Alice_01

Your con for not being the #3 is the most solid and what I would send back to you, but you seem to know it already lol It doesn't make sense for the emperor to be the 3rd or he could have owned both the seal and fish in a heartbeat... Also, I think the reason Zhang Hai's father didn't trust the emperor fully was because of his hunger for power and dominance over the rea,l plus the Dongxia Queen's words about the Seal before parting ways...I think he just decided to not trust anyone and "break" the Seal in two as a safety precaution so that no one would activate it again. However, it backfired on him when he got killed BUT thankfully the villains thanks to their greed, divided the fish and now that would make the completion of the Seal even harder lol
Personally, I think the #3 might be the emperor's brother because the previous emperor didn't choose him who is legitimate but his concubine's born son so he might think that the throne belongs to him and idk all of his scenes made me think there is more to him than he lets on...

BTW who is Minister Shi Yi Ping again? Did he have any special long scenes or just a member of the cabinet? My brain is fried😂

His sister's neck was sliced open with the sword and then left to burn in the manor with the rest of the bodies...Why would you even think ZBW's daughter would be his sis??
Doing plastic surgery is actually the most realistic approach I've seen in a cdrama of the recent years and it's certainly necessary given how cautious his enemies were, even a slight resemblance could give him away...Remember how Cao said his eyes looked familiar when they just met? And that was the only part he didn't do surgery on, so imagine if he had his og features...

If he learned martial arts, the Marquis wouldn't even allow him through his gates in this lifetime with how raised his guard was, wearing a golden thread armor inside everyday and being a military guy lmao That was the right call, especially since as you said, ML had a smart working brain. Having the genes of his father and a knack for things doesn't make him "ready" or smart enough to go against his enemies...The training was needed and it helped him involve his geomancy, strategy/masking skills etc. greatly. Maybe you didn't get it since they used only 1-2 eps to show it to us...As for him being weak, he isn't! He is just an emotional person and I am glad cause that helped him retain his humanity and not turn into a monster like the ones he was hunting down.

The FL has her own role to play aside from being a love interest to the ML. Plus, throughout ML's revenge journey she became a big support and helpful hand for him^^

You're welcome!^^

Not necesarily lol Usually most emperors wouldn't die naturally from old age but from someone killing them or their body giving out cause of the burdens of ruling making them age quickly before their time...Cao before Zhang Hai's device injured him was looking in good health for his age lol The thing is that when the emperor dies the new one most often directly or indirectly kills the ones closest to him and places his own people, so that's why Cao needed the Seal so bad. It's just futile now since Cao was severely hurt, but his obsession was just too deep to let go...

Oh I think I've watched the donghua years ago but I never checked the adaptation or finished the donghua in the end! I was watching other dramas at the time it came out...Hmm I might give it a try! Thank you!

60 eps...As much as I don't want to part with this drama either I don't think I would have the patience to wait extra 20 eps to let the mystery unfold 😂

But then it would feel all the more sad and dumb to have the Queen of Donxia die for it...Like if it was fake he would have to inform them so that they wouldn't fight so hard...Like I don't think the princess would forgive him easily for this, if it's his plan.

After watching some fmvs about them this compilation of funny clips of Liu Yuning was recommended to me and now I can't stop laughing 🤣🤣
Enjoy~
https://youtu.be/D7U1-uY_MDc?si=1Og-WSnUj2sBfDLC

Based on calendar there should be two eps dropping today

So you want him to go all the way back to his house and then have the same luck of entering the palace all over again after a few hours without anyone noticing and going to the emperor's chambers.... Even if he found that secret tunnel it would be still hard to enter until that point in that late hour. I think it's wise and time efficient that he went to his workplace within the palace grounds. After all it was only thanks to that night's festivities that the room was so empty, he only had couple of hours to work things out. He just wasn't sharp enough to have people already stationed in there...He shouldn't have gone alone!

Hmm... it's just a subplot though the FL plays a crucial helpful role in the ML's journey of vengeance...And in the latest eps it did get more romantic but overall the focus is revenge and politics. For me it's still worth it though, just give it a try and see for yourself! ^^

No I feel you cause so far i have had my fair share of guesses haha I can't wait for Tuesday when all eps drop as well! The writers did a great job with this one! Keeping us on our toes to the every end...

I think he is not as magnanimous or "easy" as he seems...The fact that he had Zhang Hai's father sent on a secret mission and was keeping the Seal all this time by his side says a lot...ALSO I love how Zhang Hai's father never trusted anyone of them! He separated the Seal smartly by giving only the stone to the emperor and the fish kept them himself, since without them the Seal couldn't be activated even if the emperor want it to use it one day!
Too sad the fish were taken by the villains but even right now only Queen of Dongxia/her people and Zhang Hai know how the design of the full Seal looks right? Or did he share about it with his master too??
Btw personally I do think the masked guy might be after the Seal but it's not someone who wants to hurt Zhang Hai, he just decided to use him and his desire for revenge. Kinda get there without using his own hands...

So based on latest eps are some of you also curious about the emperor and his thoughts?

Ain't no way for many reasons lol Just try to stop overthinking it doesn't do us well 🤣

I think the reason he died was because his part was over...Since he taught Zhang Hai all he needed and after leaving for the capital he wouldn't return back. They also needed a foolproof reason for him to enter the capital so the fire had be real. But also because I think these masters might be kinda on a suicide mission, the moment their role is done off they go...I think next 8 eps will be quite dreadful...

He wants it as protection in case the emperor dies. If the emperor is gone, since there is no heir(emperor was mentioned to have no children) there will be chaos among the vessels and who will take over the throne. So he hopes that him holding onto the Seal will give him enough protection and to seem useful to the new ruler. The thing is, with how he looks currently I don't think he will live longer than the emperor but then again he sure has been lucky...

Let's hope baby is a daughter so it looks more like Antu and gets her father's eyes which are probably the only real feature left on his face...Even that Cao leech said his eyes reminded him of his father...Such a sharp old man... Zhang Hai should up his game too!