Didi
USA
15/96!
1.Noble Consort Wei's theatrics are just enough to let the audience know that she is clearly playing her game but genuine enough that the emperor cannot dismiss it (in my opinion). Consort Yang almost rolls her eyes as Wei essentially demands that she be demoted to commoner and her title conferred because she has been in the harem for ten years and failed to give the emperor a child. In addition to this, she chooses to confess to all of her recent crimes: she admits she wrongly accused Consort Yang of pushing the now deceased Able Consort Liu; she confesses to falsely accusing Cairen Wu of Wanyan's death (I cannot tell if her goal is to be in the limelight since Consort Yin, though dead, is in the limelight, or if she thinks her crimes so pale in comparison to Yin the emperor will overlook them or if she is taking advantage of some golden opportunity--I don't know)
2.Instead of giving his answer, he chooses to listen to the Hoborable Zhangsun's request (I really like the emperor nothing seems to shock him or unsettle him). This minister requests that the harem leave since this is a matter of state. Cairen Wu pleads that they be allowed to stay, since the matter pertains to Consort Yin. The Emperor agrees since it is both a matter of state and family (Wei even intercedes and agrees with Wu). Here comes another display: Consort Yang and Wei, hand in hand, kneel before the emperor, looking like sisters as they plead for Yin's son to be left alive (this is clearly to curry favor with the emperor).
3.The emperor announces he is responsibility for things coming to this since he was the one who separated mother and son for so many years. He will keep the incident quiet and give Consort Yin a proper burial.
4.Afterwards, Consort Wei and Yang are returning. Consort Wei warns her to be wary of Cairen Wu but Consort Yang dismisses this (making it clear in doing so that she is not going to dispose of Wu anytime soon). This annoys Consort Wei, but a messenger arrives and tells her that the emperor understands she had it hard running the harem and is willing to overlook any past slip-ups and he will be visiting her that night. Wei throws this in Yan's face and says that even if his eye wanders, he always comes back to her and it is true love (or more like putting out a fire).
5.Elsewhere, the Emperor talks to Fuji about the crown prince, and they acknowledge that even though he took a while to arrive, he ultimately chose to help him. We learn Prince Qi still has not been found.
6.That night, Cairen Wu requests an audience with the emperor and will not be turned away. (She wears a pink dress and red cape, almost like a bride....AND her hair is down...)She asks for a request, and begs that the emperor not kill the prince because she could not live with failing the request of a dying mother.
7.The emperor turns down the request, saying it is impossible. We learn that Prince Qi has already died, killed by none other than his Uncle, Hongzhi. It seems that when the imperial troops had him surrounded, he received the edict pardoning him. As he was reading it (happily, like a kid) Hongzhi killed him. Hongzhi wanted to kill something that was the emperor's, so he killed his son and then himself (he was going to die anyways). The emperor tells Wu that he so rarely saw his son that he could not even tell her how he looked and could not remember his face.
8.Wu moves closer and discusses that when she was little, she used to think her father hated her since he ignored her when she suffered, but it was his way of making her strong. She suggests that the emperor thought to make him strong. The emperor denies this and says he banished his son and ignored him because he was an accident (he was not supposed to be born). Any son born from Yin would be a threat because of the Sui blood in his veins; he ignored him and kept him away from court to protect him. Only it backfired. We also learn more backstory about the Yin clan: that Consort Yin's father was a general for the Sui, that he killed one of the emperor's brothers and desecrated the graves of his family, so he killed him. (Violence begets violence). Wu holds him/comforts him.
9.We go to Xiao Q who is with her Aunt, who encourages her to not give up and patiently wait as they plot, that now is there time since Yin is gone. She gives her a 'unicorn pill' which should increase her chances of pregnancy. Xiao leaves, and Wei angrily destroys some things. She is extremely unhappy with the new obstacle of Cairen Wu.
10.Xu Hui makes a friend in a eunuch, Lin Gong, and he intimates that it is interesting that Cairen Wu is rising faster even though they are friends...(I am certain that Xu Hui will betray her)
11.Elsewhere, a recluse is meeting with the astronomer. The former is his master, a Taoist, who cautions him about trying to use astronomy to meddle in state affairs. But the astronomer tells him that he is using his talent for the good of the state, and leaves. His teacher sighs and mumbles that he is not enlightened...
12.Wu awakens in the emperor's bed (I guess she has finally slept with him). Later, a eunuch summons him (the emperor is cute; he tells a EUNECH to not look at her). He meets with the astronomer who tells him he must kill every person , male and female, with the surname of Wu. (Wu herself is secretly listening to this). The emperor is told this is related to the calamity and Venus. The man says that the calamity says that a woman named Wu will take over the Tang dynasty some day (this had to be made up). The emperor refuses to hear it, tells him you don't run a state like this, and forbids him from telling anyone anything.
Of course, he can't keep a secret.
13.Consort Wei (yup) is able to pay someone to tell her the omen. She is positively radiant as she learns this. Elsewhere, Consort Wu has nightmares that the emperor will kill her....
1.Noble Consort Wei's theatrics are just enough to let the audience know that she is clearly playing her game but genuine enough that the emperor cannot dismiss it (in my opinion). Consort Yang almost rolls her eyes as Wei essentially demands that she be demoted to commoner and her title conferred because she has been in the harem for ten years and failed to give the emperor a child. In addition to this, she chooses to confess to all of her recent crimes: she admits she wrongly accused Consort Yang of pushing the now deceased Able Consort Liu; she confesses to falsely accusing Cairen Wu of Wanyan's death (I cannot tell if her goal is to be in the limelight since Consort Yin, though dead, is in the limelight, or if she thinks her crimes so pale in comparison to Yin the emperor will overlook them or if she is taking advantage of some golden opportunity--I don't know)
2.Instead of giving his answer, he chooses to listen to the Hoborable Zhangsun's request (I really like the emperor nothing seems to shock him or unsettle him). This minister requests that the harem leave since this is a matter of state. Cairen Wu pleads that they be allowed to stay, since the matter pertains to Consort Yin. The Emperor agrees since it is both a matter of state and family (Wei even intercedes and agrees with Wu). Here comes another display: Consort Yang and Wei, hand in hand, kneel before the emperor, looking like sisters as they plead for Yin's son to be left alive (this is clearly to curry favor with the emperor).
3.The emperor announces he is responsibility for things coming to this since he was the one who separated mother and son for so many years. He will keep the incident quiet and give Consort Yin a proper burial.
4.Afterwards, Consort Wei and Yang are returning. Consort Wei warns her to be wary of Cairen Wu but Consort Yang dismisses this (making it clear in doing so that she is not going to dispose of Wu anytime soon). This annoys Consort Wei, but a messenger arrives and tells her that the emperor understands she had it hard running the harem and is willing to overlook any past slip-ups and he will be visiting her that night. Wei throws this in Yan's face and says that even if his eye wanders, he always comes back to her and it is true love (or more like putting out a fire).
5.Elsewhere, the Emperor talks to Fuji about the crown prince, and they acknowledge that even though he took a while to arrive, he ultimately chose to help him. We learn Prince Qi still has not been found.
6.That night, Cairen Wu requests an audience with the emperor and will not be turned away. (She wears a pink dress and red cape, almost like a bride....AND her hair is down...)She asks for a request, and begs that the emperor not kill the prince because she could not live with failing the request of a dying mother.
7.The emperor turns down the request, saying it is impossible. We learn that Prince Qi has already died, killed by none other than his Uncle, Hongzhi. It seems that when the imperial troops had him surrounded, he received the edict pardoning him. As he was reading it (happily, like a kid) Hongzhi killed him. Hongzhi wanted to kill something that was the emperor's, so he killed his son and then himself (he was going to die anyways). The emperor tells Wu that he so rarely saw his son that he could not even tell her how he looked and could not remember his face.
8.Wu moves closer and discusses that when she was little, she used to think her father hated her since he ignored her when she suffered, but it was his way of making her strong. She suggests that the emperor thought to make him strong. The emperor denies this and says he banished his son and ignored him because he was an accident (he was not supposed to be born). Any son born from Yin would be a threat because of the Sui blood in his veins; he ignored him and kept him away from court to protect him. Only it backfired. We also learn more backstory about the Yin clan: that Consort Yin's father was a general for the Sui, that he killed one of the emperor's brothers and desecrated the graves of his family, so he killed him. (Violence begets violence). Wu holds him/comforts him.
9.We go to Xiao Q who is with her Aunt, who encourages her to not give up and patiently wait as they plot, that now is there time since Yin is gone. She gives her a 'unicorn pill' which should increase her chances of pregnancy. Xiao leaves, and Wei angrily destroys some things. She is extremely unhappy with the new obstacle of Cairen Wu.
10.Xu Hui makes a friend in a eunuch, Lin Gong, and he intimates that it is interesting that Cairen Wu is rising faster even though they are friends...(I am certain that Xu Hui will betray her)
11.Elsewhere, a recluse is meeting with the astronomer. The former is his master, a Taoist, who cautions him about trying to use astronomy to meddle in state affairs. But the astronomer tells him that he is using his talent for the good of the state, and leaves. His teacher sighs and mumbles that he is not enlightened...
12.Wu awakens in the emperor's bed (I guess she has finally slept with him). Later, a eunuch summons him (the emperor is cute; he tells a EUNECH to not look at her). He meets with the astronomer who tells him he must kill every person , male and female, with the surname of Wu. (Wu herself is secretly listening to this). The emperor is told this is related to the calamity and Venus. The man says that the calamity says that a woman named Wu will take over the Tang dynasty some day (this had to be made up). The emperor refuses to hear it, tells him you don't run a state like this, and forbids him from telling anyone anything.
Of course, he can't keep a secret.
13.Consort Wei (yup) is able to pay someone to tell her the omen. She is positively radiant as she learns this. Elsewhere, Consort Wu has nightmares that the emperor will kill her....
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14/96!
This Episode, we bid good bye to many people....
Because there are so many scene changes I will combine things for the sake of brevity
1.The Imperial Prince is visited by a eunuch, Hao Gong-Gong from the Imperial Kitchens. He is one of the four involved in the plot. This elderly man appears to abandon Clan Yin (he kills the assassin sent to kill crown prince) and urges the crown prince to effectively have his father killed so that he could be emperor. He reasons that the crown prince's position is unstable, especially given his performance at the grand assembly (Wu outshone him). He pleads with him to seize this golden chance (as much as I hate the idea of killing one's father, in this world where everyone schemes, he kind of has a point). The prince wastes precious minute arguing with the eunuch, refusing him, even arguing with Changxing who thinks he should take this chance. Ultimately he says no, and the eunuch is killed. The dying Eunuch tells him he is too soft and will meet a bad end because of this nature... he goes to save the emperor...
2.Elsewhere, the emperor quickly kills the assassin (breaks his neck!) and then casually lectures Wu for grabbing a knife with her hand (her hand is tore up). He slowly bandages it as Wu looks at the approaching brigade of soldiers (about 30) with horror. The emperor calmly tells her not to worry, that everyone must die. (This can almost be interpreted as we are going to die, so don't get upset). Just when you think they are dead, the emperor orders 'kill them all' and out of nowhere, soldiers crash into the room (are these like his secret guard?) and it turns into a blood bath. The emperor (probably used to such scenes) doesn't react but Wu is (as I would be) panicking. He makes her look into his eyes (I really like the emperor. I thought because of the age gap I would be kind of put off but I like him) and holds her gaze until the killing is dead. Afterwards, he sends her back to her room.
3.After she leaves, we learn (and this I didn't see coming) that the emperor has been on to Hongzhi for over a year and has had his own spy there. He was waiting to entrap them. He also (another surprise) believed that Cairen Wu was in on it because she spoke up for Virtuous Consort Yin. But she proved to him she was innocent when she protected him. The emperor has enough lingering feelings for Yin, and knows her well enough, that he doesn't believe she was in on this. But his Ministers do not think she should be let go. He agrees that he will only arrest her if she visits him (as in, expecting she will arrive to kill him).
4.Elsewhere, Yin is just numb as Zheng Gong Gong begs for forgiveness--they have failed, and she bitterly curses men for being arrogant and stupid, making messes and then apologizing after (this actually remains me of a quote from Cold Mountain, when Renee Zelwegger says men go out and make a storm of trouble and then stand there and say shit its raining i.e. always shocked they make a mess when its their own dumb fault). She reads a letter from her son confirming his involvement and realizes that if she wants to protect her son, she must try to kill the emperor, whom she loves.
5.The crown prince visits the emperor who thanks him for his assistance but he also points out that he knows that he was late arriving to help. The crown prince leaves, and curses himself for allowing the eunech to delay him and he hopes that his father does not believe he wanted to harm him.
6.Consor Yin is decked in her finest outfit as she visits Wu. She plans to deliver a soup to the emperor (poisoned). Wu agrees to deliver it to her (sometimes I think she is completely dumb, but then I realize that from her POV Yin is someone whom she has come to trust and believes she loves the emperor). She arrives with the soup, and the emperor remarks that she continues to surprise him and he thought someone else would be coming (he believes Wu is going to try to poison him). he tells Wu to try the soup first (his back is turned). Just before she eats it she says that Consort Yin made it just for him, and he spins around, knocking it out of her hands.
7.Wu is angry, and yells at him for destroying Yin's gift and proceeds to defend Yin, and explain how she loves him, when the emperor's servant yells it is poisoned. This shocks Wu, and the emperor says, 'you were saying about love?' (I love this guy. he has really seen it all and done it all)
8.Guards are sent to arrest Yin. But Wu finds her first, standing by the lake. She is dressed up, looking her best, but looking so sad. She asks Wu how she found her. Wu says she knows that this is her favorite place because the emperor used to bring him here (this is such a bitter sad scene). Wu wants to know how she could do it. Yin says that her life has been one giant tragedy, that she has always been walking on thin ice (being a descendant of the Sui) and that she never thought it would end like this. She tells Wu that she had no choice, that she did it to protect her son, and begs her to plead for his life to the emperor, and to tell him that he had nothing to do with any of this (I personally think he deserves what's coming to him for his selfish actions but that's just me; I'm not his mom I don't need to love him). She promises.
9.The emperor and his guards arrive, but there is only a sobbing Wu, and a beautiful pair of shoes at the lake's edge. Wu explains she only left the shoes behind (meaning she drowned herself). Wu explains that she chose to end her life here, because it held so many special memories. She relays Yin's message, and the emperor says he still owes her one (I guess this means yes).
10.Afterwards, the soldiers waiting get the signal. We go the emperor who has ordered the signal to be lit. He tells his Ministers that Zheng Gong Gong will receive a bloodless death in honor of his loyalty (to the Sui)(apparently this period is rife with this kind of chivalry in battle; a very romantic period). He orders his soldiers to not kill his son under any circumstance, and they believe he should still be punished. he says he will 'think about it'.
