Episode 4 delivers explosive tension as Jiang Taohua narrowly escapes an assassination plot at a royal banquet, turning the tables on Shen Zaiye with cunning and courage.
🍷 1. A Banquet Becomes a Trap
The episode opens deceptively peacefully: Jiang Taohua is brought to Luyeyuan under the guise of attending a banquet hosted by Crown Prince Qi. She’s offered crab cakes and jujube kernel tea — a seemingly kind gesture with a sinister twist. The combination is lethal, known to cause violent illness, especially on an empty stomach.
Taohua’s reaction is sharp — she recalls nearly dying from the same food pairing as a child. Realizing it’s a setup, she doesn’t panic — instead, she prepares. The game is on.
💀 2. Murder by Design
Shen Zaiye’s plot is ruthless. He intends for the food to weaken Taohua during the banquet, giving him the chance to stage her death as an accident and blame the Crown Prince — a win-win scenario that would eliminate Taohua, discredit the prince, and earn him imperial favor.
But Taohua isn’t a passive victim. She plays along, pretending to be sick, and then orchestrates her own escape with Qingtai’s help. Her goal? Reach Prince Wuxia, the only person who might protect her.
🏃♀️ 3. Escape and Revelation
In a tense sequence, Qingtai decoys as Taohua, allowing the real princess to flee. Meanwhile, Shen Zaiye's men hunt her through the countryside. The stakes rise when Taohua is wounded — and her bloodied figure collapses at Prince Wuxia’s door, uttering her true identity.
This moment is pivotal: a vulnerable woman, discarded and hunted, turns herself into a political hot potato. By invoking Wuxia's protection, she becomes too high-profile to kill easily.
🏰 4. Wuxia’s Ultimatum
Prince Wuxia is both shocked and angered by Zaiye’s treatment of Taohua. When Zaiye storms into Wuxia’s estate to reclaim her, Wuxia refuses to release her unless Zaiye swears to protect her life.
Wuxia’s statement is damning:
“You treat your political enemies with cruelty, and now you use the same on your wife?”
Zaiye is cornered. His plot has failed, and now his reputation is at stake.
🩹 5. Stitches Without Mercy
Taohua refuses anesthesia for her wound — a powerful metaphor. She no longer trusts anyone, especially Zaiye. He volunteers to stitch the injury himself, and in this excruciatingly intimate scene, their relationship shifts.
She doesn’t flinch.
He doesn’t comfort.
Yet something passes between them: a grudging respect.
He asks why she chose Wuxia. Her answer?
“It was a gamble — and I won.”
This episode may contain no romance, but it's charged with emotional tension and moral complexity.
🧠 6. Mind Games and Motherhood Memories
Later, Zaiye watches Taohua sleep and recalls her words — her strength, her wounds, her refusal to break. She’s no longer just another concubine. She’s a threat, a survivor, a woman he can’t outwit easily.
In a rare soft moment, Taohua dreams of her mother — a warrior woman who taught her not to let men or fate define her. The memory gives her the strength to fight on. It’s the emotional heartbeat of the episode, adding layers to her steely resolve.
👀 7. Allies, Enemies, and Who’s Watching Whom
Back at the Shen residence, his wife Madam Meng grows suspicious. She and her maid realize Taohua’s assassination attempt might be linked to their earlier spying on Zaiye’s study. The line between political maneuvering and personal vengeance is growing thin.
Meanwhile, Qingtai warns Taohua:
“We can’t always be on the defensive. You need leverage.”
And Taohua agrees — for the first time, she doesn’t just want to survive. She wants control.
💬 Overall Impressions
Episode 4 is a masterclass in palace suspense. It blends betrayal, manipulation, and agency into a gripping narrative. Taohua continues to evolve from political bride to strategic survivor. Her enemies — and allies — now realize she’s not to be underestimated.
This episode balances action with emotional nuance: assassination plots, court confrontations, and even surgical intimacy — all while deepening the viewer’s connection to both leads.
And Shen Zaiye? His mask is slipping. Beneath the cruelty is a man who can be shaken — perhaps even moved.