Episode Summary
Jiang Si orchestrates a plan to help Qiao Niang marry into a noble family, which involves exposing her affair and Ji Chongyi's actions. Jiang Si secures her freedom with the annulment of her engagement. She discovers a Holy Maiden totem on her back, raising questions about her past. Yu Qi investigates Jiang Si's potential connection to Southern Wu. Jiang Si confronts family tensions and a past betrayal, while a subplot emerges involving a missing girl and Jiang Qian's abusive husband.
Spoiler Alert
The episode kicks off with Jiang Si's clever plan to help Qiao Niang marry into the powerful Guogong family. The scheme involves Qiao Ning testifying, forcing an admission of Qiao Niang's affair with Ji Chongyi. This would, in turn, pressure the family to allow the marriage. Qiao Niang directly accuses Ji Chongyi of pushing Jiang Si into the river. With the evidence stacked against him, Ji Chongyi admits to the act but remains arrogant in court. He receives a punishment, but when Zhen Heng presses Qiao Niang on whether Ji Chongyi acted intentionally, she faints. Later that night, Ji Chongyi and his mother, Madam Wei, confront Qiao Niang. Jiang Si uses Qiao Niang's pregnancy as leverage, threatening to expose Ji Chongyi further unless he formally marries Qiao Ning. Madam Wei is resistant, even questioning the child's paternity, but Jiang Si reminds Ji Chongyi of his future prospects, forcing him to convince his mother to agree to the marriage.
Back home, Jiang Si is still uneasy. Without the official annulment papers of her former engagement, she fears things could change. Her father, Jiang Ancheng, finally arrives with the annulment documents from the Guogong family, bringing immense relief to Jiang Si. She's finally free from a disastrous marriage. Zhen Heng, puzzled by Jiang Si's sudden withdrawal of the case, suspects she was threatened and wants to continue the investigation, but Jiang Si refuses.
While A'Man is organizing Jiang Si's tree stumps, he discovers a pattern on Jiang Si's back. Upon closer inspection, Jiang Si realizes it's the Holy Maiden totem, sparking questions about her past and a possible connection to her time living in Southern Wu.
Yu Qi and Zhen Heng visit Jiang Si's home, receiving a warm welcome from her family. That night, Yu Qi sneaks into Jiang Si's courtyard and finds a landscape painting of Shenjian Mountain in Southern Wu. He believes Jiang Si must have visited the mountain to paint it so accurately and becomes determined to investigate further. The next day, Jiang Si notices the painting is missing. She remembers Yu Qi's interest in the painting during his visit and suspects he's trying to uncover her potential identity as the Holy Maiden.
To test Jiang Si's family, Yu Qi invites her brother, Jiang Zhan, and Jiang Si to his home. Jiang Si, however, makes only a brief appearance before leaving. Yu Qi deliberately shows Jiang Zhan the painting he took from Jiang Si, but Jiang Zhan seems unfamiliar with it.
Called by her grandmother, Jiang Si is questioned about why she's making things difficult for her father. She witnesses Jiang Qian and the family matriarch, Old Madam Jiang, chatting happily, triggering memories of Jiang Qian's betrayal in her past life. Jiang Si struggles to understand how a woman could help her husband harm her own sister and develops a coldness towards Jiang Qian. Old Madam Jiang, angered by Jiang Si's attitude, scolds her. Jiang Qian, sensing the tension, decides to leave and asks Jiang Si to see her off. Alone, Jiang Qian invites Jiang Si to visit her home. It's revealed that Jiang Qian is acting under duress; her husband, attracted to Jiang Si's beauty, is forcing her to bring Jiang Si to their home and has even resorted to physical violence.
Jiang Si's older sister, Jiang Yi, sends a gift and a comforting letter, knowing Jiang Si might be upset about the broken engagement. Reading the letter, Jiang Si recalls her sister's tragic fate in her past life after a similar broken engagement and vows to prevent history from repeating itself.
On a rainy day, Jiang Si encounters a distraught woman, Embroiderer, searching for her missing daughter. From others, Jiang Si learns that the woman is a tofu seller and her daughter disappeared near Changxing Marquis's residence. Recalling Jiang Qian's husband's lustful gaze, Jiang Si suspects the daughter, who resembles her, might have been kidnapped, and she resolves to help.
