The Truth of Ma Dayuan's Murder

This flow traces the murder's hidden perpetrators, Madam Ma's motive, and the failure of the original investigation to reach its full truth in time.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Convenient Suspect

A Murder Misattributed The staged impression Ma Dayuan is killed with the Throat-Lock Capturing Technique, making the crime appear to implicate the Murong family. The method conceals the intimacy of the actual conspiracy. A widow's opportunity Madam Ma exploits the uncertainty surrounding the death to direct suspicion toward Qiao Feng. Her public grief masks a private calculation.

Bai Shijing Compromised

Loyalty Corrupted Coercion through desire Madam Ma seduces Bai Shijing and threatens to expose him unless he kills Ma Dayuan. He yields to the threat and uses the technique that makes the murder resemble a different killer's work. A concealed betrayal Bai Shijing's standing as a respected enforcer shields him from suspicion. His moral collapse helps turn a personal crime into a political plot against Qiao Feng.

The Letter Read in Secret

A Widow Finds Leverage The hidden document Madam Ma discovers Wang Jiantong's sealed letter in Ma Dayuan's safe and reads it without leaving obvious damage. The document reveals information that can expose Qiao Feng's birth. Resentment redirected She sees the secret as a chance to punish Qiao Feng for failing to notice her beauty. Her private grievance becomes a campaign to destroy his reputation and position.

The Conspiracy Broadens

A Plot Built Through Allies Recruiting accomplices Madam Ma pressures Quan Guanqing and draws Elder Xu into the effort to expose Qiao Feng. Bai Shijing's role remains concealed while the Society's rivalries are used to advance her plan. A public downfall The plot turns a disputed letter into a verdict on Qiao Feng's ancestry. He loses his position and former community before he can establish who has manipulated the evidence.

The Confession Too Late

Motive Revealed A final admission Madam Ma confesses that she planned Ma Dayuan's murder with Bai Shijing and recruited Quan Guanqing to bring down Qiao Feng. She explains that wounded vanity, not principled loyalty, drove her. The unresolved name She still withholds the Leading Big Brother's identity and dies before answering Xiao Feng's question. The confession explains the conspiracy but cannot repair its consequences.

Before the events at Apricot Forest

On the Mid-Autumn Festival before the investigation

After Ma Dayuan's death and before the conspiracy unfolds

In the months before Qiao Feng is expelled

After Bai Shijing's death at the Ma residence