The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Episode 37 Recap
> The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Recap
Tang Fan was in a deep state of depression following Duo Er La's death, refusing to engage with his duties as a magistrate and even threatening to resign. Others tried to convince him, but he vehemently stated, "Don't mention investigating cases to me in the future." Wang Zhi confronted him, asserting that the true killer of Duo Er La was neither Ding Man nor Wang Xian, and that Tang Fan knew this.
Wang Zhi emphasized that Tang Fan was the only person capable of solving the complex case and reminded him of his duty as a royal court official to serve the Emperor and the country. Wang Zhi challenged Tang Fan, stating that if the Ming Dynasty were to face disaster, he would have to live with the guilt of abandoning his responsibilities.
After delivering his impassioned plea, Wang Zhi declared he would no longer try to persuade Tang Fan and allowed him to leave if he wished. This deeply affected Tang Fan, leading him to agree to assist. Tang Fan immediately went to the Western Depot prison to see Wang Xian. To Wang Zhi's dismay and concern, Tang Fan handed Wang Zhi's personal pistol to Wang Xian through the cell bars.
Wang Zhi questioned the appropriateness of this, given Wang Xian's "dementia" and history of creating powerful weapons. Tang Fan explained that what they perceived as dementia was merely a fundamental difference in Wang Xian's thinking and behavior compared to ordinary people, leading to communication barriers. He argued that Wang Xian, as the inventor of the "Biri" machine crossbow, was undoubtedly obsessed with weapons, and that Wang Zhi's intricate pistol would capture his attention.
Tang Fan stated that Wang Xian's recent trauma from the kidnapping and Western Depot's torture had caused him to shut down, making it impossible to extract information through conventional means. Instead, they needed to use Wang Xian's interests as an entry point to slowly open up his mind, a process that would require time and patience.
With the realization that questioning Wang Xian would take time, Wang Zhi suggested another avenue, leading Tang Fan to meet Zhang Gongzhu, Wang Xian's assistant. Zhang Gongzhu, while acknowledging Wang Xian's current detention, claimed complete ignorance regarding the "Bolang" explosion from three years prior, stating it was a highly sensitive and forbidden topic in the Ministry of War after officials were beheaded over it. He insisted he was a low-ranking official who knew nothing.
However, when asked about Wang Xian, Zhang Gongzhu was forthcoming, detailing Wang Xian's family history as renowned weapon craftsmen, their surname being bestowed by Emperor Hongwu, and the family's subsequent achievements. He explained that Wang Xian was initially not highly regarded by his family due to his "dementia," but after his marriage to Princess Gu'an in the fifth year of Chenghua, his condition seemingly improved, and his status in the Ministry of War rose.
Zhang Gongzhu concluded by mentioning Wang Xian's promotion to Official in the Bureau of Provisions after the explosion three years ago. Wang Zhi then dismissed Zhang Gongzhu, instructing him to remain in the capital and be available for questioning at any time, an order Zhang Gongzhu readily agreed to, even offering to visit Wang Xian if it would help the investigation, an offer Wang Zhi declined for the time being.
Following Tang Fan's instructions, Wang Zhi went to the palace to request an audience with the Emperor. Wang Zhi explained that the three-year-old bombing case was far more complex than initially thought and required unprecedented access. He boldly requested all case files from the Six Ministries, Five Courts, Six Offices of Scrutiny, and Censorate from the past five years, including confidential and sealed documents, regardless of their security classification.
The Emperor, recognizing the gravity of the request, pointed out that after the Yunhe case, the Western Depot already held immense power over personnel transfers in all departments, and granting this new request would give them supervisory power over all governmental affairs, making the Western Depot the most powerful department since the Ming Dynasty's founding. Despite fearing the Emperor's suspicion of treachery, Wang Zhi insisted it was the only way to solve the case.
Seeing his conviction, the Emperor reluctantly granted his permission, cautioning Wang Zhi to be mindful of his actions and his place. Wang Zhi solemnly promised not to disappoint His Majesty. Back at Tang Fan's residence, Pan Bin, visibly stressed, expressed deep concern over the sheer volume of official documents flooding their home, overflowing Tang Fan's bedroom. He worried they wouldn't finish reviewing them, especially with files from the Ministry of War and Censorate still incoming.
