KJ2025

On the job training as Mr 8 and Feng shui master

Zang Hai gets introduced to swindling city ways. He still needs training because he shared his observations with girl hustler and finds himself turned into Mr 8. 😝 He did get the scoop on the Emperor by her explaining the play to him. I enjoyed the politicians being shown as jumpy toads.😂 Here is where I wonder if his mentor set him up for further training because he is right there to rescue him and it’s a bit too convenient. Our revenge seeker shows he still has kindness because he rescues the little boy as well as getting into the party of Feng shui experts. His nonchalant attitude and nap taking on the way is funny. But he is right that to get worked up isn’t going to keep mind clear. When they get to the tomb area the group is split up and he finds himself on the side that has a long hallway. Everybody knows this is creepy but nobody knows what to do. One guy suggests to stay by the wall and finds himself pinned with a spear. Everybody starts freaking out and Zang Hai tells them to stay put and shut up so they can live. He has figured out the stars and pattern from their lores and manages to traverse the hall. He and two others reach the end. He has been spot on but his last suggestion took out the other two leaving him the only one past the traps. It does not make sense to him and he is trying to figure out what was wrong. As Zang Hai is reciting Star poem so is Marquis on archery field. He is annoyed that he can’t find one capable to get the Emperor out of his troubles. He is not a patient man as a chatty servant found himself getting his tongue removed. We also see the Marquis’ son and his father warning him to be careful. There are machinations everywhere and nobody can be trusted.

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Massacre

It starts with showing workers in a mine. Dongxia has been conquered and Great Yong has built Fengshan Altar to declare victory across the land. Under ground the man in charge said they had dug far enough and the men could stop. He was called by a report that something was wrong in the mine. He investigated to find that all the men were knocked out by something. He saw a tunnel leading further and went to investigate. The structure looked like it was upside down and had what appeared to be a jade carving inside. He and another were attacked by the undead. He was reaching for the carving when it cut to a different scene. A young boy is waiting for his father to get home with the royal procession. He found the princess instead and got whipped for his nosiness. He received a sword shaped welt across his back. There was another boy in the procession that was dumped out of carriage in an accident. The boy and two friends hid the boy and beat him trying to get information. When the two older boys left the one seeking his father shared some treats his mother made. The sister discovered the captured boy and told mom. All the boys were then punished. Her son wasn’t happy because all the tunnels he had built to impress his father had to be sealed. There was gossip that all the men in the mine perished when the alter collapsed. The boy denied this because he knew how good a builder his father was. Later that night his father showed up and was trying to get all of family out of the city. He would not explain why and was stopped by guards who started killing people. The leader was accusing the dad of taking something that didn’t belong to him. The mom had son and daughter hide. The boy took his sister to the barn and hid her while he returned to his tunnels getting rid of the seals he had just put in. The soldiers ended up killing them all but the boy. His close friend pretended to be him so the attackers thought they had killed both his children. He watched as his family was slaughtered. His father at the end said they would never find what they were looking for. With his last breath he told his son to live. They staged a robbery and then set everything on fire. The leader finds something in the dad’s pocket and keeps it. The boy had passed out from the smoke but was found by someone who knew to look for him. The mystery man takes the child and exits. A very eventful first episode.

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Restitution

Ming Yue and MingXi are still fighting over their path choices. Usually it’s the older brother with better advice but not this time. He has opted to do the dirty work of JingLi and Su Zuidie. Even his brother can see how foolish it was and that he would be one of the first silenced not rewarded. For now they will have to agree to disagree, but MingXi has made it very clear he will kill Su Zhuidie at first opportunity. Shows how much JingLi really cares for Ye Li or he would have already killed her.😝😡 YuSheng and Feibai are still fighting. He actually carried her off during a performance. 🤣😂She does make it clear she will not marry a poor man and not to even ask her if he can’t keep her in the style she is accustomed to. The Marquis is a bit surprised to see his other son. Qin told him exactly how he contributed to provide evidence for the charges against him. He then asked his father if he was so valued after all the things he had done for him, why try to kill him. Had it been the ‘only’ son, would he have expected him to do the dirty work and silenced as well. The lack of response spoke volumes. The ‘only’ son just might become a decent person. He has left food and money to bribe the guards chaperoning Ain so they won’t give him a hard time about the money and food they give Qin. A carriage follows them and it;s Lin TingLan. She gives him a blanket and two melons so he will know she was there to give him hope. She will leave it to chance to find each other in Qianchuan. When her guard asked why not accompany him there she had a good response. He broke the law and deserved the punishment. But she is hoping to meet him there when he’s starting his life over. Ning shows up and she’s snotty as ever. Considering she wants a favor you’d think she wouldn’t be so rude and abrasive. This time she wants to consider adopting a child to carry in JingLi’s bloodline. Here Ye Li gave her very sage advice. To not throw her life away getting boxed in and causing a child to be the target of JingLi’s crimes. When Ning pouted at her for talking to much Ye Li was the smiling big sis to say but I’m right aren’t I? 😂 Feng the spy has left the capital to clear his head and grieve privately. I still keep hoping she’s hiding somewhere to find him. Ye Li has taken Xiu Yao to hear a storyteller’s tale where she keeps questioning him about the pair of unlikely lovers. He doesn’t know yet how similar the story is to his situation yet. When he was on the way to the prison, I wish she would have told him about her mom after all that running instead of promising to go hear the end of the story next day. The Marquis has promised his case will be closed after an audience with Prince Ding. And now dreading tomorrow’s episode as much as wanting to know how they will resolve things. And I do not want to hear about the death of Su Zhuidie. I want to see it and know she is really dead. The actress did an outstanding job because I hate her on sight.😝

