The Empress of China Episode 11

episode 11 spoilers ahead

11/96!

1.We open to the emperor who has his Minister Fuji read a shocking report: the Mongols invaded and Commander Wang Juli in Yizhou (South West China/modern day Guangxi area) retreated 20 miles without permission. This is grounds for execution.

2.Elsewhere, Consort Wei admits to her attendant that they were successful in organizing the sabotage of the instrument with the goal of making Consort Yang inept (I am surprised that she would be so petty when such important event is occurring). Unfortunately, it does not go as she planned. Ru Yi gambles on the importance of image: they will use guile. In short, this means they send out a musician dressed as servant and after the foreign girl finishes her song, everyone, including Ru Yi, gives her a hard time about how easy the song is. They prove even a servant could play it by bringing out a 'servant' (mind you she lacks the skill to play as well as the girl) but it effectively puts the win in their court.

3.Back to the emperor, he and his ministers have an audience with Minister of Defense Wei who reports that it was a false report, and he sent a letter ordering the general to return to his position and punish the person responsible, which he does. Wei leaves, and the emperor learns from another minister that Wei has not had contact with this commander in 10 years. The emperor remarks he underestimated Wei (essentially Wei has a great deal of power in spite of everyone's assessment because he organized this entire event to show his power--he, likely, had the general retreat and then return to illustrate he controls the frontier army)

4.Back to the Glass Banquet. Xu Hui continues to look pale as the spiritual advisor from India comes out with his relic. The emperor arrives just as Ru Yi proves it is not a relic, shocking everyone. The emperor lectures Ru Yi (now this is all for show) and expresses anger towards the man from India (he wanted to sell this relic for 100,000 gold). The man claims he did not know it was a fake, and the emperor pardons him for his ignorance.

5.Next comes the chess match (recall earlier that Xu Hui solved the endgame and should win). The guy from Japan wants to battle a man and says if he loses, he will kill himself. Unfortunately, Xu Hui passes out during the match (I was certain, at this time, that there was poison on the endgame paper the guy from Japan delivered to her). Ru Yi, recalling the chess board when Xu Hui solved it (does she have a photographic memory) is about to win--she fakes putting it down where it goes to win, smiles at him as if to say I can beat you--and then places it on a spot so they tie. The man is angry, admits defeat, and wants to kill himself. The emperor intervenes and says that they had an unfair advantage since they used two players and forbids him. Ru Yi tells him to heed the emperor and to spend his life finding more endgames, and he he says he will heed her words.

6.Xiao Q comes out to do her dance, and the emperor smiles at her briefly and then leaves. Poor Xiao Q is left spinning and twirling with her target audience gone. Both the emperor and Ru Yi go to Xu Hui who is with Consort Yin and a doctor. Apparently the fan she got was poisoned, so that the more she used it, the more poison came out (Here I thought ahaha, Consort Wei...but then I recalled that this show is filled with twists and remembered Consort Yang used it without getting sick. So I wondered did she do this to further implicate Consort Wei?)But Consort Yang appears and tells Ru Yi that Consort Wei must have done this...

7.Ru Yi is lectured by the emperor but it is clearly teasing. She also gives Xu Hui credit for solving the endgame. The emperor gives Consort Yang full powers to investigate this.

8.Elsewhere, Consort Yin is meeting with Consort Wei (as awful as she is I really really like her character) . From this conversation, we learn 1)Yin has switched to Yang's side because she has promised to have her son brought back within three years 2)She believes Yang will actually do this however Wei assesses that she does not trust Yang because she has nothing on her 3)Wei points out that the key witness, Saiyou Lei, is Yin's servant, and the one who actually switched the instruments. if she talks, Yin will be implicated. 4)Yin doesn't care if she gets demoted (worst case scenario) because she will testify against Wei in order to see her son, so it is a gain for her 5)Yin believes (like so many others) that the Wei clan can't afford a loss6)Wei gives her the letter from her uncle, her trump card, revealing that Yin will only lose because the emperor will not punish her because her Uncle has power over the troops7)Yin kind of collapses and admits her defeat. Wei offers to bring her son back, adopt him, and she can be near him i she agrees to be utterly submissive. Yin agrees.8)Wei wants her to allow Saioyou Liu to talk and allow Yang to continue to gather her evidence....

9)Elsewhere, a servant/eunech to Ru Yin & Xu Hui shows up with injuries. he reveals that people are talking and believe Ru Yi poisoned Xu Hui, and he got into a fight defending her

--I CALLED IT---SO Pure Consort also sees Ru Yi as a threat and is willing to use her over Xu Hui (after all Ru Yi has survived some insurmountable odds in addition to proving she is not just smart but daring--imagine what she would be like if she actually had some power?

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