Pan Bin openly questioned Wang Zhi's motives, suggesting he was either naive or blinded by power, given that the Western Depot already held immense influence over officials' private lives. He elaborated that by requesting all government records, Wang Zhi was expanding his supervisory authority to the highest levels of state affairs, risking accusations of the Western Depot meddling in governance.
Pan Bin warned that this act mirrored the detested actions of the late Emperor's chief eunuch, Wang Zhen, and could easily be seen as eunuchs overstepping their bounds in politics. He expressed personal anxiety, fearing that this move might lead to his own demotion. Tang Fan, realizing the serious repercussions his request had inadvertently brought upon Wang Zhi, decided he had no choice but to bite the bullet and continue the investigation.
At that moment, a guard announced the arrival of a young girl seeking Tang Fan, whom Pan Bin immediately recognized as their much-needed "helper." This was Dong, known for her eidetic memory, whom Tang Fan enlisted to help him sort through the mountains of documents. Later, Zhang Gongzhu personally delivered a new batch of files, all documents from the Bureau of Provisions, without regard to their secrecy level.
He again inquired about Wang Xian's condition and offered his assistance if there was still no progress, citing his long-standing familiarity with Wang Xian's habits. Tang Fan, acknowledging his offer, departed for the Western Depot, instructing Pan Bin to let Dong rest before continuing her review of the newly arrived files.
Meanwhile, Sui Zhou continued his own investigation, despite being in a deep state of personal turmoil, reflected in his refusal to eat and his dismissive attitude towards Dong, telling her he was "fine by myself" and preferred not to have her around. At the explosion site, Xue Ling, his subordinate, showed him various debris. They pieced together fragments that suggested a peculiar iron box.
Sui Zhou then sought out Wuyun Bulage, who confirmed that such an iron box was neither Oirat nor commonly used in carriages due to its size. This led Sui Zhou to suspect the box belonged to Wang Xian. He and Xue Ling thoroughly examined Wang Xian's carriage, discovering indentations that precisely matched the iron box, indicating it was habitually carried by Wang Xian, suggesting its immense importance, possibly even containing "Bolang."
They promptly went to the Bureau of Provisions to pursue this lead, but Zhang Gongzhu blocked their entry to Wang Xian's office, citing secrecy and the lack of an imperial decree. Undeterred, Sui Zhou and Xue Ling covertly entered Wang Xian's workshop that night.
There, they found four slips of paper with dates written on them: the 29th day of the eleventh lunar month of the year of Wuxu (the day Wang Xian was kidnapped), the 17th day of the second lunar month of the year of Dingchou (the month Wang Xian was married), the 21st day of the second lunar month of the year of Gengyin (eight years prior), and the eighth day of the eleventh lunar month of the year of Jichou (the day Emperor Jingtai passed away).
Sui Zhou instructed Xue Ling to take the discovered dated notes to Tang Fan for examination. When Xue Ling arrived, Dong, noticing Sui Zhou's continued refusal to eat, coaxed him into the house by promising to help analyze the notes, even offering him leftover food which he finally consumed. Dong, with her extraordinary memory, quickly verified that three of the dates corresponded to significant events in Wang Xian's life: his kidnapping, his marriage, and the death of Emperor Jingtai.
However, the date "21st day of the second lunar month of the year of Gengyin" yielded no immediate connection. Upon Sui Zhou's prompting to check for any relevance to Wang Xian or the Ministry of War, Dong cross-referenced the date with financial records from the Ministry of Revenue. To their shock, she discovered that this seemingly insignificant date marked Zhang Gongzhu's entry into the Ministry of War. Dong then realized that Zhang Gongzhu had just left, having summoned Tang Fan.
Realizing the critical implication, Sui Zhou immediately contacted Tang Fan. Tang Fan confirmed that he and Dong had linked Zhang Gongzhu as a highly suspicious individual with a deep connection to Wang Xian, possibly even being the true mastermind behind "Bolang." Tang Fan recalled Wang Xian's alarmed reaction to Zhang Gongzhu's presence, believing Zhang Gongzhu was relaying information in code. Wang Zhi, also present, acknowledged Zhang Gongzhu's hidden depth and immediately ordered his arrest before he could flee.
However, by the time Western Depot agents arrived, Zhang Gongzhu had vanished. Simultaneously, Qing Ge relayed this crucial information about Zhang Gongzhu to Li Zilong, confirming him as the most critical figure and the likely mastermind behind Wang Xian.
