ShortCircuit

It was arranged by Prince Changxin with the help/at the suggestion of Qi Min. Qi Min intended to either have Xie Zheng die (because that would have made the rebellion easier to succeed) or have him get VERY interested in the background of the Fan sisters and how they're related to the Wei general accused of having caused XZ's father's death (and that of those soldiers and civillians dead 17 years ago). They gave him some info indirectly about those secrets, he took too few people to go there, then they were attacked and he eventually landed at ChangYu's feet in the snow LOL.

Wei Xuan wasn't even there yet. He got sent to the army BECAUSE Xie Zheng went missing.

1. The Late Emperor (Prince Chengde's father) got wind of them talking at that New Year's banquet - about deposing the Emperor - so he decided to remove the CP and replace him with another of his sons. The CP then went to the besieged city in the north, and Prince Changxin - also traitor this timeline around, only a lot later - agreed not to send reinforcements and supplies to the city. The city fell, Prince Chengde died, XZ's father died, the city was massacred. Wei Yan intended to send his trusted underling, General Wei QiLin, to deliver the supplies and ask for the reinforcements but then he was misled to return to the capital on a fool's errand and it all went awry. His lover in the palace harem (Emperor's concubine) died in the fire that the Crown Princess started to hide the fact her own son, Qi Min, was being sent away from the palace in order to be kept safe from his grandfather.
After it all ended, Wei Yan just didn't reveal anything thus hiding his own fault, and just let everybody put the blame on Wei QiLin for not bringing the grains and soldiers in time.

2. WY forced the old Emperor to abdicate (he was already frail), and just picked a close Qi Clan relative as a child Emperor he could control.

3. They were all in the Eastern Palace (that's the official residence of the CP). When the Crown Princess started the fire, Sui YuanHai was also there visiting. So he died, and Qi Min's face was burned and he passed as the missing SYH. SYH's mother was always aware, but she covered it for him out of pity.

The plotline isn't that convoluted, it's just the editing that makes it seem so. And it is indeed kind of rushed.

So...

The first half (up until he left Lin'an) was a complete masterpiece. The way they filmed that part, the way the OST fit, the way they used slo-mo and the snow scenes - PERFECTION.

The second half - not so much. The plot felt choppy a lot, the second pairing was a mess, the editor forgot how to do it right, the ML faded into her sunglare, she was OP. The backstory of Wei Yan should've had a LOT more impact than it actually did. I think if they had spread it out organically through the second half of the drama, it would have grown well, but to put it all in the same ep like that, with nothing to link to it except for hints - yeah, that wasn't it.

Now, re: the final 5 eps.

So we never learn where Bao'er was until he got made Emperor, after his mother saved him by threatening her own life. He just.., reappeared.
Minister Li had a heart attack but survived and then he got exiled and the family lost their fortune while Li Huai'an (kind of very silently) went to the army. Because of reasons.
Then ChangYu and Xie Zheng are now Prince Regent and Guardian General but have time to go and play house in Lin'an. For reasons. (Oh and why is SHE made General, she fought in precisely two battles. I know she said she fought in a lot of battles but there were none, drama editors. As we never did get GENERAL Xie Zheng doing much of battle fighting either, too).
Then five years later they have two kids but are going to war and that's how it ends. (Also with a pun on her side that doesn't really land, IMHO).
Also QianQian being a transmigrator never gets talked about (which, justified). If it never was going to matter, she could have just stayed a normal Ancient China girl who managed to accidentally find out how to give CPR LOL.
Which reminds me - YOU ROBBED ME OF GONGSUN and PR's WEDDING!!! (And also of our leads' wedding!!!!)

Good parts of the final 5 eps:
Well, obviously the aphrodisiac-induced bath scene. She's there all business-like and he keeps smelling her neck, LOL. Then finally the third wheelers debating if a doctor is needed. The doctor deciding to let nature take its course LOL.
Then, QianQian giving the poisoned wine to Qi Min. He's a psycho, but he has a obsession and that saved her. I don't see it as a redemption arc - but that's what the after-credits scene is for. Though him getting nauseated because she's close was hilarious :D Talk about swearing oaths on your deathbed.
That long confession scene where Wei Yan spills it all out. (Shoutout to whoever thought to copy the confession scene from NiF. I wonder if there was any kind of talk about it in China, NiF HAS to be one of the best-known dramas ever. If it struck me as kind of very similar, I wouldn't be the only one to notice).
The little kids making pinky-promises to marry (and little ChangNing being so financially-inclined LOL. While he's there giving her EVERYTHING and no holds barred. He's going to be another whipped husband in the future LOL).
The ribbon-tree scene, hahaha. The way she accepts they're going to be together in all lifetimes BUT THE RIBBON NEEDS TO GET ENTWINED WITH HIS ANYWAY LOL.
The fight scene between Wei Yan and Xie Zheng. Though honestly WY is a lot older already and a courtier, and XZ is a soldier. XZ is already better trained, even if he started learning from WY as a teen.

