Episode Summary
The episode centers on a dramatic trial where Chu Guihong, armed with false evidence supplied by a secretly alive Gao Changyin, accuses Nan Heng of treason and murder. Despite Song Yimeng's efforts to provide exonerating evidence, Nan Heng is officially imprisoned by imperial edict. This, however, is revealed to be an elaborate trap set by Nan Heng and the Emperor. In prison, Gao Changyin confesses his entire conspiracy to a seemingly defeated Nan Heng, exposing himself as the true villain while the Emperor listens in, finally learning the truth.
Spoiler Alert
"A Dream within a Dream" Episode 29: The Trap is Sprung
The episode opens with the Emperor summoning Minister Yan, instructing him to ensure the upcoming joint trial reveals a specific "truth" about the Battle of Pingrong—the Emperor's version. Elsewhere, Yao Qian is brought to a remote hut where he discovers a very much alive Gao Changyin, who gives him falsified evidence to present against Nan Heng at the trial.
The trial itself becomes the central stage for the episode's drama. Nan Heng bypasses an attempt by Rong Hua to arrest him and appears directly at the proceedings. He immediately confronts Chu Guihong, accusing him of torturing witnesses and producing a bloody garment as proof. Chu Guihong counters by revealing that Nan Heng broke into the celestial prison to rescue the wounded Can Jiang Yue, framing it as a capital offense. He then presents a coerced confession from two men, A Long and A Hu, stating Nan Heng ordered them to silence Lu Yi permanently. Nan Heng dismisses the confession as a fabrication obtained through torture.
As this unfolds, Song Yimeng frantically searches for a way to help Nan Heng. She finds old letters from Chu Guihong which prove Nan Heng was under constant surveillance years ago, making it impossible for him to have colluded with foreign enemies. She rushes to the trial to clear his name.
Inside, the debate shifts to the old Battle of Pingrong. Nan Heng suggests a conspiracy, claiming a traitor must have leaked the defense layouts of Xingcheng and Jicheng to the Heyuan forces. He suspects Lu Yi, who managed to escape the battle unscathed, was bought. Chu Guihong vehemently denies the possibility of a traitor within his elite Qianyu Army.
Just as Nan Heng mocks Chu Guihong for falling for the real villain's plot, Song Yimeng arrives. She presents the letters as evidence, but Chu Guihong snatches and destroys them, denying he ever wrote them. He doubles down on his accusations, painting Nan Heng as a traitor aiming to destroy the Qianyu Army.
Nan Rui attempts to defend his brother, arguing that there is no concrete evidence. In an emotional outburst directed at the Emperor, he declares he doesn't want to gain power, symbolized by the Tiger Tally, by losing the trust of the people.
The tide seems to turn decisively against Nan Heng when Yao Qian steps forward with the "proof" of his correspondence with Heyuan. As Chu Guihong moves to have him arrested, Eunuch Liu arrives with an imperial edict: Nan Heng is to be imprisoned immediately.
However, this is all part of a larger scheme. Once in his cell, Nan Heng is visited by Gao Changyin. Believing Nan Heng is cornered, Gao Changyin reveals his master plan: he faked his death, has loyal men embedded in both the Qianyu and Xuanjia armies, and now wants Nan Heng to lead a rebellion. When questioned by Nan Heng, Gao Changyin admits to orchestrating the late Empress's death to pave the way for his family's rise to power.
Unbeknownst to him, the Emperor is listening to their entire conversation. It's revealed that Nan Heng had orchestrated this entire scenario with the Emperor's cooperation, offering the coveted Tiger Tally in exchange for the chance to expose Gao Changyin as the true mastermind.
While the trap successfully springs, Song Yimeng is left in the dark and consumed with worry. She writes a scroll detailing the Xuanjia Army's honorable deeds and kneels in the snow outside the palace, pleading for an audience with the Emperor to prove Nan Heng's innocence. The Emperor, aware of the truth, watches from a distance, instructing Eunuch Liu to ensure she doesn't come to harm in the cold.
