Sharlotka

Agreed. At the end of the day, no matter what happens, he's a father who only wants the best for his child - pretty much what you'd expect a parent to be.

I imagine he feels like the Emperor's 'response' - or lack of it, really - means that he won't spare his son, and it is probably the last straw for him. He did everything the Emperor ever wanted him to do without a single word of complaint, never asked for anything even if - now that we know what the Emperor was like - he never got the credit and recognition that he deserved, quite the opposite. And all he gets is spit in the face. He's likely been driven to the point when he feels like there's no hope left and he's willing to do anything to save his son, even if it means making a deal with the devil and turning his back on everything he always believed, choosing his son over anything else.

True, although he didn't want his son to become a trusting, caring person, quite the opposite. But it's satisfying that even though all of that, Feng Suige turned into the exact person that his mother wanted him to be.

That makes two of us. No character has ever given me second-hand embarrassment as strong as she does.

Episode 26

You dumb idiot of an Emperor… All you needed to do was tell Murong Sr. what you were thinking not to push him over the edge. You had one job. I hate you even more now.

Jinxiu emperor might be completely insane himself, there’s no denying that, but he’s telling the Princess nothing but the truth. Sure, his motives aren’t good or anything like this but at least he’s honest. And goodness, she’s not acting any less insane than him.

Why do I feel like the confrontation with PM Zhuang was a bit underwhelming? Though the way he led her through the street was somewhat satisfying. And his flashbacks when the Empress screamed in a similar way that he did as a child…

That said, if Feng Suige doesn’t end up taking the throne after all is said and done, I’ll be very disappointed. I would like to see him be the Emperor, a good one, and show his father that you don’t have to be obsessed with power to be a good Emperor, and show his mother that he can be a good Emperor without letting go of his values.

Then again, with this episode… I’m starting to have a whole wave of new thoughts and theories for what is going to follow and I really don’t like where my mind is going.

It’s been absolutely forever since I was this invested in anything I watch and while I forgot how enjoyable it can be to watch something when you are, I have a feeling this drama is going to leave me in pieces when it’s over.

The only way it could sound even better than it already did is if it was Feng Suige that said them.

Episode 25

“He holds us responsible for the late empress death” - err, like, duh? You literally drove a sword right through her?

Oh Princess, you are really your father’s daughter aren’t you? Unable to get the message, and now turning against Xia Jingshi even though he’d been telling you the same thing again and again and again, never trying to give you any false hope?

That scene between Murong Yao and his father… I’ve been waiting so much for it and I so don’t know what to think of it… This speech about admitting it when you make a mistake… There are so many ways this could end up going. And I’m already heartbroken at how it will likely go the opposite of what I really would love to see.

I just can’t feel sorry for the Emperor. I don’t care what kind of history has, how many hardships he had to go through, it just doesn’t justify anything he had done to his son. Perhaps I just have a different view on things but when we think about the different perspectives of fathers, I can get behind Murong Sr. suffering whatever comes his way to make sure his son can have a good life, I can get behind PM Zhuang feeling resentful for his son’s death and wanting revenge. But I can’t get behind what the Emperor had been doing all this time.

And oooh, I finally realised where I know the Jinxiu Emperor from and holy, what a different role this is than what I had seen him play before.

That would be actually easy to explain if things aren't what they appear at first glance, which seems to be a very recurring theme for this drama. Basically, the question being whether he genuinely wants to kill him, or he just wants to make it look like he did.

Like I said, a girl can dream, no matter how unlikely something is.

Feng Suige and Murong Yao reconciling and teaming up is probably one of my biggest wishes for this drama. The realistic part of me feels it's extremely unlikely but a girl can dream. Plus, I have a very bad feeling about what the dancer is going to do as her revenge, so there's also that.

Still, with all my love for Murong Yao, I think Feng Suige should be the one on the throne. He’s the perfect person for the job, in pretty much every possible way.

Yes, 100% agreed. I don't think it's not realistic that he wanted the power - if he didn't, he wouldn't have become an emperor in the first place.

I meant more about how blinded he was by that power, how he willingly destroyed basically everything in his life because of it, that I really didn't see coming. He wasn’t even forced by circumstances, being in the position that he was in - he basically created these circumstances himself. Not that I think Feng Suige’s mother was completely pure and innocent, but I genuinely thought that underneath it all, the Emperor had good intentions and I just did not see that twist coming.

