H19279:

What do you imply? I think it's better to look at the original text in Chinese if we want to analyse sth from the tittle of the chapter. In my language it is translated as " Reunion as if a dream". Jing was back (like a dream). Quite suitable tittle

It was Shiqi the one who was back, not jing. I am convince that XY would have never ever fallen for Jing, they have absolutely nothing in common. When she told him "I missed you so much" în chapter 49 I am sure she meant shiqi, not jing. Might not seem as a big difference, but it makes me question how deep her love really is, because honestly I was never sold on the "she loved him since she was WXL" theory. 

 liddi:
I doubt it had anything to do with fearing that Xiao Yao would lose her support in life.

I think it's not the best but a plausible theory. In the drama (episode 22), XL seems affected by XY's distress and resigned to not kill CX. Afterwards, XY aknowledges that FFB was in complete control of the situation and could have killed CX if he wanted to, given his precise archery skills. And that would be consistent with XL's efforts to never let XY feel alone or bored or without protection, when he himself (or TSJ) cannot ensure this companionship. Moreover, XL knows how much XY cares for CX. At the verge of death, when XL was strangling XY (and we know XL's method to extort true information is to put people on the verge of death), he saw XY with a beaming and relieved smile, saying  "Gege". If there's one thing XL dreads and consisistently worries about, it's that XY could hate him. Then, there would be no FFB and no archery lessons. Killing CX right at this moment was too premature. I'm trying an interpretation here, but I think that this assassination's attempt was, on XL's part at least, mainly a way for him to test the waters and hint on XY to inspire her to look for ways to protect the people she loves, now that she lives "not in the wilderness or the mountains but [...] in a place even more dangerous".

Otherwise, CX wouldn't stand much chance in front of either XL or FFB. In addition to being his sworn enemy and a potential love rival, CX is also the man throughout the novel who causes XY the most unecessary harm for his own selfish ambitions (largely responsible for WXL to regain her identity as the Gao Xing princess, revealing to the world that she is Qi Yo's daughter, keeping her locked besides him preventing her from wandering the world, using her as a "pampered pet" and marry her off to FL - I won't blame the fact that CX "sells" XY off to TSJ because that's ultimately XL's wish for her...).


 liddi:
If the script is to be believed, when Cang Xuan and Xiao Yao were ambushed after their audience with their grandfather, Xiang Liu had no idea yet that Xiao Yao was actually Chi Chen's daughter

I guess it's the same in the novel. If I recall well, by chapter 29, XL already knows and hence, brings her to meet Lirong, the donkey meat seller subordinate of Qi Yo. I don't know how much time has passed between Merlin's assassination (chapter 21 - considering his actions, he couldn't possibly know by chapter 18) and XL finding the truth about her being the Great General Qi Yo of the Sheng Nong Kingdomg's daughter. I did it before but here again, I'm really questioning XL's ability to gather intelligence...


 liddi:
Later on in the novel, after Cang Xuan became king, Xiang Liu continued to target him up to that last attempt in Qingshui town where Feng Long died.

I'm trying another interpretation here. I don't think, but that's my very own deduction, that XL wanted to kill CX right at this moment. I think he intended to kill FL. 

It's true that XL wanted to "break up" and sever the last emotional connections between him and XY but he wouldn't even have had the chance to engage in a conversation with her had he killed her precious CX (we can deduce that it would have happened like when XY confronted CX for killing TSJ). If you think carefully about what happened during their meeting in Gourd Lake : XL told her that TSH had a powerful backer to help him kill TSJ hinting on CX (something she herself would never have suspected), he took her blood to make a blood red jewel in order to save TSJ, he kissed her goodbye with a "symbolic" bite, and overall he efficiently broke her heart.

But XL wouldn't be XL if he had not killed two birds with one stone operating for XY and Sheng Nong's sake at the same time. "No matter [his] purpose", by revealing the truth about CX implication in TSJ "death", he definitely wanted to use XY "to cause internal strife". He knew that XY would kill the Black Emperor herself, so he wouldn't even have to take the trouble to do it: "And telling Xiao Yao now, she could kill countless powerful people to avenge Jing, which would also be good in causing chaos for Zhuan Xu".

