For those who read the novel I wanted to asked if XY's mum killed herself with Chi Chen or her death was completely…
In Once Promised, Ah Heng used the sun power inside her heart to save her army and people from a giant flood during the last battle. That sun power was too powerful and was slowly burning her from the inside, turning her into a monster. Chi You used Pan Gu’s bow to replace Ah Heng’s burning heart with his own heart so she would survive.
As he was dying, Chi You made Ah Heng promise to live so she could meet XY and tell her the truth about her parents. But Ah Heng was turned into a monster that created a deadly hot desert around her, so she could not seek XY out. And after Chi You died, she was so devastated that she nearly broke her promise. But Chi You’s body turned into petals and then into a living forest around Ah Heng. She was comforted by his spirit and resolved to live on (with his spirit there with her) as she had promised.
Ah Heng was finally able to fulfill her promise when the Grand Emperor took XY (accompanied by TSJ) to the desert to meet her mother and her father’s spirit, and after that Ah Heng joined Chi You in death.
The King of Haoling did so because he anticipated that CX would go to war with Haoling and he didn't want XY to…
In XY's defence, if she figured out why XL was pushing her away coldly it would rather defeat his purpose. So, IMO, he had to try to do it in a way (or to a degree) that would not let her catch on to his reasons for acting that way.
Thank you for posting this. It's annoying as heck to see this scene butchered. Especially given some the scenes…
You're welcome! Yes, I was very sad to see how much of the original scene was not kept, especially given how many changes will be made to the remaining chapters in the remaining episodes. Thankfully liddi's translations of the leaked script helped prepare us for it.
King of Haolin knew beforw that Xiaoyao isnt his daughter. Pleasw explain meWhy he rejected her now ?
The King of Haoling did so because he anticipated that CX would go to war with Haoling and he didn't want XY to be torn between her loyalty to him and her loyalty to CX.
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Chapter 40:
The Grand Emperor reached out his hand. “Xiao Yao, I remember when you were small. Every night you would sit in front of the court steps with your eyes staring ahead until you saw me. Then you would happily run towards me and into my arms. That was the happiest part of my day because you loved me not for my power or anything else, but because I was your Dad. I loved and coddled you because you were my daughter, even if I didn’t promise your mom or if I didn’t know your uncles, I would still have loved and treated you the same. Don’t be mad at the cold way I’ve pushed you away. I just didn’t want you to feel torn between [Cang Xuan] and me.”
Xiao Yao tightly gripped the Grand Emperor’s hand as if fearing losing him again “I know….I understood it deep down….I wasn’t angry at you.”
Why are you pissed? In the novel she came with this idea for delaying her marriage to jing herself, without anyone…
@blabla100 I agree.
I haven't watched this scene yet, but if XY delayed choosing a wedding date because of CX's intervention, that seems more pro-YaoJing than the corresponding scenes in the novel, where XY chose (without anyone else intervening) to delay her wedding to TSJ until after she finished working on the medical texts, which took her 42 years.
In the novel, I felt that the version of TSJ that she really wanted to marry was YSQ and that she was hesitant to enter the Tushan household and to have to take on the role of the Tushan clan leader's wife. And also that she was hesitant about leaving CX's side, as things would not be the same between them after she was married. So she enjoyed her 42 year engagement where she got to see both CX and TSJ all the time (and kept busy with a project she was passionate about) without having to leave CX just yet or deal with Tushan clan politics. I appreciated that TSJ didn't rush her during that time, even though he wanted to marry her as soon as possible.
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Chapter 38:
The Yellow Emperor asked Xiao Yao about her thoughts for the wedding date.
Xiao Yao glanced out the window at the busy doctors and said, “I want to have more progress on the medical text first before setting a wedding date.”
The Yellow Emperor reminded her, “That will take more than two or three years. Are you sure?”
Xiao Yao nodded. “The Sheng Nong Herb Manual has been in my possession for the last four hundred years and saved my life countless times. I’ve never done anything for it or better said that I want to do something for the Flame Emperor who sacrificed his life to write it. The text that he used his entire life to write, I don’t want it to be used by doctors simply to make money or gain fame.”
The Yellow Emperor sighed “Xiao Yao, you keep saying you’re not like your mom but you are actually just like your mom!”
Xiao Yao furrowed her brows “I’m not like her at all!”
The Yellow Emperor laughed “Fine, you’re not like her!”
