Episode 2 recap: Title: The Fire Case at Ju Shui Tower in the Di Ren Jie Series
Di Ren Jie woke up to the sound of fire in the case of the Ju Shui Tower. His body covered in black, eight out of nine people in the fire had died, leaving him as the sole survivor. The county magistrate ordered Di Ren Jie to be captured, intending to close the case by attributing the fire to a heavenly fire order at Ju Shui Tower. However, Di Ren Jie disagreed, as he was inside the tower and knew that the fire originated from within. The county magistrate, using Di Ren Jie's status as the sole survivor, wanted him to take the blame. Naturally, Di Ren Jie refused. Just as the county magistrate was about to resort to torture, Hong Liang, who saw Di Ren Jie being dragged away on the street, sought the help of Wei Wu Ji. Seeing Wei Wu Ji personally arrive, the county magistrate had to save face but also worried that if Di Ren Jie escaped, the case would remain unsolved and refused to release him.
Wei Wu Ji was well aware of Di Ren Jie's intelligence and abilities. He knew that Di Ren Jie was determined to find the truth for the deceased He Da Jing, so he personally vouched for him and had him fitted with the Xuan Iron Leg Irons. At the same time, he agreed to the county magistrate's request for Di Ren Jie to report on the progress daily. This allowed Di Ren Jie to be released and continue his investigation.
Di Ren Jie went to the mortuary to examine the bodies and found that seven out of the eight bodies were blackened. Considering that the Ju Shui Tower was frequented by geishas and the only clean female body had a key from the palace and a delicate sachet in her hand, he immediately ordered Qiao Tai and Ma Rong to find the group of people who purchased such sachets. Meanwhile, he quietly sneaked into the Ju Shui Tower to investigate the scene. He discovered that the door had been locked from the outside and, relying on his memory of that night, found a hidden room behind a secret door that was surprisingly intact. Considering the recent search for the Jinwuwei and combining it with Qiao Tai's remark that the scent in the sachet was the Queen's favorite, he deduced that Yaxin was a court maid in the Queen's palace. He then went to the front of the Jinwuwei headquarters and, after confirmation, discovered that Yaxin was indeed the person they had been searching for, leading to a thorough investigation of Pingkang Alley.
Qiao Tai and Ma Rong collected information from various street vendors. Ma Rong, unable to resist her habit of pilfering, couldn't help stealing a bag from each stall they passed. Along the way, she even packed some pastries, intending to give them to Di Ren Jie. However, when she learned that Di Ren Jie was not present, she turned her attention to Hong Liang, wanting to know what kind of person Di Ren Jie was. When she discovered that Di Ren Jie had lost both parents at a young age and was an only child, she couldn't help but feel a sense of empathy.
Although Hong Liang was a loyal servant of the Di family, he only knew that Di Ren Jie liked to meddle in other people's affairs and couldn't understand his true thoughts. In the palace, a group of people led by Captain Changsun continued to pressure the Emperor to punish the Queen. Their reason was that the Queen's Phoenix Seal had been lost, which was morally wrong, and led to someone using the seal to issue a false decree and kill Chen Chuliang. The Emperor was agonizing over the decision and couldn't make up his mind, while the Queen sat in the palace, playing the wooden fish with a calm mind.
Di Ren Jie's discoveries at the scene of the fire convinced him even more that it was an act of arson. Wei Wu Ji was concerned whether Di Ren Jie would be able to escape and gather information. Seeing that Di Ren Jie didn't believe in the rumors from the street vendors, Wei Wu Ji shared what he had observed along the way and affirmed that the Queen's new policies were indeed beneficial to the people. He reminded Di Ren Jie that in Chang'an City, the Queen had threatened the interests of many, which was why she became a target, and that both he and Di Ren Jie were not the masters of Chang'an City.
Di Ren Jie felt a bit frustrated after hearing those words and went straight to his room without paying much attention to Ma Rong's offering of pastries. Outside Chang'an City, there was a case where four people were burned to death. Rumors spread that it was caused by heavenly fire. Di Ren Jie, accompanied by Ma Rong and Qiao Tai, observed the scene. Upon learning that the coroner had suddenly fallen ill and couldn't come, Di Ren Jie volunteered to take his place and investigate. He deduced that the victims were all male farmers based on the calluses on their hands. Noticing that there was no dust in their mouths, Di Ren Jie grew suspicious. He decided to enter the scene of the fire for further examination. The county magistrate tried to stop him, but Di Ren Jie covered his nose and proceeded inside. He quickly ordered someone to follow him.
Inside the fire scene, Di Ren Jie saw burnt silkworms but ignored them. He discovered several tassels and a token. Just as he was about to pick them up, the county magistrate's men keenly asked him what he had found. Ma Rong also entered the fire scene and immediately screamed to divert the soldiers' attention, allowing Di Ren Jie to successfully retrieve the token.
The county magistrate approached Di Ren Jie after he came out and asked him what he had discovered. Di Ren Jie pretended to be in a dilemma and requested to examine the silkworm corpses, but the county magistrate refused, claiming that the case was not under his jurisdiction. He subtly implied to Di Ren Jie that the case would never be solved and that powerful figures were involved in a celestial battle. He advised Di Ren Jie to stop investigating. Thinking that Di Ren Jie hadn't found anything, the county magistrate left with his men.
On the way back to Chang'an City, Di Ren Jie noticed four horses by the roadside, one of which he deduced belonged to the Imperial Guards.
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