The Longest Day in Chang'an Episode 17 Recap
> The Longest Day in Chang'an Recap
Li Bi, concerned about Zhang Xiaojing potentially abandoning his post, sought out Xu Bin to inquire about Zhang Xiaojing's character. Xu Bin, sharing a favorite yellow wine from Fuyuan Tavern with Li Bi, firmly stated that Zhang Xiaojing would never flee. He recounted Zhang Xiaojing's history, noting he was among the first recruits in the 17th year of the old calendar, quickly rising to Assistant Commander by the 23rd year.
Before his transfer to Anxi, Prince Xin An had ordered an attack on the Stone Fortress, a naturally impregnable stronghold that, despite being occupied by only dozens of bandits, would cost thousands of Tang soldiers their lives and held no strategic importance. All generals understood this was merely a quest for glory, but only Zhang Xiaojing dared to defy Prince Xin An in a meeting, refusing to deploy troops.
He openly accused Prince Xin An of trading soldiers' lives for personal renown, calling it despicable. Though Wen Wuji intervened, Zhang Xiaojing's rank was stripped, and he, along with Wen Wuji, was demoted to a private and sent to Anxi. As a final insult, Prince Xin An gifted Zhang Xiaojing a short sword named "Useless," symbolizing cowardice and inefficiency.
Xu Bin explained that Zhang Xiaojing valued human lives and adhered to his own code, even if it meant disobeying superiors, for which there was always a price. Reassured by Xu Bin's unwavering belief that Zhang Xiaojing's heart was with the people of Chang'an, Li Bi found his admiration for the convict growing. Zhang Xiaojing, covered in burns, was forcibly returned to prison by the officials.
Meanwhile, an imperial decree from the Emperor, delivered by General Guo, commended Jing'an Si for eliminating the Wolven Squad and averting disaster for Chang'an. Li Bi was ordered to close the case immediately and attend a celebratory feast with the Crown Prince that evening at the Xingqing Palace Grand Auditorium. The decree further instructed all temporarily relocated personnel from Jing'an Si to return to their original posts.
Cui Qi, enraged, interrupted General Guo, demanding to know about the recognition for his City Guards who had risked their lives. He lamented that his fallen brothers had died in vain for nothing. General Guo sternly rebuked him, accusing him of seeking personal glory, which only deepened Cui Qi's resentment. Privately, Li Bi expressed his lingering concerns to General Guo.
He pointed out that the Wolven Squad had planned for over three years, and fifteen crates of Crouching Fire seemed insufficient for their grand scheme. He also highlighted the discovery of over twenty human remains on Changming Street, the missing map of Chang'an, and the elusive Long Bo, who had rented the Wolven Squad's hideout. General Guo dismissed his concerns, declaring the case closed by imperial order.
Li Bi pressed further, worried about the continued danger to Chang'an, but General Guo changed the subject, asking about Jing'an Si's official seal. Li Bi assumed it was in the archive, unaware it had been used. General Guo then revealed that He Zhizheng had submitted a report to the Emperor, in Li Bi's name, claiming the Wolven Squad was completely eliminated and bearing Jing'an Si's official seal.
The report was submitted after the Left Counselor Li Shizhi and four other high-ranking officials advocated for the corps and the Crown Prince's credit. Li Bi, realizing that He Zhizheng, supposedly bedridden, had stolen the seal and falsely reported to the Emperor, suspected his teacher was deliberately trying to halt the investigation, possibly to protect the Crown Prince from further blame should Chang'an face more trouble.
General Guo advised Li Bi to send Zhang Xiaojing back to death row immediately, warning that the Emperor's tolerance for the Crown Prince, considering the chaos caused by a death row convict, was already stretched. He urged Li Bi not to be stubborn, reminding him of the political repercussions for himself, the Crown Prince, and his loyal supporters.
General Guo cynically suggested that if Li Bi wanted to remain innocent, he should resign and return to his monastery, implying that higher powers disregarded the "vermin on the ground." Li Bi, however, remained concerned for the people of Chang'an. Reluctantly, Li Bi made the difficult decision to comply.
He sent word via the watchtower that the Flaming Demon case was closed by royal decree, instructing all officers to return to their departments and that Zhang Xiaojing would be sent back to Chang'an Prison. Cui Qi, though furious, had no choice but to obey. Meanwhile, Lin Jiulang was displeased. He had hoped to use the Wolven Squad incident to implicate both the Crown Prince and He Zhizheng, but He Zhizheng's preemptive report had foiled his plan.
Ji Wen proposed a new strategy: utilize Zhang Xiaojing. Since Zhang Xiaojing had once drawn a map of Lin Jiulang's manor for the Wolven Squad, they could use this as a pretext to transfer him to the Right Cavalry for interrogation. From there, they could extract information to incriminate the Crown Prince, ensuring Lin Jiulang's safety and retracting any imperial credits for the Crown Prince. Lin Jiulang immediately ordered Ji Wen to proceed.
