Episode Summary
The Prince of Zhao's coup fails, and he is killed by Lin Yan in a final confrontation. Though the Shen family is rewarded, Lin Yan is imprisoned for deceiving the emperor. Shen Shaoguang secures his release by arranging a marriage, using a legal loophole to protect him. The episode ends with a shocking revelation. Shen Shaojie remembers that the Shen family's true ancestor is Pei Fei, not Lin Yan, and that their family history was deliberately altered.
Spoiler Alert
The Coup Crumbles
The finale kicks off right where we left it. Princess Fuhui is outside the court, calling out the Prince of Zhao for his treason. He bolts from the main hall. He sees Lin Yan standing there and decides to end him right now. He draws his sword. But he’s in for a surprise. It’s not Lin Yan. It’s Pei Fei, wearing Lin Yan’s court robes. A classic switcheroo.
Lin Yan's Bluff
So where is the real Lin Yan? He’s busy tying up Lu Yun. Lin Yan lays out the situation for him. He says the Prince of Zhao will never let anyone who knows about the coup live. Not even his allies. Lin Yan then offers a fake deal. He claims that if Lu Yun rats out the Prince, the law might show him mercy.
Lu Yun totally buys it. He spills everything. He tells Lin Yan exactly where the Prince and Noble Consort Dou hid their secret letters. After he gets the location, Lin Yan comes clean. That law about showing mercy to traitors? It doesn't exist. Cold.
A Desperate Escape
Back at the palace, things are falling apart for the Prince. The Imperial Guard suddenly surrounds him. Princess Fuhui pulls out a military token. She orders them to arrest the Prince of Zhao on the spot. Just then, Li Ang and his men storm the palace gates. A fight breaks out. In the chaos, Li Ang and the Prince manage to escape on horseback.
The Hostage Standoff
Liu Chang is escorting the Shen family out of the palace. He tells them to get home quickly and stay safe. But their escape route is cut off. The Prince and Li Ang gallop right past them. Shen Shaoguang decides she has to do something to stop them.
Li Ang spots her first. He's still furious with Lin Yan. He decides Shen Shaoguang will pay for Lin Yan's actions with her life. He moves to attack her. But Lin Yan appears out of nowhere. He gets Li Ang under control in an instant. This just creates a new problem. The Prince of Zhao grabs Shen Shaoguang. He puts a knife to her throat. Now we have a real standoff.
A Final, Bloody Goodbye
The Prince proposes a trade. He tells Lin Yan to let Li Ang go. In return, the Prince will stay behind as the hostage. Lin Yan looks at the knife on Shen Shaoguang's neck. He has no choice. He agrees and lets Li Ang ride away.
The Prince then prepares to kill everyone. But Lin Yan is a step ahead. He drives his sword straight into the Prince’s stomach.
The Prince of Zhao is dying. His life flashes before his eyes. He remembers finding Lin Yan seventeen years ago and taking him in. He reaches out a hand, trying to touch Lin Yan one last time. Lin Yan is a wreck of emotions. The Prince takes his last breath. Lin Yan lets out a roar of pure anguish at the sky. Then, he kneels and bows to the man who raised him.
From Hero to Prisoner
The rebellion is finally over. The Shen family is honored for their role in stopping it. The Emperor himself grants them a plaque. Their restaurant business becomes more popular than ever. The Cui family name is also cleared, and they are honored as a loyal house.
But the good news doesn't last. The Censorate impeaches Lin Yan. They argue he was technically a criminal when he was appointed as the head of Jingzhao Prefecture. Cao Rong and Pei Fei argue fiercely for him. It does no good.
A Meal in a Jail Cell
The Shen family is at home, happily talking about what kind of reward they should ask for. Liu Chang bursts in with terrible news. Lin Yan has been thrown in jail. The official charge is deceiving the emperor.
That night, after curfew, Shen Shaoguang pays a hefty bribe. She sneaks into the prison to bring Lin Yan dinner. Every single member of the Shen family cooked one of their best dishes for him. For a moment, Lin Yan feels the warmth of a real family again. He tells Shen Shaoguang it’s too dangerous for her to be there.
The Marriage Plot
The next day, Shen Shaoguang goes to the Grand Princess for help. She learns something interesting. The Emperor doesn't actually want to execute Lin Yan. The real problem is that Lin Yan was too honest as an official. He upset a lot of powerful people who benefited from corruption. Those officials are the ones pushing the "deceiving the emperor" charge. The Princess tells her the only way to save him is to use the law to her advantage.
Finding a Loophole
Shen Shaoguang goes to the palace with a plan. She asks the Emperor to grant her family a "Danshu Tiequan." This is a special imperial plaque that grants exemption from the death penalty. Her idea is to marry Lin Yan. This would make him part of the Shen family and put him under the plaque's protection.
In court, the Censorate is still demanding Lin Yan's head. Pei Fei steps forward to defend him. He announces that Lin Yan and Shen Shaoguang are already engaged to be married. This means he should be protected by the Shen family's new plaque. To prove it, Cao Rong presents the betrothal gifts. This shows Lin Yan is marrying into the Shen family. The plan works. Lin Yan is cleared and gets his job back.
The Ancestral Twist
Shen Shaoguang goes to the prison to bring Lin Yan home. She explains it was the only way she could think of to save him. She says that once things settle down, her family will move away from the capital.
Later, the Emperor orders a painter to make a portrait of the happy couple. When the artist finishes painting Lin Yan, the Shen family is stunned. The portrait is a perfect match for an old painting in their ancestral hall at Yunshui Garden.
Then it's Shen Shaoguang's turn. She playfully holds up two fingers in a peace sign. The artist paints her exactly like that. The final portrait looks a little strange. Lin Yan picks up the brush. He adds a few willow branches around her image. Suddenly, her portrait is also an exact match for another painting in the ancestral hall.
Just then, Shen Shaojie gets dizzy. He starts having flashbacks to his life before he time-traveled. He remembers a private conversation with his grandfather. His grandfather told him a secret. The Shen family's true ancestor was never Lin Yan. It was Pei Fei. But the grandfather thought Lin Yan was more impressive, so he just rewrote their family history and put Lin Yan in it.
