episode 24 spoilers ahead

24/96!



--IN WHICH XU HUI SETS TRAPS--



1.Xu Hui discusses the strange incident with Xiao Q seeming to want to mend the rift. Xu Hui only tells her that she went to visit her and became angry, and feels guilty for ruining the chance. She carefully words everything, appealing to Menieng's desire to actively help, and Menieng falls for it: she volunteers to deliver food to Xiao Q and help mend the situation. She doesn't know that this food may contain the necessary goods to induce a miscarriage.



2.Meanwhile, Prince Wei is irritated that his plan to use Chengxin has flopped now that he is dead--he wanted to kidnap his mother and blackmail Chengxin. But he has a back up, because he has learned that Chengxin is not actually dead...He has a letter sent to the Crown Princess, and orders that it be delivered anonymously.



3.Meanwhile, Crown Princess is going through Chengxin's things because she wants to know how he managed to obtain her husband's attention (she is fixated on her husband but I think she truly loves him; she tolerated Chengxin when she thought he might help the prince). She receives the mysterious letter and is shocked to learn that Chengxin is alive on Mount Mong (I won't lie, I thought maybe that Prince Wei hired an impersonator, but it's true) The crown princess arrives and sees both Chengxin and the prince there, meaning the crown prince has lied to the Emperor for this man. She leaves. So she doesn't hear the Crown Prince talking to Chengxin, who will shortly leave for Mongolia and live quietly....The crown prince should not have hesitated but immediately sent him away...



4.Menieng visits Xiao Q who is with Consort Wei. Xiao Q manages to steal a satchet without anyone noticing. I don't think she should trust Xu Hui; I know she is desperate but Xu Hui could easily kill two birds with one stone and make it look like Menieng was helping her miscarry.



5.Xu Hui continues to wreak havoc, and it is so easy for her because she has a pristine reputation. She is able to convince the princess, who came to speak to Menieng, to talk to her. Xu Hui learns that Chengxin is alive, and she plots. She tells the princess that they can help the crown prince by having Chengxin killed. She encourages her to see Honorable Wei, since she knows his schedule, she knows exactly where she can meet him clandestinely...



6.Next, Xu Hui meets with Menieng, tells her what the crown princess tells her, and tells her where the emperor will be to help divert attention, but she basically does that to get her out of the way. As she leaves Xu Hui coldly whispers that it is her fault for siding with Menieng (sums it up perfectly)Meanwhile, Xu Hui sees the emperor, suggests they go to the gardens, and he just happens to see and overhear the conversation between Crown Princess and Honorable Wei: he hears her tell Wei that Chengxin is alive, and first Wei does not believe her, but then he does and he says he will take care of it...The emperor is ANGRY



7.Afterwards, Xu Hui encounters Menieng and plays the dumb card and talks about how upset she is that she messed everything up but Menieng tells her not to worry about it...



8.Meanwhile, the Crown Prince is with Chengxin. He reveals that the reason he has been so attached to him because he resembles a cousin he cared for deeply, Chengxun (I know, of all the names). He shares that all of his friends, everyone he cared for, were guarding Xiaongu Gate and were killed by his father. he says he wants to see at least one friend survive.



9.Chengxin goes into the woods and he runs into....the Emperor! The emperor accuses him of being the worse for manipulating his son into lying to him. Chengxin says they are merely good friends, he tells him this is his fault and that the crown prince is innocent. The emperor hesitates, especially when he hears that his son is attached to him because he resembles Chengxun. The crown princes comes outside, and Chengxin yells at him to turn around and run, but he does not and he sees his father behead him (OMG!) and the prince is so upset he pulls a sword on the emperor and tries to kill him (OMG!) But the emperor gets through his rage when he basically calls him crazy for trying to kill him over a valet. The crown prince is arrested....



10.That night Prince Wei burns paper for the people he has killed (so this is called Joss paper burning, usually done in veneration of the deceased, typically you burn like money to help the dead have a life of luxury or shorter stay in hell)(I am somehow cynical that he possesses guilt over his actions) He assesses the situation and states they have about a 70%chance of seeing the prince deposed.



11.Consort Wei is strangely vulnerable around him, ruefully asking if they will ever finish scheming but he is reassuring to her (are these two lovers? if she is to be empress wouldn't that mean he plans to marry her?) (they are also strangely vulnerable and we see that circumstance and fate seemed to make them into these ruthless people: he lost his mother because of scheming and she lost the ability to have children. the two were taught very bitter lessons early on that no one is to be trusted and you can only survive by eliminating everyone else)



12.Prince Wei reassures her that the emperor would not let sentiment get in the way of reason. he also suggests that she take the opportunity to take out Menieng at the same time she disposes of Xiao Q...



---I have mixed feelings. The emperor almost did his son a favor by being the one to kill Chengxin, that way he did not have to do it. But he is also a hypocrite, in my book. In addition to this, Crown Prince really continues to demonstrate that he would not be the best emperor if only because he cannot handle criticism or injustice--he rails against the plots against him without understanding that this is the reality of being emperor and he needs to get better at the game if he wants to survive--

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ep 16 spoilers ahead

16/96!



1.At the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince discusses with Changxin that General Hou is returning, having just defeated a Tibetan arm that was invading Jianun Circuit. He says his presence will be good for the Crown Prince as Hou, Du Zenglun, Yu Zhining, Li Ji, and Wei Zheng are all loyal to him (it seems now is the time to consider building up alliances). A clandestine meeting his been arranged at a sword school (not sure who will be in attendance).



2.Elsewhere, Hou Junji arrives. He is so respected that he can enter the council room with his armor and weapon and does not even have to bow to the emperor when in army (he still bows). Just before he appears, Crown Prince nominates him to take care of the issue of Qu Wetan who has colluded with Mongols, disregarded orders, and is blocking trade routes in the desert. Minister Wei objects, and is in the middle of calling Hou old as he walks in. This naturally annoys Hou who becomes belligerent, but stops when the emperor tells him to. He then sarcastically compliments Minister Wei and says there is no way someone like Wei could be treacherous or backstabbing (bwahhaa)



3.Hou receives the order and the crown prince is smug (this is a victory for him). Elsewehere, Prince Wei meets with Consort Wei (I was confused before, although they have the same name there is no relation)--he plans to use the calamity to his advantage and use it to take down Cairen Wu and discredit the crown prince. He encourages Consort Wei to remain patient and to not let her personal feelings get in the way.



4.At Xingyun court (Master Li/Taoist/astronomer) someone breaks in and hides just before he enters. Someone--Cheng Gong Gong who serves Consort Wei and tortured Wu earlier in the series--appears with an offer to ally with him and set up Wu. He wants to set her up as a witch, and plant incriminating evidence. Master Li refuses, and makes it clear that although he believes Wu should die, he will not assist in crimes. After he leaves, he calls out the intruder...



5.The intruder is Wu, and she knocks him out, she uses his knife to threaten him, tie him and, and basically rips into him about how he is a hypocrite, casually destroying peoples lives without thought or care, and hiding behind the 'good of the state' when all he and the ministers care about his power. Master Li disagrees and claims his intentions are pure and he is guided by reason and she accuses him of having no heart and breaks down in tears. The emperor comes, and Master Li conceals her presence, and then she thanks him but he makes it clear they are not friends, he merely does not seek to unjustly harm people (uh-huh)



6.The ministers congregate and learn ants outside the city have clumped together to form a sentence that shares the calamity with everyone (an easy trick that you can do with sugar or honey) while the commoners whisper that the crown prince lacks virtue (you can cause rumors very easily) They blame it on the crown prince and his lack of virtue.



7.The Taoist goes into 10 day seclusion and will have a name of who the Wu to kill is,



8.Chong'er, the son of Minister Wei, questions if Wu is a threat. Minister Wei says she is a threat, not to the current emperor but the next one. He says to not be blinded by kindness--she is extremely smart and capable and should be treated as a danger.



9.Worried for her safety, the emperor restricts Wu's movements so that she will be by his side by day and will only leave the palace with him, and will only accept food from a pre-approved person.



10.Elsewhere, crown prince lets off some steam during a sword duel and expresses his extreme frustration over Cairen Wu and how it implicates him.



11.Master Li mysteriously dies, and in his hand clutches a note, with Ru Yi's name on it (how convenient). Crown Prince wants to demand Wu's death, but his tutor cautions him. he tells him that he is always watching Prince Wu but that there are other princes--he tells him he should be worried about Prince Wei whom he knows is close with the Wei clan and Consort Wei. He cautions the crown prince and suggests he ally with Cairen Wu because 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' and she could be a friend in the future...in addition to this, he needs the harem on his side moving forward and since Cairen Wu is smart and favored by the emperor, he should use her.



