The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Episode 1 Recap
> The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Recap
In the fourteenth year of Chenghua, Tang Fan, a lower 6th rank magistrate, was enjoying a delicious cut of ""plum pork"", a rare delicacy, at Donggu's Restaurant with Donggu, its proprietor. Just as he took a bite, a Shuntian Prefecture official burst in, snatched the sizzling pork, and fled. Tang Fan chased him all the way to the Shuntian Prefecture yamen. It turned out Pan Bin, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, had sent the official to "steal" the meat.
Pan Bin hoped to leverage Tang Fan's abilities to solve a multitude of urgent and complex cases. Eager to return to his meal, Tang Fan instructed his clerks to read out all the case details simultaneously.
Despite the seemingly petty nature of the cases, Tang Fan quickly solved them one by one, utilizing his keen observation of weather, knowledge of chemical reactions (such as white lime reacting with water and moss), and common sense (like the horse's preference for sweets), thus easing Pan Bin's immediate burdens. Meanwhile, Sui Zhou, a Zongqi of the Northern Administrative Court of Imperial Guards, arrived in a black cloak at an inn.
He mused that if the year brought favorable weather, the grasslands would yield enough fodder for the livestock to survive winter, preventing the Oirats from invading the south due to food shortages, which would spare many lives for the border guards.
Sui Zhou then confronted the innkeeper, Jia Kui, revealing Jia Kui's true past: Jia Kui had joined the army at 15, became a squad leader at 17, and at 20, was transferred to Datong with Qianhu Ding Rusun and incorporated into the Yunzhou Iron Guard. By 22, he was a Baihu commander, fighting over a hundred battles during five years of border defense.
However, on the fifth day of the first lunar month of his twenty-seventh year, he assassinated Garrison General Ding Rusun, changed his name, and fled outside the Shanhai Pass for eleven years. Sui Zhou, who identified himself as a Zongqi of the Northern Administrative Court of Imperial Guards, had spent years searching for Jia Kui and finally apprehended him.
After ensuring his wife and child would not be implicated, Jia Kui surrendered, though he still wondered if he could have escaped. Later, while patrolling the streets, Zheng Cheng, the eldest son of Marquis Wu'an, tried to accost a flower girl. Tang Fan intervened, publicly scolding Zheng Cheng and calling him out as a "good-for-nothing and lecherous" son of the Marquis, allowing the girl to escape.
Although enraged, Zheng Cheng, being challenged in broad daylight, could do nothing against Tang Fan. News then broke that Han Zao, His Highness Prince's studying companion, had gone missing. The Prince, considering Han Zao like a brother, frantically reported it to the Emperor, but others, including a courtier, dismissed it as mere playfulness, suggesting the Prince choose another companion.
Her Majesty, the Empress Dowager, summoned her personal chief eunuch Liu Xiang, who reported that after their afternoon class, the Prince stayed in Wenhua Palace to continue studying, while Han Zao had left the palace early, stating he was going home for dinner. The Emperor decided to assign the Northern Administrative Court of Imperial Guards to investigate the matter.
Late that night, Wang Zhi, the Commander of Western Depot, visited Minister Yu of the Ministry of War, presenting a memorial to the throne that Minister Yu was supposed to submit. The memorial discussed the matter of establishing an heir apparent to the throne, but its latter half contained accusations against Noble Consort Wan, claiming she monopolized the harem and meddled in state affairs.
Minister Yu, initially dismissive of eunuchs' power, was soon confronted by Wang Zhi, who used this memorial as a starting point.
Wang Zhi then listed Minister Yu's various crimes: forming cliques for selfish interests (such as plotting with officials to oppose the "Wan faction"), deceiving the Emperor (appointing his second son to an official post and fabricating his resume), and discussing state affairs inappropriately with his family (criticizing the Emperor's trust in Noble Consort Wan and accusing the eunuchs of controlling the government).
Wang Zhi then offered Minister Yu a pot of poisoned wine, subtly indicating that Minister Yu should end his life quickly to ensure the safety of his entire clan. Wang Zhi stressed that only the Emperor was truly powerful, not eunuchs like himself. Dong'er, a maid from the Li household, delivered some snacks to Tang Fan and shared the good news that Master Li would soon return to the capital.
Dong'er saw Tang Fan, a lower 6th rank official, as lazy, incompetent, and only capable of writing novels. Tang Fan, however, lectured her on the principles of governance, lamenting that corrupt officials dominated the court, being mostly sycophants who achieved nothing. He pointed out the countless tyrannical officials in the south, leading to widespread suffering and banditry.
He added that the outflow of silver during the Song and Yuan dynasties had depleted the national treasury, causing the Ming Dynasty's paper currency to be indiscriminately printed and its value to plummet. He also highlighted that in recent decades, the northern frontier had been tense, with the Doyan Three Guards of Liaodong eyeing them menacingly, yet military commanders were often incompetent.
