Du Yangxi sat alone outside Panlou all night, meeting Chai An at dawn, only to be met with coldness. Chai An sarcastically noted Du Yangxi’s new high status, abandoning his old wife to marry a noble’s daughter, enjoying the prime of life with a new bride, but Du Yangxi showed no emotion to these taunts. He was there to ask Chai An to keep a secret for him and to look after his remains in the future.
Shouhua went out with her sisters to clear her mind, but the news of her divorce from Du Yangxi had spread all over town, leading to whispers and sympathy. On the street, she encountered Du Yangxi, who returned her old hairpin, warning her to be cautious about remarriage as the suitors were not good men.
Shouhua, sensing there was still some affection between them, guessed Du Yangxi had troubles, but he remained firm on the divorce. To help him one last time, Shouhua publicly scolded Du Yangxi on the street, severing any remaining ties, which was overheard by someone who reported it back to Yu Weiyi.
The next day, Du Yangxi visited Yu Weiyi to thank him for marrying his daughter to him, addressing him as “Father-in-law”. Meanwhile, Mrs. Li was looking for a suitable son-in-law through a matchmaker but received only scorn, leading to an angry near-assault by the fifth sister, Le Shan.
Then, Sang Yanrang suddenly proposed to the Li family, confessing his love for Shouhua, revealing he had kept her portrait close for years, thinking it was a divine chance encounter. Mrs. Li thought this was a great match, accepting on Shouhua’s behalf, though Shouhua herself was reluctant to remarry.
Du’s mother suddenly suffered a stroke, and Mrs. Li hurriedly called for a doctor. The treatment was expensive but effective; Du’s mother regained her ability to speak and immediately urged Shouhua to stop Du Yangxi from marrying, revealing he was the biological son of Yu Weiyi.
At the Yu residence, a grand banquet was set for Du Yangxi’s wedding to Yu Xiulei. However, Du Yangxi refused to perform the wedding ceremony, instead bowing three times to Yu Weiyi: first to thank him for his recommendation, second to decline the marriage due to his existing wife, and third to acknowledge Yu Weiyi’s role as his biological father while vowing to avenge his mother.
His revelation caused an uproar. Fan Lianghan was stopped by Chai An from intervening, who insisted they should hear everything. After Yu Xiulei was led away, Yu’s wife, in anger, tried to stop Du Yangxi from speaking further, but Chai An subdued the servants, allowing Du Yangxi to continue.
Du Yangxi then recounted an old story from 28 years ago when his grandfather, Xie Laohan, and his daughter saved a destitute Yu Weiyi, who in gratitude married Xie Qiufang, his daughter. However, disaster struck when floods came, killing Xie Laohan. Xie Qiufang worked tirelessly to support her husband’s education, even selling herself into servitude for three years to fund his exams.
On their journey to his new post, Xie Qiufang was lost to a storm at sea because Yu Weiyi, seeking political favor with the Fan family, did not save her. Unbeknownst to him, she was saved by a fellow servant, Qian’er, who became Du Yangxi’s foster mother after they were washed ashore. Xie Qiufang died giving birth to Du Yangxi, and Qian’er raised him, disfigured by an attack ordered by the Fans, living incognito.
Yu Weiyi was shocked by these revelations, especially as Du Yangxi questioned why he did not save his wife. After this confrontation, Du Yangxi went to the Kaifeng Prefecture to file a lawsuit and surrender himself.
