Ripe Town Episode 10 Recap
> Ripe Town Recap
Lu Zhong found Lu Zhi and, to his surprise, Lu Zhi began to speak. When he was a child, Lu Zhong indeed had damaged his throat, but he soon recovered. He discovered that pretending to be mute was a clever way to survive. Since others didn't know he couldn't speak, they had no reason to be cautious around him. So, Lu Zhong decided to continue pretending to be mute. After revealing Lu Yuanbao's entire plan, Lu Zhi was taken aback by Lu Zhong's openness. He had no power to resist and had to submit.
Lu Zhong explained that killing Lu Zhi was part of Lu Yuanbao's plan and was not his own intention. Originally, Lu Zhong planned to bring Lu Zhi back first and then find an opportunity to collaborate with him on a big deal.
Lu Zhong also shared with Lu Zhi the story of how Lu Yuanbao became wealthy. Several years ago, they engaged in activities like robbery, murder, and smuggling. Lu Yuanbao was the leader, and they never left any witnesses when they robbed people. During their last robbery, they targeted an old returning official. Lu Yuanbao intended to retire but didn't want to share the wealth with his dozen or so brothers. So, when his brothers were drunk, he ordered Lu Zhong to eliminate them. After all of this, Lu Yuanbao and Lu Zhong gained significant wealth and became prosperous merchants in Duxian County. This was why Lu Yuanbao was mocked by Zhao Youren as a loner.
Lu Zhi quickly understood Lu Zhong's meaning. He asked if killing Lu Yuanbao would be difficult. Lu Zhong explained that the challenge was not killing but making it appear like an ordinary death. Then, Lu Zhi, as an adopted son, could inherit the family estate.
Returning to Duxian County, Lu Zhi was assigned to stay in the most rudimentary room. However, he didn't mind the conditions. Chen Wang and Zhang Guilu, both seventeen years old, had received Lu Zhi's help and remained loyal to him. Lu Zhi explained his plan to the three of them: to kill Lu Yuanbao and divide the family fortune. The four of them swore a blood oath and became brothers.
Lu Zhi and Zhang Guilu first found Wang Fuzi and presented the dog skull of Jiao Gou'er that Wang Fuzi had buried in his yard. Wang Fuzi understood that he couldn't hide the truth and confessed to the events surrounding the murder of Jiao Gou'er.
Jiao Gou'er had stolen a pen from Wang Fuzi, which initially wasn't a big issue. When Wang Fuzi discovered it, he scolded Jiao Gou'er and demanded the pen back, resolving the matter. However, Jiao Gou'er wanted to give the pen to Xiaobaozi and asked Wang Fuzi to beat him as a condition for not pursuing the pen. Wang Fuzi didn't understand Jiao Gou'er's intentions and sarcastically remarked on Jiao Gou'er's desire to take advantage. This touched a sensitive nerve in the child who had grown up in the brothel, and Jiao Gou'er began to fight back. The two of them engaged in a scuffle, and Wang Fuzi used a ruler to hit Jiao Gou'er on the head. After some time, he realized that Jiao Gou'er had stopped moving and knew he had gone too far. There were marks from the ruler on Jiao Gou'er's neck. To clear himself of suspicion, Wang Fuzi decided to decapitate Jiao Gou'er and bury him in the yard.
This incident became the leverage that Lu Zhi could use against Wang Fuzi. Wang Fuzi was particularly concerned about his reputation, and he promised that he would do anything as long as Lu Zhi didn't expose the truth.
With the stolen list and a written marriage agreement, Lu Zhi had completely controlled Cheng Zhiyi's lifeline. He asked Cheng Zhiyi to increase the dosage of the medication for Lu Yuanbao. To prevent any suspicion, Cheng Zhiyi provided two prescriptions, one for Chen Wang and one for Lu Yuanbao. Each prescription alone had a curative effect. However, combining the two prescriptions would have an adverse effect.
When Lu Zhi forced Wang Fuzi, under threat, to write a farewell letter mimicking Lu Yuanbao's handwriting, Cheng Zhiyi handed the prescriptions to Lu Zhong. Lu Zhi, along with his four sworn brothers, stopped communicating with the outside world, waiting for the day when Lu Yuanbao would breathe his last.
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