IrenaK

Everyone still wants some Divine Tree power...

They got me all confused with how they dealt with the demons. At first, I was quite relieved to see Xiuyuan was able to snap out of Yacha-mode, but then Lifei killed him... She cried a lot, and I even saw him disintegrate... Didn't he? But then some scenes later, he wasn't dead after all. 🫣😖But funny enough, the saddest part for me in this episode was Zhaomin's death, because I kind of rooted for her and Deng, but well... now it is what it is. 😢💔 And I must admit, Master Chongyi cries well. 😭👏But Tongzhou, Tongzhou... I have been balancing all the time between whether to trust him or not, and the drama comes to an end very soon and I still can't figure out what his role in all this actually is. 🤔 I hoped he wouldn't try to leech Lifei's powers anymore, but greed is greed, I guess... I don't really trust his words that it is to protect her. Maybe he thinks so, but I definitely do not. 😒🙅‍♀️

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Growing closer and deceiving together

This episode worked perfectly as a bridge for Jiayu to learn more about her husband and see him more like a friend now, rather than an enemy. 🤗The way they get mad at each other already shows how much they actually care for each other, yet they don't want to admit it — or maybe in her case, she doesn't even realise it yet. 😌 But her helping him hide his blindness was all I needed — deceptive together against everyone else... Beautiful! ❤️And why did she tell Mao about Wuyi's blindness? I am not sure if that was smart — best friend or not. Wuyi said no one should know, so I'm not sure if he would want Mao to know... 🤨 I hope this won't bite them back when Mao sees Jiayu falling for Wuyi. I hope Mao stays a true friend to Wuyi till the end, but we all know how everything can turn out when someone can't get what they want. 😟 Also, I think Mao was actually already a little bit jealous when he heard Wuyi had stayed the night with his second consort. And maybe that's the reason why he asked Jiayu if she doesn't hate Wuyi anymore? 🤔In this episode, the pace disappointed me a little bit, because I would have loved to see a more detailed shift between some events. Some characters were realising or learning things offscreen, without even showing us all the information that made them connect the dots. But I guess that's because the focus was mostly on our main characters and how they grew closer. 😔And, hey, she told Wuyi she was an orphan and she remembers Northern Qin men killing her parents... I really want to know who her parents were and if they were anyone of high status? 😩

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The man who carries the weight of the nation

Oh, poor Wuyi... 😔🤧To carry all that weight — the secrets of his true identity, the will to restore the country he's heir to to its previous borders and glory, and to play the role of a ruthless man so his mission can succeed, while in truth, he's actually kind, caring, and compassionate. 😢And then there are those growing feelings inside him for the wife he forced to marry him, even though her heart is taken because she loves another man—who is none other than his best friend—so he can't really have her for himself. 😟💔On top of that, he's the one who takes all the blame for the discouragement his brother feels over having a crippled leg, even though it's actually their mother who doesn't want Yao to go to the battlefront. And the bitterness of his mother for him living in her real son's place while he died to save the royal prince... That's a lot of responsibility and guilt to carry on one's shoulders. A LOT! 😭🫂And then there is that illness, which I am still very curious about — how it started, why he has it, and so many other questions... 🤔😔A relief to all this is that Jiayu already shows compassion and empathy towards him sometimes. Yet, I hope she soon starts to rely on him more and trust him more! 🤞🤗

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More plot twists, some expected reveals, and the chase for happiness

He is the Crown Prince Wenxi! I knew it! 😏😊 And all the respect to him for how he refused to just choose between the token and Jiayu. He might as well be her happiness, you know? 🥹❤️The way they worked together to clear her name, how Wuyi made the Empress Dowager agree to his conditions, and how they opened Jiayu's shop for her crafts was perfect. That made this episode especially satisfying. 🤗👍But they are not stopping at that, and every single episode keeps dropping these bombshells... This time, it's Jiayu's words that she's not a lady of a noble family and was just taken in by her mother and father... Which might only mean one thing — her mother is not her real mother! 😲 So, who are her parents then? 🤨The way Wuyi looked at Jiayu when she just put her arms around his arm while they walked the street.... His heart was probably leaping! 🤭P.S. I know this is a very risky and thin line to express joy over the romance between the leads, because of all the discussions around the lead actress's age, but I still wanted to do it for the story's sake.

