While Chang Gong is enjoying his second honeymoon with Xue Wu, he can't help but worry about how things are going back at the palace. Xue Wu catches him receiving secret reports on current events.
Zu Ting brings tidings of joy back to his master. He informs Gao Wei that the emperor will be returning to the capital soon to announce a change in the line-up. Gao Wei wants to throw a celebratory feast but is stopped by Zheng Er. Now is the time to act restrained and humble, not party hardy.
The emperor returns to the palace. During his absence, Gao Wei raised a butt-load of money. Much more than Chang Gong did, points out Zu Ting. The emperor isn't fooled. He knows Gao Wei has replaced all the local magistrates with his own toadies (for a hefty fee, of course) and they've been putting the squeeze on the populace. Gao Wei argues he's done nothing wrong. The emperor commands that all the "donations" from the new local magistrates to be returned. Also, the emperor will name his successor when the prince of Lan Ling returns to Ye City.
Gao Wei finally gets the backbone to confront his father. Why am I always being compared to Chang Gong? Why don't you ever see my accomplishments instead of my failures? Why have you always treated me like a turd? Gao Zhan's answer to all this is to slap his son. A stunned Gao Wei walks away, the final tie between father and son apparently broken. One could almost feel sorry for the crown prince. (Kudos to actor Zhai Tian Lin.)
Fearing the emperor will name Chang Gong as his successor, Zu Ting and Zheng Er try to convince Gao Wei to simply seize the throne. There's some kind of celebration scheduled for two days hence involving the Rou Ran Tribe. Zheng Er suggests they assassinate the emperor then.
As part of the tradition, the Rou Ran will offer the emperor a cooked lamb. The emperor will take a bite to symbolize the unification between the Qi state and the tribe. Imperial tutor Duan Shao will of course test the meat for poison. But as part of the complicated ritual, it will be the crown prince who cuts up the meat. The poison, therefore, will be on the knife Gao Wei will use.
As he sweats the bullets that haven't been invented yet, Gao Wei watches as his father eats the poisoned meat. To everyone's surprise, including Team Crown Prince, the emperor wants to announce his successor today. Gao Wei makes several attempts to stop the official announcement, at least until the poison takes effect.
The emperor suddenly goes down. The crown prince sweeps his father up in his arms and carries the emperor away to the royal bedchamber. Gao Wei won't let anyone else into the emperor's bedroom. As he waits for his father to kick the bucket, Gao Wei has a therapeutic release of emotions with the unconscious man.
But then the emperor comes to. (I'm kind of confused on this. I think the first poison was just to knock the old man out. Gao Wei was to take the emperor to his bedchamber where the prince would then administer the killing poison. Whatever.) The emperor starts calling for his guards. Gao Wei has no choice but to bludgeon his father to death. Blood is splattering everywhere just as Zu Ting comes in with the good news that the emperor had been planning to name the Crown Prince as the new emperor after all. Oh, the irony.
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