Episode Summary
Meng Buyi survives being buried alive and confesses to the snake plot, though Su Wuming remains suspicious. On the road, the servant Mingshi reveals his true identity to Hongyao. He is a legendary assassin who created Yan Junxian as a political puppet. This leads to a series of betrayals in a forest. Hongyao poisons Mingshi to avenge her father, Yan Junxian kills the weakened Mingshi, and then Yan is accidentally killed by Chu Yingtao while trying to murder Hongyao. Back in court, both Hongyao and Meng Buyi give conflicting confessions, leaving the true culprit of the original murder unclear.
Spoiler Alert
The Body That Wouldn't Stay Buried
So, you thought Meng Buyi was dead. I did too. Turns out, he wasn't buried very well. He wakes up, claws his way out of the dirt, and makes a run for it. He doesn't go into hiding. He runs straight to the Yongzhou government office. He starts banging the drum to demand a hearing.
Inside, he confesses everything. Or at least, he confesses a version of everything. He says the purple snake was his. He learned it escaped from Yan Junxian's garden. He went and caught it himself using some special herbs. The snake wasn't ready for its gall bladder to be harvested. So he just kept it.
His plan was to get revenge on Yan Junxian. He was furious about Yan's affair with his fiancée, Hongyao. He hid the snake in a wardrobe, planning to use it on Yan. But the man in the wardrobe that night wasn't Yan. It was Zhang San. Su Wuming listens to the whole story. He can tell Meng Buyi is still hiding something. But Meng swears he's told them the complete truth.
A Road Trip Full of Secrets
While all this is happening, Lu Lingfeng rushes to the pharmacy garden. He's too late. Mingshi and Yan Junxian are already gone. The official story is they left town to gather herbs. Pei Xijun is there, though. She draws a sketch of Mingshi based on a servant's description.
We then catch up with Mingshi on the road. He's driving a carriage with Hongyao and an unconscious Yan Junxian. He decides it's a good time to tell Hongyao his life story.
The Servant Was the Master
Mingshi lays it all out. He came from a merchant family but was obsessed with swords. He trained for over a decade. He joined the most feared assassin group in the country, the "Blood Drops." For three years, he was their top killer. His assassin name was "Beacon Fire Across the City."
Eventually, he got tired of the life. He took his money and retired. He rebuilt his family's business and became incredibly wealthy. But money wasn't enough. He wanted power. His merchant background blocked him from becoming an official. So he came up with a new plan. He took one of his slaves, a man named Shuiji. He gave him a new name, Yan Junxian. He trained him and pushed him into the world of politics. Yan Junxian was just his puppet.
Hongyao listens to all of this. She seems completely captivated. She looks at Mingshi with even more admiration. She then points out that Yan Junxian is just dead weight on their journey. She asks Mingshi what he plans to do about it.
Revenge Is a Dish Served with Mint
They pull the carriage over in a secluded forest. Mingshi gets out. He starts digging a hole. He's going to bury Yan Junxian alive. Hongyao just watches. She doesn't say a word to stop him. Instead, she wanders off and picks some fresh mint leaves. She knows it's Mingshi's favorite thing to chew on.
The Double-Cross
Mingshi takes the leaves without a second thought. He pops a few in his mouth. He doesn't know that Hongyao has coated them in a deadly poison. As the poison starts to work, he finally understands. Hongyao tells him the truth. Nineteen years ago, he murdered her father. She was just a little girl. She saw the whole thing and swore she would get her revenge. This has all been a long con.
We also learn Yan Junxian was in on it with her. They worked together to trick Mingshi. They made him believe Hongyao was devoted to him. It made him lower his guard completely.
The Triple-Cross
Yan Junxian wakes up. He sees Mingshi is weak from the poison. He grabs a dagger and finishes the job. He stabs his master to death and buries the body. He has finally won his freedom.
Then he turns to Hongyao. He's not done killing. He tells her their romance was a complete lie. He was just using her to get close to Mingshi. Now that he's free, he wants to rise to the top. She is a loose end he needs to eliminate. Just as he's about to kill her, Chu Yingtao shows up. She strikes Yan Junxian to save Hongyao. But she doesn't know he has zero martial arts training. She hits him way too hard. He dies on the spot.
Confessions and More Lies
Lu Lingfeng arrives to find two fresh corpses. Chu Yingtao explains what happened. Mingshi was the legendary assassin. Yan Junxian and Hongyao plotted to kill him. Then Yan tried to kill Hongyao.
They take Hongyao back to the government office for questioning. She tells her story. She spent years searching for the assassin "Beacon Fire." The trail led her to Chang'an. She was shocked to find the killer was now working as a simple servant. She got close to Yan Junxian to learn more. She thought her plan had failed when Yan left town. She even tried to kill herself. Meng Buyi was the one who saved her.
Right as she's insisting Meng Buyi had nothing to do with any of this, he bursts into the courtroom. He tries to take the fall for everything. He claims he was the one who wanted to kill Zhang San out of jealousy.
Lu Lingfeng and Su Wuming don't buy it for a second. The story is full of holes. Su Wuming asks Meng where the murder weapon is. Meng can't answer. He just stammers. But then Hongyao speaks up. She tells them exactly where the scissors are hidden.
