There's an excellent explanation here on the relationship of Cang Xuan and Xiao Yao.https://kisskh.at/discussions/lost-you-forever/120191-are-cang-xuan-and-xiao-yao-blood-relatives-in-the-drama
Thanks Kokuto. ^^ I did want to help future viewers with the confusion. Glad it’s been useful!
A novel reader (reddit user PalgsgrafTruther) provided some important context for the iconic line, "Unless I win." Very minor spoilers for early moments in the drama and the novel below.
In the drama, Toranaga advises Blackthorne (through Mariko) to give up his fight against the Portuguese in Japan because he is outnumbered and there is no hope for him. Blackthorne responds, "Unless I win." Which... doesn't feel like it has the punch it's supposed to have. He basically said, "I'm outnumbered and have no hope of winning... unless I win." On the one hand, it's true that his situation won't be hopeless anymore if he actually wins despite the odds. In that sense, Blackthorne's response carries a connotation of determination no matter the odds. But it doesn't feel like a particularly intelligent thing to say.
Whereas in the novel, Toranaga knows from the Portuguese (who, at the time, were part of the Spanish Empire) that the Netherlands had also been part of the Spanish Empire before the 80 Years' War between Spain and the Netherlands (and the related Spice War between Portugal and the Netherlands) began. So by going to war with Spain (and Portugal), the Dutch protestants were rebelling against their lawful King (with assistance from England). Blackthorne admits that that is true, but says that there are mitigating circumstances. Toranaga is dismissive. No mitigating circumstances can justify rebelling against your lawful sovereign. Blackthorne responds with the iconic line: "Unless you win." And in that context, he's right. History is written by the victors, and winning the war against the Spanish would allow the Dutch to retroactively legitimize their rebellion. Realizing that, Toranaga laughs and agrees. That would be the one mitigating circumstance that could justify their rebellion.
I prefer the novel's version of this exchange, because, for Blackthorne, it shows his intelligence, for Toranaga, it shows that he is a man who is capable of acknowledging when he stands corrected, and for the two of them it marks one of the first moments where Toranaga sees something in Blackthorne (in this case, intelligence) that makes him a person of interest... someone who might prove useful and worthy of respect. The drama doesn't really have the same "I stand corrected" factor and replaces the focus on Blackthorne's intelligence with a focus on his determination, which I find less compelling.
Also, my understanding is that the novel revisits this conversation later on in the story. Presumably, "history is written by the victors" and "it's wrong to rebel unless you win - then you can turn your treacherous rebellion into a righteous revolution" becomes relevant. It's not difficult to imagine how. But given how the drama has changed the "Unless you win" exchange, the drama won't be able to reference the exchange later on in the same way that the novel does.
-----
Toranaga: “[Another person] says that the Netherlands were vassals of the Spanish king until just a few years ago. Is that true?”
Blackthorne: “Yes.”
Toranaga: “Therefore, the Netherlands – your allies – are in a state of rebellion against their lawful king?”
Blackthorne: “They’re fighting against the Spaniards, yes, but – ”
Toranaga: “Isn’t that rebellion? Yes or no?”
Blackthorne: “Yes. But there are mitigating circumstances. Serious miti- ”
Toranaga: “There are no ‘mitigating circumstances’ when it comes to rebellion against a sovereign lord!”
Blackthorne: “Unless you win.”
Toranaga looked at him intently. Then laughed uproariously. “Yes, Mister Foreigner…you have named the one mitigating factor.”
The topic of which male lead is the female lead's true love is a matter of hot debate in this comment section,…
No. Ye Shi Qi / Tushan Jing is the character played by Deng Wei.
The character with white hair is Xiang Liu (played by Tan Jian Ci). I don't want to spoil you more than you want to be spoiled, but let me know if you would like more information about Xiang Liu.
You can spoil it but who the heck is the true love/the one she will ultimately wind up with. I don’t usually…
The topic of which male lead is the female lead's true love is a matter of hot debate in this comment section, so you may get different answers from different viewers. My personal take is that she loved all three of the main male leads in different ways.
As for who Wen Xiao Liu / Xiao Yao (the female lead) ultimately ends up with, unless there are huge changes from the novel, the leaked script for S2, and all the behind-the-scenes snippets we've seen so far, she will marry Ye Shi Qi / Tushan Jing at the end of S2.
