Episode Summary
As the Emperor debates succession, Mei Gelao subtly undermines Prince Kangping’s ambitions. Ye Ping’an recruits Yuan Shaocheng in a smuggling scheme to expose Prince Kangping, but border crises force their plans into hibernation. Tensions rise between Kangping and his estranged wife Su Xuan Zhenren, while court loyalties fracture.
Spoiler Alert
The Emperor seeks Mei Gelao’s counsel on whether to name his son or nephew as heir. Mei warns that while a son would honor his parents in the imperial ancestral temple, history offers no precedent for a nephew honoring his aunt and uncle—a veiled critique of Prince Kangping’s ambitions. Meanwhile, Yuan Shaocheng deduces Ye Ping’an’s return after spotting her signature bell and confronts her at the graves of Cai Lian and Dan Xin. Though aware Prince Kangping exploits him, Yuan admits he has no other allies. Ye proposes a risky alliance: she’ll bait Kangping’s faction with a fake Huang Yimin to divert suspicion, while Yuan gains trust by “saving” Kangping from exposure at the Black Market’s Nine Dragons Pavilion. A secret tunnel from Yanqing Fang’s haunted mansion to Mang Gou—dug over the past month—explains Ye’s underground movements.
At the salt markets, Market Office Director Huang Qi pressures merchants to sell smuggled salt as official stock, demanding signed receipts—an unusual tactic that unsettles his superior. In court, tensions flare as pro-Kangping officials push for Wu Youjing’s adoption as heir, but Mei Gelao shrewdly delays the decision. Privately, Mei warns Yuan Shaocheng to avoid becoming a pawn or a martyr, urging him to balance loyalty with cunning. Prince Kangping, confident in his power plays, boasts that lowering salt prices will placate the masses while elites remain indebted to him.
Ye Ping’an’s plan accelerates when she plants forged evidence under a stone lion, tricking investigator Li Jun into raiding Nine Dragons Pavilion for proof of Kangping’s salt smuggling. As chaos erupts, Huang Qi vanishes with incriminating ledgers, forcing Kangping to scramble. But the scheme stalls when border crises erupt: Shuo Dan forces threaten the north, and Ye realizes Wu Youjing’s control over military supplies could doom their efforts. To avoid repeating the disastrous Jin Yuan War, she and Yuan agree to halt operations until stability returns.
The Emperor praises Wu Youjing for managing the border crisis but confronts him about salt smuggling accusations—a denial Wu delivers coolly. Back at Kangping Manor, tensions simmer as Wu Xian’er’s mother, Su Xuan Zhenren, returns with icy detachment toward her husband. Kangping chastises her for endangering their daughter, but Su Xuan insists her choices protect Wu Xian’er. With alliances fracturing and Ye Ping’an’s tunnels lying dormant, the chessboard resets—for now.
