Autistic Goblin

As the song from the zither fades, Yang Yue claps openly before remembering that his place. Lu Yi smiles briefly before saying that the sound of Zhai Lanye’s music lingers beautifully. Zhai Lanye replies that people often say it takes ten years to learn the Pipa **Chinese Lute** and one year to learn the Zither. She says that it’s really hard to learn the Pipa however the public regards it as a common skill, so it can’t have a solo performance. Lu Yi points out that music is meant to purify the soul not entertain the masses. He also tells her that there are no status differences between musical instruments. The flirting begins between the two about how lucky they are to have met each other today.

Zhai Lanye asks Lu Yi to sit down and orders her servant to prepare some tea. She comes out from behind the curtain to sit at the table with him. Jin Xia looks at the embroidery on Zhai Lanye’s clothes and asks about it. Lu Yi quickly clears his throat and apologizes that he hasn’t taught his servant well and hopes that she isn’t offended by it. Zhai Lanye says it’s not a problem, then tells Jin Xia that no famous artist did the embroidery, she did it herself in her free time. Jin Xia compliments her on both her beauty and talent. This leads Zhai Lanye to compliment Jin Xia on being a smooth talker, which makes Yang Yue snort with laughter.

Lu Yi claims that they just came out for fresh air today and didn’t expect to disturb Zhai Lanye. Zhai Lanye says that it’s not a problem then wonders if she should ask a question that she has. Lu Yi asks Zhai Lanye what her question is. Zhai Lanye asks him if he’s married or engaged already. Jin Xia starts to answer the question but Lu Yi interrupts saying that he was married some time ago. He says that with Zhai Lanye’s beauty she must get a lot of people that propose to her. Zhai Lanye admits that she has had many suitors, one even sold land in order to be with her, but she hasn’t fallen in love with any of them.

Zhai Lanyue says that all those men covet her beauty but don’t really love her so she can’t spend the rest of her life with any of them. She laments on the fact that she is just a skinny horse **escort**. Lu Yi gently tells her that she worries too much, a beautiful girl like her will definitely find her perfect match.

Awhile later back in their base, Lu Yi asks Yang Yue and Jin Xia what they have found out. Jin Xia points out that he spent half the day with Zhai Lanye and the only question she asked was whether or not he was married, so he must know more information than them. Yang Yue tells her to shut up, Lu Yi wonders whether she is implying that he should report to them. Jin Xia quickly replies that she dare not imply that. Jin Xia then goes on to say that there aren’t many clues. As far as Jin Xia can tell, Zhai Lanye is a nice person that also treats her maidservants well. Jin Xia says that Zhai Lanye lives near the pier.

Jin Xia says that she probably lives near the lake. Jin Xia reports that Zhai Lanye is probably controlled by someone which is why she has to cozy up to those of high status. Zhai Lanye also went out secretly recently and caught a slight cold because of it. The reasons that Jin Xia says this, is because Zhai Lanye’s shoes and socks were clean, while her maid’s were dirty, indicating that Zhai Lanye rode in a palanquin; if it had been far then she would have chosen a horse drawn carriage instead. Zhai Lanye’s shoes also had five or six scratches which means the maid cleaned the mud off of them and carelessly scratched the shoes. This indicates that Zhai Lanye went out recently in the rain.

Jin Xia also says that scratches prove that she went out secretly because otherwise she would have taken either a palanquin or a horse drawn carriage. The fact that Zhai Lanye has a cold but her owner isn’t short on money and still forced her to go boating. Yang Yue wonders at that since the owner wants 10,000 taels of silver from a suitor so that they can marry Zhai Lanye, which means that the owner wants to make money by using her so how can Jin Xia say that he’s not short on money? Lu Yi answers that the decor in the boat was easily over 2,000 taels of silver. Zhai Lanye’s Pipa was also made by famous craftsman and is very expensive.

