Episode Summary
A coded message from Wu Shi triggers a plan to expose Yu Xiaonan as a traitor by making him desperate for money. At the same time, Wu Shi is accused of treason in a hearing. A brilliant defense by Duan Tuizhi proves Wu Shi was framed with swapped folders. The trap for Yu Xiaonan works, and he is caught selling secrets on microfilm. The evidence exonerates Wu Shi in the middle of the hearing, humiliating his accuser, Mao Renfeng, and leading to the arrest of Gu Zhengwen.
Spoiler Alert
A Clever Plan Unfolds
A Message Hidden in the Menu
This whole thing kicks off in a pretty smart way. Wu Shi is under watch, so he can't just send a normal message. Instead, he orders three specific dishes from Wang Bikui. The names of the dishes are actually a code. Chen Baocang and Nie Xi get the message. They quickly figure out Wu Shi is telling them to investigate Yu Xiaonan.
Zhu Feng gets to work on the ground. She does some digging and finds an intelligence broker named Xu Shan. It turns out Xu Shan helped Yu Xiaonan buy a house. The payment was three small gold bars. This is all the proof they need. Yu Xiaonan has been selling secrets.
Forcing the Traitor's Hand
Chen Baocang sends his own guy, Old Du, to talk to Xu Shan. Xu confirms it. Yu has sold military intelligence more than once. But there's a problem. Yu has made enough money and gone quiet. Xu can't get him to meet anymore.
Nie Xi comes up with a new plan. They need to make Yu Xiaonan desperate for cash again. He asks Zhu Feng to help him set a trap. She goes back to the real estate agent, a guy named Xiao Xia. Zhu Feng pretends she wants the exact house Yu is buying. She claims her husband is a colonel and offers a whole gold bar to snatch the property.
Xiao Xia tries to convince Yu to give up the house. Yu refuses. He says it's a wedding gift for his fiancée, A-Ling. She won't back down either. Now Yu is in a bind. He needs more money to secure the house completely. He has no choice but to call his old contact, Xu Shan. He sets up a meeting for the next morning at the Huadu Grand Ballroom.
The Walls Close In
The Frame-Up in Court
While the trap is being set, Wu Shi is facing a formal hearing. Chiang Ching-kuo himself is there to watch. Mao Renfeng leads the accusation. He claims Wu Shi leaked the entire "Sea Eagle" plan, which is why the military's bombing runs have been failing. Mao's big piece of evidence is a folder. It has Wu Shi's fingerprints all over it.
Duan Tuizhi stands up to defend Wu Shi. He makes a solid point. The folder has prints from Wu Shi, Nie Xi, and Zhou Zhirou. But the secretary who was supposed to file the document never touched it. His fingerprints are missing. That doesn't add up.
Mao Renfeng doesn't care. He insists Wu Shi is the leak. So, Duan Tuizhi plays his ace. He shows everyone the insideof the "Sea Eagle" folder. There's a faint imprint of Wu Shi's signature. Wu Shi remembers signing a document for Duan. He used a different folder, the "Huang Jie" corps folder, as a hard surface to write on.
Duan then produces the actual "Huang Jie" folder. This one has prints from Zhou Zhirou and an aide, but not from Wu Shi. Wu Shi was in charge of that operation. His prints should absolutely be on it. The picture is now crystal clear. Someone swapped the folders to frame Wu Shi.
The Bust and the Big Reveal
Right as this is happening in the hearing, Yu Xiaonan is at the ballroom. He's handing over new intelligence to Xu Shan. Suddenly, Director Zhang from the Second Bureau bursts in with his men. They catch Yu and Xu red-handed and arrest them both.
News of the arrest reaches Nie Xi. He rushes to the hearing and interrupts everything. He publicly accuses Gu Zhengwen of illegally raiding Wu Shi's home. Then he drops the bombshell. Yu Xiaonan is the real traitor.
Director Zhang arrives with Yu in custody. He also brings two rolls of microfilm they found at Yu's house. Zhou Zhirou orders the film developed immediately. When they look at the images, it's the entire "Sea Eagle" plan. Chiang Ching-kuo is speechless with anger. Mao Renfeng is stunned. His entire plot to ruin Wu Shi just blew up in his face. It proved the leak came from inside his own Secrecy Bureau.
The Aftermath
An Apology and a Demand
Mao Renfeng tries to save face. He demands Yu Xiaonan be executed on the spot. But Wu Shi speaks up. He says Yu isn't smart enough to be the mastermind. He suggests Gu Zhengwen is the one pulling the strings.
With the truth out, Chiang Ching-kuo walks over and personally apologizes to Wu Shi. Mao Renfeng has to eat crow and apologizes over and over. Wu Shi is declared innocent. He looks at Mao and tells him to remove the listening devices from his office. Mao is terrified and agrees immediately.
Lingering Questions
Wu Shi returns to his office a free man. Nie Xi is overjoyed and hugs him. Wu Shi quietly signals for him to be silent. The bugs are still there.
We get a quick shot of Li Qing. She sees Gu Zhengwen being arrested and looks absolutely terrified. Later, Nie Xi talks to Wu Shi in private. He admits he's very suspicious of Li Qing. He thinks her brother might be the pilot, Lin Feng, but he can't prove it yet. Wu Shi tells him to be careful and wait for solid evidence.
The episode ends with Director Zhang interrogating Yu Xiaonan. Yu confesses he sold the intel for money. But he claims he only sold the "Sea Eagle" plan afterthe military had already started it. He also insists Gu Zhengwen had nothing to do with it.
