Chang Gong insists Xue Wu leave with him for Qi immediately. She refuses as she has already promised King Yung to stay an extra couple of days to keep an eye on Zhen. Chang Gong isn't fooled. He knows Yung has fallen for Xue Wu and that's the real reason the king wants to keep her around. (Feng Shao Feng is actually quite funny in this scene. His character has been so serious in all these episodes. This is the first time Chang Gong has let loose.)
Xue Wu talks her husband into giving her just one more day. Chang Gong warns her that trouble seems to be brewing between Yuwen Yung and Yuwen Hu. Xue Wu wonders if this is part of her grandmother's prophecy.
Yung is having a flashback to the death of his older brother, the former king. Apparently back then Hu had instructed the young Prince Yung to poison the king. Yung wasn't going to do it but the king took the poison himself so Hu would be fooled into thinking Yung was under the Prime Minister's control. This is more messed up than Game of Thrones.
When Yu Tu returns to the Prime Minister's manor, Hu has her arrested. He explains how he purposely allowed her to overhear the talk about the poison plot and the imperial chef. Turns out the chef was totally innocent, but now that the king has replaced (i.e. killed) his entire cooking staff, this allowed Hu to work in his real spy. Yu Tu meets a gruesome end. On her person they discover the list of Hu's cronies who are planning to be turncoats.
It all comes down to tomorrow's meeting. Hu already has his kingly robes ready to wear when he claims the throne.
The day breaks. King Yung is served a huge breakfast. Surely he's not expected to eat all of that. Yung is just about to eat his (poisoned) soup when Shen Ju interrupts with his report. Yung arrives at the great hall and orders the meeting to commence. Yuwen Hu and only a few of his hardcore supporters come in. When asked where the other ministers are, Hu says he had them stopped at the gate.
Hu also has the dead body of Yu Tu brought in to show the king. It's time to stop pretending. The Prime Minister announces his plans to overtake the throne. He grabs a nearby sword and starts... killing his hardcore supporters? Okay, maybe these were the men who were on the list and the ministers at the gate are Hu's real supporters.
Hu advises Yung to not get to worked up as that will only make the poison work even faster. A gasping Yung grabs his chest and spits blood. Hu wants this all official, though. He estimates the king has about two hours to live. Hu wants Yung to make out a will naming the prime minister as his successor, or else innocent lives like Zhen's will be lost.
Xue Wu is doctoring the little girl when they hear all the commotion outside. Xue Wu goes to investigate and runs into Queen Axina who explains the situation. The women attempt to go see Yung but the guards stop them. Everyone has been ordered to stay inside the inner palace. That includes queens and divine sorceresses. Ah, but there's still the Masked Marvel, Chang Gong, who's still free to move about.
A dying Yung is allowed back to his bedroom. Shen Ju wants to go fetch Xue Wu but Yung stops him. Yung fears Hu will send his imperial stormtroopers into the inner palace. With not much time left, Yung orders Shen Ju to start writing him a will. A Hu spy overhears all this and gleefully reports back to the big man. Hu feels confident enough to go to the king's quarters and retrieve the will himself.
Chang Gong wants to get Xue Wu out of the palace and away from all this internal strife. Xue Wu says she can't as now Zhen has gone missing.
Hu and his entourage enter the king's bedroom. Yung is lying there in bed, the will grasped in his dying hand. Hu reaches down for the document and is surprised when a healthy Yung springs up and holds a knife to the prime minister's throat. Shen Ju and his men swoop in to arrest the other cronies.
Yung knew Hu was using Yu Tu. Furthermore, the king is the one who made up that list. All the names on it, the men Hu killed for being traitors, were actually true Hu men. Unfortunately Yung makes the classic mistake of talking too much before getting down to the killing. Just as he's about to lop off Hu's head, Zhen comes running into the room to check on her uncle. The distraction is enough for one of Hu's men to break free and take the little girl hostage. (Even the girl's crying is dubbed by someone else. You baffle me, Chinese TV.)
This is when Chang Gong and Xue Wu catch up on all the action. Chang Gong doesn't want to get involved but we all know Xue Wu is going to run blindly into the middle of things. The divine sorceress holds up her clenched hand and claims she has poisoned sand. One touch of the sand and the villain dies. Hu notices masked Chang Gong moving up behind and shouts out a warning to his crony. Xue Wu does have something in her hand and throws the powder in the man's face as Chang Gong cuts the man's throat. They take the crying girl back to safety while Yung finally gets around to killing Hu.
Yung is enjoying having total power. What he's not enjoying is hearing that Xue Wu has left the palace without his permission. He orders Shen Ju to gather his men and follow her.
Chang Gong and Xue Wu make it to the Qi border where they're supposed to be meeting up with An De. An De is there, but so is King Yung and his soldiers. Yung again asks Xue Wu to stay with him. Xue Wu says no, that if she has to be Yung's prisoner he'll never really have her. Besides, she's Chang Gong's woman. Can't we all just get along?
Yung relents. He'll release Xue Wu, Chang Gong and An De. He'll even release the Qi prisoners as he originally promised Xue Wu. The cherry on top is a peace treaty for three years. While Zhou builds up her strength, she won't attack Qi. However, Yung warns Chang Gong if the prince ever hurts Xue Wu, Yung will take her in and never allow Chang Gong any peace. Chang Gong replies that will never happen as he'll never let Xue Wu go.
This was a damn fine episode!
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