Episode Summary
Li Zongxu burns the incriminating Blood Maiden Scroll to hide his secrets while his son Li Qianzhao faces a vengeful attack from Hei Zai. Xin Ju struggles as a double agent, Yuan Shaocheng falls from power, and Ye Ping’an narrowly escapes burial after a failed assassination plot. Tensions rise between factions, loyalties fracture, and grief over Cai Lian’s death fuels new alliances.
Spoiler Alert
Li Zongxu orders two shadow guards to escort his son Li Qianzhao to safety while he stays behind to examine a mysterious scroll—revealed to be the infamous Blood Maiden Scroll. Recognizing its damning secrets, he burns it immediately, his mind racing to uncover the identity of the masked figure who delivered it. Meanwhile, Li Qianzhao and his guards encounter Hei Zai, a feral yet eerily intelligent beast. The creature sniffs out traces of Cai Lian’s blood on Li Qianzhao and attacks him viciously in a rage-fueled revenge attempt.
Xin Jun, desperate to earn Li Zongxu’s trust, offers intel as a bargaining chip. But Li Zongxu coldly dismisses him, forcing Xin Jun to remain undercover beside Yuan Shaocheng to gather dirt. Trapped between two dangerous masters, Xin Jun panics—if Yuan discovers his betrayal, retaliation will be brutal. Across the palace, Prince Wu Liangchen visits Princess Jiayue post-assassination, bringing calming herbs for her and healing deer antler paste for her guard Hao Ji. Jiayue politely accepts his gifts but secretly pines for Wu Ankang’s absence. Hao Ji reassures her that affection may grow after her political marriage, lifting her spirits.
Tensions flare as Li Muyuan accuses Yuan Shaocheng of orchestrating the palace attack, citing discrepancies in Qitai Casino’s financial records—specifically 2,000 taels of silver unaccounted for. Mei Bowen counters that evidence remains circumstantial. Elsewhere, Ye Ping’an infiltrates Li Zongxu’s estate under the guise of treating his illness, secretly warning Lu Danxin to rescue her if she fails to return. Li Zongxu, tipped off by his spy network, outmaneuvers her, luring Ye to the outskirts where his guards ambush her. After a failed assassination attempt, Ye and Cai Lian’s corpse are buried alive—until Lu Danxin and Gu Erniang track them down. Lu frantically digs Ye free, saving her just in time.
The fallout continues: Hei Zai’s attack leaves Li Qianzhao injured but alive, while Yuan Shaocheng is stripped of his authority pending investigation into the assassination. Grieving the death of Uncle Gu, Yuan’s faction fractures—his brother Yuan Hesheng rebels, vowing to leave the capital with Bai Sheng. In a poignant moment, Ye Ping’an delivers Cai Lian’s belongings to her bereaved lover Gu Wenyu, who collapses in tears. As Yuan Shaocheng drowns his sorrows in wine, Ye arrives—setting the stage for a tense alliance.
Burning Questions: Will Xin Jun’s double-agent gamble backfire? Can Ye and Lu expose Li Zongxu’s crimes before he silences them? And what dark purpose lies behind the Blood Maiden Scroll’s destruction?
