The Longest Day in Chang'an Episode 47 Recap
> The Longest Day in Chang'an Recap
Zhang Xiaojing, suppressing his grief over Long Bo's death, picked up Ji Jiang, who was crying for her father, Ji Daji, after being terrified by the events. He then carried the child from Xu Bin's secret passage. Meanwhile, Cheng Can began his investigation by inquiring with He Zhizheng about the connection between He Fu and Long Bo.
Cheng Can highlighted that Long Bo's entire operation, from hiring the Wolven Squad and transporting stone grease into Chang'an to acquiring hideouts for his group, required vast sums of money. He questioned how He Fu, who typically performed simple tasks like collecting medicine or documents and feigned ignorance, could have provided such significant funds.
Cheng Can posited that Long Bo orchestrated two plans: an overt one to deceive He Fu, using the Wolven Squad as a diversion and He Fu as a scapegoat, and a covert, real plan. He ordered an investigation into which government departments He Fu visited most frequently and with whom he primarily interacted. He Zhizheng confessed that a year prior, he had contracted dementia, experiencing severe episodes with suicidal tendencies from which He Fu had saved him numerous times.
The medication left him feeling muddled and useless, leading him to long for retirement in his hometown after 50 years of service. He had entrusted He Fu with discreetly selling off his properties and dismissing his servants, emphasizing the need for secrecy to avoid affecting the Crown Prince. He Zhizheng explained that he never pressed He Fu about the proceeds, treating him like a son with a tragic past prone to overthinking, and feared making him suspicious.
Cheng Can confirmed that He Fu was merely a pawn, designed to divert attention. Long Bo's real objective was to use He Fu's funds to meticulously plan the destruction of the Grand Holy Lantern and assassinate the Emperor. Cheng Can presented a homicide file revealing that Mao Shun had poisoned his entire family, claiming the substance was a tonic.
Baffled, He Zhizheng then examined Mao Shun's blueprint of the lantern tower, where a small inscription, "One qian can buy us two flatbreads," caught his eye. He Zhizheng immediately recognized it as a deliberate imitation of his own distinctive brushstroke, intended to draw Mao Shun's attention. Cheng Can ordered an immediate investigation into individuals from the Ministry of Work and National Treasury who had access to both Mao Shun's blueprint and He Zhizheng's handwriting.
Cheng Can linked Long Bo's actions to his desire to avenge the 8th Division, specifically questioning why the Lesser Patola Sahi Embassy was built in Anye Street, Wen Wuji's home, instead of the usual diplomatic district. He Zhizheng explained that the location was jointly decided by the Ministry of Work and National Treasury, with records kept in the archive room, which unfortunately burned down.
Cheng Can immediately suspected Xu Bin, noting that Xu Bin was responsible for transferring National Treasury files, and the fire in the archive began precisely at the location of these scrolls. He further revealed that the "burned Xu Bin" body found in the morgue was a carefully staged fake: the victim had been strangled and then hastily dressed in Xu Bin's coat before being set ablaze.
He Zhizheng admitted to recommending Xu Bin to the Peacekeeper Corps, not because of the quality of his persistent, over-a-decade-long submissions of prosaic, often mathematically-laden poems about official life's hardships, but because he was deeply moved by Xu Bin's unwavering persistence. Meanwhile, Xu Bin, a rank eight chamberlain from the National Treasury, quietly returned to his home.
He opened a secret passage beneath the floor of his memorial hall, and after practicing his formal greetings, welcomed the Emperor out from the tunnel. Investigations by officials revealed that He Fu had made 40 to 50 frequent visits to the National Treasury over the past six months, each lasting over half an hour, ostensibly for official documents. Concurrently, Xu Bin's name appeared on the list of individuals who had access to Mao Shun's blueprint.
These converging pieces of evidence pointed directly to Xu Bin. He Zhizheng then recalled an incident where He Fu, after returning from the National Treasury, was found crying in the garden. He Fu had recounted hearing an official named Xu Bin state, "In this life, you need to do something that you can be proud of before you can pass away," words that had deeply resonated with He Fu and now struck He Zhizheng as significant.
Cheng Can concluded from this that Xu Bin was the true mastermind. When it was time for Pang Ling's shift to end, he went to resign from He Zhizheng. Cheng Can, however, detected a woman's fragrance on the usually mechanical timekeeper, raising his suspicions. He Zhizheng immediately ordered Pang Ling's arrest. Before being captured, Pang Ling dropped a lotus flower into the flowing canal, attempting to send a message.
As soldiers apprehended him, he loudly cried out towards the wall, instructing, "Tell Tengkong not to wait for me anymore!" During the interrogation, He Zhizheng accused Pang Ling of being Lin Jiulang's spy, having sent messages throughout the day, questioning how a night guard seemingly devoted to astronomy could be involved. Pang Ling, however, offered no explanation, simply stating he was hungry. He Zhizheng, noting that much work remained, ordered food to be brought to Pang Ling.
