Blossoms of Power Episode 35

Truth revealed

The opening of the episode was awesome — Bu Shulin taking over the Marquis of Shunan's army, Cui Jinbin at her side, and then the arrival of Xihe's brother... pure epicness! 🤩Not sure what Prince Lei was trying to achieve by impaling himself on his own spear, but considering what happened afterwards, I wonder if Prince Xie injuring him and sending him to prison was his way of getting his little brother out of the way and into safety. He was locked in his room after all, but somehow got out... 🫣But about Prince Xie himself... I didn't expect that it would all be an act on his part to help Xihe secure her position even more... BUT his ending relieved me a little that my giving him the benefit of the doubt wasn't a complete waste. Throughout the story, there were moments when I felt some sympathy for him, like during those episodes when he bonded with Huayong or when they showed us his tragic love story with Qingzhi. 😳😌However, he did his pretending a little too convincingly — so, was it really true? Maybe he would have been satisfied with any outcome — either he got Xihe by force and manipulation, or if the plan failed, he could just say he was trying to secure her a more stable position...? 🤔🤷‍♀️As for the reveal about Huayong being Prince Qian's son, I have no idea what dots I connected, but I jumped to that conclusion after the Emperor and Xihe's conversation in the previous episode. Maybe I was just a little hasty with it, lol! 😅 BUT, I never ever suspected the Empress Dowager... That was a huge plot twist for me! 😳

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Another almost perfect episode, except ....

I'm sorry. But the whole Prince-Xin-was-really-playing-the-fall-guy-to-help twist was just stupid. It really felt like the writer fell in love with the character and used this single conversation -- which made NO sense to have been granted -- between Xin and the Crown Princess to transform him from a pathetic obsessed psycho creep into .... a heroic martyr? Gimme a break. Did the writer just watch the final Harry Potter film before penning this chapter and decide to borrow the Severus Snape plot line? This whole conversation that revealed this was just a giant waste of screen time because it made ZERO difference to the plot. Yes, he it's true that his rebel actions cemented her legitimacy because she stopped him. But that would be true even if truly WAS rebellious. So this whole sudden 'reveal' about Prince Xin ultimately has ZERO impact on the entire rest of the story other than to salvage his character a bit in the minds of the viewers. It feels cheap and manipulative. Other than that, the rest of the episode was awesome, with some great gamesmanship and a much more important 'reveal' at the end that really adds a lot to the picture of the Emperor and what happened 20 years ago.

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Battle lines drawn

How cool was that opening scene with Bu Shulin holding her army’s token as herself.🌹👏🏻 Ms Wenxi loses with the (w)Rong token and now mummy Rong is outdone with her posturing for ultimate authority in putting her son the throne. Watching the Shen and Lanhai armies move in for their ladies is quite a sight. Prince Lie has come to face his brother and his vows tear at your heart. 💔He was going to kill himself but was stopped and jailed. Here Changqing lowers his mask a bit. I completely despise his character’s actions. But I do have to say this actor is a master performer of gray characters. Tho hated, he will be the most memorable for balancing good and evil with audience never completely clear which side he was on til he chose to tell. There is a final showdown and we are shown how the troops were signalled and made aware of their need. Changqing recognized her willingness to fight to the death and after a brief show of who’s really in charge he got a private audience with Xihe. Here he reveals his plan so that there would be no further obstacles in her way. He even called out his own obsession and knew it would shackle her. He stabbed himself to end it all and won the answer he wanted to know. It was very fitting for his memorial to be shown with his wife’s picture behind it. Ugh the bastard made me mourn him and wish him a better life than what he was given. 😭He truly deserves tears and was far more honorable than given credit for. But he also knew his sacrifice and reputation had to be tarnished beyond repair for Xihe to have the influence needed to rule the world. He wanted her more powerful than simply the Empress Dowager. And dammit he succeeded. 😭 It was fitting that he died with the rain bringing full circle to the rain when they met. He did learn to live truly and made the sacrifice for her that he did not with his wife. He made himself honorable in both women’s eyes and I didn’t expect that from him. Qingzhi and Xihe acknowledged him in this moment. He could finally be free of his obsession with Xihe and his regret with Qingzhi. 🌹The Grand Empress Dowager is very like Consort Rong with her hate so evident. Finally understanding about the defending of the city. But his actions after explains the obsessiveness of his sins. He did not poison Huayong, but he stole his birthright and lied to the gma and all this mess was a direct result. I guess he didn’t want Empress Dowager and grandson to rule and made sure he was the one in power. That bit of selfishness ruined them all. He swapped his brother’s pledge to take his place and this the gma did have clarity on. She just never got close enough to the grandson to recognize the true father. Xihe had a lot to process as well. She now understands the importance of Junshu’s name and worthiness to ascend the throne. In spite of the evil intent from both Emperor and Gma, I believe HuaYong’s resourcefulness and talents reflected well the gifts his true father gave him. I think Qian is most pleased with his son and his choice of wife. His brother and mother…not so much😝

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