He Yan in the drama is sooooooooooooooooo different from He Yan in the novel. I don't mind that they changed the…
Ummmm…she beat Wang Ba in archery, she beat Jiang Jiao in spear fighting, and she battled wolves to save her comrades, which made them respect her. She helped her team win the flag game and they deferred to her as their leader. She did all this without flirting or batting her eyelashes at any man. True to any person, a person’s personality changes depending on the situation (e.g., a teenager is different when with parents vs with their friends). He Yan changes her personality fluidly depending on what she thinks is necessary to achieve her long term goals. That’s what makes her character complex. I’ve only seen her act flirtatiously when impersonating Cheng Li Su, which I find hilarious. You are right that she shouldn’t know how to act like a girl because she’s only ever been raised to be a boy, so I see her actions as Cheng Li Su as her interpreting how a non-military man should act. When I try to imagine the real Cheng Li Su in her particular situation, i.e., scared and hiding behind Xiao Jue after the assassination attempt, I can see Cheng Li Su doing just that because he is fearful of violence and blood and likes to use his uncle for his protection. The real He Yan would have killed all the assassins but she could not because she was masquerading as Cheng Li Su. Also, if she showed her true strength and prowess from the get-go at the military camp, she would have been a quick target for Xiao Jue and she knew this, so kept her skills on the down low. I think Zhou Ye is doing a great job balancing all of this.
I still think that it's a twin story. One raised in the Qi kingdom, the other raised by a Haiya massacre survivor,…
I’m on EP14 and am wondering the same thing (twin), based on the voice and hands of the Yesha master in EP13 & 14. But this seems too easy. Am wondering if in the 3 years he was missing he orchestrated what they are uncovering now to shed light on what happened in Haiya. Then he purposefully loses his memory of this, so he can innocently and convincingly infiltrate the constabulary to lead the investigation to expose the Haiya incident. I know, a big stretch lol, but it’s fun thinking of the different possibilities! I’m excited to see what the new episodes bring!
The background sound of coins dropping is so distracting at times😅😂
Yeah, for a while i kept looking around to see which of characters dropped something like the round metal thing connected to a chain that Xue Man uses as a weapon. 😅
FL seems a little too carefree and even mischievous around ML considering her traumatic/hardened past. Is she…
I think also she doesn’t want to arouse suspicion, so she behaves like there is no problem and nothing to be concerned about. If she was brooding and hardened, while trying to rise in the ranks, many would wonder about her past and since her past is “fake”, so she can join the army, it’s better to just fit in and pretend there’s nothing wrong.
Sorry to hear to you are not enjoying it, but can understand why you would feel that way.For me, I see He Yan…
That’s fair. I do think the editing could be better. I also wonder if my reading the novel beforehand fills in the holes that others may have because they haven’t read it… I’m sad they made the episodes shorter and wonder if they could have added more time back to show the depth of her character. And yes, i hope they show more of her struggles and how that shaped her in future episodes!
I think after being classmates there is a time skip. Hence he couldn't guess it. As men grow rapidly in that phase.
He Yan got the sword at the academy, which was before they went their separate ways to join the army and before they became generals. When General Xiao died, He Yan only spoke to him while holding him close. Xiao Jue pushed her away and spoke to her and glanced at her from the side. He Yan couldn’t speak after he took her sword away.
we’re supposed to believe this FL is a legendary general out for revenge, but all she’s done so far is act…
Ummmm…maybe you missed the parts about the twin blades, bow and arrow, spear, whip, wolves, taming a wild horse, killing wolves, saving her comrades, winning a competition, saving a woman… if those weren’t evident in showing she can fight and hold her own, then this drama is probably not for you.
Not enjoying this as much as I would have thought . It is just so out of bounds unrealistic. and I am not even…
Sorry to hear to you are not enjoying it, but can understand why you would feel that way.
