Maiden Holmes Episode 18 Recap
> Maiden Holmes Recap
Following her collapse, Princess Yunchuan’s maid, Little Yue, was found to have been poisoned, though her symptoms were not identical to the princess’s. Meanwhile, Su Ci, having confirmed the time was right, prompted Prince Shuomu to act. Prince Shuomu publicly announced that Princess Yunchuan had largely recovered thanks to Dong Rushuang’s excellent medical skills. He added that in two days, after the marriage with Prince Qi was settled, the delegation would depart for Beirong.
When Che Yan inquired about the culprit, Prince Shuomu stated his intention to avoid further complications, believing a scapegoat would suffice to resolve the matter and allow them to focus on their mission, with other issues to be addressed upon their return. To lure out the true culprit, Su Ci posed as the princess in her chambers, with the real Princess Yunchuan having been moved to a secure location for treatment.
Pei Yanzhi stayed with Su Ci to protect her, urging her to drink a tonic prepared by Dong Rushuang. When Su Ci noticed a figure outside, she began to play the guqin. The sound drew the observer away, as the real princess was known to be unmusical. Later that night, a masked assailant infiltrated the room. As the attacker moved to strike, Pei Yanzhi intervened, unmasking the man and revealing him to be Che Yan.
While Xie Beiming assisted her, Dong Rushuang continued to analyze Princess Yunchuan's blood sample. After two days of sedimentation, she successfully separated the toxins for a more precise analysis, but discovered a concerning anomaly and rushed out. Elsewhere, Prince Shuomu confronted Che Yan, whom he considered a brother, about his betrayal. Che Yan confessed that he was coerced by Nuo Hu, the pro-war leader in their court, who threatened his family.
Che Yan claimed he had not personally administered the poison but merely followed the orders of a man from Great Liang whose voice he recognized but whose face he had never seen. During this tense revelation, Su Ci, realizing their actions might have alerted the true mastermind, suddenly collapsed. Dong Rushuang immediately attended to Su Ci, confirming that she too had been poisoned, though less severely than the princess.
The toxins, however, had rapidly spread to Su Ci’s Fengchi acupuncture point. Pei Yanzhi urged Su Ci not to push herself, but she insisted they focus on the princess, stating that the chronic poison would not be immediately fatal. Dong Rushuang explained that she had identified two ingredients from the princess’s blood: Huanghuo and Mindu, found in insect-resistant coating and Baili Incense.
She suspected it was the long-lost Four-Drug Soul Reaper, a potent toxin formed only when four interacting substances combine within the body. Exposure to just one ingredient is harmless. Su Ci then remembered handling the princess’s pillow, which contained Bixiang Herb, and feeling dizzy upon smelling it. Su Ci questioned Little Yue about the pillow and a pine guqin in the princess’s room.
Little Yue explained that the princess had adopted the new pillow on the advice of her guqin master, Li Yu, who claimed the Bixiang Herb within it promoted sleep. Little Yue also revealed that Li Yu had personally crafted the new pine guqin for the princess and had volunteered for the position of guqin master just before their departure for Great Liang.
Realizing Li Yu was the prime suspect, Su Ci, Pei Yanzhi, and Prince Shuomu left Dong Rushuang to care for the princess and headed to Li Yu's room. They found it empty, but discovered a delegation reception document bearing the Ministry of Rites seal. Upon learning that Pei Yanzhi had left his confinement, Prince Yun saw an opportunity to accuse him of defying the Emperor.
He immediately went to the palace and invited the Emperor to Prince Qi’s mansion under the pretext of a visit. At the mansion, an attendant stalled by stating Pei Yanzhi was changing, allowing the Emperor to sample various teas, much to Prince Yun’s impatience. Prince Yun accused Pei Yanzhi of defying imperial orders just as he emerged. Su Ci then arrived, identifying herself as a "sinned official" and presenting the document found in Li Yu’s room.
She explained that its unique seal meant few in court would possess such a paper. Prince Yun, suggesting it was a fabrication, proposed scrambling the collected documents, which the Emperor permitted. With her extraordinary eyesight, Su Ci examined the scattered documents. She identified Prince Qi’s by the faint trace of sword polishing grease and Minister Shen’s by traces of ink paste and gold paint.
When she came to Minister Lei Zheng’s document, she noted the ink was not dry and the paper was Kaihua Paper, while all other legitimate documents used Kaihua Bill Paper. Lei Zheng denied it, but Su Ci explained that Kaihua Paper was waterproof. A water test confirmed her claim, revealing Lei Zheng’s document as a forgery. Furious, the Emperor confronted Lei Zheng, who drew his sword and lunged at Su Ci.
Prince Yun swiftly stabbed Lei Zheng from behind, claiming to be protecting the Emperor. Afterward, Prince Yun's subordinate noted that at least Li Yu had escaped capture, preventing a greater loss to their plans. Prince Yun then urgently ordered his subordinate to find a certain person hidden within the court.
