Episode Summary
In this episode, Wei Yun's decoy plan works perfectly, allowing Gongsun Lan to rescue Chu Yu. Provoked by the Grand Princess, a spiraling Zhao Yue kills Consort Chen and orders her family's execution. This pushes the Xuancheng City Lord to join a rebellion, which is fueled by rumors that destroy Zhao Yue's reputation. As the palace falls, Zhao Yue rejects his mother and flees with Li Changming, only to run into trouble on the road.
Spoiler Alert
The Plan is in Motion
A Classic Bait and Switch
The episode kicks off with a simple but effective plan. Wei Yun rides into Qizhou all by himself. He is the perfect bait. Zhao Yue, never one to miss a chance to kill his rival, immediately takes his troops and gives chase. He has no idea he just walked right into a trap. This move leaves his entire palace wide open.
Gongsun Lan Makes His Move
The second Zhao Yue is gone, Gongsun Lan springs into action. He gets his hands on the Empress Dowager's official token. He uses it to walk right into the palace and free Chu Yu and the others. He even gets Yuncheng soldiers to escort them safely back to the inn. This is a huge deal. It officially pits the Empress Dowager against her own son, Zhao Yue. Gongsun Lan plans to explain everything to her tomorrow. I think he's right to assume she'll be on his side after this.
Zhao Yue Completely Loses It
A King's Temper Tantrum
Wei Yun is holed up in a building, but Zhao Yue's forces have him surrounded. Zhao Yue stands outside and starts screaming threats. He says he will burn the entire street to the ground if Wei Yun doesn't come out. He is willing to kill his own people just to get to one man.
Just as he's about to light the torch, a maid comes running. She says Li Changming is having terrible stomach pains. She claims the baby might be in danger. Zhao Yue immediately drops the torch and gallops back to the palace. It was obviously a trick to save Wei Yun, and the king fell for it completely.
A Point of No Return
Back at the palace, the Grand Princess gives Zhao Yue a piece of her mind. She calls him a coward. She tells him he is nothing without the Empress Dowager Yunyang holding his hand. She points out that he can't even get revenge on Consort Chen for poisoning his unborn child.
Her words push him over the edge. Zhao Yue snaps. He orders the immediate execution of the Xuancheng City Lord's entire family. Then he goes and personally kills Consort Chen. He claims it's for his child, but this is just pure rage. Wei Yun, thanks to all this chaos, gets back to Chu Yu without a scratch.
The Rebellion Takes Shape
Turning the Lords
Now that everyone is safe, they come up with a new strategy. They need to turn the other city lords against Zhao Yue. Wei Yun and Gongsun Lan have the perfect first target. They go to talk to the Xuancheng City Lord. His daughter, Consort Chen, was just murdered by the king. He is now the person who hates Zhao Yue the most in the entire world. Unsurprisingly, he agrees to join them.
Winning the People
Chu Yu and Song Wenchang handle another part of the plan. They start spreading rumors all over the city. The first rumor claims Zhao Yue is not actually from the royal bloodline. The second one points out how he favors a "demon consort," Li Changming, from another nation. His public image starts to crumble fast.
A Surprising Bit of Romance
The Prince's Test
We get a quick break from all the political drama. Chu Linyang finds out that Tuantuan has agreed to marry the Crown Prince, Li Huan. He is clearly crushed.
But this was all a setup by Li Huan. He wanted to see how far Chu Linyang would go for the woman he loves. Chu Linyang rushes to the palace gate and confesses his feelings for Tuantuan one more time. Li Huan sees this and helps them get together. We learn that Tuantuan, whose real name is Song Qingping, was the first person Li Huan ever liked. He knows she doesn't belong in the palace. He lets her and Chu Linyang go so they can have the life they want. The spoiled prince has finally grown up.
The Fall of the Palace
A King on His Knees
Zhao Yue hears that the Xuancheng City Lord is gathering an army to overthrow him. He gets so angry that he kills the maid who delivered the news. He then grabs a sword and runs to Li Changming's chambers, where he just collapses at his feet.
This time, Li Changming doesn't try to kill him. He has a new plan. He wants to make Zhao Yue watch his entire kingdom fall apart before his eyes. It's a much colder form of revenge.
The Escape
Later that night, the Xuancheng City Lord's army breaks through the palace gates. Li Changming suggests that Zhao Yue could save his throne by handing him over. Zhao Yue refuses. He also says his relationship with his mother is over and he doesn't care if she lives or dies. He grabs Li Changming and a small group of soldiers. They try to flee to Dong Liang, but the episode ends as something goes wrong on the road.
