question to novel readers

I believe the screenwriter and art director decided to compile a few story arcs together and removed many details, which were sometimes crucial for understanding the storyline. It was unavoidable with 746 chapters but knowing the full picture, I think they missed few important details. But maybe the story line will go to another direction and I am intrigued to see it. Her are my thoughts in general up to episode 16

The young dukes who attacked him are indeed the sons of the generals who returned from the frontier with the first prince. When the first prince returned with his army, many generals returned with their wives, concubines, and children. Some of the children became wild and killed people for fun. They were between 9 and 15. During FX's absence in the north which was many months, his brother knew those bullies/killers (FX’s brother was 12 when this happened, the third prince only 9), and when something happened in the brothel, they were involved. The main culpit was an ex prostitite the second prince knew intimately. She stole teens girls and forced them to prostitution. FX brother and third prince knew it was a brothel but not the dirty deeds. In the novel, FX decides to punish and beat his brother because they murdered several girls and he was stupid and naive and could destroy the FAN family, father and him and everyone. Chinese always mention “face”. This is extremely important. If anyone in the family did something wrong, kill, steal, anything, the family was ruined entirely. Everyone was disgraced, sometimes killed. So FX was extremely angry considering he and their father were in the front line of political struggles with ministers and palace internal affairs.

This was a common practice where the eldest or father disciplined anyone in the household, including children, concubines, and maids. FX chose to do so because he believed it was the only way to save his brother and because he was extremely angry with him. He rushed his brother north to save him and avoided being used against him. During a meeting in the street, FX confronted and defeated many opponents, even killing their leader. These opponents were part of the extensive FAN family, which was organized hierarchically. For example, FX's father was the head of the family, and FX was under his authority. The FAN family consisted of hundreds of people who did not all live in the same place.

The incident occurred with the censorate (Lai) did not occur in the emperor's private rooms. In the end, a dozen people were beaten, but no one died. FX did not supervise the incident. Another incident occurred later in the story while FX was away to take charge of the revenue. This time, a few ministry officials were investigated. Initially, it seemed like the FX father was being targeted and indirectly FX, but in the end, it was revealed that the Crown Prince was involved, and FX was safe. As a result, a few ministers were kicked out.

Note that every major decision executed by Cheng Ping Ping was pre-approved or ordered by the emperor. The emperor knew everything used people like pawns. His ambition was endless and even though he liked FX, FX remained expandable if need be. Cheng bypassed some decisions because he put FX before the Emperor. The drama does not reflect this very well. Cheng seems to have other plans and using FX. Cheng sent him to the north to test him. If he came back successful ,he would take his position. Cheng trusted FX to succeed.

The fake death never happened. The mourning never happened.. The emperor never beat FX. FX never beg. He never revealed the temple place. He never accused second prince and eldest princess collusion to the emperor or CP. FX never cried. FX practiced QI every day. There is a young eunuch (in novel full of acne) who played a big role but we saw him only briefly. Drama did a good job with first division (bribes and playing games) but Yan never accompanied FX. Yan was recovering his severeinjuries when he was tortured in the north. He will be his right hand handling the 6 divisions later.

Guo Bao never went to the north. FX's brother was sent there to avoid jail, retaliation, and being used against FX. FX gave him 1 year to prove he could be successful, which he was, and his brother took over the smuggling business, approved by the emperor of the north. They mostly imported goods from the south Qin. Quing Nian was left behind 2 years to replace Yan to handle the spys. So FX lost his most trusted aid, but later, he was replaced with another aid. FX did a lot of smuggling himself, but he also helped the people, such as building a defence against the floods that killed thousands each year. So, he was a good, cunning baddie.

The story of the Saint DuoDuo and FX begins with a lack of romantic feelings between them. However, FX's feelings change upon hearing about an impending marriage, as he fears losing DuoDuo to the constraints of married life. He realizes that his uneasiness is love and asks her to marry him. Despite opposition due to their differing backgrounds, DuoDuo agrees. In the novel, when FX is unable to fight, DuoDuo came from north to share the secret martial art and discovered FX lost his QI. She decides to stay and help him to regain his strength using a unique method taught by her grandmaster (his mother gave him a book, remember?). FX then gains exceptional martial abilities. The novel is ambiguous about whether they become lovers, but it seems that they did not. They started to exchange letters after his return to the capital and she became his confident. He trusted her. However, she betrayed him at one point. Expect a big bad a boom between si lili, the north emperor and FX.

