Episode Summary
Wang Tiangui hires Gu Pingyuan to clean up corruption at his pawnshop in exchange for freeing Chang Si. The existing managers bully Gu and lock him up, but he uses the time to study their fraudulent books. Gu partners with rival businessman Li Qin to start a price war that drains the pawnshop's business, proving his worth and cornering the corrupt managers.
Spoiler Alert
The Fixer
Wang Tiangui has a serious problem at his business, the Taiyufeng Pawnshop. He checks the books and realizes his top managers are stealing from him. They are cooking the ledgers. He wants to clean house, but these guys are veterans who worked for his father. He can’t just fire them without a plan. He needs a shark. He sets his sights on Gu Pingyuan.
Gu is currently rotting in a jail cell after a run-in with a general. He got arrested while helping Chang Si deliver medicine. Wang Tiangui sees an opportunity. He bribes the county magistrate to get Gu out. He offers Gu a deal. Gu has thirty days to clean up the corruption at the pawnshop. If he succeeds, Wang will get Chang Si out of prison and keep Chang’s daughter safe. Gu agrees.
Welcome to the Snake Pit
Gu Pingyuan walks into Taiyufeng Pawnshop ready to work. The reception is icy. The head manager and the second manager know he is a threat. They decide to freeze him out. They give him the title of "fourth manager" but assign him zero actual duties. The staff mocks him. They try to humiliate him. Gu doesn't snap back. He stays quiet and watches everything.
Meanwhile, Li Qin and Su Zixuan roll into Pingyao. They want to expand their business empire. Su wants to bribe the local officials to smooth the way. Li Qin is arrogant. He says his family’s money is power enough. He claims they will dominate the town in three months.
Gu visits Chang Si in jail after work. Chang Si is terrified for him. The old guard at the pawnshop is powerful. Even the owner, Wang Tiangui, can’t easily touch them. Gu swears he will do whatever it takes to win the bet.
Bad Management 101
We get a look at how the current managers run things. A tomb raider comes in with a piece of jade. He claims it is an ancient artifact. The head manager spots the dirt on it, smashes the jade, and kicks the guy out. He rules through fear.
Then, a real opportunity walks in. General Bao Qingde arrives. He needs cash to pay his troops. He offers a waist saber and a yellow jacket as collateral. The second manager is an idiot. He thinks the General is a scammer and tries to toss him out. The General gets furious. The manager pushes Gu forward to take the heat.
Gu takes one look at the items. He knows they are real. He also knows making friends with the military is smart. The General asks for 500 taels. Gu gives him a banknote for 1000. The General is impressed. The second manager is livid. He punishes Gu by locking him in the storehouse.
This backfires on the managers. The storehouse is full of old ledgers. Gu spends his solitary confinement studying the real numbers. He finds the proof he needs.
The Strike
The managers try a power play. They close the shop and march to Wang Tiangui’s house. They demand he fire Gu, or they all quit. Wang Tiangui isn't intimidated. He actually hates these guys. He also has personal issues on his mind. He has several wives but no children. People mock him for having no heir. It is his biggest insecurity.
Gu escapes the storehouse with help from a sympathetic employee, Little Jin. He goes straight to Wang Tiangui. Wang warns him that the managers are plotting against him. Gu doubles down. He promises to fix the shop in less than a month.
The Price War
Gu gets creative. Since he is technically locked out of running Taiyufeng, he goes to the competition. He approaches Li Qin at the Wanyuan Pawnshop. He proposes a partnership. Li Qin loves chaos and agrees.
They set up a stall right at the city gate. They bring chests of silver from Li’s bank. They offer insane rates for pawned goods. It’s a total disruption of the market. People rush to Taiyufeng, redeem their old items, and bring them to Gu and Li to pawn for more money. Then, they deposit that extra cash into Li’s bank. It drains Taiyufeng of both inventory and cash flow.
Wang Tiangui watches from the sidelines. He finds it hilarious. The head manager at Taiyufeng panics. The shop is bleeding business. He realizes Gu is setting a trap.
Gu and Li take the show on the road. They visit nearby villages to drum up even more business. Li sends for more silver from Beijing. His father worries, but the plan is working. The Taiyufeng managers run back to Wang Tiangui to complain. Wang just mocks them.
The final blow lands when General Bao returns. He wants to redeem his saber and jacket. He refuses to deal with anyone but Gu Pingyuan.
