Resumo do episódio 22 de Zhan Zhao Adventures
> Resumos de Zhan Zhao Adventures
Zhan Zhao saw right through Bai Yutang, who was keeping his eyes closed and pretending to be asleep. He brought up the case of Jin Xue Wen once more, asserting that there must be hidden truths beneath the surface. He argued that while Jin Xue Wen’s claim of gathering medicinal herbs at night sounded absurd, if he had truly intended to lie, he would not have concocted such a clumsy and easily refuted excuse.
Zhan Zhao even asked Bai Yutang, given his medical knowledge, if there were any herbs that actually required harvesting in the hills at night. However, Bai Yutang remained deeply dispirited and ignored his words, refusing to even open his eyes. Feeling helpless, Zhan Zhao departed. Upon stepping outside, he learned that Huo Linglong had already left for Linglong Manor with her brother, Huo Feng. On her journey back, Huo Linglong was consumed by doubts.
She recalled how her aunt’s body had been brought back and hurriedly buried within a single day. At the time, the family claimed it was out of fear of the plague, but she now realized they only wanted to suppress the growing whispers and protect the family's reputation. She sensed her father was hiding something, and she was deeply disappointed that even her upright brother, Huo Feng, supported this decision.
In their eyes, the prestige of Linglong Manor was far more important than her aunt’s life. Zhan Zhao headed to the ruined residence in Huaihua Lane alone. Searching through the debris, he discovered a torn scrap of paper with the name "Jin Yue Wen" faintly visible on it. Meanwhile, Si Ming summoned Shao Ji Zu to discuss the investigation of the Zhongxiao Court case in the capital.
Since the incident had occurred within the jurisdiction of Xiangzhou, Si Ming instructed him to personally write a memorial to apologize, regardless of the outcome of the case. Shao Ji Zu, elated by Huo Linglong's departure, believed their wedding was drawing near and that she would no longer interfere with their master's affairs.
At the inn, Ming Zhu Er and Zhao Zhi Er wanted to search for Huo Linglong, but Zhan Zhao stopped them, explaining that the only way to bring her back was to get to the bottom of the case first. Before dawn, unable to cope with his inner turmoil, Bai Yutang slipped away from the inn. Zhan Zhao took Zhao Zhi Er and Ming Zhu Er into the mountains to track Bai Yutang.
Along the way, they encountered a local hunter who had lived there for over twenty years.
When asked if anything unusual had happened fifteen years ago around the Double Ninth Festival, the hunter recalled that although the plague was rampant at the time, a pair of reckless lovers had defied the government's ban to tryst in the pavilion at Flying Petals Col. Though the search yielded no immediate sign of Bai Yutang, they returned to the inn, where the innkeeper handed Zhan Zhao a letter left by Huo Linglong.
Ultimately, Huo Linglong decided to return and face her fears to find the truth for her aunt, choosing to team up with Zhan Zhao once again. Zhan Zhao tracked Bai Yutang down by a creek in the outskirts. He confronted him sternly, demanding that he stop running away like a coward and instead take responsibility to uncover the truth of what happened fifteen years ago. Provoked and angry, Bai Yutang plunged into the deep water.
Overcoming his lifelong terror of drowning, memories of his older brother teaching him calligraphy flashed through his mind. He finally conquered his fear and broke through the water’s surface, where Zhan Zhao reached out and pulled him back onto the shore. The group returned to the victim's house to examine the crime scene.
Huo Linglong pointed out that the cedar furniture was suspicious, as her aunt was severely allergic to cedar wood and would never have owned it, indicating the original furniture was replaced after the murder. They also discovered fluid, expert sword marks on the door frame, proving that a martial arts master—a third person—was present on the night of the crime, as neither the scholar Jin Xue Wen nor her young aunt could have left such marks.
Knowing they needed the official records, they planned to retrieve the case files. That night, the county office storehouse caught fire in an obvious attempt by the magistrate to destroy the evidence. Fortunately, Bai Yutang acted swiftly and managed to rescue the case files from the fire. As they reviewed the retrieved files overnight, they noticed a significant discrepancy. While the content of the confession matched his brother's hand, the handwriting of the signature "Jin Yue Wen" did not.
His brother had always taken pride in his elegant handwriting, making the strokes of his characters exceptionally long, unlike the poorly written signature on the document, suggesting it was forged or written under duress. The files also contained three critical testimonies from the original trial.
First, the Jin family butler, Xu An, testified that Jin Xue Wen frequently harassed Huo Linglong's aunt, though Jin Xue Wen had argued he only spoke to her because she seemed to be in trouble and had no ill intent. Second, Mrs. Jiao and her two maids testified that they saw Jin Xue Wen enter the neighboring courtyard on the night of the murder.
Lastly, Jin Xue Wen had maintained his innocence, claiming he was in Flying Petals Col gathering herbs all night and had witnessed Tang Ji of the Tang Sect trysting with a veiled woman in white at Chunxin Pavilion. However, Tang Ji had vehemently denied ever being there or seeing Jin Xue Wen. Huo Linglong suggested questioning Mrs. Jiao again, but Zhan Zhao realized Tang Ji was the real key. Recalling the hunter’s story, the group went back to consult him.
The hunter confirmed that the woman who frequently met the man at the pavilion always wore a white dress embroidered with flower petals resembling the fallen blossoms of Flying Petals Col. Bai Yutang realized Tang Ji had lied in court to keep his affair a secret, and finding this woman in white was the only way to shatter his false testimony.
Furthermore, to prove Jin Xue Wen was telling the truth about gathering herbs, they decided to return to the old Jin residence to examine his medical books for any plants that could only be harvested at night. Among the dusty books, Bai Yutang was reminded of his childhood, when his brother, Jin Xue Wen, would gently scold him for neglecting his studies and encourage him to practice his writing for the upcoming Suwen Assembly.
