Episode 4 recap: Xing Yi discovered the female assassin.
Yue Ling heard that two officials had the ledger of the Northern King, and fearing that the Northern King was being blackmailed, she disguised herself as a dancing girl to steal the ledger. After obtaining it, she was accosted by a lady and nearly fell off the stairs, but at the critical moment, Zhou Shi Yu rushed over and caught her. To avoid the Southern King, Zhou Shi Yu took Yue Ling and hid in the wardrobe. There, they saw an amorous couple and felt embarrassed in the narrow space.
When Yue Ling came out of the wardrobe, her foot had fallen asleep. Zhou Shi Yu reached out to support her, but when he saw she was about to fall into his arms, he pushed her away, angering Yue Ling. The group returned to the hall to watch the dancing, and Xing Yi observed Su Nian intently, convinced that she was the female assassin.
The madam explained that Su Nian rarely left the pleasure house, and Yue Ling could not reconcile the gentle Su Nian with the image of an assassin, so she urged Xing Yi to be quiet. Su Nian toasted the Northern and Southern Kings, and the Southern King, infatuated by Su Nian's beauty, accidentally dropped his cup. Originally, the Southern King had planned to use the dropped cup as a signal for an assassin to kill him and then the Northern King, but the assassin heard the noise and immediately sprang into action.
To prove her innocence, the delicate Su Nian approached Yue Ling's group for help. Xing Yi covered her face, convinced that she was the female assassin. The Southern King, pursued by the assassins he had hired, sat on the ground complaining, when suddenly an assassin lunged at him. At the critical moment, the Northern King stepped forward to block the sword, and was fatally wounded.
At the same time, Yue Ling saw the Northern King stabbed and wanted to commit suicide to bring about their rebirth, but she was afraid of the pain and was about to stab herself in the chest when Xing Yi pulled her away.
After the Yue Ling sisters returned to the princess's residence, they both pondered on their concerns. Xing Yi became more convinced of Su Nian's identity, while Yue Ling worried that Zhou Shi Yu had died and wanted to go to the Northern King's palace. However, Qian Qian thought that the Northern Kingdom had many rules, and a formal invitation would be required to go to the Northern King's palace.
Lin Mu felt guilty for not being by the Northern King's side when he was injured. The Northern King's injury was not life-threatening, and Lin Mu reported the news he had received from Dongyu - that there was a young princess named Yue Ling and a prince named Xing Yi. The Northern King remembered Yue Ling calling her brother "A-Xing" and understood their identities, reminding Lin Mu not to let the information slip.
The Southern King had originally planned to assassinate the Northern King, but now that the Northern King had saved his life, he owed the Northern King a favor and ordered his men to punish Yang Xu. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister received the news and was delighted, believing this was the best weapon to control the Emperor.
The Northern King received Yue Ling's formal invitation, and Lin Mu thought that the two should not meet before the marriage. However, the Northern King knew that Yue Ling would not give up without seeing him, so he instructed Lin Mu to make the arrangements.
Guided by the steward, Yue Ling entered the Northern King's palace and saw many beautiful women playing and enjoying themselves. There was also a building called the "Beauty Pavilion" where the beauties sent from all over the country resided, and the steward said the Northern King planned to take them all as his concubines after marrying the queen, as a sign of respect for the queen. Yue Ling was convinced the Northern King was a lecherous man.
When Yue Ling met the Northern King, he cited regulations and claimed to be too busy with official duties to meet her, telling her to have the palace staff handle any matters. Yue Ling wanted to see Zhou Shi Yu but was told he had passed away. That night, Yue Ling burned many paintings of beautiful women as an offering for Zhou Shi Yu.
Zhou Shi Yu, pretending to be a ghost, appeared to Yue Ling, saying that beautiful women were useless and that he only wanted Yue Ling. Seeing his shadow behind her, Yue Ling reached out and touched him, realizing he was not dead, and embraced him.
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