There's an excellent explanation here on the relationship of Cang Xuan and Xiao Yao.https://kisskh.at/discussions/lost-you-forever/120191-are-cang-xuan-and-xiao-yao-blood-relatives-in-the-drama
Thanks for saying that ChunTian! I appreciate it. ^^
There's an excellent explanation here on the relationship of Cang Xuan and Xiao Yao.https://kisskh.at/discussions/lost-you-forever/120191-are-cang-xuan-and-xiao-yao-blood-relatives-in-the-drama
Thanks for sharing this with those kind words Kokuto! ^^
There's an excellent explanation here on the relationship of Cang Xuan and Xiao Yao.https://kisskh.at/discussions/lost-you-forever/120191-are-cang-xuan-and-xiao-yao-blood-relatives-in-the-drama
Yep, some pretty big changes.
And in addition to making changes to XY and CX's relationship and XY's mother's identity, they also changed the names of the kingdoms and the names of several characters through re-dubbing after filming and the first round of dubbing was completed.
Could someone spoil the ending for me, I'm not in the mood for a tragedy at the moment, thanks in advance...
This will be VERY spoiler heavy for S2, which has not aired yet. This is based on information that is present in both the novel and the leaked script (which may or may not be legitimate) for S2.
Cang Xuan (the "first male lead" according to the author of the novel) lives. He achieves his goal of becoming Emperor but (more or less) loses Xiao Yao along the way so that she is no longer by his side at the end of the story.
Ye Shi Qi / Tushan Jing (the "second male lead") lives. Near the end of the story he disappears and is presumed dead, but returns and marries Xiao Yao. He does not return to his position of power, wealth, and responsibilities within the Tushan Clan after returning from the "dead", choosing to be with Xiao Yao without wealth, status, or responsibilities instead.
Wen Xiao Liu / Xiao Yao (the female lead) lives. She marries Tushan Jing, mourns Xiang Liu, and leaves Cang Xuan and her family behind.
Xiang Liu (the "third male lead" / the male character with white hair) dies along with the rest of the Chenrong remnant army in a final battle. As he told Xiao Yao earlier in the story, the best death for a general is dying on the battlefield. Before his death, Xiang Liu breaks the Lovers' Bug connection between him and Xiao Yao (so she will not be killed when he dies) and erases the memories of him that she saved in her mirror. He also sends her well-wishes, but in a way where they are hidden and she will never see them. Basically he does his best to shield her from the effects of his death.
It's a reverse-harem drama, so whether the drama feels like a tragedy to you will likely depend, at least in part, on which characters you like / care about, and which characters you don't.
The author of the novel takes the view that the novel's ending is not tragic because, in the end, each character got what they wanted most.
The paperback version of the novel is 1152 pages and the audiobook version of the novel is 54 hours. I assume the 1980 miniseries and this drama have both made some pretty significant cuts to the original story.
In what country is Hel and Hersin? I tried Google. Hersin in FRANCE and Hel in POLAND? My friends also ask me…
The city where the ML met the FL was Helsinki, Finland. The city where the ML went to university was filmed in another city in Finland (a city that, in reality, is much closer to Helsinki than the fictional city created for the drama). The place where the ML took the FL with the bridge of lovers’ locks is in France.
"Return this stone to its original spot. Convey these words to Mong Woo, "There is absolutely no meaning behind…
True, Sang Hwa wasn't shown in the scene where the King took the stone from the stream, gave it to Mong Woo, and had it returned to him for safe keeping until the next drizzle.
It's possible that he really wasn't there and the King never told him about the stone before, and Song Hwa just had to deduce that the King meant that he should return the stone to Mong Woo and never knew the location where the stone had been taken from. But I think it's more likely that the King told Song Hwa a bit about the stone at some point, so that Song Hwa knew that the stone came from the stream, that the King was holding on to it for Mong Woo, and perhaps the promise that they had made where Mong Woo would take the stone back the next time it drizzled. Or (less likely but still possible) that he was present when that scene happened, but kept himself out of sight.
"To me, a treacherous thought is loyalty." IMO, when the King said that he was referring to his plans to have his nephew take over the throne. Someone who tries to keep him in power and to keep his nephew away from the throne (people like his uncle and his mother) don't share his goal. But someone who plots to put his nephew on the throne shares his goal, so even if that person plots "treason" against him (e.g., assassinating him or plotting to make his nephew the crown prince), he actually views that "treachery" as loyalty.
When the King said that he might hurt her, I don't think he meant that he might hurt her directly. More like he would likely need to make more difficult decisions in the future (like the decision to accept the princess' arranged marriage) that would cause her pain. It also seemed like he might have been hinting that he plans to die (or to fake his death) at some point in order to transfer the throne to his nephew when he is old enough to take over / after the King has successfully punished his mother and uncle for murdering his brother.