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Pawns being played

This scene is different from last episode ending. There is more discussion about who wrote the book and love for hyacinths. This time instead of wanting it shut, she demands it gets burned. Ye Li asks Consort Qin directly to give her the edict if it wasn’t destroyed. There is a flashback of her demanding it from Ye Li’s father and promising to handle the Marquis if any issue. It then goes to a scene where the edict is burned and she walks away from Ye li. She plays through all the events from being saved from the Empresss, the dragon drawing, her ‘sister’ now Empress dowager and how she was played by both. She is downing flasks of wine when the Marquis’ son shows up and she lets him know she is aware Qin is dead. He chooses to drink with her rather than leave and she tells him she can’t assist any more. We get a breakdown of how her father used her marriage to get her trapped in the palace. There was no care from him as long as her position was secure. She has been the pawn for them all since she arrived and just now recognizes it thanks to Ye Li. When asked why, Ye Li tells her of what happened and how many innocents died because of their political games. She wanted the consort to feel the weight of them and own them. The Cangbai princess is invited to Feng’s place by the Dings. It seems our fave Ms Su will also attend.😝The Marquis’ son was kidnapped by guards to be taken home to his mother when stopped by palace guards saying Empress dowager has demanded his presence. That catches everybody’s attention. The Marquis’ man is not letting himself get caught easily and the Prince’s wrist was injured. He is getting a family remedy to help it heal faster and has a chat with the military rep that gave him a hard time. It is hard as a soldier when the side you’ve been fighting makes peace and the ones you were ordered to kill now you have to break bread with. He has no specific vent for his anger because for more to live in peace is the best option. He is very surprised that the prince is familiar with his angry notes tossed at his house. What is good is that he recognizes the prince is a good man and they both endured and survived harsh military collateral damage with their families. They have finally caught the guilty confididente and the scene moves to the place where Princess and Ye Li are to meet. She is stopped by a servant of Consort Qin who has books delivered. And…in a secret compartment the edict everyone has been searching for. It is still very legible and show signs of burning. Her assassin get permission to be a guard for her, and the princess notices her favorite flower that is Feng’s treasure. They are both walking into Ms Su’s trap and Ye Li’s guard is going to be in a very tough place when he learns his brother is part of the conspiracy. I am really not wanting to see where this goes for the princess. I really want this to go like Qin and she’s not really dead. I hate that Su Zui die has caused this mess and coming off as the witness instead of perpetrator.🤬 It is damn annoying. Her assassin is at least there to guard her and he is already aware that something is off with the witness. In court they are deciding Ye Li’s fate and preparing for war. It is hard to tell if the Marquis is also in on this conspiracy or if this is the Princess’ brother and Cangbai rebels not wanting peace with Daichu. The steward is pleading for justice to be demanded with the case and begs the Duke to save her life. The Duke knows there is foul play, but with the prior grudge of the cavalry and Cangbai, tempers will be high and there is no way to predict the outcome. Ye Li wakes up and hears from assassin that he knows the evil woman did it.Hurry and get back Xiu Yao. The assassin is in hot water now with Ye Li because his pavilion’s associated with JingLi. Someone is determined to make the case that Ye Li was the killer and Prince Ding leading a rebellion. Is this JingLi’s master plan? Now Cangbai is getting helped both sides of the border and I want this resolved now. 🤬They better kill off the Su Witch from Dachu because I want her head on a platter. 🤬

