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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Early character development

As mentioned, everything in this show is meticulously planned. Every word, evern the way people stand, sends a meaning, The dialogue is extremely clever and often like a dance between people. That said:1) Old Madame (the granny of the house) is considering personally taking one of the three daughters under her wing. None of the children understand the importance of this because they are kids. Master Sheng is angling for his favorite, Mo’er (the daughter of his favorite concubine Lin) to be chosen. Mo’er meets privately with her grandmother and already exhibits some early signs of ‘bad qualities’. She reads poetry to her grandmother (later to be her best skill) and argues with her grandmother when she asks her to go eat. Mo’er doesn’t see her grandmother is being considerate of her because she has not yet eaten nor does she pick up on the comment ‘you were taught by your mother and are like her’ which is actually a criticism.2) Later Mo’er (the eldest sister)throws a tantrum in her mothers room. Her mother explains she must get on Old Madame’s good side because it will be good for her future and reduce chances of her starving a fear that Mo’er will always have (and a very understandable fear) hence she is being taught to lie and manipulate as early as ten to protect herself and this will impact her decisions for the rest of the show. Hence, always be mindful that everything Mo’er does is often motivated by her own fears and insecurities. Some are valid, but they were all taught by her mother.3)While out, Gu Ting Ye and eldest Sheng Brothers boat is attacked and Gu falls into the water, presumably dead.4)At the request of Ming Lan, Master Sheng visits her mother, concubine Wei. It is evident to the viewer it is on a whim but to Ming Lan it is the world. Concubine Wei has a tiny little room while Lin ( favorite) has a massive pavilion. Sheng inquires on her health as she is pregnant and they make polite small talk. Eventually, Ming Lan (who is only 8) ignores her mothers earlier words and tells her father of all the terrible things they have endured: not enough food or coal and they are being bullied. Her mother tries to silence her but it does not work. Ming Lan does not know it yet, but her actions will have disastrous consequences for the life of her mother, unborn brother, maids serving her mother, etc. and will be the biggest learning experience of her life. Ming Lan believes her father will seek justice of them. 5)Note, reader, that Master Sheng goes to Big Madame to complain. It triggers an argument. Big Madame’s servant reminds him that Mistress Lin is in fact in charge of this as she currently has the keys (again, an unheard of action as it creates confusion in the house in terms of chain of command etc.) . Master Sheng is now between a rock and a hard place he likely would never have addressed this if he remembered Lin was in charge but now he must. Worse, his legal wife will surely pounce on this opportunity to punish Lin so a minor incident like coal has blown up to a fight between the favored concubine and main wife, and miss Wei with no power is caught in it.6)Eldest brother is rescued from the water, GunTing Ye is Not. 7) The family is searching for a thief, as the items owed to concubine Wei must be somewhere (someone is taking them and not giving them to her). All the items are found in the room of the personal servant serving Concubine Wei, xaiodie. It is fairly obvious from Big Madames face that she does not believe this farce but she has no reason to stand up for xiaodie as she is not her servant. She does not really care. In addition, her husband has clearly made up his mind, 8) Concubine Wei tries to ask for a thorough investigation but Concubine Lin insists she is a softy (these are very clever words that undermine Weis argument it casts her as someone unreliable as she will be seen as weak and easily tricked). The Master is uninterested in investigating because Wei now has the items she needed. He is clearly annoyed by the situation, and although Big Madame sees this as another instance of Madame Lin acting out she focuses not on Concubine Wei’s matter but the wrongs she is experiencing. This shows the household is messy and Wei is merely an innocent bystander. No one here to back her. 9)In an act of desperation, Concubine Wei gets on her knees and insists that xiaodie merely be fired because to have her executed would be bad luck for the recently married Hu’er. Everything changes when they are interrupted Changbai returns, beaten, and reports the attack. You can see the difference immediately Master Sheng and Big Madame are in a panic to assist the heir, Ming Lan and her mother forgotten. Hu’er’s husband is in a panic because gu ting is missing he never let on that he brought with him the son of a military general and Marquis (who has his own problems that make the Sheng problems look like a Disney movie you will see).10)Taking advantage of the confusion, Mistress Lin visits with the doctor who tells her to update her on Concubine Wei’s pregnancy and to keep it between them because the rest of the house is overwhelmed. Meanwhile, the search for Gu Ting Ye is in full swing. Xiaodie is kicked out of the house and xiaodia (I know the names are similar) stops to give her a parting gift, a bracelet, the last of her dowry.11)The badly decomposed body of a boy identified as Gu Ting based on his clothes is found. Meanwhile, Ming Lan is happy that her mother is not cold and views this as their luck improving. Plenty of food. Her mother has so many servants now she can only sit and eat and relax.12)The husband of Hu’er is in a panic because he must explain this to the Marquis. A funeral is held, and a ton of relatives for the boy appear.

