Episode Summary
Ming Chu's jealousy over Ming Tan's engagement to Dingbei Wang (Jiang Xu) intensifies. A disastrous matchmaking attempt for Ming Chu with Lu Ting occurs, where she belittles him, only for him to reveal a past imperial gift of a mansion. At a temple, Ming Chu develops a crush on Jiang Xu, unaware he's Ming Tan's fiancé. Ming Tan is embarrassed when Ming Chu loudly recounts a fabricated story about her to Jiang Xu. Later, Ming Tan and Ming Chu are attacked by bandits; Ming Chu tries to sacrifice Ming Tan, but Jiang Xu saves her, leading Ming Tan to trust him. Back home, Ming Chu falsely accuses Ming Tan of meeting another man. Jiang Xu reveals he was the man and uncovers Liu Shi's plot to disgrace Ming Tan so Ming Chu could marry him instead. As a result, Ming Tingyuan decides to marry Ming Chu off to a lower-status general's son outside the capital, a match suggested by Jiang Xu.
Spoiler Alert
So, our girl Ming Chu is still practically radiating green fumes of jealousy over her sister Ming Tan snagging the engagement to the highly sought-after Dingbei Wang (that's the Prince of Dingbei, for those keeping score). Ming Chu's mom, Liu Shi, isn't exactly helping things, basically lamenting that if Ming Chu had been born to the main wife, she'd be the one walking down the aisle with him. Classic. Since Ming Chu is the elder sister, tradition dictates she needs to get married before Ming Tan. Their father, Ming Tingyuan, is busy trying to find her a match, and Liu Shi even suggests Ming Tan should tag along to Ming Chu's matchmaking meetings – you know, to make Ming Chu look a bit less desperate, I guess? Ming Chu is, predictably, thrilled (not!) about her rather plain carriage for these outings.
The first suitor on the agenda? A fellow named Lu Ting, and bless his heart, the man is a nervous wreck. His friend, Shu Jingran, practically had to give him a pep talk just to get him through the door. As you can imagine, Lu Ting fumbles his words pretty badly. Ming Chu, who was already entirely over this whole matchmaking business, seizes the opportunity. She lays into his family background, his supposedly dim career prospects, and the fact that he doesn't even own a proper mansion. Lu Ting, however, isn't a complete pushover. He eventually fires back, explaining he didn't purchase a grand residence because he wanted his future wife to have a say in it. And then, the kicker: he mentions the Emperor once gifted him a rather impressive three-courtyard mansion. You could almost hear Ming Chu's jaw drop. Her expression does a complete 180, but Lu Ting, having had enough, declares they're clearly not compatible and basically says, "Thanks, but no thanks."
Later, Shu Jingran, who was there to support Lu Ting, finds himself swarmed by a group of eager young ladies. Lu Ting has to come to his "rescue," and Shu Jingran is quite impressed by his friend's suddenly "powerful aura." Elsewhere, at a temple, Jiang Xu (our Dingbei Wang) and his companion Zhang Huaiyu are present. Ming Chu spots Jiang Xu – recognizing him as that handsome man she encountered on the road earlier – and immediately starts following him, clearly smitten. Meanwhile, Bai Minmin is at the same temple getting a sachet meant to ward off misfortune, but she accidentally bumps into someone, and they end up swapping sachets. Foreshadowing, anyone?
Ming Tan is also at the temple, playing the guqin. Zhang Huaiyu recognizes her distinctive style, though he notes she missed a note at the end. He then prompts Jiang Xu to go and meet his future princess. Bai Minmin sees Zhang Huaiyu and intends to give him something. Just then, Ming Tan approaches Bai Minmin and politely greets Jiang Xu. It's only at this moment that Bai Minmin realizes this man is the Dingbei Wang. Ming Chu then arrives, still starry-eyed over Jiang Xu, completely clueless that this is her sister's fiancé. As if things weren't awkward enough, Lu Ting and Shu Jingran also show up. Lu Ting, with absolutely no filter, loudly announces that his matchmaking attempt with Ming Chu was a disaster because she looked down on him. Yikes.
