Episode Summary
Gu Pingyuan survives his cliff fall and evades capture by hiding in a water tank. He manages to get General Xu arrested by exposing his crimes. While recovering from his injuries, Gu Pingyuan reveals he was framed at the Imperial Exam five years prior. The caravan arrives in Pingyao, where Chang Si faces financial ruin at the hands of a ruthless banker named Wang Tiangui.
Spoiler Alert
The Great Fish Escape
Gu Pingyuan took a nasty fall off that cliff while covering the Su family's escape. He survived the drop, but barely. General Xu's arrow did some damage. Luckily, Chang Si and his horse caravan were nearby. They hauled him up. Chang Yuer is the real hero here though. She waited at the bottom of the cliff in freezing temperatures just to make sure he didn't freeze to death before help arrived.
General Xu isn't giving up that easily. He finds the bloody arrow and spots the cart tracks. He knows the caravan has his fugitive. Gu Pingyuan knows this too. He comes up with a plan that is equal parts desperate and brilliant. He tells the crew to empty a salt cart and fill it with river water and fish.
Xu catches up and tears the caravan apart looking for a man. He checks the carts. He sees a tank full of fish. He finds nothing else. He is in a rush to meet his superior in Jilin, so he leaves empty-handed. Once the coast is clear, Chang Si opens the fish tank. Gu Pingyuan climbs out, soaking wet but alive. He didn't just hide, though. He stole Xu's secret ledger. This book details every crime the officer has committed. He asks Chang Si to deliver it straight to the Jilin General.
Karma Hits Hard
General Xu arrives in Jilin with gifts for the General. He thinks he can smooth things over. He is wrong. Chang Si's messenger got there first. The General already has the ledger and the list of crimes Gu Pingyuan wrote out.
The General confronts Xu with the book. Xu tries to beg. It doesn't work. The General has no interest in going down with a corrupt subordinate. He accuses Xu of colluding with rebels and throws him straight into prison. It is a very satisfying end for a guy who caused so much trouble.
Fever Dreams and Old Scars
The caravan reaches Songshan Inn. A doctor treats Gu Pingyuan's wounds, but the infection is bad. He falls into a high fever. We finally get a look at his past through his delirium.
Five years ago, Gu Pingyuan was at the Imperial Exam. A man from Huizhou approached him. This stranger claimed Gu Pingyuan's mother was dying. Gu Pingyuan panicked and ran out of the exam hall. It was a trap. The authorities accused him of disrupting the exam. They sentenced him to fifteen years of exile in Ningguta. It was a setup from the start.
Awkward Truths
Gu Pingyuan wakes up to see Chang Yuer by his side. She has been nursing him day and night. They bond. He tells her he envies the freedom of the caravan life. He claims if he gets another life, he will never touch a book again.
Blackie isn't buying the bromance. He tells Chang Si to dump the fugitive before he brings more heat. Chang Si refuses. Gu Pingyuan saved his life once, so the debt stands.
Things get complicated when Gu Pingyuan recovers enough to talk about the future. Chang Si offers him a spot in the caravan. Gu Pingyuan hesitates. He mentions his elderly mother and his fiancée. This news hits Chang Si hard. He thought Gu Pingyuan was single. He has seen the way Yuer looks at Gu Pingyuan. Chang Si confronts his sister and warns her to back off. Yuer claims she just wants to help, but the crush is obvious.
Business Wars in Pingyao
Gu Pingyuan heals up as they travel. He and Yuer get closer. He tells her the rest of his story. His father disappeared in Beijing years ago. Gu Pingyuan went to find him and ended up framed. He is convinced a powerful "black hand" is behind his family's ruin. He vows to find the truth.
The group finally arrives in Pingyao, Shanxi. Gu Pingyuan is fascinated by the city. He stares at a massive silver display outside the Tayufeng Bank. This is where we meet the new antagonist.
The bank manager is Wang Tiangui. Chang Yuer hates him. Wang Tiangui is the reason Chang Si lost his home and had to return to the dangerous life of a caravan runner. Wang Tiangui spots the caravan. He sees a stranger with them. He sends his goon, Li Laizi, to investigate.
Chang Si tries to host a nice welcome dinner for Gu Pingyuan at his home. The mood dies quickly. Blackie does the math and realizes they don't have enough money to pay their debt to Wang Tiangui. Right on cue, Li Laizi shows up at the door to collect.
