Crown Prince Fu Su is ambushed by assassins, but fortunately, his Grand Tutor, Xia Ren, has already laid an elaborate trap and captures Mo Yuan, a core elder who betrayed the Mohist school. Meanwhile, turmoil erupts at the court in Xianyang as Huan Yi, Wang Wan, and others surround the Ministry of National Defense to expose traitorous conspirators hiding within the court. Nearly one-fifth of the officials involved are ordered by Ying Zheng to be investigated and arrested. Xia Ren analyzes three key characteristics of the forces behind the plot for the First Emperor, Ying Zheng, and narrows his suspicions to Hu Ji, the birth mother of Hu Hai, and her maternal relative, Hu Wen. While secretly ordering surveillance and a thorough investigation, Xia Ren also presents Ying Zheng with a five-year development plan for the Qin Empire, focused on allowing the people to recover and strengthening the state's foundations, as he gradually unravels the palace intrigues threatening the very foundations of Qin.