12.Elsewhere, Xu Hui continues to hear whispers from the same eunuch, and while he praises Wu and says that although Xu Hui is ignored what ever good things happen to her will roll over to Xu Hui (its like saying, the emperor doesn't care about you but don't worry you will get the scraps). Xu hui looks increasingly anxious....

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ep 13 spoilers ahead

13/96!



Let me preface this with a simple statement: I feel bad for the horses...



1.The Mongols secure a victory, it seems, and receive an award of flowers (?) not sure what the meaning behind this is. Maybe it is hard to see these types of flowers during this kind of weather (it looks like early winter/late fall). Crown prince is able to have the match turned into a tie, because neither side followed the rules 100%. In order to avoid the unspeakable precedent of not naming a victor, the advisor to Mutu suggests a riddle: select the prettiest flower, and you cannot retrace your steps. Xu Hui points out that this is a trick because beauty cannot be defined. But Ru Yi is clever and comes up with a plan.



This is a great exchange: Mutu Prince says, 'You dress like a Cairen, you think you can answer it?' and Ru Yi says, 'You dress like a prince, don't you know not to judge a book by its cover?' (OWNED)



2.The emperor warns her to 'not be a hero'. She selects a flower and the Mongols laugh at her and say there is a prettier flower out there. But men torch the flowers, so she naturally has the only (and prettiest) flower. This earns her a great deal of respect from the Mongols. They suggest one more contest, archery, and challenge the emperor. After the Mutus go, Ru Yi gets on a horse (she has excellent horsemanship) and she places the flower in her mouth and the emperor shoots it off at the stem in an impossible shot. It is a perfect ending because the crowd has had entertainment, the Mongols did not have their pride offended, and the Tang maintain their image.



3.The emperor is so proud of her he gives her a new name, Wu Meiniang, after a river goddess. At the same time, Li Zhe, the young prince (and as we all know, the future husband of Ru Yi, seems dazzled and struck by love)



4.Elsewhere, Xiao Q. is raging (worse part is, the emperor has all but forgotten her...she has to compete with Xu Hui who is smarter and Ru Yi who is more daring/clever). Consort Wei strolls in, and basically tells her to go to the hall or destroy everything and kill herself (I almost pity Consort Wei because she just has Xiao Q to work with, but Consort Wei is the kind of person who lands on her feet)



5.Elsewhere, the Qiuzhou army is preparing, just waiting for the signal that let's them know the emperor is dead. If they fail, then they will enter the city and attend the ceremony, as if nothing happened. (This kid seems sort of out of touch with the severity of his actions--)



6.Back at court, they are celebrating. There will be acrobats (coincidently, the assassins). Here a painter named Liben gifts the emperor with a painting of Wu M. on horseback (Ru Yi) The emperor is pleased and has it sent to his palace. He then asks Ru Yi to join him to privately watch the fireworks. Xu Hui again seems anxious/uneasy. Consort Yang takes advantage of the girls unease and tries to plant some seeds of doubt: she tells her that the incident of the fan is being handled by another department because anyone who came in contact with it, including Wu, could have poisoned her. Xu Hui excuses herself...



(I forgot, prior to this, the emperor gives Wu M another gift (her request) of having Consort Yin's house arrest being revoked. This is apparently an extremely presumptuous request, but he satisfies it. Her actions also confuse the ministers, who say she broke the cardinal rule of the harem by splitting her loyalties so openly)



7.Elsewhere, a Zheng gong gong is being aided by Wanyan's father, who has been supporting the rebellion in order to learn who killed his daughter. I genuinely feel bad for him. He won't wait three days as ordered and pulls a knife on the eunuch. Rebelling guards seize him, and before he is murdered, he learns his own family, Consort Yin, killed her...



8.Elsewhere, Consort Yin is visited by the eunuch. She tells him he should stop playing these games (essentially) however she is horrified to learn that her brother has instigated a rebellion. She tells him to halt it, that she doesn't care about (essentially) the anger and fear among the surviving clan members (they were almost wiped out because of loyalty to the previous Sui emperor. I have also read that during this time period, entire clans were not wiped out in order that some surviving relatives could honor the deceased)



9.Eunuch tells her it is too late, so she challenges him to kill her because she will warn the emperor....



10.Meanwhile, Crown Prince (who is getting wasted) receives a message that Mongol troops are at the border (not sure if this is true or not) prompting him to be distracted...



11.Wu M is walking with the emperor when a messenger arrives, planning to tell of the Mongol news, but wait, he's an assassin! The emperor dodges the poison arrow he shoots out and Wu catches the sword (not sure how come this did not cut her hand off)



-----It is a good thing she intervened because she just spoke up for Yin....this makes her less likely to be accused of being involved in rebellion later...---

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ep 6 spoilers ahead

6/96!



The plot advances slowly, but due to the sheer volume of events occurring, the show continues to maintain my interest.



1.We open to Ru Yi being tortured. Before Noble Consort W. Can kill her, it is announced that the emperor is arrived (this is how skilled she is at this game)--Noble Consort issues an order to have the jacket removed. She rushes out to greet the emperor (delay) by the time he arrives Ru Yi looks very weak but there is no blood on her, no jacket.



2.The emperor maintains an emotionless face as he tells Noble Consort W. that there is no need for torture. She says she has not tortured her and that she has only been questioning her and that Ru Yi is just weak. Ru Yi tries to tell the truth but before she can the emperor tells Noble Consort that he of course believes her, causing Ru Yi to feel dejected.



3.Ru Yi is released, and we learn from the Noble Consort that the emperor may have appeared to be on her side but he is in fact playing the game too: he is giving her a concession in order to advance and protect Ru Yi later. It is a courtesy, basically, to her clan, but nothing more.



4.Ru Yi later finds herself in Chenqing call--I don't know why she came here--and assassins attack her. They nearly kill her but she manages to escape. She runs into the arms of the emperor, who luckily was there. He immediately takes her to his palace and Xu Hui is summoned to care for her.



5.Ru Yi has PTSD as she has awful nightmares about Wanyan. The Pure Consort visits her and asks her what her plan is. Ru Yi tells her that she has no intention of pursuing Noble Consort because she recognizes that she cannot win against her. Pure Consort is happy to hear this. She tells her that Consort Wei was once like her, innocent, but after arriving in the harem she had 3 years of miscarriages. It was discovered someone was poisoning her. The palace was turned upside down but no one was caught. Consort Wei lost the ability to conceive children. This makes Ru Yi pity her, and we at last learned how she came to be so ruthless.



6.Later, when she is alone with her servant, Consort Yang (pure consort) discusses how unpredictable Ru Yi is and how she could be a useful pawn in the future (I wonder why she did not say 'ally'?)



7.The emperor has placed the Grand Court in charge of investigating, and Dai Qing (?) a loyal friend and minister is placed in charge. They gather evidence and the emperor learns that Wanyan was poisoned because of the jug, which had a reverse mechanism, however the conclusion is that Wanyan was tricked and set up--so they know a bigger fish is out there behind all of this.



8.Meanwhile, the crown prince arrives, a merchant crashes his court into him, he is thrown from his horse, and the horse crushes his leg. The ministers report that this is because a follower of the prince murdered the merchant's father whiled drunk and this was an act of revenge. The prince is to be assigned a new teacher to learn to have a better nature. We also learn the prince will be crippled for life (the emperor is angry, stating it is better to be dead than crippled)



9.After all the ministers leave Dai Qing reports that the incident was likely planned out by someone with power, and he suggests it is related/mirrors the Xionwu gate incident (perhaps implying the siblings tried to kill him?)



---I enjoyed the episode, I enjoyed seeing Ru Yi grow more savy with harem politics, and am curious to watch more of the story unfold. Since the emphasis is clearly on plots and politics, I have accepted it will be advancing very slowly--

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ep 5 spoilers ahead

5/96!



So much has happened and I haven't even made a dent in this show....



1.We open to the emperor who spends his evenings talking with Ru Yi. When the bell rings signaling morning court, she begs him to stay. He tells her that he must follow the rules (lesson). She in turn invites him to watch the morning servants on their way, so long as he promises not to punish anyone. He sees a maid snacking on the food she is delivering and eunechs engaged in a game. Her lesson to him is that even though people have work, it would be dull if you did not incorporate fun. he tells her he has learned something from her...