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Calm before storm

The Marquis is telling his son to leave til things quiet down. He even starts the same way he did for Qin how he had everything planned for him. His son challenges him with the question if he would be killed if ever in the way. He has every right to challenge his father. Maybe now he will grow up to be less of a wretch. 😝 The Marquis orders him to go home but 50/50 son will comply. When she gets back from the shop Xiu Yao admits he looked at the letter box and peeked inside. She surprises him by bringing the box over and letting him see all but the bottom two letters. They were all music compositions she thought he would enjoy being away from the school. Ye Li and Xiu Yao are very cute being playful. This was exactly what Su Zuidi needed to see. They ‘accidentally’ run into Ms Wen and guest. The timing seems rather planned by the guest.😝 she was sure they would be more like strangers and got confirmation that Ms Wen’s opinion was more accurate. Her slow sad talk to Ms Wen was so fake and annoying.😡 Her bringing up Xiu Yao’s mother and special preparations for dessert were a bit much. I like that Xiu Yao offered his wife first bite. There was no way she would eat it, but the attention was given to the right woman at the table and the other two noted it. 😝Usually calls from work are aggravating, but the Prince was more than happy to be called away to report to the office.😂 Ye Li shrewdly let her unwanted guest know where her family members were located so she would no longer be lonely. Or, if serving the princess she should do that well. She knows the gig is up with the wife and leaves. Her carriage is blocked so she chooses to walk back. She runs into the same drunkard that knocked her down earlier and repays that slight with a dagger in the belly. Ye Li gives Fei Bai some first aid and asks if he’s found master Zhu. He tells her he’s returned to the academy and she seems happy and satisfied at that response. I hope soon we get to see what he saw at Lishan school and his opinion of events. Ye Li has her next plan in the works. She checks on the time and date of a solar eclipse and wants her uncle to get the consort out of the palace. She has it timed so she is available to assist the consort from her carriage. Feng the spy meets with his penpal and he uses that double sided coin with her. Too bad he is completely unaware he has won her over in spite of himself. 🤣 She continues her male disguise and he is unhappy she hasn’t fessed up to being a girl. Xiu Yao is called to check up on him and listens to his lament for a reasonable time. When he is chided about not giving advice, Xiu Yao responds that if he liked her to let her know early as he walked out the door. 🤣 When he gets home he finds Ye Li asleep and carries her to bed and the episode ends. Dragons, rain and edict news coming up. I hope the enemy Ye Li is referring to is not her spouse as this preview implies. 🧐😬

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Challenge accepted

The opening scene with Prince Ding surrounded by assassins was choreographed masterfully. They used his chair as offense and defense and when it broke he was free of his yoke of weakness. Well done!👏🏻 The General became even more arrogant after beating another opponent and mocking Dachu in general. He went to the princess to get permission to offer a prize of 200 horses. He then wanted another challenge to gain Prince Ding’s spear. Ye Li clearly stated why he was not worthy of it. She described in detail the duplicitous and opportunistic behavior of his country. She agreed he was brave but that he proved repeatedly he lacked loyalty to merit the spear he demanded. He boldly headed towards her to kill her and Xiu Yao flew up the stairs to intercede. 💪🏻👏🏻 He soundly defeated the general several times to prove that no matter how often he tried, he would be vanquished. I loved the look from the Marquis as he watched. The men all cheered because everybody was more than fed up with his boasts and embarrassed his fighting skills were better. This included the Emperor. The Empress Dowager was glad he was defeated but she was not smiling at Prince Ding being healed. The visiting princess told them where they would find the promised horses. The Prince went on to tell them of the plot to kill the weapon designer to prevent production of a new crossbow. All the eunuchs that had teamed together against the Prince were found dead in the place they held the Prince or their own quarters. The Marquis was especially nervous about the capture of the colluder, but just like he was given preference with JingLi’s case, Xiu Yao was given preference for this weapons case. The Princess claimed no knowledge of the plot and mentioned her friend in the city. This was a blow to whatever scheme the Marquis had planned. It was very satisfying to watch him be the one off balance and admonished to step aside. The Duke was all praise for Xiu Yao and remembered Ye Li’s grandfather. Here I think those at the school only live in her mind and heart but now is not the time to address it. I loved the banter between the couple as she tells him about the treatment he will receive when he comes home from work. His return challenge to accept any treatment from her quite willingly. 🥰The Empress dowager is still deciding whether or no to take the Princess’ claim as truth or not. The Cangbai Princess and General have figured out the truth of the weapons deal and why YuanFang was killed. The general was warned to stop acting stupid. I was surprised that he spoke intelligently and calmly to the princess so he isn’t just an arrogant ass. 😝Su Zuidi was caught listening and told to kneel 4 hours. Xiu Yao recognized her and told her the princess spared her and she could get up. While she is out walking she collapsed in the street to be discovered by Ms Wen. She is taken in to have a doc check her condition. I liked that Xiu Yao addressed it immediately and thoroughly. The Wens and Su’s had been friends for decades and when the eastern palace was purged Su’s family was among them. He told when and why they were betrothed as young and why Ms Wen felt obliged to take her in. Ye Li understands but isn’t happy. She picks out the sugar she doesn’t like and wants Xiu Yao to deliver it their guest. The scene moves to Fei Bai who is risking his life to find out what really happened in Lishan. He makes it up the cliff and we get a glimpse of the school for it to jump to Ning going through JingLi’s possessions. She finds a box of letters that are given to Ye Li. Next preview has a lot of unsettling events. They are really finding ways to keep our couple from happy married life. The story never dies down but becomes more intricate each episode. There is never a clear picture of where loyalties lie and things change with new perceptions. This episode stands out for excellence. 👏🏻👏🏻 Waiting to see how the mysteries of Lishan unfold and what secrets the palace still hides.

