The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Episode 48 (Ending) Recap
> The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty Recap
Tang Fan, realizing the entire plan had been compromised, knew they had to resort to a desperate, last-ditch strategy for survival. He understood he could not achieve this alone. With Xue Ling's assistance, Tang Fan made his way into the prison to rescue Sui Zhou. Inside the cell, Sui Zhou expressed his dismay at the plan’s leak, which Xue Ling had already informed him about, fearing it was too late.
Tang Fan assured Sui Zhou that they needed to combine their efforts to resolve the crisis. He then instructed Sui Zhou to seek help from Zheng Ying at the Marquis Wu'an's residence, while Tang Fan himself rushed to Fayuan Temple to aid the Emperor. Meanwhile, in the palace, Consort Wan, dressed in military attire, gathered a contingent of female soldiers, intent on venturing out to rescue the Emperor. However, Wan An blocked their path at the palace gate.
As the standoff continued, Her Majesty Zhou intervened. She produced the late Emperor's personal sword, declaring that its presence signified the late Emperor's authority to command and to execute. With this show of power, she compelled Wan An to allow Consort Wan to leave the palace, with a clear instruction to bring the Emperor back safely. At Fayuan Temple, Dong arrived and relayed Tang Fan's message to the Emperor, warning him that Li Zilong was imminent.
Soon after, Li Zilong arrived outside the temple. A group of beggars had gathered there, chanting a poem written by Qing Ge's father when he was exiled to Sichuan. Observing them, Li Zilong's subordinate suggested dispersing them, but Qing Ge volunteered to handle the situation herself, opting for a less confrontational approach. She approached the beggars and was led to Tang Fan. Tang Fan then offered a new interpretation of her father’s poem.
He revealed that it was Wan An, not the Emperor, who had truly wronged her father, Liu Qing, a former scholar and military official who had been demoted to Sichuan for his uprightness and opposition to Wan An, ultimately dying of grief at a young age. Tang Fan explained that the poem was not about resentment but about finding peace and release from the entanglement of power, similar to his own experience when he was sent away from the capital.
He urged Qing Ge to realize she was inadvertently aiding her real enemy, Wan An, by targeting the Emperor. He emphasized that her father, like him, would have returned to serve the country if needed, and that her vengeful actions were based on a misunderstanding of her father's true "path." Simultaneously, Ms. Cui successfully rescued Wang Zhi and Jia Kui from prison.
Wang Zhi promptly coerced Ding Rong, who was about to take over as the Grand Administrator of the Western Depot, to arrange a meeting with Shang Ming. Once Shang Ming arrived, Wang Zhi held both Ding Rong and Shang Ming captive. He then dispatched Ms. Cui to release Wuyun Bulage and several other skilled marksmen from the Eastern Depot’s prison, instructing her to bring them to a designated rendezvous point, emphasizing the need for more allies in this critical moment.
Unaware of these developments, Wan Tong, gloating over Sui Zhou's supposed capture, visited the prison, eager to mock him. He revealed his long-standing animosity towards Sui Zhou, admitting to framing him with banned books and using fake Imperial Guards to undermine him. To his shock, he discovered that the man in the cell was not Sui Zhou, but Xue Ling, disguised as him.
Realizing he had been tricked, Wan Tong was promptly knocked unconscious by Xue Ling, who then escaped the prison. Back at Fayuan Temple, Li Zilong, growing impatient with Qing Ge's prolonged absence, decided not to wait any longer and ordered his men to storm the temple. Just as he believed he had the Emperor cornered, Qing Ge unexpectedly reappeared and turned against Li Zilong, aiding the Emperor in his escape from the temple.
A furious Li Zilong demanded to know why she had betrayed him, to which Qing Ge simply replied, "For one person. . . my real father." Unable to locate the Emperor, Li Zilong and the Second Prince deduced that the Emperor would inevitably attempt to return to the palace. They planned an ambush along his most likely route. However, their plans shifted when they spotted Consort Wan leading a troop of female soldiers out of the palace.
Recognizing her, Li Zilong devised a sinister plot: he would use Consort Wan, knowing the Emperor's deep affection for her, as bait to force him out of hiding. As expected, Li Zilong's vile scheme worked. The Emperor, unable to bear the thought of Consort Wan falling victim to the Second Prince's blade, recklessly rushed forward to protect her. At that critical moment, Sui Zhou arrived with a contingent of elite soldiers loyal to the Marquis Wu'an, along with Gao Yi.
Gao Yi immediately confronted the Second Prince, reminding him and his men of the Oirat Khan's emphasis on peaceful trade relations with the Ming Dynasty, arguing that their actions were jeopardizing Oirat's future. A fierce battle ensued. Through their combined strength and unity, the group managed to turn the tide, overcoming the perilous situation. Following the intense battle, Li Zilong was killed by a barrage of arrows.
Gao Yi personally escorted Amasanj back to Oirat, who conveyed the Oirat leader Borona Halle's deep apologies for the incident and a desire for continued peaceful coexistence with the Ming Dynasty. The Emperor, contemplating the severe punishment deserved by the three treacherous officials—Wan An, Wan Tong, and Shang Ming—but also mindful of Consort Wan's feelings regarding her brother Wan Tong, sought Wang Zhi's counsel. Wang Zhi proposed a series of sentences that would satisfy justice without unduly upsetting the Consort.
Wan An was to retire and return to his hometown, forever banned from the capital. Shang Ming was stripped of his Eastern Depot position and reassigned to serve as a palace eunuch. As for Wan Tong, the Emperor entrusted his fate to Consort Wan, who banished him to Changping to raise horses, declaring she never wished to see him again. Despite Tang Fan having played a pivotal, albeit manipulated, role in the larger conspiracy, the Emperor did not punish him.
Wang Zhi, however, took the opportunity to highlight Tang Fan's "crimes": unknowingly exposing the Bolangs to Li Zilong and almost making a "wrong choice" between the Emperor and the common people. The Emperor dismissed these accusations, asserting that Tang Fan’s choice to prioritize the populace was not wrong, but rather exemplified the ideal conduct of an official.
The Emperor then granted Wang Zhi his long-held ambition to gain military merit by appointing him as a military supervisor at the Hetao border, an unusual appointment for a palace chamberlain, but a reflection of Wang Zhi's exceptional service. On the day of Wang Zhi's departure from the capital, Tang Fan and Sui Zhou personally came to bid him farewell. Consort Wan also sent a messenger with a lost chicken cup, explicitly instructing Wang Zhi not to lose it again.
As they parted ways, Tang Fan and Sui Zhou discussed the revelation that Yang Fu, whom they had believed missing after a previous case, had been secretly imprisoned by Wang Zhi all along, intended as a sacrificial pawn to demonstrate Wang Zhi’s loyalty to the Emperor. They reflected on Wang Zhi's cunning and maturity despite his youth.
Just as they were about to enjoy a meal, their old friend Pei returned from his hometown, bringing news of a mysterious "zombie plague" in a northwestern village. Pei suspected the outbreak was a cover for a series of murders. Tang Fan and Sui Zhou, ever vigilant, immediately prepared to investigate this new mystery, ready to continue their fight against injustice.
