Riverside Code at Qingming Festival Episode 12 Recap
> Riverside Code at Qingming Festival Recap
Zhang Qiniang held Wen Yue captive in the mansion, ordering her guard to treat Wen Yue well while she was a prisoner. Zhang Qiniang's true goal was to force Zhao Buyou to quickly uncover the truth of the Hat Demon case. Meanwhile, Zhao Buyou, along with Mo and Ban, began assembling a large Hat Demon figure, discussing how to fan the fire to make it rise.
Zhang Qiniang had learned that Chun Xi and Sun Bo were the ones behind the Hat Demon incidents. She kept Wen Yue bound and under strict guard. Zhang Qiniang plotted with her allies in the capital, including Zou Mian, to use the Hat Demon incident as a cover for a large-scale scheme.
She planned to exploit her connections within the Imperial Guard Department to seize Chun Xi from Kaifeng Court custody, use Chun Xi as bait to lure Sun Bo, and then force him to create another Hat Demon scenario. Her ultimate goal was to take ownership of all the properties in the capital. Zhang Qiniang sent a killer to eliminate Wen Yue. Wen Yue fought back, managing to grab the killer's knife and cut her ropes.
As the killer recovered, they engaged in a fierce struggle. Worried Zhang Qiniang would silence Wen Yue, Zhao Buyou went to the Zhang Mansion demanding her release but was forcibly removed by the guards. Realizing direct confrontation wouldn't work, Zhao Buyou enlisted Mo and Ban to finalize their Hat Demon creation. Their plan was to use the Hat Demon as a diversion to draw attention away from Zhang Qiniang's mansion, allowing him to rescue Wen Yue during the ensuing chaos.
Zhao Buyou watched as the Hat Demon, propelled by the fire starters, slowly ascended into the air. He immediately headed towards the Zhang Mansion. At the same time, Wan Fu arrived with Kaifeng Court officers, ostensibly to capture the Hat Demon, but secretly planning to rescue Wen Yue, Chun Xi, and Sun Bo. The mansion guards blocked their entry, leading to a tense standoff. Suddenly, the Hat Demon appeared soaring above the Zhang Mansion, causing immediate panic.
Guards scattered in terror, and Wan Fu ordered his men to storm the mansion. Amidst the confusion, Zhao Buyou slipped inside to find Wen Yue. Wen Yue was locked in a desperate fight with the killer, her strength failing as he began to choke her. Just as she was about to be overcome, Zhao Buyou arrived and intervened. He grabbed a nearby stick and repeatedly struck the killer.
Knowing Zhao Buyou was a scholar and inexperienced in combat, and fearing reinforcements, Wen Yue urged him to stop and quickly pulled him away, telling him they needed to run. Inside the mansion, Zhang Qiniang tormented Chun Xi and Sun Bo. She found their suffering dulling and decided to rest. However, a servant rushed in with news that a Hat Demon was causing pandemonium at the mansion.
Despite having used the Hat Demon myth years ago to acquire properties at low prices and knowing it was fake, Zhang Qiniang was rattled by the widespread panic among her staff. She rushed out to investigate, yelling for someone to bring the "fake" Hat Demon down as her terrified household fled. Sun Bo managed to free himself, consoling Chun Xi before grabbing a knife. He confronted Zhang Qiniang's men, dismissing them as useless.
When Zhang Qiniang threatened Chun Xi's life if he didn't drop the knife, Sun Bo seized Zhang Qiniang, holding her hostage with the blade. Wan Fu and his men arrived, trying to persuade Sun Bo to calm down and telling him this action shouldn't fall to him. Zhang Qiniang attempted to negotiate, offering him and Chun Xi their freedom in exchange for her release.
Overwhelmed by the humiliation he had suffered at Zhang Qiniang's hands, Sun Bo was filled with intense hatred and was uncontrollable. Chun Xi rushed forward, urging Sun Bo to put the knife down and reminding him of their promise. Reluctantly, Sun Bo released Zhang Qiniang. Zhang Qiniang left the scene triumphantly, but not before unleashing a torrent of insults, calling Sun Bo a pathetic, lowly existence who only cared about surviving.
Unable to bear it any longer, Chun Xi plunged a blade into Zhang Qiniang from behind. As she died, Zhang Qiniang expressed surprise, knowing many people wanted her dead but never expecting it to be by Chun Xi's hand. Chun Xi then confessed to killing both Kang Qian and Zhang Qiniang, stating that Sun Bo was merely an accomplice whom she had manipulated.
She declared that she, a "lowly" person, had finally lived for herself and chose to atone for her sins with her own life. Taking the same knife, she committed suicide. Sun Bo collapsed, holding her body and sobbing uncontrollably, begging her not to leave him. Wan Fu and the others present were visibly moved by the tragic outcome. After concluding the Hat Demon case, Wan Fu encountered Gu Zhen, who had just returned from an investigation.