His romantic relationship was much less romantic and developed than portrayed. While he did fall in love at first sight and had a deep mutual love with his wife, during his journey to take over the revenue position, he became involved with Sisi, a maid who was older than him by 4-5 years (knew her since childhood and both played under the covers without the big act) and she became his official concubine. She also became pregnant, and his wife accepted her without any fuss. It was a normal practice to have concubines at that time. In the novel, the romantic relationship was not developed. It seems to me that he slept with Sisi because she complained she was still a virgin, but he had no real interest. He cared for her and welcomed her as his concubine because it was expected. In the drama, Wan'er is played by a well-known Chinese actress. I believe her screen time was part of her contract because honestly, the story is not a romance but a palace political one and she is not a main role whatsoever. FX in the novel is not a womanizer.

Wu Zhu was very present until he arrived at t(e capital. Then he had a big fight and was injured. FX didn't know that. Wu Zhu went to a secret place to recuperateand it took months before FX saw him. We have a good idea who he is in the novel and the drama gives many clues such FX saying that he will still look young when he will be an old guy, the fact he has no QI. In the drama you see him making a funny head movement like a robot. His main goal is to protect FX. So yes, he is an AI and very close to human. But he was injured. His loss memory is also a clue. In S3 you will know more about him, his eyes, etc. The emperor (because FX mother shared it with the emperor) know how to use him. He tried to destroy him but he recovered partially loosing his memory but not his prime directive to protect FX.

You need to understand that the main antagonist is the eldest princess. She is behind every assassination, plot, and scheme, whether from the palace or from her exile. The second prince and the Crown Prince are under her control as her puppets. She has numerous generals, officials, grandmasters, and families under her influence.

The relationship between FX and the eldest princess was filled with hate. In the novel, she is portrayed as extremely beautiful and a genius mastermind. She decided to stop supporting her brother, the emperor, when she realized how much he despised intelligent women. She wanted to prove that she could be smarter than him. As FX gained power, popularity, and the emperor's support, her hatred for him grew, and she plotted traps, assassinations, and more to eliminate him. SHE is the true villain. She has no conscious, no values, no remorse. She is using everyone. For her, incest does not exist. She loved her brother like a woman until she hated him like a woman, never a sister.

The emperor had complex feelings towards FX - he both loved and hated and feared him. He never fully trusted FX, but he couldn't deny that he admired him. He recognized FX's genius, similar to that of his mother. In the drama, it seems like the emperor doesn't like FX much in public, but in the novel, he is more indulgent towards him in public. The main reason for this is that FX understands the emperor and knows how to manipulate him. FX is aware that the emperor is narcissistic, egocentric, selfish, and abusive, unable to tolerate anyone more popular than himself. The emperor's ultimate goal is to be remembered in the annals of history as the most remarkable emperor of all time, and he is unwilling to tolerate anyone more popular than himself. FX grasps this and always operates discreetly. There is a lot of mutual manipulation. The emperor indulged FX because FX made it clear he didn't want to replace the CP and later support the third prince. At one point, FX decided to officially renounce any chance to become an emperor by officially being an heir of the fan family, which his adopted father delighted in, as he sincerely loved FX as his son.

In general, I do notice many similar scenes here and there, but they are all mixed and combined to create a different storyline. Some characters have a lot more prominence in the drama compared to the novel. For example, Tenz, a friend who died early in Season 1, never died and was never a close friend in the novel. During the assassination attempt, tenz broke his leg and was sent to his wife/kid to recover. He never had a big part in the novel. However, the first assassination when he first arrived in the capital was indeed carried out by the eldest princess and second princes.

I am not sure if they will include the part where everyone knew that FX was the emperor's son. It was no longer a secret to the palace and the whole world.

The second prince is portrayed as much more villainous than in the novel. His future wife, YE, never interacted with him before their marriage, and she was never against it. YE and her family later proved to be full allies with the second prince. When FX left to take over the revenue (days away from the capital), the second prince and YE got married, and they both became close and confident. There were no verbal fights between FX and SP. Everything was done in hypocritical ways. In fact, the second prince admired FX and always wanted him to join him. The second prince regretted dearly the assassination attempt, which FX never forgave. Oh, and the poisoning with the 3 girls, 3 boys, never happened to the novel, the meal too.

FX considered the crown prince to be a puppet, albeit a kind one. He neither truly liked nor disliked him, and in fact, he thought the crown prince was not unkind. He never killed the few dozen guards because FX appeared toa him nd guards couldn't stop FX. The meeting never happened .FX didn't care about the CP. He cared when he became a treat later but mostly used him to fulfill his purpose. FX viewed the crown prince as weak and easily manipulated by the eldest princess. The crown prince was depicted as very lonely and unloved. The eldest princess was the only one showing interest, and he fell in love with her when he was a teenager, becoming obsessed with her. She slept with him when he was an adult.

