Ripe Town Episode 12 (Ending) Recap
> Ripe Town Recap
After You Er joined Lu Zhi's revenge plan team, they began to discuss how to divide the property. Burning down the Lu family and letting a servant inherit the estate would raise suspicions, and it would be difficult to deceive the authorities. Lu Zhi said he had a way to deal with this situation. The real challenge was how to keep the Lu family members safely in the Lu residence, even when a big fire broke out.
Liu Seventeen, a seasoned traveler, brought out Mandala powder from Lingnan. Its flowers were poisonous and could cause drowsiness. You Er suggested putting it in the Eight Treasure Congee, and the taste could be masked with yellow wine and mutton fat. Soon after, a massive fire turned the Lu estate into ashes.
Xue Xiaolian inquired about Lu Buyou's situation. Qu Sangeng mentioned that Lu Buyou was currently at the yamen, serving as County Magistrate Wei.
Twenty years ago, Lu Buyou was in a curious phase, always feeling that the head steward, Lu Zhong, was mysterious. One day, he sneaked into Lu Zhong's yard and found a dry well. When he descended into the well, it was pitch dark, so he hastily left.
On the day Lu Zhi executed the arson plan, Xiao Baozi was playing at the Lu residence. After the Lu family finished eating, Lu Buyou brought a portion for Xiao Baozi. While Xiao Baozi was eating, the effects of the drug took hold, causing him to fall into a deep slumber. Chen Wang was tasked with killing Lu Buyou. When Xiao Baozi went outside to fetch water, Chen Wang entered the room. Seeing that Lu Buyou was still very young, he couldn't bring himself to harm him. Instead, he waited for a big fire to consume him and then left the room.
After the fire spread, Xiao Baozi woke up Lu Buyou. They both escaped the room. Xiao Baozi intended to hide Lu Buyou in the dry well in Lu Zhong's yard and went to find a rope. Lu Buyou waited in Lu Zhong's yard and suddenly saw Lu Zhi and Lu Zhong entering the yard. After a brief conversation, Lu Zhi fatally stabbed Lu Zhong.
As night fell, Qu Tianming, the night watchman, passed by and was killed by the colluding Leng Wuji. This led to the innocent deaths of the Lu family.
After the fire, Lu Zhi presented a forged will and took over Lu Yuanbao's share in the Hongshun Weaving Workshop. Zhao Jurén quickly saw through Lu Zhi's scheme but was in debt to Lu Yuanbao for five thousand taels of silver. If exposed by Lu Zhi, it would lead to a lawsuit, so Zhao Jurén had no choice but to cooperate.
Lu Zhi took Lu Jinxin's case to court, falsely accusing him of coveting Lu Yuanbao's wealth and causing his death. The slaves reporting on their masters would inevitably receive a severe beating, but Leng Wuji had tampered with the punishments. The beatings were loud but not harmful. Lu Zhi promised to help Lin Siniang redeem herself after their plan succeeded.
According to the original plan, they were to go into hiding in another region for three years and then return to Du County with new identities to control the substantial wealth. However, Chen Wang disagreed. He had endured for many years and finally had an opportunity to rise, and he didn't want to miss it. Moreover, his mother was elderly, and going into hiding for three years might mean he wouldn't see her again.
What concerned Lu Zhi was that Chen Wang couldn't keep the secret and started frequenting the gambling dens with the money. To avoid any potential complications, Lu Zhi decided to eliminate Chen Wang and disposed of his body in the river.
Qu Sangeng, driven by his desire for revenge against Leng Wuji, knew he couldn't take down County Magistrate Wei on his own, and not even Song Chen could touch him. So, he didn't inform Song Chen after receiving the note. Instead, he secretly discussed the matter with Xue Jurén. He planned to draw out the guards during their shift change, allowing Xue Jurén to make a grand exit, with the expectation that the highly skilled Lü Sanding would be sent to tail him. During that time, he would deploy some of his fellow squad members. When the guards' vigilance slackened, Lü Xiyuan would infiltrate the yamen and assassinate County Magistrate Wei.
In the evening, County Magistrate Wei approached Song Chen and mentioned the injustice that Song Chen had suffered. After their conversation, Song Chen realized that County Magistrate Wei was much more intricate than he seemed. County Magistrate Wei hinted that the truth about the recent series of murders would be revealed the next day and asked Song Chen to uphold justice impartially.
Song Chen was quite intelligent and had figured out the truth behind the matter, so he had Qu Sangeng brought back and confirmed the story. Then, he had Qu Sangeng detained and led a team to protect County Magistrate Wei.
County Magistrate Wei had prepared himself for an assassination attempt, and Song Chen, along with his team, entered County Magistrate Wei's room, forcibly moving him. Subsequently, an assassin tried to attack County Magistrate Wei but was caught by a trap set in advance.
Just when everyone thought the assassin had been captured, as they left the room in groups, Lü Seventeen suddenly appeared from the eaves and used a throwing dart to attack the constables, injuring Song Chen as well. Lü Seventeen ultimately aimed at County Magistrate Wei, who drew a handgun from his pocket and shot Lü Seventeen, killing him on the spot. County Magistrate Wei, having sustained minor injuries, survived.
Song Chen tragically died, leading Qu Sangeng to blame himself for unnecessarily adding more victims while seeking revenge against Leng Wuji. Gao Shicong analyzed that wallowing in self-blame wouldn't help, and with County Magistrate Wei and Xue Jurén mutually constraining each other, neither could take the upper hand. On the other hand, Qu Sangeng, who had various pieces of evidence, was in a better position. It was time to decide which side to support.
Qu Sangeng fabricated a fire ticket and took it to the Lord of the Gao Court. It was revealed that Niu Buyan had been brought out of Xue Jurén's mansion, and Niu Buyan confessed to the events from years ago. Therefore, Qu Sangeng, accompanied by a group of constables, apprehended Xue Jurén. County Magistrate Wei stood next to Xue Jurén and inquired whether he still remembered the incident involving Little Baozi from the past.
In reality, during the big fire, Lu Buyou had sacrificed himself to save Little Baozi. He shielded him from falling debris and perished in the fire. Little Baozi hid in a secret well and found Lu Zhong's records of the entire incident and the estate. This prompted his determination to avenge Lu Buyou.
After two decades of planning, Little Baozi became County Magistrate Wei and finally avenged Lu Buyou. Xue Jurén asked County Magistrate Wei how he had learned about the secrets of Wang Fuzi and Cheng Yizhi. County Magistrate Wei whispered something to Xue Jurén, and the two burst into laughter. Then, Xue Jurén drew a dagger and stabbed County Magistrate Wei, then proceeded to cut his own throat.
Before dying, County Magistrate Wei, with his last breath, asked everyone, "Have you ever tried buttered snails?"
Twenty years ago, both of them were just children. During their first meeting, Lu Zhi gave Little Baozi a bag of buttered snails. They became close friends, and now, both lay in a pool of blood, two unfortunate children who only wanted to change their fate...
Related Posts
