Rachel

True, I understand that the revenge may be misdirected if that is the case but I think the script may have been limited by censorship and China's "for the country/ greater good" agenda. I could be wrong though 😅 How I wish this was a novel, I would read it.

Hmm I'm also slightly confused by the timeline. I think that the trapping of the 100 Huben guards in the granary was probably not directly done by Wu Zhongheng. He used the intel he got from the woman to lure and trap the 100 Huben guard but he was not the one physically trapping them. It's his strategy. I went to rewatch that part (episode 23), there's no indication of YFS seeing WZH there or recognising WZH. I think YFS mentioned that the Chen Valley incident was 25 years ago when he was talking to Wang Pu. WZH was "imprisoned" by YFS around after Liu Ziwen died. WZH said in Episode 3 that he was imprisoned at Yulong Ridge for more than 10 years. So it seems like YFS only knew of WZH true identity later on and not immediately after he escaped the granary?

There's no direct connection between YFS escaping the granary and YFS derailing WZH's plans. WZH is merely telling a story that he did not expect that one Huben guard (YFS) who had escaped to later grow in power, kill Liu Ziwen before he did, and foil his plans.

Why did the Huben Army betrayed Liu Ziwen and Liu Clan?

I saw some Chinese fans' analysis that it was the founding emperor's order. In the first episode, when talking about his background, Huai An said to his two friends that he is the son of a condemned/guilty official. If Liu Ziwen was framed to be a condemned official, this could explain why the entire Liu Clan were being hunted down and killed. Liu Ziwen (with his Huben Army) was probably becoming a huge threat to the imperial family. Originally, Liu Ziwen NOT teaching Liu Zhi martial arts was his stand to show the founding emperor that Liu Zhi will not inherit the Huben Army and that Liu Clan will never dare to seize greater power and rebel. However, with Liu Zhi (Xie Huai An) showing remarkable talent like his father, the Liu Clan becomes an even bigger threat.

Additionally, Wu Zhongheng (Tiemo King) infiltrated part of the imperial court as the grand tutor. His motive would have been to destabilise Chang An by destabilising the Huben Army that has been strongly protecting Chang An for decades. Wu Zhongheng may have played a role in planting doubts in the founding emperor's mind, especially since he also praised Liu Zhi for being more exceptionally talented than the other students (princes and nobles). This may have caused the founding emperor to be more suspicious and wary of the Liu Clan.

However, the founding emperor understands the importance of the Huben Army for the country. He wants to completely remove Liu Ziwen and the Liu Clan from power but at the same time he needs the Huben Army to remain. It was not enough to just let Liu Ziwen to hand over the power because Liu Ziwen's influence is too great. He and his entire clan had to be killed. Therefore, Liu Ziwen + Liu Clan were framed and the founding emperor allowed Yan Fengshan to control the Huben Army. Why Yan Fengshan? In Episode 22, Old Sha mentioned that when they were younger, the founding emperor, Liu Ziwen, Cen Pickles, and Wu Zhongheng all hanged out together. Yan Fengshan was younger than them and occassionally joined them but back then, in their eyes, YFS was only an inexperienced young man. Sooo they were all friends?? Most probably, based on his understanding of Yan Fengshan during their younger days, the founding emperor believed that Yan Fengshan wouldn't be a big threat and that he could control him. But as we know, the Chen Valley incident left a huge impact on Yan Fengshan which led him to develop bloodthirst and hunger for power.

Wu Zhongheng said that when he saw Liu Ziwen dead, he wanted to bring the Tiemo Troops to invade Chang An but then he discovered that Yan Fengshan has already stationed troops at the border. Why does Yan Fengshan have that much authority/power when before Liu Ziwen's death, he was merely an assistant general or one of the Huben leaders? It's probably because of the founding emperor's orders. After Liu Ziwen's death, the founding emperor ruled for 11 more years before dying. It's very unlikely that he was too old and weak to control Yan Fengshan at the time of the Liu Clan's massacre. Maybe in his dying years, yes. He didn't expect Yan Fengshan to be that power hungry and uncontrollable.

Other Hints:
When talking to Zhou Mo, Xie Huai An said that there's no use clearing his family's name when everyone is dead already. It probably is also because that there's no way to clear his family name since the founding emperor is already dead.

After Gu Yu was captured, Xie Huai An went to find Chancellor Gao and expressed that he hope that they (Xiao Wuyang/Imperial Family) won't dispose of Gu Yu now that he's no longer useful. Gu Yu is also a loyal general just like Huai An's father. If not for Huai An, he would also be "sacrificed" to protect the Xiao imperial clan's authority.

