The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Episode 25 Recap
> The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Recap
Two individuals, Li Fei and Li You, disguised themselves as Imperial Guards and, using Sui Zhou's name from the Northern Administrative Court of Imperial Guards, extorted thirty taels of silver from Mr. Lü. Mr. Lü reported the incident to Wang Zhi, hoping he would intervene. Wang Zhi, upon hearing Sui Zhou's name, instructed Mr. Lü to keep the matter quiet, stating that he would handle it.
Wang Zhi then dispatched Jia Kui to secretly investigate, believing the blackmail was specifically aimed at him. He reasoned that Sui Zhou had only just returned to the capital that day, so it couldn't have been him. Meanwhile, Tang Fan and his companions safely returned to the capital. During dinner, they noticed the growing closeness between Tang Yu and Pei Huai, much to everyone's delight. As they enjoyed their meal, Duo Er La suddenly coughed up blood and collapsed.
It was revealed that while disguised as Tang Fan on the journey back to the capital, Duo Er La had been struck by a poisoned arrow. The poison, as later analyzed by Wang Zhi and Ding Rong, was far from ordinary aconite or poisoned-arrow wood. Instead, it was a complex compound of several toxins, mutually dependent and intensifying each other. Even a tiny amount could lie dormant, spreading through the bloodstream and becoming incurable once it reached the heart.
Ding Rong informed them that attempting a hasty detoxification would only suppress one toxin while exacerbating the others. Therefore, it was crucial to identify all components of the poison before formulating an antidote, but Duo Er La's condition was critical and she could not afford to wait. Sui Zhou suggested gathering medical personnel from the Imperial Hospital, but Wang Zhi rejected the idea. He revealed that Ma Lin from Yunhe had died by suicide.
It was later learned that after Ma Lin's release from prison, knowing his life was short and that Li Zilong would not spare him, he prepared a final meal for his son, Yuan Cong, advising him to live peacefully without hatred, before consuming the poisoned wine given by Li Zilong. Wang Zhi then warned Sui Zhou that someone was still targeting Tang Fan, urging him to be cautious and to stay indoors as much as possible.
Pei Huai concurred with Ding Rong's assessment, emphasizing that the Western Depot needed to quickly identify the poison's components to determine a cure. In the interim, Pei Huai could only prepare tonic prescriptions to buy Duo Er La more time. Tang Fan, frustrated by the doctors' inability to help, chastised Pei Huai, but Tang Yu defended him. Despite his outward refusal to Sui Zhou, Wang Zhi brought up the Oirat woman, Duo Er La, being stabbed, to the Emperor.
The Emperor, concerned for Tang Fan, ordered Chief Imperial Physician Wang to take several imperial doctors to examine her. Wang Zhi also reported on Li Zilong, a mysterious figure from the Yunhe case, describing him as extraordinarily influential, with connections ranging from court officials to the underworld. Wang Zhi suggested Li Zilong's motives went beyond mere wealth accumulation, implying a larger agenda.
The Emperor commanded a thorough investigation into Li Zilong's background, stating that if his ambitions aligned with the throne, he could be recruited; otherwise, he must be eliminated. Concurrently, Shang Ming informed Wan Tong that several high-ranking officials, including Mr. Jiang and Mr. Shi from the Ministry of Personnel, Mr. Zhao from the Ministry of Works, and three officials from the Court of Imperial Entertainments and Hanlin Academy, had been blackmailed by someone posing as Sui Zhou.
Shang Ming implied these officials kept quiet because their dealings were not entirely clean. Wan Tong, upon learning the blackmailer claimed to be an Imperial Guard, initially dismissed it as an attempt to frame them. Shang Ming then subtly warned Wan Tong that Wang Zhi's Western Depot was expanding its influence, advising Wan Tong not to let the Imperial Guards be manipulated.
Wan Tong resolved to use this situation to incriminate Sui Zhou, who was known to be close to Wang Zhi. The imperial doctors who examined Duo Er La were unable to diagnose her condition or find a cure, admitting her symptoms and pulse were too unpredictable. Pei Huai continued to administer Huanxu Tonic to prolong Duo Er La's life, but the side effect of rising body temperature was a concern. He proposed using ice for external cooling.
Sui Zhou managed to obtain some broken ice and ice fragments from the royal ice storage. Ding Rong managed to identify three components of the poison: Venom of Black-headed pit viper, venom of Green Monkey Toad, and Common Nandina. However, he estimated it would take another seven days to identify the remaining two toxins.
Desperate to buy more time for Duo Er La, Sui Zhou attempted to purchase ice from Huichun Pharmacy but was met with deliberate obstruction by Mr. Li, the owner, who recognized Sui Zhou and taunted him for no longer being an Imperial Guard. Despite Tang Yu's protest, Sui Zhou humbly apologized to Mr. Li multiple times until he finally sold them the ice.
Sui Zhou later explained to Tang Yu that ordinary people have emotions, and compared to saving a life, "face" and "humiliation" were utterly insignificant. Pei Huai devised a method to test the antidote more quickly by directly exposing a subject to the poison. As others expressed concern, Tang Fan took the poisoned arrow, deliberately cut his palm, and began to test the antidote on himself.
He reasoned that as a doctor, only he could accurately describe the symptoms, which would expedite the antidote's formulation. He assured them he could withstand numerous antidote trials, and if those failed, they should continue trying other combinations. Tang Yu was distressed, but Tang Fan reassured her by expressing his confidence in Pei Huai's ability to cure him.
Later, Imperial Guards arrived at Sui Zhou's residence, informing him that Commander Wan Tong had summoned him for questioning at the Northern Administrative Court of Imperial Guards. Sui Zhou agreed to go but asked a guard to escort Cheng'er and the ice home. At the Northern Administrative Court of Imperial Guards, Wan Tong interrogated Sui Zhou, repeatedly questioning his whereabouts on specific past dates and times. Each time, Sui Zhou calmly replied that he had only just returned to the capital yesterday. Frustrated by Sui Zhou's repeated non-answers, Wan Tong ordered him immediately jailed.
