PeachBlossomGoddess

Yes but still better than the average drama - fingers crossed we have 8 more to go.

He was amazing in I Belonged to Your World. Low budget, but a true hidden gem. He is a terrific young actor, son of a veteran.

I don't think he is important enough to get that much more screentime but I do hope his sweetheart YZ's shimei guts him.

Wang Jinsong's top billing was always the hint spoiler that he is going to be the final villain.

Wuyang's army is still outside the capital. And so are the 4 military commanders. Only Gu Yu's Baiwenhu army is eviscerated. So they still have a big army but they can't be mobilised until the emperor shows up. The biggest plot hole is that Uncle Long didn't bring Tiemo King/troops to Cangshuichuan to capture both emperors while Huai'an was away. In fact he didn't even need to capture them. Killing them and taking their heads would have been enough. At that point it is really game over and with no real blood spilled. Writing is very good but there are some pretty big holes like this one here and there.

Spot on - it was a psychological battle at the end.

1. Fingers crossed.
2. Yes Tiemo king was definitely one of the 6 that was there that night.
3. I agree. He got a better death than he deserved.
4. I think he recognized who Tiemo king was and was trying to tell Huai'an.

No previews usually mean a big reveal = beware of major spoiler posts.

The reason I say that is after Wang Pu met Huai'an YFS never trusted him again. So I doubt he would ever trust someone like Su who can turn on someone who raised him like a father.

Yang Chuhao planted all as he was organising the Tiemo reception.

It is possible that is how they write it but I don't love that. The thing about thrones is that they are hard to hold on to - that is what this story is all about. How can the Tiemo king hold on to his kingdom while undercover as a spy. And wouldn't the Chang'an spies notice his is MIA for so long? Its just not that convincing to me. I think as Royal Tutor the Tiemo King did get to everyone and insidiously divided the Chang'an from within. Now that he has entered Chang'an with relatively little bloodspill he still has to hold on to it. Not that easy. Both Wuyang's army and the 4 military commanders still have their troops outside. They have to see their emperor before they will act. So Chang'an is not fully lost yet. Only Gu Yu Beiwenhu is lost so far.

There is no excuse and I don't forgive him for that either but Huai'an also has to bear some responsibility for that. They kidnapped Wenjing, starved him, humiliated him, changed his face, turned him into a page boy and gave him an axe no less. That is serious humbling for an emperor - its no wonder he was enraged and traumatized into temporary insanity. He also has very ruthless killer and survival instincts - he instinctively can kill to survive or punish. These are innate emperor instincts. Its a role that only sociopaths with a sense of right and wrong can execute well. At the time YFS controlled him, he had a sense of right and wrong as Han Ziling saw but his convictions were never truly tested. Nor was he ever forced to have to fend for himself. I don't think he is a full on bad guy but I do think he can be. He is a complex character, which is why I find him to be so far, the most interesting one. I am eager to see both the Tiemo king and Wuyang reveal themselves. The veterans are entering the stage at this point. I am seated.

Oh for sure there is no whitewashing YFS.

Qingyi’s mom’s backstory is still unknown.

1. Wuyang is a formidable general, even the 400 men YFS/Tiemo sent to kill him failed. His army is still around. Gu Yu by comparison was well intentioned but not that smart and he can't fight.
2. The 4 military commanders are still intact and are unlikely to defect.
3. Hopefully YZ is still alive. And Shen Xiaoqing.
4. Zhou Mo and the rest of the Huainan buddies should be able to come out of hiding now that YFS is gone.
5. Zhang Sheng and possibly others loyal to his father are still at Cangshuichuan.
6. Qingyi and his mom
7. Last but not least, the axe murderer deposed emperor.

I think he still has some cards left to play:

My working theory was that the Mysterious Man, their teacher at the Academy insidiously manipulated and destabilised the court and the Huben army for the benefit of Tiemo. As Royal Tutor is often consulted on a variety of subjects from ethics to strategy. But I am surprised to find he is also the Tiemo king - that doesn't fully make sense to me. Its surprising no one tried to seize his throne while he was hanging out in that prison. I am guessing YFS must have captured him and he decided to stay bc its safer/more comfortable there than in Tiemo.

I am not shocked however that he killed Gu Yu. Gu Yu's army in the North is the biggest threat to any advance on Chang'an by Tiemo. He had to get through them to get to the capital. Capturing the enemy's general is a key strategy in art of war.

Yeah it doesn't make that much sense. The only reason I can think of is that when he immigrated to Chang'an, he was not yet King. Probably just one of many Tiemu princes, one who went to Chang'an as a sleeper spy.

I personally don't think YFS had any intention of allowing Su to join Huben. He is not loyal, he turned on his master. YFS was just using him. That's why he sent him away to think of what reward he wanted without naming him as a Huben.

I wouldn't say she was ever really under Huben's control. Qingyi was trying to get her to reveal Huai'an's identity/whereabouts and she defied. him. But obviously they knew who she was, linked her to him and were after her. Which is what made Huai'an's decision to let her just leave Chang'an by herself seem so sloppy.