"Return this stone to its original spot. Convey these words to Mong Woo, "There is absolutely no meaning behind…
Obviously the King indirectly ordered Sang Hwa to save Mong Woo. That was not my question. The fact that Sang Hwa tried to save Mong Woo based on the King's two orders does not fully confirm what the King meant by his first order (when he told Sang Hwa to return the stone to its original spot).
The King instructed Sang Hwa to do two things. First, to return the stone to where it came from. Second, to convey his message to Mong Woo.
It is possible that the first order (returning the stone to where it came from) could have meant that Sang Hwa should literally return the stone to the stream where it was taken from. The separate order to convey his message to Mong Woo was enough for Sang Hwa to know that he was being ordered to save Mong Woo.
That said, when the King told Sang Hwa to "Return this stone to its original spot." I personally think he was most likely telling Sang Hwa to give the stone to Mong Woo (and not telling him to literally return it to the stream where it came from), but not for the reason you mentioned Mad Marti.
I've reached that conclusion because, IMO, it just makes more logical sense for the two orders to be linked (for the King to tell Sang Hwa to return the stone to Mong Woo along with his message in order to emphasize it), rather than for the King to have ordered Sang Hwa to literally take the stone all the way back to the stream that it came from, in addition to separately ordering him to convey his message to Mong Woo (and, by implication, to save Mong Woo).
IMO, that meaning (giving the stone to Mong Woo) would have been fully confirmed if Sang Hwa had returned the stone to the King (because he was unable to give it to Mong Woo) when he reported that Mong Woo was dead. But since Sang Hwa did not do so, we can't be fully certain of which interpretation is correct.
Edit: Now that episode 12 has shown that the stone was back in the King's possession, I think we can safely conclude that when he ordered Sang Hwa to return the stone to where it came from, he was referring to returning it to Mong Woo.
"How can Xiao Yao poison Fang Feng Bei and not Xiang Liu?"This is not directly explained in the drama or the novel.…
I never thought about it before, but I suppose XL could have used the bug connection to make XY think of him at any time (it wasn't necessary for XY to be heartbroken first) if he wanted to. But he didn't use the connection that way.
In chapter 22 (after XY's assassination), XL was able to communicate directly with XY through the bug connection. He allowed XY to hear his thoughts so he could goad her into continuing to fight to live. He also used the bug connection at that time so that his heartbeat could guide XY's heartbeat to prevent it from stopping.
In the two instances covered in the excerpts I quoted from the novel in my last comment, he used the connection to help pull XY out of her intensely painful heartache. The point wasn't to make XY think of him, even though she did end up thinking of him on both occasions.
And there were times when XY thought of XL because of the bug connection without XL actively doing anything. For example, there were many times where XY felt heartbroken but was comforted by the fact that XL was feeling the same heartbreak with her. It made her feel like she wasn't alone and he was there keeping her company through her most painful moments.
XL and XY were also both able to use the bug connection to call each other. XL used the bug connection to call XY to him in chapter 8, and XY used the bug connection to call XL to her in chapter 46.
----- Chapter 22:
She could vividly sense her heart slowly weakening, but just as it was about to stop, she heard another heart beating. It was strong and powerful, leading her heart so that it wouldn’t completely stop. It was like a sole flame in the palms of the hand, seemingly about to be extinguished at any moment, but still flickering weakly with life.
Xiao Yao felt that she heard Xiang Liu snarking at her: Just this and you’re going to give up?
Xiao Yao retorted back at him: What do you mean just this? If you’ve been poked so many holes in like a sieve, air passing through both top and bottom, even if I don’t want to give up I have to give up.
----- Chapter 30:
Xiao Yao returned to her residence and laid down on her pallet but couldn’t sleep. When she lost Jing she felt that she still had Zhuan Xu and no matter what happened she would never lose him.
But tonight she felt for the first time that she was gradually losing Zhuan Xu. Years ago they held hands and walked up Cao Yun Peak, facing adversity that did not defeat them or make them give up on each other. But now they reached the end, there were so many things and people gradually forming between them that it naturally split them apart.
It wasn’t that one wanted to leave the other or the other stop caring, it was life being so merciless and unwittingly leading them to this point.
Xiao Yao felt her heart constricting tightly so she sat up and took deep breaths. It started with being sleepless but over time she seemed to have developed a heart problem. She knew Xiang Liu was being bothered by her right now.
All these years in the deep dark of the night, when she was at her most painful to endure moments, knowing someone was experiencing the same feeling made her feel she wasn’t alone. It made her feel like he was right there keeping her company and it comforted her a lot.
