The Longest Day in Chang'an Episode 1 Recap
> The Longest Day in Chang'an Recap
On the fourteenth day of the first month in the third year of Tian Bao, Chang'an was ablaze with festive decorations for the Lantern Festival. The bustling Western District teemed with merchants from distant lands, all converging for the extraordinary event. The Emperor himself was expected to witness Master Mao Shun's Grand Holy Lantern, a year in the making, as it debuted that evening at the Hualixianhui Tower.
A Western District officer declared the market open and announced an imperial decree: for the next twenty-four hours, until nine o'clock the following morning, the city's curfew was lifted. People and merchants cheered, and the already lively Western District erupted in even greater celebration. Yet, within the Jing'an Si, a new institution established by the Crown Prince, the atmosphere was grim.
Its thirty-five officials meticulously sifted through documents, aware of the lurking Turkic Wolven Squad and the dangers they posed to the city during this period of relaxed vigilance. Tan Qi, a servant, was dispatched by Li Bi, the Chief of the Peacekeeper Corps, to Dali Temple prison. Her mission was to retrieve Zhang Xiaojing, a condemned prisoner. He reeked and was disheveled, but his eyes shone with a piercing intensity.
Tan Qi ordered a quick wash for him, expressing her urgency and instructing him to freshen his breath. Zhang Xiaojing, a former Sleuth-hound Captain of Wannian County, was known for his vast knowledge of both legal and underworld figures, and his command of multiple languages, yet he had been sentenced to death for the murder of County Magistrate Tan Tongshou.
As he was led to Li Bi, Zhang Xiaojing keenly observed his surroundings, recognizing the scent of flowers and identifying their location as the former Jinglong Temple site on Guangde Street, a garden not even on the map, rumored to be the Crown Prince's private villa. He quickly deduced he was to meet Li Bi. Li Bi, a young man who carried the family name of Li, introduced himself.
He was a prodigy who had studied Taoism for ten years under Master Ye Shan, befriended the Crown Prince at nine, and frequently discussed Taoist philosophy with the Emperor. Li Bi, now Chief of the Peacekeeper Corps, openly offered Zhang Xiaojing a pardon and freedom after tonight if he completed a critical mission. Zhang Xiaojing questioned if it was the same task previously assigned to Cui Liulang, a known illegal loan shark.
Li Bi confirmed it was, stating that Cui Liulang was dead. He then led Zhang Xiaojing to a morgue where Cui Qi, Captain of the Royal Escort, was grieving over his elder brother Cui Liulang's body. Cui Qi blamed himself for the failure and offered to accept punishment. Li Bi reassured him, promising to handle Cui Liulang's funeral and urging Cui Qi to change out of his wet clothes to avoid illness.
Zhang Xiaojing noted the irony of a soldier brother and a bandit brother. Li Bi explained that Cui Qi, recently transferred from the Longyou Army, was a righteous man, unlike his brother. Li Bi then starkly informed Zhang Xiaojing that success meant freedom, but failure would result in the same fate as Cui Liulang: death in prison. The coroner confirmed Cui Liulang had died from blood loss after his tongue was pulled out.
Zhang Xiaojing pressed for assurances of his freedom, but Tan Qi interjected, reminding him he knew too much and had no choice but to comply. Li Bi then elaborated on the Peacekeeper Corps' mission: to pacify disorder and ensure the city's tranquility, a newly founded secret bureau overseeing crime prevention. He introduced Xu Bin, an officer from the National Treasury, who had meticulously searched through case scrolls to recommend Zhang Xiaojing as the ideal candidate.
Xu Bin was known for his dedication to solving mysteries, even sacrificing higher rank for access to files. Zhang Xiaojing was surprised by Xu Bin's presence. Li Bi explained Zhang Xiaojing's unique qualifications, his familiarity with all social strata and languages, and his motivation to live. Xu Bin quickly offered to search for new addresses based on rental contracts with ten men, promising results within thirty minutes. Li Bi affirmed his trust in his thirty-five carefully selected officers.
Professor Pang from the Bureau of Astronomy announced the time as nine in the morning, a "Time of Great Waste," when prosperity quickly unravels. At a sand table model of Chang'an, Zhang Xiaojing sarcastically remarked on the city's prosperity in light of Professor Pang's dire prophecy, questioning if such a detailed model, with its fortifications and headquarters locations, shouldn't exist if it could fall into the wrong hands. Li Bi dismissed his concerns, assuring him of the Peacekeeper Corps' security.
He then demonstrated the city's surveillance network, explaining that every three hundred steps in Chang'an's one hundred and eight streets featured a watchtower manned by experienced archers. These commandants could signal the Peacekeeper Corps with secret codes if anything unusual was observed, allowing swift city-wide communication. Li Bi warned Zhang Xiaojing that escape was impossible, as his every move would be monitored.
Zhang Xiaojing countered that he would have no reason to escape if his freedom was assured after the mission. Li Bi responded by setting the parameters: he held high expectations, and any misstep would send Zhang Xiaojing back to death row. Li Bi then briefed Zhang Xiaojing on the crisis: the Wolven Squad.
In the second year of Tian Bao, their leader, Cao Poyan, and his men went missing in the Western Region, prompting the secret establishment of the Peacekeeper Corps. Months of investigation uncovered a secret deal in the Western District involving sixteen disguised Sogdian merchants. Cui Liulang, a well-known broker, was chosen to infiltrate the group. An hour ago, Cui Liulang led Cao Poyan and his men to the Bingliu Warehouse.
