Spoilers Ahead1)In our opening scene, we learn watching Concubine Lin that stepmother Gu is throwing a huge party for the prominent families and everyone has been invited. 2)In the next scene, Ming Lan is praying before her mother's tablet when her father comes in. She basically laments her mothers death and tells him that it may have been more than just an ill fate. Her father dismisses it as bad luck, and she tells her father that when she almost died she thought her mother was there trying to rescue her, and she is confused because she doesn't know why she has been trying to speak to her. She tells him that she said she may have died without peace. He basically brushes it off and tells her never to mention this again because it disrupts the harmony of the family (he totally knows). She then asks him if she can perform a ritual for her to transcend and he agrees, so she requests a few drops of his blood to inscribe her name again on her tablet. He is dismissive of this and refuses. Ultimately Ming Lan agrees, then asks him to attend the ritual (this is what she really wanted) --her father chooses to drop the subject and leave (he just can't deal). 3)Ming Lan asks her servant if she would give blood and she readily agrees, but how come her mother's own pillow mate won't. This just reminds her that her father is not dependable, but Xiao Tao is. 4)The party is extremely extravagant and beautiful. They serve meals on a make shift river on the table and the dishes just float down. The women are seated according to rank, with the princess's at the top. Ming Lan is at the dead bottom. Mo'er spies the Sixth son of countess wu and chooses to leave . Yanran's elder sister stops by to talk smack--she tells her to stop her pretenses and tells her that Princess Rong wants her daughter to marry Yuan Ruo....it seems the families are talking more now that the Rong girl is dead (0_o) The Princess Rong notices Ming Lan and at first wants to call her over but Princess Pingning intervenes and tells her that she shouldn't worry about someone so insignificant who will never marry her son.5)Ming Lan leaves and talks with Madame Wu who admits she hates all the gossip and needed to get away. After she leaves, she meets with Yuan Ruo's servant who arranges for her to meet with Yuan Ruo. They meet in private, and unfortunately Princess Pinging seems to have caught wind of this. ....The two meet and basically reaffirm their love. (I think he is incredibly lacking in understanding how dangerous it is to meet with her and that it puts her life at risk because he can't protect her). Ming Lan basically tells him to be more mindful about his health. He tells her that he knows everyone is gossiping about which princess he will wed but he swears he will marry her (I think that it is a foregone conclusion that he has no control over his marriage partner) I admire his bravery and I admire how innocent their romance is because even Ming Lan, with all her smarts, can't ignore her feelings (to me that is something like love because how easy is it for women to chase after someone even if they know its futile?) he plans to get an imperial edict6)Ming Lan will give it a chance, and she tells her servants that if he doesn't succeed then that means it was never meant to. She will give up if he gives up. Out of nowhere, GTY appears. It seems he overheard their entire talk! He uses a metaphor about an emperor who loved a certain consort but abandoned her for the sake of himself and his country. He tells her that he does not believe that Yuan Ruo can carry out what he promises and that he is worried she will suffer from the fall. She is defensive and accuses him of speaking with 'thorns'. After this she leaves. ( I def. think GTY is in love with her). 7)The new marquis, elder brother appears and tries to stop GTY from taking the spear even though the emperor gave it to him. 8)Princess Pingning is furious when she gets home. She has Buwei, the personal servant of Yuan Ruo who was raised with him, caned to death for organizing this meeting. Yuan Ruo is so shocked that he collapses, and only after does his mother finally tell him the reality in front of them: that the suicidal princess was killed just for liking him by Prince Yong -- and he wants to dare to marry an illegitimate daughter of a family that doesn't even have a title? This is dangerous, and their family is in danger because so many people want to marry him. His actions could cause their entire family to end--(it may also be that the attacks against Ming Lan were planned by the Yong family) and if Prince Yong becomes emperor, then their family will easily be taken out they only have one descendant and have little power beyond their title (they have been preserved because the emperor backs them, they don't have anything)(GTY's story is starting to be a reality)
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Spoilers Ahead1)After greeting her parents, Ming Lan is sent by her grandmother to the place where memorial tablets are kept because she brought her mother's back and had it placed there. While there she receives a note from her Auntie Wei who explains that they need to set up a meeting. 2)GTY talks to Momo who admits she knows nothing about a school for girls so he visits Brother Changbai and he tells him of a school. The two catch up, and we learn here that Chang bai was recently transferred to a Minister of Rites hence he hasn't got a lot of time to chat.3)Meanwhile, Madame Wu has been watching the Sheng house and once she learns Ming Lan is back she finds an excuse to go visit the Big Madame and follow up in a 'coincidental' meeting (grandma rolled her eyes I almost missed it). Madame Wu reports that Yuan Ruo is fighting with his mother and it seems she had a servant flogged for seducing him--the world knows that this is highly unlikely based on his personality hence there is pity for this servant--and after they leave Madame Wu (who like the rest of the world believes Ming Lan is in love with Yuan Ruo) says that it is easier to get into her house than the Duke's4)Ming Lan talks to her maids about the Qi family matter and they confirmed it, and it seems that Yuan Ruo picked a servant who looked like Ming Lan and allowed her to serve him in his study....I don't think he is the type to have an affair but one never knows. Later, Ming Lan goes to visit her grandmother, and her grandmother tells her that this marriage with the count would be a step up in terms of status. What does she think? Ming Lan can't answer and so her grandmother tells her that she should not hope to marry Yuan Ruo--even if by a miracle she could, no one could defend her because he is so highly ranked. Her grandmother laments that she is muddled, and Ming Lan makes it clear that she isn't wishfully thinking. She wants someone to treat her well, that is enough. She believes that the young lord would respect her because he is suffering on her behalf still and she feels bad--and she admits she is willing to risk it all for him (!!!)5)Her grandmother tells her she will have endless hardships if she makes this choice. 6)There is a festival, and the girls go out. Its so beautiful!! Ming Lan is hoping to meet Yuan Ruo. A stranger gives her a message She goes to meet his servant and he wants an assurance from her ti give him hope. Suddenly soldiers appear and tell everyone to return home. She says she will be loyal and wait basically. Later, Old Madame meets with his mother and they discuss the political situation. Why was the spring festival stopped why is the government panicky when the rebels are far away and not great? Grandmother thinks they were looking for a person, not spies.7)Big Madame reports that a criminal appeared and kidnapped the little sister of the Imperial Consort--her legitimate sister. The missing girl is later dumped into the street--she was beaten and probably raped. Later, Mo'er and her mother are talking and her mother even tells her t stop gossiping about this.8)Later, the kidnapped-now returned princess prepares a noose and she takes her own life (she was probs raped). A maid discovers her body and is shocked. Elsewhere, the people in the streets seem riled up. Xioa Tao reports Ming Lan and explains that businesses are now running but the people who committed the crime have not been caught. The Rong family is very upset and wants justice. Meanwhile, the Duke's House is completely sealed. 9)Ming Lan tells Big Madame that she must see her mother at the monastery because she has been dreaming about it. Ming Lan kind of strokes her ego by explaining her father told her to get her permission first i.e. you have power you are in charge (now I think if they really worried her they would have said heck no you can't go)--Ming Lan's goal is to follow up with her Aunt.10)She meets with her aunt and her aunt has brought Xiao Die! (her mother's maid) and she gives her the dowry bracelet her mother gave her to survive and tells her she must use it when is wed (so sweet). Her aunt also brings in the doctor who treated her mother. The doctor says he can't remember what happened. Ming Lan tells him what she remembers from that time, and then he replies that he remembers it was unique because Concubine Lin was stewarding the house which was weird . He reports that he told Mistress Lin that she should safely give birth if she eats small meals and walks often. This shocks Ming Lan, because at that time Concubine Lin had been dumping food into her mother's mouth. Ming Lan reports that her mother died, and the doctor is amazed because she should have survived. He explains that by doing the opposite of his advice it means that the person was trying to hurt her mother--and could kill her.11)concubine Lin meanwhile knows that Ming Lan has been trying to get ahold of that doctor but he never showed up to meet them. No worries....