-----
Chapter 8:
Xiao Liu opened her eyes and they were walking along the edge of the cliff. To the right was the vast ocean, waves and waves were pounding the black rocks. Xiao Liu suddenly felt her heart sense, she sensed someone was calling her. She said to Shi Qi, “To the edge of the ocean.”
Shi Qi carried Xiao Liu down stone steps, through the forest, to the edge of the ocean. Standing on the cliff, Zhuan Xu didn’t stop them and instead silently followed behind.
Another set of waves rolled towards the cliff and as the blue waves rose higher and higher, at the top a white shadow rode the waves towards Xiao Liu. The white shadow stood steady on top of the wave, white robe and white hair, wearing a mask. He stood in the middle of the waves like a white lily, pure and untouched, extraordinary and beautiful.
All the servants rushed forward but Zhuan Xu stared in bemusement and asked, “Xiang Liu, you want to kill me that much that you chased me all the way to Five Gods Mountain?”
Xiang Liu laughed. “This time I’m not here for you, Prince.” He looked at Xiao Liu “You got your legs broken? What did you do that sent all the Gao Xing soldiers running around like headless chickens?”
Xiao Liu suddenly remembered that Xiang Liu had the bug in him so when her leg was broken, he must have felt it. Xiao Liu laughed. “With my little measly ability? Nothing, it’s just a misunderstanding.”
Xiang Liu said, “Underneath you is the ocean.”
Xiao Liu understood what he was saying. If she jumped into the ocean then Xiang Liu would take her away.
"How can Xiao Yao poison Fang Feng Bei and not Xiang Liu?"This is not directly explained in the drama or the novel.…
Yes, she was referring to XL's ability to control her heartbeat through the bug connection. XY makes that comment shortly after XL speeds up her heartbeat through the bug connection for the second time.
There are two occasions where XL intentionally makes XY's heartbeat speed up to the point where it was beating as quickly as if she was physically exerting herself (e.g., as if she were running). On both occasions, he does it to snap her out of intense heartache that she is feeling because of TSJ. The first occasion occurs on the day of TSJ's wedding and the second occurs a year later, when XY sees TSJ for the first time since his wedding. On the second occasion, it seems like he also intentionally caused XY to stop pretending to be fine and intentionally caused her and TSJ to interact.
----- Chapter 25:
Xiao Yao stared at the water clock and the minute hand was getting closer to the time of the wedding. Right now Jing and Yi Yang must be standing in the ceremonial hall. The water dropped one by one and each drop was like a poison dropping on Xiao Yao’s heart. It pierced her through into hundreds and thousands of pockmarks. Xiao Yao knew she shouldn’t think about it, but it was like she was possessed and she stared at the water clock thinking of when Jing would say his vows.
The Tu Shan residence must be decked out and bustling with activity. Jing wearing a groom outfit, standing side-by-side with Yi Yang. The officiant calling out as Jing and Yi Yang started to go through the wedding rites. Yi Yang got her wish come true and she must be thrilled, but what about Jing? What was his expression….
Xiao Yao suddenly felt her heart beating wildly and was so unexpected she couldn’t catch her breath and it banished all the images in her mind. Zhuan Xu asked, “Are you feeling sick?”
Xiao Yao shook her head. “No! But a bit stuffy and suddenly want some fresh air.”
Xiao Yao rushed out the door and Zhuan Xu hurriedly draped a fur cloak around her. Xiao Yao stood in the courtyard staring up at the blue sky. Why did Xiang Liu suddenly make her feel his presence? Did he feel her pain? Or was it because he was currently in Qing Qiu watching Yi Yang and Jing get married and remembered she might not be happy about it? Was he mocking her? Or trying to console her?
Zhuan Xu asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Xiao Yao said, “I suddenly remembered the voodoo bug I planted in Xiang Liu. My body’s pain, he has to feel all of it. But what about my heartache? Does he also need to endure it? He said he has nine bodies so my pain isn’t too much for him to endure. But what about the heart? He only has one heart!”
Zhuan Xu grabbed Xiao Yao by the shoulders and harshly said, “I don’t care what your relationship with him was in Qing Shui Town. Do not remain close to him now!”
Xiao Yao smiled bitterly. “I know!”
Zhuan Xu said, “Even though you keep saying the bug has no ill effects, when you’re all better it’s best to find a way to remove it.”
“Yes!”
Xiao Yao stared at the blue sky and quietly felt her heart beating as one with another heart. The pressure and pain on her heart lessened, probably because another heart was taking some of the burden from her.
Xiao Yao got better and she started making poisons again.