11.Zheng Wenxi, the tutor to Crown Prince, privately speaks to the emperor. He acknowledges that the crown prince was foolish in allowing himself to be delayed but begs the emperor to not fall for the trap of another (i.e. he would be helping his enemies if he allowed this to mar the crown princes image). The emperor says he hired the right tutor (basically).
12.In the morning, Xu Hui bandages Wu's arm. They then go to have a drink, at Wu's insistence (she has seen some stuff0 and she tells Xu hui that she only needs her and the emperor and peace, nothing else. Xu Hui says she will get it (I am beginning to think Xu Hui will some day betray her however to betray her over jealousy would be extremely petty, I think)
13.The episode ends with the emperor and Wu being visited by Consort yang, and then Consort Wei, the latter who pleads with the emperor to cancel her conferment and make her a commoner (I assume both women will try to use this incident to show their loyalty to the emperor)(they have a huge competitor in the form of Wu, who saved his life--they had to send her gifts)
-RIP Noble Consort Yin. You were a great character, with a lot of depth, and you lived such a sad life! How awful it must have been, to have your life subject to the whim of others. And she tried to hard to keep this from happening, even killing her own family (Wanyan) and even losing her beloved servant (Liu). Was it all in vain? It's just so tragic.
This Episode, we bid good bye to many people....
Because there are so many scene changes I will combine things for the sake of brevity
1.The Imperial Prince is visited by a eunuch, Hao Gong-Gong from the Imperial Kitchens. He is one of the four involved in the plot. This elderly man appears to abandon Clan Yin (he kills the assassin sent to kill crown prince) and urges the crown prince to effectively have his father killed so that he could be emperor. He reasons that the crown prince's position is unstable, especially given his performance at the grand assembly (Wu outshone him). He pleads with him to seize this golden chance (as much as I hate the idea of killing one's father, in this world where everyone schemes, he kind of has a point). The prince wastes precious minute arguing with the eunuch, refusing him, even arguing with Changxing who thinks he should take this chance. Ultimately he says no, and the eunuch is killed. The dying Eunuch tells him he is too soft and will meet a bad end because of this nature... he goes to save the emperor...
2.Elsewhere, the emperor quickly kills the assassin (breaks his neck!) and then casually lectures Wu for grabbing a knife with her hand (her hand is tore up). He slowly bandages it as Wu looks at the approaching brigade of soldiers (about 30) with horror. The emperor calmly tells her not to worry, that everyone must die. (This can almost be interpreted as we are going to die, so don't get upset). Just when you think they are dead, the emperor orders 'kill them all' and out of nowhere, soldiers crash into the room (are these like his secret guard?) and it turns into a blood bath. The emperor (probably used to such scenes) doesn't react but Wu is (as I would be) panicking. He makes her look into his eyes (I really like the emperor. I thought because of the age gap I would be kind of put off but I like him) and holds her gaze until the killing is dead. Afterwards, he sends her back to her room.
3.After she leaves, we learn (and this I didn't see coming) that the emperor has been on to Hongzhi for over a year and has had his own spy there. He was waiting to entrap them. He also (another surprise) believed that Cairen Wu was in on it because she spoke up for Virtuous Consort Yin. But she proved to him she was innocent when she protected him. The emperor has enough lingering feelings for Yin, and knows her well enough, that he doesn't believe she was in on this. But his Ministers do not think she should be let go. He agrees that he will only arrest her if she visits him (as in, expecting she will arrive to kill him).
4.Elsewhere, Yin is just numb as Zheng Gong Gong begs for forgiveness--they have failed, and she bitterly curses men for being arrogant and stupid, making messes and then apologizing after (this actually remains me of a quote from Cold Mountain, when Renee Zelwegger says men go out and make a storm of trouble and then stand there and say shit its raining i.e. always shocked they make a mess when its their own dumb fault). She reads a letter from her son confirming his involvement and realizes that if she wants to protect her son, she must try to kill the emperor, whom she loves.
5.The crown prince visits the emperor who thanks him for his assistance but he also points out that he knows that he was late arriving to help. The crown prince leaves, and curses himself for allowing the eunech to delay him and he hopes that his father does not believe he wanted to harm him.
6.Consor Yin is decked in her finest outfit as she visits Wu. She plans to deliver a soup to the emperor (poisoned). Wu agrees to deliver it to her (sometimes I think she is completely dumb, but then I realize that from her POV Yin is someone whom she has come to trust and believes she loves the emperor). She arrives with the soup, and the emperor remarks that she continues to surprise him and he thought someone else would be coming (he believes Wu is going to try to poison him). he tells Wu to try the soup first (his back is turned). Just before she eats it she says that Consort Yin made it just for him, and he spins around, knocking it out of her hands.
7.Wu is angry, and yells at him for destroying Yin's gift and proceeds to defend Yin, and explain how she loves him, when the emperor's servant yells it is poisoned. This shocks Wu, and the emperor says, 'you were saying about love?' (I love this guy. he has really seen it all and done it all)
8.Guards are sent to arrest Yin. But Wu finds her first, standing by the lake. She is dressed up, looking her best, but looking so sad. She asks Wu how she found her. Wu says she knows that this is her favorite place because the emperor used to bring him here (this is such a bitter sad scene). Wu wants to know how she could do it. Yin says that her life has been one giant tragedy, that she has always been walking on thin ice (being a descendant of the Sui) and that she never thought it would end like this. She tells Wu that she had no choice, that she did it to protect her son, and begs her to plead for his life to the emperor, and to tell him that he had nothing to do with any of this (I personally think he deserves what's coming to him for his selfish actions but that's just me; I'm not his mom I don't need to love him). She promises.
9.The emperor and his guards arrive, but there is only a sobbing Wu, and a beautiful pair of shoes at the lake's edge. Wu explains she only left the shoes behind (meaning she drowned herself). Wu explains that she chose to end her life here, because it held so many special memories. She relays Yin's message, and the emperor says he still owes her one (I guess this means yes).
10.Afterwards, the soldiers waiting get the signal. We go the emperor who has ordered the signal to be lit. He tells his Ministers that Zheng Gong Gong will receive a bloodless death in honor of his loyalty (to the Sui)(apparently this period is rife with this kind of chivalry in battle; a very romantic period). He orders his soldiers to not kill his son under any circumstance, and they believe he should still be punished. he says he will 'think about it'.
11.Zheng Wenxi, the tutor to Crown Prince, privately speaks to the emperor. He acknowledges that the crown prince was foolish in allowing himself to be delayed but begs the emperor to not fall for the trap of another (i.e. he would be helping his enemies if he allowed this to mar the crown princes image). The emperor says he hired the right tutor (basically).
12.In the morning, Xu Hui bandages Wu's arm. They then go to have a drink, at Wu's insistence (she has seen some stuff0 and she tells Xu hui that she only needs her and the emperor and peace, nothing else. Xu Hui says she will get it (I am beginning to think Xu Hui will some day betray her however to betray her over jealousy would be extremely petty, I think)
13.The episode ends with the emperor and Wu being visited by Consort yang, and then Consort Wei, the latter who pleads with the emperor to cancel her conferment and make her a commoner (I assume both women will try to use this incident to show their loyalty to the emperor)(they have a huge competitor in the form of Wu, who saved his life--they had to send her gifts)
-RIP Noble Consort Yin. You were a great character, with a lot of depth, and you lived such a sad life! How awful it must have been, to have your life subject to the whim of others. And she tried to hard to keep this from happening, even killing her own family (Wanyan) and even losing her beloved servant (Liu). Was it all in vain? It's just so tragic.
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12/96!
AND THE PLOT TWISTS KEEP A COMING
1.In the opening, Consort Yang muses that no matter how well you plan, fate can always throw these plans awry (in reference to the plan to have Ri Yi be poisoned). By now word has spread that the fan came from Wei.
2.Consort Yin follows Consort Wei's orders. However, when she is alone with Saiyou Liu, she confesses that she basically really screwed up and completely underestimated Consort Wei's military power. She tells her that after she destroys Consort Yang, it is a matter of time before she comes after her (Yin). Consort Yin tells her that she plans on aligning herself with Consort Yang 100%. But Liu sadly sasy no matter what, she, Liu, will have to die. It is evident that Consort Lin feels extremely upset by this and cries bitter tears (it's very sad). She blames herself for acting too soon, for being impatient. Liu's last words are for Consort Yin to ally with Ri Yi because she may prove to be useful someday.
3.On her way to see the emperor, a note from Consort Yin is delivered to Consort Yang. She quickly reads it, meets with the emperor, and in a twist (at least for Consort Wei), Consort Yang reports that nobody pressured Liu to act and that she has since killed herself. The emperor chooses to reduce Consort Yang's income by 30% and have her reflect at her palace.
4.Afterwards, Ru Yi asks what is going in. Yang explains that the note she received from Yin reported that she was walking into a trap. Yin saved her. Ru Yi tells her that Yin was lucky to have such a loyal servant but expressed pity for the girl serving a heartless and inept master. Yang defends Yin and tells Ru Yi that Yin is not heartless; she is weak and unable to defend herself thus how can she defend the people around her (lessons....)
5.Ru Yi approaches Rui'ong for info about Consort Yin, and he says she is 'tragic...'
6.Elsewhere, Prince Qi is practticing archery. We learn he desires to be emperor to be nearer his mother. He doesn't understand why he is ignored by his parents. Honorable Yin arrives, kills the guards, and reveals they are rebelling early! Prince Qi is going to rebel, have his father killed, and seize the throne! (This seems like a really bad idea)
7.Honorable Yin kills Qi's tutor, the govenor, because he needs a reason to seize the troops, and because apparently he was spying for Wei. Qi is saddened by this but understands bloodshed is necessary (this kid....is awful)
8.Honorable Yin also revealed that something will happen--implying Li Shimin the Emperor will be killed--and it will give them a reason to enter the city as rescuers instead of invaders (how romantic...and oddly Roman)
9.Back in the Harem, Ru Yi learns that Yin's father betrayed the emperor (we are not told why). The courtiers wanted her family destroyed. Instead, the emperor brought her to the harem, where she was favored deeply. Something happened between them, and after Prince Qi is born, he ignores her. Since then Yin aligned herself with Wei, and cooks many meals but never for the emperor. Ru Yi believes Yin is deeply in love with the emperor. She visits her and offers to tell the emperor to try her meals. At first Yin believes she is mocking her, but Ru Yi convinces her she is genuine. Yin invites her to dine with her.....
10.Xu Hui awakens (the emperor and Ru Yi spent days with her, and the emperor even neglected state affairs). Ru Yi continues to sing Xu Hui's praises but the emperor seems more endeared to her. The girls join him and Yang at the water polo tournament (recall earlier the princes were fighting over this, Wu is representing the family; they have to show up Mutu of the Mongols).
11.The tournament is VICIOUS. I feel bad for the horses. It isn't clear what or how the emperor will be hurt. Prince Wu is thrown from his horse....
Comments: I know a lot of people think the plots are sudden. But maybe because I take notes on everything, there are actually little seeds planted that are followed up on later. Like for a few episodes we knew that Wei had his eye on Qi (a spy) so something was going to happen. We know that military troops have been moving. Wei reported it was the mongols but it was actually Qi troops (no confirmation yet). Almost everything happens for a reason. It can be overwhelming though because so much is happening. Hence, the notes...and I am certain I am still messing my reports up so apologizes...
AND THE PLOT TWISTS KEEP A COMING
1.In the opening, Consort Yang muses that no matter how well you plan, fate can always throw these plans awry (in reference to the plan to have Ri Yi be poisoned). By now word has spread that the fan came from Wei.
2.Consort Yin follows Consort Wei's orders. However, when she is alone with Saiyou Liu, she confesses that she basically really screwed up and completely underestimated Consort Wei's military power. She tells her that after she destroys Consort Yang, it is a matter of time before she comes after her (Yin). Consort Yin tells her that she plans on aligning herself with Consort Yang 100%. But Liu sadly sasy no matter what, she, Liu, will have to die. It is evident that Consort Lin feels extremely upset by this and cries bitter tears (it's very sad). She blames herself for acting too soon, for being impatient. Liu's last words are for Consort Yin to ally with Ri Yi because she may prove to be useful someday.
3.On her way to see the emperor, a note from Consort Yin is delivered to Consort Yang. She quickly reads it, meets with the emperor, and in a twist (at least for Consort Wei), Consort Yang reports that nobody pressured Liu to act and that she has since killed herself. The emperor chooses to reduce Consort Yang's income by 30% and have her reflect at her palace.
4.Afterwards, Ru Yi asks what is going in. Yang explains that the note she received from Yin reported that she was walking into a trap. Yin saved her. Ru Yi tells her that Yin was lucky to have such a loyal servant but expressed pity for the girl serving a heartless and inept master. Yang defends Yin and tells Ru Yi that Yin is not heartless; she is weak and unable to defend herself thus how can she defend the people around her (lessons....)
5.Ru Yi approaches Rui'ong for info about Consort Yin, and he says she is 'tragic...'
6.Elsewhere, Prince Qi is practticing archery. We learn he desires to be emperor to be nearer his mother. He doesn't understand why he is ignored by his parents. Honorable Yin arrives, kills the guards, and reveals they are rebelling early! Prince Qi is going to rebel, have his father killed, and seize the throne! (This seems like a really bad idea)
7.Honorable Yin kills Qi's tutor, the govenor, because he needs a reason to seize the troops, and because apparently he was spying for Wei. Qi is saddened by this but understands bloodshed is necessary (this kid....is awful)
8.Honorable Yin also revealed that something will happen--implying Li Shimin the Emperor will be killed--and it will give them a reason to enter the city as rescuers instead of invaders (how romantic...and oddly Roman)
9.Back in the Harem, Ru Yi learns that Yin's father betrayed the emperor (we are not told why). The courtiers wanted her family destroyed. Instead, the emperor brought her to the harem, where she was favored deeply. Something happened between them, and after Prince Qi is born, he ignores her. Since then Yin aligned herself with Wei, and cooks many meals but never for the emperor. Ru Yi believes Yin is deeply in love with the emperor. She visits her and offers to tell the emperor to try her meals. At first Yin believes she is mocking her, but Ru Yi convinces her she is genuine. Yin invites her to dine with her.....
10.Xu Hui awakens (the emperor and Ru Yi spent days with her, and the emperor even neglected state affairs). Ru Yi continues to sing Xu Hui's praises but the emperor seems more endeared to her. The girls join him and Yang at the water polo tournament (recall earlier the princes were fighting over this, Wu is representing the family; they have to show up Mutu of the Mongols).
11.The tournament is VICIOUS. I feel bad for the horses. It isn't clear what or how the emperor will be hurt. Prince Wu is thrown from his horse....