2.Virtous Consort Yin has her servant, Siyaou Liu, support Wanyan. Meanwhile Wanyan is humiliated by Xiao who exposes that the emperor still has not lain with her. But Wanyan, visibly upset, tells her that she is a Jieyou while Xiao is a 5th rank Cairen (I thought she was Jieyou too). Xiao tells her that the emperor spends his nights with Ru Yi, but Xiao won't believe it. She visits Ru Yi herself, asks her questions, and Ru Yi pretends that she does not know where the emperor spends his time (I wonder why she lied?)



3.Wunyan views this as a huge betrayal (I'm not sure why since its the harem and everyone is competing with each other). But she views Ru Yi as a traitor, a bad friend, and now wants to eliminate her. She goes to Virtuous Consort, and goes so far as to sweeten the pot by stating that if she gains the emperor's eye, they can bring her son back. Virtuous Consort helps her by giving her a 'Double Channel Poison Jug' (Here I was thinking that Noble Consort Wei is an excellent manipulator because she got her niece to manipulate Wunyan who in turn is manipulating Virtuous Consort). This jug allows you to roll a pearl and poison someone while both people drink from the same container.



4.Ru Yi is invited to visit Wunyan, who uses the jug. We learn from her that she has every mirror covered because she hates her reflection; she has been training since she was 10 to emulate Wende. Ru Yi is surprised by this and Wunyan says that she won't tell anyone, and Ru Yi does not get the hidden meeting. The girls drink tea, and Wanyan waits for the poison to take effect.



5.SHOCKER Wunyan is the one who is poisoned. She dies a brutal, violent death with blood dripping from her mouth and nose and eyes and ears. Ru Yi screams for help and tries to help her. She dies in her arms, whispering that she was sabotaged--it seems that she was deliberately how to use the jug incorrectly. Her own family killed her!



6.Ru Yi is arrested for the murder by the Attendance Court. Because she is a Cairen, and without rank, she has the same status as a maid. Consort Wei meets with Consort Yin and essentially calls her out for her behavior and congratulates her, since she will kill two birds with one stone. Virtuous Yin pleads she is ill and Wei calls her a coward (she will only see a plan through so far, then hides to avoid any connection; she pulled out once she learned Noble Consort Wei was deliberately not notifying both Pure Consort and the emperor). Virtuous Consort is good at this game, but I respect Noble Consort for her ruthlessness.



7.Virtuous Consort confesses to her brother's servant that she killed Zheng because she doesn't want to see a repeat of the fiasco that destroyed their clan.



8.Ru Yi is subjected to brutal water torture. Noble Consort Wei smugly watches as she is tortured (makes you wonder how many people she has done this to) with water, and then later gagged after Ru Yi calls Consort Wei out for knowingly torturing an innocent person. She is also made to wear a 24-book coat, it essentially crushes a person's chest. It becomes so bad that Ru Yi passes out many times, bleeds from the nose--but she doesn't confess. When the eunuch gets close and asks her to confess she spits blood in his face!



9.Meanwhile, Xu Hui pleads until she obtains an audience with Pure Consort. Pure Consort agrees to notify the emperor and involve the grand court because she knows that Noble Consort Wei will use this incident to try to ultimately pin the blame on her (something like Ru Yi was a favorite of hers or learned from her) because the two hate each other.



10.The episode ends with Ru Yi unconscious and Noble Consort Wei planning to kill Ru Yi, believing that since she is a lowly cairen, no one will really care if she dies (this is the same woman who cut out the tongues of those servants in the beginning--no one cared)



-I can't wait for Ru Yi to get revenge. I bet it won't happen for many episodes.

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episode 4 spoilers ahead

4/96!



SO MUCH HAPPENS IN THESE EPISODES; I AM TRYING TO FOCUS ON THE KEY POINTS....



1.Our show begins with the personal servant of Noble Consort Wei delivering a set of extremely valuable pearls to the emperor's personal servant, the man in charge of helping him select a companion for the evening. He accepts the peals and will continue to create opportunities for Xiao, going so far as to lie that Xiao caught a cold while waiting for the emperor (however, the emperor is not a fool and remarks how strange it is that he remembers her)



2.While in conversation with Xu Hui, Ru Yi exposes the red dot on her arm. Here I learned that this red dot seems to signify virginity; she has not lain with the emperor yet in spite of having spent the night with him. Later, the emperor sends for Xiao Q. (who not only makes a big show in front of the other girls, but is extremely rude and provocative to Xu Hui and Ru Yi, though they do not take her bate. In fact they laugh at her--I did too. Her behavior is extremely over the top)



3.Xiao Q. successfully beds the emperor and is promoted two ranks, to Jieyou (Lady of Handsome Fairness).



4.The scene changes and our narrator tells us that the Zheng family has put a great deal of effort into raising their young daughter, Wanyan, who could be a clone of the late Empress, to act exactly like her. Her goal is to help the family, which has fallen on hard times. This is part of the Honorable Yin's plot (he is the brother of the Virtuous Consort--recall she mentioned she and her brother survived something bad). We learn here that the Emperor killed almost their entire clan (only fourteen of 164 survived!). He wants revenge.



5.Wanyan arrives in a new wave of Cairens, at the very least illustrating how common it is for women to enter the harem and how precarious the position of the members are (also makes me respect the consorts who have managed to obtain enough of the emperor's attention to rise so high). The consorts are visibly shocked to see the resemblance between Zheng and Wende, and all rise to look at her face. Consort Wei asks who her family is, and we learn her father is the Vice Chancellor of the Imperial court, Zhen Reng (I believe).



6.In a private meeting, Virtuous Consort urges her brother to let go of his hate but her brother desires revenge since the emperor essentially slaughtered their clan and left them powerless. Zheng was told her goal is seduce the emperor, but she does not know that the ulterior motive is to use her to gain power, bring Prince Qi back, and it sounds like it is implying, stage a coup...



7.Meanwhile, Xiao Q (who seems increasingly unstable, rageful, and borderline crazy) is beating on a servant who didn't prepare her juice. Ru Yi intervenes but it is Zheng Wanyan who is able to stop her. She offers to make the juice and tells Xiao Q. that a jieyou was once banished to the cold palace because her actions caused a maid to kill her self (at the very least this illustrates that Zheng is far more refined and prepared to take on the harem then Ru Yi; Xu Hui could be a good rival if she were more daring but she is not).



8.The girls work together to prepare the juice. Xu Hui, who by far seems to be the most intelligent of the girls, talks about the 'Ultimate Bliss' a Buddhist Sutra of Amitabha. Zheng Wanyan asks if such a thing as bliss exists in this world. Xui Hui admits her ultimate bliss would to simply be by the side of the one she loved (not necessarily together with them). Ru Yi echoes this sentiment, however Zheng admits that her idea of bliss would be to be happily married and to raise children.



9.Change scene to the emperor, who is told by his servant that a new Cairen has arrived who looks just like Wende. The emperor goes to see her himself, and then summons her. Ru Yi and Xu Hui do not seem to hold a grudge against Wanyan for this, but Ru Yi sadly admits out loud that being in the harem is like being a pretty silk at market: you are easily discarded, and as you grow old and wither no one wants you. Xu Hui tells her to hush, since this is bad talk. Noble Consort walks by and overhears this and I believe she echoes the same sentiment, and in fact would respect Ru Yi if she didn't 1)need to promote her niece and 2)view her as a personal rival because Ri Yi is too clever for her liking



10.Change scene, we go to Gunlu Palace (the emperor's palace) and Wanyan is bathed and dressed to look like Wende (even served by her servants and given her clothes...weird). The emperor speaks a few words to her, and then seems to be put off by her. He leaves.



11.We go to Ru Yi, who is tasked with copying the enormous Examples for Women. The emperor secretly watches her and finds her to be very amusing as she gets ink on her face (this entire scene is actually very cute). She then goes to the mirror, unaware he is standing behind it, and has an imaginary conversation with him, proclaiming she will make him fall in love with her (she also insults him, draws his face on the mirror) and then returns to her seat. He catches a glimpse of the drawing and seems startled by her attitude, but at the same time a bit taken with her. He secretly has food sent to her...



12.The following morning the emperor promotes Wanyan to Jieyou. He continues to summon her to his chambers but he does not sleep with her. One day, he speaks to a minister and discusses how odd it is that a girl should appear who resembles his late empress. He knows who her father is and believes there is more to this than just one man. The minister is tasked with investigating....



13.Xiao visits her aunt and throws a temper tantrum. Her aunt tells her that while Zheng has been visiting the emperor each night (and here I thought she would teach her a lesson, no, she is going to use her to carry out her dirty work) someone else is in his heart....



