KJ2025

Working against feudal thinking

The director is trying to push Yang’s promotion and Wen is the only holdout. She argues like Yang with him but she makes no more progress. He tells her to let the committee decide. This is a two edged sword for her. She swings it often to bend other’s wills but now that it swings against her she is frustrated. Wen has a very cute daughter. Yi was quite patient with her when the child was restless waiting on dad. Seems she likes art too but Wen refused Yi giving her a sketchbook because he doesn’t want it seen as a bribe. At the hospital Wen wants to tell the nurse he’s not interested but she gets called away by her job. Yang makes excuse to see Qing. I want to find it cute but still struggling. My bias against him is quite strong. It is interesting to me that he chose the same gift as Wen for Yi, a pen. Here he wants Qing to practice her calligraphy. He has invented his own style. This was a surprise for me that gives me a bit of hope for him. He did not want to just be seen as a master’s copier. He wanted anything he wrote down to be recognized as his work specifically. I did not expect one so zealot in behavior could have an understanding and appreciation of individuality. This is the first time I have something in agreement with him. Our handwriting and signature is how we can be seen on paper. It lets the world see our style and personality on paper. Wen gave Yi Yuan’s interrogation file and his final letter. It was a hard gift to receive but it gave her an insight to his last thoughts. Yang and Qi cornered her about going to a meeting and Yi surprised them by saying yes. I found it humerous that Qing tries to have him learn an inside voice instead of yelling. She is the first one to counter his complaints about the dark with why didn’t you bring them? He had to reflect for a moment. He brought candles and expected her to have the matches.😂He sees her as his complement and she really is. Usually this is where I get a warm fuzzy at a budding romance, but I can’t get past the stereo shrieking they will do.😝😂 Maybe they will both learn inside voices. Yi shares her husband’s last letter instead of the prepped speech Yang had written out for her. I like that she both respected and defied their attempts on interpreting her public thoughts. In the workshop a granny comes in and starts beating on a young worker. Her husband died early and she had remarried. The first mother in law counted it a betrayal because their custom was to stay single for the rest of their days after husband died. Here is where Yi stood up all pro party lines. Too bad director wasn’t there to witness. She forcefully told the Gma that in new China the feudal ways were no longer the standard. That they were allowed marriage and the freedom to work and make their place within the party. Here the first bit of understanding why the old regime was ousted. These were her own pet peeves with men ordering her about— deciding who and when she could marry, and claiming her inheritance, work and earnings for themselves. Now women were on an equal status for work. The new girl is the one that told on the young girl’s whereabouts. They were from the same town and new girl thought that was a way to diminish competition. Yi catches her in the act of gossiping and calls her on it. The Gma has actually started a brawl on the work floor and is escorted out. Qing and the leader hold her to task for gossiping against the widowed martyr. Here is where they missed what should have been addressed. The old woman trying to enslave a young girl to family tradition and feudal thinking. Here is where the party showed they were of like ilk because they did not value Yi as a person, but as the wife of a revered martyr. I think they expect her to keep that status indefinitely. Qing asking if she was so naive about rumors. However, in spite of her coarse criticism she is right. Lies told often become truth to the masses that don’t care or bother about what is really true. The irony is she never considered repeated accusations by the party made false evidence believed as truth. It’s the flip side of the coin. Yang has received a job offer as a reporter and Wen is all for it. As he re aligns the sofa doilies he is practically doing a happy dance that Yang will be gone and in a job where he can’t be as harmful to others with his judgments. The director tries to corner Wen about begging for Yang to stay. Wen is not biting and now director can feel what it’s like to be manipulated by party job offers. Qing has made herself Yi’s personal assistant. She wants to stick like glue to her. Yi questions why. I think there is a low key desire to learn how to date from someone she respects. Yi sees her as an extension of Yang’s monitoring and Qing can’t deny it. When Qing won’t leave, Yi does. Yi is appreciating the new freedoms in the workplace due to new leadership. But the strings attached monitoring of all things personal wears at her soul. This is why she told Wen she is appreciating the party more but sees herself better as one who watches the watchers. I love her determination to take the difficult but most true path for herself. She will follow nobody blindly. Aunt SiYun and her father taught her that very early on. She has her aunt’s spine and determination to follow a course of her choosing. She is starting to find it.

