QAS

He told Luo, he fell in love with the mother twenty years ago, and they wanted to marry. Luo would be nineteen years of age if the mother soon became pregnant. The timeline is fuzzy. Some years have passed Wang massacred the merchants. Jiusi and Yuru travelled to Youzhou, and rebuilt the family fortune. Then they went to Eastern Capital. Three yeras later, the dam is almost finished. I would guess Luo to be around 25.

There was a time jump of three years in episode 34.

I think Emperor has to die or be comatose for the next ruler, to be crowned. If he leaves a will to crown someone else, that will open up a kettle of worms and snakes.

I thought Jiusi can never know that Yuru is alive. After episode 34, it is inevitable that they will meet soon. She is the richest merchant in the country. Someone will recognize her eventually. Even Luo is suspicious, and planning to investigate her. When her identity is revealed, all roads lead to the Emperor.

In the vis-a-vis with Uncle Jiang, did Luo figure out that the man is his father? Jiang said he loved Luo's mother, twenty years ago. How old is Luo? I thought he was around 25.

The old ministers might be her brothers, uncles, cousins, or husbands of sisters, etc.. Also the 30 million taels that disappeared...some of it might be in her vaults.

The drama picks up, but it's hard to tell you when the quality plot starts. I wanted to drop it in the first ten episodes. I didn't like the sillyness either.

His reign is going to be very short. His health is declining. He even told Zhou that Yu'er will be the next emperor. It was a losing battle, going into the palace. Crown Prince is so weak, his reign as Emperor might last a few hours. Dowager Empress would stage a coup immediately. Was she plotting long-term, to instill Jiusi and Princess as Emperor and Empress?

I can't see how this fool was the leading general of his army for decades, and defeated the usurper. General Zhou (...Zhou Ye's biological father) was probably stronger of the two, and did all the work. Emperor looks like he is afraid of his own shadow, Dowager Empress and Princess.

Episode 33 comment: Now begins the stupid part. Self-sacrifice is annoying. Emperor is a weakling; pathetic and pitiful. He can't stand up to Dowager Empress. She is walking all over him. "Send her to the northern border, and send the princess to the southern border, NOW!"

That was an awesome "exit" scene. I did not expect the character to die. I thought he was one of the guardians (... that might be what they were called). He didn't show up again until the final scene, and there was no conversation, just a walk on set. I liked Liu Xue Yi and Li Xin Ze's characters the best. Their characters were more incidental.

Thanks! I always wondered why most of the costume dramas have the same color codes.

In many dramas, there is always a full moon every few scenes, and th etime stamp is not even the next day.

That would be the only way, someone else can step in, and be Emperor. If he lives, he will inherit the throne. Old Emperor is on the way out.

It makes you wonder why the dynasties fell, especially the last one (in the 20th century).

While not working together, Princess and Luo have vendettas against GJS and LYR.

ROFL He is cute, btw.

I forgot how much I liked Liu Xue Yi in the three dramas that I watched last month. His Luo role is not grabbing my focus. I am focusing on Zhou Ye more.

Typical palace antics!

Your assessment of Luo is very eloquent and lucid.

He could have said, "Can I also make a suggestion, Your Majesty? Zhou Ye and xxx make a very nice couple, by the way."