I found a really poetic Discussion post that I’d like to share titled: Xiao Wuyi's love for Jiayu was also a…
He's the low-maintenance type, but somehow he ended up with a partner who's high-maintenance. At first glance, Xiao Wuyi and Jia Yu seem like total opposites, but they've been through pretty similar stuff both of them weren't raised by their biological parents and ended up as “political sacrifices”.
Xiao Wuyi was actually the son of Emperor Wenxi, but he had to live as the second son of the Xiao family. His mom was always cold and distant toward him, and the dad he looked up to suddenly started treating him like a subject instead of a son when he was just a kid.
When he was still just a child figuring out his future, he was stuck with one single choice: his whole life's mission was to help the Great Ye reclaim its homeland and lost territories. But nobody could tell him how a little kid could possibly do something that even all the adults couldn't manage.
The day he found out who he really was, he lost his right to choose and couldn't be a kid anymore. He was the Crown Prince, the ruler, the commander, a martyr for his cause. That's why when Xiao Wuyi grew up, he became someone who didn't ask for much. He wouldn't ask for things, he wouldn't cry, and he wouldn't depend on anyone, because nobody ever treated him like a child. From the moment he became a ruler, he was forced to grow up and act like an "adult."
So when he met Jia Yu, who was six years younger and had been through similar stuff, seeing her treated like a pawn in the Prince of Jing'an's house, he gave her the first thing he could: the right to choose. If she wanted to follow her heart and live the life she dreamed of, he'd make it happen. Whether it was secretly helping her escape or setting up meetings with Li Mao over and over again, it was all choices Xiao Wuyi gave her. Then he gave her the power to choose - opening a shop, finding a teacher, or learning martial arts, all were ways to plan for her future, giving her the freedom to choose while also giving her the means to live the life she wanted.
On top of all that, he doted on her like she was his own kid. Whatever Jia Yu was missing or wanted, whether it was stuff or emotional support, Xiao Wuyi always gave it to her without question. You could say that even though Xiao Wuyi himself needed so little, he somehow raised Jia Yu to need a lot.
His love for Jia Yu didn't even depend on whether she loved him back - as long as she was happy and free, that was all that mattered to him. This whole parenting mindset was probably his way of saving the little boy he used to be. Everything he went through, he didn't want her to have to go through it too.
He wanted her to always have choices, because having choices is what freedom is all about.
When it came to love, Xiao Wuyi's needs were so low that being with him felt like taking care of a tree. You'd water it when you remembered, and if you didn't feel like it, you'd just let it fend for itself. He could travel wherever he wanted, popping back in from time to time, and he'd still be thriving. His branches might be a bit prickly, but they'd shelter his lover from wind and rain. Until one day, he started to wither, but his trunk stayed straight and strong, holding up a whole world.
"Three years after I'm gone, you can forget me, okay?"
In their whole relationship, this was the only thing he ever asked of her.
Even at the end of his life, he still gave her the freedom to forget, just asking for a little time to live in her memories.
"Key to the Phoenix Heart" is currently iQIYI's No. 1 drama in cloud booking reservations and the only…
I've seen posts of people saying they were posting on social media about the drama, their posts got deleted, and if they tag the drama it doesn't gain traction, when they post without the hashtag, their video goes viral. I don't know how to comment on this...
HMH pairing with so many actress but so far Aimi is the best. Prolly a competent script affect chemistry between…
HMH fans can never unanimously agree on which pairing is the best is a testament to his amazing acting skills. It’s just different people resonate with different characters.
Question for those who've been following this drama since the cast was announced, how are the general community/viewers…
Yes, a lot of people actually mentioned it was refreshing to see a girl played by a girl. How she’s acting is potrayed well for her character so people think she is well casted. They were both suitable for the age of the characters, and now considering the timeskip, their ages match perfectly.
So the general public were fine with it, the reception was good and it managed to become the number 1 drama in China and in iQiyi international in more than 10 countries
- Hong Kong (CN) - Taiwan (CN) - Thailand - Malaysia - Japan - Vietnam - Australia - Brazil - Canada - United States - Mexico - Singapore - Philippines
At the end of the day it is a fictional historical drama. They are both seasoned professional actors (ML with 10 years of experience and the FL has 12 years of experience) and they are both reputedly clean from any scandals. Minors are usually accompanied by their guardians and acting coach on set. And historically speaking, the age gap was a normal thing back then, but this drama portrays them as a pure love thing because it was the first “true love” for both of them. Love can exist without excessive physical touch; there are other love languages. So the age gap of the characters are not so much of a problem in the drama, and so we should be able to differentiate that in real life too!