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Finding remnants of east palace

Ther jury is still out as to whether or not JingLi’s dead. Charred bodies do not necessarily reveal the truth. Empress Dowager has given the Marquis lead on taking care of interrogation and any correspondence or document related to east palace. With her sifting through all paperwork, she is most likely still trying to find decree. Ye Li asks the steward for interesting books and diagrams. While Xiu Yao is locked in at work, she is studying all the underground waterways linked from palace to port. Once again she crosses path with her ‘assassin’ acquaintance. The Marquis took Xiu Yao’s military commander for interrogation because he had a 4th uncle that originally went there. 😝 They both know he is innocent but he dares the Prince to counter Empress Dowager’s command. The Prince asks another official to stay behind. He knows this is the one that gave the commander to the Marquis. The look on his face when Xiu Yao kicked him center mass and sent him flying across the floor. He now realizes he feared the wrong leader and is warned that if Xiu Yao’s man dies, he does as well. I am not sorry this worm was sent off to prison. 😝There is a scene where Marquis’ son is sharing a coconut when Qin walks by and sees them. Later the Marquis invites Qin to move in and shares the other coconut with him. Miscreant son sees them enjoying it and he is jealous. These two should really not be in the same living quarters. They are too close in proximity as it is. Ning is depressed and suicidal. She really wants to join JingLi in death. The Marquis flexed his muscle and Ye Li flexed her strategic wisdom to get him to stand down. Ning repeated what JingLi had said to her and wanted to know if the smart sister could figure it out and if he was alive. She asked Ning if her prince was thinking of her when he set the fire. Her candor in not hating her because she is too selfish and dimwitted to be taken seriously. I agree that even a twit like her does not deserve to be stuck with JingLi. Still following her, she tells the assassin to help her out and be useful. 🤣 He gets her into the Li house and she heads for JingLi’s room. Adding water to the fountain opened a door to underneath the palace where she followed it right to the exit she figured he took. I am glad the assassin was with her because they find them surrounded by assassins/guards well equipped and intent on killing them. The fight is still in progress when the episode ends. I am hoping we get to see her sword skills next episode.

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Ring of fire

This episode Xiu Yao is determined to give Ye Li his undivided attention. His spy friend is lamenting that all the things he shares with the prince, with one exception, is handed over to the wife. Ye Li is fun because she doesn’t choose to reciprocate with shop giving. Her shop is her shop.🤣 She is trying to figure out why he is there and reluctant to follow him to work. Xiu Yao is surprised with her reading choices. He is becoming more attuned to little details. Making a shade for her while she sleeps.🥰 At first I wondered why he stood up at work, but who is gonna show up at the office after hours? 😝 Finally making progress and suggesting consummation of marriage. Her response why?🤣😂 When he was disabled she liked teasing him about intimacy, now that he has control of his movements she is less assured. 🤣 Here I actually think she doesn’t want to break up her evening ritual of girl talk with QingShuang before sleep. It has been her staple since coming down the mountain. She does not want to relinquish hold of her maid yet. Her prince is being very gentle and reminding her they both have lost parents and should rely on each other for comfort. He is taking baby steps to win her heart and trust but he is also not giving an inch back. He is determined to keep them moving forward .🥰 Things are heating up catching the runaways. One is in custody and one killed himself rather than disclose information. All roads seem to lead to east palace. The Marquis is aware who killed Yuan Fang and why. He is making his way along with Xiu Yao to JungLi’s quarters. Ning is doing her best to stick with her husband no matter what, but when she asked about that night rather loudly with too many ears he sends her out to return to the Ye house. She is still refusing to leave when fire breaks out in JingLi’s room. There are bodies found after the fire and one seems to be the prince. I am still waiting because that seemed too easy to end things. There are plenty of guys they could have fill in for him in the capital. Now everyone is headed for east palace to find remaining rebels. The Marquis is on his pedestal about executing judgment and I wonder if that will extend to his miscreant son?😝While he is spouting his intentions Xiu Yao reminds him of the orders he had from Empress Dowager in handling the case. The Marquis still intends to head out, but to assist or supress is always the question where he is concerned. Ye Li is not convinced Jingli is dead. The physician there gives probable indicators, but on a severely burned body, I’m with her, that requires a big grain of salt to be 100% convinced. Waiting for next episode to see who is dead and who isn’t after the fire dies out. The excitement continues as the plots come to light. If she becomes convinced JingLi is dead, how much grudge will be removed from Ye Li’s heart? and what changes to Ye household if Ying returns?

