The Autumn Ballad Episode 16 Recap
> The Autumn Ballad Recap
Madam Liu revealed to Qiu Yan that Madam Han, Qiu Yan's legitimate mother, frequently visited Master Zhenyan at Taiying Temple every month, claiming their relationship went beyond discussing Buddhist texts or spiritual consecration. Madam Liu had observed them on several occasions and felt there was an unusual chemistry between them.
She specifically mentioned Master Zhenyan had a jade piece and Madam Han possessed a matching one, which Madam Liu once saw Madam Han staring at, implying it was a romantic keepsake.
Madam Liu defended her decision to not report this to Qiu Yi earlier, stating that she prioritized her own son's future, as Madam Han had no sons and Madam Liu feared Qiu Yi would remarry a younger woman who might bear a son, thus jeopardizing her own son's status as the sole male heir of the Second Chamber. Unconvinced, Qiu Yan still visited Madam Han's room and found the jade piece and other clues.
That night, Qiu Yan confronted Qiu Yi in the ancestral hall, holding up a broken jade piece she had found in Madam Han's room, which she believed Qiu Yi had shattered. She stated that this jade was the other half of the one Master Zhenyan carried, leading her to suspect Qiu Yi had wrongly concluded Madam Han was unfaithful and subsequently colluded with the Old Madam to poison her.
Qiu Yan further revealed finding red safflower residue under Madam Han's bed, which she claimed was left when Qiu Yi forcibly administered the poison. She admitted the physical evidence wasn't definitive proof of murder but insisted that if Qiu Yi suspected Madam Han based on the jade, he grievously wronged her, as Madam Han's deepest love was for him.
Qiu Yan revealed that she had seen a wish tablet at Taiying Temple, bearing her mother's prayers specifically for Qiu Yi's well-being, which further solidified her conviction that her mother had been devoted to him. She urged her father to surrender himself to the Fengjing Prefecture. Qiu Yi dismissed her accusations, then revealed that Master Zhenyan was dead.
Furious at Qiu Yan's defiance, Qiu Yi ordered his subordinates to lock her in the firewood room and forbid anyone from releasing her. Despite her pleas and questions about his lack of trust, Qiu Yi remained resolute. News from the Imperial Palace spread rapidly: His Majesty, enraged after reviewing a memorial submitted by Minister Lin Changzhi, had immediately ordered Yuan Lang to lead the Main Administrative Office in a raid on the Qiu family.
Liang Yi, upon hearing this, rushed to the palace but was informed by Eunuch Liu that His Majesty refused to grant him an audience, also advising him against involvement. Understanding that his engagement to the Qiu family made him suspect, Liang Yi sought an audience with Noble Consort Guo.
He explicitly stated his intention to sever all ties with the Qiu family and requested the Noble Consort to officially annul his marriage agreement, asserting that he did not wish to be associated with someone like Qiu Yi, who, despite serving the crown, had proven disloyal. Liang Yi also requested to assist the Main Administrative Office in their investigation.
Following this, the Emperor issued an oral decree for the Firewood Office to collaborate with the Main Administrative Office in raiding the Qiu family. Simultaneously, the raid on the Qiu Residence began. With both the Main Administrative Office and the Firewood Office barging in, Qiu Yi desperately urged Qiu Yan and Qiu Min to flee, insisting that as a government official, he could not abandon his post.
Realizing the Firewood Office's unexpected involvement limited his maneuvering room, Yuan Lang subtly instructed his men to leave a back gate to the courtyard open. His aim was to allow Qiu Yan and Qiu Min to escape, creating an opportunity to accuse Liang Yi of shielding fugitives. However, Liang Yi had anticipated such a move. Leading his own men, he tracked the sisters to Qin Xuan's residence.
Qin Xuan vehemently denied harboring them, claiming to be hosting poetry friends, and attempted to block Liang Yi's search, reminding him of his status as the heir to the Duke Ying Residence. Liang Yi sternly warned Qin Xuan against the serious implications of sheltering imperial fugitives. Disregarding Qin Xuan's pleas for past friendship and leniency, Liang Yi stated that the royal decree was the ultimate authority, and proceeded to locate Qiu Yan and Qiu Min hidden in Qin Xuan's study.
Liang Yi then ordered Song Jin to take Qin Xuan away, emphasizing his unwavering commitment to his duties. With the royal decree delivered, all Qiu men were ordered to the Main Administrative Office, and all Qiu women to the Jiaofangsi. However, Qiu Di, seeking to distance herself from the family's fate, bravely stepped forward.
She revealed that she was not a male member of the Qiu family and had been forcibly taken by Fourth Madam Mi years ago, compelled to live as her son. Qiu Di exposed Madam Mi's desperate "tanuki for crown prince" scheme: Madam Mi had given birth to a daughter but feared being divorced, so she kidnapped Qiu Di, a female child, to pass her off as the family's eldest grandson.
Qiu Di claimed Madam Mi's biological daughter was still alive, being raised at a wonton stall outside Heming Building. Qiu Hong, Madam Mi's husband, was utterly enraged by this revelation, confronting Madam Mi about her deceit. Overwhelmed by shame and despair, Madam Mi grabbed a pair of scissors and took her own life, leaving everyone present in shock and sorrow.
