Episode Summary
In this episode, an assassination attempt involving an impostor of Li Shiliu goes awry, leading to a tense standoff between multiple military factions. Song Yimeng, caught in the middle, tries to prevent a fated fire she remembers from her dream, but her efforts are in vain as two separate fires break out. The real Li Shiliu saves her from the first fire, and the second, larger blaze forces him to confront a deep-seated childhood trauma.
Spoiler Alert
A Dream within a Dream: Episode 10 Spoilers
The episode opens on the city tower where Nan Rui is trying to curry favor with the court officials. He attempts to engage Song Yude in conversation about his family, but Song Yude, wanting no part in royal affairs, quickly makes his exit. Nan Rui then turns his attention to Song Yiting, who is also present, but his boastful attitude only earns him her disdain.
Meanwhile, Chu Guihong instructs his people to keep a close watch on the Art gallery, regardless of whether their assassination plot succeeds. His suspicions are soon aroused by Shangguan He, who is disguised as Li Shiliu. Shangguan He's manner of speaking doesn't quite match, leading Chu Guihong to believe he's an impostor and attack him directly.
Elsewhere, Song Yimeng leads Nan Heng to a river to make a wish. Nan Heng, though skeptical of such traditions, promises to make her wish come true. When she wishes for a perfect partner, he is baffled but agrees to help her, on the condition that she helps him find the "Satin Blade technique." Song Yimeng suspects he has ulterior motives, but Nan Heng sincerely asks for her trust, which she denies.
As fireworks light up the sky, Song Yimeng pulls Nan Heng to watch and drink with her. This is all part of a plan: she has Duan Shanhu, disguised as a waiter, intentionally spill wine on her as a pretext to leave. Nan Heng sees through her ruse but doesn't expose it.
The fight between Chu Guihong and the disguised Shangguan He spills into the Art gallery. Song Yimeng, seeing this, laments that the plan has failed so early. When Nan Heng arrives and learns the man is an assassin, he intends to take him in for questioning. Song Yimeng quickly steps in, begging Nan Heng to let "Li Shiliu" go. Chu Guihong disagrees, ordering his Qianyu Army to arrest the man. Seizing the opportunity, Shangguan He takes Nan Heng hostage. In the ensuing chaos created by Duan Shanhu, Nan Heng skillfully reverses the situation, capturing Shangguan He instead. Worried, Song Yimeng pleads with Nan Heng not to harm "Li Shiliu."
The situation escalates as Fugui arrives with the Xuanjia Army after hearing of the attempt on Nan Heng's life, followed closely by Rong Hua and the Qianyu Army. When Nan Heng questions Chu Guihong's involvement in the assassination, Song Yimeng takes all the blame. Nan Heng, however, believes Chu Guihong is the true mastermind. Chu Guihong denies any connection to the assassins, leaving Song Yimeng frustrated. Amid the confusion, she grabs Shangguan He, whom she still believes is Li Shiliu, and they escape.
Later, Song Yimeng remembers a devastating fire that is supposed to happen according to the "script" of her dream. She frantically tries to prevent it by securing a lamp stand she identifies as the source. Chu Guihong finds her and tries to explain that the man she fled with was not the real Li Shiliu, but her mind is consumed with preventing the fire.
To further the confusion, Nan Heng also disguises himself as Li Shiliu. The fated fire, however, happens anyway. A drunk Nan Rui accidentally starts a fire after bumping into a passerby. Just as Song Yimeng is about to be caught under a falling, burning lamp stand, the real Li Shiliu appears and saves her, whisking her away to a rooftop. There, she laments that fate seems unchangeable, but Li Shiliu tells her that one's destiny is in their own hands. His words inspire her, and her newfound determination to change her fate captures his heart.
As the Qianyu Army investigates the fire, Nan Rui passes a warehouse where they are storing fireworks. He carelessly tosses a flame towards it, triggering a massive secondary explosion that engulfs the city and causes buildings to collapse. Both Nan Heng and Li Shiliu rush to the scene. Faced with the inferno, Li Shiliu is forced to confront his childhood trauma of being trapped in a fire in the Cold Palace. Seeing the blaze worsen and fearing for Li Shiliu's safety, Song Yimeng tries to run in to save him but is held back by Chu Guihong.
