Yerisina

I agree that I have the feeling that some viewers don’t fully understand ShuHe as a character—he is very complex and some of his traits and actions seem contradictory (I don’t think they are though).

Episode 10 on the bed — I can’t imagine the emotional whiplash Zi Ang must have felt. Shu He on top of him, shoulder exposed, he’s tired to the bed (arguably something he’d like to happen)—but at the same time not, as he has their dagger to his throat and Shu He is not in *the mood *
(not that Shu He would have stabbed him)

Their relationship at this point is a mess of contradictory feelings. Too much has happened between them, yet there is still undeniable attraction.

I love that Shu He is no push over who just submits to Zi Ang (or at least only on his terms (and yes, double innuendo))

Zi Ang can’t live without Shu He, that’s so true. He’s like the air to him — not saying it’s healthy, but we all ( or most viewers at least) love Zi Ang for that.

Zi Ang is so unhinged, but I loved every second! I don’t know why, it was so wrong but so right? 😅
Episode 9 ZheXu really got to shine in how he delivered these powerful lines.

I also wanted to mention before he killed his father — of course the iconic line from the trailer (that I watched way too many times before the show even started airing)
"I don't care about the kingdom! I just want one person!"
And right before that "just like what you did to my mother?" The way he said
mǔqīn yī yàng (like my mother) — seething with hatred!

"You'll die when I tell you to. You'll live when I tell you to. Even if the king of hell comes, he won't dare take your life!"

Who allowed them to mess with my emotions like this? (Please do!! 🤣) and also who wrote this — can I nominate them for an award?

It’s the afterlife, so I assume Shu Qian‘s soul just felt that this was the place his brother would eventually go. It doesn’t necessarily matter if he knew before ;)
And I’m fine with this explanation, so forget what I said too 😅

You mean when he was looking for Zi Ang after the massacre?
I’m not saying you’re wrong, I’m just wondering… wouldn’t that then make a bad place to hide Zi Ang, if Shu Qian knew of its importance? 🤔😅

Probably an afterlife thing, where they meet in emotionally important places or something…

Yes, looks the same— but why would Shu Qian know of their house? 😅

Yes, their hideout really means a lot to Shu He. While the series was airing (and because of rumors that there might be a full-blown HE), I wanted them to hide there, escaping politics and royal duties.

Now I believe they live there in their afterlife as commoners, free from all worries.

I know what you mean — it's so hard to choose a single favorite scene because there are just too many!

Episode 5 really moved their relationship forward. It’s fascinating how differently Shu He and Zi Ang react to the betrothal — both clearly unhappy, but expressing it in such contrasting ways. Shu He grieves quietly, retreating to their old hideout, while Zi Ang is overwhelmed by jealousy and drinks away his sorrows to the point of passing out. That moment was a huge shift in their relationship — from ambiguous friendship (something more?) to something undeniably deeper.

Episodes 6 and 10 — just ❤️
I have so much more to say about those… but I’ll save that for another comment!

To anyone who still reads the comments: what is your favorite scene? 😊❤️

あなたは俺の生きる意味なんです
Excuse me while I cry in the corner

Good questions.

1) how much the presence/the return of Zi Ang expose ShuHe to danger.

This will require more time to analyze and answer. :)

2) Would ShuHe entered to court if it is not because the negotiation he did on ZiAng behalf?

IMO no.
Maybe if their father died and Shu Qian asked him to be his right hand. However still unlikely.

You’re raising some thoughtful questions. I hope my personal perspective might offer some insight.

Shu Qian is deeply insecure and consumed by jealousy toward his brother. Unlike Shu He, he was never talented in calligraphy, poetry, or music. Politics was arguably the only field where he could excel, and perhaps only because Shu He deliberately stayed away from it.

When Shu He eventually entered court life, Shu Qian saw it as a threat to his only strength. That is why he crippled Shu He‘s hand — because Shu He had taken away something important from him, he wanted something as significant in return.

Things come to a head when, driven by corruption and ambition, Shu Qian assasinated Crown Prince of North Ji. He then murdered their father and set his sights on eliminating the last remaining obstacle to his power—Shu He.
Shu Qian’s decisions were never guided by foresight, he acted out of jealousy and arrogance.

In contrast, Shu He is clever and perceptive, and he knows Shu Qian is out for his life. Yet he is also an idealist who still wants to believe in the goodness of people, especially his own brother and the bond they once shared.
Shu He does not seek power. He wanted to live as a wanderer and would rather die than ascend the throne.

He is even willing to be killed by his brother if it means preserving peace and preventing greater turmoil in the nation. ("I’m fine with only being one line in the history books").

On the bridge, Shu He considered escaping with Zi Ang. But Shu Qian sowed seeds of doubt by revealing that Zi Ang had lied to him about his true identity. This revelation shattered Shu He’s trust. Was he simply being used? Deceived in the cruelest way, by someone pretending to love him?
Even then, perhaps Shu He could have been persuaded to leave.