Comments: I know a lot of people think the plots are sudden. But maybe because I take notes on everything, there are actually little seeds planted that are followed up on later. Like for a few episodes we knew that Wei had his eye on Qi (a spy) so something was going to happen. We know that military troops have been moving. Wei reported it was the mongols but it was actually Qi troops (no confirmation yet). Almost everything happens for a reason. It can be overwhelming though because so much is happening. Hence, the notes...and I am certain I am still messing my reports up so apologizes...
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11/96!
1.We open to the emperor who has his Minister Fuji read a shocking report: the Mongols invaded and Commander Wang Juli in Yizhou (South West China/modern day Guangxi area) retreated 20 miles without permission. This is grounds for execution.
2.Elsewhere, Consort Wei admits to her attendant that they were successful in organizing the sabotage of the instrument with the goal of making Consort Yang inept (I am surprised that she would be so petty when such important event is occurring). Unfortunately, it does not go as she planned. Ru Yi gambles on the importance of image: they will use guile. In short, this means they send out a musician dressed as servant and after the foreign girl finishes her song, everyone, including Ru Yi, gives her a hard time about how easy the song is. They prove even a servant could play it by bringing out a 'servant' (mind you she lacks the skill to play as well as the girl) but it effectively puts the win in their court.
3.Back to the emperor, he and his ministers have an audience with Minister of Defense Wei who reports that it was a false report, and he sent a letter ordering the general to return to his position and punish the person responsible, which he does. Wei leaves, and the emperor learns from another minister that Wei has not had contact with this commander in 10 years. The emperor remarks he underestimated Wei (essentially Wei has a great deal of power in spite of everyone's assessment because he organized this entire event to show his power--he, likely, had the general retreat and then return to illustrate he controls the frontier army)
4.Back to the Glass Banquet. Xu Hui continues to look pale as the spiritual advisor from India comes out with his relic. The emperor arrives just as Ru Yi proves it is not a relic, shocking everyone. The emperor lectures Ru Yi (now this is all for show) and expresses anger towards the man from India (he wanted to sell this relic for 100,000 gold). The man claims he did not know it was a fake, and the emperor pardons him for his ignorance.
5.Next comes the chess match (recall earlier that Xu Hui solved the endgame and should win). The guy from Japan wants to battle a man and says if he loses, he will kill himself. Unfortunately, Xu Hui passes out during the match (I was certain, at this time, that there was poison on the endgame paper the guy from Japan delivered to her). Ru Yi, recalling the chess board when Xu Hui solved it (does she have a photographic memory) is about to win--she fakes putting it down where it goes to win, smiles at him as if to say I can beat you--and then places it on a spot so they tie. The man is angry, admits defeat, and wants to kill himself. The emperor intervenes and says that they had an unfair advantage since they used two players and forbids him. Ru Yi tells him to heed the emperor and to spend his life finding more endgames, and he he says he will heed her words.
6.Xiao Q comes out to do her dance, and the emperor smiles at her briefly and then leaves. Poor Xiao Q is left spinning and twirling with her target audience gone. Both the emperor and Ru Yi go to Xu Hui who is with Consort Yin and a doctor. Apparently the fan she got was poisoned, so that the more she used it, the more poison came out (Here I thought ahaha, Consort Wei...but then I recalled that this show is filled with twists and remembered Consort Yang used it without getting sick. So I wondered did she do this to further implicate Consort Wei?)But Consort Yang appears and tells Ru Yi that Consort Wei must have done this...
7.Ru Yi is lectured by the emperor but it is clearly teasing. She also gives Xu Hui credit for solving the endgame. The emperor gives Consort Yang full powers to investigate this.
8.Elsewhere, Consort Yin is meeting with Consort Wei (as awful as she is I really really like her character) . From this conversation, we learn 1)Yin has switched to Yang's side because she has promised to have her son brought back within three years 2)She believes Yang will actually do this however Wei assesses that she does not trust Yang because she has nothing on her 3)Wei points out that the key witness, Saiyou Lei, is Yin's servant, and the one who actually switched the instruments. if she talks, Yin will be implicated. 4)Yin doesn't care if she gets demoted (worst case scenario) because she will testify against Wei in order to see her son, so it is a gain for her 5)Yin believes (like so many others) that the Wei clan can't afford a loss6)Wei gives her the letter from her uncle, her trump card, revealing that Yin will only lose because the emperor will not punish her because her Uncle has power over the troops7)Yin kind of collapses and admits her defeat. Wei offers to bring her son back, adopt him, and she can be near him i she agrees to be utterly submissive. Yin agrees.8)Wei wants her to allow Saioyou Liu to talk and allow Yang to continue to gather her evidence....
9)Elsewhere, a servant/eunech to Ru Yin & Xu Hui shows up with injuries. he reveals that people are talking and believe Ru Yi poisoned Xu Hui, and he got into a fight defending her
--I CALLED IT---SO Pure Consort also sees Ru Yi as a threat and is willing to use her over Xu Hui (after all Ru Yi has survived some insurmountable odds in addition to proving she is not just smart but daring--imagine what she would be like if she actually had some power?
1.We open to the emperor who has his Minister Fuji read a shocking report: the Mongols invaded and Commander Wang Juli in Yizhou (South West China/modern day Guangxi area) retreated 20 miles without permission. This is grounds for execution.
2.Elsewhere, Consort Wei admits to her attendant that they were successful in organizing the sabotage of the instrument with the goal of making Consort Yang inept (I am surprised that she would be so petty when such important event is occurring). Unfortunately, it does not go as she planned. Ru Yi gambles on the importance of image: they will use guile. In short, this means they send out a musician dressed as servant and after the foreign girl finishes her song, everyone, including Ru Yi, gives her a hard time about how easy the song is. They prove even a servant could play it by bringing out a 'servant' (mind you she lacks the skill to play as well as the girl) but it effectively puts the win in their court.
3.Back to the emperor, he and his ministers have an audience with Minister of Defense Wei who reports that it was a false report, and he sent a letter ordering the general to return to his position and punish the person responsible, which he does. Wei leaves, and the emperor learns from another minister that Wei has not had contact with this commander in 10 years. The emperor remarks he underestimated Wei (essentially Wei has a great deal of power in spite of everyone's assessment because he organized this entire event to show his power--he, likely, had the general retreat and then return to illustrate he controls the frontier army)
4.Back to the Glass Banquet. Xu Hui continues to look pale as the spiritual advisor from India comes out with his relic. The emperor arrives just as Ru Yi proves it is not a relic, shocking everyone. The emperor lectures Ru Yi (now this is all for show) and expresses anger towards the man from India (he wanted to sell this relic for 100,000 gold). The man claims he did not know it was a fake, and the emperor pardons him for his ignorance.
5.Next comes the chess match (recall earlier that Xu Hui solved the endgame and should win). The guy from Japan wants to battle a man and says if he loses, he will kill himself. Unfortunately, Xu Hui passes out during the match (I was certain, at this time, that there was poison on the endgame paper the guy from Japan delivered to her). Ru Yi, recalling the chess board when Xu Hui solved it (does she have a photographic memory) is about to win--she fakes putting it down where it goes to win, smiles at him as if to say I can beat you--and then places it on a spot so they tie. The man is angry, admits defeat, and wants to kill himself. The emperor intervenes and says that they had an unfair advantage since they used two players and forbids him. Ru Yi tells him to heed the emperor and to spend his life finding more endgames, and he he says he will heed her words.
6.Xiao Q comes out to do her dance, and the emperor smiles at her briefly and then leaves. Poor Xiao Q is left spinning and twirling with her target audience gone. Both the emperor and Ru Yi go to Xu Hui who is with Consort Yin and a doctor. Apparently the fan she got was poisoned, so that the more she used it, the more poison came out (Here I thought ahaha, Consort Wei...but then I recalled that this show is filled with twists and remembered Consort Yang used it without getting sick. So I wondered did she do this to further implicate Consort Wei?)But Consort Yang appears and tells Ru Yi that Consort Wei must have done this...
7.Ru Yi is lectured by the emperor but it is clearly teasing. She also gives Xu Hui credit for solving the endgame. The emperor gives Consort Yang full powers to investigate this.
8.Elsewhere, Consort Yin is meeting with Consort Wei (as awful as she is I really really like her character) . From this conversation, we learn 1)Yin has switched to Yang's side because she has promised to have her son brought back within three years 2)She believes Yang will actually do this however Wei assesses that she does not trust Yang because she has nothing on her 3)Wei points out that the key witness, Saiyou Lei, is Yin's servant, and the one who actually switched the instruments. if she talks, Yin will be implicated. 4)Yin doesn't care if she gets demoted (worst case scenario) because she will testify against Wei in order to see her son, so it is a gain for her 5)Yin believes (like so many others) that the Wei clan can't afford a loss6)Wei gives her the letter from her uncle, her trump card, revealing that Yin will only lose because the emperor will not punish her because her Uncle has power over the troops7)Yin kind of collapses and admits her defeat. Wei offers to bring her son back, adopt him, and she can be near him i she agrees to be utterly submissive. Yin agrees.8)Wei wants her to allow Saioyou Liu to talk and allow Yang to continue to gather her evidence....
9)Elsewhere, a servant/eunech to Ru Yin & Xu Hui shows up with injuries. he reveals that people are talking and believe Ru Yi poisoned Xu Hui, and he got into a fight defending her
--I CALLED IT---SO Pure Consort also sees Ru Yi as a threat and is willing to use her over Xu Hui (after all Ru Yi has survived some insurmountable odds in addition to proving she is not just smart but daring--imagine what she would be like if she actually had some power?
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10/96!
Every 10 episodes I will do this. Just to recap:
Able Consort Liu and her unborn child (miscarriage/suicide), Zheng Wanyan (poisoned), a cat (poisoned), and a servant of crown prince who helped instigate a plot to slander him (suicide) have perished.
In addition to the people listed in my episode 1 summary, we can add:
Minister Wei/Minister of Defense: Uncle to Noble Consort Wei
Li Zhe: Son of Emperor
Chengxin: Saved the life of Crown Prince; may also be Crown Prince's Lover
Dai Qing: Trusted Adviser of the Emperor/He calls him brother/Heads the Grand Court
Wei Zheng: The Crown Prince's tutor, respected by the emperor for his honesty and piety (historically he actually colluded with Li Shimin's brothers but Li Shimin respected his loyalty and kept him as a minister)
Su Mei: Crown Princess, wife of Crown Prince
Yin Hongzhi: a supporter of Prince Qi
Notable Promotions: Zheng Wanyan was posthumously promoted to Jieyou; Xu Hui was also promoted to Jieyou
1.We open with Ru Yi rescuing (the kind of unrealistic but beautiful rescue that only happens in a drama) Li Zhe; the sword swung by Wu cuts her hair clip (but not her hair) and it falls down free. She looks like Aprhodite.
2.Then, the emperor conveniently shows up and has seen everything. His sons are humiliated by their behavior and endure a lecture from the emperor. Ru Yi stands up for Wu and explains that he would never hurt the crown prince, that it was an accident. The emperor does not punish them but declare Wu the clear winner, making the crown prince angry.
3.The emperor encourages his children to work together (pot, meet kettle). The emperor seems to ignore her and she leaves, dejected but he turns and glances at her. Xu Hui observes this and seems uneasy (I hope she doesn't turn victim to jealousy).
4.Meanwhile, Ke (prince Wu) visits his mother (Yang). He reports he failed to throw the fight, as they planned. She is very upset and tells him that he must not give in to the crown prince's provocations and avoid conflict. He says he insulted her, and when he mentions Cairen Wu stood up for him, she immediately tells him to not get involved with her (....strange...what is she going to do to Ru Yi?)
5.Meanwhile, Changxin tells the crown prince to be wary of the other princes. This seems to feed into the crown prince's growing insecurity and paranoia about the stability of his position, making me wonder if Changxin is there to stir up trouble.
6.Elsewhere, Ru Yi is in the library when the emperor shows up. He is clearly fishing for her attention and they have an unguarded discussion. He asks her why she is so quiet and she says she does not want to offend him, to which he replies Yeting was a good training for her ( I cannot tell if this is a joke or not/or if he is saying she has learned her place). He confides his sons are a disappointment (prophetic) to which she replies at least he has Li Zhe (super prophetic). They talk about preparations for the glass banquet but he seems more interested in watching her rather than really listening (I think he is increasingly becoming mesmerized by her). She learns from him that the Grand Assembly is a great way to ensure people are loyal without going to war i.e. vigilant, even at peace time.
7.Elsewhere,an astronomer is visited by Zheng gong-gong. He reports that Consort Yin has seen shooting stars in a strange way, and the astronomer at first thinks nothing of it until Zheng mentions 'isn't this similar to 626' (come on, a toddler could see through this manipulation!) causing the astronomer to panic
8.Following this scene, Qi and Yin Hongzhi receive a message from Zheng gong-gong that basically says the stage is set. Hongzhi says 'Venus rises when emperor star falls'--hmmm
9.Next we go to Taiju Hall and the Grand Assembly begins! It is a very cool scene, as the princes wait out front to greet the ambassadors. You can tell it is a lavish display meant to show power and authority. The Crown prince notes that the Mutu (Mongolia) are late, which is meant to be rude. he addresses this but the Mutu ambassador says his horse was hungry and ate slowly (bwahahaha) and then he tries to go into the banquet with a weapon (forbidden). This event is smoothed over by Prince Wu who confiscates the dagger and promises to return it.
10.Meanwhile, Consort Yang meets with Consort Yin, Xu hui, and Ru Yi, and thanks them for their assistance. We learn that the banquet is very important because if they lose, others can use it to humiliate the emperor (insulting his women folk) and provoke a war. They must win. The ladies prepare for the competitions....
11.Meanwhile, the emperor is meeting the ambassadors from Japan. They have sent a jade chess set and their best jade player, to partake in the glass banquet (unheard of, except this man is extremely lovely and favored by the empress). However, only a woman can play against him. The emperor selects Xu Hui, and she wins (yay!)
12.Consort Yang wants Ru Yi to use the enamel fan in a competition, in spite of her protests (this has to be another set up). Ru Yi agrees but then lends the fan to Xu Hui, telling her it matches her outfit perfectly (it does). Ru Yi is tasked with solving the puzzle: an ambassador reports to have an Indian relic, left by a god, that cannot be destroyed. She visits the astronomer who tells her that this a peddler telling lies; it is made of carbite, and can be broken with antlers horns)
13.For reasons unknown, but likely related to Consort Yin's conveniently timed observation, he asks how old the girl is and when she entered the palace--she is not yet 20 and new to the palace--making the astronomer hesitate...
14.The series ends with a note delivered to the emperor (we don't know what it says) and the music competition being sabotaged as someone replaced the instrument with one that injured the musician selected....
--I am not overly fond of the 'vision' plot but will wait and see if it is executed well
Every 10 episodes I will do this. Just to recap:
Able Consort Liu and her unborn child (miscarriage/suicide), Zheng Wanyan (poisoned), a cat (poisoned), and a servant of crown prince who helped instigate a plot to slander him (suicide) have perished.
