Episode Summary
Luo Lingyu is kidnapped by Fan Qingchen, who forces her into a marriage contract. Lu Yun tracks them down, rescues Luo Lingyu, and Prince Hengyang banishes Fan Qingchen. After recovering, Luo Lingyu expresses her gratitude to Lu Yun, who now seems to show genuine concern for her well-being and future.
Spoiler Alert
The episode opens with Prince Hengyang treating Luo Lingyu to a romantic evening admiring the lantern displays.He's so pleased with the day's banquet that he offers her any reward within his power.Luo Lingyu seizes the opportunity and reveals her desperate situation: she doesn't want to marry Fan Qingchen. She explains that her uncle and aunt essentially sold her to the Fan Household. Prince Hengyang, shocked and moved by her plight, immediately vows to help her dissolve the engagement.
The next day, chaos erupts. Lingxi, Luo Lingyu's maid, runs in a panic – Luo Lingyu is gone! It's completely out of character for her to disappear without a word. Prince Hengyang and Lu Yun immediately suspect Fan Qingchen. Wheel tracks outside confirm their suspicions, and Lu Yun, ever the dashing hero, sets off on horseback in hot pursuit.
Luo Lingyu awakens to a nightmare. She's tied up, dressed in a vibrant red wedding dress, and the lecherous Fan Qingchen is looming over her. He presents the marriage contract, demanding she sign. Luo Lingyu, though terrified, tries to remain calm and stall for time, but Fan Qingchen is beyond reason. He forcibly takes her hand and presses it onto the contract. The room is sealed, draped in red wedding decorations, a chilling mockery of a ceremony. Fan Qingchen, clutching the signed contract, tells her to wait, promising a "real" wedding soon.
Meanwhile, Lu Yun follows the carriage tracks into the bustling marketplace. The trail goes cold amidst the crowds, but he catches a familiar scent – a unique fragrance he's smelled on Luo Lingyu before. He follows the scent, determined to find her.
Back at Fan Qingchen's hideout, Luo Lingyu manages to loosen the ropes binding her wrists. She attempts to escape, but Fan Qingchen returns. A struggle ensues. She's no match for his strength, but she manages to stab him in the shoulder with a hairpin.He's enraged and becomes even more violent.Injured and desperate, Luo Lingyu makes a final push for the door, fueled by the will to survive. Just as Fan Qingchen is about to recapture her, the door bursts open, revealing a silhouette bathed in light – Lu Yun.
Lu Yun scoops up the unconscious Luo Lingyu, while Prince Hengyang points his sword at a terrified Fan Qingchen. Luo Lingyu is finally safe.The Prince summons the best imperial physician and banishes Fan Qingchen from Yue Prefecture forever.
Three days later, Luo Lingyu finally wakes up. Starving, she craves a specific type of Yue Prefecture noodle. It's the middle of the night, and Lingxi hesitates, but Lu Yun insists it's no problem. He takes Luo Lingyu to a noodle shop, where a sleepy owner is quickly persuaded to cook by the sight of a gold ingot.
As they sit together in the quiet night, Luo Lingyu expresses her lingering fear. She had tried so hard to escape Fan Qingchen, yet still fell victim to his schemes. She feels like she's fighting a losing battle against fate. Lu Yun, having witnessed her bravery, encourages her not to give up. He even hints at finding her a potential husband for a "prosperous marriage" (a formal arrangement where the husband would take the wife's family name).
Luo Lingyu, deeply grateful for Lu Yun's rescue, tells him they are now even. She seems to have abandoned her previous schemes involving him.Hearing this, Lu Yun, surprisingly, seems concerned. He subtly reminds her that without a husband who takes her family name, she won't be able to claim her family's property. The episode ends on a note of uncertainty, with a shift in Lu Yun's attitude towards Luo Lingyu. He's gone from seeing her as a manipulative schemer to someone he seems genuinely concerned for, perhaps even attracted to.
