Episode Summary
In this episode, Su Wuming's investigation into the Fenli wands leads him to the Ghost Market and a list of missing merchants. Meanwhile, Lu Lingfeng attends a dinner party where Prime Minister Cui reveals a plot to overthrow the Emperor and enthrone the Princess. The two plotlines connect when Su Wuming discovers the merchant murders form a pattern spelling the character for "aristocrat."
Spoiler Alert
The Shady Wand Shop
A Lead and a Liar
Su Wuming is following a clue from one of his old teacher's books. The clue leads him to a place called the Four Corners Wand Store. It’s an old shop that smells strongly of medicine. The owner, an old man named Song Weng, seems completely uninterested in having customers. But his attitude flips when they ask about a Fenli Wand. He gets really active. He tells them the wands are just a myth. The real power is in something he calls Fenli Liquid. He then brings out a sealed jar of the stuff.
A Not-So-Clever Escape
Chu Yingtao isn't buying his story for a second. She flashes her official token, trying to scare the truth out of him. Song Weng’s whole demeanor changes. He suddenly becomes very respectful. He confesses that rich people used to pay a fortune for Fenli Liquid for years. But that all stopped when Master Fei created a real cure for wind illness. Now, he says, no one buys the liquid. He's just stuck with a bunch of old stock.
Su Wuming and Chu Yingtao both feel like he's still holding back. They tell him they're arresting him and taking him to the Yongzhou government office. Song Weng pretends to go along with it. He says he has account books that will prove his innocence. He turns to get them but instead makes a run for it. He disappears down a hidden tunnel in the floor. They don't have time to second-guess anything. They just jump in and chase him. The tunnel is long and dark. When they reach the end, they find themselves in the Ghost Market.
A Dinner Party with an Agenda
The Aristocrat Club
While Su Wuming is chasing old men through secret tunnels, Lu Lingfeng is at a very different kind of event. He and Pei Xijun are at a huge dinner party at the Wei family mansion. The place is crawling with nobles and their carriages. Prime Minister Cui is there. So are a bunch of other high-ranking families. As everyone introduces themselves, it becomes clear they are all from the "Five Surnames and Seven Clans." This is basically a meeting of the most powerful aristocrats in the empire.
Politics and a Suicide Attempt
After a few rounds of drinks, Prime Minister Cui gets up to give a speech. It’s basically a "Make The Aristocracy Great Again" rally. He talks about how emperors often rise from humble beginnings. But he says the real power, the people who actually govern, all come from the great houses. He gives a special shout-out to his own Cui family and Lu Lingfeng's Lu family. Lu Lingfeng looks completely stunned to be part of this.
The Prime Minister isn't done. He goes on to criticize the imperial examination system. He claims it encourages commoners to abandon their homes and families just to get a government job. He says it leads to the ruin of the countryside. Then he points to the Wei family's ancestral pillar stone. He calls it a monument to their ancestors' glory. He also calls it a warning to future generations not to let their noble status slip.
Wei Tao and his wife, Jūniáng, then show the pillar to the guests. They read the inscription carved into it aloud. All the nobles get very emotional. But right in the middle of this, Wei Jia runs into the courtyard. She's hysterical. She's screaming that a noblewoman like her should never have married a merchant. She calls herself a disgrace to her family. Then she tries to kill herself by smashing her head against the pillar.
Wei Tao manages to stop her just in time. Pei Xijun helps Jūniáng get Wei Jia back to her room. They learn that she suffers from a "madness" illness. Pei Xijun promises she will ask the famous Master Fei to come and treat her.
A Treasonous Proposal
As the party winds down, Prime Minister Cui pulls Lu Lingfeng aside for a private chat. He starts by warning Lu Lingfeng about Su Wuming. He calls Su Wuming a manipulator who uses the state and Judge Di's name to control people. Cui says the top families like theirs need to stick to their own principles.
Then he drops the real bombshell. He tells Lu Lingfeng that the Emperor cannot be trusted. He says the only way to restore the glory of the aristocracy is to put the Princess on the throne. He is asking Lu Lingfeng to join him in an act of treason.
Back to the Ghost Market
A New Temple and a Familiar Face
So, back in the Ghost Market, Su Wuming and Chu Yingtao find Master Fei. He's a regular there, so they drag him along to help them find Song Weng. They go to the local Earth God Temple, but the place is deserted. Someone tells them everyone goes to the new Zoroastrian Temple now.
They follow the sound of the crowd. The new temple is packed. A priest wearing a mask is leading the ceremony. They get a closer look. It’s Shi Qiansui.
A Pattern of Death
Su Wuming's first thought is that Shi Qiansui is running a new grift. But Shi Qiansui explains that he didn't build the temple. The merchants of the Ghost Market funded it themselves. He says the market has a heavy "yin" energy, which makes it easier to communicate with the dead. Any money the temple collects goes to a special society. This society pays for the funerals of merchants who are murdered.
This immediately gets Su Wuming’s attention. He asks if there have been other victims besides Hua Fu, Ma Kui, and He Qian. Shi Qiansui produces a secret register from the Sabao Office. It lists six more merchants who have disappeared in the last ten days. The register has everything. It includes their names, their businesses, the time they went missing, and their last known location.
Shi Qiansui admits he kept this quiet. He says he doesn't trust aristocrats like Lu Lingfeng. He believes nobles have a deep-seated hatred for merchants. Su Wuming finds an empty stall to sit down and study the list. He starts plotting the last known locations of all the victims on a map.
The locations form a distinct pattern. It's the Chinese character "士" (shì). The character means "scholar" or "aristocrat."
Realizing the implication, Su Wuming and Chu Yingtao rush off to Tongji Ward to investigate the next potential location. Chu Yingtao sends word for the three constables to meet them there for backup.
