Episode Summary
Xiao Qiao and Wei Shao navigate their deepening feelings, sparked by a hairpin he specially made for her. Wei Shao's jealousy over Gao Heng leads him to send Gao Heng away on a pretext. Meanwhile, a gravely ill Su Ehuang is found by Xue Tai, who pledges his loyalty and informs her of the upcoming Luli Conference, which she decides to attend. During the Suidan Festival, Wei Shao's thoughtful gestures towards Xiao Qiao highlight their growing intimacy. However, a misunderstanding arises when Wei Shao retrieves Xiao Qiao's wishing lantern and finds his name absent from her wishes, which were focused on her distant family. After Xiao Qiao gets drunk and explains her true feelings – that he is a presence, not a distant wish – Wei Shao cares for her, and the episode ends with him about to kiss her.
Spoiler Alert
First off, Xiao Qiao finally, finally got Wei Shao to admit that the hairpin he gave her wasn't just some random trinket. Nope, he had it specially made just for her. Cue the internal squealing! Xiao Qiao was, of course, thrilled and started wearing it right away. Wei Shao, bless his heart, was visibly pleased to see her sporting his gift. But you know it can't all be smooth sailing. When they started chatting about Gao Heng, and Xiao Qiao showed a little too much admiration for the guy's talents, Wei Shao's green-eyed monster made a fierce appearance. He puffed up, basically saying, "Pfft, Gao Heng? I'm way more talented! I only brought him in to write a few poems to cheer you up, Xiao Qiao." Our girl Xiao Qiao, sharp as ever, totally clocked his jealousy, which, hilariously, just made her even happier.
Wei Shao, however, was still stewing over this Gao Heng business. And wouldn't you know it, Gao Heng himself shows up again, this time with a new poem he hoped Xiao Qiao would put to music. Wei Shao was not amused. But, because Gao Heng is undeniably a rare talent, Wei Shao couldn't just kick him to the curb. Instead, he came up with a clever (and slightly petty) solution: he sent Gao Heng off to the Wei state's border region, under the guise of "admiring cliff carvings." Wei Yan happened to witness this and was a bit baffled, though he knew that the area was undergoing road construction, meaning Gao Heng could be stuck there for a good month. Gongsun Yang, on the other hand, was probably doing a little happy dance, seeing Wei Shao's "Gao Heng problem" conveniently whisked away.
Meanwhile, we got a check-in with Su Ehuang, and things are looking dire. She's seriously ill, can't find a decent doctor, and her funds are dwindling. Just when she’s about to resign herself to being trapped in Yulou forever, Xue Tai shows up. Su Ehuang initially thought he was there to capture her. But plot twist! Xue Tai was there on a critical mission from the late Chen Xiang. Turns out, before Chen Xiang died, he foresaw that Chen Pang would seize power and make life miserable (or worse) for both Xue Tai and Su Ehuang. So, his dying wish was for Xue Tai to protect Su Ehuang. Talk about a loyal subordinate! Su Ehuang was deeply moved, realizing she hadn't married the wrong man after all. Then, Xue Tai dropped some big news: the Wei state is hosting the Luli Conference. Su Ehuang immediately decided she's going. To top it all off, Xue Tai handed over the command tally for his 50,000 troops, pledging his undying loyalty. This woman is going places!
Fast forward to the Suidan Festival (New Year's Day!), and it was a grand affair in the Wei state. Xiao Qiao and Wei Shao led the sacrificial ceremony. Afterwards, the common folk were eager to dance with Xiao Qiao, and Wei Shao, to his credit, gave his consent. During the dance, a custom had the men offering wheat from their hands to Xiao Qiao. She hesitated, clearly a bit overwhelmed or unsure, and stepped back. But then, Wei Shao, in a move that melted hearts, stepped into the crowd, collected all the wheat offerings himself, and then personally presented them to Xiao Qiao. Only then did she accept. Later, as they were leaving, Wei Shao spotted a muddy patch of ground and, without missing a beat, offered to carry Xiao Qiao back, proclaiming he was willing to be at her command alone. Swoon!