Cui Qi, still reeling from the injustice and the memory of his fallen brother, decided, influenced by Yao Runeng's advice, to abandon Jing'an Si. He informed his City Guards that they would now serve General Gan Shoucheng of the Right Cavalry, a better place closer to the Emperor and high-ranking nobles. He rallied them, promising a small, easy favor in exchange for a promotion: they were to arrest a man, with orders to kill on sight if he resisted.
This man was Zhang Xiaojing. Unaware of Cui Qi's betrayal, Tan Qi volunteered to escort Zhang Xiaojing back to prison. Li Bi, acknowledging the constraints of the imperial decree, entrusted Tan Qi with a hidden dagger. He instructed her to facilitate Zhang Xiaojing's escape, making it appear as if he had fled independently, and then to direct him to Daji Tavern in Huaiyuan Street, where Li Bi had another task for him.
Li Bi assured her the tavern keeper was trustworthy, a detail he had learned from Xu Bin. However, when Tan Qi arrived at the prison, she learned that Zhang Xiaojing had already been taken by Cui Qi and his men. She immediately reported this development to Li Bi, detailing that Cui Qi had taken Zhang Xiaojing to the Right Cavalry, citing an arrest order from General Gan Shoucheng, though Tan Qi had not seen any official warrant.
(During his capture, Zhang Xiaojing had declared he was not running away. When Cui Qi ordered his men to "take him down," Zhang Xiaojing defiantly proclaimed that not even a god could stop him, warning them against killing their own. ) As Jing'an Si crumbled, officials, citing the imperial decree, left for home, wishing Li Bi a pleasant Lantern Festival. Li Bi pleaded with them to stay and continue the investigation, but they refused, unwilling to defy the imperial order.
The vast halls of Jing'an Si became desolate, leaving only Li Bi, Tan Qi, and the time-keeping Professor Pang Ling, who, bound by his 24-hour shift, insisted on staying until 10:00 the next morning. Pang Ling informed Li Bi that Xu Bin had been missing since 5:00 that day. Shortly after, a gravely injured Xu Bin, having barely regained consciousness, painfully crawled to Li Bi, handing him a customs declaration for 300 barrels of napalm.
He then revealed shocking news: there were not just fifteen, but three hundred crates of Crouching Fire in Chang'an. He also identified Lu San, the messenger, as a mole within Jing'an Si who had tried to kill him. Before he could elaborate further, Xu Bin succumbed to his injuries and collapsed. Meanwhile, Lu San reported back to Long Bo, whom he reverently addressed as "Lord Long," a healer come to cure the sickness of Great Tang.
Lu San explained that Jing'an Si had closed the case, and he had returned early because someone discovered the real inventory list of Su Transport, forcing him to kill that person – implicitly Xu Bin – as he feared being compromised if he stayed. Long Bo, after four months, asked Lu San how he found working for the Imperial Court.
Lu San expressed his satisfaction, noting the power struggles within Jing'an Si, and declared his honor in joining Long Bo's grand endeavor that would "shake Heaven." Long Bo then had Lu San change out of his uniform, presenting him with a new pair of shoes for their impending journey, acknowledging his hard work. Yu Chang, visibly anxious, questioned Long Bo about the manor's safety, now that Jing'an Si knew about the three hundred crates of Crouching Fire.
Long Bo, however, was confident, asserting that no one dared to challenge the manor's powerful owner. He then pressed Yu Chang about Wen Ran's whereabouts. Yu Chang, who had grown to love Long Bo and resented his familial affection for Wen Ran, lied, claiming Wen Ran had left on her own, refusing to be with Long Bo.
Long Bo, seeing through her deception, revealed that Wen Ran was like family to him and that their "great deed" was ultimately for her. He explained that he needed Wen Ran to witness their actions to validate their justice and then proclaim their righteousness to the world. He demanded to know where Wen Ran was, and Yu Chang reluctantly promised to find her.
Separately, Yao Runeng encountered Wen Ran, learning she was Wen Wuji's daughter and was eager to know Zhang Xiaojing's whereabouts. He then offered to take her through a secret passage to Zhang Xiaojing. Wen Ran questioned his motives, and Yao Runeng candidly admitted he sought merits, hoping to gain great rewards from the information she possessed. Wen Ran suggested he could hand her over to the Imperial Court immediately for a reward.
Yao Runeng, with cynical realism, explained that the Imperial Court was vast, and he needed to observe "who will have the last laugh" before deciding which victor to hand her over to for maximum gain. Wen Ran, disgusted, called him a vermin, to which Yao Runeng simply responded that this was how things worked in Chang'an, and he considered himself one of the "honest bunch."
