Episode 7 recap: Jiang Ci's Various Tests of Wei Zhao
In Episode 7, Wei Zhao initially planned to set a fire at Pei Yan's mother, Rong Yu Die's, birthday banquet, intending to use the chaos to abduct Teng Rui and fake his death in the fire. This way, Pei Yan would take the blame for negligence, effectively eliminating him. However, Pei Yan surprised everyone by going straight to Emperor Xie Che to investigate the origin of the fire, insisting that Jiang Ci join the inquiry.
Wei Zhao's scheme fell apart. To make matters worse, he learned that Xie Che had met with Rong Yu Die privately, with Jiang Ci present, which left him feeling incredibly frustrated.
Undeterred, Wei Zhao intensified training for the Guangming Guards, pushing them to practice with real weapons. This caught Xie Che's attention, and he praised Wei Zhao for his efforts.
It's worth noting that Wei Zhao's journey to this point hasn't been easy. Once a slave wandering in the Daliang Kingdom, he rose to prominence through sheer determination and exceptional skills, eventually earning Xie Che's trust. Wei Zhao's sister, Wei Fei, is a favored figure in the palace, and her only concern has been her long-lost brother, a search Xie Che promised to assist with.
Meanwhile, Teng Rui was trapped in a dungeon at the Shadow Pavilion, anxiously awaiting rescue from General Lei. However, after waiting in vain, he lost all hope. Pei Yan, accompanied by Jiang Ci and Cui Liang, went to investigate the villa where Teng Rui had stayed, which was now a smoldering ruin.
Wei Zhao arrived as well, inquiring about the case's progress while taking jabs at Jiang Ci, who was frustrated but held his tongue. Pei Yan and Cui Liang conducted a thorough investigation and quickly estimated when the fire had started. Curious about Wei Zhao's whereabouts at that time, Pei Yan asked him, and Wei Zhao hastily fabricated a story about looking for porridge, enlisting Jiang Ci to back him up.
As Jiang Ci pondered how the culprit gained access to the villa, Wei Zhao unexpectedly startled him, causing Jiang Ci to instinctively grab him and cry for help, resulting in both of them falling into the water. Pei Yan and the others rushed to rescue them, and although Wei Zhao lost consciousness for a moment due to drowning, he eventually woke up.
Pei Yan was intrigued by their simultaneous plunge into the water, but Jiang Ci quickly made up an excuse to deflect the question. Wei Zhao suspected that Lei Zhen might have started the fire to incite conflict between the two nations, but Pei Yan disagreed, believing the true culprit to be Xiao Wuxia, the son of the Lord of Moonfall City.
The mention of this name took Wei Zhao by surprise, which Jiang Ci noticed but chose not to confront directly. Later, Jiang Ci prepared a pot of Moonfall City's special congee, hoping to evoke Wei Zhao's nostalgia and also to test him.
Wei Zhao handled the situation flawlessly, leaving no room for suspicion.
After dinner, Pei Yan suggested that Wei Zhao take Jiang Ci to meet Tong Min in the prison, hoping to extract clues about the night of the incident from her. Although Wei Zhao was reluctant, he couldn't refuse outright. Pei Yan felt uneasy about Jiang Ci going, but Jiang Ci remained optimistic.
Wei Zhao took Jiang Ci into the prison, where Jiang Ci met Tong Min. She described the scene from the night of the incident in detail: she and Fan Yi had gone to check on Teng Rui and found him enjoying a lavish meal, appearing quite content. After a thorough search, she found nothing unusual, and because the wind was strong that night, Fan Yi made an excuse to pull her away.
Wei Zhao then sought out Fan Yi, with Jiang Ci following him. Fan Yi was in deep trouble due to gambling debts and was visibly distressed. He desperately tried to shirk responsibility, claiming it was simply an oversight and not intentional. Wei Zhao wasn't buying it; he accused Fan Yi of colluding with the murderer and threatened him.
Terrified, Fan Yi pleaded with Wei Zhao for mercy. Taking advantage of the situation, Jiang Ci asked for more details, and Fan Yi answered truthfully.
After leaving the prison, Wei Zhao took Jiang Ci for a stroll through the streets. Jiang Ci deliberately tried to buy local specialties from Moonfall City to gauge Wei Zhao's reaction.
Wei Zhao found an excuse to send An Cheng away and pulled Jiang Ci aside. Jiang Ci directly asked Wei Zhao if he was the arsonist and demanded that he hand over a small clay cat as a trade-off, promising not to expose him. While Wei Zhao naturally denied being the one who started the fire, the two ultimately reached some sort of agreement.
Comments(Episode 7)