The only female student at the Imperial College makes friends and enemies, and finds love.
Notable Actors/Actresses
國子監來了個女弟子
Here Comes a Female Student at Guo Zijian
Zhao Lu Si: Sang Qi
Xu Kai Cheng: Yan Yun Zhi
Chinese Title
國子監來了個女弟子
Here Comes a Female Student at Guo Zijian
Network: Tencent Video
Year: 2021
Episodes: 30
Episodes: 30
FanFanX: This is my fourth recap & review. It was more than I had anticipated. Too late to take it back...lol Enjoy, or use my not-so-mini recaps to look for Yan Yan! ;)
Mini Recaps
[Ep1] It's raining out. A man in white and blue robes is the lone passenger in a carriage and his driver tells him that the horse has gone mad again (3rd time this month). He's worried that it'll actually run into Lady Song this time. (Someone actually threw a stone at the horse's leg.) The man responds, no matter, just let it run into her, and in fact, just accelerate. That’s a peculiar response.
Lady Song just stands there waiting with her umbrella but a woman in a red and pink dress with a large brimmed hat moves her out of harm's way. She hops onto the carriage, pushes off the driver and stops the carriage. She tries to check on the man but he won't let her open the windows.
Lady Song berates her for ruining her plan. The lady in red and pink says that she can easily save her as well as kill her. Lady Song’s friend asks her if she knows who she's speaking to - Song Jia Yin, Grand Tutor Song's daughter. She says her name is Sang Qi.
The man inside the carriage gets out now to look at Sang Qi. Sang Qi asks why he's staring at her and he doesn't say anything. So she walks away and says that it’s a shame that he's mute. Hahaha! He smirks at this.
Sang Qi meets her friend, Zhuo Wen Yuan, at Qing Feng Restaurant, and they’re dining in a private room upstairs. She's in the city to enroll at the Imperial College as it was her late brother's wish for her to be the first female to attend. The man from the carriage is at the same restaurant to meet his friend, Yan San Lang in one of the adjoining dining rooms.
Song Jia Yin's voice can be heard throughout the restaurant as she's throwing a fit. Sang Qi and Zhuo Wen Yuan leave the dining room to check out the situation. Song Jia Yin sees them together and comments that she is Zhuo Wen Yuan's new toy. He asks her to be careful with her words as Sang Qi is Grand Commandant Sang's daughter. Song Jia Yin declares that she embarrassed her in front of her future husband. Yan San Lang overhears this and laughs at his friend's upcoming nuptials, and says that Sang Qi must be Sang Yu's younger sister.
Song Jia Yin makes a bet for Sang Qi to get Yan Yun Zhi to accept her pouch. Sang Qi replies that she has no idea who he is, so Song Jia Yin explains that it's the gentleman from the carriage. Sang Qi laughs at this and calls him a closed-eyed, dim-witted mute. In their private dining room, Yan San Lang laughs at his friend’s expense, while Yan Yun Zhi becomes very insulted by this. Song Jia Yin tells Sang Qi that if she fails to get him to accept her pouch, then she will need to perform (play music) during the Lantern Festival.
Zhuo Wen Yuan tells her that Yan Yun Zhi is one of the Four Bachelors of Bianjing - the other three are Qing Xuan, Yan Xiao Lang and himself. She teases him that if he’s on that list then standards are not very high. Hahaha. He tells her that Yan Yun Zhi is the second son of Chancellor Yan. He then says that he won’t let people get close to him. He also advises her to start learning to play the guqin. Yan Yun Zhi and Yan San Lang walk out of their room and show up behind them. Sang Qi immediately throws her pouch into his hands to get him to accept it. Zhuo Wen Yuan whispers to her that in Bianjing, giving this pouch to a man is seen as a declaration of love. Sang Qi quickly tells Yan Yun Zhi that she has no feelings for him, and he replies that it's the same for him, and repeats her insults of him and that he doesn't deserve her affection. Then he throws her pouch onto a waiter's tray.
A royal decree grants Sang Qi permission to study at the Imperial College. The Scholars are upset about it and ask Yan Yun Zhi to make her take an exam. As Deputy Chief, Yan Yun Zhi asks why she would need to take an exam when no other student before has had to. They insist on having the exam, so he agrees. The exam consists of writing answers to questions, writing composition, and martial arts (horseback riding with archery). When she learns that Yan Yun Zhi is the Deputy Chief, she comes right out and blames him for giving her the exam.
Yan Xiao Lang (Yan Yan is the Grand Preceptor's son) and Song Luo Tian (Grand Tutor’s son and Song Jia Yin’s younger brother) are racing on their horses to the Imperial College. On foot, they race to hang up their placards but Song Luo Tian's friend trips up Yan Yan, so Yan Yan loses. They all take notice of Sang Qi's placard and realize it’s the Grand Commandant's daughter.
Sang Qi is placed in Class Yellow (4th ranked) with Yan Yan. Zhuo Wen Yuan shows up in Class Yellow, even though he was in Class Sky (1st ranked). He had asked for the transfer in private with Yan Yun Zhi, as he knows that she should have been placed in Class Terre (2nd ranked) but somehow she's in the lowest ranking class. However, he also doesn't want her to know that he had asked for the transfer.
Flashback: Yan Yun Zhi was friends with Sang Yu, who had asked him to take care of her when she enrolled to study at the Imperial College, as he was worried about his deteriorating health.
[Ep2] Yan Yun Zhi asks Sang Qi to see him in his office, who closes the doors after she arrives. He offers to accept her pouch but she can't seem to find it on her belt. She leaves his office in confusion. It turns out that he stole the pouch from Sang Qi's belt when he went to close the doors. (I love their bickering here!) He almost gets caught pulling the pouch out of the planter that he stowed it in when she barges back into his office. He quickly removes his hand and turns around as if he was walking elsewhere. (Hahaha, I love his reaction here. He's been so serious and calm up until now.) She's quite suspicious and loudly declares that he stole the pouch from her. She then tries to search him with roving hands but he says he'll punish her if she keeps touching him. She runs out and he closes the doors and locks the doors this time. He asks his servant/bodyguard, Bai Shi, who comes in through the window, to return the pouch to her desk. After going through the directions a few times, Bai Shi is still confused about the location of her desk.
Later Yan Yan finds the pouch at his desk, and now he's watching Sang Qi very closely. She's not happy with his weird behavior. Outside of class, Yan Yan has a letter delivered to her, requesting her to meet him at the school field. She thinks he’s challenging her for being the only female student. Meanwhile, Yan Yan is dancing (practically prancing around, and so adorable. Someone please make me a GIF of this? lol) around on the field, while his classmates are hiding behind a rack of shields to eavesdrop on them. Yan Yun Zhi and Bai Shi arrive later. Sang Qi gets ready to fight with Yan Yan but he's confused by her behavior and actions. So he pulls out her pouch to show her, which she snatches from his hand and asks why he has it.
Bai Shi now knows that he’s created this mess (just look at his face, lol), and Yan Yun Zhi just glares at him. Hahaha! Sang Qi sees Yan Yun Zhi walking away and realizes that he's behind this misunderstanding. She goes to leave and Yan Yan asks why she's leaving - she tells him she didn't give him the pouch and she won't tell anyone. And then the rack of shields falls over as their classmates knock it over in their eagerness to watch and listen to their conversation. They all start laughing at Yan Yan (poor guy!) and she leaves to chase after Yan Yun Zhi.
She confronts Yan Yun Zhi about the pouch. He glares at Bai Shi, who suddenly needs to go somewhere. He tells her that he’s teaching her a lesson, as she should be aware of people playing tricks on her and know how to protect herself in the future.
Now Yan Yan and his friends chase Sang Qi all over campus, until she hides behind Song Luo Tian and she forces them to fight. Song Luo Tian and Yan Yan end up falling into the lake, which Sang Qi is cheering about until Yan Yun Zhi shows up and yells at everyone to stop fooling around.
Sang Qi suddenly says she's afraid and tries to grab onto his sleeve but he dodges her hand, and she lurches toward the water and almost falls in until he grabs onto her arm. She notices that he grabbed her arm so she smiles mischievously at him and uses her other arm to pull him into the water with her. They fall in and everyone is worried about the Deputy Chief falling in. They're helped out of the water and he starts yelling at her. He's livid and yells that if anyone causes any more trouble, they'll all be punished. They leave separately and Yan Yan yells after her that it’s not over yet.
Wei Zhan Hong offers a private place for her to change her clothes. She notices the room is booby trapped with buckets of paint, so she tells him that she’s afraid of the dark and makes Wei Zhan Hong enter the room with her and she pulls the rope and lets him be the first to have paint dumped on him. The rest of his friends follow in to see what’s happening, and she wraps the rope around them and dumps the rest of the buckets of paint on them, too. She declares that she won't let them bully her. Zhuo Wen Yuan proudly watches her from outside the room.
Later she’s talking to herself (and to the dog in her lap) and wondering where her brother's best friend, Xiao Bai, is and who he is. Her brother had told her to seek help from Xiao Bai, and she's hoping that once she finds him that he'll straighten out Yan Yun Zhi for her. Yan Yun Zhi is standing directly behind her now. (His thoughts: if she finds out that he's Xiao Bai, how is he ever going to discipline her in the future?)
Horseback Archery class. Yan Yan tries to volunteer Sang Qin to have a go at it first. Yan Yan decides he'll show her how a man does this. But he falls off his horse and gets his foot stuck in the stirrup and gets dragged by the running horse. Sang Qi shoots an arrow to cut the stirrup so his foot is released. The horse is running wild which she jumps on but the horse is too aggressive for her to stop. Zhuo Wen Yuan and Yan Yun Zhi are both worriedly watching her.
Yan Yun Zhi flies up onto the horse, and ends up sitting behind her with his arms around her and on the reins to calm the horse down to a trot. Now she can’t stop looking back at him. She thanks him for saving her, and he says if anything bad happens to her at the school, then he'd be in trouble, too. Then he leaves.
[Ep3] Yan Yan is grateful to Sang Qi for saving him and pledges his allegiance to her now. He now calls her Master Sang.
Yan Yun Zhi and Yan San Lang are conducting an investigation of a murder case and have discovered a fine powder under a table leg at the victim's home. It's collected for testing.
Later Yan San Lang confides that the victim's cause of death is similar to Sang Yu's, and the victim's family has vanished as well. Yan Yun Zhi notices that they're being watched and ends up chasing the masked female assassin. She ends up running through Sang residence. He tries to follow the assassin, who opens the window of Sang Qi's room and runs off in a different direction. Yan Yun Zhi sees the open window and runs into this room but soon discovers Sang Qi in the bathtub. She decides to keep this a secret as he saved her from the horse earlier, so now they're even.
Music class. Sang Qi is chosen to play an instrument. She attempts to play an instrument but is awful at it. So she offers to sing a song instead, which everyone protests at, except for Zhuo Wen Yuan and Yan Yan.
She's singing a folk song, a song composed by her brother. Yan Yun Zhi is napping in his office and has a dream/memory of Sang Yu playing the song on the guqin. He wakes up suddenly from the singing and realizes someone is actually singing Sang Yu's song. He sees her singing, and decides to join her on stage to accompany her on the guqin.
She looks over in shock (as she has memories of her brother playing this song on the guqin as she was dancing) but she continues singing. Afterwards, she asks him about how he knows how to play this song. She also asks him if he knew her brother and he denies it. He replies that it's only a coincidence. They're interrupted by Scholar Feng. She watches him leave wonder why he looks anxious any time her brother is mentioned.
She looks through the registers in the Archive, and finds her brother listed in Class Sky but Yan Yun Zhi's name appears to be missing. Yan Yun Zhi shows up and tells her that students are not allowed to be in here without a Scholar's permission. He then says he'll punish her by having her copy all the rules of the Imperial College. She asks why he's afraid to admit that he knew her brother. He won't answer her and tells her to leave, and if she stays then he'll make her copy the rules two times. She keeps talking, so now it's ten times, and then twenty times, and it becomes fifty times.
Sang Qi figures out that the way to get him to accept her pouch is to appeal to his tastes - so she decides to cook for him. Yan Yun Zhi shows up in the kitchen to yell at her for creating such a large fire and making a mess, and basically, wasting time. A few chickens fly into the kitchen and it turns out that he’s quite afraid of them, and all birds. He has pteronophobia. (Hahaha, I, myself, do not like flamingos actually.)
When she finishes cooking the dishes, they’re left out unattended for some time. Song Luo Tian had Wei Zhan Hong put something in one of her dishes, the bean sprout dish.
Sang Qi is in Yan Yun Zhi’s office writing out the Imperial College’s rules. She tells him to eat the food that she made and he refuses to eat any of it. So she takes a break from writing and starts eating her bean sprouts dish. Not long after, she starts having blurred vision, feels warm, and is stumbling around the room. She closes the doors to his room, which he questions her about. She is dizzy, acting very drunk-like, and making no sense. Sang Qi finally passes out, and appears to have been drugged. Suddenly, she wakes up and pulls him in for a kiss.
Sang Qi is sent home but appears unconscious, and Yan Yun Zhi notices that her symptoms are similar to her brother’s poisoning prior to his death. Bai Shi informs him that her symptoms indicate that she was poisoned but they're not able to find traces of poison with testing. She remains unconscious at home. Yan Yun Zhi makes the promise to save Sang Qi as he couldn’t save Sang Yu back then.
[Ep4] Yan Yun Zhi goes out on horseback in the pouring rain to retrieve the best doctor, the Imperial Physician, and brings him to the Sang residence. Zhuo Wen Yuan shows up quite worried about her as well. (It’s revealed that he likes her.)
Song Luo Tian is not sure why she's been poisoned. He had wanted to add a laxative to her food, not poison. Wei Zhan Hong is worried about getting in trouble now, and possibly being kicked out of school.
The poison's been removed from her system but she remains unconscious. Yan Yun Zhi has a cold from getting caught in the rain on horseback but he still goes to check on her. Sang Qi’s maid, Lian Pian, tells him that she's been awake for a bit but just went back to sleep. He goes to see her. He tucks her in but she grabs his hand and thinks he's her brother. He doesn't reply but hums a song. She wakes up and sees that it's Yan Yun Zhi and realizes that she's been holding his hand. They awkwardly separate their hands. She tells him that she knows this is also another one of her brother's songs. He admits that he knew her brother, and says that he'll explain it to her later. He also tells her that he’s wondering if he was the intended target for the poison. The poisoned food is now locked in the cold storage room.
Yan Yan and Zhuo Wen Yuan visit Sang Qi at home. When Lian Pian and Yan Yan meet for the first time, and he accidentally knocks down the basin in her arms. Lian Pian won’t let Yan Yan go see Sang Qi. She lets Zhuo Wen Yuan go see her. He’s upset that Yan Yun Zhi is already there with Sang Qi.
Later, Sang Qi sneaks out of her home to investigate her tainted food. She’s in the cold storage room, but Yan Yun Zhi is already in there, and they hide from the guards behind a shelving unit. They’re standing pretty close, and he remembers her kissing him. But then the guards lock them inside the cold storage room. She finds the plate of poisoned bean sprouts and there appears to be a fine powder on the broken plate now, which they collect for further testing.
Sang Qi tells Yan Yun Zhi about how much she likes fireworks. She likes the warm feeling from watching fireworks. Her brother gave her a fireworks show every year. Yan Yun Zhi says he'll take her to see her brother’s best friend Xiao Bai when they get out of there. She asks him to accept her pouch. He says he'll think about it. She has a one-track mind. lol They're now sitting closely for shared body warmth under his top robe.
Eventually, Bai Shi finds them to let them out. (Apparently, Yan Yun Zhi had told him to come find him if he didn’t come out after two hours.) Yan Yun Zhi carries her out in his arms as her leg is numb. Zhuo Wen Yuan finds them and he lets her down on the ground. She tells him that Yan Yun Zhi rescued her from the cold storage room (without mentioning him being locked in there with her). Zhuo Wen Yuan returns his robe to him, and he takes Sang Qi back home. Yan Yun Zhi just watches her leave.
The poison turns out to be from Xizhao, a place that’s a thousand miles from Bianjing.
Sang Qi wakes up from a dream about the kiss she had with Yan Yun Zhi - but she thinks it's just a dream. It's New Year's Eve. Lian Pian tells her that Zhuo Wen Yuan has been waiting for her. He's prepared a bunch of food for her. But she's longing for fireworks. Suddenly there are fireworks lighting up the sky. Unbeknownst to her, Yan Yun Zhi and Bai Shi are setting off the fireworks outside her home. Sang Qi is happy about the fireworks as it gives her hope.
