The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Episode 21 Recap
> The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Recap
Wang Zhi met with General Chen and directly asked him to explain his reasons for making a false claim of military pay. General Chen confessed the truth, revealing that each time official silver was taken from the treasury and melted, only 60 to 80 percent of its original weight remained. The Ministry of Revenue dismissed this as a reasonable "loss in heat treatment" during the melting process. However, this consistent deficit had left the Liaodong garrison deeply in debt.
General Chen explained that he had no choice but to make a false claim for military pay in order to secure essential provisions for his troops, who needed 30,000 taels of silver for winter provisions but would only receive 18,000 otherwise. He further clarified that while a normal loss in heat treatment should be no more than 2% and later increased to 10-20% due to embezzlement, it had recently escalated to an alarming 40%.
Wang Zhi, after confirming that all silver ingots were weighed upon leaving the treasury, deduced that the official silver had been mixed with lead, leading to the excessive loss in heat treatment. Trusting General Chen's account, Wang Zhi took it upon himself to resolve the military pay issue, allowing General Chen to return to Liaodong.
In Yunhe, Tang Fan's investigation into the abduction of Ma Lin's son, Yuancong, led him to suspect that Yuancong had orchestrated his own kidnapping to support Li Mao and his followers, who were living in a cave. Tang Fan and Sui Zhou located Yuancong and Li Mao on the mountain.
Tang Fan expressed how worried his father, Ma Lin, was, even going as far as almost fighting with the silver workers and offering to spend all his money to get Yuancong back. Yuancong, however, stated that he was doing well there and did not believe his father was a good person. Li Mao asserted that Yuancong was free to decide whether to stay or leave their community, as no one was forcing him.
Yuancong then agreed to return home on the condition that Tang Fan help persuade his father to release the innocent silver workers he had arrested. Tang Fan promised to do so. Upon Yuancong's safe return to the Ma mansion, Ma Lin expressed his relief but was still upset about his son working in the fields. Ma Lin immediately confided in Tang Fan, and Tang Fan completely became one with Ma Lin.
Ma Lin revealed that Li Mao, whom he had initially hired as a tutor, had instigated Yuancong to defy him and had also bewitched the protesting silver workers. Ma Lin further explained that Li Mao's advocacy for closing the mines and focusing on farming was impractical in Yunhe, which had historically been woodland with acidic water unsuitable for cultivation.
He emphasized that Yunhe's prosperity was entirely dependent on mining, and that most of the mountain dwellers were debtors or tax evaders, not suitable for farming, warning that if left unchecked, they would eventually become bandits. Feigning complete agreement, Tang Fan praised Ma Lin's insight and, to demonstrate his newly aligned views, immediately ordered the arrest of Li Mao and suppression of the mountain community.
Yuancong was seen glaring at Tang Fan, a reaction Sui Zhou noted but Tang Fan dismissed, pretending not to see it. Later, Sui Zhou confronted Tang Fan, who was playing hide-and-seek with Ma Lin's female attendants. Sui Zhou angrily questioned why Tang Fan had arrested Li Mao. Tang Fan, seemingly irritated by the interruption, told Sui Zhou not to be a "buzzkill," reminded him to "know his place," and threatened to dismiss him if he didn't comply.
Sui Zhou, already disheartened by Tang Fan's apparent transformation, declared that he had misjudged Tang Fan and decided to leave, wishing Tang Fan a successful career. Tang Fan then stopped Sui Zhou, revealing that his actions were a pretense to gain Ma Lin's trust and infiltrate his circle to uncover the truth of the case.
He explained that arresting Li Mao served two purposes: to secure Ma Lin's confidence and to ensure Li Mao's safety, as Ma Lin could easily have him killed otherwise. Tang Fan also revealed that the female attendants were Ma Lin's spies, constantly monitoring his actions. Realizing his misunderstanding, Sui Zhou apologized.
Tang Fan then instructed Sui Zhou to continue playing along with the charade, even if it meant being subjected to public scolding, which Tang Fan proceeded to do, humiliating Sui Zhou as a "small-minded" and "incompetent bungler" in front of the servants. Meanwhile, Wang Zhi found himself 8,000 taels short of the 20,000 taels needed to cover Chen Yue's deficit.
To raise the money without risking impeachment from Wan An, Wang Zhi reluctantly decided to pawn the treasured chicken cups gifted to him by Noble Consort Wan, despite his subordinate's pleas against it. He managed to secure the 8,000 taels by pawning the chicken cups and ensured the total 20,000 taels were delivered to Mr. Wan to settle the military pay issue.
However, Mr. Wan, a seemingly upright old minister, secretly converted the silver into gold bars and, with a satisfied grin, hid them at the bottom of his pond. Separately, Duo Er La and Wuyun attempted to open a mutton soup restaurant but struggled to perfect the recipe. Tang Fan repeatedly tried to trick Sui Zhou into giving him his secret recipe, but Sui Zhou saw through each attempt.
Tang Fan even tried to use Dong'er, Sui Zhou's young "niece", by bribing her with osmanthus candy to ask Sui Zhou for the soup. Although Dong'er loved Duo Er La, she initially resisted, echoing Tang Fan's own advice about taking care of one's own business. She eventually agreed after being offered two packs of osmanthus candy, happily telling Sui Zhou that Tang Fan said Sui Zhou was "worth only two packs of osmanthus candy."
Sui Zhou, despite the teasing, eventually made the mutton soup for Dong'er. Back in the capital, Shang Ming of the Eastern Depot reported to "Empress Dowager Zhou" that Wang Zhi had sold the chicken cups, and Shang Ming had purchased them. Upon learning this, ""Empress Dowager Zhou"" visited Noble Consort Wan's palace, ostensibly to offer Xishan pears. During their conversation, ""Empress Dowager Zhou"" mentioned their shared birth year (the year of the dog) and her upcoming birthday feast.
She then casually asked Noble Consort Wan to "borrow" ""the specific set of chicken cups that had been gifted to her"" for her banquet, insisting on waiting to take them with her to save the Noble Consort the trouble of sending them. While the Noble Consort's maids searched for the cups, the Emperor arrived, expressing concern about Tang Fan's mission in Yunhe.
The Emperor then gently chided Noble Consort Wan for her palace being disorganized, which led to her inability to locate the cups. Noble Consort Wan apologized, explaining that the cups were so precious she rarely used them and had forgotten where they were stored. The Emperor, however, reassured her, stating that since he had gifted them to her, there was no fault in misplacing them. After ""Empress Dowager Zhou"" left, Noble Consort Wan, still unable to find the cups. The emperor downplayed the situation, stating, "It's just a set of cups."