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Little acts of service, hidden feelings, and the mystery of the Wenxi Imperial family

Oooh, we got some backstory on the Wenxi Imperial family! I think I might be even more sure now that Wuyi is the prince. 😏 Perhaps because the Empress Wenxi had to save her son, she entrusted him as an infant to the Xiao family... Could that be what happened? 🤔But then, how did Jiayu's mother get the Token? Because I am pretty sure that's what she was holding in her arms when Empress Wenxi's senior maid stopped her carriage on the road... OR — could the prince actually be a princess, and that's Jiayu? 😲 That could also be possible if the Grand Tutor is not her biological father... Right? 🤨Even if she doesn't notice it herself, Jiayu has started to care for Wuyi. 🥰 It's so sweet how she baked cakes for everyone, him included (I wonder if they were sourer than the rest), covered him with a blanket while he was sleeping, and—best of all—worried about him worrying about his reputation. She hid those wishes so no one would see that his other "wives" love other men, and that Ziqi isn't even his child... awww, Jiayu. 🥺❤️He, however, made me a little sad. He really likes her, and the only person he confessed that to, in a way, was some beggar he gave his cakes to... Oh, Wuyi! 😭🫂And what's that mysterious illness he has? And how did he get it? Did he get it from the night he was almost killed at the very beginning of ep1, or is that something that he's been dealing with for a way longer time? 😟

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The story of Phoenix Heart Token

I am quite sure the lost prince linked to the Phoenix Heart Token will be none other than Xiao Wuyi. 🤭🫣 And does the name of that token hides the title of this drama?​ 😏And once again, Grand Tutor Xie showed how wrong I was about him in the first episodes. I thought him to be gentle, kind, and caring, yet he turns out to be such a manipulator and schemer. With each episode, even worse deeds are revealed than before.... And all to grab Imperial power... 😩😠​I am thoroughly enjoying watching how Wuyi has grown quite protective of his new wife, and some deeper sympathy can already be noticed. His expression changes a bit when they talk about Mao, and he worries about her safety and how to occupy her mind so she won't worry about things... 🤗🥰​However, her being blamed for the deaths of those thousands of Beifu Army soldiers will definitely cause them trouble. 😔​I wonder how Mao's attitude will change now that he knows his Master has used him—and, above all, used his own daughter for his schemes to weaken Wuyi's position.🤨​The pacing of the drama seems quite quick—sometimes maybe a little too quick—but overall, I am quite satisfied with it. I wonder how they will execute the romance, knowing that the female lead actress was a minor when they filmed. I know in MoGA they were careful, but the FL there was already 19 years old, so they still gave us some kissing scenes. 🤔

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What are Imperial decrees even for?

Wow, I am not sure what just happened! Prince Changsha just killed himself?! 😲 The Empress Dowager is revealed to be the mastermind behind the attempt to kill Xiao Wuyi and the Baifu Army? And all of that happens in episode 3?! So.... what do we have the remaining 25 episodes for? 🤯Did Wuyi secretly help Jiayu escape so she would be safe when all the killing and the palace coup happened? 🧐 And was he the one who asked Grand Tutor Xie to get Li Mao to give medical help to the Emperor, so he would be away from the Empress Dowager and Wuyi could use him as a bargaining chip to have a way out of the situation he's left in at the end of the episode? 🤔And I did love Xiao Wuyi — the way he just picked up his bride, jumped with her onto his horse, and then carried her inside his mansion! 🔥 Then he distracted everyone with that drinking party. He's a master strategist, and even if he's funny sometimes, he's actually quite scary! 😬😏P.S. Nice to see Riley Wang working together with Hou Minghao again... This is like the third drama I've seen them in together! 👍

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I am so in love with our leads — such chaos!

I am even more in love with our leads! Their dynamic is perfectly chaotic, mischievous and entertaining, reminding me a lot of Ji Bozai and Ming Yi from Yi from LITC, however, a little bit differently than they did it. 🤩 Hou Minghao's usual charm just shines through as always, and I love his gestures and expressions that are always so cute and amusing. He can turn any serious situation into a funny one — like the knife scene in FoF, ep1, for example! 😂I do love the snarky comments of the Xiao Wuyi lieutenants when they have to put up with whatever Wuyi has decided, like going along with the insane "Consort Xie's" plan. 🤭I love how sweet Jiayu's father is towards his daughter — she's clearly a daddy's girl. 🤗 However, I am not sure what to think of her mother. I kind of think she cares and loves her daughter, but then she does something that makes her shady in my eyes — like that secret chat with the guard who had followed Jiayu and protected her all along. Why would she hide that from her husband? 🤨Overall, I am so hooked! I love the dynamics of the leads, the music, the comedy, the chaos, and the seriousness there is. I really look forward to their marriage starting! 😏😍

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They were just like a horde of starving beasts

