Episode Summary
Gu Yangshan and Ding Yi are captured by the Chaosheng Opera Troupe after their hiding spot is discovered. In the basement, Gu Yangshan reveals the "poison" was a bluff and recruits Ding Yi to continue impersonating the deceased code expert, Joseph Needham. The troupe's leader, Xian Biyun, cleverly disposes of Needham's body, outsmarting the Japanese. Gu Yangshan returns to his agency with a new plan: use the fake Needham to force the Japanese to change their intelligence codes.
Spoiler Alert
This Mess Just Got Messier
Gu Yangshan and Ding Yi are not exactly criminal masterminds. They're hiding in a prop tree during a live show. An actor on stage totally clocks them. They have to threaten him mid-performance to keep him from blowing their cover. It's just as ridiculous as it sounds.
Things get worse. Gu Yangshan is bleeding. The blood starts dripping out of the tree. Ding Yi desperately signals the actor for help. The guy deserves an award, honestly. He improvises his lines to explain away the blood.
After the show, a Japanese officer named Takeda shows up to search the backyard. But the car Gu Yangshan and Ding Yi used is already gone. The crew moves the prop tree, and surprise. The two idiots are found inside. Hong Yu, one of the troupe's actresses, is furious. She thinks Gu Yangshan has brought a world of trouble to their theater. She pistol-whips him and knocks him cold.
Basement Deals
Xian Biyun, the woman who runs this opera troupe, takes charge.She has connections and knows how to handle a crisis. She takes Gu Yangshan's gun and tells her people to throw both him and Ding Yi in the basement. She'll deal with them after she cleans up their mess.
Down in the dark, Ding Yi starts panicking. He wants the antidote for the "poison" Gu Yangshan gave him. Gu Yangshan finally admits the truth. It wasn't poison. It was a complete bluff.
Then Gu Yangshan makes a request. He needs Hong Yu to make a phone call. She has to create an immigration record for a man named "Charlie."He claims this is the only way to keep Ding Yi alive now. Hong Yu runs to Xian Biyun, who surprisingly agrees. The call goes to the Nagasawa Shipyard.
Gu Yangshan sees Ding Yi, who is so hungry he's about to eat a bun off the dirty floor. He makes him an offer. He wants Ding Yi to keep pretending to be the code expert, Joseph Needham.He'll even double his pay. He argues that if the Japanese find out the real Needham is dead, they'll come straight for the theater troupe.
A Spy's Real Plan
Xian Biyun overhears everything. She unties Ding Yi and kicks him out. She wants to question Gu Yangshan alone. But Gu Yangshan isn't your average prisoner. He slips out of his ropes easily. He then asks her how she got rid of the body and the car.
We learn she's pretty clever. The Japanese saw a large box being moved from the theater. They chased it down, thinking it had to be the body. It was just full of costumes. Xian Biyun used the diversion to move the real body out.
Later, Ding Yi learns from Gu Yangshan that Needham was a traitor. The news makes him feel guilty. Gu Yangshan proposes a partnership with Xian Biyun before leaving with his associate, Old Gu. Back at his own intelligence station, Gu Yangshan meets with a special commissioner, Luo Han.Luo Han is angry that Needham is dead. But Gu Yangshan has a new plan. He wants to force the Japanese to change their secret codes. He believes the fastest way to do that is to make them think Ding Yi is the real Joseph Needham.
A Formidable Woman
The episode ends with a little background on Xian Biyun. Gu Yangshan did his homework on her. She started as an actress at sixteen and became one of the biggest stars in Shanghai. Then she abruptly retired to start the Chaosheng Opera Troupe.She sent Ding Yi away, deciding he was too much trouble. But something tells me we haven't seen the last of him.
