Episode Summary
Xiao Yong's massive plot to frame the Prince of Langya is revealed, but Su Changhe suspects the Prince is secretly in control. In a tragic confrontation, Tang Linghuang kills himself to escape being a puppet, leading Tang Lianyue and Mu Yumo to promise each other marriage amidst the chaos. The episode concludes with the Prince of Langya knowingly drinking poison from his own brother, accepting his fate as his body begins to freeze.
Spoiler Alert
The Grand Plan and the Seeds of Doubt
I have to say, this show just keeps finding new ways to get dark. We open with Su Changhe getting some bad news. He hears that Mu Xuewei is dead. His face is a total blank slate. He shows absolutely no emotion. As the Patriarch of the Dark River, he’s always known his people were just pawns. They were never truly free. They were always controlled by someone else. This just confirms it for him.
Xiao Yong's Play for Power
It turns out Xiao Yong’s scheme is way bigger than we thought. His plan is absolutely wild. He wants to turn ordinary people into drugged puppets. This would create a powerful, mindless army. He plans to unleash them in Tianqi City to cause riots. Then he’ll expose the whole scroll situation. He will frame the Prince of Langya for all of it. After the chaos, he plans to ride in like a hero, put down the riot, and kill the Prince.
Su Changhe Starts Connecting the Dots
Su Changhe almost laughs at the situation. He’s always been a guy who looks out for himself. He’s all about profit. But he starts to question the whole setup. Is the Prince of Langya really this easy to take down? The man is a legend. Su Changhe starts thinking maybe they’re the ones being used. He gets this feeling that the Prince is just playing weak. He tells his people to leave him alone for a bit. He needs to think. Later, Li Hanyi finds him. They have a very tense face-off. Su Changhe tells her it’s not the right time for them to fight. But he promises her that day will come.
Personal Battles and Inner Demons
While all the big political moves are happening, we get some deep character dives. Su Muyu finds out the scroll has definitely resurfaced. He’s worried about Su Zhe. But Su Zhe tells him not to worry. He says two of the best doctors are treating him and he’ll be fine soon.
A Glimpse into a Traumatic Past
Bai Hehuai is trying to heal Li Zhengqi. He does this by entering his dreams. Inside, he discovers a horrible truth. Li Zhengqi’s father abused him his entire childhood. The father pretended he had high hopes for his son. But he would just whip him for every tiny mistake. It was brutal. During the healing, Bai Hehuai also realizes something strange. Li Zhengqi has never actually met Su Muyu. This process forces Bai Hehuai to confront some of his own issues, too.
The Tang Clan's Tragic Showdown
Things get messy when Tang Lianyue notices some people acting very strange. Mu Yumo gives them a medicine from one of the doctors. Instead of helping, it makes them scream in pain before they collapse. Just then, Night Raven appears. He’s dragging Tang Linghuang with him. Night Raven mocks them. He says they may have an antidote, but it's useless without removing the source of the poison.
Mu Yumo tries to use her own poison spiders to counter the effects. It’s a desperate move. During the fight, Tang Lianyue sees his senior brother, Tang Linghuang, regain consciousness for a second. He rushes to his side. He tries to absorb the poison into his own body. He says he’s from the Tang Clan and can handle it. But Tang Linghuang is lucid for just a moment. He knows he is being controlled. He begs Tang Lianyue to kill him and get revenge for him. Before Tang Lianyue can do anything, Tang Linghuang takes his own life.
A Promise and a Poisoned Chalice
The episode ends on two very different, but equally intense, notes. The Prince of Langya is just chilling. He gets a stack of secret messages but doesn't even read them. He just orders them to be burned. This really makes you think Su Changhe is right. The Prince is in control.
A Wedding on the Horizon
After watching his brother die, Tang Lianyue is destroyed. But he holds it together. Mu Yumo is seriously injured from the fight. She asks Tang Lianyue if he will marry her. He agrees. They make a pact to hold a wedding after all this is over. She has a few demands, though. She wants a massive wedding so the whole world knows. She also tells him he has to be the one to pursue her this time. She’s tired of being the one doing the chasing. He agrees to her terms. Then, filled with rage, Tang Lianyue badly wounds Night Raven.
The Prince's Final Act
The Prince of Langya has always known the truth. His brother, the Emperor, says he trusts him. But he has been secretly poisoning him all along. The Prince is offered a drink. He knows it’s poison sent from his brother. He drinks it without hesitation. As he walks away from the meeting, you can see ice starting to form on his body. He knows he doesn’t have much time left.