[Ep5] Lantern Festival. Zhuo Wen Yuan is accompanied by his friend, a courtesan, Qian Jiu. He also runs interference for Sang Qi by pointing out to Song Jia Yin that she is wearing the same outfit as some of the courtesans there. (He arranged that!) Haha, it couldn’t happen to a better person. He also offers to have Qian Jiu help her with guqin on stage but she refuses the help, as she wants to face the music herself. (Hehe, I couldn’t help myself.)
Yan Yun Zhi is seated with Su Jie Yu at the Lantern Festival. (They're known to be a power couple - but they're not actually together.) Sang Qi starts playing the guqin and fails miserably. The audience complains, and even the fireworks don’t help with that. Song Jia Yin is very pleased with herself.
During this poor performance, there’s discussion among the parents about marriage to Sang Qi. Sang Dad says it is up to her to decide. Song Dad says he didn't know that he'd spoil his daughter in such a way. Sang Dad then calls out Song Dad for letting his daughter force Sang Qi to perform on stage for the Lantern Festival. Ha, touché!
Yan Yun Zhi flies down from his balcony seat to save Sang Qi (and everyone else’s ears from her horrible guqin playing). Zhou Wen Yuan and Song Jia Yin are both upset by this show of support. He suggests that she sings a folk song from the frontier and he will play the guqin instead. She sings her brother’s song (Ep3), and dances to it as well. The crowd is impressed now. Song Jia Yin walks off upset by her success. Once the performance is over, she tries to talk to him but he leaves without saying a word to her. Zhuo Wen Yuan is only too happy to tell her all about his fiancée, Su Jie Yu.
When Yan Yun Zhi returns to his seat, Su Jie Yu asks about who the lady was. He tells her it’s Sang Qi, Sang Yu’s little sister, and his student. Meanwhile, Sang Qi can’t believe that such a beautiful woman would be Yan Yun Zhi’s fiancée. She feels sorry for her. lol
Two assassins show up in disguise at the event, and one is captured by Official Yan's men, but the other one takes off running. Sang Qi helps him chase down the other assassin but ends up in harm's way when the assassin throws a knife at her. Yan Yun Zhi rescues her with a bolt of fabric, which he uses to pull her away from the flying knife's path, and he catches her before she falls. (Fun scene to watch on repeat! Yes, I know, it’s not real.) Official Yan continues chasing down the assassin on his own. Su Jie Yu meets them and Sang Qi compliments her for her fairy-like appearance. Su Jie Yu then mentions how they all used to meet with Sang Yu. Yan Yun Zhi starts interrupting with coughing. Zhuo Wen Yuan walks up to check on Sang Qi. She keeps trying to talk about her brother but Yan Yun Zhi suggests that everyone go home.
Sang Qi then asks Zhuo Wen Yuan about Su Jie Yu again. He tells her that they are childhood sweethearts and a match made in heaven, and that there are talks of marriage. She's not happy to hear this. Zhuo Wen Yuan consoles her by saying even though Su Jie Yu is good, he thinks she is the best in her heart. She says she thinks Yan Yun Zhi doesn't deserve her, as she's very impressed by Su Jie Yu. (LOL Girl crush!) She's preoccupied with thoughts of Su Jie Yu and doesn't hear Zhuo Wen Yuan mention that he had prepared fireworks for her nor take notice them when they go off.
Sang Qi is invited by Su Jie Yu to hang out at her brother, Qing Xuan’s home along with Yan San Lang and Yan Yun Zhi. The resident crane flies in and is introduced as Qing Xuan’s “wife”, which is how he got out of being forced to marry and Sang Qi is fascinated by it. The group of friends reminisce about Sang Yu. She asks them about Xiao Bai, who is supposed to be “gentle, adorable, clingy, obedient and sensible”. Qing Xuan asks Yan Yun Zhi about Xiao Bai, who he denies knowing. (She suspects that he’s lying to her again.) Yan Yun Zhi also says that this Xiao Bai seems less of a human and more like a dog. Later, she hides the fact that Yan Yun Zhi has pteronophobia when the resident crane (Qing Xuan’s wife) returns. Su Jie Yu plays the guqin but Yan Yun Zhi seems more interested in watching the snow with Sang Qi.
A drunk Sang Qi leaves to go home in her carriage, and Yan Yun Zhi is already inside it waiting for her. Sang Qi tells him that she hid his pteronophobia as leverage to get more answers from him. He finally admits that he's Xiao Bai. In response, she jumps up and stumbles over to him to pull on his ears and starts yelling that she knew it was him and he should be called Xiao Hei (black, as bai is white) instead. Hahaha.
[Ep6] Sang Qi falls over inside the carriage and ends up sitting on his lap, right before arriving at her home. They awkwardly separate from each other and she gets out of the carriage.
Zhuo Wen Yuan is jealous of Sang Qi spending her time with Yan Yun Zhi. He takes her to hang out at Qian Jiu's home, where the women discuss makeup and perfumes. Sang Qi notices a flower-like tattoo on the back of her neck. It's late and Sang Qi goes home alone in the carriage. There are assassins after her on the way home. She sees the same flower-like tattoo on one of the assassins. She tries to defend herself but is overwhelmed and sustains a cut on her leg. She is rescued by a drunk man who has great martial arts skills. The man refuses to tell her his name and disappears.
Sang Qi arrives home with her injured leg. Her father is worried now and tells her that this incident needs to be reported to the Prefecture Court, and wants to know if she was their intended target. Sang Dad makes her stay at home to heal and requests leave from school.
Yan Yan comes to visit Sang Qi. However, Lian Pian just takes his gift and sends him away without letting him see her. She quite rude to him, as this is the second time he’s been turned away. lol However, when Yan Yun Zhi comes to visit, she lets her get ready to receive him. Sang Qi tells him about the man who saved her, and (poorly) demonstrates those moves and injures herself in the process. He redresses her wound. She then asks him about the flower-like tattoo that she saw on the back of Qian Jiu's neck, and she draws it for him. When Yan Yun Zhi leaves, he gives instructions to have Bai Shi watch her go to and from school.
Yan Yun Zhi informs Official Yan that the flower-like tattoo/pattern is a Xizhao symbol used to identify their members. So anyone with this mark is either a traitor, black market trader or an assassin. Yan San Lang says no one knows who their leader is. Yan Yun Zhi asks him to not investigate Qian Jiu for the time being.
Sang Qi returns to school but is doing everything wrong and gets caught by Yan Yun Zhi throughout the day. After school, she wants to go to Qing Feng Restaurant but he forces her to go home. Later, her father comes home and sets a curfew, as he found out that she could’ve been ambushed by Xizhao group. But she sneaks out that night to look for the drunk master but encounters Yan Yun Zhi instead.
[Ep7] Sang Qi goes home but realizes she needs his help to sneak her back in (she’s still injured). He's reluctant to do so but he flies her over the wall. Then she insults him so he flies her back outside her home and suggests that she wait for her father instead. Hahaha.
[Ep8] Qian Jiu and Zhuo Wen Yuan are involved with Xizhao, including a salt smuggling route. However, he warns her to not hurt Sang Qi.
Sang Qi invites Su Jie Yu for a meal at Qing Feng Restaurant. Yan Yun Zhi is listening to their conversation in the next room. And two females spend most of the time talking about Yan Yun Zhi. Sang Qi asks if they're engaged or even like each other. Su Jie Yu admits that she likes him. Sang Qi is surprised and asks why. She replies that he may have a poker face but he's actually a caring and considerate person. Sang Qi laughs at this and asks if they're talking about the same person. She goes on to list all of Su Jie Yu's virtues and then asks her what she is thinking. LOL Implying she's too good for him.
Su Jie Yu then asks her if she likes Yan Yan or Zhuo Wen Yuan. She’s not interested in either - Yan Yan is too tiresome and Zhuo Wen Yuan who she's known since childhood, who she sees as a good person, but doesn't feel anything more for. Then she asks Sang Qi about Yan Yun Zhi. She replies that finds him to be good-looking but annoying. Ha! After this, they run into Yan Yun Zhi who is waiting outside their room. (He’s always nearby when she is trash-talking him.)
After Sang Qi leaves, Yan Yun Zhi has a private talk with Su Jie Yu. He makes it clear that they're friends, the same as it was three years ago. He asks her to stop wasting time on him, and to not involve other people, including Sang Qi. Now she asks him about his feelings for Sang Qi. He says he's her teacher and she's his student and his best friend's sister.
Later, Yan Yun Zhi is thinking about her and their moments together. He catches himself being lovesick. He asks Bai Shi about this and he tells him that a friend has feelings for a certain female. Bai Shi asks him if it's Sang Qi. (Ha, he has his moments.) Yan Yun Zhi denies it and lists off all of her faults instead. lol
Sang Qi goes to Yan Yan for help finding the master who saved her.
Yan Yun Zhi is looking into Qian Jiu's background, as he's suspicious of her. And he's also aware that Zhuo Wen Yuan is in love with Sang Qi.
[Ep8] Qian Jiu and Zhuo Wen Yuan are involved with Xizhao, including a salt smuggling route. However, he warns her to not hurt Sang Qi.
Yan Yan finds the location of this master, Ling Wu Mountain. Yan Yun Zhi is already there, and this master turns out to be Yan Yun Zhi's uncle, Yan He Xin. They go on a mission set by his uncle.
Yan Yan gets stuck in a trap and is rescued by Yan Yun Zhi but sustains a foot injury, so Lian Pian stays behind with him while Yan Yun Zhi and Sang Qi move on to look for the mountain wine (uncle's a drunk lol). Yan Yun Zhi finds the room but doesn't notice the trip wire (lol, I thought he was smarter than this?!) and ends up covered in feathers. (His pteronophobia.) So she jumps on his back, covers his eyes and guides him with verbal instructions to get the wine before leaving.
Now his uncle tells Yan Yan and Sang Qi that he can only accept one disciple. The other person can stay to run errands and be a spectator. He asks them to retrieve Yan Yun Zhi's middle garment, and Yan Yan wins with Yan He Xin’s help.
[Ep9] The next morning, they discover that Sang Qi has left. Sang Qi did go home but only to pick up a few things before going back to the mountain. She and Lian Pian go back up the mountain in the middle of the night, and are followed by Zhuo Wen Yuan and Jing Mu. They all head to Ling Wu Mountain together.
[Ep10] They're stuck inside the cave as the mouth of the cave is blocked by rocks now. Yan Yun Zhi has a cut on his arm, so she tends to it. And then she starts a fire, but the fire doesn't last. They end up keeping warm by huddling together under his top robe.
Yan Yun Zhi is looking for Sang Qi, and he's calling her A Qi. (When did he start calling her A Qi?!) He puts his arm in a sling to gain her sympathy. Sang Qi makes dessert soup for both guys. Zhou Wen Yuan asks Sang Qi to feed him (injured hands) but Yan Yun Zhi tries to wrestle it from her and they end up spilling the bowl. Bai Shi ate Yan Yun Zhi’s portion, because that’s what he does. lol Now Yan Yun Zhi goes to make more dessert soup but Sang Qi catches him being able to use both arms. He tries to make the excuse that it's part of some martial arts training (the terrible lies, lol). She is disappointed in him.
[Ep11] Yan Yun Zhi moves Sang Qi behind him and fights the man in black. He realizes that it's his uncle and asks him what’s going on, but is told to shut up. His uncle hits him on his chest and he falls back and then down in a crouching position. Sang Qi distracts his uncle and tries to carry him on her back and shuffles away. (LOL he's nearly a foot taller than her, so it's pretty hilarious to watch her "carry" him away.) Yan Yun Zhi is confused by this as his uncle quietly laughs.
They return to Ling Wu Manor and his uncle (still in black garb) is beating on Yan Yan, who is shielding Lian Pian from the blows. Sang Qi goes to help them, and her master finally pulls down his mask to reveal himself. Sang Qi realizes that Yan Yun Zhi knew it was his uncle earlier. He immediately says that he did not conspire with his uncle. His uncle agrees but then says he knew it was him the minute they fought. Yan Yun Zhi says it was a test, and who knew she'd just carry him and run. She says then she'll leave him behind next time, and not have to worry about carrying a tall and heavy lump around. LOL Then his uncle declares both disciples have passed and will be happy to have peace and quiet back again. He leaves the foursome to celebrate.
[Ep12] The next day, school starts but they need to prepare for their exams. Martial arts class and law class have been canceled. Sang Qi is not sure how she'll see Yan Yun Zhi now.
[Ep13] They're still hiding in the tea room - behind the shelves, they're laying on the floor together under a blanket (he's practically laying on top of her). Again, very close proximity!
When they arrive, Yan Yun Zhi is not happy about Zhuo Wen Yuan’s appearance, as his uncle wants this place to stay hidden. Zhuo Wen Yuan refuses to leave. Sang Qi is then ordered by his uncle to prepare a meal. Both guys want to help her and she can't get rid of them. Yan Yan asks Yan He Xin why he allowed Zhuo Wen Yuan to stay. He says he's wanting to watch the fight...ah, sneakiness runs in the Yan family. However, they're both competing so much and make such a mess in the kitchen that Sang Qi finally kicks out them out.
The meal is a success and she gives Yan He Xin a secret recipe. He accepts her as his disciple, as she is who he wanted to begin with but he had to test her sincerity. Now he is her Master.
Zhuo Wen Yuan finds a nearby cave and decides that he wants to recreate a childhood memory with Sang Qi that evening. So he tells Jing Mu to figure out a way to get her to the cave that night without anyone else knowing. Jing Mu reminds him that he needs to take care of those tea shipments but he still refuses to go because Sang Qi is too important to him.
Yan He Xin says that she's showing improvement with her martial arts. And then she says she should've had Yan Yun Zhi teach her after all. Rude. lol He then lets it slip that Yan Yun Zhi has been worried about her and secretly protecting her. Realizing his mistake, he then tells her to ask Bai Shi, who tells her about him getting the Imperial Physician out in the rain, when she was poisoned; and when they set off New Year's fireworks outside her home, and how he helped her make things easier to get into the college as the Scholars were purposely making it more difficult for her.
She goes looking for Yan Yun Zhi but is waylaid by Jing Mu. She meets Zhuo Wen Yuan at the cave for mushroom picking but she wants to reschedule as the sky looks stormy. It suddenly starts raining. But rocks start tumbling down and Yan Yun Zhi (he had followed her) rushes to protect her and now the two of them are inside the cave.
Zhou Wen Yuan goes back to Yan He Xin to get help. He offers to help but doesn’t seem concerned or rushed (as he actually wants to keep his nephew trapped longer with Sang Qi). They are finally able to leave the cave but Zhou Wen Yuan can't stand how Yan Yun Zhi and Sang Qi are being selfless for each other, so he "passes out" (the fiend). Zhuo Wen Yuan has injured hands (from digging with his hands in desperation) and a (fake) cold.
Now he's in his room talking to himself about how she must care about him (and not Zhuo Wen Yuan), and he’s blaming Sang Yu for this quandary. Bai Shi interrupts him with another portion of dessert soup, which he refuses at first, but then he notices the sad face :( in the bowl and decides to accept it. He's smiling now.
Sang Qi is thinking about all of their various interactions and how he's cared for her. She's confused by all of this because he finds ways to annoy her but then secretly does nice things for her. Later she tells him that she worries about him. She says, if anything bad happens to him, she will take care of him until he dies. Whoa! She changes it to: She’ll take full responsibility and won’t abandon him. He's pleased by this. He asks her to swear to that, which she does. (Still quite serious?!)
Meanwhile, Jing Mu reminds Zhuo Wen Yuan that Consort Zhuo wanted him to handle the shipments and he's been summoned to the palace. He doesn't want to leave the mountain because if he leaves then he'll lose his chance with Sang Qi. (Way too late.) Jing Mu points out that he leaves now he might lose her, but if he doesn’t leave (and deal with the Consort), he'll certainly lose her. Not his to lose! They leave in the morning.
Zhuo Wen Yuan tells Consort Zhuo that he was in the mountains keeping an eye on Yan Yun Zhi. She doesn't believe this excuse and tells him she knows his reason for staying on the mountain. She mentions Song Jia Yin is a good choice for him as the Song family can be swayed. He asks for more time to work on Sang Qi. She'll give him until he graduates from the Imperial College with high honors, but by then he'll need to consider marriage. She tells him it doesn't matter if the Sang family are his friends or not; he needs to maintain a good relationship with the Song family. She then asks him to handle the salt route problem. Her last piece of advice: if he wants to achieve great things, emotion is the worst thing. Emotion is the most meaningless and weakest thing in the world. And if he can't be resolute, she can help him. She may look like a lady but she is seriously frightening to listen to.
