Qi Menglin bought ginger tea and chicken soup to deliver to Luo Shu. While Luo Shu was drinking the ginger tea brewed by Han Muzhi, Qi Menglin snatched it from her, spilling it all over the ground. He then gave Luo Shu his own ginger tea, desperately trying to please her, even bringing up his purchase of “Jin Nang” (courtesan) Su Lunya for 501 taels of silver as a way to curry favor. Curious why Luo Shu had changed her name, Luo Shu didn’t want to mention her unseemly past as “Jin Nang” in Mingkefang, but Qi Menglin was enthusiastic about it, making her angry and resentful. She believed Qi Menglin was humiliating her and yelled at him, forcibly sending him out. Qi Menglin had intended to express his feelings about his bond with Luo Shu, but it backfired.
Hua Miao, the second-in-command of the gang “White Paper Fan” (白纸扇), who has many underlings called “White Ants” (白蚂蚁), dispatched Bai Laer and three other White Ants to kidnap Qiao Ruolan, forcing her to write down the secret recipe for Jinrui Wine. Luo Shu suddenly intervened, shielding Qiao Ruolan and helping her escape by jumping into the river, which also attracted Han Muzhi and constables. Bai Laer and another White Ant were captured, while some escaped and handed the secret recipe to Hua Miao. From him, Hua Miao learned that Luo Shu had been rescued and Qiao Ruolan was missing. Fearing that time would bring complications, Hua Miao did not dare to continue searching for Qiao Ruolan and hurried back to the distillery to hand over the secret recipe to He Shenwei.
He Shenwei, upon seeing the secret recipe, was overjoyed and concluded that Qiao Ruolan had been drowned, fantasizing about soon dominating the Qiao family distillery. Hua Miao slapped him to wake him up and urged him to quickly take control of the distillery. Qiao Ruohui’s will clearly stated that He Shenwei only had the right to manage the distillery, without authority to buy or sell.
Qi Menglin continued trying to please Luo Shu, ending up disliked by everyone. Feeling resentful, he decided to leave Linfen for Taiyuan, believing Luo Shu would try to stop him. He sent Lian Shu to inform Luo Shu, but Luo Shu ignored him. Qi Menglin became angry and told Lian Shu to pack his bags immediately.
Cai Captian and his men searched along the river for a day and night but failed to find Qiao Ruolan. Han Muzhi instructed Cai Captian to send more men and continue searching along the river. Qi Menglin waited for a day; Cai Baozi, Xu Wuzuo, and Chen Meiqing came to bid him farewell, but Luo Shu never appeared, so Qi Menglin left reluctantly, with Han Muzhi and Chen Meiqing seeing him off.
Qi Menglin realized that Luo Shu never liked him after not waiting for her. Lian Shu kindly tried to comfort him. Luo Shu avoided sending Qi Menglin off because she wanted him to safely return to his hometown in Taiyuan without taking risks elsewhere. Luo Shu and Cai Captian went to find He Shenwei, who believed Qiao Ruolan was dead and sent word of mourning to Qiao Ruolan’s in-laws. In front of Luo Shu and Cai Captian, He Shenwei pounded his chest and wept bitterly.
A maid went through Qiao Ruohui’s belongings and found another letter containing the secret recipe for Jinrui Wine. He Shenwei was overjoyed, while Luo Shu wanted to congratulate He Shenwei, then left with Cai Captian. This was a scheme orchestrated by Hua Miao, intending for Luo Shu and Cai Captian to witness He Shenwei obtaining the secret recipe. Hua Miao urged He Shenwei to brew Jinrui Wine quickly and bring Qiu Niang to the Qiao family. He Shenwei immediately sent men to bring Qiu Niang home, showering her with gold and silver jewelry, making Qiu Niang ecstatic.
He Shenwei took over the Qiao family distillery legitimately and brewed Jinrui Wine according to the recipe. Wine merchants came to order, some wanting to taste it first. He Shenwei opened a jar, only to find that the color and taste of the wine were off. The merchants pressured He Shenwei to refund their money. He Shenwei realized that the secret recipe Qiao Ruolan had provided was fake. Hua Miao instructed He Shenwei to sell the distillery, but He Shenwei had no authority to dispose of it. Hua Miao agreed to help him find a way. He Shenwei couldn’t help but complain, reminiscing that under Qiao Ruohui, the distillery had been prosperous and his life was comfortable. Hua Miao’s plan to monopolize the distillery ended in disaster. Hua Miao threatened and intimidated He Shenwei, making him too scared to speak out.
Late at night, Qiu Niang stole a lot of gold and silver treasures from the study. Wang Mama caught her red-handed. He Shenwei was furious. Luo Shu arrived with constables from the county office in time, capturing Qiu Niang and returning her. It turned out that Luo Shu had set up a watch at the Qiao family and saw He Shenwei bringing Qiu Niang into the residence. Together with Wang Mama, Luo Shu and the constables captured Qiu Niang stealing.
Han Muzhi conducted a surprise interrogation on Qiu Niang and He Shenwei, where the constables had been surveilling the Qiao family. Hua Miao, who came to retrieve Qiu Niang, was captured on the spot. He Shenwei realized that Hua Miao and Qiu Niang had conspired to steal the Qiao family’s gold and silver treasures. Furious, He Shenwei was speechless. Han Muzhi suspected that He Shenwei and Qiu Niang were having an affair and that this was why Qiao Ruohui was killed. He Shenwei confessed that he had relations with Qiu Niang while drunk, resulting in her unexpected pregnancy, but he denied killing Qiao Ruohui.
Hua Miao confirmed that Qiao Ruohui died of illness, asking Han Muzhi to provide evidence. Luo Shu publicly exposed He Shenwei’s ability to imitate others’ handwriting and presented the correspondence between Qiao Ruolan and Qiao Ruohui. The letters Qiao Ruohui wrote after her miscarriage were actually written by He Shenwei, and her will was also imitated by He Shenwei in Qiao Ruohui’s handwriting. He Shenwei tried to dodge but Luo Shu summoned Qiao Ruolan to testify against He Shenwei. Both He Shenwei and Hua Miao were stunned, as they didn’t expect Qiao Ruolan was still alive.
Luo Shu had pulled Qiao Ruolan to escape by jumping into the river, diverting the White Ants to protect Qiao Ruolan. After Han Muzhi rescued Luo Shu, she was still concerned and went alone to find Qiao Ruolan, telling Han Muzhi to spread a false rumor that Qiao Ruolan had drowned in the Fen River. Qiao Ruolan exposed He Shenwei’s crimes, and Hua Miao tried to cover up his involvement with Qiu Niang to seize control of the Qiao family distillery. Luo Shu reminded He Shenwei to reveal the truth and exposed Hua Miao and Qiu Niang’s conspiracy to monopolize the Qiao family distillery.