In addition to the people listed in my episode 1 summary, we can add:
Minister Wei/Minister of Defense: Uncle to Noble Consort Wei
Li Zhe: Son of Emperor
Chengxin: Saved the life of Crown Prince; may also be Crown Prince's Lover
Dai Qing: Trusted Adviser of the Emperor/He calls him brother/Heads the Grand Court
Wei Zheng: The Crown Prince's tutor, respected by the emperor for his honesty and piety (historically he actually colluded with Li Shimin's brothers but Li Shimin respected his loyalty and kept him as a minister)
Su Mei: Crown Princess, wife of Crown Prince
Yin Hongzhi: a supporter of Prince Qi
Notable Promotions: Zheng Wanyan was posthumously promoted to Jieyou; Xu Hui was also promoted to Jieyou
1.We open with Ru Yi rescuing (the kind of unrealistic but beautiful rescue that only happens in a drama) Li Zhe; the sword swung by Wu cuts her hair clip (but not her hair) and it falls down free. She looks like Aprhodite.
2.Then, the emperor conveniently shows up and has seen everything. His sons are humiliated by their behavior and endure a lecture from the emperor. Ru Yi stands up for Wu and explains that he would never hurt the crown prince, that it was an accident. The emperor does not punish them but declare Wu the clear winner, making the crown prince angry.
3.The emperor encourages his children to work together (pot, meet kettle). The emperor seems to ignore her and she leaves, dejected but he turns and glances at her. Xu Hui observes this and seems uneasy (I hope she doesn't turn victim to jealousy).
4.Meanwhile, Ke (prince Wu) visits his mother (Yang). He reports he failed to throw the fight, as they planned. She is very upset and tells him that he must not give in to the crown prince's provocations and avoid conflict. He says he insulted her, and when he mentions Cairen Wu stood up for him, she immediately tells him to not get involved with her (....strange...what is she going to do to Ru Yi?)
5.Meanwhile, Changxin tells the crown prince to be wary of the other princes. This seems to feed into the crown prince's growing insecurity and paranoia about the stability of his position, making me wonder if Changxin is there to stir up trouble.
6.Elsewhere, Ru Yi is in the library when the emperor shows up. He is clearly fishing for her attention and they have an unguarded discussion. He asks her why she is so quiet and she says she does not want to offend him, to which he replies Yeting was a good training for her ( I cannot tell if this is a joke or not/or if he is saying she has learned her place). He confides his sons are a disappointment (prophetic) to which she replies at least he has Li Zhe (super prophetic). They talk about preparations for the glass banquet but he seems more interested in watching her rather than really listening (I think he is increasingly becoming mesmerized by her). She learns from him that the Grand Assembly is a great way to ensure people are loyal without going to war i.e. vigilant, even at peace time.
7.Elsewhere,an astronomer is visited by Zheng gong-gong. He reports that Consort Yin has seen shooting stars in a strange way, and the astronomer at first thinks nothing of it until Zheng mentions 'isn't this similar to 626' (come on, a toddler could see through this manipulation!) causing the astronomer to panic
8.Following this scene, Qi and Yin Hongzhi receive a message from Zheng gong-gong that basically says the stage is set. Hongzhi says 'Venus rises when emperor star falls'--hmmm
9.Next we go to Taiju Hall and the Grand Assembly begins! It is a very cool scene, as the princes wait out front to greet the ambassadors. You can tell it is a lavish display meant to show power and authority. The Crown prince notes that the Mutu (Mongolia) are late, which is meant to be rude. he addresses this but the Mutu ambassador says his horse was hungry and ate slowly (bwahahaha) and then he tries to go into the banquet with a weapon (forbidden). This event is smoothed over by Prince Wu who confiscates the dagger and promises to return it.
10.Meanwhile, Consort Yang meets with Consort Yin, Xu hui, and Ru Yi, and thanks them for their assistance. We learn that the banquet is very important because if they lose, others can use it to humiliate the emperor (insulting his women folk) and provoke a war. They must win. The ladies prepare for the competitions....
11.Meanwhile, the emperor is meeting the ambassadors from Japan. They have sent a jade chess set and their best jade player, to partake in the glass banquet (unheard of, except this man is extremely lovely and favored by the empress). However, only a woman can play against him. The emperor selects Xu Hui, and she wins (yay!)
12.Consort Yang wants Ru Yi to use the enamel fan in a competition, in spite of her protests (this has to be another set up). Ru Yi agrees but then lends the fan to Xu Hui, telling her it matches her outfit perfectly (it does). Ru Yi is tasked with solving the puzzle: an ambassador reports to have an Indian relic, left by a god, that cannot be destroyed. She visits the astronomer who tells her that this a peddler telling lies; it is made of carbite, and can be broken with antlers horns)
13.For reasons unknown, but likely related to Consort Yin's conveniently timed observation, he asks how old the girl is and when she entered the palace--she is not yet 20 and new to the palace--making the astronomer hesitate...
14.The series ends with a note delivered to the emperor (we don't know what it says) and the music competition being sabotaged as someone replaced the instrument with one that injured the musician selected....
--I am not overly fond of the 'vision' plot but will wait and see if it is executed well
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9/96!
I HAVE TO TAKE NOTES TO KEEP TRACK OF EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN THIS SHOW. IT IS ALMOST OVERWHELMING.
1.We open to Consort Yin (Virtuous Consort) who is speaking with her personal servants, admitting that she has been so distant from Consort Yang that it would make no sense to play up to her now. She continues to maintain that her greatest desire is to see her son (a sentiment that she has shared openly with Consort Wei and has impacted her desire to kill Wanyan, whom she seemed to believe would jeopardize this). Prince Qi is currently a commander in what I believe is the upper-to eastern prefectures.
2.In the very next scene, we see Prince Qi who has received a letter from Yin. Come to find out, her constant pining is a ruse as she AGAIN tells him to stay away from Chang'an and to fake an illness (it would make sense to keep him and his army away from the city in the event something bad happens and it also protects him from the schemes of others). With him is Yin Hongzhi, an advisor of sorts a family member to Yin. His health is not very good. We learn some cryptic info: Qi admits his mother does not know what he really wants, and Yin Hongzhi promises to give him what he wants on the final day of the Grand Assembly....
3.We go to (I believe) Minister Wei who speaks with his subordinates regarding the matter of the prince of Qi. They have a spy there, named as Quan Wanji, who reports that Yin Hongzhi's days are numbered. This is reassuring for him, as he feared Yin Hongzhi would exert authority over the prince to use the Qizhou army to instigate a rebellion and avenge many of his family members who were executed (including his father). He believes he is no longer a threat.
4.We then cut to Consort Yang who summons the concubines and tells them they are to select a fabric of their choosing and a new dress will be made. They are instructed to choose carefully since their clothing will impact fashion abroad (and likely the economy). Ru Yi encourages Xu Hui to wear the cloud brocade fabric because like her it is refined and tranquil, and Xu Hui tells her that she knows her too well. Xiao Q immediately claims the fabric as her own, mistaking it as Ru Yi's choice. Ru Yi provokes her, and Consort Yang watches (amused).
5.Consort Wei enters and immediately reprimands her niece for her behavior, much to her humiliation, and tells her she has no right to challenge a Jieyou, Xu Hui, as she is higher in rank and thus she has broken the rules of the harem and is punished to kneel for four hours. Wei then points out that Consort Yang is original as she, in the past, selected what the concubines would wear according to rank. She then whispers in Consort Yang's ear that she is (essentially) pretty board if she would allow the concubines to pick their own fabrics, encouraging discord. Before leaving she encourages the girls to work together and serve Consort Yang as they would her. Ri Yu boldly kneels in front of her and proclaims to do just that. Xu Hui neverously follows. This is a bold declaration of war.
6.Surprisingly, Ru Yi apologizes to Xiao Q. on her way out and tells her that she only meant to provoke her, not realizing she would be punished and tells her she owes her one (it seems that Xiao Q is perceived as little to no threat to the girls, and more of an annoying and at times entertaining bother)
7.In the next scene, we see Wei continues to meet with (I think) Prince Wu and they discuss plans to basically make the crown prince look bad (I think). Meanwhile the crown prince is practicing hard because he must reassert his authority, and he plans to do this by defeating his brother Prince Wu, who is skilled at swords. He complains that his father is deliberately making things hard for him because his injury means he will do poorly at polo ( I am losing my patience for him)
8.In the next scene, Consort Wei personally selects and styles Xiao's outfit for the Glass Banquet. It is a lovely outfit, and seems to convey power, being gold. She encourages Xiao to maintain her temper because their position is not secure; their Uncle is the only male family member they have at court, and although he holds a position of power he cannot make people bow to him instantly. She tells Xiao that she needs to take today as a lesson in learning to read the situation: currently Consort Yang has the upper hand however she can never be empress because of her Sui blood (historically, Consort Yang was in fact the princess and wife of Li Shimin's younger brother; he took her as his concubine when he became emperor). She tells her that she is young and the future of their clan rests on her (how much of this is b.s.?)
9.In the next scene, Consort Yin visits Consort Wei and they appear to be discussing checkers (which they are playing) but it is really a conversation about their plan moving forward. Esentially Consort Wei tells her that while her position may look weak, they are waiting for the right moment to strike and topple their enemies. Her question is whether or not Yin will choose to take her side or not as she carefully plans to take back power.
10.In the next scene, Ru Yi and Xu Hui are sitting before Consort Yang, they almost look like her daughters. Ru Yi is sophisticated and elegant, perhaps someone they could become. She scolds them for provoking a fight with Xiao Q. however Ru Yi is entranced by her beautiful fan (recall Consort Wei gave it to her). They apologize, and Consort Yang gives them the fabrics for their costumes. The cloud brocade for Xu Hui is there, and for Ru Yi she selected a lovely chrysanthemum on gold (this must be prophetic. I googled the meaning of this flower, and it symbolizes autumn and purity, because it rises out of mud to bloom). In a shocking move, she actually gives Ru Yi the fan she admires as a gift! (regifting in general is considered to be rude everywhere, but a gift from Consort Wei? That is begging for trouble!)(don't accept it! aww she accepted it....)
--We now officially have Team Yang---
11.Elsewhere, Consort Yin is trying to figure out her next move. She knows that the Wei clan is not going to quietly fade into obscurity it will take time to dismantle their power. She explains neither she nor Yang can be empress because they are descended from criminals. She believes this is a test for Consort Wei by the emperor, to see how capable she is.
12.Meanwhile, Xu Hui tries to convince Ru Yi to come with her to watch the princes train. The emperor might be there, and Xu Hui encourages her to again try to gain his attention (so refreshing in the harem!) Ru Yi chooses not to.
13.We cut to Crown Prince who is fencing. His servant tells him that Prince Wu will likely throw the match. This angers him. He challenges Wu, who concedes, then is able to provoke him to fight. He wins, but he is convinced he threw the fight. (For Wu, this could be a conundrum. If he wins, he has humiliated the crown prince. If he loses, he has humiliated him. This could be part of a greater plot to make the Crown prince seem ungracious) He tries to provoke him but Wu says 'Barking dogs have no bite' essentially that he is all talk, and the prince says he is not worthy of his reputation as a sword master. In the end, crown prince is able to provoke him to another fight after insulting his mother....
14.Elsewhere, Li Zhe (he has got to be roughly the same age as Ru Yi; remember, girls develop faster) (for reasons that make no sense and are very stupid) chooses to put a baby bird in its nest. He is then dangling from a branch. Ru Yi sees him, recognizes him as the kid from Yeting, and catches him (prophetic). She learns he is a prince and bows. Later, the two walk back and seem very close (like friends). They come across the princes fighting, and she tries to stop him but he grabs a sword and runs out to protect crown prince from what could be a killing blow. The sword bounces off and seems about to hit him....
-In order to fully understand this show I have done so much research in addition to taking notes to keep track of all of the plots! Crazy!
I HAVE TO TAKE NOTES TO KEEP TRACK OF EVERYTHING HAPPENING IN THIS SHOW. IT IS ALMOST OVERWHELMING.
1.We open to Consort Yin (Virtuous Consort) who is speaking with her personal servants, admitting that she has been so distant from Consort Yang that it would make no sense to play up to her now. She continues to maintain that her greatest desire is to see her son (a sentiment that she has shared openly with Consort Wei and has impacted her desire to kill Wanyan, whom she seemed to believe would jeopardize this). Prince Qi is currently a commander in what I believe is the upper-to eastern prefectures.
2.In the very next scene, we see Prince Qi who has received a letter from Yin. Come to find out, her constant pining is a ruse as she AGAIN tells him to stay away from Chang'an and to fake an illness (it would make sense to keep him and his army away from the city in the event something bad happens and it also protects him from the schemes of others). With him is Yin Hongzhi, an advisor of sorts a family member to Yin. His health is not very good. We learn some cryptic info: Qi admits his mother does not know what he really wants, and Yin Hongzhi promises to give him what he wants on the final day of the Grand Assembly....
3.We go to (I believe) Minister Wei who speaks with his subordinates regarding the matter of the prince of Qi. They have a spy there, named as Quan Wanji, who reports that Yin Hongzhi's days are numbered. This is reassuring for him, as he feared Yin Hongzhi would exert authority over the prince to use the Qizhou army to instigate a rebellion and avenge many of his family members who were executed (including his father). He believes he is no longer a threat.
4.We then cut to Consort Yang who summons the concubines and tells them they are to select a fabric of their choosing and a new dress will be made. They are instructed to choose carefully since their clothing will impact fashion abroad (and likely the economy). Ru Yi encourages Xu Hui to wear the cloud brocade fabric because like her it is refined and tranquil, and Xu Hui tells her that she knows her too well. Xiao Q immediately claims the fabric as her own, mistaking it as Ru Yi's choice. Ru Yi provokes her, and Consort Yang watches (amused).
5.Consort Wei enters and immediately reprimands her niece for her behavior, much to her humiliation, and tells her she has no right to challenge a Jieyou, Xu Hui, as she is higher in rank and thus she has broken the rules of the harem and is punished to kneel for four hours. Wei then points out that Consort Yang is original as she, in the past, selected what the concubines would wear according to rank. She then whispers in Consort Yang's ear that she is (essentially) pretty board if she would allow the concubines to pick their own fabrics, encouraging discord. Before leaving she encourages the girls to work together and serve Consort Yang as they would her. Ri Yu boldly kneels in front of her and proclaims to do just that. Xu Hui neverously follows. This is a bold declaration of war.
