Episode Summary
Zang Hai, now Director of the Imperial Astronomy Bureau, encourages Zhuang Zhi Xing to join the army to build his own standing. While Zhuang Zhi Xing struggles with the harsh realities of military life and betrayals, Zang Hai navigates a complicated romantic situation with Xiang An Tu, who is hurt by his initial hesitation but later helps him. Zang Hai suspects Prince Yong Rong might be his third revenge target and needs a rare ancient coin, the "Zhe San Qian," to gain access to the Prince's banquet. Xiang An Tu cleverly acquires the coin, and after Zang Hai comes to her, she gives it to him, making him owe her a favor instead of taking payment. Zhuang Zhi Xing, after a moment of wanting to desert, recommits to his military path, spurred by Zang Hai's reminder of their shared goal of vengeance.
Spoiler Alert
Our two revenge-driven protagonists, Zang Hai and Zhuang Zhi Xing, are still united by the shared trauma of their families' murders. Zang Hai, with his sharp mind and impressive skills, has not only earned the trust of Zhuang Lu Yin but has also snagged the top spot as the Director of the Imperial Astronomy Bureau (Qin Tian Jian). Smart cookie, that Zang Hai. He’s also been a good influence on Zhuang Zhi Xing, pushing him to join the military and build a name for himself, hoping that one day Zhuang Zhi Xing can truly become the master of the Marquis's mansion.
After a bit of persuading, Zhuang Lu Yin finally agreed to let his son enlist. Before heading off, Zhuang Zhi Xing tried to say goodbye to Zang Hai, but missed him. He left a message with a servant, letting Zang Hai know he was following his advice and heading out.
Meanwhile, things are heating up (or are they?) on the romance front for Zang Hai. Xiang An Tu laid her heart out, confessing her feelings. Zang Hai, ever the brooder with vengeance on his mind, didn't quite know how to respond. He admitted he has a soft spot for her too but, with his parents' and sister's murders still unsolved, he can't even think about romance. Poor Xiang An Tu has been anxiously waiting by her window every day for his answer, practically sick with longing – so much so that Eighth Master (Ba Gong Zi) couldn't resist teasing her about it. When Zang Hai finally did visit Xiang An Tu at the Pillow Tower (Zhen Lou), she, in a fit of pique, refused to see him and had Feng Liu tell him to wait at the Liu Tao Ge.
Life in the army is a rude awakening for Zhuang Zhi Xing. Using the alias Shen Xiao Xing to avoid special treatment as Zhuang Lu Yin's son, he finds himself completely out of his depth. Used to a life of luxury, sharing a barracks with dozens of soldiers is a shock. Some of the other soldiers, clearly not fans of his "young master" vibe, give him a relentlessly hard time with taunts, humiliation, and even tripping him up. Zhuang Zhi Xing tries to keep his cool, but they just keep pushing.
Back at the Pillow Tower, Zang Hai waited patiently at Liu Tao Ge, downing six pots of tea before Xiang An Tu even considered showing up. Eventually, he made excuses about official duties and left. Xiang An Tu, who had taken her sweet time getting dolled up for him, was crushed to find him gone. Feng Liu urged her to go after him, but she stubbornly refused, vowing never to see Zang Hai again. Ouch.
Zang Hai had actually intended to explain to Xiang An Tu that he couldn't pursue a relationship right now. Her standing him up kind of worked out for him, though, as he wants to focus all his energy on finding the third person responsible for his family's tragedy.
Things go from bad to worse for Zhuang Zhi Xing in the barracks. His bunkmates play a nasty prank on him, and he ends up getting chewed out by the Platoon Leader. When another soldier, Zhan Hao, secretly shoves a bug down his collar during formation, Zhuang Zhi Xing is bitten all over and then gets blamed and punished with ten whacks by the Chief Platoon Leader. Furious, Zhuang Zhi Xing confronts Zhan Hao and gives him a beating. Thankfully, Xiang Hong, the leader of the third squad, steps in, scolds Zhan Hao (and takes an accidental punch in the process), and then personally tends to Zhuang Zhi Xing's wounds.
