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This episode gives us the tragic life of Jing Li. He was set up to take the fall for Empress Dowager since his fateful trip home due to Gpa’s illness. The Marquis had Lishan set up and destroyed en masse the loyalists to Emperor at the palace. He arrived home with no family or support. Jing Li was immediately under house arrest for three years while the Emoress Dowager gave up in gaining the throne directly and putting her son there instead. The Marquis tortured Jing Li as a boy to give up the names of the Lishan scholars so that the Marquis could have them killed. This even included a boy his own age. These souls are what Ye Ling can never forgive. His servant gives him straws to grasp but there is no chance she will change her mind. This false hope has him on a tangent to gain the throne by his own means. He starts off killing Yuan Feng who was a chief advisor and confidante to the Empress Dowager. He was chief investigator of the weapon smuggling case and intended to prove the Marquis guilty when Jing Li killed him. He was a good man and another righteous soul added to Jing Li’s list of innocents. What this evil deed accomplished was put a chunk in the Marquis’ armor and a bur for the Empress to not forgive. They have reached a point of contension with this that dims his grievances with Xiu Yao in comparison. It is unclear why the Empress Dowager favors him, but for now this keeps him safe while the Marquis is expected to find the real killer or accept the blame for the crime. I don’t really know how to feel about the tragic Prince. He was caught in a web of deceit and blood that damns him with no escape. It is also unclear why Ying was tossed into it with him. She has now seen the role he must play for the palace and refuses to play along. There is still decency in him because he rescues her and shows regret for accepting a wedding he should not have. The bodies are racking up around him and his plans aren’t revealed yet, just that he has chosen this course and plans to see it to the end. Is Zhu one that has been dead? Fei Bei asks her again if she was sure that’s who saved her from the snakes. Like Xiu Yao did with the monkeys, he will continue a search where he doesn’t expect to find anyone. He has an unexpected skill as an orthopedist. Ye Li has come to him to rebreak Xiu Yao’s legs and reset them so he can heal. I am glad they did not try to show this. He has already endured long needles and med regimen and this is the toughest stage of his planned procedure. He must endure the rebreaking of the bones before he can heal. He is well aware that any missteps could result in permanent paralysis but chooses to take the risk. The trust in his eyes as he looks at her🥰 They are exquisite as a pair and their flaws just accentuate there complementary natures and abilities. It is still a mystery why the Empress Dowager made them a pair, but it was a perfect choice. There are still too many schemes and now Jing Li is added to the mix. But there does seem to be a coordinated effort, even if by accident, to undo the Marquis’ machinations and reveal him for the wretch that he is. He has lost four of his most loyal cronies, so that is definitely a step in the right direction. I am hoping they don’t drag out the recuperation of Xiu Yao and get him back on his feet soon.
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At long last both managers from Mat Story company were vindicated and no longer fall guys for the company. Director Choi’s hide out at the cow farm revealed its hiding place of fraud thanks to the bathroom tile mishap of second son. Mr Bae is an interesting character. He was happy to see Choi gone, but had no evidence been found, would he have had the third factory built? I do have to wonder. Seong proved the farmland was perfect for their cabbage and the new factory plan stalled. Seong and family returned to Seoul where he had the perfect director’s office and the perfect home for his family. He was seen as a rising star in the company. The mom who has annoyed me every episode but this one….finally spoke up at a ladies gathering wondering if her family needed to waste their time watching others sing and dance. The family collectively makes the choice to return to the village and embrace the rural farming life. The scammers were caught and now Ms Choi completely freed from that experience. She is teaching the village ladies how to add hash tags and post.😂🤣 Bo Mi and eldest son are dating and he is working at a restaurant startup with future plans for his own place that he will name Spring. 🥰😁 The villagers welcome them to their community and have a ceremony to bless the land and harvests. He has decided to grow their second best crop….chili peppers. This story was cheesy and a bit far fetched, but it brought together nicely family issues we all address as life changes and kids grow up. The importance of community and appreciating the life we choose. There really isn’t a wrong choice of city or country…it’s being content in the choice and direction. For the Seong family….the village gave them extended family and purpose. It is experiencing life through the land rather than continual steps up with no end in sight. Instead of continuous competition, they opted to work as a unit to make all their lives better and happier. They are reaping what they sowed and basking in the sunshine and warmth of community. Happy farming Seong family.😁
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This episode is all about Seong shouldering the blame for the villager’s names being put on a falsified document. If he signs a poor cabbage report, they can renege on their price for the land and steal it with impunity. They must have found a way around the company’s deceit because when Chief went to corporate to sell off his land, he didn’t actually sign it. So you think this will work? was on signature block.😂🤣 now on to final episode to see how they save the village.
