Episode Summary
Ruilin exposes Li Wantang as Gu Pingyuan's father during a banquet, causing Gu's mother to fall into a coma. Ruilin gives Gu and Li Qin ten days to organize the salt fields. Li Qin uses money and secrecy to gain power, while Gu Pingyuan wins over the angry merchants by offering them a generous profit split.
Spoiler Alert
A Banquet from Hell
Gu Pingyuan and Li Qin finally finished the dam. They closed the eighth gap. It was hard work, but they pulled it off. Naturally, Ruilin wants to celebrate. He throws a banquet to honor their success. The Ninth Marshal and Li Wantang are there to smooth things over. But Ruilin has a nasty surprise up his sleeve. He invited Gu Pingyuan’s mother.
This isn't a kind gesture. Ruilin knows exactly what he is doing. He already dug up the dirt and knows Li Wantang is actually Gu Pingyuan’s biological father. He wants to watch Li Wantang squirm.
It works. Li Wantang sees Gu’s mother and looks like he saw a ghost. Ruilin forces him to propose a toast to her. Gu’s mother recognizes him immediately. She calls him out as her long-lost husband, Gu Wanzhang. Li Wantang panics. He denies everything and insists he is "Li Baiwan." The shock is too much for the old woman. She faints right there. Li Wantang sees the chaos and bolts with Li Qin.
Sickness and Scams
The fallout is immediate. Li Wantang goes home and collapses. The doctor says it’s stress and depression. Li Qin is confused by his father's sudden collapse. Meanwhile, Gu’s mother is in a coma from the shock. The doctor calls it a sickness of the heart. Gu Pingyuan is frantic.
Things get messier. Old Pan shows up. He is in bad shape. He smoked away his fortune on opium. He sold his salt fields to Li Wantang. He even sold his wife and kids. He tries to beg Gu Pingyuan for two hundred taels of silver. Li Qin actually steps up here. He arrives, exposes Old Pan’s lies, and kicks the addict out.
Li Qin uses this moment to fish for information about Gu’s mother. He mentions his own father is sick. Gu Pingyuan is distracted and doesn't know what to do. But they don't have time to mope. Li Qin reminds him they have to report to the Governor’s office. Ruilin won't wait. Chang Yuer stays behind to nurse Gu’s mother. Gu Pingyuan leaves his mom in her care and heads out with Li Qin.
The Ten-Day Deadline
Ruilin doesn't care about their family drama. He gives them ten days to sort out the salt fields. The rule is simple: government supervision, merchant operation. If they fail, they get punished.
Li Qin is playing dirty. His father used force to steal a lot of salt fields. Li Qin hides his father's illness from the workers to keep them in line. He wants total control.
Gu Pingyuan takes a different approach. Chang Yuer sends Heizi to protect him. Gu sends Heizi to fetch Tu Ying, a major player in the salt guild. This goes wrong fast. The merchants are angry about Gu and Li taking over. Tu Ying insults Heizi. Heizi has a short fuse. He arrests Tu Ying and drags him to Gu Pingyuan.
Gu Pingyuan Plays the Long Game
This is a disaster. Tu Ying isn't just a salt merchant. He owns silk shops and has Ruilin’s respect. Gu Pingyuan apologizes profusely. He even throws a dinner to smooth things over. He asks Tu Ying for advice. Tu Ying stays quiet at first. Gu explains the reality of the situation.
While Gu plays diplomat, Li Qin tries to buy loyalty. He gathers bosses from Jiangsu and Jiangxi. He tells them to run their fields well and tries to get them to buy out Gu’s territory.
Back at the dinner, Gu Pingyuan finally breaks through to Tu Ying. Tu Ying opens up. He reveals the dirty tricks used in the trade and exposes Li Wantang’s aggressive acquisitions. He tells Gu to get the Cao Gang on his side for transport.
Gu Pingyuan calls a massive meeting at the Salt Guild. He asks for their help against Li Wantang. He serves them expensive Lan Xue tea. Then he drops the bomb. He offers them a thirty-seventy split on profits. The merchants go wild. They immediately switch sides to support Gu.
Li Qin is desperate. He ignores his butler’s advice and dumps ten thousand taels of his own silver into the salt fields to fight back.
Gu finally goes home late that night. Chang Yuer is asleep at the table. She was practicing writing but hides the paper when he wakes her. Gu sits by his mother. His brother, Gu Pingwen, complains about missing the tea harvest back home. It’s petty noise compared to the war Gu just started. Chang Si and Mr. Liao are already there, helping him plan his next move.
