Episode 19 recap: Han Yongnan disappeared.
Di Renjie sat in the hall, while Han Yongnan and Jin Shi stood below. Jin Shi accused Han Yongnan of raping her daughter, Zhao Wangrui. However, Han Yongnan refused to admit it and presented a sales contract with Jin Shi's handprint on it. Jin Shi was illiterate and didn't know what she had put her handprint on. Di Renjie condemned Han Yongnan for taking advantage of Jin Shi's illiteracy and casually making her put her handprint on a document.
Han Yongnan calmly stated that he had spent three thousand dollars to buy Zhao Wangrui, but Jin Shi had taken the money and denied it. Qiao Tai did find three thousand dollars in Jin Shi's house, but due to insufficient evidence, Han Yongnan was released in the rape case. According to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, Di Renjie couldn't detain Han Yongnan for more than twelve hours. Han Yongnan was well aware of this, which is why he was so fearless.
When the people saw Han Yongnan leaving the county office, they thought that Di Renjie was protecting him as an official, and complaints filled the air. Han Yongnan, dissatisfied with Di Renjie's impartial enforcement of the law, spat fiercely toward the county office. Wang Dong, Zhao Wangrui's brother, saw that Di Renjie didn't sentence Han Yongnan and suddenly rushed towards Han Yongnan from the crowd, intending to kill him with a dagger to avenge his sister. Ma Rong tightly held Wang Dong back. At this moment, Han Yongnan used Wang Dong's public act of violence as a reason to request that Di Renjie handle the matter impartially. Di Renjie could only detain Wang Dong, which further angered the people, and they cursed Di Renjie as a corrupt official.
Ma Rong knew about the situation in Jin Shi's family and sympathized with them. She pleaded with Di Renjie to release Wang Dong, but according to the laws of the Tang Dynasty, whether Di Renjie released Han Yongnan or arrested Wang Dong, he had to act in accordance with the law. Di Renjie was frustrated and ordered Cao An to bring all the files related to Han Yongnan. Cao An presented the files, knowing that Di Renjie was feeling frustrated, and went to prepare a pot of tea for him. Hong Liang specially sent the tea from Chang'an.
Strange things have been happening in Lanfang recently. Yungang from Chongshan District has always been fond of indulging in pleasure and lust. Just the other day, a woman hanged herself because she had a secret relationship with him. Today, his corpse was found outside the city. This is already the third case of its kind this month. Qiao Tai speculated that it was a case of hiring someone to commit murder, either by the woman's family or her in-laws. However, this was only his speculation, and evidence was still needed to prove it.
Cao An knew that Wang Dong had been imprisoned and believed that it was a form of protection for the impulsive Wang Dong. Di Renjie was somewhat comforted by Cao An's words, and his heart calmed down slightly. After reviewing several cases of missing villagers near the silver mine that Cao An had specially organized for him, Di Renjie made up his mind to investigate the matter thoroughly. Shortly after Han Yongnan was released, he invited two female entertainers from a brothel and together they consumed Wushi Powder, indulging in a state of extreme pleasure.
The next day, when a maid went to serve tea, she discovered the two female entertainers dead in a gruesome manner. Terrified, she dropped the tea tray and ran off. Di Renjie received the report and immediately went to Han Yongnan's house with his men, intending to arrest him. Based on the scene, Di Renjie had already deduced every step of Han Yongnan's crime. However, Han Yongnan had disappeared and couldn't be found despite extensive searching. In the end, Di Renjie led his men to the silver mine and demanded a search. But the people at the mine, relying on its importance to the nation, refused to cooperate and refused to open the door, disregarding Di Renjie.
Di Renjie carefully examined the stable and found Han Yongnan's discarded robe. He also observed the damaged carriage and deduced that Han Yongnan had escaped by driving away in it. He went to the village with his subordinates, hoping that the villagers would provide clues. However, when the villagers learned that Han Yongnan had fled, they accused Di Renjie of being a corrupt official who had let the criminal escape. Wang Dong was extremely angry and regretted reporting the case to the authorities instead of directly seeking help from the Black Flame gang. This hurt Di Renjie deeply. He assured Jin Shi that he would find Han Yongnan and bring justice to everyone. However, Jin Shi no longer believed him and threw a handful of ashes at him, telling him to get lost. The villagers also angrily criticized Di Renjie, calling him a corrupt official. This scene greatly distressed Di Renjie and his people.
A guard came to report that a carriage from the silver mine had left the city. Di Renjie took out a map and speculated that Han Yongnan might have gone to the post station. He immediately rushed there with Ma Rong and Qiao Tai. However, upon arrival, they found the entire post station eerily quiet. Ma Rong had intended to ambush someone in the stable but unexpectedly fell into Diao Xiao Guan's trap. When Di Renjie heard the commotion, he quickly came out and engaged in a balanced fight with Diao Xiao Guan. They agreed to simultaneously drop their weapons. From Diao Xiao Guan, Di Renjie learned that his horse had been exchanged with a seemingly refined individual. It would be difficult to catch up with them if they were pursued now.
Di Renjie discovered that the postmaster was involved in trafficking people to make a profit. Seeing the frightened girls, Di Renjie took money out of his own pocket and bought them, warning the postmaster that if he continued to engage in trafficking, he would not be shown mercy.
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