Tang Fan believed the court should prioritize rectifying governance and investigating corruption: the national treasury needed thorough auditing and measures to increase income and reduce expenditure; the northern borders required military reorganization, rewarding merits, and stricter discipline; the south needed a focus on agriculture and commerce; and Liaodong should reopen horse markets to temporarily appease various factions, to be suppressed once the nation was prosperous and strong, thus removing future worries.
As they discussed, Pan Bin sent an official, Zhang Daren, to summon Tang Fan to Huanyi Brothel, where Zheng Cheng, whom Tang Fan had encountered earlier, had died. Inside Huanyi Brothel, Pei Huai, a medical genius, examined Zheng Cheng's body.
While all symptoms indicated a sudden collapse due to over-exhaustion, two crucial anomalies remained: the deceased had vomited a large amount of fresh blood (evidenced by bloodstains inside his teeth, gums, and mouth), yet the scene was unusually clean; and the bed frame bore multiple scratch marks, suggesting intense pain before death, possibly indicating poisoning. Tang Fan questioned the servant who first discovered the body.
Zheng Cheng had come to Huanyi Brothel that night to see the courtesan Qingzi but was refused because Qingzi was indisposed and Zheng Cheng was drunk, so he was directed to a side room to rest. The servant returned to the room around 11 PM, discovering a child hanged inside and Zheng Cheng dead. The servant confirmed that Zheng Cheng usually sought Qingzi's services and took Fuyangchun, an aphrodisiac, prescribed by Qingzi and filled at Huichun Pharmacy on Tangxibai Street.
Qingzi stated Zheng Cheng had fallen asleep when she briefly checked on him around 7:30 PM. She denied knowing the child or when the child entered the room, adding that Zheng Cheng often brought outside women into the brothel. As Tang Fan was piecing together clues, Marquis Wu'an entered the crime scene and removed Zheng Cheng's body.
Recognizing the many suspicious circumstances, Tang Fan suggested taking the body back to Shuntian Prefecture for a detailed examination, but Marquis Wu'an refused, wanting to avoid public scandal. Given Marquis Wu'an's desire to keep the matter private and his second son's plea to downplay the case, Pan Bin decided to rule Zheng Cheng's death as a sudden collapse due to illness.
He also tried to explain away the hanged child as a prostitute who committed suicide out of fear, which Tang Fan immediately refuted, stating the child was not a courtesan from Huanyi Brothel. Tang Fan vehemently disagreed with the hasty conclusion, insisting on further investigation due to the numerous irregularities, such as the missing bloodstains and the scratch marks on the bed frame, which indicated a painful struggle.
Pan Bin advised Tang Fan that the way of an official was to facilitate things for others and oneself, criticizing Tang Fan's excessive seriousness and stating that this excessive attention to detail was why Tang Fan had been idle for so many years at the Hanlin Academy. Noble Consort Wan and Wang Zhi also discussed Han Zao's disappearance.
The Noble Consort found it suspicious and feared it was a plot against her, but Wang Zhi reassured her that he would handle it appropriately. The Emperor then summoned both Shang Ming, Commander of Eastern Depot, and Wang Zhi, wishing for a thorough investigation into Zheng Cheng's death. Wang Zhi eagerly volunteered, promising a diligent inquiry, engaging in a fierce competition with Shang Ming over which agency should handle the case, emphasizing the Western Depot's efficiency and the Emperor's trust.
Afterwards, Wang Zhi subtly mentioned Minister Yu's recent death by poisoned wine to Shang Ming. Pei Huai and Tang Fan re-examined the child's body. Although apparently hanged, the ligature marks on the neck were superficial, lacking the severe bruising and struggle signs typical of self-strangulation, indicating the child was strangled after death. The true cause of death was poisoning.
Zheng Cheng died from chronic poisoning, which accumulated over time, while the child died from acute poisoning, with death occurring within an hour of ingestion, and three to six hours before Zheng Cheng. This meant the child was already dead before Zheng Cheng arrived at Huanyi Brothel.
Further investigation revealed that Zheng Cheng and Tang Fan's public quarrel had caused a street blockage the previous day, forcing a carriage carrying a child to stop near the brothel around 3-5 PM, which had gone unnoticed by Tang Fan until now. The Ministry of Punishments and the Court of Judicial Review jointly submitted a memorial impeaching Pan Bin for his shoddy handling of Zheng Cheng's case, accusing him of negligence and disregarding human life.
Pan Bin, in a panic, sought Tang Fan's help. Tang Fan advised Pan Bin to submit a memorial confessing his shortcomings, explaining the pressure from Marquis Wu'an to avoid public scandal, hoping to gain the Emperor's sympathy. Tang Fan suggested Pan Bin also request that the Eastern Depot, Western Depot, Imperial Guards, Ministry of Punishments, and Court of Judicial Review jointly assist in the investigation to uncover the truth for Marquis Wu'an's family.