----- Chapter 26:
Xiao Yao hadn’t seen Jing in over a year and seeing him like this, Xiao Yao maintained her smile and quietly stood next to the Xi Ling clan leader. She remembered in the ocean when he let his hair loose, the stirring in her heart. She remembered twining his hair around her fingers, each strand was a longing. Everything felt like yesterday but it was already black hair turned white and all longing severed.
Xiao Yao felt her heart was being clawed at by a large hand, so painful it was like being ripped apart. She could only keep smiling when suddenly she felt her heart violently beating. Xiao Yao couldn’t maintain her fake smile anymore, much like a person could endure severe pain without any change in expression yet couldn’t control exhibiting bodily reaction to intense exercise. Xiao Yao clutched her chest and took a few deep breaths.
Xing Yue hurriedly assisted her and asked in concern, “Are you okay?”
Xiao Yao smiled and shook her head. The Xi Ling clan leader saw her face flushed bright red and quickly said, “I remember your constitution is not strong. Hurry and sit down to rest.”
Xing Yue helped Xiao Yao to sit down at Jing’s table.
Jing anxiously put one hand on Xiao Yao’s wrist while his other clutched the wine cup and transformed the wine into a fog. Everyone knew the Tu Shan clan had the power to mystify which was very useful for taking away pain. No one thought it weird what Jing was doing.
Her heart continued to beat wildly and strongly, so much that she felt like all her blood was rushing into her head. Xiao Yao couldn’t control it and muttered under her breath, “Xiang Liu, will you cut it out already?”
Everyone only heard “cut it out already”, but Jing was sitting closest to her and he was completely familiar with Xiao Yao’s voice, so he heard every word she said.
Her heartbeat started to return to normal and Xiao Yao gently pulled her hand away from Jing. “Thank you, I’m fine now.”
3 
1 
1 
In the drama, Toranaga advises Blackthorne (through Mariko) to give up his fight against the Portuguese in Japan because he is outnumbered and there is no hope for him. Blackthorne responds, "Unless I win." Which... doesn't feel like it has the punch it's supposed to have. He basically said, "I'm outnumbered and have no hope of winning... unless I win." On the one hand, it's true that his situation won't be hopeless anymore if he actually wins despite the odds. In that sense, Blackthorne's response carries a connotation of determination no matter the odds. But it doesn't feel like a particularly intelligent thing to say.
Whereas in the novel, Toranaga knows from the Portuguese (who, at the time, were part of the Spanish Empire) that the Netherlands had also been part of the Spanish Empire before the 80 Years' War between Spain and the Netherlands (and the related Spice War between Portugal and the Netherlands) began. So by going to war with Spain (and Portugal), the Dutch protestants were rebelling against their lawful King (with assistance from England). Blackthorne admits that that is true, but says that there are mitigating circumstances. Toranaga is dismissive. No mitigating circumstances can justify rebelling against your lawful sovereign. Blackthorne responds with the iconic line: "Unless you win." And in that context, he's right. History is written by the victors, and winning the war against the Spanish would allow the Dutch to retroactively legitimize their rebellion. Realizing that, Toranaga laughs and agrees. That would be the one mitigating circumstance that could justify their rebellion.
I prefer the novel's version of this exchange, because, for Blackthorne, it shows his intelligence, for Toranaga, it shows that he is a man who is capable of acknowledging when he stands corrected, and for the two of them it marks one of the first moments where Toranaga sees something in Blackthorne (in this case, intelligence) that makes him a person of interest... someone who might prove useful and worthy of respect. The drama doesn't really have the same "I stand corrected" factor and replaces the focus on Blackthorne's intelligence with a focus on his determination, which I find less compelling.
Also, my understanding is that the novel revisits this conversation later on in the story. Presumably, "history is written by the victors" and "it's wrong to rebel unless you win - then you can turn your treacherous rebellion into a righteous revolution" becomes relevant. It's not difficult to imagine how. But given how the drama has changed the "Unless you win" exchange, the drama won't be able to reference the exchange later on in the same way that the novel does.
-----
Toranaga: “[Another person] says that the Netherlands were vassals of the Spanish king until just a few years ago. Is that true?”
Blackthorne: “Yes.”
Toranaga: “Therefore, the Netherlands – your allies – are in a state of rebellion against their lawful king?”
Blackthorne: “They’re fighting against the Spaniards, yes, but – ”
Toranaga: “Isn’t that rebellion? Yes or no?”
Blackthorne: “Yes. But there are mitigating circumstances. Serious miti- ”
Toranaga: “There are no ‘mitigating circumstances’ when it comes to rebellion against a sovereign lord!”
