Episode 11 Summary: The Birth of Tian Ming

-We open up with Jing who learns from Gao Nie that his master was basically like the Boutasai (for anyone unfamiliar with it, that refers to an anime called Rurouni Kenshin about a guy who is basically earned a very bloody reputation for killing people) using the mysterious Huyou sword technique but eventually stopped because he realized how dangerous it was. It is evident that Gao Nie is giving Jing a reason to live i.e. turn all of this anger into a goal you can try to reach by training to be stronger.

-Li'er goes into a very difficult labor. The emperor is so concerned he waits outside the room and hears her labor pains. This is extremely unorthodox and would communicate that either he cares deeply for her or is excited about his child being born. It's a prince, and he hates the child so much he cannot even look it. Li'er thanks the emperor for letting her give birth, and this seems to warm him up a bit. Li'er names him Tiang Ming, which means hope basically, but he refuses to let her see the child and says that when it stronger she can see it every day.

-The emperor orders the child sent away, and Li Zhong STUPIDLY asks if it is to prevent any talk about the child's premature birth--he is lucky the emperor did not kill him. Anyway, Ruo'er is extremely furious about her birthing a prince. Min Dai, another concubine that has received little to no screen time until now, is pleased. It seems she hopes that Ruo'er, whom she seems to believe is only at the top because of the Queen Dowager's favor, will do something stupid out of anger.

-A masked man breaks into Li'er's room. She screams for help, and it turns out to be the guy I've been seeing everywhere but could not remember his name. It seems he is the other desciple that her grandfather took. She explains her panic by being caused by a cat (she is such a bad liar) and then she does what I think is arguably the dumbest thing she could have done--she reveals that the child is illegitimate and that Jing is the father. OMG. Granted she hasn't heard everything that the emperor has said on the topic of illegitimate kids, but she should at least know I hope that he killed his mother's kids because they were illegitimate. Maybe she doesn't know. Could she be more stupid? Maybe the chance to finally talk to someone about the truth was just something she couldn't pass up on...(also, why is her kid there? i thought it was being sent away?)

-Elsewhere, the state of Zhao comes to play tribute. This is really a game of words between two powerful states. The Zhao emissary says Qin is the most powerful state but the Emperor points out that Zhao is very powerful as it is backed by Han and Wei. It must really irk him to have to play this game when he knows that this state has meddled in affairs and tried to undermine his rule.

-In spite of still being weakened from childbirth, Li'er goes to pay a visit to the Grand Dowager. She shows up unannounced, as the Dowager and Ruo'er and other concubines were being entertained by dancers. She had told her worried servant she had to do this, after all, she now has to think of her child. Ruo'er insinuates that the child's premature birth is strange. The Queen Dowager pays attention to decorum and says that this couldn't be likely but notice how she never chastises Ruo'er for her rude comment?

She tells Ruo'er that she must learn palace etiquette now that she is a mother of a prince. And then proceeds to hold her hostage and make her practice.

-The emperor finds out because he goes to see Li'er and is mad that she isn't there. He intervenes and sees the Queen Dowager slapping her around and he brings her back. The Dowager is not upset because she knows from experience that the days are long and she will have another chance.

-Min Dai pays a visit to Ruo'er to provoke and rub this all in her face--

Thoughts: This was entertaining but more like filler. The competition between Min Dai and Ruo'er for power over the harem is probably the best executed part of this episode, I think.

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