The rules about how many eps a drama can have and how far apart the seasons should be destroyed the magic of the drama. The first part was so amazing - nothing compares! But then they never had the time to actually let the story breathe well and come into its own.

I'll be very honest here - if / when I'll rewatch, I'll stop after the first part and then skim through the rest. I am a bit (a lot) mad about this not getting the whole treatment it deserved. But I'm also very glad the first part was left as is, despite the second half. At least THAT part will always be a masterpiece in drama-making.

ETA: Shoutout to Lin MuRan, our crazy (ex-)loving lil' bro of our psycho team. Also to Deng Kai - he was so cute in the extra scene, I want to see him in a enemies-to-lovers drama as a ML. (Long format please).

ZLH is freaking handsome. That first part made me take a lot of screenshots. TXW is also beautiful (IMHO she looked a lot better as a country girl than dressed as a noble lady but that may be just me).

And the kids - I still remember that scene where Bao'er gets scared of his unapproving dad's action. That kid is going to go far.

We lost the falcon somewhere in the middle LOL. I hope ChangNing got to play with it again in that dramaland :D

PS Adding Ye ZuYin as Crown Prince was great - he also was CP in Blossom, and that first scene is what made me watch the whole drama - he's the reason. I expected him to have something important to do - I'm glad to having seen him here.

Well, to end it on that scene was definitely a choice, LOL. A good call IMHO.

(Yay, I'm back and finally able to finish the drama).

I haven't read the novel, this is what came through from the drama.

17 years ago, there was a rebellion. Wei Yan somehow managed to have the Crown Prince killed, the Crown Princess then staged a fire in the Eastern Palace (where the CP stays) in order to fake her son's (Heir Apparent to the throne, Qi Min) death and save him from being killed by Wei Yan's people. He obviously isn't dead, having replaced the older Sui son (YuanHai). The Crown Princess did die in that fire.

When this happened, Xie Zheng's father was a general trying to put down the rebellion. His soldiers were on short rations, there was supposed to be some relief and grains from the capital to help them, but Wei QiLin (ChangYu's father) who should have delivered the relief was delayed through a trick involving the Tiger Tally. (A Tiger Tally is a specially made tally so that they could make sure there was no treachery around.) The original tally somehow got switched or destroyed or wasn't original from the very beginning, so the Prince of Changxin didn't send the grains on, the soldiers failed to hold the city and Xie Zheng's father was killed among many others and his body displayed on the walls. (The Prince could have been the one to switch the tally, but IMHO the story would rather suggest it was Wei Yan's doing all along.)

After everything settled, Xie Zheng's father was now dead, his wife (Wei Yan's sister) suspected something so she committed suicide to make her brother spare Xie Zheng, Wei Yan placed a puppet Emperor related to the former Emperor (same Qi Clan) who does nothing but what he's told to do, Wei QiLin became an infamous traitor to the nation and went into hiding as Fan Daniu, ChangYu's father (though General He knew of his thereabouts).

So it was kind of a big deal, all that happened.

From ep35 setup, it looks like Grand Tutor Li wants to dig up the old story and somehow involve ChanguYu (as Wei QiLin's daughter) and use her against Xie Zheng (who's supposed to revenge his father) while also presenting a revived pretender to the throne (with a better claim than the current Emperor's). We'll see how that develops.

iQiYi translates all the lyrics each time the song gets played. It gets kind of annoying though, when there's also dialogue. The lines can get a bit messy.

XZ's mother is Wei Yan's sister. It wasn't that kind of love.

He and the Emperor should start a Big-Boys-Who-Don't-Get-to-Make-the-Marquis-of-Wu'An-Divorce club.

Or die, just as much chance of that.

Isn't Fuji-san's top always covered in snow though? I disapprove of that photo/review. I vote we'd see Fuji-san snow-less. (Translate that at your own peril.)

That being said, myself I'm still on the road to that mountaintop view LOL.

I feel a bit of pity towards Song Yan. Not a lot though ( I still remember how he was in Lin'an, and how he tried to use the poor daughter of the magistrate. For all her faults, she at least had courage and dignity).

