Maiden Holmes Episode 10 Recap
> Maiden Holmes Recap
Su Ci questioned Xu Zhi's maid, who recounted finding Ms. Xu dead that morning after receiving no response from her room. She had last seen Xu Zhi the previous night. The maid mentioned that Xu Zhi would often stare out the window, occasionally smiling, which she assumed was due to her impending marriage to Prince Qi. She also frequently commented on how pleasant the sound of rain was.
When asked, the maid confirmed it was raining on the days Xu Zhi listened to the rain, a detail Su Ci found peculiar. Soon after, Prince Yun approached the Emperor to discuss the aftermath of Xu Zhi's death. Arguing that the Imperial Guards were culpable since Xu Zhi was killed within the palace, he strongly suggested demoting Commander Fu Ziyou to demonstrate the court's seriousness.
He warned that if Marquis Zhenyuan, who commanded a massive military force, were to harbor resentment, it could lead to disaster. Swayed, the Emperor reluctantly agreed to demote Fu Ziyou temporarily. Later, when Prince Qi met with the Emperor, the Emperor expressed concern that the grieving Marquis might direct his anger towards him. Prince Qi stoically accepted any blame, believing he deserved it.
He speculated the killer's vicious method was meant to intimidate anyone of a lower social standing from pursuing a marriage alliance with his family. Meanwhile, Su Ci met Pei Yanzhi, who had accompanied Prince Qi. She invited him to join her and Dong Rushuang for the autopsy. During the examination, they found a ligature mark on Xu Zhi's neck and broken fingernails, indicating she struggled before succumbing to asphyxiation. Her shoe print also matched one on the stool.
They noted her wedding gown was tied from the outside and carried an unfamiliar scent of rouge. Dong Rushuang was tasked with analyzing the substance. Recalling that an artist, Mr. Qu, had painted Xu Zhi's portrait, Su Ci, accompanied by Pei Yanzhi, went to question him. Mr. Qu expressed sorrow over Xu Zhi's death and confirmed he had only met her once.
He claimed he was in his studio all night working on his "beauty portrait," offering his servant as a witness. At Pei Yanzhi's suggestion, Su Ci examined the beautiful painting, which strangely lacked eyes. Mr. Qu explained his long search for the perfect, lifelike eyes for his masterpiece and cryptically stated that he had finally found them. Dong Rushuang visited a cosmetics store to inquire about the rouge.
She overheard customers spreading rumors about Xu Zhi being taken by a ghost bride, calling the incident "spooky." The shop owner identified the sample as a unique lip rouge from Northern Xinjiang, favored by nobles for its long-lasting color that was particularly difficult to remove. Dong Rushuang later reported to Su Ci that the consistent, fear-mongering rumors suggested a deliberate effort to obscure the truth, solidifying their belief that Xu Zhi had not committed suicide.
Pei Yanzhi visited Marquis Zhenyuan to offer his condolences. The distraught and angry Marquis accused Pei Yanzhi of becoming entangled in court machinations, acting pretentiously for self-preservation. He expressed deep disappointment that Pei Yanzhi had failed to recognize that the consort selection was a trap, content to be a player in the game rather than striving to be the one to break it. Pei Yanzhi silently accepted the harsh words, understanding the grieving father's pain.
Before this, Su Ci and Pei Yanzhi had discussed the case. Su Ci observed that Xu Zhi's murder was distinct from previous cases. The crime scene had an abundance of clues, and the killer's method appeared uncharacteristically messy, yet the hanging was meticulously executed, similar to Lady Jing’s death.
She deduced the killer was a perfectionist who wouldn't tolerate disruptions to their "ritual" and that the true motive was to deter other noble families from marrying Prince Qi, using the "ghost bride" rumors as a smokescreen. The difficulty of committing murder in the heavily guarded palace led her to believe the killer was an insider, possibly a jealous candidate. Overwhelmed, Pei Yanzhi began drinking alone.
Su Ci found him and reminded him of his own advice not to shoulder burdens alone. She acknowledged the pressure he and Prince Qi were under and reassured him she would solve the case quickly. As they talked, a small "love lock" he had purchased from Puhua Temple fell from his robe. Embarrassed, Su Ci made an excuse and departed. Having reconstructed the crime, Su Ci summoned Xu Zhi's maid, Xiaoyun.
Su Ci pointed out the hard-to-remove lip rouge on Xiaoyun's finger, which the maid claimed was Xu Zhi's. Su Ci then presented her evidence: the same unique rouge was on Xiaoyun's clothes, and the begonia pattern on her dress was identical to the custom design on Xu Zhi's wedding gown. Cornered, Xiaoyun confessed, crying that she had bet all her savings on the consort selection and couldn't afford to lose.
The Marquis, who had arrived, refused to believe this was the true motive and demanded she name the mastermind, promising her immunity. Instead, Xiaoyun bit her tongue and committed suicide. Haunted by the Marquis's words, Pei Yanzhi resolved to "go against the trend." He returned to the Marquis, thanking him for his advice.
Pei Yanzhi explained his own realization: the true orchestrators intended to destroy his marriage alliance and create a rift between the Marquis and the imperial family, cutting off crucial northern military support. He then invoked the Marquis's own teaching, "Those within the game are controlled by others, but a game-breaker is the one who gains control," and swore to bring Xu Zhi's true killer to justice.
The Marquis later visited the Emperor, stating his suspicion that his daughter was murdered as part of a plot to rig the consort selection. He implored the Emperor to ensure justice was served. The Emperor reassured him that the Mingjing Office was investigating fully. Meanwhile, news that Su Ci had solved the murder reached Prince Yun. Surprised, he ordered a thorough investigation into her background.
Learning of her close association with Prince Qi, he concluded Su Ci was the Prince's secret operative and instructed his men to find any compromising information and eliminate her if necessary.
