Overlord Episode 2 Recap
> Overlord Recap
Li Zhao, in his capacity as the Envoy of Salt and Iron Bureau, arrived in Silver City to address the recent tax loopholes in Jiannan Dao. Du Changfeng, the Silver City Commissioner, extended a warm welcome, with his daughter Du Xiaoxian assigned to oversee Li Zhao's daily arrangements. However, Li Zhao's true interest lay elsewhere. Meanwhile, Wu Lin had investigated the identities of Long Aoyi and Li Qingliu.
Wu Lin informed Li Zhao that Long Aoyi was the new, influential master of the Longzhu Gang. Li Qingliu, the head of Xinsilu Silk Store—the largest and most prominent business in Silver City—was renowned for his shrewd business acumen, making him Silver City's wealthiest silk merchant and a target of many women's affections. Yet, he was rumored to avoid female company due to a peculiar illness that caused him dizziness when women were too close.
Wu Lin also reported that Long Aoyi's parents were unknown, but she resided with her master, Feng, at Wuyun Pavilion, a place Li Zhao himself frequented. At the same time, the Snake Gang faced internal turmoil as their silkworm collection outlets were seized by Second Master Lyu of the Longzhu Gang. Qiyan was enraged and ordered his men to reclaim the lost territories, berating them for their previous defeat. Yan Bin reported to Li Qingliu that Long Aoyi remained elusive.
Li Qingliu reflected on how Long Aoyi had previously tricked him and absconded with his money and a valuable token, a feat she could only accomplish due to his unique illness. Later, Xinsilu Silk Store received news that a shipment of gold threads from Quanzhou had arrived at the quay and was awaiting inspection. However, during the customs clearance, the gold threads, worth 90,000 taels of silver in raw materials alone, mysteriously vanished.
Du Xiaoxian suggested reporting the theft, but Li Qingliu believed it would only prompt the thieves to hide the threads more securely. He instructed Yan Bin to investigate the theft, pinpointing the two hours after the threads arrived at the quay as the most likely time, given they were under official escort until then. He also tasked Du Xiaoxian with contacting the Persian merchant to request a delay in the delivery.
Yan Bin found a piece of rough cloth at the scene, identified by Li Qingliu as typical of the lower class and likely an inner garment of the thief, who was probably not tall. Li Qingliu took the piece of cloth to a textile shop in Southern City. The stammering shopkeeper mentioned that the fabric had been purchased by the "master" of Wuyun Pavilion. Li Qingliu misinterpreted this as the "head showgirl" of the notorious brothel.
Yan Bin offered to apprehend her directly, but Li Qingliu dispatched him to investigate the black market trading spots of the lower class, while he would confront the "head showgirl" himself at Wuyun Pavilion. Unwilling to enter through the main entrance of such an establishment, Li Qingliu clandestinely entered Wuyun Pavilion. Unbeknownst to him, Xiaoqin, Long Aoyi's maid, had innocently hung a courtesan's sign on Long Aoyi's door.
This led Li Qingliu to mistakenly enter Long Aoyi's room, where he discovered her bathing. He quickly averted his gaze, holding his breath, and attempted to retreat discreetly. However, Feng, the madam of Wuyun Pavilion, noticed Li Qingliu. Impressed by his striking appearance, she cornered him and began questioning him, then pulled him into a room to select a "head showgirl." Li Qingliu was unimpressed by the women presented.
Finally, Feng brought in Long Aoyi, which immediately ignited a heated argument between the two. Long Aoyi accused Li Qingliu of being an arrogant "pervert" and a womanizer who visited Southern City's pleasure quarter. Li Qingliu, in turn, branded her a thief and demanded the return of his stolen gold threads, citing evidence linking her to the theft. Long Aoyi vehemently denied the accusations, asserting her innocence.
As their quarrel escalated, Feng and the other women, hearing Long Aoyi's cries for help, burst into the room to protect her. Surrounded by more than a dozen women, a startled and anxious Li Qingliu, abandoning the argument, fled by jumping out the window. While Li Qingliu was upstairs, Yan Bin questioned Xiaoqin about where illicit goods were traded. Offended by his condescending attitude toward Southern City, Xiaoqin responded sarcastically.
