The Lady in Butcher's House Episode 8 Recap
> The Lady in Butcher's House Recap
Xu Qingjia attempted to create a romantic atmosphere by playing the zither late at night, hoping to emulate Sima Xiangru's moonlit serenade for Zhuo Wenjun. He confidently believed no woman could resist such a display from a talented man. However, Hu Jiao found his music slow and tedious. As he reveled in his performance, Hu Jiao abruptly doused him with a basin of water from the upper floor.
An argument ensued across the floors; Xu Qingjia, using refined language, was quickly outmatched by Hu Jiao's sharp retorts, leaving him red-faced and frustrated. He called her "too much" and a "stupid woman," while she retorted by calling him a "stupid scholar" who couldn't solve cases, cook, or even play the zither well. He declared that "a scholar would rather die before he's humiliated," but Hu Jiao mockingly challenged him to "bark like a dog" to be let back in.
Later, Xu Qingjia sought to mend their spat and admitted to Hu Jiao that he understood the difficulties of the two women from earlier, acknowledging that her actions had been for the best. Hu Jiao accepted his sincerity but pointed out that minor issues like forty wen could escalate to hundreds of liang of silver, questioning his ability to handle such matters and implying he might not be fit to be county magistrate.
Xu Qingjia conceded that her harsh words held truth. He then explained that Constable Gao Zheng had informed him the people of the western suburbs were unruly and hostile towards officials because of former County Magistrate Chi Wenjun's ruthless taxation. Hu Jiao suggested he go directly to Chi Wenjun to understand the root of the problem and perhaps uncover why Magistrate Zhu Tingxian was against him. Xu Qingjia wanted to go immediately, but Hu Jiao insisted he wait until morning.
The next day, Xu Qingjia went to the Shangyong County Government Office, where he noticed discrepancies between the jail's prisoner count and official records. He then found Chi Wenjun and confronted him about the county's accounts. Chi Wenjun initially claimed the accounts were perfectly balanced, but Xu Qingjia pressed, stating they added up "too well." Chi Wenjun, impressed by Xu Qingjia's insight, confessed that the accounts indeed had issues, which he had warned about previously.
However, Registrar Yang, who was "in Zhu Tingxian's pocket," had been overly confident and disregarded his warnings, leading to the problems. Chi Wenjun further revealed that while he hadn't been directly "set up," his failure to stop their "evil deeds" and his own acceptance of benefits had turned into the very "evidence they needed to take me down."
As Chi Wenjun was about to disclose more, Gao Zheng suddenly appeared with his men, interrupting a rendezvous Chi Wenjun was having and ordering his arrest. Xu Qingjia vehemently protested, demanding to know if Gao Zheng was colluding with them and what the connection was between the accounts, the missing people from the western suburbs, and the empty jail cells.
Just as Chi Wenjun began to reveal that the "account books are in Zhu Tingxian's hands" and mentioned the disappeared people, Gao Zheng again cut him off and had his men forcibly take him away. In a desperate move, Chi Wenjun managed to subtly throw a small rock to Xu Qingjia as he was being led off. Back home, Hu Jiao and Xu Qingjia puzzled over the rock.
Hu Jiao dismissed it as a useless riddle, but Xu Qingjia believed Chi Wenjun's silence was due to fear of Gao Zheng retaliating against his family. Hu Jiao expressed confusion about Gao Zheng's allegiances, noting he had saved Xu Qingjia before but now seemed to be working with Zhu Tingxian. Despite the loss of Chi Wenjun as a direct source, Xu Qingjia concluded that Shangyong County was rife with "major problems."
Recalling Chi Wenjun's earlier warning to "behave yourself" and "not provoke them," Xu Qingjia felt the county was a "cruel place" where officials colluded, particularly Gao Zheng, whom he described as having a "cruel and serious look."
Fearing he might suffer a similar fate to Chi Wenjun, Xu Qingjia instructed Hu Jiao that if he were to be jailed, she should not act rashly but instead retrieve the divorce papers from the brocade box in the cabinet and return to Yunlai to continue her butchery business. Hu Jiao agreed. That night, Xu Qingjia was restless. He confided in Hu Jiao, asking if she thought he was a failure as an official.
She initially responded playfully, "Yes," then clarified that while his intentions were good, some of his goals were "a bit unrealistic" and "idealistic." Xu Qingjia then recounted the story of his father, a Ministry of Revenue official. His father, a capable and passionate man, was unjustly demoted to a small county magistrate. Unwilling to accept his fate, he dedicated himself to study, hoping for another chance at glory, but promotions never came.
