ep 27 spoilers ahead

1.BQ chooses to drink the forgetfullness potion. She will lose all of her memories, and their will be no way to recover them. She is now a high goddess, as this love trial was her test (recall many episodes ago that Phoenix said she was supposed to endure a trial before going she went missing?) Phoenix and the fox clan meet--they have to get their story straight. They explain to BQ, who has forgotten her memories of Su Su, that she fell into a deep sleep after sealing the previous ghost king. Her eye loss (and this is a bit bizarre) is from a dormant childhood illness. Phoenix fixed her eyes so she can see but she cannot tolerate bright lights. He gives her a silk blindfold that is invisible..allowing her to tolerate a certain level of brightness.



2.BQ comforts FJ who is inconsolable since DH...well it is like he broke up with her even though they weren't together. FJ looks adorable cuddled up next to 4th brother as she explains she can't let anyone see her cry and she can only cry here, at home (I have always wanted to point out the differences between the fox clan and the other clans--they live in a cave with few luxuries while everyone else seems to drown in material wealth. I guess this emphasizes they are more direct, more simple, and only need family and love...)



3.Alone, FJ now cuddles up next to her Aunt (they look so cute!) Auntie (they call her 'Lady' in the novel) is now the ever practical BQ, and explains that the differences between her and DH are too great. DH is so old that he was ruling the world when her father was not even born, that he is higher ranked than the heavenly lord, and her aunt asks since she knows all of this, why is she wasting her time. Fj replies that it would be great if love listened to reason. (That basically sums up this show).



4.The conversation turns to BQ's experiences in love, and she doesn't want to talk about (she is referring to Li Jing, whom she once loved) and then they talk a bit about the cloud fan that she retrieved for BQ. Auntie lightly scolds her for being impulsive but thanks her for standing up for her (FJ and BQ have an unbreakable bond, and they are like sisters in the novel). YH arrives, undoubtedly at the provocation of DH, to speak to FJ about any information concerning Si Yin. FJ lies and says she knows nothing.



5.At the same time, BQ learns of her marriage to YH. She refuses to see him, and here we see yet another example of a drama plot device (just missing one another). If he saw BQ that today he would have been spared a lot of heart ache.



6.In an epic scene of awesome, that has yet to be repeated in any show that I have seen (and it is limited), Si Jin is happily about to wed YH. He stabs her and leaves her in the street, in front of everyone and denies her entry! Wabam! Can I blame him? No. He also leaves the audience very satisfied as he does what many people have been wanting to do all along. Oddly cathartic. (Most shows the male lead just ignores the villain or sends someone else to do the dirty work).



7.Si Jin, so wrapped up in her love to the point that she believes any action is justified (in the social work world I would say this is like criminal addictive thinking behavior, where you rationalize and defend your criminal behavior) is shocked and hurt, unable to understand why YH has done this to her.

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GTY, Always Protecting Ming Lan From the Shadows

Spoilers Ahead1)The meeting has broken down to the evil husband and his wife brawling with the family (they are almost like a caricature). It seems they are at an impasse but Ming Lan returns and gives the registration deed to the elders. The registration deed is proof that he wanted to bring in a prostitute as a concubine (they now view him with disdain--apparently they were impressed with him because he passed the civil exam at age 12)2)They elders decide to give them half of her dowry and then amicably separate, and if they refuse, Shu'er's mother will sue him at the academy (i think having a prostitute for a concubine violates some sort of ethics code). He agrees. But before leaving he still insults her, and she spits on him and calls him immoral scum.3)Ming Lan reflects in what happened with her grandmother later. She learns here that it is okay to lose a little to avoid an even bigger disaster (in this case, returning half the dowry). Her grandmother points out how submissive Brother He is to her and says marriage with him will be relaxing. Ming Lan points out how Shu'er married into a lower status family but had difficult days (normally the lower status family is respectful) but they were pretentious and put on false airs. Grandmother wants Ming Lan to have a sincere husband and kind in laws (I don't know if kind in laws exist in reality--if they do I hope to meet them someday). 4)The matriarch of the Sheng clan in the countryside--eldest madame--her health suddenly declines and is surrounded by her family. She is calling for Shu-er (not the cousin, but a daughter of hers who died young). Her last words are for the husband of that daughter who favored his concubines and neglected her--she vows to go to the gods and have her revenge for this daughter, then dies (maybe that is why she was so ready to defend this living shu'er). 5)Eldest madame, she dies and after writing a letter to her Aunt Wei (I presume they do this to show that Ming Lan maintains a constant contact with the Wei family) we observe a funeral ritual, with mourning clothes. This is different from when Marqui Gu died because GTY could not be part of it. It's a beautiful procession. Unfortunately the funeral procession is attacked by bandits. Ming Lan is being chased down, luckily soldiers stop by, but she is pulled onto a horse by GTY (LOL)6)Unfortunately by late evening Ming Lan is not found causing Old Madame to panic. The family sends out people to search. GTY gives her his robe and they sit at a road side....cafe(?) and catch up. Ming lan tells him that if he is on the front line fighting won't he have a good chance of getting a promoted? She think she has this job because he offended his superior. he tells her that if he relies on people or his family then it can be taken away, but if he rises through his own hard work then no one can take that. Ming Lan toasts him and basically says she hopes that one day she can live for herself--he tries to tell her otherwise but she rejects that. The bandits are cleared, and he has her go home. he doesn't escort her home himself because it might be misinterpreted. he gives her a little weapon so she can defend herself (shoot arrows via blowdart). Ming Lan makes it back unescorted and encounters a guy with a sword who wants her valuables. She tries to defend herself and shoots out arrows at random, which sends the old guy away (it seems that GTY followed in secret, and she takes the sword this guy dropped and runs away though she can't lift it (actually it was GTY who hit him)7)Shitou says that if he is this worried he should have followed her, but GTY says he cant because it would be a crime in her family for her travel with a male alone. (this is great, because he too knows what it is like for women, like brother he....).8)Ming lan runs inside and everyone is so happy to see her. her grandmother is in tears she was so worried. because of the situation with the bandits (they were planning to stay through the new year). So back to the city they go. Meanwhile, GTY chooses to bring his daughter back to the capital because he is worried about the bandits. He follows behind Ming Lan's caravan (awwww!!!)(Rong'er wants to go the stand and eat but he lies to her and says he is too poor to buy her food and keeps making up lies he is trying to avoid having Ming Lan see him).9)The caravan is attacked by bandits and in a very memorable scene he casually hands Rong' er over and tells her 'father is going to fight' and she tells him to be careful. He takes care of all the bandits before they even attack!! He is such a badass!!10)So after secretly protecting her from bandits the entire way back and watching her safely get home, he goes to visit Momo Nanny so that she will take care of Rong'er while he goes off to war. End of episode.

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Break-Up

This is a powerful episode because it really defines the difference between Yuan Ruo (future Duke of Qi) and Gu Ting Ye (Future Marquis of Gu). Yuan Ruo is pressured into accepting a marriage with Prince Yan's favorite daughter. The Yan family is able to achieve this by kidnapping his father, and even after the Princess (Ruo's mother) goes to the Empress to plead her case, she is not helped. Hence Yuan takes drastic steps and holds a dagger to his throat and threatens to kill himself but is persuaded by Prince Yan's wife to stop because his actions will only cause his entire family to be wiped out. When Gu Ting Ye hears that Yuan Ruo is marrying someone other than Ming Lan he returns, because he does not believe it. His goal is to persuade Yuan Ruo to marry her because he can't stand to see her suffer the humiliation of the young Duke's rejection, and is convinced it will doom her marriage prospects because she is now to be labeled a laughing stock. Gu offers to do anything, down to kidnapping his bride to be, to help make Qi's wishes come true but he explains that he cannot because this is also about his family and Gu is lucky that he does not have to worry about family.Ultimately he chooses to use Gu to carry his apology to Ming Lan. She has long known they are not getting married since the marriage anouncement, but she returns the clay doll he gave her. Gu makes it clear that when he gets back he will help her out with silencing anyone who gossips about her, and he thanks her for her advice.--------I said this highlights the difference between Yuan Ruo and Gu Ting Ye. Yuan Ruo is a good person. He obeys the rules and does not fight against fight because he is worried about how it will effect others. His family will be fine. But Ming Lan will be devastated. It is easy to vindicate him given the threats against his family, but I think he minimizes the harm he has done to Ming Lan. It should be noted that Yuan Ruo has never really fought for anything. In contrast, all Gu Ting Ye has he has fought for, hence he would do anything to get what he wants. It is riskier, but he is willing to throw everything away if he really wants something--which is why he is the one who will get the girl.