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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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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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An Important Debate, Feelings are Now Confessed, and The Civil Exam

Spoilers Ahead1)We return to the family academy, and today's debate topic is the same topic facing the capital: Do you let the eldest heir inherit or the more worthy heir?.2)Gu Ting Ye believes that Prince Han who is older should inherit. Second Brother Sheng believes that the younger Prince Yan is more intelligent and more capable. First Brother Sheng uses history to support his selection of the elder brother since history is rampant with families fighting, but then Seond brother Sheng states there are plenty of instances when someone other than the eldest brought great success. Mo'er chimes in to agree with her brother, and naturally Rulan makes it personal and her answer is not as eloquent as Mo'er. Sixth Miss and Young Lord are called on to speak3)Yuan Ruo admits he wanted to listen to everyone else and is silent (this is a big part of is personality). Ming Lan states she is a girl so she doesn't care, it is unrelated to her. What follows is everyone in the class arguing. Pressure is put onto Ming Lan to answer. Yuan Ruo defends her, and Gu Ting Ye intervenes and mutters to Yuan Ruo he is creating problems for her by defending her and he urges him to trust that Ming Lan is more than capable4)Finally, Ming Lan is ordered to give an opinion b her teacher. She pses a questioin to Yuan Ruo and Gu. She asks them, if they had an accomplished concubine born son, would they let them inherit? Gu Ting Ye agrees yes, they should because ultimately it brings the family honor. Yuan Ruo disagrees because this path would insult the main line and shame the ancestors, but Gu Ting Ye says it would also shame the ancestors if they overlook the main heir. Gu Ting Ye tells Yuan Ruo he ignores human nature and isn't taking account that no great man would endure being overlooked in favor of an incapable person5)Gu Ting Ye tells him he hopes he is not reborn as a concubine born (LOL) but the teacher points out, what conclusion have you reached. She says she has no conclusion. She says if the concubine born is virtuous he will help the legitimate heir lead, and if the legitimate heir is capable, he will not be insecure. She says ultimately all that matters is being a normal citizen and serving the emperor. Argument won by Ming Lan. All are impressed (this whole exchange is important to the plot later6)Eldest brother is so impressed by this debate he reports it to their father. Later, as they leave class, they spy the personal servant of Yuan Ruo so the girls go back to the classroom to avoid another run in..But it is a setup. Yuan Ruo is waiting for her. He tells her no one is around and Ming Lan tries to leave but he stops her. Yuan Ruo explains that he just wants to know why she gave the brushes away. She explains that she gave it away in order to avoid provoking her sisters (but she said it in a more subtle way). She also gets mad at him for being obtuse, and says he will bring her trouble by paying attention to her. He basically confesses to her, and she tells him bascially that she understands that because of his talen they can't be together, and then she escapes. But Yuan Ruo is determined to have her in the future.7) Second Brother Sheng explains to his mother, later, that he is not afraid to fail because he will just rely on his connections (oh dear). Meanwhile, Yuan Ruo is smarter about giving gifts--he gifts a ton of things to Sheng family asking that the girls select something as a thank you, and this is how he is able to slip in another, nicer paint brush to her. Ming Lan gifts him with a knee warmer she personally made (awwwwww!).8)Elsewhere, Gu Ting Ye is served dinner by Miniang. She is all lovey dovey and this causes a lecture form Nanny who believes he should be relaxing in other ways. the next day....the exams begin!