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Spoilers AheadThis episode is interesting because it really stands out as an episode in which Ming Learns how to do things on her own, in this case managing a house hold. Most of my points are analysis of conversations hence it may not be very helpful because I lack the patience to transcribe the script.1) Ming Lan is made steward of the house (an extremely unconventional thing when there are two adult mothers in the house) in response to both Big Madame and Concubine Lin unable to do it (Concubine Lin was shown incapable in the past and Big Madame has made illegal loans). Although the task is difficult, it will give Ming Lan an opportunity to learn how to manage a house hold within the protection of a family and she is a neutral choice.2)While setting up, gifts are delivered from the other pavilions, a standard form of etiquette, and Mo'er chooses to send a maternal painting. As this is the second time I am watching this, the initial meaning flew past me because it is a small moment, but Ming Lan insists that the painting be hung up beside the one her mother gifted her so she 'never forgets'. I am presuming that Mo'er's gift is meant to be a challenge/insult because not only does Ming Lan not have a living mother but the Lin pavilion is responsible for her death. I could be reading to much into it.3)While waiting to greet grandmother, Ming Lan's claws come out more, and she chooses to respond to the direct insults of Mo'er in a manner that leaves Mo'er unable to respond. Later, she successfully puts the 'fire' out by pandering to Mo'er in a way that makes her believe that Ming Lan is treating her genuinely--in a way she is because her words ring with honesty and by being direct she does not insult Mo'er's intelligence, however Mo'er does not seem to realize that Ming Lan has pacified her anger/jealousy. It is an interesting scene.4)Following point 3 (above) Mo'er discusses the promotion of Ming Lan with her mother. Mo'er pacifies her mother's anger by explaining that this is merely a response to the incidents involving her and Big Madame and is temporary. She also reports that she is confident that Ming Lan has moved past the incident of her birth mother.5)The battle to regain the affections of Master Sheng begins for Concubine Lin. Watching these two together, with him appearing untouched by her tearful words, it is clearly the silent treatment, however Concubine Lin clearly uses the same tactics to attempt to melt his heart. For these two, it is a game of whoever can hold out longer, and in the case of Master Sheng, he will always lose because he never addresses the issue head on--silent treatment is an evasive maneuver for those who are more passive. Compare her tactics to Big Madame, and the truth is in the pudding, you earn more with honey than you do vinegar. Concubine Lin is able to get what she wants in the span of brewing tea: she is able to have some servants sent to Ming Lan to help her out AND she makes it look like it is Second Brother's idea. 6)Ming Lan will graciously receive these servants first from Concubine Lin, er, I mean brother Feng, and Big Madame. These are spies of course. But in accepting them, she will be able to figure out on her own how to get rid of unwanted servants/spies in the house in a way that doesn't offend others. It's a delicate matter.7)Ciui, the servant sent with Ming Lan by Big Madame, establishes hard line rules in the beginning and is both firm and fair as she communicates how to behave--she also treats everyone equally. She lays out expectations. Currently Concubine Lin is unaware of how involved--and smart--Ming Lan is in organizing the current tactics she believes it is Old Madame, which is great for Ming Lan. one of the best tactics is being underestimated by your enemy, right? 8)Later, Hua'er stops in for a visit and Ming Lan meets Brother He, a doctor and provincial cousin VERY distantly connected through the clan. He is both nice and attentive, and the two seem to get along well after some initial awkwardness (it is also unusual for people to leave an unmarried daughter alone with a man but they only step into the next room).....this is a good example of small talk and developing a connection after overcoming awkwardness9)What sparks dialogue between the two is the topic of his clinic, and Ming Lan realizes he is a very good doctor because he can tell just by looking at her that she drinks cold wine at night. Could he be a prospective marriage partner.....
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1)Miniang (being intelligent) chooses her next tactic which is to publicly denounce Gu Ting Ye and accuse him of every kind imaginable, including raping her and abandoning her. At court the next day, Yuan Ruo accuses Gu Ting Ye publicly for immorality. This earns Gu Ting Ye another lecture by the emperor in private. Gu Ting Ye defends himself and reminds him that they met BECAUSE of Miniang's evil actions. The emperor makes it clear that there are things he can no longer do and that he basically needs to have a care for his image. After he tells him he was stabbed, he states he did not bring her to the local court in order to avoid escalating it and playing into the Empress Dowager's hands. Prince Huan suggests that they drive her out of the capital (as a sub plan between him and Gu, they can follow her to locate his son). THEY CLEARLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT EMPRESS DOWAGER IS ACTIVELY PLOTTING AGAINST THE EMPEROR.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................2)Evil MIL is excited because she plans on using the powerful hand of the empress dowager, who views Gu Ting Ye as an obstacle, to eliminate him. She is smart, I credit her that, but her ways are so lacking! Also, her arrogance is somewhat grating......................................................................................................................................................................................................3)Gu Ting Ye goes to visit the Duke of Qi in hopes of seeing Yuan Ruo. In a humorous display, he finds a sham excuse to break in and circumvent the pleasant 'Yuan Ruo is too busy to see you' niceties . He is direct with Yuan Ruo and acknowledges that they are currently rivals. Yuan Ruo tells him he is merely doing his job : exposing misdeeds. Gu Ting Ye tells him that no matter how much he hates him (personally) he will never have Ming Lan. This makes Yuan Ruo angry and he says that ha nothing to do with this. But Gu says he has always had a bad reputaiton, no one had a complaint, or filed one, until now. Why is that? He basically makes it clear he believes that Yuan Ruo is behaving foolishly, that he is allowing his personal jealousy to cloud his judgment, and that he is being manipulated (but he didn't say this bit directly it is basically implied). Gu Ting Ye makes it clear to him that he shoud have sought her out immediately--Gu would have never made it her wait, or allowed time to pass if there was a chance--he reminds him again that he is being selfish because not everyone will wait for him.................................................................................................4)O H MY GOD they follow Miniang and it is to a GRAVE!!! She is burning paper and yelling at the grave, accusing the child of dying. But when Gu Ting Ye arrives, she tells him that their child died from sickness from not having enough medicine. While Gu yells at her Ming Lan digs and learns that the soil is old--meaning she basically believes a body is there. In a panic Gu has the body dug up (he is furious and panicky and scared) he digs with his hands and Ming Lan does something rare and slaps another person(!) (OMG this is so damn sad) He finds the bones of his son. (the acting for this scene is so believable). He is angry and in shock and tells Miniang she will never see Rong'er and if she enters the city again he will basically end her. She is to be taken to a village, watched, to live. Only affter doing this does he collapse and cry and cry buckets of tears while Ming Lan just is there for him.................................................5)The ladies all squeeze and hug the baby of eldest Sheng son. Even Mo'er is there, looking quiet and jealous. Big Madame, predictably, uses this as a chance to lay in on Mo'er by congratulating Ming Lan for her handling of the incident with Miniang, and Rulan follows suit (this is tactless). Mo'er is then sent to visit her father and she tires to invite the other two sisters but they both ignore this request (that has to sting for Mo'er, on the one hand I feel bad for her, but on the other hand, there is no way of knowing what kind plots she has afoot she is untrustworthy)............6)Afterwards Old Madame lectures Big Madame for allowing her elder sister Kang to beg favors when Ming Lan hasn't even got her footing yet in the Gu household. Later, there is a family dinner with Mo'er and her husband present, Min Lan, Rulan and Big Madam. Mo'er tries to use this as an opportunity to have her mother's funeral tablet brought back. Her father ignores her repeatedly. Big Madame says that she wouldn't allow someone dirty in the house (so now the husband of Mo'er knows something happened, he just doesn't know what). .........................................7)Ming Lan essentially makes a subtle comment that she does not support this by reminding her father that her mother's tablet is out there (i.e. you would have her next to her murderer?). Mo'er attacks head on and accuses Ming Lan of using her status to control things they should let their father decide. Ming Lan is chastised soundly by her father (you have to watch the scene the word play is great) and Ming Lan becomes so angry that she announces out loud that her mother killed her mother and repports she has witnesses, and she will bring this matter to the Kaifeng precenct if they allow her to bring the funeral tablet back. Her father accuses Ming Lan of trying to ruin the family rep. Servants are sent out.