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ep1 spoilers ahead

--HERE WE GO; 1/96!--

BRIEF IMPORTANT INFO BEFORE SUMMARY BEGINS:

The Tang Dynasty had multiple reforms of the Harem Ranking System. Based on this show's timeline, there should be a reform following the reign of Taizong. For the purposes of clarity, this is (historically) what the ranking system should look like:



1.Empress

2.Consort (1 person per title)

Noble Consort (Guifei)

Pure Consort (Shufei)

Virtuous Consort (Defei)

Able Consort (Xianfei)

3.Imperial Concubines (1 person per title/all equal in rank)

Lady of Bright Deportment (Zhaoyi)

Lady of Bright Countenance (Zhaorong)

Lady of Bright Beauty (Zhaoyuan)

Lady of Cultivated Deportment (Xiuyi)

Lady of Cultivated Countenance (Xiurong)

Lady of Cultivated Beauty (Xiuyuan)

Lady of Complete Deportment (Chongyi)

Lady of Complete Countenance (Chongrong)

Lady of Complete Beauty (Chongyuan)

4.Other titles:

9 Ladies of Handsome Fairness, Nine Beautiful Ladies, Nine Talented Ladies, 27 Ladies of Precious Bevy, 27 Imperial Women, 29 Ladies of Elegance



*Cairen, I believe, refers to the Nine Talented Ladies because it means 'Talented'



Characters Introduced:



Ru Yi, Cairen--Lead Emperor Taizong Li Shimin

Xiao Xiang, Cairen Li Chengqian, Crown Prince

Xu Hui, Cairen Li Ke, Prince of Wu

Li Tai,Prince of Wei



Noble Consort Wei, Virtuous Consort Yin, Pure Consort Yang, and Able Consort Liu



Locations

Xuanwu Gate Incident-Refers to then Prince Li Shimin setting up a coup at Xuanwu Gate, where he killed the crown prince and his other older brother. He was crowned the crown prince, and 60 days later his father abdicated, making him emperor. (Don't feel too bad for them; his brothers apparently tried to poison him before the coup)



1.Our drama opens to a dramatic narration of the events that presumably will unfold. We are told that this is the Tang Dynasty, the most glamorous dynasty, led by Emperor Taizong. At its heart is Chang'an, the first recorded city of having a population of 1 million, and home of the Imperial Court. Here is the harem, housing 40,000 women, who scheme to attract the emperor's gaze while the administrative and civil court is full of men who scheme to overthrow the emperor....We are barraged with a number of names who will become important obstacles to our female leads future and told that in spite of everything she perseveres to become the empress...but for now, let's focus on the present.



2.A group of young women are on their way into the palace. They all bow when ordered (you must bow when an imperial family member is passing by) but our lead, 14-year old Ru Yi, stands there trying to catch a glimpse of the person inside the palanquin only to find it empty. She is scolded for not bowing and she defends her actions, explaining it was empty but she is told that even if it is empty one must treat it like it is the emperor inside :/



3.The scene changes to the emperor, who is watching his sons train. We learn (through narration) that he ascended the throne after killing his brothers at Xionwu Gate. He has three sons. Although they appear to get along, they in fact are all rivals for power and their scheming will make it easier for Ru Yi to later become empress...



4.The emperor challenges his sons; whoever wins gets his horse. They all lose (it is unclear if this is on purpose or if the emperor is that good). He provides a critique of their skills, and we learn that the second prince, Li Ke is overly clever and is like an assassin in his attacking while the youngest son is the most skilled but worries too much. While the crown prince is praised for his valour but reminded he must know when to attack and when to retreat. Then he points out that had they worked together they would have defeated him--



5.Meanwhile, the new imperial wives are having their blood drawn (?) and measurements taken. An unnamed woman asks why they must submit to this given their status, and the man in charge answers that this is something set down by Noble Consort Wu (ranked just below the empress in terms of inner palace power).



6.The girls will be trained, and basically treated like maids until the training ends. Xiao Xang refuses to be measured, finding it beneath her, and we learn that she is the niece to the noble consort. She is exempted from measuring (WTF? Nepotism!). Unsurprisingly, Ru Yi mutters that she is a snob under her breath (my girl calls it as she sees it) however Xu Hui warns her to be careful (sage advice since Xiao Xang is clearly favored and has powerful friends)



7.We change scenes, and go to Fenglu Terrace, where the girls are presented to Noble Consort Wei, Virtuous Consort Yin, Pure Consort Yang (who seems a little ill), and Able Consort Liu (who rubs her belly--is she pregnant?)



8.OH MAN I can tell this is going to be some epic drama. Noble Consort Wei expresses concern about Able Consort Liu's pregnancy and emphasizes that these weeks are important and she should be careful not to let another incident like before--I assume a miscarriage--happen (this a thinly veiled threat). Next Virtuous Consort picks on the sickly Pure Consort Yang who mentions she is weak but shoots a barb at her: if everyone were as pure as her things would be good, but if she didn't come and troublemakers were selected then they'd be in trouble (this seems like a sarcastic criticism)



9.These women are so bad....it's an extremely hot day and they have these girls standing in the blistering heat for quite a while (like exerting power?) before even allowing them in (one girl almost passes out!) Of course Ru Yi is picked on--she introduces herself and is essentially humiliated in front of everyone as her innocent question 'you know my father?' gives her the answer that while he is the Duke of Ying he is actually a merchant who purchased his position with money.



10.The consorts whisper that Ru Yi has unsurpassed beauty but has a 'stubbornness in her eyes' something the Emperor does not like....they receive their first assignment: to learn a dance and perform it on the Day of Commemorating the Empress Wende's death (she was the mother of the crown prince and apparently extremely virtuous, she wrote the Examples for Women, basically all about deportment and behavior for women, that the girls are studying in the series, and was in many ways the exact opposite of Ru Yi, refusing to even discuss matters of state with her husband because it 'wasn't her place')



11.It is interesting to note that the Consorts walk a fine line: they must select girls to serve the emperor but must also protect their own positions...a very fine line...



12.After the ceremony ends, Noble Consort takes the time to brag about a gift of wine the emperor gave her and invites everyone to her palace. Able Consort who is pregnant agrees to go but not drink. Virtuous Consort must practice her sutras and can't go, and Pure Consort is feeling ill. Able Consort suddenly falls down the stairs, and they panic, summoning a doctor, and she accuses Pure Consort of pushing her...



13.Liu Lanzuan, Siyao (I think a servant to Virtuous Consort) explains that her mistress could not have seen what happened because she was busy watching her steps. I am not sure of Ru Yi is extremely brave or extremely stupid: she defends the Pure Consort (since she saw this go down) and accuses Able Consort of falling down all on her own. This earns her the attention of the Noble Consort (who looks pretty mad)



14.Scene changes and the girls are lighting lotus lanterns (I know, it seems abrupt) and Ri Yu explains that although her mother to keep her mouth shut her father told her to do what she wants so long as she does not feel guilty, thus she spoke up even though it attracted attention.



15.Change scenes: all the consorts and the emperor are meeting with the doctor. Not only did Able Consort miscarry, but she will not be able to bear children again (making her useless). Noble Consort claims responsible without noting that the evil doer got away...He also immediately pardons Pure Consort and notes she had nothing to do with it. But he knows a new Cairen testified that she did not push her...(Ru Yi has enemeis...)



