KJ2025

Wishes and regrets

Lord Wei conveniently dispatches the poet and hides the song written for his wife. He realized he was capable of writing the blessing himself. Her smile indicated she knew the author and his gentle encouragement for her to read before the crowd was quite sweet. This festival is like the wedding ceremony they should have had. Everyone noticed the affection between the two. The lantern was another sweet event. She takes a very long time to write her wish. Wei Shao stays behind under pretense of work to make his generals fish for her lantern. He is very disappointed when he sees he is not mentioned on her list. He pouts huge, but after the day they had he had a right to feel he should be included. Word gets back to her and she rightfully called him petty. However, she also agrees that he has reason to feel slighted and feels guilty. She has a meal prepared with all his favorites but he never shows. She then hits up the wine jug. Lord Wei comes home to find Lady Wei a drunken mess. She is running around like a child and being super cute and ridiculous.😂 she does tell him why her wishes were only family. They are the regrets that she can only wish them well from afar. He now understands a bit of how isolated she must feel being completely away from her family. I don’t think she is the loser except for her brother and cousin and BiZhi. All the rest are proving themselves to be hiding behind the currency of their females.😝 Lady empress and bully general meet and she finds out the real last wishes of her husband. I think she knew it was a lie about having her locked away, but now she has proof. She also has the power of military tally to back her up so she is gonna be nothing but trouble when she gets to the Wei’s hunting venue. If she is sick too, is it possible the evil dad was poisoning both of them? They are really stretching out a forehead kiss breaking it into two episodes.😝 I am not thanking production for this dramatic effect.🙄

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Man man the muse

Yan inadvertently got into mischief when a lady with a crush stole a flute and spread gossip to trap him into marriage. He was trying to find the face for his goddess. After Lady Wei came to his rescue and defended him at home and had the rumors stopped he was deeply touched at her kindness. It seems this has pushed him into admiring her in particular. I am still not completely convinced that he covets her to take away from Lord Wei. I see him viewing her as the ideal woman. Unfortunately the obsessed young lady believes it is her face he painted. Lady Wei kept her stubborn Lord comfortable away from home. She then thought about the treasures in his box and removed her kindnesses from his day. She sent his box to him as a reminder of who and what he felt most important. Even he recognized that her thoughts went to pendant. He finally came home and had a candid conversation about the significance of the pendant and his brother. What he did not explain was the promise he failed to keep. He has learned the familiar nickname for her is ManMan and he said it🥰 Progress is being made. Binzhou is causing Boya grief and her cousin is hoping BiZhi will get an invite to the hunt.I do not think the generals and Lord Wei get the significance of the letter Lady Wei received. I do hope an invitation is extended because the Qiao family is useless for any assistance that is not construction and engineering😝 The new poet😂 He is the sober version of Yan🤣 He most eloquently writes the praises of Lady Wei but uses her maiden name Qiao. He is shot down by both Lord and Lady Wei and I think there will be future discussions between the married couple. It has been a long time coming. He has never had a problem sorting the lands he oversees, but this two pronged appreciation from more worldly men will hopefully kick his butt in gear defending his wife and publicly appreciating her as a wife and not just a brilliant mind. It is not often the husband recognizes the intelligence of the wife before acknowledging her beauty and importance to him.😂🙄 He may finally start seeing her as a whole person that he can desire as well as appreciate as work colleague. We can only hope he will recognize his ManMan as well as the Lady Wei.😁

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Proposals

The general tried so hard for a romantic interlude. It failed on a grand scale. 😂 The prefect is made to question why Wei Shao would accompany the shipment of seed. There is a plot for an ‘accident’ on the way to Rongjun. Wei Shao saves Qiao Man from her runaway carriage and the couple is safely reunited. 🥰Wei Shao was grazed by an arrow. The wound was slight but the blade was poisoned. Fortunately the poison’s effect was minimal and he only needed a couple days to sleep off the toxins. In the interim Lady Wei started improvising. The prefect rejects winter wheat proposal which also negates canal plans. They know who is behind the conflict but cannot openly challenge him. They are on his home turf and he is family tho disloyal. So calm thinking and smart tactics can save the venture. While Wei Shao heals, Qiao Man receives a visit from prefect. She invites him to play go. She loses the first game but we aren’t told of the second or if either player noted tactics of the other while battling in game. His shoe is lost and he is detained even longer. This causes doubt and speculation by traitor Wei which they anticipated. While actually returning the prefect’s shoe, the general drops the box and makes a big show of jewelry being inside. This lets traitor’s spy think prefect is being bribed. After that she has two generals pretend to offer marriage proposals to the prefect’s daughter who is already engaged to traitor’s son. Now what is interesting is that this caught the daughter’s eye and she likes the general.😁 Unexpected serendipity as the lady’s man general seems equally smitten. 🥰Wei Shao has finally become conscious and Qiao Man runs to him.🥰 She runs to his side and hugs him close. He notes that he needs a bath and she determines to help him clean up. 😁 He is trusting her more. The rest he got from her massaging temple acu points was the first time no nightmares. They are forging themselves into a strong couple and together they will be formidable. They are also making themselves favored of the people. I can’t wait to see how she gets her way with the winter seed. I only wish a couple more episodes available. 😁

