Episode Summary
In this episode, the team discovers Wuyang faked her own death to elope with her lover, A'mu, and escape her controlling mother. Their plan accidentally attracted real criminals, but they managed to resolve it. Lu Lingfeng shows mercy and lets them go. The episode ends by introducing Li Nai'er, an agent of the Princess, who is now monitoring Lu Lingfeng's activities.
Spoiler Alert
The Dead Girl Isn't Wuyang
So, the case is completely stuck. The Lord of a Hundred Changes is dead. Wuyang is still missing. Lu Lingfeng and Su Wuming feel the pressure. They promised the monk Guangxiao they'd clear his name in ten days. Su Wuming decides the only move left is to re-examine the body.
It turns out Pei Xijun had the exact same idea. She and Chu Yingtao go check out the corpse themselves. They find something huge. The dead girl has no plum blossom mark on her arm. This means it can't be Wuyang.
They immediately tell the guys. They bring in Wuyang's mother, Chi Ying, to confirm. She breaks down. She says she branded Wuyang with that mark when she was a little girl. It was after a kidnapping attempt. Wuyang looked so much like the Empress Wu that people tried to snatch her. The brand was so she could always identify her daughter.
Setting a Trap
Now they know Wuyang is alive and hiding. The group needs a way to draw her out. They come up with a pretty clever plan.
They have Chi Ying pretend to give up her search. She reopens her makeup shop. She even accepts help from her admirer, Xia Sheng. The goal is to make it look like she has accepted her daughter's "death" and is moving on with her life.
Soon enough, their plan gets a bite. A'mu, the stable boy, comes to say goodbye to Chi Ying. He tells her he's going back to his hometown. He wishes her well and leaves.
The Big Reveal
A'mu doesn't get far. He's driving a carriage out of the city when he finds Lu Lingfeng and the whole crew waiting for him. They block the road. They demand to see who is in the carriage.
The curtain opens. It's Wuyang.
She finally comes clean. She apologizes to Pei Xijun and Chu Yingtao for using them. She admits she faked her own disappearance. She was just trying to get away from her controlling mother.
A Love Story Gone Wrong
Here’s the full story. Wuyang and A'mu are in love. They were secretly planning to run away together. A'mu isn't just a stable hand. His father was a minor official who got framed by a corrupt officer and died in prison. This left A'mu an orphan. He and Wuyang connected over their sad situations. They just wanted to be together.
So, they staged a fake kidnapping.
The problem is, their fake crime attracted real criminals. That's how Shen Yu, Li Fengjie, and the Lord of a Hundred Changes all got involved. Wuyang was suddenly in real danger. She saw the Lord of a Hundred Changes kill another woman who looked like her. She acted fast. She swapped her clothes onto the dead body to fake her own death. Then A'mu tipped off Su Wuming about where to find the Lord, letting the authorities take him down.
A Merciful Judgment
Lu Lingfeng is furious. He tells A'mu that helping with an abduction and hiding the truth are serious crimes. Wuyang drops to her knees. She begs them to forgive A'mu. She says all she ever wanted was a normal life. Everyone, including Pei Xijun and Master Fei, speaks up for them. Master Fei even gives Wuyang an improved recipe for her face powder to help her start a business.
Lu Lingfeng is all about the law, but he caves. He makes A'mu write a full confession, which Wuyang also signs. He tells them to go to Hanzhou and report to a specific official. He's basically giving them a pass.
Before they go, Su Wuming asks where Wuyang was hiding. She says she was staying near her mother's shop, watching her. She wanted to make sure her mom would be okay before she left for good.
Later, we see Chi Ying find out her daughter is alive. She is overjoyed. She immediately closes her shop and heads for Hanzhou to find Wuyang. Xia Sheng goes with her. Lu Lingfeng even gives him a horse for the journey.
A New Player in the Game
With that case closed, a new plot starts brewing. The group is hanging out, and Lu Lingfeng decides to start judging minor cases right in the city market.
The next day, a woman named Li Nai'er watches him from a distance. Lu Tong spots her. We then see Li Nai'er reporting back to the Princess. The Princess is very happy to hear what Lu Lingfeng is doing. She promotes Li Nai'er to a high-ranking military position. The Princess promises her an even bigger promotion in the future. It's clear she's using Li Nai'er to keep an eye on things.
