The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Episode 10 Recap
> The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Recap
Jia Kui arrived in Ji'an ahead of Tang Fan and Wang Zhi. To get himself inside the local prison, he deliberately created a disturbance at a shop by refusing to pay for his meal, challenging the shopkeeper to report him to the authorities. He told the bewildered shopkeeper that he would learn his identity sooner or later. Inside the Imperial Edict Prison, Huang Jinglong approached Liu Si, a fellow inmate, and threatened his life, ordering him to poison Sui Zhou.
Liu Si, desperate for survival, complied. When his family bribed a jailer to visit and brought him cloud slice cakes, Liu Si secretly laced them with poison. He then offered the poisoned cakes to Sui Zhou as a token of gratitude for past kindness. Sui Zhou suggested sharing the cakes with other prisoners, but Liu Si insisted they were solely for him. Fortunately, Jia Kui, having just been admitted to the prison, observed the situation.
A commotion ensued, and someone else who sampled the cake began to bleed, revealing the poison and preventing Sui Zhou from consuming it. Thwarted in his poisoning attempt, Huang Jinglong devised a new scheme, ordering a large quantity of straw to be brought into the prison, intending to burn Sui Zhou and the other inmates to death.
Jia Kui, who had meticulously observed the prison's operations, informed Sui Zhou that the guards were weakest during the midnight shift change, when only two jailers were on duty. Jia Kui proposed they eliminate these two, then swiftly deal with the incoming relief, swap clothes, and escape together, focusing only on their own survival. However, Sui Zhou firmly refused to abandon the other prisoners, arguing that they were all important witnesses and did not deserve to die.
He then rallied the inmates, and after consulting with a prisoner named Li about the feasibility of digging an escape tunnel, they decided to excavate a passage, hoping to complete it within approximately twenty hours. Meanwhile, traveling to Ji'an by boat, Tang Fan was severely seasick. A bored Wang Zhi, with no one to play Go with, decided to teach the game to Dong. To his surprise, Dong displayed extraordinary talent, quickly grasping the rules and excelling.
Impressed but also slightly annoyed by her natural ability, Wang Zhi called Tang Fan to join him in a game against Dong. Despite their combined efforts, neither Tang Fan nor Wang Zhi could defeat the newly-minted Go prodigy, playfully abandoning the game. Tang Fan found Duo Er La on the deck and attempted to thank her for her earlier assistance. Despite the language barrier, they shared a surprisingly harmonious interaction.
Tang Fan, initially apologizing for accidentally hurting her before, complimented her beauty. Duo Er La, finding him somewhat naive, asked if he was still seasick. Tang Fan then reiterated his gratitude, mentioning Sui Zhou also owed her thanks. Duo Er La, frustrated by his incomprehensible words, dismissed his rambling.
Despite this, they began to teach each other words from their respective languages, with Tang Fan learning "Oden" for "star," and Duo Er La teaching him "Tangus" for "sea" and "Oengque" for "boat." Tang Fan, still seeking his missing chopsticks, asked Duo Er La when she would return them. Before the tunnel in the Ji'an prison could be fully dug, a fire, presumably set by Huang Jinglong's men, erupted.
Panic spread among the inmates, but Sui Zhou quickly took command, instructing them to move all flammable materials away from the blaze. He prioritized the tunnel, ordering some to continue digging while he bravely directed all prisoners towards the escape route. Outside, townspeople rushed to extinguish the fire, but they were aggressively blocked by Huang Jinglong's subordinates who threatened to kill anyone approaching.
Despite the chaos, Sui Zhou successfully oversaw the evacuation, ensuring all prisoners, including Jia Si who stayed behind to cover their escape, safely emerged from the burning prison. Tang Fan and Wang Zhi finally arrived in Ji'an by boat. Upon arrival, Tang Fan questioned why Wang Zhi would not disembark and appear publicly.
Wang Zhi explained that as an imperial eunuch, his unauthorized visit to Ji'an without an imperial edict was highly sensitive and could lead to severe political repercussions, especially since over half of the court officials hailed from Jiangxi. He also stated that his public presence would complicate dealing with the fake Wang Zhi.