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Truths and trips

The empress escaped Yujun without being brought to justice but going home proved more challenging. Yan found out what happened to his mother and chose her family over father’s. It was a harsh line gma gave him. But she candidly put all her cards on the table and explained her position. As a man it had to be difficult to choose the family you love but have no power or position—or the family you know caused pain but will make you heir with highest honors, I am glad love won out. Now that he knows his mother’s story that might be what creates the biggest character change in him. It will put his lifestyle on a different judging balance. For Wei Shao to leave him in charge had to be a good feeling. The empress hears that her husband has passed and that his last wish was for her to be confined in palace. She has guessed who really made this choice, but her seed venture to trap Wei Yan and Shao cost her the opportunity to be on the home front to put her empress plan in motion. Couldn’t have happened to a nicer gal.😝 These idiots don’t even know what she looks like. They think she will be stupid enough to keep forehead decoration and just head to the palace to be imprisoned. They don’t even recognize her carriage and that gee…she might be in there with her lackey.I don’t feel the least bit bad for her but she can hide in plain sight without the face paint. She didn’t completely buy the empress plan or she would have had it tattooed and not just painted. For all the adulation she let herself receive because of it, she had no issues wiping it off and going what mark?😝She and Yan may have a battle in future. I am glad she can’t bring Wei family to her side. She has successfully burned that bridge. The ruined seed has been replaced and WeiShao finds himself heading to Rongjun to help oversee canal engineer. He does not completely trust because he is engineer from Qiao family. Qiao Man has finagled a trip for herself with him. She is planning to visit cousin while there. This time I don’t think visiting her family the only objective. She admires her husband and wants to know him better. Away from his mom and gma will let them both learn more about each other on their own. Her dazzled gaze watching him read. I laughed out loud when he feels her forehead wanting to know what’s wrong with her?😂She even tells him she finds him fascinating and he really doesn’t hear her. He is in mansplain mode about the canals and their history.😂 His general has an idea for a detour that promises better food and atmosphere. Let’s see what unfolds for both couples.

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Male vs female viper—who is most evil?

Wei Shao, as usual, is a very thorough master landowner. He keeps eyes on all accounts and tries to keep ahead of calamities for the general populace. He is still hiding from Qiao Man after Yan tells her Wei Shao read her letters home to him. She is rightfully angry but both of them need to be more open about state vs personal matters. They continue to work better as a pair but there is plenty of bad blood between their families. Now that the canal will be extended to Rongjun, they see the new couple as an even bigger threat. Yan is handed a dagger to kill Wei Shao so he can be heir. He is considered a bastard so that is why he is allowed to live such a reckless life. He makes it clear he doesn’t care what happens to Qiao Man…to include death, but he draws the line at killing family. At least he has one. Qiao family is skeptical about wheat seeds. They see it as feeding enemy troops in future. This is what got them in trouble 14 years ago.The empress is fixing it so that she will arrive alone and like Yan is a favorite of gma. How is it that she is most attracted to vipers of the worst sort. That building collapse actually had her smiling. She is a piece of work willing to leave a trail of dead if they get in her way. This party bodes ill for everybody.😝

