Episode Summary
Xiao Jue and He Yan, with the timely help of Liu Buwang, rescue the Mengji Princess's daughter from Wutuo spies. Upon returning the child, they meet her mother, Princess Mu Hongjin, who is revealed to be Liu Buwang's long-lost love. As the threat of Wutuo spies in Jiyang grows, with connections to Xu Jingfu's search for Chai Anxi, the group stays at the royal mansion, navigating a web of past romance and present danger.

Spoiler Alert
After spending the night together on a covered boat, Xiao Jue and He Yan wake up at sunrise. As they grab some sesame seed cakes on the street, Xiao Jue notices a man whose tea-drinking custom is unique to the Wutuo people. They decide to follow him and discover he has several accomplices attempting to leave the city. Among them is an old woman holding a little girl's hand tightly, yet showing no concern for the child's persistent cough.
Just as Xiao Jue and He Yan are about to intervene, He Yan's master, Liu Buwang, suddenly appears. He swiftly kills the old woman, who was a Wutuo spy in disguise, and rescues the girl. Liu Buwang explains that the child is the daughter of the Mengji Princess and was nearly abducted. This revelation makes Xiao Jue realize why Cui Yuezhi had looked so grim the previous night after receiving a report from his subordinate.
Meanwhile, Chu Zhao and Ying Xiang track down the assassin from the other night at a pharmacy. They discover he has more Wutuo accomplices. Chu Zhao cleverly deduces that the assassins likely aborted their mission because they saw the Xu family token on his waist. This suggests the Wutuo spies are connected to Xu Jingfu and may have been sent by him to Jiyang to find Chai Anxi.
The little princess has been drugged, and Liu Buwang prepares an antidote for her. While he works, he also performs a divination to read the fortune of Xiao Jue and He Yan's romantic relationship. Once the antidote is ready, He Yan wakes the girl. The child hears Liu Buwang's zither music and finds it familiar, saying it sounds like a melody called "Shaoguang Man" that her mother often plays. He Yan begins to suspect that her master, who never speaks of his past, shares a deep history with the Mengji Princess.
Xiao Jue brings Cui Yuezhi to see the unharmed princess. Relieved, Cui Yuezhi, along with Xiao Jue and He Yan, escorts the girl back to the Mengji Royal Mansion. While waiting to be summoned by the princess, Cui Yuezhi shares some stories about her. When the Mengji Princess, Mu Hongjin, finally appears, she immediately exposes Xiao Jue's true identity as the Commander of the Right Army. Xiao Jue admits he is in Jiyang searching for Chai Anxi and warns her that many Wutuo spies have infiltrated the city.
Mu Hongjin is initially reluctant to let them get involved. However, when Chu Zhao also arrives and reports the presence of Wutuo spies, she begins to take the threat seriously, though she still insists on handling it herself. The three are offered a place to stay within the mansion. Mu Hongjin instructs Cui Yuezhi to increase patrols, stockpile medicinal supplies, keep Xiao Jue's presence a secret, and arrange for a city-wide search for Chai Anxi.
Later, He Yan hears the familiar melody of "Shaoguang Man" within the mansion and follows the sound to its source: Mu Hongjin. The princess shares her story, revealing that years ago, she ran away from home to escape an arranged marriage. She was saved from ruffians by a white-robed hero, Liu Buwang. It was love at first sight for her, and she followed him everywhere. Just as Liu Buwang began to develop feelings for her, she confessed her true identity as the daughter of the Mengji King.
They made a pact: Liu Buwang would return to Qiyun Mountain to report to his master and find a solution, while she would wait for him at an inn. She waited for a long time, but he never came back. Now, all these years later, Mu Hongjin simply wants to know if she ever truly had a place in his heart and to find closure for their past.