Jin Xia says that she heard Zhai Lanye’s owner is the younger brother of the mayor’s wife. Lu Yi thinks a few moments then asks them what the weather was like the day before Zhou Xianyi was arrested. Yang Yue says that from what he remembers, it was a rainy day. This leads Jin Xia to conclude that Zhai Lanye was secretly meeting with Zhou Xianyi. Lu Yi remembers when Zhou Xianyi said that he only took 10,000 taels of silver and returned it in full later. Lu Yi thinks a moment then tells them that before tomorrow, he must know when Zhai Lanye was adopted, who her birth parents are, and who she has been in contact with. He says that the most important thing to know is on the night before Zhou Xianyi was arrested, where did Zhai Lanye go?

Jin Xia asks why Lu Yi didn’t ask Zhai Lanye directly since based on her words it sounded like Zhou Xianyi was unrequited love. Lu Yi promptly counters by saying that if even Jin Xia can think of it, then if he had asked Zhai Lanye would she be naive enough to answer him? Jin Xia then teases Lu Yi about getting attention from a great beauty, but Yang Yue calls it nonsense and Lu Yi leaves the room. Yang Yue tells Jin Xia to stop saying nonsense and not to reveal her true nature.

In the prison Zhou Xianyi is lying down on his cot when he hears a voice singing (sounds like Chinese Opera to me). Zhou Xianyi approaches the door to cell and recognizes the person the other side. The hooded figure then kills Zhou Xianyi.

Zhou Xianyi’s death is reported to Lu Yi a bit later which surprises Lu Yi. The team goes tot he prison to investigate. Jin Xia looks over the body with her magnifying glass. Jin Xia reports that Zhou Xianyi’s pupils were dilated and his eardrum was ruptured. She says that Zhou Xianyi was very frightened before he died. Jin Xia continues to report that there are no obvious injuries on the body, and there doesn’t seem to be any signs of him being poisoned. Jin Xia says that his heartbeat seems to have stopped within a short period of time, which lead to his sudden death.

Jin Xia also points out that the jail cell was locked and that the lock wasn’t broken. She says it’s clear that Zhou Xianyi didn’t die from natural causes though, she wonders if he might have been possessed. Lu Yi gives her a look before asking her if she as a public officer truly believes in such nonsense. Jin Xia quickly replies that she doesn’t even though it’s pretty clear that she does. Yang Chengwan says that it’s the first time that he’s seen a prisoner die in his jail cell without being knifed. Yang Chengwan says that to find the real murderer, they will first have to find the cause of death (DUH). Lu Yi orders Jin Xia to find out the cause of Zhou Xianyi’s death.

Mayor Wei says that since Zhou Xianyi embezzled money and then died in his jail cell.. surely they can report the information to the Emperor as such to end the case. Lu Yi sternly asks if the Mayor is telling him how to do his job or is he shirking his own responsibility? Mayor Wei quickly replies that he wouldn’t dare and that it’s Lu Yi’s decision. Lu Yi leaves the cell first and the Mayor leaves soon after. Jin Xia says that Lu Yi was too harsh and that he fears the strong while bullying the weak. Yang Yue tells her to shut up.

A while later the team is at the table waiting for food, when Yang Chengwan says that his student did the autopsy, so there may be some errors. He says that he will double check Jin Xia’s work and report the results to Lu Yi. Lu Yi tells him that there is no rush, then inquires about how Yang Chengwan’s leg is doing. Yang Chengwan says that it’s doing much better, and thanks Lu Yi for his concern. Lu Yi says that Dr. Shen truly deserves his reputation. Jin Xia asks her teacher his opinion on Zhou Xianyi’s death since it appears as if the man was frightened to death. Yang Chengwan tells her that later she should investigate whether or not Zhou Xianyi had any illnesses. The food arrives and Yang Yue suggests that they eat. Everyone starts to eat, Jin Xia tries to gross out Lu Yi by asking Yang Yue if he remembers a certain incident in the old house south of town where they found a dead body, then goes into gory details.

Yang Yue stops eating first, Cen Fu has to leave because he looks like he’s about to vomit, so he goes to check on the horses. Lu Yi himself finally tells the others at the table to continue eating, as he leaves. Jin Xia smiles having won but when she tells the others to eat, Yang Yue asks if she still has an appetite after that. Jin Xia looks at her own food and isn’t hungry either anymore. Jin Xia says that she just wanted to make Lu Yi feel nauseous given how he treated them during the journey. (Yang Chengwan just keeps on eating). She says that she had to seize the opportunity but Yang Yue points out that she attacked the enemy and ruined herself at the same time. Yang Chengwan says that if he knew a few words would stop them from eating, he would have had them eat three meals a day with the coroner. Jin Xia eventually leaves unable to eat leaving the father and son alone at the table.

