Episode Summary
With their wedding fast approaching, Jiang Xu decisively handles Ming family matters, arranging a marriage for Ming Chu and ensuring Liu Shi's banishment, which impresses Ming Tan. However, opposition to their union brews, notably from Su Wenchun, as other figures like Gu Wenyan and Cheng'en Hou face accusations. Ming Tan, persuaded by Bai Minmin, visits the Bieyu Tower, leading to an encounter with Jiang Xu who reveals it's a base for his secret agents. They solidify their alliance with a written contract. On the eve of the wedding, as Ming Tan prepares, she is suddenly kidnapped, leaving Jiang Xu to suspect the Haiyou Sect is targeting him and urging that her disappearance be kept secret.
Spoiler Alert
So, Jiang Xu, ever the decisive one, has already picked out a husband for Ming Chu. Meanwhile, Ming Tingyuan was maybe going to go easy on Liu Shi, but Jiang Xu, not having any of that, insisted she answer for what she did to Ming Tan. So, off to Mei'an she goes! Ming Tan, hearing about all this swift justice after Jiang Xu left – including Ming Chu’s new hubby – was pretty impressed. She thinks the match for Ming Chu is brilliant; the Feng family is known for being super strict, and the young General Feng is an upright guy, so maybe Ming Chu will finally get her act together there. As for Liu Shi being shipped off, Ming Tan was surprised at first but quickly figured she must have been mixed up with those bandits. She credits Jiang Xu for that insight, thinking her dad, Ming Tingyuan, probably wouldn't have pieced it all together. With Jiang Xu by her side (and soon to be her husband), she's feeling pretty secure about the Ming family's future.
With Jiang Xu and Ming Tan's wedding day breathing down their necks, Liu Shi is gone, and Ming Chu has also left to marry into the Feng family. But the drama doesn't stop there! Gu Wenyan gets himself into hot water for allegedly beating up an exam candidate and cheating. Then, Cheng'en Hou is outed for taking bribes and skimming military funds. All this chaos has Su Wenchun seriously ticked off, especially about Ming Tan and Jiang Xu tying the knot. He makes it clear: that wedding is not happening if he has anything to say about it.
Ming Tan, meanwhile, is swamped with wedding prep. Her friend, Bai Minmin, convinces her to sneak off to the Bieyu Tower for a bit of fun and a qin (think zither) showdown with a lady named Shui Ying. Ming Tan’s hesitant – it’s not exactly a place for proper ladies – but Bai Minmin’s pretty persuasive.
So, Ming Tan and Bai Minmin, rocking veiled hats and escorted by Bai Haoyu, make it to Bieyu Tower. Shui Ying seems to recognize Ming Tan and invites her to her room for a chat. Ming Tan explains she’s there to pick up some qin tips. Elsewhere in the tower, Bai Minmin bumps into Zhang Huaiyu again. This time, he’s weirdly polite, showering her with fancy imperial wine and a spread of amazing food, basically acting like a smitten kitten. Bai Minmin’s like, "Dude, what's gotten into you? Are you possessed?" Zhang Huaiyu just gets all shy, implying there's an unspoken something between them. Bai Minmin, though, isn't buying his nice-guy routine, figuring he’s after something. She just wants them to go their separate ways, period. This sets Zhang Huaiyu off, and he whips out that peach blossom charm, demanding to know what she meant by it. Bai Minmin, clueless that it's a love token, just gets annoyed and storms off.
Word gets to Jiang Xu that Ming Tan is at Bieyu Tower, and he immediately dashes off to find her. With the wedding so close and all sorts of shady stuff going on, Bieyu Tower (being the den of spies and whatnot that it is) is the last place she should be. When Jiang Xu bursts in, Ming Tan freaks out and tries to hide her sketchbook, and in the ensuing scuffle, she tumbles right into his arms (classic!). Jiang Xu insists on taking her home. As she trails behind him on foot, she can't help but grumble that the "great Dingbei Wang" can't even rustle up a carriage to escort a lady. She then grills him about why he’s always at Bieyu Tower and why he just barged into her room. Jiang Xu comes clean: Bieyu Tower is one of his secret agent HQs, and Shui Ying is one of his spies.
Since they're basically entering a marriage of convenience, Ming Tan invites Jiang Xu over to sign an actual contract. She lists out all her terms and conditions. Jiang Xu finds it all pretty amusing but goes along with it, stamping his handprint on the document.
The next day is the wedding! Ming Tan, looking at her wedding gown, feels like she’s in a dream. It's a bittersweet moment, though, as she realizes that once she's married, her father will be all alone in their huge residence. That night, during her dress fitting, she asks for the East Pearl headdress Jiang Xu sent her to try on. For the actual ceremony, she decides to wear her late mother's favorite hairpin.
Then, things take a dark turn. There's a sudden commotion in her room, and Ming Tan vanishes into thin air. Ming Tingyuan tears the place apart looking for her but finds nothing. He immediately sends for Jiang Xu. Ming Tingyuan knows someone is trying to sabotage the wedding. Just then, Jiang Xu gets word that the Haiyou Sect is stirring up trouble. He figures he's their real target and tells Ming Tingyuan to stay put and manage the wedding arrangements for the next day, stressing that Ming Tan’s disappearance must be kept top secret.