Yan Yun Zhi and Sang Qi are training with swords. He's testing her. (It’s very pretty here!)
Sang Qi: I still can't get close to you after practicing for so long. How meaningless.
Yan Yun Zhi: Well, not really. He shows her a cut on his robe.
Sang Qi runs up to him excitedly: I did it. But it'll be better if it's an inch deeper. It'll be even better if there's blood.
Yan Yun Zhi: What nonsense are you spouting? Are you trying to kill your -
She looks at him.
Yan Yun Zhi: Are you trying to kill your Senior?
She just smiles at him.
A man in black with a sword suddenly flies in to attack them.
They're now "hiding" in a crevice of the mountain (not really camouflaged or anything, hahaha). His uncle shows up and pretends to not see them. His thought: As long as they are happy. (His uncle is giving them a nice big shove.) He leaves them alone.
They're both trying to leave the crevice at the same time and end up pressed up against each other. Then they both ask the other to go first and both go to leave but end up face-to-face. She apologizes for their close contact. He says it's not the first time she's done it. She then realizes that what happened in his study room was not a dream - that kiss was real. She tells him that she won't take it to heart and that he shouldn't either. She walks away quickly. He quietly says to himself he's already taken it to heart but he's just not sure if it's all right for him to do so. (Aww, this guy.)
They return to Ling Wu Manor and his uncle (still in black garb) is beating on Yan Yan, who is shielding Lian Pian from the blows. Sang Qi goes to help them, and her master finally pulls down his mask to reveal himself. Sang Qi realizes that Yan Yun Zhi knew it was his uncle earlier. He immediately says that he did not conspire with his uncle. His uncle agrees but then says he knew it was him the minute they fought. Yan Yun Zhi says it was a test, and who knew she'd just carry him and run. She says then she'll leave him behind next time, and not have to worry about carrying a tall and heavy lump around. LOL Then his uncle declares both disciples have passed and will be happy to have peace and quiet back again. He leaves the foursome to celebrate.
Yan Yun Zhi is standing behind Sang Qi and very gently grabs her arm as a way of asking for her forgiveness. She jerks her arm away from his hand, but then she turns her head back to look at him and gives a small smile. (~6:52 the whole scene is cuteness overload - just look at his face!)
Sang Dad is waiting at home for her. He is a bit miffed that she didn't tell him who was staying there with her. She says she didn't know Yan Yun Zhi was going to be there, and then she mentions Yan Yan. Now he's more upset that she stayed a month in the mountains with a group of men and is now worried about her reputation. She is grounded until school restarts.
Yan Yun Zhi is having a meal with Qing Xuan. Yan Yun Zhi is handed an invitation to Su Jie Yu's birthday banquet. He originally declines because he didn't want to have any further misunderstandings with Su Jie Yu. But then he decides to go when he's told that Sang Qi was going.. He is surprised that Qing Xuan is helping him and Sang Qi as he's Su Jie Yu's brother. His friend replies that he knows he has no interest in his sister and forcing them together would only cause trouble. Yan Yun Zhi says that he's already made himself clear to her. He wants to address this in public but doesn't want to embarrass her. Her brother thinks clearing it up in public will quell all of her hopes.
Sang Qi is finally allowed to go outside to buy a gift for Su Jie Yu's birthday. Lian Pian says that it's only been 3 days. lol Yan Yan finds them at the market and pushes Sang Qi out of the way just to talk to Lian Pian. He also keeps buying everything that Lian Pian looks at. (Ou, Couple No. 2?!) Later, Yan Yan drops them off at home and gives Lian Pian everything that he bought for her. It’s like watching a squirrel unload their stockpile into their winter den. Haha.
Sang Qi pays a visit to Su Jie Yu. She decides to tell her that her feelings towards Yan Yun Zhi have changed, especially after spending a month in the mountains with him. I enjoy how direct and honest she is.
The birthday banquet. Sang Qi is walking her way on a to see Su Jie Yu and spots Yan Yun Zhi across the way, and pauses to look at him. He actually gets up from his table across the way to look at her. (~27:30 Gah, this scene is sooo sweet!!) She's told by Su Jie Yu's maid that she's been waiting for her, so she continues walking and Yan Yun Zhi continues watching her until she’s inside the building (out of his sight). (He's very smitten.)
They're all inside for the banquet now and they're still exchanging looks with each other. Song Jia Yin presents her gift first. Sang Qi's gift to her is an embroidered landscape that she worked on with Lian Pian. Yan Yun Zhi smiles at her the entire time. His gift is a guqin, which two female guests speculate that he might be asking for her hand in marriage soon. They then suggest different love songs for her to play. Yan Yun Zhi is getting annoyed by the women, and is still looking at Sang Qi. Sang Qi gets a bit saddened by these words and remembers that Su Jie Yu has feelings for Yan Yun Zhi, and now she's wondering if he has feelings for her as well. She leaves the room and his eyes are on her. Lian Pian goes to follow her but Yan Yan stops her because he needs to tell her that his mother has arranged a marriage for him and he needs to make the proposal soon. Now Lian Pian is upset and walks away from him. He goes after her. Yan Yun Zhi is watching all of this with a very concerned look. Su Jie Yu calls for his attention and suggests they play a song on the guqin together. He rejects her by suggesting her brother plays with her, as he is musically superior to him. She insists that he play with her as he gifted her the guqin. He publicly says that they grew up together, like brother and sister, so Qing Xuan and him are her brothers. He then asks if it makes a difference which one of them plays it with her. He says that he gifted her with this guqin so that she will find her soulmate soon. If he played it with her, wouldn't that go against his intentions? He then excuses himself.
Sang Qi is walking around listlessly. Song Jia Yin is pouting outside about Yan Yun Zhi giving a grander gift. Such a brat. Sang Qin sits down at their table and Song Jia Yin walks away. Now Sang Qi starts saying out loud that it's all Yan Yun Zhi's fault over and over. Of course he finds her saying this. Every.Single.Time. lol He asks what is his fault? She replies shouldn't he be playing the guqin with Su Jie Yu, and asks why is he here. He replies to find her. She gets up to walk away but he gets up and blocks her. They're interrupted by Yan Yan and Lian Pian who are arguing about his marriage - he wants to explain everything, but she isn't having it. Now Yan Yun Zhi and Sang Qi hide behind a large rock to eavesdrop. They're facing each other but then Sang Qi turns her back to him. He walks around her so she's facing him again. She turns her back to him again and crosses her arms now. He walks around again and puts his hands on her arms, and she shakes him off. He's looking at her, desperately wanting her to look at him. She finally lifts her head to look at him.
Every time Yan Yan says anything that applies to their situation as well, Yan Yun Zhi nods his head at Sang Qi. (~34:48 They did a good job editing Yan Yan and Lian Pian's argument to match Sang Qi and Yan Yun Zhi's cat-and-mouse chase.) Yan Yan mentions dragging out the engagement, and Yan Yun Zhi nods his head at first but then shakes his head vehemently as Sang Qi is glaring at him. Oops. lol These two are now whispering to each other. Both couples are interrupted by Bai Shi calling for Yan Yun Zhi as Qing Xuan is looking for him. Yan Yan now realizes that they had heard everything. (~36:34 LOL, the way Yan Yan’s eyes roll back!)
They all head back to go inside but everyone else is leaving as Su Jie Yu has claimed that she is not feeling well. Song Jia Yin tells Sang Qi that the real reason is because Yan Yun Zhi refused to marry her. (Yes, these two left right before he made that public statement.) Song Jia Yin thinks she still has a chance. (Like a snowflake's chance in hell.)
Sang Qi is at home and finally admits to Lian Pian that she likes Yan Yun Zhi. But she's not sure how Yan Yun Zhi feels about her. (Gee, I truly wonder how he feels...ha!) She decides that she'll ask him at the Imperial College the next day.
Eventually, she crosses paths with him and they lock eyes for a while, until another student who is reading and walking bumps into her and she almost falls down. He grabs her hand to keep her steady. She tells him that she wants to ask him something and he's all ears - but they're interrupted by Yan Yan telling him that Qing Xuan is looking for him. Yan Yun Zhi asks her what she wanted to ask as if Yan Yan never said anything.
Yan Yan keeps interrupting over and over so Sang Qi is unable to ask her question. She finally tells him to take care of things and they'll talk another day. Yan Yun Zhi now glares at Yan Yan but he leaves with him. (Yan Yan, are you really that dense?! Yes, he is.)
At the restaurant, Qing Xuan asks Yan Yun Zhi why he looks rejuvenated and happy as if something great happened, but he's not sure about his glare. Yan Yun Zhi tells him that he got everything right, something great was happening but then he ruined it. lol As it turns out, Su Jie Yu wanted to see him. She enters the room and her brother leaves them alone together. She shows him the box with Song Jia Yin's present but she found some white powder on the wool used to wrap the present. It's more of the Xizhao plant.
It's late at night and Sang Qi decides to practice with her sword, but is really hacking at the plants to vent her frustration. Meanwhile, Lian Pian is doing the same thing but with huge shears. Crimes against nature. Ha!
Song Luo Tian injures Yan Yan (by accident) with a carriage. He's worried that Song Dad would be upset but he's actually proud and said that they need a good scare. He then tells him to marry the woman that Yan Yan was supposed to marry. Song Luo Tian doesn't like her and doesn't want to but his father tells him to do as he's told.
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| ~22:18 Would this face ever lie? Yes, yes it would. lol |
Sang Qi, Lian Pian and Zhuo Wen Yuan visit Yan Yan who appears to be fine but jumps in bed when his guests are announced. He tries to gain sympathy from Lian Pian. He finds out that Song Luo Tian is marrying the woman that he was supposed to marry. Now Sang Qi knows he's faking it and is just enjoying the extra attention from Lian Pian. Yan Yan cues with his eyes at Sang Qi for everyone else to leave. They all leave the couple alone.
Zhuo Wen Yuan finds ways to prevent the couple from seeing each other.
It's Song Luo Tian's wedding day. Yan Yun Zhi takes the occasion to investigate the tea room at Song residence. Sang Qi finds him there but they have to hide.
Sang Qi: Why do we always get trapped together whenever it's just the two of us in a room? This would sound like an exaggeration even if it was written in the storytelling scripts. How could it be such a coincidence? No such thing as a coincidence in Dramaland! ;) lol
Zhuo Wen Yuan is outside calling for her, so she leaves the room first and tries to leave with him but then he sees Yan Yun Zhi come out of the same room. Zhuo Wen Yuan tells them that they need to leave as they entered the tea room without permission.
The next day, the students are told they're going to work on the Song tea plantation. Yan Yun Zhi informs them that they will be doing manual labor so they can't bring anything unnecessary (kites, balls, etc.), and they're also hiking up a hill on foot.
Yan Yan goes to point out the view to Sang Qi but he’s uphill from her and he ends up sliding down into her and injures her. Zhuo Wen Yuan offers to carry her and takes off her bag and his bag, but Yan Yun Zhi just walks up and carries her on his back. His excuse, "When a student is injured, their teacher must bear the responsibility." The two guys argue about this but ultimately, he just walks away with Sang Qi on his back. Yan Yan is watching this conversation with great interest, however Zhuo Wen Yuan is very annoyed at him for causing this mess. Yan Yan tiptoes around him carrying his and Sang Qi’s bags.
They're all assigned rooms at random (pick a stick), except for Sang Qi who gets her own room. Yan Yan wants to switch with Zhuo Wen Yuan because he doesn't want to share a room with Song Luo Tian and Wei Zhan Hong. But Zhuo Wen Yuan hasn't drawn yet and mentions that he wants the room next to Sang Qi's because of bandits. Yan Yan rolls his eyes at this and mocks him. (~12:46 Hahaha! I'm loving the epic eye rolling.) He goes to draw and Yan Yun Zhi just informs him that he's staying in the same room as him. Yan Yan laughs at him now.
Yan Yun Zhi makes the announcement that nobody is allowed to enter anyone else's room at night and anyone breaking this rule will be punished. And he looks pointedly at Zhuo Wen Yuan before walking away, who now agrees to switch rooms with Yan Yan. Yan Yan won't agree, as he'd rather deal with Song Luo Tian than Yan Yun Zhi, and suggests they go look for Sang Qi.
Sang Qi has a room set up with a vanity, table of food and proper furniture. Zhuo Wen Yuan starts looking at the makeup, and Sang Qi kicks them both out and closes the door on them. (She knows that Yan Yun Zhi did this just for her.)
In bed that night, Zhuo Wen Yuan asks Yan Yun Zhi as he's doing all of these things and making all this effort - if he's worried it's just one-sided love. He replies that he's not worried, as he's done everything without expecting anything in return. Zhuo Wen Yuan says he's just blinding himself. And Yan Yun Zhi retorts, isn't it the same for him as well. Zhuo Wen Yuan asks if he thinks Sang Qi will choose him (Yan Yun Zhi)? He replies that he doesn't know but he'll go all out and will offer a fair fight. (I wouldn't trust Zhuo Wen Yuan though.)
The next morning, Yan Yun Zhi gives them their assignment: get rid of weeds, loosen the soil and pick tea leaves (to be roasted later). Zhuo Wen Yuan's strategy is to work faster, and Yan Yun Zhi's is to work efficiently. Lian Pian visits them with food for Sang Qi, but it turns out to be all of Yan Yan's favorite snacks. (Haha, her priorities have changed.)
Yan Yan volunteers Sang Qi as the tea master (with Lian Pian as her assistant) for the tea ceremony. She's not happy about this as she has no idea how to perform a tea ceremony but Yan Yan whispers to her that he's suggesting this so Lian Pian can stay longer. (He's so cute and earnest. Hahaha.) She tells him to get lost, and then tells the class that she can give it a try. She glares at Yan Yan and he smiles like the cat who ate the canary. lol
Zhuo Wen Yuan and Yan Yun Zhi both hand her their teas for brewing first. She decides to ask Yan Yan for his tea leaves but he says he wants Lian Pian to brew his. She tells him to get lost again, so the two guys are back to asking her to brew theirs. She doesn't brew either of their teas. Ha! After she pours the tea, one of her classmates accidentally knocks over the kettle, which Yan Yun Zhi tries to catch but ends up getting scalded. Sang Qi is quite concerned, drags him over to a nearby bucket of cool water and puts his hand in it. She's showing an extraordinary amount of attention and care for his hand in front of everyone.
He’s watching her fuss over him, and finally asks if she’s okay. (I'm not okay if he looks at me like that!)
Before she leaves, Lian Pian tells her that she can tell that Yan Yun Zhi is really interested in her. Sang Qi replies that she knows that, but what she's not sure about is if he's interested in her because she is his old friend's younger sister, his student or his martial arts partner. Lian Pian says that if she wants the answer, she should stop guessing. (Go ask him!)
Yan Yun Zhi and Bai Shi are secretly investigating the Song tea plantation.
Su Jie Yu brings food to the students at the Song tea plantation. Yan Yun Zhi and Su Jie Yu join them at Sang Qi's table. Yan Yun Zhi reaches across the table to put a piece of vegetable in Sang Qi's bowl, and she thanks him. Su Jie Yu notices this. Yan Yan does the same for Zhuo Wen Yuan. (The rascal!)
Afterwards, Su Jie Yu tells Yan Yun Zhi that she knows he's there to investigate the case and offers her assistance. Yan Yun Zhi tells her that in the future, she shouldn't involve herself in his matters. She tells him that she's worried about him. He tells her that he's already made himself very clear and suggests that she return to Bianjing, and then walks away. (Not sure how much clearer or more polite he could be with her.)
Zhuo Wen Yuan delivers food and wine (to cheer her up because she looked worried all day, and still does) to Sang Qi in the middle of the night, and offers to keep her company. (Just break all the rules at once, why don't you?) She tells him she doesn't want to eat anything and asks if he'll leave when he's done eating. She’s not really happy with him and she won't tell him what's bothering her. (We know what, or rather who is bothering her - Yan Yun Zhi.) Someone else is knocking on her door now.