Back to the "CX assassination attempt" in Qing Shui Town. For me, XL wanted to kill FL to put the "Xuan Yuan army [in] a mess, having lost its leading general.", and enabling him to launch "a surprise attack on the army base". Killing CX wouldn't have impacted the situation on the ground as much. FL's death would also serve as a wake-up call to remind XY that they "stood on opposing sides", pulling her back to reality and thus going gradually towards severing all ties with XL before their last meeting . And maybe, we know how petty and rancorous XL is, he also took the opportunity to kill FL also because FL tried previously to kill XY.

Why did Xiaoyao turn a blind eye to Xiang Liu's love, but was willing to be Tu Shanjing's mistress? Xiaoyao mental disorder, psychological analysis1 month ago · From the column Analysis of Sauvignon Blanc
TingtingLiterature, Psychology, Education, Mother-infant Emotional Relationship
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Xiaoyao's "Quotes on Sobriety" make people feel very unhappy and depressed. Xiaoyao suffered too much in her growth, and she created a hard shell for herself to resist harm. She has completely given up on herself and ignored her true feelings. She seems to be "protecting" herself and "strong", but in fact she has been hurting herself .

Behind her seemingly cold temperament is a heart that is riddled with holes and extremely fragile, fearing loss, loneliness, isolation, and separation .

The alienation and abuse from relatives in Xiaoyao's childhood caused personality disorder and lack of character. As a result, in the future, he avoided feelings, was not confident, did not believe, and could not recognize them clearly. One of the characteristics of Xiaoyao's psychological problems is that he doesn't know himself, doesn't control himself, and doesn't heal himself .

In other words, people with mental illness who are often referred to as never think they are sick;

At present, she has her own fixed way of thinking and behavior, and she has no ability to control it;

Unless professional psychological intervention is provided, it is almost impossible for him to recover on his own.

Xiaoyao has type C AvPD avoidant personality, DPD dependent personality disorder, compensatory psychology, smiling depression, and post-traumatic syndrome. Let’s talk about personality disorders caused by childhood trauma:

First, avoidant personality disorder

Usually, patients who have been subjected to "suppressive education" for a long time in their original family, or experienced ridicule early in life , will internalize the humiliating experience and form a negative self-image. They do not believe that others are well-intentionednor do they believe that they are worthy of love .


  • Xiaoyao's childhood experiences include rumors, beatings, and insults when she was imprisoned by a fox, which caused great psychological pressure and eventually internalized it, forming a psychological disorder.

Patients with avoidant personality disorder are often accompanied by社交恐惧,对负面评价极其敏感,害怕被拒绝和被抛弃,会先拒绝和抛弃他人


  • I said to myself at the party: I am lazy and not sociable.
  • Determined to spend time in the sea, fearful as a dream, it is actually the fear of being tied to the person you love, thinking that the other person will eventually abandon him (because he will not accept her; he thinks that the other person has never loved her).
  • Xiang Liu took off his waistcoat and lay on the bed. He first said something harsh and said he wouldn't see her again, then turned around and went to get the medicine. Those who say no before wanting to do something will not be hurt.

The picture below is from Zhihu, Avpd avoidant personality disorder manifestations,

Corresponding to some of Xiaoyao’s quotations, here are some examples:

Social Inhibition:

  • Talking to A-Nian: "In relationships between people, one person must take the first step... I have always been selfish and will never be the one to take the first step."

Excessive sense of risk:

  • No matter how much hope I have today, there will be much harm in the future. Instead of doing this, I might as well rely on myself.


  • There are thousands of people who make promises, but it’s hard to find those who keep their promises.


  • Even if I fall, the only one who can catch me is myself.

Avoiding intimacy:

  • No one in this world will wait for anyone forever. When they are tired, they will leave naturally!
  • The time of harmony is always short-lived, just like the happiness in the world is always momentary. When the flowers bloom, they wither, and when the moon is full, it wanes, but this is the case with all the beautiful things in the world.

Second, dependent personality disorder


It usually comes from the doting and over-protection of the family of origin, and it can also occur in families that are extremely lacking in love .


  • Xiaoyao lost the protection of her parents when she was a child and lived alone in the wilderness. She was without the warmth of family at a very young age.


Dependent personalities find it difficult to be alone and independent. Without support, they will fall into a sense of fear, emptiness and worthlessness. All the actions and sacrifices we make are for the purpose of "not being ignored" and "seeking attention".


