To infiltrate King Ping Nan’s strongholds, Xie Wei suggests a risky plan to the Emperor, to which Minister Gu immediately signs on Zhang Zhe due to his suspicions of Xie Wei. Xue Ning schemes with Zhou Yin to recover the other half of Lord Yan’s letter to King Ping Nan, leaving a trail for Xie Wei to follow. A fake Xue Ding Fei is sent by Lord Ping Nan to look for Gong Yi.