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Ye Li learns her way around and by the time her eyesight returns she knows Prince Li is the lord of the villa. He stalked her to the temple and did get her to his place to heal after the Lishan martial artist saved her from most of the snakes. Ye Li is far from grateful and wants to return home. She managed to sneak a message to the capital before Li came back. There is more to their past as Lishan residents died while accompanying him. He goes psycho amd hands her a dagger which he sticks into himself. She loathes him but was shocked by his actions. So after their tumble she finds herself back in the villa to have him bandaged up. Xiu Yao shows up right when she’s storming out to go find him. These ‘brothers’ share the if looks could kill look and the right brother leaves with the girl. She is bandaged up and put to bed to heal. The next morning Xiu Yao was angry to learn that she was out shopping when she was supposed to be recuperating. She is lining up her next mission under the pretext of shopping. The assassin escaped his prison but collapsed before Ying’s carriage. She at least figured out who he was and rescued him. These two are a lively pair but she is ready to cut ties now that she knows Ye Li is safe. She considers her debt paid when the doc healed him. He is making the rounds being captured because everybody wants to know who his employer was. He only knows her as the crazy woman.😂🤣Ying hears about his villa and is determined to go. Li has hidden well the fact he is hurt and is back to his appearance of womanizing. Here, I don’t dread her shrieking and feel she has every right to drive them all out. If they wanted this role for him, I am unclear why they dragged the Ye family in by marrying Ying. When Ye Ling finally returns to the palace Xiu Yao is livid and storms into his room after ensuring she looked ok. The two servants try to stay out of their way as Ye Li and Xiu Yao have a loud conversation. He was so worried about her and her flippant entrance just finished the job of ticking him off royally. He gives her a chance to explain herself and when she tries the shopping excuse he cuts it off with having people there to verify they were never in the shop. She asked him if she wanted the story of her and Li and he made it clear he did not. She basically responded with a too bad I feel like telling you and starts with her childhood memories with Li as the episode ends. There is a scene with Ying’s mom and it is clear she is being blackmailed because fraudulent practices have left the building under new management. She is paying top dollar to protect Ying, but it’s not clear yet why that is necessary. Ying is annoying, but she is also damn funny. I am hoping she gets to escape the palace and divorce Prince Charming.😝Things are heating up between Xiu Yao and Ye Li. Sparks tend to fly with these two whether they are getting along or not. I am curious about her history so glad next episode will tell us more.