The Emperor has heard about Zhou Xianyi embezzling the money and that the money for the river repair work is nowhere to be found. He demands that the head of the Ministry of Works to report on it. The minister says that when Zhou Xianyi was travelling with the funds, he refused a government escort and hired a gang instead. The minister claims that Zhou Xianyi probably always intended to steal the money but that the gang he hired betrayed him, which led to his death. The Emperor snorts saying that a government official colluding with a gang tarnishes the court and puts the court in danger. The Emperor than has to call Minister Yan twice (he fell asleep) and tells him that The Ministry of Personnel Affairs must investigate the case. Minister Yan promises to investigate himself (that doesn’t fill me with confidence..). Another minister says that it’s more important that they find the money, if the public finds out about it, they will complain and maybe riot.

The Emperor then yells at the Head of the Ministry of Works yelling that since they were responsible for the money, they should find every penny of it! The Emperor then holds a hand to his head as if he’s having a migraine, panicking his servant. The servant wants to know if he should call the royal physician but the Emperor claims that he’s fine. The Emperor then dismisses all the ministers but asks Commander Lu to stay (Lu Yi’s Dad).The Emperor tells Commander Lu that the case must be investigated thoroughly because if a lowly waterworks official in the Ministry of Works can steal 100,000 taels of silver then there are loopholes in the court. The Emperor emphasizes that Commander Lu must investigate the case carefully. Commander Lu asks the Emperor to take care of his health then leaves the room.

Jin Xia tries to see if Lu Yi is in his room but when she can’t see through the door, she announces that she has something to report to him. Lu Yi tells her to come in and she promptly tries to hand over the receipt for the boat and the food that was served there. Lu Yi looks it over and says that he will pay for the boat rental, but not the food or tea since Jin Xia was the only one to touch them. Jin Xia tries to claim that she had only a few bites of dessert but a flashback proves how much she actually ate (poor Lu Yi didn’t eat anything!) Lu Yi tells Constable Yuan that as a human being she should strive to be honest and kind. Yuan Jin Xia curses herself in her mind for eating in half a day, dessert that costs half a month’s salary.

Lu Yi says the room looks more dirty today and Jin Xia promptly offers to clean it up. Lu Yi tells her that it’s not appropriate but she claims not to care. She is of course hoping to butter him up so that he’ll pay the whole bill. Lu Yi then suggest other spots that need cleaning in the room and when Jin Xia isn’t looking, he smiles. Jin Xia cleans all the places that she can reach and then broaches the subject about money again. Lu Yi tells her to go to Zhou Xianyi’s house at 21:00 hrs, go to the second floor, light the lamp, open the windows and wait there. She is to wait until the rooster crows 3 times, then put out the lamp and come downstairs. Jin Xia tries to ask about the money again and Lu Yi says that it will be reimbursed as he leaves the room, Jin Xia jumps for joy.

That rainy night Jin Xia goes into Zhou Xianyi’s home and sits at the table looking like she’s about to fall asleep when she remembers Lu Yi’s words to wait until the rooster crows 3 times. Jin Xia wonders if anyone actually raises roosters around there and if she doesn’t hear one crow, would she have to stay there until new year’s? Jin Xia then hears a cat meowing for attention. She goes over, picks the cat up and gives it a good head scratch. She asks the cat if it’s seen any roosters, then says that the cat probably would have eaten them already if the cat had seen them.

Jin Xia puts the cat down and walks to the window, she remembers seeing a city map and something occurs to her. She pulls out her telescope and sure enough she can Lu Yi watching from his window, he makes a motion for her to carry on, then leaves her view. Jin Xia leaves the room and goes outside. She grabs one of the big leaves to help protect her from getting drenched in the rain. The cat has decided to follow her and complains mightily about the rain. Jin Xia asks the cat why it’s there with her, then picks it up to carry it. Unfortunately the leaf doesn’t offer much protection as it’s hard to hold both it and the cat so Jin Xia eventually abandons the leaf and runs while carrying the cat.