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Not just a pretty face

Loved the dynamics of this episode. When on the receiving side of the ‘apology’ check, Chairman Kang had better perspective of Hwang’s view. Watching his children dole out compensation in same manner made him see how patronizing and insulting it really is for recipient. The daughter was a surprise. Living away from the family was the best thing for her. She is her father’s daughter and tough as nails. She appears a people pleaser to gather intel because she wants the Kangs to pay for demoralizing her mother. Ironically, of the three children, she is the one that truly gives a damn about her father in spite of his ways. She is his mini me as their interactions are volatile and eye opening. It makes them continually re evaluate their bias to figure each other out. When he challenged her about liking his pretty face 😂🤣 I think viewers worried about romance can see this is father scrutinizing daughter. He doesn’t believe her capable and she thinks he is a compensation freeloader, but their skills complement nicely. He still has all the secrets of the chairman and she is learning from the underlings how things flow through the company. It was an emotional upheaval for him watching his own children try to kill him. He is right that is something he should not have known. But, now that he does, he is getting them back with no bloodline guarantee for the top chair and has hit the son’s slush fund companies. He needs to visit the gma for Hwang because they were so close. I was glad he took the time to see Hwang’s accomplishments and recognize that he needed to properly compensate him for the harm his family caused. I hope this is top medical care for his gma which is the only reason Hwang cared so much about soccer. It is her truest and now only memory of him. The story has a good pace and is interesting watching the family vs company dynamics. It will be fun watching him work with his daughter, tho for now she wants the company to fail too. I don’t know who the person is behind her, but I think the chairman knows him, and it seems there is a long standing grudge between them. Finding this very interesting and nice continuation of introducing characters and story.

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Misunderstandings and repercussions

JinZhao has saved the day for Ms Fu with the winter coats. The nephew caused the grief and there was no way to cover for him. Wang and wife are being found out for their corrupt ways and both are throwing tantrums. XuanQing becomes more and more like YanWen. They are making wedding plans and JinZhao makes sure YanYun is with her. Unfortunately the little sneak nephew found a way to be alone with her and stir trouble. She did make it clear that for her everything was past and forgotten and that set him off more. YanYun forbid him to be at the house without his permission and booted him back to the academy. This definitely would have made things easier for JinZhaou had he not opted to hide in his duties to keep distant. He had things to do but he did not take into consideration the lengths JinZhao would go to to see him. He had no clue about her temple visit until after the fact and she did not know the palace called him there rather than him avoiding her. Her health is now weakened and Lian’s outburst caused a scene for everybody. Fortunately Lian and baby are fine but JinZhao is ready to collapse. XuanQing doesn’t run to get help but tries to carry her off. It is not as it appears but it does come to a head with him loudly broadcasting she loved him first and YanYun was the reason they weren’t together a long time ago….just as the episode ends. YanYun knows the role he played because of his misdirect with JinZhao’s rescue. And that was further complicated with him directing XuanQing into marriage not knowing of the mutual crush. However, JinZhao recognized his true character that day and left it all with her kite. Any man that could not speak up for her, did not merit the effort. She knew that 3 years ago and she is very aware of it now. I just wish he would have let XuanQing get that tutoring post and be sent off to everywhere but home. 😝 The Gu uncle is finally being taken to task for his prior crimes and Wang did not think Chen would go along with it. He gave them his blessings to take Gu to jail. Everything has come to a head because Chen’s mom is in the mix backing XuanQing. I hope they don’t drag this out too long because XuanQing is not worth this much attention. He is cowardly, petty and tunnel visioned. What happened to the young man who championed protecting the dignity and reputations of young women? Seems that guy is long gone. 😝🙄😡🤬

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XuanQing’s a royal ass, Ms Wang is a loan shark and Ms Fu has a winter coat disaster

