AleksandraSucur

well, I am fine with your argument, but find it a little be off to be used in this specific drama. Suspence techniques used (puzzle box, inverted narrative, now this rashomon...), a great emphasis on psychological aspects of the characters, on pain and trauma, a mystery surrounding Li-mountain + conspiracy that led to the death of ML's brother at the core of the story, its glue which keeps the entire plotline together, with its various subplots, investigations, characters and aspects, make this drama a sort of psychological thriller. Although what you've said is basically true, the introduction of this element to justify actions or inaction of a character would downgrade the high quality and high logic carefully crafted and maintained till this point, imo.

I've thought you've read my first answer to you: the emperor died before Ding was captured and the fire in which CP died was set after. Between the death of an emperor and the ascension of a new one passes a certain period of time (for the funeral, for public and ceremonial court mourning, for the preparation of the succession).

Prince Ding didn't have with him an edict justifying the absence from his post - and that's the reason why he was arrested and accused.

You can make point as much as you want, but untill you don't read or refuse to accept the arguments, we can hardly call our conversation a constructive exchange of thoughts

I've disliked how they've shown Qin consort first capable of manipulating the other two and then how she was unable to save her friend, as well as all the divination story told to the FL by her uncle. A smart person (as she was firstly presented) doesn't believe in crap.
More than "their alliance is teetering on the edge", my impression is she now looks a bit frightened by both Muyang and the ED and that she doesn't know the full dynamics of the events.
I also feel the script gives us a few red herrings on these fundamental cases: prince Ding's death and the fire in the Eastern palace...

I am referring to consort Qin's and ED's conversation in ep. 20. When ED asked Qin what was she worried about (regarding Muyang), she replied: "the edict and the fire in the EP back then he mentioned were all his doing".

But that was not what she heard from Muyang. Muyang said to Qin the fire was ED's doing and when he captured Ding or later persecuted Lishan people, he was just realising ED's wishes. Why did she distort his words? Was she testing the ED, wanting to hear how she would reply?
These three persons are certainly hard to crack.

Now we even have the Rashomon factor in this drama. The villain trio versions of truth contraddict each other.

1. I never wrote ML's bro "returned to the capital". I've wrote he "was in the capital, in prison" when the Eastern palace burnt. How do I know? I've explained: we were shown that FL's mom visited him in prison, got from him the location of the summoning edict, called her father to the capital... If he was in imprisoned anywhere else, how the Yes (who are living in the capital) could have taken the edict from her? How could FL approach him on the execution ground? Is it easy for a young girl to go somewhere else all alone and after the disaster that happened at her home?

FL's mom was awaiting her father's arrival when Ye brothers have forcefully taken the edict from her and the reason why they've taken it from her was implied by the fatty uncle Ye: the Eastern palace was burnt, keeping the edict which would exonerate prince Ding from conviction, put the family in danger of retaliation from the side which evidently won the power struggle - Muyang and ED. So, the fire necessarily occurred in the short period of time between prince Ding was put in prison and the young emperor was installed (otherwise CP would have accended). And after the fire, consort Qin's friend was captured, at least, we agree on that.

2. I don't take it at face value. I've just said: whatever other info the edict contained, it was summoning him to the capital. And that's sufficient to exonerate him from the accusation of abandoning his post. And you can't argue this is an assumption. I didn't speculate on the contents of the edict, like you did: that would be an assumption. If I had to make assumptions... the edict could have easily contained: my wife and Muyang are planning a rebellion, come back quickly to save me. From consort Qin's perspective, if the edict contained smth like that would be great: it would not only exonerate prince Ding, but also her friend, the suspicion for the fire would immediately turn onto Muyang and ED.
When I've made assumptions, I've assumed that edict could have been completely fake, a falsification meant to lure prince Ding and his army out of his post, so that Cangbei can take three cities from Da Chu. And then eliminate Ding, the army, the emperor, the CP... Smuggling weapons to an enemy in war is already a treason (we know Muyang committed from that military inspector killed by MJL), and organising a conspiracy to supress the truth from coming out would justify any other treason, from Muyang's pov.

