Episode Summary
Yuan Shaocheng survives Du Liang’s interrogation by bargaining for five days to recover stolen military funds. As rival factions maneuver — with Ye Ping'an reluctantly allying with Yuan and Bai Sheng challenging the Yuan brothers’ ambitions — flashbacks reveal Yuan’s traumatic past driving his ruthless rise. The silver is secretly relocated to Mangou while political schemes escalate at Wan Guo Xiang brothel.
Spoiler Alert
Du Liang interrogates Yuan Shaocheng about the missing military funds but gains no answers. Just as Du prepares to execute him, Yuan bargains for five days to locate the silver. Before parting, Yuan questions how Qi Junshan learned of the funds hidden in Qitai Casino—a clue to uncovering who framed him. Severely beaten, Yuan is dumped at the Yuan family estate that night. He warns his brother Yuan Hesheng not to provoke Du Liang yet, urging patience before declaring open warfare. Meanwhile, Lu Danxin informs Ye Ping'an of Yuan's release. Knowing Yuan's vengeful nature, Ye cancels plans to move the silver via waterways and summons the shadowy "Uncle Gui" for reinforcements.
Yuan Hesheng's wife Bai Sheng fumes at her brother-in-law's injuries, blaming his alliance with Du Liang's faction. She confronts Hesheng about their post-war obsession with power, vowing never to mourn him if he meets the same fate. In a tender moment, Lu Danxin comforts the restless Ye Ping'an by holding her hand like a mother would, lulling her to sleep. Acting on Yuan Shaocheng's orders, Hesheng brutally interrogates Qi Junshan's subordinate Ah Rong, extracting intel about a key location: Wan Guo Xiang brothel.
The courtesan Ni Chang evades pursuers only to be abducted and brought before Yuan Shaocheng. When Ni Chang fails to report back, Yuan confronts Ye directly. He theorizes that Ye survived the Yuhan Massacre (linked to officials Zheng Yuan and Du Liang) and now seeks vengeance through the military funds scheme. Though Ye neither confirms nor denies this, she reveals her plan to hide the silver in Mangou's trenches and proposes an alliance. Their tense negotiation is interrupted by news: Li Jun's forces search the mountains but find empty decoy caves—the real silver now moves through secret tunnels to Mangou.
Flashbacks reveal Yuan Shaocheng's traumatic past—born into the Jianji "untouchable" caste, he watched his father die after winning the brutal Longmen Race to escape their status. This fuels Yuan's ruthless ambition to crush the elite and uplift Mangou's poor. Meanwhile, Ye Ping'an infiltrates Wan Guo Xiang using intel from Qi Junshan's mistress Wu Xian'er, who cryptically directs her to seek help from scheming Minister Hai Yiping. In a quieter subplot, Lu Danxin offers to sew Ye a new medicinal pouch embroidered with leaves—a subtle nod to Ye's surname and lingering vulnerability.