Jin Xia runs while carrying the cat and sees Lu Yi. She apologizes and asks for forgiveness for being late. Lu Yi asks her to report, Jin Xia says that the house that Lu Yi was in must have been the Zhai family house which could easily be seen from the window of Zhou Xianyi’s house. Jin Xia finds it very suspicious that she could see Zhai Lanye’s room from Zhou Xianyi’s place. She says that the most important thing is that after Zhou Xianyi was arrested, Zhai Lanye moved away from that house. Jin Xia comments that she doesn’t think Zhai Lanye’s relationship with Zhou Xianyi was as innocent as she had claimed it to be.

Lu Yi tells her that they should go and purposefully walks closer so Jin Xia and the cat can hide under his umbrella. Jin Xia says her comment was just speculation and that they will need to talk to Zhai Lanye again. As they continue to walk, Lu Yi moves the umbrella more to cover Jin Xia than himself. When Jin Xia notices the change, Lu Yi comments that the cat is afraid of water and it’s sad to see it get drenched (Absolutely no one believes you) Jin Xia asks him if he doesn’t feel sad because she is getting drenched but Lu Yi doesn’t answer and they continue to walk. Jin Xia eventually asks him why he had wanted her to stay in that house until the rooster crowed 3 times. Lu Yi says that Zhou Xianyi’s death was suspicious and he felt that there might be something unclean in that house.

Lu Yi says that he ordered Jin Xia to that house because she’s so full of energy that she would suppress any evil there. Jin Xia asks Lu Yi if he played her which makes him ask her if she truly believes that he’s that kind of person. Jin Xia replies that she knows what he did was just to train her. Lu Yi calmly tells her that she can think of it like that if she wishes. They walk some more and Jin Xia says that he should see how loyal she is, surely she deserves a reward. Jin Xia says that the Yangzhou hot baths are famous. Lu Yi tells her that they can talk about that later.

The next day, Lu Yi is sipping some tea in his room when Cen Fu comes in to tell him that he has a visitor, Zhai Lanye. Lu Yi goes out to meet her and tells her that since she came there, she must know his real identity. Zhai Lanye tells him that she didn’t know his real identity back then and if she said anything to offend him, then she’s sorry. Lu Yi asks if she’s not offended that he hid his identity but Zhai Lanye replies that he must have had his reasons for it. Lu Yi says that she’s smart, she asks if he’s curious as to how she found about him. Lu Yi tells her that she and Shangguan Xi are close friends.

Zhai Lanye says that after they met on the lake, she kept going back to Shou Xi lake, hoping that she would meet him again. However the other day, Sister Shangguan told her that Young Master Lu is actually Sir Lu. We get a flashback where Shangguan Xi also told her that Zhou Xianyi died in jail. This surprised Zhou Lanye as she asks how it happened. Shangguan Xi says that since they both knew Zhou Xianyi well and the money from the river repair fund is missing, suspicion would fall on them. Since Zhou Xianyi is now dead, suspicion won’t fall on Zhai Lanye. Zhai Lanye is confused so she asks for clarification. Shangguan Xi says that Sir Lu came from the capital to investigate the case of the missing money, that’s when she inform Zhai Lanye about Lu Yi’s identity.

Lu Yi claims that since they met that day, he’s been thinking about her day and night. He says that he investigated her out of curiosity and found out that over the last several months, she had close contact with Zhou Xianyi. Lu Yi says that she’s a smart person so surely she wouldn’t have forgotten that, would she? Zhai Lanye takes a sip of her tea before saying that of course she wouldn’t have forgotten about it. She says that Sir Zhou is such a well mannered and well educated person that she wouldn’t have expected that he.. Lu Yi interrupts asking if she ever heard Zhou Xianyi mention the river embankment repair fund. Zhai Lanye says that she only heard that he was in charge of repairing the river embankment, and while Lu Yi said they had close contact, where did he get that information? Zhai Lanye says that she only met Zhou Xianyi three or maybe four times.

