Episode Summary
Ling Xuefeng sacrifices himself to save his daughter from the State Preceptor. Du Tingxin seizes control of the court while Xiao Qianqing drinks away his responsibilities. Cangcang vows revenge for her father. Xiao Huan reveals he is alive but living on borrowed time thanks to a mystical parasite.
Spoiler Alert
Ling Xuefeng’s Last Stand
We start things off with a heavy dose of tragedy. Ling Xuefeng knows the walls are closing in. He warns Ling Cangcang to back off. He tells her she can’t handle State Preceptor Du Tingxin. He calls Du a mad dog. He isn't wrong.
A monk warns him that Du’s people are already here. Xuefeng tries to have a moment with his daughter. He talks about her childhood. He gets sentimental. Cangcang senses something is wrong. She realizes he is saying goodbye. But she is too slow. Xuefeng knocks her out cold. He hands her over to Zhong Lin. He tells him to hide her. He chooses to face the music alone.
The Mad Dog Bites
Du Tingxin storms in. She doesn't waste time. She demands to know where Cangcang is. She also wants Xuefeng to write a letter. She wants to threaten Ling Jueding into handing over the military seal.
Xuefeng calls her out. He says she is vicious. Du Tingxin admits it. She says she went crazy the moment he gave her that blood letter years ago. She is bitter about her royal blood. She hates that everyone else gets to sit on the throne except her.
She hands him a cup of poisoned wine. Xuefeng drinks it. He tries to bluff her. He says he poisoned her too. He wants to see who dies first. Du doesn't buy it. The poison hits him fast.
Cangcang wakes up elsewhere. She tries to run back. Zhong Lin stops her. It’s too late. Xuefeng dies to buy her time. Cangcang falls to her knees. She swears she will avenge him. Du Tingxin visits Xiao Ying’s old room. She looks at his old things. She realizes she can never go back to how things were.
A Coward on the Throne
Zhong Lin assumes Xiao Huan is dead. Nobody has found a body yet. But time is running out. Cangcang needs allies. She asks Zhong Lin to help her gather her father’s old subordinates. She needs power to fight back.
Xiao Qianqing is a mess. The ministers are begging him to take the throne. He just drinks. He kidnaps Zhong Lin. He wants answers. But Zhong Lin is disgusted. He sees a coward hiding from the truth. He sees a man letting the court bully him. Zhong Lin tells him off. He says Qianqing is a disappointment. Zhong Lin makes his choice. He chooses loyalty to Cangcang over his friendship with the prince.
Qianqing gives up. He hands all his power to Du Tingxin. He stays drunk. Du Tingxin starts cleaning house. Minister Li speaks up against her. She kicks him out. Li sends his family away. He knows the Great Qi is doomed with a drunk prince and a mad Preceptor. He goes back to fight. Du Tingxin kills him without blinking.
The Dead Man Walks
We get the reveal we were waiting for. Xiao Huan is not dead.
He meets with Hong Qing. Hong Qing never believed his master was gone. He knows Xiao Huan didn't kill Xiao Ying. Xiao Huan explains his survival. He refined the Yue Shi Yin inside his body. It suppressed the cold poison. But it’s a temporary fix. Once the power fades, he dies for real. He faked his death to buy time. He needs a new identity to turn the tables.
Cangcang has a nightmare. She runs outside. She finds an umbrella left at her door. She recognizes it. She knows in her gut that Xiao Huan is alive. She starts looking for the Emperor. She starts making moves in the shadows.