  • I took the initiative to find monkeys, played with snakes, and built trust with foxes; I took in Lao Mu, adopted Mazi, and Chuanzi, and took care of their lives; if we don’t have a long-term dependence on each other, we have to be with each other for a short time.


Dependent personalities have no self-awareness and are overly obedient to the will of others. When an intimate relationship ends, they will feel abandoned and may have thoughts of suicide.

Dependent personalities are difficult to get along with because of excessive dependence. After repeated setbacks in dependent behavior , they usually experience collapse and spontaneous treatment and are relieved, or some severe cases go to destruction.

Give up yourself and seek perfection:

  • As long as you live in this world, you must swallow your anger no matter how unfair it is, and you must take a step back no matter how unwilling you are.
  • After drinking very bitter medicine and eating two pieces of sweet preserves, you won’t feel the bitterness anymore. As long as you think more about happy things, you won’t feel the pain anymore.
  • Even if you cry, you have to walk your own path. After all, you can't escape. Instead of shedding tears, it's better to keep your eyes open and see the road ahead clearly.

self sacrifice

  • It’s not because of how good or worthy she is, but because of my father and Xuanxuan, I am willing to pay for A-Nian first for my father and Xuanxuan.
  • Grandma told us before she died that we should support each other. If you are living a good life now, I can ignore everything, but with your current situation, I can't feel at ease even if I go far away.
  • My little abacus is very good! Now I let you lean on me a little, but I plan to rely on you completely in the future!
  • During my conversations with Xuanxuan, I expressed my need for each other many times, that we would accompany each other, and that we would stand in front of my brother when his life was in danger.

Fear of being alone and feeling helpless

Feeling helpless

  • Unable to protect themselves, with nowhere to go and no one to rely on.

恐惧被抛弃

  • People think I have a kind heart, but in fact, it is just because I am weak. I feel at ease when I am with the weak. I feel that I am in control of everything, that I am relied on, and will not be given up.

Third, compensatory psychology

Blind compensation without a clear understanding of one's own shortcomings and defects often leads to overcompensation, resulting in abnormal development in certain aspects , destroying the coordination and unity of personality, and in turn aggravating psychological conflicts, causing adaptation difficulties and poor interpersonal relationships.

Many people also have a similar compensatory psychology: when they encounter setbacks, losses, or difficulties, they turn their needs for one object to other objects. The specific ways of expression are displacement and sublimation, striving to get rid of them . The mood of doom is particularly strong and urgent .

As mentioned above, Xiaoyao has a dependent personality disorder. When her dependent behavior is repeatedly frustrated in relationships, she will have an emotional breakdown, which will induce her "self-treatment" to be relieved, or go to the other extreme, or even lead to destruction.

Every time Xiaoyao gets sad at Xiang Liu's place, her progress with Jing will improve by leaps and bounds. This is a frustration of "dependence" and induces a compensatory psychological mechanism. For example, Wang Ji and Xiang Liu quarreled at the beach, swam in the sea all night, and then had their first kiss in the Dragon Bone Prison. After the fish played with lotus leaves and expressed their love sweetly, Fangfeng Bei left decisively, followed by a fireworks kiss, love singing and dancing.

  • After drinking very bitter medicine, you won't feel the bitterness after eating two pieces of sweet preserves. As long as you think more about happy things, you won't feel the pain anymore.


Xiaoyao’s compensation characteristics:

1. Unconscious

In order to relieve the psychological sadness and pain, unconsciously choose another person to release love and relieve the heartache. (Jing replaces Xiang Liu)

2. Will sublimate

Use more intense expression methods to achieve better healing effects. (A more passionate and real kiss; singing and dancing instead of songs to seduce Zhao and the Siren)

3. It will not really cure

It cannot replace the original pain, nor can it cover up the true love. The effect is always temporary. In other words, her love for Xiang Liu has never diminished because of her emotional entanglement with Jing.

4. There must have been emotional frustration before.

Fourthpost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) severe depression

Merlin tortured and killed Xiaoyao, who suffered a fatal violent attack on her body, and psychologically the most painful memory of her childhood was once again revealed.


Xiaoyao's description in Seaberry is very similar to the feelings of a severely depressed patient. Wrapped up in layers, sinking in darkness, immersed in the abyss, unconscious, unwilling to think, without motivation, and the body is not one's own.

Xiang Liu spent 37 years covering this cold heart with the warmth of his heart's blood, bringing it back to life bit by bit. The number 37 means "affectionate", and it is also the antidote for Xiang Liu to heal Xiao Yao.