[Ep14] Zhuo Wen Yuan is forced to hide under her bed as she hides the food and wine before answering the door. It's Yan Yan. He hurriedly tells her that Song Luo Tian wants to harm him and thinks the place is full of assassins. They're interrupted by another knock on her door. She tells Yan Yan to hide, so he ends up under the bed, next to Zhuo Wen Yuan, who drags him in. She finally answers the door and it's Yan Yun Zhi. He was patrolling the yard and heard noises coming from her room. He asks if she's all right. She says she's fine and goes to close the doors but he says he's thirsty and asks for tea. Yan Yan snickers at his request for tea. Ha! He sits down and pours himself a cup of tea, and asks if she's comfortable. Suddenly, there's another knock on her door. (Is there a sign with an arrow pointed to her door somewhere?! LOL) She asks who it is and it's Su Jie Yu, who tells that she wants to have a chat with her.
Yan Yun Zhi stands up to go answer the door but Sang Qi tells him to hide for the time being. He asks why he should. She says it's in the middle of night and that she might misunderstand his presence. (Only his? lol) He says that he wants to explain to Su Jie Yu but she just tells him to hide.
She counts out 1,2,3 to figure out where to put him under her bed and then she forces him to go under the bed. He is surprised to find Yan Yan and Zhuo Wen Yuan are both hiding there already. (I'm laughing with tears at this absurd turn of events. Yan Yan's face is the best. Hahaha!) He asks why they're there, and Yan Yan covers his mouth and gestures for him to stay quiet.
Sang Qi finally opens the door to Su Jie Yu, and suggests talking outside. Su Jie Yu says they should talk inside and walks into the room. Sang Qi just closes the door behind her and walks over to stand in front of her bed, while fanning out her skirt.
Luckily, Su Jie Yu sits at the table with her back to the bed. Sang Qi looks uncomfortable so Su Jie Yu asks if she's feeling unwell. She replies that no, she feels rejuvenated after her martial arts practice. (Or maybe it's the adrenaline rush from stowing three men under her bed in the middle of the night!) Su Jie Yu wants to talk to her about her earlier question. Sang Qi suggests they talk about it another time. Su Jie Yu says she wants to clarify everything to her as there are only two of them there. Hehe, that's what she thinks. All three guys are now squirming. However, Yan Yan is the only one who looks giddy about this. She wants to talk to her about Sang Qi's feelings for Yan Yun Zhi. Now he perks up at this.
Su Jie Yu tells her that she (Sang Qi) doesn't truly like him, and she's projected her longing and trust for her brother onto Yan Yun Zhi. His kindness for her is to fulfill his friend's wish. Or perhaps he only sees her as a little sister. She says if she confesses to him, it might be awkward for them. He’s seriously not happy hearing this. She suggests that she heed her advice as she's still young. (Oh really? Is that what this is about? Sarcasm. Argh!) She also tells her to not waste her time on a relationship that will never end well.
Now Yan Yun Zhi purposely shoves out Yan Yan from under the bed. Su Jie Yu is surprised and asks why he's there. Yan Yan replies that it's not just him. Then Sang Qi says Zhuo Wen Yuan is also there, so Yan Yun Zhi pushes him out. Sang Qi says that the three of them were drinking. Su Jie Yu finally leaves. Once Sang Qi closes the door after her, Yan Yun Zhi crawls out from under her bed. He starts reprimanding Yan Yan and Zhuo Wen Yuan for disregarding the rules and tells them to go back to their rooms. Zhou Wen Yuan asks him if he was leaving with them. Yan Yun Zhi whispers to her that they need to talk after leaving the mountains, and to wait for him. All three guys leave her room.
Bai Shi reports to Yan Yun Zhi that there are some plants there that are heavily guarded. He asks Bai Shi to have Yan San Lang bring his men. That evening, Yan Yun Zhi hands the map of Song Tea Plantation to Yan San Lang, with suspicious locations marked on it. Zhuo Wen Yuan has followed him and is eavesdropping on their conversation. Yan San Lang tells him that he'll have the plantation raided the next morning in the name of arresting a fugitive. Yan Yun Zhi says that he'll make sure that the entire plantation is surrounded.
The next morning, the Song tea plantation is raided for conspiring with Xizhao and for planting illegal species. Song Luo Tian is outraged by this and says they were set up. Someone brings paperwork that the plants belong to the Wei family. Official Yan wants the plants to be taken away, so further investigation can be done at the capital.
Yan Yun Zhi and Yan San Lang are upset by this turn of events. They know Grand Tutor Song is using Official Wei as a cover to save his own neck. So the authorities want to close the investigation. Yan Yun Zhi believes the land deed is not new and asks if he could make arrangements to speak privately to Official Wei. However, he's already in prison. (There's been way too much conflict of interests for him to be conducting these investigations, especially with his students' families being the suspects. (Yes, everything is intended to be convenient for the plot.))
Yan Yun Zhi and Sang Qi finally have a private talk. (So pretty here!) She asks him if he wants to talk about the tea plantation (no), her schoolwork (no), her brother (no), or about her master (no). He finally asks if there's anything else they could talk about. So she comments about the weather and the view being magnificent. He gestures at the scenery and says, "I can enjoy the company of this beautiful view with family." (His voice gets a bit raspy at that last part.) And he is looking directly at her when he says the last part. (~19:40 He's emphasizing the word family here.) She realizes that he's saying he considers her as family, but she thinks he means as his little sister. He says she knows what he wants all along. She replies that she's tired of guessing and wants a clear answer from him.
He looks at her, puts his hands on her arms and leans forward to kiss her.
Yan Yun Zhi: Do you understand now?She just looks at him.Yan Yun Zhi: Sang Qi. I'm in love with you.She smiles at him.Sang Qi: That was a little abrupt. I didn't feel much of it. Maybe we should try it again.He looks perplexed by this.
She smiles widely and grabs his robe and pulls him down for a kiss.
They smile and he lifts her into his arms for another kiss. Kiss Count: 3!
He asks her to call him Yun Zhi when they're alone together. She says it and says it sounds rude to her. She'll continue calling him Deputy Chief. He says she can call him whatever she wants. Then she asks him if he has any plans. He replies that he'll propose to her and when she graduates, he'll marry her. That escalated quickly! She asks if they can keep their relationship a secret for now and make it official when she graduates. He asks why she is concerned. She says that she wants to complete her studies at the Imperial College. She makes him promise her that. He replies that from now on, he'll agree to whatever she says. Honeymoon phase is unlocked!
In the morning, she sees him outside the school and goes running up to him as if she’s about to jump into his arms but Yan Yan interrupts. (As always!) So he turns away from her and they both act like they were doing some martial arts exercises. (I wish I had a GIF of this, too. Hahaha! A picture alone doesn’t do it justice.) Yan Yan comments that they're both there very early. He goes on further to say if he didn't know any better, he'd think the two of them were dating. (He has the cutest expression when he says this.) They both deny it. He walks away but he's suspicious. (I think he knows exactly what’s going on between them.) Yan Yun Zhi tells her that he has a plan.
In the classroom, he tells her she has horrible handwriting and needs to copy it three more times. Later, he tells her her posture is bad while walking and tells her to run three laps. She finally confronts him in private and tells him to use better excuses because he's nitpicking over such trivial matters. (His plan is akin to bullying. Haha!) She pouts so he holds her face and squishes her cheeks and this makes her smile. But they're interrupted by Scholar Feng, so he slaps her (a tiny one). He gets reprimanded by Scholar Feng for resorting to violence. Sang Qi is holding her cheek and not saying much. Yan Yun Zhi has this crestfallen look on his face. He tells them to talk it out and leaves them alone.
Once the doors close, she is upset and pulls on his ears. He promises he really didn't put any force behind it. He's really upset by what happened and asks her, doesn’t she think it would be nice when they don't have to hide? She says she wishes she could make it official. He tells her they risk being seen in the daytime, so he'll go to her place at nightfall. Their signal is a cat's meow.
Yan Yun Zhi shows up that night and has Bai Shi making the cat meowing sound. Lian Pian helps Sang Qi go up the ladder but her father shows up. Yan Yun Zhi has Bai Shi continue making the sound, while not knowing what's going on the other side of the wall.
Her father asks what she's doing and she says she's looking for a cat. Her father says as soon as he went to bed, the cursed cat started meowing. (Hahaha, what a coincidence!) Her father tries to get on the ladder to get rid of the cat but she stops him by saying she'll have a civil conversation with it. She yells that her father has a halberd with him and that he could kill it. Yan Yun Zhi has Bai Shi continue making the sounds. (Why, you dolt?!) Her father asks why she is talking to the cat, as it can't understand her. He tries to climb the ladder again but she stops him and climbs up the ladder herself. They finally meet each other at the top and she whispers for him to leave as her father is there. He whispers and beckons for her to come closer, so she brings her head closer to his and he kisses her. (Oh, this guy has no qualms about getting what he wants now lol.)
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| Are stolen kisses sweeter? ;) |
Her father asks if she's seen the cat yet. She replies, yes, it hissed at her, and she's going to teach it a lesson. They sneak in one more kiss before he leaves. And then Bai Shi complains about having a sore throat. LOL! Kiss Count: 4 & 5.
Yan Yun Zhi goes to see Official Wei, who calmly tells him he was blinded by his greed and failed the Emperor’s kindness and failed the Grand Tutor's trust. He got the punishment he deserves and has nothing to tell him. Yan Yun Zhi asks him if he does not fear death (death sentence awaits him). Official Wei says he has nothing to tell him and to stop wasting his time. (His resolve is cult-like - too eerily calm.)
One of the students brings news: Official Wei has been convicted as the main culprit, claimed to have been tricked by the spy of Xizhao, and seeing that he's served the Imperial court for years, his life has been spared. But his entire family is to be exiled. Grand Tutor Song's punishment is a pay cut due to his negligence. The Song tea plantation has been sealed off, so all the tea plantation workers lost their jobs. Sang Qi says she finds the case very fishy and is unfair to the farmers. Then she says that she'll go speak to Yan Yun Zhi about this and will ask for an explanation. When she finds him she asks him directly if Grand Tutor Song really has no connection to Xizhao. He replies, in a whisper, that they'll discuss it another time. Then he asks her to pretend they're fighting, and shows her a handwritten note: “There are eyes and ears everywhere.” So she starts yelling at him about the farmers and he says the case is closed as he can't just frame anyone. She makes the gesture of walking somewhere with her fingers and he nods at this.
She's at the cenotaph of her brother and he meets her there. He tells about his visit with Official Wei. However, he thinks that Official Wei might not survive his exile so he plans to secretly follow him and track down the mastermind. He can't leave too suddenly so he needs an excuse and asks her to play along with him. She asks about their meeting place and he holds her hand and says he wants to tell her brother about their relationship. So he tells her brother that he swears on his life that he will never let Sang Qi down, and as long as he lives, he will keep her safe.
Date Night. They're at dinner at a restaurant in an area that none of the nobility would go to. However, neither one of them has any money to pay for their meal (because he usually pays his bills on a monthly basis and she usually lets Lian Pian handle the money - ah, their privilege is showing, haha). So Yan Yun Zhi asks the vendor if he knows who they are - he has no clue, and so they run away. They finally stop running as the guy is no longer chasing them. He tells her he'll have his people pay the bill tomorrow. They're hiding under a pedestrian bridge. She says by then there will be stories of a bandit couple who didn't pay for their noodles.
He backs her up against a column and bidongs her and looks like he wants to really kiss her. She puts her hands on his chest and asks him what he's doing. He says, since they're a bandit couple, they should do something else they dare not to about or even try, and he leans over to kiss her. Kiss Count: 6! Oh my.
[Ep15] It's a long kiss and there are (literally) fireworks going off. She gets distracted by the fireworks. He takes her to a better vantage point. He tells her he's going to buy them some drinks and leaves. With what money?? She continues watching the fireworks and suddenly realizes she's alone. She starts looking for him in a panic. She finds him with drinks in his hands and she just hugs him. He asks what's wrong and she says she thought he was gone and she couldn't find him anywhere. She goes to take a sip and suddenly wonders if he stole these drinks. She asks him how he got corrupted so quickly. He replies if she really thinks he's a fool and would really forget his wallet for their date. He just wanted to make their date special. She says she finds him pretty ridiculous and walks away. He then says that he discussed this with Bai Shi as he wanted to liven things up. She's still annoyed. He apologizes and asks her to not be angry anymore. He wants to show her something, but she makes him promise to not play that running-away-without-paying farce again. (I love how the tables have turned. She wants him to behave properly. Haha.) He promises, and then says that he'll teach Bai Shi a lesson when he gets home. (Poor Bai Shi with his sore throat and now this. Ha!) He then carries her off. (Dramaland loves showing off their height and size difference.) They're playing with clay figures of each other (the one of her looks like her and the one of him is a pig) and they share a sweet kiss. (I am loving their smiles!!)
Wei Zhan Hong is being removed from the Imperial College by Imperial soldiers. Song Luo Tian wants to save his friend, but he is stopped. He then offers to have his father help him. Wei Zhan Hong says he no longer dares to have anything to do with the Song family. Zhuo Wen Yuan just smirks at this.
Zhuo Wen Yuan meets with Grand Tutor Song, who thanks him for helping him solve his problem at the tea plantation. Grand Tutor Song says although Official Wei took the blame, one can't keep secrets forever. If Official Wei can't withstand the harsh criticism, the blame will shift back to Grand Tutor Song, and Yan Yun Zhi is an ongoing problem. He suggests getting rid of Official Wei so there won't be any problems in the future. Zhuo Wen Yuan says that he'll take care of it.
Grand Tutor Song is giving a lecture at the Imperial College and some of the students, including Sang Qi laugh at him. Scholar Feng tries to shush them. He starts talking about this spiritual cypress tree that he's lecturing next to, as it can distinguish between those who are loyal and treacherous, and only honest and loyal officials can stand under this tree. Sang Qi nudges Yan Yan to pull the rope that's attached to a branch of the tree, and it gets snapped off and falls down next to Grand Tutor Song. The Imperial guards notice that the branch was purposely damaged. Grand Tutor Song demands who did this. No one admits to it but Yan Yun Zhi shows up and says he's willing to take the blame. Grand Tutor Song says to not cover up for the students who did this. Yan Yun Zhi just asks for the punishment. Grand Tutor Song looks at Yan Yun Zhi who doesn't say anything else. Grand Tutor Song says he'll report this farce to the Emperor, and runs off, and Song Luo Tian goes after his father.
Sang Qi then smiles at Yan Yun Zhi but he keeps his face stern and goes after Grand Tutor Song as well. Sang Qi laughs and the others join her. Zhuo Wen Yuan is not laughing and looks angry. Grand Tutor Song leaves in his carriage and Yan Yun Zhi smirks while watching him leave.
Yan Yun Zhi goes back to the school and Sang Qi walks up wanting to talk to him. Yan Yun Zhi gestures for her to be quiet, puts a hand on her shoulder and walks away with her. Zhuo Wen Yuan is behind them, watching them and he tries to follow them. They evade him and he tells her to do everything according to the plan. She asks him to be careful, and they leave separately.
The Emperor is angry with Yan Yun Zhi, who admits that it was his fault that Grand Tutor Song was humiliated. The Emperor says that he knows that the Song family is involved in the tea plantation matter, and they took preemptive measures and sold out the Wei family. The Emperor removes him from the position of Deputy Chief to appease Grand Tutor's anger. And now he'll be able to fully devote himself to investigating the Song family. The Emperor then whispers to him that they're carrying out a mission in the dark and that he must be careful, and to not get caught by Grand Tutor Song again.
Sang Qi meets Lian Pian at home and she asks for a carriage to go to Yan Yun Zhi’s home. However, her father is also there to meet her so she changes it to leaving to go eat. He knows about what happened with Grand Tutor Song, and says that she's no longer allowed to have guests visiting at night and she cannot go out.
Sang Qi is stuck in her room and complaining to Lian Pian when Zhou Wen Yuan drops by to there to take her out to relieve her boredom. They head out and run into Yan Yan and their fellow classmates who are discussing Yan Yun Zhi. Yan Yan suggests they go visit him at his home, but Sang Qi tries to talk them out of it. They end up looking for Yan Yun Zhi, who walks out of the bathhouse with Qing Xuan and he's drunk, still drinking, disheveled-looking and quite flushed. His robe is also partially open and he's laughing a lot. Sang Qi won't look at him though. He puts his arm on Yan Yan's shoulders and offers to take them all drinking in the future, but says that Qing Xuan and Sang Qi can't go with them. Zhuo Wen Yuan, Sang Qi and everyone else walk away. The minute they leave, Yan Yun Zhi drops the act, takes the wine with him and leaves with Qing Yuan. Poor Yan Yan is confused by this. Yan Yun Zhi then shows up drunk at home and continues demanding for alcohol in front of his parents. At home in his study, he soberly asks Bai Shi to deliver a message to Qing Xuan - to tell him that he wants to invite him out have fun out of town and have him prepare to pick up Yan Yun Zhi from his home. Qing Xuan is already asleep so Bai Shi gives the message to Su Jie Yu instead. (Gee, what could ever go wrong here?)
