Zhan Zhao Adventures - Episode 26 and 27 RECAP
EPISODE 26
Zhan Zhao encounters a street beggar who turns out to be Yao Yu Shan in disguise. He observes that Yao Yu Shan had exposed himself by avoiding eye contact, in contrast to actual beggars who do not fear bystanders' stares. Zhan Zhao advises Yao Yu Shan to consider his family even if he is doubtful that a simple investigator can actually reverse an unfair case against strong corrupt authorities.
He warns that his wife and daughter would surely be the next targets of the corrupt group if they are unable to locate Yao Yu Shan. Yao Yu Shan consents to testify against Governor Luo Wen Jie after being persuaded by Zhan Zhao's tenacity and the danger to his family. Yao Yu Shan describes what happened fifteen years ago at the Suwen Assembly.
Jin Xue Wen said he was in the mountains gathering herbs to heal the victims of the horrific epidemic that struck the town, even going so far as to write a prescription for an antidote. But Jin Xue Wen's formula inexplicably disappeared after he was imprisoned. Yao Yu Shan's doubts increased as the pandemic worsened. When his colleague Wang Xing found that the sword markings at the crime scene had been purposefully removed, his suspicions were validated.
Although these injuries were not deadly, they proved the presence of a third person, but Governor Luo Wen Jie bought off both men to keep their mouths shut. Yao Yu Shan discreetly saved and concealed the partially burned case files out of fear that they would eventually be permanently silenced. His story is supported by the remaining pages, notwithstanding their incompleteness. The furious crowd denounces the dishonest governor.
When Luo Wen Jie's plan fails, he hurriedly places the responsibility on Qiu Han, his clerk, saying he stayed inside throughout the crisis and gave the clerk complete control over the case. Abruptly, Xiangzhou's military commander, Shao Ji Zu, shows up with soldiers to surround the hall. He says he is following Chief Justice Cheng Hao of the Dali Court's orders to detain Luo Wen Jie and confiscate all witnesses and evidence.
Shao Ji Zu is suspicious and gives his deputy, Feng Shao, the order to take the witnesses away when Zhan Zhao approaches him with Prince Hui's symbol. Prince Hui, Zhao Zhuo Qing, exits his vehicle to show off his royal power before any blood can be spilled. Shao Ji Zu is outperformed and has to concede. Zhan Zhao sees a strange person disappearing in the meantime. It's Qiu Han, Si Ming's genius.
He has made his getaway by a hidden route that leads to the back hills behind the Medicine King statue. Zhan Zhao follows him after borrowing a horse. While on the run, Shao Ji Zu meets up with Si Ming, who emphasizes that they need to get the other half of an important ledger since Zhan Zhao's recovery would ruin their master's years of power in the imperial court.
Shortly after, Feng Shao shows up and informs them that Zhan Zhao is already getting closer to their location. Shao Ji Zu arranges an ambush within the city to buy Si Ming time to flee. Death soldiers from the Zhongxiao Court ambush Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang as they are escorting the witnesses and the prince back. A carriage carrying Si Ming races off during the violent fight.
Bai Yutang chases the carriageĀ despite being hurt, but Shao Ji Zu eventually stops him, letting Si Ming escape again. Zhan Zhao analyzes the scenario and concludes that Si Ming is returning to his home to burn the dangerous ledger rather than going to the governor's office. While he and Huo Linglong sneak inside Si Ming's mansion, he gives Bai Yutang instructions to remain and defend Prince Hui.
When they get there, they run across Tang Tian Hao, who was just appointed Chief of the Tang Sect and has been told to destroy the evidence. Zhan Zhao discovers a hidden record book that Si Ming has carefully maintained within the study. A case from Jingyou's second year, in which a manĀ called Kang Liang sued Zhuang Yu for kidnapping his daughter, is one of the pages.
Due to a lack of witnesses, the complaint was eventually dismissed after the girl died after striking a pillar in rebellion. Nevertheless, additional examination of household registrations showed that Zhuang Yu was the cousin of Zhuang Duo, who was charged with a similar kidnapping in Yi County, and that the two operated a brothel together. Just three days after withdrawing his lawsuit, Kang Liang mysteriously plummeted to his death from a cliff.