Cui Xuan was finally exposed and I am grateful for that, but, oh boy, they all were like a horde of starving beasts trying to snatch their piece of the Divine Tree's powers... That was very stressful to watch! 🫣I just kept chanting — Yacha, come! Where are you? Yacha, Yacha.... and then he did come! And for a moment it was ok, and we were winning, but that stupid soul-twisting (or whatever its name is) mark that puts him into berserk mode just took over. 🥺I believe he'll snap out of it thanks to Lifei and maybe his master's sacrifice..... but when he does, I believe Rakshasa will meet his wrath for meddling with his sanity! 😠

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Meeting the princes

I actually wonder if the poisoning was meant for the Emperor and he just gave those cherries to Huayong out of fatherly affection? And now he's full of guilt about that, so all the things he does — like not naming his other sons "Hua", keeping Huayong as the Crown Prince, and calling him his most beloved son — are just to relieve his heart of that guilt? 🤔🤷‍♀️At the meeting with the princes, I had a feeling that the 5th prince either recognised some similarities between Shen Xihe and his late wife, or maybe his attention was caught by her philosophy on whether one should care about other people's words and thoughts, because that would imprison oneself? 🤨 I think Xihe being so similar to his wife will be what makes him fall in love, or at least feel interested in her.However, we didn't see the 2nd prince at the meeting. I know they said he had a wife who died, too. So, was the reason he didn't come because he's just not interested in marrying another woman? 🤷‍♀️I do love how Huayong acts so frail and innocent in front of everyone, but in truth, with the help of Tian Yuan, he just deceives the whole world! And the way he admires and praises pretty much anything Xihe does — whether good or merciless... the shock on Tian Yuan's face is always so priceless. He just can't with his boss, lol! 😩😂As for the last two, it's pretty clear now. The 4th prince's intentions were perfectly described by Huayong, so he's the one I would trust the least atm, and the 9th prince has just completely fallen for her. 😏💘

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Master of disguises

Lol, how he used so many different disguises for different situations... but she could easily connect the dots and understand that it was someone pretending. I love how smart she is! And I love how versatile he is with his ways of deception. 🤗😏And the best thing? They actually think alike about almost everything — that she had to add poison, when the imperial guards would come and what they would do, and so many other situations... I really can't wait for their games against each other and eventual team-up... 😊And whatever he says to Tian Yuan, it's clear as a cloudless sky that he's smitten. And not only him — I am quite sure the 9th prince is too! 🤭

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Strong start

The story starts off very strong! I think this is one of the best premieres I've seen this year.🤩We got a female lead, reincarnated into another woman's body, whose mind is set on revenge. She is beautiful, decisive, ruthless, strategic, cunning, and smart — a very deadly combination! 😊 No wonder the 9th prince said she's beautiful with a venomous heart. 😏And the male lead has an expiration date due to the poison he got when he was nine years old. He's out in search of the poisoner to get his revenge and also, I suppose, to find a cure. But, oh boy, he's capable in combat... those archery skills? And with his eyes blindfolded? AMAZING! 👏 And he's cunning and smart too, even if he's often a step behind our FL. 🤭I really want to see them together — full of moves to outsmart each other, eventually leading to falling in love (which is actually in neither of their plans) and working as a team/allies. 🤗But the best part? Him alone betting on himself (this just gave me such an ACOTAR vibe, even though I know it's completely different)! 😏

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Escape plan and recovery path

I love how Chong Yi cares for Lifei. He clearly knows who she is and wants to protect her. Once again, that just proves he deserves to be among my favourite characters in this drama. 🤗 I am quite relieved they succeeded in fooling Cui Xuan, BUT I didn't expect him to keep Lifei's master hostage in some miniature realm. And did he kill him in the end? It kind of looked like it... 😱 That just leaves Cui Xuan in my villain book for good, where he already was for some time, actually. 😤 Xiuyuan and Lifei were a joy to watch. They finally look like a couple in love, and I hope it stays that way! 🥰💞 As for Tongzhou — I suppose he'll get closer to Miao Qing while helping her recover and heal. I am still not sure if he will turn into a villain, as many—myself included—suspected when they were still at the Academy, and later now when he clearly couldn't win Lifei's heart and also maybe wanted the Divine Tree power for himself. But the way things are going with him, it just wouldn't make sense if he turned villain... though we still have 10 episodes left, so there's plenty of time. 🤔 Maybe he just sacrifices himself for Lifei and Xiuyuan in the end, and that's how the "third wheel" from their Fragrance Bond disappears? 🤷‍♀️ And good riddance, Lanya! You won't be missed!👋 P.S. Someone described this drama as LBFAD going to Hogwarts, and that's all I can see now, lol... 😂🤭

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