Episode Summary
Fu Yixiao confronts Xia Jingshi and we learn he was the one who shot her off a cliff on a masked man's orders. Heartbroken, she rejects his plea to reconcile. Feng Suige offers her sanctuary at his late mother's private estate. To get justice for an attack on her subordinate, Feng Suige defies the Emperor and is put under house arrest as a result.
Spoiler Alert
A Confrontation Years in the Making
Fu Yixiao Demands Answers
Fu Yixiao doesn't waste any time. She skips the welcome dinner and goes straight to find Xia Jingshi. She needs to know what really happened. And we finally get the flashback.
It turns out, after the Battle of Pingling, she overheard Xia Jingshi talking with a mysterious masked man. The masked man ordered Xia Jingshi to kill her. Fu Yixiao was horrified by their plan. They wanted to use the 300,000 people at Zhennan Pass as bait to trap the Su Sha army. She refused to let that happen.
The Betrayal at the Cliff
She decided to take matters into her own hands. She set up an ambush to kill the masked man. But Xia Jingshi showed up and stopped her. They argued. He didn't want her to interfere. Then he pulled out a crossbow. He shot her in the shoulder at point-blank range. The impact sent her flying off a cliff. The flashback ends with the look of pure shock and betrayal on her face.
Back in the present, she asks him who the masked man is. Xia Jingshi completely avoids the question. He starts begging her to come back to him. He claims he will give up everything if she just takes him back. Fu Yixiao is clearly heartbroken and disgusted. She leaves. As a final word, she tells him to inform Xiao Weiran that Ning Fei is dead. The matter is now closed.
Feng Suige Makes His Move
A Safe Haven
Here’s something you should know. Feng Suige followed Fu Yixiao. He watched her go into the royal villa to confront Xia Jingshi. He was so worried that he almost stormed the place to get her out. That would have been a major international incident. When she finally stumbles out, looking completely broken, he’s right there to support her.
Later, she has a terrible nightmare and wakes up in a panic, almost attacking him. Feng Suige remembers what Ling Feng, the doctor, told him. For Fu Yixiao to truly heal, she needs to be in a calm place, far away from all this drama. So he asks her if she is willing to join his side. She doesn't give him a straight answer.
He then takes her to a private estate in the countryside. The house belonged to his mother. He explains it was her sanctuary after returning from war. A place with no palace rules, just family. He wants her to relax and feel safe. She’s still suspicious of his motives, though. She gets close and tells him she can see right through him, which makes his heart race. He quickly changes the subject. That night, he stays by her side and fans away mosquitoes while she sleeps.
Defying the Emperor
The next morning, Fu Yixiao overhears a report. They found Xun Xiang, the man who attacked Ning Fei. Feng Suige immediately has him captured and brought before his father, the Emperor Feng Pingcheng.
Zhuang Jingyuan rushes in. Without even looking at Xun Xiang, she denies any knowledge of his actions. The Emperor clearly wants to sweep the whole thing under the rug to keep the peace. Feng Suige is not having it. He stands up for Fu Yixiao and openly defies his father. He even brings up his deceased mother, which crosses a line.
The enraged Emperor orders Feng Suige to be placed under house arrest. He also removes him from an important upcoming ancestral rite for the royal wedding. The Second Prince, Feng Chengyang, will take his place. Feng Suige doesn't seem to care at all. He just turns and walks away.
