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[Mainland Chinese Drama 2017-2018] Nirvana in Fire: The Wind Blows in Changlin 琅琊榜之凤起长林


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3 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

Thoughts on Ep 29-30


 

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While I will miss the earnest carefree Pingjing, there's much also to like about the new, more circumspect Huai Hua General. The earnestness is still there but it's more intense and one can't help noticing the weight of the world on those rather scrawny shoulders. Even when he's talking to the new emperor, it's clear  that he really has left boyhood behind him. He's still suffering survivor's guilt especially when looking at his father and his sister-in-law, considering what they'd lost and feeling like he'd cheated in what he'd gained.

 

I'm glad Lin Xi has gone off wandering and doing research on herbs in the hope of compiling a kind of herbal dictionary or almanac. It's not like her to sit around and mope anyway. If the closing credits are to be believed, I'm sure they'll meet again

 

I'm fascinated by Yuanqi in that I don't really know what he's really thinking or what he's up to... I never know if he's sincere with PJ or just riding on his coattails or if he's the most honest with his uncle Mozi when he yabbers on about his ambitions. I can only imagine that we'll never be sure until the end.

 

It didn't take the Xun clan long to make their move. By dropping suggestions here and there, they are trying to get the young emperor to establish his own imperial battalion answerable only to him. Of course it's also calculated to cause problems for the House of Changlin, the old prince especially.

 

The new dynamic between the old prince and Jingping has shifted. No longer father chastising his aberrant and wilful offspring but a father who is placing utmost confidence in adult son to make his own choices and be his own man. There were many moving exchanges between them but my favourite was  the dialogue just before Jingping leaves Jinling for the northern border.

"His Majesty has grown up, you naturally are no longer a child. PIngjing, from this day forth, Father believes in whatever you decide to do. Whether it is concerning the Changlin army, whether it is your heart. Whatever decisions you make from now onwards, won't be because of your brother's expectations or even more so, your father's strongly held ideas but because you now have this resolve and have taken on this responsibility."

 

A parallel has been set up between the young emperor Yuanshi and Jingping. Both are struggling to fill big shoes and encountering their own respective set of issues in trying to do their jobs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

@rhaps and @Wotad

There's a scene in Ep. 30 which sees PJ practising his swordfighting skills on Langya Mountain and Xiao Xue comments afterwards that he has progressed quite a lot.

Spoiler

Exactly PJ has progressed alot yet i think they will try to show Yuanqi as a equal later on, i think he did care for PJ at the start but hes just using him now and will betray him later.

 

2 hours ago, rhaps said:

@40somethingahjumma, thanks for confirming!. I've guessed that he has progressed, based on his badass moves and XX's expressions. Besides :

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IIRC, didnt Puyang Ying once said that, a person who ate the snake's gallblader will have his internal strength increased, as if has been practicing for 10 years ? Pls CMIIW, I forgot in which episode was that. 
 

 

 

Regarding PJ in 29-30 : 

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Yes, he's not just mature, but you couldnt help to notice that he is holding some burden. That's why I praised LH's acting for being able to show it subtlely. It's like, there is sadness in his eyes, even when he smiles.

And I really2 love that scene with Dad (and sister-in-law too). They both realizes what he's going through and gives support, like what a family should do. 

Btw, does PJ get himself a personal bodyguard? If that's true, hey, that's nice. ..coz the guard looked rather ..dunno ..funny? . 
 

 

 

Regarding next week's episode, I heard that :

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PJ and LX will meet again ..hehehe :wub:. