With Wei Yun in prison and charged with killing 70,000 soldiers, Xie Jiu worries about her future with the Wei family. She’s wanting to leave the household and looks to have gathered her other sisters-in-law to persuade them to do the same. It upsets them that she’d think about leaving the household. Some of them seem to think she’s doing this to remarry and question whether she’s ever loved her husband. Xie Jiu defends that she isn’t doing this to marry someone else.
She comes off as a wife who’s not as loyal as her sisters-in-law. Jiang Chun has no intention of leaving, as she intends to keep her promise to her late mother-in-law to care for the household. Wang Lan—who’s with child—is leaving, but it’s not her own choice. Her father has pressured her to return home and give birth there. Then there’s Chu Yu, who appears very loyal with how she is willing to become Wei Jun’s wife despite him no longer being alive.
Xie Jiu may not be willing to stay around, die to join her husband like Jiang Chun tried, or marry despite her man no longer being alive like Chu Yu, but it didn’t mean she didn’t love him, nor did it necessarily mean she wasn’t loyal. Back at her room, she shows she actually loves him a lot. She’s heard talking to herself while burning letters she had written to Wei Ya that she was no longer able to give to him. She’s heard saying she wished she didn’t love him.
Chu Yu shows up before her and has her hear thoughts which agreed with Xie Jiu—there was nothing wrong with thinking about herself and that she doesn’t need to feel guilty about it or be stuck in this place, and that her loyalty to Wei Ya doesn’t need to be proven by a mere monument of virtue. Respect and admiration are earned from Xie Jiu after Chu Yu visits Xie Jiu privately.
Before the visit, Chu Yu was accused of trying to gain her favour when she spoke up for her in front of the other sisters-in-law. Chu Yu had spoken about life being hard for women and was not against them making their own choices. However, Chu Yu had them consider holding off making a decision until they got Wei Yun out of prison, for which Chu Yu spoke about needing their help.
The request had Xie Jiu thinking Chu Yu’s request was subtly aimed at her. As her great-uncle is the Duke of Ning’s tutor, she immediately thought Chu Yu was asking for Xie Jiu to speak to her great-uncle about the Wei Yun matter. This was never Chu Yu’s motive. Chu Yu grew up on the frontier, following her father and brother into battle. She’s not like other women, so her view was different from other women, too. Her visit saw Xie Jiu see that Chu Yu actually understood her.
Wei Ya also understood Xiu Jiu well. As mentioned in Episode 3, Wei Ya had told Xie Jiu to find her own life, remarry or leave the Wei household if he didn’t make it back from the campaign. So, this is actually something Wei Ya wanted for her as well.
Following her talk with Xie Jiu, she receives a letter from Gu Chusheng requesting they meet. The letter doesn’t mention the reason for the request, but Chu Yu initially has no interest in meeting him. However, she changes her mind when her brother believes it’ll take more support than just the Grand Tutor. To get Wei Yun out of prison, Chu Linyang believes will require someone closer to His Majesty. This person is the Eldest Princess of Great Sui, Li Changming and Gu Chusheng was the easiest way to get Li Changming to meet her. (It seems Li Changming likes handsome men, and possibly having Gu Chusheng accompany her helped Chu Yu see the princess.)
Before the meeting, Gu Chusheng urges Chu Yu to make a break from the Wei family because he thinks the family is done for. Staying with the Wei family would only hurt her.
Chu Yu is offended he’s telling her to abandon the Wei family. The noise has Li Changming personally appear to see who was disturbing the peace.
Chu Yu and Gu Chusheng stand before Li Changming. The Eldest Princess of Great Sui casually suggests Gu Chusheng consider following her to rise to the top. Gu Chusheng declines, telling her that his loyalties lie elsewhere. This response is a curious one because if he is after power and status, as he is made to appear when he left Chu Yu and married Wang Linlang, then Gu Chusheng should not have declined the suggestion so easily.
Li Changming lets the suggestion go at this point but lets Gu Chusheng know that the door is always open for him if he ever changes his mind. This open invitation sees a follower of hers—Xue Hanmei (Liang Xuefeng)—react with a distracted gaze whilst arranging some flowers off to the side. It comes off as a bit of jealousy.
Li Changming moves to deciding whether she should help Chu Yu out with the Wei family. Chu Yu tries flattery, mentioning righteousness, her disaster relief efforts, and not being one to stand by and do nothing. This goes nowhere, as Li Changming sees no reason to help the Wei family. They have nothing to do with her.
It’s through Xue Hanmei’s help that Li Changming starts listening. He mentions the Wei family’s contributions, which span a century of defending the state. He also believes there must have been reasons for the defeat—the strategies were brilliant and were invincible. With Xue Hanmei providing a valid reason, Chu Yu moves to mention Emperor Chunde’s goal of balancing the civil and military factions so neither side gets more powerful than the other and believes Li Changming wouldn’t sit idly by and watch the Wei family being convicted and, subsequently, the decline of military influence.
This gets through. Li Changming agrees to help with a bit of advice. We don’t hear what advice this is until later in the episode, but the help is not something Li Changming preferred to provide. Xue Hanmei had stepped in to help where Li Changming was against. It has her questioning for what reason he did that for—was it because he wanted Li Changming to offer timely help to Chu Yu or that he wanted Chu Yu to be grateful to him. (Li Changming is showing a bit of jealousy now.) Hanmei answers it’s the former before flattering Li Changming.
Li Changming reveals her concerns about helping the Wei family. It would make an enemy of the Duke of Ning and his faction (which is the civil faction). Hanmei’s opinion of the Duke of Ning is explained to be stubbornness. He sees the Crown Prince (who the Duke of Ning supports) is inept. If he had to choose between supporting a side that supports an inept Crown Prince and a side like the Wei family who he implies have people who are useful, he expresses he’d rather rescue the side that has people who are useful.