To keep local officials under control, Si Ming had gathered these dark secrets. At the same time, Huo Linglong successfully retrieves the missing half of the Zhongxiao Court ledger, and Prince Hui personally shuts the Xiangzhou prefecture court. Examining the records, Prince Hui expresses the fact that Qiu Han had a remarkable ability to find weaknesses in previous instances and take advantage of them to exert influence over the local government, even if it was tragic that such a sharp intellect turned to corruption.
As Jin Zhenping is the last surviving heir and the family's hope, the elderly servant Xu An tells Jin Zhenping that he saw the murder weapon, a handcrafted dagger, in Jin's room years ago but kept it a secret. Fearful of being discovered, Jin Zhenping encounters Tang Tian Hao in the forest and attempts to get him to kill Zhan Zhao's crew.
If he gets caught, he threatens to reveal the Tang Sect's role in the Seven-Day Drunken Dream poisoning fifteen years ago. Tang Tian Hao declines to be blackmailed, claims that the Tang Sect is already destroyed, and concludes that the easiest way to put an end to the past is to assassinate Jin Zhenping. Bai Yutang unexpectedly intervenes to save them and put an end to the fight as Tang Tian Hao tries to murder them. But Bai Yutang becomes powerless when Tang Tian Hao seals two of his main acupoints. Tang Tian Hao receives a severe warning from Bai Yutang not to become into the miserable person Huo Linglong would hate. The mention of Huo Linglong causes Tang Tian Hao to reconsider his plans for murder and turn to leave.
Unexpectedly, the ingrateful Xu An takes advantage of the situation and stabs Bai Yutang in the chest, defending his actions by saying that only Jin Zhenping can bear the burden of the family's future. Jin Zhenping eventually breaks down and admits the terrible truth of fifteen years ago as Bai Yutang lies terminally wounded.
BACK STORY
"Jin Zhenping had a strong desire to win the Suwen Assembly in order to establish himself as the head of the family, motivated by a lifelong jealousy of his brother Jin Xue Wen's innate medical prowess. He traveled to the mountains during the pandemic in search of a remedy, only to discover that Tang Ji and his fourth aunt were having a secret affair. He found that the poison they had created, Seven-Day Drunken Dream, was the real cause of the outbreak.
His fourth aunt intervened when Tang Ji tried to quiet him, teaching Jin Zhenping the toxicology of the poison so that he could create the antidote and claim credit for rescuing the community. Jin Zhenping tried to create a remedy, but he was unsuccessful. He then followed Jin Xue Wen and heard what he was saying to Huo Linglong's aunt.
Jin Zhenping decided they both had to die after realizing his brother had made the antidote with ease and worrying that the aunt would reveal the source of the poison. When he arrived at Pagoda Alley with knockout incense, he discovered that the aunt had already been attacked by another attacker. He framed his brother for the crime and delivered the last, lethal blow himself. He goes on to say that Jin Xue Wen was later deceived by Qiu Han into writing a confession in return for a staged death.
Qiu Han forged Jin Xue Wen's signature after his death because, despite his initial compliance, he eventually refused to sign in order to spare his younger brother from having to live under the shadow of a criminal's sibling.
EPISODE 27
- continued Back story -
Qiu Han (Si Ming) didn't worry that Jin Xuewen hadn't signed the confession since he was sure he could simply fake the signature. Soon after, Jin Zhenping came in with the fast-acting toxin Xiaoyaosan. Only then did a shocked Jin Xuewen discover he was being used as a scapegoat. Jin Xuewen attempted to bargain, providing his medical prescription to assist Jin Zhenping in obtaining the role of family head, after realizing he had little chance of clearing his identity."
A devastated Bai Yutang was overwhelmed with sadness and rage as he listened to Jin Zhenping ruthlessly describe the murder and punished him for not even providing a consoling lies to a dying man. Remaining unbothered Jin Zhenping just apologized for his carelessness; if he had followed Jin Xuewen's advice, he could have secured his leadership by obtaining the Zhaoxi Cocoon.
