Episode 2 recap: A Mai Shang Yi Zhi went to Qingzhou.
Shang Yi Zhi came to visit his father, and his father told him that they were not his biological parents. Although Shang Yi Zhi didn't want to believe it, it was the truth. Shang Yi Zhi asked why they had deceived him, and his mother told him that his older half-brother had been hunting him down all these years.
Lately, his paranoia had been growing worse, and he didn't know when it would turn against him. Shang Yi Zhi asked why they were telling him all this now, and his father told him that his old illness had resurfaced and he didn't know when he would leave this world, so he wouldn't be able to protect him anymore. Therefore, they needed to escort him out of Shengdu recently, and Shang Yi Zhi didn't want to leave alone.
His father told him that if he didn't leave now, it would implicate his mother. After A Mai finished bathing, she found Shang Yi Zhi and saw his red eyes, as if he had just been crying. Shang Yi Zhi told her that his father was seriously ill, and A Mai reassured him that the Hou Mansion was a kind-hearted place and everything would be fine.
When the Emperor learned about the death of Hou Dingnan, he called for the eunuch by his side to summon the imperial physician. The Emperor praised the physician for doing a good job, as it turned out that the Emperor had ordered the physician to switch Hou Dingnan's medication, which led to his death. The Emperor asked what reward the physician wanted, and the physician said he just wanted to retire and return to his hometown. The Emperor agreed to let him go back but little did he know that the physician was murdered right after leaving the palace.
The Emperor went to the Dingwang Mansion to pay his respects and told his imperial sister to let Shang Yi Zhi inherit his father's official position. A Mai's younger brother came to tell her to go and see the spectacle, informing her that the Dingwang Mansion was holding a grand funeral. A Mai scolded him, telling him it was someone else's sorrow and they shouldn't go to watch for entertainment.
Chunniang found A Mai and gave her some silver, telling her it was from the Princess Chang, who was Shang Yi Zhi's mother, as a token of gratitude for helping to send Shang Yi Zhi home. A Mai told Chunniang that she didn't want the silver, she just wanted to know the whereabouts of Chen Qi.
Chunniang told A Mai that she was only responsible for the news of heading south, and she couldn't help with information about Chen Qi. Upon hearing this, A Mai realized that Chen Qi was not heading south. Chunniang gave A Mai something and told her who to go to in order to inquire about this information. She also asked A Mai to deliver a message for her.
Princess Chang, step by step, wanted to pay respects to the Emperor, and the Emperor understood that she had intentions of usurping power. Princess Chang shouted for the Emperor to intervene on her behalf. The Emperor asked if it was because of the recent incident where Shang Yi Zhi was stabbed in the Nian Cui Pavilion. He told Princess Chang that he had just learned that the Nian Cui Pavilion was a nest of spies, and he had already ordered Shi Yuan to clean it up.
Inside the Nian Cui Pavilion, Shi Yuan single-handedly dealt with Chunniang and the other two individuals, killing all three of them. Princess Chang came to request that the Emperor revoke Shang Yi Zhi's position and send him to Qingzhou. Princess Chang felt relieved when she heard about Qingzhou because when the Southern Dingwang was alive, he had mentioned sending Shang Yi Zhi to Qingzhou, where there were people who could protect him.
Shang Yi Zhi arrived at the Nian Cui Pavilion to commemorate Chunniang and the other two individuals, and he cried sorrowfully. Princess Chang told Shang Yi Zhi that he must live well in order to repay Chunniang and the others. Princess Chang informed Shang Yi Zhi that they would be leaving for Qingzhou the next day, where his father's subordinates were located. Among them, there was a person named Xu Jing that he must remember, as that person could help him.
The Emperor learned that Shang Yi Zhi had already set off for Qingzhou. He thought he knew Shenghua's little schemes and decided to go along with it. Prime Minister Lin believed that a playboy like Shang Yi Zhi wouldn't cause much of a stir even if he went to Qingzhou, but the Emperor still commanded Shi Yuan to go.
A Mai arrived at an inn and prepared to stay there, but unexpectedly, Zhang the head catcher arrived with a prisoner. Coincidentally, the prisoner was someone A Mai knew, and they had played a game of "Jumping Immortal" together, pretending to be officials, but they were caught by Zhang the head catcher. Seeing that the person was about to expose A Mai, she quickly gestured to threaten him to keep quiet, and they managed to avoid being found out.
The first six episodes had many touching moments, including the female lead's parents, the male lead's adoptive parents, the male lead's three masters, Ghost Hand Ah Si, and even the general who defended the city, and the little girl the female lead unintentionally saved.
Each character had limited screen time, but the emotions they conveyed were exceptionally perfect.