14.The scene changes to Ru Yi, and the emperor who has appeared before her....



Comments:

The show continues to be very good. A lot of things are going on. A lot of plots are afoot. I enjoy the dynamic among the women, and wonder if Ru Yi will continue to be friends with Xu Hui or if something will change this. I really respect Noble Consort, even though I do not like her, if only because she has managed to obtain a very difficult position and hold onto it for years. I wonder if Zheng will meet an unfortunate end or not...I certainly find Xiao Q amusing because she is so extreme and I kind of pity her because her entire everything hinges on her Aunt. If her Aunt chose to abandon her, she would just be another girl in the harem.

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ep 1 spoilers ahead

1.Our story begins with a falling star. It lands over a hut in the woods where a woman has just given birth to a baby girl. The moment the child is born, a peculiar scent drifts out from the woods, and in the distance an old Taoist monk appears. The woman dies, and the girls' father is in tears...



2.The monk approaches him and gives the infant a bracelet. For 16 years it will protect her. It will reduce the chances of demons being lured by her scent. Strangely, her blood kills any plant/flower it touches...The monk tells her father to send the girl to Zu Mountain to apprentice when she turns 16 because she was born under a calamity star and has an ill fate. Her father asks the monk to name her, and he names her Hua Qin Gu (Bones)



3.Years pass. The girl grows up and is treated like a demon by the villagers because she attracts monsters. Then one night her father falls ill. She rushes to the doctor for medicine but he is dead and a giant monster is attacking everyone. This is one a stranger on a flying sword appears. He defeats the monster and tries to help her save her father, but he cannot. Her father dies....this stranger is 'Mr.Mo'



--At the Same time, the Lord of Strange Decay and his servant (a woman with no eyebrows) plot against Bai Zi Hua. It seems that the immortal was involved in the death of his father, the previous Lord of Decay, and now he wants revenge---



4.Hua Qin Qu (the girl) asks the man to stay with her for three days until her birthday. She has never celebrated it alone. He agrees, and helps make some repairs. In the meanwhile she tells him her life story, and we learn she is a fairly resilient, optimistic and cheerful girl in spite of all the hardships she has suffered.



5.On the third day, he leaves, casting a spell on her so that she cannot remember his face...



6.The man is in fact an immortal and the next leader of Chang Liu Sect; immediately after leaving Hua Qin Gu he arrives and is named sect leader...



7.Meanwhile, Bones is travelling and comes across a barrier. She cannot break it so she digs up some carrots and bathes. While bathing, she makes eye contact with a scholar drinking water near by. Embarassed, she screams, and so does he. He chases her down and introduces himself as Dong Fong, and he is on his way to the city to take the examination. He swears to marry her once he passes since he has seen her bathing, but she just wants to pretend it never happened and urges him to forget it.



8. This continues a ways and they eventually arrive at the Pavillion of Strange Decay. There is a pretty girl, Nan Mi Tien, who has a lot of gifts for the Lord of Strange Decay. Alas, he is only accepting carrots (how convenient!) and so Tien is ignored, making her extremely mad.



9.Hua Qin Qu is allowed in, and hears a lot of whispers and looks up--there are dozens of tongues hanging from the ceiling. this horrifies her and as she runs, the Lord of Strange Decay Appears. He offers to help her in her journey and in exchange for a drop of her blood and one of her secrets (which we are not told) he gives her a charm that will allow her into Zu Mountain (recall there is a barrier around it). She thanks him.



10.Meanwhile, on Zu Mountain, men in black led by a man with some AWESOMELY WICKED eyebrows are massacring all the sect members.



11.Hua Qin Gu arrives, alone, and is shocked at the scene of death before her. She looks for survivors...



12.Meanwhile, Bai Zi Hua and his senior brothers watch the scene on Zu Mountain. He recognizes her, and perhaps this is why he personally volunteers to check out Zu Mountain himself....(Bai Zi Hua has to like her a little he didn't have to personally go....)



________

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episode 26 spoilers ahead

This episode is fairly straightforward as it sees the end of several plots (Su Su) and the beginning of others.



1.Su Su leaps to her death from the terrace. Ye Hua tries to catch her, and unable to, follows her in one of the most beautifully executed scenes in the series (especially since she is wearing white, he is wearing black; this can draw so many parallels. yin, yang, two halves of one whole. Take your pick. In the novel, this I believe is where the novel starts?)



2.Su Su lands in the 10000 mile peach blossom, only the ghost kings seal is gone, meaning she is yet again a goddess.



3.DH speaks with Si Ming and explains that after he enters seclusion (he lost a lot of power saving FJ's life and killing the guardian of the pagoda). He plans on entering the mortal realm in order to give FJ exactly what she wants: a marriage. Si Ming can do this as he writes the fates for the mortals. If the emperor asks, DH says to tell him that he is undergoing trials. (I 100% think this is as much for himself as it is FJ; he totally wants her)



4.The celestial emperor uses his power to revive a near-dead YH. The uncles/princes knock the emperor unconscious so he doesn't kill himself trying to save YH and leave to get a special grass. They fail (and return very beat up and bleeding). However Zheyan, the phoenix, arrives and offers his assistance. After YH is stable, Si Jin fetches a special treasure, that we learn about only now (of course). It just so happens that this lamp, the lamp her mother was buried with; this lamp can gather a persons soul....how convenient :D

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ep 23 review spoilers ahead--Eyes episode

1. On the eve of battle we find YH and Su Su speaking with the face-time mirrors. YH can see how forlorn and weak Su Su is. She is in tears as she (almost regretfully/hopelessly) tells YH that she hopes he is there to see the baby, that she is excited for the birth. YH begins to cry because it is likely he knows that she is in this situation because of him (it really is his fault. his family is doing this to her. he neglected her. now she has changed so much into this sad little thing). More than ever he seems resolute that he must win.



2.Li Jing is able to obtain permission to personally confront his elder brother. It earns him the respect of celestial tribe members. In actuality he is doing this to prevent them from killing his brother so his father is not made stronger.



3.During a poignant confrontation Li Yuan is prepared to kill his sister who is defending Li Jing, begging them to just get along. the golden lion sacrifices his life to protect the princess, and Li Jing uses this chance to capture his brother.



4.YH returns victorious. Si Jin, never one to miss a trick, is ready for the next phase of her plot. She sends a fake order to Xiwu palace and visits Su Su, with an invitation that other consorts will attend near lotus pond. Su Su cant reject it would be rude. It could also be a chance to appear recognized as YH's consort. Si Jin pretends to be surprised and explains that since YH returned no one else could attend (Su Su did not even know he was back!) Su Jin's plot now seems clear: she is taking advantage of this chance when everyone else is occupied...



5.Nie Nie runs for help. Si Jin's maid insists that Su Su has led her mistress to the terrace to harm her. but Nie Nie insists that it is the opposite. Meanwhile, Su Jin cruelly tells Su Su that she is about to be conferred to YH as his wife (another blow) and tells her she should just jump off and kill herself and leave her and YH alone. Smat lady, because YH arrives with a ton of deities. Si Jin attacks Su Su and in self defence she pushes her away. but the deities only see Su Su pushing Si Jin (as planned). Si Jin is now blind and Si Jin is sobbing in YH's arms like a victim.



6.To add insult to injury, Su Su insists that she is innocent but YH yells at her, and says he can only believe his eyes. From his perspective, things will be worse if he defends Su Su, even though he knows she is a victim. To Su Su, this is yet another confirmation that he loves Si Jin and cares nothing for her.



7.YH takes Su Jin back to her rooms. But the damage has been done. He whispers to the 3rd prince that he witnessed Su Jin feign a conflict. YH clearly feels like the situation has completely spiraled out of his control. YH knows that Su Su can be killed for this and that if he defends her, she will be killed. So he takes back control of the situation but the consequences are brutal: he will take on her punishment of lightning strikes for 3 years bc she is pregnant and mortal,, but he will also have to take her eyes since Su Jin lost hers! This is so messed up!



8.Su Su is clearly in shock. She is alone but for Nae Nae, who believes her but can't do anything to help her. Su Su, in spite of all of this, believes that someone will uphold justice for her. She looks so small and weak and scared...I feel so bad for her. She has no idea that no one will stand up for her....



9.(Let me preface this with the fact that I find the following scene especially twisted and f**** up) YH comes to her room. Su Su gives him a smile (and she hasn't smiled in a long time) (she's also super pregnant). She naively expect him to believe her. I don't think for a single second she thought he would hurt her. Well she was wrong. SO WRONG. This is such a pivotal scene as it will impact a number of tragic events in the future. YH looks very sad. She is so unaware of what he is going to do to her. He says he believes her...and for a moment she is happy...and then the horror ensues....

