The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Episode 45 Recap
> The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Recap
To ensure the safety of the capital, Tang Fan convinced Sui Zhou and Wang Zhi to accompany him to investigate the hidden location of the Bolangs. This, however, was a trap set by Li Zilong and A'shi Tie'mu'er. A'shi Tie'mu'er's men ambushed them, seizing all forty-eight Bolangs from Wang Zhi. Wang Zhi, infuriated, suspected Tang Fan had betrayed them and was colluding with A'shi Tie'mu'er.
He accused Tang Fan of being Li Zilong's spy or "the biggest idiot in the world" for letting the Bolangs be taken without a fight. Sui Zhou interceded, reminding Wang Zhi that they both knew Tang Fan's true character. He urged them to focus on finding the Bolangs, suggesting they divide their forces to search the city, to which Wang Zhi agreed, dispatching his men immediately. Meanwhile, Li Zilong received the forty-eight Bolangs from A'shi Tie'mu'er's men.
Anticipating a city-wide search by the Western Depot and the Imperial Guards, he decided to do the opposite and had all the Bolangs transported out of the city through Desheng Gate. He explained that by moving the Bolangs out of the capital, they would catch their enemies off guard, as everyone would be searching within the city. Infuriated, Tang Fan rushed to Huanyi Brothel to confront Qing Ge. However, Li Zilong had already anticipated his arrival and was waiting.
Li Zilong smugly revealed his scheme: he used Tang Fan as a pawn, leveraging his eloquence and concern for the people to turn one Bolang into forty-eight, thereby securing an opportunity to overthrow the regime. Tang Fan, realizing he had been used, condemned Li Zilong as "sinister and shameless." Li Zilong dismissed his insults, reiterating his offer: one imperial life for a million commoners, and gave Tang Fan time to consider the grim choice. Tang Fan pondered all night.
The next morning, he and Sui Zhou met with Wang Zhi at the Western Depot. Tang Fan, having cleared his mind, explained that Li Zilong’s proposed trade was a psychological ploy, a bluff that held no real power, and would not prevent him from attacking the city regardless of the Emperor’s life.
He warned that the upcoming Beginning of Spring ceremony, where all officials would gather with the Emperor, would be Li Zilong’s target, and a successful attack would be more devastating than the Tumu Crisis. Since the Bolangs were nowhere to be found in the capital, Tang Fan suggested canceling the ceremony. Wang Zhi flatly refused, stating that the Emperor would never agree.
Tang Fan then proposed to meet Gao Yi, believing he might know A'shi Tie'mu'er's whereabouts and how to persuade him. Wang Zhi was initially resistant, sarcastically questioning Tang Fan’s judgment given the previous incident. Sui Zhou defended Tang Fan, reminding Wang Zhi that Tang Fan's integrity was beyond doubt, and that Gao Yi, despite his past with Oirat, also sought to protect the Ming and had already proven his loyalty by revealing Li Zilong's assassination plot.
Gao Yi, upon meeting Tang Fan, confirmed his trust in Tang Fan and offered to personally deal with A'shi Tie'mu'er if released. Ding Rong then explained the two known methods for detonating a Bolang: turning a top switch for instant explosion or striking the bottom for a delayed blast. He added that a third method, using a blasting fuse, was too complicated unless the Bolang was disassembled and modified.
Tang Fan emphasized that Gao Yi was willing to sacrifice his life to protect the Emperor and the Ming Dynasty, and releasing him would not pose any threat to the Ming’s interests. Sui Zhou added that Gao Yi, being a traitor to both the Ming and Oirat, was safest confined in the Western Depot and was likely making this desperate offer out of pure loyalty. Wang Zhi, swayed by their persistent arguments, finally conceded and agreed to release Gao Yi.
Later, Tang Fan approached Wang Zhi with a desperate last resort: taking the Emperor out of the palace if Gao Yi failed and the Bolangs remained unfound, especially since the Emperor insisted on holding the ceremony. The Emperor vehemently rejected the idea, citing imperial dignity and tradition. He declared he would not flee from a mere outlaw, emphasizing that his presence among his subjects was crucial for the empire’s morale, and that he trusted Wang Zhi to protect him.
Wan Gui Fei also refused to leave the Emperor’s side but privately instructed Wang Zhi to protect the Emperor at all costs, giving him permission to move the Emperor to a safer location if the situation became truly dire. Wang Zhi accepted her directive. As the Beginning of Spring ceremony commenced, Wang Zhi prepared for the worst, deploying his men to gather intelligence and arranging for the safety of his family.
Tang Fan and Sui Zhou also oversaw security checks, inspecting every corner of the palace. The daytime ceremony passed uneventfully, creating a deceptive calm. As night fell and the dinner banquet began, the sky suddenly lit up with grand fireworks, approved by the Ministry of Rites. Following the fireworks, numerous sky lanterns began to drift down, a sight unheard of for the Beginning of Spring ceremony.
Tang Fan immediately realized Li Zilong had attached the Bolangs to these lanterns, intending to drop them onto the city, potentially flattening the entire Imperial City and the surrounding areas. Wang Zhi, acting on Wan Gui Fei’s directive, subtly drugged the Emperor during the banquet, then swiftly escorted him out of the palace to Huanyi Brothel for safety. Simultaneously, Tang Fan raced to the city walls, where he released the marksmen previously confined by Wang Zhi.
He offered them substantial rewards and future privileges, including access to Ming hunting grounds and free services at Huanyi Brothel charged to Wang Zhi, in exchange for their help. He urged them to begin shooting down the sky lanterns. One marksman expressed concern that if the Bolangs were set to detonate on impact, shooting them down could cause premature explosions too close to the Imperial City.
Tang Fan clarified that the Bolangs had an explosion radius of 100 steps, and they needed to hit the detonation mechanism from at least 150 steps away, ideally over 200 steps. Simultaneously, Tang Fan ordered Sui Zhou to immediately stop the fireworks, collect any fallen Bolangs in and around the Imperial City, and then regroup with their forces at Huanyi Brothel. Sui Zhou affirmed he would proceed with the dangerous task.
