Episode 8 recap: Zhou Shi Yu takes Yue Ling hunting.
The Southern King had a dream that he died, mistakenly thinking he had encountered a ghost, so he invited a Taoist priest to the palace to perform rituals, involving dog blood and a peach wood sword. After this commotion, the Southern King felt light as a swallow and was grateful to the priest for expelling the evil spirit. The Southern King ordered his subordinate Yang Xu to submit a memorial to the Emperor, hoping to take the credit for preventing the assassination on the Southern Street. Yang Xu was curious as to how the Northern King knew about the assassination plot in advance - could it be that the assassin was arranged by the Northern King? The Southern King also sensed something amiss, but he saw that there was a rift between the Northern King and Princess Dong Yu, so he decided to seize the opportunity for a counterattack.
Chancellor Zhou Jing Yuan punished his subordinate Fu Su again for failing to carry out the mission. Fu Su also did not understand how the Northern King knew about the assassination plot in advance, and did not believe that the information had been leaked from within. However, the Chancellor suspected that Zhou Shi Yu had a secret.
Zhou Shi Yu went to see the Emperor. The Emperor was concerned about the recent assassination attempt, and was glad to see that Zhou Shi Yu was unharmed, but the Southern King had fallen gravely ill. The Emperor hoped the Northern King would give the Southern King more leeway.
Zhou Shi Yu hoped the Emperor would issue an edict for Princess Dong Yu. The Emperor was surprised that the usually undemanding Northern King was now asking him for a favor regarding the princess.
Zhou Shi Yu and Yue Ling rode in a carriage together, but Yue Ling still maintained a cold attitude. Zhou Shi Yu mentioned that the Emperor had bestowed a horse for Dong Yu, and hoped the two could take a break from their conflict to go hunting together.
Yue Ling was still unwilling to forgive Zhou Shi Yu, so he gave her a self-made crossbow as a means of self-defense in the future. Su Nian met with Xing Yi again, and when a drunken man asked about Su Nian's rouge, Xing Yi mistook it for harassment and attacked the man. Su Nian wanted to explain, but seeing Xing Yi's innocent nature, decided not to. Xing Yi resolved to teach Su Nian martial arts, so she would no longer be afraid of scoundrels.
Yue Ling galloped happily on horseback, but when she saw Zhou Shi Yu, she made a sour face and did not want to hunt in the same woods as him, riding off alone. However, her horse was startled, causing Yue Ling to fall off and injure her foot.
Xing Yi began teaching Su Nian martial arts, starting with the horse stance. However, Xing Yi could not maintain the stance for long, while Su Nian was able to persist. Su Nian felt that dancing and learning martial arts were similar, as they both required physical strength. Xing Yi believed that enduring hardship was the path to becoming superior, so she assumed that Su Nian must have gone through many trials to become a high-ranking courtesan.
Zhou Shi Yu found the injured Yue Ling and carried her back. Yue Ling had already forgiven him in her heart, and wanted to resolve the marriage issue soon, hoping to break the engagement. However, Zhou Shi Yu did not share this view, but still asked for Yue Ling's opinion. It turned out that Yue Ling was just homesick.
The Northern King promised Yue Ling that he would allow her to return to Dong Yu in three months. When Yue Ling fell asleep, she found herself in Zhou Shi Yu's embrace, and he felt even more hopeful that she would stay by his side.
When Yue Ling got off the carriage, Zhou Shi Yu carried her back to the manor. Coincidentally, Xing Yi and the others were having a snowball fight in the courtyard, and were heartened to see the affectionate interaction between the two. Xing Yi learned of Yue Ling's injury and scolded her for not returning for the night, as she was still the princess betrothed to the north.
Some people misunderstood the situation, thinking the Northern King had won the princess's heart. However, Zhou Shi Yu was not in a celebratory mood, and instead felt gloomy at the thought of Yue Ling wanting to leave, retreating to his study to ponder.
Yue Ling went to demand a guarantee letter from Zhou Shi Yu. Before she could speak, Zhou Shi Yu mistook her for Lin Mu and asked him to help grind something. When he looked up, he was surprised to see Yue Ling standing before him. Yue Ling no longer trusted Zhou Shi Yu due to his deception and wanted him to write a guarantee letter.
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