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KJ2025 They start off quite happily to visit Ye Meng’s family for new year, and then the gossipy biddies compared him to the doc and found him wanting. Ye Meng didn’t know, but this was a huge trigger for him since he is rejected by his family. Her family looked so warm and inviting, but weren’t. This hurt him worse because so unexpected. She tries to spend time with him later and he refuses tho he watches her fireworks. He gives the story of his fish that turned black and now has infected another. He firmly rejects her and says she will be better off with another. His gma and her friend both think he should get over the gossip and have a good talk. But the two hard heads won’t. They would rather take potshots at each other across the room than sit down face to face and have a hard conversation. Kai is trying with Ya En. She knows he’s been around more often but he has treated her like a sibling for so long that she can’t imagine him liking her. They found a pawnshop where Ye Meng’s mom’s ring was appraised, but do not know who the man was that had the ring. We have heard nothing of her dad til this phone call. So what’s his story? Does he live at work? At the restaurant, Ye Meng makes sure to give digs at Jin Yu, but I really wish she would have just asked him what happened for such a drastic change. He was so hurt crying by his gma in the hospital. He was so stunned that her family had such low estimation of him before even having a real conversation with him. He just couldn’t handle it. And how can you tell the girl you like, sorry your family hates me so we can’t date? It’s a weird place. She should have done some asking because I am sure the young auntie could have filled her in. It’s amazing how fragile relationships can be when family sticks in. I hold both of these knuckleheads responsible tho for not being close enough to speak their minds and clear the air. If they can’t do that, they shouldn’t be a couple.😝
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Little Sui saw the death of his mother but did not understand why his father the culprit. It was because his mother knew it wasn’t her husband and pointed out handwriting as evidence. Wan and Chi are taking notes and gathering evidence. The chess manuals seem to be the key. There is a distinct character change in emperor. There is a before and after Jin death with specific changes noted. Prince Che was almost to safety but Cheng had to gloat while killing him. There was no reason to bind him later except he wanted another corpse like Prince Rui’s to preen over. The boy was smart to play dumb. Prince Jin encouraged it before he was falsely accused. Guess the emperor originally planned for Cheng to die similarly. Chi is going to change that up a bit. The emperor stuns Li by hugging the crap out of him and ignoring Cheng. Cheng has every reason to feel betrayed. He did exactly what he was told to do and then condemned for it. Welcome to Jin’s world.😝 The fake mourning and outrage by the fake emperor is getting more nauseating by the episode. 😝The consort is hoping to have a child but Feng’s mother revealed that her beauty aids were also making her infertile. The emperor knew this and encouraged the products to go to his wife regularly. Yu is allowed to go home and her mother has the vapors again. She is harsh to the ears and just needs a sedative to shut the hell up. I don’t blame Yan for demanding a rebellion. It is clear why they despise Cheng. But the father recognizes it is better to be poor and alive then titled and in cemetery. They did a good job showing the three women that loved Prince Che experience his life snuffed out. It was sad and bitter and all three knew before told. There was a lot weak about Prince Che. He was not fit to rule and he was a mess trying to comply with the wishes of his mother. To his credit, he loved his wife and just wanted a simple scholarly life, and had his mother accepted his wishes, they both would have been happier. I don’t know how Yu would have done without the title, but I think if she and Che were well away from their mothers they could have had a happy life together with music and poetry. Xiang is still Xiang. She thinks she has won over Feng girl, but doesn’t know Cheng is about to join his brothers. I hope they watch him burn while he sees them smiling and at peace. The sword of justice is about to come down and Prince Chi’s eyes are ablaze as he wields it.
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Blind prince now knows his mother was poisoned and we know he accidentally got a dose before she slapped it out of his hands. Did she discover it after drinking or was she poisoning herself? She wasn’t trying to get help and she knew the tea was poisoned. Him holding his ma’s hand was as creepy as doc with his dead wife. It was just a whole lot of ew!😝 Yu talks her father into helping Che get out. He has called on a relative general in army to assist. I understand him helping his daughter, whom he loved. However, I was somewhat gobsmacked at how matter of factly the father and son thrown under the bus when Yu and Wan talking. And sparing the witch of a mother that caused a lot of the hard feelings. 😝 Usually I side with the women, but this time I’m not convinced it’s the right thing. When Yu was lighting the fire she looked a lot like Caihe. I was surprised she escaped. Cheng got himself in trouble with Chi again. The point was well made and slowly sliding the sword down his robe and then that thunderous strike in the ground right in front of him. You just know this isn’t over yet, and they both know how it is going to end. That was a foreshadowing of Cheng’s fate. The emperor is asking Cheng to kill Che and offering him the crown to get it done. He and the empress have it out as she flat out tells him no marriage decree had occurred between them so he didn’t have the authority to depose her. She put up with him for the sake of her son but his days were numbered. She coddled her boy and he is a complete mess, but she has the spine for all of them. Poor consort is thwarted again. I hope she gets a deserved fate with her psycho son. It was a cute scene with the three prince’s at the end, but blind Prince reveals he sees a lot more than people think. Chi notes it and ponders. The episode ends with empress trying to stab emperor with candlestick and is left in darkness.
