No, Qi Min recognizes him, ML doesn't. ML has never seen him before.
XZ had his spies investigate in a previous ep so he knows about the missing grain that someone bought. QM recognized him but XZ never met him before. QM sent his man to meet XZ to offer an alliance.
Much as I'm enjoying this arc, it's taking up too many episodes. I hope we don't end up with an unsatisfying climax and ending because there aren't enough eps left.
The princess knew the Gongsun family doesn't interfere in politics or hold official positions and she still went to stalk him. Like how naive can she get.
Many viewers have said this but the scene framing and lighting is superb. Easily the best I've seen yet in a Cdrama. And it's not just 1 or 2 scenes per episode either. The camera team have done a great job. So did the post-editing team. The drama has a uniform look and colour scheme that complements itself and its actors' wardrobe. That's not an easy feat.