Martial

His intense look after he won that dual. Get your girl, Sun. I love the slow pacing of the romantic plot on all characters. Love is build on mutual respect and trust. They have the respect down part, now waiting on Sun and Changge to find that trust. We getting there!

Wow well that was short-lived

You might be right. Something about the way she looks at him does scream maternal. I wonder if she will look after Changge in his stead

In the manhua he had a mother who he saw minutes after she passed away. I am wondering whether or not this is how the drama has chosen to portray it.

I'm guessing that strange lady looking Ashile Sun is his biological mother.

It's starting to get exciting as we're getting back stories of those living in the grasslands. And yes to my girl Luo Shiba!! I was wanting for her bad ass self to make an appearance.

Every time I see Wei Shuyu I pity his father even more lmao But I get his sufferings sometimes. The inability to do something that is expected of you can be an emotional overhaul. Unlike his father, he has yet to develop the wisdom behind any of his decisions.

Absolutely right. With characters like Changge who are written with a Mary Sue complex, their growth is most noticeable in the nuances of her personality traits. We first see her as confident, sometimes arrogant, intelligent, calm and in control. Later after a few life experiences we see a paradigm shift - the loss of confidence, the self doubt, the erratic or moody behaviour. Things she was not before. What she or we saw as her strengths before, are now being demonstrated as flawed traits that can always be improved on.

I guess this will only be obvious for some when she goes to the Temple

They are both equally naive, just in different ways. The easiest way to look at their character growth is the way they approach an obstacle or dilemma. When Leyan encountered a problem, she usually lets others deal with it or come to her rescue etc Changge. When Changge encountered a problem she tries to solve it head on. Now that they are both out of the palace we see Leyan trying her best to fend for herself whilst Changge is learning to rely on others and realising that she does not have all the answers. Leaving the Palace was the best thing that could've happened to both of them.

The Story of Yanxi Palace

She already saw the effects that a war would bring to her people way back after Gongsun Heng's death. She said so herself, whatever bad blood between her and her uncle is between them and has nothing to do with Tang. She wishes only prosperity for the people of Tang and those in the grasslands which she has often said. Her character growth isn't so obvious unlike sheltered Leyan because Channge'rs growth has always been overshadowed by her acts of heroism. As viewers, we should try to separate the heroine from the human, in order to see her vulnerability as a young woman because let's face it, she's still very young and naive. In addition to that, she is coping with sudden loss and her world collapsing around her.

The difference between fighting him now on the battlefield is that she didn't know she was fighting him then. His identity as Ashile Sun had not been exposed. The odds are slightly different when you know the person who is your opposition is also your friend or at least your benefactor.

Let's just hope that in time, when she is ready to have that conversation with her uncle (he's obviously holding some things back too), she is also ready to heal because Changge is one broken young lady.

And agreed, both actresses are killing it in the series. We haven't had such a great line up since Chinese Paladin 3!

I was about to say. didn't that performance already happen

In Ep.20, you could see the relief in her uncle's eyes to see her standing in the flesh. There was also a hint of pride there as he knows he helped raised a warrior but somehow I can sense fear as he knows what she capable of. This character development is going well. It was nice seeing her play hero, now I wanna see her be more human. Be vulnerable and let herself heal emotionally.

Also patiently awaiting her reunion with Senior Qin and Feng xu etc. And the sword master.

I believe they did bring in the sword master but he's played by an elder gentleman rather than the younger one like in the manhua.

Agree. Little by little, you see him appreciate her ability to see the big picture and tenacious nature. But it's also her hunger for survival. Ashile Sun said the same thing. If there's one thing that can always make Changge pull through is her want to survive. I appreciate that about Changge.

I swear those fans are delusional. Changge is half Uyghur in the manhua, it would have been disrespectful to not have had an actress of Uyghur descent to play the lead role. There's a lot of sexist as well underlining racism in a lot of these criticisms.

Both actresses play their respective roles well and represent a different kind of strength. Each have their own path as members of the Tang royal family and are currently on that journey.

Yeap, it always the actresses. If the comment isn't sexist, there's underlying layers of racism in it. It always has to be a competition never camaraderie when it comes to actresses. Which damages not only their hard work but their reputations. I swear people are crazy

Being an actress must be tough when you have to deal with misogyny and ageist comments all the time. I see comments complaining about Dilraba's age and pitting the actresses not the characters, against each other. It's truly disgusting the treatment that these wonderful actresses get. As a society, we have a long way to go.

Exactly. I hate when they reduce female characters to characters that propel the heroic arch of the male lead. We want them to be heroes of their own stories, to have their thoughts and ambitions fleshed out. That's the character development we want.

I am interested to see who shot the arrow that knocked off Li Shimin's drink. Also, I think I have a slight crush on the actor once he grows out his moustache.

The Ashile Tribe are definitely not bad people. They are no different from those from the Tang Dynasty. Both are conquesting nations who can be ruthless and ambitious when they want to be. Me too, I am worried for their survival once Sun leaves. He's a caring and smart leader and the people respect him because of it.