pewpewmew

Please don't click if you don't want to be spoiled for 52-57

I watched that last night - literally just fast forwarded through all 75 eps and only watched ZYW's story. his acting is great, but i wished the story was more developed. it's also a bit too dark for me to re-watch.

yes! i guess youku heard everyone's complaints on weibo and updated their schedule again:

11th Feb - Episodes 52-57 (10am)
18th Feb - Episodes 58-63 (10am)
25th Feb - Episodes 64-68 (10am)

this is in beijing time

if you came just for zhou yi wei (like me!), he appears starting in ep 15.

Ughhh! Youku changed their broadcast schedule and is pushing this further out to end in early March.

For those that have watched til ep 51, there will be NO new episodes next week :(

Yup, she found out around eps 43 or 44, when the whole seduction attempt happened.

Wang Qian tried to claim rape and said that XQ wanted to be with her because he wanted her (Wang Qian) to bear his children since Awu cant.

Awu asked XQ about why he was giving her contraceptive meds as she was bandaging his wrist.

Thanks for the reco. I've heard good things and will check it out.

Agreed on Awu. Hope she can sharpen up in the last act.

Youku recently hosted a livestream with the actors ZZY, ZYW.

Found this fun tiktoc clip of them answering questions: https://weibo.com/3832183015/K0lRzson3

I don't read Chinese so if any one can translate, please and thank you!

I never watched Minglan but she sounds like Wei Yingluo from The Story of Yanxi Palace. I'm also a bit disappointed at times with Awu and how she can't connect the dots on some situations. She's smart, but she's not sharp or scheme-y.

Playing devil's advocate, I would say it's because Awu grew up in a loving family dynamic and never had to scheme or watch out for betrayal because she was always protected. In that way, I can forgive her character for being so trusting and naive sometimes. She's more a passive, "you don't mess with me, I don't mess with you" type vs. actively making sure people don't mess with her.

Yes, his face is so...pointy. So heart-shaped. He looks extra evil when his hair is all tied up, like his wedding night.

He's retiring from court life but will remain the general of Ningshou Army. So the Empress Dowager still sees him as a threat because he will still be commanding the military.

Exactly! I was so mad at Awu for dancing for and WITH HZ, even before she did that with her own husband.

And what makes me extra mad is that prior, when XQ asked her why is she still going to meet with HZ behind his back when she knows what kind of bad person he is, Awu responded something along the lines of "She's family and I have to help her. You have always been alone. Do you understand the value of family?"

I wanted to slap her. By now, she's seen how he treats his comrades, his soldiers. She knows he went almost bankrupt in order to support families of his soldiers that have died in war. She knows he went to plead with the Emperor to have her father be spared because XQ couldn't bear the thought of Awu being an orphan.

For her to say that, it makes me feel as if she doesn't understand her husband.

Lololol which scene? Awu meets with the doctor in several times. But basically, she was told that her health is weak and won't be able to have children (the stress of the miscarriage combined with her getting hurt when she was kidnapped really took a toll). Even if she does get pregnant, it will be high risk.

However, she really wants children and she asked the doctor to find a cure. She doesn't care about the risks. In one of the final scenes, you see her getting acupuncture on her back.

I think Wang Lin will return because as we all know in dramaland, if I don't see you die on screen, then you can always come back.

I don't think any of the characters are master manipulators like Wang Lin or even the old Emperor. Like you said, everyone now is too caught up in their little troubles to connect dots:

XQ - too consumed by jealousy/worrying about Awu
Emperor - too dumb; has good intentions but no forethought
Empress - too focused on revenge; overestimates herself
Dowager - too focused on taking out XQ without understanding the dangers of weakening the army
Zitan - power hungry for the wrong reasons

Yes, the acting is superb.

Sure, the story is not super novel but the way it's told is way better than most and there are some interesting twists. The cinematography, the sets, the chemistry between the leads - it all worth watching.

Awu won't do that. Plus, even if she did, XQ wouldn't agree.

The newest trailers released for upcoming eps confirmed that Wang Qian will be shipped to Hulan for marriage.

https://weibo.com/3837224853/K01emfN7f

someone put together all the new teasers for upcoming episodes 42-51. the cuts are NOT edited in order of when they happen

I think it's ep 44 that XQ will tell A'wu why he gave her the meds. This also looks like the episode where Wang Qian will try to seduce him and gets caught.

As for when he will be framed, I think that's later, towards episode 51.

hope this works for you:

https://weibo.com/p/10080846ef94feb2611189cd6e3450e27b6e14/super_index

scroll down and you see a few videos