The age gap thing is really taken seriously by current generations, not so much by older generations because it was somewhat normal back then. There was this one time when during their promo period, the old man HK director used a trick he used in a previous drama promo as well (the princess royale) he wanted to imply their acting looks so genuine, but used the words “acting till the point i think it’s real feelings”. Aimi was laughing, but HMH was super duper shocked. His face was hilarious and all the media guests were laughing so much at them. They made video memes of him with the BGM “OMG you scared me” and wrote silly captions like “director, I don’t want to go to jail” “the minors protection act is looking at me” “is my career going to end today” Because they knew the director is just an old man saying nonsense; pulling off a used trick, not thinking of the implications before saying. People were defending the actors really.
It seems like I have used the wrong, rather my intention is to note on the vast age gap, and the fact that her…
Hi! i think you’re new here! Yes, in the drama the FL started around 16~17 years old or so, and the ML is supposed to play a 24 yo. Then there’s a timeskip as well. So they end up being around 19 and 27. Netizens commented that it’s refreshing to see a girl played by a girl. How she’s acting is potrayed well for her character so people think she is well casted. The drama does not include intimate scenes (by far; as it has only aired till 24 episodes, but we heard there are none).
At the end of the day it is a fictional historical drama. They are both seasoned professional actors (ML with 10 years of experience and the FL has 12 years of experience) and they are both reputedly clean from any scandals. Minors are usually accompanied by their guardians and acting coach on set. And historically speaking, the age gap was a normal thing back then, but this drama portrays them as a pure love thing because it was the first “true love” for both of them. Love can exist without excessive physical touch; there are other love languages. Without spoiling too much of the story, it tries to tell the story of grander overarching themes and their relationship is more like the icing on the cake for the characters’ development.
Undestandably there were too many haters trying to undermine this drama so people were being super defensive, Sorry you had to go through that. If you are interested, feel free to watch.
Did he become a better guy?! Oh is he waiting to stab XW again in the back?
people who have siblings will understand XWY’s feelings for him. just because you had a fallout doesn’t mean you can’t still believe there’s a chance to reconcile 😭
Sharing an analysis I found on the two year timeskip. Will post it down here with the spoiler tag.http://xhslink.com/o/h12Kwqpl3q
Let's break down what's happened over the past two years. These two years are glossed over, yet they actually reveal a great deal. First, let's address the one thing that ultimately brought them both to the same point: they were each making final preparations for the northern expedition. Jia Yu's storyline is explicit. The show makes it clear that she, along with Cui Jia's younger brother, is surveying the mineral resources in the Sparrow Bone Order to find the materials needed to create the devastating weapon, the Fire Thistle. On the side, she's running her Miao Shou (Clever Hands) shop, expanding franchises everywhere and making a fortune. In every place she visits, she also uses her inventions to help the local people improve their livelihoods. But her ultimate goal is to create weapons —the Fire Thistle-for Xiao Wu Yi's northern expedition. Xiao Wu Yi's storyline, on the other hand, is more subtle, often described through indirect characterization. Over these two years, Xiao Wu Yi has been implementing reforms in the Northern Prefecture, promoting many commoners to positions of power. However, some of these commoners, once elevated, gradually lost their way, colluding with bribery and becoming as corrupt as the officials they replaced. As the initiator and decision-maker of the Northern Prefecture reforms, Xiao Wu Yi has to withstand the pressure from the established aristocratic families while also being implicated by the corruption of these commoner officials. He sets up a strict investigation, but his decisive methods attract even greater controversy. In short, in the current Nan Ye, whether it's the aristocratic families, the imperial clan, or the commoners, many people hate him. You could say countless people are hoping for his death. Second, he has been *JEF (suppressing bandits) to eliminate the threat of uprisings that could cause internal turmoil during the northern expedition. Third, he has been repairing the river channels to stockpile a large amount of grain and supplies for the campaign.
On the other hand, his physical condition is not optimistic. According to Rui Sheng's description, although he is doing his best to maintain his health, the frequency of his blindness is increasing, especially at night or in enclosed spaces. This indicates that the intracranial hematoma is gradually spreading. When Xiao Wu Yi was imprisoned and tortured in the Dali Temple (the Supreme Court), his eyes were clearly unfocused. Although this isn't explicitly stated, the actor's portrayal is excellent. This means that in the dim, confined environment of the prison cell, combined with the torture, his eyes and body have reached their limit. Rui Sheng gives him a timeline of less than a year. This deadline is also the final deadline for the northern expedition. This means that both the Northern Prefecture reforms and the northern expedition must be completed within a year. This timeline is actually faster than originally planned. This is also one of the reasons why Li Mao panicked so much after learning the truth about Xiao Wu Yi's health. He had lost himself in the pursuit of power and desire, forgetting his origins and his original intentions. Torturing Xiao Wu Yi in prison was also a way for him to vent his frustration. This wasn't love for Jia Yu; it was purely his hatred, suspicion, and jealousy towards Xiao Wu Yi. He wanted Xiao Wu Yi to submit, wanted to prove he was better than him, and wanted to win back the woman he loved. But he never considered the possibility that Xiao Wu Yi might die. Xiao Wu Yi's questioning and earnest persuasion in the prison served to wake him up. It was only after learning the truth that Xiao Wu Yi's time was short that Li Mao truly let go of his grievances and found his way back. What was Xiao Wu Yi constantly writing in prison? It was the Northern Prefecture reform documents and his military treatises. Why did he keep writing? Because he knew his body had reached its limit. If he were to die suddenly, leaving behind the life's work of his military expertise, the northern expedition would at least have a fighting chance even without him. The brief New Year's reunion was their last one.