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That was a sweet scene with Princess Ning and Prince Yan Li. It was made poignant by his shock and appreciation for someone caring about him. The Crown Prince was exactly what his father accused him of. A boy living in leisure. However, when he was not given military or martial arts discipline, it’s unreasonable of the father to assume book reading and coddling would help him measure up to the security knowledge he needs to know to rule wisely and efficiently. This is as much on his lack of effort as his son. I guess the aspirations of the mothers are supposed to ready the sons for leadership with minimal teachings from the father. He wants to be their coach not their dad.😝 I am also annoyed with Prince Rui. He seems the most capable of rule and the one most shunning it. When the good people leave, the scum floats to the top. This is evidenced by the “treasures” who are candidates for crown prince. Prince Chi is the only one capable but that is because he lived with ‘ whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger ‘ upbringing. His father will win no father of the year prizes either. The consort prince wants a one on one challenge with Prince Chi to prove how great he is. It would be best for him to be big fish in small pond than finding out the truth. Wan has become noticed by both of them but that is not a good thing. The empress gave an extreme crash course in tough love to her son. Too little too late and her life really could be on the line for her coddling. She threatens to kill herself and then hugs him. Can you say mixed signals? No wonder the guy is a wimp.He is a direct product of his environment. He is really an artistic type that should be teaching classes to scholars and hidden away in recital halls. He might actually excel there. The consort son should be prison warden. It’s more his vibe.😝 The prisoner has a lot of information and refers directly to files they need to get access to. They now know of a secret society that eliminates discord and perceived bad behavior that causes discontent and amorality in society. This is a blood cult that literally takes flesh to get out of it. The prisoner was set up and wound made him look guilty and the killer may be the one that had to get his flesh removed for referring him. I’m guessing the artist is involved somehow. Wan’s dad was in the middle of a whole lot of weird. She is right to feel something is up with the Supreme Court minister. He really shows no remorse or discomfiture. But in spite of that evidence, it does not indicate the guilt of her father, just that he feels righteous in his cause. Wonder if he is the scalper and minister Shen too close to figuring it out? He is cold enough for it and haughty enough to feel justified. Like the police in Minority Report movie. This gives same vibes. I like how they get to interrupt maid and aide’s kiss.😝🤣 Glad they are finding a house for her. Consort Prince already has plans to discredit her so no need to give him ammo. He would relish catching both of them because two birds one stone would make his day. He needs watching.
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Han’s aunt is a tough cookie but I like her. I loved her calling out Entong for being fake. It is clear they tolerate each other. I love how she picks on monkey.😂 He is finally getting a girl. The aunt wasn’t inclined to join, but she recognized strength of character and a respected leader. Like Han, she found herself attracted to a person she would have typically ignored. The bday party was a thoughtful gesture. The foundation for good friendships is taking place. They squabbled like old married couple over treating her wound. And cuddling the cat was very cute scene.🥰 His necklace was misplaced with the bday gifts. I wonder how that will go. There is absolutely nothing about this drama that is unpredictable, but I find myself entertained with every episode. The pacing is good and there is a nice spectrum of thoughtful and comedic that makes it a good watch. I like all the cast but one. And she must be good to have me want to slap her on sight. I am glad the aunt has become part of the group. She will be a big help preventing Entong shenanigans. I’m sure these two have history. I wish we had one more episode…
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First snow turned romantic for both couples. Han finally tells her about his friend. I am queen conspiracy theorist, I find it fishy only Entong’s tank worked properly. It’s very weird for two to fail. I don’t see her plotting to kill, but she is obsessive. She may have wanted to push herself between the two friends and saw this as a way to play hero. At any rate, her new year plans were squished and I’m glad, tho not for the reason. Gma’s heart is acting up and surgery required. Luckily she is doing well. The aunt, omg she is a force to be reckoned with. 😂I wonder why she is living in dorm if she has her own place? Maybe school rules. It will be fun to see how she interacts with our girls. 😂😂Pass her the towel Han.😂😂He is going to have a hard time explaining his presence in her room.
