Episode Summary
This episode sees Feng Suige and Feng Chengyang finally reconcile, with Chengyang offering to abdicate. Meanwhile, the Empress Dowager and Xia Jingshi plot to kill Feng Xiyang during a festival and frame another country for it. Feng Xiyang shows her terrifying side when Xia Jingyan tries to use her quest for revenge as a game.
Spoiler Alert
Feng Suige Gets an Update
Feng Suige gets a visit from an old friend, Lao Song. The news is not good. He tells Suige that Murong Yao has taken complete control of the Feng Camp. Anyone who refused to submit was killed. Lao Song is a real one, though. He chose to leave the army instead of betraying Suige. He says his loyalty is only to him.
Lao Song also drops another piece of information. He discovered that Shen Wu is investigating the late emperor's death. Shen Wu is a total opportunist who just follows the wind. So, Suige immediately figures it out. Feng Chengyang must have sent Shen Wu to dig for the truth.
Kidnapping a Weasel
Later, Feng Suige decides to speed things up. He has his people straight-up kidnap Shen Wu. Suige isn't worried. He knows Shen Wu is a spineless suck-up. He will do exactly what he's told.
The Royals Are Not Okay
The Emperor Pushes Back
Empress Dowager Jing is furious. She storms into Shengfu Hall ready to tear into the emperor. But Xia Jingyan is ready for her. He has someone bring in Liang Pin's bloody helmet. The sight completely rattles the Dowager.
Jingyan makes it clear he's done playing games. He defends Feng Xiyang in front of everyone. He's openly defying his mother. The Empress Dowager is practically shaking with rage. She later summons Xia Jingshi. She gives him a condition to earn her trust. He has to kill Feng Xiyang. Jingshi desperately needs her support, so he agrees.
An Offer and a Warning
Xia Jingshi finds Feng Xiyang alone in the garden. He's holding a pair of scissors, but he doesn't attack. Instead, he offers to help her escape Jinxiu. He says he can get her back to Su Sha. Feng Xiyang is disgusted by his fake sincerity. She harshly rejects his offer.
His nice-guy act fails, so he decides to get violent. But a palace servant walks by at just the wrong moment. Jingshi has to back off.
A Reckoning Between Brothers
The Truth Comes Out
Shen Wu delivers Feng Suige's message to Feng Chengyang. The young emperor wants to see his brother immediately. He trusts Suige won't hurt him over the throne.
Shen Wu arranges the meeting. Feng Suige tells his brother everything. He explains that Murong Zhong and his son framed him for the assassination. He admits he doesn't have solid proof yet. But he says Zhuang Jingyuan is definitely involved.
An Unexpected Sacrifice
Feng Chengyang believes him. He offers to give the throne back to Feng Suige. He says he'll leave the palace and live out his days quietly. He has only one request. He asks Suige not to kill his mother, the Empress Dowager. Feng Suige has always seen Chengyang as his real brother. He agrees to the deal.
After the meeting, Suige is feeling pretty low. Fu Yixiao is there to comfort him.
Plots and Counter-Plots
The Dowager's Deadly Plan
The Empress Dowager learns all her spies around Xia Jingyan have been executed. The official story is that the list was found at Liang Pin's home. But Liang Pin is dead, so it's a dead end.
She and Xia Jingshi cook up a new plan. The Qianqiu Festival is coming up. Jingshi suggests they attack Feng Xiyang outside the palace. Then they can blame Su Sha for the assassination. This would start a war between the two nations. A war would make Jingshi indispensable to the emperor. And it would stop Jingyan from trying to get rid of him. Jingshi immediately sends orders for more men to be brought from Pingling City.
Feng Xiyang Is Not a Toy
Xia Jingyan thinks he has a great idea to cheer Feng Xiyang up. He has the captured Xia Jingshi dragged before her. He wants to humiliate Jingshi for her entertainment. This backfires completely.
Feng Xiyang is more intense than he ever imagined. She grabs a knife and lunges at Xia Jingshi. Xia Jingyan has to physically stop her from killing him on the spot. After Jingshi is taken away, Feng Xiyang turns on the emperor. She warns him that her revenge is not a joke. If he ever tries to play with her emotions like that again, she will not forgive him.