1 
1 
At first glance, Xiao Wuyi and Jia Yu seem like total opposites, but they've been through pretty similar stuff both of them weren't raised by their biological parents and ended up as “political sacrifices”.
Xiao Wuyi was actually the son of Emperor Wenxi, but he had to live as the second son of the Xiao family. His mom was always cold and distant toward him, and the dad he looked up to suddenly started treating him like a subject instead of a son when he was just a kid.
When he was still just a child figuring out his future, he was stuck with one single choice: his whole life's mission was to help the Great Ye reclaim its homeland and lost territories. But nobody could tell him how a little kid could possibly do something that even all the adults couldn't manage.
The day he found out who he really was, he lost his right to choose and couldn't be a kid anymore. He was the Crown Prince, the ruler, the commander, a martyr for his cause. That's why when Xiao Wuyi grew up, he became someone who didn't ask for much. He wouldn't ask for things, he wouldn't cry, and he wouldn't depend on anyone, because nobody ever treated him like a child. From the moment he became a ruler, he was forced to grow up and act like an "adult."
So when he met Jia Yu, who was six years younger and had been through similar stuff, seeing her treated like a pawn in the Prince of Jing'an's house, he gave her the first thing he could: the right to choose. If she wanted to follow her heart and live the life she dreamed of, he'd make it happen. Whether it was secretly helping her escape or setting up meetings with Li Mao over and over again, it was all choices Xiao Wuyi gave her. Then he gave her the power to choose
- opening a shop, finding a teacher, or learning martial arts, all were ways to plan for her future, giving her the freedom to choose while also giving her the means to live the life she wanted.
On top of all that, he doted on her like she was his own kid. Whatever Jia Yu was missing or wanted, whether it was stuff or emotional support, Xiao Wuyi always gave it to her without question. You could say that even though Xiao Wuyi himself needed so little, he somehow raised Jia Yu to need a lot.
His love for Jia Yu didn't even depend on whether she loved him back - as long as she was happy and free, that was all that mattered to him.
This whole parenting mindset was probably his way of saving the little boy he used to be. Everything he went through, he didn't want her to have to go through it too.
He wanted her to always have choices, because having choices is what freedom is all about.
When it came to love, Xiao Wuyi's needs were so low that being with him felt like taking care of a tree. You'd water it when you remembered, and if you didn't feel like it, you'd just let it fend for itself. He could travel wherever he wanted, popping back in from time to time, and he'd still be thriving. His branches might be a bit prickly, but they'd shelter his lover from wind and rain.
Until one day, he started to wither, but his trunk stayed straight and strong, holding up a whole world.
"Three years after I'm gone, you can forget me, okay?"
In their whole relationship, this was the only thing he ever asked of her.
Even at the end of his life, he still gave her the freedom to forget, just asking for a little time to live in her memories.
http://xhslink.com/o/4mYrNulZONH
will post down here with spoiler tag
So the general public were fine with it, the reception was good and it managed to become the number 1 drama in China and in iQiyi international in more than 10 countries
- Hong Kong (CN)
- Taiwan (CN)
- Thailand
- Malaysia
- Japan
- Vietnam
- Australia
- Brazil
- Canada
- United States
- Mexico
- Singapore
- Philippines
At the end of the day it is a fictional historical drama. They are both seasoned professional actors (ML with 10 years of experience and the FL has 12 years of experience) and they are both reputedly clean from any scandals. Minors are usually accompanied by their guardians and acting coach on set. And historically speaking, the age gap was a normal thing back then, but this drama portrays them as a pure love thing because it was the first “true love” for both of them. Love can exist without excessive physical touch; there are other love languages. So the age gap of the characters are not so much of a problem in the drama, and so we should be able to differentiate that in real life too!
