Episode 3 recap: Gong Zi Yu succeeded and became the new Chief Blade.
Yun Wei Shan was originally planning to carry out an assassination, but he unexpectedly received news of Jiang Miss's death. The soldiers began naming all the new brides, and Yun Wei Shan returned midway to Fang Jian, who was under Shang Guan Qian's command. In order to avoid investigation, he consumed a small amount of poison, causing his skin to blister and simulate an illness. The guards asked Yun Wei Shan to lift the covers for inspection, but luckily he had already taken off his night clothes in advance.
Gong Zi Yu was urgently summoned back by three elders due to an enemy invasion. Gong Hong Yu and Gong Huan Yu, father and son, died. According to the rules of the Gong family, Gong Zi Yu inherited the position of the blade handler. He saw the fatal wound on his father's chest, inflicted by a sword. Yun Wei Shan drank the antidote provided by Shang Guan Qian. Gong Zi Yu consumed the intoxicating blood given by the elders, and the elders secretly engraved a cipher on his back. This cipher would prevent him from leaving this valley for the rest of his life. The news of Gong Zi Yu succeeding as the blade handler was transmitted to various strongholds. Gong Zi Yu blamed Gong Yuan Zheng, questioning why his father and brother died despite their imperviousness to poison. Gong Yuan Zheng refused to accept Gong Zi Yu as the blade handler, arguing that it should have been his brother, Gong Shang Jue. He was about to defend himself but was rebuked by the elders and told to leave.
Gong Zi Yu sat sorrowfully in the mourning hall, recalling how his father had been strict with him but also showed him love. He regretted his impulsive and confrontational actions towards his father on multiple occasions. Wu Feng received news of the blade handler's assassination. Han Ya Si suspected that someone assassinated the blade handler and framed Wu Feng, but they lacked the ability and motive for such a task. Han Ya Qi suggested that it could be an unsuccessful assassination attempt after the exposure of one's identity. Zheng Nan Yi's identity had been compromised, and the Gong family had already begun investigating. Gong Zi Yu, now the blade handler, began investigating the deaths of his father and brother. He approached his aunt and discovered that when his father died, she remembered that on that night, when she was helping Gong Hong Yu warm the tea, Gong Huan Yu brought a new bride to the room. She left to the kitchen and upon returning, she saw three figures fighting in the room. After that, everything went dark and silent. She shouted for the guards, but there were no guards stationed there. She entered the room and found the bodies of three people.
Gong Zi Yu didn't believe that Zheng Nan Yi possessed such formidable martial arts skills. He started investigating Gong Shang Jue. His father's fingers had turned black upon contact with the poison, indicating that his father had discovered the poison during the retrieval process. It was possible that Gong Shang Jue had taken the item out of the palace. The two poisoned brides this time were the gold medal winners Jiang Li Li and Yun Wei Shan. Yun Wei Shan went to Shang Guan Qian's room. Shang Guan Qian was one rank higher than Yun Wei Shan. If it weren't for Zheng Nan Yi's exposure, it could have been Yun Wei Shan who died. Yun Wei Shan wanted to know if there were other people involved, but Shang Guan Qian stated that they were not connected and that "we" didn't exist. Shang Guan Qian wanted to know who killed the blade handler and Gong Huan Yu, and Yun Wei Shan explained that it wasn't her.
Gong Zi Yu visited Jiang Li Li, who was unconscious and unable to provide any answers. Yun Wei Shan couldn't reveal her mission, but Shang Guan Qian asked her to tell him about her mission under the pretense of saving her the previous night. This would help him assist her in the future. Yun Wei Shan understood Shang Guan Qian's intentions. Although they had intentionally distanced themselves from each other, they were both members of Wu Feng. She feared that she would ultimately be killed within the palace. Shang Guan Qian mentioned that Yun Wei Shan would probably need her help to clean up the mess again. When discussing the details with Jin Fan, the blade handler noticed that someone was eavesdropping.
Shang Guan Qian poisoned Jiang Li Li using tea and incense. The poison is produced only when the two are combined. Initially, Shang Guan Qian warned Yun Wei Shan about the poisonous tea, but Yun Wei Shan misunderstood and thought she was being instructed to poison the tea. Therefore, Yun Wei Shan needs to clean the coumarin from her fingernails. Gong Zi Yu found Gong Yuan Zheng at the medical clinic. He also came to investigate the source of the poison. Shang Guan Qian deduced that the blade handler and Gong Huan Yu were killed at the same time. According to palace rules, the next Gong son should succeed, which is Gong Shang Jue, the second Gong son. Yun Wei Shan mentioned that the current blade handler is Gong Zi Yu, not Gong Shang Jue, as he left the palace last night. Shang Guan Qian's expression immediately changed, mocking the Gong family for being conservative and ridiculous. It seems that Yun Wei Shan's next target is Gong Zi Yu.
Yun Wei Shan asked Shang Guan Qian to compete for the gold medal together so that no matter who is chosen, there will be someone without a blade. Shang Guan Qian does not want to compete for the gold medal with Yun Wei Shan. Initially, Shang Guan Qian deliberately used a leaf to make herself appear cold and ineligible. Her goal is not to become the blade handler. Gong Shang Jue received the secret message that Gong Zi Yu has become the new blade handler. He looked at the report with a heavy heart and instructed his subordinates not to say anything unreasonable. They should focus on the cause of the blade handler's death. Shang Guan Qian said that Yun Wei Shan deliberately escaped from the team to attract Gong Zi Yu's attention. If it weren't for the deaths of the blade handler and Gong Huan Yu, her mission that night would have been successful.
Is Gong Shang Jue possibly a hidden antagonist? Otherwise, what other forces are there within the palace? Wu Feng doesn't know who killed the executor and the young master, which means the major force outside the palace wasn't involved in this. So, the problem should arise from within the palace. Currently, it seems that Gong Shang Jue is the most likely candidate unless there are other characters yet to appear.