At the Right Cavalry headquarters, Cui Qi presented General Gan Shoucheng's order to the guards to allow them to bring Zhang Xiaojing in for interrogation. As Cui Qi attempted to hand over Zhang Xiaojing, Zhao Canjun, an officer of the Right Cavalry, ridiculed Cui Qi, calling him a traitor and complaining about the burden Zhang Xiaojing represented. Zhao Canjun mocked Cui Qi's aspirations, advising him that to be smart, one should flatter when appropriate and remain silent otherwise.
He ordered Zhang Xiaojing to be locked in the cellar, sarcastically dismissing Cui Qi's concerns about security within the royal palace. Meanwhile, Lin Jiulang, wary that the remaining three hundred crates of Crouching Fire might target his own manor, instructed Ji Wen to send Appraiser Yuan Zai from the Court of Judicature to Jing'an Si. Yuan Zai was to seize all case files, evidence, and witnesses, including Cao Poyan, to uncover the destination of the remaining napalm.
Yuan Zai, accompanied by Wang Yunxiu, arrived at Jing'an Si, declaring he was ordered by the Court of Judicature to acquire all case files, evidence, and witnesses, specifically mentioning Cao Poyan. Li Bi vehemently refused to hand over the criminal they had captured, asserting that Jing'an Si followed rules. Yuan Zai argued that since Jing'an Si had officially closed the case, transferring the criminals to the Court of Judicature was natural.
Li Bi questioned if the court was officially investigating, and Yuan Zai confirmed he had orders. Li Bi defied him, asking what if he refused. Yuan Zai, reminding Li Bi of his privileged background and knowledge of the law (having known the Emperor since age seven and joined the Crown Prince in the Royal Academy at twelve), warned him about the severe punishment for obstructing a court investigation, urging him not to "joke around."
Yuan Zai and Wang Yunxiu then challenged Li Bi to use violence, asserting they were not easily intimidated. Li Bi, stating that gentlemen never resorted to violence, then cunningly lured them into a cell under the pretense of taking them to the prisoner, locking them up instead. Yuan Zai furiously shouted from his cell, threatening Li Bi. Unaware of Xu Bin's death, Li Bi ordered him to track down Lu San and uncover who had sent him.
Li Bi then explained to Tan Qi that Yuan Zai had no official documents, making his visit illegitimate. He asserted that the Court of Judicature were merely "vultures" who only dared to take over a case once it was solved. Furthermore, Li Bi instructed Tan Qi to widely publicize his defiance, making it known that he recognized no allies and would imprison anyone who dared to challenge Jing'an Si's authority.
In his cell, Zhang Xiaojing, famished, requested food from a jailer. The jailer, blaming Zhang for ruining his holiday, refused and attacked him. Zhang Xiaojing swiftly incapacitated the jailer, broke his ropes, and attempted to escape. He was intercepted by Zhao Canjun and Cui Qi. Zhao Canjun, seeing Cui Qi hesitate, accused him of conspiring with Zhang Xiaojing to escape and threatening the royal palace's safety, warning he could execute Cui Qi without trial.
He then ordered Zhang Xiaojing to be bound tightly. As the jailer regained consciousness and resumed beating Zhang, Zhao Canjun taunted Cui Qi, sarcastically advising him that to become a general, one must first learn to betray comrades without guilt. He continued to humiliate Cui Qi, forcing him to declare "happiness" as Zhang was brutally beaten, and threatening the jailers with severe consequences if Zhang Xiaojing escaped.
Li Bi, now aware that Lu San was a mole, realized that all watchtower codes were compromised, rendering that communication method unusable. He informed Tan Qi of the dire situation facing Chang'an: if they failed to solve the mystery, not only would the city's people be in danger, but the entire Great Tang would lose its authority and prestige among neighboring nations, leading to instability and preventing Chang'an from ever knowing peace again.
He emphasized that only Zhang Xiaojing could save them, and his arrest by the Right Cavalry was a grave error. Tan Qi eagerly volunteered to rescue Zhang Xiaojing. Li Bi instructed her to retrieve him without revealing Jing'an Si's involvement, telling her to claim any prison break was due to personal feelings. Li Bi then decided to send Yao Runeng with Tan Qi, despite his smooth-talking nature, as he possessed a brave heart that could be trusted when needed.
Tan Qi and Yao Runeng were to go to the Right Cavalry headquarters, stand by, and commence their mission at 7:00 if they did not receive a watchtower message from Li Bi. When Tan Qi asked where Li Bi was going, he replied, "Paradise Height," He Zhizheng's villa. Tan Qi questioned if he now suspected He Zhizheng, to which Li Bi responded that he would only cease to suspect his teacher if He Zhizheng helped him rescue Zhang Xiaojing.
