Episode Summary
Lu Yun helps Luo Lingyu prepare for a banquet, but secretly infiltrates the Prince Hengyang's mansion. He's discovered and injured, but Lingyu helps him hide. They confront each other about their past deceptions, and Lu Yun struggles with his feelings for Lingyu. The Prince knows Lu Yun was the intruder. A lost account book causes trouble for the Fan family.
Spoiler Alert
Luo Lingyu, having promised the Prince Hengyang a spectacular welcome banquet, finds herself in a bind when a sudden downpour threatens her plans. Lu Yun, ostensibly to rescue his subordinates, steps in to help, leaving Lingyu secretly thrilled, believing he's genuinely assisting her.
Lu Yun, ever the strategist, quickly assesses the situation and devises a rescue plan. He has his man, Yinchuan, provide cover while he infiltrates the Prince Hengyang's mansion that night. The Prince, however, is no fool; he's set up an intricate alarm system of tiny bells at the entrance. Lu Yun, upon opening the door, triggers the bells, alerting the Prince, who immediately orders a thorough search of the grounds.
Meanwhile, Lingyu, preparing for the next day's banquet, experiences a sudden chest pain and retreats to her room with her maid, Lingxi. Lu Yun, now wounded with an arrow in his back, becomes the target of a manhunt, with the Prince ordering his men to capture him alive to uncover the mastermind. Lingyu, restless and uneasy, seeks fresh air by the river, where she encounters a masked, injured man. The mask and, more strikingly, the man's eyes trigger a sense of familiarity – it's the same man Lu Yun had rescued from the river, and Lingyu realizes Lu Yun is that very man.
She smuggles the injured Lu Yun back to her room, providing basic first aid before launching into a playful, yet pointed, interrogation. They bicker back and forth, rehashing past grievances: Lu Yun sneaking into Lingyu's dowry chest, Lingyu stealing his horse during her escape, leaving him out in the rain, and forcing him to swim to shore. It's a tangled web of debts, with neither able to definitively claim the upper hand. Lingyu realizes that Lu Yun has known her secret all along, maintaining a facade for months without exposing her, a gesture she interprets as him giving her face. However, she's also aware that she's likely made an irreversible, unfavorable impression, wasting months of her time.
The Prince Hengyang, having glimpsed the fleeing assassin's silhouette, immediately recognizes Lu Yun. Their shared history explains the Prince's restraint – he seeks answers, not revenge.
Trapped with soldiers swarming outside, Lu Yun is forced to spend the night hiding in Lingyu's room. As he watches Lingyu sleep across the room, he grapples with his confusing feelings for her. He's irked by her flirtations with other men, yet his heart races whenever she's near. Hearing her ultimate goal – to successfully find a husband to join her family and reclaim her family's inheritance – gives him pause.
The next morning, as Lingyu meticulously adorns herself, Lu Yun can't resist teasing her, observing that she's no longer bothering to pretend now that their secrets are out in the open. He playfully snatches a hairpin from her elaborate hairdo.
At the welcome banquet for the Prince Hengyang, every detail showcases Lingyu's dedication. When the Prince sees Lu Yun, he pointedly claps him on the shoulder, a bit too forcefully, a silent acknowledgment of the previous night's events. Lu Yun understands that the Prince is aware of his intrusion. Lingyu, knowing about Lu Yun's shoulder injury, carefully steps in and invites the Prince to begin the feast.
In a separate storyline, a crucial account book is lost by the Fan family. Fan Qingchen reports this to his superior, who expresses extreme dissatisfaction with the family's performance. With the reappearance of Wang Yangming, Fan Qingchen is ordered to leave Yue Prefecture immediately.