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Changes

Yi goes to the memorial that has Zhou Yuan’s name on it. Her grief is palpable. Wen knows she is there and stays with her. She thanks him for finding out the truth about her husband. I am thinking that he ran into people like Mr Gu and that had him join. He and Cheng were far less concerned with politics and steadfast in wanting best for China. All parties have good and bad. I am sure Zhou Yuan would have been less happy with Yang and his influence over wife and sister. She is young and her husband’s sister so Yi treats her with far more courtesy than she receives. Fu is happy for her. They have ‘allowed’ her to go back to her home and given her a job she is well suited for. They completely sweep under the rug that this is what they should have done from the beginning. They started their relationship with the stick and then thought she’d be grateful for the carrot. 😝 They would have been far more successful had they respected her from the beginning as a valuable asset to their organization. For Yi, that ship has sailed. The sis in law, how her tone changes from Yi to Fu. She is a decade younger and thinks she can school Yi about men.😝 she could have shared time waiting for brother with Yi. She had five years. Now that she thinks she has brother’s approval she wants to be sisterly. She doesn’t get that maybe all these things are too painful for Yi knowing he is dead. Why would she want to have a youthful dead husband picture in her face right now. She is so obtuse to how she’s been treating Yi. She honestly thinks her presence is appreciated. Yi doesn’t hate her, but she has no reason to have deep affection for her either. Yi tried subtly and spoke often of her brother and always with love, but the sis never accepted it because of her youthful mindset. She could not claim her brother and fall in line with the party. She couldn’t reconcile that and took it out on Yi. I don’t hate the young woman for her conflict, but her distasteful bossing of Yi should register how discourteous it is. The fact that she doesn’t grasp that leaves little ground for establishing a better relationship. She may grow up enough to be more like her brother, but with Yang’s constant presence and the manipulative director, the chances are slim for her. The director is still keeping eye via sis in law. She is the one assigning her Yi I am sure. 😝 Yi has requested to go abroad, and now the organization doesn’t want her to go. Wen tries to urge her to see the rejuvenated Shanghai as a result of liberation efforts. This angle should have started years ago.😝Minister Wen is at hospital to visit chief Yan. The nurse kicks him out of the room and director shows up. The director is trying to get Wen to consider the nurse. She is as good as his friend in matchmaking.😂😝 She is pretty and much like how sis is with Yang once she finds out who he is. The last thing he wants is a sycophant partner.😝 The director sees him eyeing Yi and wants an approved party wife for him. Good luck with that director.😂🤣😝 The chief never showed, the director tried hard to make that an impromptu date. Dinner between shifts 😂😝 now Qing wants her to give stories of her brother’s heroism to the class. Yi didn’t even know he was communist, what was she supposed to fabricate for them?😝 I found it touching what she tried to share with them. The last dress her husband had made for her. It was too subtle and the two loudmouths kept any chance from learning away from the group. Fu invited her to the club for a last gathering. The organization would have better plans. He is considered a reprobate because he has three concubines. Yuan was his friend anyways. And any man that deliberately chooses to have more than one woman, has already cloaked himself in estrogen storm. 😂he merits whatever hassle they give him. Yi, on the other hand did not. She was actually rescued by her comrade sisters. What struck Yi the hardest is when the local supervisor joined Qing in demanding tales of the great martyr. She was stunned that her husband’s affiliations is why they view her now as trustworthy. She doesn’t know what to do with that thinking. She is not deliberately other from them. She is just as unfamiliar with their experiences as they are from hers. Wen strongly urges her to change her thinking. He is not rude and expresses it calmly, but he is quite direct. Qing shows up with tea eggs and wants forgiveness. Yi obliges. The demanding of communal clap and the female Yang shouting makes what should have been a sweet scene off putting. She could have had a quiet meeting of apology but wants the party included admiring her actions. Wen visits Yi after the scene at the club. He finds she doesn’t need comfort and he learns of some of her experiences with the army. She asks him directly as an intellectual how he adapted. It all came down to taking the time to know and understand the other side. To not decide arbitrarily that someone is too stupid to understand. The head seamstress never understood that her skills were always appreciated and worth notice. The bosses didn’t understand that needed to be heard and understood by the crafters. Respect, courtesy and appreciation should go both ways. Here Yi understands where she was obtuse taking it as a given they knew their skills were appreciated. Her silence gave them the impression she was cold and arrogant. She now knows to take the time to ask them directly for their opinions and to acknowledge the product is better when there is understanding of what makes the work easier and still has the desired end result. Wen’s gift of the pen is like his watch gift to his buddy. It is flawed but works well if know how to use. 😂😁 They have mutual respect which is a good foundation for friendship. The episode ends with the buyers for club coming to look over the property and make bids. Jian is there and director Cheng. Is he the Cheng we know or just same name? And is this the Jian Zhou Yuan knew? This marks the end of an era when times were more carefree for the upper class. This episode makes you look at how biases effects how we see people. It filters our perception. We are shown that often the thing most required to understand people we don’t agree with ideologically, is to force ourselves to remove those personal biases and simply see the person as a fellow human being. Changes in perception can enlighten understanding from the shared commonalities rather than focus on the differences.