6.Surprisingly, Ru Yi apologizes to Xiao Q. on her way out and tells her that she only meant to provoke her, not realizing she would be punished and tells her she owes her one (it seems that Xiao Q is perceived as little to no threat to the girls, and more of an annoying and at times entertaining bother)
7.In the next scene, we see Wei continues to meet with (I think) Prince Wu and they discuss plans to basically make the crown prince look bad (I think). Meanwhile the crown prince is practicing hard because he must reassert his authority, and he plans to do this by defeating his brother Prince Wu, who is skilled at swords. He complains that his father is deliberately making things hard for him because his injury means he will do poorly at polo ( I am losing my patience for him)
8.In the next scene, Consort Wei personally selects and styles Xiao's outfit for the Glass Banquet. It is a lovely outfit, and seems to convey power, being gold. She encourages Xiao to maintain her temper because their position is not secure; their Uncle is the only male family member they have at court, and although he holds a position of power he cannot make people bow to him instantly. She tells Xiao that she needs to take today as a lesson in learning to read the situation: currently Consort Yang has the upper hand however she can never be empress because of her Sui blood (historically, Consort Yang was in fact the princess and wife of Li Shimin's younger brother; he took her as his concubine when he became emperor). She tells her that she is young and the future of their clan rests on her (how much of this is b.s.?)
9.In the next scene, Consort Yin visits Consort Wei and they appear to be discussing checkers (which they are playing) but it is really a conversation about their plan moving forward. Esentially Consort Wei tells her that while her position may look weak, they are waiting for the right moment to strike and topple their enemies. Her question is whether or not Yin will choose to take her side or not as she carefully plans to take back power.
10.In the next scene, Ru Yi and Xu Hui are sitting before Consort Yang, they almost look like her daughters. Ru Yi is sophisticated and elegant, perhaps someone they could become. She scolds them for provoking a fight with Xiao Q. however Ru Yi is entranced by her beautiful fan (recall Consort Wei gave it to her). They apologize, and Consort Yang gives them the fabrics for their costumes. The cloud brocade for Xu Hui is there, and for Ru Yi she selected a lovely chrysanthemum on gold (this must be prophetic. I googled the meaning of this flower, and it symbolizes autumn and purity, because it rises out of mud to bloom). In a shocking move, she actually gives Ru Yi the fan she admires as a gift! (regifting in general is considered to be rude everywhere, but a gift from Consort Wei? That is begging for trouble!)(don't accept it! aww she accepted it....)
--We now officially have Team Yang---
11.Elsewhere, Consort Yin is trying to figure out her next move. She knows that the Wei clan is not going to quietly fade into obscurity it will take time to dismantle their power. She explains neither she nor Yang can be empress because they are descended from criminals. She believes this is a test for Consort Wei by the emperor, to see how capable she is.
12.Meanwhile, Xu Hui tries to convince Ru Yi to come with her to watch the princes train. The emperor might be there, and Xu Hui encourages her to again try to gain his attention (so refreshing in the harem!) Ru Yi chooses not to.
13.We cut to Crown Prince who is fencing. His servant tells him that Prince Wu will likely throw the match. This angers him. He challenges Wu, who concedes, then is able to provoke him to fight. He wins, but he is convinced he threw the fight. (For Wu, this could be a conundrum. If he wins, he has humiliated the crown prince. If he loses, he has humiliated him. This could be part of a greater plot to make the Crown prince seem ungracious) He tries to provoke him but Wu says 'Barking dogs have no bite' essentially that he is all talk, and the prince says he is not worthy of his reputation as a sword master. In the end, crown prince is able to provoke him to another fight after insulting his mother....
14.Elsewhere, Li Zhe (he has got to be roughly the same age as Ru Yi; remember, girls develop faster) (for reasons that make no sense and are very stupid) chooses to put a baby bird in its nest. He is then dangling from a branch. Ru Yi sees him, recognizes him as the kid from Yeting, and catches him (prophetic). She learns he is a prince and bows. Later, the two walk back and seem very close (like friends). They come across the princes fighting, and she tries to stop him but he grabs a sword and runs out to protect crown prince from what could be a killing blow. The sword bounces off and seems about to hit him....
-In order to fully understand this show I have done so much research in addition to taking notes to keep track of all of the plots! Crazy!
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8/96!
1.Our episode begins with a servant of Virtuous Consort being scolded. She acted on her own and poisoned the food that Xu Hui had requested be given to Ru Yi. Virtuous Consort nervously clutches her prayer beads as she explains that a woman in Yeting had almost zero chance of ever coming out (I did some research and learned that 'Yeting' refers to the entire area of the Western Palace, where maids trained. There was a prison in the palace, referred to as the 'Weaving Room' where women dyed clothing and performed various tasks--this may be the area that our Ru Yi is in fact confined). In any event, I am surprised that this servant acted without orders--
2.That night, Xu Hui and Ru Yi meet up, talking to one another through the wall separating them. Ru Yi is not jealous of Xu Hui's good fortune in attracting the emperor; she even praises her chess skills and intelligence. We learn that Xu Hui is in love with the emperor, and this is a secret she has kept. Xu Hui insists she did not poison the food and Ru Yi tells her to stop, that she believes her. The girls swear a vow to be sisters and work together, having learned from Wanyan how the harem can distort your thinking and turn people against one another.
3.Elsewhere, I believe the Prince of Wu is eating a lot of food. He seems to have a fixation on beauty and youth (as well as himself) and often studies his reflection. He later goes to Yehu Lane (? not sure of the significance of this location) and there he meets with Consort Wei (isn't his mother the Pure Consort?) who reveals her ambition: she desires to be empress and has teamed up with the Prince of Wu who tells her to be patient, and in a year or two he will help her realize this goal. We also learn that the Prince Wu is very much his father's son: he tells Wei that his brothers are bad brothers because they stand in his way to the throne (basically if they loved him they would die or disappear)....he kind of makes my skin crawl...
4.Elsewhere, the emperor is with his advisors. Apparently Chu Sulliang wrote a report that would impeach Wei Yuancheng (MInister of Defense) because of gross abuse of powers and corruption. The man to be impeached, meanwhile, plans on using the upcoming Grand Assembly (it occurs every 3 years; the city hosts a big event and entertains many ambassadors and foreign dignitaries) to have a new empress named.
5.We then go the harem, where the three consorts are visiting together. We learn that the harem hosts the Glass Banquet, an extremely lavish event in which they must impress the ambassador wives with their elegance and wealth. It is, essentially, a giant display. Consort Wei is in charge of it because she is the highest ranked consort. She asks the women to work together for this event (interesting)
6.Back at court, Minister Wei brings up the topic of the empress and suggests that Consort Wei is the best choice because she is the most capable. He names valid reasons for not selecting the other two: Pure Consort is often ill and Virtuous consort has a weak personality. The opposition to this is 1)he is essentially naming his own niece to be empress. The Emperor appears to be uncommitted to this and suggests they wait for Chancellor Zhangsun to recover from his illness, effectively putting this on hold. Meanwhile, he names Consort Yang (Pure Consort) to be in charge of this years glass banquet(!)
7.Elsewhere, a melancholy crown prince is partying in the eastern palace with a bunch of men and girls. His tutor visits him and essentially explains to him what happened during the meeting with the king. He basically tells him he needs to shape up because the Wei family, although their power is in decline, is still powerful and could be a threat. In addition, the naming of Consort Yang to take over the Glass Banquet is a slap in the face because she has a son, the Prince of Wu, and if she becomes empress (which would make more since because she has a son while Wei does not) then it endangers his position. His tutor urges him to take this Grand Assembly as a chance to reassert his power....
8.Elsewhere, Noble Consort Wei is getting ready (so pretty!) and Virtuous Consort arrives with a gift--some kickass shoes--however Noble Consort, never one to pass up a chance to exert her power, makes her put them on her feet. It is as she is putting these shoes on that Wei learns that she is no longer in charge of the banquet, but Consort Yang is! The look of shock on her face and the smug look on Consort Yin's face is priceless!
9.On her way back, Virtuous Consort has a talk with her servant about the current state in the harem and brings things into perspective. Her servant assumes that this snub to Consort Wei is a sign she is about to fall from power. But Consort Yin tells her that is not at all the case; the emperor has been aware of her evil acts for years and ignored them. She says that something enormous would need to happen for to fall from power and believes that something big will happen during the grand assembly (If Wei's uncle is actually impeached....that will be priceless...)
10.Meanwhile, our leading lady, Ru Yi is released from prison. Every person in Yeting not on death row is given a pardon in honor of celebrating the upcoming grand assembly (the emperor planned this out) she survived a full year in yeting. Later that night, she and Xu hui meet to discuss their game plan. They know that they are not liked by the Wei faction (which includes Xiao Q). However Xu Hui does not have enough power and is just a Jieyou while Ru Yi has a crime attached to her name and is a Cairen. In addition, Wei fears her. They know the Virtuous Consort is not reliable so they plan on throwing their lot in with Consort Yang, who has helped them in the past. They owe her a favor, and plan on helping her gain control of the harem.
(Here we see that Wei, although managing to obtain great power, has made enough enemies in the process that now she has to contend with others uniting together against her, and her acts of humiliating people like Virtuous Consort might even lead Virtuous consort to helping Pure Consort...however, the fact that both Virtuous and Pure Consort have a son makes them rivals as well so mayhap she will continue to support Wei no matter how annoying....)
What confuses me: If I assumed correctly, then Consort Wei is plotting with Prince Wu, the son of a woman who hates her....he is not very filial.
I really, really hope that the friendship between Xu Hui and Ru Yi does not collapse due to harem politics....
1.Our episode begins with a servant of Virtuous Consort being scolded. She acted on her own and poisoned the food that Xu Hui had requested be given to Ru Yi. Virtuous Consort nervously clutches her prayer beads as she explains that a woman in Yeting had almost zero chance of ever coming out (I did some research and learned that 'Yeting' refers to the entire area of the Western Palace, where maids trained. There was a prison in the palace, referred to as the 'Weaving Room' where women dyed clothing and performed various tasks--this may be the area that our Ru Yi is in fact confined). In any event, I am surprised that this servant acted without orders--
2.That night, Xu Hui and Ru Yi meet up, talking to one another through the wall separating them. Ru Yi is not jealous of Xu Hui's good fortune in attracting the emperor; she even praises her chess skills and intelligence. We learn that Xu Hui is in love with the emperor, and this is a secret she has kept. Xu Hui insists she did not poison the food and Ru Yi tells her to stop, that she believes her. The girls swear a vow to be sisters and work together, having learned from Wanyan how the harem can distort your thinking and turn people against one another.
3.Elsewhere, I believe the Prince of Wu is eating a lot of food. He seems to have a fixation on beauty and youth (as well as himself) and often studies his reflection. He later goes to Yehu Lane (? not sure of the significance of this location) and there he meets with Consort Wei (isn't his mother the Pure Consort?) who reveals her ambition: she desires to be empress and has teamed up with the Prince of Wu who tells her to be patient, and in a year or two he will help her realize this goal. We also learn that the Prince Wu is very much his father's son: he tells Wei that his brothers are bad brothers because they stand in his way to the throne (basically if they loved him they would die or disappear)....he kind of makes my skin crawl...
4.Elsewhere, the emperor is with his advisors. Apparently Chu Sulliang wrote a report that would impeach Wei Yuancheng (MInister of Defense) because of gross abuse of powers and corruption. The man to be impeached, meanwhile, plans on using the upcoming Grand Assembly (it occurs every 3 years; the city hosts a big event and entertains many ambassadors and foreign dignitaries) to have a new empress named.
5.We then go the harem, where the three consorts are visiting together. We learn that the harem hosts the Glass Banquet, an extremely lavish event in which they must impress the ambassador wives with their elegance and wealth. It is, essentially, a giant display. Consort Wei is in charge of it because she is the highest ranked consort. She asks the women to work together for this event (interesting)
6.Back at court, Minister Wei brings up the topic of the empress and suggests that Consort Wei is the best choice because she is the most capable. He names valid reasons for not selecting the other two: Pure Consort is often ill and Virtuous consort has a weak personality. The opposition to this is 1)he is essentially naming his own niece to be empress. The Emperor appears to be uncommitted to this and suggests they wait for Chancellor Zhangsun to recover from his illness, effectively putting this on hold. Meanwhile, he names Consort Yang (Pure Consort) to be in charge of this years glass banquet(!)
7.Elsewhere, a melancholy crown prince is partying in the eastern palace with a bunch of men and girls. His tutor visits him and essentially explains to him what happened during the meeting with the king. He basically tells him he needs to shape up because the Wei family, although their power is in decline, is still powerful and could be a threat. In addition, the naming of Consort Yang to take over the Glass Banquet is a slap in the face because she has a son, the Prince of Wu, and if she becomes empress (which would make more since because she has a son while Wei does not) then it endangers his position. His tutor urges him to take this Grand Assembly as a chance to reassert his power....
8.Elsewhere, Noble Consort Wei is getting ready (so pretty!) and Virtuous Consort arrives with a gift--some kickass shoes--however Noble Consort, never one to pass up a chance to exert her power, makes her put them on her feet. It is as she is putting these shoes on that Wei learns that she is no longer in charge of the banquet, but Consort Yang is! The look of shock on her face and the smug look on Consort Yin's face is priceless!
9.On her way back, Virtuous Consort has a talk with her servant about the current state in the harem and brings things into perspective. Her servant assumes that this snub to Consort Wei is a sign she is about to fall from power. But Consort Yin tells her that is not at all the case; the emperor has been aware of her evil acts for years and ignored them. She says that something enormous would need to happen for to fall from power and believes that something big will happen during the grand assembly (If Wei's uncle is actually impeached....that will be priceless...)
10.Meanwhile, our leading lady, Ru Yi is released from prison. Every person in Yeting not on death row is given a pardon in honor of celebrating the upcoming grand assembly (the emperor planned this out) she survived a full year in yeting. Later that night, she and Xu hui meet to discuss their game plan. They know that they are not liked by the Wei faction (which includes Xiao Q). However Xu Hui does not have enough power and is just a Jieyou while Ru Yi has a crime attached to her name and is a Cairen. In addition, Wei fears her. They know the Virtuous Consort is not reliable so they plan on throwing their lot in with Consort Yang, who has helped them in the past. They owe her a favor, and plan on helping her gain control of the harem.
(Here we see that Wei, although managing to obtain great power, has made enough enemies in the process that now she has to contend with others uniting together against her, and her acts of humiliating people like Virtuous Consort might even lead Virtuous consort to helping Pure Consort...however, the fact that both Virtuous and Pure Consort have a son makes them rivals as well so mayhap she will continue to support Wei no matter how annoying....)
What confuses me: If I assumed correctly, then Consort Wei is plotting with Prince Wu, the son of a woman who hates her....he is not very filial.
I really, really hope that the friendship between Xu Hui and Ru Yi does not collapse due to harem politics....
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7/96!
1.Su Mei, the Crown princess, is introduced. She appears to visit Crown Prince. A close companion to the Crown Prince, Chengxin, is in his chambers. She tries to have him sent out but the prince has him remove his clothes, showing scars. he saved him from a deadly bear attack (....wow) and thus is not someone she can dismiss. He then dismisses her.