YH carefully explains that the only way to save her life is take her eyes out...and give them to Si Jun.

(this actress is good) Happiness turns to shock and then disbelief and finally fear as she realizes that her lover is going to blind her. She begins to back away, shaking her head, not believing this is actually happening. YH wouldn't do this to her. but he is! this is so twisted! She looks like a little kid, insisting she is innocent, begging him not to do this. YH breaks down and says he will marry her when he is crown prince (def. not what she wants to hear right now. eyes are more important). She keeps shaking her head and begging him and then...YH takes her eyes.



10.Su Su now wears a blindfold and she continues to have nightmares (who wouldn't) about her eyes being taken from her. Su Su laments how hopeless her situation now is--again, Nae Nae is the only one to comfort her



11. After receving his daily dose of lightning YH has an angry outburst and basically says he was an idiot to think he could protect Su Su without marrying her. Marriage is the only thing he can do now. Meanwhile all the servants who witnessed the incident are being dismissed (the terrace incident). Nae Nae begs and gains permission to stay until the prince is at least 1 year old.



12.FJ visits the blind Su Su but runs off because Si Jun has actually arrived to gloat. End episode.

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episode 22 review spoilers ahead

1.After being lectured again by the emperor YH begs and receives the opportunity to redeem himself by taking care of this rebellion. At this point he needs to become crown prince to protect Su Su.



2.Si Jing picks the best time to strike. YH is focused on military affairs, naturally he is neglecting his depressed pregnant wife, and she uses the mirror she found to tearfully play out the next part of her act: she begs YH to forgive her and apologizes for breaking his heart and driving him into the arms of a mortal (essentially that he is using Su Su to make her jealous). At this very instant Su Su was going to visit YH with some medicine or soup. That doesn't happen. Because she has the other mirror and watches Si Jin's tearful display. Shocked and even more forlorn, she returns home and her maid is worried about her.



3.Things go from bad to worse. YH must have all the maids in his palace interrogated, per the order of the emperor to investigate the issue of the fan (this will leave Su Su vulnerable). He then visits Su Su who is so depressed. She can't even look at him, or answer him, when he asks if she is okay. He then tells her that he will be gone for 1/2 of the year for war. Poor Su Su. She has spent more time away from him than with him, endured all this hardship for him, and he continues to expect her to just roll over and dance to his tune? YH thinks he can do this alone but he isn't communicating with her. Also, he can't really see that Su Su is about ready to break. Instead of bidding him a safe trip, she coldly says she is unwell basically a not-so-sutbtle way of telling him to get out I don't blame her.



4.Li Jing is faced with inspiring troops who express doubt over killing one of their own. Li Jing is still their leader and they agree, perhaps grudgingly, to this war. Meanwhile Xuan Nu is doing everything she can to pressure the medicine man to use forbidden magic to keep her baby alive (more like resurrect it). he is clearly not comfortable with this and begs her not to do this, explaining that bad things will happen because it is unnatural. Poor guy. This is a classic case of damned if you, damned if you don't. Or catch 22. Take your pick.



5.FJ continues to spend time with Dijun in her fox form. (So adorable). Dijun treats her differently, and is much more affectionate. While Dijun lounges, asleep, she resumes her human form. We learn that she believes that he does not know the fox and FJ are the same (I think he knows). While looking worried, she tells the sleeping Dijun that he must think FJ ran off and she wants to repay him but doesn't know how. Probably because she is so impulsive and her feelings dictate her actions more than thoughts, she kisses him. Afterwards she is so shocked she runs away and seems to be scared and embarrassed. Dijun slowly opens his eyes, showing that he was likely awake during all of this. His expression is kind of unreadable. I don't know how to classify it.



6.FJ shyly fills Chung Ye on the 'kiss'. Chung ye believes he wasn't drunk, probably wanted it to happen, and has feelings for her (I agree). Dijun is very manipulative, after all. She is a fox again and DJ is petting her while reading. She is wondering if Dijun was pretending or not to be drunk. Dijun looks at her, almost like he can read her thoughts. She looks up at him and he immediately looks away, almost like he can't look at her or is uncomfortable. Maybe he was pretending and maybe he is now wondering what is going on in her head? Or if she knows his feelings? (a lot of people would disagree with this analysis and view him as completely unable to feel this way but I don't. obviously.)



7. (Now this really breaks my heart). The scene changes to an extremely pregnant Su Su talking to her maid. Apparently YH has been gone for quite a while and hasn't sent her a single letter! I think he is taking this into dangerous territory; his concerns for her safety are completely ignoring her feelings. FJ in fox form visits her. FJ internal monologue seems to conclude that YH is absolutely the worse, that he got her pregnant and is in love with another. Su Su says she will try and move his heart to be his number one. Because Su Su says she will practice cultivation to be immortal, FJ monologue says she will find out.



8.FJ is trying to figure out how a mortal can be immortal from Si Ming and Chung Ye. They appear to be in DH's palace, but there is no DH. Just as they begin telling her, FJ turns back into a fox bc DH has returned. He is not happy that they are in his study. Chung Ye insists they are there to play with the fox. After making up an excuse, she gives the fox to Si Ming who is petting her. DH looks at Si Ming, then at the fox he is petting, and asks if he wants to take it. (This appears to be a rare display of jealousy). Not being stupid, Si Ming quips that he has always been afraid of things with claws and puts it down before leaving (obviously implying that the 'thing' with claws is Dijun)



9.DH appears to be lost in thought as he pets her, and explains to her that for immortals there is just one lifetime (I strongly, strongly think that this is where he begins to think about becoming a mortal)



10.The fox tribe delivers a map to assist YH; Su Su tries to contact YH but there is no answer....



I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. I am a big fan of obstacles, characters facing trials in their relationship, and Su Su is going through a lot. At the same time FJ is struggling with her feelings for DH who appears to becoming aware of feelings for her but has done nothing to express his concern other than heal her; I think he is choosing to see what FJ will do. I don't think he is yet ready to take the big step of initiating but continues to view these feelings as 'innocent' but I think that is quickly changing--I don't think he is used to feelings like jealousy.



5.

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eternal love ep 20 spoilers ahead

1.We open to YH's mom explaining some more rigid rules of the celestial tribe, essentially that a crime has been committed because (if I can recall) the elders select the marriage partners of its members. They can't go out and marry on their own, that would be selfish (I assume is part of the reasoning). And to quote the film ever after, being born into royalty brings with it specific obligations.



2.Crown prince is visited by the celestial emperor. YH's plan now is to convince everyone that Su Su is not important to him in order to protect her. He explains that he gave Su Su a child out of kindness because she helped him with his wounds after he fought the lion (I wouldn't believe this because he has never shown an interest in any woman).



3.Su Jin stands up for the mortal and ask that she be made a side consort (very smart of her--unlike other female villains in love she is playing the worse kind of villain--the 'pretend friend'. It requires a certain level of patience, plotting, and makes her difficult to confront. We all know Su Jin loves to plot and is extremely patient. Well done Su Jin for achieving a new level of low. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the viewers have encountered this kind of person; it makes my skin crawl a little).



4. The celestial emperor praises her for intelligence. She brings out the mirror as proof that YH is lying and in fact has deep feelings for her. Su Jin can read people well, but this is a no brainer; she appeals to the emperor's deepest fear, that YH could become like 2nd prince (I really admire her tactics here). She plays him like a violin, but I think the emperor is well aware of what she is doing he just doesn't care he merely wants to prevent YH from becoming like his 2nd son. The emperor probably respects her a little (I even respect her for her absolute ruthlessness to do anything to get what she wants; I couldn't do that I would get tired after a while and give up)



5.YH learns that Su Su nearly died in fire. He immediately returns home and visits his mother who is teaching Su Su etiquette. YH doesn't even look at her (!) Su Su has to bow to him and he doesn't even acknowledge her until he greets his mother. He dismisses Su Su. Poor Su Su, has been worried about him sick, and he basically treats her like another harem girl. This is a rare instant where YH (the actor playing him) is able to portray his pain in his eyes at having to put up this charade. (Let's talk about the culture shock of the man you've been living pretty simply with suddenly shows up and is truly the crown prince. his entire attitude is changed...I would be feeling awful)



6. FJ visits Dijun who watches FJ with eyes that I can only describe as 'fond'. He sets another trap for her and catches her in a lie (he is absolutely shameless in his tricks). Essentially he asks why she was at the Terrace. Seeing her unwillingness to answer, he says he heard that it it is a beautiful place to view the scenery and she seizes upon this and explains that was exactly why she was there (I imagine she is congratulating herself for being so smart and able to fool DH) Si Ming looks pained as she lies, knowing how nonsensical her answer sounds. DH orders Si Ming to keep an eye on FJ (he def. likes her come on he ignores everybody). Immediately after Si Ming explains that the terrace is a dangerous place and she realizes how dumb her lie was. The Zhuxian terrace is a place where ordinary immortals cannot use their powers (why they have this, I have no idea).



