PeachBlossomGoddess

If you don't watch the special then Huai'an blew himself up to kill the enemy. Was that even necessary? Don't think so. And what bad fengshui to mix ashes for all eternity with those two plain evil dudes. If you watch the special then he's hanging out in Yulong Ridge, a silent behind the scenes chess master. So alive but not living life well. How do either of these character endings even make sense? And why can't they just choose a definitive ending instead of making it choose your own? And to be clear, I don't think either does the character justice. I do think the plot overall did wrap quite well. But I still think its beyond absurd that some bloodthirsty but surely uneducated slave boy raised to be wolf bait from Tiemo can rise to become the Royal Tutor in sophisticated Chang'an. But I guess that's why Wenjing has shit for brains. And don't get me started on the State Preceptor. Exact same comment.

Major spoiler: Its another waffle

I think its impossible for Wuyang to have rescued Ye Zheng. He is not in Chang'an but stuck in Cangshuichuan, a place he doesn't know how to leave without a guide. The only person(s) that could have rescued Ye Zheng is either his shifu or the mysterious preceptor Cen. If I had to guess now, I would say its more likely to have been Cen.

There is a similar theory to yours going around on Chinese sites that YFS didn't die and that he is helping Haui'an take down the Tiemo King. Its possible but I don't love it - I just feel the whole mask trick has been played out after Wang Pu. It would make for a lazy twist to use it again. Beyond that, I just don't trust YFS. If Huai'an let him go, it will for sure come back to bite him.

His instincts are a parallel of Liu Ziyan - he kills to stay alive. But like Liu Ziwen he can also kill for the greater good. He is a complex character. I have watched lots of emperor characters with similar traits. What I find indefensible is his dumbness in the latest arc and less so his actions in and of themselves.

Does it make Wenjing more redeemable bc Haui’an asked him to do it? Swapping or not for me anyway I am struggling to see how this plot development can be reversed so that the story still works for me. I am willing to be open minded but right now I am just dismayed.

If they are going to revive characters left and right, this story won't end in 4 episodes. And if they are going to bring someone back, I'd rather have YFS.

Tyvm - it took me quite awhile to write this bc it made me heartsick every time I started. Only the seasoned watchers will understand the ending was so short bc it wasn't the real ending.

I don't rule out the possibility that Zhou Mo or someone else has been swapped out for XWY and something similar to that fake stabbing scene from ep 1 has been re-enacted. That big moustache is easy to fake and the two actors look quite alike. Nonetheless Huai'an's strategies seem to involve lots of human sacrifice.

I don't think he is a "good person" by your definition. He is a complex sociopath. All emperors, even the good ones are. They are innately selfish, feel they have a better right to live than common people - it takes someone very ruthless to want and hold on to the throne. No doubt about it he comes first at all times. But once he is on it and when he is not threatened, as long as he cares about the people and enacts good policies, it is a win. You are holding on to the tree hugger standard for emperor. Let me tell you that kind of person is long dead before he gets within 100 miles of a throne. In this arc, my biggest issue with him is he had options that he didn't exercise. He seems to have been just dumbed down to allow the plot to take a nosedive. These writers these days have the same common problem - they think we need a twist in every episode to keep watching. At some point the whole plot becomes so twisted it make no sense anymore.

That was Fang Genghui - the cloaked and hatted Tiemo figure that ambushed Xiao Wuyang in the latest episode.

LLF would have to work for SWM again!😂😂😂
The reason I suspect that is exactly what you said about politics - it strays too far from the genre.

It should be a call to arms. There should be hidden supporters and troops in Chang'an. It should be led by Old Sha and the ex State Preceptor Cen (who should be the eunuch).

He definitely had options but we are supposed to think he was too terrified to think clearly.

I agree that unless there is another reversal they more or less destroyed Wenjing’s character with this arc. It is also yet another one of Huai’an’s schemes that has ended in crushing defeat. The only one that worked so far is he took out Wang Pu. I don’t think there is any way they can salvage this story at this point.

No I don’t think they make that distinction but I understand.😅👍🏻

After Legend of the Magnate, I thought they can't do this to us twice in a row... Now I know they can. The fighting in 23 was good but the plot also wobbly.

Thanks for reading and your kind words.😍

He has been hiding as the eunuch. I know the actor well, can recognize him anywhere.

We have seen hm already but if you haven't guessed then its a spoiler:

it is a fake map - it contains misleading information about the various passes into Chang'an. The Tiemo army is going to be ambushed in one of them. I also don't think what Tiemo King picked up at Yang Chuhao's library is the real thing. The real one has been missing for years and Cen Weizong the writer produced a fake one that was planted in Yang's library.