Instead, Wang Zhi instructed Tang Fan to proceed through official channels, revealing that he had already summoned Administrative Commissioner Chen, Chief Prosecutor Cai, and Military Commander Sun for a joint hearing of three departments to address the prefectural governor. Wang Zhi assured Tang Fan that he would appear when truly needed. Shortly after, Duo Er La and her companions, stating their task in Jiangxi was complete, bid farewell to Tang Fan.
Tang Fan, having no alternative, proceeded to the yamen alone. He initiated a joint hearing with Administrative Commissioner Chen, Chief Prosecutor Cai, and Military Commander Sun, directly confronting Huang Jinglong in court. Huang Jinglong, initially feigning ignorance, was taken aback when Tang Fan, introducing himself as a magistrate from the capital's Shuntian Prefecture, asserted he was there as a civilian to sue Huang Jinglong.
Tang Fan meticulously laid out three major charges against Huang Jinglong: abuse of authority for wrongfully convicting him without evidence; corruption, alleging that his subordinate extorted money from the "original plaintiff" (who had earlier proven Tang Fan innocent); and severe abuse of lynching resulting in the deaths of 387 prisoners in the Ji'an prison. Huang Jinglong, though eloquent, could not refute Tang Fan's logical arguments.
He dismissed the charges, claiming Tang Fan was disruptive in court and that his home was free of any ill-gotten gains. When Tang Fan demanded to question Sui Zhou, who was imprisoned by Huang Jinglong and was a key witness, they discovered the prison had inexplicably caught fire. Huang Jinglong, believing this would eliminate all witnesses, immediately ordered a manhunt and the execution of the "escaped" prisoners.
However, his plan backfired when a guard announced that all the prisoners from the jail had already gathered at the yamen, prepared to testify against Huang Jinglong's crimes of torture. Back at the yamen, Sui Zhou, identifying himself as an Imperial Guard Baihu, presented himself as a witness, confirming Huang Jinglong's culpability in the prisoners' deaths and his attempt to murder a court official. Numerous former prisoners stepped forward to corroborate the accusations of torture.
Huang Jinglong vehemently denied the charges, instead accusing Sui Zhou and Tang Fan of being imposters and claiming that the Commander of the Western Depot, Wang Zhi, was his true witness and was present nearby to expose their lies. The officials, swayed by the mention of Wang Zhi's name, deferred to his authority. However, to Huang Jinglong's shock, the "fake" Wang Zhi he expected had been replaced by the genuine Wang Zhi.
The real Wang Zhi immediately disarmed the situation by addressing the three senior officials by their names and subtly recalling personal details about each of them, proving his true identity. Huang Jinglong, realizing he had been outmaneuvered, furiously accused Wang Zhi of being an imposter. Wang Zhi calmly confirmed Tang Fan and Sui Zhou's true identities, explaining that he had engineered this very confrontation by pretending to support Huang Jinglong, thereby setting a trap to secure the joint hearing.
Wang Zhi then formally charged Huang Jinglong with abuse of power, corruption, abuse of lynching, and the attempted murder of a court official. With overwhelming evidence, Wang Zhi ordered Huang Jinglong and his accomplices arrested and transported to the capital for sentencing. Later, now in prison attire, Huang Jinglong bitterly reflected on the nature of winners and losers. He expressed his disdain for the current legal system, believing there was no objective standard for justice or punishment.
Sui Zhou countered that while laws may have flaws, they are more objective than individual judgment, and officials must adhere to them. Huang Jinglong challenged Sui Zhou, suggesting his perspective would change if he ever lost his loved ones. Sui Zhou maintained that law and human sentiment are equally crucial, with the latter able to bridge legal gaps to achieve true justice.
He acknowledged that while crime could be fought, it could never be entirely eradicated, and that efforts should focus on guiding people and minimizing criminal acts. Huang Jinglong noted that Yang Fu, the imposter, looked exactly like Wang Zhi.
