Episode Summary
The episode dives deep into family secrets and escalating tensions. After Xu Furen fakes an illness to halt an inquiry into tampered wheat seeds (implicating Xiao Qiao or Wei Yan), she reveals to Wei Shao the true, tragic story of Wei Yan's parentage: he's the son of her daughter Qing Yun, who was abducted by Chen Pang from Bian Zhou. Wei Yan, suspecting he knows the truth, acts erratically and even vaguely confesses. Meanwhile, Su Ehuang and Su Zixin celebrate their scheming, believing Wei Shao's family loyalty will protect them. Xiao Qiao, under guard, cleverly communicates her trust in Wei Shao, who then re-investigates and clears her name, with evidence now pointing to Wei Yan. To cover their tracks, Su Zixin has a key witness, Zheng Chuyu, murdered. Su Ehuang then manipulates Wei Furen (Wei Shao's mother) into falsely confessing to the crime to protect Wei Shao, turning a state matter into a family dispute. Wei Yan, deeply hurt by Su Ehuang's taunts about his parentage, withdraws. Xiao Qiao, empathizing with his situation and concerned he might leave, convinces him to see Xu Furen by exaggerating the grandmother's illness, leading to a poignant, unresolved confrontation between Wei Yan and Xu Furen. Wei Shao and Xiao Qiao's bond also deepens throughout the ordeal.
Spoiler Alert
Things kicked off with Wei Dian putting Wei Shao on the spot, demanding some serious answers about the whole situation involving his wife, Xiao Qiao, and his cousin, Wei Yan. Just when Wei Shao was cornered, trying to figure out how to handle this mess, Xu Furen (the grand matriarch, basically) conveniently fainted. This power move immediately shut down the inquiry, with Wei Shao ordering the city gates closed – nobody in, nobody out – until this whole thing could be investigated properly.
Later, in a private heart-to-heart, Xu Furen dropped a massive bombshell on Wei Shao: the truth about Wei Yan's parentage. It turns out, the long-standing rumors that Wei Yan was the illegitimate son of Xu Furen’s daughter, Qing Yun, and a household servant were a fabrication. The devastating reality was that Qing Yun had been abducted years ago by Chen Pang from the rival state of Bian Zhou. She returned pregnant and, tragically, died of grief and shame not long after. Xu Furen, to protect the family's honor and presumably Wei Yan himself, concocted the story of the affair. This revelation also shed light on the deep-seated animosity between their family and Bian Zhou. Xu Furen confessed to Wei Shao that Wei Yan had been acting differently since his return, suspecting he might have learned the truth about his origins. She pleaded with Wei Shao to find a way to protect Wei Yan, no matter what.
Wei Shao then went to find Wei Yan, only to discover him playing hide-and-seek with a group of wine maidens – not exactly the behavior of someone fighting for their reputation. Wei Shao, clearly annoyed, shooed the women away and confronted Wei Yan for not visiting their ailing grandmother (Xu Furen) and for not making any effort to clear his name in the ongoing scandal. Wei Yan, however, was nursing his own wounds. He felt that both Wei Shao and Xu Furen suspected him, believing Xu Furen had even faked her illness just to protect him. This, in his eyes, was proof that they trusted the Qiao family (Xiao Qiao's side) more than their own blood. Wei Shao, cutting to the chase, asked Wei Yan if he trusted him and then directly questioned if Wei Yan had been to Bian Zhou.
Wei Yan's reaction pretty much confirmed to Wei Shao that he knew the truth about his birth. Despite this, Wei Shao tried to reassure him, emphasizing that no matter what, Wei Yan was still his older brother. Perhaps sensing a future filled with Wei Shao's suspicions, Wei Yan then cryptically (and possibly falsely) confessed to being behind whatever wrongdoing they were investigating – likely the tampered wheat seeds.
Meanwhile, our resident schemers, Su Ehuang and Su Zixin, were practically giddy with their own cleverness. Su Ehuang was confident that even if their plan had flaws, Wei Shao’s well-known fierce loyalty to his family would prevent him from digging too deep if it meant implicating one of his own.
Over at Xiao Qiao's residence, things were tense. Her house was surrounded by Wei Shao's guards, and under Wei Kingdom law, the charges she faced could lead to execution. Her servant, Chun Niang, was understandably terrified, though Xiao Tao tried to remain optimistic. Xiao Qiao, however, seemed surprisingly calm, her thoughts drifting back to how Wei Shao had defended her in the main hall. A discovery by Xiao Tao and Chun Niang while tidying up added another layer: they found a bracelet identical to the one Xiao Qiao was accused of stealing from Xu Furen. Xiao Qiao then remembered Wei Shao visiting her previously with a box he never opened. It dawned on her that even if her original bracelet was never found, Wei Shao had been silently protecting her all along. With this newfound confidence, Xiao Qiao cleverly wrote a "family letter," knowing it would be intercepted by Wei Qu and delivered straight to Wei Shao. Initially annoyed that Xiao Qiao was writing letters at such a critical time, Wei Shao's mood changed when he read it. It was actually a message for him, in which Xiao Qiao stated that whatever the outcome of the wheat seed investigation, she wouldn't blame him. Touched, Wei Shao sent a reply, asking to meet her the next day, and then immediately ordered a thorough re-investigation of the entire matter.