He also regretted inflicting a knife mark on Linglong's aunt, which allowed Qiu Han to use him as a puppet, and regretted not murdering Bai Yutang years ago to stop this revenge. Bai Yutang abruptly snatched the sword with his bare hands as Jin Zhenping was about to kill him. Huo Linglong, Fifth Granduncle, and Zhan Zhao intervened to stop him.
In order to deceive Jin Zhenping into lowering his guard, it was discovered that Bai Yutang had sealedĀ his own main acupoints to simulate a severed heart pulse. Fifth Granduncle, horrified by Jin Zhenping's brutality, vowed to bring him before the judge and reveal his misdeeds to the entire clan. Jin Zhenping sarcastically told Huo Linglong and Bai Yutang that Zhan Zhao would undoubtedly die if they tried to reopen the case as he was being carried away.
Tang Tianhao was able to stabilize Bai Yutang after Zhan Zhao returned him with severe injuries. Zhan Zhao was questioned by Huo Linglong over Jin Zhenping's threat. At last, Zhan Zhao acknowledged that Jin Zhenping had come up to him earlier. Only remaining "Yijian Rugu" poison allowed Zhan Zhao's body to live after Yemotian had already poisoned him. The greenish marks on his back returned because Naiheyin used his inner energy in the cave to speed up the spread of the poisons, even though he had restrained them.
Zhan Zhao had declined Jin Zhenping's offer to dismiss the case in return for a cure. Bai Yutang and the others were devastated to learn that Zhan Zhao had concealed his near death in order to finish the case. Ming Zhu'er was especially angry but Zhan Zhao persuaded them and returned attention to the inquiry. Huo Linglong speculated that her aunt may have heard the Seven-Day Drunken Dream's secrets while traveling.
Zhan Zhao, Huo Linglong, and Bai Yutang went to the Jin Mansion the following day in expectation of Fifth Granduncle hosting a public clan gathering. Rather, they found that Fifth Granduncle had exchanged the antidote for the murder weapon and allowed Jin Zhenping to escape on the pretense of "traveling" in order to preserve the family's century-old reputation. He informed them that they would proclaim Jin Zhenping dead in two years and that he would live under false identity.
Prince Hui, Zhao Zhuoqing, was told by Cheng Hao, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, in the provincial office, not to present the ledger to the Emperor. He maintained that the Emperor would be in a difficult situation and the imperial court would be humiliated if the extensive list of dishonest officials was revealed. Cheng Hao's name appeared on the list, which angered Zhan Zhao.
In a desperate attempt to explain himself, Cheng Hao said that he was only forced to survive due to his circumstances and cautioned that disclosing the controversy would make them targets in court. Huo Linglong tried to break into the Jin Mansion at night to deliver the murder weapon for Zhan Zhao's antidote since she became discouraged with the systemic failure of the law, but Zhan Zhao stopped her.
She and Bai Yutang had given up on official justice and decided to do whatever it took to save Zhan Zhao. Zhan Zhao struggled with his conscience while carving a wooden figure of Yaksha by himself. He abducted Jin Zhenping and took him to the Yaksha Temple because he would not allow a murderer to evade justice. Jin Zhenping pleaded for his life and vowed to become a traveling physician, but Zhan Zhao pointed out that he had never showed compassion to his victims.
Zhan Zhao put Jin Zhenping to death, spattering blood upon a nearby package, notwithstanding Jin Zhenping's claim that murdering him wouldn't change the world. The medicine package within the bloodstained bundle was quickly retrieved and given back to the Jin family. Fifth Granduncle refused to give the antidote because he was furious over Jin Zhenping's passing. The companions were concerned about Zhan Zhao's departure as word of the execution spread.
Abruptly, Huo Tianxing, Huo Linglong's father, showed there to take her home. He confessed that her great-aunt had married into Miaojiang and was acquainted with Baihua Sect members who could have a remedy for Zhan Zhao's poison. Bai Yutang promised to find another means to keep Zhan Zhao alive, while Huo Linglong, inspired by this optimism, made the decision to return home.
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Posted May 28, 2026, 3:40 PM UTC