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The extra detail that they added in episode 17 court scene that I really liked (and C-netz pointed it out too):

Been awhile since I am so attached to a drama so I am hyped. 😂 Lemme enjoy it while it last, I can't believe 18 episodes already dropped... I don't want it to end SIGH.

And in the novel, Wei Zhao was also a child SA survivor who was abused by the emperor. It wasn't written off as some sexy BL relationship either. It was a predator-victim relationship. I don't think a male writer would even write about male SA.

Okay I know I am posting A LOT but I have a lot of thoughts about this drama. 😭 We got WZ calling JC's by her full name "Jiang Ci" in episode 18 for the first time HEH.

The cat associations/comments, cat shadow puppet show, sugar candies, forehead poking, hair fixing, umbrella scene, taking care of injuries, etc. Not even hand holding YET but so so so sweet. No wonder shippers are growing.

My goodness these moments (after the enemies phase) between JC and WZ are so sweet, the acting >>>

Yes!! Seems like she did that scene in one take too (that was how good it was).

And the way they dealt with the r*pe case in episode 17-18, I do believe they are a woman. I really don't think a male writer would care enough to have FL say the things she says to the r*pist ("You are filthy, you are wrong, your crime does not take away her innocence", etc.) and the good conclusion of that case. It is a very pro-women/SA survivor dialogue/scene.

In the novel, she is a regular mountain girl, but the novel writer changed her background for the drama (and the part about her master being so involved). And yes, she does have an important background/origin. It has something to do with Prince Qi.

Same, just based on the drama summary, we know the main three will eventually all work together so I am sure Pei Yan will go through his character development too.

At that point, it didn't matter if WZ "believed" or not she wasn't going to say anything because PY already got her in his custody. JC might not want to say anything and is smart enough to also not trust PY fully, but PY had his ways to test her out. Remember in one of the earlier episodes when they were having a "moment" and PY suddenly questioned her about WZ? JC was steady enough with her acting to act like she knew nothing but sadly for JC, the moment she came into the Pei residence, she already got dragged in.

Because even if say she never climbed that tree, she was just chilling in some other part of the Pei residence and the assassination attempt succeeded, JC would have been caught by PY for being some unknown intruder and probably interrogated for her role in the assassination.

Her trying to leave at that point during the crab/pretend drunk incident =/= she won't be pulled in unfortunately. Because remember, PY knew she was trying to escape and was using her as a bait to draw out WZ. WZ knew this was happening and played pretend (hang her upside down, drag on his talk with her but still didn't kill her right away) in order to keep PY there watching (because the actual main plot was actually happening at another place).

That's why a lot of people were saying JC should had never came down from the mountains or never went to the Pei residence. Because the moment she stepped foot in there, it was over for her (aka being involved with the 2 MLs).

I /think/ 箫楼 is a woman. They are the novel writer and also adapted this novel into the script. I remember for years they only wanted RJL for the Wei Zhao role, so they waited until he accepted this role to okay the drama being made.

Haha he is going through it for sure. He definitely has the potential to become "just" and can become a good court official but yeah, he has too many chains on him, and it is up to him to cut them off himself. He is trying to control everything, but everything is actually slipping out of his control.

Yup, I love seeing details like that in the drama, it is very you blink and miss it kind of detail.

It is also why we can see why PY is so entitled with JC. Refusing to let her go and truly starts thinking she is his property/maid. While WZ eventually lets JC go and even aided in her escape.

If he made her unconscious, he won't be able to carry her out, he did have to push her out of the tree either way as distraction. He could "potentially" had maybe given her an antidote later after the first poisoning, but Jiang Ci was too smart (this is not to victim blame at all) and started talking/revealing things she clocked.

Because say if Jiang Ci had stayed quiet after being poisoned first, seemed like she has no idea what was going on, then yes, maybe Wei Zhao might not see her as a threat later on and eventually let her go.

But if Jiang Ci was simply knocked out (and still clocked that WZ and Lian were trying to kill Teng Rui), I see her as someone who might actually try to report this to someone (before knowing how ruthless WZ was). Because in the beginning, she is someone who only sees black and white so she thinks if it is unjust, she will fight it.

