Luoyang Episode 31 Recap
> Luoyang Recap
Using a verse from Xiaoyaozi, "The ancient "Dachun" grew in the northwest, thrived on miasma, grew by rivers, and flourished towards River Gu," Gao Bingzhu deduces that the Four Season Clan's hideout likely uses miasma as a natural barrier. He consults Bai Lang's family water-way map, identifying a dense forest on the north side of River Gu known for miasma.
When Bai Lang questions how anyone could survive such a toxic environment, Gao Bingzhu theorizes the Clan planted rose of Sharon trees there to dispel the miasma and serve as a guide. He concludes that locating this specific rose of Sharon wood will likely lead them close to the Clan's lair.
Before embarking on this perilous journey, Gao Bingzhu gives Bai Lang a sum of money, urging him to start a legitimate business, abandon his swindling ways, and settle down with a wife. Bai Lang, sensing a foreboding tone in Gao Bingzhu's words, wonders if he is making his final arrangements. The Interior Guard Services is plunged into a tense atmosphere following the sudden disappearance of Li Beiqi.
Interior Guards Mo Wubing and Xu Shiqin openly express their discontent, accusing Wu Siyue of favoritism and covering up for Li Beiqi by merely seeking his return rather than arresting him, and for withholding information from Wu Youjue. Overhearing their complaints, Wu Siyue confronts them. She challenges them to provide evidence of Li Beiqi's guilt and reminds them that he is their comrade, warning that such slander could erode their mutual trust.
As she is summoned to see Wu Youjue, Wu Siyue punishes the complaining Interior Guards by ordering them to recite the Interior Guards' Motto one hundred times. Gao Bingzhu returns to the Intelligence Services where Li Yichen informs him that his team has identified a vast, rarely visited forest northwest of River Gu as the most suspicious area for the rose of Sharon wood, acknowledging the difficulty of finding it.
Li Yichen reminds Gao Bingzhu that the Intelligence Services primarily has a supervisory role and cannot offer direct reinforcements, urging him to prioritize his safety and send word if he discovers anything. Meanwhile, Wu Youjue confronts Wu Siyue, expressing his displeasure at being kept in the dark about Li Beiqi's disappearance, especially since she was meant to cover his duties during Wu Youjue's recovery.
Wu Siyue firmly asserts her trust in Li Beiqi, believing there is more to the situation than meets the eye and that they simply need to question him. Wu Youjue, however, sternly questions what would happen if Li Beiqi never returned and emphasizes that despite their close bond, they cannot afford to show any bias. Wu Siyue, dismissing the accusation of favoritism, resolves to investigate Li Beiqi's whereabouts herself. Baili Hongyi picks up a ring puzzle, triggering a childhood memory.
A flashback shows a young Baili Hongyi struggling with the same puzzle, remarking that he might solve it if he had an extra finger like his older brother. This comment visibly angers Baili Kuanren. Later, Baili Kuanren finds his brother and apologizes for his outburst. He then patiently teaches Baili Hongyi how to solve the puzzle, explaining that success lies not in the number of fingers but in understanding its critical "trigger" points.
He guides young Baili Hongyi through the steps until he successfully solves it. Baili Kuanren then advises him not to be overly fixated on achievements and that sometimes, letting go can lead to unexpected outcomes. A subsequent voiceover by Wu Youjue confirms Baili Kuanren's death, noting that the deceased's right hand still possessed six fingers, confirming his identity. It is revealed that Lord of Spring is Baili Kuanren.
When the Lady of Autumn receives a report that her assassination attempt on Baili Hongyi failed due to unknown archers, she confronts Lord of Spring, directly accusing him of sending people to protect Baili Hongyi. He denies it, demanding proof. Lady of Autumn, calling him "Lord Six-Finger Kuanren," expresses her disbelief that he still cares for his "damned brother" after years in the Four Season Clan.
She insists that Baili Hongyi must die, especially now that he has uncovered the secret of the Thunder, asserting that his survival would jeopardize the Clan's grand plan. Lord of Spring maintains his denial, but Lady of Autumn reminds him of the solemn oath he made before Xiaoyaozi.
A flashback depicts Baili Kuanren formally joining the Four Season Clan, publicly renouncing his family ties and declaring that all Clan members are his siblings, while all outsiders are merely "weeds" to be burned. As Gao Bingzhu sets out alone to find the Four Season Clan's hideout, he discovers Bai Lang secretly following him.
Bai Lang, worried for Gao Bingzhu's safety, insists on accompanying him, even if it means having his legs broken, and offers to help with communication in times of danger. Gao Bingzhu eventually agrees but makes Bai Lang promise to prioritize his own life and retreat immediately if danger arises, to which Bai Lang playfully agrees, even joking about burying Gao Bingzhu if he dies. Meanwhile, Wu Siyue investigates Li Beiqi's disappearance.
While her initial review of Interior Guard Services attendance registers shows no anomalies, a deeper inquiry reveals that Li Beiqi had been leaving the Services every one or two days without proper record. Suspicious, Wu Siyue leads Li Chun and other Interior Guards to search Li Beiqi's room.
She spots a bottle of Feng's rice wine, triggering a memory of a time she and Li Beiqi had celebrated a successful arrest with that very wine, which Li Beiqi had saved for months to buy. Li Chun discovers a loose floorboard, beneath which they find a paper listing names: Li Ji, Kang Zhanbi, Kang Jin, and Dai Zhou, along with a wasp stinger. These findings, combined with her recollections of Li Beiqi's recent strange behavior, deepen Wu Siyue's suspicion.
