Under the Microscope Episode 14 (Ending) Recap
> Under the Microscope Recap
Magistrate Fang, witnessing Shuai Jiamo's sudden collapse in the courtroom, quickly summoned a physician. He explained that Shuai Jiamo had fainted during the previous trial, which had deeply concerned him, prompting him to have a physician on standby. The physician confirmed that Shuai Jiamo was merely suffering from repressed negative emotions and would recover with rest in a shaded area. Someone was immediately ordered to take Shuai Jiamo to a cool place.
With Shuai Jiamo taken away, Li Shida continued the proceedings. Cheng Renqing pressed his case against Assistant Prefect Song Ren, stating that his investigation revealed Assistant Prefect Song, a Recommendee who had failed to advance beyond a clerk, harbored deep resentment. Cheng Renqing accused him of turning to illicit gains, discovering that false reporting of land ownership was a lucrative scheme. He alleged that Assistant Prefect Song instigated Shuai Duncheng to tamper with land records for huge profits.
When Shuai Duncheng, a noble man, refused to collude, Assistant Prefect Song framed him for embezzling the Silk Poll Tax and then murdered him to silence him. Assistant Prefect Song, agitated, denied the accusations and inadvertently blurted out that "Shuai Duncheng was not a noble man; he threatened me first!" Li Shida, acknowledging Assistant Prefect Song's outburst, ordered him to be dragged out and flogged ten times.
Although Assistant Prefect Song tried to appeal to Fan Yuan for a guarantee, Fan Yuan offered no support, and Assistant Prefect Song was dismissed to avoid further suspicion. As Cheng Renqing left the immediate court area, he emphasized to Feng Baoyu the critical importance of relentlessly focusing the argument on Fan Yuan, stating it was their only way to gain an advantage.
Despite Feng Baoyu's self-doubt, Cheng Renqing insisted he had to proceed, reminding him of their strategy from the previous night. Soon after, Cheng Renqing himself was flogged ten times for violating Li Shida's new rule against barratry. Feng Biyu immediately attended to him, applying medicine and expressing concern for her brother, Feng Baoyu, who was now alone in the courtroom. Xiao Zhi, however, reassured Feng Biyu, affirming that Feng Baoyu, despite his seemingly foolish exterior, was formidable when serious.
Cheng Renqing echoed this, suggesting Feng Biyu had coddled her brother, forcing him to hide his true capabilities. Meanwhile, Li Shida prompted Feng Baoyu to present his views. Feng Baoyu, after a shaky start, remembered Cheng Renqing's advice and boldly called for a thorough investigation and accurate remeasurement of Renhua's land, advocating for the recovery of profits from twenty years of false land ownership disclosures and severe punishment for all involved officials and gentry.
Magistrate Mao Panfeng vehemently opposed this, citing public resentment from previous remeasurement efforts and fearing further unrest. Magistrate Fang stated he would adhere to the Governor's orders. Li Shida expressed concern about inciting public anger, but Feng Baoyu insisted the issue was rooted in widespread corruption, explaining how local gentry and officials colluded to appropriate land, tamper with records, and avoid taxation. He warned that if this continued, the nation would face ruin.
When Li Shida challenged him for proof, Feng Baoyu announced he would bring the Chen family father and daughter to testify. However, Xiao Zhi, on her way to court, was intercepted by Lu Feilong, who threatened her with a knife, preventing her from reaching the court. Feng Baoyu waited, but the Chen family did not appear. Magistrate Mao, seeing no witnesses, triumphantly urged Li Shida to close the case.
Unexpectedly, several citizens from Tongyang County stepped forward, confirming Feng Baoyu's claims about official corruption and land issues, and volunteered to sign a document with their fingerprints as witnesses. Feng Baoyu then brought forth the old official who previously managed the Archives. Magistrate Mao was visibly stunned to see him alive. Magistrate Fang then revealed that Magistrate Mao had attempted to frame him by sending the old official to Renhua's prison, hoping he would die there.