Blackthorne: “Unless you win.”
Toranaga looked at him intently. Then laughed uproariously. “Yes, Mister Foreigner…you have named the one mitigating factor.”
The character with white hair is Xiang Liu (played by Tan Jian Ci). I don't want to spoil you more than you want to be spoiled, but let me know if you would like more information about Xiang Liu.
As for who Wen Xiao Liu / Xiao Yao (the female lead) ultimately ends up with, unless there are huge changes from the novel, the leaked script for S2, and all the behind-the-scenes snippets we've seen so far, she will marry Ye Shi Qi / Tushan Jing at the end of S2.
And in addition to making changes to XY and CX's relationship and XY's mother's identity, they also changed the names of the kingdoms and the names of several characters through re-dubbing after filming and the first round of dubbing was completed.
https://kisskh.at/discussions/lost-you-forever/110123-xl-and-xy-story-and-romance-warning-spoilers?pid=2966797&page=494#p2966797
Cang Xuan (the "first male lead" according to the author of the novel) lives. He achieves his goal of becoming Emperor but (more or less) loses Xiao Yao along the way so that she is no longer by his side at the end of the story.
Ye Shi Qi / Tushan Jing (the "second male lead") lives. Near the end of the story he disappears and is presumed dead, but returns and marries Xiao Yao. He does not return to his position of power, wealth, and responsibilities within the Tushan Clan after returning from the "dead", choosing to be with Xiao Yao without wealth, status, or responsibilities instead.
Wen Xiao Liu / Xiao Yao (the female lead) lives. She marries Tushan Jing, mourns Xiang Liu, and leaves Cang Xuan and her family behind.
Xiang Liu (the "third male lead" / the male character with white hair) dies along with the rest of the Chenrong remnant army in a final battle. As he told Xiao Yao earlier in the story, the best death for a general is dying on the battlefield. Before his death, Xiang Liu breaks the Lovers' Bug connection between him and Xiao Yao (so she will not be killed when he dies) and erases the memories of him that she saved in her mirror. He also sends her well-wishes, but in a way where they are hidden and she will never see them. Basically he does his best to shield her from the effects of his death.
It's a reverse-harem drama, so whether the drama feels like a tragedy to you will likely depend, at least in part, on which characters you like / care about, and which characters you don't.
The author of the novel takes the view that the novel's ending is not tragic because, in the end, each character got what they wanted most.
It's possible that he really wasn't there and the King never told him about the stone before, and Song Hwa just had to deduce that the King meant that he should return the stone to Mong Woo and never knew the location where the stone had been taken from. But I think it's more likely that the King told Song Hwa a bit about the stone at some point, so that Song Hwa knew that the stone came from the stream, that the King was holding on to it for Mong Woo, and perhaps the promise that they had made where Mong Woo would take the stone back the next time it drizzled. Or (less likely but still possible) that he was present when that scene happened, but kept himself out of sight.
"To me, a treacherous thought is loyalty." IMO, when the King said that he was referring to his plans to have his nephew take over the throne. Someone who tries to keep him in power and to keep his nephew away from the throne (people like his uncle and his mother) don't share his goal. But someone who plots to put his nephew on the throne shares his goal, so even if that person plots "treason" against him (e.g., assassinating him or plotting to make his nephew the crown prince), he actually views that "treachery" as loyalty.
When the King said that he might hurt her, I don't think he meant that he might hurt her directly. More like he would likely need to make more difficult decisions in the future (like the decision to accept the princess' arranged marriage) that would cause her pain. It also seemed like he might have been hinting that he plans to die (or to fake his death) at some point in order to transfer the throne to his nephew when he is old enough to take over / after the King has successfully punished his mother and uncle for murdering his brother.
The King instructed Sang Hwa to do two things. First, to return the stone to where it came from. Second, to convey his message to Mong Woo.
It is possible that the first order (returning the stone to where it came from) could have meant that Sang Hwa should literally return the stone to the stream where it was taken from. The separate order to convey his message to Mong Woo was enough for Sang Hwa to know that he was being ordered to save Mong Woo.
That said, when the King told Sang Hwa to "Return this stone to its original spot." I personally think he was most likely telling Sang Hwa to give the stone to Mong Woo (and not telling him to literally return it to the stream where it came from), but not for the reason you mentioned Mad Marti.
I've reached that conclusion because, IMO, it just makes more logical sense for the two orders to be linked (for the King to tell Sang Hwa to return the stone to Mong Woo along with his message in order to emphasize it), rather than for the King to have ordered Sang Hwa to literally take the stone all the way back to the stream that it came from, in addition to separately ordering him to convey his message to Mong Woo (and, by implication, to save Mong Woo).
