Episode Summary
Xiao Huan reveals his terminal illness to the court and jumps into the moat to escape a forced abdication. He remains missing after three days, triggering a 100-day countdown to crown a new king. Du Tingxin plots to have Ling Cangcang buried alive, while Xiao Qianqing secretly investigates the truth. Cangcang survives an assassination attempt and clings to the hope that Xiao Huan is still alive.
Spoiler Alert
The Emperor's Final Gambit
Things are getting heavy in the capital. Xiao Huan is back in court, and he is cleaning house before he makes his exit. He brings Minister Lin back into the fold. It turns out Xiao Huan played the long game with Lin. He exiled the guy years ago to protect him from angry nobles. Lin finally gets it. He realizes his rigid honesty was a liability back then. Now, he is safe to serve.
Xiao Huan also locks down Minister Li’s loyalty regarding future talent selection. Li promises to work himself to death for the crown. But then Xiao Huan drops the bomb. He stands before everyone and admits the truth. He has had the Cold Poison since birth. He is dying. Just as he speaks, fireworks go off in the distance. He knows it's Ling Cangcang. He prays she doesn't look back. The palace is a death trap right now.
The Leap from Phoenix Stage
The tension snaps. Xiao Qianqing hands over a sword. He basically tells Xiao Huan to die right there in front of the ministers. It is brutal. Xiao Huan looks at his brother and asks if this is really the result they wanted. He doesn't give them the satisfaction of a surrender. instead, he throws himself off the Phoenix Stage and into the moat.
Du Tingxin loses it. She didn't think he would actually jump. She is heartbroken. Xiao Qianqing is also shaken. He starts remembering their childhood and how his big brother took care of him. He realizes Xiao Huan was hiding secrets to protect them. But grief turns to anger quickly. He grabs Zhong Lin and demands to know where Ling Cangcang is hiding.
A Throne Nobody Wants
Three days pass. The guards have dredged the river. They found nothing. No body means no closure. The ministers are panicking. The country needs a ruler. Xiao Qianqing looks at the throne like it's covered in spikes. He refuses to sit in it. He tells the ministers to keep fighting among themselves.
Minister Lin steps up with the law book. They have one hundred days. If the Emperor isn't found by then, they must crown a new king. Du Tingxin has a darker plan. She wants to wait out the hundred days. Then she wants Ling Cangcang buried alive as a martyr for the late Emperor. Xiao Qianqing sees right through her. She is pushing him toward the throne too hard. He realizes she has an agenda. He orders his men to investigate the truth secretly. The State Preceptor must not know.
The Will to Survive
Du Tingxin is on a warpath. She captures Ling Cangcang. She hates her. She thinks Cangcang is unworthy of Xiao Huan’s love because she wasn't there when he jumped. Du Tingxin shows her Xiao Huan’s bloody clothes. It’s a cruel move. Cangcang is devastated, but she swears revenge on the State Preceptor.
Xiao Qianqing visits Cangcang in her cell. He has to pretend he is there to torment her just to get past the guards. He sees her acting like a zombie. He provokes her with harsh words. But he slips up. He mentions they never found the body. That is the spark Cangcang needed. No body means hope.
Du Tingxin hears that Cangcang started eating again. She takes this as an insult. She thinks a grieving wife should starve. She sends a nanny to assassinate Cangcang. Zhong Lin steps in and saves her just in time. Du Tingxin is furious. She suspects there is a traitor in the palace helping her rival.
Finally, Ling Xuefeng shows up. Cangcang begs him for the truth. He tells her it doesn't matter anymore. He just wants his daughter to live. He warns her to run far away. He describes Du Tingxin perfectly: she is like a mad dog, and she will do anything to destroy them.