16.Xiao Xang, meanwhile, has gathered a little group of followers and puts on airs, accusing Ru Yi of playing a trick to catch the eye of the emperor (she is so obnoxious)



17.Back to the emperor: he orders his consorts to not tell Able Consort about her inability to have kids (aww). He walks with the doctor who admits to the Emperor that all of Able Consorts miscarriages were not accidents, and the Emperor says he has gone soft (I guess referring to him letting this go) He clearly blames the Noble Consort



18.The emperor reads some of the lotus lantern wishes, and most pray for his attention. Xu Hui's contains a poem he wrote when he was younger. Ru Yi's...is blank. The emperor immediately recalls she is the one who testified in defense of Pure Consort....



19.Meanwhile, Noble Consort is losing her sh** over the fact that her plot didn't work (I assume it was hers). She isn't worried about Ru Yi, convinced that her attention seeking behavior will lead to an early death. She despairs over the fact that her clan is slipping from power, so the emperor has been ignoring her (there is a lot happening in this show, a lot of political history lessons)



20.Noble Consort is RUTHLESS. In a meeting with Able Consort, we learn that she has been controlling Able Consort's life for years, threatening to have her father killed if she does not obey. Thus, Able Consort has induced many abortions and miscarriages and killed for Noble Consort. Now Able Consort looks back on her life and is in despair. Noble Consort tacitly implies she could always kill herself...the episode ends with her taking her own life...



Comments:

The costumes are STUNNING, as is the make up, the hair, the attention to detail is amazing

Ru Yi has interesting make up; I imagine they did her make up in a way to make her stand out in a sea of women, which is not easy--she makes me think of Snow White...

I have had to research a ton of things to supplement the show as I know nothing about this time period

This is going to be a pretty dramatic show, with lots of betrayal and murder. Can I handle it?



What I like: So we have some new faces who will have to contend with the powers that be. I also find it interesting (even though I might dislike their behavior) I certainly can respect that these ladies had to fight tooth and nail to get the emperor's attention; that they are here to help their families, and that your chances of gaining the attention of the emperor was pretty small....so this is WAR

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It's Hard Being the Most Eligible Bachelor

Spoilers Ahead1)In our opening scene, we learn watching Concubine Lin that stepmother Gu is throwing a huge party for the prominent families and everyone has been invited. 2)In the next scene, Ming Lan is praying before her mother's tablet when her father comes in. She basically laments her mothers death and tells him that it may have been more than just an ill fate. Her father dismisses it as bad luck, and she tells her father that when she almost died she thought her mother was there trying to rescue her, and she is confused because she doesn't know why she has been trying to speak to her. She tells him that she said she may have died without peace. He basically brushes it off and tells her never to mention this again because it disrupts the harmony of the family (he totally knows). She then asks him if she can perform a ritual for her to transcend and he agrees, so she requests a few drops of his blood to inscribe her name again on her tablet. He is dismissive of this and refuses. Ultimately Ming Lan agrees, then asks him to attend the ritual (this is what she really wanted) --her father chooses to drop the subject and leave (he just can't deal). 3)Ming Lan asks her servant if she would give blood and she readily agrees, but how come her mother's own pillow mate won't. This just reminds her that her father is not dependable, but Xiao Tao is. 4)The party is extremely extravagant and beautiful. They serve meals on a make shift river on the table and the dishes just float down. The women are seated according to rank, with the princess's at the top. Ming Lan is at the dead bottom. Mo'er spies the Sixth son of countess wu and chooses to leave . Yanran's elder sister stops by to talk smack--she tells her to stop her pretenses and tells her that Princess Rong wants her daughter to marry Yuan Ruo....it seems the families are talking more now that the Rong girl is dead (0_o) The Princess Rong notices Ming Lan and at first wants to call her over but Princess Pingning intervenes and tells her that she shouldn't worry about someone so insignificant who will never marry her son.5)Ming Lan leaves and talks with Madame Wu who admits she hates all the gossip and needed to get away. After she leaves, she meets with Yuan Ruo's servant who arranges for her to meet with Yuan Ruo. They meet in private, and unfortunately Princess Pinging seems to have caught wind of this. ....The two meet and basically reaffirm their love. (I think he is incredibly lacking in understanding how dangerous it is to meet with her and that it puts her life at risk because he can't protect her). Ming Lan basically tells him to be more mindful about his health. He tells her that he knows everyone is gossiping about which princess he will wed but he swears he will marry her (I think that it is a foregone conclusion that he has no control over his marriage partner) I admire his bravery and I admire how innocent their romance is because even Ming Lan, with all her smarts, can't ignore her feelings (to me that is something like love because how easy is it for women to chase after someone even if they know its futile?) he plans to get an imperial edict6)Ming Lan will give it a chance, and she tells her servants that if he doesn't succeed then that means it was never meant to. She will give up if he gives up. Out of nowhere, GTY appears. It seems he overheard their entire talk! He uses a metaphor about an emperor who loved a certain consort but abandoned her for the sake of himself and his country. He tells her that he does not believe that Yuan Ruo can carry out what he promises and that he is worried she will suffer from the fall. She is defensive and accuses him of speaking with 'thorns'. After this she leaves. ( I def. think GTY is in love with her). 7)The new marquis, elder brother appears and tries to stop GTY from taking the spear even though the emperor gave it to him. 8)Princess Pingning is furious when she gets home. She has Buwei, the personal servant of Yuan Ruo who was raised with him, caned to death for organizing this meeting. Yuan Ruo is so shocked that he collapses, and only after does his mother finally tell him the reality in front of them: that the suicidal princess was killed just for liking him by Prince Yong -- and he wants to dare to marry an illegitimate daughter of a family that doesn't even have a title? This is dangerous, and their family is in danger because so many people want to marry him. His actions could cause their entire family to end--(it may also be that the attacks against Ming Lan were planned by the Yong family) and if Prince Yong becomes emperor, then their family will easily be taken out they only have one descendant and have little power beyond their title (they have been preserved because the emperor backs them, they don't have anything)(GTY's story is starting to be a reality)

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A kidnapping & suicide

Spoilers Ahead1)After greeting her parents, Ming Lan is sent by her grandmother to the place where memorial tablets are kept because she brought her mother's back and had it placed there. While there she receives a note from her Auntie Wei who explains that they need to set up a meeting. 2)GTY talks to Momo who admits she knows nothing about a school for girls so he visits Brother Changbai and he tells him of a school. The two catch up, and we learn here that Chang bai was recently transferred to a Minister of Rites hence he hasn't got a lot of time to chat.3)Meanwhile, Madame Wu has been watching the Sheng house and once she learns Ming Lan is back she finds an excuse to go visit the Big Madame and follow up in a 'coincidental' meeting (grandma rolled her eyes I almost missed it). Madame Wu reports that Yuan Ruo is fighting with his mother and it seems she had a servant flogged for seducing him--the world knows that this is highly unlikely based on his personality hence there is pity for this servant--and after they leave Madame Wu (who like the rest of the world believes Ming Lan is in love with Yuan Ruo) says that it is easier to get into her house than the Duke's4)Ming Lan talks to her maids about the Qi family matter and they confirmed it, and it seems that Yuan Ruo picked a servant who looked like Ming Lan and allowed her to serve him in his study....I don't think he is the type to have an affair but one never knows. Later, Ming Lan goes to visit her grandmother, and her grandmother tells her that this marriage with the count would be a step up in terms of status. What does she think? Ming Lan can't answer and so her grandmother tells her that she should not hope to marry Yuan Ruo--even if by a miracle she could, no one could defend her because he is so highly ranked. Her grandmother laments that she is muddled, and Ming Lan makes it clear that she isn't wishfully thinking. She wants someone to treat her well, that is enough. She believes that the young lord would respect her because he is suffering on her behalf still and she feels bad--and she admits she is willing to risk it all for him (!!!)5)Her grandmother tells her she will have endless hardships if she makes this choice. 6)There is a festival, and the girls go out. Its so beautiful!! Ming Lan is hoping to meet Yuan Ruo. A stranger gives her a message She goes to meet his servant and he wants an assurance from her ti give him hope. Suddenly soldiers appear and tell everyone to return home. She says she will be loyal and wait basically. Later, Old Madame meets with his mother and they discuss the political situation. Why was the spring festival stopped why is the government panicky when the rebels are far away and not great? Grandmother thinks they were looking for a person, not spies.7)Big Madame reports that a criminal appeared and kidnapped the little sister of the Imperial Consort--her legitimate sister. The missing girl is later dumped into the street--she was beaten and probably raped. Later, Mo'er and her mother are talking and her mother even tells her t stop gossiping about this.8)Later, the kidnapped-now returned princess prepares a noose and she takes her own life (she was probs raped). A maid discovers her body and is shocked. Elsewhere, the people in the streets seem riled up. Xioa Tao reports Ming Lan and explains that businesses are now running but the people who committed the crime have not been caught. The Rong family is very upset and wants justice. Meanwhile, the Duke's House is completely sealed. 9)Ming Lan tells Big Madame that she must see her mother at the monastery because she has been dreaming about it. Ming Lan kind of strokes her ego by explaining her father told her to get her permission first i.e. you have power you are in charge (now I think if they really worried her they would have said heck no you can't go)--Ming Lan's goal is to follow up with her Aunt.10)She meets with her aunt and her aunt has brought Xiao Die! (her mother's maid) and she gives her the dowry bracelet her mother gave her to survive and tells her she must use it when is wed (so sweet). Her aunt also brings in the doctor who treated her mother. The doctor says he can't remember what happened. Ming Lan tells him what she remembers from that time, and then he replies that he remembers it was unique because Concubine Lin was stewarding the house which was weird . He reports that he told Mistress Lin that she should safely give birth if she eats small meals and walks often. This shocks Ming Lan, because at that time Concubine Lin had been dumping food into her mother's mouth. Ming Lan reports that her mother died, and the doctor is amazed because she should have survived. He explains that by doing the opposite of his advice it means that the person was trying to hurt her mother--and could kill her.11)concubine Lin meanwhile knows that Ming Lan has been trying to get ahold of that doctor but he never showed up to meet them. No worries....

