Key to the Phoenix Heart Episode 23

Where's the storm brewing?

The way this episode ended got me a little confused and actually also worried. 😬😟 We have five more episodes left, but everyone already seems to be standing on common ground, all of them kind of satisfied with the outcome... Could that be just the calm before the real storm? And who would bring that storm? The Eagle King? Maybe Mao will go down some notorious path now that his father, GT Xie, will be away and won't be able to guide/advise his rule? 🤔🤷‍♀️ I think Mao might still want JiaYu for himself and that's the only thing that might not be settled between him and WuYi yet... I base this assumption on how furious he got in that one scene when one of the eunuchs said WuYi wouldn't write the divorce letter. 😒And then there's WuYi's illness, which Mao knows about as well (I still can't forget how JiaYu blabbed about it to him almost right away after learning about it). At least WuYi has been preparing, and training to operate and navigate without sight on his own, honing his hearing and other senses. 🥺💪 I expect them to come in handy, the same way as I expect the cane JiaYu forged for him to be used... The writers wouldn't include these things in the plot if they didn't have a use for them, which only leads me to think WuYi will go blind at some point.☝️But I do love how JiaYu has matured, and how she and WuYi's relationship just keep growing stronger. She wants him to live and fight for that life, and he will try. 🥰And I absolutely loved how YuanJi nailed the spring examination and got the first rank! And with all her knowledge about the bamboo cages filled with pebbles (I imagined them as old-school gabions) to mitigate the flood damage and JiaYu's mechanical skills for the demonstration they even helped to clear the names of the An and Lu families and put that old case to rest. 👏 And the Beifu reform will also go through... so I am returning to my previously stated question — where's the storm brewing? 🤔

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Righting an old wrong and establishing spring exams

Prince Qi is in a mood. His fits of rage are getting him nowhere. JiaYu’s next move was to empty the house of any he could jail and burn the divorce decree with the message he had one day left to decide. When JiaYu goes to get WuYi, she finishes dictating his military book that has all his teachings for future generals. He is determined to leave a legacy that helps the people rather than himself. Tutor and Xiao Ju have at it and Xiao is reminded that the canal collapse is one thing that proves they were wrong in how constructed. As Mao goes through his anger at WuYi he is reminded that there existed a royal that gave freely to any in need. He saw the scholars in ragged clothes and asked his concubine about second chances. She made a very valuable point citing her feelings when redeemed. They would be willing to serve him for life in gratitude. He allowed commoners in to take the exam and YuanJi finally had her turn. YuanJi placed first class in the exam and Tutor came in to disrupt her receipt of reward. He deliberately had veered the exam question toward waterways. She had the correct solution that would prevent collapses and loss of life. Zhou Lin testified that the bamboos column filled with stones had been studied for decades. JiaYu brought in a working example to prove it’s efficacy. The demonstration proved that the system the An and Lu families had worked on was viable and that the Wenxis lied and falsely accused them. Here Yao Xiao took the blame for mishandling the construction and vowed to spend his life correcting it. WuYi declared Crown Prince Wenxi had died and that the Ans and Lus should be cleared of any wrongdoing. This untied the heart knot for Tutor Xie and he confessed his guilt and was told to stay out of politics and go back to school and teach.Yao was to go and implement the columns to atone for the collapse. The scholars were forgiven and Zhao Lin was sentenced to stay 800 li distance away from the city. WuYi then boldly asked for Spring exams to be reinstated to accept commoner and noble in the grounds of merit to become officials and Prince Qi followed through and granted the request. Together they all corrected an old wrong and longstanding bias against commoners being educated and holding office. WuYi was more than happy to let the Regent take care of the politics while he took care of the army reforms. This was a most excellent day for the people of Ye. This episode let everybody be heroes or repentant villains. Not sure where the story will go from here but hoping for some miracle doctoring for WuYi.

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