Episode Summary
Zang Hai investigates Prince Yongrong and Grand Secretary Zhao Bingwen as potential suspects in his family's murder. He clears both, as Yongrong was at a banquet and Zhao Bingwen was away on official duty in Yuezhou during the incident. A tense encounter at Zhao's house is defused by Zhao's daughter, Eighth Master, with a clever lie prompted by Xiang Antu. Meanwhile, Chief Eunuch Cao Jingxian sets a trap for Zang Hai, assigning him the difficult task of arranging Fu Zhisong's burial with the late Emperor within a tight two-month deadline and limited resources. Zang Hai faces obstruction from Zhuang Zhifu at the Ministry of Revenue and an ominous invitation from Cao Jingxian's adopted son, Lu Ran. Despite advice from Gao Ming to play along, Zang Hai refuses to compromise his principles or bow to Cao Jingxian.
Spoiler Alert
So, Zang Hai decides to get chummy with Prince Yongrong. Turns out, on that fateful night when Zang Hai's family was tragically murdered, the Prince was busy hosting a banquet on a fancy painted boat. Ding, ding, ding! That clears Yongrong Wangye as potential baddie number three. With one name off the list, Zang Hai gets a new lead: Grand Secretary Zhao Bingwen. Apparently, Zhao Bingwen once tried to get justice for Zang Hai’s father, Kuai Duo. Interesting! Zang Hai figures this is the guy to crack next.
When Zang Hai shows up at Zhao Bingwen's place, he finds the Grand Secretary... on his roof, fixing tiles? Not your typical high-ranking official's pastime, that's for sure. Zang Hai immediately clocks that Zhao Bingwen isn't like the other stuffy bureaucrats. Zhao Bingwen pulls Zang Hai into his study and basically tells him to cool his jets. The impeachment memorials against Zang Hai are piling up, but Zang Hai just shrugs it off. He’s not about to stand by while officials neglect their duties. Zhao Bingwen tries to school him on the art of being an official, warning him that ticking off imperial relatives is a surefire way to get himself killed. Zang Hai, ever the daredevil, is all "bring it on." He wants to stir the pot and bring down the corrupt officials. Zhao Bingwen’s parting advice? Protect yourself first, kid. Solid advice, and Zang Hai actually seems to take it to heart.
Before Zhao Bingwen heads off to a cabinet meeting, he asks Zang Hai to help out with those roof tiles. Zang Hai agrees, but as soon as Zhao is gone, he shoos away a servant and makes a beeline for Zhao Bingwen's study. Sneaky, sneaky! He uncovers an official document detailing Zhao Bingwen's assignment to Yuezhou for disaster relief – and guess what? Zhao was in Yuezhou on the very day Zang Hai's family was killed. Another one bites the dust from the suspect list!
But hold up! Zhao Bingwen realizes he left a document from the Provincial Administration Commission in his study and rushes back. He spots Zang Hai emerging from the study area. Quick on his feet, Zang Hai claims a servant asked him to check out why the study was so cold. Zhao Bingwen, not born yesterday, calls in all the household servants for Zang Hai to identify. Zang Hai pretends he can't quite remember who it was. When none of the servants fess up, Zhao Bingwen threatens to punish the lot of them. Zang Hai, bless his heart, tries to defend them. This, of course, only makes Zhao Bingwen more suspicious of Zang Hai's real motives and he's ready to grill him.
Just when things are about to get heated, who swoops in to save the day? None other than Zhao Bingwen's daughter, Eighth Master (Ba Gongzi)! She confidently states that she was the one who asked Zang Hai to look into the drafty study. Apparently, she often dresses as a man, so Zang Hai mistook her for a servant. Smooth. Zhao Bingwen doesn't catch anything amiss and even apologizes to Zang Hai. Later, Zang Hai fills Gao Ming in: Zhao Bingwen is also cleared. The hunt for the third killer continues.
To show his gratitude, Zang Hai gets Gao Ming to find some rare storybooks for Eighth Master. Gao Ming, however, points out that the real thanks should go to Xiang Antu, who apparently put Eighth Master up to the rescue mission. Eighth Master is thrilled with the books and wants to start reading them that very night. She tells Zang Hai to go thank Xiang Antu. Zang Hai, ever suspicious, thinks Xiang Antu is hiding something. Xiang Antu, playing it cool, says she'll spill her secrets if Zang Hai spills his. Zang Hai’s not biting.
Cut to the imperial court. The Emperor is a no-show, so Chief Eunuch Cao Jingxian is running the show, listening to officials' reports and dishing out responses. Then comes the bombshell: Cao Jingxian announces an imperial decree. Fu Zhisong is to be buried with the late Emperor, and Zang Hai is put in charge of all the arrangements. The catch? He only has two months. Zang Hai knows Cao Jingxian is trying to screw him over, but he can't exactly refuse an imperial order.
Zang Hai heads straight to the imperial mausoleum to oversee things, with Shi Quan fully cooperating. Problem is, the craftsmen are all young and inexperienced. They're making mistakes left and right, and Zang Hai's worried they won't finish on time. He marches over to the Ministry of Revenue to ask Zhuang Zhifu for forty more craftsmen. Zhuang Zhifu tries every excuse in the book to say no. Zang Hai practically begs, even dropping Zhuang Luyin's name to pressure him. Zhuang Zhifu finally "agrees" to send eighty men, but here’s the kicker – he’ll only provide funds for forty, planning to pocket the rest. Zang Hai, being the upstanding guy he is, flat-out refuses this corrupt deal.
When Zang Hai gets back to the construction site, it's deserted except for Shi Quan. Zhuang Zhifu has reassigned all the young craftsmen to repair the imperial palace instead. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place! Just as Zang Hai is about to lose it, Cao Jingxian’s adopted son, Lu Ran, shows up with snacks. Lu Ran suggests Zang Hai take a look around the imperial mausoleum and then casually invites him to a banquet hosted by Cao Jingxian.
Zang Hai sees right through it – Cao Jingxian is out to get him. But he’s not about to kowtow to the Chief Eunuch or get mixed up with those corrupt officials in the Supervisory Office. Gao Ming tries to talk some sense into him, arguing that if Zang Hai wants revenge, he needs to survive first, even if it means sucking up to Cao Jingxian for a bit. But Zang Hai? He’s standing his ground. No surrender.