The original plan was for Cui Liulang to discover their hideout, allowing four squads of Royal Escort to arrest them and interrogate them about their true motives. However, the plan went awry. A scout reported two guards in the yard and the rest in the warehouse, but Cui Liulang had also entered less than fifteen minutes prior.
During the subsequent raid, fifteen of the Wolven Squad were killed, but Cao Poyan escaped through an illicitly constructed underground channel connected to the main canal system, passing through over thirty streets and half the city. The channel's existence was unknown to the Bureau of Western District, leaving Cao Poyan's exit point a mystery. Zhang Xiaojing questioned why he alone was tasked with capturing Cao Poyan when fifteen others had been eliminated.
Li Bi explained that with the Lantern Festival crowds, deploying too many soldiers would cause chaos and casualties, making stealth the only viable option. He expressed his personal guilt if Chang'an's people were to suffer. Just then, He Zhizheng, the Director of the Palace Library and Li Bi's mentor, stumbled into Jing'an Si on horseback, visibly drunk, followed by his adoptive son, He Fu, who shook a rattle and called out to his father.
He Zhizheng collapsed onto the city's sand table, muttering cryptically about the "light of Great Tang" and proclaiming, "It's gone!" Meanwhile, Cao Poyan, after escaping, was rescued from the river by a peasant named Jiao Sui. Jiao Sui offered him wine and asked if he had encountered bandits. Cao Poyan, his comrades dead, gratefully accepted the drink until he noticed the golden fish pendant Jiao Sui wore, a palace pass for high-ranking officials.
Realizing Jiao Sui was an officer, Cao Poyan, fearing exposure, swiftly strangled him. Back at Jing'an Si, He Zhizheng, still semi-conscious, continued to speak cryptically. Zhang Xiaojing tried to ask him what he meant by "it's gone," but He Zhizheng was unresponsive. Li Bi instructed for his teacher to be taken to a carriage. Li Bi then urged Zhang Xiaojing to focus on his task, implying that He Zhizheng's knowledge of his identity must be protected.
Zhang Xiaojing then deduced that the sudden silence of the camel bells during the raid had alerted Cao Poyan, who then questioned Cui Liulang about being a spy. Cui Liulang, as a smuggler, denied it, declaring his loyalty to avoid treason. Zhang Xiaojing concluded that whoever ordered the camels unloaded was responsible for the plan's failure.
Li Bi admitted it was his mistake and ordered Xu Bin to record that he would personally compensate Cui Liulang's family with 100,000 "kuai" and a house, an amount that exceeded the Corps' budget, which Li Bi vowed to pay himself. Zhang Xiaojing remarked on Li Bi's cleverness and desire to control everything, to which Li Bi simply agreed. Zhang Xiaojing then questioned Cui Qi about his brother's criminal past.
Cui Qi initially resisted, but Zhang Xiaojing insisted it was relevant to the current investigation. Cui Qi revealed that his brother had engaged in smuggling silk, jewelry, and even humans and horses, becoming a mercenary and assassin, all to secure Cui Qi's future. Cui Qi explained that his brother's criminal life began when they were runaway farmers unable to register for the army.
Cui Liulang smuggled pearls, once enduring the dangerous act of swallowing them, nearly dying and living on liquid food for years, just so Cui Qi could join the Longyou Army and later return to Chang'an. Moved, Zhang Xiaojing began his autopsy of Cui Liulang's body, noting the "classy" wintersweet with golden paint on the corpse and apologizing for the necessary violation. Xu Bin soon reported that the true owner of the Bingliu Warehouse was Li Lugou.
Cui Qi and the Royal Escort were dispatched to his address. However, a report came in that Li Lugou and his entire family had been found dead for over ten days, their necks broken and heads shaved, a signature technique of the Wolven Squad. This confirmed that more Wolf Guards were hidden in the city, capable of killing five people without alerting neighbors.
Li Bi questioned how Li Lugou, a former refugee just months prior, had acquired 50,000 "kuai" to rebuild the warehouse. Construction records showed that soil was still being imported months after the warehouse was rebuilt, strongly suggesting that the underground channel used by Cao Poyan to escape had been dug during this period. The source of Li Lugou's sudden wealth remained untraceable due to the complex nature of money laundering in the Western District.
From Cui Liulang's body, Zhang Xiaojing retrieved a torn piece of a map, which he declared indicated a major plot by the Wolven Squad. Simultaneously, Cao Poyan, disguised, sought a barber. The barber, intent on closing early for the festival, revealed details about the upcoming celebration: Master Mao Shun's Grand Holy Lantern, a mysterious and expensive creation, would be lit at two in the morning, coinciding with the Emperor's feast at the tower.
He recounted a past Lantern Festival tragedy where thousands were injured or killed in a stampede over tossed coins, demonstrating the dangers of large crowds. Zhang Xiaojing later discussed the retrieved map with Cui Qi, asking how many men would be needed to seize various key locations.
Cui Qi estimated fifty "suicide warriors" for the Dragon Army's headquarters (likely empty as they'd be at Xingqing Palace), twenty for the poorly trained Right Cavalries' stables, and was then asked about the inner palace. The partial map, covering areas from Xiude Street to the royal palace and Pinkang Street, detailed roads, channels, and marked locations including the Dragon Army headquarters, the Right Cavalries' stables, palace fortifications, and the Right Counselor's manor.
Li Bi realized the map was too detailed to be for the Wolven Squad; it was meant for Zhang Xiaojing, a final act from Cui Liulang to ensure his mission could continue. The implications were clear: a larger conspiracy involving more Wolven Squad members was unfolding in Chang'an.