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Puppet master

Seems dear uncle is simply puppet to break up any chance of Qiao / Wei alliance. There is reasonable circumstances to hold grudges…but these two work so much better together for the good of everybody. The only fallout is with meddling family members intent on stirring things up. I am disappointed that Wei Shao has such little regard for her strategic and tactical ideas. The more she shines the more that covetous lech uncle wants her. He is definitely in it for whatever perk he’s been offered, but she definitely has his attention which takes some doing since he is so jaded about women in general. He is too free in her personal space and I want him flattened for that. Wei Shao should not have returned drawing. He should have just said that no woman looking like this was interested. Now he has his drawing of her to drool and moon over. He is really a sad shadow of a man thinking he is God’s gift to women. The bruise over tavern girl’s eye shows his real treatment of women. That Gma is so willingly taken in by this creep is sad and disheartening. He is going to cause some real trouble and it won’t be for himself alone. I can only hope his lecherous ways pays him back in bodily afflictions that will keep him from breeding or living to ripe old age. I guess he is the Chinese Hugh Hefner of this drama😝🙄I don’t see him finding a way to redeem himself or even wanting to by the end of the drama. Wei Shao is at least warned and is loosely monitoring things but I don’t think he is aware the depths this uncle could go. I am not even sure the uncle is sure. He is determined to be the serpent to test their marriage and that is most likely not going to end til he is gone. I vote for permanently but will settle for relocated. Qiao Man has put so much effort into this bday party. It remains to be seen if it will be a triumph or debacle. I just hope Wei Shao sticks close to her no matter the distraction so that whatever happens he will be there for her. The dam has been opened and the canal filled so one bit of good news.

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Ladies of the house

Wei Shao’s mother has hit a new low. She drugged her own son and had him locked in a room with crush girl. She did her best to seduce him and even in a drugged state he cast her off.😝 He didn’t even try the door but kicked them off their hinges. He looked massive when doing that. He tries to dilute the drug but tried to consummate his marriage. He didn’t. He took a long cold bath and settled himself. I missed something in translation at the very beginning. I did not understand that her wedding took place keeping her from grandfather memorial but that she would be allowed a year to mourn. I did not realize mourning gave her permission to stay chaste for that interim. No wonder the devil in red dress thought she had a chance.😝 The gma has her own spy network and knew the truth of the matter before calling in Qiao Man. She did not spread tales of her husband but used battle wounds as reason for ice and plead ignorant of east wing events. Gma likes that she protected her husband well.😁 I am glad Wei Shao takes his mother to task and gives her three days to marry off crush girl and get her out of the house. I was even more happy that gma had her own timetable and kicked her out immediately with promise of helping her marry. And when mother bear thought she was hid from both in law and son cutting loose on Qiao Man.—that new wife rebutted her soundly pointing out that her complaints and concerns were all about crush girl and not her own son. Mom really gets irked and flipped the table but daughter in law not only held her ground but even more vehemently argued for her husband. Putting the mom firmly in place….all with Wei Shao hearing the entire conversation. 🥰No one has ever stuck up for him without some sort of expectation in return. I hope he finally sees what a treasure his wife really is. He has avoided her because he is ashamed of forcing himself on her. I was getting annoyed with him for lacking two words…l’m sorry….however, when he knelt by her asleep planning to put ointment on her wrist…actions speak loudly. She woke and cowered away from him which shamed him more. He is planning a trip to Panyi to hide from her and she is deciding what to do.

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Warriors return

WeiShao thinks he has all the high ground about Qiao flag in Boya. He greets his wife with a huge meal having all Boyan specialities. She chokes down most of the protein overload and they finally begin talking. It is not pleasant but they both have a better understanding of each other. He finds out she now knows of his troops in Panyi and it is his turn to look guilty. He leaves with troops to take on Boya neighbor. This will take care of bully general so it’s a good thing. What he doesn’t know is that Qiao Man has had Boya start mining at a strategic location that will end up making an underground tunnel to sneak troops through. It’s a brilliant plan and will be unnoticed in the fog of war. When he comes back two months later he claims his fair share of the main suite.😂 personally, I think he has been due this since wedding night. It was kind that he allowed them separate areas to get accustomed with each other but it is getting about time for them to actually be husband and wife. She accepts the changes because she knows her strategic move in Boya was a bit underhanded tho necessary. Just as he originally saw adding troops to Panyi. She notices that Wei Shao is scared of the dark and restless so she talks with advisor and gma. Gma is currently my favorite character. She lays it out plainly the pain that was caused with three generations killed in one night. The loss she still feels and the pain she and Wei Shao still experience. She challenges the wife to be a true ally and help him deal with the pain and grow together to learn to live with more happiness and less fighting lines. The mentor offers his insights as well and lets her know the ball is now in her court to get things on a better track. She has no clue of his never ending nightmare of that fateful night and found herself at the tip of his sword. She has surmised that it was traumatic and also involves his fear of the dark. For the first time she offered him true comfort and while he doesn’t remember it, he sees her cloak and acknowledges the fact she was there for him. True progress is being made for both of them to start healing.