That night Zhuan Xu came to Xiao Yue Peak and heard Xiao Yao’s decision on the wedding date and smiled. “That works.”
Likely due to the engagement with Jing, Xiao Yao realized that her time on Xiao Yue Peak with Zhuan Xu was finite rather than forever. With the battle between Xuan Yuan and Gao Xing taking on losses for both sides but Xiao Yao didn’t personally know anyone who died and she didn’t find out the details of the war, she felt it so far removed from her so she stopped avoiding Zhuan Xu.
The two of them resumed their old ways hanging out. Every night Zhuan Xu would come and chat happily with Xiao Yao as they hung out.
-----
Chapter 41:
Xiao Yao kneeled down. “We have not let Your Majesty down. The compendium of medical texts took 42 years to complete with the involvement of hundreds of doctors gathering herbs and testing out the treatments.
...
With this project completed, Xiao Yao’s busy life suddenly ended and she was so excited to do nothing again. She decided to go to Xuan Yuan Mountain to pay a visit to the White Emperor.
...
Back to Sheng Nong Mountain, Xiao Yao felt odd now that she had nothing to do. She discussed with Jing “Shall we go to Zhe Province to open a clinic?”
Jing said, “How about open a clinic in Qing Qiu?”
“But Zhe Province is closer, Qing Qiu is farther away and a hassle making a trip daily.”
“If you lived in Qing Qiu, then it would be close and convenient.”
“What? Me live in Qing Qiu?” It took Xiao Yao a few moments to understand as Jing laughed “The Tu Shan residence in Qing Qiu is all arranged and ready for a wedding.”
Xiao Yao’s face gradually turned red as Jing took her hand “Xiao Yao, let’s get married! From the moment we got engaged I’ve been looking forward to marrying you.”
Xiao Yao’s heart surged with sweetness as she lightly nodded her head.
With her agreement, that night Jing discussed the wedding plans with the Yellow Emperor and the Black Emperor.
The top five XL-related things from chapter 35 of the novel that I was sad to see were not included in episode 10/11:
(1) XY lamenting that, as Chi You's daughter, there was no place in the world for her (i.e., once again she felt like she had "nowhere to go"), XL comforting her by reminding her that the ocean would always have a place for her, and XY feeling that, with that reminder, she had found a sliver of calm in the storm she was experiencing.
(2) Although the feelings in her heart were jumbled, XY understood what XL said about choosing to fight with his comrades, just as she understood why her uncle chose to die on the battlefield with his comrades.
(3) Since XL was dressed in black and his hair was completely covered by his black hood, he looking like FFB for a moment, making XY feel that she was nearly torn again before a strand of white hair escaped from his hood, reminding her of who he was. So she stroked his hair, reminded him that it was not safe for him to stay, and told him to hurry off after paying his respects to Lirong Ji.
(4) XL seeing himself reflected clearly in XY's eyes, XL covering XY's eyes, and XL giving her the ghost of a kiss on her forehead before departing, leaving XY in a daze for a long time, repeating to herself "mistaken illusion!"
(5) TSJ making it easier for XL to evade CX's guards, XL thanking TSJ for his help, and TSJ thanking XL for comforting XY.
I'd say that most fans agree that she only had platonic (albeit very strong) love for CX in her heart. But there…
For me, CX was more frustrating than XL or TSJ so he is not my favourite, but his story does still pull on my heartstrings and I can understand why he is some fans' favourite.
Why CX need attack Haoling? Can he just marry A Nian and peacefully unite 2 kingdoms? Inst it will happen in the…
Chapter 40:
Xiao Yao felt all the dark clouds lifting and smiled. “Dad, since you already wanted to give the throne to Zhuan Xu, why not tell him? Why make him into the smaller person and have to attack Gao Xing?”
The Grand Emperor explained, “I may have reached this decision and the people of Gao Xing may be able to accept any ruler as long as he brings peace and prosperity. But Zhuan Xu is right in pointing out the court officials would never agree to it and I can’t influence such a powerful faction alone. Zhuan Xu needs to use his might to make them obey at the tip of the sword, where they are faced with loss or gain before they will all accept. Like the Bai Hu and Chang Yi tribes, haven’t they already accepted Zhuan Xu as their Emperor after weighing their pros and cons?”