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What chief and Seong learned is that the fungus wasn’t planted. It was naturally breeding through the soil. Something unnatural altered the soil that caused this to happen and they need to figure out what. Ms Cho stays annoying not telling her husband about the debt. 😝🙄 Again once I have any respect for her at all she tosses it to be foolish. It is no wonder she has panic attacks. I should feel sorry for her but it;s her own doing. 🙄He gave her perfect opportunity to fess up and she lies to his face. If reversed, she would be shrieking away at him. Chief is letting eldest son know he needs to keep distance with Bo Mi. 🤣😂 The couple is cute inventing new recipes. Bae and other boss are counting the days to get the village land. At least Seong’s immediate boss knows he is on thin ice as well. His perfect loyalty has not made his job secure so that means even less likely with Seong. He is trying to get info from villager but their stories have less to do about soil and more with cows.😂🤣 Two ladies showed up at the Seong house and they are the debt collectors. Ms Chi was guilty of not paying what she borrowed but a bigger scammer used ID theft to get her accountable for 30k. The village ladies scared them off and now chief’s wife knows about the debt. She is surprised Seong has no knowledge of it and hopefully this will change soon. Hearing a conversation Seong learned their was a quick land clearing of a pine forest. This is why their soil is now ruined. The race is in to get as much sap and pine resin as possible to heal the land of the fungus. The chief learned that their development deal is what caused the problem. Chief’s wife gets the women’s association to give their emergency fund to Ms Cho. She adds 20k of her own insurance funds so that Ms Cho can pay off her debt. I am touched by their kindness but find Ms Cho unworthy of the cash. She has still not told her husband what happened and that’s an issue for me. If she finds a way to get them their money back I might change my mind. Seong and the Chief have made a spray of pine pollen, sap and resin and together healing the fields. Ms Cho wants to find a way to return the ladies kindness and just found out they provided meals for her family while she ran away from home. 😝The villagers had a celebration making Seong hero of the day for saving their crops and fields. This all turned to dust when he went to the company and learned the fertilizer paperwork he had every villager sign was consent for a new factory to be built on their land. If ever a person smiled like the devil, it was Mr Bae. He and his top demon boss were laughing and mocking the people whose land they are stealing.
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The boys interactions at school were very sweet. Even middle boy has a reason to wake up in class.😂🤣 Bo Mi has given eldest son marigold seeds for hope and happy future. Mr Seong is keeping a list of the villagers, but now it seems Mr Bae has used him as an in to the villagers because he is trusted. I hate the sinking feeling that the company is making Mr Seong their new fall guy. The Chief and Seong have a chat over snacks and drinks. It was interesting that Chief could tell the crop and life circumstances just by looking at the prepared dishes. He shared a poignant story about his wife and then asked Seong to take his wife home so he could get his life back.😂🤣 Seong gets his wife’s suitcase and sees how little she packed and a few family photos he wasn’t in. The company sabotaged the village with the fertilizer. There is some white fungal mass that has taken over the soil making it unfit to plant. Seong is asking Chief to give him time to find out what it is to treat it properly without killing the soil. There is a sweet interaction with middle son and WuJu. She has a fan. They are adorable and a cute break from the field debacle. I love Bo Mi’s optimism and confidence, she is a good influence on the eldest son. They make dumplings together and the moms liked them. Ms Cho was unhappy that they tasted good and that he was throwing his life away to make dumplings. The two moms talked about kids and Chief’s wife gave her some pointers in not trying to control everything about their lives. It is still not acceptable news to Ms Cho who continues to pout not getting her way. They really need to have her character grow up or be in less scenes. Right when I almost like something she did it is followed up by selfish and childish behavior that adds to my annoyance of her character. Seong realizes it would be a mistake for soil analyses to go to company so he is getting an impartial lab to find out what the fungus is. Bo Mi has both suitors at the coffee shop. 🤣 There is a sweet exchange between the three sons as the older two snuggle the youngest who is not feeling well and missing mom. Seong and Chief work together to discover what is causing the winter fungus to thrive in spite of the cold. A friendship is forming between these two and it is nice that they are all villagers now with no one being an outsider. The youngest has a fever and he gets mom to come home. It is a big to do for a fever, but it is nice seeing them together and the two parents finally talking and listening to each other. Ms Cho is still angry with her oldest and makes it clear she will not change her mind. I wish she would have seen him literally shaking at a knife. She has no idea how unfit her really is to deal with medicine. She will finally have to deal with her debt because a court order has found her. I don’t know why she thinks hiding is a better option. I guess in flight or fight she opts to run. They are learning that this fungus is only in the village so what did the company do first time around? Other than having way to much of the mom I am enjoying the series. The actors give a good spectrum of family and country/city dynamics. I don’t always care for the humor, but I do appreciate the candid conversations and the bridges of understanding being built between the characters.