2.We learn in the next scene that the Crown Prince used to be closer to her and then Chengxin appeared and that all changed. There is an implication that they may be lovers. She is concerned about rumors that he is gay getting around and wants another baby....the crown prince says no....
3.Meanwhile, Ru Yi is in jail. the emperor jails her because she lied. She refuses admit she lied and so the emperor finally says there is not enough evidence to convict her or to free her. Here she also learns from him that Wanyan tried to kill her, shocking her. She is sent to Yeting as punishment. this really, really sucks because here, you do laundry, which is arguably the worse job a person could have
--I pity Ru Yi but don't really get her plan; she lacks the power to go against Consort W. If she did and succeeded, it would just create a power vacuum and she would have to contend with others; maybe this is best?
4.Elsewhere, a memorial for Wanyan is held. In death she is conferred a higher title, Jieyou deren, and her father receives a 2,000 household fief, conferred 700 households, his son gets another title and a gold fan signed by the emperor
5.After this ceremony, the vice chancellor (Wanyan's dad) is met by a servant with his daughter's belongings. He expresses frustration that the culprit, Ru Yi, got free, but the man laughs and accuses him of putting on a show, that he should know Ru Yi was a scapegoat, and that this was all about gaining properties. But his father persists in his frustration (I think this was a test of his sincerity) and the man says that if he wants revenge, Master Yin can help. Even though he is not in Chang'an....
6.Meanwhile, Dai Qing is with the emperor. He tells him that he believes that Wei Zheng is a bad choice for royal tutor. But the emperor disagrees because he is honest, no nonsense, and smart. Dai Qing does not trust him because he goes to Xianwu gate every day on the anniversary of the incident (when the emperor killed his older brothers). he also doesn't trust him because he once plotted against him. But the emperor says what he can he do, since half of his court has tried to plot against him (fair point)
7.Consort Wei, meanwhile, sends a servant to meet with some girls from Yeting. She wants them to disfigure her, not kill her, and make it look like an ordinary fight. the girls gang up on Yeting (this feels like a prison fight--she has a shank!) But Ru Yi has fast reflexes and defends herself well. She beats them bad!
8.Meanwhile, Xu Hui is summoned to see the Emperor. He is playing chess, and she impresses him with her chess skills. Later she is conferred the rank of Jieyou Xu and given many gifts, much to Xiao Q's frustration who proceeds to engage in the same petty behavior
9.Ru Yi meanwhile meets a kid, who I think is a son of the crown prince. She gives him advice on fighting back his siblings who bully him.
10.Meanwhile, the crown prince is meeting with Changxi, who reports what the rumors are: apparently his servant stepped forth and made up an incident that he was drunk and killed the merchants father. He said the prince covered it up. That same man also killed himself. The prince must be careful....
11.Ru Yi needs to be ALWAYS on guard. While getting her daily rice, she is given a fancy lunchbox instead. By chance a cat happens to be there and she feeds it meet....the CAT DIES from poison.....whoever sent the food sent a note telling her to meet by the gate later.....who wants her dead? There are so many possibilities!
---I can only expect that i n this show each person will do crazy things. And I love it. Tune in for the next episode, and see who will die next--
1.Su Mei, the Crown princess, is introduced. She appears to visit Crown Prince. A close companion to the Crown Prince, Chengxin, is in his chambers. She tries to have him sent out but the prince has him remove his clothes, showing scars. he saved him from a deadly bear attack (....wow) and thus is not someone she can dismiss. He then dismisses her.
2.We learn in the next scene that the Crown Prince used to be closer to her and then Chengxin appeared and that all changed. There is an implication that they may be lovers. She is concerned about rumors that he is gay getting around and wants another baby....the crown prince says no....
3.Meanwhile, Ru Yi is in jail. the emperor jails her because she lied. She refuses admit she lied and so the emperor finally says there is not enough evidence to convict her or to free her. Here she also learns from him that Wanyan tried to kill her, shocking her. She is sent to Yeting as punishment. this really, really sucks because here, you do laundry, which is arguably the worse job a person could have
--I pity Ru Yi but don't really get her plan; she lacks the power to go against Consort W. If she did and succeeded, it would just create a power vacuum and she would have to contend with others; maybe this is best?
4.Elsewhere, a memorial for Wanyan is held. In death she is conferred a higher title, Jieyou deren, and her father receives a 2,000 household fief, conferred 700 households, his son gets another title and a gold fan signed by the emperor
5.After this ceremony, the vice chancellor (Wanyan's dad) is met by a servant with his daughter's belongings. He expresses frustration that the culprit, Ru Yi, got free, but the man laughs and accuses him of putting on a show, that he should know Ru Yi was a scapegoat, and that this was all about gaining properties. But his father persists in his frustration (I think this was a test of his sincerity) and the man says that if he wants revenge, Master Yin can help. Even though he is not in Chang'an....
6.Meanwhile, Dai Qing is with the emperor. He tells him that he believes that Wei Zheng is a bad choice for royal tutor. But the emperor disagrees because he is honest, no nonsense, and smart. Dai Qing does not trust him because he goes to Xianwu gate every day on the anniversary of the incident (when the emperor killed his older brothers). he also doesn't trust him because he once plotted against him. But the emperor says what he can he do, since half of his court has tried to plot against him (fair point)
7.Consort Wei, meanwhile, sends a servant to meet with some girls from Yeting. She wants them to disfigure her, not kill her, and make it look like an ordinary fight. the girls gang up on Yeting (this feels like a prison fight--she has a shank!) But Ru Yi has fast reflexes and defends herself well. She beats them bad!
8.Meanwhile, Xu Hui is summoned to see the Emperor. He is playing chess, and she impresses him with her chess skills. Later she is conferred the rank of Jieyou Xu and given many gifts, much to Xiao Q's frustration who proceeds to engage in the same petty behavior
9.Ru Yi meanwhile meets a kid, who I think is a son of the crown prince. She gives him advice on fighting back his siblings who bully him.
10.Meanwhile, the crown prince is meeting with Changxi, who reports what the rumors are: apparently his servant stepped forth and made up an incident that he was drunk and killed the merchants father. He said the prince covered it up. That same man also killed himself. The prince must be careful....
11.Ru Yi needs to be ALWAYS on guard. While getting her daily rice, she is given a fancy lunchbox instead. By chance a cat happens to be there and she feeds it meet....the CAT DIES from poison.....whoever sent the food sent a note telling her to meet by the gate later.....who wants her dead? There are so many possibilities!
---I can only expect that i n this show each person will do crazy things. And I love it. Tune in for the next episode, and see who will die next--
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3/96!
Last Episode Recap: Xiao Quiang won the night with the Emperor only he did not show up; Ru Yi performed the dance under the moonlight and before the emperor no less (neither knows the other's identity); the palace guards are looking for the thief who stole Empress Wende's mask...
1.We open to Ru Yi who is who has returned to Chenqing hall (I still cannot figure out if she is extremely brave or extremely stupid). Perhaps she is hoping to capture a glimpse of the mysterious man she danced with? The emperor is there, and nearly catches her, but Xu Hui saves her in the nick of time. For reasons unknown, Ru Yi does not return the mask that she has stolen in spite of it being the perfect opportunity to do so. She instead keeps it. Xu Hui, an outstanding example of practicality and safety, reminds her that she could be killed just for entering the prohibited hall but that is not enough to phase our heroine.
2.Xiao Q. spies Ru Yi pulling out a brocade box. For reasons unknown to the audience, Ru Yi does not put it away but leaves it on her bed, in plain site. (I question the smarts of this girl). Unsurprisingly, Xiao Q. plots to bring down Ru Yi again (this is the harem, after all). During the formal presentation of the Prince of Lanling dance, Ru Yi will dance the lead. Her mask is taken, and the only mask she can wear is the Empress Wende mask she stole.
3.The emperor and all three consorts watch the show unfold. They are naturally shocked that she is wearing the mask, and Ru Yi is shocked to learn that the man she danced with is the emperor. She is ordered to remove the mask, and then questioned in front of everyone: Did she know she committed a capital offence? No.
4.Noble Consort Wei, who is in charge of the inner palace, naturally has the right to punish her. She tells Ru Yi that if she can come up with a poem praising Empress Wende in seven paces, she will pardon her. Ru Yi says she will try it but then admits she cannot. For reasons that defy common sense, Ru Yi blurts out that she actually finds the empress pitiful. This shocks everyone. Ru Yi is locked up, and will be punished severely.
5.Later, Virtuous Consort expresses regret that she did not stand up for the girl and let her fall into Noble Consort's clutches. Her position, we learn, is tenuous because (for reasons unknown) something happened that put her in a position where the emperor chose to spare her life and that of her brother. We also learn she is the mother of Prince Qi, and part of her collusion with Noble Consort is to protect her son.
6.In prison, Ru Yi is mistreated by the eunuch who tries to extort money before feeding her. Ru Yi displays a very plucky spirit when she is able to inspire enough fear in him to drive him off. Later, he returns with her favorite foods. Although she rejects them, we learn that they were sent by Virtuous Consort. Then, in a surprising shock, the emperor choses to summon Ru Yi to his chambers.
7.The emperor summoned her to ask her a question. He wants to know why she found the empress pitiful. Ru Yi, never one to avoid being audacious, asks a question first and wants to know if she will get killed for answering his question truthfully (I don't blame her) she also wants to know if he danced with her that night ,and he explains he was not dancing with her that he merely caught her because she fell (uh-huh).
8.Ru Yi explains that she found the Empress Wende pitiful because she spent many lonely nights away from the emperor--how else could she have found the time to compose so many volumes on etiquette in between raising 7 kids and running the harem? She must have been extremely lonely. Ru Yi then says that she believes the emperor feels regret for not cherishing her while she was alive. (This seems to be a fair assessment)
9.The emperor says 'You think you are smart, right?' and then punishes her to live in Chenqing hall, to clean it, and to copy the entirety of the Examples for Women (the show reports it is 10 volumes but Wikipedia states it is 30 volumes).
10.The Noble Consort Wei stays up late waiting for the emperor but is surprised to learn that he is not coming because he normally plays chess with her when he is upset. She learns first of Ru Yi's sentence, something that she sees as a reward because no one, not even the consorts, are allowed to set foot in Chenquing palace, and Ru Yi will be able to have access to the original copies of Examples for Women. She is then enraged to learn that the emperor did not come see her because he was busy seeing Ru Yi. This is an insult to her and it also makes her plot to move her niece into the palace that much more difficult.
11.Noble Consort bitterly reflects on how fickle men are, how this proves that they will always fall for someone else, and she considers her next move as it is likely that others will see Ru Yi as a rising star and align themselves with her, including the other consorts who do not like her (I really like Noble Consort's character).
Last Episode Recap: Xiao Quiang won the night with the Emperor only he did not show up; Ru Yi performed the dance under the moonlight and before the emperor no less (neither knows the other's identity); the palace guards are looking for the thief who stole Empress Wende's mask...
1.We open to Ru Yi who is who has returned to Chenqing hall (I still cannot figure out if she is extremely brave or extremely stupid). Perhaps she is hoping to capture a glimpse of the mysterious man she danced with? The emperor is there, and nearly catches her, but Xu Hui saves her in the nick of time. For reasons unknown, Ru Yi does not return the mask that she has stolen in spite of it being the perfect opportunity to do so. She instead keeps it. Xu Hui, an outstanding example of practicality and safety, reminds her that she could be killed just for entering the prohibited hall but that is not enough to phase our heroine.
2.Xiao Q. spies Ru Yi pulling out a brocade box. For reasons unknown to the audience, Ru Yi does not put it away but leaves it on her bed, in plain site. (I question the smarts of this girl). Unsurprisingly, Xiao Q. plots to bring down Ru Yi again (this is the harem, after all). During the formal presentation of the Prince of Lanling dance, Ru Yi will dance the lead. Her mask is taken, and the only mask she can wear is the Empress Wende mask she stole.
3.The emperor and all three consorts watch the show unfold. They are naturally shocked that she is wearing the mask, and Ru Yi is shocked to learn that the man she danced with is the emperor. She is ordered to remove the mask, and then questioned in front of everyone: Did she know she committed a capital offence? No.
4.Noble Consort Wei, who is in charge of the inner palace, naturally has the right to punish her. She tells Ru Yi that if she can come up with a poem praising Empress Wende in seven paces, she will pardon her. Ru Yi says she will try it but then admits she cannot. For reasons that defy common sense, Ru Yi blurts out that she actually finds the empress pitiful. This shocks everyone. Ru Yi is locked up, and will be punished severely.
5.Later, Virtuous Consort expresses regret that she did not stand up for the girl and let her fall into Noble Consort's clutches. Her position, we learn, is tenuous because (for reasons unknown) something happened that put her in a position where the emperor chose to spare her life and that of her brother. We also learn she is the mother of Prince Qi, and part of her collusion with Noble Consort is to protect her son.
6.In prison, Ru Yi is mistreated by the eunuch who tries to extort money before feeding her. Ru Yi displays a very plucky spirit when she is able to inspire enough fear in him to drive him off. Later, he returns with her favorite foods. Although she rejects them, we learn that they were sent by Virtuous Consort. Then, in a surprising shock, the emperor choses to summon Ru Yi to his chambers.
7.The emperor summoned her to ask her a question. He wants to know why she found the empress pitiful. Ru Yi, never one to avoid being audacious, asks a question first and wants to know if she will get killed for answering his question truthfully (I don't blame her) she also wants to know if he danced with her that night ,and he explains he was not dancing with her that he merely caught her because she fell (uh-huh).
8.Ru Yi explains that she found the Empress Wende pitiful because she spent many lonely nights away from the emperor--how else could she have found the time to compose so many volumes on etiquette in between raising 7 kids and running the harem? She must have been extremely lonely. Ru Yi then says that she believes the emperor feels regret for not cherishing her while she was alive. (This seems to be a fair assessment)
9.The emperor says 'You think you are smart, right?' and then punishes her to live in Chenqing hall, to clean it, and to copy the entirety of the Examples for Women (the show reports it is 10 volumes but Wikipedia states it is 30 volumes).
10.The Noble Consort Wei stays up late waiting for the emperor but is surprised to learn that he is not coming because he normally plays chess with her when he is upset. She learns first of Ru Yi's sentence, something that she sees as a reward because no one, not even the consorts, are allowed to set foot in Chenquing palace, and Ru Yi will be able to have access to the original copies of Examples for Women. She is then enraged to learn that the emperor did not come see her because he was busy seeing Ru Yi. This is an insult to her and it also makes her plot to move her niece into the palace that much more difficult.
11.Noble Consort bitterly reflects on how fickle men are, how this proves that they will always fall for someone else, and she considers her next move as it is likely that others will see Ru Yi as a rising star and align themselves with her, including the other consorts who do not like her (I really like Noble Consort's character).
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2/96!
