Episode Summary
Zhu Feng successfully receives a microfilm of military plans from Wu Shi but is arrested in a random shakedown by corrupt agents. She cleverly hides the film in her hair. Wu Shi orchestrates her release by provoking the university president to protest. After being freed, she delivers the film instead of going home, which leads to a furious argument with Wu Shi, who benches her for being reckless. Meanwhile, the intelligence is passed to another agent, the brother of a fallen comrade, to be sent out via a newly established sea route. The episode ends with Chiang Kai-shek's retreat to Taiwan, as Wu Shi and a joyful Nie Xi secretly celebrate the changing tides of the war.
Spoiler Alert
A Risky Hand-Off
This episode kicks off with a tense meeting. Zhu Feng connects with Wu Shi. He hands her a roll of film. It contains photos of critical military defense layouts. You can feel the weight of that tiny object. They aren't alone, though. Duan Tuizhi is lurking somewhere, watching their every move.
Zhu Feng proves she's no amateur. She spots Nie Xi waiting for her in a car. Instead of getting in, she walks right past him and leaves on her own. It's a smart, cautious move. Nie Xi then goes to Wu Shi. He's worried Zhu Feng is in danger. Wu Shi agrees and tells Nie Xi to follow her from a distance. He needs to be her invisible bodyguard.
A Corrupt Shakedown
An Unlucky Arrest
Zhu Feng is just walking home. Suddenly, Secrecy Bureau agents swarm the street. They're grabbing people left and right. They stop her and check her papers. An agent claims her documents are fake. He doesn't listen to her protests. They just drag her away.
Nie Xi sees the whole thing from afar. He immediately runs back to tell Wu Shi. Nie Xi noticed something important. The agents were only arresting people who looked well-dressed. He figures they're just running a shakedown to extort money. One of the men they arrested is a professor from Taiwan University. The professor is yelling that he's going to report them to President Fu.
Hiding the Intel
Wu Shi is desperate to help Zhu Feng. But he can't show his face. It would blow his cover completely. He hears about the university president, Fu Sinian. The man has a nickname, "Big Cannon Fu," because he's got a temper and isn't afraid to use it. Wu Shi realizes this is his way in. If Fu Sinian finds out his professor was arrested, he might just storm over to Chiang Kai-shek's office. Wu Shi decides to contact him.
Meanwhile, the agents aren't taking their prisoners to the bureau. They're holding them in a separate location. They threaten each person and take all their money. Then they demand two hundred Taiwan dollars for a "new" travel pass.
The agents call Zhu Feng for questioning. She tries to use her son-in-law's name, Wang Changcheng. The agent actually calls his office, but Wang is working late. Zhu Feng then tries calling her house, but the line is busy. The agents throw her into a separate room. She says she's hungry and grabs a handful of peanuts. In that moment, she cleverly hides the microfilm roll in her hair.
A Coward at Home
Wang Changcheng finally gets home late at night. His wife, A Ju, is a wreck. Her mother, Zhu Feng, still isn't back. A Ju is terrified the Secrecy Bureau has her. She begs Wang to call his contacts at the bureau to ask around. Wang refuses. He's scared of being associated with any trouble. He doesn't want to get dragged down. He eventually calms A Ju down and sends her away.
Getting Out of the Jam
The President's Fury
Wu Shi can't sleep all night. He keeps thinking about what to do. First thing in the morning, he calls President Fu Sinian. Fu learns his professor has been arrested by corrupt agents. He absolutely explodes with anger.
It works perfectly. Soon, a crowd of Taiwan University professors and students gathers outside the Secrecy Bureau. They demand the release of the professor. The agents can't handle the pressure. They are forced to release Zhu Feng and everyone else they arrested. Nie Xi is waiting nearby and sees her walk out free. Li Qing happens to be passing by, and she walks back to the bureau with him.
The Mission Comes First
Nie Xi reports the good news to Wu Shi. Wu Shi tells him to call A Ju's house. He wants Zhu Feng to come pick up a backup copy of the film. But Zhu Feng isn't home yet.
She didn't go home. Her first stop after being released was to find Cai Xiaoqian. She hands him the film. She completed her mission before doing anything else.
A Heated Confrontation
Suspicions at Home
Zhu Feng finally returns home. A Ju and Wang Changcheng are relieved. She briefly explains what happened. As Wang is rushing to work, he mentions something. The Hongxiang Silk Shop called for her to pick up some fabric.
Zhu Feng says she's tired and goes to her room. She immediately checks her suitcase. She had placed a single hair on the lid as a trap. The hair is gone. She now suspects Wang Changcheng went through her things.
Later that night, she waits for A Ju to fall asleep and quietly slips out. She goes directly to the silk shop. Wang Changcheng followed her. He walks in and asks the clerk for the fabric Zhu Feng ordered. After she gets the package, Wang offers to get her a rickshaw. She turns him down.
Wu Shi Explodes
As Zhu Feng leaves, Nie Xi is there to meet her. He takes her to see Wu Shi. Wu Shi is ready to give her the backup film roll. He's completely shocked when he learns she never destroyed the original. He thought she would have gotten rid of it the second she was arrested.
The two get into a massive argument. Wu Shi is furious. He tells her she was incredibly reckless. She could have gotten caught and exposed the entire network. Zhu Feng argues back. She was just focused on getting the intelligence out. Wu Shi is having none of it. He yells that her actions could get other comrades and even her own family killed.
He officially benches her. He orders her to suspend all work and go home to lay low. He tells her he won't let his courier sacrifice herself for nothing. He forbids her from taking any more action.
The Intel Moves Forward
Zhu Feng goes home, completely dejected. A Ju and Wang have made her favorite dishes from her hometown, but she has no appetite.
Cai Xiaoqian is on edge. He had sent a man named Lin Yiliang to re-establish their sea transport line. Lin is late returning. The local party secretary, Chen Zemin, says they'll wait until dark. If Lin isn't back, he'll go to Keelung himself.
Just then, Lin Yiliang rushes in, soaked from the rain. He succeeded. He built the new sea route. Cai Xiaoqian hands him the precious film roll. Without even resting, Lin leaves to send the intelligence. Chen Zemin watches him go. We learn that Lin Yiliang's brother was Zhang Hao, the agent who was sacrificed earlier. His real name was Lin Yiwei. This mission is personal for him.
The Tides of History
The story jumps forward. It's December 10, 1949. Chiang Kai-shek hastily retreats from Chengdu and flies directly to Taiwan. The People's Liberation Army is advancing rapidly, having already liberated Chongqing.
Nie Xi hears the news and can't stop smiling. Wu Shi returns from a meeting at the Ministry of Defense. He tells Nie Xi that the official Kuomintang story is a lie. They're publicly claiming the retreat from Chongqing was a strategic move for "off-site combat."
Wu Shi knows Chengdu will fall any day now. He wants to have a drink with Nie Xi to celebrate. Nie Xi suggests he wait until he gets home, but Wu Shi insists they celebrate right there in the office. They share a drink for this huge victory.
Later, a very happy Nie Xi walks back to his dorm. Li Qing is waiting at the entrance. She smells the alcohol on him and sees the undisguised joy on his face. He lies, claiming he was "drowning his sorrows." She doesn't believe him for a second.