ML is one problem, but we also got 2nd ML because even if WZ had just left her unconscious and pushed her out of the tree. 2nd ML won't have let FL go. We also got to remember that ML and 2nd ML were opponents for years so ML knows what 2nd ML would do (aka use the FL to expose his identity some way or another). 2nd ML would have tracked down FL even if she was allowed to escape by ML.

Heat index for this drama reached over 25500+ now yay (new peak). More people are tuning in and a lot of praises for episode 17 and 18 (the court scene with all the women, the talk between WZ and PY at the end of episode 18, etc.). Their actings being praised too.

When Jiang Ci gave a bowl of porridge to Wei Zhao, she added extra sugar (since she knows he likes it) and filled the porridge to the top of the bowl. Wei Zhao used both hands to take the bowl (and most likely drank it all). He was also standing next to her among all the other famine survivors.

When Jiang Ci gave a bowl of porridge to Pei Yan. She used a cracked bowl and only filled up the porridge halfway. Pei Yan was sitting on a chair with a table on higher platform above all the other famine survivors (who were sitting around on the stairs/ground below him). He also left without touching that bowl of porridge. Jiang Ci then drank the porridge he didn't touch to not waste it.

These scenes are subtle, but it highlights how JC and WZ are more on equal footing at this point, and because of his own experience of being a beggar/refugee, WZ doesn't look down on these "peasant" food. PY on the other hand perhaps subconsciously put himself higher than the common people and doesn't eat their food either. JC also only gave a bowl with crack + half of the porridge to PY as a sign of her not really caring for him as much LOL.

This is from C-side and interesting, so I thought I did share the difference between the 2 MLs with the porridge scenes during the military equipment/famine case (and Jiang Ci's shifting feelings):

Yes, especially because in the beginning, Jiang Ci and Wei Zhao were established "enemies" with no trust and she knows he is out to get her, there is no hidden agenda there.

But Pei Yan laid the path to build trust with her (though Jiang Ci is a smart cookie who also doesn't trust him fully but thought he would put justice above all else aka "good person"). So, it seems even more alarming to see him mix "concern" with his actual intention aka possessiveness. Especially knowing that Jiang Ci can't go against him since she is his "maid".

There is quite a bit of analyses on C-side of how Jiang Ci is with Wei Zhao once they begin their friendship (a lot more relax, able to joke around, etc.) while with Pei Yan, she is a lot more tense and proper despite her supposedly having more "trust" in him. The character dynamics in this drama are great. It is constantly shifting between the three of them. Even with Cui Liang.

The thing is she was inside the Pei residence. Pei residence is known to be tightly guarded so it is not "normal" for some regular girl to just somehow ended up there on a tree. Wei Zhao could only get in because he has excellent marital arts skills. So, with her appearance being there, it already came to question if she was some spy.

From Wei Zhao's POV, she is someone with unknown origin who he clocked was smart because he saw through how observant she was (based on the comments she made and her gestures, tipping the drink, noticing Lian was acting, getting that Lian was part of the assassination plan, etc.).

And unfortunately for Jiang Ci, she really was just some random girl who sneaked her way in (via the water route) and not because she knew martial arts or had bad intentions. But at that point, Wei Zhao would not have known that.

Same with Jiang Ci, she was planning to talk her way out of it but realized Wei Zhao isn't someone she can just talk her way out of. Potentially after the first stab, Jiang Ci could be "let go" but from Jiang Ci's POV, she doesn't know whether this man would kill her fr or not (and she is right) so attacked back (which then led to the double whammy of her being injured by both MLs).

Jiang Ci has called out Wei Zhao later on saying he said Liang people were cruel, but he is also acting like them to her. Which obviously impacted him (and it was obvious this was something he struggled with and had closed himself off of aka doing whatever he needs to do to uncover the truth even if it means dyeing his hands with blood because he is also carrying the wills of those who were murdered for this cause), and she then later found out about his past and Yue Luo which led to changes in their relationships.

It is very obvious in episode 10 that he hated himself more than anything because he felt because he didn't kill her successfully in episode 1, it eventually led to the deaths of his people (he was blaming himself more than anything because he hesitated).

At the end of the day, he is fighting for a nation that had been taken over and those who died for this cause. Us viewers might not agree or even like his actions in the beginning, but I personally try to see the bigger picture and can acknowledge he was not right for what he had done to Jiang Ci, but also "understand" from his POV why he did those things in the beginning.

It is also why it is compelling to see the shift and character development.