In Episode 15, Xiao Wuyang asked Huai An if he would continue serving the imperial clan and using his talent for the country and people, and Huai An replied that was exactly what his father once did. Then there was a slight silence. It seemed like both Huai An and Xiao Wuyang knew roughly what caused the Liu Clan massacre 15 years ago.

SPOILERS on why Huben Army betrayed Liu Ziwen. I put this together based on what I read from Cnetz. There are hints here and there throughout the show. I don't think I covered everything but it makes sense to me.

For fans of Cheng Yi, he uploaded a 3-4 minute 2025 recap video that he edited himself! It's nothing professional but it's so precious for us fans because he rarely uploads any personal photos/videos 🥺.

https://weibo.com/2060419113/5250072049895689

Happy New Year! 🎊❤️

It's a very long story if I go in detail but his company actively sabotages him (afraid that he gets too famous and won't renew the contract), doesn't protect him (rarely do they take legal action against his massive hate campaigns), overworks him (even when he had a serious accident and broke his leg, he went back to set on the same day after visiting the hospital and filmed while on crutches), removes his important scenes in dramas just to add scenes/unnecessary storylines for rookie actresses/actors from his company (e.g., Sword and Beloved and The Journey of Legend), forces him to take roles and ignores him/doesn't promote him if he refuses.

Many other notable artists left his company, for example, Yang Zi, Ren Jialun, Zhang Yuxi, and Liu Xueyi. Because Cheng Yi is the biggest "cash cow" for his company in recent years, fans are afraid of the price he has to pay in order to leave the company or whether he can even leave the company in peace. A famous actress like Ju Jingyi, for example, is getting sued by her ridiculous company even after her contract ended.

He never even had martial art skills in the first place. He "fights", yes, but the way he "fights" is not by using any proper martial arts skills or whatsoever.

Thank you for always updating us about Cheng Yi and this drama's achievements! Reallyyy appreciate the positivity and support that you bring to this page! ❤️

HAHA I get you, I also usually spend a good amount of time watching his real-life clips after watching his dramas 😂

Me too!!! Cheng Yi attended a forensics program as a guest and he was really good at it. I'm sure he'll excel in a crime thriller or psychological drama!

I did actually 😂😭 but I skipped the suffering scenes 😅

That is what I keep hearing from the fans in weibo. Not 100% confirmed though because I don't have any first-hand source.

Yes, that's right, which is why "idol-like" romance dramas are not really his priority right now. Liang Jing Shi Wu Ri's novel is written by a very well known writer and the director is also very established. Cheng Yi wants to work with these people!

I understand that many fans may be sad to see him suffering with so many sad endings but well as long as he is happy in real life, I'm good 😂

Actually Cheng Yi is quite "stubborn" in a good way. He only accepted Vendetta of An after they made revisions in the script and he also only accepted Liang Jing Shi Wu Ri after 2 years. He tends to choose scripts that promote overall good life values and strong morals :) even though they somehow end up with his character suffering 😅. Hoping that he'll get a modern "non-idol" drama like Draw the Line next, at least modern drama won't have much suffering I hope 😂

No worries! Yes I agree too. His contract officially expires on January next year which is why I mentioned it. I just hope there'll be good news and he'll have more freedom in choosing his projects and activities! Happy holidays to you and family too ❤️

Err I think you read it wrongly? I said terrible company haha

If this drama can air, I'll be the happiest person alive 🥺😭. This is my most anticipated drama.

Nope. This is an original script, not related to that drama or any novel.

For original scripts (non-IP), it's normal for producers to want to make more money with a second season if the first season is successful. The thing is whether Cheng Yi wants to accept or not. Cheng Yi will consider it based on the script itself. If Cheng Yi doesn't accept, the producers/screenwriter may try to use another actor as Xie Huai An and maybe give a reason like his face was disfigured or burned and he had to had face surgery or something lol. Or the they might say that the person in the special episode is not Xie Huai An at all.

I feel like the special episode was set up to be vague on purpose so that it paves the way for Season 2. They can twist this vague special episode into anything. Personally, I cannot imagine Season 2 without Cheng Yi.

Interesting detail that I saw some Chinese fans mention. In the earlier episodes where Qing Yi and Liu Ziyan (Huai An's uncle) were talking, they mentioned a doctor who treated a swordsman. That swordsman is Ye Zheng, that we know already, but that doctor is the beautiful lady doctor that appeared in the latest episodes.