The Longest Day in Chang'an Episode 28 Recap
> The Longest Day in Chang'an Recap
Guo Lishi urgently instructed his driver to speed up, rushing to Lin Jiulang's manor. He was deeply concerned that He Fu, now in Lin Jiulang's custody, might be coerced into confessing something detrimental to the Crown Prince. Guo Lishi intended to join the interrogation himself, hoping to prevent any fabricated testimony that could endanger the Crown Prince's life.
However, Lin Jiulang refused Guo Lishi entry, fearing He Fu might alter his confession in front of a witness, allowing Guo Lishi to use it to advocate for the Crown Prince to the Emperor. He then had Li Sifang send a message to Guo Lishi, suggesting he focus his investigation on He Zhizheng instead. Meanwhile, Lin Jiulang interrogated He Fu, who vehemently insisted that his actions had nothing to do with his adopted father.
Lin Jiulang, however, was unconvinced, demanding to know why He Zhizheng had fled. Lin Jiulang challenged He Fu’s story of being adopted, questioning why He Zhizheng, a high-ranking official, would take in a "dumb kid" from the street. He also wondered why, if He Fu harbored such long-standing grudges against him, he only chose to act tonight.
He Fu reiterated his tale of escaping human traffickers by feigning foolishness, only to be found and adopted by He Zhizheng, who patiently taught him to read and write. He Fu explained his ten years of suffering were for revenge and repaying kindness, after which he planned to live in seclusion. Lin Jiulang, with the help of Minister Pei, interpreted He Fu’s poetic allusions as a desire to get away with murder, but He Fu remained defiant, insisting he could.
Concurrently, Zhang Xiaojing and Isse made their way into the bustling underground city to seek out Ge Lao to investigate the killer of You Cha. Zhang Xiaojing assured Ge Lao's men that he was there strictly for business, not to cause trouble. Inside, he unexpectedly encountered Li Bi, who had recently escaped from the underground city’s private prison.
Li Bi explained that He Fu had likely been manipulated by Long Bo, and that a deeper instigator was pulling Long Bo's strings. He lamented the burning of the Peacekeeper Corps' archive room, which had destroyed any leads regarding the manor frequented by Long Bo and the Wolven Squad, and noted that Chamberlain Xu's whereabouts were unknown. Both Zhang Xiaojing and Li Bi concluded that Long Bo's attempt to assassinate Lin Jiulang was merely a diversion.
Li Bi suspected the true aim was to exploit the high-level conflict between the Crown Prince and Lin Jiulang to sow chaos. Li Bi decided to seek He Fu, believing he was the only one who knew Long Bo's current location, and urged Zhang Xiaojing to continue tracking the mercenaries. Zhang Xiaojing voiced his suspicion that He Zhizheng or the Crown Prince might be the masterminds, but Li Bi adamantly dismissed the idea, vouching for their innocence.
Meanwhile, Guo Lishi dispatched Imperial Guards to locate He Zhizheng, giving them a strict one-hour deadline. The guards later reported a thorough search of He Zhizheng's manor in Paradise Height, where they found over a dozen dead servants and a medical officer from the Eastern Palace’s apothecary house, identified as a soldier and likely a spy. However, He Zhizheng himself remained missing. Guo Lishi pondered whether the Crown Prince or another party had been spying on the old man.
At the same time, Lin Jiulang ordered Li Sifang to lead the Right Cavalry in a city-wide search for He Zhizheng. Guo Lishi's Imperial Guards and Lin Jiulang's Right Cavalry inevitably crossed paths during their respective searches. Lin Jiulang tried to coerce He Fu into implicating He Zhizheng, emphasizing He Zhizheng's position as the Crown Prince's teacher and his influence.
Back in the underground city, Ma Dalang and his cohorts confronted Ge Lao, angered that Zhang Xiaojing had been allowed to leave alive, and furious over the disappearance of valuable golden instruments following Xiaoyi's death, which they blamed on Zhang Xiaojing. Ge Lao, however, dismissed their concerns about the gold, declaring he had lost interest in it.
He then executed one of his men for selling weapons to Fanzhen, sternly warning the others against such illicit dealings, regardless of the profit. Ding Tong'er, now serving as Ge Lao's attendant, escorted Zhang Xiaojing into the inner chamber. Zhang Xiaojing sought the name of the client who had hired the mercenaries. Ge Lao, in return, demanded the formula for Crouching Fire. Zhang Xiaojing refused, stating his duty as Chang'an's protector prevented him from handing over such a dangerous weapon.
