Episode Summary
Yang Xian seeks revenge on Jiang Chaozong, while Le Shan is pressured to marry into the wealthy Zhe family. A dramatic reunion reveals Zhe Cong to be Le Shan's long-lost brother, who explains his past and the Zhe family's history. Yang Xian and the Zhe family find a common enemy in the corrupt Prime Minister Cui Weizhi. Le Shan and Yang Xian trick Chen Xiaogu.
Spoiler Alert
For three years, Yang Xian has been relentlessly searching for Jiang Chaozong, finally discovering that he's aligned himself with the treacherous Prime Minister Cui Weizhi. Yang Xian is determined to lure him out and exact revenge. Meanwhile, Le Shan's absence from the matchmaking ceremony infuriates Lady Li, who gives her a severe scolding. Le Shan, playing the dutiful daughter, apologizes and learns that the embroidered ball (a symbol of betrothal) landed in the hands of a passing gentleman and then General Zhe Cong. Du Yangxi, ever the informant, reveals Zhe Cong's prestigious family history, prompting Lady Li to pressure Le Shan to marry into the Zhe family as soon as possible.
On another front, Zhe Cong is enjoying a lighthearted moment with his adoptive mother, Lady Liu, and his younger brother, Zhe Min. When a servant reports on the Li family, Zhe Cong's demeanor changes drastically, and he rushes out. Zhe Min, puzzled, notices his mother's equally troubled expression, suspecting a prior connection between Zhe Cong and the Li family.
Zhe Cong heads straight to the Li residence, just as Le Shan, accompanied by Chun Lai, sets off for the Zhe household. However, Le Shan is intercepted and taken to the Yang estate. Yin Yao, disguised as a man, showers Le Shan with lavish gifts and proposes marriage, leading her to the garden. There, Yang Xian, along with his servants, is busy planting flowers, intending to renovate the Yang mansion before personally welcoming Le Shan back home.
The reunion between Le Shan and Yang Xian, after three long years, is fraught with mixed emotions. Le Shan is furious that he's been in Bianjing without contacting her. Yin Yao inquires if Le Shan knows Yang Xian, but Le Shan, gazing at Yang Xian, pretends they are strangers. Zhe Cong, having witnessed Le Shan's abduction, follows them to the Yang estate to rescue her. Le Shan borrows Zhe Cong's legendary sword, Zhuanpo, capable of cleaving through metal, and severs a golden staff she carries, symbolizing the end of her relationship with Yang Xian.
Zhe Cong follows Le Shan's sedan chair and nearly gets kicked out when Le Shan mistakes him for a pursuer. The misunderstanding is cleared up, and Le Shan, recognizing him, brings him back to the Li household. It's then that the Li family realizes Zhe Cong is their long-lost son, the one who was swept away by the river years ago.
Zhe Cong kneels before Lady Li, recounting his experiences over the past decade. He was rescued by Lady Zhe after being carried away by the river and raised in the Zhe household, having lost his memory. He explains that the Zhe clan rose to prominence during the late Tang Dynasty, guarding the northwest frontier. Generations of Zhe men died young in battle, none living past forty. Their loyalty and sacrifice earned them the highest honors from the founding emperor, granting them hereditary rule over Fuzhou. However, they face external threats and internal conflicts, and the lack of a direct heir jeopardizes their hereditary rule and military power.
To protect her eldest son, Lady Zhe had secretly fostered him with her family in Luoyang. Tragically, on the eve of their reunion, the young Zhe Cong was assassinated. Lady Zhe, concealing her grief, kept the news secret and, out of desperation, had him (the current Zhe Cong) take the place of her deceased son. Later, as Zhe Cong grew suspicious of his identity, Lady Zhe, consumed by guilt, revealed the truth.
The reunion of mother, son, and siblings is an emotional one, filled with tears of joy. Qiong'nu, witnessing the scene from the corner, is also moved to tears. Simultaneously, Jiang Chaozong, tasked by Cui Weizhi to find beautiful young women, falls into Yang Xian's trap. Yang Xian has him strung up in a tree and beaten before sending him to the authorities.
The next morning, Lady Li is surprised to find Yang Xian, still wearing the clothes she made for him. Yang Xian sincerely expresses his desire to reconcile and vows never to be ungrateful, even offering to work as a servant in the Li household to appease Le Shan's anger. Lady Li reluctantly agrees, and Le Shan, though still harboring resentment, begins to show signs of softening.
Due to Cui Weizhi's intervention with the KaiFeng Prefecture, Jiang Chaozong is released from prison and vows to kill Yang Xian. Yang Xian enlists the help of the courtesan Tao Niangzi, who cleverly uses a dropped handkerchief to ensnare Jiang Chaozong. Le Shan hears news of Zhe Cong being injured in a horse-riding accident and rushes to the Zhe household, only to find Yang Xian there as well. Yang Xian discovers that someone intentionally harmed Zhe Cong, and that person is none other than the corrupt Prime Minister Cui Weizhi.
With a common enemy, Yang Xian offers to join forces with the Zhe family to take down Cui Weizhi, a proposition Le Shan doesn't oppose. Le Shan is further enraged upon learning that Cui Weizhi is gathering two thousand children to be sent to the capital as a "birthday tribute," which is essentially a mass abduction. Jiang Chaozong sends six women to Cui Weizhi, but the convoy is intercepted by shepherds at night. Yang Xian's men knock out the sedan chair carriers and infiltrate the group. Meanwhile, Chen Xiaogu is kidnapped and awakens to find Le Shan and Yang Xian before her. They stage a performance, tricking Chen Xiaogu into believing that the Yang family possesses another chest of gold.
