Under the Microscope Episode 8 Recap
> Under the Microscope Recap
Feng Baoyu, recuperating at an elderly family's home, was delighted to see meat on the table. He took a piece to eat, only to be playfully told it was rat meat, which momentarily startled him. The woman of the house clarified it was rabbit, a lucky catch from the mountains that month. As she finished eating, she explained their harsh life to Feng Baoyu.
The family once had five mu of land and three able-bodied men, making ends meet despite hardship. However, heavy government taxes, including biannual regular taxes and various miscellaneous levies, along with corvée work, left them with nothing at the end of the year. Their uncle died during corvée, and his cousin fell ill, leaving them with insufficient labor to work their remaining land or buy seeds for the next season.
Forced to borrow from loansharks, they were tricked by Lu Feilong into selling their land, first the second-class sloped land, then irrigated land, and finally paddy fields, just to repay the exorbitant interest. This led them to clear land in the wilderness. The woman, confused, asked Feng Baoyu why the wealthy paid less tax while the poor paid more, a question that also puzzled Feng Baoyu, though he attempted to explain it as the court's sympathy for the gentry.
Meanwhile, Magistrate Fang in Renhua County learned that Feng Baoyu and Shuai Jiamo had fled from Lanxi to Tongyang County. Concurrently, Liu Jing and Prefect Huang Ningdao played a game of gobang. Prefect Huang acknowledged that the conflict was deeper in the peripheries and, feeling trapped amidst adversaries, admitted he had brought Liu Jing in as a reinforcement. He was dismayed when the chessboard was overturned.
Liu Jing, determined to salvage his reputation after his setback in Lanxi, declared that the Silk Poll Tax case must proceed. He stressed the need for a significant example to be made, especially with Grand Secretary Zhang's land remeasurement campaign facing resistance in Fengxing, an area known for hidden land. Upon learning of her brother's plight, Feng Biyu prepared to leave, but Cheng Renqing intercepted her.
He revealed that he was the author of Feng Baoyu's arrest warrant and warned her that trying to save him now would only endanger him further. He suggested that her only recourse was to pay him for "justice." Feng Biyu reluctantly handed over her money. Cheng Renqing, after giving her advice, surprisingly refused to take the silver, leaving Feng Biyu and Feng Cheng bewildered. Soon after, soldiers discovered Feng Baoyu's location, forcing him to flee the elderly family's home.
Before leaving, he entrusted his personal jade pendant to the old man's daughter, Chen Xiaozhi, for safekeeping. Feng Baoyu then rendezvoused with Shuai Jiamo, and the two were handcuffed together and forced onto the road. Lu Feilong, posing as a Lanxi constable, attempted to take custody of them, but the Tongyang constables, following Magistrate Deng's strict orders, refused to transfer the prisoners to anyone before reaching Lanxi County.
Feng Biyu sought out Magistrate Fang, urgently requesting that he transfer the arrest warrant to Jin'an Prefecture. She pressed him on why Magistrate Mao had not informed him directly about the Lanxi Archives fire and the subsequent arrest warrant, despite the Jin'an magistrates being allies. She argued that such a crucial case involving two key figures warranted a personal message out of respect, rather than leaving him to shoulder the burden alone while others celebrated their perceived victory.
Magistrate Fang, acknowledging her points and reflecting on the unfairness of the situation, ultimately agreed to forward the orders to Jin'an Prefecture. Meanwhile, during their escort, Shuai Jiamo encountered an old acquaintance of his father, Shuai Duncheng. This old man, who had seen Shuai Jiamo as a child, attempted to help him recall his past. He described a famine ten years prior, a rare disaster where crops withered.
He explained Jin'an's tradition of honoring the Dragon King for good harvests and appealing to him in bad times, noting that this particular year was so dire it had come to "beating the Dragon King." The old man then proposed a deal: if Shuai Jiamo would withdraw his complaint in the Silk Poll Tax case, he would reveal the contents of a book he remembered.
Shuai Jiamo, however, immediately refused this offer, stating that the Silk Poll Tax was more important because it was wrong and must be corrected. Continuing their journey, Shuai Jiamo and Feng Baoyu were ambushed by Lu Feilong and his men, who intended to kill them in a secluded spot. Feng Baoyu then prompted an escape attempt.
However, just as Lu Feilong ordered his men to attack, officials from Jin'an Prefecture arrived, presenting a co-signed document from Prefect Huang Ningdao and Inspector Liu Jing to take custody of Shuai Jiamo and Feng Baoyu. Lu Feilong's plot was foiled, and the two were safely delivered to the Lanxi County prison. The jailers, recognizing Shuai Jiamo, reacted with alarm, recalling his previous unexpected return and calling him "the one possessed by the cat demon."
Feng Baoyu, observing their reaction, commented wryly on their shared return to the prison. Magistrate Mao, hearing that the case had been transferred to Jin'an Prefecture, expressed his frustration to Master Fan, arguing that it should be tried in Lanxi. He feared that Prefect Huang Ningdao and Inspector Liu Jing, being of higher rank, would amplify the case now that Shuai Jiamo was alive.
Master Fan dismissed Mao's fears and suggested that since the opposing side wanted an official solution, they should respond officially. When Mao tentatively mentioned Cheng Renqing, Master Fan’s official expressed reservations about Cheng Renqing's character and his reliability as a lawyer against higher authorities. Master Fan, however, believed that character was secondary and revealed his intention to host a dinner for his old friends in Jin'an that evening, inviting Magistrate Fang to join.
Meanwhile, Assistant Prefect Song, an old friend of Shuai Jiamo's father, visited Shuai Jiamo in prison. Song urged him to abandon his quest for the truth, reminding him of his precarious situation. Shuai Jiamo, however, recounted recent resurfacing memories from his childhood, specifically dreaming about a book titled "The Complete Works of the Silk Event" and recalling the number 3,530 prominently written on one page the night his parents died.
He confessed to being confused about the book's connection to the Silk Poll Tax and his father's crime, and mentioned that Assistant Magistrate Ren knew more but refused to speak. Song, interrupting Shuai Jiamo's desire to find the book, warned him that the upcoming joint trial was not a place to seek truth but for "Yin and Yang reconciliation," a compromise where everyone is partially satisfied and dissatisfied.
Song advised Shuai Jiamo to cooperate by remaining silent during the trial to save his life, implying his efforts were futile against entrenched interests. Shuai Jiamo, still grappling with his unresolved doubts, continued to question the intricate connections between "The Complete Works of the Silk Event," the Silk Poll Tax, and the Art of Gathering Projected Steps, and how they related to his father's fate. Song reiterated for him to reconsider his position and avoid his father's mistakes.