XuanQing dares to tell that lovely fiancée of his that his heart was given prior to his proposal. JinZhao is lighting into him and stomping off with WanXue when she agrees. This sweet girl has loved him forever and she will not back away from the marriage even knowing this. She sees him as her savior from her stepmother and the true love of her life. That he has such a sweet prospect of happiness and chooses to covet his sister in law is 🤬😡🤬YanYun overhears and is waiting for her to confess to him because he thinks there are no secrets between them. This wasn’t even an issue she thought about because she tossed him out with her kite years ago. She had no idea he harbored any feelings for her because he never had the courage or wherewithal to tell her. His cowardice then and his underhanded means now are reprehensible. He dares to look at JinZhao while trying to write off his fiancée. The only look I appreciated on him was being startled at her acceptance of the situation giving him no room to back out. So..the marriage is still on tho he will find every way to continue to delay things. Here’s another would be suitor with a temper tantrum. The broken ink stone is a very good image of where he truly stands with JinZhao. He is despicable because even tho Ye Xian tried a plea prior to her marriage, even he understood that she pledged her love to another and it should be respected. JinZhao does immediate damage control. She has her guard and servants on alert that he is not allowed in her courtyard and she has already managed to get out of morning and evening greetings. YanYun knew something was up and snuck her out after curfew for a romantic evening. She is so carefree and open in her love for him that he chooses to let her keep whatever secret it is and that she has handled it. The final thrust in XuanQing’s face is that she asked to be his wedding planner. She is a master of scheduling and now has it so they will never meet when he’s at home. She will make sure WanXue has the wedding of her dreams in spite of him. Ms Wang and maid have managed to cause gossip and delay the opening of the new store. They are quite pleased with themselves because whenever the store does open the noble ladies won’t frequent the store because of rumors of lurking men. Mother Chen is lamenting scandal like always. I would take her more seriously if she was not tabloid gossip queen.😝🙄She is in the process of forcing JinZhao to relinquish all her businesses when Chen interrupts that she will do no such thing. He tells JinZhao to build them bigger and his mother that he will be less honorable letting them have their way than meeting their rumors head on. Wang cannot say he wasn’t aware because he encouraged them to keep plotting against Chen. Here is where I am annoyed with Chen for the first time tho this was a necessary action. He comments to Fu how his wife’s shop was unable to open because somebody upper tier was targeting her. He got his point across but for me this comes across as boys tattling to the principal to get another in trouble for being sneaky. This seemed so far beneath him as a way to deal with this, but most likely a necessary evil so the all powerful Fu will feel in charge.😝🙄What comes to light is that Ms Wang is the neighborhood loan shark. JinZhao had them meet and brought a stack of cash and IOU’s to be paid. Ms Wang cannot admit she’s the lender so JinZhao takes the funds and IOU’s with her. She mentions the punishment for illegal loans and tells Ms Wang and maid to have the lender come to her directly for the cash. She will then march them straight to the magistrate for prosecution,😂🤣In another turn of events Lan is going to receive an official proposal from Mu. When asked why change of heart, Lan said he appeared better upon further inspection. He may not have the looks but that man is the kindest and most thoughtful man she has ever met. I smile at this match just because. 🥰 She knows her family all to well so she asks JinZhao if betrothal gifts could be delivered to the Chen residence instead. Whether a plot or just poor quality control the winter coats for the soldiers were packed with bad cotton and now half of the inventory is unusable. If JinZhao steps in and corrects this, Ms Fu will be indebted to her. Chen’s servant is having a difficult time getting a word in today.😂🤣 And while he stressed about not getting his last message delivered he heard Yao give JinZhao the news. 😂He is asking if she is happy and the look on her face matches the yes. He is pleased with the news. Since he is the one in the know about her crush on XuanQing, I am hoping he does the big bro/cousin routine and straightens XuanQing out. He was there and knows that his good ‘friend’ made no confession to JinZhao. So now that she will have a witness maybe this can get cleared up so WanXue can have a real marriage.

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Brothers’ feud and noble mean girls tea party

XuanQing gives such mixed signals. He is first on the scene since he had YanWen followed. He follows the plotters and sees where they are holding JinZhou and her guard. He even goes as far as purchasing her to get her away from them. YanYun has also arrived on the scene. He has ordered the gates closed so they are all sealed in. When he kicks in that door, it was kinda awesome.💪🏻👏🏻 They make short work of them and rescue the ladies. XuanQing and his guard have tracked down the seller. XuanQing ended up killing her. Considering the offense I don’t think he would have even been charged. He is forgetting about the jade pendent he left behind that will bite him in the ass later. He sees his brother come to JinZhao’s defense and knows that his brother loves her. What is nauseating in his conviction is that he equally believes JinZhao took advantage of his brother for his wealth and position. 🙄🤬 I am sure that it makes JinZhao sick to her stomach that she wasted any of her time liking him. I am not getting his stunt with the earrings, but he is such a weakling that the girls can handle him at his worst. If he realized what the two guys that will die for her would do to him…he would flee for school now. He not only thinks the absolute worst of her, he has the ego to think she was supposed to be pining for him these last three years. 🙄😡It is laughable if he wasn’t so serious about it. His guard is aware how stupid he’s being but you can’t fix stupid.😝So like Lian’s servant he is forced by his charge to follow orders regardless of consequences. YanYun knows the brother behind it and why. The hatred this brother has is so rabid. This one just needs to be put down so he causes no further grief. Chen sends him off to Shanxi under the pretense of business so brother number two can take care of him. He is not so vengeful as to make his family pay the price and has them stay at home. All the kidnappers that thought the worst was over getting sent to prison had no clue what awaited them. They are now under YeXian’s domain and their hell has just started. He scoffs that Chen didn’t kill them all. This role suits him so well. He is eerie and vengeful juxtaposed with a gentleness and kitten. QingLan loves his duality and I really want to see his heart let another in. The couple finally arrive back at the Chen house where they have been gossiping, I see where her boys get their ruthlessness from when mom says any servant spreading rumors were to be beaten to death no trial necessary. JinZhao made me laugh out loud when she kicked that handsome man out of her bed because he let her get kidnapped.🤣😂🥰🫣He is beautifully groveling. She discusses how to make amends with his mother and convinces him to let her go to the tea party to deal with the Wangs. I really think YanYun was adopted. His mother….she annoys the hell outa me with her tabloid way of speaking. She is ridiculously snide and flips on a dime when the truth intervenes. The two mean girls were trying to embarrass her but the invitation arrived for the tea party. Had they known why Ms Wang invited her, their smugness would have remained intact. JinZhao arrives with gifts after a flat non welcome when she arrived. She is ridiculed for bringing them and counseled on why it was completely inappropriate. She shrewdly responds she should have asked Ms Wang the correct protocol when she received the invite. This pushes the onus off on her when the leader of the group agreed with JinZhao. The ladies are chatting and tossing out opinions of who should have what position. It is also clear this is how younger relatives get into new positions. They have not cornered JinZhao yet but I am sure there will be something next episode. They are too spiteful to leave her be. The episode ends with a crooked politician being arrested. He is all lippy until he recognizes the arresting officer. They are going to be realizing there is a new sheriff in town and he will not be bribed or let them off easy. Wang has issues because his wife was the one with the bright idea about the student protesters. They are now at school demanding the emperor and officials have their land properly taxed. 😂😝He is such a henpecked thug that I can smile here. He is learning that his kind is a dying breed. Literally. I cannot wait til he and Fu get theirs. Lots of excitement and cute newlywed playfulness this episode. These two…🔥🫣