But once Shu Qian died, the path of retreat closed. If Shu He were to run away with Zi Ang now, he would leave a power vacuum—inviting chaos, rebellion, and possibly invasion from North Ji. Too many lives would be at risk. And so, out of duty, Shu He stays. Zi Ang would have chosen love over duty, but for Shu He it will always be duty over love.

"Duan Zi Ang might not have had to kill the Crown Prince, but could have just knocked him unconscious and then fled with Xiao Shu He, but I'm sure the Crown Prince would have pursued and searched for them. "
You answered your question yourself. Also, Zi Ang wanted to kill Shu Qian, for everything he did to Shu He and maybe for his own reasons too. Anyway, he said he'd never been so satisfied killing someone before.

Yes, bromance can be incredibly good and I’ve seen quite a few too.

What probably makes the difference for me is whether bromance was what the story was supposed to be (intentional or unintentional) or whether it was supposed to be more if the screenwriters, producers, actors (…) weren’t restrained by censorship. The former is an addition to the story, while the latter is a deduction, which only makes one think "what if"

Thank you for your wonderful comment, MarazulOx!
I also looked into the history behind the drama’s characters and found some fascinating parallels—and a few major differences.

Li Yu (李煜), before ascending the throne in 961 known as Li Cong Jia (李從嘉), was the emperor’s sixth son—hence Xiao Shu He being the sixth prince in the drama. With Princes 3–5 dying in infancy and the second prince passing when Li Cong Jia was 14, he unexpectedly moved closer to succession, just behind his uncle Li Jing Sui and older brother Li Hong Ji (aka Shu Qian).

Historical records describe Li Hong Ji as a troubled, paranoid young man who resented both his uncle and Li Cong Jia —mirroring Shu Qian's hostility toward Shu He. Li Cong Jia tried to remain invisible, focusing on the arts.

But then Li Hong Ji poisoned his uncle to be closer in line to the throne.
(Fun fact—Shu Qian also kills their uncle in the drama! I only caught this on a rewatch—it’s such a subtle detail, it’s easy to miss.)
Li Hong Ji died a few months later, allegedly haunted by his uncle’s vengeful ghost.
At that time, Li Cong Jia’s father was still alive, and in 959, he appointed Li Cong Jia Royal Secretary. So unlike in the drama, Li Hong Ji did not kill his father to ascend the throne.

Despite being the eldest surviving son, some ministers considered Li Cong Jia weak and even pushed for his younger brother to be heir. Still, in 961, he was named crown prince, and after his father’s death later that year due to poor health, he became emperor.

Now to Duan Zi Ang, based on Zhao Kuang Yin (趙匡胤), who later became Emperor Taizu of Song 宋太祖. Unlike the drama, ZKY was never fostered, nor his (forster) family massacred nor did he grow up in an enemy land. However, he was a gifted warrior and archer—explaining DZA’s deadly skills and archery scenes with Shu He.

ZKY‘s rise was also far less violent. During a campaign, his loyal troops (with his brother Zhao Kuang Yi, aka Duan Huai Yi) proclaimed him emperor. The next day, they entered the capital, where ZKY banned looting and was peacefully accepted as ruler. This mirrors the drama’s scene where DZA forbids his troops from harming civilians during the Southern Hui invasion.

Fun detail: Duan Huai Yi (段懷義) is the only character whose name has somthing in common with their historical counterpart. He and Zhao Kuang Yi (趙匡義) both share the Chinese character 義 (yì), meaning righteousness, justice, loyalty. Whether that loyalty was genuine or corrupted? That’s for each viewer to decide.

Thanks again to MarazulOx for covering so much already—just had to add these extra details! It’s always exciting to see how history shaped the events of the drama.

Absolutely! ❤

Very true. This shall go down in history as the most sensual handwashing ever.

They were all really good, I would add Miseinen / our youth

If that TikTok Video is true, I’m glad they didn’t introduce another love triangle.
From the novel and the historical inspiration, Huai Yi and Zi Ang were "full" siblings.
Not sure how to interpret this in the drama… If they Huai Yi we see in the drama was his full brother, that means either the Duans fostered two sons of the enemy country, or Huai Yi is not the same person as in the past.

Thank you ❤️
I had a lot of fun writing and researching, but then almost didn’t post it 😅
Now I’m glad I did.

Have you read through the wonderful reply @Jasprin had to my accusations regarding Huai Yi?
https://kisskh.at/discussions/788946-shan-he-yong-ji/145662-duan-huai-yi-beloved-long-lost-brother-or

I think Jasprin's explanation in regards to the Buddhist teachings makes a lot of sense.

To summarize, Huai Yi's motivation for killing the prisoners of war might have been
1) to appease the ministers and
2) to drive a further rift between Zi Ang and Shu He, because he saw Shu He as the root of all of Zi Ang's sufferings and he wanted him to move on from Shu He in order to be free.

However, Huai Yi is still suspicious to me. I think he might have been involved in Zi Ang‘s early death, for reasons not entirely obvious— maybe he was corrupted and wanted the throne? Maybe the novel provides some insight, since the real emperor, who Huai Yi is based on, was also rumored to have committed fratricide.