7.The Hall of Beautiful Youth is cleaned up for Su Su. BQ brings a maid from the lower realm to take care of her, hand selected to serve her. He dismisses the maids his mother selected. This seems to be his way of getting rid of spies. After dismissing the other servants he finally embraces her. He lies about being injured (the music is very good for this scene) and he sees her crimson hell fire wound that won't go away (acquired from the fire) (never say this won't come up again later...). YH promises to protect her. Su Su admits that now she knows why he wanted to keep her from his family (because they are crazy). He explains that he has to be careful and treat her coldly in front of others. He only asks she trust him (I highly doubt this plan of his will work. None of the other plans have worked).



8. Nai Nai, the maid, is very friendly and nice and loyal. However she is unfamiliar with the ways of the more formal celestial court (a pro and a con). Su Su seems very alone in her big palace (the director films her in her palace in a way that seems to emphasize the largeness of the space, how tiny she is, and alone).



9.Si Jun learns from YH's mother that the heavenly lord will not only refuse this marriage if YH asked but he won't allow the threat of a woman to mar his grandson's future as his second son became a laughingstock. She asks Si Jin to teach Su Su etiquette (oh man)



10.(Is it strange that they don't seem to care they basically committed genocide in annihilating the mermaid clan?? maybe because they are gods, they are different...) YH neglects Su Su in order to go about his prince duties. She looks so desolate and alone, and her pregnancy seems to be a bit rough. The only person caring for her is Nai Nai. Poor Su Su.



11.Change scene: We see YH has a habit of stopping by when she is asleep. To watch her sleep. He even turns invisible. I don't know why he does this. Why can't she see him when no one else knows? Odd. Si Jin presents herself as a friend to Su Su (she is so bad)



12.Change scene: The celestial tribe refuses Xuan Nu entry but allows Li Jing (they reason she is a traitor). Li Jing is there for a meeting. I include this in the summary because I find it weird that they are so unforgiving of her.



13. Change scene: Su Jin visits Su Su and calls her 'sister', cozies up to her, and then shares that YH was in love with her but he has not talked to her since she married the emperor. Then she convinces Su Su to leave Xiwu palace, even though Su Su was forbidden to leave, explaining that it will be okay as long as Si Jun is with her (uh-huh) End episode.

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ep 16 spoilers ahead

When we last left the show, FJ experienced the humiliation of having her confession heard by the emperor and dismissed (basically) by DH. Su Su was frantically searching fro YH. YH was trying to figure out how to deal with all of his responsibilities and be with Su Su.



1.Our episode opens to ghost princess finding her brother. He believes she is there to kill him; she embraces him and says she is there to save him. Li Yuan, always ruthless, sees his opportunity. Li jing awakens to Xuan Nu in his arms. He is an ENORMOUS JERK and immediately wonders where A-Yin is in the presence of his wife.Times like this make me really hate Li Jing. He is unnecessarily cruel to Xuan Nu.



2. Now Li Jing learns about the seal and the princess using it to release his elder brother. He immediately goes back to Xuan Nu and confronts her. She explains she gave it because she asked. I don't think Xuan Nu thought about or cared to think about the consequences. Her whole universe is Li Jing. Li Jing insists they handle this secretly.



3.Meanwhile YH is waiting for 3rd prince so he can sneak out to see Su Su. After confirming Si Jin is gone they give orders that no one is to enter unless YH grants permission. His lies are about as stable as a house of cards at this point.



4.Si Jin makes an appearance (of course) and wants to see YH. 3rd prince must figure out how to turn her away. As the king's consort she has a bit of power now. She tries to pressure the guards. She suspects he isn't there (correct) until 3rd prince dims the lights. Since Si Jin knows YH, this treatment isn't shocking.



5.YH finds poor Su Su hugging his bow, sleeping in te woods. She wakes up and runs into his arms, very upset (YH, look what you did! how could you!) and YH clearly feels bad. Apparently he was gone for 1/2 a year!! He wants her to drop it, but how could he expect her to do this. He says 'it's my bad..' that has to be a translation error. YH won't tell her anything, and she doesn't push, but the implication is he had to take care of something really important (I would have been enraged if he left me for 1/2 a year. Su Su clearly is above humans for not getting mad--most women would not tolerate this level of b.s.)



6. Now he's going to leave for 2 years. YH can't handle her sad face and so he gives her a 2-way mirror to communicate (this will lbe a headache in the future and the source of more misunderstandings) He asks if she would be with him if he had nothing, and she laughs because he already has nothing. Of course she would be happy. Here are the beginnings of YH's plan to give up being the crown prince (and this will cause so many headaches in the future. you can't run from responsibility)



7.YH shares that he is going to give it up. During battle with the mermaid clan he is going to trick everyone into thinking he is dead (how can this work when a celestial phenomenon occurs when someone dies? who knows. he is not thinking clearly) I have always thought this was a doomed plan. It is the kind of scheme born from desperation.



8.3rd prince can't talk him out of it. He is in too deep to back out so he is going to help him. But he clearly think sthat YH is a couple cards short of a full hand. As in crazy) After Si Jin pays her respects to her fallen tribe the generals express enthusiasm at seeing YH. He seeks their support against the mermaid clan. Si Jin does her part to persuade them when they express their doubts. In spite of YH's inspiring plea it is Si Jin who succeeds in gaining their support.



9.After having a little bit of face time with Su Su YH returns home to deliver news and urges they move quickly to catch the mermaid clan off guard (a good plan but we all know he just wants to hurry up to see Su Su)



10.MEANWHILE, FJ is eating plums on the terrace and is quite drunk because of them. DH is looking for Si Ming, and she is extremely cute. And he even smiles at her as he asks her gave them to him (the fruit). She answers Chung Yu gave them to him, so he figures that plot out. She scuttles over and tries to give him some chewed on fruit, and she does some embarrassing things like hug him, rub her head into his chest, and confess her feelings. He says he knows that without her saying anything. She is like fall down drunk. He says he is an old man and she says he isn't. He explains how old he is. She doesn't seem to care. Instead she falls to the ground and asks if her age is why he dislikes her. Only FJ would dare to grab onto him bc she grabs his robe again. Meanwhile Chung Yu and Si Ming are watching this little show. She, having read mortals stories, believes Dijun will be taken in by her charm. Si Ming asks if that is how she seduced 3rd prince and she angrily says yes.



11.Dijun carries a sleeping FJ back. End episode. I think DH has shown more interest towards her than is customary for him.



-This gets a 10 for the rousing speeches in trying to gain support for war and for FJ's extremely entertaining drunken behavior around DH (love this plot device)

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EP 15 SPOILERS AHEAD

1.This episode we see Si Jin use her wedding with emperor to organize a trip to visit the tribes that are currently ignoring the emperor. She cleverly explains that her reason is to inspire their support, and she cleverly suggests that YH go with her...



2.Li Xuan Nu gives ghost princess the ghost seal after she leaves she turns a bit crazy and vows that once his sister betrays him (by freeing his brother) he will finally turn to her (she is desperate and out of touch with reality)



3.Ghost princess considers what to do with the seal. The lion explains that Li Jing is stable even if her father returned things would be hard (meanwhile Xuan Nu uses magic to look like BQ, I think)



4.FJ! DH! She sees him in the garden, goes up to him, and confesses that while she is there to repay him she also realized she is in love with. He turns around, and you see the emperor and YH's cousin. Not only does DH seem to care, he looks amused and asks her if she is done. She says yes. Then he asks her if she is leaving. Embarrassed (i feel her pain) she runs off. DH reveals that she is the princess of Quian Quian (sorry I know this is spelled wrong) and otherwise seems indifferent to FJ.



5.YH leaps out of bed. The house is on fire. YH immediately asks what she did wrong. She admits she tried to cook chicken in spite of the fact that they agreed she would not cook (this is too funny). She tries to grab their wedding outfits but he stops her. She is strangely calm as their house burns down. YH asks her where she wants to live, and she says here. He covers her eyes and uses magic to fix it (awwww!). Su Su is naturally surprised but handles the news well. She asks if he is a monster and if he is the golden lion. She is a little scared but then says no matter what kind of monster he is (including the raping kind) she still loves him (god bless her i would not stand by the raping kind of monster).