The age gap thing is really taken seriously by current generations, not so much by older generations because it was somewhat normal back then. There was this one time when during their promo period, the old man HK director used a trick he used in a previous drama promo as well (the princess royale) he wanted to imply their acting looks so genuine, but used the words “acting till the point i think it’s real feelings”. Aimi was laughing, but HMH was super duper shocked. His face was hilarious and all the media guests were laughing so much at them. They made video memes of him with the BGM “OMG you scared me” and wrote silly captions like “director, I don’t want to go to jail” “the minors protection act is looking at me” “is my career going to end today” Because they knew the director is just an old man saying nonsense; pulling off a used trick, not thinking of the implications before saying. People were defending the actors really.
So yeah, it’s well received!
At the end of the day it is a fictional historical drama. They are both seasoned professional actors (ML with 10 years of experience and the FL has 12 years of experience) and they are both reputedly clean from any scandals. Minors are usually accompanied by their guardians and acting coach on set. And historically speaking, the age gap was a normal thing back then, but this drama portrays them as a pure love thing because it was the first “true love” for both of them. Love can exist without excessive physical touch; there are other love languages. Without spoiling too much of the story, it tries to tell the story of grander overarching themes and their relationship is more like the icing on the cake for the characters’ development.
Undestandably there were too many haters trying to undermine this drama so people were being super defensive, Sorry you had to go through that.
If you are interested, feel free to watch.
These two years are glossed over, yet they actually reveal a great deal.
First, let's address the one thing that ultimately brought them both to the same point: they were each making final preparations for the northern expedition.
Jia Yu's storyline is explicit. The show makes it clear that she, along with Cui Jia's younger brother, is surveying the mineral resources in the Sparrow Bone Order to find the materials needed to create the devastating weapon, the Fire Thistle. On the side, she's running her Miao Shou (Clever Hands) shop, expanding franchises everywhere and making a fortune. In every place she visits, she also uses her inventions to help the local people improve their livelihoods. But her ultimate goal is to create weapons
—the Fire Thistle-for Xiao Wu Yi's northern expedition.
Xiao Wu Yi's storyline, on the other hand, is more subtle, often described through indirect characterization.
Over these two years, Xiao Wu Yi has been implementing reforms in the Northern Prefecture, promoting many commoners to positions of power.
However, some of these commoners, once elevated, gradually lost their way, colluding with bribery and becoming as corrupt as the officials they replaced. As the initiator and decision-maker of the Northern Prefecture reforms, Xiao Wu Yi has to withstand the pressure from the established aristocratic families while also being implicated by the corruption of these commoner officials. He sets up a strict investigation, but his decisive methods attract even greater controversy. In short, in the current Nan Ye, whether it's the aristocratic families, the imperial clan, or the commoners, many people hate him. You could say countless people are hoping for his death.
Second, he has been *JEF (suppressing bandits) to eliminate the threat of uprisings that could cause internal turmoil during the northern expedition.
Third, he has been repairing the river channels to stockpile a large amount of grain and supplies for the campaign.
On the other hand, his physical condition is not optimistic. According to Rui Sheng's description, although he is doing his best to maintain his health, the frequency of his blindness is increasing, especially at night or in enclosed spaces. This indicates that the intracranial hematoma is gradually spreading. When Xiao Wu Yi was imprisoned and tortured in the Dali Temple (the Supreme Court), his eyes were clearly unfocused. Although this isn't explicitly stated, the actor's portrayal is excellent. This means that in the dim, confined environment of the prison cell, combined with the torture, his eyes and body have reached their limit. Rui Sheng gives him a timeline of less than a year.
This deadline is also the final deadline for the northern expedition. This means that both the Northern Prefecture reforms and the northern expedition must be completed within a year. This timeline is actually faster than originally planned. This is also one of the reasons why Li Mao panicked so much after learning the truth about Xiao Wu Yi's health.
He had lost himself in the pursuit of power and desire, forgetting his origins and his original intentions.
Torturing Xiao Wu Yi in prison was also a way for him to vent his frustration. This wasn't love for Jia Yu; it was purely his hatred, suspicion, and jealousy towards Xiao Wu Yi. He wanted Xiao Wu Yi to submit, wanted to prove he was better than him, and wanted to win back the woman he loved. But he never considered the possibility that Xiao Wu Yi might die.
Xiao Wu Yi's questioning and earnest persuasion in the prison served to wake him up. It was only after learning the truth that Xiao Wu Yi's time was short that Li Mao truly let go of his grievances and found his way back.
What was Xiao Wu Yi constantly writing in prison? It was the Northern Prefecture reform documents and his military treatises. Why did he keep writing?
Because he knew his body had reached its limit. If he were to die suddenly, leaving behind the life's work of his military expertise, the northern expedition would at least have a fighting chance even without him.
The brief New Year's reunion was their last one.