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Ghosts

Wen said that before liberation people were made ghosts, and this is definitely true. He also said the liberation made those ghosts back to people. That is also true. But it fails with intellectuals, white collar workers, and people who had their own means of supporting themselves by making them ghosts. Suppression is still alive and well. The only thing is the suppressed have become the suppressors. Her sis in law has become a Yang mini me. I can’t find her crush on him cute because she is treating others just like he does. I couldn’t sympathize with him about the loss of his mom because they literally forced him to go home and he was so determined to suppress the evil capitalist, that he saw that as the better way to spend his time. I don’t even have words for that miserable wretch that said the dress was for her granddaughter and then sold it. Sending her home is something they probably dread more than she does.😝 Yi turned her down flat with her business plan, and was actually trying to motivate herself teaching the classes they forced on her. But those actions and efforts were not considered by the organization. She was condemned for making 3 dresses and the true guilty one was ms truthful neighbor😝 for pointing the blame to the one they wanted guilty. Yang saw her conditions, mocked her to work with her hands, and then condemned her for doing it. He then went on to denounce Minister Wen and made himself the law of the land because he was in charge of the local businesses. Truth was whatever he said it was. So, while the power of leadership has definitely shifted, how much has truly changed? If you have to live as a spy and report every infraction to party line rules, how is that existence so much better? Yi was supposed to rejoice that her husband turned out to be a loyal communist so now she is trustworthy and has a legacy to continue. She hasn’t changed, their perspective lense now allows her to be who she is. Sis acting joyful that she could talk to her now. Why should Yi rejoice? They could have always spoken. I am glad she left while the director was still talking. What could her words possibly mean to her other than confirming the death of her husband? No other words mattered. The majority of people think things will improve when power is exchanged. The potential is indeed there. But the roots of greed and power tend to corrupt any leadership. When the suppressed are put in charge, one would think those who were bullied would be the best masters. But often they just turn into bigger bullies. I am thinking Minister Wen’s business trip was to find out what exactly happened to Zhou Yuan. What I am curious about now is if Yi will leave Shanghai now? There is no reason to wait or stay.

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The Organization for the people