RECAP: Able Consort has hung herself; Noble Consort exhibits all the qualities (ruthless, ambitious) one might need to dominate the Inner Palace/Harem
1.We open with the girls receiving a lecture on how to improve their dancing (they are practicing the Masque Dance to Honor the Late Empress). Here they learn that the Able Consort Liu has hung herself. The girls express shock but the instructor tells them that this is their opportunity. Also, whoever leads this dance has, based on tradition, gained an audience with the emperor (Competition will be fierce as they must compete with one another to gain the coveted position of lead dancer)
2.In the next scene, the Pure Consort (recall, she was the one accused) encounters Noble Consort & a sobbing Virtuous Consort in the gardens. Noble Consort apologizes (in a really unapologetic way) and Pure Consort replies that the Able Consort was the one who suffered. As Pure Consort walks by she turns and gives Noble Consort a look with daggers in her eyes. These two clearly do not get along.
3.This sums up the politics quite well: Noble Consort tells Virtuous Consort to stop crying, after all 'what's one more body?' (I love her! so wicked, so good at what she does! reminds me of Cersei Lanister)
4.In the next scene, the emperor enters the memorial service for Able Consort and finds Pure Consort burning paper for Able Consort's memory (I have no idea if Pure Consort is as she appears or if this is part of her game). The emperor has her stay, and it is like a mutual support kind of scene where he acknowledges he knows that the harem is dangerous and she insists that nothing matters, as long as he is well (a virtuous woman only cares about the emperor, after all)
5.Back to Noble Consort who is such a boss! She is checking her reflection however the sobbing from Yeting Palace annoys her so she tells Chong-gong (a guard? eunech?) to find a way to cut their tongues out (is that an over-reaction?). She also tells her maid to tell her niece, Xiao Quiang that she will arrange a meeting between her and the emperor
6.Both Ru Yi and Xiao Quiang are among the girls who master the dance. They are asked what the dance means. Xiao Quiang (the writers make her seem so unlikable) gives a predictable answer (shout out to Prince of Lanling!) however Ru Yi's answer seems to be more depth and makes her sound more intelligent, and the instructor seems to appreciate it. I don't think the appreciation is from the answer, but from Ru Yi's creativity which can make her stand out (if you want the emperor to like you wouldn't you want to send him a unique girl instead of a regular?)
7.Noble Consort's maid is willing to use very rare and expensive ginseng root as a bribe to the dance instructor to have her niece selected but the instructor seems to not care and basically tells her to go away then she brings up an incident to blackmail her (Noble Consort is smart!)
8.Meanwhile, Ru Yi is talking to Xu Hui (the latter seems to have given up and says she is not a good dancer and she should not practice. is this who she really is or a game face?)
9.bwahahahahaa I'm sorry, Xiao Quiang's mannerisms are so exaggerated...it is so obvious she is picking on Ru Yi because she feels like she is competition....as Xu Hui says 'Xiao Quiang is despotic she must have the backing of someone'....lolz Ru Yi says one cloud can't hide the sun, I take it that means her bad behavior can't hide the more dazzling Ru Yi
10.Both Ru Yi and Xu Hui are sent to do the laundry and then must wait for a letter from a consort lady (they can't afford to offend anyone) meanwhile upstairs the contest begins. As they wait they try to ask where the consort lives but the girl there can't speak...because she has no tongue. They get back as the contest ends--Xiao has the audacity to call Ru Yi a coward for not being there (makes me so mad!) and the other girls are mad Ru Yi wasn't there because now Xiao (who is extremely disliked) is the lead Prince Lanling...
11.Meanwhile, Purse Consort learns that Ru Yi was not selected. She very quickly surmises that the instructor must have been blackmailed since she has never accepted bribes before. But she has a plan. She expresses pity for Xiao Qiang because her aunt will treat her as another Consort Liu (well when you look at it like that I do pity her)
12.(This is kind of amusing) Ru Yi winds up in front of Chengqing hall (entry prohibited) it is late at night. She starts darting around the hall to avoid being seen by some servants (she is probably not supposed to be out or here)
13.Meanwhile Xiao Quiang is supposed to see the emperor, but he isn't there! He's getting drunk! He is thinking back to Empress Wende, whom he cared for, and repeats that the dance is about regrets (precisely Ru Yi's answer). He is on his way out and he looks at Ru Yi, who has snuck in and is performing the dance even though know one is there to see it (she thinks) and there is a contrast between her simple outfit and Xiao's garish over the top red outfit--
14.It is a very romantic scene as the lonely emperor seems to be falling in love with her instantly. She doesn't stop dancing to bow (i'm not sure if she is aware of his identity). He picks her up and she looks kind of like a little princess. She plays a little coy/hard to get as she continues to dance with him, not allowing him to interrupt the dance by kissing her. He grabs her shoulder, and this frightens her. She runs away. But still looks so pretty like a dream.
15.Back to Noble Consort. Her servant girl is voicing some concerns about Xiao being sent into the palace, and views it as an insult since she has a low birth. But the Noble Consort reminds her that her father and brothers are dead. That only her Uncle remains as a single minister at court, and that their family power is waning. Xiao is basically a back up plan.
16.The emperor wakes up in his bed. Apparently he got plastered and his servants carried him back. He is updated: he learns Xiao knelt waiting for him all night, that she is also the niece of Noble Consort...and that Empress Wende's mask is missing meaning he did not hallucinate the beauty dancing. he issues orders to quietly find the thief (the guy in charge of this task does not know the meaning of quietly)
17.Xiao is upset about being ignored however when she learns they are looking for a thief she clearly sees this as an opportunity...
RECAP: Able Consort has hung herself; Noble Consort exhibits all the qualities (ruthless, ambitious) one might need to dominate the Inner Palace/Harem
1.We open with the girls receiving a lecture on how to improve their dancing (they are practicing the Masque Dance to Honor the Late Empress). Here they learn that the Able Consort Liu has hung herself. The girls express shock but the instructor tells them that this is their opportunity. Also, whoever leads this dance has, based on tradition, gained an audience with the emperor (Competition will be fierce as they must compete with one another to gain the coveted position of lead dancer)
2.In the next scene, the Pure Consort (recall, she was the one accused) encounters Noble Consort & a sobbing Virtuous Consort in the gardens. Noble Consort apologizes (in a really unapologetic way) and Pure Consort replies that the Able Consort was the one who suffered. As Pure Consort walks by she turns and gives Noble Consort a look with daggers in her eyes. These two clearly do not get along.
3.This sums up the politics quite well: Noble Consort tells Virtuous Consort to stop crying, after all 'what's one more body?' (I love her! so wicked, so good at what she does! reminds me of Cersei Lanister)
4.In the next scene, the emperor enters the memorial service for Able Consort and finds Pure Consort burning paper for Able Consort's memory (I have no idea if Pure Consort is as she appears or if this is part of her game). The emperor has her stay, and it is like a mutual support kind of scene where he acknowledges he knows that the harem is dangerous and she insists that nothing matters, as long as he is well (a virtuous woman only cares about the emperor, after all)
5.Back to Noble Consort who is such a boss! She is checking her reflection however the sobbing from Yeting Palace annoys her so she tells Chong-gong (a guard? eunech?) to find a way to cut their tongues out (is that an over-reaction?). She also tells her maid to tell her niece, Xiao Quiang that she will arrange a meeting between her and the emperor
6.Both Ru Yi and Xiao Quiang are among the girls who master the dance. They are asked what the dance means. Xiao Quiang (the writers make her seem so unlikable) gives a predictable answer (shout out to Prince of Lanling!) however Ru Yi's answer seems to be more depth and makes her sound more intelligent, and the instructor seems to appreciate it. I don't think the appreciation is from the answer, but from Ru Yi's creativity which can make her stand out (if you want the emperor to like you wouldn't you want to send him a unique girl instead of a regular?)
7.Noble Consort's maid is willing to use very rare and expensive ginseng root as a bribe to the dance instructor to have her niece selected but the instructor seems to not care and basically tells her to go away then she brings up an incident to blackmail her (Noble Consort is smart!)
8.Meanwhile, Ru Yi is talking to Xu Hui (the latter seems to have given up and says she is not a good dancer and she should not practice. is this who she really is or a game face?)
9.bwahahahahaa I'm sorry, Xiao Quiang's mannerisms are so exaggerated...it is so obvious she is picking on Ru Yi because she feels like she is competition....as Xu Hui says 'Xiao Quiang is despotic she must have the backing of someone'....lolz Ru Yi says one cloud can't hide the sun, I take it that means her bad behavior can't hide the more dazzling Ru Yi
10.Both Ru Yi and Xu Hui are sent to do the laundry and then must wait for a letter from a consort lady (they can't afford to offend anyone) meanwhile upstairs the contest begins. As they wait they try to ask where the consort lives but the girl there can't speak...because she has no tongue. They get back as the contest ends--Xiao has the audacity to call Ru Yi a coward for not being there (makes me so mad!) and the other girls are mad Ru Yi wasn't there because now Xiao (who is extremely disliked) is the lead Prince Lanling...
11.Meanwhile, Purse Consort learns that Ru Yi was not selected. She very quickly surmises that the instructor must have been blackmailed since she has never accepted bribes before. But she has a plan. She expresses pity for Xiao Qiang because her aunt will treat her as another Consort Liu (well when you look at it like that I do pity her)
12.(This is kind of amusing) Ru Yi winds up in front of Chengqing hall (entry prohibited) it is late at night. She starts darting around the hall to avoid being seen by some servants (she is probably not supposed to be out or here)
13.Meanwhile Xiao Quiang is supposed to see the emperor, but he isn't there! He's getting drunk! He is thinking back to Empress Wende, whom he cared for, and repeats that the dance is about regrets (precisely Ru Yi's answer). He is on his way out and he looks at Ru Yi, who has snuck in and is performing the dance even though know one is there to see it (she thinks) and there is a contrast between her simple outfit and Xiao's garish over the top red outfit--
14.It is a very romantic scene as the lonely emperor seems to be falling in love with her instantly. She doesn't stop dancing to bow (i'm not sure if she is aware of his identity). He picks her up and she looks kind of like a little princess. She plays a little coy/hard to get as she continues to dance with him, not allowing him to interrupt the dance by kissing her. He grabs her shoulder, and this frightens her. She runs away. But still looks so pretty like a dream.
15.Back to Noble Consort. Her servant girl is voicing some concerns about Xiao being sent into the palace, and views it as an insult since she has a low birth. But the Noble Consort reminds her that her father and brothers are dead. That only her Uncle remains as a single minister at court, and that their family power is waning. Xiao is basically a back up plan.
16.The emperor wakes up in his bed. Apparently he got plastered and his servants carried him back. He is updated: he learns Xiao knelt waiting for him all night, that she is also the niece of Noble Consort...and that Empress Wende's mask is missing meaning he did not hallucinate the beauty dancing. he issues orders to quietly find the thief (the guy in charge of this task does not know the meaning of quietly)
17.Xiao is upset about being ignored however when she learns they are looking for a thief she clearly sees this as an opportunity...
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1.We open to Jieyou riding in her cart and the General Wen beside her. She sarcastically remarks that she never thought he'd be a general. He bitterly replies that he smells something sour (I guess implying that he thought she was great but turns out she is like everyone else, greedy and grasping....) He then angrily says he has to organize her Big Wedding before galloping off, with her glaring after him clearly upset.
2.Later, General H speaks to Jieyou, who dramatically says that she won't turn back no matter what, because she doesn't have that choice anymore. But he points out that when she made up her mind, 'that man' (a.k.a. Wen) hadn't appeared. She look at the road back to Chang'An and she looks so sad,..
3.That evening, General H speaks to Feng Lio, who clearly likes him and is explaining why she is a good choice but he seems amused and indifferent, She also teases him that he is (basically) a masochist because he pays more attention to Jieyou the more mean she is. This seems to create some sexual tension between the two as he gets more angry (and more handsy)
4.Wen goes to her tent and they have a bitter confrontation, each pointing the finger at the other. She blames him for everything--he didn't come find her, he made her lose her freedom, he pushed for the princess, and now here she is. He accuses her of not meeting him when she was supposed to. She tries to make him jealous by plotting out to seduce his brother, and he storms off, angry....
5.Jieyou takes a horse and leaves (bad idea) and masked men show up to kill her. Wen turns into a god of death and kills them but is injured. They go for a swim for reasons unknown and then she sees how bad his injuries are. She strips him (this is a fan service) and then she uses her body to keep him warm while General H frantically searches for her....
6.General H is supposed to hand Jieyou over to the envoy sent by Kunmi but he can't produce her. He makes up a lame excuse. the envoy leaves, goes to see Kunmi, and insists that Wen must be having a secret arrangement with the Han, should not be trusted, and might even be trying to harm him....
7.Meanwhile, Jieyou and Wen put on commoner outfits and have a festive night of dancing, pretending that they are normal people...
8.Meanwhile, the Xiognu attack, and Feng Lio steps up and disguises herself as Jieyou (she could be a double) and saves General h's but...
2.Later, General H speaks to Jieyou, who dramatically says that she won't turn back no matter what, because she doesn't have that choice anymore. But he points out that when she made up her mind, 'that man' (a.k.a. Wen) hadn't appeared. She look at the road back to Chang'An and she looks so sad,..
3.That evening, General H speaks to Feng Lio, who clearly likes him and is explaining why she is a good choice but he seems amused and indifferent, She also teases him that he is (basically) a masochist because he pays more attention to Jieyou the more mean she is. This seems to create some sexual tension between the two as he gets more angry (and more handsy)
4.Wen goes to her tent and they have a bitter confrontation, each pointing the finger at the other. She blames him for everything--he didn't come find her, he made her lose her freedom, he pushed for the princess, and now here she is. He accuses her of not meeting him when she was supposed to. She tries to make him jealous by plotting out to seduce his brother, and he storms off, angry....
5.Jieyou takes a horse and leaves (bad idea) and masked men show up to kill her. Wen turns into a god of death and kills them but is injured. They go for a swim for reasons unknown and then she sees how bad his injuries are. She strips him (this is a fan service) and then she uses her body to keep him warm while General H frantically searches for her....
6.General H is supposed to hand Jieyou over to the envoy sent by Kunmi but he can't produce her. He makes up a lame excuse. the envoy leaves, goes to see Kunmi, and insists that Wen must be having a secret arrangement with the Han, should not be trusted, and might even be trying to harm him....
7.Meanwhile, Jieyou and Wen put on commoner outfits and have a festive night of dancing, pretending that they are normal people...
8.Meanwhile, the Xiognu attack, and Feng Lio steps up and disguises herself as Jieyou (she could be a double) and saves General h's but...
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--Was this directed by the same person who did Novoland?--
1.Our series opens with war. The central mainland has three tribes: human, beast, and demon. The humans and beast clans have been friendly for generations, the demons are evil. The demons are currently attacking as the human emperor has died, and people are fighting to stave them off. The empress is of the human clan but she reminds me of a phoenix because she has red fire wings and even takes on the form of a red fire bird to fight off the evil ice frost dragon. This demon leader's face is covered by a mask, but he seems male, and hell bent on defeating her. She gets beaten pretty badly.