After a major trauma, the unconscious self weakens and falls into a feeling of abandonment. It produces feelings of being helpless and lonely , and falling deeply into loneliness, depression, and helplessness.

After waking up, Xiaoyao did not see Xiang Liu, and then developed a deep identification and dependence on Jing, who sacrificed her love for her and was also dying. This so-called "emotion" is still a mental illness. The impact of this unhealthy emotional dependence on Xiaoyao:

1. Too humble

2. Overindulgence

3. Complete loss of initiative and self-worth.

4. There is no way to leave or end the relationship.

5. The alienation of the other party will bring great pain .

Xiaoyao's attitude towards Jing changed from being dispensable to being dependent on each other; after Jing got married and gave birth to a child, Xiaoyao felt that she had lost her only "reliance" and suffered every night; later, in order to help Jing solve household chores, she did not hesitate to show off her lustful appearance, which attracted the attention of Jing. Houhe Fangfengyi reveals flaws.

Psychological stress factors are increasing day by day, common mental disorders and psychological behavioral problems such as anxiety and depression are increasing year by year, and cases of psychological stress events and accidents caused by patients with mental disorders are increasing

On the night of the 14th, the moon in the sky seemed to be full, but there was still no news about Jing.

In the middle of the night, Xiaotian woke up from her dream. She seemed to hear someone knocking on the window. She jumped to the ground with bare feet, jumped to the window in a few steps, and opened the window: "Jing... Jing, it's you who are back."

Miao Pu held the pearl lamp in one hand and the clothes in the other: "Miss, it's just the sound of the wind blowing the branches."

Under the bright moonlight, the view outside the window was unobstructed, with only flowers and no people in sight. Xiaotian was disappointed and sad, and asked quietly, "Miao Pu, why do you think I never dreamed about Jing?"

Miao Pu put the clothes on Xiaotian and gave Xiaotian embroidered shoes. She didn't know how to answer Xiaotian's question, so she could only say vaguely: "I don't know."

Xiaotian looked up at the moon and said, "I miss him very much. Even if I really can't see him anymore, it's good to see him in my dreams."

So who does Xiaoyao dream about every night… and who does she miss? Even Xiaoyao was happy to see him even if it was only in a dream?

Once, she dreamed that Jing was kissing her. The dream was as sweet as honey, but when she woke up, her mouth was full of bitterness, and even the honey water she drank tasted bitter.

Xiaotian doesn't want to recall, but no matter whether he opens his eyes or closes his eyes, the scenes in his heart are all about the two of them rubbing their ears together. The memory is so clear, and the tenderness seems to still be on my lips, but everything can never be regained.

Every time I think about how I will never see him or hear him speak again, everything about him......**

Why did Xiaoyao wake up when Jing kissed her sweetly? When Xiaoyao wakes up her mouth was full of bitterness, and even the honey water she drank tasted bitter.

Did Jing change into XL in his dream? (Seems right)


"rubbing their ears together".(looks like the scene when learning archery)

@snowdrop @blimarch

Some say XL killed FL so that in the future no one will bother Xiaoyao, Xinyue will lose FL's support. Because previously FL helped Xinyue to kill Xy. But that's just an opinion, not necessarily true.

  • The deaths of Jing and Xiang Liu were both killed by their cousin. How did Xiao Yao treat his cousin?

    My cousin killed Jing. Xiaoyao couldn’t understand or accept it, but she could forgive him.

    My cousin killed Xiang Liu. Xiaoyao could understand and accept it, but she couldn't forgive him!


    No matter how gorgeous and beautiful it once was, it will eventually pass away with the wind.
    Phoenix flower is an image that belongs exclusively to Xiaoyao and her cousin. The beautiful past of Xiaoyao and her brother are completely gone with the wind at this moment...
    She cannot accept or understand that her cousin killed Jing, the person she trusts the most The man killed his fiancé, but finally forgave his brother. At that time, the gorgeous phoenix flower was still in Xiaoyao's heart, never withered, never gone with the wind.

    However, his cousin killed Xiang Liu, and Xiaoyao fully accepted and understood it. However,... I can't forgive... The once gorgeous and beautiful phoenix flower is slowly withering, no longer beautiful, everything will go with the wind... Because I can't forgive...