Amidst the shock and grief, the Qiu family’s despair deepened as Liang Yi appeared, having apprehended Qiu Yan and Qiu Min. Qiu Yi, already present, questioned the whereabouts of his daughters, which Yuan Lang had implied had escaped due to someone's negligence. Liang Yi presented the sisters, asserting they had never truly escaped, thereby foiling Yuan Lang's potential accusation of dereliction of duty or favoritism.
Yuan Lang, now with no further means to implicate Liang Yi directly regarding the escape, ordered all Qiu men to be sent to the Main Administrative Office and all women to the Jiaofangsi, with servants to be sold off. Liang Yi publicly stated that Noble Consort Guo had already annulled his engagement with the Qiu family, severing any ties to these "criminals." He then callously suggested that given the Qiu women's delicate appearance, they should be assigned the harshest labor.
Enraged, Qiu Yan confronted Liang Yi, accusing him of being heartless and disloyal. She reminded him of his initial sincerity when he sought Qiu Min's hand in marriage, now contrasting it with his willingness to trample the Qiu family underfoot to curry favor with His Majesty. Liang Yi coldly retorted that anyone who obstructed his path to power would be ruthlessly cast aside. He ordered Song Jin to remove Qiu Yan, while Qiu Min desperately pleaded for her sister's release.
Wang Shun, an official from the Jiaofangsi, dismissively told the new arrivals to shed their aristocratic airs and prepare for a life of toil, for they would receive no pampering there. After their arrival at the Jiaofangsi, Wang Shun instructed them to change into coarse linen clothes, a stark contrast to their accustomed silk garments.
That night, tensions flared as Qiu Mei and Qiu Ying selfishly claimed blankets, leading other family members to complain bitterly that the Second Chamber, specifically Qiu Yi's actions, were responsible for their predicament. Qiu Yan retorted, defending her father and accusing them of forgetting who had previously benefited them. The Old Madam intervened, reminding them that despite their hardship, they must maintain their dignity and cease arguing. Everyone spent a restless and sleepless night.
The following morning, Madam Wang arrived to assign chores. Due to Qiu Yan's earlier respectful demeanor and Wang Shun's favorable impression of her and Qiu Min, their assigned tasks were comparatively lighter. Madam Wang assigned Qiu Yan and Qiu Min, along with another compliant woman, to laundry duties.
In contrast, Qiu Mei and Qiu Ying, who had shown more resistance and less humility, were tasked with strenuous labor: Qiu Mei was designated to fetch water from the backyard, and Qiu Ying was assigned the unpleasant duty of scrubbing toilet buckets in the latrine. Both women complained vehemently, stating that such menial and dirty work was beneath them, even for their maids.
Madam Wang, however, curtly reminded them that they were no longer the pampered young ladies of the Qiu family and must accept their new reality. Meanwhile, Yuan Lang brought Qiu Yi to the main prison for interrogation. Yuan Lang presented what he claimed were confessions from Qiu Yi's three brothers, accusing Qiu Yi of various crimes. Qiu Yi adamantly denied them, asserting the confessions were fabricated.
Yuan Lang, however, mockingly described the methods he used to extract these "confessions," detailing how Qiu Ning was scared into confessing with fake silver notes, Qiu Hong broke after a single flogging, and another brother, who pursued self-cultivation, confessed after a night of sleep deprivation. Yuan Lang listed the alleged crimes, including corruption, embezzlement, and overstepping imperial authority.
Then, Yuan Lang shifted tactics, offering Qiu Yi a chilling deal: if Qiu Yi would publicly confess during his trial in three days that all his alleged wrongdoings were orchestrated by Liang Yi, then Yuan Lang would ensure Qiu Yi's safety and spare his family from the dire consequences of capital punishment. Otherwise, Qiu Yi would face the full weight of numerous charges, resulting in the complete annihilation of his family, including his mother and daughters.
Despite the Qiu family's predicament, Qin Xuan found a way to deliver a letter to Qiu Yan through Madam Wang. Madam Wang, who had witnessed many such expressions of devotion during her years at the Jiaofangsi, was deeply impressed by Qin Xuan's sincerity and the considerable effort and expense he went to ensure the letter reached Qiu Yan.
In his letter, Qin Xuan declared his profound commitment, stating he was willing to forsake his family, filial duties, and even his career to rescue both Qiu Yan and Qiu Min from the Jiaofangsi, promising to take them to a place where they could live beyond reach. Qiu Min, troubled by their family's ruined status, urged Qiu Yan to sever ties with Qin Xuan, fearing that their association would only drag him down.
However, Qiu Yan disagreed, asserting that if love was truly mutual, it constituted no burden. She insisted that she would not make decisions for Qin Xuan, as he was fully aware of her circumstances and had made his choice. Meanwhile, Liang Yi's trusted subordinate reported that despite their efforts, their informant within the Main Administrative Office had been unable to uncover any specifics about Qiu Yi's alleged crimes, noting the extreme secrecy surrounding the interrogation.
Liang Yi affirmed his belief that the Qiu family was merely an innocent party caught in a larger scheme, recognizing that Yuan Lang's true target was him. He concluded that Yuan Lang, frustrated by his inability to find direct fault with Liang Yi, had decided to exploit the Qiu family to create a pretext for framing him.
Realizing the danger of allowing the Main Administrative Office sole authority over the investigation, Liang Yi immediately resolved to seek an audience with Noble Consort Guo. He intended to request her assistance in securing a position as a co-judge in Qiu Yi's case, a move designed to prevent Yuan Lang from manipulating the investigation to fabricate accusations against him.