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Spoilers Ahead1)Our episode begins with Momo Kong providing the Sheng sisters lessons in flower arrangement. As viewers, we see Mo'er really is elegant and graceful as she arranges her flowers. However she monopolizes the teacher's attention, making it impossible for Rulan to ask questions . Rulan also, in contrast, appears to be confused with the entire process while Ming Lan quietly listens to Momo's answers. Momo Kong leaves the room for water2)Alone, Rulan accuses of Mo'er of monopolizing Momo's attention. She also accuses her of being an upstart, and that these lessons are essentially useless to her, for she will never have cause to use them (i.e. she will not marry into a noble house). Mo'er becomes defensive, but Rulan continues to push back, until finally Mo'er breaks down into her characteristic crying act, a reaction that leaves Rulan momentarily stunned, then she accuses her of faking and acting as if the world is over for no reason. Ming Lan tries to encourage Mo'er to stop with a few words, but Rulan antagonizes her more, leading to the girls brawling3)The girls are all punished to copy a book 50x. The Big Madame, Master, and Concubine Lin are invited to learn what happened by Momo (Concubine Lin was invited because she raised Mo'er personally). She wants them to understand that the girls need to learn that a weak link can cause a collapse of the family. Momo has planned this well, she prepared kneeling mats for the girls in advance (so no one can accuse her of being thoughtless) and explains that the sisters need to understand what they did wrong and she asks them each if they understand, and when they nod their heads, she tells them she does not believe them. but will let them explain4) She begins with Mo'er: your Fifth sister accused you of stealing the thunder of the younger sisters and hogging my lesson time, do you acknowledge this? Mo'er says all is her fault, and that she only wanted to learn more to honor the family (tearfully she delivers this) and says she never thought it would incur the displeasure of her sisters (i.e. I am the victim). Momo Kong acknowledges that she is smart, sharp, and tries the hardest but warns her not to suppose everyone else is a fool because of those msarts--she tells her that she should not have bemoaned her existence as a concubine born when her father clearly favors her--she points out that she has bad intention because she wanted to learn and honor the family, but assumes that only she can gain honor for the family instead of her sisters.; it appears like fifht sister started this but this is really linked to and escalated by you5)Next is Rulan (Fifth Miss) Momo points out how mighty she is for not only angering Mo'er but refusing to filter her words and deliberately trying to provoke and hurt her. She implores her to change her temper or else disaster will follow. She ays she should be punished more severely. Rulan takes ownership for her mistake and apologizes.6)Next is Ming Lan: Momo tells her that she must think she did nothing wrong. She teaches her that a family is fated to share the same fate based on the actions of the individuals: glory and shame effects everyone. She erred simply by association (also, I think the implicit message is that she could have tried more to stop them from bickering).7)Although Master Sheng believes Ming Lan should not be punished, Momo reminds him that favoritism will do greater harm to sister hood and breed resentment. The girls will be hit equally. Concubine Lin intervenes and says that although she should not speak, Mo'er should take Ming Lan's punishment as well because she is weak..8)Concubine Lin is lectured: you miss the point, Momo says, that I am promoting harmony. Momo gives her a chance to back out, but Concubine Lin persists and begs for punishment for not treating Mo'er well. Momo tells her she needs to study the rules: she says she did not teach Mo'er well so she should be punished, but if she punishes her, it means the Master and Old Madame and Big Madame should be punished. Second, she knowingly broke rules by speaking out of turn but still did it. In doing so it humiliates the Sheng family. She continues to claim she is ignorant but by acting this way she shows she believes she is above the rules and can do what she wants. This is what triggers Master Sheng to yell at Concubine Lin (recall, he values reputation most). The girls are then hit ten times each (not lightly)9)On her way back, Ming Lan is stopped by her father who inquires about the wound. Then he is called off to attend to Big Madame. Ming Lan tells her servant she is not upset because she does not rely on him--that time has passed. Big Madame wants to cane Concubine Lin. Master Sheng yells at Big Madame in front of Concubine Lin and accuses her of not caring about reputation she is venting a grudge (I bet Momo would lecture him here, because he is right, but by doing this it causes the authority of Big Madame to lessen, and contributes to the problem of disharmony in the house because of his favoritism of Consort Lin. Also, Big Madame is wrong to do this knowing that the master favors her, and she does something that will obviously provoke him to defend Concubine Lin i.e. she is short sighted10)Ming Lan tells her grandmother that she learned so much from Momo Kong this night alone and is grateful. Mo'er is angry and believes her father hates her while Concubine Lin reassures her this is not so. Furthermore, she is angry at herself for forgetting that she must not 'show of her talents' (I think she is missing the point here). Master Sheng smothers the two with attention11)Big Madame is angry at Concubine Lin, in her rooms she blames Concubine Lin for her problems because of the games she plays (viewers, you might think that Big Madame is wrong because she allows herself to be manipulated again and again because she cannot control her anger). Big Madame also expresses frustration that her husband immediately went to Concubine Lin12)While meeting with her Aunt, we learn Ming Lan's plan: they must be carefully and lure the snake out before striking i.e. set something up
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This episode introduces us to the Sheng Family, Gu Ting Ye, and the children. The spotlight is on the adults, and introduces us to our first crisis which must be managed: what to do when the second sheng child begins to gamble away the dowry.Note: This summary is very thorough, I can't promise future summaries are this thorough, I just want the reader to understand the kind of tone the show has.Our story begins with a little girl who is perhaps six sobbing outside of a tiny house (this is Xiao Tao, although we only learn this later). Her reason for crying is as follows: she went to the kitchen for Mistress Wei's weekly allotment of coal however she was not only denied this but chased out by Miss Gan (the head of the kitchen). Xiao Die, an older servant in her late teens, tells the little cry not to worry and confronts Miss Gan angrily. The argument is interrupted by Miss Zhou, the personal servant to Mistress Lin (a concubine to the Master). Miss Gan denies Xiao Die's accusations while Xiao Die insists that Miss Gan is not only lying but that she has been embezzling food and coal from the Mistress she serves.Miss Zhou appears disgusted by the actions of Miss Gan and her staff and demands to know how they could dare do this to a pregnant Mistress Wei. The kitchen staff appear victimized and insist that these claims made by Xiao Die are not only false but that the kitchen has been giving her extra allotments and as a result were forced to deduct the difference or face an enormous deficit in the kitchen books. Xiao Die appears to be used to this kind of behavior and rolls her eyes before demanding that the books be brought out as evidence--if they took too much, they would have had to stamp the receipt with their fingers as proof. Miss Zhou appears to be patient and understanding as she asks Xiao Die to calm her anger and just admit her wrong--Miss Zhou appears both gracious and willing to forgive her.Xiao Die appears even more indignant after this show put on by Miss Zhou (because this is a show of false concern) and instead opts for the next level of attack: she will report this situation to Big Madame. The kitchen staff do not like this and hold her arms, insisting that she cannot because the Big Madame is handling the Engagement Ceremony today and cannot be bothered (Big Madame is the First wife and traditional head of the inner house). Xiao Die states that even if she does not see her today she will report it tomorrow and does not care if she is flogged. Miss Zhou finally orders Miss Gan to provide charcoal, and Miss Gan appears incredibly put out by this, as if they are all a victim, and states she will do this if only because of the Engagement Ceremony tonight.The kitchen staff deliberately give her a lot of coal and Xiao Die takes all the coal that would make up what is owed to them and leaves. Miss Gan mutters that Mistress Wei is pregnant and overstepping her boundaries but Miss Zhou gives her a look to be silent.Upstairs Big Madame is extremely angry. The betrothal gifts have arrived but she accuses the house of Yuang of playing a shameful trick on her family: the Count and his wife initially agreed to personally come and ask for marriage instead they sent their eldest son Yuan Wenchun to do this with the gifts. It is a huge sign of disrespect. Madame also uses this as an opportunity to vent her frustration on her husband: she believes that if this was Molan (the daughter of Mistress Lin) her husband would be as outraged as her however it is only his eldest daughter Hua'er, and thus he cares less. Her husband doesn't understand why she believes that kind of nonsense (although you will later learn that Big Madame is not lying, and her anger on this subject will remain for the whole show).She accuses him of essentially throwing her a lot of nonsense and playing up how majestic and sensible the House of Yuan is and their offspring are great, and that the fiance Yuan Wenshao is great, but this breaking of a promise is proof (in her mind) that these are lies. The Madame angrily tells him that Hua'er is her firstborn and no one is allowed to bully her (this is important, this defense of her child, because our female lead does not experience this kind of protection). Her husband then proceeds to tell him that he adores her, that when they lived in Yuanzhou he adore her, but since they moved to the capital, he picked the local house of Yuan because he believes that