[Ep16] Yan Yun Zhi is waiting for Qing Xuan to show up with his carriage and Su Jie Yu shows up inside. Bai Shi didn't tell him that he didn't tell Qing Xuan directly. He turns around to glare at Bai Shi. (He deserves more than just a glare!)
Sang Qi finds out from Song Luo Tian that Wei Zhan Hong and his family are being exiled to Jingzhou. He also admits that he asked Wei Zhan Hong to prank her but the plan got botched. He asks her to forgive him. She replies that she forgives him but he needs to tell her what his friend did. He admits to wanting to put a laxative in her dish, but somehow it turned out to be poison. She now thinks Wei Zhan Hong is related to Xizhao, too.
She goes home to get ready to go after Yan Yun Zhi who might be falling into a trap. Zhuo Wen Yuan is there to stop her, and asks if he is worth risking her life for. She says yes and removes her wrist from his grip. She leaves and he follows her out.
Yan Yun Zhi and Bai Shi are on horseback en route to Jingzhou. The assassins ambush the Wei men (they're in shackles and locked up in cages). Sang Qi and Zhuo Wen Yuan arrive in time to prevent Official Wei from stabbing Yan Yun Zhi with a knife. Yan Yun Zhi is distracted by Sang Qi's presence and gets stabbed by Qian Jiu (in assassin’s garb) instead. Sang Qi tells Zhuo Wen Yuan to go after Wei Zhan Hong and that she'll go after Official Wei. Yan Yun Zhi is left behind as he's injured. Sang Qi arrives too late as Official Wei is killed by the assassins.
Zhuo Wen Yuan shows up with the Imperial soldiers to fight off Qian Jiu and the assassins with Wei Zhan Hong, who jumps off the cliff to get away. Then Zhuo Wen Yuan, Qian Jiu, and the assassins slaughter the remaining Imperial soldiers. The assassins are disposing of all the bodies by throwing them off of the cliff. Qian Jiu tells him that she has stationed assassins for the route back for Yan Yun Zhi and Sang Qi. Zhuo Wen Yuan once again gives the order to not harm Sang Qi, which she already knew to do.
Sang Qi goes back to Yan Yun Zhi and tells him that Official Wei is dead. He wants her to leave him and go back home. She refuses and so they leave together on horseback, with Yan Yun Zhi seated behind her. An assassin is after Yan Yun Zhi and he's able to kill him but they lose their horse in the process. He asks her to leave him, but she refuses to abandon him and stays with him as Bai Shi leaves with remaining horse to find a carriage and a physician. She then asks him about her brother's involvement with Xizhao.
Flashback: Sang Yu's words to him, "With one wrong move, everything falls apart."
Yan Yun Zhi tells her that he pondered on those words as well. The next day, her brother died abruptly in front of him. The coroner said it was a sudden cardiac arrest. But her brother had just told him that he was recovering. When he went to look for clues to uncover the truth, someone had erased all traces of Sang Yu in the Imperial College. She says perhaps he found a crucial secret.
Flashback: Yan Yun Zhi sees a group of men burning books and Sang Yu’s belongings. Someone from the Imperial Court talked to a Scholar, and then the Scholar told them to burn it, as it was a way to get rid of rubbish. Everyone assumed that Sang Yu had died from his illness, but he knew that someone else was behind his death. He was only a student back then and couldn't investigate.
Once he was appointed as Deputy Chief, he conducted his own investigation. He uses Yan San Lang’s position to secretly investigate any death similar to Sang Yu's. All clues point towards the Song and Wei families. She mentions when she first arrived at the college he was extremely harsh on her and even sent her to Ling Wu Mountain for training, and he replies it was to protect her. He wanted her to be able to protect herself in case an ambush occurred. Yan Yun Zhi starts coughing up blood. Bai Shi arrives with the carriage and physician.
Yan San Lang reports to the Emperor that Official Wei is dead and has a Xizhao tattoo on his shoulder, and it’s still unconfirmed on whether Wei Zhan Hong was alive or dead. They also have no idea who the Wei family were in contact with. He also tells him that Yan Yun Zhi was gravely wounded during this investigation.
Yan Yun Zhi is visiting Sang Qi's class at the Imperial College. (Sang Qi knows he hasn't fully recovered though.)
They secretly hold hands at the back of the class as everyone else is more interested in the food that he had dropped off. He whispers that they need to talk later and holds her hand in secret. Zhuo Wen Yuan is still at his desk in front of them.
Sang Qi is now sitting by herself at a table on campus waiting for Yan Yun Zhi. Zhuo Wen Yuan intentionally takes the opportunity to join her, and then their classmates crowd around them as well. Yan Yun Zhi watches this from a distance and is forced to walk away. Zhou Wen Yuan knows that he's ruined their plan to meet.
Yan Yun Zhi is now at the Sang family home. He makes sure that Zhuo Wen Yuan is not there already before entering. (The huge sigh of relief he gives. lol) He meets with Sang Dad and tells him that she could use some private tutoring. Her father tells him to just be frank. (The look on Sang Dad's face, haha.) He tells him that he wants to be considered as his future son-in-law. Her father says the marriage between the two families might draw unnecessary attention. Yan Yun Zhi tells him that marriage is an important matter, and Sang Qi should have a say, too. Yan Yun Zhi then says that he'll wait until Sang Qi makes up her mind before his next visit and leaves.
Sang Dad tells Lian Pian that he's heard that Yan Yun Zhi is arrogant, but now he's all humble and modest. He says that’s a bad sign as Sang Qi will be charmed sooner or later. (Too late! And I think she charmed him first!) He knows that he sent him away this time but he'll be back again.
Yan Yun Zhi goes home and his father tells him there's a Vice Magistrate vacancy in Chenliu County, which is close to Bianjing. His father says to think about it but if he keeps wasting time, he'll never find a wife. He replies then he'll marry a crane, too. (lol, like Qing Xuan, E5.) Yan Yan then tells Sang Qi that Yan Yun Zhi is really leaving to take a position in Chenliu. (News travels fast here. lol)
Sang Qi goes to visit the cenotaph of her brother and Yan Yun Zhi startles her as he sneaks up behind her. She's upset that he's leaving for Chenliu and that she heard about it from someone else first. He tells her that he's accepting the position in Chenliu so he would have more confidence in asking her father for her hand in marriage. She tells him that she hasn't said yes yet, but she's smiling now with her back to him. He tells her if she doesn't want him to leave then he won't go, but he needs an answer from her.
[Ep17] Sang Qi tells him she doesn't want him to leave and wants him to stay. She says she knows what he is thinking, and she wants what he wants, too.
He finally hugs her.
The Emperor informs Grand Tutor Song that all of the teachers and students have petitioned for the return of Yan Yun Zhi to the Imperial College, and asks about his thoughts on this. He says that it's not under his scope of responsibility and says His Majesty can make the decision. The Emperor replies that when Yan Yun Zhi was chased out of the Imperial College, it was because he insisted upon it. Grand Tutor Song says: Education is not a trivial matter, which shouldn't be based on feelings. Ultimately, it should be based on actual achievements. If the number of passing students in the Imperial examination this year doesn't exceed that of the previous years, it'll be meaningless even if Yan Yun Zhi returns. (He is suddenly very polite and very diplomatic with his word choice.) The Emperor agrees with him and says they shall take this year's Imperial examination as the test. Then they shall see if Yan Yun Zhi is qualified to reinstated as Deputy Chief. Grand Tutor Song doesn't look happy about it but just bows to the Emperor.
Yan Yun Zhi tells the students that he's back but the condition is that this year's Imperial examination results must exceed those of the previous years. To achieve that goal, Class Sky and Class Yellow (1st and 4th ranked) will study together in the same classroom, and Class Terre and Class Black (2nd and 3rd ranked) will be in the other classroom.
Sang Qi is working on her composition and Yan Yun Zhi says the writing is coherent and clear. This examination will be a test for both of them - keeping his position and to confirm if women can study in public schools. He asks her what she wants to do after the examination is over. She replies that she wants a sumptuous meal and will tell everyone about them.
He then asks if after the Imperial examination is over, will she then accept his hand in marriage? She says that she's not telling him, laughs and gets up from the table. He puts his hand on her arm to stop her from leaving, and says, if she has trouble with her studies, she can ask him, don't ask other men. She asks if someone is having dumplings as she smells a strong sour vinegar scent. (As in he's jealous, and I've never heard it phrased with dumplings before - I love it!) He asks her to promise him. She laughs and says yes before leaving.
Yan Yun Zhi is meeting with Yan San Lang at Qing Feng Restaurant. Yan San Lang quietly tells him that the Wei father and son have close ties with Xizhao. The coroner found the tattoo on Official Wei's shoulder, and he’s the mole that Xizhao planted in the Imperial Court for many years. Yan Yun Zhi says since there are no more leads on Xizhao, they should now focus on the Song family.
Qian Jiu tells Zhuo Wen Yuan that they didn't make a move on Yan Yun Zhi or Sang Qi because they didn't want to cause more trouble. But if they interfere with the Xizhao again, it doesn't matter about their station in life as they'll execute them on the spot. He tells her that he's told her this before - Sang Qi is his bottomline and they are not to harm her. He slams down his fan and leaves. (Angry bramble bush.)
Yan Yun Zhi has posted new rules for extensive study at the Imperial College: Study time extended to four hours every day and night, Scholar on rotation for each class, daily quizzes, group exercise, and not allowed to bring any playthings. There will be punishment for violators, for those to disobey management, for those who get distracted and doze off, and for those who don't do what they're told. Severe punishment for those who fail the quizzes. Now they're all cramming for this exam. Sang Qi thinks to herself, if she knew this would happen, Yan Yun Zhi should not have come back. (Sure, because she won't miss him or anything. lol)
Later she delivers a meal to Yan Yun Zhi, who is asleep at his desk in his study. She gets a closer look at him and he quietly asks if he looks handsome. She says yes. Then he asks if she likes it. She says she does but sometimes it's annoying. (Yessss, I'd stare at that face, too.) He gives her a writing set for her examination. (I spotted a cat figurine in there, hehe.)
Yan Yun Zhi, Grand Tutor Song and Grand Commandant Sang are before the Emperor. Yan Yun Zhi reports that the students have been preparing for the examination, and the Imperial Examination Hall has also been arranged for the exam. Grand Tutor Song objects to having a woman in the Examination Hall. Yan Yun Zhi states that if Sang Qi participates in the examination, it'll be an inspiration to women all over the world as everyone can thrive by learning. Grand Commandant Sang concurs with him. He states that Sang Qi has studied hard for days, doesn't seek any title, but only asks to enter the examination hall. And this is also to fulfill his late son's last wish. The Emperor says there's no need to discuss this matter. Just carry it out, as Deputy Chief Yan has said - Sang Qi is permitted to join the examination. Grand Tutor Song says nothing and just continues glaring at Yan Yun Zhi.
The next morning, Sang Qi is checking out the writing set from Yan Yun Zhi and is happily examining the set (and very gleeful about the cat figurine). Lian Pian walks in with Zhuo Wen Yuan's writing set for her. She doesn't bother looking at it and tells Lian Pian to keep it as she already has a set and she's not going to change it out.
Sang Qi barely sees Yan Yun Zhi before the examination, so she pulls out the cat figurine to show him and they smile at each other as the doors close. She takes one final look at Yan Yun Zhi through the space between the closed doors. (I like tiny details like this.) Yan Yun Zhi smiles but seems nervous for her.
[Ep18] They're done with exams! The teachers offer to take them somewhere to relax. The students choose to go to Qing Feng Restaurant, which is a bit risqué with the courtesans.
Courtesans show up at their tables, and they ask Yan Yun Zhi about what type of woman he likes, and then they pour him a drink. He doesn't answer their question but tries to refuse the drink. He’s watching Sang Qi who is smiling about this, and she finally gets up to drink for him. She announces that if anyone asks him to drink, she'll drink on his behalf. Yan Yan is very gleeful about this.
Yan Yun Zhi decides to announce that he does have a woman that he's fond of. Now both Sang Qi and Zhuo Wen Yuan look at him. He continues listing the woman's qualities: gentle and sincere, having good manners, beautiful and intelligent, virtuous - all those don't describe her. Or rather he is saying these things are the opposite of her. (lol He is describing Su Jie Yu though.) Then he stands up and looks at Sang Qi: She's free and easy. Clever yet mischievous. She's totally different from the young lady that one thinks of. But he likes this kind of her. He likes this kind of Sang Qi. Yan Yan is smiling at them. Zhuo Wen Yuan looks like he's swallowed a bitter pill and has a tight grip on his wine cup. Sang Qi and Yan Yun Zhi smile at each other. Yan Yan stands up and says, “Deputy Chief, you're finally saying it!” He goes on to say when they were on the mountain, he already - and they both look at him. Then Sang Qi says his name, and he just shuts up and sits back down. Haha. Oops. Sang Qi starts walking back to her seat, but Yan Yun Zhi tells her to just sit next to him, and so she does. Zhuo Wen Yuan is quietly seething.
They have all passed the examination. Yan Yun Zhi then requests for the recruitment of female students but Grand Tutor Song is adamantly against it. The Emperor won't make a decision yet but agrees to discuss it further.
Zhuo Wen Yuan takes Sang Qi hunting on horseback and forces her to listen to his confession.
[Ep19] Sang Qi says she'll tell him this one last time: her heart has a place for Yan Yun Zhi alone; he should stop wasting time on her; and only then can they still be friends. She leaves. He's angry and thinks that if it wasn't for their childhood, things could have been different for them. And now she's left him with no choice.
She goes to see Yan Yun Zhi who is jealous and a bit upset. He wants to know what happened but he also knows that he shouldn't know what they talked about. Instead he just asks her to make it up to him. And so she kisses him. Now he's happy again.
Two Proposals: Yan Yan goes to propose to Lian Pian, but his mother thinks he wants to marry Sang Qi. (Sang Dad already agreed to have Lian Pian as his adopted daughter so she can get married.) However, Yan Yan’s mother is against him marrying a servant. Sang Dad is against Yan Yun Zhi and Sang Qi’s marriage. But Yan Yun Zhi says he'll keep asking until he agrees.
Consort Zhuo suggests that Zhuo Wen Yuan keep trying to separate Yan Yun Zhi and Sang Qi - as they need Sang Qi for their plan. She suggests he employ some tricks. Song Jia Yin is barred from entering a business and is being bullied by two men, but Zhuo Wen Yuan rescues her. He also has Jing Mu escort her home. (Ingratiating himself with the Song family?)
Yan San Lang and Yan Yun Zhi find a warehouse full of dried Xizhao plants and they discover the salt smuggling plans. Yan Yun Zhi starts sneezing and has a stuffy nose from being around the plants.
Zhuo Wen Yuan knows they're being watched now so they're not to operate near that warehouse and will reduce the number of deliveries. Jing Mu informs Zhuo Wen Yuan that Yan Yun Zhi proposed but Grand Commandant Sang won't give his consent.
Through Zhuo Wen Yuan's guidance/manipulation, Su Jie Yu tries to get closer to Yan Yun Zhi through his mother. (Ugh!) She visits his mother and tells her about him proposing marriage at Grand Commandant Sang's home, which she didn't know about.
[Ep20] Zhuo Wen Yuan has been appointed as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. (He’s ranked above Yan Yun Zhi.) Yan Yan is appointed as Patrol of the Left Army of Prefecture Court. Sang Qi hasn't been appointed to any position.
Yan Yun Zhi is holding a celebration banquet for students' appointments. Zhuo Wen Yuan doesn't look happy to be in his presence. Zhuo Wen Yuan also discourages any discussion of Yan Yun Zhi and Sang Qi. Yan Yan is depressed about not being able to see Lian Pian, so he's drinking away his sorrows/finding the courage to persevere.