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Strength of water

Qiao Man has been treated pretty poorly by everybody but Gma. She treats her kindly but isn’t exactly friendly either. She was at least in her corner over the concubine issue. Mom was determined to get her way and WeiShao was a bit disappointing. He wanted to please his mom and have his cake and eat it too. He never punished her or kicked her out for letting Qiao Man stay cooped up in the rain for three days so she is a guilty pleasure for him. He turned her down with the soup, so maybe that is changing. But he still has not removed her from house. And, if he is truly a husband, the apron strings with mom gets cut. So here is where they will get frayed a bit if he gets rid of crush girl. BiZhi is taking care of big sis well. He is working hard and being helpful. His strength let him beat up some bullies that were trying to force old and young men to fight in their army. This came to a head when their leader challenged him. Here his athleticism and horse knowledge won the day, but they are coming back with a bigger force. He was doing his best to keep things away from Panyi but now needs some help. The Qiaos once again don’t want to offend so they will take Fan out of the situation but not assist. Here is where they should have sent a message to QiaoMan to help. Of course her sis should have done that first. The men in her family are not renown for their bravery in battle.😝 Somebody got into Wei Shao’s forbidden box and framed Qiao Man for it. He overreacted and truly hurt her. This is where she needed a bodyguard to knock him on his ass to get some sense into him. I loved how she proved her innocence to him and basically told him to shove it while at the same time totally respecting his privacy and possessions. I am also glad it was with witnesses present. It got him thinking about how it happened. Crush girl is most likely. She needs to be moved several towns away. They should marry her off and get an ocean between her and the Wei family.😝I am hoping they don’t kill off BiZhi. He’s a really good guy. The only Qiao male with a spine is the little brother. The rest of them are kinda worthless.

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One woman is enough

Qiao Man is still staying in his room and he is taking the side chamber so lovingly made ready by his lady friend and mother. He definitely felt all the love in that room.🤣 All the men want him to get a concubine and start making an heir. He made it clear MANY times that he and wife loved each other and no concubine needed. He said this a second time when they thought it fake formality but would be more truthful in men lounging room. He assured them that he still only wanted one wife and even invited her in room. This was something expressly forbidden prior with him promising severe punishment to anyone bringing a woman to that room. Maid and Qiao Man find out his favorite foods and she has dinner set up to greet him when work was done. She also had the three gossipy servants make the room ready for him so it was actually somewhat comfortable. When he sees the efforts she’s making he decides to have her visit grandma. Now those two walking is hilarious. She has to run 20 steps to keep up with three of his.😂 He lets her walk first and gives her a big lead. When she can’t see him he runs to keep up🤣 I am really enjoying the blossoming romance between these two. They are very cute and should have a long marriage if they don’t kill each other.😂 I am wincing for her. I hope the gma can be in her corner. She needs some support from somewhere in that house that is female. The advisor is helping as much as he can, but she really needs a lady insider that can give her the lay of the land. And that gal with the crush on him really needs to go.😝

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Ring of fire

Wei Shao kicks Qiao Man out of Xindu. She realizes she needs to change her strategy and heads to Panyi. On the way her ex fiancé shows up to rescue her. Her attempt at being in tearful distress😂 I thought he really liked her and just the dad an arrogant ass. But as he laid out his plans for Panyi, his ambition was made clear. He treated Qiao Man like a prisoner and forbade the mayor from speaking to her. She realized his ambition was built on using her family name and holdings. Any respect she might have had for him definitely departed as he laid out his plans to flood Xindu. That he would let innocents suffer and die was more than she could take. She escaped and set fire to the sulphur containers. It caused a lot of damage for the city but their plans made this happen. As Wei Shao’s men reported back he found out what really happened and saw the crappy wedding gifts. I think he saw a bit of what her life was really like. The mayor backed up all their claims. He confirmed the elopement was a lie; that she had been kept a prisoner and the plan to flood Xindu. It also seems Qiao Man dreams prophetic dreams. She pays attention to them and changes things. She has saved the people of Xindu, but Wei Shao’s brother is determined to follow the original order to kill Qiao Man and increase morale. The arrow has been launched and to see what is fated for Qiao Man.

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Surprise bride

Qiao Man is a very smart young lady. When talking to her grandfather it was very clear that she understood the politics and strategies of the Wei clan. 14 years ago the two families were allies and that faith was broken when the Qiao family did not come to help the Wei family during a war. Many were slaughtered and the survivor swore he would avenge the deaths of his grandfather, brother and father. The Qiao family wanted to make a truce by allying through marriage. The governor’s daughter was chosen, but she already loved another. Qiao Man was also betrothed, but the family showed contempt for her though the young man I think really did care about her. She was wise to understand the family was part of the deal in marriage and considered her lot would fair better with the Wei clan. She helped her friend run off and took her place with the seal of Panyi as dowery. They were hoping that offering this place would ease the tension between the families. He overheard the women discussing why they wanted the wedding venue there. This would allow for the seal being kept if the groom changed his mind. He wanted to kill her before she ever reached the gate but a wise servant suggested it would be wiser to accept the offer of Panyi with no bloodshed. The reluctant groom agreed only to keep her alive. But once he saw her he was pleasantly surprised. Except for her grandfather, Qiao Man was surrounded by idiots at home, so I don’t blame her for trying her luck elsewhere. But she really threw all caution to the wind having her family’s enemy as a groom.