The old official then detailed how Magistrate Mao and Constable Lu Feilong had coerced him into setting fire to the Archives, staging it as an accident. Ma Wencai, in turn, hurled insults at Cheng Renqing, dredging up his past relationship with Yunniang and accusing him of choosing the "wrong man."
The old official tearfully recounted how, despite his survival, Constable Lu’s failure to keep his promise to protect his family led to his daughter and grandson starving to death at home. Enraged, Magistrate Mao lunged at the old official with a knife, but he was restrained and removed from the courtroom. Simultaneously, Ma Wencai engaged Cheng Renqing in a desperate knife fight, while Feng Biyu and Xiao Zhi bravely confronted Lu Feilong but were quickly overwhelmed.
Shuai Jiamo remained unconscious on his cot throughout the chaos. After the commotion subsided, Feng Baoyu discovered that the "Complete Works of the Silk Event" had been set ablaze during the fighting. He furiously accused Fan Yuan of orchestrating the burning, but Fan Yuan smoothly dismissed his claims as slander, emphasizing that without the physical book, Feng Baoyu had no concrete proof. As the situation seemed hopeless, Shuai Jiamo, now awake, stepped forward.
He calmly declared that he could still prove the existence of hidden land even without the book. He challenged Fan Yuan to select any piece of land under his name for remeasurement, and he would verify its true size against the official records. The public roared in support, demanding remeasurement. An aide secretly advised Fan Yuan to agree, confident that their own people could manipulate the measurements.
To project an image of innocence, Fan Yuan boldly offered his most "irregular" field, "Below Wugong Lake, number 69," daring Shuai Jiamo to measure it. Li Shida, promising impartiality and severe punishment for false accusations, agreed to the proposal. Shuai Jiamo, with a confident smile, stated that there was no need to visit the site.
He then demonstrated his father's "Art of Gathering Projected Steps," a computational method for determining land area, and precisely announced the field measured 10 mu and 6 fen. Magistrate Mao, desperate, insisted the fish-scale map registered 9 mu and 2 fen and demanded Li Shida send his own expert arithmeticians to verify the measurement. Li Shida dispatched his experts to the site. The arithmeticians returned shortly, confirming Shuai Jiamo’s measurement of 10 mu and 6 fen, exactly matching his calculation.
Facing undeniable evidence, Fan Yuan pulled Li Shida aside, appealing to their past acquaintance. He subtly reminded Li Shida of the recent civil unrest and the political pressure from Grand Secretary Zhang and the Emperor, implying that a swift resolution was paramount. Fan Yuan promised to deliver a "perfect result" by completing the remeasurement of all land in Renhua County within ten days if given leniency. Li Shida considered this offer.
Meanwhile, Feng Baoyu rallied the cheering crowd, explaining how the Land Remeasurement Policy, intended for good, had been twisted by corrupt gentry and officials who stole from the common people by hiding fields. He assured them that Shuai Jiamo, with his fast and accurate "Art of Gathering Projected Steps," would ensure fairness.
Shuai Jiamo stepped onto the platform, explaining his father’s teachings that "arithmetic is the most honest thing in the world," and how understanding its principles allowed one to calculate anything in the world—a path he now pursued. Following the successful land remeasurement and the exposé of corruption, justice was served. Commander Ma Wencai, Magistrate Mao Panfeng, and Assistant Prefect Song Ren were charged with exam fraud, corruption, inciting civil unrest, and attempted murder, their cases forwarded to the Censorate.
Lu Feilong, for his complicity and harm to villagers, was exiled to the border army 3,000 li away. Fan Yuan's vast hidden landholdings were confiscated. Renhua County's annual Silk Poll Tax was significantly reduced to 1,000 taels, with the remaining 2,530 taels covered by Fan Yuan's confiscated properties. The delighted citizens rejoiced, finally receiving their rightful land and a fair tax burden.
After recovering from his injuries, Cheng Renqing visited Feng Biyu, eager to share a new book he had written, leaving her to wonder if his visit was merely a stopover or for her. Having brought the Silk Event case to its conclusion, Shuai Jiamo, accompanied by his cat, embarked on a new, solitary journey forward.