  • The memory under the phoenix flower is the most beautiful, important and precious memory of Xiaoyao and her brother Xuanxuan's childhood. Xiaoyao lets everything go with the wind at this moment, and the beautiful and precious memories are gone too. The flower phoenix is used here. The flowers are not only used to show Xiaoyao's inner grief after Xiang Liu's death, but also show that Xiaoyao will never forgive his brother Xuanxuan in his life...

@windiaaa041293

"My cousin killed Jing. Xiaoyao couldn’t understand or accept it, but she could forgive him.

My cousin killed Xiang Liu. Xiaoyao could understand and accept it, but she couldn't forgive him!"

"No matter how gorgeous and beautiful it once was, it will eventually pass away with the wind.
Phoenix flower is an image that belongs exclusively to Xiaoyao and her cousin. The beautiful past of Xiaoyao and her brother are completely gone with the wind at this moment...

I agree, I belive în the end because of XL's death, XY closed the door on CX forever.  

 blimarch:
I'm trying another interpretation here. I don't think, but that's my very own deduction, that XL wanted to kill CX right at this moment. I think he intended to kill FL

XL intended to kill CX. XL could sense XY's presence in QS town via the poison bugs. That means CX was likely to be in QS town, too. FL had been in QS town from the beginning and FL just lost a big battle to XL. XL could attack FL during the war. FL was just one of the generals but CX was the emperor, the ruler of Daihuang. If CX died, it would be big victory for the Shen nong army. XL had known for long that if he could not kill CX, CX would kill him. 

XL knew CX was very important to XY and she cherished CX most. But CX was not good accompany for XY, he was only brother for her. He already saved Jing who could accompany XY. In his opinion, that was enough for her. Assuming that Jing had died and XY stayed with CX for the rest of her life. But she would be like imprisoned in Shen Nong where was not completely safe for her. In fact she got assasinated there by Xing Yue.  

 windiaaa041293:
In the middle of the night, Xiaotian woke up from her dream.

This part can be translated incorrectly. In my language, the translator use "dream" too. But it also mean "sleeping". She just woke up from her sleep.


 windiaaa041293:
Under the bright moonlight, the view outside the window was unobstructed, with only flowers and no people in sight. Xiaotian was disappointed and sad, and asked quietly, "Miao Pu, why do you think I never dreamed about Jing?"

Miao Pu put the clothes on Xiaotian and gave Xiaotian embroidered shoes. She didn't know how to answer Xiaotian's question, so she could only say vaguely: "I don't know."

Xiaotian looked up at the moon and said, "I miss him very much. Even if I really can't see him anymore, it's good to see him in my dreams."

In the past the moon was usually tied to events between XY and XL: the moon in QS town, the moon on the gourd shaped lake, the one which they watched in the sea, full moon was the healing night etc. Therefore, in XY's memory the moon reminded her of XL. 

Later, Jing set the wedding on 15th day of the month. It was a full moon day. It is said that Jing intended to replace the "previous moon" with "his moon". He wanted to replace XL in XY's heart. 

In this excerpt, XY talked with Mao Pu about Jing. I don't think she implied or dreamed of XL.  


 windiaaa041293:
Once, she dreamed that Jing was kissing her. The dream was as sweet as honey, but when she woke up, her mouth was full of bitterness, and even the honey water she drank tasted bitter.

Xiaotian doesn't want to recall, but no matter whether he opens his eyes or closes his eyes, the scenes in his heart are all about the two of them rubbing their ears together. The memory is so clear, and the tenderness seems to still be on my lips, but everything can never be regained.

Every time I think about how I will never see him or hear him speak again, everything about him......**

Why did Xiaoyao wake up when Jing kissed her sweetly? When Xiaoyao wakes up her mouth was full of bitterness, and even the honey water she drank tasted bitter.

Did Jing change into XL in his dream? (Seems right)

I just understand this part very straightforward. It is all about Jing. . She saw him in her dream and it was so sweet, but woking up, knowing he had gone only left bitterness. It is quite normal when people are so sad. CX had somewhat similar taste when his parents died (at least I remember in the drama there is a footage that CX drank the syrup of phoenix flower but he only felt bitterness. 

My interpretion of this excerpt is different. In LYF, "dream" is referred to "love".  XY let Jing in her dream, meaning she loved or wanted to regard him as her love. She had hoped for sweet future with him.  But then it turned out to be bitter due to his missing/death. 