In the novel, the first prince married the princess of the north while FX was outside the capital. The princess is portrayed as smart and authoritative, quite different from her portrayal in the drama. Although she is not a main or secondary character, there is a point in the story where the first prince had a mistress before his marriage, which made his wife jealous. However, the first prince never cheated after his marriage.

Both marriages were successful, and both couples were in love although it was more obvious with first prince. Second prince couple was more close partners.

FX always had a team of assassins to protect him, on top of the 7 tigers guards given by his adoptive father. He took over completely the role of Cheng Ping Ping.

The relationship between FX and Cheng Ping Ping in the novel is profound. Cheng considers FX as his spiritual son. They are both genius masterminds. I thought Season 1 portrayed their relationship very well. In Season 2, the screenwriter often twists their relationship to create suspense and avoid spoiling the story arc. This makes it seem like Cheng is not on FX's side, but in reality, Cheng never betrayed FX. He never cheated or did anything that was not in FX's favor. Cheng Ping Ping's ultimate goal and hope was to put FX as the next emperor, so everything he did was for this goal.

After his marriage, the emperor dispatched FX to take control of the revenue (Neiku) previously managed by the eldest princess. However, the eldest princess, along with the second prince, the crown prince, and the empress, embezzled millions from the revenue that was meant to be used for public welfare such as addressing river catastrophes, constructing buildings, and mitigating drought. In the novel, FX left and several chapters detailed his battles against a family involved in smuggling, implicating the north and its ruler, as well as his own brother and the emperor of the north. Ultimately, FX succeeded in returning millions to the emperor, but also amassed a significant fortune for himself and secured his mother's primary source of income. While it was a win for FX, it was a loss for the eldest princess, who lost her primary source of income.

The goal of the princess was to install either the second prince or the crown prince as her puppet, and rule as a regent. She was described as extremely beautiful, appearing to be 16 despite being 35, and she used her looks and body to gain loyalty, even from her nephew, the crown prince. Of course, because of china censorship, she will not the real emperor beloved sister and she will probably become adopted and not the real sister of the emperor, and not the real aunt, but in the novel she was. It also goes that at one point a scene made it clear that the love of her life was her brother, the emperor. In the novel, the emperor never crossed the line but he adored her. The emperor felt betrayed when he knew that his son and her were lovers. The emperor never wanted anybody else but the CP to be his successor. But this was for him unforgivable. Out of everything ugly she did, it was the only unforgivable action from both. He then decide a major (MAJOR) scheme (S3). In season 3, FX will use the destructive gun but in a very epic way.

I find the drama enjoyable because it offers a unique experience. However, I can't help but feel that the character FX isn't portrayed as the clever and cunning individual he is in the novel. In the book, he has an astute understanding of everyone's identities and motivations, and he excels at planning ahead. Despite this, I still find the overall viewing experience quite entertaining.

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I do not claim to be 100% exact. This is my interpretation. Everyone sees a movie or reads a novel with its own background, feelings, tastes, culture etc. It makes this more interesting. So am completely okay if you think differently ?

 Period_addict:

There is no part 2. It is the full story of fan Xian. Not sure what you are looking for

@ Perlod_addict

Thanks so much for your reply. By the way, where can I read the full story of Fan Xian, Eng translation, link? 

@ender1979

Thank you!

 Palooz:

Can anyone tell me if Wan'er is cured or does she die in the novel?

She doesn't die and she had a son.

 Period_addict:

She doesn't die and she had a son.

Chapter 573 (Crown prince)

Leaving Li Chengqian his life was not a spur of the moment idea or because he was excessively soft-hearted. Rather, it was a feeling of grief for one of their own kind that was acting up. He and Li Chengqian, as well as the Second Prince, were just pieces on the Emperor’s chessboard. They were puppets controlled by fate or their elders.

As Li Chengqian had no power, his life and death did not matter at all to Fan Xian. Li Chengqian was a good man. This was something he had once said a long time ago to Chen Pingping. From the first time they met on the road outside the Palace, Li Chengqian had left Fan Xian with a kind impression, particularly these past two years. Although their battles did not stop, what did that count for?

**

“He” means fan xian

Chapter 574 (when the emperor acknowledged FX as his son)

The empress dowager of the Qing Kingdom could not be considered to have the heart of a devil. In these decades, she had not used the Emperor’s filial piety and power in her hands to hurt many people or do many outrageous things, other than the Ye Qingmei incident. For some reason, for Fan Xian, it was much more difficult to tolerate the fact that this old woman had something to do with the matter 20 years ago than the fact she had tried to kill him.

Furthermore, this old woman had actually always hated him. Until after the Hanging Temple incident and the Emperor acknowledged Fan Xian’s identity (…)