2.The infant prince has the astrolabe formation in his blood, being a direct descendant of the late emperor. With no other choice, the queen is willing to use him to save the world. She hugs him and then tosses him to his death (?) The Empress's eyes glow red...
3.They are able to hold off the demon invaders but not stop them. Her ministers insist she elect a new emperor since the previous emperor is dead and the prince is missing. She refuses, and crowns herself since she alone protected the empire while the ministers fled.
4.Not happy with a female leader, the Minister in charge of Gogiero college refuses to support her. She uses him to make an example, accuses him of being a spy, executes everyone in his college, and then is crowned empress.
5.The New Ruling Empress vows to find her son...
--It is unclear to me if these humans are super humans? They are different from normal everyday humans. Perhaps they have descended from gods?--
6.We now go to a young boy, presumably in the human realm. His name is Changsheng and his blood seems to have unusual powers. It also attracts beasts. It seems he is being raised by a reclusive old man/medicine maker. We learn that Changsheng's blood can heal people. He warns him to be careful because there are greedy people who would want his blood.
7.Demons in the area are looking for something....
8.Meanwhile a lord brings his sick daughter over. When no one is looking Changsheng heals her by feeding his blood to her. He gives her something to remember him by and they promise to not forget each other.
9.Fast forward to the present. Changsheng has a strange illness referred to as 'the force of stars' and he must take expensive medicine to keep it from relapsing. We learn that he will die before he turns 20 (no wonder they picked such a young actor to play him). Changsheng wonders if destiny can be changed (is that I theme I hear). His master tells him he can change his destiny if he 1)cultivates himself before the Deity-Hidden stage before he turns 20 but it isn't that simple he has to do many things before he can even reach the stage, like go to the bone marrow purifying stage, then the erebus-insight stage then the star-convergence stage
10.So he sets out to change his destiny after getting a sword, his buddy Yuren at his side...
So far: the costumes are great, I LOVE the empress, and the settings are pretty. It is still too early to speak to story or acting, but the music is good. I have a feeling that the target audience is teenagers (it just sort of has a Novoland feel)
1.Our series opens with war. The central mainland has three tribes: human, beast, and demon. The humans and beast clans have been friendly for generations, the demons are evil. The demons are currently attacking as the human emperor has died, and people are fighting to stave them off. The empress is of the human clan but she reminds me of a phoenix because she has red fire wings and even takes on the form of a red fire bird to fight off the evil ice frost dragon. This demon leader's face is covered by a mask, but he seems male, and hell bent on defeating her. She gets beaten pretty badly.
2.The infant prince has the astrolabe formation in his blood, being a direct descendant of the late emperor. With no other choice, the queen is willing to use him to save the world. She hugs him and then tosses him to his death (?) The Empress's eyes glow red...
3.They are able to hold off the demon invaders but not stop them. Her ministers insist she elect a new emperor since the previous emperor is dead and the prince is missing. She refuses, and crowns herself since she alone protected the empire while the ministers fled.
4.Not happy with a female leader, the Minister in charge of Gogiero college refuses to support her. She uses him to make an example, accuses him of being a spy, executes everyone in his college, and then is crowned empress.
5.The New Ruling Empress vows to find her son...
--It is unclear to me if these humans are super humans? They are different from normal everyday humans. Perhaps they have descended from gods?--
6.We now go to a young boy, presumably in the human realm. His name is Changsheng and his blood seems to have unusual powers. It also attracts beasts. It seems he is being raised by a reclusive old man/medicine maker. We learn that Changsheng's blood can heal people. He warns him to be careful because there are greedy people who would want his blood.
7.Demons in the area are looking for something....
8.Meanwhile a lord brings his sick daughter over. When no one is looking Changsheng heals her by feeding his blood to her. He gives her something to remember him by and they promise to not forget each other.
9.Fast forward to the present. Changsheng has a strange illness referred to as 'the force of stars' and he must take expensive medicine to keep it from relapsing. We learn that he will die before he turns 20 (no wonder they picked such a young actor to play him). Changsheng wonders if destiny can be changed (is that I theme I hear). His master tells him he can change his destiny if he 1)cultivates himself before the Deity-Hidden stage before he turns 20 but it isn't that simple he has to do many things before he can even reach the stage, like go to the bone marrow purifying stage, then the erebus-insight stage then the star-convergence stage
10.So he sets out to change his destiny after getting a sword, his buddy Yuren at his side...
So far: the costumes are great, I LOVE the empress, and the settings are pretty. It is still too early to speak to story or acting, but the music is good. I have a feeling that the target audience is teenagers (it just sort of has a Novoland feel)
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1.The sect leader is betrayed by his own student, a man named Yun Yi who seems to have some serious burn marks and wears a mask. He steals from the sect leader something that resembles a dradel (it was literally inside of the leader and is probably a sacred treasure). Shocked by his student's betrayal, the old man can hardly get words out. Worse, Eyebrows appears, takes the treasure and seems delighted by everything that has happened.
2.With everyone around him dead, the old man gives Bones the feather which would make her the head of Zu Mountain (bwahahaha she is not fit for that job). Naturally, Bones does not want this responsibility but the old man is dying, what can she do? Besides, it's temporary. he wants her to give it to his eldest disciple, Yun Yin.
3.Yun Shu tries to kidnap her but winds up dropping her because she struggles. She looks like she will plunge to her death but Bai Zi Hua catches her (looking stoic as ever). He immediately notices that being near her causes his powers to drain (probably didn't notice before because the charm had not worn off)
4.Eyebrows uses the legendary treasure he took from the Zu Mountain sect leader--the Tie Up the Sky Chain. It will trap someone and then slowly shrink over time, and you cannot escape. So a slow death. Here eyebrows announces his plan to gather all ten sacred deity treasures so that his sect can rule the world.
5.They spend the night together, and let's just emphasize how sweet and bubbly she is and how icy reserved he is....I love it...anyways, they escape because of her blood. It nullifies the object.
6.Holy Ruler...I adore him...the leader of the Seven Murder Sect shows up looking flamboyant and kickass. He is extremely angry that his underlings killed the leader of Zu Mountain. He gives the Tie Up the Sky Chain to Bai Zi Hua and asks him to forget that this happened, but Bai Zi Hua wants justice. Yun Qi throws YunShu under the bus, and Holy Ruler says he doesn't care what happen to him but Eyebrows (Yun Qi) is his. To pacify Bai Zi Hua he kills a bunch of his own men (somehow I doubt Bai Zi Hua wanted that)
7.Bai Zi Hua and Bones fly off and Holy Ruler and his men return home. Holy Ruler interrogates his second in command. It seems the leader of Zu Sect saved him once and he owed him a favor. That is why he is so mad. He orders him not to disobey (Holy Ruler has some of the best lines; he is just a very over the top person) He threatens to tear him apart in 5 directions even if Bai Zi Hua does not kill him if there is another episode of disobedience
8.Bai Zi Hua and Bones go their separate ways. The former calls a meeting of the sects to update them on Zu Mountain and they are all angry he keeps the sacred object because these objects help maintain the balance of power as each sect has one....Bones runs into Dong Fong who continues to follow her and promise marriage
9.Bai Zi Hua meets with his shifu who warns him that a calamity of misfortune will soon befall him. Currently Bai Zi Hua's stone glows with righteousness however when he encounters the calamity it will change color. He must not show mercy when he meets this fated calamity or else he will suffer an awful fate.
10.Dong Fong is soooo funny and Bai Zi Hua is CLEARLY shooting eyes of hate and jealousy at him! He keeps referring to her as wife (OMG Ba Zi Hua is so jealous...)
11.Later that night, Bai Zi Hua watches her sleep. He knows she is his calamity (he loses power around her). He seems poised to kill her....
(but we know that won't happen we have 48 more episodes!)
2.With everyone around him dead, the old man gives Bones the feather which would make her the head of Zu Mountain (bwahahaha she is not fit for that job). Naturally, Bones does not want this responsibility but the old man is dying, what can she do? Besides, it's temporary. he wants her to give it to his eldest disciple, Yun Yin.
3.Yun Shu tries to kidnap her but winds up dropping her because she struggles. She looks like she will plunge to her death but Bai Zi Hua catches her (looking stoic as ever). He immediately notices that being near her causes his powers to drain (probably didn't notice before because the charm had not worn off)
4.Eyebrows uses the legendary treasure he took from the Zu Mountain sect leader--the Tie Up the Sky Chain. It will trap someone and then slowly shrink over time, and you cannot escape. So a slow death. Here eyebrows announces his plan to gather all ten sacred deity treasures so that his sect can rule the world.
5.They spend the night together, and let's just emphasize how sweet and bubbly she is and how icy reserved he is....I love it...anyways, they escape because of her blood. It nullifies the object.
6.Holy Ruler...I adore him...the leader of the Seven Murder Sect shows up looking flamboyant and kickass. He is extremely angry that his underlings killed the leader of Zu Mountain. He gives the Tie Up the Sky Chain to Bai Zi Hua and asks him to forget that this happened, but Bai Zi Hua wants justice. Yun Qi throws YunShu under the bus, and Holy Ruler says he doesn't care what happen to him but Eyebrows (Yun Qi) is his. To pacify Bai Zi Hua he kills a bunch of his own men (somehow I doubt Bai Zi Hua wanted that)
7.Bai Zi Hua and Bones fly off and Holy Ruler and his men return home. Holy Ruler interrogates his second in command. It seems the leader of Zu Sect saved him once and he owed him a favor. That is why he is so mad. He orders him not to disobey (Holy Ruler has some of the best lines; he is just a very over the top person) He threatens to tear him apart in 5 directions even if Bai Zi Hua does not kill him if there is another episode of disobedience
8.Bai Zi Hua and Bones go their separate ways. The former calls a meeting of the sects to update them on Zu Mountain and they are all angry he keeps the sacred object because these objects help maintain the balance of power as each sect has one....Bones runs into Dong Fong who continues to follow her and promise marriage
9.Bai Zi Hua meets with his shifu who warns him that a calamity of misfortune will soon befall him. Currently Bai Zi Hua's stone glows with righteousness however when he encounters the calamity it will change color. He must not show mercy when he meets this fated calamity or else he will suffer an awful fate.
10.Dong Fong is soooo funny and Bai Zi Hua is CLEARLY shooting eyes of hate and jealousy at him! He keeps referring to her as wife (OMG Ba Zi Hua is so jealous...)
11.Later that night, Bai Zi Hua watches her sleep. He knows she is his calamity (he loses power around her). He seems poised to kill her....
(but we know that won't happen we have 48 more episodes!)
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1.Bi Yao seems to recognize Xiao Fan's name but can't remember, sending her into a panic. Poison sect guy tries to distract her so she does not remember...
2.After a confrontation between Xue Qi and Li Xun, the latter swears to thoroughly investigate the incident of the mirror....
3.Meanwhile, Xue Huan (who I think accidentally got a hold of the mirror) is playing with it and almost injured by it. A woman thief shows up and seems to kidnap her and the object she had (is it Aunty?)
4.Xiao Fan, Li Xun, Shu Shu and Xue Qi set out to find Xua Huan/the mirror?
5.Bi Yao has a run in with wild dog but doesn't recognize him and Xuo Huan seems to endear herself to her kidnapper (Aunty?)
6.Poison guy (he is so good looking!) and Bi Yao are at a camp fire, getting to know each other's sad stories
7.Meanwhile Xue Huan and Aunty(?) are in the desert and Xue Huan correctly divines that the woman she is with is in love with someone...
--What is Xue Qi's back story?--
2.After a confrontation between Xue Qi and Li Xun, the latter swears to thoroughly investigate the incident of the mirror....
3.Meanwhile, Xue Huan (who I think accidentally got a hold of the mirror) is playing with it and almost injured by it. A woman thief shows up and seems to kidnap her and the object she had (is it Aunty?)
4.Xiao Fan, Li Xun, Shu Shu and Xue Qi set out to find Xua Huan/the mirror?
5.Bi Yao has a run in with wild dog but doesn't recognize him and Xuo Huan seems to endear herself to her kidnapper (Aunty?)
6.Poison guy (he is so good looking!) and Bi Yao are at a camp fire, getting to know each other's sad stories
7.Meanwhile Xue Huan and Aunty(?) are in the desert and Xue Huan correctly divines that the woman she is with is in love with someone...
--What is Xue Qi's back story?--
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1.We are treated to a flashback about Ghost King and his wife, essentially he was unable to protect her and she made a lot of sacrifices to be with him. In the present, Ghost king removes all of his daughter's memories related to Xiao Fan (presumably to protect her) however her aunt lashes out at him and insists his actions are going to hurt her and not help her (agreed)
-fox demon tries to steal the fire mirror from Fen Xiang Valley but Xiao Fan saves him; he was acting under orders of ghost king--
2.So aunty tried to be with Wan Jien Yi and could not be with him (who is Wan Jien Yi? how awesome would it be if he was the leader of the Qin Yun sect?)
3.Here is the sad story of Jien Yi and Aunty, as told by sect leader to Yu: Jien Yi falls for a 'demon girl' but she had a mission to steal the sects sacred sword. This led to a battle between the evil sects and noble sects and large loss of life.
4.Meanwhile, Bi Yao awakens and sees the poison sect guy, doesn't remember him, and they hit it off as new friends
5.Meanwhile, Xiao Fan is meeting with Shu Shu, Xue Hua, and Xue Qi when members of Fen Xiang Valley show up (they wear red) and cause problems. They are eventually driven off by Xue Qi (perhaps they are angry about the mirror?)
6.Indeed, it seems Li Xun (leader of Fen Xiang Valley) is upset about this missing mirror. Confirmed by Xiao Fan in a conversation with Shu Shu
-fox demon tries to steal the fire mirror from Fen Xiang Valley but Xiao Fan saves him; he was acting under orders of ghost king--
2.So aunty tried to be with Wan Jien Yi and could not be with him (who is Wan Jien Yi? how awesome would it be if he was the leader of the Qin Yun sect?)
3.Here is the sad story of Jien Yi and Aunty, as told by sect leader to Yu: Jien Yi falls for a 'demon girl' but she had a mission to steal the sects sacred sword. This led to a battle between the evil sects and noble sects and large loss of life.
4.Meanwhile, Bi Yao awakens and sees the poison sect guy, doesn't remember him, and they hit it off as new friends
5.Meanwhile, Xiao Fan is meeting with Shu Shu, Xue Hua, and Xue Qi when members of Fen Xiang Valley show up (they wear red) and cause problems. They are eventually driven off by Xue Qi (perhaps they are angry about the mirror?)
6.Indeed, it seems Li Xun (leader of Fen Xiang Valley) is upset about this missing mirror. Confirmed by Xiao Fan in a conversation with Shu Shu
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