Besides, Idk if you've seen consort Qin and ED's conversation in ep. 20. When ED asked Qin what was she worried about, she replied: "the edict and the fire in the EP back then he mentioned were all his doing". But that was not what she heard from Muyang. Muyang said to Qin the fire was ED's doing and when he captured Ding or later persecuted Lishan people, he was just realising ED's wishes. Each of these three persons have their own rashomon version of the truth and these versions contraddict each other.

Oh, you're right, it was a split of a second, thank you 👍

It looked like he had medical skills, besides martial arts. He certainly suspects she is sufferring from "a heartbreak" (ie. PTSD) connected with a heavy trauma which has smth to do with persons at Lishan. That's why I think he went there, to find out what exactly happened there and what's the real condition of the people she told everyone are fine.

No, no, that her senior is a real person. It was him who found out the senior she employed as a shop manager. She also introduced him to her husband, as a doctor who helped during the operation of his legs.
In which preview have you seen he is back to the capital?

I think Capt. Li went to Lishan. Hope nothing happens to him

the symptom she shows when "sees" master Zhu is called identity alteration. It manifests or could manifest in several mental conditions. It shows up both in DID (Dissociative identity disorder, which is a scientific term for "split personality") and in PTSD.

The difference between these two conditions is difficult to distinguish from the symptoms, that's why other features must be contemplated, such as:
1. Time when it develops. While PTSD can hit any of us at any age, both in childhood or in adulthood, DID must develop in an early childhood (6-9 years)
2. Identity structure: while person with PTSD always feels like the same "self," even when distressed (just like Ye Li), person with DID experiences (=is aware of) two or more distinct personality states that control his/her behavior
3. Type of memory loss: PTSD person blocks out (erasing and/or rescripting) parts of the specific traumatic event, the DID person amnesia is pervasive, she or he has gaps in memory involving everyday events, personal details and skills that are habitually used when other "identity" takes control of the brain. Although one can argue that when she is Ye Li, she forgets she possesses martial skills, she doesn't live her everyday life under the idenitity of master Zhu, he appears in her vision, triggered only when she is in a mortal danger and as a separate person from her. Her brain rescripts that entire experience as "master Zhu came to save me", not bc she assumes the identity of master Zhu, but bc her brain had already erased (for the reason we don't know) from her memory the fact she knows martial arts and can save herself on her own.

She just suffers from a heavy PTSD.

You're right. The maid was the exact reason why he expressed it in that clumsy way: "it's time to consummate". That precise wording was also confusing her. What does it mean "it's time", why it's time now? If he could have told the truth, his answer would be:
"I cannot stand you share bed with your friend, even if she is an imaginery friend." But he couldn't tell her the truth for obvious reasons, she is not aware she is imagining persons.

He should first ask himself: why I don't like her to share bed with her imaginery friend? Is it because I want her to heal from this delusion or is it because I want to be close to her, I want to be her confidant and I'm jealous of that relationship she has with a non existing person. And once he figures out the right answer, he'll also know the way.

For the time being, he kicked out the imaginery friend and placed himself in her bed, which can be viewed as a half-victory, but there's still another half of the road to achieve what he truly wants but isn't completely aware of it either.

I can't take that compliment! 😂
If it looked like a "lesson", it wasn't my intention. We are mainly women here, which helps us to create "a connection" with Ye Li (which doesn't mean men are unable to "connect" with her: they can). We can imagine: we are dating a person we get along well, we have certain common interest etc. For us - that is sufficient to feel good and to think that this relationship is of mutual benefit. But if that person suddenly proposes us to have sex, we would also like to know the reason. If the person doesn't express himself on how he really FEELS about us, ie. why it is important for him to be even closer to us, sharing and showing his desires and testing ours, most of us won't be able to "accept" such an unromantic, dumb and out of blue proposal

