The First Jasmine Episode 20

Channeling Master Zhu, court mishaps, debts repaid and banquet preparations

The young assassin fought well but there were just too many combatants. As he passes out, another takes over. I wasn’t happy with how the fighting was shown until I learned this was Ye Li’s view of the battle. She gets the assassin to her friend for help but is caught out of the palace by Xiu Yao’s guard. The prince monitors her but goes on to the palace without saying anything. When he arrives, she is calmly sitting in her chair welcoming him home. Both of them taking turns pretending sleep.😂🙄 When the assassin wakes up he is questioned because Ye Li saw master Zhu rescue them. What he saw was her kicking ass as a sword master. This time we see the fight with clarity and Ye Li was awesome. 👏🏻This court session was the first time XiuYao revealed his naïveté in how the court truly operates. He is 100% driven to fight injustice but did not see the big picture of how a ruler views insurrection. Here the Marquis understood that ridding the capital of any rebels with attitude was the real objective. So when he used any means necessary, he was following the spirit of their command even if he benefited by handling those he had grudges against simultaneously. Both Empress Dowager and Emperor sided with the Marquis and reminded the prince it was out of his purview and he was to stick with investigation. He was soundly slapped verbally and told to mind his own business in surround sound. Xiu Yao is in a pouty mood because Ye Li has declined going out with him. His spy friend tells him a story of a woman he’s been corresponding with getting ready to arrive to visit. He points out Ye Li to Prince and teases about her not wanting out. Xiu Yao sees her outside feeding a dog and decides to follow her. What he learned was a surprise. She was making the rounds repaying the debts caused by those who tried to help Lishan. The last was his prison hire who sold his family estate and went to great length to scrape together every cent he could to help the Lishan families. The assassin has himself hired in her shop and she wants him gone. 😂He passes her a note from her physician friend and then she tells the steward to send him away.🤣😂 He somehow had both parts of her family jade and when he returned them she only accepted one. She told him to toss the other. Xiu Yao told Ye Li that a funeral was planned for JingLi even tho it was pretty clear he wasn’t really dead. This would be the official word from the palace to prevent rumors and keep things as low key as possible. The Marquis was given the job of planning a banquet for an arriving princess and he surprisingly asks for Xiu Yao to assist. This surprised both Empress dowager and son but they agreed. That night Xiu Yao wanted to offer a pet to his wife but she refused. We were just about to get the story of her bird when the episode ended. The cast continues to deliver excellent character portrayals and you are sucked into the story and captivated by the events. The production team gives us the view from Ye Li and what really occurs. The fight scenes are well done.👏🏻

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