Episode Summary
Feng Suige tortures Fu Yixiao to test her amnesia but realizes she's being targeted by her own country, so he decides to keep her alive. On their return to the capital, Feng Suige is confronted at the city gates by his rival, Zhuang He. Feng Suige kills him in public. He then crashes a royal ceremony to present Zhuang He's head to the Emperor, accusing the dead man of being the traitor responsible for his army's defeat.
Spoiler Alert
Feng Suige's "Hospitality"
A Test of Memory
So, we start with Ling Xueying finding Fu Yixiao. But Feng Suige's guards find them first. They get tied up. Ling Xueying basically says that Feng Suige is a total wild card who does what he wants. She's not wrong.
She begs him to let Fu Yixiao stay and heal. He is not having it. He blames Fu Yixiao for his army's defeat at Pingling. He's definitely holding a grudge. So he ignores Ling Xueying and drags Fu Yixiao away. She still has amnesia. That doesn't stop him from torturing her. He whips her and uses waterboarding. He wants to see if her memory loss is fake. During all this, Fu Yixiao gets her own back. She bites him. Hard.
A Change of Plans
Feng Suige does some investigating. He checks out Tiangeng Mountain and finds a body. He finally confirms it. Someone from Fu Yixiao's own kingdom, Jinxiu, wants her dead. This changes things.
He starts to suspect there's a traitor working with the enemy. He thinks Fu Yixiao must have stumbled onto some big secret between the two nations. That's why she was targeted. So, he decides to keep her alive. He needs her to figure out what's really going on. He even puts medicine on her back wounds himself. Then he tells her they're heading to the capital tomorrow.
Politics Back Home
A Marriage of Convenience
We get a little backstory on Fu Yixiao. She was in love with Xia Jingshi, the Prince of Zhennan. They had a plan. She would win a great victory in battle. Then he would give her a bracelet as a betrothal gift. But she vanished after the battle at Pingling. Xia Jingshi is still heartbroken.
Things get worse for him. The Emperor of Jinxiu decides to make peace with the Su Sha kingdom. To seal the deal, the Emperor orders Xia Jingshi to marry a Su Sha princess. So much for true love.
The Zhuang Family's Trap
While Feng Suige is away, his enemies are plotting. Zhuang Shen's adopted son, Zhuang He, sets up ambushes along the road. He wants to make sure Feng Suige never makes it back to the capital. A report about the ambush attempt gets to the Emperor, Feng Pingcheng. The Emperor does nothing. He just doesn't care.
When the ambush fails, Zhuang He asks another family member, Zhuang Ming, for help. Zhuang Ming has a new plan. They'll blame the soldiers of the Feng Camp for the military defeat. He figures Feng Suige will have to back down to save his own men.
The Return to the Capital
Standoff at the Gate
The ride back to the capital is tense. Fu Yixiao wakes up in the carriage. She immediately breaks her ropes and attacks Feng Suige. He's a tough guy, though. He easily gets her in a chokehold. He says something that makes her stop fighting. But she makes it clear she won't be his puppet.
They arrive at the capital on a very specific day. The Zhuang family has deliberately scheduled the Second Prince's coming-of-age ceremony for today. It's a calculated move to disrespect Feng Suige. He's furious but insists on entering the city. At the gate, Zhuang He and his men block the Feng Camp. Zhuang He demands to take Feng Suige's soldiers to the Ministry of Justice for questioning. He accuses them of having a spy in their ranks. Everyone knows that if you go into the Ministry of Justice, you don't come out. It's a standoff.
A Brutal Message
The Emperor hears about the confrontation at the gate. Again, he does nothing. He just lets them face off.
Feng Suige plays it cool. He lets Zhuang He get closer. Then he moves. He grabs Zhuang He by the throat and lifts him into the air. In front of everyone, he snaps Zhuang He's neck. He drops the body and gives a single, loud order. "Enter the city."
The Ultimate Power Move
Crashing the Party
Feng Suige takes his men through the streets of Yujing City. He drops Fu Yixiao off at the First Prince's mansion. He tells her to rest and heal. They'll talk about their "cooperation" later.
Then he goes straight to the palace. He doesn't have a royal summons. He doesn't care. He walks right into Chengde Hall. The Second Prince, Feng Chengyang, is there. He's a naive kid who actually looks up to Feng Suige. He doesn't get that his own mother scheduled his party today just to anger Feng Suige.
Flipping the Script
Feng Suige sends the young prince away. The Emperor is there with Zhuang Ming. He asks Feng Suige for the reason he lost the battle at Pingling. Before Feng Suige can even speak, Zhuang Ming jumps in. He accuses the Feng Camp of having a spy.
Feng Suige doesn't argue. He actually agrees with him. He says that Zhuang Ming is right. There was a spy. And he has already found him. On cue, a man named Lu Ke enters the hall. He's carrying a box. Inside is Zhuang He's head. Feng Suige completely turns the tables. He claims Zhuang He was the traitor. He says Zhuang He was the one who tried to have him assassinated on the road back to the capital.
