Episode Summary
Wu Shi, under detention, sends a coded message to his allies via a three-dish "menu." While the Secret Service suspects a code, they can't crack it. Political maneuvering leads to Nie Xi's release, as his superiors hope he'll lead them to a scapegoat for a failed operation. Nie Xi meets with Chen Baocang, who deciphers the menu's message. It points to Yu Xiaonan. A separate investigation into a suspicious house purchase reveals that Yu Xiaonan recently received a property as a bribe, connecting him to the conspiracy.
Spoiler Alert
The Walls Close In on Wu Shi
So, Wu Shi is basically being held at the Ministry of Defense. His wife, Wang Bikui, is a wreck. She goes to bring him some fresh clothes and just breaks down. I don't blame her. She tells him that Gu Zhengwen and some big guy searched their house. They didn't even have a warrant. She says the guy went through Wu Shi's private study.
Wu Shi tries to calm her down. He tells her to take the kids and go into hiding for a while. Then he does something interesting. He asks her to cook him three specific dishes. He even writes them down for her on a piece of paper, like a menu.
A Suspicious Menu
As you can probably guess, this isn't just about food. Gu Zhengwen certainly doesn't think so. He stops Wang Bikui on her way out. He demands to see the "menu" Wu Shi gave her. He's convinced it's a coded message. She refuses to give it to him. Gu then threatens her, dropping Mao Renfeng's name to scare her.
Wu Shi steps in and tells his wife to just hand it over. Gu Zhengwen studies the paper. He looks for any hidden meaning or code. He finds nothing. It just looks like a list of three dishes. Frustrated, he lets her go. But you know he isn't dropping this.
The Political Game Heats Up
The whole situation is a mess. Zhou Zhirou is getting tired of Gu Zhengwen and his Secret Service goons running around. He calls in Duan Tuizhi to figure out a way to get them off his back.
A Scapegoat is Needed
Duan Tuizhi starts digging. He looks at the folder for the operation to welcome Huang Jie's army. He notices something huge. Wu Shi's fingerprints are not on it. That makes zero sense. Wu Shi was in charge of the entire operation. His prints should be all over that folder. Duan Tuizhi immediately realizes the Secret Service must have swapped the original folder with a fake one.
He goes straight to Mao Renfeng to confront him. Mao basically admits he thinks Wu Shi is a spy. The problem is, he has no actual proof after all this time. But he needs someone to take the fall for the failed "Sea Eagle" plan. He needs a scapegoat, and fast.
Nie Xi Becomes a Pawn
Duan Tuizhi suggests a plan. He tells Mao they should release Nie Xi. Mao agrees. Their thinking is pretty cynical. They hope that once Nie Xi is free, he'll try to clear Wu Shi's name. In doing so, he might lead them to the person who actually swapped the folder. Then they can just pin everything on that person and close the case. Nie Xi is just a tool to them.
Cracking the Code
Wu Shi sees Nie Xi being released from a window. It gives him a small bit of hope.
Nie Xi Gets to Work
The first thing Nie Xi does is go to Wu Shi's house to see Wang Bikui. He sees the list of three dishes she's preparing but doesn't think anything of it. He also calls Gao Xiumei from a payphone. He thanks her for looking after Wang Bikui and the kids.
Nie Xi knows he's being watched. He arranges a meeting with Chen Baocang. On his way there, he spots a tail. He quickly ditches his car, hops into a rickshaw, and manages to lose the agent following him. Smart move. The agent, by the way, is Li Qing. She's reporting Nie Xi's every move back to Gu Zhengwen.
The Menu's True Meaning
Nie Xi meets with Chen Baocang. He shows him the list of three dishes from Wu Shi. This is where it gets good. Chen Baocang isn't just looking at a food order. He analyzes the names of the dishes. He figures out it's a cypher. The message isn't about food at all. The message is a name.
Yu Xiaonan.
Chen tells Nie Xi that this is their lead. They need to focus all their attention on Yu Xiaonan.
Following the Money
While all this is happening, other people are putting pieces together. Zhu Feng has been tailing a woman named A-Ling. She follows her to a house at 37 Aiguo Road.
A Very Expensive House
Zhu Feng goes to a real estate agent and asks about that specific house. She offers to pay more than the asking price to buy it. The agent gets nervous. He finally admits that the Secret Service already bought it. He says they paid with three small gold bars.
Nie Xi learns about this expensive house purchase. He reports it to Chen Baocang. Chen goes to the real estate agent himself. He confirms the details. The payment was made by someone named Xu Shan. But the buyer listed on the deed was Yu Xiaonan.
There it is. Chen Baocang now knows this house was a bribe paid to Yu Xiaonan. The web is getting tighter.