I'd say that most fans agree that she only had platonic (albeit very strong) love for CX in her heart. But there…
Ah, I think I should clarify my personal view for the record. ^^”
Personally, I think XY probably did not have romantic feelings for CX or view him as something other than family when they reconnected as adults. But I think it’s possible that she might have developed such feelings for him if their story had played out differently. You mentioned some of the reasons why.
And I also think that there is a bit of room for interpretation, so if another fan felt like XY maybe did have romantic feelings for CX at some point I could see how they would be able to arrive at that interpretation.
Edit: I’ll add that I can’t really picture XY being happy living in a palace and dealing with palace politics for the rest of her life. But I think she might have been able to have a happy life if she led a normal life with CX where she was a doctor and he was a wine maker, if the circumstances were right.
I'd say that most fans agree that she only had platonic (albeit very strong) love for CX in her heart. But there…
You're welcome!
Yes, unfortunately the only way to convey the nuance in a way that let's you, as the reader, decide how to interpret the meaning (instead of just telling you one interpretation of it or telling you to read the whole novel) is to copy some of the relevant excerpts directly for you to read and assess for yourself.
3 
1 
1 
As he was dying, Chi You made Ah Heng promise to live so she could meet XY and tell her the truth about her parents. But Ah Heng was turned into a monster that created a deadly hot desert around her, so she could not seek XY out. And after Chi You died, she was so devastated that she nearly broke her promise. But Chi You’s body turned into petals and then into a living forest around Ah Heng. She was comforted by his spirit and resolved to live on (with his spirit there with her) as she had promised.
Ah Heng was finally able to fulfill her promise when the Grand Emperor took XY (accompanied by TSJ) to the desert to meet her mother and her father’s spirit, and after that Ah Heng joined Chi You in death.
-----
Chapter 40:
The Grand Emperor reached out his hand. “Xiao Yao, I remember when you were small. Every night you would sit in front of the court steps with your eyes staring ahead until you saw me. Then you would happily run towards me and into my arms. That was the happiest part of my day because you loved me not for my power or anything else, but because I was your Dad. I loved and coddled you because you were my daughter, even if I didn’t promise your mom or if I didn’t know your uncles, I would still have loved and treated you the same. Don’t be mad at the cold way I’ve pushed you away. I just didn’t want you to feel torn between [Cang Xuan] and me.”
Xiao Yao tightly gripped the Grand Emperor’s hand as if fearing losing him again “I know….I understood it deep down….I wasn’t angry at you.”
I haven't watched this scene yet, but if XY delayed choosing a wedding date because of CX's intervention, that seems more pro-YaoJing than the corresponding scenes in the novel, where XY chose (without anyone else intervening) to delay her wedding to TSJ until after she finished working on the medical texts, which took her 42 years.
In the novel, I felt that the version of TSJ that she really wanted to marry was YSQ and that she was hesitant to enter the Tushan household and to have to take on the role of the Tushan clan leader's wife. And also that she was hesitant about leaving CX's side, as things would not be the same between them after she was married. So she enjoyed her 42 year engagement where she got to see both CX and TSJ all the time (and kept busy with a project she was passionate about) without having to leave CX just yet or deal with Tushan clan politics. I appreciated that TSJ didn't rush her during that time, even though he wanted to marry her as soon as possible.
-----
Chapter 38:
The Yellow Emperor asked Xiao Yao about her thoughts for the wedding date.
Xiao Yao glanced out the window at the busy doctors and said, “I want to have more progress on the medical text first before setting a wedding date.”
The Yellow Emperor reminded her, “That will take more than two or three years. Are you sure?”
Xiao Yao nodded. “The Sheng Nong Herb Manual has been in my possession for the last four hundred years and saved my life countless times. I’ve never done anything for it or better said that I want to do something for the Flame Emperor who sacrificed his life to write it. The text that he used his entire life to write, I don’t want it to be used by doctors simply to make money or gain fame.”
The Yellow Emperor sighed “Xiao Yao, you keep saying you’re not like your mom but you are actually just like your mom!”
Xiao Yao furrowed her brows “I’m not like her at all!”
The Yellow Emperor laughed “Fine, you’re not like her!”
That night Zhuan Xu came to Xiao Yue Peak and heard Xiao Yao’s decision on the wedding date and smiled. “That works.”