Yi has had to move from her home. She now has a garret space to stay in. The comrades responsible for her make sure she feels every minute. They have the fake syrupy condescending tone of the chief’s wife down pat. Yi is getting a bird’s eye view how the party saying it’s for the people is only for some of the people.😝 This is another attempt by the friendly neighborhood comrades to get her to leave Shanghai. While she appears to be bullied, she is quietly and resolutely holding her ground. She wins by staying in the city of her choice in spite of their crap. They think she is too weak from wealth to deal with harsh conditions. They have no clue what her family put her through. Compared to her father and gma, these naggy old biddies are nothing to her. That is why she does not bother angering them. That’s wasted effort. Mr Fu is trying to be helpful in his blundering way. He is cowardly, but truthful. The one thing Minister Wen got from the conversation about ZhouYuan is that he lived with integrity and humility. He had good taste in his preferences, but not pretentious. Fu was trying to send business Yi’s way and the one thing that did score a point for biddy was demanding her seamstress skills. This was the first time a bit of fear showed in Yi’s eyes. Minister Wen stops by. I like their conversation about garrets and the inspired artists and authors who created in these spaces. He notes the meager living arrangements and that she doesn’t complain about them. He encourages Yi to get along with her neighbors. But if he was neighbors with Yang’s ilk and charm, how much would he want to mingle?😝 Like most youth flexing their almost adult wings, her sis in law felt entitled to read Yi’s diary and demand compliance to the new party. She doesn’t have enough interest in history or life experience to choose to think for herself. She is easily indoctrinated to ‘better ways.’ She is also so angry and miserable about her brother. Her pet peeve right now is that she and sis in law are on same page where her brother is concerned. It tickles the back of her mind that he would have nothing to do with the organization she prizes so highly now. She wants to drown that sentiment out by making Yi fall in line. I hope at some point they can have a real conversation, but again, politics can really tear up families. I liked Yi’s stance on not pride of being Shanghainese but respecting her identity. That is what all parties ‘ of the people ‘ want to make us forget — who we are as individuals and how that makes the world better. It is harder to keep people as sheep when they have individual thought. Anything not coarse and unrefined is seen as bourgeois, so they conveniently label Yi as such without even knowing her. They vent their conflicts with status and wealth on her and make her the pariah and scapegoat. She is the one that needs retrained to their thinking. This is pretty indicative of all ‘inclusive’ parties. You are welcomed as long as your opinions don’t disagree with their party line. The surprising thing is Yi takes her diary and turns it in, the second surprising thing is her bold stance of demanding immediate judgment. She is going to wait til they read and evaluate it on the spot. She knows if she leaves, it’s all over. Her sis in law has to blab to Yang in her self righteous little rant. They go storming in to find her already there. Unfortunately for Yi, little miss chatty Cathy now has made it so Yang is in charge. He makes everything an interrogation. I have to smirk when the brainwashed kid has no clue how to answer. She finally lets some truth out and immediately gets yelled at for it. I absolutely loved Wen’s response to Yang, I think your diary had some negative remarks too. How about we get yours out pass it around and discuss it. Wen gets summarily dismissed by my favorite organization lady.😝 Her private admonishing of Yang proves she knows he’s not fit for the job. She just wants a loud guard dog to intimidate people. 😝 The only good thing is that the sister is getting to work out some of her emotional turmoil about her brother. She has admitted the real circumstances of Yi’s family and deep down wants to do the right thing. This is more peripherally for her brother, but at least she still cares about him. She just has few qualms throwing Yi under the bus if necessary. Yi warns Fu to keep his distance right when her ‘escort’ arrives to take her home. She is now expected to join activities that will introduce her to all her lovely neighbors. Yi collapses when she gets home. Not surprising since she’s been living on coffee and water.😝 They are keeping her diary and there’s no telling who all they are going to share it with. She now has to write a reflection paper so that she doesn’t have a charge on her record. Yep, that’s pure freedom for the people right there.😝I am starting to think lady comrade that came at her so fiercely is seeing that Yi is not at all what she expected. In her own way, other than Wen, she is actually trying to be kinder. Minister Wen and his friend remind me of Ao and Dalun😂 His buddy thinks he has found Wen the ideal woman and their meal turns into a blind date. This snobby woman couldn’t be more of a misstep then if he was actually trying to sabotage Wen on purpose. Since they are supposed to be condemning wealth, surprised the comrade knew all the best places in town to eat.😝 Hypocrisy runs deep in all political parties. That is the one true common denominator for every single one of them.😝 This drama is doing an excellent job moving forward in time and keeping the story going. All of the conflicts in this time frame also hit home today as history often repeats itself. There is one mystery Minister Wen learned from sis in law. ZhouYuan had his sister deliver a book to someone named Jian. She was asked to keep it secret even from Yi. So who is Jian and what intel was in book he was passing along?

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Choosing sides

While SiYun is rallying herself together Cheng and Shen are bickering in the adjoining room. When she is finally tired of it she leaves to find Mrs Shen. Her son tells her how Mr Dong got a bit out of hand but was handled. She corners them with who introduced her question and son has to admit fault. She is far from happy and offers to personally escort her to the right people for investing. Cheng assured her that there will be no repeats. Mrs Shen asks Si Yun directly that with Mr Dong being an issue things might get difficult and Si Yun lets her know her clinic will happen no matter how difficult. There is a man killed in the bathroom and everybody is getting checked at the door. The waiter who has had two other names tossed around is also Mr Gu from shantytown. They are holding him at the door and Cheng and father get him out. He does remember to go back and get Si Yun. There is a father/son chat about Mr Gu and Cheng is strongly warned about not getting involved in politics. This is also where mentioned Cheng is adopted son. The house has been purchased by Mrs Shen and she comes to get paperwork. Si Yun then learns that Mrs Shen is considering this her investment and she wants the hospital here. Yi Sun can’t believe her good fortune. As it is changed to be a hospital Cheng visits and offers his legal services. She is not to worry about paying he considers himself a second investor. I like where Cheng is cornered by Ms Shen and asked directly if he has feelings for Si Yun, his response, I simply have no feelings for you.😂Then when asked who is better he responds Si Yun is excellent and he gave no such recommendation for her. I don’t think he would have typically been that harsh, but she needed to truly understand he wasn’t interested. The niece returns from school and sees the new hospital coming into shape. She is headed to her old room now part of the dormitory. It was cute watching her guy bring in her luggage for her and then immediately excuse himself. Cheng then has a chat with his sidekick and son about the military. Dad is all against and Cheng supports him. During training there was an issue where the boy was beaten and jailed for communist thinking. He wanted clarification about why politics were more important than fighting invasion forces. This went to court and the jury is out tho it looks promising to go his way. Si Yun invites Ao to lunch and the kid responds. When chastised by his dad, Cheng includes them. Si Yun wasn’t as happy but said that is what Mr Cheng wanted.😂 I don’t think he will be asked out again any time soon.😂They are headed out for food and episode ends.