Wenshao is not only a good kid but their daughter will have a smooth life in the future. He then begins to placate her with more sweet words and is able to calm her down and pander to her needs, and reminds her that their daughter will live in wealth but her concern is her daughter being bullied. Her husband insists that if she is bullied he will intervene.He then leaves her and immediately gives orders to unload the boat (clearly he planned on doing what he wanted he was just trying to make things harmonious). Meanwhile, the coal that was given to mistress Wei is incredibly smoky--they run outside, unable to breathe, and Xiao Die is furious but her Mistress tells her to not only not report this but to just wear more clothes. She reminds her to lay low and just accept things as they are. Xiao Die reminds her that her daughter, Sixth Miss, and our female lead (she is only eight) will be cold so Mistress Wei gives her a bracelet to pawn--it is the last piece of her dowry. Apparently she has been selling things for years to have enough food and coal. This angers Ming Lan (who I will refer to as Mi'er) and she doesn't understand why her mother won't report this. Her mother tells her to visit her grandmother, Old Madame, gain her favor and be raised by her (presumably for protection) but Mi'er doesn't understand this. Mi'er encourages Xiao Die to sell the coal instead of pawning the bracelet (the first sign of showing that she is a clever person). The betrothal party arrives and it is HUGE (we are talking servants for blocks). The Sheng family is formally sitting together, with all the daughters and sons ready to receive the party. The Count of Zhonqing of Donjuang, House of Yuan is formally announced as having arrived with the gifts and that they are asking permission for the Second Son of the Count, Wenshao, to enter in order to offer for the hand of their daughter as the legitimate wife (i.e. First Wife, the one with all the power, the one whose status matters most in the inner house). They grant permission. Now is a time for celebration, games, drinking, catching up. Everyone congratulates the parents. Mi'er's goal (along with Xiao Tao, who is her personal servant) are all about eating food.Old madame speaks with Hua'er and congratulates her (essentially) and Big Madame learns that their second son is about to lose the dowry in game of touhu (dart throwing into a container)--he is gambling. The Big Madame is trying to figure out how to stop this without causing a scene and the Old Madame is pissed--but they can't intervene without losing face because he agreed to gamble and must take responsibility for his actions even though he is losing. She asks Hua'er what to do and Hua'er obediently tells her that she will listen to her, but Old Madame tells her she must be more assertive because in the future she will be in charge of difficult decisions and fixing messy situations. The person playing against the second son is Gu Ting Ye (our male lead/he looks to be about fourteen or fifteen) and he is kicking this kids butt. Unfortunately, a huge crowd has gathered to witness the game (and perhaps witness the family experience a huge humiliation). Master Sheng approaches his future son in law about mitigating it but he tells him that they are in his house and must obey him (i.e. I am not going to take the blame for this) but the Master tells him he is responsible because he brought Gu Ting Ye but the son in law replies that it was Master Sheng's son who enticed him to play--now he can do nothing. This is where we learn that the boy is Mistress Lin's son, and that Big Madame CLEARLY hates her. Molan is reporting to her mother, Mistress Lin, that she tried to stop her brother. Mistress Lin's response to her daughter is important, because Molan, who is about ten, insists she won't go back to the banquet. Mistress Lin indulges her daughter, tells her not to worry, and does not address the issue of her children's behavior (a lot of parents would become visibly angry or even tell their daughter never to imitate this behavior but all she does is tell Molan not to worry she will handle it). The Master Sheng and son in law continue their wordplay, pushing blame back and forth in a polite way, until finally Master Sheng pulls out the big guns and accuses his son in law of trying to humiliate the family but the son in law is able to dodge this. He goes to address it. Elsewhere Mistress Lin tries to figure out a strategy and decides on blaming it on her son being drunk, and then Big Madame slaps her. Mistress Lin falls to the ground and appears very weak and scared, whispering apologies and even shifting the blame to Big Madame but she does it in a very sly way. Big Madame threatens Mistress Lin--if this blows up basically I will kill your kid. Mistress Lin begs very prettily and plans to pass on a message to her son--that he must acknowledge the fault, and tells Miss Zhou that she allow him to be caned this time because it is to big of a problem for her to properly cover up.Old Madame listens to Hu'er who says that her parents must be on the same side, not argue in front of the guests, in order to graciously handle what appears to be an inevitable loss of face. However, Big Madame is having trouble keeping her cool and argues with her husband quietly and focuses on Mistress Lin (whom she hates) and states it is all that woman's fault. Her husband begs her to be patient and not make it worse by showing that she is angry.Mi'er is standing behind her second brother, Chungfei, and watches as her father steps in and first gives him encouragement but he still fails. Gu Ting Ye coolly--but arrogantly--tells the kid to admit his loss. Master Sheng pulls him away and Mi'er steps forward to take over. Shocking everyone. (This is the meeting of our leads for the first time). Gu Ting Ye is about to pull out because she is a girl but she tells him that she won't give up. Ming'er shocks and impresses everyone with her skill. She is REALLY good and even her father pulls her aside and embraces her, asking her where she learned to play so well. But the show escalates. Ultimately it is a draw. They would have kept playing but a strong wind comes in. Everyone goes inside and just to prove to himself that he would have won, he throws the arrow again, this time without looking (basically we learn that Gu is arrogant, skilled, and willing to take risks). It is important to note how so much can ride on something so tiny. After this, Gu Ting Ye encounters the first son, Changbai, who is apparently very critical of Gu's behavior. But because of a map of the provinces, the two somehow wind up getting over this initial dislike and becoming friends. Changbai is reluctant to change his opinion but eventually seems to find Gu's bowing of his head and promises genuine. He also seems to like that he takes responsibility for his errors. We also learn Gu's nickname is zhonghuai.Back home, Mistress Wei lectures her daughter and cautions her to be prudent. She lays out the facts for her daughter: Big Madame is the legitimate wife and from a prestigious family which can back her up. Mistress Lin is the most favored wife so she has the Master to back her up. Mistress Wei tells her that she was sold here because her family was ill and they needed the money. Ming'er counters: you have told me to be sensible and prudent--and we learn here that Eldest sister is not so bad because she gifted Mistress Wei with a cloak when it was cold. Mistress Wei explains this is because Eldest Sister dotes on Ming'er but because she is protested, she won't really suffer, but her Ming'er will.That night Chungfei is punished severely. The Fourth miss yells at her father that her older sisters are crying, Molan begs her to be understanding and Mistress Lin resorts to what will be a very consistent behavior later on: victimizing herself so that others who seek to address bad behavior look evil She insists that Big Madame is merciful and kind and see he is weak and can only beg. Big Madame is direct and calls her out for this but it only adds more strength to Mistress Lin's act. Mistress Lin is smart, she asks that her son be beat 20 strokes or 30, and in doing so Big Madame appears to be harsh and the mother good but powerless. It is obvious that Master is reluctant to do this but he agrees with Big Madame's insistence that the boy is beat, and so we hear him being caned. Afterwards, Big Madame walks with her youngest daughter and is grumpy about how smart Mistress Lin is: it seems that Mistress Lin currently holds the keys to the house, something that should belong to her, and she planned to use this to get them back but because she insisted on the punishment first she couldn't without looking bad.
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Characters:
Li'Er: The female lead, granddaughter to the great Commander in Chief of Wey. She is introduced as an intelligent and capable of young woman who is tired of all of the violence. Part of this is because as a woman she feels helpless to do anything to stop it; the other reason is that she has seen people in her community and her family all die because of the violence. While she wishes to aid her grandfather in anyway that she can, I think she believes that being a hero is not very admirable because all the heroes she knows are dead, leaving her the last in her line.
Crown Prince/King Zheng: Our male lead. He is introduced as a young man with remarkable self-control, his emotions in check, and presented almost like a sharp blade ready to cut down his enemies with complete detachment. He shows a calm affect but sometimes he reveals a sarcastic and bitter attitude as he confronts the people around him. Not exactly cruel and mean but neither is he warm and fuzzy.
Gongsun Yu: The Commander in Chief of Wey, who once sought to ally himself with Qin to oppose Wei but instead saw Wei collapse and Wey become enemies of Qin, an enemy they cannot defeat.
Ge Nie: Rumored to be the best warrior of Qin. He has abandoned his state because he is disgusted by the power games and the general degeneracy that the state has fallen into.
Jing Ke: desciple of Gongsun Yu, childhood friend to Ling'er, very loyal.
Lu Buwei: A political leader of Qin who has managed to obtain a great deal of power by maneuvering the Crown Consort's child, Zheng, into the path of crown prince. People speak of him with equal parts derision and dismay because he is incredibly cunning and ruthless. He helped sow discord between two lords (Xinling and Anxi) which weakened the state of Wei and catapulted him to power. He has since won over ministers and expanded his power.
