Episode 15 recap: Pu Lan Ting handed the jade pomegranate to Li Tian Shun.
Wang Tong Ren went to a food stall to eat wontons. A madam recognized him and noticed the beautiful girl with him. Wang Tong Ren approached them and handed a pearl to the madam. The madam agreed to let the girl accompany him for ten days. Wang Tong Ren asked the girl for her name, and she said her name was Wang Xiaohua. When the girl heard Wang Tong Ren's name, she found it interesting and couldn't help but laugh.
Empress Dowager Cixi thought that if Pu Lan Ting was killed, the jade pomegranate would be lost forever. So she ordered him to be released. Pu Lan Ting returned to Juhe Zhai and saw a carpenter making a coffin. He thought that Li Tian Shun had eaten his melon and lost his life, so he was crying sadly. Li Tian Shun came out from inside the coffin. Pu Lan Ting learned that Li Tian Shun was making the coffin for him, and he was touched and bowed to Li Tian Shun.
Li Tian Shun wanted to send the carpenter away, but Pu Lan Ting asked the carpenter to continue making the coffin. When Wang Tong Ren saw that Pu Lan Ting had been released, he hurriedly informed Lord Tong about it. Lord Tong analyzed that the Empress Dowager had probably decided not to pursue the matter of the jade pomegranate anymore. However, the treasure was extremely valuable, so he instructed Wang Tong Ren to follow Pu Lan Ting and find the jade pomegranate.
Pu Lan Ting noticed that he was being followed by Wang Tong Ren, so when Li Tian Shun came to see him, he told him about it. Li Tian Shun took out Pu Lan Ting's letter and asked him what he meant by the words he had written.
While Pu Lan Ting explained to Li Tian Shun, he activated a mechanism and took out the jade pomegranate from inside. Li Tian Shun examined it and confirmed that it was the jade pomegranate carved by his father. Pu Lan Ting told Li Tian Shun that he couldn't allow Empress Dowager Cixi to take the jade pomegranate into the coffin, so he found a way to get it and intended to entrust it to Li Tian Shun to pass down through the generations. When the country is peaceful again one day, it will be taken out to bless the nation with favorable weather.
After much persuasion from Pu Lan Ting, Li Tian Shun finally put away the jade pomegranate. As they were talking, a servant boy ran over and informed Li Tian Shun that Lord Tong was coming in their direction with people.
Pu Lan Ting knew that Lord Tong had come for the jade pomegranate, so he told Li Tian Shun to take it and leave quickly. Just then, Li Tian Shun saw Ding Guangyuan approaching in a donkey cart and came up with an idea.
Ding Guangyuan was driving his donkey cart when Lord Tong and his men stopped him and wanted to search his cart. Lord Tong opened the cart and was hit by a foul smell, realizing that it was filled with manure. He covered his nose and let Ding Guangyuan go. After Ding Guangyuan left, Lord Tong blocked Li Tian Shun.
Seeing that Li Tian Shun was holding a bundle, Lord Tong assumed it was the jade pomegranate and snatched it back to report to his superiors. But when they opened the bundle, they found a brick inside, and they scolded the two men in frustration. Pu Lan Ting told Li Tian Shun that thanks to the previous night's transfer of the jade pomegranate, Lord Tong and his men had searched his residence all night in vain.
While they were talking, Ding Guangyuan brought the jade pomegranate over, and aside from the smell of manure, it was undamaged. Pu Lan Ting worried that Lord Tong and his group wouldn't give up, so he instructed Li Tian Shun to hide the jade pomegranate securely. The carpenter delivered the completed coffin to Pu Lan Ting's residence. When Wang Tong Ren learned about it, he suspected that the jade pomegranate was hidden in the coffin and reported to Lord Tong again. Lord Tong hurriedly went with his men, ready to open the coffin and inspect it.
After arriving at Pu Lan Ting's residence, in the enveloping darkness of the night, they saw the coffin placed in the courtyard, surrounded by wreaths and paper figures. Everyone felt a chill down their spines. Lord Tong instructed Wang Tong Ren to open the coffin. When the coffin was opened, they saw Pu Lan Ting lying inside with his eyes closed. Wang Tong Ren, feeling puzzled, remarked that Pu Lan Ting had chosen a good day to die and suspected that the jade pomegranate was hidden on the corpse. He was about to search when Pu Lan Ting suddenly opened his eyes.
Once Lord Tong regained his composure, he became furious and pushed Wang Tong Ren into the coffin, ordering his men to carry the coffin and wreaths back to the yamen. Huang He Xiang, Li Tian Shun, and others stood by, watching the spectacle. She asked Li Tian Shun with a smile which act Lord Tong was performing. Li Tian Shun chuckled and told her that it was the government arranging its own funeral, and Pu Lan Ting's move was truly ingenious.
Comments(Episode 15)