The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Episode 27 Recap
> The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Recap
Sui Zhou arrived at the royal ice cellar to borrow ice once more. Despite initial difficulties with the strict inventory of the royal ice cellar, the attendant, to whom Sui Zhou had once saved his life, agreed to provide some ice, stating that this favor would settle their debt. Sui Zhou acknowledged he now owed the attendant instead. This ice could temporarily prolong the lives of Tang Fan and Duo Er La.
On his way back to the residence, Sui Zhou encountered Imperial Guards who taunted him about his lost title and accused him of possessing stolen goods. Sui Zhou clarified that the ice was from the royal ice cellar, not the black market. The guards then threatened to take him to court for obtaining royal ice and offered to let him go if he waited for the ice to melt completely.
Sui Zhou resisted arrest and fled, with the guards in hot pursuit. Fortunately, Li Fei and Li You, the brothers who had previously impersonated Sui Zhou, spotted him. They told him to leave, helping him escape the guards. Back at his residence, Sui Zhou packed a few belongings. He explained to Dong that he had a conflict with the Imperial Guards and they would soon come for him.
He decided to leave the city to find the Li brothers, as only by apprehending them could he prove his innocence. Dong questioned why he would go after them when they had just saved him. Sui Zhou replied that while the law was the law, he also owed them a favor, vowing to both catch and help them. Meanwhile, Li Zilong met with a mysterious individual. Li Zilong noted it had been three years since their last meeting.
The mysterious man inquired about an antidote for his poisoned arrows, mentioning that Duo Er La had been accidentally injured. Li Zilong corrected him, revealing that Duo Er La's injury was intentional, on his orders. The mysterious man pressed for the antidote, but Li Zilong stated he sought something the other man possessed, proposing a trade. The mysterious man hesitated, calling the matter "no small matter" as it concerned "two countries," and admitting he couldn't make a rash decision.
Li Zilong, unfazed, reminded him that Duo Er La could only last "three to five days" even with the Huanxu Tonic, giving the mysterious man time to consider. Elsewhere, Pei Huai worked tirelessly on the antidote. When Cheng inadvertently pointed to the character for "death," Pei Huai angrily scolded him, calling the character "jinx." Tang Yu, seeing Pei Huai's distress, led him to the dining table.
She recalled a saying Tang Fan often quoted: "Those who have the same disease as a dead man shall not live." Interpreting it in her own way, she suggested that if the healer becomes as anxious and distressed as the patient, neither would be saved. Pei Huai gently corrected her interpretation of the classical phrase but took her advice to eat a few bites. Ding Rong began dismantling the box Li Zilong had given Wang Zhi.
He identified the ignition mechanism, named "Bolang," as being made of mercury and thenardite. A slight shake, Ding Rong explained, would ignite surrounding sulfur explosives, creating a scene like a "sea of fire with sound like thunder," with the power to leave "no tile. . . intact within a hundred steps' radius." Ding Rong noted that the exquisite design and craftsmanship of the device suggested it was not of civilian origin but likely came "from the royal court."
Wang Zhi, connecting the "Bolang" to a devastating tragedy three years prior, visited Mr. Ma at the Bureau of Provisions. He showed Mr. Ma the mechanism, but the latter had no recollection of it. Wang Zhi then reminded him of the horrific explosion that "shocked the whole capital" three years ago. Mr. Ma vividly recalled the day when "the world turned dark. With dazzling fire and flash and sound of thunder, the force of the explosion made the earth tremble.
Thousands of people were either exploded into pieces or fell on the ground and became pulp," stating he still felt "terrified" by it. Wang Zhi pressed him on the weapon that caused it, implying it was developed by their bureau. Mr. Ma explained that after the incident, the Emperor ordered all involved weapons, their designs, and raw materials to be destroyed, making it impossible to investigate.
Wang Zhi pointed out that Mr. Ma remembered the event but not the weapon, to which Mr. Ma replied he was a newcomer and all previous staff had died in the explosion. As Wang Zhi departed, he noticed a peculiar man. Mr. Ma introduced him as Wang Xian, an engineer at the Bureau of Provisions and husband of Princess Gu'an. Wang Xian was the sole survivor of the explosion, having left work early that day.
Wang Zhi inquired if Wang Xian knew anything about the incident, but Mr. Ma described Wang Xian as having an "aloof and odd temper," having only ever uttered "Close the door" to him in three years. Wang Zhi initiated an investigation into the matter but found no immediate leads. He contemplated concealing the "Bolang" from the Emperor due to the lack of progress.