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At least she finally finds out why swimming coach so mean. He is not convinced she is innocent so she decides to deal with being his lackey for ten days to compensate. Right when things finally calmed down somebody broke his trophy and she again looks guilty. The one interesting part is their meeting in the library via math problem. Here they aren’t biased and just sharing academics. I am enjoying the music with this drama and find it entertaining. The actors are doing a good job and the pacing keeps you interested even tho typical school drama.
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Ms curly hair is just heading to campus and has a run in with a popular guy and a girl offering him cake. The misadventure continues and she finds herself disliked by both due to jealousy from girl and misunderstanding with boy. It is a very cute introduction to all the main characters and very entertaining.
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Cousin Yan is an arrogant prig, but in this case he was right, the eldest daughter needs to learn decorum and how to read the room. Thanks to the teachings from her matriarchs she can’t see past looks and titles. He is trying to test the tie between Wan and Prince. He still believes he has an edge as a Qin over her. He put fear into her about the token and was not pleased she wasn’t playing along. It is a good place for Senior to establish roots and start up a medical practice. Prince Chi is cunning finding a way to combine work with pleasure and making the Prince happy all at same time. His oh by the way I’m heading to Yuzhou tomorrow can you take care of Princess for me? 🤣 The biggest takeaway after wonderful proposal is they are talking. They are not leaving things to chance and discussing future plans along with note taking on who to keep an eye on. This is a huge leap in right direction. I like the roguish new Prince. He is too much the frat boy but think that will change as he watches smitten Prince Chi. I also like his contempt for male Qin. He will be a fun assist in thwarting Qin plotting. The gals are housed in Pang hotel. The shock of manager at all the young women in tow.😂The eldest has already taken the best room and eyeing the owner. She has learned nothing though I have hopes for the second daughter. When they split up I feel sorry for her that she is the third wheel of the group in the background. She might actually be an asset to the Qin family but not allowed to be seen that way. The opera troupe is visiting for the royal bday and the lead singer is a total diva. She has overplayed her hand and while the unknown lady likes her moxie the male manager has had enough and wants her gone permanently. It seems he will get his way as she disguises herself and rearranges the prop that shoots darts. Prince Chi is mocked for his taste in girls and I like how he sets the prince straight about her importance and how that will effect their relationship if he maligns her. Prince Yan Li is disappointed and surprised. It was fun and thoughtful he gave Prince Chi a heads up on table arrangements so seating could be changed if necessary. Wan is getting more skilled with weapons and fortunately didn’t stab Prince. Her jealous interrogation is fun. Men love seeing their girls angry. 😂 He stutters around at first but ends up forthrightly explaining the evening and how soldiers deal with pain in war. It was also clear he didn’t indulge. The princess interrupts the goodnight kiss. 😂Qin has a meeting with head merchant and discussion is made about salt shipments. Two weasels making plans.😝At the banquet the new minister of Supreme Court observes Prince Chi and Wan. Does he recognize her as a Shen? She doesn’t look happy and quite nervous. All three take note of each other as episode ends.
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Things continue to be weird at the doctor’s residence. A young boy named Song discovered an intruder by the garden wall. Why would he be worried about being refused food? If he had been here quite awhile, the punishments he suggested didn’t match. The Princess enjoyed teasing the Qin girls but it backfired when animal carcasses were found rather than the smelly flowers she expected. Both Qin girls find the bro in law pretty and are mesmerized. The Princess and Wan are missing Prince Chi. He and Bai are traversing as fast as possible to be with her and the Prince is neglecting to take care of himself. The young boy is found dead the next day. Wan is doing her best to preserve the crime scene and getting the household in closer proximity to each other. She had officials be called to the scene but it would be awhile before they would arrive. They met an older servant who had been with the doctor a long time. She commented on her heart ailment and how it had to be cut out to be cured. She also mentioned that prior to her healing she had no clue how to make those tea cakes but now she was quite capable. There have been stories of organs carrying memories from their original bodies so this implies that. The Prince and Bai make it to see the gate but both yield to their exhaustion and fell asleep. The faithful horse got them much needed help. I am glad they were taken care of and frostbite treated. They could have become the next set of donors. I am curious if Song found someone escaping the clinic rather than an intruder coming in. Somebody has a grudge against the doc that’s for certain. The Qin girls will at least be out of the way admiring the bro in law. After a healing bath, the Prince and Bai are given further meds to aid healing. Wan handled the application of the Prince’s meds. He was happy to wake up and see her sleeping by his side, but was a bit discomfited when she was all doctor about seeing to his treatment. 😂 He and aide quickly helped with the investigation when local officials were making their own quick assessment. This included mocking Wan and snubbing her credentials to assist forensic findings. The Prince shows up on cue and has her show her talisman. When they see the Prince’s family token they changed their tune. The Prince informed the group they could call her Master Wan. 😁 Her senior friend surprised me that he had no clue how to proceed to write up an autopsy or decide correct course of meds for recovering soldiers. He seems capable in making routine meds and making notes in his journal but there is a reason he travels rather than has his own practice. The Prince has followed the path of the victim and has figured out the where and possibly why things happened the way they did while Wan is doing a more thorough autopsy. The officials are guarding everything til soldiers catch up and there is still a hunt for the murder weapon. It is believed murderer is not of household because the fabric from crime scene doesn’t match victim nor the quality of the servants in residence. I’m glad our group is together. The cousin looked calculating as he received info of Wan’s forensic abilities. There has been only one Qin male that was decent. The one she cured that tried to provide for her at departure. We don’t know which side of the moral line this Qin is on. He seems another most concerned about appearances.
