Treasure at Dawn Episode 24 Recap
> Treasure at Dawn Recap
The Emperor, acting subserviently, addressed Su Rang as "Father" and massaged him, expressing fatigue from his duties. He then cautiously inquired why Su Rang was so intent on finding the Heavenly Book Treasure, suggesting they should simply enjoy their opulent life at Jibei Mansion, which offered the best of everything and endless wealth. Angered, Su Rang struck the Emperor, sternly declaring he cared nothing for the "bullshit" treasure and that the Emperor knew what he truly desired.
Meanwhile, Sun Siming had closed Duoqing Pavilion, intending to enjoy a shadow play alone. Guo Sishui, however, soon arrived, accusing him of concealing information. She insisted on watching the play with him. They quickly realized the performer was not Meng Qin but his apprentice, who explained that Meng Qin had to rush home for an urgent matter, having only taught him the play the previous day.
Suspecting Meng Qin had anticipated their arrival, Sun Siming quickly departed with his men, while Guo Sishui dismissed her own men as useless, telling them to wait behind with her. Wen Yu, daughter of the city lord, astutely observed that Meng Qin's attempts to hide his identity likely stemmed from a deep concern for his family. She reasoned that to elicit the truth from him, they needed to approach him through those he cherished most.
Meng Qin, foreseeing trouble, had already arranged for his wife and young son to leave Xichuan ahead of him, planning to rendezvous outside the city. As he tried to slip away, Guo Sishui’s men, led by Yin Lie, intercepted him. Fortunately, Gu Tian arrived in time, valiantly fighting them off and rescuing Meng Qin. At the clinic, Fu Sheng carefully tended to Meng Qin's wounds.
Wen Yu pressed Meng Qin to be truthful, reminding him that both her father, Lord Wen Yu, and now they, had saved his life. Meng Qin, acknowledging her as the Young Mistress of Xichuan, expressed his gratitude with formal courtesies, but Wen Yu interrupted him, dismissing such "flowery words" and urging him to be direct.
Meng Qin confessed that he had lied to conceal his past as a palace guard, a secret Lord Wen Yu had helped him keep after his injury, allowing him to live a peaceful life. He then asked why they sought him. Fu Sheng then displayed the Cloud-shaped Jade, Mountain-shaped Jade, and the Bird Jade Plate. Meng Qin, recognizing all three, was stunned, asking who they truly were.
Fu Sheng revealed he was the son of Physician Fu from Shangyi, the person Song Jingye was supposed to deliver these items to, but his father was now deceased. The Bird Jade Plate had been Fu Sheng’s possession since childhood. Meng Qin wondered why Song Jingye had not told him this, to which Fu Sheng replied that Song Jingye had died shortly after they met, leaving no time.
Meng Qin, now wanting only to be a father, promised a crucial token that held the answers they sought, provided his wife and son could safely leave the city. As Meng Qin departed to meet his family, Ying Ying assured Fu Sheng that Feng Qianli had been dispatched to protect Meng Qin covertly. Later that evening, Sun Siming and Guo Sishui discussed the jades. Guo Sishui mentioned that My Lord was hunting Fu Sheng.
Sun Siming deduced that Fu Sheng, being from Shangyi, must possess the Bird Jade Plate. They began plotting how to recover it. Guo Sishui disclosed that My Lord had issued a bounty for the Bird Jade Plate to lure out a traitor whose descendant was suspected to have brought it to Xichuan after all physicians in Shangyi died from poisoning.
Sun Siming, realizing Fu Sheng and Gu Tian were from Shangyi and likely held the Bird Jade Plate, Cloud-shaped Jade, and Mountain-shaped Jade, suggested arresting them. However, Guo Sishui, cautious of provoking Lord Wen Yu and the Ma Gang, favored a more subtle approach. Meanwhile, Meng Qin, with his wife and young son concealed in baskets, attempted to leave the city. At the city gate, guards stopped them for inspection.
