Maiden Holmes Episode 29 Recap
> Maiden Holmes Recap
Fei Yuan was distraught upon discovering Jiang Xiwen dead in his prison cell, having cut his wrist with a broken porcelain piece. He tearfully reported this to Prince Yun, expressing anger towards Officer Liu, the lead officer, who maintained that Jiang Xiwen, having assassinated Tian Yong, committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Prince Yun, infuriated by Jiang Xiwen's death in the Mingjing Office, questioned Officer Liu extensively about the Tian Yong case.
Officer Liu claimed there was ample evidence, citing Tian Yong's previous harassment of Song Yao as the motive, leading Jiang Xiwen to kill him accidentally on impulse. However, Officer Liu could not produce the murder weapon and admitted that while Jiang Xiwen's jade pendant was found on Tian Yong, its presence there had not been investigated.
Prince Yun condemned the Mingjing Office for its incompetence, declaring that his subordinates would only die honorably on the battlefield, not inexplicably in a prison cell. He vowed to investigate the case thoroughly and punish any misfeasance. Pei Yanzhi was overcome with grief upon seeing Jiang Xiwen's military uniform. He recalled Jiang Xiwen as his brother-in-arms, who had protected him during the Battle of Honggu when they were surrounded by enemies, fighting together through life and death.
He lamented that despite surviving the war, Jiang Xiwen met such an end. Su Ci, seeing Pei Yanzhi's sorrow, was also heartbroken and felt regret for not discovering the truth sooner. She swore to investigate the case thoroughly, ensuring Jiang Xiwen's death would not be in vain. Su Ci then suggested to Pei Yanzhi that Jiang Xiwen might have confessed to protect Song Yao.
Song Yao, whom Su Ci suspected Jiang Xiwen was protecting, came before Prince Yun, pleading for justice for Jiang Xiwen. She tearfully admitted that Jiang Xiwen's predicament was her fault because he was protecting her. She recounted an incident where Tian Yong had harassed her in her shop. Jiang Xiwen intervened, severely beating Tian Yong. Song Yao tried to stop him, fearing he would kill Tian Yong, and expressed concern that Jiang Xiwen would ruin his future for her.
Jiang Xiwen, however, insisted on beating Tian Yong to death and revealed his desire to marry Song Yao openly, believing Prince Yun would understand their relationship despite societal views. Song Yao concluded that Jiang Xiwen must have confessed to protect her reputation. However, the truth was that Tian Yong had run away after taking Jiang Xiwen's jade pendant, and Jiang Xiwen had not killed him; Prince Yun and Li Yu were manipulating events behind the scenes.
Prince Yun ordered Liu Yu to escort Song Yao away to rest. Pei Yanzhi, finding Jiang Xiwen holding his military medallion, understood it as a cryptic message: recalling a conversation with a captured spy, he realized Jiang Xiwen was trying to alert him that someone intended to harm him. This solidified Pei Yanzhi's resolve to find the truth and bring justice for Jiang Xiwen.
Su Ci and Dong Rushuang re-examined Tian Yong's body, noting a mixture of pink and gold powder on his face and in his fingernails. They identified it as a unique type of rouge made by Song Yao, which contained fine gold powder and was exclusive to the capital. They concluded that the killer's martial arts skills must be formidable, given the clean single strike that killed Tian Yong.
They also determined that the initial location mentioned in the case file was not the true crime scene. Questioning Tian Yong's wife, they learned that he had recently been in financial straits and had repeatedly spoken of valuable items hidden in a warehouse he had repaired in the eastern suburb, specifically under Qing Shan. The group, including Su Ci, Pei Yanzhi, Dong Rushuang, and Xie Beiming, visited the warehouse in the eastern suburb.
Inside, they found a pot of flour, which Su Ci realized matched the powder found on Tian Yong, confirming his presence there before his death. They found it peculiar that such a heavily renovated warehouse, for which Tian Yong was paid handsomely, would only contain flour. They observed marks on the floor indicating two storage jars had been recently moved.
Dong Rushuang discovered a large number of dead bugs and collected them, theorizing they died from contact with something in the removed jars. Pei Yanzhi pointed out the warehouse's unusual construction: two layers of lime with a layer of dry sand in between on the walls, and another layer of lime under the floor, indicating exceptional damp-proofing, and the door was sturdier than a normal one.
This suggested the warehouse was no ordinary storage facility, explaining Tian Yong's belief it contained valuables. Pei Yanzhi decided to investigate the owner of the warehouse. Dong Rushuang, tirelessly researching the bugs, confirmed they contained a potent and lethal poison, fatal in even small amounts.
The Mingjing Office delivered copies of granary deeds, revealing the warehouse belonged to Sha Du, a notorious figure in illegal businesses who had been killed due to the relief fund scandal, though the true mastermind remained at large. It became clear that the warehouse was used for storing large quantities of poison for black market dealings, indicating a massive conspiracy. Xie Beiming immediately alerted everyone in Feiyun Manor to search for any clues regarding the poison's whereabouts.
During her research, Dong Rushuang, perhaps inadvertently, tasted some of the poison, confirming its toxicity. She identified one of its components as "Red Widow," a rare and poisonous scorpion from the Western Regions. The poison, she explained, was a rare and deadly concoction called Udumbara, derived from a poisonous Western Regions flower, enhanced with Red Widow scorpion tails and gallstones from a male goat.
She noted that initial symptoms resembled a cough, with a distinct red line appearing on the wrist after five days. Despite no recorded antidote, Dong Rushuang vowed to dedicate herself to developing one. Prince Yun furiously confronted Xie Beiming, angered by his ignorance regarding Su Ci's identity as a Bai Liang Clan remnant, and accused him of conspiring with Pei Yanzhi. Xie Beiming denied the accusation, vowing loyalty to Prince Yun, his foster father.
Prince Yun, emphasizing Xie Beiming's importance as his godson, warned him against betrayal and tasked him with a significant undertaking at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet in three days, promising a grand surprise for Pei Yanzhi and Su Ci. Su Ci received an invitation to the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, a long-cherished dream. She yearned to attend, hoping to expose Prince Yun's true nature before the Emperor and all officials and unveil the truth of past events.
Pei Yanzhi, concerned about unforeseen dangers, was hesitant for her to go but ultimately promised to stand by her, no matter her decision. Su Ci expressed sadness that Tian Yong's killer remained at large and Jiang Xiwen's name unclarified, but Pei Yanzhi reassured her that justice would soon prevail.
When Su Ci asked what Pei Yanzhi would want to do once all these tribulations were over, he declared he would always be by her side, following her wherever she went and supporting her in whatever she did. Su Ci playfully replied that she would do nothing, to which Pei Yanzhi revealed his own important plan: to ask the Emperor to grant them a marriage.