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Yingqi my favorite guard! She is kinda awesome. It was refreshing to see a female take down the male assaulter. Loved the irony of using his own rope to bind him.😝 The fiery scene at ancestral hall finished the vendetta. I am glad Ms Yao and child spared of this family. It was a fun gesture that baby stopped crying the second mama said leaving that filthy place. She will grow up to do great things. Can’t shed a tear for matriarch. She got off easy in the punishment department. In the end, after Chen saved her, I think Caihe did love him and hated herself for it. First time ever to see a couple rest peacefully in flames. Shen Wan was saying how he cared for his wife. He did because gma told him to, not because it was his first inclination. And the mother, she is picking up where her mother left off despising women. She did not even want to meet her granddaughter.😝 personally, I think that’s the best damn gift that child received. No taint from the family. We know there is less than a handful of honorable Qin in that group and this child can now have the freedom to be one of them. We hear second hand of two royal assassination attempts. The pawn shop will be next case. Loved the meeting with senior.😂 you’ve got 4 hours to find out everything there is to know about this guy.🤣 Poor Bai getting double chores now. it was fun watching Wan’s friend give the Prince the big brother side eye. 😂 Seems he approves and takes off quickly to not misname his friend. I liked him telling her to wear women’s clothes more often because they looked good on her. 😂 I was content seeing the new mom surrounded by caring people and the Qin trio marched out to their new residence.😝 I wish Wan would have taken the offer to stay at the Anyang residence. But it was interesting to meet the new Qin family member that plans on taking his cousins to the capital. The jealous snide girls lost it when he handed her the jade piece as gift. The Prince had the most surprising offer of the day. The opportunity to work with him to clear the prince and her father. Talk about being handed your dream job. Everything is almost in place for trip to the capital. Solving the pawnshop case will give them warning of who to avoid when they get there. Wan basically told the Prince to grow up and understand men and women could be friends when he jumped in her carriage uninvited making assumptions. She also encouraged him to refrain from that in future. His response was more like “I’ll take that under advisement” than actually doing it.😂 They will work well together. My only regret this episode is that no mention was made of the young girls. Were they trying to get them to families or finding a respectful place to inter them locally? Minister Huo spoke quickly but I think more of the Qin family misdeeds than what final arrangement made for the girls. Maybe this will be followed up on with pawnshop case since they were the trafficking brokers.
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Shen Wan is good with needles. That made for a much quicker confession. Hearing his laughter, I don’t blame her for outburst. The prince probably wanted to tear his throat out. It requires the legal system to convict them, but excepting the pregnant wife, I’m for letting first daughter have at it. Lianye and her jealousy put her at the wrong place at wrong time. I don’t think she deserved death, but there’s truth in curiosity killed the cat. Had she not been looking for dirt, she wouldn’t have found it. Chen is duped by her. I don’t know if she developed feelings for him and that’s why poisoning the wife, but it’s very clear she wanted the truth to come out about what happened to her family. She may have just tossed mom to be in collateral damage heap to destroy as many family members as possible. The slow poisoning of the dad was genius and deserved. To make the heir the biggest destroyer of the family was a plus. Did she brainwash him or was it serendipity? Either way he is certain she will run off with him and he can leave the family behind. Too bad the girls don’t get that option.😝 Finding the pawnshop was also a good link to their misdeeds. Once the true owner is discovered, there can be definite charges to trafficking. For the shop owner to be that arrogant to a prince, he must have high connections. This is a terrible way to end this episode. 😝 I hope the Prince takes care of Chen personally. It will be a very long wait til next episode ….