It has Li Changming caution him over the way he answers. His response disregards allegiances, connections, and the impact on her safety. The Duke of Ning is the head of civil officials, seemingly with quite a bit of power. Although Li Changming is Great Sui’s eldest princess, she cautioned him about answering without careful consideration and told him not to do so again, as it could result in people coming after her for taking a side. Hanmei pledges loyalty to her and says that he’ll protect her.
Xue Hanmei’s decision to speak up for Chu Yu seemed innocent enough. It was explained as choosing what appeared to be a good side and Xue Hanmei as considering the contributions of the Wei family, all the while showing a bit of jealousy and developing a bit of the Xue Hanmei and Li Changming relationship. However, his criticism of the Crown Prince as being inept and indirectly describing Wei Yun as useful is a curious answer, just as it was curious when Gu Chusheng turned down Li Changming’s suggestion for him to be a follower of hers despite her higher position, which therefore should appeal if he was after power.
As a simple follower, Xue Hanmei probably shouldn’t have such a strong opinion about the Crown Prince, nor should he be having a preference over who to support or be concerned about the usefulness of sides. Li Changming doesn’t have these kinds of opinions, and it looks like she is trying to not take any sides. So, it’s expected that Xue Hanmei shouldn’t have such opinions or views, yet he does, which puts his motives into question.
Back over in Chu Yu’s side of things, her next visit is to Wei Yun in prison. As it has been before between the two, the meeting is cold. Chu Yu is yet again questioned by Wei Yun about her motives. Before, the status of the Wei family could be used as a reason Chu Yu would be interested in entering the Wei family, but with the Wei family in deep trouble, Wei Yun can’t see any reason for her to stay with them.
When Chu Yu is yet again asked to tell him the truth, Chu Yu’s only answer is that she’d never harm Wei Jun’s family because he was so sincere with her. Hearing her mention his brother, Wei Yun backs off, as if respecting Wei Jun’s choice. It has Chu Yu take the opportunity to make a bet with the less confrontational Wei Yun. She tells him that if she succeeds in getting him out of prison, then he must let her stay. Chu Yu also adds that the condition for not messing around with the Wei family is that Wei Yun stays alive and get out of prison, which is quite the opposite of wanting to harm the Wei family.
Seeing as Chu Yu wants him to live through all this, Wei Yun has Chu Yu go to Duke of Hu’s Mansion to get Song Wenchang (Zhou Dawei) to see him, as the Song family is seen as yet another side who could support the cause of getting Wei Yun released.
Song Wenchang arrives to see Wei Yun with his eyes closed. He’s a close friend of Wei Yun. Worry is evident in the calls to the prison guard to hurry with opening the door to the prison cell as well as the pained frown when he is let in. He is even willing to confront Cao Yan about the torture inflicted on Wei Yun. Song Wenchang also reveals that on the day of the funeral for the fallen Wei family members, he almost fell out with his father for not letting him attend the funeral.
With Wei Yun having lost his entire family, Wei Yun tells Song Wenchang to go apologise to his father, as he understands the reasons behind associating with his family. The Wei family was in deep trouble. Apologising also will be a huge help, as Song Wenchang’s father can help save the Wei family. Wei Yun believes that Song Wenchang’s father, although retired, should still have the military spirit that’s unyielding, courageous, and fights for justice and what they believe in. Wei Yun believes Song Wenchang’s father won’t sit still and watch his family fall like this.
Song Wenchang returns home to his father, Song Zhao (Yue Yaoli), to support the fight to get Wei Yun out of prison. In the past, the Song family got themselves involved in a treason case relating to the Lord of Qin. It was Wei Zhong’s guarantee that saved the Song family. Song Wenchang reminds his father that had it not been for the Wei family, they would have perished in Huajing City. The Song family owes Wei family.
Song Zhao is reluctant to commit to support Wei family, worried they’d be seen as accomplices in the loss of 70,000 soldiers. He believes their family will be finished after the Wei family survives this. He tries to run from taking the Red Shadow Sword which Wei Yun had Song Wenchang present to Song Zhao. It is meant to remind Song Zhao that they once helped them and that the time to repay them is this moment.
Song Zhao avoids the matter by pretending to throw his back and escapes out the door with Song Qingping, who comes running into the room when she hears him in pain.
Back at Marquis of Zhenguo’s Mansion, the method to get Wei Yun out is revealed in a conversation between Chu Yu and Jiang Chun. The advice from the Eldest Princess of Great Sui was to give His Majesty a good reason to release Wei Yun, to give His Majesty an out. Li Changming had expressed that His Majesty believes the Wei are guilty, but he doesn’t believe Wei Yun deserves to die. This is why His Majesty put Wei Yun in prison but hasn’t convicted him yet. So, what Chu Yu needs to do is to find a reason that follows the law and silences all opposition.
That reason, Chu Yu believes, is sentiment, human sympathy, and justice. Speaking to Jiang Chun about this, Chu Yu asks if she’d accompany her. Jiang Chun agrees without hesitation.
Chu Yu and Jiang Chun, dressed in mourning clothes and holding the tablets of their deceased loved ones and family members, walk through Chengqing Gate to seek an audience with Emperor Chunde. They wait and continue to wait, not willing to move until Emperor Chunde agrees to see them. It’s a long wait, as night falls and still there’s no sign of Emperor Chunde agreeing to meet with them.
Wei Yun’s sisters-in-law join them at night, hoping their pleas could get Emperor Chunde to agree to see them. Not long after the sisters-in-law arrive, their gazes directed towards the back indicate more in support of Wei Yun’s release are arriving.