For many years, he remained a county magistrate, and his youthful ambition eventually faded into despondency. His daily duties became a monotonous routine of merely stamping his official seal onto each page of a document, earning him the nickname "Master Seal" from the local people. One day, he was diagnosed with a terminal illness and given only three months to live.
For three days, he was at a loss, reflecting on his "unsuccessful life" and the fact that he had accomplished nothing. He decided to dedicate his remaining time to "do something for the people" and "leave his mark." He meticulously reviewed old official documents and, in those three months, accomplished nine significant things, such as repairing roads, resolving land and water disputes, and managing property title deeds – tasks that other officials deemed trivial.
The local people, deeply moved by his efforts, collectively presented him with a "People's Umbrella," a rare honor for a low-ranking official. Overjoyed, his father instilled in young Xu Qingjia the importance of governing a country by "doing practical things for the people." Miraculously, his terminal illness turned out to be a "misdiagnosis." However, his happiness was short-lived. Before he could complete a tenth accomplishment for the people, an unexpected fire took his life.
With his last breath, he used his final strength to throw the "People's Umbrella" out of the inferno, saving it, while he perished inside. Young Xu Qingjia, then a boy, was grief-stricken. When he opened his door to seek help for the funeral, he found a crowd of the local people standing at the entrance, mourning his father.
To them, his father's "small and ordinary matters" had made him "an honest official who carried out justice by the law and changed their lives," ensuring he was remembered and respected. Xu Qingjia expressed that this legacy was both a "motivation" and a "pressure" for him, explaining his earlier fears about handling even small matters. He gratefully acknowledged Hu Jiao's presence. Hu Jiao, amused, teased him not to think his touching story would earn him a spot in the bed.
As Xu Qingjia finally drifted to sleep, Hu Jiao remained uneasy. Unbeknownst to them, Gao Zheng was perched on the rooftop, deep in thought. Later that night, a figure dressed in black silently entered their room, attempting to retrieve the "People's Umbrella" from the cabinet. Gao Zheng intervened, fighting the intruder and eventually chasing him away. He then returned the umbrella to the cabinet. As a prank, Gao Zheng playfully threw a cotton ball at Hu Jiao, startling her awake.
She saw Xu Qingjia sleeping on the floor and angrily called his name. The next morning, Xu Qingjia, still on the floor, noticed a distinct footprint. He realized that someone had touched the People's Umbrella and explained to Hu Jiao that official boots had unique patterns on their soles, indicative of rank. Nothing valuable was missing, but a towel Hu Jiao used for her feet had been taken.
Hu Jiao, enraged by the intrusion, vowed to use her bone cleaver on the culprits. Xu Qingjia recognized they were being watched and needed to be cautious. Hu Jiao offered to teach him self-defense, demonstrating a move. Although he found it painful, he grasped the technique. She continued to practice with him, inflicting minor bumps.
When she jokingly offered "dog skin cream" for his bruises, Xu Qingjia had a flash of inspiration, realizing the "dog skin" could be a clue related to the boot sole. Armed with this new insight, Xu Qingjia spent the day meticulously measuring and comparing footprints around the county office, even engaging in small talk with other officials like Registrar Yang, Clerk Song, and Administrative Assistant Chen. He then confronted Gao Zheng directly.
Xu Qingjia stated that the intruder's footprint, found on spilled water, was from an official boot and perfectly matched Gao Zheng's large shoes, unique in the entire government. He pointedly accused Gao Zheng of having a "fetish" for stealing Hu Jiao's foot towel, which Gao Zheng vehemently denied, calling Xu Qingjia a "sneaky scholar."
Xu Qingjia highlighted Gao Zheng's aloof demeanor compared to other officials, while also pointing out that Gao Zheng had "saved him on multiple occasions," suggesting these repeated interventions were intentional rather than coincidental. He insinuated that if Gao Zheng had ill intentions, he could have killed him last night. Xu Qingjia concluded that Gao Zheng was "not Zhu Tingxian's person," yet he remained powerful in the magistrate's office.
Gao Zheng, maintaining his mysterious air, simply warned Xu Qingjia to "watch out for your stuff" and "keep yourself alive," adding that he "won't be around every time." Later, Xu Qingjia returned to Registrar Yang's office, requesting to review Chi Wenjun's case files, claiming he wished to learn from past mistakes to avoid ruining his own future.