The gift-giving continued, with Madam Xu and Madam Wei (likely Wei Shao's mother) preparing festive presents for Xiao Qiao. Our thoughtful Xiao Qiao, in turn, had gifts for everyone, including Wei Yan. As a return gesture, Wei Yan sent over a xunlong (a sort of perfuming cage or incense burner), which, as luck would have it, was something Xiao Qiao genuinely liked. During their brief chat, Wei Yan realized Xiao Qiao hadn't even noticed he'd skipped the earlier ceremony, and you could see the disappointment flicker across his face. He wanted to talk more, but Xiao Qiao, perhaps unintentionally, pointed him towards the exit. Poor Wei Yan had to take his leave. Later, Xiao Tao astutely observed to Xiao Qiao that while the Grand Madam (possibly Wei Shao's grandmother or another senior matriarch) had given gifts, they were just expensive, lacking the personal touch that someone like Madam Ding (who watched Xiao Qiao grow up) would have known. Xiao Qiao, ever so patient, wasn't too fussed, understanding that building genuine connections takes time.
Later that evening, Xiao Qiao found Wei Shao at the bustling lantern market. Wei Shao, who usually can't be bothered with all the "flashy stuff," was there because he knew she would love it. When Xiao Qiao saw the wishing lanterns, she eagerly suggested they release one. Wei Shao, ever the pragmatist, doesn't really buy into these superstitions, but he didn't want to be a wet blanket. So, they wrote down their wishes together and sent a lantern soaring. As it drifted away, Wei Shao told his attendant, Xiao Tan, to escort Xiao Qiao home, fibbing that he had urgent business at the government office. Xiao Qiao, bless her trusting heart, believed him.
Of course, the moment Xiao Qiao was out of sight, Wei Shao ordered his men to retrieve her specific wishing lantern. It was like finding a needle in a haystack with so many lanterns floating about. Wei Shao tried to play it cool, claiming he just wanted to understand the common people's wishes. Riiight. Everyone around him totally saw through that charade. They finally fished out Xiao Qiao's lantern, and Wei Shao eagerly unrolled the wish. His face fell. The lantern carried blessings for Yanzhou and for the entire Qiao family... but someone was conspicuously missing. Wei Qu picked up on it too. Wei Liang cluelessly wondered if she'd forgotten Qiao Gui. With a sigh, Wei Qu had to spell it out: Wei Shao's name wasn't there. Ouch.
Predictably, Wei Shao returned home in a foul mood, making sarcastic remarks and generally acting like a thundercloud. Xiao Qiao, trying to smooth things over, offered to "attend to his illness" (you know, wifely duties when the husband is being a big baby) the next day. But when Wei Shao woke up, Xiao Qiao was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he overheard a conversation between Xiao Tao and her mother, Chunniang. Chunniang was advising Xiao Tao not to be too aggressive in pursuing Wei Liang, warning that in matters of love, the one who takes the initiative often ends up getting hurt. This, for some reason, just made Wei Shao even angrier, and he stormed off. When Xiao Qiao returned, she found him looking thoroughly displeased but had no idea what she'd done wrong this time.
It didn't take long for the truth to come out. Xiao Tao, through Wei Liang, found out that Wei Shao had gone to the trouble of retrieving the lantern. Xiao Qiao, to her credit, didn't blame Wei Shao for being upset; she actually felt she was the one who had messed up. So, she decided to apologize by preparing a sumptuous dinner. But Wei Shao didn't come home. Dejected, Xiao Qiao ended up drinking an entire bottle of wine by herself.
When Wei Shao finally did return, he found Xiao Qiao completely drunk. He immediately berated the maids for not looking after her properly and then began to tenderly care for her himself. In her drunken state, Xiao Qiao poured out her heart, begging for his forgiveness. She confessed that what she'd written on the lantern wasn't really a wish, but a list of her regrets and longings. Wei Shao, she explained, was right there, within her reach. Her family, however, was far away in Yanzhou, and all she could do was send them her blessings from afar. That's why she had only written about them, and not him.