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Uptown and shantytown

I am not happy Si Yun settled out of court but I am sure Cheng got her a fair deal. If this rids her of mother and brother, that’s not such a bad thing. She refuses to use Zeng money so she has fallen behind in payments. She shows Mrs Shen and daughter her house. The daughter sees this a way to stick it to Si Yun under the guise of kindness. She asks her mother to buy it so she can open some eateries on both floors. She even offers Si Yun a discount.😝 I like the conversation and shared letter with sis in law. She wants to know if Si Yun considers her a failure as mother. Yi Sun honestly responds. She is just in a hard place with her husband and mother in law. I like that these two women like and respect each other. There is great trust between them because she does leave her daughter’s care to Yi Sun. She recognizes they are kindred spirits and that her daughter will thrive under her aunt’s care and minimally suppressed by her father. Politician Shen wants Cheng to muscle in on shantytown and calm things down. I like how Cheng gets his sidekick to use Shen’s money to pass out to the workers stuck there. Cheng returns the next day with provisions and Si Yun to have an impromptu clinic on site. She has been invited to an upscale gathering and attends with Cheng. I like how Shen tries to reduce him to driver status and Cheng politely asks him to step aside. Si Yun is referred to Mr Dong to consider investing. She remembers him from approving her hospital. The two guys chat and for the second time the Communist party is brought up. The first was when he was having tea with his father and the dad knew the waiter. The waiter denied knowing him but did take note of the job possibility. The dad warns Ao that this guy was not one to make enemies with. No matter what side he was on it was best to be allied. While Shen and Cheng are talking the sister pops up and says what a big pervert the guy is Si Yun is talking to. He tried to assault her but she found a pen and made her point.😝 He is now going to be yet another obstacle for her. Shen is an idiot. He is at least diverting the hospital issue by promising the son could be accepted in military academy with special attention from teachers. He heads to hospital to have his injury checked out and Cheng heads to room and sees Si Yun sitting. He asks her how she is and she’s not quite sure how to respond to that. Usually I roll my eyes when the sis shows up but this time she did a good thing, even if by accident.

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Family feud

Cheng Ao is an angel in disguise. Lin Si Yun despises him, but he let her see with her own eyes what she would be marrying. Turns out that he had a harem in the wings and not just his 15 yr old most likely pregnant child mistress. Ya gotta love the line of guys reading his love letters to different girls. He thinks he is doing her such a great service and she tells the paper.😂 I love her boldness when women don’t get a say. Shen’s sister is much like Dalun and has her eye on lawyer Cheng. 🫣😂😬 She is one to steer clear of but she will keep life interesting. She should run off with Dalun and have a great adventure, but they may be too similar. Maybe that is why she is drawn to the quiet and subdued Mr Cheng. Ms Lin has severed her ties to the Qiao’s and I hope it doesn’t affect her clinic. Mr Cheng is an angel to another. He helps the pregnant lady escape from the dueling politicians who now have no use for her. I hope the money and identification card came from Shen’s slush fund. 😝 Brother Lin, let me kick that chair aside for you. They all knew he was ridiculous but I sure wish one would have done it just to shut him up. The mother, 😝🙄 she sees her capable daughter as the turncoat and destroyer of their family. Women are supposed to do what they are told, even to their detriment. I don’t even care enough about her to stay angry. She and son fall under the category “I have no use for you”. The brother has set his daughter Yi up with the Zhu’s. He lets her know at dinner she is sitting by her husband. She storms out and he ‘disciplines’ her on the street. A handsome stranger intercedes for Yi and after a second attack Si Yun calls the police. It’s an interesting meet cute, but these two are happy to have met. 😂🥰 Si Yun is surprised but not unhappy at the meeting. When matriarch is on her high horse demeaning the women in her family, her daughter offers to take responsibility for all her niece’s expenses and remove her from their home. Her sister in law agrees with her and both young women leave their home for greener pastures. Yay for them. 🥳 Sometimes the only thing you can do with family is keep as much distance as possible, because there is much truth in the saying Silence is golden. I feel a bit sorry for brother’s wife, but she has a son that will keep her in good standing with mother in law.