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How the Sisters React when faced with Punishment

Spoilers AheadSummary: This episode highlights the intelligence of the sisters. Mo'er is the most clever: she avoids punishment with underhanded ways and even walks away looking like an angel. Ming Lan is wise: she tries to avoid trouble, but once in it, keeps her mouth shut in order to minimize damage. Rulan is the most honest: she can't tolerate indignity or injustice (kind of like GTY) and is not only punished, but she makes things worse by opening her mouth 1)We learn that Gu Ting Ye is called Second Uncle because if you look at the genealogy, he is a generation removed from everyone in terms of birth. I am guessing he is about ten years older than the female lead. For much of the show, he is called Second Uncle.2)Yuan Ruo is surprised to see that Ming Lan gifted the paintbrushes to her sisters. While both girls show off in order to impress Yuan Ruo, it is more like a mini fight as they are competing with one another. After, Concubine lin encourages her daughter to consider GTY as a suitor because he will probably be the next marquis but Mo'er refuses--GTY has a deplorable reputation. He is basically frequenting brothels, gambling, and engaged in all sorts of immoral acts (this is actually a huge farce perpetuated by the Gu family but that is to be discussed later). Side by side, mother and daughter are not that different--both beautiful, graceful, elegant and ambitious,3)Under the guise of returning a book, Xiao tao gives yuan ruo snacks she made and an apology: she basically says her mistress (Ming Lan) knows he meant well and encourages him to basically stop pursuing her in order to protect his own reputation. She also tells him to stop giving her gifts. Now, this may have deterred other men, after all, some may have been offended that a concubine born from a non noble family is so clearly rejecting them, but Yuan Ruo quite clearly is in love with her. He can't back away.4)GTY, meanwhile, is on his way to Sheng manor to study. the personal servant to stepmother Gu, nanny xiang, is trying to chase away a man from the brothel there to collect a debt. Stepmother gu defends GTY, and even though GTY tries to prove the signature (fingerprint) isn't his, his father refuses to believe him and has him caned. (it is unclear if he is doing this because of the alleged brothel balance/debt/immorality or because GTY is s good at provoking his father with his direct and angry words that he caning him out of spite and anger--either way, this is an obvious example of how men and women are treated differently--you would not cane a daughter and a daughter would be in trouble for being caught speaking to a man without a mother/brother/father present). (I think GTY's flippant dismissal of his father's words are truly what provokes him to be caned).5)Big Madame Wu, the wife of a count, arrives with her sixth son. Big Madame gives the order for her daughter to change clothes. Rulan could care less but she must do as she is told. Similarly, Concubine Lin dresses her daughter to be summoned. however, Big Madame Wu is placed in an uncomfortable position while talking to Madame Wu because Madame Wu seems to only be interested in discussing the Old Madame (meaning she would probably have Ming Lan summoned). Rulan is not summoned, and she is bored so she goes for a walk. Concubine Lin believes that Big Madame is deliberately refusing to summon them and as a last chance to gain something from this she sends Mo'er out so she can catch a glimpse of Madame Wu so she knows what she looks like. (in truth, concubine Lin is correct. Big madame is concerned for her daughter, she would never want Mo'er to marry above her own daughter because she can't give lin the satisfaction, and she does not priortize Ming Lan)6)Rulan runs into Ming Lan, and they run into Mo'er. Mo'er goes in to peak behind a screen, and Rulan follows her, dragging Ming Lan,. Ming Lan does not want to be there. Mo'er eyes the guys, and Rulan and her have a heated exchange. It reaches a point where her and Rulan struggle, and they lose their footing. Molan has the bright idea to push Ming Lan and Rulan onto the floor, resulting a very shameful scene. Madame Wu finds it amusing, Big Madame is embarassed, and their father, who is present, is furious.7)Mo'er is not punished. She is able to tell their father that she tried to stop the girls, but faield as a sister by not stopping them. Rulan, who is too honest for her own good, argues with her father until he is red in the face, because she insists that they are innocent and Mo'er is lying (she does this even though they are hit). This results in an even harsher punishment. Note: At the end of this episode Ming Lan and Rulan must kneel for three days, all because of Rulan's stubbornness that she is framed and refusal to admit she did anything wrong. It is important to note how Big Madame and Master Sheng react. Big Madame stands up for her daughter but not Ming Lan. She also lashes out at Mo'er which only makes the master protect Mo'er more. Neither parent really thinks of Ming Lan. Also, Master Sheng is adamant Rulan must be punished harshly otherwise her behavior will never change and get worse. He also insists that even if Mo'er incited her, Rulan had to be there to pushed, so matter what she erred (I want to emphasize the fact that master Sheng said Rulan needed to be punished so that she learns how to behave properly because that is a theme in this story which will come back a lot in the first half--the idea of how one raises one's children.)

