Recaps

After Gu Moyuan killed Gu Nianli and the emperor collapsed, Su Wenyuan secured emergency authority for Gu Moran to defend Yi Prefecture. Gu Moran rallied Liu Clan veterans, outmaneuvered Pu Yunshan’s efforts to undermine him, and repelled a Tubo cavalry raid, while Pu Yunshan remained trapped in the prince’s humiliating labor scheme.

• Gu Moyuan admitted killing Gu Nianli, and the emperor collapsed after ordering the crown prince confined.
• Su Wenyuan secured funds and restricted command authority for Gu Moran to defend Yi Prefecture, while the emperor remained unconscious.
• Gu Moran organized Yi Prefecture’s defenses and used the lantern-market fireworks to summon former Liu Clan Army veterans.
• Pu Yunshan and Zhao Wuxu plotted to use Xie Wanqing and a public essay to challenge Gu Moran, but Gu Moran fined Pu Yunshan and forced him to haul night soil.
• Gu Moran captured Pu Yunshan’s eight retainers and put them to work at a quarry, while Chisang ordered Tubo cavalry to test the defenses at North Post.
• Gu Moran’s disguised grain carts triggered an avalanche against Damu’s cavalry, and Zhen Daijin’s forces captured Damu alive.
• Gu Moran kept Pu Yunshan under surveillance and ordered him to clean the dungeon, while Pu Yunshan continued investigating the princely residence.

Gu Moran uncovered Tiedan’s identity and stopped Zhao Wuxu from using the boy to seize the Yun Clan fortune. Tiedan reunited with his family but chose to remain with Gu Moran, while new threats emerged from Yang Tie, Tubo forces, and Lady Lü’s porridge scheme.

• Lady Wang told Zhao Wuxu that her missing son had a distinctive birthmark, and Zhao Wuxu recognized it as Tiedan’s.
• Gu Moran discovered Tiedan’s identity and ordered Liu Ruyan to investigate his disappearance while keeping the boy protected.
• Yun Shuyue learned Tiedan was her brother, and Gu Moran refused Lady Wang’s request to send Yue'er home.
• Gu Moran’s investigation linked Yang Tie to missing girls and a plan to use Tiedan as a catalyst for refining Red Lead Pills.
• Zhao Wuxu and Pu Yunshan abducted Tiedan, but Lady Wang, Yun Shuyue, and their guards found them before Zhao Wuxu could harm him.
• Pu Yunshan killed Zhao Wuxu when he lunged at Lady Wang, and Yun Zhengze recognized Tiedan as his son Wangchuan, though Tiedan chose to stay with Gu Moran.
• Chen Qing approached Yang Tie with a false offer of Prince An’s backing, while Gu Moran’s companions stayed with him through a bout of excessive heart fire.
• Pu Yunshan apologized to Gu Moran and accepted work repairing shantytown roofs, while Lady Lü’s porridge distribution descended into chaos after rice prices doubled.

Pu Yunshan’s work in Yi Prefecture brought him close to Qin Hongxiu, and he bought her freedom before Gu Moran arranged respectable work for her and the other courtesans. As Yi Prefecture prepared to aid Anyang, the emperor’s ministers concealed his request to summon Prince An and the emperor collapsed in anger.

• Gu Moran redirected Yang Tie’s donation toward public repairs and services, while Pu Qinghe arrived in Yi Prefecture and pledged Mount Qingcheng’s people and stores to Gu Moran.
• Gu Moran sent Pu Yunshan to repair the Flower-Between Pavilion, where Pu Yunshan helped Qin Hongxiu and intervened when the Caoyun Gang demanded payment for her brother’s debt.
• Pu Yunshan learned Qin Hongxiu was bound by a contract and promised to free her, then borrowed a thousand taels from Gu Moran in exchange for five years of work.
• Pu Yunshan paid off Qin Hongxiu’s contract, tore it up, and gave her his sword tassel as he promised to marry her properly after five years.
• Gu Mochen took Chen Qing’s medicine, suffered a public episode at a porridge shelter, and then had Chen Qing beaten while demanding an explanation.
• Gu Moran proposed the Yi Prefecture Foot Care Hall as a livelihood for older courtesans, and Qin Hongxiu agreed to manage it while Pu Yunshan continued to support her.
• Gu Moran arranged relief and work for people affected by rising prices in Anyang, while Qin Hongxiu and Pu Yunshan helped the courtesans leave the pavilion for the Foot Care Hall.
• Gao Fu concealed the emperor’s request to summon Prince An, and the ministers instead announced preparations for spring plowing and restrictions on regional princes before the emperor collapsed.

Gu Moran secured Dali’s cooperation, uncovered Yang Tie’s trafficking and poison schemes, and navigated Meng Jiuning’s attempts to gain leverage in Yi Prefecture. The arc ended with Tubo cavalry trapping Yan soldiers at Bronze Gorge as Pu Yunshan resolved to seek military merit.

• Gu Moran agreed to send troops to Dali after Meng Jiuning signed a contract granting Yi Prefecture customs revenue, mining rights, and a trade-route garrison.
• Wang Batian witnessed Zhen Daijin’s disciplined troops and Heaven-Shaking Thunder, while Liu Ruyan and Shen Ling'er uncovered evidence linking Yang Tie to Tiedan’s abuse and Madam Shen’s poisoning.
• Yun Zhengze confronted Lady Wang, who confessed to helping Yang Tie conceal trafficking and revealed how his wagons transported captives.
• Xue Huan intercepted Yang Tie’s convoy, but demon-masked death warriors ambushed the group and escaped with Yang Tie and his box of pills and records.
• Meng Jiuning tried to use Heart-Seeking Gu on the women of Prince Yi’s Residence, then admitted her motives and offered intelligence and trade concessions in exchange for troops and protection for her brothers.
• Chen Qing defected to Gu Moran, revealed Prince An’s monitoring efforts, and was sent toward the Tubo border with supplies and guards.
• Si Renyou and Fang Bi reported that two thousand Tubo cavalry had trapped a thousand Yan soldiers at Bronze Gorge, and Gu Moran rejected a large infantry deployment that could expose Yi Prefecture to ambush.
• Pu Yunshan resolved to earn military merit and secure Qin Hongxiu’s freeborn status, while she begged him to stay safe.