However, the Emperor, who was monitoring Wang Zhi's every move, summoned him and questioned why he hadn't arrested Li Zilong on the spot. The Emperor reminded Wang Zhi that he needed him alive for future tasks and then sternly asked why Wang Zhi intended to hide the "thing that Li Zilong used to retreat." Wang Zhi explained that the object was "highly possible" to be related to the three-year-old explosion and involved many people.
The Emperor warned that "those who don't listen to me, no matter who that is, none of them shall live." Later, the eunuch Ding Man escorted a visibly perturbed Wang Zhi out of the palace. Ding Man advised Wang Zhi to remain "His Majesty's eyes and ears" and not to "be blind or deaf," emphasizing that the Emperor was "well-informed." Wang Zhi conceded his understanding. Ding Man then inquired about Tang Fan's health.
Wang Zhi replied that even the imperial doctors were at their wits' end, and Tang Fan's survival now depended on fate. Overwhelmed, Pei Huai broke down, confessing that he had tried every possible method but was "at the end of his wits." He berated himself, wishing he had learned more medical methods and read more medical books. He cried, calling himself "crap" and "a waste" for being unable to save Tang Fan and Duo Er La, his closest people.
Tang Yu comforted him, embracing him and telling him not to be so harsh on himself. Though gravely ill, Tang Fan managed to teach Dong a poem, "Ballad of White Clouds." Dong listened, tears streaming down her face. Tang Fan gently explained that everyone, sooner or later, would leave this world, and that one day she would also experience "love, hatred and separation, all the vicissitudes of life."
He urged her to "cherish the moment," to "cherish the people you love while you can," and to "cherish every day of life," so that when "the day of departure finally arrives, you will have no regret." Sui Zhou, not knowing the exact whereabouts of the Li brothers, went to the outskirts of the city and deliberately allowed himself to be caught by their associates. This led him to their hideout in a dilapidated temple.
He pretended to agree to join their group, intending to go undercover, understand their reasons, and then persuade them to surrender. That night, Sui Zhou woke up from a nightmare, once again dreaming of his comrades dying on the battlefield. The Li brothers, who were with him, asked if he had a bad dream, suggesting that "dead fellow soldiers" might be "trying to tell you something."
They confided that they had similar dreams and agreed that those who had experienced battles would "never forget the scene you saw your comrade-in-arms die in the battlefield." The mysterious figure who met Li Zilong was revealed to be Ding Man. He met Li Zilong by a scenic fishing spot, where Li Zilong commented on its suitability for catching "big fish" and stated he had searched the entire capital to find this unique spot.
Li Zilong, in turn, called Ding Man "insightful," while Ding Man referred to Li Zilong as "patient." Li Zilong then used fishing as an analogy, saying his "bait" lacked "seasoning" and asked Ding Man for his help. Ding Man produced the item Li Zilong desired, saying, "This is what you want." When Li Zilong asked for his "stuff," Ding Man replied, "Your fish just took the bait," implying the antidote had been given.
Soon after, Cheng delivered a pill to Tang Fan, explaining that "a man" outside had given it to him, instructing him to give it to Tang Fan as it was "a life-saving medicine." Pei Huai immediately began analyzing the pill. He observed its appearance, noting it resembled a "mirror and glass with a glossy surface," suggesting the presence of "daemonorops draco." He then smelled it, detecting a "fishy smell" that "makes you sneeze," indicating "dried venom of toads."
He also weighed it. While these ingredients had detoxifying properties, Pei Huai noted the pill felt "slightly light and weak," suggesting it might also contain common heat-clearing ingredients like "honeysuckle" and "Vitex trifolia." He explained that the pill's components had mutually offsetting effects, and their interaction displayed a surprising parallelism to the poisons in Tang Fan and Duo Er La. Tang Fan, desperate, asked if he could take the medicine.
Pei Huai cautioned that the ingredients were complex and "unclear," making it unsafe to take. With only one pill available for two poisoned individuals, Tang Fan offered to take it first. If it was an antidote, he would give the remaining one (presumably a dose from the pill) to Duo Er La; if not, he reasoned, he was going to die anyway. Pei Huai stopped him.
Observing that there was only one pill, Pei Huai proposed a risky gamble: he would "guess the ingredients by the finished medicine" in an attempt to "turn one pill into two." To achieve this, he would have to grind the pill into powder, then subject it to "flames, and soak in water," observing its color and taste to determine its true composition. Tang Yu, overhearing, questioned the risk, asking if failure meant neither person would be saved.
Driven by desperation, Tang Yu attempted to snatch the pill to give it directly to Tang Fan. But Pei Huai stopped her, warning that if she only saved Tang Fan, "he will hate you forever."