It is quite funny that everything that the Emperor did to mold Feng Suige into the kind of person that he wanted him to become, had actually had the exact opposite effect and turned him into the kind of person that his mother would want him to be. There is something very satisfying in that.

I still feel like it came so completely out of the left field. I could see a lot of things coming but I did not expect this obsession with power, and what it made him do to any relationship that he ever had with anyone. Though I also have to admit that I find it refreshing - I am relatively new to the drama world and this is the first time I’m watching one where the emperor is portrayed this way and I actually enjoy that it's not that he's perfect and good and just everyone else is just evil.

I still sympathise all the more with the villains, though lol

I'm with you on wanting Feng Suige to become an Emperor, greater than his father ever had a chance to be, proving that he was badly wrong and everything he perceived as weakness is actually a great strength.

Episode 24

Oooh, that punch in the face was so satisfying.

That ‘argument’ between Murong Yao and PM Zhuang… The hesitation when Zhuang spoke about killing Feng Suige… The way he was looking at Zhuang and seemed to be thinking about what the guy is saying, especially when he spoke about the consolation to his father as if the man was as certain as dead by that point… All of it only fuels my wish that Murong Yao ends up changing his mind and chooses to help Feng Suige in the end. Not that it will ever happen.

I’m sorry Emperor but… Can you hear what you’re saying? You’re basically angry at your son because he’s loyal to you and doesn’t want you dead? I felt almost bad for the guy after everything he said, I feel more sympathetic to those who oppose him. Feng Suige saying it’s his misfortune to be his son just hit a completely different way.

I guess I was right that what he was doing was all to prepare Feng Suige for being his successor, but I would never have expected him to be such a madman. Why do I want to bet that it’s him who sent the assassins after Feng Suige and Murong Yao when they were children because he perceived their friendship as another weakness for his son? And he eventually sent them away exactly to isolate the two?

It’s almost funny that all his efforts to mold his son into the person he wanted him to become actually turned him more into a person that his mother wanted him to be. And wow, I guess, the Princess really is her father’s daughter, probably the one that is not a disappointment, unafraid to oppose him but go for what she wants. A father and emperor of the year, really. Wow.

Episode 23

I don’t know, perhaps I’m just biased but every time I watch a scene between the Princess and Xia Jingshi, I feel overwhelmed with second-hand embarrassment. Just get the message. It’s the one character, whose suffering I actually genuinely enjoy. You made your bed, now lie in it.

If my heart broke in the previous ep with the confrontation between Feng Suige and Murong Yao, return home and the flashbacks of the moments the two of them shared together have reduced the pieces to dust. I refuse to believe that all of it was completely fake and will now go sob in a corner because I know it most likely was.

Looks like the cooperation between PM Zhuang and Murong Yao as far as their positions on the great plan is becoming a bit strained. Yes, please, become a lovely, enjoyable mess.

WTH, the Emperor, you gave me a jumpscare. That said, it’s incredibly how this one guy managed to turn almost everyone he had ever been close to in his life against him. That takes some skill. Though I’m sure there has to be more to this than just that and I’m curious to find out the whole story.

Yes, that's what I meant. Possibly something along the lines of “Your son’s life is in our hands, make a wise choice”.

As far as episode 24 preview... I'm not actually sure what to think about this scene, it doesn't seem to make any sense with the way it's completely cut out of context. I don't think he's faking the illness, though. From the very start of the drama, I feel like he knows much more than he is letting on as far as the dynamics in the court are concerned and his 'testing' of Feng Suige is basically him giving his son a chance to establish himself as the future ruler. It seems to be a theme with a lot of male characters whose fathers are hard on them that they don't understand their father's true intentions until after they are dead, at which point they realise that everything they did was actually for them, and I think it's very much the same with the Emperor and Feng Suige.

As far as the timing… It’s difficult to say but I’m inclined to say before for two reasons. 1 - PM Zhuang seems to want the Emperor to suffer similar pain to what he experienced with his son, and that won’t happen if the Emperor is dead by that point. 2 - As long as Feng Suige lives, he’s a threat to the 2nd Prince and his claim to the throne. If they get rid of him before the Emperor, 2nd Prince is the only one with the claim to the title and noone will challenge that. But, that's on the assumption that it is in line with Zhuang's wishes.