Zhai Lanye says that they only had small chats and that she didn’t know him that well. She also says that Zhou Xianyi never said anything about the court. Lu Yi points out that with a few words Zhai Lanye managed to cut ties with a person that admired her and didn’t hesitate to throw himself into danger for her. Zhai Lanye says that though she wasn’t born into a noble family, she has read “Biographies of Heroic Women” since she was young. She says that talking like that, does he really want her to live without shelter? Zhai Lanye says that she won’t lie to Lu Yi, her adoptive father has raised her for many years and he has a rule. The rule requires someone to pay 10,000 taels of silver in order to marry her. While 10,000 taels of silver isn’t a small amount but compared to the river embankment repair fund, it’s not a large amount either.

Lu Yi tells her that he’s been to the Zhou residence and once, and does she want to guess what he saw from the second story window? Zhai Lanye’s hands tighten around her handkerchief as she pretends not to know. Lu Yi tells her that he saw her room, isn’t that quite a coincidence? Especially when after Zhou Xianyi was arrested, she moved out of that house. Zhai Lanye says that it’s no wonder that Lu Yi is an Embroidered Uniform Guard, she says that much like Lu Yi she really admitted Zhou Xianyi’s talents. She says that Zhou Xianyi pursued her and according to her adoptive father’s plan, she didn’t refuse him. Zhai Lanye says that she gave Zhou Xianyi a sachet and he gave her some rouge. She again says that she’s just a Yangzhou skinny horse and that there is much that she can’t control in her life.

Lu Yi asks her if that’s really all and she begs for him to believer her. Jin Xia is walking along and happens to see the two of them together. Zhai Lanye tells Lu Yi that she has never fallen in love with any man, except for him. She says that when she met Lu Yi for the first time, she fell in love with him. She holds his hand as she says this but Lu Yi sees Jin Xia watching them so he pulls his hand away from Zhai Lanye. Jin Xia runs away. Lu Yi tells Zhai Lanye that if she has nothing to do with case then she has nothing to worry about.

Jin Xia is out with Xie Xiao watching a Chinese Opera perform. Jin Xia asks if Xie Xiao really wanted to show gratitude by making her watch a performance with him. She says that she had no idea that since he’s usually so rough, that he would have refined tastes. Xie Xiao tells her not to look down on him, he wasn’t born in a high status family like Lu Yi but he was born into a business family. Xie Xiao says that watching an opera is the usual form of entertainment for them. Jin Xia says that it’s good to be rich. Xie Xiao tells her that he brought her there because of the Chunxi Troupe. He says that they were a really popular group and their shows always used to be sold out. However a murder happened and the troupe disappeared

Xie Xiao says that he brought her there because he wants to see if the troupe performs “The Best Perfume” which he claims is the best opera he’s ever heard. He looks at Jin Xia but she lost interest after he stopped discussing the murder. Xie Xiao decides to sing a little of the opera and asks if he’s any good but Jin Xia is bored and annoyed at him. Xie Xiao says that if she can’t understand it then they should just forget it. Xie Xiao tells Jin Xia that he heard about Zhou Xianyi’s death inside the jail. Jin Xia admits that there’s no clear cause of death yet as there were no injuries on the body.

Jin Xia says that it turned out that Zhou Xianyi didn’t die from fright either. She then asks Xie Xiao for his opinion since he was a student of the Southern Shaolin Temple about what other causes beside mental trauma can cause a burst eardrum? Xie Xiao says that now that she has mentioned it, he does remember something his teacher taught him. His teacher said that there was an acupuncture point called the “Completion Point”, if it’s forcefully punctured then the eardrum will burst leading to death due to bleeding in the brain. Xie Xiao also points out that the Chunxi Troupe murder victim also died from that method. Xie Xiao says that at the time the authorities couldn’t find anything and it was even rumoured that the victim was killed by ghosts.

