Episode Summary
Betrayer Xin Jun dies by his own scheme against Gu Wenyu, while Yuan Shaocheng’s brutal clash with Li Zongxu ends in a stalemate. Political games escalate as Li’s family collapses from Ni Chang’s poisoning plot, Wu Ankang rejects Princess Jiayue’s alliance, and Ye Ping’an battles guilt while healing Yuan’s trauma. The emperor shields Li Zongxu, hinting at darker power struggles ahead.
Spoiler Alert
Xin Jun’s treachery reaches a violent end as his attempt to manipulate sympathy and kill Gu Wenyu backfires spectacularly. Gu’s superior combat skills leave Xin dead, closing his arc of betrayal and greed. Meanwhile, Yuan Shaocheng confronts Li Zongxu at the Wan’an Mountain memorial site, brutally overpowering him. Just as Yuan prepares to deliver the final blow, Ye Ping’an intervenes, demanding Li confess his role in the Tongquan censor case. Before she can extract more names, Li’s hidden guards rescue him—but the political predator isn’t out of danger yet. Back home, Li’s world collapses further when his brother Li Qianzhao dies under mysterious circumstances. Ni Chang’s poisoning scheme (spiked hallucinogenic herbs in his wine) leads to Li Qianzhao’s drunken drowning, a tragedy that sends the already wounded Li Zongxu into a vomit-blood coma upon hearing the news.
Yuan Shaocheng returns to find his brother Yuan Hesheng and allies waiting. Though Li Zongxu survives, the emperor now knows of his assassination plot against envoys—a guaranteed path to royal punishment. The crisis forces Yuan Hesheng and Bai Sheng to confront their vulnerability: “Hiding won’t stop predators,” Bai remarks bitterly. While Lu Danxin’s crew celebrates their small victory with drinks, Ye Ping’an slips away to mourn at Cai Lian’s grave, haunted by fear for her allies’ safety. Yuan Shaocheng finds her there, gifting a jade-in-gold hairpin in a rare moment of vulnerability. Their bond deepens, but secrets linger.
Political chess plays out elsewhere. Wu Ankang delivers Yuan’s “Nine-Spice Honey” gift to his father Wu Youjing, both men seeing Yuan as a rising power player. Wu Youjing nudges his son to visit Princess Jiayue, leading to a tense showdown. Wu Ankang bluntly rejects the marriage alliance, warning he’ll only comply if she threatens war—a line Jiayue refuses to cross, releasing him with dignity. The next day, Minister Hao Ji clears Yuan of the banquet assassination blame, pinning it all on Li Zongxu. In a masterstroke, he proposes sending Prince Wu Liangchen to marry Jiayue in Shoudan, which the emperor approves with lavish gifts. The royal convoy departs, but peace remains fragile.
Healing and haunting intertwine. Gu Wenyu tends to Hei Zai (Cai Lian’s loyal dog) while Ye Ping’an treats the village madman, whose eyes slowly regain clarity—a potential key to buried truths. Yuan Shaocheng’s reinstatement comes with a veiled warning from eunuch Fan Cheng: “Tread carefully.” Exhausted from weeks of tension, Yuan collapses into feverish nightmares. Ye uses her dreamwalking skills to unravel his psychological demons, though she guards her own trauma. When Yuan questions why she doesn’t weaponize her powers against their enemies, Ye reveals the dark truth: “The closer I get to answers, the more I see humanity’s rot. Only the law can judge this—not me.” Their mutual trust grows, but with Li Zongxu still protected by the emperor’s pragmatism, the real battle has just begun.
