fang casino. Yao Niang remained calm and cooperative, guiding them through the premises. Despite a thorough search, including her private chambers, Pei Tingzhang found no trace of Gao Bingzhu and eventually left empty-handed.
After the officers departed, Yao Niang led Gao Bingzhu out from a secret room hidden behind a wardrobe. She bandaged his severe wounds. Gao Bingzhu then shaved his beard, explaining that "it's time." Yao Niang questioned his intentions and warned him of the widespread search, but Gao Bingzhu simply stated he had "something to do" and would return to where he came from.
Meanwhile, Liu Ran, knowing Baili Hongyi's fondness for mechanics, managed to acquire a long-lost text called "Workmen's Essentials." She sent her maid, Yunzhi, to deliver a letter inviting Baili Hongyi to the Qianji Fish Restaurant, offering him a chance to view the authentic book. Eager to see the rare text, Baili Hongyi promptly set off for the meeting. Unbeknownst to many in the bustling capital, there lay a hidden, perpetually dark and humid area called the Unwelcome Well.
It was home to outcasts, often descendants of criminals, who were forbidden from ever leaving. Gao Bingzhu, a former Unwelcome Well officer, secretly returned to this place. He met Mr. Unsightly, the manager of the household register, and handed him the hand-halberd. Mr. Unsightly, concerned for Gao Bingzhu's safety, pulled him aside and identified the weapon's material as brass, obtainable only from Mount Lian.
He explained that Mount Lian brass was specifically used in the construction of the Big Buddha in the Supreme Buddhist Temple, a project overseen by Baili Yan, the Minister of Works. Gao Bingzhu then recalled that Lin Zhong's identity certificate had also mentioned Mount Lian, causing him to instantly suspect Baili Yan and his son. Soon after, Wu Siyue and her Interior Guard Services arrived at the Unwelcome Well to investigate Gao Bingzhu's background, having discovered his connection to the community.
