American Perspectives: Plans Foiled ("Twisted Fate of Love" Ep. 8)

Feng Xi is studying a detailed map of Lu Yuantong's residence, as both he and Dong Yue want to assassinate him.  However, he's wanting to take his time, while Dong Yue is wanting to do it immediately.  He thinks she is wanting to do too much too soon, and therefore, he has to think of a way to keep her from putting her plan into action.  Because she was recently dismissed from Taishi Bureau, he feels he has to be responsible for her.

Dao Le thinks he has a fool proof idea to keep Dong Yue away from Lu Yuantong's residence.  With the help of Lu Chuan, Dao Le goes to visit Dong Yue, and to play a few rounds of cards.  Ideally, this should deter her from going to the banquet at Lu Yuantong's home.  While Dao Le and Dong Yue are arguing over whether or not she's cheating, Lu Chuan slips a sedative in her drink.  He tells them to stop arguing, and offers Dong Yue the drugged tea.  Dong Yue decides she doesn't want to play anymore, and while the two men are distracted by the card game, she switches her drugged tea with Dao Le's not drugged tea.  She takes a sip, he takes a sip.  As Dao Le and Lu Chuan get ready to play another round, Dong Yue begins to think.  She takes a good look at Dao Le and asks if Feng Xi told him to keep an eye on her.  Dao Le and Lu Chuan are shocked that she figured it out.  How could she possibly know? (It's because Feng Xi is more predictable than he believes himself to be).  Because Dong Yue had switched her tea with Dao Le's, he's the one who ends up passing out.  She then punches Lu Chuan in the face, effectively knocking him out.

She sneaks out of her room, ready to go to the banquet.  Feng Xi is entertaining the Emperor with magic tricks.  Feng Xi and the Emperor eventually go into the dining hall where all of the guests are entertained by a group of dancers.

Dao Le is able to make it to the banquet after the sedative has worn off, and goes to Feng Xi while he's watching the dancers.  Feng Xi can already tell from Dao Le's facial expression that the plan has failed.  Dao Le remarks that she's too cunning.  He volunteers a scapegoat for Dong Yue in case she gets caught.  Feng Xi tells him to go outside and wait for his orders.

Lu Yuantong is stumbling around outside on the balcony, drunk.  He is aware there's an assassin in his home, and has prepared accordingly.  Dong Yue sneaks in through his bedroom window, wearing maid's clothing, with a dagger in hand.  She goes to Lu Yuantong's bed to stab him, but it isn't him!  Instead, it's his personal guard, Zang Fei.  Dong Yue is completely cornered, but she ferociously fights off the guards the best she can.  Zang Fei shoots her in the chest  with the Thunderbolt bomb.  Regardless, she is still able to jump out the window and escape.

The Emperor is immediately notified in the middle of the banquet, and Feng Xi has to do his best to keep a straight face.  The Emperor cannot know that he knows about it.  He leaves the dining hall and goes looking for Dong Yue.  He finds her hiding outside.  While she is concentrating on staying hidden, he sneaks up behind her and surprises her.  He tells her the area is heavily guarded, and that if she wants to live, she must follow him.  They find a room to hide in, and he promises to keep her safe.  She wants to know why he's helping her.  He says he doesn't know why he cares about her either, but to just stay in the room and not concern herself with what's happening outside.  If she follows his instructions, she'll be safe.  He tells her to take of her clothes as he is removing his.  She is understandably frightened and disgusted, and wants to know what he's doing.  "I'm only doing what people do in bedrooms," is his response.  She is obviously not okay with this, and to say she's creeped out is an understatement.  She tries to move away from him.  He grabs her and removes the top layer of her clothes, but she falls, knocking over a basin of water, which spills on her, and heals one of her wounds.  The Thunderbolt bomb wound on her chest does not heal, which leaves Feng Xi very concerned.  She rightfully does not want him looking at it, touching it, ogling it, no matter how well intentioned he may be.  They hear voices outside, and immediately move to the bed.  He lays on top of her, and she tries to push him away.  He tells her not to move, as people are getting ready to enter the bedroom.  He says he has no choice.  She is fearful that he's actually going to "take it all the way."  His intention is to make it look like they are having sex in order to keep the guards from thoroughly searching them and from searching the room.  It is not his intention to humiliate Dong Yue, or to actually have sex with her.

The guards burst through the room, notice the clothes on the floor, and that the transparent curtain around the bed is closed.  Through the curtains, the guards can see him intimately embracing a woman (Dong Yue).  He is admonished for being so casual in Lu Yuantong's home.

Feng Xi replies, "In my brother's house, I can do whatever I want...If you understand, then just scram."

Zang Fei is pissed, and he's suspicious.  "Well, it's just so strange that each time I'm chasing the assassin, I always bump into you being intimate with a woman.  Is it because you are so amorous, or is this woman really beautiful?"  He pulls back the curtain, and Feng Xi kicks him in the chest, sending him sprawling.

The guard is sure Dong Yue is not on the list of women who are allowed in Lu Yuantong's home for the banquet, but Feng Xi won't let him anywhere near her.  He tells the guard to get lost so they can get dressed and answer to the Emperor.

The guards leave, but meet with the Emperor in the banquet hall.

Back in the bedroom, Feng Xi tells Dong Yue that she cannot kill Lu Yuantong alone.  She wants to know what she can do.  He says there's someone on the court's side who can help her.  She puts on Feng Xi's navy colored Daxiushan over a sleeveless white underdress.  They walk into the banquet hall together.  Third Prince is surprised to see her.  They bow to the Emperor and apologize.  While kneeling, the Daxiushan falls off of Dong Yue's shoulder, revealing her bare arm, which shows no wound.  Zang Fei is confused, as he was sure that she was the assassin, and she's supposed to have a wound on that arm.  The Emperor and Left Prime Minister recognize her as Dong Yue.  Because they assumed she was a man, they want to know her real gender.  She admits she is a woman, and takes ownership of the crime of knowingly deceiving the Emperor.  This creates a whole new set of problems, and now the Emperor is irate with Feng Xi.  Feng Xi lies and says he did not know Dong Yue was a woman until the whole debacle with the Duke of An, and then he tried to hide his knowledge.  Third Prince intervenes and says Dong Yue will bring great achievements that would cancel out her deception.  He asks the Emperor to forgive her (and Feng Xi) for deceiving the Emperor.  Third Prince offers to be punished alongside Dong Yue, as he had also known that she was a woman.  They agree to discuss this matter another day, as they are still searching for the assassin.

Zang Fei insists on checking Dong Yue's chest for the Thunderbolt bomb wound.  Before that can be done, an announcement is made that the assassin has been caught.  Dao Le brings in the other woman/the scapegoat.  Her mask is torn off, and it's Ming Zhu! 

Lu Yuantong and Zang Fei are skeptical, but she does have the wound on her chest.  She confesses to the crime, and reveals unflattering information about the Left Prime Minister, about how he set her up to frame Dong Yue during the Duke of An incident.  The Emperor is left confused, as she is listing out a string of events that Left Prime Minister is vehemenantly denying.  The Emperor orders the guards to imprison her.  She is dragged out, yelling at the Left Prime Minister.  Because of her words, the Emperor has one more thing to be suspicious of, and he orders the Left Prime Minister be placed on house arrest.