Recaps

Gu Moran’s forces rescued Yi Prefecture soldiers and prepared for threats from Anyang, Yong Prefecture, and Dali’s marquises while Gu Mochen’s dependence on the Bliss Pills deepened. The arc ends with Yang Tie sending Chen Qing south with a false map, while Gu Moran’s plans for the rival forces remain in motion.

• Pu Yunshan rescued nearly a thousand Yi Prefecture soldiers from Bronze Gorge, defeated the Tubo troops, and returned with a secret letter implicating Gu Mochen in a plot with Tubo.
• Inukami Jusaburo and Park Roejang used the Bliss Pills to gain influence over Gu Mochen, who seized grain, prepared troops, and ordered a march toward the capital.
• Gu Moran freed Qin Hongxiu, rewarded Pu Yunshan with a house and a cultivation breakthrough, and received evidence of Gu Mochen’s dealings with Tubo.
• Commander Wei and Prefect Cui resisted Gu Mochen’s attempt to march from Anyang, while Zhou Huaili and Lady Lü weighed how to protect themselves from Prince An’s crisis.
• Yang Tie won Chisang’s trust in Silver City by making his pills appear powerful, while secretly adding Soul-Severing Agent to the medicine.
• Gu Moran exposed Meng Jiuning and Yun Shuyue’s attempt to tamper with his soup, then assigned them work after they admitted what they had done.
• Qin Hongxiu opened a successful Foot Care Hall, and Gu Moran used medicine prices and a misleading convoy to deter Yong Prefecture’s cavalry and pressure Dali’s marquises.
• Gu Moran trapped six women in his warm chamber, then punished Meng Jiuning and Yun Shuyue with overnight account and chestnut tasks after catching them listening outside.
• Chen Qing offered Yang Tie a bronze seal and intelligence, and Yang Tie sent him south with a false map of Tubo patrol routes.

Gu Moli exposed the empress’s poisoning of the emperor as Gu Moran strengthened his position through aid to Dali and new weapons. The arc ended with Gu Mochen resisting foreign demands and sending Gu Moran a warning about the addictive Bliss Pills.

• Yang Tie let Chen Qing leave with a false map of deadly sentry traps, while Chu Tianxing and Elder Shen discovered the emperor had been poisoned with incompatible tonics from the empress’s pharmacy.
• Gu Moli welcomed the empress’s proposal to name Gu Nian'an crown prince, but Chu Tianxing exposed how incense on Gu Nian'an’s clothes could poison the emperor when mixed with his medicine.
• The emperor ordered the empress deposed and Gu Nian'an imprisoned, while Gu Moli confined the sixth prince and urged Gu Moran to secure his position in the capital.
• Gu Moran assigned Meng Jiuning to examine corrupt accounts and revealed that Dali’s Duan and Gao families had hired Mount Qingcheng disciples to kill her, then earned her sincere trust by funding a convoy of medicinal herbs for Dali.
• Chen Qing was captured by Zhaxi Dawa’s Tubo outriders with Prince An’s seal and defense plans, then endured imprisonment and beatings while trying to charm Zhaxi and offering to help attack Yi Prefecture.
• Zhen Meili arrived at Prince Yi’s residence, learned Gu Moran’s strategy for drawing the emperor and second prince into a political trap, and designed a repeating heavy crossbow that Gu Moran ordered built for Bronze Gorge.
• Murong Xue’s pillow-stuffed pregnancy disguise sparked a rumor that she was expecting Gu Moran’s child, bringing the women into his chamber, while Meng Jiuning resolved to compete for his favor to win Dali’s protection.
• In Anyang, Gu Mochen rejected Inukami Jusaburo and Park Roejang’s demand for Prince An’s seal and access to naval ports, then ordered Zhou Huaili to send Gu Moran a blood-written warning about the Bliss Pills.

Gu Moran prepared for war against the Japanese while Gu Mochen survived the poison at the cost of his martial strength. As Gu Moran’s party traveled toward Luoyang, Gu Moli infiltrated Mei Zhongjun’s residence and uncovered his secret crossbow dealings, prompting an attack that was interrupted by Mei Boqian’s arrival.

• Gu Moran sealed Anyang, mobilized its defenses, and received Gu Mochen’s plea to stop the sinister drug from reaching the sea.
• Gu Moran prepared a campaign against the Wa, while Meng Jiuning provided an antidote that would cure Gu Mochen’s poison but cripple him and shorten his life.
• The Empress Dowager authorized the war and moved against Gu Moyuan and the clans opposing his deposition.
• Gu Mochen took the antidote, lost his strength, and sent Sea-Calming to Gu Moran for the campaign.
• Gu Moran assembled supplies, ships, scouts, and military advisers as Inukami Jusaburo and Park Roejang learned that an earthquake and tsunami had devastated their Japanese ports.
• Gu Moli reached Luoyang and entered Mei Zhongjun’s residence, where she poisoned Lu Xuerou’s washing cloth and gained refuge in Fallen Plum Studio.
• Gu Moran learned that Gu Moli was in Luoyang and rode there with three hundred elite soldiers and several women from his party.
• Gu Moli uncovered Mei Zhongjun’s secret crossbow dealings through a piece of embroidered silk, and he ordered her and Qingwu killed before Mei Boqian arrived with more than thirty guards.

Gu Moran and Gu Moli secured Mei Hongye’s forces and moved west as Wa’s invasion devastated Goryeo. Gu Moran rescued Kim Seon-a from Wa assassins and began negotiating Yan’s aid in exchange for control of Goryeo’s campaign and access to Incheon’s port.

• Gu Moran killed Mei Zhongjun after Mei Zhongjun attacked Gu Moli, then took Mei Hongye’s tiger tally and assigned Mei Boqian three thousand soldiers for the march to Qi and Lu.
• Gu Moli gave Gu Moran detailed intelligence on eleven cities and argued to stay in Luoyang, but he arranged guards for the Mei Clan and insisted she travel with him.
• Gu Moli challenged Meng Jiuning and Lady Lü, while Gu Moran discovered Lady Lü’s affair with Zhou Huaili and ordered him to turn over Anyang’s grain records and treasury keys.
• Wa’s starving infantry rebelled and seized Busanpo, prompting Park Roejang to fight Inukami Jusaburo as Wa forces attacked Goryeo’s southern commanderies.
• Gu Moran took control of Anyang, ordered its grain sold at fair prices, and directed Zhou Huaili to secure grain routes and gather records from Wa and Goryeo shops.
• Kim Seon-a set out for Great Yan with a royal letter and half a tiger tally, but Wa ninjas ambushed her near Dengzhou and attacked her with foul blood and chains.
• Gu Moran killed a ninja who was about to stab the exhausted Kim Seon-a, then explained the cause of her illness and promised that it could be cured in exchange for a favor.
• Kim Seon-a asked Great Yan to help retake Busanpo, and she agreed that Gu Moran could direct Goryeo’s remaining troops if he returned command afterward and used Incheon’s port for docking and resupply.