The dust has settled on the painted wall of the Qi Ting (旗亭) wine shop. Detectives Su Wuming (苏无名) and Lu Lingfeng (卢凌风) have apprehended the phantom fire manipulator, Mo Ying Youyan (墨影幽焰). Yet, the most remarkable victory of this case remains unrecorded in any official ledger. It belongs not to the magistrates with their badges of authority, but to a man everyone underestimated. The final feast in Chang’an celebrates more than a solved mystery; it honors a quiet, profound act of integrity that redefines what it means to be a hero in a world of glittering poetry and lurking shadows.
The Banquet's True Purpose
As the fourth celebratory feast of this long case is laid out, the atmosphere is one of weary relief. The master of illusions, Mo Ying Youyan, who used pyrotechnic sleight-of-hand to terrorize others, is securely bound. His accomplices, the performers of the Xuanhuo Troupe (玄火班), were coerced into service and have surrendered. The ingenious pharmacist, Fei Jishi (费鸡师), reveals he had been working behind the scenes for days, neutralizing poisons in the dessert and providing the crucial clue that linked the troupe to the wanted fugitive. It appears all threads are neatly tied.
However, Su Wuming notices the absence of the scholar Leng Ji (冷籍) and the songstress Jiao Nu (娇奴). They had been under watch at the shop of the seemingly simple-minded wine merchant, Ruan Daxiong (阮大熊). Rushing to investigate, Su and Lu find the room empty, save for a cleverly hidden tunnel. Ruan Daxiong feigns shock and ignorance, but his performance is transparent. He had deliberately let them escape.
The pieces suddenly align. This was never merely a case about arresting a criminal. It was about fulfilling a promise. Ruan Daxiong, a man of commerce, held a deep, secret admiration for the romantic ideals of the poets. He had vowed to help reunite Leng Ji with his lost love, Jiao Nu, no matter the cost. His entire involvement—the information, the shelter, the final diversion—was a meticulously staged act of "cheng ren zhi mei" (成人之美), or helping others achieve their beautiful destiny.
The Foolish Man's Grand Strategy
In the wake of the escape, the truth unravels. The poet-patrons, Wang Youbo (王幼伯) and Gao Da (高达), step forward as guarantors, accepting responsibility for the fled couple. They argue that capturing the dangerous fugitive was the true duty of the law, not persecuting two reunited lovers. Confronted with this poet-solidarity and the lack of further threat, Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng wisely choose to close the case with the villains they have.
Ruan Daxiong’s brilliance is laid bare. He manipulated perceptions perfectly. Everyone saw a jovial, perhaps slow-witted, tavern keeper. He used that assumption as his greatest weapon. Even the earlier attempt on his life by a rival merchant was misdirection; if his rival truly wanted him dead, poison would have been simpler than hiring an assassin. The entire chaotic investigation played into his hands, creating the perfect smokescreen for his humanitarian plot.
For his actions, the celebrated poet Gao Da bestows upon Ruan’s establishment a new name: Heroes' Lodge (英雄楼). The title is etched onto a plaque, a permanent testament. Su Wuming reflects that true heroism isn't always found in the flash of a sword but in the quiet strength of character. Ruan Daxiong, the merchant, embodied the poetic spirit more than many who merely wrote the verses.
A Poet's Journey North
With the case concluded, a new journey begins. Poets Gao Da and Wang Youbo prepare to depart Chang’an for the northern frontiers, seeking inspiration beyond the capital's walls. As they make their farewells, they half-jokingly invite Ruan Daxiong to join their expedition. He merely smiles, offering no commitment.
Yet, when the poets set out at dawn, who awaits them at the city's edge with a cart laden with warm clothing, provisions, and fine wine? Ruan Daxiong. It is a final, wordless confirmation of a shared understanding. He is not just a facilitator of others' stories; he is now a part of their ongoing tale. The three men—two celebrated poets and the merchant hero—turn their faces toward the vast frontier.
Back in Chang’an, Su Wuming and Lu Lingfeng gaze at the now-famous painted wall in the Qi Ting. The poems remain, but the meaning has deepened. The "heroes" who painted that wall were not just the literati. They were also the men who, without fanfare, protected the very world that made such poetry possible. In the Tang capital, danger and artistry are inseparable companions. The flash of a blade and the stroke of a brush both define the era, each giving weight to the other.
As night falls on the Heroes' Lodge, a new disturbance erupts elsewhere. In the Fengle Ward (丰乐坊), a body is discovered. The county captain, Wei Tao (韦韬), is summoned, his home life already in disarray as he tries to manage his sister A-Jia’s (阿葭) naive excitement for an arranged marriage. A new case, "Within an Inch of Heaven", waits in the wings, proving that in Chang’an, the peace between mysteries is ever brief, and the next storm is always brewing just behind a silken curtain.
