Episode Summary
Jiang Yiyao discovers a cure for A'na Shi's corpse poison, but a trip to find the necessary herb leads to a brief romantic moment with Chongyi Biao. This is cut short when Kui Fang sets a trap, luring the princes away and kidnapping A'na Shi. Yiyao follows, only to be murdered by Kui Fang. Her body is found by A'si and returned to her brother, Jiang Wenhuan, and a heartbroken Chongyi Biao, who both vow revenge.
Spoiler Alert
A Poisoned Son and a Desperate Cure
The episode kicks off with Jiang Yiyao making a horrifying discovery. She finds out that Gongsun Wuyu's son, A'na Shi, has corpse poison. The poison is already all through his body. Yiyao immediately blames herself. She thinks some leftover toxins from her blood crystal stone experiments must have infected him.
She calls Gongsun Wuyu over, full of guilt. He has a different theory, though. He figures that since A'na Shi has been in a coma for years, his body might have developed a weird way of suppressing the poison. Yiyao notices his symptoms look a lot like her brother Jiang Wenhuan's. This gives her an idea. She writes a special, gentle prescription for an herb called Shanlingzi. She believes this is the key to waking him up.
A Dangerous Herb Hunt
The next day, Yiyao is ready to go find this herb. Chongyi Biao stops her. He reminds her that Zhongli Yuan's men are still out there, watching. So, she convinces Biao to come with her. Safety in numbers, I guess.
She tells him the Shanlingzi herb likes to grow near bamboo. He can find it by tapping on the bamboo and listening for a different sound. Biao actually focuses and hears it. He finds the right bamboo stalk. But when he cuts it down, a cloud of irritating fluff explodes from the leaves. The stuff makes it hard to breathe.
Yiyao acts fast. She grabs Biao's head and pulls it close to protect him. He gets completely flustered. He scolds her for being reckless but also points out the rash forming on her neck from the fluff. He starts talking way too fast for her to read his lips. So, she just puts her hand over his mouth to shut him up. The move makes him blush. It was a nice little moment. Too bad it was the last one.
The Trap is Sprung
While they're gone, the plot moves forward. The masked man, Kui Fang, has lost Zhongli Yuan as a useful piece in his game. He tells his subordinates to just move on to the next phase of the plan.
Back at the camp, Yiyao is looking after A'na Shi when he suddenly vanishes. At the same time, a message arrives from the palace. All the princes must attend a banquet immediately. Chongyi Biao smells a trap. He knows this is a classic "lure the tiger from the mountain" trick. He rushes back to check on Yiyao. He finds that both she and A'na Shi are gone.
Yiyao Walks into Her Doom
Yiyao sees a dark figure in the distance. She thinks it's A'na Shi. She follows it into the forest, leaving a trail of markers as she goes. She finds him in a clearing, tangled up in a web of red threads.
Then, the masked Kui Fang appears. He tells her she knows too much about A'na Shi's secret. He can't let her live. As she backs away in shock, she falls into a pile of grass. A hand, looking like it belongs to a corpse, shoots out and grabs her by the neck.
At that exact moment, Chongyi Biao is close enough to have found her trail. But a sound from far away distracts him, and he heads off in that direction. Yiyao can only watch him leave as she loses hope and closes her eyes.
The Aftermath
A'si arrives in the Zhongli nation, searching for the princes. She stumbles upon Jiang Yiyao's body in the woods. She recognizes the Pan Chi totem on her handkerchief and carefully takes the body with her.
Chongyi Biao eventually finds A'na Shi in the forest and carries him back to the camp. But there's still no sign of Yiyao. He heads out again, passing A'si on the road without realizing it.
A Brother's Grief and a Vow for Revenge
A'si reaches the post house and runs into Jiang Wenhuan. She asks if he knows a girl with a Pan Chi totem handkerchief. Wenhuan assumed his sister had returned safely. The sight of her body is too much. He coughs up blood in his grief. Yiyao's eyes remain open, as if she has unfinished business.
When Chongyi Biao returns, he sees her body. He is completely broken. He carries her to a lakeside at sunset. He remembers she always begged him to take her to see a sunset. He holds her and thinks about their time together, overcome with sorrow.
That night, Jiang Wenhuan buries his sister. He swears he will get revenge for her death.
