Hua Bu Qi arrives home and gets scolded by Zhu Hua (Uncle Jiu) who knows that she's been doing business behind his back. After she reluctantly promised not to do errands anymore, Uncle Jiu passed out due to his sickness. Chen Yu who investigates the motive behind the robbery gets distracted and decides to go to Yaoling Manor to retrieve medicine for his father. To save Uncle Jiu, Bu Qi also goes to Yaoling Manor to get the same medicine, but gets rejected instead and engages in a number of disputes with Chen Yu. Afterwards, Bu Qi and Uncle Jiu plan to go back to the capital after the latter is cured with the help of Lian Yi Ke. However, before their departure, they are ambushed by a group of assassins at the broken-down house.
Our drama opens with Xuo Hua (I had her name wrong) running to where she has apparently been keeping the family savings--buried underground--because her Uncle has passed out (a lot of people still bury their money underground) and she rushes to get a doctor.The doctor tells her that her Uncle is dying, his organs are shutting down, and there is nothing he can do. She throws herself at his feet and begs--finally he tells her of the Spring Revival Pill, made by Yuoling manner. It akes 3 yrs to gather the herbs/one year to make and is extremely expensive. She could try there.She rushes to the manor and is kind of laughed at--not in a mean way just in a sort of 'this is impossible way' because although she has saved a lot of money--50 taels of silver (I did some research but it is difficult to really understand what this could buy you--it is almost enough to buy a house, but food and clothing overall was more expensive by percentage then housing back then so relatively speaking, there is no clear cut answer they actually didn't keep the best records back then of buying things) and even offers to sell herself to the manor as slave for manual labor (which tells us she does not believe she is a great beauty). She is told not even 1000 taels would be enough and he says they sold a pill to Lord Chen, leaving them with only one pill now. He shuts the door on her. (OH, and the young lord/lotus/mr. chen is actually the crown prince).Xuo Hua climbs over the wall and as luck would have it runs into Master Li (who spoke to the First Miss earlier and may be involved in stealing medicine) and the young lord she insulted/Lotus. Master Li apologizes for being unable to give her the pill and offers to give her aged ginseng (another precious item). She recognizes the young lord as being the man she accused earlier of being a bad person and realizes this is Lord Chen. She immediately realizes that this is bad (this is a funny scene I can relate to her feelings of awkardness its like realizing you were gossiping about someone and then you learn they are standing behind you) and prepares to smooth talk him--she states that since he bought two can't she have one. He tells her that no one can take away the things that he wants away from him (o_O). She then tries to use tears to move his heart. She is trying to appear helpless but we know she isn't. She apologizes to him for rebuking him earlier but he ultimately throws her out. She returns home empty handed and apologizes to her sleeping Uncle. She apologizes for fighting with him yesterday and begs him to wae up. Lotus shows up and listens to her crying and begging her uncle to wake up. He gives her the pill. Then leaves.She immediately feeds it to her uncle. and rushes outside to thank him but he is gone. So she screams it out loud. Her uncle tells her that his days are not long so he will take her to the capital to find Mr. Zhu and learn about her birth so she can decide her path. Back at Yuoling manor, Lotus sneaks in checks the financial records, steals them to make a copy so he can then put them back). She finds Mr. Chen who refuses to give her the pill and she asks if she can hitch a ride to the capital and she lies that her uncle cannot be healed so she wants to go to the capital under his protection to find a doctor. She becomes desperate and begs and a scene is made and she tells him not to regret--she makes a huge scene and accuses him of abandoning her and their baby--everyone watching is disgusted by him --he drags her into room and he wants to know how she can threaten him and makes her uncomfortable he tells her that if she sleeps with him he will take her to the capital (I am going to keep in open mind because even if she is his sister...did royalty sometimes marry family members back then??) her acting is good enough that people want to rescue her. He tells her to wash all his laundry he will take her to the capital. Lady Lin enters (she looks like the girl who was scheming earlier) and is able to take him away. The laundry is ALOT. (This actually sucks historically laundry washing has always been the least liked job, especially because of the cold weather). She continues her helpless maiden act.Lady Lin and Crown Prince meet in a field (I have bad vibes about this one any woman who is that submissive and that beautiful in these shows is usually not what she seems). She tells him that it was probably Lotus knight who stole the medicine and crown prince curses the Lotus. He returns and everyone is spitting on him for the treatment of his 'pregnant wife'. Xua Hua/Bu Qi (I had her name right). Her acting works and he promises to take her and she tells him that he better not run away from her.Shi (prince's aid) and prince have a dialogue--he wants to know if this is his half sister, otherwise he wouldn't take her, although if she isn't he admits he feels bad for her.He says they can't trust her though because she is full of lies and is clever and she may be useful long run. Elsewhere, the Prince of Xin who stays at trust manor is looking for the girl (is this the king I mentioned earlier?) His aid says they need more people, and we learn that he is being held hostage at the capital as the treasurer and that the emperor fears he will launch a rebellion. His aid suggests that the four families in Xizhou (where Bu Qi lives) can help look for her. We finally learn that Uncle Jiu seems to have been an extremely wealthy person who gave up his bussiness to live as a beggar, and that female lead is the saintess. He tells his aid that he must tell his son who was able to obtain the pills for him that he must find that person i.e. saintess before he dies.MEANWHILEThe girl who I thought was scheming--now i don't know--is meeting with an old man and I don't know who he is but their overall goal seems to be to sow distrust and chaos between the Feiyan and Mo families who will be married soon. He also wishes to interrupt the emperor's plans. (A lot of scheming, but who are these people???). Here we learn that this old lord wants to find the illegitamte daughter of seventh prince and xue fei, and that he could not forget Xue Fei, but the woman wishes to kill this illegitimate daughter.Uncle Jiu seems healed, and she tells him that she got them a ride. Unfortunately masked people break in and find them. (An invisible breeze stirs the hair of Jiu) (it seems to be the lady from earlier and she is from Mingyue villa apparently). Fighting ensues. Uncle Jiu can apparently fight well. He can fight through the stabs, he gets her outsize (its raining) and tells her to go first). He tells her to stay alive no matter what, to take the almsbowl and go see Mr. Zhu at the pawnshop ONLY him.. .....She tries to fight back but he pushes her away. Her uncle is mortally injured in front of her. But he is willing to fight to his death to keep her safe (is he her father?).