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Brother gets to call the shots

Dalun Zeng is an interesting person. I do not know what loyalty he has to his henchman to take the blame for the murder. Not only does he, he is completely unapologetic about any repercussions. He sees Cheng Ao as next family leader and himself as expendable. He is quite cavalier about it and I don’t know if this is an act, or just his personality rebelling against family trying to rein him in. In spite of all of Ms Lin’s efforts, the prosecutor has charged him with fines and he is leaving Shanghai. Mr Cheng tells her that Dalun is not the one that killed the young woman, but that doesn’t change her mind about the matter. Mr Zeng plans to head to Northeast China where there is unrest and cold climes. He thinks he looks good in winter clothing and might emerge a hero out of the chaos. Ms Lin and Mr Cheng keep running into each other. Their encounters are always confrontational and I think Mr Cheng is starting to enjoy them. His next client is Mr Shen who isn’t trying to quietly pay off a woman claiming to be pregnant with his child. The story from him and her could not be more different. She has an emergency surgery thanks to another incompetent midwife and arrives late to her dinner with the Qiao family. Her prospective fiancé’s father works with the magistrate that can approve her maternity hospital. He highly suggests she and fiancé come to his daughter’s bday party. Here she finds out that she and Shen matriarch have much in common which was a pleasant surprise. But as with her family and brother getting the say in matters, the Shen patriarch curbed her dreams of a hospital and she became a the proper wife and mother. There is a flashback where we see the horrible practices of a so called midwife that resulted in the death of the mother. This is why she devoted her education to making safer delivery possible for the common woman and not just the wealthy ones. She wanted women’s care to be more accessible to the masses. Her brother is such a louse in the days men got all the say. He has his IOU all written up with the new family promising to take care of. She isn’t completely adverse to the idea but I am not convinced she is completely sold on it either. Yi is forced to be engaged to a young boy that is dying. Her brother says he will take care of it and call it off, but I don’t see where his word means anything. And that his son will be the family heir, doesn’t bode well either. I have no clue why the mother sits placidly by her worthless son and gives him control when she has such a capable daughter. It’s really nauseating to watch. Mr Cheng finds himself forced to attend the bday party. He sees Ms Lin and gives her an offer she can’t refuse in dancing. Here he reminds me of Dalun with the henchman holding back boyfriend. I didn’t expect that. While he is polite forcing Ms Lin to dance, he is cautioning her about the seriousness of marriage and that things are not always the way they look. She is absolutely furious with him and runs off with her boyfriend. I am curious why the Qiao’s so easily agree to pay off huge debt of brother. Why would they want to? Do the Zengs, Qiaos and Shens control political offices? Why is Cheng bothering to warn her? This episode leaves me with loads of questions and huge distaste for slimeball brother. He is such a waste of space.😝

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Brother’s debts become sister’s woes

The episode begins with a young woman working in finance. She has worked diligently for three years and is ready for a promotion. Unfortunately, a colleague has embezzled funds and has disappeared leaving her responsible for the missing funds. When she feels there is no way out she tries to end her life with an overdose. She wakes in the hospital with her gma fanning her and ready to tell her a story. And so it begins. Lin Si Yun is returning home after studying abroad. She is planning on working with a maternity clinic and has brought home needed equipment. Upon arrival she encounters a forward man who says she’s beautiful and asks if she has a way home. Her response is she does. A man on a bike greets her and she opts to walk home with her friends. Once home she finds a memorial for her father and lights incense. Before she gets to speak to anyone, men barge into the house looking for her brother. She learns her brother has squandered the family’s wealth to include mortgaging the family estate. The men are doing a room to room search for him. Her sister in law is very pregnant and about to give birth. She has a confrontation with the man she had met earlier. They agree to give her a 30 day extension and leave. A baby boy is born and gma is cooing over baby while spendthrift son is literally penned in under the birthing bed. 😝 This brother, is as opposite of his sister as one can get. He is trying to push her into an arranged marriage so the new family can pay off his debt. His sister was childhood sweethearts with the prospective groom, but when they went to study abroad, he went to the states and she went to Germany. She doesn’t think he is a bad guy, but she’s not chomping at the bit to get married either. Cheng Ao is the lawyer and clean up guy for the ‘debt collecting’ group. He sees that his returned friend and henchman are quick on the draw to cause trouble. This is proved more than speculation when his friend calls him up about a young woman falling out of his car and dying when her head hit the curb. The henchman had borrowed the car and gone on a date. She was getting nervous with him but he promised to take her home. This turned into him trying to maul her in the car and she jumped out of the car to escape him. But it did not go well for her. Cheng Ao shows up to try to make restitution and Ms Lin is having none of it. She informs him that his friend will pay. It is particularly problematic as the maid is part of the Lin family they are squeezing for loan payment. The episode ends with Mr Cheng offering to buy every issue of the morning press to squash the story. An interesting first episode.