No, it isn't she wants to take a lead. Just put yourself in her shoes. You've married a man you get along well, who let you do your things and be calmly focused on your "to do list". Suddenly, the man you've married comes out with: it's time to consummate our marriage. You'll also wonder why, everything is going well, is there smth I am doing wrong I am not aware of?
For how smart he normally is, that was such a dumb, unromantic and wrong sentence. You don't propose to have sex, you create the right mood and atmosphere for it: you touch, you hold hands, you make her laugh, say how she changed your world and makes you happy and after kisses and petting and whispers... you just consummate.
So, her question "why?" was correct. How did he answer that question? "Before, I was ill and crippled... but now I am ok...." WRONG AGAIN! You say you desire her, you love her and you've been supressing your feelings fearing she didn't feel the same and you'll be rejected bc of your invalidity (stirring up her empathy & compassion and pushing her to prove she has feelings for you too) - that's the RIGHT thing to do.

🤦‍♀️

I agree with you about acupuncture, it could help with pain, improve blood circulation and autonomous nervous system, but the dramas' use of it as a miracle tool for everything lowers the credibility of the stories told.
As for his legs, we don't know precisely how badly they were injured but we have some vague infos. It was said that the reason why he was on a wheelchair was due to the fact he wasn't timely treated and was underfed and untreated for 6 months when he was in prison. But after that period, he returned to his mansion, received treatments from doctors and above all, has a thermal pool which helps a lot with microcirculation (vital to keep tissues alive). The most important thing isn't a muscular loss which starts almost immediately when we don't use certain muscles, the loss is the same after 6 months he spent in prison and 8 years on a wheelchair, but the infection that eventually occurs if the bones fail to reconnect, leading to necrosis (and the necessity to amputate the affected leg). But his bones reconnected (he is young and bone cells still grow), just not in the right way to sustain the weight of the body and there was no infection. So, technically, once they are reset in order to reconnect in the right way, his rehabilitation can start as if they were freshly broken. The bone and muscle regrowth will take some time but 3 months are sufficient to restore them to the point in which musculoskeletal structure of his lower body sustains the weight of his upper body.

1. Independently of the reason of the summoning, the edict is an evidence he didn't abandoned his military post but was called back by the emperor. He was convicted for "abandoning the post" and the edict is a proof he didn't. The summoning is summoning, it's an order, doesn't even need to contain the reason why you are called. Even today, when the court summons you, you must appear, period.
2. Bc. when FL's mom visited him in prison - it means he was in the capital: in the prison. He told her where's the edict and she went to take it, calling her father to come to the capital as well. When Yes took it from her she was saying: father is coming too. They've took it nevertheless bc the Eastern palace was burnt meanwhile and they've interpreted the circumstances as "the ED is the winner, the last (wo)man standing and she + Muyang want prince Ding dead. We must get rid of this hot potato". It was also said that the suspects for the fire where apprehended IMMEDIATELY, the same day. As the diviner was among them, the only logical conclusion is: the diviner and ML's bro were in prison at the same time. With the edict in her hands, consort Qin could have saved one of them.
3. ofc we need further infos about this subplot, but we already have enough infos to reconstruct the dynamic as in point 1 and 2. They are not assumptions, they are reconstructions and arguments which support my opinion

yes. Maybe I dislike the story is introducing new people/subplots that will prolong our waiting for the truth to be revealed and can't wait patiently

You're wrong. We know what edict contained: it summoned prince Ding back to the capital.
And we know enough on the dynamics of the events: when Yes took the edict from Ye Li's mom, he was still alive. They've took it bc the Eastern palace was burnt (and the ED seemed unrivaled in power) - that's true, but FL's uncle said the diviner was imprisoned for days while consort Qin was trying to help him pressing the ED to free him from charges. That means the ML's brother and the diviner were incarcerated at the same time.

why not? She is a consort dowager, a person of high status, who can take the edict to court. She knew her friend wasn't guilty, she could have proposed to the ED: I'll give you the edict in change of my friend's life, otherwise I'll take to the court and you can't condemn prince Ding.

But she just passively stand by while both prince Ding and her friend were condemned and executed. It doesn't make much sense to me, that's why I find this part of the plot weak