Dowager Empress: Mother to Zheng, and has a reputation for not exactly concealing her numerous sexual encounters. It has had such a negative impact on the throne that Zheng has lost power, been humiliated as she exercises her authority as regent inappropriately, and given rise to rumors that he has 'many fathers'.
Summary:
The entire purpose of this episode is to set the stage for things to come. We are introduced to a series of characters and events, and given a bit of history behind the current chaos. Ten years ago the King attempted to unite the states through Vertical Integration. This did not work well and resulted in in-fighting and chaos. It allowed people like Lu Buwei to rise to power and also is the reason behind Zheng being Crown Prince. But he is just a chess piece in Lu Buwei's pursuit of power. He knows this. While the show does not directly state it, it is clear that he is preparing for the rocky transition of power as his coronation nears. This is shown to be problematic as his mother is easily manipulated by her lover's, who take advantage of her loneliness. She gives the seal to her current lover, a minor official, who then tries to assassinate her son, but fails miserably.
Elsewhere, Gongsun is attempting to organize a final defense of Pyang City, which is soon to be attacked by Qin. He tries to court the loyalty of Ge Nie, a soldier who has defected and is known for his martial arts brilliance. Unfortunately he fails. He then decides to stand and fight--illustrating that he is part of a dying class of men who are married to ideals like honor and virtue. He knows that he will lose this battle, conceals it from his granddaughter, and goes to his death.
Ling'er wants peace. But she is also practical and respects her grandfather's choices. She acknowledges the limits placed upon her by her gender given the time period but seeks to circumvent this by being smart. She is devastated to learn the truth, that her grandfather has gone to fight to his death, and rushes to his side only to see him die. His dying breath is that she live for herself, and that seems like good advice given the chaos that is certain to ensue now that Zheng has assumed the throne and literally baptized it in blood by beginning to clean house, first with executing the traitors and then moving to exile his mother who he probably wanted to kill.
What is Interesting:
1)The way the show is filmed is very similar to Western Action and Japanese action films. The director uses a lot of film techniques like cut scenes, slow motion, zoom in, and tracking to name a few. That, coupled with the transition between different scenes, which heavily contrast each other, and violent battles--it reminds me a lot of Tarantino films (minus the weirdness) John Wick, and Old Boy, to name a few.
2)The music takes a departure from the traditional Chinese music we so often here and is a lot more like a Christoper Nolan film--think of trailers for films like Batman, or a Michael Bay movie and you will know what I mean
3)the director is clearly trying to experiment and pull away from a lot of the traditional filming styles we are used to in dramas. he uses little CGI, films on site, and clearly wants this to be dramatic and over the top but everything in the film, from where people stand to what they wear seems to have been carefully planned
4)the writing is heavily influenced by Western cinema and we even see that directly as there is a scene copied from the Godfather when the Dowager and her Lover wake up with a deer's head in their bed. This is meant to communicate that he is powerful, that they had better listen, and a brutal change is coming. It also tells the audience that while a romance this is also going to be dark--just look at the cover art. The emperor looks almost like a villain and our female lead is standing there in red, looking not like a lamb but not exactly like she is gaga in love--she isn't even looking at him--and there are dark clouds in the back.
Li'Er: The female lead, granddaughter to the great Commander in Chief of Wey. She is introduced as an intelligent and capable of young woman who is tired of all of the violence. Part of this is because as a woman she feels helpless to do anything to stop it; the other reason is that she has seen people in her community and her family all die because of the violence. While she wishes to aid her grandfather in anyway that she can, I think she believes that being a hero is not very admirable because all the heroes she knows are dead, leaving her the last in her line.
Crown Prince/King Zheng: Our male lead. He is introduced as a young man with remarkable self-control, his emotions in check, and presented almost like a sharp blade ready to cut down his enemies with complete detachment. He shows a calm affect but sometimes he reveals a sarcastic and bitter attitude as he confronts the people around him. Not exactly cruel and mean but neither is he warm and fuzzy.
Gongsun Yu: The Commander in Chief of Wey, who once sought to ally himself with Qin to oppose Wei but instead saw Wei collapse and Wey become enemies of Qin, an enemy they cannot defeat.
Ge Nie: Rumored to be the best warrior of Qin. He has abandoned his state because he is disgusted by the power games and the general degeneracy that the state has fallen into.
Jing Ke: desciple of Gongsun Yu, childhood friend to Ling'er, very loyal.
Lu Buwei: A political leader of Qin who has managed to obtain a great deal of power by maneuvering the Crown Consort's child, Zheng, into the path of crown prince. People speak of him with equal parts derision and dismay because he is incredibly cunning and ruthless. He helped sow discord between two lords (Xinling and Anxi) which weakened the state of Wei and catapulted him to power. He has since won over ministers and expanded his power.
Dowager Empress: Mother to Zheng, and has a reputation for not exactly concealing her numerous sexual encounters. It has had such a negative impact on the throne that Zheng has lost power, been humiliated as she exercises her authority as regent inappropriately, and given rise to rumors that he has 'many fathers'.
Summary:
The entire purpose of this episode is to set the stage for things to come. We are introduced to a series of characters and events, and given a bit of history behind the current chaos. Ten years ago the King attempted to unite the states through Vertical Integration. This did not work well and resulted in in-fighting and chaos. It allowed people like Lu Buwei to rise to power and also is the reason behind Zheng being Crown Prince. But he is just a chess piece in Lu Buwei's pursuit of power. He knows this. While the show does not directly state it, it is clear that he is preparing for the rocky transition of power as his coronation nears. This is shown to be problematic as his mother is easily manipulated by her lover's, who take advantage of her loneliness. She gives the seal to her current lover, a minor official, who then tries to assassinate her son, but fails miserably.
Elsewhere, Gongsun is attempting to organize a final defense of Pyang City, which is soon to be attacked by Qin. He tries to court the loyalty of Ge Nie, a soldier who has defected and is known for his martial arts brilliance. Unfortunately he fails. He then decides to stand and fight--illustrating that he is part of a dying class of men who are married to ideals like honor and virtue. He knows that he will lose this battle, conceals it from his granddaughter, and goes to his death.
Ling'er wants peace. But she is also practical and respects her grandfather's choices. She acknowledges the limits placed upon her by her gender given the time period but seeks to circumvent this by being smart. She is devastated to learn the truth, that her grandfather has gone to fight to his death, and rushes to his side only to see him die. His dying breath is that she live for herself, and that seems like good advice given the chaos that is certain to ensue now that Zheng has assumed the throne and literally baptized it in blood by beginning to clean house, first with executing the traitors and then moving to exile his mother who he probably wanted to kill.
What is Interesting:
1)The way the show is filmed is very similar to Western Action and Japanese action films. The director uses a lot of film techniques like cut scenes, slow motion, zoom in, and tracking to name a few. That, coupled with the transition between different scenes, which heavily contrast each other, and violent battles--it reminds me a lot of Tarantino films (minus the weirdness) John Wick, and Old Boy, to name a few.
2)The music takes a departure from the traditional Chinese music we so often here and is a lot more like a Christoper Nolan film--think of trailers for films like Batman, or a Michael Bay movie and you will know what I mean
3)the director is clearly trying to experiment and pull away from a lot of the traditional filming styles we are used to in dramas. he uses little CGI, films on site, and clearly wants this to be dramatic and over the top but everything in the film, from where people stand to what they wear seems to have been carefully planned
4)the writing is heavily influenced by Western cinema and we even see that directly as there is a scene copied from the Godfather when the Dowager and her Lover wake up with a deer's head in their bed. This is meant to communicate that he is powerful, that they had better listen, and a brutal change is coming. It also tells the audience that while a romance this is also going to be dark--just look at the cover art. The emperor looks almost like a villain and our female lead is standing there in red, looking not like a lamb but not exactly like she is gaga in love--she isn't even looking at him--and there are dark clouds in the back.