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Episode One Summary SPOILERS

This episode introduces us to the Sheng Family, Gu Ting Ye, and the children. The spotlight is on the adults, and introduces us to our first crisis which must be managed: what to do when the second sheng child begins to gamble away the dowry.Note: This summary is very thorough, I can't promise future summaries are this thorough, I just want the reader to understand the kind of tone the show has.Our story begins with a little girl who is perhaps six sobbing outside of a tiny house (this is Xiao Tao, although we only learn this later). Her reason for crying is as follows: she went to the kitchen for Mistress Wei's weekly allotment of coal however she was not only denied this but chased out by Miss Gan (the head of the kitchen). Xiao Die, an older servant in her late teens, tells the little cry not to worry and confronts Miss Gan angrily. The argument is interrupted by Miss Zhou, the personal servant to Mistress Lin (a concubine to the Master). Miss Gan denies Xiao Die's accusations while Xiao Die insists that Miss Gan is not only lying but that she has been embezzling food and coal from the Mistress she serves.Miss Zhou appears disgusted by the actions of Miss Gan and her staff and demands to know how they could dare do this to a pregnant Mistress Wei. The kitchen staff appear victimized and insist that these claims made by Xiao Die are not only false but that the kitchen has been giving her extra allotments and as a result were forced to deduct the difference or face an enormous deficit in the kitchen books. Xiao Die appears to be used to this kind of behavior and rolls her eyes before demanding that the books be brought out as evidence--if they took too much, they would have had to stamp the receipt with their fingers as proof. Miss Zhou appears to be patient and understanding as she asks Xiao Die to calm her anger and just admit her wrong--Miss Zhou appears both gracious and willing to forgive her.Xiao Die appears even more indignant after this show put on by Miss Zhou (because this is a show of false concern) and instead opts for the next level of attack: she will report this situation to Big Madame. The kitchen staff do not like this and hold her arms, insisting that she cannot because the Big Madame is handling the Engagement Ceremony today and cannot be bothered (Big Madame is the First wife and traditional head of the inner house). Xiao Die states that even if she does not see her today she will report it tomorrow and does not care if she is flogged. Miss Zhou finally orders Miss Gan to provide charcoal, and Miss Gan appears incredibly put out by this, as if they are all a victim, and states she will do this if only because of the Engagement Ceremony tonight.The kitchen staff deliberately give her a lot of coal and Xiao Die takes all the coal that would make up what is owed to them and leaves. Miss Gan mutters that Mistress Wei is pregnant and overstepping her boundaries but Miss Zhou gives her a look to be silent.Upstairs Big Madame is extremely angry. The betrothal gifts have arrived but she accuses the house of Yuang of playing a shameful trick on her family: the Count and his wife initially agreed to personally come and ask for marriage instead they sent their eldest son Yuan Wenchun to do this with the gifts. It is a huge sign of disrespect. Madame also uses this as an opportunity to vent her frustration on her husband: she believes that if this was Molan (the daughter of Mistress Lin) her husband would be as outraged as her however it is only his eldest daughter Hua'er, and thus he cares less. Her husband doesn't understand why she believes that kind of nonsense (although you will later learn that Big Madame is not lying, and her anger on this subject will remain for the whole show).She accuses him of essentially throwing her a lot of nonsense and playing up how majestic and sensible the House of Yuan is and their offspring are great, and that the fiance Yuan Wenshao is great, but this breaking of a promise is proof (in her mind) that these are lies. The Madame angrily tells him that Hua'er is her firstborn and no one is allowed to bully her (this is important, this defense of her child, because our female lead does not experience this kind of protection). Her husband then proceeds to tell him that he adores her, that when they lived in Yuanzhou he adore her, but since they moved to the capital, he picked the local house of Yuan