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Title lost new job given

XuanQing is redirected to his room and the couple have a pleasant wedding night.🥰❤️ The next morning Chen tells JinZhao the Marquis died and that was the funeral party they met in the road. They go to the Ye home to show their respects and YeXian is hanging onto white kitty for all he is worth. QingLan gives a cold reception and incense is offered after a cool rebuff from Ye Xian. Chen stays and the gals go outside. QingLan doesn’t believe JinZhao’s words but she is puzzled because there is no doubt of the sincerity of them. Chen gives the expected imperial decree of the title lost because Ye Xian did not have the health to fulfill the duties. He is visibly shaken and the actor does a phenomenal job displaying the spectrum of emotions needed for this scene. He is surprised when Chen gives an oral decree from the young emperor putting him in charge of a 500 man guard as the personal guard for the emperor. Here Ye Xian is stunned as this job is perfect for him and Chen warns he better excel. The couple joins the Chen family pouring tea and exchanging gifts. Things go well until XuanQing announces they were already acquainted requiring explanation and then pouring tea on her hand. I would like to think nerves got the better of him, but there is no denying the lack of remorse and that Chen gave him his gift rather than JinZhao. The ladies and gentlemen split company and right when the gossip gets started JinZhao joins the group. When the mother starts complaining, she is gently pressed back with explanation of events that had taken place. JinZhao is warned that his mother is a snob and with her penchant for gossip over fact, it’s disappointing that she doesn’t address her new daughter in law directly with questions rather than rumors. Chen is an angel and rescues her from them. The men are talking nicely until YanWen implied the Gu’s threw her at him. Chen wants specific answers as to who was telling the lies. Here even XuanJing said that was not the case and answered quite truthfully. But to see the same look on brothers 4 and 5, that was a bit scary. 😬The Gu family is waiting to see the new couple but they get news instead they are on their way to Tongzhou and will visit when they return. JinZhao was going with better to ask forgiveness than permission. Lian again looks like a fish gasping for air in her petulant receipt of Lan’s response. Lan is acting more like the girl in first episodes but I hate they added a wedge between them that leaves Lan all alone. Daddy Gu has left and not even Lan sees him off. I would feel a touch sorry but I still see him tossing a young JinZhao out the gate, not telling his wife, and letting that demon spawn nanny Zhou choke her. So nope, he’s on his lonesome and good riddance. Outa sight outa mind.😝It goes to a prison scene where the old commander Zhang is being tortured. He has come clean with all the corrupt doings between him and Wang but Ye Xian does one brand over his heart…just because. He is then sentenced to death for his crimes. Fu and Wang the two weasels are thinking business as usual while Chen is off doing newlywed things. They both get the news their penal buddy Zhang committed suicide in prison in remorse for his crimes. Considering what they had planned for the Marquis and the Gu boys, things are being righted. XuanQing thinks YanWen needs watched and I won’t argue with that, but it seems he himself needs some monitoring as well. His hostility at feeling snubbed is undeniable. JinZhao was more mature about her snubbing three years prior😝 The couple are en route to TongZhou when they are stopped by student protesters set up by the Wang household. While Chen is tied up with them, he returns to find his guards dead or unconscious and JinZhao and her guard missing. Very glad there is another episode today.

