Treasure at Dawn Episode 30 (Ending) Recap
> Treasure at Dawn Recap
Royal Army veterans led Fu Sheng into a secret room filled with countless weapons and treasures. There, Fu Sheng encountered an elderly man he recognized from the illusions, realizing he was the true Jibei King, Liu Luan. The King explained that the illusions Fu Sheng experienced were recreations of past events, designed to convey the truth of Su Rang's rebellion and usurpation twenty years ago.
He recounted how Su Rang had attempted to kill him on his wedding night and replace him with a fake king, but Fu Sheng’s father, Sage Zhu, had forewarned him and helped him escape. After finding refuge in the underground palace, the King had sent both the Bird Jade Plate and the Painting of Luan out to seek help.
The King and his loyal Royal Army fled to Xichuan, finding refuge in the Sealed Book Underground Palace, a retreat left by the first Jibei King, which housed an abundance of treasures and Star Gold weapons intended for a future rebellion. However, they discovered the palace could only be opened from the outside using both the Bird Jade Plate and the Painting of Luan.
The King had sent loyal guards to deliver the artifacts, but Su Rang had coerced the Lord of Xichuan to eliminate them. Over twenty years, the harsh underground environment led to illness and death among his people, and the King himself fell gravely ill. Knowing his time was short, he orchestrated the illusions, using the palace's unique miasma and poisons, to convey the truth to whoever opened the palace and to test their character.
He revealed that Fu Sheng had passed this test, showing kindness, intelligence, and resilience, making him the ideal successor. Suddenly, Su Rang burst into the room with his soldiers. He confronted the King, lamenting his past mistake of letting him live, and ordered Guo Sishui to behead the real King. However, Yin Lie, having witnessed the truth through the illusions, bravely intervened. He confronted Guo Sishui, urging him to reconsider, but Guo Sishui quickly detained Yin Lie.
Enraged by the defiance, Su Rang ordered the massacre of the Royal Army and Fu Sheng. He declared that if Liu Luan was not eliminated, he would never sleep peacefully, fearing that loyalists would continuously emerge to challenge his rule. In the illusion, years later, Su Rang, now Jibei King, was suffering from a debilitating illness, relying on a potent poison, Japonicus, to sustain his life.
He was informed of a rebellion in three outside commanderies, claiming to restore the Liu family's power. Su Rang scoffed, believing he had eradicated the Liu family long ago, dismissing the uprising as a power struggle by those who saw his lack of an heir as an opportunity. He ordered the rebels killed. As Guo Sishui prepared to hunt down the Royal Army's descendants, Sun Siming appeared, declaring that Guo Sishui was already in the netherworld, waiting for Su Rang.
Su Rang collapsed, his health failing, and saw Fu Sheng appear before him. Fu Sheng questioned whether Su Rang's life of relentless power struggle was truly what he desired. Su Rang, seeing through the trick too late, expressed regret only for not realizing their schemes sooner. In reality, Su Rang had been drugged upon entering the cave, and the "years later" scenario was merely an elaborate illusion.
He awoke to find the true King and his Royal Army safe, with Guo Sishui lying dead on the ground. Sun Siming, seeing the turn of events, swiftly killed Su Rang to prove his loyalty to the rightful King. However, the King, with keen insight, recognized Sun Siming's opportunism and executed him without hesitation. As the King and Fu Sheng exited the cave, the fake King's deception was exposed.
Desperate, he tried to shift all blame onto Su Rang and falsely accused the true King of being an imposter. The King, resolved not to repeat past mistakes, revealed that he now controlled the supply of Japonicus, the poison the fake King relied on, and swiftly executed him. The fake King’s final moments were filled with fragmented hallucinations of his family and a distorted vision of gaining control of Xichuan.
Returning to his homeland after twenty years, the King reflected on the legendary "Sealed Book," which many believed granted power over the world. He initially thought it was a tangible item, searching for years among the treasures in the underground palace but finding no such book. It was only after sitting in the empty halls, contemplating for two decades, that he realized the true meaning of the "Sealed Book": the way of running a state.
He understood that the people are the most important, the state comes second, and the ruler is the least. He confessed his past arrogance, believing himself essential for the world to function, but came to realize that the world is sustained by its ordinary people, who can thrive as long as they have their homes, land, and livestock. Fu Sheng added that while the people are paramount, the ruler still has essential responsibilities.
The King agreed, stating that his true duty was to protect his people, provide them with a prosperous and stable life, and that this was the true treasure of the Sealed Book. Fu Sheng shared his own "Sealed Book," a philosophy passed down from his father: a physician should possess both professional skill and a kind heart.
Days later, Wen Yu, having mastered Wen Jiu's unique watermelon-cutting technique, expressed his desire to retire and hand over Xichuan City to his daughter, Wen Jue. Wen Jue gently urged him to enjoy his peaceful golden years, as she had other pursuits she wished to complete before fully taking charge. Meanwhile, Tuoba Ruo visited a clinic and entrusted Hulu with a set of exquisite surgical tools to give to Fu Sheng, hoping they would be useful.
Hulu, after silently communicating with his unconscious sister (Yingying) and expressing his longing for her, went to gather herbs. On his journey, he encountered a man who was driven out of a mansion and was planting radishes, believing he could grow "radish trees" for an easy harvest for his own younger brother.
Hulu, with his childlike innocence, then decided to plant some of his own younger brother's belongings, hoping that a "new brother" would grow from them, expressing how much he missed his brother. Fu Sheng, having declined the Jibei King's offer to become a physician officer, chatted with Gu Tian by the river.
Gu Tian grumbled about the King's stinginess with the gold bars they received, but conceded that they now had enough to settle down and bring his younger brothers to live a good life. Wen Jue then arrived, explaining her slight delay. She announced her decision to join them on their journey to the Central Plains, revealing that Fu Sheng believed their master might be there. Fu Sheng hoped to persuade their master to return to Xichuan to treat Yingying's illness. With renewed purpose, the trio continued their journey forward as the sun began to set.