Xiang Hong offers some much-needed comfort, telling Zhuang Zhi Xing he believes he’ll grow stronger. Zhuang Zhi Xing is grateful, but his relief is short-lived. He overhears Xiang Hong talking to other soldiers and realizes Xiang Hong knew all along he was Zhuang Lu Yin's son and that’s why he helped him. This hits Zhuang Zhi Xing hard; if he weren't the Marquis's son, Xiang Hong wouldn't have bothered. Xiang Hong tries to tell him not to overthink it, but the damage is done.
Fed up, Zhuang Zhi Xing decides to desert. He doesn’t get far before running into Zang Hai, who sharply reminds him that desertion is a capital offense. Zhuang Zhi Xing has a meltdown, saying he finally sees people for who they are. If he wasn't Zhuang Lu Yin's son, and if he didn't have his mother's murder to avenge, Zang Hai wouldn't have bothered with him either. He feels the only person who ever cared for him unconditionally was his deceased mother. Zang Hai, ever practical, reminds him not to forget his vow to avenge his mother. This snaps Zhuang Zhi Xing back to reality, and he decides to return to the military camp.
Zang Hai, now in charge of the Imperial Astronomy Bureau, cleans house, firing all the incompetent officials except for Shi Quan and two others. He plans to recruit new talent. Shi Quan hands over the belongings of the late Chu Huai Ming. It turns out Chu Huai Ming had asked Shi Quan to help him find a complete set of ancient Zhen You Tong Bao coins to gift to Prince Yong Rong, but he died missing one crucial coin – the "Zhe San Qian." This immediately pings Zang Hai's radar: could Prince Yong Rong be his third target? He needs more proof.
Gao Ming comes up with a brilliant idea. It’s almost time for local officials to report to the Capital. Prince Yong Rong loves a good party and hosts an annual banquet for these officials, inviting high-ranking figures from the Capital as well. This could be Zang Hai’s chance to get close to the Prince and also investigate the local officials. Zang Hai worries his rank is too low to get an invitation. He asks Gao Ming to find that missing "Zhe San Qian" coin, planning to use the complete set as his ticket into the Prince's banquet. Gao Ming readily agrees.
Prince Yong Rong, while casually visiting the cabinet office, overhears officials discussing Zang Hai's shake-up at the Imperial Astronomy Bureau and his impeachment of corrupt officials. Intrigued, the Prince asks for more details about Zang Hai.
Gao Ming searches high and low and finally finds the "Zhe San Qian" coin in the black market. But guess who swoops in and buys it for five hundred taels of silver? Xiang An Tu! Gao Ming tells Zang Hai he needs to go beg Xiang An Tu for it. Zang Hai, ever proud, considers selling his house to buy it back for a thousand taels. Gao Ming shoots that down, insisting Zang Hai should just apologize to Xiang An Tu, confident she wouldn't make it too difficult for him. Still, Zang Hai isn't keen on groveling.
Back in the army, Zhuang Zhi Xing throws himself into training, pushing through the exhaustion and slowly adapting to the harsh military life.
Xiang An Tu, meanwhile, heard Zang Hai had Gao Ming searching everywhere for the ancient coin. She bought the "Zhe San Qian" specifically to make Zang Hai come to her. And come he does. Zang Hai shows up at the Pillow Tower, offering double the price for the coin and even bringing his house and land deeds as collateral. Xiang An Tu, curious about why he needs it so badly, gets him to admit he wants the complete set to impress Prince Yong Rong.
Sensing Zang Hai is troubled by something he can't quite share, Xiang An Tu offers to read his palm again. In a smooth move, she slips him the "Zhe San Qian" coin and tells him to take his deeds back. Instead of money, Xiang An Tu tells Zang Hai he now owes her a favor.