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Leaving One's Husband

Spoilers Ahead1)Ming Lan has a heart to heart with her grandmother. She tells her grandmother that she believes one of Brother He's best qualities is the fact that he is sympathetic/empathetic of how difficult it is to be a woman. She seems to genuinely respect him. Grandmother explains that his father died when he was young, and his mother has always been sickly, and he has seen his grandmother suffer--so he learned a lot about the difficulties of others.2)Back to GTY: men in the woods appear to be sneaking up to the encampment to attack--they quietly surround the place, take out the look outs, and enter the camp. But they are in for a big surprise: once they enter, GTY and company light a fire to oil that was designed to entrap/kill those who enter. The remaining soldiers rush in to attack, and it is this battle cry which has the general screaming for guards--but this is a well planned attack by GTY as they use nets, and giant burning balls of fire to ruthlessly take the enemies out, after surrounding them completely. 3)By the time the general leaves his tent, he watches an extremely well planned and organized attack unfold as the soldiers attack the people part of the ambush. It is a huge success, this reverse ambush. GTY then has them congratulate the general and compliment him for his brilliance of stopping the attack (GTY can't really take credit). The general appears to have completely decided to take full credit, and appears to want to give no mention of GTYs involvement when writing to the emperor.4) Next we witness a marriage ceremony in the country. The clothes are the same, but it is a much more unrestrained celebration, with everyone drinking and eating. There is still someone who creates a scene, but it is more of a brawl, with people rudely insulting while drunk. Big Madame diffuses the situation by insisting they all drink with him and kowtow to him--but in doing so she is mocking him and humiliating him more5)Old Madame drags Ming Lan out of bed to witness an important life changing event: the matriarch of the provincial Sheng clan is telling her grandaughter Shu'er to essentially leave this disreputable son in law (he was the drunk one who caused a scene/also the son of the 'drunk' madame wanted Ming to marry). Her problems are big: her mother in law runs her life, she is berated for not having children, gets him concubines he then finds a prostitute, and apparently, the biggest crime of all, he beats her. It isn't that she can't have a children, it's just he barely sleeps with her. This is an instant where no positive choices are really available; but if she leaves, then it might leave a scandal with the unmarried women. 6)Ming Lan chooses to speak up (presumably she empathizes with her). Ming Lan says that Shu'er's husband is not going to change unless some big calamity befalls him. She explains that Shu'er should not live a life full of regret, and she believes that Pinglan (the unmarried girl) would not one to use her bones as a stepping stone. Ming Lan says that clans exist to help protect their own when they need it, otherwise everything is an illusion. Ping Lan then bursts in and says she doesn't care if her sister's divorce impacts her marriage prospects. The conversations ends with an 'amicable separation' . 7)When the master sheng of the country goes to visit, they shove him out (I think he came to discuss a separation). They not only refuse but make an embarrassing scene (they embarrass themselves but have no insight). Now that they have tried this card, I presume a divorce is next. Provincial grandma asks ming Lan for advice again, and she says they will take away Shu'er's dowry if they refuse to agree to the amicable separation. First the servants all resign because they came as part as the wife's dowry. The servants leave with all the deeds that were given as part of the dowry (Lol). Then they take all the account books and lock up the shops! 8)Back at the evil husband's house, laundry is piled up, there is dirty things everywhere as they have no servants to do anything. Now they have no servants, no money, and a pregnant woman to take care off. His mother wants to bring her back, but he does not want to. He believes that the Sheng family will return the wife to protect her reputation. His mother tries to discourage him from spending, but he refuses. In a humiliating scene, he learns after inviting his friends out that the Sheng family has stopped paying on all of his accounts. Instead of helping him, his friends just leave him there in this situation. 9)Finally there is a meeting with the clan elders. The evil husband paints a picture of a wife leaving out of jealousy. They suggest he keep the child and get rid of the woman. He refuses, and the elders say they cannot accept a common prostitute as a clan member. 10)Ming Lan has an idea, and it involves going to a brothel: the evil man's prostitute is a slave, and they can get her original contract. the contract of sale is not enough to assert ownership. Ming Lan recently learned this because she was a steward. They enlist Brother He to go inside. 11)The elders continue to debate, and they will only agree to a divorce if they return her dowry items. The clan counters: the dowry is hers, that's the law. The evil husband then plans to marry the prostitute to humiliate the family.12)Ming Lan enters the brothel, veiled, and the brothel owner is happy that they treat her with respect but is restrained in the conversation. Ming Lan asks a high price for the deed, and even better, Brother offers to give her medication for the migraine attacks he sees she suffers from....

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Master Sheng Returns & Allegations of Adultery

