Luoyang Episode 7 Recap
> Luoyang Recap
The girls from Hong Xiao Fang relentlessly pursued Baili Hongyi, who was clearly bothered. Liu Ran glared at them, and they quickly ran back inside. Having obtained no information, Liu Ran suggested bribing them. Baili Hongyi immediately returned to Hong Xiao Fang, where he spent money to obtain information regarding the whereabouts of Lady Zhai. Meanwhile, Liu Xiang, the Duke Xunshan, knelt outside the palace, hoping to appeal to the empress.
He wished for the empress to preserve some of the Baili family's properties for Baili Hongyi. The empress, however, doubted Liu Xiang's intentions and consulted her imperial attendant, Yang Huan. Yang Huan advised that Liu Xiang's true motive was to protect Chuiliu Corporation, a significant portion of which belonged to the Liu family and accounted for over half of their annual income. Since Chuiliu Corporation was sealed immediately after Baili Yan's conviction, Liu Xiang was naturally unhappy about it.
Within the Intelligence Services, Agent Han Dongqing reported the discovery of a mole: a Jianfeng named Zhao Yang, who owned a meat shop. Zhao Yang was found to have been using trained falcons from the Intelligence Services to transmit information to the mole's superior. When confronted, Zhao Yang had already poisoned his falcon and was attempting to poison himself.
He refused to disclose the identity of his superior, despite being offered a chance to live and be sent out of the capital. Han Dongqing, frustrated by his silence, ordered his execution. Han Dongqing later reported to Lord Chu that the core of the Intelligence Services, either Agents or Buddha, had been deeply infiltrated.
He suggested activating the Reclining Buddha Order, but Lord Chu rejected the idea, emphasizing that the Intelligence Services were the empress's eyes and ears and could not be disabled. Lord Chu questioned why the Intelligence Services had failed to predict or detect clues regarding the Mount Lian copper mine theft, the replacement of copper for the Supreme Buddhist Temple project, and Baili Yan's recent murder.
He concluded that the mole could only be Agents or Buddha, noting the complex procedures and record-keeping for entering the Palace of Nature, which implied a secret medium for external contact. Lord Chu confirmed that Zhao Yang, the falcon tamer, was this secret medium and theorized that the infiltration had been long-standing, not just involving a minor Jianfeng. Wu Youjue summoned Wu Siyue, presenting her with her favorite childhood snacks.
He reminded her of their identity as members of the Wu family, emphasizing that their actions should reflect the family's standing. Wu Siyue, however, expressed her disinterest in being associated with other members of the Wu family who relied on the empress's favor, stating she only wished to fulfill her duties as an Interior Guard Services. Wu Youjue then instructed her to attend Princess Yongchuan's birthday celebration, advising her to dress up and find a suitable husband.
Wu Siyue adamantly refused to marry, citing her busy schedule with Interior Guard Services matters. Wu Youjue retorted that her marriage was the empress's personal concern and implied that Gao Bingzhu was influencing her defiance, which Wu Siyue denied. Following the provided address, Baili Hongyi arrived at a private mansion and discovered Lady Zhai and Zhang Silang both murdered, with their dinner still warm.
Their deaths, from stab wounds, appeared very recent and likely at the hands of the same killer. Gao Bingzhu soon arrived, and they exchanged information. Gao Bingzhu analyzed that Zhang Silang, as the manager of Chuiliu Corporation, was predictably killed due to his involvement in the Mount Lian copper theft. Lady Zhai, the concubine of Huang An, was likely sent away by Huang An, who anticipated trouble and possibly entrusted her with important information before his own death.
Now, both were dead, leaving no witnesses. Gao Bingzhu meticulously searched Lady Zhai and found a hidden letter from Huang An concealed within her garments. The letter detailed Liu Xiang's crimes of embezzling copper from the Mount Lian mine, confirmed by Lin Zhong, the accountant there. Baili Hongyi was stunned, realizing his marriage was an elaborate scheme by Liu Xiang.
Liu Xiang had manipulated Baili Yan to embezzle the copper, then killed Baili Yan to silence him and shifted all blame onto his father. Baili Hongyi secretly vowed to avenge his father. Gao Bingzhu warned Baili Hongyi that as the first person at the scene, he could be implicated, just as Gao Bingzhu had been in Baili Yan's study. He reminded Baili Hongyi that what he saw might not be the whole truth.
Wu Siyue used her token to pass through guards and re-entered the Unwelcome Well. She sought out Wang Dengcheng to access Gao Bingzhu's files. Wang Dengcheng led her to Mr. Unsightly, the elderly keeper of the household registers. Wu Siyue inquired about Gao Bingzhu's past. Mr. Unsightly initially resisted answering but relented when Wu Siyue explained that she had no malicious intent and only wished to understand why someone who once protected the capital had become so changed.
Mr. Unsightly then recounted Gao Bingzhu's history in detail. Simultaneously, Bai Lang successfully bribed Liu Xiang's stableman with three jars of old wine, posing as an admirer of Liu Xiang's for his sister, and obtained Liu Xiang's recent itinerary. Bai Lang promptly returned to report to Gao Bingzhu, receiving silver as payment. Gao Bingzhu later visited the unmarked graves of his deceased companions, recalling the tragic events of five years prior.
He remembered leading seven companions out of the Unwelcome Well for the first time, where they reveled in the sweetness of the outside air, exhilarated by the bustling capital. As he grieved, Wu Siyue found him at the barren gravesite and revealed her knowledge of his past. She stated that five years ago, Gao Bingzhu and his companions had secretly rescued King Tongyang, now Crown Prince Li Dun, and his family from assassins outside the capital.
The Crown Prince himself had recounted how their saviors vanished as if into thin air after aid arrived. Gao Bingzhu tried to stop Wu Siyue from speaking, but she pressed on, urging him to seek justice for his fallen comrades. Gao Bingzhu, resigned, expressed his belief that no one cared for the lives of those from the Unwelcome Well, asserting that people from the Unwelcome Well had no right to be considered citizens of the capital.
Wu Siyue vehemently disagreed, challenging his despair and declaring that his companions were indeed citizens of the capital who deserved justice. In response, Wu Siyue swore an oath in the name of the Interior Guard Services, specifically as Moonlight Lord, to uncover the truth and seek justice for his seven companions. Moved by her sincerity, Gao Bingzhu finally opened up, recounting the harrowing events.
Five years ago, as he fought a losing battle against assassins, his seven companions bravely came to his aid, sacrificing themselves to draw away the attackers and allow King Tongyang's family to safely withdraw with the arriving soldiers. However, the soldiers, prioritizing the royal family's escape, ignored the companions, who were encircled and brutally killed by an assassin wielding a hand-halberd. Gao Bingzhu watched helplessly as his friends perished, leaving him as the sole survivor.
He blamed himself for leading them out of the Unwelcome Well and for his own survival. This guilt had fueled his path of revenge, which led him to the wooden cabin incident. There, he had come closest to the truth, but had lost the trail of Tian Gou of the Four Season Clan while saving Wu Siyue and the laborers. Gao Bingzhu's pent-up grief and fury from the past five years erupted as he sobbed uncontrollably. Wu Siyue, visibly moved, comforted him and reaffirmed her vow to seek justice for him and his companions.
