Episode Summary
At a banquet, an assassination attempt on Xiao Jue is thwarted by He Yan, who sacrifices her sight to save him. Wracked with guilt, Xiao Jue cares for her, though he grows suspicious of her condition. He Yan, who has secretly already recovered her vision, uses her feigned blindness to help Xiao Jue locate a secret room containing incriminating tax records, leading to a tense cliffhanger as an enemy closes in on her.
Spoiler Alert
The episode kicks off at a banquet hosted by Sun Chuanfu. Chu Zhao, in his capacity as the Ministry of War's Patrol Inspector, is staying at the Sun residence. Sun Chuanfu tries to subtly probe him for information about Xu Jingfu, but Chu Zhao remains unreadable. Soon after, He Yan (disguised as the scholar Cheng Lisu) arrives with Xiao Jue. He Yan instantly recognizes Chu Zhao, but he plays along and doesn't expose her, allowing her to continue her charade. To smooth things over, Sun Chuanfu forces his arrogant son, Sun Ling, to offer a formal apology to He Yan and Xiao Jue for his previous behavior.
During the feast, Sun Chuanfu complains that the Yezhou treasury has been in deficit for years and he cannot possibly supply the Yezhou garrison. Xiao Jue cuts straight to the point, suggesting that Chu Zhao, as the patrol inspector, should examine the county's tax records. Once the official talk is over, dancers are brought in. Under the cover of the performance, an attendant named Ding Yi attempts to pour poisoned wine for Xiao Jue.
He Yan's instincts scream danger, and she deliberately knocks the cup over. The poisoned wine is exposed for all to see, and the dancers, revealed as assassins, immediately attack Xiao Jue.
Sun Chuanfu and his son cower under a table, their calls for help barely audible. Since her alias, Cheng Lisu, is not supposed to know martial arts, He Yan must pretend to be helpless while secretly taking down assassins disguised as maids to aid Xiao Jue. She notices a signal from Ding Yi and realizes the assassins have another trick up their sleeve. She quickly pulls Xiao Jue aside, taking the full force of a mysterious powder thrown at him. Xiao Jue is unharmed, but He Yan loses her sight. The remaining assassins commit suicide by biting their tongues.
After the chaos, Sun Chuanfu and his men kneel, pleading ignorance about the assassins. Chu Zhao declares he will launch a full investigation. Later, he confronts Sun Chuanfu and Ding Yi, who admit they planned the attack but are warned by Chu Zhao not to let it implicate Xu Jingfu. Sun Chuanfu finds the timing of "Cheng Lisu" spilling the wine too coincidental, while Ding Yi feels he recognizes her from somewhere but can't quite place it.
Racked with guilt over He Yan's blindness, Xiao Jue becomes exceptionally caring, even hand-feeding her congee the next morning. When a doctor arrives, He Yan cleverly tests him by mentioning Cassia Seed and White Peony Root, discovering he doesn't even know the two herbs shouldn't be taken together. Naturally, she refuses his treatment. This makes Xiao Jue suspicious that she might be faking her blindness, and he tries to test her, but she skillfully avoids revealing her secret.
Meanwhile, Chu Zhao instructs his subordinate, Ying Xiang, to find the hidden account books detailing transactions between Sun Xiangfu and Xu Jingfu.
It's revealed that while the powder did blind He Yan, she used medicine given to her by Liu Buwang to restore her sight. She is now feigning blindness as part of a larger plan. To sell the act, she pretends to trip on a step, grabbing onto Xiao Jue for support. Acting on intelligence from Fei Nu about a secret room, Xiao Jue has He Yan create a diversion to draw away the guards so he can sneak into Sun Ling's chambers.
Xiao Jue finds the hidden room, but the mechanism to open the compartment containing the tax books is incredibly complex; a single mistake could destroy the contents. He decides not to risk it. He Yan causes a commotion, successfully luring Sun Ling away from the secret area. Sun Ling tries to take advantage of her "blindness," but Chu Zhao intervenes. Just after Chu Zhao escorts her back to her room, Ding Yi arrives to summon him for a meeting with Sun Chuanfu. As Chu Zhao leaves, Ding Yi turns his gaze directly toward He Yan.