Likely due to the engagement with Jing, Xiao Yao realized that her time on Xiao Yue Peak with Zhuan Xu was finite rather than forever. With the battle between Xuan Yuan and Gao Xing taking on losses for both sides but Xiao Yao didn’t personally know anyone who died and she didn’t find out the details of the war, she felt it so far removed from her so she stopped avoiding Zhuan Xu.
The two of them resumed their old ways hanging out. Every night Zhuan Xu would come and chat happily with Xiao Yao as they hung out.
-----
Chapter 41:
Xiao Yao kneeled down. “We have not let Your Majesty down. The compendium of medical texts took 42 years to complete with the involvement of hundreds of doctors gathering herbs and testing out the treatments.
...
With this project completed, Xiao Yao’s busy life suddenly ended and she was so excited to do nothing again. She decided to go to Xuan Yuan Mountain to pay a visit to the White Emperor.
...
Back to Sheng Nong Mountain, Xiao Yao felt odd now that she had nothing to do. She discussed with Jing “Shall we go to Zhe Province to open a clinic?”
Jing said, “How about open a clinic in Qing Qiu?”
“But Zhe Province is closer, Qing Qiu is farther away and a hassle making a trip daily.”
“If you lived in Qing Qiu, then it would be close and convenient.”
“What? Me live in Qing Qiu?” It took Xiao Yao a few moments to understand as Jing laughed “The Tu Shan residence in Qing Qiu is all arranged and ready for a wedding.”
Xiao Yao’s face gradually turned red as Jing took her hand “Xiao Yao, let’s get married! From the moment we got engaged I’ve been looking forward to marrying you.”
Xiao Yao’s heart surged with sweetness as she lightly nodded her head.
With her agreement, that night Jing discussed the wedding plans with the Yellow Emperor and the Black Emperor.
(1) XY lamenting that, as Chi You's daughter, there was no place in the world for her (i.e., once again she felt like she had "nowhere to go"), XL comforting her by reminding her that the ocean would always have a place for her, and XY feeling that, with that reminder, she had found a sliver of calm in the storm she was experiencing.
(2) Although the feelings in her heart were jumbled, XY understood what XL said about choosing to fight with his comrades, just as she understood why her uncle chose to die on the battlefield with his comrades.
(3) Since XL was dressed in black and his hair was completely covered by his black hood, he looking like FFB for a moment, making XY feel that she was nearly torn again before a strand of white hair escaped from his hood, reminding her of who he was. So she stroked his hair, reminded him that it was not safe for him to stay, and told him to hurry off after paying his respects to Lirong Ji.
(4) XL seeing himself reflected clearly in XY's eyes, XL covering XY's eyes, and XL giving her the ghost of a kiss on her forehead before departing, leaving XY in a daze for a long time, repeating to herself "mistaken illusion!"
(5) TSJ making it easier for XL to evade CX's guards, XL thanking TSJ for his help, and TSJ thanking XL for comforting XY.
Xiao Yao felt all the dark clouds lifting and smiled. “Dad, since you already wanted to give the throne to Zhuan Xu, why not tell him? Why make him into the smaller person and have to attack Gao Xing?”
The Grand Emperor explained, “I may have reached this decision and the people of Gao Xing may be able to accept any ruler as long as he brings peace and prosperity. But Zhuan Xu is right in pointing out the court officials would never agree to it and I can’t influence such a powerful faction alone. Zhuan Xu needs to use his might to make them obey at the tip of the sword, where they are faced with loss or gain before they will all accept. Like the Bai Hu and Chang Yi tribes, haven’t they already accepted Zhuan Xu as their Emperor after weighing their pros and cons?”
Personally, I think XY probably did not have romantic feelings for CX or view him as something other than family when they reconnected as adults. But I think it’s possible that she might have developed such feelings for him if their story had played out differently. You mentioned some of the reasons why.
And I also think that there is a bit of room for interpretation, so if another fan felt like XY maybe did have romantic feelings for CX at some point I could see how they would be able to arrive at that interpretation.
Edit: I’ll add that I can’t really picture XY being happy living in a palace and dealing with palace politics for the rest of her life. But I think she might have been able to have a happy life if she led a normal life with CX where she was a doctor and he was a wine maker, if the circumstances were right.
Yes, unfortunately the only way to convey the nuance in a way that let's you, as the reader, decide how to interpret the meaning (instead of just telling you one interpretation of it or telling you to read the whole novel) is to copy some of the relevant excerpts directly for you to read and assess for yourself.