Eternal Love Episode 12

7/10 Very good.

There is know denying that Feng Jiu is absolutely adorable! I'm so happy the writer found a great balance for her character so that she isn't annoying. Plus, props need to be given to the actress for not over doing it. I'm really enjoying Feng Jiu and Dijun's interactions. While Feng Jiu still believes that she's just paying her debut, I feel like it could easily turn into more. I'd actually like it if she paid her debt and moved on. Maybe Dijun realizes he likes her, but Feng Jiu is still able to have a romance before settling down? I do love well rounded romances/experiences for characters.

The Goddess who helps Feng Jiu become a maid is very interesting. I also like hearing about Third Princes' woman. He clearly was in love with her, but it worked out okay. It really makes him more understandable why he's helping everyone else get love.

Overall I like the balance between Feng Jiu and Bai Qian's story. Things are really fleshing out nicely. Not to mention building up!

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ep 12 spoilers ahead

Oh man watching this episode again...it drags so much in the beginning but about 1/4 through it picks up. I blame YH, who lacks the eccentricity of DH and remains so darn stoic. I also blame DH and FJ, for stealing the show. At this point in the series I always thought everyone was more interesting than Ye Hua however he becomes more interesting with time because he falls in love with BQ. So without BQ, he would be pretty boring, I think.

1.Essentially a woman in the market intervenes and stands up for BQ. You can recognize her as the princess of the ghost tribe who fell for Su Yin. BQ trades the fan to her (because she can't use it) out of thanks. The princess promises to give her a favor in return.

2.YH meets with second prince and his cousin wrongly interprets his behavior as anger that Su Jin has become the consort of the celestial emperor.

3. (best scene of the episode) BQ sleeps with the snake under her new quilt (a beautiful red blanket she traded the fan for) Apparently BQ is a very practical mortal. YH as a snake thinks on how scandalous this is. Once she is asleep he takes his human form and watches her sleep. Clearly he is falling in love.

4.FJ tries to find something to give DH to repay his kindness but has nothing. She asks for Mi Gu to cover for her and says she will be gone for a few years. Before she goes she entrusts the spell her aunt left her with Mi Gu. She is going to sneak into the palace and serve DH to repay his kindness.

5.BQ's parents and phoenix wonder about where she is. Mi gu gives them the scroll that FJ gave him, and phoenix is shocked because he immediately understands what the scroll means. They were wondering where BQ is, but this seems to imply that BQ went to seal the emperor. It all makes sense now. Her mother panics and wonders if she is dead because to re seal him is to risk death. Her mother wonders why her daughter keeps abandoning her family. Her mother reveals she divined BQ's fate and that her daughter is supposed to be undergoing a heavenly trial at this time to ascend to high god.

6.The consensus is that BQis not dead because a)she has half of her mother's cultivation and b)when a god dies a celestial phenomenon occurs. They would know if she died. But isn't she supposed to be marrying Ye Hua? I guess they delay the wedding...

7.FJ is sitting outside of Taichen palace like a lost puppy, acting like a restless kid as she tries to think about what to do. She looks quite forlorn. A passing goddess (her clothing is to imply she is a man but she looks like a woman). FJ recognizes she is a man and explains that she knows because her aunt used to dress like a man (I think this means that gods are so pretty that without clothing it can be difficult to distinguish genders).

8.FJ introduces herself and explains that she is here to repay a kindness (I think the goddess assumes she is in love with DH). FJ promises to tell her how she met DH if she agrees to help her get inside of Taichen palace. She says that FK is lucky to have come across a deity that is not normal and introduces herself as Chung Ye.

9.Chung Ye (who is extremely interesting in pillow book, despite her few appearances) wonders how FJ will repay DH, who has everything. FJ's extremely simple answer is to stay beside his side day and night (of course this will lead to a love story!). FJ's only option, being someone who is essentially powerless and useless, is to become a servant. FJ readily agrees to her suggestion to be a maid.

10.Si Ming is shocked and tries to figure out what FJ is doing here after seeing the little fox princess dressed as a maid at Taichen. He seems surprised at her outrageous behavior. He shares some sage advice: that Dijun is extremely disagreeable and strict and will throw her out. FJ giggles and says he is interesting. Si Ming remarks that FJ is the interesting one (a true statement, if there ever was one). He remarks that she knows how to pick them when she reveals Lady Chung Yu helped her because Chung Yu is very special--she was a human who cultivated to be a goddess (this makes even more sense in the novel because Chung Yu is shown to have a great love of games and gossip). Given FJ's inability to avoid outrageous situatioins and behavior it stands to reason that she would attract the support of Chung Yu who will be able to indulge in her love of mischief and gossip.

11.Ye Hua's cousin, Zhi Yue picks FJ out of a line of maids and is annoyed at how pretty she is. It seems she has feelings for DH too. She isn't very nice to her. Me thinks I can see a rocky road for FJ.

12.The maids believe that FJ is another maid who is in love with DH and will be sent to the lower realms after disgracing herself. FJ now must be careful. Every time she has a chance at seeing DH she seems to be intercepted by Zhi Yue whose personality seems to be just as outrageous (but more petty and stuck up) as FJ's. I think they deliberately dressed Zhi Yue in a way that makes her seem even more immature because she has ribbons in her hair (like a child).

13.FJ receives a lesson in humility as she is forced to obey the princess and then be subjected to a bit of bullying by the maids. FJ clearly does not want to listen to the princess, who is ranked below her, but she is extremely loyal to her clan and her inner monologue reviews that she obeys because of what she was taught (in the future many of her choices will be influenced by her upbringing, which was largely determined by her aunt who raised her). But she clearly is not happy with obeying (she cannot hide her feelings the way BQ and YH can)

14.Chung Yu finds FJ pouting in bed. She explains how Zhi Yue has been making things difficult. FJ uses her smarts and learns that Chung Yu was once with the third prince. She explains that the fox clan believes in soulmates and that her aunt has all the challenges in love because she has such a beautiful face. This Chung Yu takes as a compliment to herself. FJ's tail pops out while she clearly is satisfied with herself for her clever idea (this girl is one in a millioin. i don't mean that in a good way. more like her behavior is something only she can do)

-Note: in the novels, it is explained that Zhi Yue (I apologize for the spelling) is actually a foster sister of Dijun and her name is Zhi'e (or soomething like that). A rain goddess/water goddess. Apparently when Dijun was born her parents adopted him, as he had no parents. A long, long time later they gave birth to Zhi, and so she is his foster sister. As a result, Dijun gives her special treatment. FJ mistakes it for love but for Dijun, it is just him fulfilling his duty to her parents.

I gave this episode an 8.5 because of the extremely boring beginning. It picks up later.

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