Episode 3 recap: Di Ren Jie found all the evidence pointing to Zhang Sun Qing.
Upon learning that the Feather Forest Army left the capital on the tenth day of the fifth month, Di Ren Jie disguised himself as a worker and, accompanied by Ma Rong and Qiao Tai, pushed a cart of tiles into the archives room. The three of them were stopped by soldiers due to their unfamiliar faces. Ma Rong used a hidden weapon to injure another worker pushing a cart of bamboo, causing the cart to overturn and the bamboo to scatter on the ground. The soldiers, impatiently, allowed them entry to deal with the situation.
Di Ren Jie and Qiao Tai entered the archives, splitting up to search for documents. Since Ma Rong was illiterate, he discreetly slipped a jade pendant from one of the drawers into his pocket, unbeknownst to Qiao Tai and Di Ren Jie. The archives room was not reported for repairs, but the suspicion arose from the pile of tiles in front of the door and the broken lock. Kang Zhi Yi immediately led a search party inside, but Di Ren Jie, Qiao Tai, and Ma Rong had already left upon hearing the commotion. From this operation, they deduced that four soldiers from the Feather Forest Army had left the capital on the tenth day of the fifth month, giving them the preliminary judgment that these four soldiers, acting under a false imperial order, killed Chen Zhu Liang and were subsequently silenced.
The marine creature grape card that Di Ren Jie picked up at the fire scene was peculiar, so he went to a market frequented by foreigners to test his luck and see if he could learn its origin. Unexpectedly, a merchant took notice of the bronze card in his hand and remarked that it was a rare item belonging to the Xuanjia Army, hoping that Di Ren Jie would sell it to him. After returning home, Ma Rong diligently practiced calligraphy, but his handwriting was less than satisfactory. Qiao Tai unintentionally discovered the secret behind the paper Ma Rong used for calligraphy and learned that it came from Kang Zhi Yi's documents. Impressed by Ma Rong's luck, he immediately went to report to Di Ren Jie.
From the documents, Di Ren Jie discovered that Kang Zhi Yi's father was involved in a past incident and it was Zhang Sun Qing who saved him from execution, sparing his entire family. Moreover, Kang Zhi Yi's entry into the palace was also facilitated by Zhang Sun Qing's influence. Di Ren Jie speculated that Kang Zhi Yi, as the biggest political rival of the Empress Zhang Sun Qing, had been trusted for many years due to his close association with the empress, making him unsuspected. In reality, he was the one who stole the phoenix seal and subsequently killed anyone who knew about it.
Di Ren Jie shared all this information with Wei Wu Ji, who bluntly stated that Zhang Sun Qing's influence was deeply rooted and could not be easily removed like a towering tree. However, Di Ren Jie believed that by targeting the internal corruption and seizing the right opportunity, they could still bring down this tree. But doing so would inevitably implicate Hong Liang, Ma Rong, and Qiao Tai, leaving Di Ren Jie uncertain about how to proceed.
Di Ren Jie pondered by the lake with a sense of annoyance. He looked up and saw Zhang Sun Qing, and then Kang Zhi Yi. Kang Zhi Yi quickly averted his gaze, which puzzled Di Ren Jie. Then he saw Cao An (played by Wang Li Kun) walking across the stone bridge. The sound of a folk tune from Bingzhou reminded Di Ren Jie of Di Zhixun, who had jumped into the lake in front of him. Although he immediately jumped into the lake to save him, Di Zhixun, who was determined to die, made no struggle and let himself sink to the bottom of the water, ultimately drowning. This painful memory left Di Ren Jie feeling deeply saddened. That night, he drank heavily with Ma Rong and Qiao Tai, and after a few rounds, he asked the two of them to leave Chang'an. Ma Rong sensed that Di Ren Jie was in serious trouble and left with Qiao Tai, while keeping an eye on Di Ren Jie's movements, ready to lend a hand at any time.
Di Ren Jie reflected on everything that had happened since his return to Chang'an and couldn't help but suspect that it was the arrangement of fate. However, like his father Di Zhixun, he enjoyed defying fate. Hong Liang knew this well and advised Di Ren Jie to give it his all in the remaining five days. On the sixth day, after the sacrifice to Guo Bai, Zhang Sun Qing remained silent and refused to mount his horse. Instead, he walked back on foot. The officials accompanying him tried to persuade Zhang Sun Qing not to leave and took Guo Bai from him, expressing their grievances about Empress Wu's misconduct, which had brought divine wrath upon Chang'an and its people, unrelated to Zhang Sun Qing.
Zhang Sun Qing angrily reproached the officials, believing that the heavenly fire calamity that befell the people of Chang'an was naturally related to him, the Grand Marshal of the state. He blamed himself for not executing the mastermind and thus inviting divine punishment, causing suffering to the people. Zhang Sun Qing kneeled down in the street, vowing to present Guo Bai to the Emperor and urge him to severely punish the instigator. He also pledged to donate twenty thousand guan of incense and candles to the Qinglong Temple for a month, praying for the prosperity of the nation and everlasting peace for the people.
Di Ren Jie pointed out that this act was futile and predicted that the heavenly fire would strike again in two days. Faced with Di Ren Jie's sudden remarks, Zhang Sun Qing had no choice but to ask what would happen if the heavenly fire did not appear again. Di Ren Jie mentioned that the heavenly fire had first burned the phoenix tree, the favorite of the Empress, and then killed the farmer who raised silkworms for the Empress. He predicted that the third time it would burn the "Genealogy Record" to provoke Zhang Sun Qing.
Di Ren Jie asked the students of the Imperial Academy and Wei Wu Ji to leave the academy for refuge. However, Wei Wu Ji was concerned that an empty house would arouse Zhang Sun Qing's suspicion and insisted on staying to face the danger. Di Ren Jie led the horse away to attract the attention of the pursuers. As he rode faster, the foot cover on the saddle became tighter and tighter, making it impossible for him to break free. The horse, affected by drugs, became increasingly wild, putting him in a dangerous situation.
Wei Shi said that Di Ren Jie's father, Di Zhixun, was the Left Minister, which is not accurate at all. After all, he is a historical figure, and there is evidence to follow.
How can he speak so recklessly? It's clear that his grandfather, Di Xiaoxu, was the Left Minister, a founding hero of the dynasty. But his father is also impressive, it's just that the portrayal of his identity here is problematic.