Episode Summary
Meng Jie learns Needham is safe just as a detective, Li Boyao, arrives to pass a secret message to Gu Yangshan in a cigarette. Li Boyao is also a double agent, feeding intel about Gu's team to Luo Han. Meanwhile, Needham stuns everyone by announcing he has cracked the "Red Peach" code. After proving his skill by decoding a live telegram, he reveals the name of a new target, but his superior, Liang Jingyuan, is too afraid to act on the information.
Spoiler Alert
A Spy's Cigarette
So, the episode kicks off with Meng Jie in a full-blown panic. She's racing to Sanyangli, thinking the worst has happened to Joseph Needham. You can feel her anxiety. She finally bursts in, ready for a disaster. But Needham is just fine. He's lying in bed, completely unharmed.
Gu Yangshan is there, but he hasn't passed on his intel yet. Before he can, a new guest arrives. It's Li Boyao, a detective. He comes bearing a gift of fancy foreign cigarettes. He's trying to act casual and get on the experts' good side. To keep their cover, Gu Yangshan has to think on his feet. He tells everyone that Li Boyao is an old friend who once saved his life. It’s a decent lie, for now.
The Secret Message
This whole visit is a front. We learn that Luo Han is the one who sent Li Boyao. The cigarettes aren't just a friendly gesture. They're a dead drop. A way to pass a secret message to Gu Yangshan.
But Liang Jingyuan is watching everyone like a hawk. He's immediately suspicious. He walks over and snatches the cigarettes right from Gu Yangshan. He examines them closely, looking for any trick. He finds nothing, so he just shrugs and lights one up. That was way too close.
Later, after everyone has left, Gu Yangshan gets his moment. He takes out the one special cigarette from the pack. He carefully breaks it open and pours out the tobacco. Tucked inside is a tiny, rolled-up piece of paper. The message is a three-character code. It translates to "Use the peach as bait." Gu Yangshan knows exactly what this means. It's a new order from his superiors.
The Double-Cross
This new plan is risky. Gu Yangshan knows he'll need help, so he asks Meng Jie to stay the night.
Meanwhile, Li Boyao is playing both sides. He's waiting in a dark alley for Luo Han. It turns out Luo Han bribed him with a gold bar and a medal to spy on Gu Yangshan's team. Li Boyao is greedy. He extorts even more money from Luo Han before handing over a piece of paper. This is the intel he gathered from inside. Luo Han opens it. The note reads, "The enemy wants to break the Red Peach." So, the other side now knows about their mission. This is very, very bad.
The Codebreaker's Big Moment
The next morning, Meng Jie gets ready to leave. Before she goes, she gives Charlie her home phone number. A small detail, but it feels important. As soon as she's gone, Gu Yangshan pulls Ding Yi into a room. He hands him a stack of files related to the "Red Peach" code. He orders Ding Yi to memorize everything. Liang Jingyuan will be asking questions, and they need to be prepared.
The pressure is on. The whole reason there are three teams of experts is to cross-verify each other's work. They are all watching one another. There is zero room for error.
A Shocking Reveal
Liang Jingyuan, true to form, doesn't trust anyone. He secretly sends his men to follow Meng Jie. What they find out is a game-changer. Meng Jie is the daughter of a man named Meng Mingyi. And Meng Mingyi is a huge deal with the Japanese. This means Meng Jie is completely off-limits. She's untouchable, and now Liang Jingyuan knows it.
Needham Proves His Worth
That evening, all the experts gather in Liang Jingyuan's workshop for a progress report. Joseph Needham walks in, cool as ever. He announces that he has already cracked the code. He even makes a joke about it. He says if his old headache had flared up, he probably would have finished it by morning.
The other experts are floored. They don't believe him. How could he have solved it so quickly? To prove he isn't bluffing, he has Charlie call out a random string of numbers. Needham decodes it on the spot, without breaking a sweat. Everyone is speechless. The immediate suspicion is that he's a traitor. They accuse him of getting the answers from the Japanese.
Needham doesn't get angry. He just calmly says that the Japanese once spent three days searching for his head. His point is clear. Why would he work with people who want him dead? That shuts them up fast.
Right on cue, a new, live telegram comes in. This is the ultimate test. Needham gets to work and decodes it in front of everyone. The message reveals a name: "Chen Yaozu." He's a key official in the new government and is scheduled to give a speech at the Peace Hotel. The communists are clearly planning to make a move on him.
The intel is explosive. But Liang Jingyuan hesitates. He's scared. If this intelligence is wrong and he reports it, his career is over.
