The Longest Day in Chang'an Episode 14 Recap
> The Longest Day in Chang'an Recap
As explosions erupted in Changming Street, messenger Lu San swiftly raced to the Peacekeeper Corps to report to Li Bi. He relayed that Zhang Xiaojing had released wolf smoke to lure the Royal Escort to a vacant house, which then accidentally detonated Crouching Fire. The house crumbled, killing all the Royal Escort members inside. With those hit by flying debris, the total casualties numbered eleven.
Zhang Xiaojing, regaining consciousness amidst the wreckage, saw the charred remains of the soldiers and heard the pained cries of the injured, with the victims' bones burned to black char. Li Bi immediately commanded the watchtower to alert all Sleuth-Hounds and commandants, escalating security across the entire city. Fire brigades and commandants were ordered to gather at the Wuhou street stalls to stand by, as Chang'an descended into panic.
Meanwhile, after completing his task of intercepting Zhang Xiaojing, Yu Chang hurried to meet Long Bo. Long Bo inquired about Wen Ran, and Yu Chang claimed she was handling her own affairs and would join him later. However, Long Bo sensed that Yu Chang might have killed her. Ignoring the wounded Royal Escort, Zhang Xiaojing confronted Cao Poyan, demanding to know who brought the Crouching Fire and where the remaining stockpiles were in the city.
Cao Poyan, resigned to his fate, only mumbled "the star in the sky" and refused to answer. Zhang Xiaojing vowed not to let him die before getting answers. As Zhang Xiaojing and the surviving Royal Escort cleared the scene, searching for Wen Ran, Cui Qi pressed him on how he knew about the Crouching Fire beforehand. Zhang Xiaojing explained that his hound, and then he himself, smelled stone grease.
Cui Qi was unconvinced, arguing that stone grease only burns, it doesn't explode. Zhang Xiaojing, prioritizing the search for Wen Ran, cut him off and ordered Cui Qi to first cordon off the area to prevent civilians from being injured by the lingering fires, then contain the blaze, and finally, after settling the injured, take them to the nearest Sick Street. Despite his suspicions, Cui Qi complied.
At the Peacekeeper Corps, Li Bi, with An Zhushi and ten others, used the database to compile all of Xu Bin's personal information. Li Bi publicly read out Xu Bin's financial records, noting that despite being an eighth-rank officer with a substantial salary, land, and allowance for servants, his wife, Madam Wang, worked in kitchens for money. Xu Bin had also pawned his land and sold his old house in Yanzhou.
His tavern debts, frequently for the cheapest wine, totaled 92 entries. After Zhang Xiaojing paid his tab, the two met regularly until Zhang Xiaojing's imprisonment, after which Xu Bin's tavern visits ceased. Li Bi questioned Xu Bin's true motive for recommending Zhang Xiaojing. Xu Bin confessed that he had personally chosen Zhang Xiaojing, not the database. He admired Zhang Xiaojing as a close friend, finding his stories exciting, lively, realistic, and full of human touch.
Zhang Xiaojing cared deeply for Chang'an and its people, always seeking the truth in cases and understanding the root of people's sins, often moving criminals to tears. Xu Bin contrasted Zhang Xiaojing's genuine care for others with Li Bi's self-interest. He pleaded with Li Bi not to punish Zhang Xiaojing, revealing that he had tampered with the files to save Zhang Xiaojing from death row, adding that Zhang Xiaojing was unaware of his interference.
Li Bi then shared a secret: Wen Wuji's death might be linked to Lin Jiulang, who, as the newly appointed Minister of War, had prevented General Gai from sending reinforcements, leading to the decimation of Zhang Xiaojing's Eighth Regiment at the Defense Beacon. Li Bi suspected Zhang Xiaojing was using the Wolven Squad to exact revenge on Lin Jiulang.
He also noted that stone grease, used by Western Region troops, was now confirmed to be part of the explosive Crouching Fire, which could take down strongholds. News of the explosion and the potential use of Crouching Fire, coupled with the revelation that Zhang Xiaojing had drawn a map of his manor for the Wolven Squad, reached Lin Jiulang.
Fearing for his safety, Lin Jiulang decided to remain in his residence and wait until all the Wolven Squad members in the city were eliminated before attending the Lantern Festival at the Grand Auditorium. He ordered General Gan Shoucheng of the Right Cavalries to take command of the Royal Escort, deeming Li Bi too inexperienced for such a critical case.
Gan Shoucheng expressed reservations about taking over a "hot potato" case, but Lin Jiulang threatened to send him to the borders if he failed. Lin Jiulang also increased the security around his mansion, dispatching another 300 men from the Right Cavalries, despite being urged to move to the Grand Auditorium for safety. Meanwhile, a eunuch reported to Crown Prince Li Yu that Lin Jiulang had compiled four charges against him, to be presented to the Emperor the next morning.
Furthermore, Lin Jiulang, acting on a secret report from Appraiser Yuan Zai, accused Zhang Xiaojing of colluding with the Wolven Squad to assassinate him, due to the leaked manor map. Li Yu, concerned about implicating himself, immediately dispatched the eunuch Li Jingzhong to inform Li Bi at the Peacekeeper Corps. Tan Qi arrived at the explosion site. Zhang Xiaojing was helping Cao Poyan search for a precious necklace, hand-woven by Cao Poyan's daughter.
Zhang Xiaojing placed it around Cao Poyan's neck, asking for the location of the Crouching Fire and Long Bo. Cao Poyan, deeply grateful, stated Long Bo's operations were so secretive that he knew nothing of the other stockpiles. Noticing Cao Poyan's severe injuries, Tan Qi arranged for him to be sent back to the Peacekeeper Corps for medical treatment. Soon after, Royal Escort soldiers discovered fragments of women's clothing in the debris.
Zhang Xiaojing recognized them as Wen Ran's, and, believing she was dead, was overwhelmed with grief, vowing revenge. He instructed Tan Qi to tell Li Bi to investigate Long Bo's background, specifically if he had a military past, as Zhang Xiaojing had observed his precise and skilled command. Zhang Xiaojing learned from Sun Zheng, the community officer of Changming Street, that due to lax management, a private gate had been illegally dug into the street wall for easier cargo transportation.
Li Jingzhong arrived at the Peacekeeper Corps and relayed Crown Prince Li Yu's message, urging Li Bi to swiftly locate the remaining Wolven Squad members and ascertain if Zhang Xiaojing truly intended to harm Lin Jiulang, to avoid implicating the Crown Prince. Faced with this urgent situation, Li Bi accepted Xu Bin's offer to help with the investigation. Li Bi then sent a messenger to Yao Runeng, ordering him to report on Zhang Xiaojing's every move.
Yao Runeng found Zhang Xiaojing, who immediately took his horse and rode off, instructing Yao Runeng to have the watchtower monitor a carriage carrying Crouching Fire and to report its location. Yao Runeng then encountered a dejected Cui Qi, who was disheartened by his failures. Yao Runeng presented Cui Qi with a document from the Right Cavalries, instructing the Royal Escort to report to General Gan Shoucheng. Cui Qi hesitated, unwilling to bypass Li Bi.
Yao Runeng persuaded him to recognize the bigger picture, arguing that a promotion to the Right Cavalries would fulfill his and his late brother Cui Liulang's aspirations. Yao Runeng also revealed that he was tasked with monitoring Zhang Xiaojing and reporting to Li Bi. Meanwhile, Ma Ge Er and his group, driving three carts laden with stone grease, inquired about the way to Pingkang Street. A local warned them that their carriages were too wide to pass the street's checkpoint barrier, but Ma Ge Er ignored him and continued forward.
