Episode 23 Summary: Marriage and Revenge

I like this episode, if only because it seems to officially close Act I, which was Mo Chou and Qu Yuan falling in love, and begins the plot of separated lovers.

-Upon arriving home, Qu Yuan is almost in a state of shock as the reality of his choices really start to sink in. He stands in the middle of the courtyard, decorated for a wedding he never expected to happen--a wedding with Xia'er. He slowly turns and has flashback after flashback of all of his efforts to marry Mo Chou, which included trying to win her father's favor, and it seems almost like he is thinking in spite of everything, he truly did not think this would happen. He thinks back on his promises to Mo Chou, promises of living anywhere they wanted, but not only has that not happened, but he is back where he started, and his worse fears are being realized: he is not marring her.

-Meanwhile, Mo Chou is equally shocked at Qu Yuan's betrayal. She walks home in the run, thinking back on the same promises he made, and she can't believe he did something she never thought he would do. Everyone told her to not trust his promises, and even she was skeptical but was won over, but he is marrying someone else. She thinks back on what his mother said, and decides to take back her life--and her fate--by running to catch Qu Yuan and convince him before he leaves. But she is told by Shi Jia he has departed already, and he didn't even leave a message for her. No goodbye, no apology. He just left.

-Elsewhere, Xia'er's mother, Lady Zhao, approaches her daughter and tells her that they cannot bear to see her unhappy and give her the illusion of a choice--that they will back out of this, but they owe the Qu family and the Zhao family, she reminds her, has a motto of never owing anyone anything. Well. Not much of a choice.

>Xia'er says to her mother that she can't believe that Qu Yuan is agreeing to marry her
>Her mother says basically, 'Well the king will behead him if he doesn't' but she says it in such a casual way that I burst out laughing. Like yea, he will, you know, die, so that's the reason why LOLZ

-Xia'er arranges a meeting with Qu Yuan by the water and listens to his reasons for marrying for her. It is a very bittersweet scene, and Qu Yuan looks so different from the last time he was here, when he was so confident and certain of his choices. He bitterly tells her that fate cannot be avoided and although she does not say anything, Xia'er may be thinking of the man she loved, and might be silently agreeing with him. She tells him that this could be a fake marriage, in name only, and he seems to light up at that.

-Miles away, Mo Chou returns him and her father knows something is wrong. Yi'er and he go about trying to make her warm and comfortable and she sits in silent shock for a few moments before breaking down in tears and sobbing in her father's arms, and apologizing for not listening to him and telling him that he was right about Qu Yuan

(WHY NOT TAKE MO CHOU AS A CONCUBINE???)

-Xia'er returns and tells her parents that she will marry Qu Yuan.

-The next morning is bright and sunny, belying whatever emotions Mo Chou must be feeling as she gazes out the window, her face flat. She looks like a statue as her father approaches her and tells her quietly that not all of this is Qu Yuan's fault because he is different (bc he is a noble) and one day he would have regretted eloping with her. S

-She tells her father that he already regrets it (but not in the way you think) because to him, she is nothing, and that may imply he regrets ever knowing her to begin with (OH SNAP) . Her father quickly changes the subject and says, almost as if he is concerned she is going to kill herself, that his only desire has been to see that his children are safe. And then he proceeds to tell her that Lord Zhao is personally responsible for her mother's death.

-He immediately regrets it because it completely changes Mo Chou, who wants revenge against the Zhao for running their lives (it isn't clear if Qu Yuan is part of this, but I think he is) and she leaves to get revenge.

-We flash to a scene with bad CGI: it's Qu Yuan, surrounded by a sea of lava and the younger version of him (his conscience?) says this is all his fault because he made this choice and then adult Qu Yuan screams in agony before waking up.....(I think he has intense feels)

-The day of the wedding arrives and Qu Yuan is like a zombie. Mo Chou watches him from the shadows, and I don't know if she is able to see how unhappy he is. I don't think she can; I think she is too upset. She sees the parents gloating and greeting one another on the great match, she watches Qu Yuan greet his father in law (although he does not call him father) and she watches the entire wedding. Maybe she secretly hopes he will back out. Maybe she wants to suffer. Who knows.

-After the ceremony, just as Qu Yuan enters the bridal chamber, she attacks Lord Zhao but fails miserably. I think she knew she would fail. Qu Yuan is shocked to see her there, and after she is arrested, Mo Chou tells the guy questioning her she did it because officals are evil and literally tells him to kill her.

-Qu Yuan tries to see her, and tells the official he knows her, but because of this he can't see her. The official tells him that he has never seen anyone so determined to die, and eventually let's him see her in jail. Mo Chou looks like a ghost and barely looks at Qu Yuan, still in his marriage robes, and he basically says you shouldn't have done this just because I am marrying the Zhao's and she basically says this has nothing to do with you, it's because he killed my mother, and he promises to get her.

--this is great: so she looks at him and says (and her eyes are red, like she's been crying for a long time) that she knows all about his promises and the Mo Chou who believed his promises is long gone

-Qu Yuan is upset by this, but he has to act fast since she has been ordered to be beheaded. he goes to his father and gets on his knees and begs him to save her, that he will do whatever he wants, but his father is furious and yells at him for insulting his new family and bride by going to visit a criminal, and for caring more about a fisher's daughter than his respectable wife--he gives him his back

-Qu Yuan is dejected and in the next scene sits outside of Xia'er's bridal residence. He apologizes for what happened and she decides to help him free her (maybe Xia'er likes him? I don't know....)

END OF EPISODE

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