The Emperor believes firmly that the Crown Prince was the mastermind behind Xu Bin, that he brags about himself being an ideal candidate for the job of Counsellor, and he planned to assassinate the Emperor. Xu Bin points out that the Emperor wrongly places his trust in people with bad motives, and that leads to corruption and mismanagement. He rebukes the Emperor for having Lin Jiulang in his employ. The Emperor finally realises that Xu Bin has gone to great lengths to look out for the Emperor’s interests.
圣上断定徐宾的幕后主使是太子，徐宾自诩有做宰相的才能，他一个人精心谋划了刺杀圣上的所有计划。徐宾指出圣上宠信奸佞霍乱朝纲，谴责他不该重用林九郎，圣上终于明白了徐宾的苦心。徐宾被一箭穿心，手中的火把掉在地上，伏火雷被点燃，张小敬奋不顾身抱起圣上跃身而下，城楼瞬间发生爆炸。经过太医们抢救张小敬脱离了生命危险，圣上要重赏张小敬，可张小敬只想要回第八团的旗帜。何执正把李必唤醒，叮嘱他无论一生际遇如何，心中万不可蒙尘。圣上谴责太子不该维护林九郎，可太子自知才疏学浅不能助圣上振兴大唐。李必顺利进入凤阁，离宰相只有一步之遥，可他却决定上山修道，张小敬回绝了圣上的赏赐浪迹天涯，而檀棋则选择留下来陪严羽幻。
