Episode Summary
This episode lays out all the political maneuvering. The Princess has officially declared her intentions to Lu Lingfeng, and she's using rumors to weaken the Emperor's position. Meanwhile, the mystery of the Liu brothers gets stranger with a headless corpse and a shady merchant who deals in body parts. Lu Lingfeng is caught in the middle of it all, and now he's been publicly snubbed by the Emperor he chose to serve.
Spoiler Alert
The Aftermath and a Warning
A General's Last Wish
Lu Tong is awake. The first thing he does is call for Lu Lingfeng. He wants to test him. He needs to know where his head is at. Lu Lingfeng makes it clear. He won't let personal grudges interfere with his duty. He also doesn't blame the Emperor for what happened. This is exactly what Lu Tong wanted to hear. He decides to recommend Lu Lingfeng to take over his job as General of the Right Jinwu Guard.
The Peach Problem
Outside, Master Fei is enjoying a golden peach by himself. A giant bird suddenly swoops down and attacks him. He gets pretty banged up, but luckily, it's not a fatal injury. During the chaos, he manages to pull a feather from the bird. He keeps it as evidence.
Lu Lingfeng puts the pieces together. The giant bird only attacks people who have eaten the golden peaches. He immediately goes to the Emperor to report the danger. The Emperor's face changes. He knows that palace tradition requires all tribute items to be shared with the Supreme Emperor and the Princess. They have to stop them from eating the peaches. The two men split up and rush to give the warnings.
A Royal Dinner Party
The Princess Won't Listen
The Emperor gets to his father just in time. The Supreme Emperor is safe. Lu Lingfeng, however, has a tougher time. He runs to the Princess's residence. He explains the whole killer bird situation. He begs her not to eat the fruit. She doesn't seem to care at all. In fact, she orders a banquet to be held. She wants to invite all her top generals to taste this "rare treasure" with her.
Seeing this, Lu Lingfeng has no choice but to prepare for the worst. He secretly positions elite crossbowmen on the rooftops around the building. He puts the entire area on high alert.
The Princess invites General Cen Zhi and Prime Minister Cui to her table. They drink and celebrate. Lu Lingfeng is the only one who stays on guard, watching every shadow. But the banquet ends. Nothing happens. The night is quiet. There was no sign of the giant bird.
The Princess Reveals Her Hand
Cen Zhi and Prime Minister Cui leave. The Princess then calls Lu Lingfeng over. She looks incredibly proud. She tells him she is protected by destiny itself. Even a fearsome bird wouldn't dare to harm her.
Then she gets real. She talks about the current Emperor with total disdain. She makes her own ambitions perfectly clear. She wants to be the new Empress, just like in the old stories. And after her, she says, the throne will pass to Lu Lingfeng.
Plots and Suspicions
A General Falls
General Cen Zhi is on his way home from the party. The giant bird attacks him. The bird's claws are like sharp hooks. Its attack is fast and brutal. Cen Zhi fights back hard. But the bird keeps tearing at him. He is finally thrown from a high place and dies.
We learn something important here. Yang Xu had threatened Cen Zhi's wife and daughter. He forced Cen Zhi to follow his orders. Cen Zhi was loyal to the Princess, but he had to give in to protect his family.
Yang Xu uses this death to his advantage. He tells the Emperor it's proof the Princess controls the bird. He argues the bird would never attack at her own home. The Emperor has his doubts. He doesn't buy Yang Xu's theory just yet.
Shifting Loyalties
The Princess hears about Cen Zhi's death. She immediately assumes the Emperor forced him to betray her. She then tests Prime Minister Cui's loyalty. He swears he is completely devoted to her. He will help her achieve her grand ambitions.
Elsewhere, the Masked Man finds Liu Shiqi. He demands to know why the bird wasn't sent to attack during the banquet. Liu Shiqi makes an excuse. He says the bird is wild and hard to control. He then promises to sneak into the Princess's residence himself to finish the job.
The Prison and the Morgue
A Family Reunited
Back in Gantang prison, Liu Shijiu breaks out of his cage and tries to hurt a guard. Su Wuming and Chu Yingtao arrive just in time to stop him. Su Wuming checks on Liu Shijiu's condition. Lieutenant Xu tells him that Liu Shijiu has been on a hunger strike. He started it after hearing his brother, Liu Shiqi, was executed. His other brother, Liu Shiba, seems completely unaware. He just keeps handing out food to the prisoners for the guards.
Su Wuming yells at Liu Shiba for being so cold to his own brother. He tells him that hope is only possible if they stay alive. Liu Shiba finally understands. The two brothers make up.
A Missing Head
The next day, Su Wuming and Lieutenant Xu open a coffin to examine a body. Inside, they find a headless corpse. It's supposed to be Liu Shiqi. The bailiff in charge of the body, a man named Ma, drops to his knees in fear. He confesses everything. He was deep in debt. He cut off Liu Shiqi's head and sold it to an "Yin-Yang merchant" known as the "Lord of a Hundred Changes."
This "Lord" apparently preys on people's desires. We hear about a merchant named Qu who was obsessed with a dancer. The Lord of a Hundred Changes convinced him to try and transplant the dancer's face onto his wife's. The dancer ended up dead.
The Emperor Makes a Choice
Rumors and Power Plays
Soon, rumors start spreading all over Chang'an. People are saying the Emperor is not the Supreme Emperor's trueborn eldest son. They claim his bloodline is illegitimate. They say he is unfit to rule. The Princess is thrilled to hear this. She starts planning her next move. She believes Lu Tong is no longer a threat. Even though he holds the general's seal, he's just an invalid. His power is gone.
Lu Lingfeng Gets Shut Down
The Emperor visits the sick Lu Tong. Lu Tong officially recommends Lu Lingfeng for the general position. The Emperor rejects the idea. He says the position is too important. Making a change now could cause instability. He says no.
Lu Tong then asks him to at least restore Lu Lingfeng's original rank. The Emperor still refuses. He even appoints a man named Li Feng to take temporary command of the troops.
Lu Lingfeng is standing right outside the door. He hears every single word of the conversation. He just turns around and walks away.
