Luo Shu suspects that Warden Lao Song is colluding with an insider at the Linfen county office to help Lu Wanchang find scapegoats. Lacking concrete evidence, Luo Shu suggests re-interrogating Jin Lao Liu and Zheng Lao San to find a breakthrough. Anticipating that they won’t easily confess, Luo Shu proposes that Qi Menglin use a “handsome man” tactic to entice Jin Lao Liu’s wife, Yu Zhen. Qi Menglin firmly refuses, despite Captain Cai and Yang Zhan’s strong persuasion and Luo Shu’s provocation.
Luo Shu instructs Captain Cai and Yang Zhan to dress up meticulously. However, both end up looking mismatched and unconvincing. Not wanting to trouble Luo Shu, Qi Menglin reluctantly agrees. Disguised as a charming young gentleman, Qi Menglin lingers near Jin Lao Liu’s house. Yu Zhen falls for him at first sight and invites him inside. Qi Menglin pretends to have a cold, prompting Yu Zhen to hurriedly prepare a bowl of ginger tea for him, which he drinks in one go.
Yu Zhen showers Qi Menglin with care and concern. Qi Menglin reciprocates her attentions, and Yu Zhen confides in him, admitting that her husband is a bandit currently imprisoned. Qi Menglin offers her kind advice, encouraging her to seek happiness elsewhere and leaves her a lump of silver. Yu Zhen desperately tries to retain him, but Qi Menglin, half-heartedly, agrees to visit her that night, much to Yu Zhen’s delight.
Luo Shu praises Qi Menglin’s disguise and presents her cherished jeweled hairpin, asking him to find a way to give it to Yu Zhen. She intends to help Han Muzhi complete his final case, thereby severing ties with him. Qi Menglin is secretly pleased. That evening, Qi Menglin arrives on time for the meeting. Yu Zhen has been waiting for a while and has prepared a lavish spread of food and drinks. She proactively tries to seduce Qi Menglin, who desperately dodges her advances. He sweet-talks her, continuously encouraging her to drink and vows to take her to Taiyuan. Yu Zhen quickly becomes intoxicated, dancing and singing under the influence of alcohol.
Qi Menglin wakes up to find himself and Yu Zhen sleeping together, both dressed neatly. Relieved, he prepares to leave. As he departs, Yu Zhen clings to him, and recalling Luo Shu’s instructions, Qi Menglin calls Yu Zhen out in public, inserts the hairpin into her hair, and then departs with his horse.
Qi Menglin returns to the county office to report to Luo Shu, assuring her that he remained chaste throughout the night. Luo Shu trusts his integrity and praises him for successfully completing the mission. Luo Shu approaches Zheng Lao San’s wife, claiming to be a family member of Ma Tianjin. She clearly states that Zheng Lao San and Jin Lao Liu did not kill Ma Tianjin and that they took the blame for others. Luo Shu urges Zheng Lao San’s wife to reveal the truth, promising to reward her with double silver if she does so. Torn between loyalty and fear, Zheng’s wife hesitates. Luo Shu deliberately mentions that Yu Zhen found a wealthy man who gave her numerous gold and silver ornaments.
When Zheng’s wife arrives at the jail to deliver food, she encounters the triumphant Yu Zhen, immediately recognizing her by the hairpin in her hair. Seeing Jin Lao Liu gnawing on cold buns, Zheng’s wife shares everything about Yu Zhen’s infidelity with him. Enraged, Jin Lao Liu grits his teeth.
Zheng’s wife reveals that Zheng Lao San took the blame for someone else, receiving three rooms and two months’ pay as compensation. True to her promise, Luo Shu offers her one hundred taels of silver. Curious, Qi Menglin questions how Luo Shu acquired so much silver, but Luo Shu evades the question. Frustrated, Jin Lao Liu insists on retracting his confession, unwilling to let his hard-earned silver go to waste. Warden Lao Song explains the dire consequences, warning that if he retracts his confession alone, it will implicate Zheng Lao San. Despite his concerns, Jin Lao Liu persists, and Lao Song, unable to control him, immediately reports the matter.
That night, Warden Lao Song attempts to seize Jin Lao Liu under the pretense of the county magistrate ordering his interrogation, intending to silence him. Yang Zhan arrives in time to stop him, followed by Luo Shu, Captain Cai, and Qi Menglin. Jin Lao Liu loudly proclaims his innocence, claiming that Warden Lao Song bribed him to take the blame for Ma Tianjin’s murder. Luo Shu forces Lao Song to reveal the truth: the corrupt official Wei Dianli at the Linfen county office is his mentor. Wei Dianli, accompanied by an old man, instructed him to find someone to take the blame for Lu Wanchang. Captain Cai deduces from Lao Song’s confession that the old man is the infamous litigator Wu Zhuangyuan from Linfen.
Qi Menglin, weakened by a previous illness from falling into the river, is bedridden. Luo Shu stays by his side, tenderly caring for him. Qi Menglin finally regains consciousness and sees Luo Shu sleeping beside him. Overcome with compassion, he instinctively reaches out to touch her, causing Luo Shu to suddenly wake up.