Spoilers Ahead (caution this is a long review)1)Big Madame makes the decision to have Concubine Lin arrested for 'trying to steal a man' (adultery). She waits until Concubine Lin and the man are alone in a room before sending her most trusted servants to hog tie and bind both of them. Within the manor, news spreads rapidly and upon hearing of her daughter in laws actions, Big Madame immediately 'faints' (it is an act to excuse herself from becoming involved in this matter). Big Madame's goal is to quickly sell Concubine Lin off (another example of her shortsightedness as she is not thinking of family reputation or her husband).2)Concubine Lin insists she is being framed. She demands that the landlord be brought in in order to prove her statements are true (maybe in this moment Big Madame realizes that her case is flimsy hence all the more reason to quickly get rid of her).3)Ming Lan is sent to deliver the words of Old Madame: Big Madame has the authority to decide this case because it is part of her job . Elsewhere, Second Brother attempts to liberate the landlord in order to have him stand as a witness for his mother. As he attempts this, Big Madame brings in a slave seller. The slave seller is clearly uncomfortable with this transaction and does not wish to do it because she can assess this a family mess and she does not wish to anger the Master, who is not present and unaware. Big Madame exerts pressure and she reluctantly agrees.4)Second Brother suceeds and brings the landord, who confirms that this was merely about business. However, because they never signed anything due to lack of time, Big Madame confirms they must have been 'talking poetry' (making love). Concubine Lin demands justice, and is right to do so because this time she did not commit the crime (but in the wake of all of her crimes, I am not without sympathy for the big madame however this is clearly wrong).5)Upon learning of Big Madame's plans to sell Concubine Lin, she again sends Ming Lan out as her messenger. But first, they must intercept the loyal servants of Concubine Lin who have gone to Kaifeng precinct for justice. Ming Lan suggests they enlist GTY for aid, and he intervenes them quickly and efficiently. 6)The second message of Old Madame: a)Both Big Madame and Madame Lin are to be confined while this is investigated because they only have an allegation and no evidence b)the allegations are legitimate because it is the height of impropriety to go into an outside male's room; any person would come to this conclusion not to mention the fact that Concubine Lin went in disguise instead of making it an official visit. Unfortunately, Big Madame has one final say: she has Second Son beat his own mother (an extremely unrefined thing to do) and when he fails, she is caned.7)Hu'aer, who has returned because word has spread that her father has been detained, has come to support her mother. She scolds her mother for her actions because it would upset their father if Concubine Lin was sold, and she may even have committed a crime in having Second Son beat his own mother (unfilial, because he raised her). But she understands her mother's long standing frustration. The conversation shifts to Hua'er's situation, and her mother is extremely upset to see she is still being mistreated by her mother in law. 8)Finally Master Sheng returns. He reports to Old Madame First but she bids him to rest first--only after he leaves does Ming Lan learn her grandmother did not ask what happened because her grandmother concluded the experience was bad, otherwise he would have reported immediately. She wanted him to rest up first. 9)Hu'er is summoned back suddenly and the tired Master Sheng thanks her for coming and promises that after this they will figure out something to help support her in her difficult situation. Concubine Lin then bursts in with her children. Second Son asks his father how his stay in the palace was and his father explains it was a great time, and he was pampered. Second Son does not pick up on this sarcasm and congratulates him, and what follows is his father blowing up at Second Son and has him dragged out, insisting he be beat to death.10)Everyone is surprised by this, and we learn what happened in the palace. He was detained and left in a hallway, and was not allowed to leave even for the bathroom. After spending a terrifying night--of not knowing if he was to be killed or executed or tortured--the emperor arrives and has a talk with him. It seems that some of his spies heard Second Son in a drinking hall gossiping about how Prince Yan would be the new crown prince. Times are dangerous and uncertain without a crown prince (if public opinion were to back him then maybe the ministers would etc. I think is the meaning here). The thing that saves him (because the emperor is confident that he learned this at home) are Ming Lan's words from school when she discusses that the best thing to do is to trust the emperor and be a simple subject.11)Upon hearing this, Big Madame is so horrified she causes this kind of conduct a heavenly calamity (not wrong at all) and her husband repeats this (and it is kind of funny). Big Madame wrongly decides to raise the issue of the alleged adultery, which then leads to Concubine Lin sharing news about Big Madame secretly giving out high interest loans (illegal) for her sister. (The remainder of this scene unfolding is quite funny) Master Sheng loses it on both of them, laughingly tells Molan that her mother and madame have some issues, and then asks if either one of them would follow him into exile. Then he is surrounded by women begging him for forgiveness, and he looks so miserable....Conclusion: This was a great episode, they all, but a lot happened in this one. We clearly see that reputation means the most to Master Sheng and he is utterly taken aback by how his wife and concubine can't seem to grasp the long term importance of this but are instead focused on ruining each other's lives--but their conduct could lead to exile, fines, trials, etc.....

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Gu Ting Ye is United With his Son

1)Miniang (being intelligent) chooses her next tactic which is to publicly denounce Gu Ting Ye and accuse him of every kind imaginable, including raping her and abandoning her. At court the next day, Yuan Ruo accuses Gu Ting Ye publicly for immorality. This earns Gu Ting Ye another lecture by the emperor in private. Gu Ting Ye defends himself and reminds him that they met BECAUSE of Miniang's evil actions. The emperor makes it clear that there are things he can no longer do and that he basically needs to have a care for his image. After he tells him he was stabbed, he states he did not bring her to the local court in order to avoid escalating it and playing into the Empress Dowager's hands. Prince Huan suggests that they drive her out of the capital (as a sub plan between him and Gu, they can follow her to locate his son). THEY CLEARLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT EMPRESS DOWAGER IS ACTIVELY PLOTTING AGAINST THE EMPEROR.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................2)Evil MIL is excited because she plans on using the powerful hand of the empress dowager, who views Gu Ting Ye as an obstacle, to eliminate him. She is smart, I credit her that, but her ways are so lacking! Also, her arrogance is somewhat grating......................................................................................................................................................................................................3)Gu Ting Ye goes to visit the Duke of Qi in hopes of seeing Yuan Ruo. In a humorous display, he finds a sham excuse to break in and circumvent the pleasant 'Yuan Ruo is too busy to see you' niceties . He is direct with Yuan Ruo and acknowledges that they are currently rivals. Yuan Ruo tells him he is merely doing his job : exposing misdeeds. Gu Ting Ye tells him that no matter how much he hates him (personally) he will never have Ming Lan. This makes Yuan Ruo angry and he says that ha nothing to do with this. But Gu says he has always had a bad reputaiton, no one had a complaint, or filed one, until now. Why is that? He basically makes it clear he believes that Yuan Ruo is behaving foolishly, that he is allowing his personal jealousy to cloud his judgment, and that he is being manipulated (but he didn't say this bit directly it is basically implied). Gu Ting Ye makes it clear to him that he shoud have sought her out immediately--Gu would have never made it her wait, or allowed time to pass if there was a chance--he reminds him again that he is being selfish because not everyone will wait for him.................................................................................................4)O H MY GOD they follow Miniang and it is to a GRAVE!!! She is burning paper and yelling at the grave, accusing the child of dying. But when Gu Ting Ye arrives, she tells him that their child died from sickness from not having enough medicine. While Gu yells at her Ming Lan digs and learns that the soil is old--meaning she basically believes a body is there. In a panic Gu has the body dug up (he is furious and panicky and scared) he digs with his hands and Ming Lan does something rare and slaps another person(!) (OMG this is so damn sad) He finds the bones of his son. (the acting for this scene is so believable). He is angry and in shock and tells Miniang she will never see Rong'er and if she enters the city again he will basically end her. She is to be taken to a village, watched, to live. Only affter doing this does he collapse and cry and cry buckets of tears while Ming Lan just is there for him.................................................5)The ladies all squeeze and hug the baby of eldest Sheng son. Even Mo'er is there, looking quiet and jealous. Big Madame, predictably, uses this as a chance to lay in on Mo'er by congratulating Ming Lan for her handling of the incident with Miniang, and Rulan follows suit (this is tactless). Mo'er is then sent to visit her father and she tires to invite the other two sisters but they both ignore this request (that has to sting for Mo'er, on the one hand I feel bad for her, but on the other hand, there is no way of knowing what kind plots she has afoot she is untrustworthy)............6)Afterwards Old Madame lectures Big Madame for allowing her elder sister Kang to beg favors when Ming Lan hasn't even got her footing yet in the Gu household. Later, there is a family dinner with Mo'er and her husband present, Min Lan, Rulan and Big Madam. Mo'er tries to use this as an opportunity to have her mother's funeral tablet brought back. Her father ignores her repeatedly. Big Madame says that she wouldn't allow someone dirty in the house (so now the husband of Mo'er knows something happened, he just doesn't know what). .........................................7)Ming Lan essentially makes a subtle comment that she does not support this by reminding her father that her mother's tablet is out there (i.e. you would have her next to her murderer?). Mo'er attacks head on and accuses Ming Lan of using her status to control things they should let their father decide. Ming Lan is chastised soundly by her father (you have to watch the scene the word play is great) and Ming Lan becomes so angry that she announces out loud that her mother killed her mother and repports she has witnesses, and she will bring this matter to the Kaifeng precenct if they allow her to bring the funeral tablet back. Her father accuses Ming Lan of trying to ruin the family rep. Servants are sent out.

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Episode 17: Reunited &---Li'er, don't do that!