 H19279:
Ah Heng made 2 portions

Thank you for these details and the other details you sent. I get why Ah Heng didn't blame Shao Hao for Qing Yang's death now. 

 H19279:

It was quite common in China in the past. When the supposed groom was not available. His son or his brother or relatives can take the role on behalf of the groom and performed in the ceremony.  

I am familiar with the concepts of proxy marriage, double-proxy marriage, ghost marriages, and double-ghost marriages. 

I thought you were saying that Chang Yi took on Qing Yang's form to perform the marriage with only a few people knowing about it (e.g., Ah Heng and Shao Hao) and everyone else (including Yu Xang) not knowing about it. 

But based on your response, it sounds like this was a ghost marriage where everyone knew that Qing Yang was dead, and that Chang Yi was only acting as a proxy for him? Yu Xang wasn't going to end up in the bridal chamber with Chang Yi after the wedding expecting a normal wedding night?

 liddi:
Sorry, I meant Ch46, when he deliberately took so much of her blood in an apparent callous act to stock up on healing pills. Even then, the lovers bug never retaliated, no matter how devastated she was, how she swore she did not want to see him ever again, so for all his efforts, her love for him never changed, which is a testament in itself.  

Definitely.

 liddi:
During Cang Xuan's wedding to A Nian, the script also has Xiang Liu telling her point blank that he was using the bug in her as a chess piece to check Cang Xuan, a scene I don't recall ever seeing in the novel (correct me if I am wrong).

Yeah that's definitely a new add for the drama. XY didn't have any interactions with or thoughts of XL at all in chapter 41.

 liddi:
And from what I have translated so far, there are a lot less moments of tenderness on her part compared to the novel - instead what we do get more of are scenes that reveals his love for her when she is unaware.

Very frustrating.

 liddi:
Is it just me, or one always gets the feeling that even if he infuriated or hurt her, deep down, she cannot help but be drawn to him the next time they met, as if the meanness from their previous interactions never happened.

Definitely not just you. That totally resonates. 

The #1 reason why I am still able to enjoy the interactions and romance between XL/FFB and XY/WXL despite XL's harshness towards XY for various reasons throughout the story (including physically harming her) is XY's reaction to it all. The whipping, wound-stepping and cruel words from their first interaction, for example? Barely seemed to phase XY emotionally. The next time she sees him, she isn't afraid of XL. She boldly tries to poison his wine and isn't worried when he detects the poison. She jokes with him and honestly tells him about her fear of being lonely. She doesn't trust him (she thinks he came to the wedding to remind her that he could harm her people if she breaks her promise to make poisons for him), but they are still able to develop a rapport so quickly. And that connection builds so beautifully throughout the story.

The way I read the early chapters, WXL felt more hurt and upset about YSQ's betrayal (when YSQ disappeared and didn't protect her from Xuan the way she expected him to) than any of the times when CX or XL physically hurt her in Volume 1. She took it more deeply to heart and took much longer to get over it. Because of XY's reaction, I found myself also holding that betrayal against YSQ for a long time. I felt like I couldn't trust him as easily after that. As if I also needed to guard my heart against being disappointed again.

And I felt like my reactions were similarly guided by XY's reactions later in the story. For example, I was surprised by how harsh XL was when he parted ways with XY at the end of chapter 32. When XL showed up in chapter 35, XY initially expected XL to mock her and was cold towards him. I also wasn't sure what to expect from him. But then he disarmed that coldness and cheered XY up so quickly. It was like XL's harshness at the end of chapter 32 never happened. Since it didn't seem like it bothered XY much, it ended up not bothering me that much either.

@H19279

"XL intended to kill CX." 

I think the same too, but wouldn't that be enough reason for the bugs to turn against each other? If he really managed to kill CX, which I belive it's the case, wasn't XL afraid that XY won't be able to forgive him, thus the bugs being turn into the heart break ones, killing them both? I mean for all we know, at that point în time CX was still the most important person in her life?  Or maybe not? 

 Snowdrop Meadow:

@blimarch 

Didn't XL hasten his own and army's demise with killing FL? CX and FL's family decided to crush the rebel army as soon as possible due to FL's death at hands of XL - CX originally planned to take a longer way to get rid of them. If XL didn't kill FL, the rebel army would probably survive for a bit longer. 