For me, I see He Yan growing up in a traumatic environment and learning to cope with it over time. Since young, her family has made it clear to her that she does not matter and her sole purpose in life is to be someone else. I’m sure living that way was stressful and was probably one of the reasons why she left them to go to the army. One way to deal with PTSD is to avoid the stressful situation and she did, by running away. I think when she joined the army she found validation that she mattered and also has the chops to rise in the ranks and be a general. And I would think she found camaraderie in the army that she never experienced at home nor at the academy (though they didn’t show this in the drama, but they could in later episodes as flashbacks - at least I hope they do). So, when she joined Xiao Jue’s army, I think she felt a sense of belonging that she had experienced previously. She is boastful for a couple of reasons: 1) she already rose the ranks previously and became a general, so her confidence in being the best, especially among the new, inexperienced recruits, is expected and valid; and 2) she mentioned in some scenes that the only way to get Xiao Jue’s attention and rise in the ranks quickly is to draw attention to herself and her talents. She seeks merits for a couple of reasons as well: 1) to prove to herself she is capable and can be a female general once again, in a new army and as He Yan; and 2) she needs to be of high rank/standing if she is to have a chance of getting her revenge on He Ru Fei and her family, i.e., have powerful supporters, e.g., Xiao Jue and possibly the Emperor through her merits in protecting the country. Note that she already achieved this by being granted Fei Hong General by the Emperor, but it was not for her, but for He Ru Fei. If she remains quiet, weak, and anonymous, He Ru Fei could easily kill her for real and no one would ever know nor care nor help her. Her intent on revenge is clear when she is in situations that could compromise her goal. She quickly becomes serious when she realizes whispering to the horses aroused Xiao Jue’s suspicions. She’s melancholy when she sees the sword given to her by Xiao Jue’s father and remembers when Xiao Jue took it back from her. She’s cold sober when she discovers her killer is within reach. So, I think her actions are dictated by the situation. She can be bubbly towards Xiao Jue and others to minimize their suspicions of her and she can be austere when it concerns matters of import to her.
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True to any person, a person’s personality changes depending on the situation (e.g., a teenager is different when with parents vs with their friends). He Yan changes her personality fluidly depending on what she thinks is necessary to achieve her long term goals. That’s what makes her character complex.
I’ve only seen her act flirtatiously when impersonating Cheng Li Su, which I find hilarious. You are right that she shouldn’t know how to act like a girl because she’s only ever been raised to be a boy, so I see her actions as Cheng Li Su as her interpreting how a non-military man should act. When I try to imagine the real Cheng Li Su in her particular situation, i.e., scared and hiding behind Xiao Jue after the assassination attempt, I can see Cheng Li Su doing just that because he is fearful of violence and blood and likes to use his uncle for his protection. The real He Yan would have killed all the assassins but she could not because she was masquerading as Cheng Li Su.
Also, if she showed her true strength and prowess from the get-go at the military camp, she would have been a quick target for Xiao Jue and she knew this, so kept her skills on the down low.
I think Zhou Ye is doing a great job balancing all of this.
For me, I see He Yan growing up in a traumatic environment and learning to cope with it over time. Since young, her family has made it clear to her that she does not matter and her sole purpose in life is to be someone else. I’m sure living that way was stressful and was probably one of the reasons why she left them to go to the army. One way to deal with PTSD is to avoid the stressful situation and she did, by running away.
I think when she joined the army she found validation that she mattered and also has the chops to rise in the ranks and be a general. And I would think she found camaraderie in the army that she never experienced at home nor at the academy (though they didn’t show this in the drama, but they could in later episodes as flashbacks - at least I hope they do).
So, when she joined Xiao Jue’s army, I think she felt a sense of belonging that she had experienced previously. She is boastful for a couple of reasons: 1) she already rose the ranks previously and became a general, so her confidence in being the best, especially among the new, inexperienced recruits, is expected and valid; and 2) she mentioned in some scenes that the only way to get Xiao Jue’s attention and rise in the ranks quickly is to draw attention to herself and her talents.
She seeks merits for a couple of reasons as well: 1) to prove to herself she is capable and can be a female general once again, in a new army and as He Yan; and 2) she needs to be of high rank/standing if she is to have a chance of getting her revenge on He Ru Fei and her family, i.e., have powerful supporters, e.g., Xiao Jue and possibly the Emperor through her merits in protecting the country. Note that she already achieved this by being granted Fei Hong General by the Emperor, but it was not for her, but for He Ru Fei.
If she remains quiet, weak, and anonymous, He Ru Fei could easily kill her for real and no one would ever know nor care nor help her.
Her intent on revenge is clear when she is in situations that could compromise her goal. She quickly becomes serious when she realizes whispering to the horses aroused Xiao Jue’s suspicions. She’s melancholy when she sees the sword given to her by Xiao Jue’s father and remembers when Xiao Jue took it back from her. She’s cold sober when she discovers her killer is within reach. So, I think her actions are dictated by the situation. She can be bubbly towards Xiao Jue and others to minimize their suspicions of her and she can be austere when it concerns matters of import to her.