Episode Summary
The episode centers around a sacrificial ceremony where Lu Chang stands in for Prince Rui, foiling an assassination attempt orchestrated by Yu Wang. A fire and poison gas attack on the ceremonial platform endangers Lu Chang and Jian Mingshu, but Lu Chang heroically saves them both by leaping from the platform. In the aftermath, Lu Shangshu is jailed, and his daughter Lu Wan'er is killed by Su Tangli, who seeks to clear her father's name. Jian Mingshu regains her lost memories, including her childhood with Lu Chang and the tragic fate of her family. Yu Wang cleverly manipulates the court to avoid severe punishment, making the Emperor more suspicious of Prince Rui. Lu Chang's actions are revealed to be driven by guilt over the Jian family's demise, and Mr. Su's name is finally cleared.
Spoiler Alert
The episode kicks off on the day of the big sacrificial ceremony, and right off the bat, Yin Shujun, who shows up looking sharp, has a major "hold up" moment. She takes one look at the guy on the sacrificial platform and knows something’s fishy. "That’s not Prince Rui!" she thinks, "The build is all wrong!" She’s got a gut feeling that something big is about to go down, and she’s right – Prince Rui wouldn’t delegate something this important. And who’s the brave (or foolish?) soul standing in for the prince? None other than our guy, Lu Chang.
Meanwhile, Wei Zhuo manages to nab an assassin. Jian Mingshu sees some fireworks go off and initially thinks it’s Wei Zhuo signaling that Lu Chang is in the clear. Phew, right? Wrong! Almost immediately, a swarm of Kongming lanterns (those pretty flying paper lanterns) drifts across the sky. Jian Mingshu glances over at Lu Wan’er, who’s sporting a seriously sinister smirk, and it clicks: Lu Chang is in major trouble on that platform.
Sure enough, the lanterns head straight for the altar, and then BAM! A volley of arrows takes them down. As they fall, they start a fire and release poisonous smoke. It’s chaos! Jian Mingshu, seeing Lu Chang on the platform, weakened by the poison and struggling to stay conscious, doesn’t hesitate. She rushes to save him, but the stairs to the altar are already engulfed in flames. In a nail-biting, do-or-die moment, Lu Chang grabs Jian Mingshu and leaps off the high platform with her in his arms. Talk about a dramatic exit! Lu Chang passes out pretty much as soon as they land, and Jian Mingshu isn’t far behind, losing consciousness too.
Elsewhere, Yin Shujun races to a burning palace, convinced Prince Rui is trapped inside. She’s about to charge into the inferno when Prince Rui himself appears and stops her. Plot twist! It turns out Lu Chang had drugged Prince Rui (for his own good, of course!) and taken his place at the ceremony. Lu Chang had also clued him in about a secret escape route in the room, which is how Prince Rui managed to get out safely after assassins locked the main door. Clever boy, that Lu Chang.
Yu Wang, who thought he had everything under control, gets the shocking news that the Blessing Ceremony has gone sideways. Prince Rui and Yin Shujun, now reunited, hurry to the ceremony site and manage to rescue the unconscious Lu Chang and Jian Mingshu.
The fallout from the disastrous ceremony is swift. Lu Shangshu (Lu Wan'er's father) is stripped of his position and thrown in jail. Before he’s hauled off, he manages to tell Lu Wan’er where he stashed his secret documents. Feeling confident, Lu Wan’er heads to his study, planning to destroy whatever incriminating evidence her father left behind. But guess who’s waiting for her? Su Tangli! In a shocking turn, Su Tangli kills Lu Wan’er, securing the evidence she needs to finally clear her own father’s name. Oof, that was intense.
The next day, the Emperor is absolutely furious when he hears what happened and orders Yu Wang to be placed under house arrest while the whole mess is thoroughly investigated. Yin Shujun, understandably, is a bit miffed at Prince Rui for keeping her in the dark about everything, but deep down, she knows he was just trying to protect her from danger.
While unconscious, Jian Mingshu gets a massive memory dump. Everything comes flooding back: her childhood growing up with Lu Chang, the sting of his rejection on the night of "Grabbing a son-in-law from the graduates" (a tradition where families would try to snag promising young scholars as husbands for their daughters right after the imperial exams). She wakes up in a daze and immediately rushes out into the street, calling for her father. But the devastating memories also remind her that the entire Jian family met a tragic end. Zeng Yi sees Jian Mingshu’s anguish and her heart just breaks for her.
Lu Chang is still out cold. Ying Xun reveals that Lu Chang has been carrying a heavy burden of guilt over the Jian family’s case. His daredevil stunt wasn't just to save Prince Rui; it was also his way of trying to atone for what happened to the Jians.
Jian Mingshu, now fully aware of their shared past, stays by Lu Chang’s side, diligently taking care of him. Song Qingzhao, seeing how exhausted she is, gently convinces her to get some rest, offering to watch over Lu Chang himself.
Back to the political drama: Lu Shangshu confesses to everything, admitting he was acting under Yu Wang’s orders. With Lu Wan’er dead, there’s no one to corroborate or deny his story, which leaves the Emperor practically breathless with rage. During the morning court session, officials are falling over themselves to impeach Yu Wang. They also start pushing for Prince Rui to be named Crown Prince. However, this has the opposite effect on the Emperor, making him even more wary of Prince Rui. Yu Wang’s "punishment" ends up being a slap on the wrist: he’s merely ordered to leave the capital and reflect on his misdeeds. It turns out Yu Wang deliberately had people impeach him in court. His master plan? To make the Emperor suspicious of Prince Rui, thereby saving his own title and position. Sneaky!
And finally, some good news: Mr. Su’s name is officially cleared! Su Tangli can finally breathe a sigh of relief, having achieved a long-awaited justice for her father.