6.YH continues to lie and explains that he is a mortal who cultivated a lot.(i feel like everything she says and does just makes him love her more. )



7.DH visits Xiwu palace with the emperor to visit YH (presumably because of the trip Si Jun has planned). They are greeted with the excuse that he is ill and recovering. Third prince tries to buy time. But with DH there it is kind of impossible to avoid seeing him. DH is very skeptical of his injuries but third prince smartly replies the injuries are not serious or light. Down in the mortal realm YH is hunting while Su Su gathers some mushrooms He suddenly disappears. (This I would say is the beginning of their blissful life as newlyweds ending).



8. In heaven YH goes outside and greets his grandfather and DH. Meanwhile (this is so sad!) poor Su Su is clinging to his bow and arrow looking like a lost child, scared and wondering where she is. I feel so bad for her!



9.YH does a good job of keeping his cool, but he makes eye contact with third prince and some sort of mutual understanding passes between them. YH explains himself to the emperor's satisfaction. (I just noticed that I really like how DH sits...and that is utterly irrelevant to this scene's description. Apologies.)



10. YH takes the time to point out he is not losing himself with women, has worked hard, and would like to delay marrying BQ. His grandpa suspects he is hiding something, however DH said it would not be unreasonable to wait and YH is adamant is hiding nothing. Gramps takes the time to explain that because his second son, whom he loved the most, was such a failure he better not mess up, basically, especially because of women (2nd prince, as we all know, failed abyssmally in his filial duty because of a woman).



11.DH quips that focusing on the bridal procession so soon would lead the fox king to think (basically) that YH has a serious illness (like mental health or STD, I think). YH presents the fan artifact and explains he has been investigating it in order to see if he can locate Mo Yuan's body. The emperor gives him permission to keep investigating. He also addresses the matter of Si Jin and addressing the issue of the mermaid clans intent to rebel (mermaid clan was a lot prettier in Ice Fantasy....) This will create a problem for YH as time moves differently in heaven....by the time he takes care of this years would have paassed on earth.



poor Su Su.



12.Third prince lectures YH on the stupidity of him falling in love with a mortal but he will help because he feels like its his fault now that he has to marry BQ (another misunderstanding since BQ is Su Su). Third prince warns him that if his father finds out Su Su will suffer the most and be in a situation where she cannot live or die.



13.Si Jin is sneaking around outside, looking as miserable as ever. Su Su continues to look for YH (I feel SO BAD FOR HER. She has no idea what she has gotten involved with).



14.I really don't understand how/why Si Jin could love YH. I mean, Xuan Nu at least had a little of Li Jing's interest early on. FJ at least enjoys a splinter of DH's attention. But YH literally treats her like she is a disease. She a masochist? Clearly a case of straight up obsession.



15.Now that the word is out about FJ's identity, the maids all apologize and sweeten up to her. She is uncomfortable and insists that she wants to continue as things were. Dijun sent orders that she be moved because of her status but she flat out refuses and runs off to tell Dijun directly.



16.DH is drinking tea when FJ appears, and explains that because she is paying a debt she wants to be a maid. He says he won't stop her, and she thanks him. He questions her motive again and asks how she will repay him. He says that as a maid it will take her 100000 years. She asks if he has a wish she can fulfill. He makes a ridiculous request: he wants to return Mo Yuan a favor for giving him a tea set. His goal seems to be seeing if she will tell him the location of Mo Yuan. She is clearly grappling with this and he is watching her closely, and even though it is obvious she is lying, she refuses to tell him the truth and asks for another wish. Then he directly asks that she explain how BQ is related to Kunlan. She lies again. He then asks about the Jade purity of fan, and she lies again. To escape, she tries to wash his beloved tea cup....he is amused and smiles, and then YH's cousin runs into her and she breaks his precious cup!!!



Now she owes him more favors! DH comes out and adds the teacup to the debt. FJ worries she will never become cleared of this debt.





--More evidence that DH likes her. Because he never pays attention to people. You might argue that he is just keeping her around for amusement, and that is likely true. But I think it is a good sign for team FJ/DH.

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episode 56 spoilers

*I can't believe it is almost over!*



1.We open to Li Jing coughing up blood as his evil father cuts him with the halberd. Li Jing is in no state to fight, and his father is preparing to kill him. He dramatically points his finger at his son and former soldiers and accuses them of betrayal. Li Jing tries to crawl away and must witness his soldiers dies. He collapses...and dies. His father absorbs Li Jing's power. This can't be good.



2.DH catches FJ , now unconscious from trying to look in the bell(he calls her Jiu'er, an extremely personal name that he used when he was mortal and she was his consort). She passes out. He sends Si Ming to summon both BQ and Mo Yuan. His game plan seems to be to seal the ghost lord again. Little does he know that BQ is raging drunk at this moment.



--I know that the world is about to end...but I can only think about FJ and I hope they don't kill her off!--



3. FJ is coughing up blood and talking about how if they die no one could tear them apart. DH says that as long as he is alive nothing will hurt her (...except for him)(I find this scene backwards but you would have to read pillow book to understand). He tells her to go home, she won't listen. He yells at her and says that if he insists on being with her it will drown the world in war. DH is willing to use his body to pin him down but FJ won't let him, insisting that if he dies she will kill herself. This is enough to make him hesitate.



4.Evil ghost emperor shows up, shoots power, FJ takes a hit for DH (OMG she can't die!!) DH panics and it looks like she is dead or about to die. He makes another shield. All the soldiers make a shield to protect DH while the old earth diety runs into battle. BQ shows up, very sober, and ready to fight. Then YH shows up, imprisons BQ with a random unnamed artifact that we have to see (something that only happens in dramas), and goes to fight the evil guy even though he has hardly any cultivation left (having given most of it to moyuan).



---Si Ming checks on DH but if you pay attention to the shots, DH does not care at ALL about what is going on. Even when BQ asks for his help, he can only concentrate on FJ. ANYONE WHO THINKS HE DOES NOT LOVE HER SHOULD BE CONVERTED BY NOW AS THIS CONTRADICTS HIS 'MY PURPOSE IS TO PROTECT THE UNIVERSE IMAGE ENTIRELY' Ahem. Back to my narration--



5.epic battle ensues--the ghost tribe rebels show up to support the emperor (all ten of them). old man earth deity fights a few before 4th brother shows up and starts kicking ass--even weak YH can block his halberd but i have no idea how he can defeat him.



Funny how it takes dramatic events like this, when life and death is on the line, to put things into perspective for people. Also, this is the most epic battle ever. I think the ghost emperor is going into a demon state; his eyes are red now--



6.Ye Hua is supposed to be more powerful than his twin; maybe he can do what Moyuan could not?



7.It's interesting--ghost emperor can use lightning, a power I thought was exclusive to the celestial tribe--Ye Hua destroys his halberd and hits him with it before both crash to the earth. Ghost lord blames his old injuries from 70000 years ago but admits defeat. BQ embraces ye hua. DH clings to FJ. And then bell opens again??? Apparently ghost lord has connected his life to the bell; when he dies the bell will release crimson fire and destroy everyone. And with that, he dies.



8. In a very familiar scene, Ye Hua is prepared to sacrifice himself. He flies towards the bell, and destroys it. BQ catches his body (this scene looks really familiar). YH tells her not to cry, that his injury isn't serious, before kissing her. He coughs up blood. (This is extremely sad) (so much blood). She asks that he tell her if he is going to die soon. YH tells her to stay with Moyuan, who will take care of her, and that he is a better man. It's kind of sad that YH has to be dying in her arms to prove his love for her. He begs her not to forget him all the while BQ is begging him not to die. She promises to take a potion again if he dies and forget him. He tells her that's a good idea (omg this is so sad also he needs to forgive himself).



9. After a prolonged death sequence (it was a bit long...but very sad) YH appears to die however his body has not disappeared. BQ is sobbing over him.



10.Si Ming is spreading the word to celestial emperor about what has happened. Somewhere a bell tolls. It summons a lot of powerful people, all who seem to know this means bad news. Moyuan knows what has happened because he created the bell. He tells them (grimly) that it is all over.



11. BQ has sealed herself in a protective barrier with YH and is trying to revive him. She seems to be in a daze. FJ, who understands the most how she feels, tries to talk to her, saying that she still has family, and begins to sob and pound on the barrier but not even FJ can get through to her.



