Oh my goodness, i need to seriously take a breather and replay what i just watched!!! Who on earth is left to stand in alliance with poor Huai An! Definitely didnt expect the episodes today... excellent, very well carried out. No one indeed outstayed their welcome, no one can be judged merely by their appearance.
He simply sent his sister alone to the countryside and thought she would be safe!?!? An intelligent person would…
Since @Rachel already explained the sister part quiet well, I want to add something to you last question. First- It seems you are already past ep 13, so I would like to ask- Is getting the dethroned emperor kidnapped even before meeting Xiao Wuyang going with the flow? Is sending Han Ziling to be a spy even before entering the capital going with the flow? Is forcing Qingyi to give his gold coin to Huai'an to be later used to threaten aunt Xin going with the flow? (There are more but I am only considering instances till ep13) Second- Life is unpredictable and so are people sometimes. Someone who can not adapt to new changes or change his plan according to the situation and 'can not go with the flow and abrupt changes' is not considered smart or a strategist. Isn't it?
He simply sent his sister alone to the countryside and thought she would be safe!?!? An intelligent person would…
His sister is an independent person and not his object. She already said that when she wants to stay, she stays, and when she wants to leave, she'll leave. After her master/teacher died, her family in the countryside was worried about her, and so she wants to return to her family. Chang An is the place that is the MOST unstable and where the Huben Army's shadow guards are everywhere. Even Ye Zheng's crush, the seamstress went back to her hometown by herself. The problem isn't whether Bai Wan went back alone or with some guards or stayed by Xie Huai An's side. The problem is her identity as Liu Li. No matter what, she would've been killed as long as her identity was known by Yan Fengshan. Xie Huai An ended up realising that their plan has all along been exposed to Yan Fengshan and that they kind of fell into YFS's trap. This doesn't mean that Huai An is stupid? It just means that the opponent was smarter this time?
Tbh, I don't know what you expect. Do you expect a Gary Stu and a OP protagonist that wins 100%? Because this show is like chess, even the most experienced and skillful chess players will lose many pieces before winning, especially if it's against a strong opponent. Yan Fengshan is not your common street villain, despite being a general, he is also a master strategist. Why else do you think he can control Chang An for years? If he was outsmarted by a much younger and less experienced strategist so easily then it's ridiculous, isn't it?
Never slowing down in plots and twists for this drama. 20 episodes and all are amazing! The Vendetta of An is a masterpiece! It breaks your hearts several times, but still you want to watch more. The best cut diamond!
Why cant there be more series like this. Awesome plot drive and characters. Even when its slow its good.
Haish it's because nowadays people get bored easily if they don't see flashy scenes and aesthetic visuals. People don't use their brains to watch dramas, which is fine (because drama watching is supposed to be recreational for some), but then they go on to insult the drama saying no logic. They want dramas where everything is explicitly shown and told to the viewers. They want characters that are simply either black or white, morally grey characters are difficult for them to understand. They want a plot where the MC is OP and wins all the time (which I understand because it's satisfying but it lacks depth).
^Not insulting anyone but this is indeed the market trend. That's why in China, a lot more people are turning to short dramas. The Vendetta of An really surprised me. I didn't expect such a unique script and plot to emerge.
At this point, the screenwriter needs to run a workshop for other cdrama writers 🫡❤️ because wow this was a story that delivered for 20 episodes straight! Even if they end the drama weirdly, I won’t be upset lol. At first, I wished there was more representation for the female actresses,than what we got, but honestly this drama is so wild that it’s okay my favourite actors don’t need to be victims here 😬😂. It’s such a scary world in this drama. Anyway I can’t wait for the rest of the drama.
Santo Dios, ¿en este drama no quedará vivo nadie? Vaya dos capítulos de hoy. Hace mucho tiempo que no veía un drama tan bien realizado. Qué buen drama en todos los aspectos; da miedo pensar qué ocurrirá mañana; parece que en cada capítulo alguien importante debe morir, unos duelen más que otros. *********************************************************************************** Good heavens, will no one survive this drama? Wow, two episodes today! It's been a long time since I've seen such a well-made drama. What a great drama in every aspect; it's scary to think what will happen tomorrow; it seems like someone important has to die in every episode, some deaths are more painful than others.
This is a chess game, and XHA and YFS are the players. When you play chess to win, you don’t defeat your opponent in a single move. You advance step by step, using your pieces against theirs, sacrificing and capturing until the endgame. The side characters represent the pieces on the board one by one, they are eliminated on both sides as the game progresses.This was only the second time XHA and YFS met , yet on both occasions, XHA walked away alive. Like in chess, the real confrontation is delayed while the board is slowly cleared. This drama will either end with one player standing as the winner, or with a draw where both sides fall and no one truly wins.
Is it Choice/FreeWill or Destiny/Fate? every death on the righteous side, like HXA burying and burning the huben army person, is answered equally by the villain side , like WP killing the soldier in same way..there are many such parallels throughout..as if Fate is keeping scores..yet all characters be it YZL, Aunt Xin and her son, WP, BW all seem to also be choosing to work for HXA or YFS..and all their choices directly or indirectly aiding/thwarting the whole "game"... so how much is fate? how much is Free will? I know this is work of fiction but the scriptwriter has done a great job of making it as realistic to real life as possible with the synchroniciies, premonitions, defeats, betrayal, loyalty, wins, escapes, deaths.. One of the best dramas of this year..after Kill My Sins I didnt expect something as intellectual but VOA has been really amazing so far and even surpassed KMS for me..