At this refusal, Ge Lao ordered his men to attack Zhang Xiaojing, but Isse bravely defended him at the entrance. Seizing this chaotic opportunity, Ma Dalang instigated a rebellion among Ge Lao's men and attempted to assassinate Ge Lao. Ding Tong'er bravely intervened, taking a dagger wound to her hand to protect Ge Lao.
Ma Dalang then attempted to sway Zhang Xiaojing, revealing that he believed Ge Lao had forced him to kill Xiaoyi and implying Zhang Xiaojing was merely a tool. Zhang Xiaojing, recalling Ma Dalang's cruelty to the families of runaway spies, swiftly killed him. Ding Tong'er then presented Ma Dalang's severed head to the gathered crowd, fabricating a story about his sudden demise from illness, and rallied support for Ge Lao, thus quelling the rebellion.
To facilitate Zhang Xiaojing's mission, Ge Lao provided him with a token, granting him access to the mercenaries. In gratitude for her loyalty and bravery, Ge Lao unexpectedly appointed Ding Tong'er as the new elder of the Board of Trade, presenting her with the ceremonial gold ring. He tasked her with finalizing the deal with Zhang Xiaojing.
Ding Tong'er, in turn, proposed that Zhang Xiaojing serve the underground city after his current case was resolved, suggesting he could be a hero there despite the lack of sunlight. Zhang Xiaojing agreed, viewing it as atonement for Xiaoyi's death. However, Ding Tong'er, softening her stance, gave Zhang Xiaojing the elder's ring, imploring him not to return and expressing her hope that the things he protected would not ultimately betray him.
Zhang Xiaojing explained his dedication, stating that if he had wanted to live, he wouldn't have turned himself in, as he remains a soldier even in death, and without that purpose, living is no different from being dead. Having previously escaped the underground city’s private prison with the help of A Zhi's brother and disguised in a green Taoist robe, Li Bi used his extensive knowledge of Chang'an’s intricate layout to skillfully evade the pursuing government forces.
Continuing his investigation, Guo Lishi received a report about He Zhizheng’s morning meeting with Jiao Sui at Huji Tavern in the Western District. The tavern owner vividly recalled their conversation, including He Zhizheng’s pronouncement that "tonight's great show" was about to begin, and his display of an imperial edict draft. This draft detailed Lin Jiulang’s impending governance of the country and the Emperor’s planned residence in Huaqing Palace. Jiao Sui had even performed a divination.
Guo Lishi sharply rebuked his eunuch for speculating on the meaning, warning against misinterpretation. The eunuch then added that a third man joined them at 7:00 AM, and they continued drinking until 9:00 AM. Based on the physical description provided by the tavern owner, Guo Lishi surmised that this third person was the Left Counselor, Li Shizhi.
Unaware of these developments, Zhang Xiaojing and Isse pressed through the vibrant, crowded lantern market, their minds fixed on reaching Liu’s Bookshop to find the client who hired the mercenaries. Isse explained that mercenaries rigorously verify clients' true names, addresses, and family locations to avoid government traps or non-payment, ensuring they never betray their clients.
Zhang Xiaojing theorized that the hirer might either be an unknown individual or the true mastermind behind everything, as Long Bo himself would be too cautious to reveal his hiding place so early. As the hour of Zi Chu (11 PM) arrived, Guo Lishi summoned Li Shizhi for a late-night interrogation. Guo Lishi directly questioned Li Shizhi about his morning meeting with He Zhizheng and Jiao Sui, specifically asking if they had discussed an assassination plot against Lin Jiulang.
Li Shizhi initially evaded the question, attributing their gathering to Jiao Sui's desire to sample rare wines. However, Guo Lishi pressed him, emphasizing the gravity of the situation, especially with He Fu's capture by Lin Jiulang, and stressing that Li Shizhi's honesty could help save the Crown Prince. Finally, Li Shizhi confessed. He Zhizheng had shown him the Emperor’s draft edict, which would formally hand over the governance of the country to Lin Jiulang.
Concerned about Lin Jiulang's potential actions against the Crown Prince, He Zhizheng had instructed Li Shizhi to prepare himself to assume the responsibilities of both the Right and Left Counselors, confidently predicting that Lin Jiulang would die before the royal feast that very night.
