Summary for E2, with some analyses

1. Li Jiancheng was very unhappy that Changge gifted the dagger to Li Si Min. His tone already shows that he and Li Si Min are not on good terms
2. Changge's mother was disappointed that Changge played in the Cuju ball game, which she thought is a game for boys.
3. We can see very early on, Changge's unique definition of what she can or cannot do. She feels that there should be no difference between boys and girls. What boys can do, girls should also be able to do.
4. She made Changge vowed before a small statue of Guanyin, to live without hate. Changge said the vow, but added that she would hate whoever would hurt her mother.
5. Knowing that a storm is about to brew, Changge's mother quickly sent her out of the Eastern Palace, with the intention to save her.
4. Xuanwu gate already happened. In history, Li Si Min killed both Li Jiancheng and Liyuanji. None of this is shown in the drama, but implied.
5. Changge came back to the Eastern Palace, saw Li Si Min walking out from her mother's chamber, with blood on his armour. Soldier reporting to Li Si Min that Li Jiancheng has been killed. She concluded that Li Si Min killed both her parents, in the coup.
6. She went to her mother's chamber, saw her mother's throat slid, and the dagger that she gifted to Li Si Min on the floor, soaked in blood.
7. She did not have to time to think, because one of Li Si Min's soldiers was already about to kill her. She took the dagger and ran. She had to think very quickly, because they have surrounded her.
8. She jumped into the river to escape their pursuit. All the arrows they shot at her missed her. (First use of animation. Maybe to save time and money or maybe it would have been difficult to film Reba swimming under water in the small stream. Maybe they did not have all those expensive underwater cameras).
9. Came into the kitchen of Pinxiang restaurant, very sad, but also very hungry, and so she ate.
10. A'Dou came in. Their first meeting.
12. He is just a thief, trying to get a free meal and she saved him from being discovered by those patroling the area.
13. A'Dou told her where her mother's body has been moved to.
14. She disguised as a delivery maid from Pinxiang restaurant, to bring lunch to the guards where her mother's body was kept, and she gave them cakes laced with sedatives, and put them to sleep. She is already very smart. She probably had the antidote to the sedative at the tip of her finger, so that the one she took did not knock her out, but the two soldiers were put to sleep.
15. She went to her mother's memorial tablet and her coffin.
16. By now, her mother's body has been properly clean and laid.
17. She griefed for her mother and then swore before her tablet, to take revenge against those who killed her mother and her father. We can already see her desire for revenge clearly formed.
18. Hao Du and Du Ruhui came to the place and saw what happened and concluded that Changge came to visit her mother's coffin and body.

We can see that she is very smart; but sad, and angry and wanted revenge.

Viu labelled this episode Massacre

I am ok with it

  • We can see from the tone with which Li Jiancheng spoke to her. You can tell, he is very harsh toward her. And I guess we know why (this will be explained to us in a later episode). But she was very very close to her mother. Hence the moment she found out where they had moved her body to, her first thought was go there. Very likely to say her final goodbye.

    There could be a small directing error, but this is totally my interpretation. When her mother dropped the box of cakes, and asked Changge if she call her 'Ah Niang' one more time, Changge just turned and walked to the carriage. I thought it would have been nice if the director had told Changge to say 'Ah Niang' one more time, before walking off. One more line like that would have taken only seconds to film. Walking off the way she did, did make Changge look a bit 'cold'.

    Yes, for her, the death of both her parents at the hands of her beloved uncle, would be the darkest moment in her young life. It was only very much later, when she found out that her mother had actually committed suicide, that the pain will somewhat lessen.