So this episode continues to highlight that for all her noble talk, Li'er is a heavily flawed and imperfect person, so she is similar to the Emperor in this regard, but while we might be upset at how high handed the emperor is, everything he reports to do, no matter how ruthless, has a goal of uniting the country, while everything she does seems to create chaos and fracture relationships-- -We open to Jing, who is furious about Li'er's evident betrayal, as it appears to him. In his anger, he tells Han that she has betrayed not just him, but their state and her grandfather for choosing the enemy (really he is upset that she has left him) and he even draws his weapon on Han, whom he accuses of helping this to happen/failing to avenge their grandfather (he does not believe Han when Han reports his assassination attempt). -Han refuses to talk to him when he is upset BUT Han doesn't really gauge how angry he is because he tells him to calm down and they will talk when he is more rational (so this basically invalidates his feelings because he is all about Li'er did this for you, which throws oil on the fire because he does not in anyway seem to care or notice that Jing is angry. he is telling him to accept it when he should have been like 'yea this really sucks that this happened and it isn't fair') -Jing severs his ties with Han and storms off -Alone with Lan'er, Han waxes philosophical on how complicated life can be and how it can ruin chances of people being together (I like Lan'er's more simple view because sometimes it seems like these people create unnecessary problems) -Back in the palace, the emperor is preparing to have all the palace maids flogged to death when it is announced that Madame Li has returned... -So Li'er returns. This entire episode she refuses to look the emperor in the eye (which most of us know can be indicative that you are hiding something) and their reunion is filmed in a dramatic way--she is arrested and in prison is shocked to see that Qing'er, her servant, has been severely beaten. Throughout all of this, Qing'er is all about making Li'er know that she doesn't take her leaving personally (if this were a drama about servants we might see some resentment but it follows the old rule of servants being loyal because they are more like slaves and whatever ill falls the master falls onto them) -Li'er indeed is upset about what happened to Qing'er and Zhao Gao seems excited to have her tortured (i cannot tell if he is sadistic or if he is mad because Li'er doesn't seem to give a hoot about their rules) but the emperor intervenes, and puts out an order that without his permission no one is to hurt her. Now begin the questioins -Li'er's answer is SO REHEARSED. That, coupled with her not looking him in the eye, make for a bad story. But her story is SO BAD. She tells him that she felt restricted and so wanted to go out and experience some freedom and that basically she left to escape the oppression of palace life. Readers, this is completely against her personality. And she is also insulting the emperor's intelligence with this story. but their relationship is sort of like two people dancing together (in a way very different from Jing, with the swords in the woods) so he decides to accept this. we know he doesn't believe it. he now wants to catch her in a lie (it's like fencing almost, where you try to score a point by getting past the other guy's defense) -so problems in her story appear as she repeats she was just 'waling around' while he was gone. And she refuses to tell him how she managed to escape the outer palace. UH HUH. So the emperor , and i give him credit, does not lose his temper. He tells her that she broke the rules and will have to be punished, and he coldly accuses her of treating the palace like an inn. He does get really up in her face and forces her to look at him but he gets nowhere and leaves. -Zheng decides he needs to improve his guards and Li'er, alone with Qing'er, says 'I'M SORRY' (i burst out laughing. she doesn't say wow, i shouldn't have left because i didn't think you would be hurt or i'm sorry for hurting you it's just--I'm sorry ROFL) -Meanwhile, Ghao Zhao learns that li'er leaving coincided with Han's. I mean he has it in for them, and I don't blame them because he very literally almost was executed because she left! Of course he has it in for her! He doesn't want to die! -Han is retained, and brought to the emperor, and painted as a criminal. They figure out that he couldn't possibly have gone home because he returned to soon --unfortunately, Li'er left before they could get their stories straight so....you know....--and once Han learns that Li'er is in prison he makes up a story that he abducted her. WELL. Now someone is lying here. -Han is arrested and tortured but his story does not change. The emperor is quietly angry because now he has to deal with his ministers knowing that his guards were useless, that there is someone in their ranks who should be executed already BUT he is hesitating because he knows that Han probably is important to her so if he executes Han then he risks further alienating Li'er. -Throughout all of this, Ghao Zhao strokes the emperor's jealousy by pointing out how she left to be somewhere else, how she was likely with another man this entire time doing who knows what (when she can't even look him in the eye!) -Meanwhile, Ru'er reports to the Grand Dowager all that is happening. The Dowager looks weak, and her health is not great, but it seems she was planning on leaving things alone since the emperor last yelled at her but now she has to return because the inner palace is in chaos, making them look bad to the rest of the world, so she has to take on the issue of Li'er, the source -The emperor confronts Li'er, who is evasive but her mental thoughts are so bad--she is angry with Han for making up the story to protect her--DOES NO ONE ELSE NOTICE THAT HAN DOES TO HER WHAT SHE DOES TO EVERYONE ELSE? SHE IS EXPERIENCING EXACTLY HOW JING FEELS. And she doesn't like it. But she can only see herself, and what she does, because now she has to figure out how to help han. -So she plans to help Han by persuading Qing'er, who was just nearly killed on her behalf, to smuggle her into the prison to see Han. no note, no sending of messages. naturally Qing'er has some reservations but Li'er promises to stay. OMG. Conclusion So I am in a state of confusion. Now I am wondering if her character is being written this way tho show how imperfect she is and how she hurts people, just like the emperor, but she feels her reasons are noble while his aren't. thus they aren't that different.

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Episode 16 summary: Selfish or Selfless?

-This is an interesting episode that gives us some insight into what motivates the choices Li'er makes.



-Li'er and Jing again play with swords and it shows that even blindfolded, they are perfectly in sync.



-Elsewhere, Lady Min comes to the rescue of Qing, Li'er's servant and reminds Gao that while he is investigating Li'er it will look really bad if he jumped to conclusions and coerced a confession if it turns out Li'er was abducted



-While eating a meal together, the news of Lu Buwei comes up. Jing is shocked--and visibly upset--when Li'er comes to the defense of the emperor, explaining that he would have been upset if his father died and that the reason he is so awful is because of his mother and Lu Buwei (so she knows why he is the way he is--which begs the question why she left)



-The emperor returns, and as expected, starts taking lives, beginning with the head of his guards, whom he orders to kill himself. He tells him if he doesn't do it, he will kill his family to the third degree. He can't do it, so the emperor kills him and kills his family to the third degree. He almost kills Zhao Gao but Li Zhong defends him and states that he could help locate Li'er since he was here and a witness. The emperor does not kill him but comes awfully close, and promises to give him a bad death if she doesn't turn up.



-Jing remains upset with Li'er, whom he believes has changed since she is defending the enemy, and she seems to have forgotten about Puyang--elder brother tries to state that it is merely an observation she shared.



-While spending time with Lan'er, Lan'er essentially says what the emperor told her: that she is happy to be by the side of the one she loves even if they don't return her love. Li'er mentally says that Lan'er will have her chance to be with Jing



-Li'er drops hints left and right that this is a temporary reunion. She finally reveals to Jing that she had a son...and it's the Emperor's! So she must return and the boy must have his father (I was yelling WTF at the t.v. but this gets explained). Naturally, this leads to Jing freaking out, accusing her of having changed and screaming at her to go away since she chose the emperor, which she does



-Elder brother finds Li'er in tears, and she tells him that she planned to leave from the moment she left because she knows that Zheng will never let them go. She doesn't want either Jing or her child living a life of vagrancy. And she can't tell Jing that it's his child because she knows he will try to get him back and likely die in the process.



-Elder brother points out that even now she chooses to always put everyone first, but he also points out that she chooses to live an unhappy life. He also shares that he used to think that people were simply fated to never have their feelings returned and that was life and fine.

I think he is critical of her and disappointed, because she has a chance to be with the love of her life, but she is choosing--even if it rational and noble--to live apart. It implies he is bitter that she even has that choice because he I think would sacrifice anything if she might love him back and yet she is choosing to live in the kind of misery he lives in--I don't blame him. She is also being very selfish by not telling Jing the truth. It's his right to choose his own path.



