The Longest Day in Chang'an Episode 33 Recap
> The Longest Day in Chang'an Recap
Severely injured, Yao Runeng lay on the street, desperately pleading with passersby to deliver a message to Li Bi or the Crown Prince, asking them to rescue Tan Qi, who was buried alive at the Right Counselor's manor. No one offered help. A man approached him, knowing his identity, and offered to take him to a place where he could "shine," noting he was a descendant of the sagacious minister Yao Cong.
Yao Runeng, however, insisted he had to save Tan Qi first. The man explained that the person who sent him could help Yao Runeng restore honor to his family. Inside the manor, Lin Jiulang stewed in frustration. The Crown Prince had sent a formal letter, allowing Li Bi to retrieve his female servant, Tan Qi, and specifically asked Li Bi to report back.
Li Bi had arrived with imperial guards and the Dragon's Army, signalling the support of trusted generals like Cheng Xuanli and General Guo. Lin Jiulang saw Li Bi as a future formidable adversary. He lamented how his initial plan to use He Fu's assassination attempt to fault the Crown Prince had backfired; Li Bi now held a weakness of his, reversing their positions, and the regency had completely failed.
Furthermore, the Emperor had bestowed commoners' clothes upon him, making him fear his grand ambition to take over the country might be forever lost. Amidst his distress, Yuan Zai, the appraiser of the Court of Jurisdiction, burst in, announcing he had something important to report. Outside the manor, Lin Jiulang had arranged a carriage for Tan Qi, but she insisted on riding a horse. Tan Qi thanked Li Bi for saving her, though a rift had formed between them.
She revealed that Yao Runeng had secretly taught her a breath-holding technique, which allowed her to survive. Li Bi apologized, explaining that he had been forced to leave her behind to protect the Crown Prince. He then harshly dismissed Yao Runeng, stating he had betrayed the Crown Prince and they should never see him again.
Tan Qi questioned the Crown Prince's innocence and the safety of Chang'an, but Li Bi curtly told her to simply follow his orders and ask no questions, making her feel she was still just a servant. Despite this, Li Bi offered her freedom. Li Xiangxiang, upon seeing Li Bi rescue Tan Qi, released Zhang Xiaojing from her secret room. Zhang Xiaojing, relieved to see Tan Qi unharmed, asked Li Bi for help re-entering the Peacekeeper Corps to retrieve evidence.
Li Bi, however, was preoccupied with the Crown Prince's safety, explaining that they needed time to regain control of the Peacekeeper Corps and the Crown Prince's life would be in danger that night at the Grand Auditorium. Zhang Xiaojing understood and chose to go alone, reminding Li Bi to pay attention to "bamboo ware" and handing him evidence about Lin Jiulang's crimes (an account book), which he said he received from Xu Bin, revealing Xu Bin was still alive.
Tan Qi then pleaded with Li Bi to appeal to the court to rescind Zhang Xiaojing's capital punishment, arguing that if a hero like him were to be executed, it would discourage future generations from serving the country wholeheartedly. Li Bi refused, stating Zhang Xiaojing had committed one of the ten grave crimes that couldn't be pardoned and that protecting the Crown Prince was the priority, as this involved revising the Tang Code.
Heartbroken, Tan Qi declared she would find a way to save Zhang Xiaojing herself. To avoid implicating Li Bi, she publicly berated him for never treating her as a human, stating she had almost lost her life and would no longer serve him. She bid him farewell and left without looking back. Li Bi, though pained, suppressed his feelings and headed to the Grand Auditorium to protect the Crown Prince. Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaojing encountered Isse again at a noodle stall.
Zhang Xiaojing urged Isse to return to his temple, promising to capture Yu Chang to avenge the friars' deaths. However, Isse insisted on following Zhang Xiaojing, explaining that he had come to understand that "one can only achieve peace by taking care of others" and wished to put it into practice, even engraving it on his Catholic Church's tablet. Zhang Xiaojing, despite the danger, allowed Isse to accompany him.
At the Peacekeeper Corps, Ji Wen ordered Zhao Sanjun to double the defense and contain all officials in the hall, concerned that accomplices might come to cause trouble following an attempt on the Right Counselor's life. Zhao Sanjun then presented an unregistered bag of evidence found at the exploded storehouse in Changming Street. Ji Wen opened it to find bamboo pieces smelling of stone grease and ordered them to be guarded.