Jiang Xu, ever the gentleman, invites Ming Tan for tea and to listen to music. This sends Ming Chu into a jealous spiral. She starts loudly proclaiming that Ming Tan fell into the water on the night of the Lantern Festival and is now shamelessly parading around in public despite being engaged. Bai Minmin tries to shut her up, pointing out that Ming Chu wasn't even in the capital on that day, so how could she possibly know? But Ming Chu doubles down, insisting that they (she and Ming Tan) were in disguise that night specifically to get a glimpse of Dingbei Wang. Ming Tan, utterly humiliated in front of her fiancé, promptly faints. Jiang Xu, clearly having had enough of Ming Chu's outburst, expertly hits her acupressure points, rendering her speechless.
Later, Ming Tan is pacing in her room, absolutely mortified and wondering what Jiang Xu must think of her. Bai Minmin reassures her, saying that Ming Tan clearly wants to marry Jiang Xu and that he doesn't seem as cold and unapproachable as the rumors suggest. Ming Tan just cries about how embarrassing the whole situation was. Then, Zhang Huaiyu appears with a peace talisman that Bai Minmin had dropped earlier. Quick-witted Bai Minmin claims she got it specifically for him. Zhang Huaiyu completely misinterprets this, thinking she has romantic feelings for him, and is absolutely delighted.
On the carriage ride back to the capital, Ming Tan is still upset. Suddenly, they're attacked by bandits, and it seems like a targeted ambush. Ming Chu, remembering her mother Liu Shi's advice to always look out for herself first, deliberately reveals Ming Tan's whereabouts to the bandits, essentially trying to get them to take her sister. As Ming Tan is about to be captured, Jiang Xu swoops in like a hero and saves her. In the heat of the moment, Ming Tan instinctively calls him "Fujun" (a term for husband). Jiang Xu deals with the bandits and assures Ming Tan he won't report the incident to the authorities. At this point, Ming Tan is thoroughly convinced that Jiang Xu is a genuinely good man worthy of her trust.
Ming Chu, however, notices Ming Tan's ring and remembers seeing an identical one on the hand of someone who took her ginseng at an inn. You can almost see the devious thoughts forming in her mind. Meanwhile, Zhang Huaiyu has attached the talisman Bai Minmin gave him to his fan. A lady in a local establishment remarks that it's a "matchmaking charm" from Hanshan Temple. Zhang Huaiyu is overjoyed, practically treating the charm like a sacred relic and vowing to personally keep it clean.
Back home, Ming Tingyuan is furious with Ming Chu for failing to protect her sister during the bandit attack and orders her to kneel in the ancestral hall as punishment. Ming Chu throws a tantrum, complaining that they treat her like a bodyguard. Ming Tan finally speaks up, directly questioning Ming Chu about why she deliberately blocked the guards when the bandits were trying to abduct her. Ming Chu is speechless. Ming Tingyuan, now even angrier, is about to have her dragged to the ancestral hall. In a desperate move, Ming Chu accuses Ming Tan of secretly meeting another man, claiming she saw them behaving intimately on their journey back to the capital. Liu Shi, of course, chimes in to support her daughter's accusation.
Ming Tingyuan, enraged, demands to know from Ming Tan who this man was. Ming Tan hesitates, unsure how to respond, when Jiang Xu himself walks in and calmly states that he was the man in question. But that's not all! Jiang Xu also reveals that he has uncovered Liu Shi as the mastermind behind the bandit attack. Ming Tingyuan is baffled – why would they do such a thing? If Ming Tan were disgraced, it wouldn't benefit Ming Chu. Jiang Xu then lays out the motive: the marriage alliance between the two families is crucial. If Ming Tan's reputation were ruined, Ming Chu would be the most logical replacement. The realization finally dawns on Ming Tingyuan. He decides that Ming Chu will be married off to someone of lower status, preferably someone not residing in the capital. And, conveniently, Jiang Xu has already found a suitable candidate: the third son of General Xuanwei. Ming Tingyuan is quite satisfied with this arrangement. That's got to be a bitter pill for Ming Chu to swallow!