It's a different thing. "There was no war before". Now, it's war. It's not a matter of whereas XL would have killed FL or CX first, Xuan Yuan would still want to crush them.

Chapter 46 

"Ever since the Gao Xing Princess married the Xuan Yuan Black Emperor, Gao Xing and Xuan Yuan merged into one kingdom with the Black Emperor as ruler. Nearly the entire vast wilderness was under the Black Emperor’s authority, and other than the ocean kingdoms on scattered islands, there was only one place that was not under his power – the various mountains occupied by the Sheng Nong Resistance Army and Qing Shui Town bordering it.

After Gao Xing and Xuan Yuan merged, there were scattered conflicts and even brief skirmishes, but after twenty years under the Black Emperor’s rule, the vast wilderness was at peace with transportation, goods, and culture freely exchanged. There might be lone voices of dissent but had no impact on the steady governance of the Black Emperor.

One Spring day, the Black Emperor sent Little Zhu Rong to pay a visit to Gong Gong and request his surrender and joining of the kingdom. Gong Gong refused, and within the span of three months the Black Emperor sent Little Zhu Rong three more times to see Gong Gong, each time with ever greater rewards and incentive. He even promised to make Gong Gong a regional King with his own armed forces, and allow him to govern the entire territory around Qing Shui Town. But Gong Gong turned it all down.

In the dog days of Summer, the Black Emperor issued an official proclamation to exterminate the Sheng Nong Resistance Army led by Gong Gong, sending soldiers North to battle."


Previously:

Chapter 3

"General Gong Gong and Xuan Yuan had been fighting for a couple hundred years now. In the beginning, the Yellow Emperor sent army reinforcements, but the Middle Plains were still not conquered, Gao Xing was to the other side, Gong Gong was in an advantageous physical location so the Yellow Emperor lost all his battles. All he could do was keep Gong Gong cornered and wait for him to surrender one of these days. The war gradually went from open battles to secret scuffles and underhanded schemes of assassination……..whatever Xiao Liu couldn’t even think of, someone already tried it."


So now "Xuan Yuan, Sheng Nong, and Gao Xing have all united, each of the tribes, clans, and families are coexisting peacefully". For the Black Emperor, after conquering Gao Xing, it's now time to get rid of his next target: the Sheng Nong resistance army, these "bunch of villainous traitors" permanently. For Gong Gong and XL, it's the last stand. As they are cornered, they've got to play it smart. FL is troublesome:

"Zhuan Xu wanted Feng Long to surround the resistance army and slowly choke off all its supply routes until it starved to the point of being easy to take down. Feng Long set off to war and implemented Zhuan Xu’s battle strategy perfectly, battling the resistance forces until it retreated into the deep mountains."

Although it's true that, "with Feng Long’s death at the hand of Gong Gong’s subordinate, the Chi Sui clan and the Sheng Nong tribe would never ever forgive Gong Gong. Now all the Middle Plains families would stand behind them as well. So with Feng Long’s death, it actually severed whatever the remaining ties between Gong Gong and the Middle Plains completely."

But XL knew since long ago that this time would come (drama S2 leaked script,  Ep13 - Ch38 equivalent):

TSJ (cajoling): As long as you help Xiao Yao remove the bug, I can give you as much provisions as you need.
XL (detachedly): The 37 years of provisions you paid previously is already sufficient. Even if you were willing to continue to pay, the Chenrong remnant army does not have another 37 years left.

37 years since TSJ hired XL/FFB to go stop XY-FL's wedding in exchange of 37 years worth of army provisions for Sheng Nong's soldiers (Chapter 32) - not sure how much time passed between chapter 32 and chapter 38, but here we are.

 AH :
But based on your response, it sounds like this was a ghost marriage where everyone knew that Qing Yang was dead, and that Chang Yi was only acting as a proxy for him? Yu Xang wasn't going to end up in the bridal chamber with Chang Yi after the wedding expecting a normal wedding night?

No, At that time the death of Qing Yang was kept secret with Shao Hao, Ah Heng, Chang Yi couple.

Chang Yi just picked up the bride and performed in the ceremony (typical wedding with 3 prays for the God, parents and each other). There was no wedding night. for Yu Xang. She stayed and lived in Zhaoyan peak with Lei Zhu and Ah Heng. Just before going to the last battle, Ah Heng let Yu Xang know about Qing Yang's death. This is political marriage.