The Emperor is a caricature right now. I get it he's scared of his own shadow, with good reason - but I think he should have some weight, at least by his position. Which means to say I'd rather he'd not become the comical relief of the drama.

Mr. Jin is overstretching his own importance. I don't foresee a good ending for him. He probably won't die because he's part of the squad, but he should be taken down a level or two.

WHERE IS BAO'ER?! This kid has a tendency to disappear for episodes at a time.

I don't know about anyone else, but ChangYu dressed in that apricot-colour dress and with those dimples looks SO MUCH like Deepika Padukone's youthful smile when she meets SRK's reborn character in Om Shanti Om. So cute. (OMFG Deepika Padukone is 40, that movie was almost 20 years ago. I feel like I've aged in a minute).

I can't believe the express drops and I'm NOT GOING TO BE WATCHING IT for at least three days. I hate it. I should've waited for the whole drama to finish airing before starting. Dammit. Or not taking this job. DAMMIT DAMMIT DAMMIT.

ETA Wait how could I forget - Big Man-bro comes to announce the Emperor wants to take ChangYu as a concubine. The look Xie Zheng gave her! LOL :D And her oath - "I DID tell them I'm already married"! See, that's what happens when you divorce your matrilocal husband one too many times LOL.

(on 35th)

XZ's side-eyed glare: FATALITY

LOL.

Just a rant (not-episode related).

So it makes 100% sense the express package drops tomorrow, I'm away for two days and can't get any time to watch it. I could have bet on it and won big - it would drop PRECISELY when I can't watch it, not one minute sooner, not one minute later, LOL.

Next time you guys want to find out when an express drops, hit me up - if I'm watching the drama and I get extremely busy that final week and not in range of a laptop, THAT's when it'll drop. Thank me later.

GAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This one is the best of them. (Also the angry battle song, but I don't listen to that as much).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2u3G6sTv_U

The ONLY song I cared for In PoB was Ayanga's Lone Hero. That one's still on my playlist. The rest... I already forgot them.

Which means to say, everybody has their own tastes.

Even so, I liked it. There was finally some Court plot moving along, the puppet Emperor finally has some character traits other than giggling when his ministers are fighting. Even poor incompetent and arrogant Wei Xuan has some more backstory - what, is he really a bastard? It looks like his father just keeps him away from any decision-making because he's weak. Even calling him a child, basically - he's not happy with the offspring.

And how could Wei Xuan think the PM actually likes Xie Zheng LOL? That "what, does Xie Zheng want to become another Wei Yan now" was so chilly. That man is already planning how to get rid of our matrilocal husband.

Li Huai'an is still tormented, I am pretty sure by now he'll turn again. He can't seem to just accept his betrayal and deal with it by finally picking a side, whichever it is.

The Emperor gets hit by everybody - the PM is directly threatening him, the PR is directly hitting him too, he can't catch a break. It's only the poor eunuch swearing forever love (I'll bet he'll run away the second he can).

Still too little of our leads together - and what, is Mr Jin going to be third wheeling each and every time? And what right does he have to get jealous? Go away. Or the Marquis will hit YOU.

The Imperial Court is kind of in complete disarray. Who actually rules there? It's not the Emperor. The Dowager Empress isn't in control of the harem either. The PM and the Grand Tutor are busy throwing barbs at each other - when and WHO does govern?! People have DIED for these "leaders" - like, what the heck!

Ep 34, everybody in da house is a crybaby.

And did Xie Zheng tutor ChangYu on how to act in the court? 'Cause it sure looked like she took lessons from "someone".

This person is a perfect technician who knows all tech aspects of filming a drama, and is also the best informed person on how a director, cast, cinematographer, music composer, writer, and not last, actors, should all do their jobs! We should all hail the master of perfection in their perfection! Wow!

That being said, they're been a sad assh@le as usual. Don't mind it.

That will be the movie that gets me into the theater once I get some free time. When the trailer came out last year I went ballistic. I can't believe a whole year already passed and PHM is already showing OMG

AMAZE!! AMAZE!! AMAZE!!! *jazz hands*

The Emperor is not mediating, he's checking the winds to see who he should appease more. He's a puppet of the Wei faction. He's sitting on a really fragile throne.

She and Xie Zheng used to have a childhood engagement. Then he went missing and the Dowager Empress used the moment to dissolve that engagement and quickly find someone important politically as an ally to push her into marriage with. That one was Li Huai'an.

Then Xie Zheng returned, and he's in PM Wei's faction by family, so PM Wei had his puppet Emperor undo the LHA engagement again. Little does he know Xie Zheng's taken.