Dou Zhao tells Su Lan and Su Xin that her goal is to stir up Wei Tingzhen’s suspicions. Once there are doubts, she will investigate thoroughly. Su Lan is curious about what will be investigated, and Dou Zhao smiles at the two sisters, indicating it’s time for them to begin their act.
After returning home, Wei Tingzhen indeed becomes suspicious and instructs her maid to investigate secretly. The maid pretends to deliver some supplements and seizes the opportunity to invite Su Lan and Su Xin to dinner, indirectly inquiring about Dou Zhao’s health. Su Xin pretends to slip and mentions that Dou Zhao is sick but is stopped by Su Lan before she can reveal more. That night, the maid stealthily follows up on the investigation and discovers Su Xin burying medicine residues. She digs them up for examination and finds that they are fertility drugs. Enraged, Wei Tingzhen believes she has nearly fallen for Wang Yingxue’s scheme and quickly proposes to postpone the marriage agreement, hoping to subtly ruin it.
Wang Yingxue discovers Dou Ming and Wei Tingyu’s affair and angrily punishes Dou Ming. Ji Yong visits Dou Zhao and, upon seeing her prepare medicine, realizes Dou Zhao’s intentions. Ji Yong expresses that he has ways to cancel the marriage without such trouble, but Dou Zhao is unwilling to create unnecessary conflict and warns Ji Yong to not act recklessly, stating she will resolve her own matters.
Song Mo buys the Taihe Theater, becoming obsessed with the performances there. The Crown Prince also visits but thinks Song Mo is being frivolous, causing a stir in the court. They suspect Song Mo is lying low to catch his true adversary off guard. The Crown Prince expresses willingness to help, but Song Mo continues to act like a spoiled youth, even trying to arrange a few performers for the Prince, which angers him to the point of leaving in disgust.
In reality, Song Mo purchased the theater because local officials enjoy watching plays, allowing him to gather information conveniently. Behind closed doors, he assembles strategists to discuss the current situation, instructing them to monitor the East Palace and get close to the Crown Prince’s inner circle for intelligence. They also discover that Duke Dingguo wrote a letter to Jiang Huisun before arriving in the capital, but the letter has mysteriously vanished. Song Mo had searched his home previously but did not find it.
Song Yichun is attended to daily by Supervisor Su Yan. He hears about the family letter and worries it might stir up trouble, but Su Yan believes since both the army of Duke Dingguo and Duke Dingguo himself are gone, a family letter could not cause any disturbances. However, Song Yichun feels uneasy and is uncertain about what insanity Song Mo might engage in.
Ji Yong informs Dou Ming that Wei Tingyu urgently wants to see her. Dou Ming quickly changes into a maid’s outfit and rushes to the theater, entering the bedroom where Wei Tingyu is sleeping. When she tries to leave, the door is locked. Wei Tingyu wakes up, sees Dou Ming, and while happy, knows she can’t compromise Dou Ming’s reputation. Dou Ming worries that spending the night here could lead to bad rumors and laments that death might be preferable. Wei Tingyu insists on dying together. Dou Ming understands Wei Tingyu’s feelings, and they declare their love for each other, embracing tightly. Outside, Ji Yong hears them and is overjoyed, thinking the plan has succeeded. But just as he turns, Song Mo arrives, hitting him and breaking the lock on the door. Wei Tingyu quickly protects Dou Ming, explaining that it’s all her fault.
After hitting Wei Tingyu, Song Mo takes her back home to Wei Tingzhen, warning Wei Tingyu that if she speaks a word about tonight’s events, her life is forfeit. Wei Tingyu kneels and pleads with Wei Tingzhen to let her marry Dou Ming instead of Dou Zhao. Wei Tingzhen is furious and believes that Wang Yingxue is plotting to have a daughter of the Dou family marry into their family.
Wang Yingxue, however, does not want Dou Ming to marry Wei Tingyu and pushes for Wei Tingyu to marry Dou Zhao instead. Dou Ming has been patient with her mother but this time openly defies her, stating that she has already wed Wei Tingyu and cannot marry anyone else. Her mother has constantly belittled her, claiming she can’t do anything right, while only Wei Tingyu sees her worth. Wang Yingxue believes that only a man’s future can sustain a woman for life, ordering Dou Ming to be confined in a temple.
Wang Yingxue then goes to see Wei Tingzhen, suggesting they renegotiate the marriage. Wei Tingzhen accuses her of deceit, rebuking her for clinging to the Jining Marquisate, that when one scheme fails, she attempts another. Wang Yingxue boldly brings up Dou Zhao’s substantial family assets, which Wei Tingzhen lacks, prompting her to agree and set the wedding date for ten days later.
When Dou Zhao learns about Ji Yong’s actions, she angrily sends him away. Ji Yong feels Dou Zhao’s approach is too slow, but Dou Zhao believes that whatever she does must not harm others; otherwise, she would be no different from Wang Yingxue. Ji Yong argues that even if Wei Tingyu and Dou Zhao were to marry in the future, they would still engage in such activities right under her nose. If it weren’t for Song Mo’s intervention, they might have already been giving him sweet treats. Although Dou Zhao recalls past betrayals, she has now lost Ji Yong. In a huff, Ji Yong leaves but not before picking up the glasses Dou Zhao had previously given him.
Dou Ming is discovered to have committed suicide by swallowing gold. Wang Yingxue, heartbroken, holds her daughter, while Dou Ming expresses that she swore to Wei Tingyu during their marriage ceremony that if they could not be together in life, they would reunite in the afterlife. Soft-hearted, Wang Yingxue ultimately agrees to have her daughter switch brides and prepares a phoenix crown and crimson wedding gown for her.
As Song Mo escorts the Emperor on a trip, he intentionally takes a detour to the Jining Marquisate’s territory, allowing the Emperor to witness the poverty of the locals surviving by stripping bark while the Jining Marquisate seizes land to facilitate their marriage plans. Song Mo believes the Jining Marquisate has exploited the populace and that Wei Tingyu, who has achieved nothing significant over the years, is unworthy of being with Dou Zhao. Although the Emperor sees through Song Mo’s intentions to marry Dou Zhao, he declares that Dou Zhao and Wei Tingyu have already engaged in the official betrothal, which Song Mo cannot interfere with. Additionally, the Emperor intends to marry Princess Jingyu to Song Mo, further ignoring his pleas.
On the wedding day, Dou Ming delivers a bowl of soup to Dou Zhao. As the bride sets off in her veil-covered carriage, Wang Yingxue rushes out to place her jade bracelet on her wrist. Ji Yong, witnessing from the side, smiles, knowing the escape plan has succeeded. Song Mo leads a group intending to kidnap the bride, only to find the panicked bride hiding behind Wei Tingyu, realizing this person is not Dou Zhao. Ji Yong drags Song Mo into the carriage, trying to explain that this bride is not Dou Zhao, but Song Mo has already guessed.
In the bridal chamber, Wei Tingyu, thinking he is marrying Dou Zhao, drinks to drown his sorrows, only to be surprised when Dou Ming lifts the veil. Song Mo joyfully embraces Dou Ming. Dou Ming recounts how the bride swap occurred. That day, she took medicinal porridge to find Dou Zhao, but spilled it in her panic, leading Dou Zhao to discern her intentions. Instead of scolding her, Dou Zhao requested Dou Ming to hit her head with a tray, feigning unconsciousness as a ruse, allowing Dou Ming to switch into bride’s attire. Wei Tingyu listens and feels grateful to Dou Zhao.