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Eldest son is on his way to Seoul and finally texted Bo Mi. She literally runs into Officer Park and he reminds her that he is available and would not make his girl cry. Mom has a meltdown when she hears her son has officially dropped out of med school. She runs away from home wanting to see how much they will fall apart without her. She does a lot for her family but it’s still more about appearances and her plans than really listening to anyone in her family. Her tantrum at the spa was overdone and ridiculous. The actress is doing an excellent job of making her more and more unlikable as the story progresses. Eldest son returns and goes to the school and finds out that Bo Mi never got his second text. Luckily for him he is cute and grovels well. The annoying mom is invited to village chief’s home when the poor lady with dementia thinks Ms Cho’s suitcase is her son’s baby stroller. Here I am slightly stunned they are using dementia as a funny aside. I find this tasteless and unnecessary. The son gets a wake up call from dad. Mr Seong stunned him with a simple question. What’s next? He respected his son’s decision but made it clear it wasn’t an end but a beginning so he now needed to decide what direction he was going to take with his life. Mr Seong has agreed to sign Mr Bae’s contract. Whether this is good or bad remains to be seen. Bo Mi txts eldest son that his mom is at her house and village chief’s wife bails dad’s bad pasta out with some real food. I’m still struggling to like the mom but her rice balls we’re just what her sons needed. Initially I thought the chief’s wife was going to be the biggest mean girl but she turns out to be a big softie. She is thoroughly enjoying her neighbor running away from home, but I appreciated her hospitality and wife/gal chat commiserating how unappreciated they often are by hubbies. The mom seems shallow but maybe a real friend would let us see what she’s like without all the scheduling/overseeing she does for the family. With everybody is finally at same location, a redistribution of family management is in order. The ladies have banded together to share ‘real’ food with the abandoned males. 🤣 Dad is both grateful and embarrassed. Bo Mi and Ms Cho have breakfast with an apology and better understanding easing the awkwardness. Mr Bae has sent top grade fertilizer from the company and Mr Seong and Chief are unsure if this is true help or another setup. I have two word for Mr Seong…change password.😂🤣 It’s not often a kid whines about missing a weekend class. Dad is sandwiched between to youngest sons yelling for wife. 😂🤣 The village chief telling him if he can still talk he is far from max suffering.🤣😂 Mr Seong gets the village chief to pass the fertilizer to the village with promises that they are finally being supported by the company. The villagers now trust him but is the company helping them or setting them up?
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There is an exchange of stories and Ye Li eventually falls asleep. She is gently forehead kissed by a very loving husband. Somewhere along the way her acts of kindness and radiant smile has touched his heart and he is completely smitten. The next morning she gets the promised painting. Xiu Yao pays utmost respect at her mother’s memorial and sees that Ye Li’s life consisted of hardships and that the stories of her mother were not a correct accounting of what took place. He sees the hands of the Marquis in the mistreatment by soldiers and is most likely spurred on to add it to the Marquis’ account of misdeeds. There is a touching farewell from the crew that spent two plus years working on the mural. They have become like a brotherhood sharing their last drink before parting ways. We did not get to see, but Ye Li is a very active drunk getting into all sorts of mischief. She is repeatedly admonished by her angry husband and his spy friend encouraged her to shut him up by kissing him.🤣😂 That stopped the lecture. 😂They leave the temple to be attacked by bandits and the spy thinks a bag of gold will handle it. He is very surprised when it didn’t and the guard is a very capable soldier. It is heartwrenching to see how desolate the prince is at his invalid status. He is reminded how incapable he now is and he is so angry and frustrated. He is grieved that Ye Li ran off to distract the group so that he could stay in hiding. Our humerous assassin shows up but there is a miscalculation and Ye Li does the fall from the cliff.