I think, he would become a troublemaker that mess every plan. I respect that he has conscience. This show is telling…
I appreciate your insights here. I guess in the beginning, Xiao Wen Jing felt like a cornered mouse where he lost all his power and freedom, hitting rock bottom. I can see how he was triggered even more hearing the real Zhang Mo was happy and free. It was a spur of the moment that led to something tragic.
I will say, Huai An and Ye Zheng have a lot of grace. Ofc we know they kept him alive at first because they needed Xiao Wen Jing alive to track down YFS. But over time, I'm sure they were moved by Xiao Wen Jing's sincerity.
I love how this drama really cuts to the chase. They avoid recapping what happened in the last episode and just get straight to the next scene. They do not drag on plots and the death of the supporting characters. This is probably one of the few dramas where they just kill off the character when their purpose/mission is done, no bs. And the way they integrated Huai An's past is neatly done too. The cliffhangers get me every time but I love it
There is one thing I also want to point out that I find refreshing - Many of XHA's plot involved putting himself in danger... he does not have a strong force behind him - not his own army or even a large number of allies. Hence, many times he had to be the one facing these people, seeing all of his enemies, meeting them face to face, convincing (more like threatening) or playing a part to the plan. Every single time, he could have died, he is risking his life over and over again because this is his revenge, he have to be part of it which makes it even more convincing. Why would anyone risk their own life to help him? He have to be the one doing most of the work.
At this point, this is no longer a sweet revenge plot as if the male lead can predict/plot against its enemy and they keep falling into his plan - what we see is the lead and his side are not without flaws but we still root for them and we see the human side of the bad and they are not all evil, just different positions/side of the chessboard.
man Cheng Yi's acting is truly remarkable..he hasnt raised his voice ever and yet subtle change in expressions and tone conveys the kindness and comfort he feels wround his own people and the chill look he gives YFS and the cold way he said to YFS 's aid "you must die too" and he also looks deranged around Yang and YFS now..all of this portrayed subtly with microexpressions but not so subtle that it'll get missed..a treat to watch ❤️❤️ every death in this drama (there are many) has been mourned and drama does show the implications it has on people close to them, be it villan or hero..1st C-drama I am watching where every death has had a meaning and consequence..
2 
First- It seems you are already past ep 13, so I would like to ask-
Is getting the dethroned emperor kidnapped even before meeting Xiao Wuyang going with the flow? Is sending Han Ziling to be a spy even before entering the capital going with the flow? Is forcing Qingyi to give his gold coin to Huai'an to be later used to threaten aunt Xin going with the flow? (There are more but I am only considering instances till ep13)
Second- Life is unpredictable and so are people sometimes. Someone who can not adapt to new changes or change his plan according to the situation and 'can not go with the flow and abrupt changes' is not considered smart or a strategist. Isn't it?
Tbh, I don't know what you expect. Do you expect a Gary Stu and a OP protagonist that wins 100%? Because this show is like chess, even the most experienced and skillful chess players will lose many pieces before winning, especially if it's against a strong opponent. Yan Fengshan is not your common street villain, despite being a general, he is also a master strategist. Why else do you think he can control Chang An for years? If he was outsmarted by a much younger and less experienced strategist so easily then it's ridiculous, isn't it?
^Not insulting anyone but this is indeed the market trend. That's why in China, a lot more people are turning to short dramas. The Vendetta of An really surprised me. I didn't expect such a unique script and plot to emerge.
Anyway I can’t wait for the rest of the drama.
***********************************************************************************
Good heavens, will no one survive this drama? Wow, two episodes today! It's been a long time since I've seen such a well-made drama. What a great drama in every aspect; it's scary to think what will happen tomorrow; it seems like someone important has to die in every episode, some deaths are more painful than others.
every death on the righteous side, like HXA burying and burning the huben army person, is answered equally by the villain side , like WP killing the soldier in same way..there are many such parallels throughout..as if Fate is keeping scores..yet all characters be it YZL, Aunt Xin and her son, WP, BW all seem to also be choosing to work for HXA or YFS..and all their choices directly or indirectly aiding/thwarting the whole "game"...
so how much is fate? how much is Free will?
I know this is work of fiction but the scriptwriter has done a great job of making it as realistic to real life as possible with the synchroniciies, premonitions, defeats, betrayal, loyalty, wins, escapes, deaths..
One of the best dramas of this year..after Kill My Sins I didnt expect something as intellectual but VOA has been really amazing so far and even surpassed KMS for me..
I will say, Huai An and Ye Zheng have a lot of grace. Ofc we know they kept him alive at first because they needed Xiao Wen Jing alive to track down YFS. But over time, I'm sure they were moved by Xiao Wen Jing's sincerity.
At this point, this is no longer a sweet revenge plot as if the male lead can predict/plot against its enemy and they keep falling into his plan - what we see is the lead and his side are not without flaws but we still root for them and we see the human side of the bad and they are not all evil, just different positions/side of the chessboard.
every death in this drama (there are many) has been mourned and drama does show the implications it has on people close to them, be it villan or hero..1st C-drama I am watching where every death has had a meaning and consequence..