Episode 1 recap: Yang Cai Wei Encounters a Tragic Massacre.
Today, Princess Liu Qing of Changle County celebrated the festive season by gathering friends for a painting session. Liu Qing sat in the pavilion while the young gentlemen painted her portrait. Among them, the most lifelike depiction was by Pan Gui, the second son of Pan Tingwei. Everyone praised his astonishing artistic talent, and just as they were about to announce Pan Gui as the winner of the painting competition, a carriage slowly approached. It was driven by Shang Guan Lan, the wealthiest man in the capital. People were curious about the identity of the person in the carriage, only to discover that it was Pan Yue, the eldest illegitimate son of the Pan family and the older brother of Pan Gui. He had recently been appointed as an imperial censor and was now one of the most influential figures in the capital.
Pan Yue apologized to Liu Qing for his late arrival but expressed his willingness to continue painting within the limited time. After seeing Pan Yue's painting, Liu Qing praised it highly, and he became the deserved winner of the day. The Pan family had intended to arrange a marriage between Pan Gui and Liu Qing, but Pan Yue disrupted their plans. This angered Pan Gui, who went straight to his father, Pan Jin, to complain about the situation.
Pan Yue, however, remained composed. All he wanted was to find someone's whereabouts. Pan Jin decided to reveal to Pan Yue the whereabouts of that person, but from that day forward, Pan Yue would have no further involvement with the Pan family. The woman whom Pan Yue had been longing for over the past ten years was named Yang Cai Wei, a corpse collector working for a charitable organization.
Yang Cai Wei specialized in finding a final resting place for those who had died without anyone to claim their bodies. However, people avoided her in daily life, fearing bad luck, because she had a long scar on her face and was regarded as an ugly monster, even by children. Yang Cai Wei's master was an old mortician named Lao Jiang Tou, who had been obsessed with determining causes of death and finding the culprits for many years.
Yang Cai Wei was summoned to the Li family's residence in the east of the city to collect a corpse. Hurriedly, she arrived at the house only to find it in darkness, with more than a dozen bodies lying in the courtyard. Yang Cai Wei initially thought it was a case of a family massacre, but she was surprised to discover that they had all committed suicide. She saw that the deceased here had died in great agony. What could have caused them such intense pain?
There had always been legends of hauntings by peddlers in Heyang County. The county authorities initially considered this possibility, but since the head of this household was the owner of the Silver Rain Tower, they were determined to find the ghost responsible for the deaths, even if it meant confronting a vengeful spirit. Yang Cai Wei hid in the corner and suddenly heard the sound of a tambourine, which greatly startled the county officials.
Yang Cai Wei claimed that the victims had committed suicide, but the county officials, eager to close the case, arrested her as a scapegoat. They tried to force her to sign and seal the documents, and when she resisted, they tortured her. She was just a disciple of a crazy person, and no one cared about her life or death.
However, at that moment, Pan Yue appeared before the dying Yang Cai Wei like a divine being. He saved her and took her back to his own home. Yang Cai Wei recognized Pan Yue as her childhood playmate but was afraid to acknowledge him. She even threw away the jade pendant he showed her.
After vehemently denying her identity, Yang Cai Wei left, leaving behind money for medicine. However, she was unwilling to stand idly by in the tragic case at the Li family's residence. So, in the dark of night, she went to the Li residence in the east of the city. Yang Cai Wei discovered that they had indeed been poisoned, but what kind of poison could drive them to commit suicide simultaneously? Yang Cai Wei examined the food but found no traces of poison. At that moment, someone approached, and Yang Cai Wei hid underneath.
The person was Pan Yue, who wanted to help Yang Cai Wei investigate the case. However, when she dissected the victims' bodies, Pan Yue couldn't help but run out. Yang Cai Wei discovered beef inside their stomachs, which was not on the dining table. The sound of the peddler's tambourine rang out again. In Heyang, it was rumored that when the peddler's tambourine sounded, it was a sign of impending death. However, Pan Yue split open the wooden beam of the house and found that it was just a mischievous hamster.
This trap was clearly man-made because a group of men in black quickly broke in, intending to kill them. Pan Yue protected Yang Cai Wei and they escaped from the Li residence. Pan Yue urged Yang Cai Wei to pack her things and leave quickly, but she was unwilling to leave with the label of a murderer.
Pan Yue was willing to protect her, but on one condition: she had to retrieve the jade pendant that she had thrown away herself. Yang Cai Wei spent the whole night searching in the pond and finally found it. Only then did Pan Yue take her to investigate the case. Pan Yue, who came from the capital, attracted public attention, and Yang Cai Wei sitting beside him became the target of criticism. Yang Cai Wei belittled herself, feeling that someone like her should not sit beside him. However, Pan Yue said that beauty and social status are not judged solely by appearance, as Yang Cai Wei had once said when they were children.
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