🙄 What is even more annoying than this trope is she is now in Prince Li’s villa. 😝🤬 so the question is…did he happen to be there moaning and run across Ye Li purely by chance? Or, was he instrumental in the attack on the carriage to try to kill Xiu Yao and steal his wife? The would be assassin is the one she rescued and he had already changed course to help her when he miserably failed and caused her fall. Who killed the snakes? And how will Ye Li react when she recognizes who the lord of the villa is? He is spared her wrath as the venom has her temporarily blinded. The assassin is spared when his tattoos verify what clan he is part of. Wait til Prince Li learns his wife is the one that placed the bounty😝 Xiu Yao is in the temple looking at the mouth his wife painted and remembering how beautiful she was on the platform. He has spent every effort to find his wife and the assassin group is surrounded by an angry Prince and guard. Half want to know who she is and the other half where she is. It will be a very interesting encounter the next time the ‘brothers’ meet. The story continues to be fast paced and interesting tho the cliff fall is a letdown for as good as this drama is. They lost cool points for that feeble maneuver. 😝🙄
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The eldest son’s lack of multitasking skills is not working in his favor. As a doctor, it should be a given that multitasking is a key necessity. His lack of communication with Bo Mi is going to bite him in the ass because he will seem fickle. He is at the age to question everything but he lets others decide for him and then falters under the pressure. When trying to make a stand for himself he is still wavering. I like that his dad did not try to make the choice for him, but truthfully said all decisions good or bad should be dealt with forthrightly and owned. That it was a given consequences would result no matter the path. Here Bo Mi is way ahead of him and has been gently steering him to become his own man. But he pretty effectively cut her off to have time and he then goes to Seoul with no further info given. As much as Bo Mi doesn’t want to choose officer Park, he is showing himself to be the more stable and trustworthy choice. The mom — I have very mixed feelings. Where did she get money forcing her to leave with kids? She has good intentions but her panic attacks are caused by her need for control and she is blackmailing the entire family whether on purpose or not. We learn that she came from a rural background and has very good reason to want her children to have more choices young. But the point she completely misses is that she feels empowered to make all the important decisions for a young adult rather than telling him her story and letting him come to his own conclusions with the most information possible. This is where dad gets it much better. While I understand the mom’s motives better, I find I like her even less than initially because of her tunnel vision of living vicariously through her son. She has opportunity with her other two boys and the oldest has the bulk of her attention. She has been talked down from intervening in the college interview but whether she will comply is another damn good question. Mr Seong and village chief knows the company is doing something flakey with the reports and Mr Seong even now knows who. The company seems to want to steal the land from the villagers and using fake soil reports to lock them out of commercial farming. Mr Seong brings this up to his superior and is offered a deal. It is unclear if this is to do the right or wrong thing because ultimate loyalty is demanded and a contract expected to be signed. Is this with the real or fake information? The troublemaker boss is possibly leaving but what exactly is the top boss wanting him to do? That is the real question. This episode has father and son being pressed with a life changing choice. The wife needs to come clean about her debt and maybe that will calm her down a bit. The villagers know something is up and waiting to see if Seong fails and wondering what happens to them if he does.