Jin Xia later goes back to the body of Zhou Xianyi and examines near the acupuncture point that Xie Xiao mentioned. She finds what appears to be a large needle. Jin Xia wonders if the opera’s troupe murder case is just a coincidence when Lu Yi grabs the needle from her startling her. While her heart rate tries to settle back down, she asks Lu Yi if he was born in the year of the cat, to sneak up people so well. Jin Xia tells him that he scared her to death. Lu Yi says that only people that have done something against their conscience are afraid of death. He then asks if she did something that was against her conscience. Jin Xia says that she’s upright unlike him.

After Lu Yi glares at her she says that he is actually upright too. Jin Xia then asks him why he’s there. Lu Yi says that he spoke with Yang Yue and he had mentioned that Jin Xia was going to re-examine the body. Lu Yi says that he figured that she must have figured something out, so he came to check it out. Jin Xia says that he has incredible foresight and shows him the needle that she found. Jin Xia says that this needle is the cause of Zhou Xianyi’s death. Jin Xia then tells him about how Xie Xiao told her about a similar murder case that happened years ago. Lu Yi says that they’ve only been in Yangzhou a short time, yet she seems to be quite close to Xie Xiao (he’s jealous!) Lu Yi says that she must not be interested in her constable job. Lu Yi leaves, and Jin Xia has to gather her tools and hurries after him saying that she only went with Xie Xiao to get information for the case.

Awhile later, they go to a restaurant and Jin Xia compliments Lu Yi on his clothes saying that the clothes make him look like a regular civilian. Jin Xia also says that it makes him look more friendly. Jin Xia says that she’s looked at the records and it appears that the victim in the Chunxi Troupe murder case and Zhou Xianyi were killed the same way. She also says that the Chunxi Troupe hasn’t been in Yangzhou for many years, now that they have returned a similar murder has happened. She asks Lu Yi to be patient as this was the only way she could think of to approach the group. Lu Yi wonders why she didn’t ask Yang Yue or Cen Fu to help her instead. Jin Xia says it’s because Lu Yi is more handsome than them.

Jin Xia says that in opera besides voice and posture, a beautiful face is also important. Lu Yi smirks and says that it’s the most correct sentence she’s said since he’s met her. They set a trap where Cen Fu steals from one of the troupe and Jin Xia returns the money pouch to the person. This worked and Jin Xia introduces herself and her sworn brother Lu Shisan (someone doesn’t like being called brother!) Apparently the troupe member they met was the master of the troupe and he invites them over for food. Lu Yi says that there’s no need while Jin Xia opens her eyes wide asking if the man is truly the master of the Chunxi Troupe. Jin Xia then spins a sob story about how she wanted to be part of the opera but circumstances prevented it and killed the rest of her family.

Lu Yi watches as Jin Xia activates the waterworks as she says that they came to Yangzhou do avoid disaster and now they have no food or money.. Lu Yi watches remembering the show she put on when he fired her. The master of the troupe says that it’s too bad, but judging by what she just did to get the money back it appears she’s studied martial arts before. Jin Xia claims that she only knows a little, having been taught by a master near their village. The troupe master says that the Chunxi Troupe is looking for students and invites them to join. Lu Yi continues to be reluctant while Jin Xia tries to persuade him. They both agree to go of course and are soon introduced to Chang Sheng, he will give them a tour and help familiarize them with the place. He shows them around a bit, then Jin Xia asks him how long he’s been with the troupe. Chang Sheng says that he’s been with the troupe for over 10 years.

Jin Xia then asks about the master of the troupe, has he always been the master? Chang Sheng says that the master of the troupe also founded Chunxi Troupe 20 years ago. Chang Sheng says that although the Chunxi Troupe master is very strict, he’s always willing to help members that are having troubles. Jin Xia points out that there don’t seem to be that many students but Chang Sheng says it’s just because she hasn’t seen the troupe in its glory days. He says there was always a full house and they came became of the troupe’s leading star. When Jin Xia asks about the star though, Chang Sheng changes the subject saying that she will discover the troupe’s abilities gradually now that she’s there. Chang Sheng then goes to take them to try on costumes and practice their voices. Jin Xia is the only one we get to hear.. and I don’t think she’s very good at it. (Allen Ren is a singer though, so it will be interesting if his character can sing.. or if he has to sing off key..)

Roll those end credits! That’s the end of Under the Power: Episode 9!