Taking charge, Wei Shao personally supervised the weighing of the wheat seeds. Lo and behold, the quantities were indeed different from what was originally recorded, officially clearing Xiao Qiao’s name! However, this new evidence seemed to point the finger directly at Wei Yan. Wei Dian was quick to demand Wei Yan’s punishment, but Wei Shao, steadfast in his belief in his cousin’s innocence, insisted the investigation continue. He decreed that no one was to leave Yu Jun until the truth was uncovered.
To prevent Wei Shao from finding out the truth, Su Zixin took a drastic step: he had Zheng Chuyu, a key figure who might have known something, murdered. Unaware of this grim development, Xiao Qiao eagerly awaited Wei Shao. When they finally met, both were all smiles. Wei Shao was deeply moved that Xiao Qiao had been more concerned about his difficult position than proving her own innocence. Xiao Qiao, in turn, said his public defense of her was all the proof she needed that he believed in her. As Wei Shao was leaving, Xiao Qiao let slip and called him "Fujun" (an affectionate term for husband), which clearly delighted him.
The investigation soon led to the now-deceased Zheng Chuyu, who had been seen at the granary. With Zheng Chuyu dead, Wei Shao ordered his men to keep digging. In a lighter moment, Wei Shao curiously asked his advisor, Gongsun Yang, how he addressed his own wife. Upon hearing "Furen" (madam/wife), Wei Shao seemed to contemplate changing how he addressed Xiao Qiao, hinting at their growing intimacy.
Sensing the net might be closing, Su Ehuang tried to flee Yu Jun, using the excuse of needing to care for Chen Xiang. However, Wei Liang, guarding the city gates, stopped her, reiterating that no one could leave until the investigation was complete. Cornered, Su Ehuang played her next card: she went to Wei Furen (Wei Shao's mother). Wei Furen had just learned about Zheng Chuyu's murder and was already shaken. Su Ehuang masterfully manipulated her, preying on her fears and suggesting that the scandal could ultimately implicate Wei Shao. Terrified of harming her son and recalling Xu Furen’s earlier warnings about bringing ruin to those closest to her, Wei Furen made a shocking public confession: she claimed she was the one who ordered Zheng Chuyu to swap the good wheat seeds for cooked ones, all to get revenge on Xiao Qiao for supposedly always targeting her. With this confession, the serious political incident was conveniently reframed as a petty internal family squabble. Wei Shao had no choice but to hand his mother over to Xu Furen for punishment. With the case "solved," all the visiting dignitaries who had come for the birthday celebrations were finally allowed to leave. Su Ehuang, though her original plan hadn't perfectly succeeded, was immensely relieved to have escaped the mess.
But she didn't get away without one last confrontation. Wei Yan intercepted Su Ehuang as she was leaving, warning her to stop meddling in Yu Jun's affairs. He told her that Xu Furen didn't want to see her, as her presence only brought back painful memories. Su Ehuang, ever the troublemaker, retorted with a cruel jab, reminding Wei Yan that he wasn't truly a Wei and was deluding himself by thinking he belonged with them.
Her words clearly hit their mark. Wei Yan began to actively avoid the Wei family. When Wei Shao tried to get him to visit Xu Furen, Wei Yan refused. To make matters worse, some of Wei Yan’s own men started stirring the pot, urging him to abandon the Weis and return to Bian Zhou.
Wei Shao was deeply troubled by Wei Yan's withdrawal, knowing how much his cousin was hurting and how much Xu Furen missed him. Xiao Qiao, perceptive as always, voiced her concern that Chen Pang (Wei Yan's biological father from Bian Zhou) would inevitably try to reunite with Wei Yan. She feared that if the air wasn't cleared soon, Wei Yan might actually leave. Feeling a kinship with Wei Yan due to her own experiences as an outsider initially, Xiao Qiao believed she might be able to persuade him to see Xu Furen. On a different note, Xiao Qiao also showed Wei Shao her research on water conservancy projects. As Wei Shao leaned in to get a better look at the bamboo slips she presented, he casually put his arm around her shoulder, and Xiao Qiao found herself momentarily captivated, just looking at his face.
Later, Wei Yan was found dancing with the wine maidens again when Xiao Qiao appeared. He pushed through the crowd to face her. Xiao Qiao, showing remarkable empathy, spoke to him from her own perspective. She told him that family isn't just defined by blood. When she first arrived in Yu Jun, no one accepted her as their "Nujun" (female leader); they only saw her as a descendant of the Qiao family. But over time, she earned their trust and Xu Furen's affection. She pointed out that if she were to renounce her Qiao identity, Wei Shao would surely resent her. Honesty and openness, she suggested, were the keys to building trust. Then, Xiao Qiao delivered her most persuasive point: she told Wei Yan that Xu Furen was sick with worry over him, that the grandmother had always loved him deeply, and that Xu Furen’s greatest fear was Wei Yan becoming estranged and never visiting her again.
Her words had an immediate impact. Visibly shaken, Wei Yan stumbled his way to Xu Furen's chambers, calling out for his grandmother. When he saw Xu Furen looking perfectly fine, he realized Xiao Qiao had stretched the truth about her illness to get him there. He turned to leave, but Xu Furen, tears in her eyes, called him back, her voice trembling as she asked, "Do you truly never want to see your grandmother again?"