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Even in this last episode I can’t like Qing Ye’s dad. While he acquiesces to her choice, in his heart he would prefer Meng to Xing Wu. This is even with the knowledge of how his parents treated Qing Ye. I loved that Xing Wu showed him a workaround that let both plants reside in the same garden. He was not pleased there was a resolution to the misfit plant but accepted that it was a reasonable choice for both plants to be together. I am happy Xing Wu made a good showing at the golf course and that Meng was in on getting dad to accept the couple. He is at least a kinder rendition of his parents. We get to see the changes that have occurred over the last five years and that Qing Ye and Xing Wu are still smitten with each other and that never wavered in their time apart. The only mystery that was never really cleared up is who Xing Wu’s father was and why his mom ran away. This unknown backstory may be the reason Qing Ye’s dad was convinced the gap was too wide with the families and why Xing Wu’s mom wondered about that as well. We did not find out til very late that he and gma not blood related which meant the worthless gambler was not his dad. What it really came down to in the grand scheme of things is what’s most important — money and high social tier or accepting and loving those that embrace us for who we are regardless of status and income. I like to think that Qing Ye’s mom’s spirit pushed her to meet her ‘sister’ and family and that fate took care of the rest. I think the cast and production team did an excellent job of making these characters relatable whether we liked them or not. While some of it was paced a little slow, we got to see that money and position did not secure love and acceptance, and that poverty and harsh circumstances did not deny dreams if willing to see more than the past and public opinion to look and work for a brighter future. This drama did that well. Our couple chose ambiance and their future will be dazzling. 😁
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Fun scene with uncle teaching Wu You strengthening moves. Wu You is much more interested in fighting skills. 😂🤣 He gets Ye Li to help with his homework and soon there is a gathering to reshape parts for his centipede kite. Xiu Yao comes home to a very cute scene of his nephew and steward testing the kite. He is actually smiling and noting how radiant his wife is. At work his new hire is worth all of the regular officials. One is weeded out for fraud and the others put on notice this will no longer be tolerated. There is an interesting exchange between Ying’s hire and a colleague hired to bring him back. The contract is made with another veiled lady. Xiu Yao makes it home for dinner and sees proof of Ye Li’s healer abilities, but he still refuses to consider her more capable than the doctors he’s already seen. She visits him at work and asks him to accompany her to the temple. Our workaholic prince has not noticed how late it is and heads home after being told his wife had left. He later learns she has been at the temple for several days. He arrives to find her painting a mural and handling a key facial feature all the professionals were arguing about.🤣😂 He also finds his spy buddy there who is greatly amused at the changes in his friend. Xiu Yao reprimands Ye Li who counters him point by point and asking what’s his problem. 🤣He can’t rebut and finds himself actually sharing sleeping quarters with his wife. 🤣🫣 She will not accommodate his schedule because she has bargained for a painting from the famous artist. Him throwing his robe to stop watching her undress. 🤣🫣 Ye Li is fun because she does not shy away from intimacy. She’s not the least bit discomfited sharing a bed as that’s what married couples do. We have a scene of his brother asking for Xiu Yao to be spared. Lishan feels responsible for the condemnation and death of the prince but it is still unclear who wrote, sent and hid or destroyed the royal decree that called him away from the battle. Prince Li is still pouting and avoiding his wife. 😝 There is a lot going on in Ye Li’s head but everywhere someone is hurting or needing help, she is like an Angel of Mercy providing what is needed and giving them hope. Her flip side is Angel of Vengeance where she doesn’t shirk meting out justice and retribution. She is a very interesting character and I am thoroughly enjoying her prince trying to figure her out. What I like most, he really wants to. 🥰🧐
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The invitation was from a friend of Empress Dowager. She is determined to prove Lishan’s guilt in acting against the Empress. Ye Li’s uncle is trying to smooth things over as best he can. Ye Li finds herself in Prince Li’s quarters after having a collision with a servant. This was supposed to be a location to clean her robe and she finds Prince Li instead. He thinks ChangFu was killed to better his court position. Ye Li set him straight on that notion immediately. He was killed for the 7 lost souls in Lishan and had nothing whatsoever to do with him. She described him as a cicadas and that seems rather apt. He is lost in his delusions because he has plans with no means or will to accomplish them. Ye Ying and his mother watched him threaten to jump in the pond because he wasn’t getting his way. His servant jumped in to keep the idiot from jumping and Ye Li left making it clear they had nothing between them and she felt nothing but contempt for him. Ye Ying and her hunt for an assassin😂🤣 This turned out to be quite humorous and if she gets to look Ye Li in the eye, what is she really going to do? Ye Ying is impulsive and meanspirited but could she really kill or watch someone be killed in cold blood? She seems to be a big part of the comic relief so will see how this plays out. The uncle looks like he is moving half the city into the palace.