-Meanwhile, the Grand Dowager talks to Ru'er and they are upset that Lu Buwei is dead because it seems he was useful to them. They are BOTH sympathetic to Chu, and the need an ally. They decide li Si is a good choice.



-Elder Senior returns to Jing and says that no matter what he thinks, Li'er has done everything for Jing. Jing punches him in the face (I don't blame him) and says it doesn't matter because she still chose his mortal enemy. he also implies that maybe this is what Han wanted.....



Thoughts: I really liked this episode because it added a bit more depth to Jing's character and to Li'er, who up until now has just sort of been there. It also shows her imperfections. Like if she knew when she left that she was going to go back, why the heck did she leave? I know she must miss Jing, and maybe she wanted to see him just one more time, or maybe she was worried that he would try to save her or be depressed so she wanted him to hate her--okay fine all plausible--but just for this selfish act, so many people suffer. I will have to say this: everything she does is incredibly selfless, so she gets to have a couple selfish acts under her belt. But I do think that the show makes a very strong point: the heroes all die and the villains live in (she even said this in the very first episode, that honor is great but that you die for it) so I think that from episode one we kind of get a hint at what will happen at the end. Also she is making the choice to be with the emperor. Life is full of choices we don't like or want to make, but that's life. You can rail about the injustice of it all, but people, that is LIFE. We are constantly faced with choices that just suck. And I would have chosen to run, even if meant a tough life, to be with the person I love. Jing would have chosen that, elder brother would have chosen that. She chose otherwise. So now she has to live with the consequences because there was no one holding a sword at her throat, no one was in danger of dying. She could have left. She could have even left her child behind, as difficult as it is, because as a prince he would have had a better life albeit it would have raised a lot of risks. But she chose not to. So on the one hand I am completely boggled by her actions. Because she is so different from the emperor and yet so similar.



The emperor chooses to keep her against her will, even if she hates him, just to have her. Now a lot of people might not do that. But he is willing to have her hate him. She is now willing to reject Jing and have Jing hate her to keep him alive. It's like two sides of the same kind. Both are making choices without consulting the other, both are acting regardless of how the person they love feels. It's very interesting.

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Episode 15 Summary: Reunions & Departures

So in this episode we lose a big character but we see the reunion of Jing and Li'er



-Li'er hesitates many times before leaving. She points out to elder brother that if she leaves, her son will be in danger. She knows that people are after his life because someone tried to kidnap him. She knows Zheng better than anyone else....and she still leaves. After all, elder brother says, 'we will come up with some kind of plan to get him back and Zheng will protect him'. REALLY? Zheng isn't even there, and he's proven to us that Tian Ming is a tool to be used to anchor Li'er at his side. I don't think he will be a big ally. Not to MENTION that Zheng is extraordinarily spiteful; if you harm him he gets back at you ten times.

But she goes.



-Elsewhere, Jing is drinking himself to death when Lan'er finds him to give him the news that Li'er has managed to escape with her elder brother's help. At the same time, Brother Gao shows up and implores Jing to keep training and remain true to his goals



-Ghao learns of Li'er leaving and his first action, naturally, is to arrest all of her servants and submit them to brutal torture. Not only has her decision to leave made them negligent and caused them to fail in their duty, it looks like they helped her. I don't think she thought of that.



-Ru'er is pleased with the turn of events



-We learn that Jing still does not know she gave birth to his child. It seems she wants to tell him personally.



-The reunion scene with Li'er and Jing was very poignant and emotional--although I find it very interesting that just before she goes in she has flashbacks of the emperor....--and they embrace and vow to never leave the other again.



-Meanwhile, Lu Buwei listens to his retainer tell him that he has accomplished so much but Lu Buwei laughs and says what do his achievments mean when his own son views him as a snake and will not acknowledge his parentage?



-Lu Buwei commits suicide.



-The emperor learns of the suicide and his face is utterly affect. he comments that he really is Lu Buwei, perhaps implying that Lu Buwei never relinquished control and got the last word by taking his own life and yet he has flashbacks of childhood memories of meeting him and the scene in the throne room where he swore allegiance, perhaps implying that he might actually feel the rare feeling of regret--but this is cutshort when another messenger shows up to tell him Li'er is missing, and for two days. Well he freaks and rides back.



-The Queen Dowager is devastated when she learns Lu Buwei has died--and left her alone--which is clearly her greatest fear.



-Now an incredibly cheesy scene unfolds of Jing chasing Li'er and it looks like they are frolicking in some kind of paradise where its just them and there are no other problems--but they juxtapose this with the emperor furiously riding back, which makes me think the purpose of the scene to establish how out of touch with reality the two currently are--there things at work that are not only more powerful than her but things she will not be able to escape. I think things are going to be bad for her.



Thoughts: I really liked how they filmed Lu Buwei, as we saw a lot of insight to his personality and thoughts. And his suicide was filmed in a very cool way i.e. the discovery of his body. In addition to this, I think that the relationship between the emperor and Li'er will never be the same because now I understand why they had him visiting his mother the last episode. It was like to remind the audience that he thinks his mother abandoned him. He thinks Lu Buwei only wants to use him. And here it looks like Li'er abandoned her child for her lover--kind of like re-traumatizing him and opening up all these old wounds. He will probably react by punishing her. After all, Li'er has never done anything to make him dislike her--she's fulfilled her promises, she's shown loyalty to her family, she's not asked him for anything (well, except the antidote but he set up that trap) and she doesn't play games. She's honored her promises. These are things he cannot have, in spite of all his might, without intimidating others. Now she has 'betrayed him' in his mind. I think

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Episode 10 Summary: The Mad Queen

-The episode begins with someone trying to strangle Li'er, who has been ordered to remain in bed for 7 days to stabilize the child. This person turns out to be the Dowager Queen, and she looks crazy, screaming at Li'er and insisting that she stop trying to steal her man



-The emperor comes in and pulls her off, and has the queen taken back to her palace and guards ordered to protect Li'er night and day. he asks how Li'er is, if she is scared, etc. and Li'er learns that the woman was his mother. She asks about it, and also tells him other than this, she has no desire to hear his voice or see him. Interestingly, the emperor seems used to this and does not yell her. He encourages her to recover before leaving.



-The emperor visits his mother and reminds her that Lu Buwei has left the city and is gone and that Li'er is his concubine. She flies into a tearful rage, and it is really sad to watch as she cries and asks him if he is happy now that her innocent children are dead and Lu Buwei is gone and her lover the marquis is dead.



-he becomes angry and tells her that her lover tried to kill him and the children were illegitimate so they did not matter and were a threat. she begs him to let her be reunited with Lu Buwei (I think he is her true love) because the palace is lonely and cold and scary and he orders a prescription be prepared to keep her calm before leaving.---now this scene is filmed wonderfully, because the director does a good job of showing how desolate she is, and it also gives Zheng to directly confront her for how her behavior has hurt him and his reign--and the scene of the the outside of the southern palace, where all you do is here her scream, is really sad



-Meanwhie, Ruo'er continues to express jealousy over Li'er's good fortune. She feels powerless to change her fate and resents Li'er who seems to have waltzed in from nowhere and just had everything handed to her (it would probably infuriate her if she learned Li'er didn't even want any of this). Zhao Gao appears to investigate her and he accepts her bribe.



-Zhao Gao visits the emperor and Li'er and says he hasn't found anything, but the emperor is very observant and states that he knows, but won't tell him. Zhao Gao behaves very suspiciously, and he is about to be executed. Li'er tells him not do this but the emperor says that if he doesn't no one will fear him and thus he will lose power



-Li'er is able to stop the execution by stating that she does not others to hate and resent her and the child because people died for them. So he lets him live.



-The emperor still wants to know who did this. Li Zhong then reveals that an outsider tried to break into the palace--she immediately know who it is and inquires--which raises Zheng's suspicions but he chooses to not pursue it.



-She cries all alone for Jin Ke and prays that he finds happiness and remain safe.



-Li'er then stops eating. And the emperor says that if she doesn't eat he won't eat. she says she will starve herself to death, and so he forcefeeds her by putting food in his mouth and making her eat. He says if she does not eat he will continue to do this--and that works.



