vesca

He definitely knows how to send a message to others ;)

Exactly... this story will have a few huge storms coming... but lovely happy ending... ofc if screenwriters didn't decide otherwise (but if they would do that - I would call them insane!)

Who would expect this drama to turn out being such a gem?
The chemistry is insane and well, such an age difference between actors only shows their skills! WX career will flourish - its his 3rd great drama

it is :) so we can watch it without worries! However there will be a lot of turmoil before we will see the happy ending :)

the Ming family promised to take care of their relatives as repayment for voluntary death - They needed xxx bodies for the fire in the 3 Workshops - so there would be exact number of dead people as the workshop workers - this way FX won't be able to investigate and his mother's heritage would be loss forever.
They made a fire to cover up the workshops movement - so they could own it for real, instead of Royal family.
Ming madam and eldest son are so cruel and cunning... I think they are even worse then Emperor...

I do not agree with you - she is bold enough to show her true feelings, for me she and FX are like best buddies which will always come to help when the other one will be in trouble

It might be not her fault - actors usually do what they are asked to do... but yeah, S2 Ye LingEr was nothing alike S1 one proper martial arts girl...

Just finished to watch... and yeah... is it really over now? so soon? Fingers crossed we won't need to wait 3 or more years!
I know that everyone has its own taste and preferences but for me it was a perfect season - totally different from the first one in terms of events simply following up main arcs from the novel. I know that screenwriters changed a lot but it feels like the show only benefits from it. We could witness FX and other characters personal growth and have few more puzzles uncovered so the whole picture is slowly showing up. There is still a lot of unknown and I just can't wait for the story to be continued.

I am already feeling sad as the season will be over so soon... and then who knows how many years of waiting for S3...

That was brilliant scene.... And FX expressions when he was hardly controlling laugh...

well, it was explained - during night hours students would go there with candles... so kerosene + a single spark from a candle = boooom!
don't forget that some candles also had kerosene inside... it was nice fire trap

Fan Xian knows well it will be another test/trap from emperor but he also knows he has no other choice. As both CPP and Emperor were waiting prepared for him ;)

Not in my opinion - FX might be his son but Emperor is using him as a tool... favourite and highly favoured tool, but still a tool

the life hasn't been lost thanks to FX intellect and CPP good will... imagine that he wouldn't ask First Prince to take palace guards for the training or didn't deliver a black knights dispatch book to FX ;)
and FX being a bit slower in sorting out the riddle ;)

it was great screenwriting :)

Ep. 22 and 23.... mind blowers... Emperor is such a good chess player - he believes to have control over all the pawns on the board (and he nearly has it) - but humans are humans and FX's popularity is definitely growing. I have a feeling that he will really need everyone's support by the end of this season.

well, PM since he heard from FX how the investigation order has been given understood who is behind it, and from the moment when his most trusted aide made fake assassination he knew that Emperor wants to get a rid of him and that case will be pinned on him... The only way to save his head was to retire, he kept his net in his hands as the life policy. To explain to his supporters that FX is not really a person to be blamed for his retirement and also to keep emperor reassured he left Dabao in the Capitol and living with FX.
Old geezers knows each other very well, so they can read other side moves and intentions.
PM crossed the line during the corruption case making a move which showed up that he can control CP aides - and put him into danger.
Plus forthcoming marriage between FX and Wan'er... so PM couldn't really hold his position.
All these events were orchestrated by Emperor, he did control some details but mostly he wanted to see FX capability to avoid traps, test his loyalty and if can stick to his moral backbone.

I think he was the spy but planted by Emperor pretending to be Eldest Princes man planted by her at the side of PM... so black knights were following him up - either to kill or to protect him from being abducted by someone else... Emperor wanted to be sure his master mind plan will work out.

Thanks :) that's what happened in the novel ... but it might not in the drama - I will re-watch that scene later as I had impression Gao Da was mimicking to FX that it wasn't him.

these are exactly the reasons why we haven't seen Wu Zhu so far...
I was thinking about the scene at the gate when we could see black silhouette flying in the air and the explanation was it was either uncle Wu Zhu or Shadow... but then it came to my mind that if it would be really Wu Zhu why Shadow would ask FX if he knows if Wu Zhu is back to capitol?
so I think it was Shadow who killed the horses as protecting FX on CPP's order
if Wu Zhu did that - Shadow would be sure he did back to capitol so he wouldn't need to ask. At least this seems to be logical.

It is hard to do not help if family is in trouble... so this way FX won't have any sort of pressure related to his father in law court position :)
Imperial Examination wasn't just a trap made by Second Prince, it was also a test given by Emperor - he wanted to see if XF can resist the pressure from CP, PM Lin and other officials and find a solution to make this year exams free of corruption.