Episode 5 recap: Mei Yu Shan infiltrated the Tianjin Palace, causing a commotion over the Yueling Pearl.
Mei Yu Shan was not in the Chongwen Hall, so Xiao Dou Zi was summoned before the Crown Prince for questioning. Xing Shi carefully observed Xiao Dou Zi's face and found it very familiar, realizing it was strikingly similar to the Queen Consort from years ago. The Queen had constantly encouraged her to be a warrior, and now she saw an almost identical face.
The three young ladies searched everywhere for the Crown Prince and found him in Mei Yu Shan's room, filled with jealousy. Huang Yuanyuan forcefully barged in, only to discover that Mei Yu Shan was not actually there, but rather one of the maids being questioned. This calmed them down a bit. In the Tianjin Palace, Bai Ye was struggling to divine the appearance of the Crown Prince's future consort, when Mei Yu Shan happened to sneak in and stand right next to the portrait, blending in seamlessly.
Pei Kuai came to the Tianjin Palace to look for Mei Yu Shan, and Bai Ye helped conceal her. Pei Kuai waited at the door, and Mei Yu Shan dared not leave, so Bai Ye warmly entertained her. Mei Yu Shan ended up staying and having a hearty meal. Nan Gong Yao scolded the three young ladies for their recklessness, demanding they focus on their palace studies and maintain a distance of three feet when speaking to him, or else face charges of insubordination. He then asked about Mei Yu Shan's whereabouts, but Xiao Dou Zi could not answer.
At the same time, the real Mei Yu Shan was feasting heartily at the Tianjin Palace, sharing details about her godfather's preferences, while Bai Ye, unaware of the deception, thought he was conversing with the friendly Mei Cheng Xiang who often visited the marketplace. In the evening, Mei Yu Shan pestered Bai Ye to teach her about celestial phenomena.
The Crown Prince summoned Xiao Dou Zi to his chamber for questioning. After a day's time, Nan Gong Yao noticed that the maid's speech was very similar to Mei Yu Shan's, while Mei Yu Shan herself seemed like a completely different person upon entering the palace. Nan Gong Yao took out the Yueling Pearl and asked Xiao Dou Zi about its significance to Mei Yu Shan, to which she replied that it was a gift for Mei Yu Shan's future husband. Nan Gong Yao then returned the pearl to Xiao Dou Zi.
In a conversation with Bai Ye, Mei Yu Shan accidentally mentioned the Yueling Pearl, and Bai Ye expressed that it was an item of evil omen that must be destroyed immediately if found. Hearing that the maid had been summoned to the East Palace, Mei Yu Shan hurriedly went back, but it was already late and the East Palace was on high alert. Bai Ye helped her gain entry, and Xiao Dou Zi was just about to leave with a box when she saw the flustered Mei Yu Shan. Nan Gong Yao questioned them further and asked Mei Yu Shan to open the box to see if it contained her lost item.
Worried that Bai Ye might see her true form, Mei Yu Shan hesitated to open the box and quickly tried to pull the maid back to her room. Nan Gong Yao stopped them, and Mei Yu Shan, having no other choice, kicked the box away, hoping to secretly retrieve the Yueling Pearl and leave Nan Gong Yao with an empty box.
However, the box contained no pearl, and Mei Yu Shan thought Nan Gong Yao was not sincere in returning it. Nan Gong Yao, on the other hand, believed Mei Yu Shan had tried to deceive him, leading to an unpleasant parting. Back in her room, Mei Yu Shan learned that Winter West had secretly taken the pearl and returned it to Nan Gong Yao, who did not blame Mei Yu Shan but instead felt there was something suspicious about her and her maid's actions.
Xing Shi told Xiao Ling that Mei Yu Shan's maid resembled the lost Princess Mingjun of the Sheng Dong Kingdom, and arranged for Su Ruo Mei to become a maid to Xiao Dou Zi, hoping to uncover her true identity.
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