Li Huan gives Chu Linyang a visit to hold him responsible for the breakup between him and Tuantuan and the public embarrassment he suffered because of it. Chu Linyang won’t take responsibility for being the talk of the town for the breakup. He is the Crown Prince, and anything he does draws attention.
Chu Linyang couldn’t deny Li Huan’s claim that he could be the reason Tuantuan broke off the betrothal, but he seems to be wondering himself whether it really was because him or because Li Huan couldn’t offer the life she wanted. As if speaking his thoughts aloud, he told Li Huan he and Tuantuan were not meant to be then had Li Huan think about whether he could offer her the life she wanted.
After Li Huan took his leave, Chu Linyang is seen doing some spear practice to vent his frustration. He denies it being because of the conversation he had with Li Huan, but it seems it affected him. It had him thinking about Tuantuan and his own feelings for her. He had said he only sees her as a sister, but his conversation hinted otherwise.
Although his words were spoken to Li Huan, they seem to suggest his own thoughts about why he and Tuantuan won’t work out. He reveals that he intends to return to Fengling City one day to get back what he lost there, which explains his reluctance to let any feelings develop for her.
Over at the Duke of Hu Mansion, Song Shilan gets a visit from Gu Chusheng after the latter had heard the former had quit his position to join the army. Gu Chusheng was moving into take the Ministry of Personnel position which meant his previous position was open for Song Shilan to apply for. Song Shilan wasn’t interested. He believes the army gave him more opportunities to shine. Song Shilan was the ambitious type. This is quite a contrast to Song Wenchang who had no desire to climb the ranks. Song Shilan’s desire to join the army is also because he wants to be able to protect Song Wenchang.
Whilst still at the Duke of Hu Mansion, Gu Chusheng receives a message from Chu Yu to meet at Spring Breeze House to talk about the evidence he found at Qinxi Valley (Gu Chusheng’s messenger had delivered it to keep the meeting from Wang Linlang’s knowledge). He makes his way over in a new outfit, thinking that Chu Yu’s changed her thoughts about him and was more willing to seek his help. News that she’s gone home and no longer gets along with Wei Yun saw him thinking that maybe he had a chance to get back together with her.
When he got there, he was disappointed to see that she didn’t come alone. Chu Linyang was there with her; he didn’t want gossip arising from seeing married men and women meeting alone. This was purely about obtaining the evidence. There was no personal matters involved.
Although Yao Yong’s been dealt with, Chu Yu was looking to see if the evidence Gu Chusheng found at Qinxi Valley could help her discover anything more. At Dingfeng Valley, she learned Yao Yong had no plan to split Wei Yun and her up during their ambush at Dingfeng Valley, so it had her thinking about the situation and who had gone after Gu Chusheng.
Gu Chusheng had suspected Wang Jingzhi before. Now, with Chu Yu mentioning it, it further confirmed that his father-in-law was behind that chase and was trying to kill him. He doesn’t voice his suspicions, though. He only expresses his surprise at the discovery.
Although the meeting between Gu Chusheng and Chu Yu had been kept secret, Wang Linlang was still able to guess who he’d gone to meet based on the report from her maid that he’d give dressed in a new outfit. It wasn’t in Gu Chusheng to bother with his looks unless it was for Chu Yu.
With this fact, Wang Linlang is found at Spring Breeze House with the intention of continuing Chu Yu about her intentions with Gu Chusheng. She arrives a short time after Gu Chusheng hands the evidence over to Chu Yu. When Chu Yu makes a move to leave Gu Chusheng and Wang Linlang to discuss their matters, Wang Linlang directly comes out with the question of whether Chu Yu had intentions to get back together with Gu Chusheng.
Chu Yu doesn’t get a chance to answer, as she’s quickly taken away by Gu Chusheng to tell her that it’s not Chu Yu that stands between them but her and her father. With Chu Yu still within hearing distance, he tells Wang Linlang about being forced to marry Wang Linlang by a blade to the neck. It was marry her or death.
These words sees Wang Linlang turn to Chu Yu for a comment. Chu Yu makes it clear that she wasn’t standing between them. Chu Yu also says that Wang Linlang want the one between her and Gu Chusheng.
In other words, she had no interest in getting back with Gu Chusheng. There was no triangle. There’s just Gu Chusheng and Wang Linlang and the problem between them have nothing to do with her.
She’s choosing to keep moving forward and not look back because Gu Chusheng had chosen to hide things from her and went about it alone instead of telling her and facing it together back then. This thought about moving forward and not looking back had led her to think about Wei Yun, as these words were also said by him. (She can’t help but think about Wei Yun. : o) : o)).
Chu Yu no longer in the room, Gu Chusheng focuses on his point about Wang Linlang’s father being the one between them. Even if Chu Yu wasn’t the one standing between them, Wang Jingzhi was.
Wang Linglan sees the issue as one that could be solved, thinking that the only problem was being forced to marry her. To solve this, she tells him that she was willing to back off. Gu Chusheng reveals the threat to his life at this point, telling her that he father had tried to kill him during his investigations at Qinxi Valley. This is what stands between them now.
