QAS

Thanks. I was perplexed at their impersonal relationship in the beginning.

Is that true? OMG!

I figured out that Emperor would be gone soon, when he was coughing two episodes ago. His mistake was not telling his best friend that he would be dead in a day.

That demotion in front of the ministers was too funny. From deputy minister to Sick Nurse! Does he have to empty her potty? The mighty has fallen! I wonder how much was the pay cut.

If she marries CP now Emperor, she will become Consort or Empress. From prostitute to brothel and gambling house owner, to Palace VIP. She will have risen far.

He looks 13, and she looks 30. LOL

That was one of the saddest scenes in the drama. Sworn brothers for life, now master and serf (...Zhou said something like that).

Fan Yu is no fool. He wants the title of Emperor and all the perks of the job; adulation, absurd wealth, power and omnipotence. "All hail Fan Yu, 24/7!" XD

If FY becomes emperor, he might promote LZS to Prime Minister. LOL

I can't wait to see him find out they are not brothers. They might be cousins.

Fan Yu should have been sent to the border to learn how to command the army. (Bad idea, because he would have led his army to overthrow the palace. LOL)

I am looking forward to that. If anything, Fan Yi will have his glory for two to four episodes. It should have lasted one episode only.

I believe the episode source (raw or sub) is IQIYI.

LOL When I see him, I think of Choi Woo Shik (from Parasite movie). They have a similiar face.

A lot of pink costumes here! LOL

I hope they do not have another random time jump in the final episode. They already had three years' time jump during the dam building.

Funny that you mentioned the many Zhous..., I googled "Zhou", and found out that there was a Zhou Dynasty from 1046 BC – 256 BC; the longest dynastic regime in Chinese history.

I don't pay attention to the names of the sub-kingdoms/towns. It was confusing when Emperor was surveying the map. It took me a long time to memorize Youzhou, Yangzhou and Eastern Capital while I was watching the previous episodes.

We are on the last stretch of the drama. Four episodes to introduce the new emperor and more palace conflict and resolution. Fan Xuan was in a quandary, to choose between Zhou Ye and General Qin or Gu Jiusi and Shiya Liu Yuru as the next emperor and empress. All four individuals have proved their value as the People's Prince and People's Princess. Yet, he has finally opted for Zhou Gaolang, knowing the latter will ultimately pass it on to Zhou Ye, who should be his most favorite son, by now.

In the beginning, Gaolang had slighted Zhou Ye because the latter was the son of a concubine. After Zhou Ye proved his character and ambition, and was promoted to the royal court, did Zhou Gaolang finally bestow the recognition equal to that of his legitimate sons birthed by his wife?

During the "final" conversation between father and son (...XD) in episode 35 or 36, it felt like Jiang He has known that Luo is his lovechild bastard. Because of his upper class status, he would not acknowledge Luo as his progeny, especially with Luo's history of criminal behaviors, which Jiang He eluded to.

On the sidelines, you might wonder if Jiang He has been plotting to overthrow the dynasty when Fan Xuan dies. He knows that CP is the weakest link. He was biding his time in jail. Freedom and the only one to keep the ministers in check, he could be on track for domination.

In episode 36, is Da Xia at war with the kingdom that Princess was married off to? Nice!