because he believes that Wenshao is not only a good kid but their daughter will have a smooth life in the future. He then begins to placate her with more sweet words and is able to calm her down and pander to her needs, and reminds her that their daughter will live in wealth but her concern is her daughter being bullied. Her husband insists that if she is bullied he will intervene.He then leaves her and immediately gives orders to unload the boat (clearly he planned on doing what he wanted he was just trying to make things harmonious). Meanwhile, the coal that was given to mistress Wei is incredibly smoky--they run outside, unable to breathe, and Xiao Die is furious but her Mistress tells her to not only not report this but to just wear more clothes. She reminds her to lay low and just accept things as they are. Xiao Die reminds her that her daughter, Sixth Miss, and our female lead (she is only eight) will be cold so Mistress Wei gives her a bracelet to pawn--it is the last piece of her dowry. Apparently she has been selling things for years to have enough food and coal. This angers Ming Lan (who I will refer to as Mi'er) and she doesn't understand why her mother won't report this. Her mother tells her to visit her grandmother, Old Madame, gain her favor and be raised by her (presumably for protection) but Mi'er doesn't understand this. Mi'er encourages Xiao Die to sell the coal instead of pawning the bracelet (the first sign of showing that she is a clever person). The betrothal party arrives and it is HUGE (we are talking servants for blocks). The Sheng family is formally sitting together, with all the daughters and sons ready to receive the party. The Count of Zhonqing of Donjuang, House of Yuan is formally announced as having arrived with the gifts and that they are asking permission for the Second Son of the Count, Wenshao, to enter in order to offer for the hand of their daughter as the legitimate wife (i.e. First Wife, the one with all the power, the one whose status matters most in the inner house). They grant permission. Now is a time for celebration, games, drinking, catching up. Everyone congratulates the parents. Mi'er's goal (along with Xiao Tao, who is her personal servant) are all about eating food.Old madame speaks with Hua'er and congratulates her (essentially) and Big Madame learns that their second son is about to lose the dowry in game of touhu (dart throwing into a container)--he is gambling. The Big Madame is trying to figure out how to stop this without causing a scene and the Old Madame is pissed--but they can't intervene without losing face because he agreed to gamble and must take responsibility for his actions even though he is losing. She asks Hua'er what to do and Hua'er obediently tells her that she will listen to her, but Old Madame tells her she must be more assertive because in the future she will be in charge of difficult decisions and fixing messy situations. The person playing against the second son is Gu Ting Ye (our male lead/he looks to be about fourteen or fifteen) and he is kicking this kids butt. Unfortunately, a huge crowd has gathered to witness the game (and perhaps witness the family experience a huge humiliation). Master Sheng approaches his future son in law about mitigating it but he tells him that they are in his house and must obey him (i.e. I am not going to take the blame for this) but the Master tells him he is responsible because he brought Gu Ting Ye but the son in law replies that it was Master Sheng's son who enticed him to play--now he can do nothing. This is where we learn that the boy is Mistress Lin's son, and that Big Madame CLEARLY hates her. Molan is reporting to her mother, Mistress Lin, that she tried to stop her brother. Mistress Lin's response to her daughter is important, because Molan, who is about ten, insists she won't go back to the banquet. Mistress Lin indulges her daughter, tells her not to worry, and does not address the issue of her children's behavior (a lot of parents would become visibly angry or even tell their daughter never to imitate this behavior but all she does is tell Molan not to worry she will handle it). The Master Sheng and son in law continue their wordplay, pushing blame back and forth in a polite way, until finally Master Sheng pulls out the big guns and accuses his son in law of trying to humiliate the family but the son in law is able to dodge this. He goes to address it. Elsewhere Mistress Lin tries to figure out a strategy and