The Autumn Ballad Episode 14 Recap
> The Autumn Ballad Recap
Qiu Yan pleaded with her Fourth Uncle, Qiu Hong, to reveal the "treatment" he had mentioned earlier. Qiu Hong initially hesitated but, seeing her earnestness in seeking a cure for her mother, Han Shi, he relented. He explained that his mistress had contracted an infectious disease two years prior, and a wandering physician had saved her life with an ancestral regimen.
Qiu Hong confirmed he still possessed the life-saving prescription, which had famously cured half a boat of people during the Renshen River Disease outbreak. However, he cautioned that two key ingredients, tokay gecko and euphorbia decaryi, were exceptionally rare and unavailable in apothecaries, making them difficult to acquire. Song Jin reported back to Liang Yi, confirming that while tokay gecko and euphorbia decaryi were indeed rare, they could be found on the black market.
Unfortunately, the apothecary supplying the black market had been seized by the Total Chapter Yamen the previous month. With Han Shi's life at stake, Liang Yi went to the Total Chapter Yamen and knelt before Yuan Lang, pleading for the confiscated medicine. Yuan Lang, citing strict rules about seized goods, was reluctant to release them. Liang Yi emphasized the urgency, stating that an exception should be made given it was a matter of life and death.
Yuan Lang then proposed a "show" to justify the release of the medicine: Liang Yi would publicly accept a whipping, making it seem he was being punished to acquire the drugs. Qiu Yan immediately spoke up, accusing Yuan Lang of personal vendetta due to their previous encounter and offering to bear the punishment herself, stating the entire situation was her fault. Yuan Lang, however, seemed to dismiss her offer by turning back to Liang Yi.
Liang Yi, prioritizing the medicine, agreed to the whipping. Yuan Lang ordered his subordinates to be witnesses and instructed Song Jin to carry out the punishment. Despite Song Jin's hesitation, Liang Yi was severely lashed. Afterward, Liang Yi quickly handed the medicine to Qiu Yan, dismissing his injuries as mere scratches he was accustomed to. Qiu Yan accepted the medicine, vowing to repay his sacrifice.
Rushing back to the Qiu residence with the medicine, Qiu Yan's heart sank as she found white mourning cloths hung throughout, realizing she was too late. Meanwhile, in Han Shi's room, Official Qiu (Qiu Yi), while checking her belongings, unexpectedly discovered half a jade pendant. Recognizing its significance, he shattered it in a fit of anger. A servant then informed Qiu Yan that Han Shi had passed away and was already outside the city.
Qiu Yan rushed out, hoping to see her mother one last time, only to arrive as her father lit the coffin, beginning its cremation. Devastated, Qiu Yan knelt, sobbing uncontrollably, lamenting that she couldn't even say goodbye. Later, upon returning to the residence, Qiu Yan asked Physician Li if her mother had passed peacefully. He assured her that Second Madam had died painlessly in her sleep, bringing Qiu Yan some relief.
That night, Qiu Min, believing in the power of ancestral blessings, frantically copied scriptures and lit incense, convinced her mother would return if she completed the ritual. Qiu Yan gently told her that their mother was gone and her coffin had even been cremated. Qiu Min vehemently denied it, accusing Qiu Yan of lying and crying that all promises were "fake."
Qiu Yan, in turn, urged Qiu Min to "wake up," warning her that no one would pamper her anymore and that she would only face more suffering if she remained vulnerable and delusional. Overwhelmed, Qiu Min screamed and fainted. While Official Qiu mourned at the ancestral hall, placing a memorial tablet for Han Shi, Old Madam Qiu comforted him, assuring him he had done his best. Official Qiu confided that the memorial spot was "for her. For me too."
Qiu Min later recounted a "nightmare" where she saw "so much blood." Qiu Yan tried to reassure her, reiterating that Physician Li said their mother had died peacefully in her sleep. However, Qiu Min insisted she had seen her mother vomiting a lot of blood. She confessed that she had secretly gone to her mother's courtyard and witnessed Physician Li and a nurse entering the room without any protective garments, despite her mother supposedly having an infectious disease.
She fled to the ancestral hall in fear. This revelation, coupled with a report from a subordinate that no one in Taiying Temple or the nearby villages had contracted the infectious disease, deepened Qiu Yan's suspicions. She confronted Official Qiu, questioning the lack of other infections and the physician's lack of protection if the disease was truly so lethal. She suggested Physician Li might have misdiagnosed or prescribed the wrong medicine.