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This case😭 Seeing the hallway full of young girl remains and knowing the sadistic sexual assaults they endured tears at your soul. This vile Qin family silencing their cries to cover their sins is an atrocity I don’t have strong enough words for. The handful of the family not corrupted should be spared and all the rest of them punished harshly. Oh no! My fave Ying Tao from STOTD with that miserable Chen.😭 He puts himself on a self righteous pedestal while every bit as disgusting as his father. He is responsible for his wife’s poisoning and even hoping it’s successful. If he had any love for his wife and child he wouldn’t be glued to his gma. He just wants her to help cover up for him like she does his father. He looks at his father with disdain not recognizing he is as bad if not worse. He sees the repercussions of adultery and indulges any way. Our Shen Wan needs away from this Machiavellian group now. This case is crushing to the spirit for all of them. I hope that its resolution will bring some justice for these girls and women as well as paving the way to the capital for Shen Wan and Prince. They need to shake the dust off their feet from this place. I also think the Prince knows who she is and happy she’s not kin to Qins😝 This should give him more freedom to punish them at length and thoroughly for their crimes.
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The husband to be isn’t acting all that shook up that his bride is dead. He is not even revolted at a headless corpse. There is something off with him. Other than the one carriage bearer and the grand princess’ reaction, everyone else is more in the ‘assess damages and keep it under wraps mode’. The officials in charge are inept and rather proud of it.😝Shen Wan meets her friend’s ex fiancé and can only be relieved the engagement was called off. She assures him that he was raised with all the qualifications of a girl, and that they can feel free to continue on with the belief that there is no engagement between them😂 He is summarily dismissed when Prince Chi then takes over. He quietly watches her actions and has his guards intervene to be sure that evidence isn’t trashed. When meeting the official, it is discovered that he ignores coroner’s reports and has no idea how to perform an autopsy, neither does the one who wrote the report. Shen Wan then examines the dead body there and reveals the real reason he died and how to find the murder weapon. She is calmly detailing the facts to write down while the two ‘experienced’ officials are outside barfing their guts out😝😂 The prince steps in to assist when it is clear she is the only competent one in the room. When she mentions her father’s writings the official reminds her that he was accused and family executed so why familiar and recommending them? The one good thing of all this is she is now placed to handle the autopsy of the headless bride with the blessings of the officials. They are more than happy to have her do the work while they look good on paper.😝 The prince is having her family and Qin Wan investigated because he too wants to find the truth of the matter. Her comments have him looking into the writings of her father as well so that he can get a bead on the thoughts of the man accused of colluding with Prince Jin to commit murder. He agrees with Shen Wan that things aren’t lining up and they each want the truth out and the accused cleared, she her family, he Prince Jin. The scene is set for this to get investigated from both sides. The Grand Princess is overwrought with grief and collapses at the end of the scene. The story is entertaining and nicely paced but I find many of the actors overacting for emotional emphasis. The leads are doing nicely and now seeing how things go with the unfortunate bride.
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The Princess's Gambit Episode 36
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This episode brought many things full circle for the Beiyuan prince and Princess. We saw the return of the rightful heirs hinted at and a happy conclusion hinted at. It is the first time Princess could enjoy the peach blossoms without feeling dread of poison. At the end I am thinking the chancellor showed up right on cue as he always does because he is too stubborn to die. I want their cases to be the first of many and the poison soldiers cured and forbidden to be created in future. We did not need the empress’ ‘poor me’ diatribe at the end. We just needed to see her die. It would have been preferable for her to have been made a test subject for cure. That would have been an equitable service for the people as penance for her misdeeds. The official gave his all to make amends for his failure of kindness. He recognized what he did and was relieved they survived with moral compasses intact. What we should have seen was a marriage of 4th prince and sis since a romance was pushed on us to watch. There should have been a proposal from the aide to bodyguard. We should have seen chancellor and princess with Lian in tow as part of their family. The Prince taking the throne in Beiyuan and Ms Meng turning her criminal family around. This would have brought the people we wanted to see full circle. This is what the writer owed the viewers. I am not sorry I watched this and I think it’s worth watching. But I am disappointed the author and director did not prioritize the events in the last half better. I find that I am ok with the ending, but I do think that what started as a masterpiece ended up a shadow of what it could have been.
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