Episode Summary
Fu Sheng exposes the Witch Doctor and retrieves the Mountain-shaped Jade, but it turns out to be unresponsive and possibly fake. City Lord Wen Yu admits to his daughter that he accidentally attacked Royal Guards years ago and hid a survivor named Meng Qin in an opera troupe. While the Emperor falls under Su Rang's control due to drug addiction, Fu Sheng tracks Meng Qin to a theater and identifies him by an old hand injury.
Spoiler Alert
Treasure at Dawn Episode 23 Recap: Fake Jades and Puppet Emperors
The Witch Doctor Gets Played
Fu Sheng finally turns the tables. He uses the "Immortal's" own twisted logic against the Witch Doctor. It works perfectly. The crowd turns on the fraud. The Witch Doctor’s accomplice tries to save his own skin. He blames everything on his boss. He begs the crowd for mercy. But the people aren't stupid. They know these two have too much blood on their hands. They refuse to forgive him.
Gu Tian tries to get a message to City Lord Wen Yu. He runs into Guo Sishui instead. They don't have time to chat. Gu Tian drags Guo straight to the Ghost Cave Howl. They arrest the Witch Doctor. The local nightmare is over. The Clan Leader keeps his word. He hands the Mountain-shaped Jade over to Fu Sheng.
Awkward Crushes
Fu Sheng and Wen Yu do some good work in the shadows. They return the kidnapped children to their homes. The parents are a mess of tears and relief. It’s a heavy moment. Wen Yu sees Fu Sheng in a new light. She catches feelings. Before she heads home, she gets shy and thanks him. Fu Sheng just stands there. He is completely confused. The guy can solve a conspiracy, but he can’t read a signal to save his life.
The Jade is a Dud
The team puts the Mountain-shaped Jade on the jade plate. They wait for a reaction. Nothing happens. The jade sits there like a rock. They suspect they got played with a fake. Yingying steps up. She activates the "Wind Catching Shadow Tower" network to dig for answers.
Guo Sishui is stressing out. He pushes Sun Siming to work harder. He wants the Mountain-shaped Jade, the Cloud-shaped Jade, and the Jade Tablet found immediately.
Sins of the Father
Yingying’s spies come through. She finds out Song Yuan and Song Zhe originally held the jades. Song Jingye’s men ambushed them years ago. City Lord Wen Yu might know the details. Wen Yu confronts her father. The City Lord comes clean.
Years ago, Prince Jibei ordered him to recover treasure from bandits in the west. The City Lord attacked the group. He realized too late they weren't bandits. They were Royal Guards. He panicked. He had killed the wrong people. One man, Song Jingye, escaped. To cover his tracks, the City Lord saved one survivor. He renamed him Meng Qin and hid him in an opera troupe. Fu Sheng connects the dots. Song Jingye loves opera. He is likely using the shows to meet Meng Qin.
The Emperor is a Junkie
Things look grim in the palace. The Emperor ignores the war reports. He doesn't care about the border crisis. He only cares about his next fix. Su Rang has been poisoning him with Datura flowers. The Emperor is fully addicted. Su Rang holds the antidote. He uses it to humiliate the Emperor. The ruler of the country is now just a puppet on a string.
Showtime at Duo Qing Tower
Fu Sheng and Wen Yu hunt for Meng Qin. They hit a wall at first. Then Feng Qianli brings a lead. Meng Qin is now the troupe leader at Duo Qing Tower. He is putting on a shadow puppet show tonight called "East Sea Lord Huang."
Everyone converges on the theater. Sun Siming shows up to watch. Tuoba Ruo arrives to snoop around. Fu Sheng sneaks backstage. He finds Meng Qin working on puppets. Fu Sheng asks about the treasure. Meng Qin denies everything. He claims he is a local with no idea what Fu Sheng is talking about. But Fu Sheng has sharp eyes. He sees Meng Qin’s hand twitch. It’s a spasm from an old war injury. The guy is lying.
