Episode Summary
Spurred by rumors, Song Yimeng's father pushes her marriage to Chu Guihong, which she opposes. To stop the wedding, Nan Heng plans to humiliate Chu Guihong at a music feast. The plan backfires in its severity, but leads to an unexpected, powerful drum duet between Nan Heng and Song Yimeng. Chu Guihong retaliates with a performance revealing a past military betrayal that suggests Nan Heng's army failed to send aid. He then proposes to Song Yimeng, only to be interrupted by Gao Changrong, who also makes a bid for her. The escalating drama is cut short when the Emperor summons both Nan Heng and Song Yimeng, ending the episode with them being punished.
Spoiler Alert
A Tangled Web of Plots at the Music Feast
The simmering tensions between Nan Heng and Chu Guihong finally boil over, sparked by Song Yimeng's father, Song Yude. Concerned by the rampant rumors linking his daughter with Nan Heng, Song Yude decides to expedite her arranged marriage to Chu Guihong for her own protection. He sees Nan Heng as a man hardened by a dark past, incapable of genuine affection. Song Yimeng, however, protests this development, having no romantic feelings for Chu Guihong.
Learning of the accelerated marriage plans, Nan Heng devises a scheme to publicly disgrace Chu Guihong at the "Clear Talk Music Feast." His goal is to make Chu Guihong so humiliated that Song Yimeng would refuse to marry him.
At the feast, the atmosphere is thick with intrigue. Nan Heng and Song Yimeng are deliberately seated together, and their banter only fuels the gossip circulating among the guests, much to Chu Guihong's irritation. The main event begins with a performance intended to mock Chu Guihong's defeat in the Battle of Pingrong. To Nan Heng's surprise, the play is far more humiliating than he had planned, and he realizes he is not fully in control of the scheme.
Seeing Chu Guihong's public embarrassment, Song Yimeng impulsively tries to salvage his honor by taking over the war drums, but she accidentally breaks the drumhead. In a stunning turn, Nan Heng leaps to her side, and together they perform a powerful and stirring drum duet that captivates the audience. They win the event's prize, a hairpin, which Nan Heng is prompted to give to her.
Enraged, Chu Guihong interrupts and puts on his own performance with his Qianyu Army. His version of the Battle of Pingrong reveals a crucial piece of history: his forces had sent a request for aid to Nan Heng's Xuanjia Army, but the message was never received. This revelation shocks Nan Heng, who immediately orders an investigation into the matter.
Winning the top prize, Chu Guihong seizes the moment to propose to Song Yimeng on the spot. Before a stunned Song Yimeng can refuse, Gao Changrong makes a dramatic entrance to object. She counters Chu Guihong's proposal by presenting her own betrothal gifts to Song Yimeng. As the chaos escalates, an imperial decree arrives, summoning both Nan Heng and Song Yimeng to the palace. The episode concludes with the two of them being punished, forced to kneel in the palace, as Song Yimeng complains about being caught in a plot she had no part in.
