Where the Mask Ends episode 13 recap: Songs against Han Liao

In short

Jun Dai turns the dying nanny's words against A Chou. A Chou beats Han Liao's thugs with songs instead of patrons, and the Emperor punishes him.

What happens in episode 13

Nanny Chang dies staring at Jun Dai and calling her a fake. Under Lady Shou'an's suspicious eye, Jun Dai hints the 'fake' is really A Chou. Huo Jue scolds her in private, but she charms him and he can't stay angry.

Below Yaowang Mountain, Han Liao's hired thugs seize the irrigation channel and beat villagers who come for water. A Chou's new guards drive them off. Qi Zhongkai suggests inviting powerful guests to scare Han Liao away, but Lu Zhuo points out he'll be back the moment they leave.

A Chou invites poor scholars instead. Han Liao assumes she just wants flattering poems and stops watching her. One scholar, Liu Ziyang, is thrown out for judging people by their looks, then sees how the villagers suffer and is the first to volunteer. The scholars don't have to petition the court: Bi Tao asks them for simple songs that people who can't read can sing. Lu Zhuo spreads them where A Chou's people can't go, like the army camps.

The songs reach the Emperor. Han Liao is beaten fifty strokes and sentenced to serve A Chou for a month, and his clan is ordered to work on the Empress Dowager's tomb, though a funeral and the Dowager's plea delay both punishments.

When A Chou plans to move to the estate, a jealous Lu Zhuo makes her say she needs him, then announces he's moving with her. Collecting the nanny's body, Guo Yufeng warns Jun Dai to stop digging into the past and promises Wei Heng'e will never hurt her.

Why it matters

A Chou wins without asking anyone powerful for help, and Guo Yufeng's warning shows she knows exactly what the nanny meant.

Based on the episode synopsis, summarized in our own words: TVmao (电视猫) episode synopses, cited by Baidu Baike Baidu Baike: official synopsis, episode synopses, cast and 追剧日历