Wang Linlang found it hard to believe, especially since it was her father who had brought him back from the southwest, out of exile. He had him sit exams and got him the Ministry of Justice position.
Gu Chusheng doesn’t say much more, just that her father was the only one who knew his location. He seemed sure that it couldn’t be anyone else after his life. With that, he leaves her.
There was just no chance for the two. During this conversation, Gu Chusheng had said some nice words but also frank ones. He told her that she was a good woman, but Chu Yu was the only woman he loves. He feels that had he not been made to marry her, they both probably wouldn’t have been so miserable.
Over at the Chu Mansion, Wei Yun drops by with chests-full of gifts. He claims the gifts are Thank-you gifts on behalf of his parents for the help Chu Yu offered in restoring the Wei Family’s status.
In Wangyue’s eyes, they look like betrothal gifts. Chu Linyang is doubtful about the nature of the gifts, too, and had asked Wei Yun for his response towards him requesting divorce papers for Chu Yu. Would Wei Yun still leave these gifts with them if he moves to ask for the divorce paper? Wei Yun’s answer is yes. Chu Yu would still be deserving of the gifts.
The confrontation baffles Chu Yu’s mother, Xie Yun, as well as Chu Jin, who are completely unaware of the situation between Chu Yu and Wei Yun. It doesn’t bother them enough to ask about it.
Xie Yun moves to invite Wei Yun to stay for a meal. The invite appears to be out of courtesy and etiquette, but she actually had a motive of setting him up with Chu Jin. When they all sat down and Xie Yun proposed that she the perfect match in mind, Wei Yun as well as Chu Linyang had automatically turned their heads towards Chu Yu’s direction.
Chu Linyang is likely not thinking Chu Yu as the perfect match his mother was thinking of because, for Xie Yun to consider Chu Yu as the perfect match, Xie Yun would have to not care about what others thought about the relationship Wei Yun and Chu Yu has in the eyes of the public—that is, in-laws. Chu Linyang is likely worried about Chu Yu’s feelings, knowing she has feelings for Wei Yun.
Wei Yun seem to think maybe there’s a chance that Xie Yun could pair him up with Chu Yu. Back when Jiang Chun tried to match him up with someone, he was strongly against it and uncooperative. This time though, he gave a small nod when Xie Yun had asked whether he had wanted to get married, just in case there was a small possibility it was Chu Yu Xie Yun was thinking of.
But it wasn’t Chu Yu but Chu Jin. The match had both Chu Yu and Chu Jin objecting straight away. Chu Linyang seemed to find this entertaining and challenged them both to explain why they objected.
Wei Yun, who was curious (and probably quite pleased) to hear why Chu Yu had objected, suggested she go first. With there nothing wrong with Wei Yun’s family background, credentials and merits, there was really nothing she should object to.
Chu Yu makes an attempt to explain her objection by using Chu Jin’s lack of martial arts. All women who live in the Wei family needs martial arts. It doesn’t stand. He tells her that he can teach Chu Jin.
Obviously, Wei Yun isn’t interested in marrying Chu Jin. His goal is to hear her reveal her true feelings for him, to get her to admit her feelings. So, he keeps going, thinking his next question would get her to do that but it ends up causing himself to feel down. He asked her what kind of a woman she thought suited him. Her answer was a woman he likes and who likes him back. (Ouch.)
Chu Jin cuts in at this point to end the idea. She tells her mother that he’d never marry anyone who goes to war. Wei Yun agrees immediately, adding that a marriage with him is risky.
Xie Yun pushes a little more on the matter after they’re alone, but doesn’t force the match when Chu Jin reveals that her heart already belonged to someone (that someone being Song Wenchang), just that she hasn’t made up her mind about this person yet (because he had broke his promise not to go on the battlefield).
After the meal, Chu Linyang invites Wei Yun to a game of Chinese chess to talk about his pursuit of Chu Yu through the moves in the game. Chu Linyang noted Wei Yun’s moves as unusual and wondered if the game can be won, which seems to be referring to Wei Yun going after Chu Yu despite being known to the public as in-laws and wanting to know if Wei Yun believes he can get through it—“it” being criticism (possibly).
Wei Yun’s answer is that there’s nothing wrong with being unusual. It’s also not wrong to confirm, but he believes one also needs to ask whether it’s really what one wants, which seem to imply that he doesn’t want to give up what he truly wants (i.e., Chu Yu) for the sake of conforming.
Chu Linyang gives him credit for giving it some serious thought. However, he warns Wei Yun of the difficulty in the road he’s chosen, and how, in a game he can regret, but he can’t regret so easily in life. Wei Yun’s answer to this is more or less that life is short and he wants to live one with no regrets.
Chu Linyang’s goal wasn’t to stop Wei Yun from going after Chu Yu. He appears to be just making sure Wei Yun was aware of the difficulties and most importantly that respected Chu Yu’s decision and that he’d give her time to make it. When Wei Yun asked whether Chu Linyang would help remove obstacles or stand in his way when Chu Yu thinks things through, Chu Linyang suggested that Chu Yu’s decision was what mattered most to him not his own.