Sang Qi finds out that she's not on the list of appointments. She and Lian Pian (who is dressed as a noblewoman instead of a servant now) arrive at the banquet. Yan Yun Zhi is trying to cheer her up, but Zhou Wen Yuan purposely walks in between them and literally blocks Yan Yun Zhi from talking to her. Wow, what a jerk move. He also tries to provoke Yan Yun Zhi until Sang Qi interrupts by gently pulling on Yan Yun Zhi's robe, so he takes her hand in his to walk away from Zhuo Wen Yuan. Our power couple is here to stay.
Yan Yan is so happy to see Lian Pian and tells her that he still wants to marry her but she asks him to stop pursuing it. She walks away from him but he grabs her arm and bidongs her. (I honestly didn't think he had it in him. He's just so innocent most of the time.) He tells her that he'll keep working on his mother for approval and he won't let go of her as she's the only one for him. Awww.
Yan Yun Zhi asks the Emperor for an official position for Sang Qi. He suggests that she be a Manager of the Archive at the Imperial College, as it's not too grand nor too low of a position. He argues that if anyone opposes it, then he, as her superior, will be the one to face the criticisms (instead of the Emperor). The Emperor agrees to the appointment.
He arrives home to find Su Jie Yu accompanying his mother. Bai Shi tells him that she's been visiting more often when he's not around. His mother asks him why he didn't tell her about his proposal. He replies that he made it very clear who he wanted to marry but it was against their wishes. She tells him that they'll never allow him to marry Sang Qi. He says that's fine, as he can just leave the family and start a new one.
Yan Yun Zhi has a chat with Su Jie Yu about her visits with his mother. She tells him that he didn't prepare well enough for his proposal to Sang Qi. His mother walks in and approves of this scene. Sang Qi pays a visit to Yan residence and discovers Su Jie Yu is there already. She asks to share a carriage with Su Jie Yu so they can have a discussion.
She scowls at poor Yan Yun Zhi before leaving with Su Jie Yu. How is this his fault?! lol I love her scowl though.
Sang Qi apologizes to Su Jie Yu as she understands her feelings, but she should know that feelings can't be forced. Su Jie Yu replies that she met Yan Yun Zhi first. (Logic fail. *rolling eyes*) Sang Qi asks her if there is such a thing as who came first in love?
Sang Qi arrives home and sees Yan Yun Zhi is pacing anxiously while waiting for her. He blurts out that she saw him with Su Jie Yu, but not to misunderstand, as she came to visit his mother and there's nothing going on between them. He then says that he was wrong. She says his name, and tells him that he's not allowed to be alone with any other woman again. He promises her that he won't. He then asks her to rest early as he needs her to wake up early the next day.
Two Proposals (Again). Yan Yun Zhi comes early with the Letter of Eighth Characters, Proposal Letter, and bridewealth, to ask her father for Sang Qi's hand in marriage. Her father tells him that he needs to think about it. (Why?!)
Then Zhuo Wen Yuan shows up to propose as well. (I just can't, the gall of this guy!) Sang Qi asks if he's lost mind. Zhuo Wen Yuan replies that this is the most serious decision he has ever made. Her father asks why Zhuo Wen Yuan wasn't the first one to ask. (OMG, why Sang Dad, why?!) Her father reaches over to accept his documents and says that he stands a chance. Both Yan Yun Zhi and Sang Qi protest at this - they both try to stop him from receiving Zhuo Wen Yuan's offer. Sang Qi is angry and upset with Zhuo Wen Yuan, as she reiterates that she only sees him as a friend and finally yells at him to leave.
Zhuo Wen Yuan tells her that he knows that she and Yan Yun Zhi are in love but he wants a chance to fight for his love, too. Sang Qi tells him that her marriage will be decided by her, and not her father. She reaches over to accept Yan Yun Zhi's documents but her father prevents her from doing so and goes to accept Zhuo Wen Yuan's documents again. Now she is trying to prevent him from accepting those documents. Her father says they'll need to settle it the Sang way. She tells him marriage is not a game and tells him to not blame his daughter for bullying an old man like him. (LOL, these lines. Hahaha.) Her father says he is still as skilled as ever. Yan Yun Zhi is now concerned and tells her to stop messing around.
She and her father stand in the middle of the room to spar - martial arts. Yan Yun Zhi is now confused as to what/why they're behaving this way. (Hahaha, this poor guy is freaking out.) Her father then says it's useless for them to fight here, and it should be between them - pointing at Yan Yun Zhi and Zhuo Wen Yuan - a duel to decide the marriage. Both guys agree to the duel.
They're on a stage for the duel now. First, Sang Dad announces that the Sang family has a new lady, his newly adopted daughter, Lian Pian. (Okay, I still love Sang Dad!) Second, they're hosting a duel for Sang Qi's marriage. The duel is open to anyone who wants to join.
Song Jia Yin shows up to yell at Sang Qi for causing Yan Yun Zhi to fight for her. Yan Yun Zhi sneezes when she walks by and Sang Qi tells her that she smells like she used every perfume from the shop. Song Jia Yin tells her it's a rare type of aromatic that her father gave her, and she's the only one with it in Bianjing. Sang Qi says perhaps it's her ignorance because she's never smelled anything so pungent. Hahaha! Song Luo Tian points out that Yan Yan isn't at this event. Sang Dad calls the start of the duel but Song Jia Yin suddenly volunteers her brother to participate.
[Ep21] Sang Qi points out to Song Luo Tian that he's already married. (LOL, I kind of forgot that fact myself because we've never seen his bride nor does he ever mention her.) He agrees with her. Song Jia Yin walks over to Yan Yun Zhi to ask him to let her brother compete. He starts coughing and tells her that he agrees with Sang Qi. Her brother drags her off of the stage.
The two guys fight and Sang Dad announces that Yan Yun Zhi is the winner. Then Sang Dad tells him he hasn't gone against the strongest yet - himself. Sang Qi doesn't want him to continue fighting but Yan Yun Zhi insists. Sang Dad hits him on the chest and Yan Yun Zhi falls back from it. (I think he's letting him save face/mianzi here.) Sang Qi tells her father that the tournament is over and he should just hit her. Her father tells her he hasn't even used any strength. Yan Yun Zhi is smiling and tells her father that he is the strongest one. Sang Dad looks at him, smiles and then says that he's pretty tactful. (I knew it!) Sang Dad grabs his arm and raises it and announces that the winner is Yan Yun Zhi. Yan Yun Zhi and Sang Qi hug each other to the cheering crowd. Zhou Wen Yuan looks livid and Song Jia Yin walks off in a huff.
Yan Yan is waiting to ask Yan Yun Zhi something. (He finally showed up mid-battle.)
Yan Yan: Have you ever considered what you'd do if you fail? Are you going to give up on Sang Qi?
Yan Yun Zhi: I won't fail because I've always believed that only I can take care of A Qi. He's looking at her as he says this, then he looks at Yan Yan. Do you understand what
I mean?
Yan Yan: Thank you for enlightening me, Deputy Chief. I never expected to be able to hear your advice after graduating from Imperial College.
Lian Pian runs up to Yan Yan with a huge smile on her face.
Lian Pian: Yan Xiao Lang, what brings you here?
Yan Yan: To pick you up.
Lian Pian: Aren't you scared that Madam Yan will capture you again?
Yan Yan: I'm not scared. I don't want a wife chosen by her status. I only want you. So my mother has - Madam Yan has denied me as her son.
Lian Pian: Then you...
Yan Yan: Then I'll just be the son of the Sang family!
He walks up to Sang Dad.
Yan Yan: Father, I'll be marrying into the Sang family.
Sang Dad proceeds to have a panic attack or something by clutching his chest and a servant has to help him walk away. Yan Yan is seriously concerned for him. (I just love his expression here!!)
Yan Yan following Sang Dad: Father, what's wrong? Father, are you all right?
Yan Yun Zhi tells her that he noticed an important clue on Song Jia Yin. The smell from her is exactly the same as the smell at the warehouse. Sang Qi tells him Song Jia Yin said her father, Grand Tutor Song bought the aromatic for her, and there's only one in all of Bianjing.
Consort Zhuo is now reprimanding Zhuo Wen Yuan for taking part in the duel and losing. She calls him a disgrace to the family. He tells her that he won't give up on Sang Qi. She tells him to stop it as they don't have much time, and suggests he marries Song Jia Yin - so they would have a closer relationship with Grand Tutor Song and it'll be safer to take care of things. He asks for more time to think of other ways. She just laughs at him and tells him to not let his emotions cloud his judgment. (Might be too late for that.)
Both Song Luo Tian and Yan Yan have started their posts at the Prefecture Court. They're bickering and insulting each other about who is ranked higher. But it's escalating into a physical fight now. Official Yan tells them one is Patrol for Left Army (Yan Yan) and the other is Patrol for Right Army (Song Luo Tian). So, they’re equals. (They're so childish.)
Yan Yun Zhi decides to test Song Luo Tian's knowledge on plants, under the pretext of having both of them on identifying illegal plants. Song Luo Tian doesn't seem to recognize the Xizhao plant, but is retching after smelling it. Later, Yan Yun Zhi is discussing the Song family's ties to the warehouse with Official Yan. He mentions that he had the same uncomfortable reaction when he smelled that fragrance.
Sang Qi is starting her first day as Manager of the Archive at the Imperial College. Zhuo Wen Yuan as Vice Minister pays her a visit. She's friendly but very polite with him. He tells her that he’s there to look for a register and purposely stands very close to her when she shows him where they are. She moves away from him with the excuse that she has other work to do. She's bothered by him, in an unpleasant way. Cringe!
Eventually she falls asleep at her desk waiting for him to finish his research. She wakes up to find him standing right next to her face watching her sleep. Creepy! He offers to send her home but she refuses and says she needs to stay to lock up after he leaves. The doors are locked already, so they're stuck in there. (He had Jing Mu lock them in from the outside earlier. Ugh.)
Yan Yun Zhi and Bai Shi go to the Imperial College to look for Sang Qi and notices that the Archive is locked from the outside with an unknown lock. He just kicks down the doors and he finds Sang Qi and Zhuo Wen Yuan inside. He lifts her into his arms to carry her out. She asks him quietly if this is necessary. He says it is.
Yan Yun Zhi: Zhuo Wen Yuan, I'll be frank with you. I won the tournament. A Qi is already betrothed to me. If you overstep the boundary again, I will not show mercy to you as I did in the ring. (YES!!) He turns around and leaves with Sang Qi in his arms.
The next day the notice to open the Archive to the public, including women has been posted by Yan Yun Zhi and there’s a large crowd gathered there. Song Jia Yin is excited that she can visit Yan Yun Zhi there. (He doesn't want to see or smell you! Does she ever give up?!)
Sang Qi and Yan Yun Zhi are watching the crowd line up and sign in to visit the Archive. She asks him what his hidden agenda is. He plays dumb. She thinks that opening up the Archive is part of the recruitment plan, therefore sparking more interest with men and women.
He later admits to Bai Shi that his true intention is to keep those doors open because of Zhuo Wen Yuan. Bai Shi tells him that Sang Qi isn't interested in Zhuo Wen Yuan. Yan Yun Zhi says he trusts Sang Qi; it's Zhuo Wen Yuan who flies around Sang Qi all day like a fly. He intends to keep the Archive open to the public so there's less opportunity for Zhuo Wen Yuan to be alone with her. Bai Shi points out that there are more flies (men) around her now - they're there to look at her. Yan Yun Zhi angrily glares at him now. Hahaha. Bai Shi is the best punching bag.
Later, Yan Yun Zhi and Sang Qi are having a meal and she's sensing that something is wrong. She correctly deduces that he's jealous of all the male attention. She tells him she only has him in her heart. He denies it and says that he's worried about giving her more work.
Song Jia Yin insists on going to the Imperial College to see Yan Yun Zhi. She is overdressed for the Archive but insists on outshining Sang Qi. She shows up at the Archive yelling for Sang Qi over and over. (Of course this prima donna would...) She asks her where Yan Yun Zhi is. She is then told to stop raising her voice and that he just left. Sang Qi also tells her that she's inappropriately dressed for the Archive, and she should go home and change, as her hairpins are noisy. Song Jia Yin starts throwing a fit. Zhuo Wen Yuan shows up, removes her hairpin that's about to fall out, and asks her to leave. She refuses to leave, and so Zhuo Wen Yuan suddenly picks her up and carries her out. Hahaha. She's wearing pink hues and he's wearing white with pink sleeves so it's actually kind of pretty to see them together here.
[Ep22] Song Jia Yin is outraged by this. She is squawking and flailing in his arms and asking to be put down. While he's carrying her, she becomes mesmerized by his face. He finally puts her down and tells her that he only treated her like this because she was bothering Sang Qi. He also puts her hairpin back into her hair and tells her that she is cute this way. He goes on to say that she is more lovable this way than when she's arrogant, and asks why doesn’t she change her behavior. He also tells her to stop holding grudges against Sang Qi. He notices the smell on her, and offers to take her home later. She just stares after him now. (Her new victim crush?)
Zhuo Wen Yuan brings Song Jia Yin to her home and they are greeted by her father. She tells him that he can leave but he just looks at her father and they exchange a look. Always an ulterior motive. Her father dismisses her. Zhuo Wen Yuan then asks her father about the warehouse and if it was used for her aromatics. He warns her father that he's being watched now. Her father looks at him in surprise and Zhuo Wen Yuan whispers something to him. He tells Song Dad to be prepared and their discussion continues.
Song Jia Yin goes to see Song Luo Tian at the Prefecture Court. She wants advice on who would be the better brother-in-law, Yan Yun Zhi or Zhuo Wen Yuan. Her brother suggests going with a coin toss: heads for Yan Yun Zhi and tails for Zhuo Wen Yuan. It's heads, but then she says she wants three rounds to decide this important decision. (This overindulged ninny.) Her brother points out that if she's wanting another round then she's not really considering Yan Yun Zhi but Zhou Wen Yuan. Bingo. She agrees with him and tells him she's going to inform Sang Qi. She goes to see Sang Qi at the Archive and says that she won't fight with her over Yan Yun Zhi anymore, as she's taken a fancy to Zhuo Wen Yuan instead. Sang Qi quite not sure what to say/think about that. (Do a happy dance!)
Yan Yun Zhi pays a visit to Sang Qi as well. He offers to help her with organizing the registers. But it's just a semi-clever (ergo, convoluted) way to show her his birth date (Eighth Day of the Eighth Month, 8-8) - he asks her to look for his name. She misses the page with his name. Ha.
Then he pays a visit to Yan Yan, who is skipping around like a kid (Ah, if only I had a GIF of this, too. xD) at the Prefecture Court. Yan Yan is worried that he did something wrong. He asks Yan Yan about the significance of 8-8, who guesses that it's his one-month anniversary of staying at Sang residence. Ha. He's so earnest and silly. Yan Yun Zhi replies that it's a day related to him. Yan Yan says that he has no idea. Yan Yun Zhi tells him it's a waste of time trying to get him to read between the lines, and just says that it's his birthday. He asks him to tell Sang Qi that "The Eighth Day of the Eighth Month is my birthday", word for word. Yan Yan asks why he doesn't tell her himself. (Too obvious of a solution. LOL)
Yan Yan goes home to deliver the message to Sang Qi, but is interrupted by Lian Pian and forgets to deliver the message. Fail!
It's Yan Yun Zhi's birthday but Sang Qi doesn't seem to acknowledge it. But she tells him to meet at her house. There's a table full of food with Sang Dad, Yan Yan, and Lian Pian waiting. He asks if she prepared all of this for him. Sang Qi replies that Lian Pian made all of this for Yan Yan's first month’s stay at the house. lol, I smell a lie. Sang Qi asks if he has anything to tell her, and he says no, but looks at Yan Yan. They proceed to eat and drink the night away.
Later that evening, Sang Qi and Yan Yun Zhi are sitting together on the swing and she's pressing him to share his thoughts. She finally asks if it's because she didn't celebrate his birthday. She then smiles at him and gives him a pouch, which he happily accepts. She then teases him for not accepting it sooner. He tells her this one is different, and the embroidery is better than the previous ones. He asks if she knew about his birthday then why did she pretend to not know. She tells him that she knows all about his hints and his attempts to get other people to tell her - and finally tells him to talk to her directly. Yes! She asks him to be more direct from now on. They remain on the swing with him pushing them up with his legs. (Hahaha, his legs are actually too long for this swing!)
Grand Preceptor Yan and Yan Yan are arrested. Yan Yun Zhi and Official Yan's investigation: Xizhao goods, salt grains found in a warehouse, and Song Jia Yin's aromatics are all related to the Song family. However, when a salt merchant is arrested, he alleges that Grand Preceptor Yan was behind the salt smuggling and provided a ledger of transactions, which included all dates, sums of money, and names of people. Sang Qi asks Yan Yun Zhi to get her into the prison.