Thank you, I'm happy to hear someone enjoys the read. I was pretty sure I have to be seen as a lunatic haha :D And yes, I agree that it's misplaced, but the reasoning is still understandable for me :)

I actually just now thought of one more theory for the stabbing. Could really fall on both sides as far as which side either the Murongs is on, but something that could provide a bit of an explanation especially for why Murong Sr. is involved - what if PM Zhuang forces/blackmails him somehow? Either support me and get the 2nd Prince on the throne (and get Feng Suige out of the way), or you will be punished yourselves.

Though... PM Zhuang admitted to wanting to kill Feng Suige himself, so why are the Murongs doing the killing while he is nowhere to be seen? Which would make me think they may not be doing that with PM's blessing.

I admit I haven't thought of it but you make a very good point with the north, and how it is a strategic place, and how you'd send your most trusted person to defend it. So sending Murong Sr. there, in the eyes of the Emperor and the man himself, is actually showing the man that he trusts him. Murong Yao just misunderstood as a child and never really thought to question it any further, while Murong Sr. probably never explained his perspective. But when they finally do talk, he understands his father, and that could make him realise that he had been wrong all along.

Oh trust me, I know. I really don't have hopes that my other theories are correct, even if I would like to see something like this :)

Warning in advance, this is a bit long because I have tendency to overthink and overanalyse. But here we go, the options I could see to explain it:

1. I’ll start with my thoughts about the obvious option - things are what they look like and Murong Yao and Murong Sr. just bluntly want to kill Feng Suige. Somehow, Murong Yao convinced his father to his view or, the more likely option, Murong Sr. realises that his son is too far gone with the plan for there to be a way out for him. But he cares about him, maybe even feels that he failed him which is why he ended up the way he did, and at the end of the day chooses his son over everything else. That’s on the assumption that Murong Sr.’s loyalty to the Emperor of Susha is genuine, but there’s no reason to believe it’s not or he would have had no reason to argue with PM Zhuang. This is also the option that does not allow for me to hold onto my delusional hope that the brotherly relationship between Feng Suige and Murong Yao wasn’t completely fake.

2. Murong Senior is genuinely loyal and actually gets through to his son and convinces him to his side. So, the stabbing scene, what if they do it all for appearance’s sake? Wanting to convince everyone that Feng Suige is now out of the way, not a danger anymore, to make them all show their true colours, while they take him out of the capital. The fact that they bury him in what looks like very out of the way spot could also support that. I may be wrong, obviously, but between strangling someone and stabbing someone, it shouldn’t be that hard to kill a man if you really want to. I realise there’s the device called plot armour but still, just stab him properly? Plus, wouldn’t it send a louder message if people actually got to see Feng Suige’s body, it being displayed to leave no doubts that he’s dead? Especially for those who may still hold loyalty to him.

3. Somewhat similar to the above but going a bit deeper because I can’t help thinking that there’s more to the emotions that Murong Yao is showing in the very final seconds of the episode, when they freeze on him. I may be seeing too much into it because I would really like to see something like this, but he almost looks conflicted, maybe a little bit sad. So what if all of what he is doing is, in a way, to help Feng Suige. Based on what we learnt in the episode, being a great general, fighting wars, etc. is not something he can offer. We don’t know much about any of his other skills really. What he can offer is an opportunity for Feng Suige to uncover the whole intrigue and get a chance to get rid of his enemies once and for all, to establish his position in Susha, etc. But he won’t be trusted by Feng Suige’s enemies if he is too supportive of the Prince - yes, there’s the excuse of fooling him, keeping his guard lowered and all, but it can only go so far. And he can’t drop the act yet - it’s way too early for that. Though, to be fair, in this case, the reason behind the stabbing scene would be similar to the point above.

4. Not a full theory but a thought connected to points 2 and 3… How crazy it would be if Feng Suige actually understood what they were doing and why they were doing. Or if Murong Senior is the one trying to protect him, while Murong Yao genuinely tries to kill him but after his father is killed/whatever, he ends up realising that he had chosen the wrong side and while he can't go back to being Feng Suige's brother, it's not too late to help him.

And yes, I do realise that point 1 is the most likely but I just enjoy speculating and coming up with theories, especially for characters I enjoy.