Episode Summary
Gu Pingyuan outmaneuvers Li Wantang by cutting a direct deal with the Prince, saving the Old Eight Families from political ruin. Li Wantang tries to destroy Gu's bank with rumors, but a show of wealth from Jin Mistress backfires on him, leaving his new bank empty. While Gu struggles to free Chang Si from the greedy Wang Tiangui, he shares a tender, unspoken moment with Chang Yuer. The episode ends with a tense standoff as Gu prepares to counter Li Wantang's attempt to withdraw millions in assets.
Spoiler Alert
The Prince, The Bank, and The Bluff
Gu Pingyuan is officially tired of playing defense. This episode is all about him flipping the board on his enemies, and honestly, it is satisfying to watch. He gathers the shopkeepers of the "Old Eight Families." They need a plan. The goal is simple. Keep the Prince happy and kick Li Wantang out of Shanxi. Gu volunteers to handle the heavy lifting.
Cutting the Middleman
Gu goes straight to the Prince. He speaks the only language royalty understands. Money. He promises 24 million taels of silver on behalf of the families. The Prince is greedy. He wants Li Wantang to handle the paperwork.
Gu shuts that down immediately. He tells the Prince that Li Wantang is unnecessary noise. He also points out a major flaw in the Prince's plan. Hauling that much physical silver is loud. It attracts attention. The Imperial Court might get suspicious. Gu suggests a smarter play. Move the silver to the capital quietly and convert it to bank notes from the four big banks. The Prince loves this idea. He gets his money, keeps his head, and immediately moves his troops to Shandong. Li Wantang is officially cut out of the deal.
Li Wantang’s Bad Day
The look on Li Wantang’s face when he realizes he lost is priceless. He was dreaming of ruling Shanxi commerce. Instead, his son Li Qin has to deliver the bad news. The Prince is gone. The deal is done.
Gu Pingyuan doesn't stop there. He walks right up to Li Wantang with an ultimatum. Leave Shanxi now. If you stay, your new bank, Taiping Business, will be bankrupt in three months. Li Qin tries to play peacemaker. It doesn't work. His dad screams at him. Li Qin storms out and runs into Gu. Gu warns him again. Don't try to steal business by force. It won't end well.
The "Run" on the Bank
Li Wantang tries to fight dirty. He spreads rumors that the Old Eight Families are insolvent. He wants to trigger a panic. It almost works. Crowds gather at Gu’s bank, Taiyufeng, demanding their money.
Jin Mistress to the Rescue
Just when things look shaky, Jin Mistress steps up. She sends a massive chest of silver to Taiyufeng. Then more wagons arrive. It’s a parade of cash. The customers see the silver and calm down. They stop withdrawing money. In fact, they start depositing more.
Across the street, Li Wantang’s grand opening for Taiping Business is a disaster. The drums are beating, and the firecrackers are popping. But nobody is there. It is a ghost town. Li Qin tries to bribe customers with high interest rates. They ignore him. By the end of the day, Gu’s bank has an extra 600,000 taels in deposits. Li Qin has nothing.
Heartbreak at the Jail
Gu goes to visit Chang Si in prison. He wants his friend out. But Wang Tiangui is a snake. He refuses to release Chang Si until Gu finds the "Intruder King's Treasure." Wang even tries to bribe Gu with a job. Gu isn't interested.
Outside the jail, things get heavy. Chang Yuer is waiting. She is crying. She just wants Gu to be safe. She tells him to clear his name and go home to marry his fiancée, Bai Yimei. She is selfless, but you can tell it hurts her. Gu clearly has feelings for Yuer. He doesn't say it, though. He just walks her home. It is a quiet, sad moment in the middle of all this business warfare.
The Final Standoff
Li Wantang isn't dead yet. He is hiding out at Fenglingdu with Su Zixuan. He remembers he has 6 million taels deposited across the Old Eight Families’ banks. He decides to withdraw it all at once to crash their liquidity.
Jin Mistress panics. But Gu has a plan. He suggests they take that money and deposit it into Li Wantang’s own bank, Taiping Business, to exploit their high interest rates.
The next morning, the families show up at Taiping Business with wagons of silver. Li Qin opens the door, ready for a fight. He expects a confrontation. But then, something strange happens. The wagons turn around. The crowd leaves. The street clears out. Only Gu Pingyuan remains standing there, staring him down.