12.Mo Yuan arrives and DH explains succinctly that his disciple is overly emotional and cannot be spoken to (really? was he not just clinging to FJ a moment ago and ignoring this entire battle>). Moyuan is able to get through to her.



13. She expects Mo Yuan to have a way to save him but his only advice is to get him a coffin. BQ says she can wait forever for him, but MoYuan says he has breathed his last breath. She argues that she did it once before, she can do it again. Mo Yuan then suggests that she allow him to rest comfortably while waiting. So she decides to take him home.



14. FJ chases after her aunt. How unfortunate. Both fox queens so unlucky in love!



15. We open to a lot of elderly deities bowing outside of the fox den. They are here for YH. Migu explains that BQ is still the queen and the rules of their tribe are to be respected--no one can come in if the queen refuses entry.



16.BQ is doing the same thing as she did for MY--she is feeding him her blood. She doesn't care about anyone, not even her son (she doesn't want to see him because she is busy) i think she has sort of snapped a bit (I don't blame her).



17.Now Si Jin is being blamed for failing to guard the bell (she acted cowardly but no offence I don't think they should have expected much from her). She did indeed refuse to engage in battle. She begs for forgiveness. She is given the worse sentence: she is banished from the celestial heavens and for all of time will never be allowed to enter the celestial realm.



18. The emperor begs DH to lower himself to get his son's body together with his sons. DH is about to say something but instead changes his mind. I think he feels guilt bc he was more concerned about FJ then the battle. YH's mother also decides to go.



20. The most high ranking deities (minus the king) are all going to Quian Quian.



21.FJ is preparing a medicine that phoenix requested. The shield is broken and the celestial princes are there. FJ stares at DH, and DH sort of looks at her without actually seeing her (or maybe he is looking past her? I think he is trying really hard to ignore her because she triggers too many feels in him) but she doesn't do anything outrageous. It is obvious she is fixated on him. I am concerned that DH will ignore her more than ever before because he feels guilt for failing to protect anyone and also, he is kind of viciously cold like that.



(I should be thinking about YH I know, I care about him too...)



22. DH personally insists that the body be returned. BQ flat out refuses. She explains that he has a promise with her, and he cannot leave. His mother blames her, asking what kind of sins YH committed to have to die twice for her. She also explains that she was compensated for Su Jin and cannot understand why she has made her son suffer so. Now BQ learns that YH jumped in after her when she jumped (I feel so bad for her!) . His mother says that he has not had a single peaceful day since meeting her. In her defense...she's suffered as well.



--this begs the question, was it really necessary that moyuan create this friggin bell???)

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ep 55 spoilers ahead

1. YH who awoke during the last episode is returned to the celestial kingdom. A guard fills him in on the latest brew haha. YH, not being an idiot, realizes this means that BQ is upset and has likely regained her memories (something he has worried about, given his role in her suffering)



2.YH summons his elder brother and asks to re- address the case of Yu Zhen (the kid Si Jin set up for rape). Behind them is the fake Su Su? He frames it as a matter of protecting his uncle's other children as well who may be harmed by the damaged reputation.



--Si Jin's house is super on fire now, and she has NO WAY OUT. So many people are working together against her--



3. DH's punishment seems to be for her to guard the bell forever (where demon lord is imprisoned) and to never return. So permanent exile.



4. Si Jin is a mess! She pretends to not know Su Su, who fades away and her little statue is thrown in as evidence. When it rains, it pours but her house is still on fire! YH explains that Si Jin created the figurine to have a fake Su Su seduce him. Apparently this is a big crime, and her magic was forbidden a.k.a. witchcraft. Then Comes the crime against the eldest son who raises the issue of his son being wrongly accused. All of Si Jin's dirty laundry is out in the open.



5. Yuan Zhen explains what really happened that day he was accused of molesting Lady Jin (he never had a chance to defend himself). Su Jiin accuses Yuan Zhen of lying (so awful bc so many women are so afraid to come forth if molested!) DH, being the smartest guy alive (except when it comes to love) asks a series of questions regarding the incident that Su Jin cannot get around. Now she is accusing DH of conspiring against her (she really lost it) and then she accuses 'everyone' of conspiring, which slanders YH, and since she is in his harem, that is another crime.



6.Blindly she clings to YH's robe and begs him. she tries to use the fact that they grew up together to beg him. He uses his position to confront her (at this point she has been stripped of being a consort) and then he coldly says if he sided with anyone it would be his side consort (that was a bit cold).



7. In order to save face and avoid offending the fox clan, they cease the investigation but she must be punished. Her foster parents say they are ashamed of raising such a bad trial and ask to personally punish her. Even the soldiers are speechless (the ones who fought alongside her family).. She has literally shamed herself in front of everyone. It becomes quite pitiful as she begs.



8. The emperor ignores the crime of the figurine out of respect to her parents but enforces DH's sentence of being a guard.



--I think it is great they had FJ there as a foil; she doggedly pursues DH but she never did anything as crazy as Si Jin--I also think DH only involved himself bc FJ was there. recall that during the way 70000 years ago with Moyuan leading the way he did not involve himself to save the world. But he involved himself in this much less important incident. That is significant.



9.The emperor orders the wedding date to be moved up. YH's mother essentially expresses empathy for all YH has suffered and appears to be 100% behind his wedding. He makes it clear that BQ is still his number 1 i.e. soul mate.



10.FJ and DH are the last to leave. He refuses to answer her question of 'If you hadn't removed your name from the rock, would you have maried me'. She says she will keep following him if he doesn't answer. he tells her to keep following. So she is going to be his...devoted follower? I guess it is ideal for him because she won't marry anyone else if she is following him.



11.YH goes to see BQ



12.Li Jing seems to be preparing for war, as half his army has rebelled. These are the ones who believe that they have suffered injustice and dishonor by bowing their heads to the celestial tribe. They are awaiting the return of the previous lord and want Li Jing to abdicate. I got to say, I have a lot of respect for this Li Jing, who everyone, including YH, have written off as 'useless and disappointing'. His only goal was to maintain peace in the realm, and he did his best to make that happen, swallowing his pride and bowing his head again and again.



13.Li Jing is prepared to use his blood to summon his father's spirit, I imagine in a bid to kill him before he kills his children.



14.It is unfortunate that Su Jin is here to guard she seems the type to help the evil guy escape for revenge. She can see a little because the emperor gave her the eyes from a special fish. But it isn't great vision. I can't say I pity her because you reap what you sow. But I can empathize with the pain of having done your hardest (in her case she did try her best, using every underhanded method) and still failing. Even worse, in her case, she has alienated everyone who loved her. But she gambled big and lost big. I guess that's how you know she was really in love, however selfish it was.



15. BQ is drowning her sorrow in wine. I am surprised. I did not expect it to fit with her character to be so effected by this. She says she never wants to see YH again. But when you think about it, if someone (even if it was to protect me) did what he did i would be super mad



16. YH looks so sad. I can't believe it, after all the trials they went through this is what comes between them?? He asks Migu to pass on the message : that as a mortal he waited so he could marry her (basically; I summarized it)



17. In a rare show of feeling, BQ screams hysterically that no promises count at this point. Relationships are most important to her, so I guess she counts YH's actions as a betrayal. Still, she doesn't know he jumped in after her..... YH waits in the rain, if anything he is one of the most patient people alive. Considering everything he's gone through I think he could stand there forever. I guess this is his penance. (Are phoenix and her brother lovers? They spend all of their time together. Maybe just good friends?)



18. Change scene, FJ is hanging outside of DH's castle for days (just like she said she would). DH seems to be okay with this (why wouldn't he be? the object of his affection is not only chasing him but allows him to be close to her without breaking any rules I think). DH and Si Ming and FJ go to investigate the bell. He tells Si Ming to keep FJ safe no matter what.



19. Change Scene: Li Jing is pouring out a lot of power to summon his father. His father appears in chains.



20. DH and crew show up at the bell. DH has no powers at the moment so he can't see inside the bell. They have to use soul tracking magic; FJ volunteers to help. She flies to the bell (her aunt taught her to do this special magic) and she communicates that it is empty. She double checks just to be sure...



21.We get a dramatic close up of Li Jing and old ghost lords eyes...which are the same...they are father and son yet total opposites...His father accuses him of treachery. Because he is a spirit, he can't attack him.



22. Li Jing calls him out for his crimes, listing them one by one. His father tries to use his role as his father to stop him, and his father points out he used all his blood to summon him. Li Jing is prepared to die together, but his father's weapon can attack him. It is the double crescent halberd--something Li Jing did not expect....

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