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Battle of wits

So far, Tingyan has managed to keep ahead of old demon’s scheming. Yan’s leader raised fuss about a canal and thinks prisoner is dead. Old demon wisp intends to cause a natural disaster to stir up resentment in the general populace to feed demon core in Tingyan. Fortunately, her people were there to circumvent the natural disaster plot. This has worked well for the emperor and put Tingyan in a good light as well. There is some ritual that both sides want in charge of. I am hoping this is not like Shi’s doings of blood sacrifice rituals. There is something significant about it but still no clue if good or bad. Does this ceremony help the people or help open demon army door? Maybe it depends on which side uses it. Now that wretched wisp wants the souls of 100 children for their scheme. I am glad the mortal is hesitant to do it, but the demon lord has caused trouble for Tingyan. Many birds are dead disturbing the people and she woke up with blood on her hands. She also has not told her people or Jiao about the time lapses and the demon takeovers of her body. This is working against her. Now to see what the old wisp made her do.

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Shi’s plan….revealed and hopefully destroyed

Even Sima Jiao is brought to tears by the atrocity in this mountain. To cover their avarice, the Shi clan have decimated the nearby village and blamed it on Sima Jiao. He is unaware of this since Ruling silenced Nianju and Tingyan didn’t understand what was going on and just went to check on him. The bodies of the Fengshan line are clustered where the barrier killed them, in trying to save them, he inadvertently sentenced them all to death. He is resigned that he must die so they will be forced to end this blood currency. The leaders have assembled at the mountain thinking a crazed Sima Jiao has trashed the city for revenge. The insightful woman leader notes a devastated Sima Jiao with bodies of Fengshan clan en mass. Shi is trying to distract them from the real atrocity and I am hoping is unsuccessful. It ends with an impasse as all are waiting to see what Sima Jiao will do. I really want one more episode today….

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He RuFei says watch me wave my sword around😂😝

This wretched brother. Had he seen He Yan tear the posts from the ground and slice in half he would just give up now. His servant…oh master does your hand hurt?😂🤣 His narcissism is infinite. He does have the He gene for audacity, but in his case looks petulant and ridiculous. He looked like a LARP trying to look tough in practice for a match.😝😂ok, I am almost done wheezing from laughter at him now. His petulance was off the chart breaking his family jade. This proves how little value he holds for honor and family. He is Xu’s living proof of guilt.😝 He damn well is. He sold his soul when he made a deal with the devil Xu. He licks the boots of his master not even understanding he’s going to fall with no mourning for his worship. The suppressed spirit soul temple still calls for him. I am hoping Chu’s guard isn’t killed for holding her ground against that petulant spoiled brat. Hopefully appeasing the daughter with more face time will help. But now that she sees your most valued painting, there is no telling what she will do. She and wretched brother are the perfect match, but what would they create? Sometimes best not to speculate.😝I loved the fight in the tavern. It reminded me of fight scene from The Musketeer movie. Fights were choreographed by Xiong XinXin. It was not appreciated in general, but the fight scenes were top notch and is one of my favorite movies. I loved how they sat there not even flinching as the swords came down. The woman was a surprise and that is the only reason she managed to draw blood. I am glad weapon wasn’t poisoned. Poor Feinu stuck with being mouthpiece for invite. Xiao Jue is shameless using this ruse to get his way. 🤣 It was a poignant scene for HeYan at the gate of the city where she was betrayed and left for dead. The one thing she has in common with her ‘brother’ is agreement only one would survive their next meeting. Xiao Jue’s sibling and wife do not quite know what to make of He Yan. They are puzzled at the care and proximity their reclusive brother is giving his friend. It was a poignant moment for him when kneeling before his parents’ memorial. He promises them justice and a future meeting with someone special. He Yan is looking for family gifts when she catches her would be assassins and sends them back with the message the debt will be paid in full. The weasel brother has an assassins’mini bow poised to shoot at her when episode ends…….😝🫣 til tomorrow’s episode.

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Playing the players

Sima Jiao is many steps ahead of Shi leader that believes he is in charge of events. It is interesting to watch them maneuver and rearrange the players. Ruling is trying to be a good friend but her younger sister isn’t on board. Their family was divided when Sima clan set up immortal/demon boundary. Ruling wants another option than killing, but so far nothing has presented and the demon realm getting restless. When Tingyan meets her handler she treats him like an ex boyfriend. 😂 Sima Jiao is content with her responses and even smiles. Ms modern girl turned rogue demon assassin isn’t accepting the role she was forced to play. She has brought amusement to him that is real and not sarcasm. She lightens his mood and quells his bloodlust.I enjoyed the ‘filming’ of the events with the son’s killing. The dad saw exactly what happened and knows the Shi’s treachery and who really saved his son. He is now asked to hide his son indefinitely to continue on with Shi’s machinations and earn his trust. Everybody now wants Tingyan the influencer killed. She is sent an invitation to a festival and when Sima Jiao says not interested, requests to still go. He has no issue with her attendance. As she smiles at the thought of a party, he says the festival is for her and they want to kill her. End of episode😝Grandmaster having too much fun with this.

