Maiden Holmes Episode 2 Recap
> Maiden Holmes Recap
Pei Zhao attempted to open the handcuffs with a hairpin, while Su Ci provided light with a night-glowing pearl. Their close proximity allowed Pei Zhao to notice a unique fragrance from Su Ci's hair. Feeling a bit embarrassed, Su Ci urged him to concentrate on the lock. After the handcuffs were successfully opened, Pei Zhao forcefully pushed Su Ci out of the deep hole.
Once she was safe, Su Ci worriedly called out, fearing he might abandon her after she had saved his life by giving him air when they were in the water. Pei Zhao then climbed out to join her. Meanwhile, Fei Yuan worried as Xie Beiming remained unconscious. Dong Rushuang took charge, spitting a mouthful of water onto Xie Beiming's face, which immediately revived him.
Disoriented, Xie Beiming confronted her, asking why she poisoned him and awkwardly explaining that he had only removed his clothes earlier because she said she was cold. Dong Rushuang dismissed his rambling, declaring them even since he had knocked her out. As she wiped her face, her glance left Xie Beiming momentarily captivated. Pei Zhao and Su Ci returned to the hut, covered in mud. Inside, Xie Beiming was introduced.
Pei Zhao, using the alias "Pei Zhao," acknowledged Xie Beiming's reputation as the Young Master of Feiyun Manor. Xie Beiming immediately recognized Pei Zhao's true identity as Prince Qi but was subtly stopped by Pei Zhao, who wished to keep his identity hidden from Su Ci. Su Ci then introduced herself as Detective Su Ci from the Mingjing Office, impressing Dong Rushuang, who had heard of the brilliant young detective.
Dong Rushuang clarified that she was not the real bride intended for sacrifice; she had given the actual bride money to escape and had planned to impersonate her to teach the superstitious villagers a lesson by poisoning them, though she hadn't considered an escape plan for herself. Pei Zhao suggested they all stay the night and make plans in the morning. Later, Xie Beiming spoke privately to Pei Zhao, revealing he knew he was Prince Qi and expressing his admiration.
He asked to help solve the case to become a hero like him, and Pei Zhao agreed. While everyone else rested, Su Ci remained awake by the fire, engrossed in a comic book about Prince Qi. Pei Zhao emerged and offered her a roasted pigeon, which she declined. Through keen observation, Su Ci deduced that Pei Zhao's eye injury was sustained on the battlefield, evidenced by the calluses on his fingers from archery.
She correctly inferred his eyes were injured by poisoned arrows during the Fan Yan Na war. Pei Zhao confirmed he was once a captain in Prince Qi's western army. Su Ci, an admirer of Prince Qi, became excited but then criticized Pei Zhao for wasting his potential as a general by acting like an unruly vagabond. This sparked a memory for Pei Zhao of the war's aftermath.
In a flashback, court officials pressured the young Emperor to strip Prince Qi of his command, fearing his military power. Despite some defending him, Prince Qi willingly surrendered his Tiger Tally to quell the dispute. Back in the present, Pei Zhao tested Su Ci by suggesting the stories about Prince Qi might not be true. The next morning, Su Ci announced her intention to investigate alone, but Pei Zhao, Xie Beiming, and Dong Rushuang insisted on joining her.
Xie Beiming later explained to Fei Yuan that while they could investigate independently, following Su Ci, an officer from the Mingjing Office, was more convenient, and they must protect her. Xie Beiming then used his breath-holding technique to dive into the murky water, retrieving several items. Among them, a unique ship plank caught Su Ci's attention. She identified it as a waterproof partition from a ship's bottom.
She explained that while locals claimed the ship was sunk by lightning, a strike would typically hit the mast, not the bottom. The plank also showed burn marks. Pei Zhao detected the scent of gunpowder on it, leading Su Ci to conclude that the "Dragon King Robbery" was a man-made plot. Dong Rushuang was full of admiration for Su Ci's analysis, while a jealous Xie Beiming interjected to remind them his efforts produced the crucial evidence.
The group stopped at an inn for a meal, where Xie Beiming complained about the bland vegetarian dishes. Su Ci reminded him of the dire famine in Qingshui County, where any food was a luxury. Seeing the suffering caused by the missing relief fund, human sacrifices, and price-gouging merchants, Pei Zhao suggested they confront Magistrate Kong, asking Xie Beiming and Dong Rushuang to find food for the villagers.
Su Ci and Pei Zhao met Magistrate Kong, who feigned confidence when Su Ci presented the plank as evidence that the shipwreck was deliberate. She demanded to inspect the salvaged silver boxes. Kong smugly explained he had opened the rock-filled boxes in front of the entire county, claiming only the Dragon King could have taken the silver. However, Su Ci pointed out a fatal flaw: the "Ji" character engraved on the locks used the wrong calligraphy.
The real locks used the Emperor's unique handwriting, proving the boxes were swapped. When Pei Zhao chastised him for neglecting his duties, Magistrate Kong became defiant, dismissing Su Ci's authority and sarcastically telling her to ask the Dragon King for the silver. After the frustrating encounter, Su Ci realized Kong's comment that the silver was "already gone" implied a premeditated swap. Meanwhile, Xie Beiming's plan to use his Feiyun Manor token to summon grain failed, as it would take months.
Dong Rushuang suggested a quicker solution: "borrowing" food from the Hu Mansion, the wealthiest family in town. When the butler refused them, Xie Beiming kicked the door in, leading to a scuffle. During the fight, Dong Rushuang's poison powder accidentally landed on Xie Beiming's lips. Confused, he asked when he would faint, only for his lips to swell grotesquely. The terrified butler, witnessing this, quickly agreed to provide the grain.
Dong Rushuang left an IOU for Feiyun Manor and added a large sum of money as "medical fees" for the guards, cementing her and Xie Beiming's new partnership to "rob the rich and help the poor." Su Ci deduced that the dredging boat, which had direct contact with the salvaged boxes, must hold clues. She and Pei Zhao investigated it, where Su Ci spotted two distinct waterlines on the hull.
She realized the boat must have returned to shore carrying a load double the weight of the silver—meaning it held both the boxes of rocks and the real silver. This created the first deep waterline. After the rocks were publicly unloaded, the silver was secretly left on board overnight, creating a second, slightly higher waterline. This discovery proved that Magistrate Kong had used the dredging operation to not only retrieve the fake cargo but also to transport the stolen silver.
Convinced, Su Ci wanted to confront Magistrate Kong immediately, but Pei Zhao cautioned her that they needed irrefutable proof first. On their way back, they were ambushed by skilled assailants. The glare from the blades affected Pei Zhao's vision, and Su Ci was injured shielding him, twisting her ankle. Pei Zhao carried her back to the inn, and with his impaired vision and her sprained ankle, she acted as his eyes, guiding him.
Back at the inn, Fei Yuan was torn on who to treat first before tending to both. After his eyes were treated, Pei Zhao took medicine for Su Ci's ankle to her room. As he approached, he heard loud noises from inside and rushed in.