Li Bi arrived at Xingqing Palace, but General Chen Xuanli blocked his entry because he lacked a Golden Fish Pendant. Eunuch Li Jingzhong intervened, reassuring General Chen that Li Bi would only meet the Crown Prince in his carriage outside the palace and would not step inside. As they walked, Li Jingzhong pointed out the Grand Holy Lantern, mentioning its construction from bamboo. This immediately struck Li Bi, reminding him of Zhang Xiaojing's earlier warning.
Li Bi found the Crown Prince in his carriage, discussing strategies for the evening feast with Wei Jian and Han Chaozong. Li Bi entrusted Li Jingzhong with Xu Bin's evidence (the account book), instructing him to pass it to the Crown Prince to present to the Emperor if Lin Jiulang pressed too hard, to help turn the tide. Li Bi then excused himself to investigate the Grand Holy Lantern.
Zhang Xiaojing and Isse infiltrated the Peacekeeper Corps, with Isse pretending Zhang Xiaojing was an injured official who had witnessed the arson and was there to report it. Zhao Sanjun, recognizing Zhang Xiaojing (Old Zhao), nervously questioned them, recalling Zhang Xiaojing had hit him when burning down the Right Cavalry's building. Zhang Xiaojing quickly held Zhao hostage, stating his intent to retrieve evidence.
Zhao explained that Ji Wen was currently in the evidence room, guarded by Right Cavalrymen, making entry impossible. Isse suggested Zhao lure Ji Wen out for a short time, but Zhao, fearing for his life and needing to appear loyal, refused. Zhang Xiaojing then concocted a tale, claiming Isse was a Persian prince who trained in magic and was an expert in stealing souls with his poisonous eyes.
He recounted a fabricated story of Advisor Liu going mad and murdering his family after insulting Isse. Terrified, Zhao reluctantly agreed to help. Zhao Sanjun bravely entered the evidence room, feigning a mission from General Gan Shoucheng to uncover Ji Wen's misdeeds. He rambled on about General Gan's perceived weaknesses, fabricating a story about Gan letting Zhang Xiaojing escape, hoping to distract Ji Wen long enough for Isse to retrieve the evidence.
While Zhao kept Ji Wen thoroughly engaged with his convoluted tales, Isse silently slipped in and retrieved numerous fragmented bamboo pieces. Zhang Xiaojing recognized these as similar to those found earlier but now shattered. He decided they needed to find Chao Fen, the craftsman renowned for creating the intricate layout model of Chang'an, who could deduce the original shape from fragments. Elsewhere, Yuan Zai and Wang Yunxiu were strolling through the lantern market when they spotted Zhang Xiaojing and Isse.
Yuan Zai immediately went to call for reinforcements. Meanwhile, Tan Qi approached Prince Yong, requesting his help to gain an audience with the Emperor to save Zhang Xiaojing. Prince Yong, correctly deducing her purpose, provided her with a drum bag, a temporary pass for musicians entering the Grand Auditorium.
Despite Feng Dalun's attempt to dissuade him, Prince Yong deliberately assisted Tan Qi, calculating that if Li Bi's servant caused a disturbance before the Emperor, it would inevitably implicate Li Bi and the Crown Prince, thus benefiting Prince Yong. Zhang Xiaojing and Isse soon located Chao Fen's residence. Isse attempted to introduce himself as the Prince of Persia, but the reclusive and haughty Chao Fen ignored him.
Zhang Xiaojing then stated he was from the Peacekeeper Corps, which immediately gained Chao Fen's attention. Chao Fen anxiously asked about the well-being of his layout model, to which Zhang Xiaojing feigned confusion. When Zhang Xiaojing presented the fragmented bamboo pieces, Chao Fen initially dismissed them, stating his current interest was in ironware. However, Zhang Xiaojing strategically informed him that the Peacekeeper Corps had been attacked, its officials killed, and everything destroyed, including Chao Fen's cherished Chang'an layout model.
Enraged by the news of his model's destruction, which he had intended to take back to Japan to inspire a new city, Chao Fen demanded to know who was responsible. Zhang Xiaojing then presented the bamboo pieces again, asserting they were the crucial clues to identifying the culprits.
