Episode Summary
Wu Youjing plots rebellion after the Emperor’s hollow pardon, while Yuan Shaocheng betrays Ye Ping’an to survive a poisoned wine trap. Ye is imprisoned by Wu Xian’er, whose secret ambitions clash with her father’s coup plans. Meanwhile, Wu Ankang wrestles with loyalty as Su Xuan Zhenren races to expose the conspiracy.
Spoiler Alert
Wu Youjing has successfully altered the ledgers, erasing all evidence of his scheme to sell smuggled salt under the guise of official government shipments. Mistakenly believing He Maoshan to be the traitor, he remains unaware that Yuan Shaocheng is the true threat. Meanwhile, Ye Ping’an finally deciphers the Emperor’s veiled warning from a year prior. The Emperor tolerated Wu Youjing’s salt monopoly during his unstable early reign to leverage the official’s influence against the Li family and utilize Wu’s son, Wu Ankang, as a military bulwark. But Wu’s escalating ambition—corrupting officials, coveting the Eastern Palace position, and flooding markets with illegal salt—now crosses imperial red lines. When Wu Ankang’s northern army claims victory, the Emperor feigns goodwill by offering Wu Youjing an honorary title, but Ye warns allies that restraint is key: "Victory favors the patient."
The Emperor summons Wu Xian’er to privately address her father’s crimes, offering hollow promises to spare her family’s reputation. Unmoved, Wu Youjing interprets the Emperor’s "mercy" as weakness and accelerates his rebellion plans. He counts on Wu Ankang’s returning troops and General Xian Guangping’s Left Yulin Army to stage a coup during the upcoming Lantern Festival. Meanwhile, Yuan Shaocheng walks into a trap at Kangping Manor, where Wu Youjing forces him to drink poisoned wine. To survive, Yuan betrays Ye Ping’an’s whereabouts, leading to her abduction. Mysterious nun Su Xuan Zhenren intercepts clues about Ye’s imprisonment at Fengrao Salt Shop, dispatching a coded map to Yuan’s allies.
In a chilling underground showdown, Wu Xian’er confronts captive Ye Ping’an over a chessboard, coldly dismissing Ye’s claims of foreseeing her downfall. Though Wu Xian’er outwardly supports her father’s coup, her private disdain for her brother Wu Ankang’s claim to the throne simmers. Meanwhile, Wu Ankang grapples with his father’s orders, contemplating martyrdom to escape familial treason. As Wu Xian’er takes charge of the Lantern Festival preparations—a cover for smuggling explosives—Xian Guangping pledges loyalty to her ascendancy, not her father’s. The powder keg is lit: Will Su Xuan’s warning reach Yuan in time? Can Wu Ankang’s conscience derail the rebellion? And whose ambition will explode first—the Emperor’s, Wu Youjing’s, or Wu Xian’er’s?
