Treasure at Dawn Episode 18 Recap
> Treasure at Dawn Recap
The situation in Xichuan has become increasingly tense, with six prominent figures from both the Ma Gang and the Chamber of Commerce having died, including Xubu Huai and Hua Lei. Amidst this unrest, Sun Siming, now serving as the Chamber of Commerce steward, receives an accounting of various industries and associated funds. Despite being illiterate, he decides to keep his current bookkeeper in charge, warning him against any dishonesty.
He notes that the chairman rarely inspects the accounts, and previous stewards have taken a significant share of the profits, amounting to at least fifteen percent annually. Fu Sheng, investigating the escalating deaths, visits Sun Siming and asks if anyone from the Chamber of Commerce has gone missing. The bookkeeper recalls a servant named Shunzi who fled shortly after Xubu Huai's death. Shunzi had claimed to be repairing a garden wall during a heavy downpour that night.
Fu Sheng immediately goes to inspect the location, finding distinct marks on the ground consistent with a lightning strike. He deduces that Xubu Huai's carriage was parked behind that wall and suspects someone used an iron chain, linked to a lightning rod on the roof, to guide the lightning directly into the carriage, killing Xubu Huai. The marks on the ground corroborate the chain's path. To further investigate, Fu Sheng goes to the stable and examines Xubu Huai's horse.
He discovers the horse's unusual behavior and symptoms are due to a long-term addiction to Tianyin Grass, which then stopped. This explains why the horse frantically abandoned Xubu Huai that night, suggesting a deliberate plot to lure the horse and its owner to a specific location near the lightning rod. The long-standing animosity between the Ma Gang and the Chamber of Commerce reaches a boiling point, with both factions preparing for all-out war.
The Ma Gang leader, Che, decides to confront the Chamber of Commerce, convinced they are responsible for Xubu Huai's death and intent on avenging him. Fu Sheng learns that seventeen Chamber of Commerce warehouses were burned down the previous night, further fueling Chairman Li's fury and pushing both sides towards a fight to the death. Sun Siming, meanwhile, was secretly planning to escalate this slaughter to achieve his ulterior motives.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Fu Sheng sends Wen Jue to inform City Lord Wen and then heads to the Ma Gang's stables for more evidence. At the stables, Fu Sheng explains to a Ma Gang groom that the horse's unusual condition is due to Tianyin Grass withdrawal. He deduces that a specific groom, who later disappeared, had been regularly mixing the addictive grass into the horse's feed.
This groom then stopped the drug and used the horse's addiction to lure it to the Chamber of Commerce's door, placing Xubu Huai in a vulnerable position. Despite Fu Sheng's accumulating evidence of manipulation, a Ma Gang member insists that war has already begun and cannot be stopped. Determined to halt the conflict, Fu Sheng and others rush to intervene. They uncover Jia Xiaolong's organization, the Foundation, which claims to protect the weak and uphold good by targeting "evil" oppressors.
Fu Sheng, courageous and skilled, confronts Jia Xiaolong alone in a deserted temple, accusing him of hypocrisy and enjoying the manipulation of others. Jia Xiaolong, embracing his fate, expresses a desire for death. At a crucial moment, Hulu, who had feigned betrayal and had been secretly sending messages to Fu Sheng, reveals his true allegiance. He activates a hidden mechanism in his medicine box, incapacitating Jia Xiaolong's men.
This was a pre-arranged plan by Fu Sheng and Hulu to expose Jia Xiaolong. Seeing his plan completely exposed and feeling utterly disheartened, Jia Xiaolong believes he cannot atone for his sins and still seeks death. He recounts the tragic death of his friend Han Shuo in gang violence, who had pawned a Cloud-shaped Jade, believing it was a key to a great treasure.
Jia Xiaolong now possesses the Cloud-shaped Jade but realizes that true power lies in unity, not in a mythical treasure. He offers the jade to Fu Sheng in exchange for the lives of his followers. Fu Sheng accepts and vows to protect them. However, just as he finishes speaking, two masked assailants emerge from the shadows and abduct Jia Xiaolong. Sadly, Jia Xiaolong declares it's too late to prevent the war already engulfing Xichuan.
Despite Fu Sheng's efforts, the Ma Gang and the Chamber of Commerce clash violently. Fu Sheng and Hulu rush into the fray, with Fu Sheng loudly declaring that the recent deaths were orchestrated by the Foundation, not by their rival gangs, and that both sides have been manipulated and used as tools. However, the combatants, fueled by the loss of their own men, refuse to stop fighting for revenge, glaring angrily at each other.
It is only when City Lord Wen Yu steps in, threatening to join whichever side continues the battle, that both Chairman Li and Che reluctantly order their men to withdraw, temporarily defusing the conflict and disrupting Sun Siming's scheme. Later, an official report from the Chamber of Commerce states that the main culprit, Jia Xiaolong, infiltrated Sun Siming's home and was killed by Sun Siming in self-defense during a struggle.
Both Chairman Li and Che, though skeptical, agree to close the case. Che, with thinly veiled sarcasm, praises Sun Siming's unexpected combat skills for a mere carriage steward, while hinting at the implausibility of the story and warning Chairman Li about Sun Siming's capabilities. Fu Sheng, however, finds the official account suspicious and, along with Gu Tian, resolves to investigate further to uncover the truth. Meanwhile, Fu Sheng keeps his promise to Jia Xiaolong's followers.
The next day, out of kindness, he offers them a chance to become herb gatherers at Wenfu Hall, encouraging them to learn and find a new, honest life, as they had shown good intentions by protecting him earlier. Hulu, after some playful banter with Fu Sheng, enthusiastically embraces his role as an apprentice. The following day, Fu Sheng, accompanied by his officers, dramatically arrests Fang Zhiyuan in the town square during one of his storytelling performances.
Fang Zhiyuan protests his innocence, claiming to be a mere storyteller. However, Fu Sheng reveals to the assembled crowd that Fang Zhiyuan is, in fact, a covert member of the Foundation. Fu Sheng explains that his suspicion was first aroused when Fang Zhiyuan, in a previous performance, unexpectedly changed his narrative to feature the "Three Heroes of Xichuan."
These three heroes, hearing rumors of danger, had gone into hiding and were later found hanged, making Fang Zhiyuan's decision to tell their story highly suspicious, especially since these figures didn't fit Fang Zhiyuan's typical criteria for heroes or villains. Fu Sheng later presented this observation to Jia Xiaolong, who inadvertently confirmed Fang Zhiyuan's role.
Jia Xiaolong explained that Fang Zhiyuan shifted his story to mention the "Three Heroes" because their continued existence after being featured in Fang's narrative would have diminished Fang's credibility. Jia Xiaolong asserted that their deaths were necessary to maintain Fang Zhiyuan's prestige and serve as a warning to others. Cornered by this irrefutable evidence, Fang Zhiyuan admits his affiliation with the Foundation, declaring its purpose is to cleanse the corrupted city of Xichuan, which he views as already in chaos.
He warns the crowd that they will regret their current inaction as he is led away by the guards. In a separate conversation, City Lord Wen Yu advises Chairman Li to consolidate his position.
