Episode Summary
Ming Tan develops a rash after eating fish Jiang Xu gave her, despite her allergy, not wanting to hurt his feelings. Jiang Xu, learning the truth, cares for her and reflects on his growing feelings. To raise money for refugees, Ming Tan and Bai Minmin stage performances based on Ming Tan and Jiang Xu's story. Ming Tan then uses Shu Jingran to model jewelry for her shop, sparking Jiang Xu's jealousy. After a brief spat, they make up, with Ming Tan gifting him mosquito-proofed clothes and Jiang Xu attempting (and failing hilariously) to do her makeup. The episode ends with Bai Minmin's awkward matchmaking session with Zhou Gongzi, which Ming Tan tries to subtly sabotage by involving Zhang Huaiyu, while Feng Zhao also navigates an unwanted matchmaking setup.
Spoiler Alert
So, things kicked off with our girl Ming Tan dealing with a nasty rash. Turns out, she ate fish that Jiang Xu gave her, even though she's allergic to seafood! Su Xin was like, "Girl, why didn't you just say no?" But Ming Tan, bless her heart, didn't want to crush Jiang Xu's rare moment of thoughtfulness. She figured a few days of itchiness was worth it. Later, Ming Tan was instructing Su Xin and Lu E to pack away things they don't use anymore, adding they wouldn't need to buy new stuff. Kinda ominous, right?
Meanwhile, Jiang Xu went to see Ming Tingyuan off, bringing knee guards Ming Tan bought, plus some ointments and hidden weapons – always prepared! Ming Tingyuan got a bit misty-eyed, knowing how much Ming Tan hates goodbyes. Jiang Xu also warned him to be super careful on his trip, especially since Su Wenchun was the one who pushed for it.
Back at his place, Jiang Xu walked in on Lu E putting medicine on Ming Tan and finally learned the truth: she can't eat seafood and only ate his fish to be nice. Cue the internal turmoil for Jiang Xu! He took over medicine duty and watched Ming Tan sleeping, having a major "what am I doing?" moment. He started wondering if he married her purely for convenience, or if his feelings for her actually created this "convenient" situation. Deep stuff. The next morning, he was up early, telling the maids to let Ming Tan sleep in and even asking the kitchen about her food allergies. Progress!
Ming Tan woke up, rash gone, and Lu E and Su Xin spilled the beans about Jiang Xu’s attentive care, revealing he’d actually stayed the night. She was clearly surprised. Later, Ming Tan met up with Bai Minmin. To help some refugees, they had them perform songs based on stories Bai Minmin wrote – get this – about Ming Tan and Jiang Xu! Talk about life imitating art. Their little show at Wen Tao Ge was a hit, so much so that Zhang Huaiyu, whose business was suffering because of Bai Minmin's popular tales, came to scope out the competition. Bai Minmin, ever the firecracker, basically shooed him away when he tried to sneak a peek.
Ming Tan and Bai Minmin made a decent chunk of change, but it wasn't quite enough to build the relief shelter they're planning. Ming Tan started brainstorming how to boost profits from the royal family's private shops. Her solution? Get Shu Jingran to model jewelry from her Cuo Jin Ge shop and have a portrait painted for promotion. Genius! Jiang Xu, however, was not amused. He came home early to spend time with Ming Tan, only to find her totally absorbed in her business and fawning over Shu Jingran. The jealousy was real, folks!
Feeling ignored, Jiang Xu moped around, pointedly asking Ming Tan why Shu Jingran had to be the one to help. He then stormed off to his room in a huff. Ming Tan, after a moment, figured out he was just being a jealous baby and decided to smooth things over with a gift.
While Bai Minmin was busy handing out Shu Jingran’s portraits, she was also stressing about her own upcoming matchmaking appointment, which she clearly wasn't looking forward to. Ming Tan, being a good friend, had Jiang Xu’s clothes specially treated with mosquito incense to keep the bugs away. Jiang Xu, still stewing, was reminded by Fu Shu about how Bai Minmin always said Ming Tan and Shu Jingran were a perfect match (ouch!). But then Fu Shu brought in the freshly incensed clothes, mentioning Ming Tan had a matching set. Suddenly, Jiang Xu’s mood did a 180! He even asked Fu Shu to bring him some Cuo Jin Ge jewelry that would suit him.
The next day, Jiang Xu, fresh from sword practice, strutted out in his new duds and jewelry right in front of Ming Tan. She asked him to pick her up later, planning to use their "couple outfits" to drum up more business. Smart! Ming Tan then gave him back a sash he’d used to save her twice, now also mosquito-proofed. As a thank you, Jiang Xu offered to do Ming Tan’s eyebrows, bragging about his artistic skills. Well, let's just say his confidence was misplaced. Ming Tan looked in the mirror to find what looked like "two black mosquitoes" drawn on her face. She was, understandably, furious.
The episode wrapped with Bai Minmin’s dreaded matchmaking day with Zhou Gongzi. Ming Tan went along for support and sneakily asked Jiang Xu to tip off Zhang Huaiyu, hoping he’d show up and maybe throw a wrench in the works for Bai Minmin's unwanted setup. Turns out, Feng Zhao was also there for a matchmaking session arranged by the Empress Dowager, equally unenthusiastic. But seeing Ming Tan, Feng Zhao suddenly changed her tune, shooed away her attendant, and said she wanted a "private" meeting. The episode left us with Bai Minmin trying to converse with Zhou Gongzi, who was spouting so much highbrow cultural stuff that she couldn't understand a word. Cliffhanger! Can't wait to see how these matchmaking disasters pan out!
