We get flashbacks now of when Zhang Xiao Jing was a soldier defending the border. He and his fellow soldiers were faced with low morale, no food and no reinforcements. But ultimately, they decided to not retreat or give up.
Zhang Xiao Jing is making his way up the lantern tower but is met with an tough decision. Who does he save? The civilians in the square? Or the Emperor.
Zhang Xiao Jing finally makes it into the grand lantern and is closer to see his adversary of the night. The Crown Prince and the Right Chancellor square off in front of the Emperor in the Flower Sepal Tower. Meanwhile, back at Jing An Si, Cheng Sen offers his services to investigate the case in order to not be a scapegoat for today's events.
The Emperor holds court and asks about an embassy for the ambassador from Little Patola. Here, the Prince of Yong and the Right Chancellor start a verbal spat with the Crown Prince and Director He on the true nature of how the land was procured. We finally learn what happened that bloody day months ago that landed Zhang Xiao Jing on death row. Meanwhile, Tan Qi requests aid from Yan Yu Huan to save Zhang Xiao Jing while he travels to the palace to stop Long Bo.
Zhang Xiao Jing learns that Long Bo's true target might be the giant lantern tower built for the Emperor for the Lantern Festival. Meanwhile, we finally get to meet the famed Yan Tai Zhen aka Consort Yang Yu Huan of history and the Emperor Tang Xuan Zong at Hua E Tower during the strike of midnight.
In ep 33, we finally get a breather for our heroes. Tan Qi and Li Bi finally part ways despite Li Bi ultimately saving her from certain death. Zhang Xiao Jing head off in search of clues from the mysterious bamboo fragment. This leads them back to Jing An Si where they have a hilarious encounter with an old frenemy. The two then go off to find a blacksmith who might solve their mystery and get them closer to the final riddle.
Li Bi manages to escape from the Right Chancellor's clutches and brings much needed news to the Crown Prince and General Guo. Meanwhile, Zhang Xiao Jing finds Xu Bin and heads off to rescue Tan Qi held hostage at the Right Chancellor's residence. Yao Ru Neng steps up in a big way to save Tan Qi who reiterates that she is more than just a slave. She has value and is capable of more.
Director He finally makes an appearance and heads to the Right Chancellor's residence along with Li Bi and Tan Qi. There, we see just how powerful the Right Chancellor is as he manipulates He Fu into giving a false confession before committing suicide and then tries to force Li Bi into signing a statement implicating the Crown Prince by threatening Tan Qi's life. Elsewhere, Zhang Xiao Jing searches for more clues with the help of the famed singer, Xu He Zi.
In episode 28, Zhang Xiao Jing must return to the underground to find more clues about the hired mercenaries. Ge Lao faces a mutiny from his men but, with the help of Zhang Xiao Jing, dispatches the traitors. Zhang Xiao Jing is rewarded for this loyalty. Meanwhile, He Fu's actions have escalated to the battle between the Right Chancellor and the Crown Prince. The Right Chancellor tries to discover if Director He knew of He Fu's plans. General Guo tries the same.