Sang Qi is now in shackles and wailing loudly as if she'd been tortured, and yelling about how wrong she was. (LOL Quite hilarious because she's being very dramatic.) Official Yan has the timid salt merchant taken out of his cell for further interrogation now. He's placed in the same cell as Sang Qi, who says things to scare the man. Yan Yun Zhi enters the cell and has Sang Qi removed so he can interrogate the salt merchant about the Yan family. Yan Yun Zhi wipes his hand on the man's shoulder with what looks like blood, and asks him to tell him more about the Yan family's involvement.
[Ep23] The salt merchant actually knows no one in the ledger except for Grand Preceptor Yan and Yan Yan. So they're able to ask for the case to be reassessed. Yan Yun Zhi bails Yan Yan out of jail.
Zhuo Wen Yuan is meeting with Consort Zhuo who brings up the rumors of Song Jia Yin claiming to be his rightful wife, and she approves of the Song family over the Sang family. He asks for another chance to pursue Sang Qi, and his aunt replies that Sang Qi has made it very clear that she wants to be with Yan Yun Zhi. Even this evil woman knows this is the reality.
Sang Qi is feeling fatigued as she's been unable to sleep due to concerns for Yan Yan and his family. Yan Yun Zhi takes her to the mountains for a reprieve. Their break is interrupted by Bai Shi, who informs them of her father's arrest.
They request a meeting with the Emperor but are refused at the gates. Yan Yun Zhi promises Sang Qi that he’ll find a way to arrange a meeting with the Emperor.
Su Jie Yu is meeting with Consort Zhuo, which results in the Emperor's blessing for Su Jie Yu's wedding. He agrees to arrange her marriage to any man that catches her eye. (Gee, I wonder who her intended groom is?!)
Sang Qi visits her father in prison. She wants to know why Grand Preceptor Yan has her father involved in this. Meanwhile, Yan Yan is visiting his father about Sang Dad's sudden arrest. It turns out that a witness (someone close to them) testified against Sang Dad.
Wei Zhan Hong is alive! Yan Yun Zhi, Sang Qi, Yan Yan and Yan San Lang (so many Yans!) are trying to figure out why Wei Zhan Hong testified against Sang Dad, and they suspect that he's been in hiding somewhere.
The foursome regroup and still have no answers. Sang Qi and Yan Yun Zhi visit Zhuo Wen Yuan to ask about Wei Zhan Hong's whereabouts, who will only allow Sang Qi to enter his residence. She asks him directly about Wei Zhan Hong and he replies isn't he dead? He then goes on to say that her father is being charged with ties to Xizhao and he won't help with it as an outsider. Unless he becomes part of the family, then he would help her with clearing his name. (Ah, this has been his ploy all along.) She says he's forgotten about all their years on the frontier and he's changed. He argues that she's the one who's changed, as they've grown apart after she met Yan Yun Zhi. She repeats that she only wants to be friends with him and he yells that he wants to be more than friends. He then says she can decide whether her father lives or dies. Wow. She tells Yan Yun Zhi about what happened and he says that Zhuo Wen Yuan must be connected to this as well. He promises to find Wei Zhan Hong.
[Ep24] Zhuo Wen Yuan tells Consort Zhuo that he can control the Sang family soon. He plans to seize this opportunity to marry Sang Qi and then Sang Wei will be onboard.
Sang Wei is found guilty of salt smuggling and is sentenced to death. The Sang residence has been seized by the Emperor. Meanwhile, Yan Yun Zhi receives a royal decree to marry Su Jie Yu from the Emperor. (I knew it but...argh!) He refuses to marry her and goes to deal with Sang Dad’s issue first.
Sang Qi goes to see Zhuo Wen Yuan again, and asks him if he's arranged all of this - he denies it. She then say sthat her heart belongs only to Yan Yun Zhi, but will marry him instead if her father is released and Yan Yun Zhi is left alone. He agrees to her conditions, so she agrees to marry him. He's happy about this but she won't let him touch her. Before she leaves, she tells him that she regrets meeting him. Zhuo Wen Yuan orders Jing Mu to keep an eye on Sang Qi.
Song Jia Yin is complaining about being single and goes to confront Sang Qi for stealing Yan Yun Zhi first and now Zhuo Wen Yuan. *rolling my eyes* Sang Qi and Song Jia Yin talk in private.
Yan Yan is barred from entering the Sang residence by Zhuo Wen Yuan's men. He wants to know if Sang Qi is seriously marrying Zhuo Wen Yuan. Lian Pian stops him and asks him to leave it alone as Sang Qi already has enough problems to deal with.
The night before the wedding, Sang Qi breaks up with Yan Yun Zhi. He challenges her to a sword fight but she just tosses down the weapon and leaves. Jing Mu is watching them. Later Yan Yun Zhi shows up drunk at Yan Yan's residence.
Wedding Day. Yan Yan and a group of men show up to burglarize Zhuo Wen Yuan's place and several guards show up and stop them. He throws white powder at them and then Yan Yan and his men disappear.
At the same time, Yan Yun Zhi shows up to try to stop the wedding caravan. He’s blocking their path to reach Zhuo residence. Zhuo Wen Yuan has his men restrain him but Yan Yun Zhi continues yelling for Sang Qi to leave with him. Then the men start beating on Yan Yun Zhi. Lian Pian tells him to leave. Zhuo Wen Yuan is informed about the burglary at home and realizes that they were trying to distract him. He taunts Yan Yun Zhi that he will take good care of his wife, and they carry on with the wedding.
Zhuo Wen Yuan can't wait until evening to unveil his bride. He professes his love for her, and asks to remove her veil, which she consents to with a nod. He removes the veil and discovers Song Jia Yin is his bride. He recoils from her and gasps in shock, and she just smiles at him. (I kept replaying the way he recoiled from her and then just watched her smile.)
He asks where his Sang Qi is over and over. She tells him to not be angry. (Sang Qi is very close sounding to the word sheng qi (angry), a homonym, perhaps?) She says that she is ecstatic about their marriage and offers to tell him the truth. He shouts at her to speak. They had made the switch outside Sang residence. He's quite enraged and asks where Sang Qi is, but she has no idea. Jing Mu shows up and informs him that Wei Zhan Hong is missing.
Wei Zhan Hong is presented before Yan Yun Zhi, Sang Qi and Yan San Lang. He asks if she's planning to kill him for her father. He blames her for his father's death so this has been his revenge plan. Yan Yun Zhi asks him if he knows that his father was actually killed by the Xizhao. He looks dejected by this news.
Grand Tutor Song visits the Zhuo residence. He apologizes for his daughter's mischief but suggests that they should just carry on as she wants to stay married to him. He also says that he’ll insult him if he tries to back out of this marriage.
Wei Zhan Hong confesses the truth to the Emperor. He has no idea who his father’s contacts were, and that he'd been kept inside a house without any outside contact. He was told to ask Zhuo Wen Yuan for help when he came back to Bianjing, as he felt that he could no longer trust Song Luo Tian. He framed Sang Wei which Zhuo Wen Yuan didn't know about. Now they're wondering who the mastermind really is. He admits that his father kept a secret ledger which might help them. He's then taken to prison to wait for sentencing.
[Ep25] Yan Yun Zhi is asked to continue the investigation. He then asks about the royal decree for his marriage. The Emperor replies that he'll need to have Su Jie Yu's permission to change the decree.
[Ep26] Bai Shi is tailing Madam Zhang but gets thrown off by her tricks. Grand Tutor Song has another meeting with Zhuo Wen Yuan. Grand Tutor Song is worried about the people in the ledger that are being interrogated by the Prefecture Court.
[Ep27] Sang Dad is back home. Yan Yun Zhi and Yan San Lang discuss Zhuo Wen Yuan - they are waiting for his next move.
[Ep28] Flashback: Jing Mu had brought back Yan Yun Zhi’s pouch to Zhuo Wen Yuan. He asks for Qian Jiu’s bottle of poison, and then he puts the Xizhao poison in the pouch. He recalled every time he’d seen them together, every time they had slighted him and every time she'd rejected him. He had Jing Mu return it to the cliff that Yan Yun Zhi fell off of, so it would be easily discovered.
Yan Yun Zhi and Sang Qi are telling Yan San Lang about how they achieved these end results: 1) Sang Qi convinces Song Jia Yin to agree to marry Zhuo Wen Yuan; 2) Orchestrate their break up so she could give him a map of Wei Zhan Hong's location at Zhuo residence, as they knew they were being watched, 3) When Yan Yun Zhi showed up drunk at Yan residence, it was to ask Yan Yan to create a diversion outside the Zhuo residence the next day; 4) Bai Shi snuck in sloppily to distract the inside guards; 5) Have Yan Yun Zhi show up to stall the wedding procession, and 6) Sang Qi and her Master go to Zhuo residence and to look for Weii Zhan Hong. Now they need to find the secret ledger.
Zhuo Wen Yuan is before the Emperor apologizing for the mess with Wei Zhan Hong's false accusations against Sang Wei and the salt smuggling issue. He also agrees to accept any punishment issued. Consort Zhuo runs in and begs on her knees for his mercy on her nephew. (Oh, the crocodile tears...) The Emperor says that he won’t punish him as he's inexperienced, and just asks him to be more cautious in the future. His aunt later reprimands him for causing trouble because of Sang Qi. She asks him what he's going to do about the ledger and that she's not allowing any more mistakes. He tells her that he's going to accept his marriage to Song Jia Yin. She tells him to stop thinking about Sang Qi as it's impossible. She tells him that Sang Yu died because of Zhuo Wen Yuan's past mix-up with a secret list at the apothecary. She's telling him now because it's inevitable that they will have a falling out with the Sang family over this. He's upset about this (as he didn't know) but he still agrees to their original plans.
Wei Zhan Hong helps Official Yan find the ledger in a coffin but they're attacked by Xizhao assassins. Imperial soldiers show up to defend the two men and the assassins kill themselves when they have no way of escaping.
Qian Jiu is brought to stay at the Zhuo residence as a guest. She is trying to cheer up Zhuo Wen Yuan but it seems like she's pointing out his failures. She then goes to sit on his lap and tells him that she can give him what Sang Qi won't give him. (I knew it - she's very into him.) She leans in to kiss him but Jing Mu interrupts them, to tell him that the assassins were ambushed and they didn't get the ledger and Yan Yun Zhi has it now.
Yan Yun Zhi and Sang Qi examine the corpses of the assassins. Later Yan San Lang tells them that he's found a land transaction regarding a plot of land, the apothecary that Sang Yu got his prescription from before his accident. The ownership changed several times before it fell under Official Wei's name, and the person, Zhang Xiu Ping, who sold him the land simply does not exist. Sang Qi suggests using the resources at the Archive.
Yan Yun Zhi and Sang Qi are at the Archive and Scholar Feng recognizes the name Zhang Xiu Ping, who was an old friend of his but he doesn't want to talk about her. They press him for more information and it turns out to be Madam Zhang who runs Qing Feng Restaurant.
Madam Zhang is now also living at the Zhuo residence. She tells Qian Jiu that she’s worried about being disposed of by the Zhuo and Song families in the future. She knows that Qian Jiu is in love with Zhuo Wen Yuan and asks her who she would side with in the end - her or him? Qian Jiu says she'll stay loyal to her.
Yan Yun Zhi arrives at home and his mother reprimands him for being out all day as Su Jie Yu has been waiting with her. His mother recommends that they set a wedding date soon. His mother leaves and he asks Su Jie Yu to stop forcing him on this issue. He tells her, "In this life, I'll only marry Sang Qi. Stop wasting time on me." He leaves her.
Official Yan starts arresting Xizhao men around town. Qian Jiu is worried about their confessions and asks Zhuo Wen Yuan for help. Zhuo Wen Yuan says that he is not able to use his position to do anything as the Emperor is already wary of him now. He won't do anything also because he suspects that Yan Yun Zhi is using those men to lure them out. The four suspects are in prison now, and Yan Yun Zhi expects someone will come for them, or at least to come and silence them.
Madam Zhang makes plans to sneak into the Prefecture Court and asks Qian Jiu to lead Xizhao people if she doesn't return. The next night, Madam Zhang makes her move with the assassins. But everyone's waiting for them - Yan Yan, Yan Yun Zhi, Yan San Lang, and Sang Qi with guards. Qian Jiu shows up to assist her. From the rooftop, Jing Mu fatally wounds Madam Zhang with an arrow to the chest and quietly leaves. Qian Jiu tries to escape but is caught by Yan Yun Zhi. Yan San Lang orders Yan Yan to bring in Zhuo Wen Yuan for questioning.
Now that Madam Zhang is dead, the Xizhao captives confess that she's their leader and Qian Jiu is her right-hand woman but they don't know who her partner is in the court. Qian Jiu won't confess or give up any names. Sang Qi goes to the prison to see her about her brother's death. Back when Zhou Wen Yuan had grabbed Sang Yu's prescription by mistake, Sang Yu had grabbed and seen the list of names. Qian Jiu was the one who poisoned him. Sang Qi asks who was supposed to get the list but she won't tell her. So she then asks if Zhuo Wen Yuan is involved. Qian Jiu tells her he was only her cover, and accuses her of leaving a trail of broken hearts. She ends with she won't give up an innocent person.
Zhuo Wen Yuan dressed as a guard (who hasn't he bribed now?) goes to see Qian Jiu in prison. She asks if he's there to save her but then realizes it’s obvious that he's there to send her off with a box of food. He goes to leave and she runs to hug him from behind. He takes a deep breath, then walks out of her arms and leaves.
Sang Qi and Yan Yun Zhi have a signed confession from Qian Jiu about her brother’s death. They want her to tell them who is involved from the court but she won't tell them. Qian Jiu takes a bite of the food from Zhuo Wen Yuan and starts coughing up blood. She says that she knows that she's been poisoned and that there's no cure for it. She dies in Sang Qi’s arms. At home, Zhuo Wen Yuan is teary-eyed and stroking Qian Jiu's guqin.
Sang Qi is at home making pastries for her father's return with help from Yan Yun Zhi. (I never get tired of seeing them together!)
Zhuo Wen Yuan visits his aunt. She's relieved that the Xizhao have been exterminated but she's worried about the ongoing investigation. He then goes to the Imperial College on official business - he wants new regulations for enrollment and takes issue with the female admission.
Yan Yun Zhi and Yan San Lang are following a tip off that Zhuo Wen Yuan is meeting an important person outside the city that evening. They end up being ambushed, leaving Yan San Lang severely injured and Yan Yun Zhi falls off a cliff and loses his pouch in the process.
Yan Yan shows up for dinner at Sang residence and tells Sang Qi that he saw Yan San Lang and Yan Yun Zhi leave the city. They soon find out that Yan San Lang has been severely poisoned and Yan Yun Zhi's whereabouts is unknown. They continue searching for Yan Yun Zhi and only find the pouch.
Wei Zhan Hong has died in prison. Official Yan is better but still unconscious. At the Prefecture Court, a witness accuses Yan Yun Zhi of attempting to assassinate Official Yan and of colluding with Official Wei and the Xizhao. Sang Qi asks for evidence, and Zhuo Wen Yuan brings in a ledger (Official Wei’s) from Yan Yun Zhi’s study. Then he introduces a second ledger that belonged to Qian Jiu, who he claims he did not know was a Xizhao spy. (Wow, using her even after death.) He recommends that Yan Yun Zhi be recognized as a fugitive for the time being. Yan Yan and Sang Qi both protest at this. The ruling is that Bai Shi gets arrested, and they will be looking to arrest Yan Yun Zhi. Sang Qi refuses a ride from Zhuo Wen Yuan.
Jing Mu offers to kill Official Yan and Zhuo Wen Yuan admits that getting rid of Wei Zhan Hong was already risky enough. I have no idea what the body count is now.
Sang Qi is unwell and is having dreams of Yan Yun Zhi’s return. She wakes up in confusion and goes to talk to her brother’s portrait, but suddenly passes out in his room. Lian Pian finds her and the doctor says that she needs to just rest - but Zhuo Wen Yuan is there. She is holding onto Yan Yun Zhi's pouch. He tries to take it away from her but she refuses to let go of it and hides it under the covers with her. He won’t stop talking to her so she closes her eyes to ignore him. Outside, the doctor tells him that she’s been poisoned.