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1) We open to Big Madame discussing the attention that the young lord Qi paid for Sixth Miss (Ming Lan). I know I am generalizing, but like many women, myself included, she analyzes it wondering if it means anything. Lord Qi merely wanted to help out Ming Lan whom he yes, likes, but Big Madame speculates if this is a part of Old Madame’s ambitions for Ming Lan (everyone is scheming to land the best husband, naturally you will think Ming Lan is doing this and has a motive, is Big Madame’s reasoning). While more mature than Molan, who was obvious in expressing her envy, as a parent Big Madame considers the situation. Still even she would be offended if Qi overlooked her own legitimate daughter but she acknowledges that her family though lacking in a title has a solid reputation and connections. However, Big Madame expresses frustrations that Rulan is not interested in the young lord merely interested in using him to instigate Molan. They also reflect that Hu’er is a grand example of the downside of marrying up it is better to marry the same class or down, 2)While stopping at the monastery, Ming Lan cleans her mothers tablet. Young Lord appears. This put Ming Lan in a difficult position. The risk and consequences of being caught would be devastating to her not to him, but she is also secretly pleased and trying to not let her desires conflict with having too lofty expectations. Having watched this scene many times, I think it is an indication of how out of touch with reality young lord is. He acts based on his own desire to meet with her and ignores the judgmental and cruel world that wouldn’t hesitate to use this information to ruin her life. It’s a very big risk, and short sighted. But he is also young.3)Ming Lan does try to explain the risk of his behavior. The consequences. And she highlights gender disparities. He swears on her mothers tablet to never forsake her. This is probably the most meaningful way to show his intentions. Still, she tells him not to seek her out. I have lost count how many times she has tried to shake him. But I admire his pursuit. And wonder if he would still be interested if she expressed her interest as quickly. 4)At home, Ming Lan continues to manage conflict in her household never punishing the servants sent to her from the other pavilions. Her father visits to lecture her on the polo match. He says she has shamed him. Ming Lan immediately admits she is wrong he tells her the gossip is accusing the family of trying to be overly ambitious and reaching above their status for Qi house. She tries to explain that the situation occurred because third brother ditched her and she only wanted the item for her friend, he tells her that the family reputation is more important basically. He punishes her to kneel.5) Elsewhere, Gu Ting Ye expresses his desire to momo to marry Yan Ran and she is extremely supportive. Naturally, Miniang overhears all of this. Momo expresses concern that his motive is for Miniang and cautions him no wife would be so tolerant as to be overlooked for a concubine,. Miniang enters, and Momo tries to explain she is working Miniang to each her but Gu Ting Ye is indulgent and quick to take her side. His actions mirror how Sheng treats Concubine Lin. Unlike Master Sheng, he will learn from his errors. Anyways, Momo wants him to keep his marriage plans completely secret from Miniang because it will create chaos. 6) Elsewhere, Ming Lan continues to soak up knowledge as she manages conflict between her servants and the servants of the various pavilions. (Remember, she cannot give Big Madame or Madame Lin cause to create conflict this is a learning test given her by Old Madame). Ming Lan acknowledges that she needs to continue to be self reliant and cannot rely on Old Madame, she tells Old Madame’s servant she has a plan and there is a reason why she is allowing all the drama to go on h checked. So we need to see what her plan is.7)Concubine Lin has tea with the master and expresses her desire to Molan married to the young lord. He shoots it down and tells her it might be possible to marry a title if the man was not great but duke Qi is out of everyone’s league. He tells her to give up on this crazy dream, he tells her he has been working on Molans marriage and to trust him. Madame Lin continues to talk about marriage with her daughter she does not see why her daughters marriage should be impacted by concubine status. Here concubine Lin says she is willing to embarrass the Sheng family to achieve her dream of seeing Molan married to a noble title and Molan agrees. They discuss shifting their focus to the sixth son of the Laing family. Though not the heir, it is still a noble family and he is legitimate. She is convinced that this will lead to a rank. 8)Part one of Ming LANs plan begins. She escorts Madame Lin’s personal servant out and encounter the servant girl sent over from Madame Lin’s pavilion in a romantic discussion with third brother Feng. It is extremely improper. Madame Lin decides to dismiss her as she is not retrieving helpful info and distracting her son. 9)Meanwhile, Gu Ting Ye keeps trying to meet the imperial tutor with Momo and keeps getting turned away. This is extremely insulting, but his reputation is in tatters.
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Spoilers Ahead *The Morning After*1)GTY essentially tells the servants to ignore the rules (she must greet the in laws) because Mi'er was up late last night and this morning (presumably rolling around with him). Unfortunately, her older servants manage to get in and dress her up. The couple is affectionate like any newly wed, and she must go wage her first battle with the Gu clan2)Although her husband insists they paid respects already hence she shouldn't go, she argues otherwise: if she doesn't answer the summons then she appears unfilial towards her new elders, it reflects poorly on the Sheng family, and he appears like a rogue and unfilial to outsiders. He makes it clear he doesn't clear, so Ming Lan instead shifts gears and explains it is common practice the in laws to rile up a new bride. So GTY tells her what she should expect:a) His stepmother will NOT be the first to speak (fourth or fifth house will)b)Fourth Auntie enjoys bullying the weak and cowering before the strong and is short tempered-his stepmother will cue her to attackc)Expect the Gu family to never take responsibility and frame othersd)He does promise they will move out soon3)As expected, everything happened the way he told her. Though this is a wedding breakfast, the goal is to throw a woman onto Ming Lan (the day after she is married! it's incredibly rude!) who is threatening suicide--her her name is HongXiao and she claims that when GTY was younger, he kept her as a concubine of sorts. Further, Lady Qin (Evil MIL) says she freed her and gave her money to marry someone but she simply refuses (big eye roll). Ming Lan plays the stupid card and insists she cannot accept her without her husband's permission (though not actually true, she can hide behind timidness as a new wife entering a new role). Ming Lan comes out with a big card: she will kneel for a day. This way, the elders are the ones who look like they are bullying her (Ming Lan also reasons that they are going to keep attacking her no matter what so she should just 'fall off the horse' instead of waiting to be knocked off)(she also correctly surmises that since Lady Qin desires to appear kind, she must be anxious and trying to figure out how to stop her from kneeling)4)Fifth aunt is aware of how manipulative Lady Qin is and tries to explain it 4th Aunt but the latter seems confused, suggesting she isn't the brightest. 5)Lady Qin goes to 'resuce' Ming Lan from kneeling and respects the boundary that she is drawing (for now). Ming Lan continues to bow her head and suggests she should apologize but Lady Qin brushes it off. Afterwards, Ming Lan returns to GTY and vents her anger. Ming Lan compares Lady Qin to Concubine Lin. Lin she thought was fierce, but Lady Qin is evil and on a whole other level in her eyes. They then discuss how the inner court is like fighting wars, and he again tells her he will always have her back. 6)GTY explains that the emperor wants him to ease the transition from old to new hence he is staying here for a bit. Ming Lan mentions hat she finds Hongxiao pitiful and learns that this is also a framing incident and it was a cousin who forced them self upon her. Framed, he let her into his room because he had no choice. She then tells him that he can have a concubine as long as she is nice and they can live in harmony, which clearly makes him angry, but he lets it go (perhaps thinking I will be patient and she will fall in love). Then he takes her out to see the sights....7)Lady Qin, spends the evening discussing the days events with her personal maid. We learn that fourth auntie (the loud one) now feels like she was used to do the dirty work of Madame Qin. Fifth auntie seemed to say nothing, which angers her because they acknowledge that the fifth aunt is clever and watches the fire burn from the side. Madame Qin calls her a 'white wolf' and angrily states that anyone who framed GTY will have to side with her because he won't forgive them.8)Basically the next day GTY announces he is moving next door, to his own manor, because the emperor gave him a house. The family insists it would be unfilial but he critizies the elders for bullying his wife and making her kneel not even 3 days after the wedding (shocking the men present). Lady Qin blames it on Hongxiao, the uncles then blame it all on GTY. Who then pushes it back on them for lying, and so Lady Qin intercedes as the 'savior' and says just let him go.....9)The Hongxiao issue resolved: Mi'er will find a family for her. Then they ask; how did we get on her anyways? GTY loudly (almost stupidly) asks: yeah who brought her up (LOL). GTY also is now using public opinion and gossip to help put a little fear in his enemies....(I love watching them trade words its like watching arrows going back and forth).10)The Marquis (elder brother) reflects on how the aunts and Lady qin will try to torment them, and he explains that GTY will be the new Marquis--his wife basically says she loves him even without his title and money please don't die--she is being sincere these two really love one another--but it is now becoming evident that the elder brother's long time struggle isn't just his personal issues with GTY (relating to the death of his mother) but extends to the entire clan11)GTY shows Ming Lan their giant new home (it puts her childhood home to shame in terms of size, although we really don't see as much of it film wise) and he explains he needed a place worthy of her (aww) and she explains she doesn't know if she can manage it but he explains if you don't want to do it let others just be my wife (LOL) and she then counters that this basically isn't fair because it will make him look bad and again he tells her who cares12)The episode ends with her returning o visit her grandmother
