Episode Summary
An assassin named Nujiao attempts to kill Ruan Daxiong during a poetry contest but is stopped. Her second attempt is foiled by Lu Lingfeng, revealing she was hired by the house manager. We learn Nujiao is the long-lost love of the poet Leng Ji, and her blindness is a ruse. After they reconcile and get married on the spot, the real villains are exposed. The visiting theater troupe, led by a bandit in disguise, tries to rob the house, only to have their plan and their stolen loot—a chest containing the kidnapped original troupe leader—stolen by other thieves.
Spoiler Alert
A singer named Nujiao takes the stage. She's holding a pipa lute. She's also carrying a longsword. Everyone is confused. Singers don't usually carry swords. She says she knows how to do a sword dance. The crowd asks her to perform.
Her sword dance is good. Really good. The blade slices through the air. Then the sword suddenly lunges toward Ruan Daxiong.
Luckily, Chu Yingtao is on it. She uses a serving tray to block the blade. Su Wuming thinks fast. He shouts that Chu Yingtao is also a dancer. He invites her to join Nujiao. It's a clever way to keep them both occupied. The two "dance" together, but they are really just neutralizing each other. Nujiao can't get another shot at her target. The dance ends. Nujiao sings a poem written by Leng Ji. The poem wins the contest for him.
A Failed Hit and a Backstory
Later, Lu Lingfeng finds Leng Ji looking pretty down. He grabs a drink with him and the others. At the same time, Manager Hou finds Nujiao in her room. He's the one who hired her. He wants to know why the hit failed. Nujiao tells him there was an expert in the room. She couldn't make her move. She tells him to point out which room is the target's.
The Assassin's Real Target
Later that night, Nujiao sneaks into Ruan Daxiong's room to finish the job. But Lu Lingfeng is waiting for her. The whole thing was a setup. She tries to escape. Chu Yingtao cuts her off and captures her in just a few moves.
With the assassin caught, Manager Hou's plan falls apart. He confesses everything. His reason is pretty simple. He thinks Ruan Daxiong is a screw-up who only cares about poetry and wine. He was loyal to Ruan's father. He was worried the family business would go under. So, he decided to take over. Ruan Daxiong doesn't punish him harshly. He just has him locked in the woodshed for two days. He's still sentimental about the manager's service to his father.
A Poet's Tragic Love Story
Lu Lingfeng wants to arrest Nujiao for attempted murder. But Leng Ji steps in. He offers to take her punishment. He then drops a huge bombshell. Nujiao is actually his long-lost love, Jiao Nu.
He explains their past. They were in love back in Luoyang. She was a singer. She became the top performer and had to spend time with powerful men. Leng Ji saw her getting close to a general. He got jealous and started a fight. He was badly beaten. In his anger, he told her he never wanted to see her again. He even cursed her, hoping she would go blind.
He regretted it instantly. He became famous for his poem, "Hanshi Xing," but he was too heartbroken to care. He gave up his career and went to live in seclusion with his friends. He has felt guilty about Jiao Nu ever since.
Su Wuming asks Jiao Nu for her side of the story. She says she was heartbroken after Leng Ji left. Her fame faded. She went to Chang'an but didn't want to join the Ghost Market or marry a merchant. Instead, she traveled the world. She met a hermit who taught her martial arts. She became an assassin and took the name Nujiao. She says the blindness is fake. It's just a disguise for her work.
And here's the key part. She only kills bad people. She didn't kill Ruan Daxiong because she saw him treating poets with respect. She knew he wasn't a bad guy, so she held back her final blow.
A Wedding and a Heist
Leng Ji is wrecked by all this. He swears that if he can have her back, he will marry her properly. He even threatens to kill himself to prove his love.
From Assassin to Bride
Jiao Nu is finally moved. She agrees to marry him. Lu Lingfeng and Su Wuming decide to let this play out. They put the whole "arresting an assassin" thing on hold. Ruan Daxiong is so happy for them that he sets up a wedding right then and there. He even hires the Xuanhuo theater troupe to perform. Leng Ji and Jiao Nu get married in front of everyone.
The Real Villains Make Their Move
But the real action is happening with the theater troupe. Lang Yehu quietly tells Troupe Leader Sai they should leave. They've been here too long and might attract suspicion. But Troupe Leader Sai is greedy. He wants to rob the place one more time.
He drugs the wine. Everyone seems to pass out. Sai and Lang Yehu get ready to make their move. But there's a problem. Two other thieves, Qilang and his brother, were hiding and watching. They see a big, heavy chest. They think it's full of gold. They steal it. They have no idea the real leader of the Xuanhuo troupe is locked inside.
Suddenly, Lu Lingfeng and the others wake up. They were faking it! Sai and Lang Yehu know they've been tricked. They are completely outnumbered. Ruan Daxiong, Wang Youbo, Leng Ji, and Gao Da all join the fight. They easily capture Troupe Leader Sai. Lu Lingfeng then reveals his true identity as an official.
Sai confesses everything. His real name is Gou Mengchang. He's a notorious bandit. Lang Yehu convinced him to kidnap the real troupe leader. They used the troupe as a cover to get into rich houses and rob them. He also says all their stolen loot was in that chest. Ruan Daxiong points out the obvious. They need to get that chest back, and not just for the money. A man's life is on the line.
