Episode 17 recap: Jiang Ci Helps A Yan Seek Justice
In Episode 17, A Yan pleads with Pei Yan to seek justice for her fiancé, Zheng Sheng. He Yongli designs a trap to lure A Yan to the foundry, where she is assaulted. Concerned that He Yonglin might be imprisoned, He Zhenwen calls Pei Yan to Bihe Villa, a secret base where Rong Yu Die has hoarded treasures and weapons for years under He Zhenwen’s management. He Zhenwen begs Pei Yan to be lenient with He Yonglin.
Pei Yan personally oversees the case. He Zhenwen and He Yonglin insist that A Yan is a servant of the He family, presenting a thirty-year-old indenture written by A Yan's father, Li Song, as evidence. Pei Yan is momentarily at a loss and decides to postpone the verdict for three days. Jiang Ci and Wei Zhao notice Pei Yan's bias towards the He father and son, which angers them. A Yan falls seriously ill from stress, and Jiang Ci stays by her side. Wei Zhao, seeing this, sends Yi Fei to protect Jiang Ci and A Yan, forbidding anyone from approaching them.
During the court session, Wei Zhao blocks a sword aimed at He Yongli, sustaining a deep cut on his hand. After ensuring A Yan is settled, Jiang Ci rushes to tend to Wei Zhao's wound. He feels warmth in his heart and vows to thoroughly investigate A Yan's case to bring her justice, while Jiang Ci expresses her gratitude and tries to cheer him up.
Jiang Ci wants to find other women harmed by He Yongli to testify, but Wei Zhao fears they won’t come forward. Pei Yan realizes the indenture presented by He Zhenwen is forged but finds it flawlessly crafted, leaving him unable to identify any flaws. That night, Pei Yan seeks out He Zhenwen, who pleads for leniency towards He Yonglin, threatening to report Rong Yu Die’s hidden weapons to the court if Pei Yan doesn’t comply. Pei Yan finds himself in a dilemma, and Cui Liang suggests he seek out other victimized women for testimony. Pei Yan agrees to send someone to investigate.
Cui Liang sends a few prescriptions for A Yan and advises Jiang Ci to find other victims. Jiang Ci personally visits the women harmed by He Yongli, but they all refuse to testify out of fear of the He family's power. Frustrated, she sits alone in a torrential rain, feeling despondent. Wei Zhao arrives just in time to pick her up. Unwilling to give up, Jiang Ci insists on continuing the fight. Wei Zhao suggests exploring alternative strategies. Before the trial, He Zhenwen requests an hour for He Yonglin to recover from his injuries. Wei Zhao suspects this is a ploy to obtain the indenture, and Jiang Ci shares his concerns.
That night, Wei Zhao secretly visits the governor's office to find the indenture. After a tough search, he locates it, but Pei Yan had anticipated his visit and set a trap, forcing Wei Zhao to leave empty-handed. Jiang Ci waits anxiously for Wei Zhao's return, growing increasingly worried. Pei Yan arrives late at night to take Jiang Ci and A Yan back to Changfeng Dock, but Jiang Ci firmly refuses, accusing Pei Yan of enabling the He family. Pei Yan insists he is trying to protect everyone and pleads with Jiang Ci to come with him, but she remains resolute. Just then, Wei Zhao returns to stop Pei Yan, who leaves in frustration.
The next morning, Pei Yan continued to hear A Yan's case. Jiang Ci produced the indenture that Wei Zhao had stolen, publicly testing the ink and proving that it was not from twenty years ago, thus confirming that Li Song's indenture was forged. Faced with this irrefutable evidence, He Zhenwen was left speechless. Jiang Ci and Wei Zhao urged Pei Yan to handle the case fairly. In a fit of rage, He Yonglin lashed out at A Yan, prompting Jiang Ci to fiercely reprimand He Yongli.
The victimized women then arrived, collectively accusing He Yonglin. Pei Yan ordered the arrest of both He Zhenwen and He Yonglin. Fearing for his life, He Yonglin drew his sword and lunged at Jiang Ci. Wei Zhao instinctively moved to protect her, but one of the guards drew his sword and inadvertently struck He Yonglin in the throat, killing him on the spot.
Devastated, He Zhenwen vowed to make Jiang Ci pay for He Yonglin's death. As Jiang Ci watched the victimized women return home, she felt a sense of unspoken relief. A Yan prepared a few dishes to thank Wei Zhao and Jiang Ci, casually mentioning Zheng Sheng's background. She revealed that Zheng Sheng's mother was a slave, while his father had once worked in the palace, and a noblewoman often sent money to their home. Curious, Wei Zhao asked who this noblewoman was, but A Yan admitted she had never seen her, only producing a cloth bag that had held the silver to show Wei Zhao. A Yan then decided to leave Nanling.
Early in the morning, A Yan bid farewell to Jiang Ci, and they parted with reluctance. Wei Zhao speculated that Yan Qiao Shuang had been the one supporting Zheng Sheng for many years and sent Yi Fei to investigate.
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