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Spoilers Ahead1) In the first 1/4, an interesting scene unfolds between GTY, Momo Gu, and Mistress Miniang. Momo attempts to chastise Miniang for her behavior with GTY present. Miniang immediately kneels and begs for forgiveness. GTY defends her without attacking Momo Gu. Afterwards, GTY attempts to soothed an angry Momo Gu by explaining that Miniang is sorry. Momo Gu attempts to explain that this was not an apology but a threat (I think its because Miniang is trying to establish that she has control over GTY by showing Momo Gu that he will always pick her--kind of like what Concubine Lin does). GTY does not quite believe this, but rather than pursue it, he explains to her that he is alone in the Marquis house and Miniang provides him comfort and loves him even more than Lady Qin (his stepmother). Because of this, Momo relents but only after making it clear she doesn't care about her status--its her personality.2)Back at the Sheng house, Big Madame and Master Sheng are drinking tea in the main hall, and he casually (and quietly) raises the idea of Mo'er taking lessons with the other girls (perhaps because he know it will trigger his wife). The Big Madame is angry, and points out that Mo'er is better behaved, she doesn't need any lessons she is only interested in lessons from someone who might teach her how to interact with nobles . Before the argument escalates, Momo Kong enters, and this is how Master Sheng gets Mo'er in class.3)In the very first class, Rulan is clearly irritated because Mo'er has moved her own desk front and center and in front of the other girls. She also proceeds to give Momo a gift--but Momo is flat, emotionless, and unimpressed. She calmly chastises mo'er for seeking to curry favor and orders her back to her seat--and to move her desk back. This has Rulan grinning from ear to ear.4)That night, in a conversation with her maid, Ming Lan basically states it doesn't matter if she has done her homework because her sisters probably haven't, and her level can never exceed theirs'. Back in Old Madame's room, momo sits and has tea with her old friend. While talking, Momo praises Ming Lan and becomes irritated when Old Madame is more than modest, she won't accept a compliment. This is where she learns from the Old Madame that Ming Lan is walking on egg shells here and tries to be invisible, hence as much as she would like, Momo really shouldn't give her attention. (the way this plays out it seems cute, then serious, then cute again--they are clearly very good old friends)5) The next day, Rulan begs to be released from lessons because she can do small talk but the finer things--brewing tea, etc. may come naturally to Molan but she cannot get it right. Besides, she is a legitimate daughter, so who cares? This annoys her mother, who shows her how to brew tea and snaps at her to stop talking about concubine born because her father is born of a concubine (she could have said that it is an unrefined topic not befitting her status but she doesn't--in this day and age, if a concubine is treated poorly, it is sort of like a dirty secret--it makes you look bad because it shows you can't take care of your people but it isn't like a huge shock because everyone kind of understands that it is difficult for wives to get along, it basically drags you through the rumor mill).6)At the same time this is happening, Mo'er is patiently and elegantly preparing her tea. She gracefully complains to her mother that the way Momo Kong taught it is wrong, and her mother tries to tell her a different way her daughter ignores the offer and says its the wrong way--her mother is annoyed and explains that the book is old, that the directions are wrong and that Momo Kong wants her to understand tea etiquette and the history (for the purpose of expanding her mind and for conversation) and shows her how to do it7)Auntie Wei visits, and is so mistrustful (reasonably so) of the Sheng family that she washes the dishes and tests for poison and tells Ming Lan to always do this. It is amusing. Ming Lan accepts this behavior and that night they discuss her mother and we learn that the two women are actively investigating the servant who were present at that time--they are trying to find the doctor and Xiao Die.8)Concubine lin tries to gain an audience with Auntie Wei to figure out the purpose of her visit but is neatly deflected by Ming Lan. She does not suspect that Ming Lan did this deliberately, but plans to watch them just in case. Interesting Fact: In the novel, the girls are significantly younger when receiving lessons from Momo --I think it is not long after Mistress Wei dies so Ming Lan may be about 8
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Spoilers AheadNote: This is more of a transitional episode as we enter Momo academy. There are a few interesting points though. The most important thing is we learn about the past relationship between the current marquis and GTY's mother. The second important thing we learn is what Princess Pining is like1)Stepmother Gu has a candid conversation with stepmother (or at least tries to). Stepmother appears to be not inclined to become involved with GTY happenings and even bemoans her own's sons lack of smarts (not untrue) while Elder brother essentially tells her that he will continue to spy on GTY because he expects her son to to be the marquis some day because of his illness. She tells him his health will improve (I didn't realize this at the time, but elder brother is very smart and he has stepmother's number down....)2)Elsewhere, we are introduced to Princess Pining--the mother of Yuan Ruo. She sells a servant who dressed herself up (this is the second time) and she announces to her maidservants that anybody who tries to seduce her son will basically be killed. This is the fierce mother protecting her only son--she grew up in the palace, seen all the tricks, and has high hopes for him. She catches her son daydreaming instead of studying, and though she does not call him out, she knows a woman is on his mind. Yuan Ruo even tries to get her to visit the Sheng family out of thanks for tutoring him but she slips out of this trap by telling him smoothly that they are too low ranked. Her thoughts go to the Sheng daughters.....she questions Buwei, Yuan Ruo's personal servant regarding any potential lady in her son's life but he is loyal and won't admit to anything3)Stepmother Gu goes to meet his nursemaid (there are so many momo's in this drama, so I will call her Momo Gu). He convinces her to help with his mistress and children in the house he bought. She finally concedes, saying that as long as the girl is nice she won't complain. 4) Big Madame, Ming Lan, and Rulan meet Momo Kong (from the palace). They exchange pleasantries. while this happens, servants chase away Concubine Lin who hopes to sneak in. 5)elsewhere, Momo Gu relates the truth about the marriage between GTY and his father, and answers some questions. It seems that at the time, the Gu family owed a huge debt of money to the emperor and he was collecting on it, and he was serious (he threw other nobles in jail for not paying). His father was the most honorable; the other gu sons were poor choices (one was hedonistic, one haughty). but his father was married to the first wife (mother of elder brother gu). Hence his mother, who was young, beautiful, and the only daughter and child of the Bai merchant, was cherished and he rejected the sons. However, after Father Gu became a widow, he returned and it seemed to be a great match. They were married, and she brought over a jillion dollars in money.6)The Lady Bai had problems from day one. On her wedding night, instead of consummating her marriage, ignored her. For three months this dragged out (this is humiliating, insulting, and makes one feel worthless). It took the old marquis (GTY grandfather) to make him consummate. When GTY was born, her relationship with the marquis became worse--maybe because it was a healthy boy--and she regularly was ignored and received harsh words from him. Only by chance, she overhead a servant telling elder brother gu that Lady Bai forced her way into the family because she was greedy for a title, and this caused the death of the first wife. Now this devastates Lady Bai7)Pregnant with her second child, she confronts her husband in a direct manner and he dismiss her. She calls him out: you married me for my money and you resent me for it (basically) and now you and your whole family mock me and hate me and spread lies about me; you don't even care about your son. she asked for a divorce and planned to leave, but she went into labor and died......broken hearted and hurt