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Oath breakers

What started off as a friendly excursion with two couples turned into something very different. A reunion with an old comrade revealed he broke a promise to his friend and to his wife. He swore he would help Xiao Jue redeem his father’s name with his connections. Then when the time came in court, not only did that not happen, but the magistrate he was hoping for help from was the first in line to file charges against his family, which was followed up by the general that was supposed to provide reinforcements. In the time separated, his friend married the courtesan he had written a love letter to. He was shunned by his father as a result of backing a traitor to then want to marry a courtesan. His intentions were honorable, but he lacked the fortitude to stand by his decisions confidently and moving forward with them. He became a drunkard, unhappy with the life he had given up, and unable to move forward with his wife on his own feet without regret. She was saddened but not so weak as to be second to the political path forsaken and divorced him. They remain at a standoff in the same place and now reunited with friends from the past. Words at the table ended up with a formal rebuke by He Yan candidly condemning him for disrespecting his wife and not seeing her from her heart to her eyes. He ultimately apologized to his wife and asks not for forgiveness but for him to be close to her. She did not accept, but I think she still holds hope he will grow into the man she saw him to be in her youth and retains some hope for their future. ‘If’ they have a future, it will be on her terms. Xiao Jue tells his comrade that he knew he couldn’t singlehandedly change the tide of what happened. He told him to not feel guilty and that he would find his own means to clear his father’s name. He Yan is very drunk and starts to confide in the courtesan. She then turns to the commander and says I hope you will not hate me as she passes out on his chest. The next morning she sends a letter to Xiao Jue asking to meet. He is interrupted by the courtesan who asks about the missing comrade who was a young girl. Xiao Jue put it together and greeted her as an assassin on the bridge. She reveals the technique specific to his father’s training and admits to it. He has cut the bridge portion to give him some distance to hear rather than react. She gives him her story, straightforwardly without guile. She admits to the delay, but I don’t know why. I do not think that was her doing, or something mitigating happened to make it unavoidable. He now knows both siblings claimed the name of the betraying general. He just needs to learn which one it really is. He has decided to have her remain in garrison until the truth is learned. That was truly the best course for both of them. She lovingly and regretfully packs the treasures he bought for her and leaves them, returning back to her old squad where she trains incessantly refusing to talk or stop. As the commander passes, his only acknowledgement is for training to continue. Neither will stop their quest for the truth, and both are equally determined to figure it out no matter the cost. This is so heartbreaking for both of them. This is exactly where they were at the beginning of the story. Their fates are still intertwined but it is now uncomfortable and awkward. He cannot let loose his resentment, and she knows, as the general, the buck stopped with her. She wants to clear her name as much as he does his. This commonality forces them in the same direction tho no longer united.

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One traitor down

The players are dancing around getting the ledgers. Xiao Jue the tax ledgers and disciple Chu for the books proving official fraud. The less fingered guard kept testing He Yan’s blindness and she let him think he tripped her. He slips a poison ball for her scented one and vacates. She takes a tumble in the pond with Xiao Jue to make it useless. It is suspicious enough that more specific plans to take out Cheng has been put in place. Both Xiao Jue and He Yan are dressed in black and thanks to a cat have to scramble. There is an impromptu hiding in the tub which leaves He Yan submerged. 😂🧐🫣 she finally has her turn with less fingered guy and they end up in the temple for suppressed souls. It was a satisfying battle and he got what he deserved. Xiao Jue heard what she said to him and wanted the truth. She gave him partial truth, but he knows her too well to believe it’s the complete story. He won’t make her part of elite troops unless she fesses up. He reveals that he knows she’s a woman and wants an explanation. She counters with pretending to be his girlfriend and describes the location of a mole.😂 As they continue this discussion his aide comes in and tells them he has found something in the temple while getting rid of the body from He Yan’s fight and the commander needs to see. They find the missing daughters lined up in a row in the temple. He Yan’s grip on the umbrella reveals how she wants to handle things. The episode ends here. That lecherous Sun better find his way buried in there soon.🤬

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