Episode 10 recap: Wang Wu's Tragic End.
Wang Wu walked out of the martial arts school and told Deputy Commander Tong that as long as they didn't trouble the people in the school, he would go with them. But if they had a problem with the people in the school, he would stand with them and fight to the death. After thinking for a moment, Deputy Commander Tong agreed to Wang Wu's request, and Wang Wu extended his hands for them to handcuff him.
To provide an explanation to the foreigners, Empress Dowager Cixi ordered the execution of Wang Wu and the public display of his severed head at the city gate. Li Tian Shun borrowed a ladder from his neighbor, Chef Yang, and together with Xiao Hezi, they arrived at the city gate under the cover of night, intending to steal Wang Wu's head. However, someone else had beaten them to it and took away Wang Wu's head.
Witnessing the person effortlessly scaling the city wall without a ladder, Li Tian Shun and Xiao Hezi were astonished. Upon returning home, Li Tian Shun suddenly remembered that they had left the ladder on the city wall. He sent Xiao Hezi to retrieve it, but Xiao Hezi discovered that the officials were searching for the suspect who had stolen Wang Wu's head. Deputy Commander Tong and the Chief Commander had already found the ladder at the city wall, which had "Chef Yang" written on it, and Deputy Commander Tong saw an opportunity to make money.
The Chief Commander advised Deputy Commander Tong not to focus solely on wealth. Wang Wu's head was lost, and they had to provide an explanation to their superiors. Moreover, this case had to be treated as an ironclad one. Understanding the Chief Commander's words, Deputy Commander Tong had someone secretly place black clothes and a mask in Chef Yang's house. Chef Yang asked Li Tian Shun for the ladder, and while Li Tian Shun was explaining, Xiao Hezi walked in empty-handed. Seeing that Xiao Hezi hadn't brought back the ladder, Li Tian Shun was about to ask what happened when Deputy Commander Tong suddenly burst in with his men, accusing Chef Yang of stealing Wang Wu's head.
Li Tian Shun explained to Deputy Commander Tong that he had borrowed the ladder from Chef Yang, and Xiao Hezi told Deputy Commander Tong that he had taken the ladder but had forgotten it on the city wall when he went to urinate. Just as Deputy Commander Tong was about to deal with Li Tian Shun, he was surprised to see him willingly falling into the trap. Deputy Commander Tong had all three of them, Li Tian Shun, Xiao Hezi, and Chef Yang, arrested and thrown into the dungeon.
First, they were beaten, and then a confession was written for them to admit that the three of them had conspired to steal Wang Wu's head.
Li Tian Shun saw Deputy Commander Tong and was determined to take the blame for them. He explicitly told Deputy Commander Tong that he was the one who stole Wang Wu's head, and it had nothing to do with Chef Yang and Xiao Hezi. Seeing Li Tian Shun voluntarily confessing, Deputy Commander Tong released Chef Yang and Xiao Hezi.
Yang Shang De, Huang He Xiang, and others discussed a way to rescue Li Tian Shun, and they once again thought of Lord Pu Lan Ting. Pu Lan Ting arrived at the county yamen, and the Chief Commander explicitly told him that if he came to save Li Tian Shun, he should refrain from speaking further.
Pu Lan Ting smiled and told the Chief Commander that he wasn't here to save Li Tian Shun but to save the Chief Commander and Deputy Commander Tong. If the Emperor learned that Li Tian Shun had stolen Wang Wu's head right under the guards' noses with a ladder, he would surely accuse them of neglecting their duties.
Upon hearing Pu Lan Ting's words, although the Chief Commander felt conflicted, he still refused to release Li Tian Shun. Pu Lan Ting then told them that the person who managed to steal Wang Wu's head right under the watchful eyes of so many people must have extraordinary skills. If that person found out they were using Li Tian Shun as a scapegoat, they might come after them. He questioned whether they could evade that person's assassination. After saying this, Pu Lan Ting left.
After Pu Lan Ting left, Deputy Commander Tong and the Chief Commander were indeed frightened by his words. However, simply releasing Li Tian Shun without being able to give an explanation to their superiors was not an option. In the end, Deputy Commander Tong came up with an idea. They would keep Li Tian Shun imprisoned and, if questioned by their superiors, they would claim that the prisoner had not yet confessed.
Li Tian Shun knew there was no escape from this predicament and had resigned himself to his fate. Unexpectedly, Deputy Commander Tong came to visit him. Before Li Tian Shun could understand the purpose of his visit, a guard was suddenly knocked down, and a robust man appeared before Deputy Commander Tong. The man introduced himself, and Deputy Commander Tong learned that he was none other than Huo Yuanjia, the renowned martial artist from Tianjin. Deputy Commander Tong was so frightened that he couldn't even catch his breath.
Huo Yuanjia explicitly told Deputy Commander Tong that he was the one who took Wang Wu's head and demanded that Li Tian Shun be released immediately. Seeing that Deputy Commander Tong refused, Huo Yuanjia knocked him unconscious with a single strike.
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