Eagerly, Wan Fu reported the case findings, including Zhang Qiniang's death and Chun Xi's suicide. Witnessing the downfall of the wicked Zhang Qiniang gave Wan Fu his first real sense of pride as a public servant. Gu Zhen led him to the stone tablet listing past prefects of Kaifeng Court, offering encouragement. Wan Fu acknowledged his limitations but felt a renewed determination to "protect the people."
Impressed, Gu Zhen gave Wan Fu his personal sword as a token of support, telling him to carry it on duty from then on. Sun Bo was imprisoned, which deeply saddened Mo. Ban tried to comfort him, discussing the inevitability of Sun Bo's exile but questioning if there was truly no other way for ordinary people like them to deal with such injustice. Ban assured Mo that she would fight for him if anyone ever hurt him.
Later, Zhao Buyou brought Wen Yue some fine hand balm, applying it for her. Wen Yue worried about the person who sent her the order, noting that Zhang Qiniang's death was merely a coincidence and not her doing, blaming the orderer for being imprecise. She decided the task was fulfilled but couldn't shake the feeling of being secretly watched, which unnerved her.
Zhao Buyou pleaded with Gu Zhen to show leniency towards Sun Bo, but Gu Zhen explained that Kaifeng Court only made arrests and had no say in sentencing. Sun Bo had revealed that he too was directed by someone else, who had sent him a letter instructing him how Kang Qian had staged the Hat Demon incident and how to retaliate in kind. Gu Zhen asked Zhao Buyou to try and uncover the identity of this unseen orderer.
He also offered Zhao Buyou and Wen Yue opportunities to work for Kaifeng Court, promising it would provide them with enough income to afford a house in the capital and assuring them of his support. Zhao Buyou felt he couldn't make the decision alone, but Gu Zhen revealed he had already spoken with Wen Yue, who had agreed to the arrangement.
Gu Zhen also gave Zhao Buyou a reward for his help in the Hat Demon case, adding an extra fifty percent and telling him to give it to Wen Yue first to make her happy. He knew about the orderer's previous offer of a hundred taels of gold to Wen Yue. Gu Zhen informed Zhao Buyou that Xiao Yishui had been sentenced to exile on Shamen Island and would never return.
Zhao Buyou immediately told Wen Yue, who expressed a desire to see her senior off. Zhao Buyou agreed to accompany her. At the prison, Wen Yue brought Xiao Yishui a jar of wine. Xiao Yishui addressed her as "Jiu" and seemed to believe she still harbored feelings for him. He claimed an orderer had bribed the guards escorting him, arranging for him to meet them halfway at the Wild Pine Forest outside Chenzhou Gate.
He planned to "ride the wave" of this opportunity. Wen Yue, however, vowed to completely sever ties with her past. Wen Yue decided to attend the meeting with the orderer to definitively end her involvement with the jianghu and live a normal life with Zhao Buyou. Zhao Buyou, worried, insisted on going with her.
She argued it was a jianghu matter he shouldn't meddle in, but he countered that he understood jianghu after years of copying case files at the Office of Justice. He correctly deciphered her code for the meeting time and location, realizing "later half of the Si hour" meant the hour before (Chen hour, 7-9 AM) and the "Wild Pine Forest" meant the opposite direction, leading to the Bian River pier.
Despite his protests and warnings, Wen Yue remained determined to go. Two guards escorted Xiao Yishui out of the city. Along the road, after the guards, prompted by Xiao Yishui, had removed his shackles, someone attacked and killed the guards, allowing Xiao Yishui to escape. Xiao Yishui made his way to the pier, the true meeting place. Despite his disguise, Wen Yue recognized him among the bustling crowd.
Suddenly, someone walked past Wen Yue and swiftly stabbed Xiao Yishui in the neck, killing him instantly. Wen Yue instinctively turned to chase the assassin, but Zhao Buyou grabbed her, forcefully pulling her away and urging her to stop and report the murder instead, warning her that the killer was a dangerous outlaw. Back home, Wen Yue resented Zhao Buyou for preventing her from catching the killer, believing she could have done it.
Zhao Buyou offered to face any jianghu troubles with her, but Wen Yue, acutely aware of the dangers, didn't want to involve him. She decided the only way to protect him and his family was to leave. She began packing her belongings, intending to move back to the umbrella shop. She told him he was just an "ordinary little man" who couldn't handle the seriousness of the situation.
Mo and Ban overheard their argument and tried to intervene, urging Zhao Buyou to chase after Wen Yue as she left, scolding him for arguing when he should have been supporting her. Zhao Buyou recalled their past: Wen Yue had learned the umbrella craft, mastering it in just two years before opening her own stall.
Later, Wen Yue, recognizing his limited prospects due to his humble background, had pragmatically proposed marriage to him, needing to settle down in the capital as a drifter. Zhao Buyou accepted, and they soon married. Wen Yue had later reflected on finding a home and family with him, living a good life after her difficult past.
