The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Episode 11 Recap
> The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Recap
The capital city was illuminated by beautiful fireworks one night, drawing crowds of onlookers. Amidst the festivities, a young boy named Xiaobao, who was watching fireworks with his parents, was suddenly abducted. His parents frantically searched but could not find him. Sui Zhou received a commendation and promotion for his role in solving the Ji'an case. Wang Tong, the Commander of the Imperial Guards, observed Sui Zhou's rapid rise with jealousy.
He took out his resentment on Xue Ling, reprimanding him harshly for leaving his post without permission and stealing an official boat. To protect Xue Ling, Sui Zhou humbly attributed all credit for the Ji'an case to Wang Tong's wise command and decisions. Pleased with Sui Zhou's obedience, Wang Tong then assigned him a new, significant, and tricky case: the abduction of a high-ranking official's child in the capital.
He stressed that this was a high-profile case involving the son of Assistant Minister Jia, whose family had served three emperors. Wang Tong mocked the Shuntian Prefecture officials, claiming they were too incompetent to handle such a case. Meanwhile, Pei Huai brought Tang Fan a peculiar item from the Western Regions, which he called "Wolf Peach." He explained that it was among the items Zhang Qian brought back from his expeditions, along with grapes, pomegranates, and sesame.
Though beautiful in appearance and sweet-smelling, it was rumored to be highly toxic. Pei Huai had hoped to extract poison from it for new drugs, but to his surprise, Tang Fan’s pet sheep ate it and remained unharmed. Pei Huai then realized the fruit was harmless to humans and, in fact, was a delicious, sweet, and sour treat. Seeing its potential, they decided to profit from it.
Tang Fan found the name "Wolf Peach" too aggressive and renamed it "Tomato," inspired by its round, eggplant-like shape and foreign origin. Pei Huai then showed Tang Fan an anatomy book from the far Western Regions, which emphasized understanding the body's structure before diagnosis and treatment. Eager to practice the knowledge in the book, Pei Huai asked Tang Fan for assistance in finding newly deceased bodies for dissection. Tang Fan, however, refused, deeming it an immoral act.
He also expressed concern about his superior, Governor Pan, who was still angry about Tang Fan's unauthorized trip to Ji'an, making him unwilling to risk further displeasure. Xue Ling was finally released. He and Sui Zhou joined Tang Fan at Dong's Restaurant. Xue Ling, still traumatized, found the bland tofu unappetizing. Sui Zhou took charge, personally cooking an elaborate and flavorful tofu feast. As they were eating, Dora’s assistant, Wuyun, arrived with a bill.
Both Sui Zhou and Tang Fan were grateful for Dora's crucial help in Ji'an. They had planned to visit Iron Market together to express their gratitude, but Sui Zhou, feeling awkward, abandoned Tang Fan, leaving money for the bill, and departed, claiming urgent official duties. The abduction case in the capital shocked the imperial court. Wang Zhi also received direct orders to thoroughly investigate. Sui Zhou and Wang Zhi began their investigations, operating openly and secretly, respectively.
A street child named Little Loach approached Wang Zhi, whispering rumors about the child abduction case. Following up on this, Wang Zhi invited Assistant Minister Wang and Assistant Minister Su, both known to be at odds with Assistant Minister Jia, to Huanyi Brothel for a banquet. Both officials, however, claimed ignorance regarding Assistant Minister Jia's missing son. Meanwhile, Sui Zhou and Xue Ling went door-to-door asking around.
Finally, a shopkeeper reported seeing people disguised as beggars leading children through the streets. Tang Fan's sister, Tang Yu, and nephew, Cheng, came to visit. Soon after they settled in, Cheng suddenly collapsed and began frothing at the mouth. Tang Fan rushed Cheng to Pei Huai, who quickly diagnosed him with epilepsy and began treatment.
Tang Yu tearfully confided in Tang Fan about her in-laws' cruel treatment of Cheng, who they believed was possessed by a demon, and how they had resorted to physical abuse and attempted to force incense ashes down his throat. After Cheng's condition stabilized, Pei Huai explained that while epilepsy had no known cure, its symptoms could be managed through treatment and consistent care, allowing Cheng to live a near-normal life. Following leads, Sui Zhou apprehended a group of beggars.
Among them, he found Xiaobao, who was covered in injuries. Through his investigation, Sui Zhou realized that these beggars were not the actual kidnappers. An old beggar explained that he found Xiaobao by a water ditch, wet and severely injured, and had taken him in out of compassion.
He described the horrific methods of the true abductors, who would "cut the children's limbs and disfigure them," transforming them into grotesque figures to exploit public curiosity and force them to beg for money on the streets. Sui Zhou relayed the beggar's information to Wang Zhi. They decided to use the current high-profile case as an opportunity to dismantle the entire child abduction ring and enlisted Tang Fan's help to devise a strategy.
Tang Fan was enraged by the revelations and resolved to review all child abduction cases from previous years. Due to the overwhelming number of cases, Tang Fan began categorizing them by time and location, meticulously pasting the files onto a wall, hoping to uncover patterns. When Dong arrived with food, she also brought him clean clothes and food from his sister Tang Yu, and updated him on Cheng's improved health, noting Pei Huai's diligent care.
Dong immediately noticed a flaw in Tang Fan's classification system. She suggested adding more criteria, such as environmental details, to re-categorize the cases, which would allow all files to be placed and reveal concentrated "overlap points" where the perpetrators likely operated. Tang Fan, however, dismissed her advice, deeming it a child’s concern. Later, Dong discussed Tang Fan's classification with Wang Zhi, explaining her idea of including environmental factors like nearby shops, weather conditions, and market days.
Wang Zhi was profoundly impressed by her insight, praising her intelligence, and agreed to implement her method. Dong suggested that once the "overlap points" were identified, they could use a child as bait to catch the criminals.