Currently, Jing Mu is concerned about Sang Qi’s accelerated symptoms. Zhuo Wen Yuan yells that Sang Qi misses Yan Yun Zhi so much that she has the pouch on her all the time and when he tried to remove it from her, she refused to let him do so. He goes on to say that she’s no longer the Sang Qi that he knew and she’s made her choice. If he can’t have her, then Yan Yun Zhi can’t have her either. Wow, that’s so cold. He vows to be the only one to stay by her side. He wants them to keep looking for Yan Yun Zhi, dead or alive.
Su Jie Yu is at her brother’s home. He's trying to cheer her up but she's worried about Yan Yun Zhi. The engagement has been called off.
A very pale and sickly Sang Qi goes out for a walk at home accompanied by Lian Pian and several maids. Yan Yan drops by to inform her that Zhuo Wen Yuan is now the Deputy Chief of the Imperial College and Sang Qi has been removed from position as Manager of the Archive.
Sang Qi arrives at the Imperial College, but is denied entrance by the guards as she doesn’t have a visiting card. Zhuo Wen Yuan made several changes, including abolishing anything established by Yan Yun Zhi and herself and now only the rich and nobility can attend. She pushes her way in to go see Zhuo Wen Yuan. She demands to know what's going on. He claims that he made these changes because of Yan Yun Zhi's unknown intentions. She asks how she can change his mind. He says he might consider it if she goes to the Lantern Festival with him. Ugh, he's so odious. She agrees to go with him.
Su Jie Yu is waiting for her outside the Imperial College. Su Jie Yu apologizes for holding a grudge against her but now knows that Sang Qi and Yan Yun Zhi belong together as they've faced life and death together already. She admits to envying her - for daring to love and hate, and to do what she wants to. She says that she’s an ordinary woman, but Sang Qi interrupts and says they both made a choice to live their lives accordingly and so long as they are happy, there is no wrong or right way. They are back to being friends again.
Lantern Festival. There are guards everywhere but Zhuo Wen Yuan loses sight of Sang Qi when he buys a hairpin that she was looking at. She is walking down an alley aimlessly and is grabbed by Yan Yun Zhi. He's yelling angrily at her - for being with Zhuo Wen Yuan, insults against her character, and the current state of the Imperial College. Zhuo Wen Yuan and his men finds them. Yan Yun Zhi takes Sang Qi hostage by grabbing her by the throat. Zhuo Wen Yuan won't let his men do anything further because he doesn't want to see Sang Qi hurt. Yan Yun Zhi finally lets go of her and throws her at Zhuo Wen Yuan and leaves. She cries and says that he doesn't believe her.
Sang Qi returns home and Yan Yun Zhi is in her room. She is happy to see him but she is mad at him. She is upset about his earlier choice of words against her: promiscuity, ungratefulness, being heartless and shameless. She says that the way he shoved her, wasn't he worried that she'd get hurt? He apologizes for hurting her - she corrects him and says he hurt her heart. (I seriously love watching her get the upper hand and him trying to appease her, hahaha.) He keeps apologizing and she finally lets him off the hook and gives him a smile.
Flashback: Sang Dad was out skipping rocks and they happened to find an unconscious Yan Yun Zhi face-down by the water’s edge. When Sang Qi went to talk to her brother after having that dream about Yan Yun Zhi, the doors closed because Yan Yun Zhi was in there with her (E27)! She only hears his voice and thinks she must be hallucinating. He actually appears in front of her. He opens his arms for a hug but she punches him instead. He gasps in pain and tells her that he's injured, and asks why did she hit him instead of hugging him. LOL His pained face. She's mad that he didn't tell her anything and she'd been worried for so long. He apologizes for making her worry. They finally hug but she still slaps him on the back a few more times (where his injuries are.) lol Still a teeny bit mad.
Currently, they are sitting on her bed and hugging. (I missed seeing them together!) Zhuo Wen Yuan shows up at the Sang residence, with the Imperial soldiers. Sang Dad knows that he's not there to pay him a friendly visit, so he asks him what's going on. Zhuo Wen Yuan tells him that they ran into Yan Yun Zhi earlier, who tried to kidnap Sang Qi and almost injured her. He brought these men to protect Sang Qi from Yan Yun Zhi. Sang Dad asks if he thinks that he, the Grand Commandant, cannot protect his own daughter and home. He tells him that this is by the Emperor's order and the royal decree is presented. Lian Pian goes to warn Sang Qi that Zhuo Wen Yuan and his men showed up. Zhuo Wen Yuan makes his way to Sang Qi's room. Lian Pian tries to stop him. Sang Qi is sitting up in bed (Yan Yun Zhi is under the covers behind her) and won't open the door, but Zhuo Wen Yuan barges in anyway. He is insistent on having her guarded this evening to protect her from Yan Yun Zhi. She tells him that he's been inappropriate for barging into her room. He finally leaves her room. There are at least 12 guards outside her room.
Yan Yun Zhi now has to spend the night in her room. They discuss their plan. They knew that he would appear once Yan Yun Zhi reappeared. They know that they will use more men to try to capture Yan Yun Zhi so they will finally have an opportunity to rescue Yan San Lang. An assassin shows up to kill Official Yan but Yan Yan is actually the one in his bed. Her Master is already taking care of Yan San Lang, who is still in a coma. They are going to take down Zhuo Wen Yuan. He tells her that this will be the last night that she’ll see him for a while.
They've searched the entire city and have not found Yan Yun Zhi. Zhuo Wen Yuan suspects that he’s been right under their noses in the Sang residence. So he returns with his men to search the entire place, including her room. Once they're done searching, she requests that they leave. But she passes out in front of him and her father. She is still wearing the pouch.
[Ep29] Zhuo Wen Yuan tells Sang Dad that he will find the best doctor for her. A doctor comes to see her but advises her father that there's nothing they can do for her. Su Jie Yu comes to see Sang Qi and is unable to treat her either, but she tells her to take the medicine she gave her.
Zhuo Wen Yuan goes to see Sang Qi, who is sitting up in bed looking more pale and weak. She asks him if he poisoned her. He tells her to stop speculating. She says that she wants to know why she has to die this way. He replies that it's because she wouldn't stop thinking about Yan Yun Zhi, and kept bringing that pouch with her. She tells him that she believes he's not involved with her brother's death, but she wants to know why he framed her father and wants to kill her. He says that he tried everything hoping that she'd spare him one glance, but no, she only has eyes for Yan Yun Zhi, and so she forced his hand. He goes on about his father's mistake forcing them to be exiled to the frontier fortress and how he worked hard to rise back up to the top.
He admits that he negotiated with Xizhao and his aunt to protect her as much as he could. He also says that he expressed the will to marry her many times, but she's let him down over and over again. He also says that she has lied to him over and over. He finally tells her that she brought this upon herself. She starts coughing up blood. She tells him who would know knowing him was the biggest mistake of her life. She then tells him that she's going to die soon, so his wish has been fulfilled. He tells her that losing her is the great regret of his life, too. But without her, he'll have no more weakness. She dies in his arms and he tells her that the one by her side during her final moment is finally him. Sickening.
Sang Qi's funeral. Sang Dad is bedridden and unable to attend the funeral. Zhuo Wen Yuan and his men show up at the funeral. Yan Yan doesn’t want him there but Lian Pian convinces him to let him pay his respects. He goes to the open coffin to look at Sang Qi, and says that he knows that he'll come but he won't let him see her.
Yan Yun Zhi shows up in all-black robes. Zhuo Wen Yuan asks Song Luo Tian to arrest him, who won't and says to honor the dead. Zhuo Wen Yuan's men put the lid on the coffin. He won't let Yan Yun Zhi see her for the last time. He wants him to remember that he was the one who was with her for her final moment. Yan Yun Zhi starts fighting his men to see her and Yan Yan goes to help him, but soon they are both restrained by his men. Zhuo Wen Yuan starts burning the coffin, and both Yan Yun Zhi and Yan Yan are now crying her name over and over.
Now Yan Yun Zhi is chained up to a post in prison and Zhuo Wen Yuan wakes him up by throwing water on his face. Yan Yun Zhi provokes him by mentioning his criminal father, and he replies that he made himself who is today. Then he says that he won. Yan Yun Zhi tells him that as Sang Qi isn't here anymore, is winning that important? He then blames Sang Qi and Yan Yun Zhi for making him this way. Yan Yun Zhi just laughs at him which provokes him to attempt to strangle him but he doesn’t kill him.
Afterwards, he meets with Consort Zhuo, and tells her that Yan Yun Zhi has been arrested and they have his confession. The money will be coming in, the Xizhao are gone, Sang Qi is gone, and she is happy that the Zhuo family will rise again.
After Zhuo Wen Yuan and Song Jia Yin arrive at the Song residence, she is quickly dismissed to go see her mother. His father-in-law is worried about the ledger (Official Wei's ledger, ergo probably his), which is now gone. Song Dad is actually cowering in front of Zhuo Wen Yuan in his own home. Evil begets more evil.
Yan Yan goes to see the Emperor. A wheelchair bound Official Yan and Imperial soldiers are doing a search at the Archive. They have found gold bars hidden in books, boxes, etc. throughout the Archive.
[Ep30] The informant is revealed to be Yan Yun Zhi. Official Yan smiles at this. Jing Mu reports to Zhuo Wen Yuan that their spies have not returned from the Prefecture Court, warehouse or Imperial College, and there have been recent sightings of Official Yan. He realizes that Yan Yun Zhi’s capture was just a ruse. Jing Mu advises him to lay low for the time being but Zhuo Wen Yuan refuses to admit defeat. He orders all documents to be burned in his home. Then he declares that he will kill Yan Yun Zhi under the name of treason and will sacrifice his ties with the Song family to do so - Grand Tutor Song will be the scapegoat.
They get married at the Imperial College with all of their friends and both families in attendance (including Yan San Lang who is no longer wheelchair bound.) 
Zhuo Wen Yuan appears to be fleeing the city but they run into Yan Yun Zhi and Imperial soldiers. Zhuo Wen Yuan and his assassins outnumber Yan Yun Zhi’s.
Until a very healthy and living Sang Qi appears on horseback with more Imperial soldiers as well. She lives! Zhuo Wen Yuan is shocked but happy that she’s alive. She coldly greets him.
Flashback: Earlier, a doctor who had actually been treating Yan Yun Zhi for his wounds, noticed her pale lips and sweat gathering by her nostrils - indications of her deteriorating health. They discovered the Xizhou poison in the pouch that she carried with her at all times. They asked the doctor to keep this a secret. She knew it was Zhuo Wen Yuan's doing. They decided to see their plan through. For the funeral, she had also taken a pseudocide pill from Su Jie Yu, and had escaped through a trap door in the coffin.
Her death made sense for Yan Yun Zhi's surrender. They also knew Zhuo Wen Yuan wouldn’t kill him right away, as he wanted his plan to come to fruition first. So they followed his new salt route and looked for his hidden stashes of fortune. Zhuo Wen Yuan says in a heartbroken voice that she lied to him again. (What about his lies?!) She tells him that the current him is nothing but a stranger to her. He draws his sword and requests a final match, and she agrees. He has several opportunities to go through with a killing strike but he hesitates each time. She ends up holding her blade at his throat.
Sang Qi: Everything ends here. Just come back with me.
Zhuo Wen Yuan: A Qi, I’m too far gone. I’ll return the life I owed you. He smiles ruefully.
Then he grabs the blade and slashes his throat on it. She is shocked and saddened by this. Yan Yun Zhi is watching with shock as well. His dying thoughts are of her and their times on the frontier, when they were once close. Jing Mu and his men surrender to the Imperial soldiers.
Consort Zhuo is spared by the Emperor and sentenced to live in a cold palace. Grand Tutor Song is stripped of his title and exiled to the frontier fortress. Song Luo Tian is only stripped of his title (becoming a commoner), but he offers to go with his father in exile.
Sang Qi requests to be reinstated as Manager of the Archive at the Imperial College, and to allow enrollment for a women’s class (Class Haulin) at the Imperial College. The Emperor agrees to the first request and will think about the second one. Then Yan Yun Zhi requests for the marriage arrangement between himself and Su Jie Yu to be annulled. He’s informed that it was already annulled when he was being framed. He heartily approves of them getting married and become role models for all Bianjing couples.
At her brother’s cenotaph, they’re updating her brother on their upcoming nuptials.
Sang Qi: Ge, are you watching us from above? Your best friend, Xiao Bai, did not forget about your will and he takes good care of me. So good that I have to live with him now.Yan Yun Zhi looking at her: Why do you make it sound like it's something bad?Sang Qi: Hm?Yan Yun Zhi fake whining: I'm the victim, Yu. I'm practically chained to the Sang family from the get-go. xDSang Qi: Yes, yes, you're so right. We really couldn't live without you now. So be obedient and be the Sang family's son-in-law.
They are smiling at each other. And they promise to make sure that the Imperial College will continue to flourish.
Yan Yan and Lian Pian pay their respects to the Song family as they are being transported for their exile. Song Jia Yin is carrying the ashes of her husband, and she's quietly telling him "let's go home." Song Luo Tian and Yan Yan exchange insults about each other, but ultimately thank each other for their friendship. Song Luo Tian also thanks him for his help in persuading the Emperor to be lenient on him and he voluntarily leaving with his family in exile. Ah, filial piety. And no, we don't see his wife. lol
Wedding Day. (The one we’ve been waiting for!) Sang Qi is in a red, green and gold dress and Yan Yun Zhi is in red and gold robes. The green works so well here!
After their three bows, it's time for the couple to exchange their gifts.
Sang Qi: A bamboo ruler? What do you mean? Are you planning to treat me like a student in the future?Yan Yan is smirking here as he's holding the tray with the bamboo ruler.Yan Yun Zhi: I dare not to. A teacher uses a bamboo ruler to discipline his student. I gave it to you today so that you can discipline me as my wife. He has a huge smile. No need to go easy on me. She laughs.Sang Qi: I'll gladly take it then. You'll love my gift, too.Lian Pian brings over the tray with a red pouch sitting in an open box.Sang Qi: We crossed paths thanks to a pouch and we also used it to seal our relationship. It's only befitting to use it as a token of our marriage, too. He smiles at her. I want to be by your side forever and ever just like this pouch. Now they both have wide smiles on their faces.
Su Jie Yu is sniffling with happy tears and Yan San Lang offers his handkerchief, and they have a moment. (Couple No. 3?) She offers to wash it and return it to him, and he says it’s not an expensive one and that she can keep it. Qing Xuan just shakes his head and rolls his eyes at his friend's obliviousness. lol I guess not!
An official delivers and announces the Emperor's royal decree: Sang Qi is being promoted to as the first female Scholar at the Imperial College. Her new robes are presented on a tray. Yan Yun Zhi, Sang Dad, Yan He Xin, Yan Yan and Lian Pian are all smiling so proudly during this announcement. And he is allowing the establishment of Class Hualin for female students.
The Imperial College is now open to all - men and women are on campus now. Sang Qi is watching from the rooftop and Yan Yun Zhi joins her.
Yan Yun Zhi: Scholar Sang, you might need to behave appropriately now and stop climbing to the rooftop.
Sang Qi: The bell hasn’t rung. I can still do whatever I want. Also, I’m not Scholar Sang right now. And you’re not Deputy Chief Yan.
Yan Yun Zhi: If I’m not Deputy Chief, then who am I?
Sang Qi smiling: You are...my - Sang Qi’s husband.
He smiles back at her. Then puts his arm around her, and she rests her head on his shoulder. She pats his hand on her arm. (Cuteness overload!)
And they continue watching over the school - the fruits of their labor - her brother’s dream, and what’s become their shared dream.
Finally, there’s a montage of the couple's every encounter, including this snow scene. (They tricked me with tiny clips of this snow scene in the earlier episodes and the full scene is actually tucked away at the very end of the series!)
The End.
Remarks
By FanFanX
[First Impression (Ep1-6)] Yan Yun Zhi is indifferent to Sang Qi at first until he finds out that she's his late best friend's sister, then he's intrigued. Meanwhile, she finds Yan Yun Zhi to be an annoying stickler, but he saves her time and time again. I've been seriously laughing (with tears) at some of their interactions. I’m wondering who is going to fall first?!
[Actors/Actresses] Zhao Lu Si always delivers on being funny but she has brains in this, too. Ao Rui Peng is the biggest reason I wanted to watch this - and he is just adorable as there really is no other word for him in this.
[Ending] Happy ending for all, except for the bad guys.
[Review & Rating]
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