Episode Summary
Chaos erupts during Li Qianzhao’s unveiling of a sacred scroll when assassins strike, leading to Cai Lian’s tragic death. Ye Ping’an and Yuan Shaocheng scramble to counter Li Zongxu’s plot to frame them, sabotaging his salt warehouses and surviving his deadly schemes. Betrayals and sacrifices culminate in a haunting reveal of Cai Lian’s buried wedding hopes, leaving Ye Ping’an shattered.
Spoiler Alert
As a phoenix-like silver pheasant (Bai Xian) swoops into view with a piercing cry, the crowd erupts in awe. The mythical bird scatters petals before retreating, only to reappear moments later clutching a long lacquered box in its beak. Li Qianzhao steps forward to claim the box, declaring it contains the Qianqiu Shengshi Tu—a legendary scroll symbolizing eternal prosperity. But before he can unveil it, chaos erupts: An arrow streaks toward Hao Ji, triggering a stampede. Prepared for treachery, Li Zongxu orders his guards and shadow agents to evacuate his son. Vengeance-driven Cai Lian chases them but is cut down by Li Zongxu’s agents, her lifeless body left crumpled on the cold stone.
Ye Ping’an witnesses Cai Lian’s death from the shadows, her grief morphing into rage. Yuan Shaocheng finds her shattered but insists they focus on surviving Li Zongxu’s next move: a plot to frame Yuan for the assassination attempt. The Li family plants eight Mangou villagers as “assassins,” bribing them to implicate Yuan. When the villagers refuse, Li Zongxu executes the loudest dissenter. Meanwhile, traitor Xin Jun leaks Ye Ping’an’s plan to sabotage Li’s salt warehouses, forcing her to improvise. Disguised in a mask, she torches the warehouses to divert guards from Mangou, buying time for Yuan to rally allies.
Yuan seeks help from Hai Yiping, who demands Ye Ping’an’s head as payment. Desperate, he turns to scholar Mei Bowen, swearing a blood oath to secure his aid. At Mangou, Li Zongxu parades the captured villagers, but their defiant silence infuriates him. He murders Yuan’s loyal ally Uncle Gu in cold blood, prompting Mei Bowen’s timely intervention. Though Yuan escapes, Ye Ping’an is captured—only to be mysteriously released by Mei Bowen hours later. She returns to Anxin Hall bloodied, clutching Cai Lian’s shattered bracelet. The truth hits hard: Cai Lian’s body has been taken, her dream of marrying Gu Wenyu buried with her.
Lu Danxin vows revenge, but Ye Ping’an forbids it, sparking tensions with Ni Chang. Amid accusations of betrayal, the group fractures—until Lu Danxin urges unity. In a haunting finale, Ye Ping’an unearths a wedding wine jar Cai Lian buried two years earlier, toasting her friend’s stolen future through tears. The episode closes on her broken laughter echoing into the night, a storm of grief and resolve.
key Spoiler: Secrets unravel next week as Mei Bowen’s cryptic motives come to light, and Li Qianzhao’s Qianqiu Shengshi Tu hides a map that could destroy his family. Meanwhile, a ghost from Cai Lian’s past emerges, threatening to expose Li Zongxu’s darkest sins.
