Kateoz

Wow 26 is a power packed episode, finally married, lots of Uncle Wu Zhu, and plot most definitely thickens.

But can anyone enlighten me on why the princes looked so shocked at the Emperor's gift - I get that emperor's personal calligraphy is a big thing, but surely not that surprising as a wedding gift??

Episode 26 just confirms that she isn't the wife!

But back early on in season 1, FX made a comment about her not being the main wife, hence he and Ruoruo calling her the equivalent of aunt rather than mother. And I thought there was some comment about the oddity of her accepting this given her status (but it maybe I'm confusing the series with the novel!).

Fan Xian is eldest and was passed off as Fan Jian's illegitimate son (ie son of a concubine or some other person) who then died at his birth (though in reality of course he is not a blood relation relation to Fan Jian , Ruoruo or Sizhe; instead son of Emperor and Ye Qing Mei as season 1 makes clear).

Fan Jian actually married Ruoruo's mother, who also died at some point; Fan Sizhe is Ruoruo's half brother, son of Lady Liu.

One of the subtleties of the family situation I've never quite grasped is that Fan Sizhe's mother seems to be a concubine, not wife (presumably to protect FX's status???), so Fan Sizhe's assertion (early in season 1) that he is the legitimate son and Fan Xian wasn't never quite made sense to me (but I probably just don't understand the subtleties of ancient chinese family systems!).

fair points

I'm not sure its a silly gag - she is clearly an alcoholic and that's what they do! But she may well deserve to be as traumatised as she clearly is, if they are following novel backstory!

Lol.

In terms of head counts though, Princess Royal, CP and Second Prince seem way ahead of Emperor.

Emperor, at least as far as we have seen so far, only takes out those who he views as direct threats.

Princess Royal on the other hand in season 1 consigned a bunch of palace ladies to the lake for the crime of seeing her with Chancellor Lin, orchestrated numerous assassination attempts on FX, had her maids commit suicide to protect her, and then topped it off in this season in that totally horrifying scene preparing her wedding 'gifts'.

Second Prince, aside from threats etc to FX, in season 1 slaughtered all of Chancellor Lin's men after that picnic meant to test out whether FX had a martial artist on tap. And CP slaughtered all his own guards plus an entire town.

Of course, as you say, it may just be that Emperor is equally murderous but we just haven't seen it on screen as yet, but so far at least he has been presented as wanting FX to toughen up (you can't afford to be softhearted), but seems to kind of respect his concern for the lives of ordinary people.

But in the novel none of the people Emperor relies on were in town (he and FJ were out fighting, CPP somewhere else), and YQM had allowed or encouraged Wu Zhu to go off and fight the temple, leaving her defenseless - now some of the absences may have been deliberately engineered, but some just taking advantage of circumstances.

And while it is pretty clear Emperor absorbed at least understood some of YCM's philosophy (remember that discussion with Princess and CP in season 1 on maintaining the illusion of royal family's special status), her ideology represented a clear threat to the royal family and the nobles, so not at all surprising that assorted vested interests sought to take her down.

I wouldn't be surprised if in the series they modified the backstory a bit, and made him actually innocent of her death, but unable to punish all of those involved to the extent he would like because of their untouchable status - I always wondered whether Eunuch Hong for example was actually the Dowager's prison guard rather than servant per se for example; and clear that Empress was heavily punished (thus her light phobia, and hasn't seen Emperor in years).

I don't think the Emperor was seriously trying to kill the Chancellor (as Chancellor himself explains to FX) - rather this was about giving Chancellor Lin as chance to take back one of his previous moves in their chess game (as the Chancellor is so fond of doing!) and cough up the list of his network.

No way that all those heavily dropped hints from CPP, troops conveniently ready to intervene etc happened without the Emperor's implicit or explicit orders - and apart from the game with ex-Chancellor Lin, this was meant to be another learning experience for Fan Xian as well (apart from solving the puzzle of the black knights movements, a lesson on their role, plus they've all been trying to tell him to learn to be more ruthless, and not to trust the Emperor completely), which he passed, hence the summons (which everyone was terrified about) was actually about rewarding him with his marriage at last...

Oh please, drop the name calling. Just because we have different views about the merits (or lack thereof) of the book, isn't cause to justify nastiness. And finding people's comments on this site is quite hard, I missed yours, get over it!

I'm not going to hunt through to find the relevant chapters, but my recollection is that in the novel he misjudges how long it will take to check everyone before entering the examination hall, so ends up having to let them in without checking properly, finds one of his proteges (or was it someone else) had cheated and put stuff on his clothes, but lets them continue anyway. Pretty sure there was more, but I was skimming and it was a little while back I read!