Feng Qianli appeared, creating a diversion that allowed Meng Qin and his family to escape the city, with Guo Sishui's men in hot pursuit. Yin Lie and Guo Sishui's men, having lost Meng Qin, stormed Feng Qianli's tea shop, searching aggressively and accusing his establishment, Hearsay-capturing Pavilion, of harboring a thief. Feng Qianli confronted them, subtly mocking their pursuit.
When Yin Lie threatened to destroy his tea shop, Feng Qianli retaliated by implying that the Jibei Chamber of Commerce was vying for the city lord's position and threatened to expose this ambition to Lord Wen Yu or the Ma Gang. A local soldier intervened, reminding Yin Lie of Hearsay-capturing Pavilion's influence and Xichuan's rules. Feng Qianli then issued a stark warning: if he were harmed or arrested, a secret concerning Xichuan would spread throughout the city within two hours.
Yin Lie's deputy general, wary of provoking further trouble for Chairman Guo, persuaded him to back down, and Yin Lie reluctantly retreated, vowing revenge. Meng Qin returned to Wenfu Hall, seeking refuge and offering to reveal the truth to Fu Sheng, Gu Tian, and Ying Ying. He explained that ten years prior, he had recognized Song Jingye, then Chairman of the Jibei Chamber of Commerce, at a performance, and they had agreed to meet only for dire matters.
After Song Jingye’s death, Meng Qin feared exposure because he possessed the Painting of Luan, which revealed the Heavenly Book Treasure's exact location. He recounted that twenty years ago, during a rebellion at the Jibei King Liu Luan's wedding night, the Royal Guard received a secret mission to wait in a wasteland. There, a eunuch delivered a bag containing the Bird Jade Plate and the Painting of Luan to Song Jingye, then committed suicide.
Song Jingye stressed that these items were the key to the treasure and must be delivered to Physician Fu in Shangyi. However, on their journey to Shangyi, they were ambushed outside Xichuan. Meng Qin, carrying the Painting of Luan, was gravely injured but saved by Lord Wen Yu, who helped him assume a new identity.
Meng Qin explained he did not proceed to Shangyi because he heard the King, after recovering from his injuries, had undergone a drastic personality change, becoming incompetent and entrusting all state affairs to the sages. This led Meng Qin to suspect the mission was a deception, believing there was no treasure, but rather a "secret about stabilizing the nation." He decided to hide and observe, hoping others with parts of the treasure would surface first.
He admitted that getting married and having a child made him lose sight of his mission. The Painting of Luan was now hidden in a secret location with arrow traps, requiring a deciphering map held by his wife and son, who were currently captured by the Jibei Chamber of Commerce. Meng Qin pleaded for their rescue in exchange for the map.
Gu Tian and Ying Ying argued that he was obligated to hand over the map without conditions, but Fu Sheng intervened, promising they would try to help, but first needed to locate the family. Ying Ying, concerned about Sun Siming's cunning nature, insisted that neither Fu Sheng nor Gu Tian should risk themselves, offering to send Feng Qianli instead.
Feng Qianli volunteered, assuring them that his neutral affiliation with Hearsay-capturing Pavilion made him the ideal choice to scout the situation at the Jibei Chamber of Commerce compound that night. That night, Feng Qianli infiltrated the Jibei Chamber of Commerce. Yin Lie, Guo Sishui's deputy general, lay in ambush, taunting Feng Qianli. However, Feng Qianli deftly led Yin Lie and his men on a chase, distracting them.
Elsewhere, Guo Sishui received a secret message and confidently informed Sun Siming that My Lord would soon arrive in Xichuan to eliminate any obstacles. Sun Siming expressed worry about failing My Lord, but Guo Sishui assured him that after acquiring the Bird Jade Plate and Painting of Luan, My Lord would depend on her even more. She then revealed that My Lord would lead the Jibei Army to Xichuan. Feng Qianli, still within earshot, overheard this crucial intelligence.
As he attempted to escape, he was shot by Guo Sishui. Sun Siming, standing over the dying Feng Qianli, noticed a hidden object. He then poured boiling water onto Feng Qianli's skin, revealing the concealed "list of three thousand detectives at the Hearsay-capturing Pavilion."
