Episode Summary
Wu Shi uses a hateful new assignment translating for the Japanese as a cover to draft faulty battle plans for the Communists. To get them approved, he manipulates his boss into disciplining Gu Zhengwen, who then leaves for a remote post. A new communist courier, Zhu Feng, arrives in Taiwan and begins her mission, but her suspicious son-in-law and the tense political climate create immediate risks. Both Wu Shi and Nie Xi face explosive confrontations in their marriages due to the secrets they are keeping.
Spoiler Alert
Wu Shi's Nightmare Assignment
This episode kicks off with Wu Shi getting a truly awful assignment. Chiang Kai-shek wants him to be a translator for a visiting Japanese staff officer. This is a gut punch for Wu Shi. His oldest son, Wu Jingcheng, was murdered by the Japanese. He absolutely despises them. The news is so bad he has a nightmare where his son appears before him, covered in blood.
Sleep is impossible after that. He goes back to the Ministry of Defense in the middle of the night. He decides to use this terrible situation to his advantage. He's going to get Chiang Kai-shek's battle plans for the Southwest and leak them to the Communists.This will help Liu Bocheng's army take the region. His wife, Wang Bikui, wakes up and panics when he's gone. She sends Nie Xi to find him. Nie Xi finds Wu Shi at the office and just stays with him, keeping him company while he works through the night.
A Spy Arrives in Taiwan
A new player enters the game. Her name is Zhu Feng.She just finished her training as a traffic controller, which is spy-talk for a courier. She's learned how to operate the radio and everything. Her handler, Wan Jingguang, gives her a pocket watch. It's the object she'll use to make contact.
She takes a boat to Taiwan. Her adopted daughter, Ajú, and Ajú's husband, Wang Changcheng, meet her at the pier. The mood is tense. Secrecy Bureau agents are everywhere, grabbing people and even killing some right there on the docks. Zhu Feng sees it all. This is the world she just stepped into.
Settling In
Zhu Feng goes to stay with Ajú's family. She comes bearing gifts. There's rouge from Hong Kong for the nanny, Ah Mei, and formula for the baby, Xiaobao. She gives Ajú a gold necklace and a longevity lock for the baby. There's even a present for Wang Changcheng.
The family dynamic is a little rocky. Ajú complains a lot about her husband. Zhu Feng just tries to keep the peace. She learns that Ah Mei's husband is a colleague of Wang Changcheng. That's a detail to remember.
Political Chess
Back at the Ministry, Wu Shi has finished his project. He's drafted a set of battle plans. The plans are specifically designed to fail, giving the Communists a clear path to break through the Nationalist lines.Now he just has to get Chiang Kai-shek to approve them.
He plays a clever trick on his boss, Zhou Zhirou. Wu Shi asks to resign. He says he's worried about being spied on by Gu Zhengwen's agents from the Secrecy Bureau. He even shows Zhou a Hong Kong newspaper with an article attacking Gu. It works perfectly. Zhou refuses the resignation and promises to give Wu Shi's battle plan to Chiang Kai-shek as a birthday present. He also vows to have Gu Zhengwen disciplined by Mao Renfeng, the head of the secret police.
The fallout is immediate. Zhou complains to Mao Renfeng, who tears into Gu Zhengwen. Gu, who recently almost captured a female Communist agent, decides to get out of the city. He volunteers for a tough post in the mountains of Taichung. As he's leaving, his replacement, Ye Xiangzhi, shows up. They trade a few sarcastic remarks. Ye notices that the file on a man named Zhang Hao is missing. He correctly assumes Gu took it with him.
Trouble at Home
The stress is getting to everyone. Nie Xi gets home from his long night with Wu Shi and finds his wife, Gao Xiumei, is gone. She works for an American officer, a job Nie Xi wanted her to quit. She left him a letter and a picture of their child.
Wu Shi's home life is also a disaster. He and Wang Bikui go to a dinner party at Zhou Zhirou's house. While the men talk business, Wang Bikui plays mahjong with Mrs. Zhou. Mrs. Zhou casually mentions that Wu Shi is translating for the Japanese. Wang Bikui knew nothing about it.
When they get home, Wu Shi finds her by the window, crying and holding a photo of their dead son, Wu Jingcheng. She confronts him. She can't understand how he could work for the people who killed their son. Wu Shi can't tell her the truth about his mission.All he can do is apologize over and over. She leaves him and goes to bed in tears.
The Radio Signal
Zhu Feng begins her mission. Her instructions were clear. For three straight nights, a radio signal will be broadcast at 1 a.m. After that, she needs to look for a "searching for brother" notice from a "Chen Li" in the Quanmin Daily newspaper. That's her signal to go to the contact point.
In the middle of the night, she gets up and listens to the radio, trying to catch the coded message in the commercials. Her son-in-law, Wang Changcheng, hears a noise and listens for a moment. The next morning, Zhu Feng goes out to buy the newspaper and some breakfast. Wang Changcheng casually asks her about listening to the radio. She lies and says she couldn't sleep. She offers to pay for the family's living expenses to be helpful. He then asks when she's going back to Hong Kong. She tells him she's on vacation and plans to stay for a while. Wang Changcheng works for the telecommunications bureau. He's suspicious.