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Intervention and regrets

Fu’s smirk when he thinks he has his way is annoying,🤬 Wang is almost glued to him and he is every bit as irksome. Chen devised a plan to poison YeXian and bring on a heart attack. This had the Marquis let his guard down and he also had a physical break coughing up blood. Chen made plans with young emperor prior and his choking of Ye Xian in prison cohesively combined events so that Marquis and son could be taken home, Fu could appear magnanimous in letting them live and Wang couldn’t raise suspicion about Chen’s loyalty. This still let Fu bring evil to the Marquis’ home but it did curb it to allow them their reputation. JinZhao passes the pill to Ye aunt so that Ye Xian can heal. She begs him to stop pining for JinZhao and ultimately succeeds. The actor of Ye Xian so poignantly expresses his heart ache and pain. It will be hard for him to remain her friend, but I am hoping he succeeds. In spite of his stupidity with weapons, he would die for her in a heartbeat. QingLan tries to give meds to YeXian but he wants nothing to do with her. I hope this situation changes because she is a good match for him. Her frenemy stance with JinZhao will not go over well and her blabbering her engagement was a huge misstep, but I am hoping over time this will heal. Chen matriarch is not happy with this wedding. I wish she would meet JinZhao and judge with her eyes rather than gossip in ears. This seems a bit beneath her but I guess this is because her status goes through channels rather than directly. The Gu’s house looks like a marketplace with all the dowry gifts. Auntie was wise to keep Lian away but I am sure this let her notice Lan getting recognized by guests. Her quilt was really beautiful. XuanQing is back and making every excuse to put off his own wedding. With what he remembers from his past with JinZhao, I can see why he made the assumptions he did, but not going through his brother for the answers was wrong. I was surprised and pleased that she didn’t even bother looking at his correspondence and sent the servant back with a message to live well and move on as she already had. Her guard had the right of it as she chatted with JinZhao. The kite day was his chance to step up and he was too cowardly. He didn’t talk to her in person then so he doesn’t need to clear it up in person now. Good for JinZhao. Chen has thread the needle with Fu and his henchman Wang and won. The conflict up north still needs to be settled so that expedited things with the Marquis. The politician who pretends to care about the people had to make sure peace talks completed so he can continue the farce unchallenged. He’s really a good villain because I detest him on sight now. This cast does an excellent job of captivating the viewers with their character portrayals and interactions.👏🏻

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Proposals and political shenanigans

The servant is brought in and Lian is pointed out for initiating gossip. While punishments get passed out gma thinks she will force a marriage with Wang to restore reputation. When JinZhao is about to be locked up for refusing, brother Yao shows up with betrothal gifts. Yao has grown up in the time they have been separated. He makes an impressive groom. This time when they met, there was not the bickering conversation. He is truly worried about her and does not want her reputation shattered. He also has the older brother look when she describes being in love so well. He is forced to admit his love is brotherly, but he is pondering who makes her flush and stay up at night. I am proud of him for making such an impressive marriage price for her and looking out for her amongst these wretched Gu’s. Waiting to see how this all plays out. In Daxin they have kept the chaff with the rice. For a short time this makes it more nutritious, but when storing, it will spoil quicker and hold more arsenic. This is a deliberate plot to harm the general populace. I misunderstood. The rice was swapped with bran for relief stores. This was not handled by the granary manager but by Fu’s henchman himself. He doesn’t even bother to hide it. They are brazenly setting up Chen to take the fall and guarding him so he can’t retaliate. He has called to meet with JinZhao and they know that the conspiracy is a political takedown aiming for Chen and daddy Gu to take the fall for it. A colleague has forged her dad’s seal without his knowledge. Wang Xuanfeng wants to take down Fan and Fu is more than ready to assist and since Chen is showing he’s his own man and not the expected sycophant —two birds with one stone. I can’t wait to see his plotting bring him down.😝😡🤬 Chen is asking JinZhao to delay things as long as possible while they hunt down the colleague. Dead or alive he will prove something fraudulent happened. JinZhao is buying up grain and getting soup kitchens and medicine stalls ready to keep the province from revolting. This will give everybody more time to catch the culprits and take care of the people. She wants to hit the ground running when the bran is discovered. Fan has showed up at Chen’s office and the fireworks begin. Chen takes the winds out of his sails by resigning and an order of impeachment for Fan citing 10 cases of nepotism to charge him with. Chen is very shrewd. He still looks to be Fu’s man while working on setting them both back. Ye Xian just got orders to bring every Gu male back to the garrison. The prior warden has a grudge and this worked out nicely. His fringe benefit was a satisfied grin making YeXian personally take charge of the order. Fortunately JinZhao was already prepared. The order should have been for the two political fools we already know about, but the sons were added because of the grudge. JinZhao gives her brother some money and instructions and Ye Xian said he had the prison side of it handled. I liked that JinZhao told him to be careful as well. The ladies of the Gu house are crashing fast and general JinZhao is taking charge. They are combing through every single document and gathering evidence. She knows she is integral to Chen’s defense. He is trusting her with his very self. ❤️ she is motivated to leave no stone unturned to take care of the men she cares about. It is just a shame it will also spare the two old reprobates that deserve punishment. 😝At the court Chen assumed the blame while glaring at the real culprit. Fu’s man thinks he forced Chen’s hand and Fu initially thought he could smooth things over with Chen. This changes when he hears of Gu’s daughter bringing a case to court. He is putting the pieces together quickly and now it’s a race between him and Chen to see if justice prevails. This was an interesting change of events and I liked that for once the Gu women have put their petty differences aside and are working together in defense of their house. I wish there was one more episode today to see what happens sooner. Excellent storytelling keeping the romance on slow sizzle and political conflicts at good pace. I also have to applaud that the women will be bailing the men out. This makes me smile. Usually I am annoyed that the Gu men are rescued by their ladies, but this time, it’s about real justice and not hiding some greedy stunt they pulled. A bit of time in jail will not be bad for the old ones at all, they have long had it coming. But for them to be indebted to JinZhao, including dear gma ….this is a good thing. They will hopefully mind their manners in future. As for Chen, I am hoping his lady will let him officially propose when this is settled.

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