🤣😂 When asked how long he’s staying he started with two months. 🤣😂 If this is his daily essentials he will need a warehouse for all his possessions. XiuYao has an old friend released from jail. The prince wants help clearing his family and the cavalry from wrongdoing. He needs help collecting the evidence required. The jailed one wants to handle the wording on the Marquis’ memorial . They strike a deal to deal with the Marquis and get justice. The visiting seer friend is trying to steer the Empress dowager, but only partly successful. It is clear Ye Li has answered directly to all questions and has not wavered in what she has said. She continues to be a breath of much needed air even with her scrambled sense of reality. The Prince is now looking into the maid Ye Li wanted the medicine for. It will give him another piece of the puzzle of Lishan. Another is haunted by Lishan and here I wonder if Ye Li is helping create his nightmares since she was out and about late at night. XiuYao is experiencing more pain with his leg injuries but is still very reluctant to let Ye Li try her mountain healing techniques. I like that Ye Li didn’t shirk the invitation nor cower at the accusations. She answered the same as for Empress Dowager. I enjoyed her telling that deluded Prince Li what she thought of him. He is somewhat a tragic figure playing the libertine to survive in the palace. However, he lacks the wherewithal to throw himself unrepentantly into the role or to break free of it and face the consequences. He wanted a future with Ye Li but had no plan in place for where they would go or how they would survive. He is discontent and whiny about the hand he has been given, but doesn’t try to play the cards he’s been dealt. Even Ye Ying doesn’t deserve to be married to him. I like that Xiu Yao and Ye Li are getting closer. 🥰 It is very small steps but promising. Waiting to see what Xiu Yao and his prison friend have in store for the Marquis. Lots going on and many characters involved. It segues smoothly through the various perspectives and past and present. It has been a fun and interesting experience watching so far.
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This episode focused most on family. Ms Wen had been torturing herself with vile tasks from a shyster shaman. What made it even more hurtful was her info was given by a ‘trusted’ servant that had been in their household for a very long time. Wu You brought it to Ye Li’s attention and he was arrested and the servant confined immediately. It was very hard for Ms Wen to accept their deceit but Ye Li’s mention of dreaming of her mother provided some comfort to her. Ye Li had all the boys that had beat on Wu You line up and apologize. I liked her candor with her nephew about insincere apologies. To accept sincerity and when it wasn’t, to make them fearful. I like the bonding between aunt and nephew and that he trusts her with things that has been bothering him. He is seeing his mom and uncle coming out from their grief and being more aware albeit ever so slowly. They are doing their best to insult the prince at his new post but he handled it well. He let the officials know who was in charge and he respected the ‘welcome’ from the military representative. Tho undeserved, he recognized their need to be acknowledged and he handled it with respect. There are various monkey trainers visiting with their acts and one got loose terrifying Ye Li. She has been forthright and fearless so for her to run to Xiu Yao quaking in fear was very unexpected. He knew it wasn’t an act and wondered what happened to leave her so terrified. They had dinner as a family and the Prince received medicine from Ye Li. 🤣😂 He offered to change schools for his nephew or provide guards and Wu You spoke up for himself saying he would not be scared out of school and did not need an escort. Ye Li has done wonders for his confidence. Everybody exiting when Ye Li asked to treat XiuYao’s legs. 🤣😂 He did not break out in the rage they expected but was far from ready to trust her medicinal skills. However, he recognized that she spoke from actual experience and cited a person receiving treatment he could get verified. Ye Li is starting to recognize that she is blurring memories with reality. She recognized that her friend disappeared and could not explain why the monkeys were gone but would not admit they had never been there. Xiu Yao is asking the right questions and putting it together how few people were there for the monkeys to be so bold. He was shocked at her bite marks and realizes that things were far more difficult in Lishan than anybody knew. He sweetly stays with her til she falls asleep 🥰 It is not love between them but their trust is making a strong bond. They both come from a place of great hurt and despair but they are opening up to each other in a deep heartfelt way. I liked that he had the grounds searched repeatedly even tho he knew nothing was there. He wanted Ye Li to know he took her fears seriously and would make every effort possible to ease them. I also liked him compensating the trainers to take their acts to another city to spare Ye Li any further confrontations with monkeys. This is an act of love even if not recognized yet. Her protection and peace of mind are important to him because she has shown that same respect for his family. I liked how she brushed off his gratitude for helping with family. For her, his family is her family and they take care of each other. It’s non negotiable and expected behavior. The uncle is going to make things interesting with his antics and Ye Li has received an interesting invitation.