decides on blaming it on her son being drunk, and then Big Madame slaps her. Mistress Lin falls to the ground and appears very weak and scared, whispering apologies and even shifting the blame to Big Madame but she does it in a very sly way. Big Madame threatens Mistress Lin--if this blows up basically I will kill your kid. Mistress Lin begs very prettily and plans to pass on a message to her son--that he must acknowledge the fault, and tells Miss Zhou that she allow him to be caned this time because it is to big of a problem for her to properly cover up.Old Madame listens to Hu'er who says that her parents must be on the same side, not argue in front of the guests, in order to graciously handle what appears to be an inevitable loss of face. However, Big Madame is having trouble keeping her cool and argues with her husband quietly and focuses on Mistress Lin (whom she hates) and states it is all that woman's fault. Her husband begs her to be patient and not make it worse by showing that she is angry.Mi'er is standing behind her second brother, Chungfei, and watches as her father steps in and first gives him encouragement but he still fails. Gu Ting Ye coolly--but arrogantly--tells the kid to admit his loss. Master Sheng pulls him away and Mi'er steps forward to take over. Shocking everyone. (This is the meeting of our leads for the first time). Gu Ting Ye is about to pull out because she is a girl but she tells him that she won't give up. Ming'er shocks and impresses everyone with her skill. She is REALLY good and even her father pulls her aside and embraces her, asking her where she learned to play so well. But the show escalates. Ultimately it is a draw. They would have kept playing but a strong wind comes in. Everyone goes inside and just to prove to himself that he would have won, he throws the arrow again, this time without looking (basically we learn that Gu is arrogant, skilled, and willing to take risks). It is important to note how so much can ride on something so tiny. After this, Gu Ting Ye encounters the first son, Changbai, who is apparently very critical of Gu's behavior. But because of a map of the provinces, the two somehow wind up getting over this initial dislike and becoming friends. Changbai is reluctant to change his opinion but eventually seems to find Gu's bowing of his head and promises genuine. He also seems to like that he takes responsibility for his errors. We also learn Gu's nickname is zhonghuai.Back home, Mistress Wei lectures her daughter and cautions her to be prudent. She lays out the facts for her daughter: Big Madame is the legitimate wife and from a prestigious family which can back her up. Mistress Lin is the most favored wife so she has the Master to back her up. Mistress Wei tells her that she was sold here because her family was ill and they needed the money. Ming'er counters: you have told me to be sensible and prudent--and we learn here that Eldest sister is not so bad because she gifted Mistress Wei with a cloak when it was cold. Mistress Wei explains this is because Eldest Sister dotes on Ming'er but because she is protested, she won't really suffer, but her Ming'er will.That night Chungfei is punished severely. The Fourth miss yells at her father that her older sisters are crying, Molan begs her to be understanding and Mistress Lin resorts to what will be a very consistent behavior later on: victimizing herself so that others who seek to address bad behavior look evil She insists that Big Madame is merciful and kind and see he is weak and can only beg. Big Madame is direct and calls her out for this but it only adds more strength to Mistress Lin's act. Mistress Lin is smart, she asks that her son be beat 20 strokes or 30, and in doing so Big Madame appears to be harsh and the mother good but powerless. It is obvious that Master is reluctant to do this but he agrees with Big Madame's insistence that the boy is beat, and so we hear him being caned. Afterwards, Big Madame walks with her youngest daughter and is grumpy about how smart Mistress Lin is: it seems that Mistress Lin currently holds the keys to the house, something that should belong to her, and she planned to use this to get them back but because she insisted on the punishment first she couldn't without looking bad.

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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 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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