-Jin Ke is a mess. Tuan rescues him, and he is basically courting death and looking to be killed. Lan'er and her father intervene, but Jin Ke rejects their hospitality and says they shouldn't have intererested. He is very bitter, very rude and unhappy. This I think stirs some sort of empathy in Gao Nie, who asks him to be his disciple--and basically tells him that if he is stronger he can protect Li'er



Final Thoughts: I thin that Zheng's explanation for why he needed to kill people--to gain their loyalty--well that says a lot about him--and essentially explains his relationship with Li'er; he feels he must use fear and intimidation to keep her by his side otherwise she will leave. In a way, I think this might imply that he thinks he is not worthy of love, since his mother, he thinks, never loved him. His confrontation with his mother also suggests this, as he accuses her of never behaving like a mother. He expects people to betray him, and he does not expect them to like them. He has used his power to force people to do things because otherwise they won't. And that includes keeping the woman he cares about by his side.

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Episode 1 Summary: A Bloody Coronation

Characters:

Li'Er: The female lead, granddaughter to the great Commander in Chief of Wey. She is introduced as an intelligent and capable of young woman who is tired of all of the violence. Part of this is because as a woman she feels helpless to do anything to stop it; the other reason is that she has seen people in her community and her family all die because of the violence. While she wishes to aid her grandfather in anyway that she can, I think she believes that being a hero is not very admirable because all the heroes she knows are dead, leaving her the last in her line.



Crown Prince/King Zheng: Our male lead. He is introduced as a young man with remarkable self-control, his emotions in check, and presented almost like a sharp blade ready to cut down his enemies with complete detachment. He shows a calm affect but sometimes he reveals a sarcastic and bitter attitude as he confronts the people around him. Not exactly cruel and mean but neither is he warm and fuzzy.



Gongsun Yu: The Commander in Chief of Wey, who once sought to ally himself with Qin to oppose Wei but instead saw Wei collapse and Wey become enemies of Qin, an enemy they cannot defeat.



Ge Nie: Rumored to be the best warrior of Qin. He has abandoned his state because he is disgusted by the power games and the general degeneracy that the state has fallen into.



Jing Ke: desciple of Gongsun Yu, childhood friend to Ling'er, very loyal.



Lu Buwei: A political leader of Qin who has managed to obtain a great deal of power by maneuvering the Crown Consort's child, Zheng, into the path of crown prince. People speak of him with equal parts derision and dismay because he is incredibly cunning and ruthless. He helped sow discord between two lords (Xinling and Anxi) which weakened the state of Wei and catapulted him to power. He has since won over ministers and expanded his power.



Dowager Empress: Mother to Zheng, and has a reputation for not exactly concealing her numerous sexual encounters. It has had such a negative impact on the throne that Zheng has lost power, been humiliated as she exercises her authority as regent inappropriately, and given rise to rumors that he has 'many fathers'.



Summary:



The entire purpose of this episode is to set the stage for things to come. We are introduced to a series of characters and events, and given a bit of history behind the current chaos. Ten years ago the King attempted to unite the states through Vertical Integration. This did not work well and resulted in in-fighting and chaos. It allowed people like Lu Buwei to rise to power and also is the reason behind Zheng being Crown Prince. But he is just a chess piece in Lu Buwei's pursuit of power. He knows this. While the show does not directly state it, it is clear that he is preparing for the rocky transition of power as his coronation nears. This is shown to be problematic as his mother is easily manipulated by her lover's, who take advantage of her loneliness. She gives the seal to her current lover, a minor official, who then tries to assassinate her son, but fails miserably.



Elsewhere, Gongsun is attempting to organize a final defense of Pyang City, which is soon to be attacked by Qin. He tries to court the loyalty of Ge Nie, a soldier who has defected and is known for his martial arts brilliance. Unfortunately he fails. He then decides to stand and fight--illustrating that he is part of a dying class of men who are married to ideals like honor and virtue. He knows that he will lose this battle, conceals it from his granddaughter, and goes to his death.



Ling'er wants peace. But she is also practical and respects her grandfather's choices. She acknowledges the limits placed upon her by her gender given the time period but seeks to circumvent this by being smart. She is devastated to learn the truth, that her grandfather has gone to fight to his death, and rushes to his side only to see him die. His dying breath is that she live for herself, and that seems like good advice given the chaos that is certain to ensue now that Zheng has assumed the throne and literally baptized it in blood by beginning to clean house, first with executing the traitors and then moving to exile his mother who he probably wanted to kill.



What is Interesting:

1)The way the show is filmed is very similar to Western Action and Japanese action films. The director uses a lot of film techniques like cut scenes, slow motion, zoom in, and tracking to name a few. That, coupled with the transition between different scenes, which heavily contrast each other, and violent battles--it reminds me a lot of Tarantino films (minus the weirdness) John Wick, and Old Boy, to name a few.



2)The music takes a departure from the traditional Chinese music we so often here and is a lot more like a Christoper Nolan film--think of trailers for films like Batman, or a Michael Bay movie and you will know what I mean



3)the director is clearly trying to experiment and pull away from a lot of the traditional filming styles we are used to in dramas. he uses little CGI, films on site, and clearly wants this to be dramatic and over the top but everything in the film, from where people stand to what they wear seems to have been carefully planned



4)the writing is heavily influenced by Western cinema and we even see that directly as there is a scene copied from the Godfather when the Dowager and her Lover wake up with a deer's head in their bed. This is meant to communicate that he is powerful, that they had better listen, and a brutal change is coming. It also tells the audience that while a romance this is also going to be dark--just look at the cover art. The emperor looks almost like a villain and our female lead is standing there in red, looking not like a lamb but not exactly like she is gaga in love--she isn't even looking at him--and there are dark clouds in the back.

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episode 35 spoilers ahead

spoilers ahead



1.Xiao Q continues to recover but the royal medics report to the emperor that she can never bear a child again. In addition to this, her entire family was banished. The emperor chooses to let her stay because he pities her.



2.In the next scene, Meniang is feeding Xiao Q tangerines. Ru'ian discusses how pitiful she is, since her family was banished and she can't have children. It is very obvious to the viewer that Xiao Q is faking. She takes the time to run off and cries silently. For reasons that make no sense she blames her situation on Meniang as well and vows revenge. Worse, Xia Hui discovers her and essentially blackmails her (she knew, for reasons unknown, that she was faking).



3.Later, Xiao Q's old friends arrive under the guise of feeding her food but they really use it as a chance to mock her. Xiao Q then hears that her family was executed (not true) from them. Later, she has a nightmare about her child and can't unhear its cries. (I pity her).



4.Meanwhile, Xu HUi and Meniang visit Xiao Q in her palace. She confronts them and confesses she faked being ill (surprising Meniang). She then starts a fire and tells them to burn with her, that she has nothing to live for, and can't go through life watching them have the emperor's love. She dies, while Meniang tries to rescue her but Xu Hui pulls her away.



5.Xu hui risks her life to save Meniang because she can't allow her to die and have the emperor miss her for the remainder of his life. Later, Xu Hui wakes to the emperor by her bedside and he is all sweet words. She milks the 'saving Meniang' (I would to if I were her)



6.Elsewhere, Meniang awakens to Consort Yang by her side.



7.Li Mu is approached by Consort Yang's attendant who tries to persuade him to essentially do things for them. He explains he has no desire to do anything like harm the king because his parents made him promise not to seek revenge. He also confirms that he and Meniang are leaving. But she states that even if he has her physically, her heart will always be with the emperor....



Comments: This episode was well executed and it was kind of interesting to see Xiao Q leave so dramatically. I am not surprised if only because your value as a woman was determined by your ability to conceive. With no family, and not even that, she only had a future of people mistreating her to look forward to. Unless she swallowed her pried and toadied up to someone, but then she would be use and maybe disposed. It was a pretty bleak future. I didn't like how Meniang was painted as exceptionally nice (If someone tried to kill me I would not be trying to save them) and how people seemed to know things. I am also losing my patience with this Li Mu subplot and am getting tired of Consort Yang.

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