I have an epiphany: all Mingyu's promises in episode 48 are just a ploy to get Chengxu to surrender his power (military and regency) and the royal seal; she has not been sincere. Why would she want to run away with him at this stage? She would always be concerned about what her son would think of her. That's why I feel really eerie watching her going to him like that, promising a rosy romantic life with him. I believe Chengxu is not gullible as well. He knows what Mingyu is doing ie. getting him to hand over power to her son. If this is how it would really turn out for him, I don' think he would care anymore because there's not anyone he wants to protect after the death of Chengxuan and Yan Hai. His heart is already shattered into million pieces. He has already lost the will to live. What a miserable life. I hate the writer(s)!
Had his wife been a more lovable character, it could have made up for Chengxu's lost love. But as evil and bratty as Su Yu Ying, he would have rather lived in hell.
The other dowager empress Helan Yun Qi plays a big role in spoiling the little emperor. She always lets him get away with misdemeanor. She always asks Mingyu to get Chengxu to go soft on the little brat.
Yes, you guys are right. Mingyu is selfish. She wants everything without sacrificing anything. She thinks she has sacrificed a lot but in the end, she still comes out winning, every time.
I've always wondered, is it ever possible for a love like what Chengxu and Mingyu share, after everything that has happened between them, to last for decades. And yes, perhaps. The British royal family, Prince Charles and Camila Bowles, could be quite an excellent live example.