When Yan Bin tried to appease her by complimenting her looks, she became even angrier, accusing him of being a smooth-talking womanizer no different from the brothel's patrons. Before kicking him and storming off, she told him about the "big bazar," a major black market. Du Changfeng, despite his regional power, recognized the necessity of maintaining imperial favor.
He requested Du Xiaoxian's assistance in hosting Li Zhao, a duty she accepted, though expressing discomfort with the ceremonial red attire for an official banquet. That evening, at the grand welcoming feast for Li Zhao, the prince inquired about the declining tax revenue from Silver City, given its burgeoning economy. Du Changfeng, with cunning eloquence, attributed the decrease to rampant tax resistance among the lower class and evasion by affluent merchants, deftly avoiding personal responsibility.
He proposed cracking down on prominent merchants to set an example, and severely punishing the lower class through legal means. Li Zhao then commented on the vibrant yet orderly Southern City, and its fabled female gang leader, which Du Changfeng dismissed as inconsequential lower-class mischief. Du Xiaoxian, leveraging her position at Xinsilu, offered to guide Li Zhao through the city to understand local life, a proposition Li Zhao praised for her ambition.
While touring, Li Zhao showed interest in the "big bazar" in Southern City, a known hub for the lower class. Du Xiaoxian cautioned him against visiting such a chaotic place. Feigning other commitments, Li Zhao had Wu Lin escort Du Xiaoxian back, allowing him to pursue his own agenda, which included locating Long Aoyi. Acting on the information from Xiaoqin, Li Qingliu planned to visit the black market.
Separately, Long Aoyi attended the black market auction on Feng's instructions to bid on a rare item. There, she encountered Li Qingliu again. He called out to her, offering a valuable tongue depressor as a "token of forgiveness" for their previous misunderstanding. Long Aoyi accepted the seemingly valuable gift, then tried to shake off Li Qingliu and Yan Bin with Xiaoqin. However, Li Qingliu had discreetly applied silk glands of noctuid to the tongue depressor, allowing him to track them.
He followed Long Aoyi to the black market auction, much to her annoyance. Li Zhao also arrived at the black market, where Wu Lin alerted him to the smell of pepper. During the auction, Yan Bin discovered that the final, prized item was the stolen gold threads and intended to seize them. Li Qingliu, however, instructed him to avoid commotion and instead purchase the threads.
Noticing members of the Snake Gang, Long Aoyi quickly hid, and Li Zhao, seeing her predicament, helped her conceal herself. They introduced themselves, with Long Aoyi proudly stating she was the master of Silver City's largest gang, known for protecting silkworm farmers and upholding justice. Li Zhao acknowledged her reputation, having heard of her impressive performance at the Wanhua gambling house.
As an antique iron crown, once belonging to Mrs. Xian of the Liang Dynasty—renowned as the No. 1 female general of China—was put up for auction, Li Zhao considered buying it for Long Aoyi, feeling it suited her strong character. But Wu Lin's urgent detection of pepper's scent prompted Li Zhao to hastily depart, leaving Long Aoyi bewildered. The final item, the gold threads, was announced as a "blind bid" to avoid drawing official attention.
Li Qingliu and Long Aoyi plunged into a fierce bidding war. Li Qingliu opened with 20 taels, Long Aoyi countered with 40, then 50. Li Qingliu escalated to 500 taels. Long Aoyi, in an attempt to rattle him, publicly questioned his visits to brothels given his reported aversion to women, implying he was effeminate. Li Qingliu remained unfazed. Long Aoyi then bid 1,000 taels, but Xiaoqin whispered that they only had 500 taels available.
Undeterred, Long Aoyi defiantly bid 5,001 taels, adding just one tael to Li Qingliu's previous 5,000 taels. Li Qingliu decisively raised the bid to 10,000 taels, a sum Long Aoyi could not match. Li Qingliu won the gold threads. After securing the item, Li Qingliu's men confirmed that the rough fabric found at the theft site matched the uniform of the Longzhu Gang.
Li Qingliu realized that Long Aoyi's persistent antagonism—from the incident at Wanhua and the confrontation at Wuyun Pavilion to their current bidding war—was a deliberate act of retribution. Yan Bin prepared to report the crime to the authorities, but Li Qingliu, prioritizing strategy, ordered to capture the gang leader first to dismantle the organization.
