Episode Summary
In this episode, Zhuang Shen confesses to murder and is killed by Feng Suige, leading to the ruin of the Zhuang family. While Suige celebrates his victory, Empress Zhuang Jingyuan assassinates the Emperor, Feng Pingcheng. Murong Zhong helps her cover up the crime and launches a coup, killing palace staff. The next day, Suige discovers his father's body and is attacked by Murong Zhong. Just as Suige is about to win the fight, he is stabbed from behind by a shocking, unseen ally of Murong Zhong.
Spoiler Alert
The Fall of the Zhuang Clan
A Public Confession and a Swift Execution
The episode kicks off right in Changchun Palace. Feng Suige has Zhuang Shen cornered. He's not messing around. He demands to know why Zhuang Shen murdered the former empress, Wei Qingyu. All the court ministers are there to watch the drama unfold.
Zhuang Shen knows he's trapped. To protect the rest of his family and the current empress, Zhuang Jingyuan, he takes the fall. He confesses to everything. He says he acted alone. Then he basically walks right onto Feng Suige's sword. It's a quick, brutal end for him.
The whole time, the Emperor, Feng Pingcheng, is hiding inside. He never shows his face. He just sends out Eunuch Ma to pass along messages. After Zhuang Shen is dead, the Emperor summons Suige. But Suige is done. He refuses to go. He announces that his relationship with his father, both as a son and a subject, is completely severed.
The Emperor's Cold Justice
Feng Pingcheng then drops the hammer on the Zhuang family. He orders their entire estate seized. All the women are forced to become palace slaves. It's a total political wipeout.
But he does something interesting with Empress Zhuang Jingyuan. He doesn't sentence her to death. Instead, he wants her to live and suffer with the knowledge of her family's ruin. That’s colder than any execution.
A Celebration and a Secret Plot
A Moment of Peace for Suige
Feng Suige goes back to Fu Yixiao. He seems almost free. On his way to take her to his family's ancestral hall, he runs into Murong Zhong. The old man begs Suige to save his son, Murong Yao. Suige says nothing. His silence is the answer. Murong Zhong just shuffles away, looking completely broken.
Suige then takes Fu Yixiao to the hall. They kneel together before the memorial tablet for his mother, Wei Qingyu. He admits that he was lost in darkness after her death. Meeting Fu Yixiao was what finally pulled him out of it. Later that night, they throw a huge party. They're celebrating. They think the fight is over.
The Empress's Final Move
The mood in the palace is the exact opposite. It's dead quiet. Zhuang Jingyuan demands to see the Emperor. Eunuch Ma eventually lets her in.
Feng Pingcheng already knows why she's there. He tells her he won't make her son, Feng Chengyang, the next emperor. He will, however, make him a Prince. The catch is that Chengyang must serve Suige loyally. He also can never leave the capital city of Yujing.
Zhuang Jingyuan makes one last request. She asks to tie the Emperor's hair for him. He agrees. As she's behind him, she pulls out a hidden dagger. She stabs him directly in the heart. The Emperor is disabled and can't move from his chair. He falls to the floor, calling for help.
The Coup Begins
Murong Zhong's Betrayal
Two guards rush in, followed by Murong Zhong. You think they're there to save the Emperor. You would be wrong. Murong Zhong immediately kills both guards. He helps Zhuang Jingyuan, cleaning up the blood and covering up the murder. When Eunuch Ma shows up, Murong Zhong kills him too, stabbing him from behind.
The cheerful music from Suige's party contrasts sharply with the slaughter happening in the palace. Murong Yao and Murong Jie arrive. Murong Yao is stunned to learn what his father has done. He was the one who originally plotted with Zhuang Shen. But he never planned for this. Hearing that they also have to kill Feng Suige, he starts to panic. He realizes his family is past the point of no return.
The Emperor is Dead
The next morning, a eunuch tells Feng Suige the Emperor is sick again. Suige is annoyed but goes to the palace. He walks into the imperial study. He finds Feng Pingcheng sitting upright in his chair, covered in blood. He's already dead.
Suddenly, Murong Zhong attacks. He tries to shoot Suige with a crossbow from the shadows, but it fails. He then rushes Suige with a dagger. Murong Zhong is old, though. He's no match for Suige, who quickly gets the upper hand.
A Shocking Betrayal
Suige turns the dagger back on Murong Zhong. He has him cornered. He's slowly pushing the blade into Murong Zhong's chest. Just as he's about to finish it, a sword blade bursts through his own chest from behind.
The blade is clean going in and red coming out. Feng Suige can't believe it. He never thought someone else was in the room. And the person who stabbed him is the last person he would have ever expected.
