Maiden Holmes Episode 31 Recap
> Maiden Holmes Recap
Su Ci, though physically weak, insisted on going to the main hall to help Prince Qi, who was being accused of conspiracy by Prince Yun. Her companions tried to stop her, but she was determined not to stand by while he was being framed. Inside the hall, Officer Liu, the Lead Officer of Mingjing Office, presented his findings to the Emperor and Empress Dowager.
He described how the fireworks for the banquet contained a highly potent poison called Udumbara, capable of harming the lungs and causing widespread death if released. He then attempted to link Prince Qi to the poison by recalling that Prince Qi's confidant, Jiang Xiwen, was suspected of killing a craftsman named Tian Yong, who had been repairing a warehouse storing this very Udumbara poison. Officer Liu suggested that Jiang Xiwen's subsequent suicide was a desperate attempt to silence him.
He further implicated Prince Qi by stating that the warehouse's owner, Sha Du, was also murdered, and Prince Qi was present at the crime scene. Officer Liu concluded that Prince Qi was the mastermind behind the fireworks incident. The Empress Dowager expressed outrage, deeming it an act of rebellion. Just then, Su Ci arrived, boldly declaring that Prince Qi was not the mastermind. She identified herself as Su Ci from the Mingjing Office and accused Officer Liu instead.
She explained that she had found several craftsmen from the Production Bureau who had also been poisoned by Udumbara while making the final firework. Su Ci suspected someone intentionally orchestrated a major conspiracy and that Officer Liu had deliberately sent her away to Zhushui Village on a fabricated water pollution incident.
She revealed that the poisoning in Zhushui Village was actually caused by the non-fatal thunder duke vine, not Udumbara, proving Officer Liu had known the truth before officially reporting it. She then asked Officer Liu to show his right wrist, explaining that Udumbara poisoning leaves a distinctive red line there after five days.
Officer Liu initially feigned an ailment, attributing a sulfur smell on him to medicine for scabies, but Su Ci countered that the smell was likely from him mixing the poisonous powder in the Production Bureau. A eunuch then confirmed the presence of the red line on Officer Liu's wrist. Cornered, Officer Liu, whose real name was Bai Jing, confessed to being the culprit.
He admitted to being a member of the Bai Liang Clan, fostered since childhood, which allowed him to escape the annihilation of his entire clan. He expressed his deep hatred for the current regime, whom he believed treated human lives as mere trifles and had unjustly exterminated his clan based on a flimsy accusation of rebellion and the murder of the late emperor.
In a sudden move, he drew his sword, feigning to take Su Ci hostage while actually attempting to strike the Emperor. He whispered to Su Ci, addressing her as "Yian," to "beware of Prince Yun." Prince Yun then seized the opportunity, exposing Su Ci as Bai Yian, the long-lost daughter of the Bai Liang clan leader, and accusing Prince Qi of harboring her and helping her become an official.
He claimed they had meticulously planned the fireworks rebellion together and demanded their immediate execution. Prince Qi, however, requested to prove his innocence. He revealed that the "dead" craftsmen from the prison were actually fakes, and the real ones had been secretly held by the Emperor as part of a joint plan to lure out the true mastermind.
The Emperor confirmed this, explaining they had discovered the missing poison beforehand, taken precautions with the fireworks' ignition, and secretly positioned guards to catch the culprit. As the situation unraveled, Prince Yun panicked and tried to shift the blame back to Prince Qi. He claimed Prince Qi had kidnapped his maid. However, Prince Qi brought forward three craftsmen who identified Prince Yun's maid as the one who had attempted to poison them in prison.
Su Ci then took the stand, confirming her identity as Bai Yian and reiterating her personal mission to uncover the truth behind the Bai Liang clan's destruction and the late emperor's death. She revealed that Prince Yun had sent a "suicide squad" to put poison into the washing water used for the Bai Liang brocades in the Laundry Bureau. Dong Rushuang presented a confession letter from a surviving member of that squad, detailing Prince Yun's actions.
Su Ci further exposed that the original "conspiracy letter" that condemned the Bai Liang clan was fake, forged by Lei Zheng, Prince Yun's subordinate, who had employed a skilled student named Li Mu to imitate the handwriting. Su Ci then revealed the true cause of the late emperor's death. The poison placed on the Bai Liang brocades was chronic, causing gradual weakening.
However, Prince Yun, aware that the Empress Dowager was seeking tonic for the late emperor, mixed a powerful "catalyst" into the tonic she provided. When the late emperor consumed this fortified tonic, the catalyst triggered the poison's full effect, leading to his sudden demise. The Empress Dowager was devastated, blaming herself for inadvertently contributing to the late emperor's death. Prince Yun, still defiant, continued to accuse Prince Qi and Su Ci of framing him.
Prince Qi then brought forth evidence of Prince Yun's greater treachery: his collusion with foreign enemies during the Battle of Honggu. Prince Qi revealed that Prince Yun had commanded the former Minister of War, Liang Feng, to cut down vital bridges, preventing reinforcements and leading to the tragic deaths of General Zhang Yuhua and thousands of Liang Dynasty soldiers who were trapped in Honggu.
Prince Qi produced a blood letter from General Zhang as proof, vowing to seek justice for the fallen. Suddenly, shouts and chaos erupted from outside the main hall. Prince Yun, unable to contain his ambition, brazenly declared that his army had surrounded the palace. He then publicly strangled a dissenting minister, ordering everyone to submit to him as he proclaimed his intent to seize the throne and rewrite history.
He confessed to assassinating the late emperor seven years prior but admitted that he had always feared Prince Qi because the late emperor had entrusted him with military authority. He further accused the current Emperor of being disobedient and admitted to using disaster relief funds to build his private army because he believed he, not the Emperor, was the true future of the Liang Dynasty. Just then, Xie Beiming unexpectedly arrived with his troops, much to Dong Rushuang's surprise.