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Love and obsession

Zui and YiTan were so sweet making their wedding plans. I am beyond angry that grandfather Yang was always given a pass. He has finally been dealt with but that has resulted in the seed of hatred planted and growing in YiTan. I did not think anyone could surpass the contempt I felt for elder Nangong…but elder Yang succeeded. Nangong for all his evil ways wanted his family to reign and be powerful. Yang said he wanted enemies trampled but he only wanted his own ego fed. His family will be destroyed in the process so what good is it to be the top one on heap of the dead.😝🙄 Others may think it was JiaLan’s doing that he did such evil. I call BS. She only gave him the power to do his own will, there was no reshaping or twisting his mindset. He simply let the dark carry it out. JiuHuo still carries love for JiaLan. But she has been twisted and reshaped by greed and power obsession so the love she once had for him no longer exists. She now wants all love eradicated and he is her willing pawn to pour himself out for her to achieve her goal. What strength HongYe had to accept the grey and do what would truly make peace between demons and humans has now been suppressed by his father. And it is seen as his right of passage to lead. In its own way it is just as misdirected as the evil of Yang. It will not waver from the black/white line. These know it all nobles have condemned them all. It is no wonder things can’t go well for them. All their elders blessings and curses wreaked the same result. What I don’t understand is how YiTan had no inkling at all of this miserable future with his gift of clairvoyance? Young Mu Mei had better insight with minimal training. How could YiTan act surprised at the depth his grandfather would go? And willingly? His legacy now is that cowardly sap of eldest son. That old man’s hate exceeds Jin RenFeng and that takes some doing. Their hate alone could unite the trees. 😝 JiuHuo is using all his will to be the weakest charactered pawn in the lot. Does black fox even have the capacity to treat him better than a servant if she leaves boundary? Will she be able to remove any bit of the grief and hate in her heart to allow love? I guess JiuHuo will be the only one to live long enough to find out.

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Sworn brothers

Qu Zhou was the hero of the day with his thousands of talismans. He has fixed the magic lotus and gets the four of them back to the future. He is left to deal with the fate given him by JiuHuo and black fox but he is proud to be a masked warrior again. His younger self is very surprised at the greeting from Zui. They know something bad happened and they are determined to find a better solution. HuaiZhu and HongYe are much sweeter since their return. She is making it clear she favors him now. Jin RenFeng is going to be a problem. He is jealous, knows about the magic lotus device and dared to enslave demons to gather herbs. He now knows HuaiZhu has mastered the yang flame but that will make him covet her even more. Elder DongFang has become sworn brothers with HongYe. 🤣 They had quite the father to suitor chat. Father DongFang recognizes the colder more ambitious side of HongYe and tests how that will fit in with HuaiZhu. Both daughters come in to find them a drunken mess. HongYe gets properly embarrassed for his hangover the next morning😂 Love is definitely in the air, but so is jealousy and power seeking. There is also the desire and need to get the true Wangquan sword and find HongYe’s father. HongYe also has a foreshadowing from the black fox.

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The underground city

These two demon hunters BanXia hired look like reasonable choices, but it sure seems like they focus on taking out the helpful, no threat demons. For them character doesn’t matter. Demon=kill on sight. BanXia already regrets hiring them after seeing their treatment of the demon guide. It seems they also like to punish demon sympathizers as well. XuanYe and Rabbit are having a more colorful entry into the city. While their guide seemed kind he introduced him to a greasy master wanting to be called uncle. The two constables are fun. Their bickering is amusing and the way he wants to protect her in the city is sweet. Our constable is a what you see is what you get kind of guy and she seems to like that. 😂 she is more direct dealing for info. She knows it’s giving money away but it’s saving them leg work and might give them insight on where to head for clues. The pouting scene of BanXia was a bit over the top. But to be fair she was trying to be sure he didn’t break his promise to his father. I’m betting the ‘uncle’ is part of the reason. I have no clue if their venture will help her find either parent, but she is definitely safer with these two than her hired pair. Even with the uncle factor tossed in. XuanYe has committed himself to her cause so if there is an answer to be found, he’s the most likely one to find it.

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