IMO, that meaning (giving the stone to Mong Woo) would have been fully confirmed if Sang Hwa had returned the stone to the King (because he was unable to give it to Mong Woo) when he reported that Mong Woo was dead. But since Sang Hwa did not do so, we can't be fully certain of which interpretation is correct.
Edit: Now that episode 12 has shown that the stone was back in the King's possession, I think we can safely conclude that when he ordered Sang Hwa to return the stone to where it came from, he was referring to returning it to Mong Woo.
In chapter 22 (after XY's assassination), XL was able to communicate directly with XY through the bug connection. He allowed XY to hear his thoughts so he could goad her into continuing to fight to live. He also used the bug connection at that time so that his heartbeat could guide XY's heartbeat to prevent it from stopping.
In the two instances covered in the excerpts I quoted from the novel in my last comment, he used the connection to help pull XY out of her intensely painful heartache. The point wasn't to make XY think of him, even though she did end up thinking of him on both occasions.
And there were times when XY thought of XL because of the bug connection without XL actively doing anything. For example, there were many times where XY felt heartbroken but was comforted by the fact that XL was feeling the same heartbreak with her. It made her feel like she wasn't alone and he was there keeping her company through her most painful moments.
XL and XY were also both able to use the bug connection to call each other. XL used the bug connection to call XY to him in chapter 8, and XY used the bug connection to call XL to her in chapter 46.
-----
Chapter 22:
She could vividly sense her heart slowly weakening, but just as it was about to stop, she heard another heart beating. It was strong and powerful, leading her heart so that it wouldn’t completely stop. It was like a sole flame in the palms of the hand, seemingly about to be extinguished at any moment, but still flickering weakly with life.
Xiao Yao felt that she heard Xiang Liu snarking at her: Just this and you’re going to give up?
Xiao Yao retorted back at him: What do you mean just this? If you’ve been poked so many holes in like a sieve, air passing through both top and bottom, even if I don’t want to give up I have to give up.
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Chapter 30:
Xiao Yao returned to her residence and laid down on her pallet but couldn’t sleep. When she lost Jing she felt that she still had Zhuan Xu and no matter what happened she would never lose him.
But tonight she felt for the first time that she was gradually losing Zhuan Xu.
Years ago they held hands and walked up Cao Yun Peak, facing adversity that did not defeat them or make them give up on each other. But now they reached the end, there were so many things and people gradually forming between them that it naturally split them apart.
It wasn’t that one wanted to leave the other or the other stop caring, it was life being so merciless and unwittingly leading them to this point.
Xiao Yao felt her heart constricting tightly so she sat up and took deep breaths. It started with being sleepless but over time she seemed to have developed a heart problem. She knew Xiang Liu was being bothered by her right now.
All these years in the deep dark of the night, when she was at her most painful to endure moments, knowing someone was experiencing the same feeling made her feel she wasn’t alone. It made her feel like he was right there keeping her company and it comforted her a lot.
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Chapter 8:
Xiao Liu opened her eyes and they were walking along the edge of the cliff. To the right was the vast ocean, waves and waves were pounding the black rocks. Xiao Liu suddenly felt her heart sense, she sensed someone was calling her. She said to Shi Qi, “To the edge of the ocean.”
Shi Qi carried Xiao Liu down stone steps, through the forest, to the edge of the ocean. Standing on the cliff, Zhuan Xu didn’t stop them and instead silently followed behind.
Another set of waves rolled towards the cliff and as the blue waves rose higher and higher, at the top a white shadow rode the waves towards Xiao Liu. The white shadow stood steady on top of the wave, white robe and white hair, wearing a mask. He stood in the middle of the waves like a white lily, pure and untouched, extraordinary and beautiful.
All the servants rushed forward but Zhuan Xu stared in bemusement and asked, “Xiang Liu, you want to kill me that much that you chased me all the way to Five Gods Mountain?”
Xiang Liu laughed. “This time I’m not here for you, Prince.” He looked at Xiao Liu “You got your legs broken? What did you do that sent all the Gao Xing soldiers running around like headless chickens?”
Xiao Liu suddenly remembered that Xiang Liu had the bug in him so when her leg was broken, he must have felt it. Xiao Liu laughed. “With my little measly ability? Nothing, it’s just a misunderstanding.”
Xiang Liu said, “Underneath you is the ocean.”
Xiao Liu understood what he was saying. If she jumped into the ocean then Xiang Liu would take her away.