I thought the series version of the examination, where FX picked the brain of the former minister (not in the novel at all as far as I can recall) was brilliantly done, and the whole recreation reflected a lot of the historical evidence (rather than the novel).

I think this is a bit harsh. When it comes to out and out psychopaths/sociopaths, Princess Royal clearly fits the bill. When it comes to narcissists, CP and Second Prince are doing a good job of competing for top billing.

But I don't really see it in the screen presentation of the Emperor so much. He is certainly absolutely determined to maintain his position, control everything, and thus realise his assorted ambitions for Qing.

It is not paranoia though when they really are out to get you - historically Crown Princes (and others competing for the throne) really were a major threat, so cutting off anyone who panders unduly to them (like that magistrate in s1) actually does make sense (even if killing them off altogether seems on the face of it unnecessary).

And I'm not sure I really see the narcissism - very evident in Crown Prince in particular, but Emperor has at times genuinely seemed to worry about FX (the most obvious was in season 1 after he removed the black knights he retreated to Taiping Villa and sat in a depressed funk, refusing to work?). There is another nice conversation in ep 25 which I think helps show he actually really does have some fatherly feeling for both first prince and FX - just prioritises his own safety and his plans for the empire above everyone else, and utterly ruthless in achieving those ambitions, and CP and Second P are basically victims of that.

Series may not necessarily follow the book on this. But even assuming it does, one can regret one's actions afterwards....

Pretty sure this is exactly the same as in the novel - the letter from the north came out of the blue with no previous meeting between Ruruo and Ku He

It wasn't Uncle Wu who kidnapped her...

Agreed - but I need it to end so I can think about something else - its so utterly engrossing I can't help but rewatch and rewatch...

Good to have your perspective but I beg to disagree! I'm not all invested in the novel - I read it only because I wanted to know what happened next after season 1, and found it mostly very hardgoing because the novel's version of FX (and many of the other characters) is not particularly likeable, and his behaviour in many cases was pretty off!

Moreover I actually find the character development of FX this season pretty believable - even if you have already lived to adulthood, if you are born again, got to expect some personality changes and learning afresh. More importantly, in most of season 1, he wasn't really sure whether the world in was some virtual reality or timetravel or a dream, it was only once he read his mother's letter and talked to Xiao En that he really understood to some degree where he was, and started making active choices about his destiny. None of that development really happened in the novel, and the series is better for it in my view.

Moreover, in North Qi he was able to be the chessmaster, but now finds himself back home with assorted adults trying to solve everything for him or manipulate and use him as pawn, so despite his much greater self-assurance, the tensions in the season largely flow from that. I think as things go along we'll see mor of him playing the game with Emperor directly (as Chancellor suggested), but not quite at that point.

And personally I prefer a bit of realism about Fan Xian's abilities to the genius manipulator (aka Mary Sue), and its more consistent with season 1, where FX seemed largely oblivious for most of the season of the improbability of an illegitimate son being escorted to the capital by Imperial Guards, driven to the temple by the Emperor's personal eunuch (never seemed to realise he'd been manipulated into meeting Wan'er) rescued by the Emperor at regular intervals, lunching with the Emperor and two main princes, and so forth.

And not just the dialogues - you really have to watch their faces for the micro-expression reactions that clue you into what they really think. Brilliant stuff

Eunuch Hou recruited He Zong Wei (who in s1 was sucking up to CP via Guo Bai Kun), and conversation in ep 21 seems to suggest that CPP is in on this, as they discuss appropriate timing for things to unfold, and this is duly followed (though neither Emperor or CPP despite false jollity appear very happy with each other - and I'm guessing that the motif of spy chiefs who can't seem to land a target in pitchpot is a bit of foreshadowing).

Given that Mr Yuan is involved in bringing the plaintiff to town then heads off for Princess Royal, either it is her plot and she is still being manipulated by Emperor, or there is another layer of complexity in all this!

I think the key scene to rewatch is actually CPP's explanation to events to Fan Xian.

Not sure whether it necessarily signals more serious, so much as that need to dissemble reduced??? It was always a bit of a give away that it was part of his act that in season 1 at Taiping Villa when he was relaxing and with CPP and FJ he was always dressed nicely and hair neat, whereas in his office interacting with ministers (esp Chancellor Lin???) etc slopes around in equivalent of nightclothes and blankie looking disheveled...