Li Sifang reported Pang Ling's capture to Lin Jiulang, who expressed deep regret. He revealed that Pang Ling was his daughter, Tengkong's, fiancé. Against Lin Jiulang's advice, Pang Ling had insisted on becoming a spy, hoping to earn merit before marrying into the Right Counselor's family, thus aiming for a more distinguished position than merely an astronomer. Lin Jiulang lamented this decision, as the established rules for spies dictated that exposure meant certain death.
He instructed Li Sifang to keep the news from Tengkong so she could enjoy the Lantern Festival, and then ordered him to send a carriage of corals to Pang Ling's parents' manor, while also ensuring all of Pang Ling's personal documents and written materials were promptly retrieved from his residence. Pang Ling, provided with flatbreads and meat, boasted about acquiring everything he desired, including an ideal woman and financial stability.
He then passionately recounted his first meeting with Lin Tengkong, describing it as a moment where time stopped, and vowing to risk his life to spend it with her, aspiring to emulate Master Yixing by using his astronomical knowledge to benefit the people while securing financial stability. Cheng Can, using the threat of involving Pang Ling's parents, pressed him to reveal other spies within the Peacekeeper Corps.
Pang Ling, after expressing concern about upsetting He Zhizheng, eventually admitted that Yao Runeng was also Lin Jiulang's spy. He explained that Yao Runeng sought to restore his family's prestige through Lin Jiulang, feeling he could no longer rely on the Crown Prince. Pang Ling further characterized spies as ordinary people hiding big secrets and identified Xu Bin as a kindred spirit, though he could not determine who had recruited Xu Bin.
He then revealed that Xu Bin was privately operating a paper-making workshop, ostensibly to develop new methods rather than for profit, raising questions about how an eighth-rank official with a family could fund such a large venture on his meager salary. Xu Bin escorted the still-shaken Emperor out of the secret passage, revealing he had pre-arranged for the shop owner to facilitate the Emperor's escape through the tunnel.
With a carriage ready, Xu Bin offered to escort the Emperor back to the palace. Xu Bin passionately asserted that he possessed an extraordinary talent for mathematics, enabling him to predict future events and solve cases faster than Li Bi, thus foreseeing the Emperor's predicament and orchestrating his rescue. He earnestly pitched himself as a gifted individual capable of bringing prosperity to the Great Tang and Chang'an, lamenting that his abilities had gone unrecognized.
The Emperor, however, skeptically pressed him to reveal his backers in court, promising generous rewards. Xu Bin repeatedly insisted he acted alone, but the Emperor scoffed, questioning how a truly capable man could have remained a mere eighth-rank official for so long. Xu Bin countered that the Emperor was unfairly judging his character by his official rank. Despite his reservations, the Emperor ultimately agreed to return to the palace with Xu Bin.
As Cheng Can pondered the existence of a dangerous middleman connecting He Fu and Long Bo, He Zhizheng dispatched the Lyuben Army to search Xu Bin's paper-making workshop. Inside a giant pillar, soldiers discovered a large cache of Sassanid gold coins, an illegal currency in Tang. When shown these coins, Pang Ling immediately identified them as identical to those found at Long Bo's residence, indicating a broader conspiracy.
Simultaneously, officials searching Pang Ling's parents' home found incriminating letters between Pang Ling and Lin Tengkong, Lin Jiulang's daughter. They also uncovered a plum blossom jade pendant, which Cheng Can identified as Lin Jiulang's personal item, previously intended as evidence by the key witness, Ying, against Lin Jiulang in the Anye Street embassy corruption case before Ying's murder.
Confronted with this evidence and pressed for an explanation by He Zhizheng, Pang Ling quickly stuffed all the flatbreads he had been given into his mouth, suffocating himself to death. Believing his ascension to the throne was imminent, Yong Wang was congratulated prematurely by Feng Dalun. Yong Wang then swiftly killed Feng Dalun to ensure his silence.
Meanwhile, Zhang Xiaojing, after exiting Xu Bin's secret passage with Ji Jiang, entrusted the child to an old woman by the roadside, giving her instructions to take Ji Jiang back to the barber shop on the second junction in the Western District. Reviewing the letters found at Pang Ling's residence, He Zhizheng discovered information detailing the process of Lin Jiulang sending Pang Ling to assassinate the key witness, Ying.
The documents also contained records detailing Lin Jiulang's conspiracy with the Censorate to fabricate charges of treason against the Crown Prince. Without delay, He Zhizheng delivered this crucial box of evidence to the Crown Prince, advising him to guard it carefully and use it to defend himself against the Emperor's accusations when the critical moment arrived.