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Seems the Emperor and Prince are working through their differences and forming an alliance. Ye Li and Prince have similar plans. Because they are not speaking, they shadow each other with similar objectives. Since Ye Li’s plan happened first, Lishan kept the Prince out of any speculation about appointee’s demise. Emperess Dowager and Ye Li are truly acquainted. Is the Empress deceived about the “protection” offered to the school or aware of the memorial for the seven lost scholars? Or is their loss the justification the Marquis gives for protection?😝Ye Li had the appropriate means to handle the swindler shop managers. The last one was the first to recognize she was no fool and wanted a proper account. Xiu Yao is determined to send Ye Li on her way and she just gives him a smile and flips a coin to decide their discussion topic. The Marquis was pouting and did not show up for court letting other advisors have opportunity for candidates. A truly capable man was appointed that could actually do the job. Xiu Yao was appointed for his military expertise but there was much backlash in the court finding him unsuitable. I am wondering if the one he wanted to accompany him referred to his horse? 😂🤣 His complete disregard for Ye Lin and his friend was funny. His spy friend deserved it. He is brazen and shameless. He is trying to sound out the new wife but got an appraisal of his horsemanship instead. 🤣I enjoyed watching the scholar/mentor get stewardship of her shops. Old wrongs are being corrected one step at a time. She seemed very calm when chatting about their upcoming meeting with Empress Dowager but either acted or really was discomfited before they went in. She wants to prove herself capable but the chair push up the ramp was a misstep for her. I hope she will leave that task to others in future. She hid her dolls of fate from him but I wonder what she saw in store for them. It will be interesting to see both couples together and interact with the mother in law. I do have to wonder if Empress Dowager was a Lishan prodigy, how did she come to align herself with the Marquis? There is a lot going on and everything is moving at a quick pace. I am very interested in seeing the two princes interact and how the ‘sisters’ get along with each other.
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Ye Li stole the show with Empress Dowager. Lishan’s loyalty was tested a bit and everybody was waiting for Ye Li to stop talking. Prince Li was out of sorts trying to play and injured his hand. Ye Li is called back and Empress Dowager learns her friend is dead. Maybe this will help shake her faith in the Marquis’ protection story. Li used his injury to get stories of Ye Li from his new bride. The sis tells a good story which both showed her to be mean kicking sis off the boat and that Ye Li recovered nicely.😝 The tree was a personal request of a scholar so she snuck into their family yard and cut it down. XiuYao found that a mystery task. 😂😂 She confessed to both the prince and her friend’s dad and promised to send the letter from home to Lishan. She put it in the box with the other unsent letters. Are these the seven massacred at the school or others? Her maid that disappears? She truly has no one left there. Telling her sis to call her aunt is very amusing as well as chastising Xiu Yao for not sticking up for her. He blamed complex relationships. 😝🤣The only thing that tops this is Ye Ying’s determination to make the peacocks fly with her flute playing. I am sure they want to.😂🤣 There was a beautiful scene with the musician playing the flute that the birds reacted to. His mistake was in offering to teach Ye Ying how to play. She is absolutely ridiculous and it was very fun to watch her efforts. Ye Li finds Wu You being beat up by a group of boys and helps him out. She has a very nice sisterly/auntie chat with him that will hopefully get him asking for help more often. She also has a chat with Xiu Yao that he should look after him better and not make his nephew deal with a group by himself. She has also just received news of his new appointment. This episode gave us more of the family dynamics. Ye Ying is a pompous brat even at the palace, but she doesn’t deserve to be ignored by her new husband. Xiu Yao is trying to decipher his wife’s antics and loyalties. Good luck with that.😂🤣 Prince Li seems to have met her first in Lishan but Xiu Yao made the biggest impression. I am hoping the flute accidentally gets broken. 😂🤣
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