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Spoilers AheadOverview: Gu Ting Ye is forced to prove his identity and that he is the one meant to inherit the Bai family salt mines (The Bai family is his relation through his mother) showing very clearly that Gu Ting Ye is stubborn, and smart. Not long after, Concubine Wei dies in childbirth in a supremely tragic way--and it is obvious that Concubine Lin had a hand in it.1)In this episode the Bai family holds the funeral for their patriarch. Just as Master Sheng is whispering on the aside regarding the poor conduct of the new son-in-law for bringing Gu Ting Ye and not telling anyone (who is dead) hence this awful brew-haha-ha has occured since he is a legitimate son of a marquis, the 'dead' boy arrives very much alive. A fight breaks out among the Bai clan, causing Gu Ting Ye to produce his grandfather Bai's last will and testament naming him the heir (it is apparent that the Bai family is behind his near murder). Gu Ting Ye has to prove his case is legitimate, and we learn that he only survived because he and his servant switched clothes2)Having established his identity and legitimate claim, Gu Ting Ye is arguably one of the richest people in the city since he owns all the Bai family salt mines.. I think it is important to note that we see how heavily religion influences people in this show--his Uncle Bai, who challenges his claim, is unable to swear on the soul of his mother (it could also be that if this crime is exposed, he will be charged with an additional crime of dishonoring the ancestors)3)In addition, this show establishes that Gu Ting Ye is the kind of person who considers his friends safety--he did not go to Eldest Brother Sheng because he did not want to implicate him4)Mistress Wei goes into labor after getting into an argument with a stubborn Ming Lan who refuses to go to her grandmother. Concubine Lin overseees everything. We learn the baby is too big to be born.The midwife leaves to get water and Concubine Lin attempts to send Sixth Miss off who refuses. Mistress Wei is left with two young maids who want to be helpful but clearly lack any skill.5)Little Xao tao reports to Ming Lan that the midwife has gone missing. Concubine Lin appears outraged. The servants of Concubine Lin repeatedly try to stop Sixth Miss from becoming involved. She sees that her mother is so poorly treated that even the rags being used to wipe away her sweat are rancid. Her mother tells her to find one of the elders to help with the labor and she rushes to do this whiile Concubine Lin just stands there useless. ming Lan's mother attempts to birth the child herself while alone (!)6)Unfortunately, the elders (nanny's) are either busy or drunk (this can't be a coincidence). Ming Lan is so desperate she throws water into the face of a passed out nanny, but she is drunk as a skunk and unable to help. Sadly, none of the servants interfere (perhaps because they are involved with this plot or they are aware that things might end poorly for them if they help. looked what happened to xiao Die).7)The front gate is firmly closed and no one is around to help lift it. Ming Lan crawls through a dough hole and climbs the outer wall , hurting herself along the way (I truly admire this little girl) and she asks strangers for help to find a doctor. Ming Lan is seen by Gu Ting Ye who immediately helps her. (remember, prior to this they only played the arrow throwing game, in which she won). With his help, they reach the Longevity Hall and she busts inside to get a doctor (it also highlights status, because she is dirty and alone so they must think she is a nobody) gu ting ye gets the doctor and is locked out of Sheng hall.8)Gu Ting Ye illustrates his resourcefulness by creating a grappling hook (I doubt this would work in real life but it looks believable) and he scales the wall (now everyone is watching because he looks like he is breaking in) and he opens the gates for the doctor and drags him (by this point the doctor really does not want to be involved). Concubine Lin tries to send the doctor away and summons officers but Gu Ting Ye illustrates his bad ass fighting skills by incapacitating them and he gets the doctor inside after arguing with them.9)Ming Lan races back with another doctor, and the doctor tells her that it was already too late by the time she arrived at his place--the baby is too big and won't come out. Ming Lan is in shock. For a child, you can tell she is upset and terrified but the reality hasn't quite sunk in (this child actress is fantastic)10)Ming Lan's mother's death is so sad. She explains to her how she got a doctor, and her mother tells her to give the knee guard she finished making to him. Since she has nothing left, she gives her a scroll she made. Mistress Wei tells her she must survive, she mustn't stand out (Ming Lan begs her basically to stay) and her mother makes her call her mistress (she is technically only allowed to call the legitimate wife mother)11)Ming Lan calls her mistress Wei as she asks and then tells her she will be alone when she is dead, so Ming Lan promise to go to grandmother's (a ton of blood gushes out, presumably from her uterus) and she dies this is so sad I cried buckets of tears.12)Servants, Concubine Lin, the doctor, Gu Ting Ye all watch her as she cries her eyes out, and Gu Ting ye tries to comfort her by saying he has no mother so she must cherish herself, but Ming Lan faints13)Now the house must deal with the scandal of Concubine Wei's death. Big Madame (in a theme that will repeat itself again and again) must clean up this mess. Concubine Lin acts very well and begins to implement her plan of convincing Master Sheng that this is her fault because she was unable to be stern. She assumes responsibility but in a very superficial way, she blames a ton of other factors for what has happened. She faints, and this causes Master Sheng to panic (is he stupid?)14)Big Madame does not want to make a big deal about this death, but Hua'er points out that this is a great opportunity for her to use to make herself look good in the eyes of Master Sheng because it will enhance the family reputation if they give Concubine Wei a grand funeral. Hua'er also tells her not to ask for the keys back, just appear devoted in managing the funeral (essentially this means that Master Sheng hates being told what to do)
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SPOILERS! After the funeral of his father, GTY has a heart to heart with Eldest Brother Sheng. Elder brother tells GTY that he will be getting married in two months. GTY decides not to go in order to avoid creating any rumors and instead leaves immediately with Rong'er to find his son. The episode then shifts to Yuan Ruo who celebrates his mother's birthday and introduces a new food to the family--stir fry--it's all the rage. Unfortunately, Yuan Ruo chooses a day that should be, well, all about his mother to present to her his request to marry Sheng Ming Lan. I felt very bad for his mother and him, because she was uneasy the moment he mentioned marriage--she will have to be the bad guy--because she knows that her son can't marry just anybody. Marrying Ming Lan as a first wife is simply a fairy tale thing, not a reality. The consequences would extend far beyond humiliating his parents--it could humiliate even the royal family since she is after all a princess. I think it is extremely unfair, and I feel for Yuan Ruo, but I think this episode shows that he is used to getting what he wants because he seems to have a sincere belief that his parents would consent. It is incredibly naive of him to believe his mother when she agrees to go offer for her (come on we know she marries GTY so its obvious his mother is not going to propose). Ming Lan receives the message that his mother will support the marriage in secret. Her grandmother is not pleased and wants to stop any hint of gossip. Her grandmother seems angry with Yuan Ruo telling her this thing because it will be disastrous for Ming Lan's reputation. Her grandmother confronts her about this and makes it clear that she needs to think about her future--she reminds her of the facts that their difference in status is huge. If they marry, she will be miserable because of his mother, and her grandmother is confident he cannot protect her. I.e. she wants her to think about being happy, not about love. Elsewhere, Gu Ting ye saves the life of an important group of men who essentially become his best friends much later on (its the emperor, Prince Huan, and general Shen)(they never really explain how he learns to fight so well but I presume they are taking into account the fact that he is from a military family so its ...natural?)
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Spoilers AheadThis episode is one of those major transitional episodes because a big enough event happens that causes life changing choices to occur. After the mistress of Gu Ting Ye ruins engagement after engagement with her theatrics, Ming Lan meets her and concludes based on her evidence (or in this case performance) that she has a bad personality. She tries to tell Gu Ting Ye this and it triggers an argument before he storms off. Later, Gu Ting Ye has a heated argument with his father in which he basically confronts him about his mother, her treatment and death, and his father is extremely defensive, refusing to admit any responsibility and instead shifts blame by focusing on Gu Ting Ye's behavior (incidentally, this episode actually highlights how similar these two are in terms of temperament). His father suddenly coughs up blood (I am not sure what could have caused this) and Gu Ting Ye naturally panics and runs to his stepmother, who sends him away to get an imperial physician. GTY returns and no one will let him inside to see his father. his elder brother goes so far as to fist fight him in front of the house, and after his father is dead is he allowed to see him--this is a pivotal moment because it allows Gu Ting ye to see his stepmother for what she really is (an evil witch) and helps give him the final push he needs to abandon this Gu family of his. It's so painful to watch because he is clearly wracked with guilt, and he must contend with the entire Gu clan throwing false accusations at him including his mother making up lies about what actually happened. He realizes that the end game for everyone has been to expel him from the family. GTY tells his stepmother directly that she disgusts him before leaving. The eldest Sheng son goes to see him and keep him company. This is just awful, because everyone who has hurt him feels justified for doing what they do: his stepmother just wants the best for her son, his eldest brother wants to help his mother rest easy knowing that the son of the woman who (in a way) resulted in her death is not having an easy time, and his family all disdain him for being born from a low class woman.
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Grandmother is poisoned. Believe it or not, but the poison is not traceable but related to the Ginko Plant, and the big madame did, but here's the twist: she did it unknowingly. she wanted the old madame to become ill for a few days (recall her humiliation at the hands of grandma) and she listened to Auntie Kang, who masterminded this plot. Of all the people to hurt!! Ming Lan won't rest until justice is served!!
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