There are two occasions where XL intentionally makes XY's heartbeat speed up to the point where it was beating as quickly as if she was physically exerting herself (e.g., as if she were running). On both occasions, he does it to snap her out of intense heartache that she is feeling because of TSJ. The first occasion occurs on the day of TSJ's wedding and the second occurs a year later, when XY sees TSJ for the first time since his wedding. On the second occasion, it seems like he also intentionally caused XY to stop pretending to be fine and intentionally caused her and TSJ to interact.
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Chapter 25:
Xiao Yao stared at the water clock and the minute hand was getting closer to the time of the wedding. Right now Jing and Yi Yang must be standing in the ceremonial hall. The water dropped one by one and each drop was like a poison dropping on Xiao Yao’s heart. It pierced her through into hundreds and thousands of pockmarks. Xiao Yao knew she shouldn’t think about it, but it was like she was possessed and she stared at the water clock thinking of when Jing would say his vows.
The Tu Shan residence must be decked out and bustling with activity.
Jing wearing a groom outfit, standing side-by-side with Yi Yang.
The officiant calling out as Jing and Yi Yang started to go through the wedding rites. Yi Yang got her wish come true and she must be thrilled, but what about Jing? What was his expression….
Xiao Yao suddenly felt her heart beating wildly and was so unexpected she couldn’t catch her breath and it banished all the images in her mind.
Zhuan Xu asked, “Are you feeling sick?”
Xiao Yao shook her head. “No! But a bit stuffy and suddenly want some fresh air.”
Xiao Yao rushed out the door and Zhuan Xu hurriedly draped a fur cloak around her. Xiao Yao stood in the courtyard staring up at the blue sky. Why did Xiang Liu suddenly make her feel his presence? Did he feel her pain? Or was it because he was currently in Qing Qiu watching Yi Yang and Jing get married and remembered she might not be happy about it? Was he mocking her? Or trying to console her?
Zhuan Xu asked, “What are you thinking about?”
Xiao Yao said, “I suddenly remembered the voodoo bug I planted in Xiang Liu. My body’s pain, he has to feel all of it. But what about my heartache? Does he also need to endure it? He said he has nine bodies so my pain isn’t too much for him to endure. But what about the heart? He only has one heart!”
Zhuan Xu grabbed Xiao Yao by the shoulders and harshly said, “I don’t care what your relationship with him was in Qing Shui Town. Do not remain close to him now!”
Xiao Yao smiled bitterly. “I know!”
Zhuan Xu said, “Even though you keep saying the bug has no ill effects, when you’re all better it’s best to find a way to remove it.”
“Yes!”
Xiao Yao stared at the blue sky and quietly felt her heart beating as one with another heart. The pressure and pain on her heart lessened, probably because another heart was taking some of the burden from her.
Xiao Yao got better and she started making poisons again.
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Chapter 26:
Xiao Yao hadn’t seen Jing in over a year and seeing him like this, Xiao Yao maintained her smile and quietly stood next to the Xi Ling clan leader. She remembered in the ocean when he let his hair loose, the stirring in her heart. She remembered twining his hair around her fingers, each strand was a longing. Everything felt like yesterday but it was already black hair turned white and all longing severed.
Xiao Yao felt her heart was being clawed at by a large hand, so painful it was like being ripped apart. She could only keep smiling when suddenly she felt her heart violently beating. Xiao Yao couldn’t maintain her fake smile anymore, much like a person could endure severe pain without any change in expression yet couldn’t control exhibiting bodily reaction to intense exercise. Xiao Yao clutched her chest and took a few deep breaths.
Xing Yue hurriedly assisted her and asked in concern, “Are you okay?”
Xiao Yao smiled and shook her head. The Xi Ling clan leader saw her face flushed bright red and quickly said, “I remember your constitution is not strong. Hurry and sit down to rest.”
Xing Yue helped Xiao Yao to sit down at Jing’s table.
Jing anxiously put one hand on Xiao Yao’s wrist while his other clutched the wine cup and transformed the wine into a fog. Everyone knew the Tu Shan clan had the power to mystify which was very useful for taking away pain. No one thought it weird what Jing was doing.
Her heart continued to beat wildly and strongly, so much that she felt like all her blood was rushing into her head. Xiao Yao couldn’t control it and muttered under her breath, “Xiang Liu, will you cut it out already?”
Everyone only heard “cut it out already”, but Jing was sitting closest to her and he was completely familiar with Xiao Yao’s voice, so he heard every word she said.
Her heartbeat started to return to normal and Xiao Yao gently pulled her hand away from Jing. “Thank you, I’m fine now.”