Episode Summary
Gu Pingyuan fights a price war with Hou Er and wins the villagers' support, but faces a financial crisis. Jin Mistress personally delivers the money he needs. Gu travels to Beijing for the tea conference but faces sabotage from Li Wantang. He manages to sneak into the venue with the help of a mysterious woman, while Old Master Hu impresses the judges with a live tea-making performance.
Spoiler Alert
The Tea War Gets Dirty
Gu Pingyuan is making enemies fast. He decides to buy up all the tea in the village. This move threatens Hou Er’s profits. Hou Er is not happy. He goes straight to the Tea Merchant Guild to badmouth Gu. The Guild head listens and bans Gu’s "Lanxue Tea."
The villagers panic. They hear the Guild rejected the tea. The Village Chief grabs Gu Pingyuan and Gu Pingwen. He wants them to go to the Guild and apologize. He basically wants them to beg for forgiveness.
Gu Pingyuan refuses. He stands his ground. He exposes Hou Er’s scheme in front of everyone. Hou Er claims he cares about the farmers. Gu points out that Hou Er just wants to suppress prices. Gu did his homework. He and Pingwen checked every tea shop in the city. Market prices are thirty percent higher than what Hou Er pays.
Gu makes a bold counteroffer. He offers ten percent more than Hou Er’s base price. The villagers immediately switch sides. They want to sell to Gu. But the Chief is skeptical. He suspects Gu is broke.
High Risks and Big Loans
The Chief is right about the money. Gu Pingyuan is cash-poor. He sends Pingwen to Shanxi overnight. The goal is to borrow money from Jin Mistress. Pingwen is terrified. He doesn't think she will lend them fifty or sixty thousand taels. He wants to apologize to the Guild instead. Gu shuts him down.
Gu tries to hustle while Pingwen is gone. He visits Master Bayin at the inn to sell his tea. It’s a dead end. Hou Er bribed all the merchants. No one dares to touch Gu’s stock.
Things get more complicated. Li Wantang and Li Qin arrive in Anhui. They are there for the "Ten Thousand Tea Conference." Old Master Hu rolls out the red carpet for them.
Gu tries to get a meeting with Li Wantang. Li Wantang ignores him. He tells his son Li Qin to get rid of Gu. Li Qin tells Gu to give up. Gu plays his ace. He makes Li Qin taste the Lanxue Tea. Li Qin loves it. He agrees to help Gu sign up for the conference.
Li Qin tries to convince his father. He brews the tea for Li Wantang. The old man tastes it. He admits it is excellent. But business comes first. He wants the monopoly rights. He refuses to help Gu. He even blocks Beijing shops from buying from Gu.
The Cavalry Arrives
Pingwen returns from Shanxi. It’s bad news. He didn't even get to see Jin Mistress. Gu ignores this setback. He keeps buying tea. He only wants the high-quality leaves. Pingwen thinks he is crazy. They have no money and a warehouse full of tea.
Then, a miracle happens. Jin Mistress shows up in Anhui. She heard Pingwen came looking for her. She traveled all the way there to apologize for missing him. She hands Gu a massive stack of bank notes. She tells him to go for it. She has his back completely.
Gu is back in the game. He packs the Lanxue Tea. He is heading to the conference in Beijing. Pingwen complains again. He says individuals cannot compete. Only Guilds can enter. Gu drags him onto the boat anyway.
Sneaking into the Palace
The boat ride is heavy. Gu drinks alone. He looks at the jade pendant from Chang Yu’er. He misses her. We see Yu’er back home. She misses him too. Her servant Chang Si tells her to stop torturing herself.
They arrive in Beijing. Su Zixuan is there too. The conference is at the Prince’s Mansion. The line is huge. Gu waits for Li Qin to bring him an entry pass. But Li Wantang locked his son in the house. Li Qin can't leave.
Gu won't quit. He looks for another way in. They find a side door. A woman is about to enter. Pingwen starts bragging loudly about their tea being the best. The woman gets curious. She brings them inside.
They hit another wall. The guards inside want five thousand taels to open the next gate. Gu refuses to pay the bribe. He has to figure out another plan.
Meanwhile, Old Master Hu is putting on a show. He brought a whole tea tree from Anhui. He makes his staff pick and roast the tea live. The Princes are impressed. They taste his "Tunxi Silver Tip" and love it. Gu has some serious competition.