Li Yichen, after much deliberation, gains an audience with the empress. He reports the Intelligence Services' failure to detect the Four Season Clan's development of the Thunder, a weapon of formidable, unknown power. He warns that it poses a grave threat to the upcoming Ceremony of Light and requests the ceremony's postponement. The empress then questions if the Clan intends to use it to create chaos or even assassinate her.
Li Yichen details the suspicious deaths of Kang Zhanbi and Li Ji and the disappearance of Kang Jin, implying an internal leak. Li Yichen informs her that he has dispatched a Halberdier alone to locate the Clan's hideout. The empress, understanding his plea for reinforcements, promises to lend him troops once the hideout is found, for which Li Yichen expresses profound gratitude.
Separately, Wu Siyue presents the list of names to Wu Youjue, highlighting how the suspicious deaths and disappearances associated with the names, combined with the other evidence, appear to implicate Li Beiqi. However, she believes Li Beiqi is being framed and expresses concern for his safety. Wu Youjue, while expressing that Li Beiqi's suspicion is hard for others to accept, decides to reassign Li Beiqi's investigation to prevent Wu Siyue from being biased.
He then tasks Wu Siyue and Baili Hongyi with jointly investigating the Thunder, citing Baili Hongyi's expertise and their existing rapport. Wu Siyue insists on a thorough investigation of the Interior Guard Services for an internal traitor, to which Wu Youjue reluctantly agrees. Meanwhile, Gao Bingzhu and Bai Lang continue their journey northwest. They soon arrive at a dense forest by the River Gu and discover a large expanse of rose of Sharon trees.
Gao Bingzhu deduces they are very close to the Four Season Clan's hideout and quickens his pace, with Bai Lang closely following. As the Ceremony of Light approaches, Li Yichen issues orders for the Intelligence Services to fully support other ministries, particularly the Interior Guard Services and palace guards, in their security deployments, emphasizing immediate reporting of any suspicious activity. He also assigns field agents to locate Li Beiqi.
Wu Youjue briefs Baili Hongyi on the empress's ceremonial route, stressing that Baili Hongyi's primary task is to quickly identify potential hiding spots for the Thunder. Baili Hongyi proposes a complete lockdown of the capital, sealing all city gates and confining citizens to their homes to facilitate the search for Four Season Clan members.
Wu Youjue strongly rejects this, arguing it would cause widespread resentment and shame to the capital, insisting that Luoyang must remain open and the enemy should ideally be contained outside the city. Baili Hongyi then suggests a compromise: allowing citizens on the streets but banning outside merchants, which Wu Youjue still considers a lockdown and dismisses. Baili Hongyi then offers to personally oversee the Interior Guard Services' security operations, which Wu Youjue accepts.
Wu Youjue attempts to assign Li Chun to assist Baili Hongyi, but learns from his subordinate that Li Chun and others are currently being interrogated by Wu Siyue as part of her internal investigation into suspected traitors within the Interior Guard Services. Concerned about the trustworthiness of the Interior Guard Services, Baili Hongyi requests his own personnel for the search.
Wu Youjue agrees to provide trustworthy Interior Guards, but Baili Hongyi insists on receiving only those who have been screened and approved by Wu Siyue. Gao Bingzhu and Bai Lang cautiously circle the rose of Sharon wood. Gao Bingzhu explains the unsettling silence—the absence of birds or insects—is due to the pervasive miasma that surrounds the area, which is only dissipated by the rose of Sharon trees, and warns that direct entry would lead to poisoning.
Suddenly, they hear sounds of a chase and hide. They witness two men pursuing a young woman who eventually collapses. Gao Bingzhu intervenes, driving off the attackers and rescuing the woman. However, she remains highly suspicious, mistaking them for accomplices, and attempts to flee despite her injured leg, only to fall again. Gao Bingzhu offers to help her with her leg.
When questioned, the woman vaguely explains that while gathering herbs, she inadvertently stumbled into an "academy" and was immediately pursued upon leaving, but she refuses to disclose any further details or its exact location, only giving a roundabout description. Wu Siyue conducts rigorous interrogations of Interior Guards who had close contact with Li Beiqi, meticulously documenting their testimonies. She identifies Sui Xin as having provided a false account and detains him for a private, intense questioning.
Sui Xin confesses that he covered Li Beiqi's shift on the very night a group of refugees entered the capital, claiming Li Beiqi had told him he was leaving the city on orders from Wu Youjue. Wu Youjue arrives during this interrogation. Wu Siyue asks him directly if he gave such an order. Wu Youjue adamantly denies it, asserting that only he can issue commands to Li Beiqi, and asks if Wu Siyue believes him.
Wu Siyue then presents the accumulating evidence: Li Beiqi's lie about Wu Youjue's orders, his direct involvement in letting the refugees in, his subsequent disappearance, and the discovery of the Four Season Clan's target list in his room. She concludes that all signs point to Li Beiqi's collusion with the Clan, noting that Dai Zhou is the next name on the list, suggesting he be questioned.
However, Wu Youjue delivers the shocking news that Dai Zhou died in a well at the Eastern Palace the day after being transferred there, strongly implying he was murdered to prevent him from speaking. Wu Siyue is visibly stunned, unwilling to accept that Li Beiqi, whom she has known since childhood, could be involved with the Four Season Clan, despite the overwhelming circumstantial evidence. She expresses a desperate desire to find Li Beiqi herself, but Wu Youjue forcefully restrains her, refocusing her attention on the critical importance of the impending Ceremony of Light.