Official Qiu dismissed her concerns, attributing the family's escape to Physician Li's timely diagnosis and isolation measures. He accused Qiu Yan of unfairly blaming others due to her grief. Qiu Yan, however, insisted on finding out the truth of her mother's sudden and unclear death. Infuriated, Official Qiu ordered her confined to her room until she admitted her mistake.
While under confinement, Madam Liu brought Qiu Yan food, using the opportunity to express her ambition to become the legal wife of Official Qiu, believing it would make Qiu Yan a legitimate daughter. She even implied that Qiu Yan's passionate display of grief, particularly towards Qiu Min, was merely "for show" to gain favor. Enraged, Qiu Yan told her to "Go away," asserting Madam Liu was not her mother.
Soon after, Liang Yi and Qin Xuan arrived at the Qiu residence to offer their condolences. Official Qiu thanked them for the anti-infection medicines they provided. Liang Yi politely stated that the marriage arrangements between him and Qiu Min could wait, as the funeral was more important. Official Qiu informed them that Qiu Min was bedridden with grief, and Qiu Yan remained stubbornly in denial about her mother's death.
Qin Xuan attempted to console Qiu Yan through her door, reminding her that her wet nurse believed a loved one's soul lingered after death, and her aunt would worry if she saw Qiu Yan suffering so deeply. Liang Yi, overhearing, quietly instructed a servant not to disturb Qiu Min, acknowledging that grief could not be easily assuaged and simply left medicine for her, trusting time would heal her pain.
Qiu Yan later confided in Qin Xuan that she felt her mother's death was peculiar and that her intuition was never wrong. Qin Xuan tried to dissuade her, citing the inherent dangers of infectious diseases. However, Liang Yi, who had heard their conversation, interjected, offering to investigate any suspicious details himself. The trio then went to Physician Li's residence.
Liang Yi observed that the family's belongings had been cleared out, suggesting they had left for good, but the tea was still warm, indicating they hadn't gone far. They tracked them to a staging post outside the city. Under pressure from Liang Yi, Physician Li Zhengyuan confessed that Han Shi's pulse had been normal and vigorous. He admitted that his "benefactor" had instructed him to falsely diagnose her with an infectious disease.
He further revealed that before her death, Han Shi had vomited blood and developed red spots on her skin, symptoms consistent with red safflower poison. He claimed he only lied to repay a favor. Armed with this information, Qiu Yan rushed to confront Old Madam Qiu, demanding to know why she had done such a thing to her mother. Old Madam Qiu vehemently denied everything, calling it "nonsense."
Liang Yi interjected, revealing that Physician Li Zhengyuan was now imprisoned in the Pichaichu, warning Old Madam Qiu that if she refused to explain, he would compel her to come to the Pichaichu herself. Official Qiu stepped in, asserting that it was a private family matter and not for Liang Yi to meddle in. He ordered Qiu Yan back to her room, dismissing her accusations of poisoning and destruction of evidence as mere slander without proof.
Liang Yi sided with Qiu Yan, stating her suspicions were valid given the physician's strange behavior. Official Qiu accused Liang Yi of disrespecting his future in-laws, reminding him of their previous cordial relationship. Liang Yi countered that if the Second Madam of the Qiu family was poisoned, it was a criminal case that the Qiu family could not conceal.
Qiu Yan, kneeling before them, formally appealed to Official Qiu and Liang Yi to investigate her mother Han Shi's death, accusing the Lin of the Qiu family (Old Madam Qiu) of poisoning her mother. Official Qiu, furious, called her "crazy" and an "insolence." Qiu Yan defiantly declared that she could not compromise or be soft, and if it meant fighting and facing death to appeal for her mother's injustice, she was prepared to do so.
Official Qiu became enraged, accusing her of adding insult to injury by accusing his own mother of killing his wife. He questioned if she was truly his daughter if she could act this way. Qiu Yan retorted that if being his daughter meant ignoring her mother's mysterious death, then she would rather not be. She simply demanded the truth.
Official Qiu insisted the truth was that her mother died of an infectious disease, but Qiu Yan dismissed this as a lie he told himself. As Official Qiu moved to strike Qiu Yan, Liang Yi stepped in to intervene.
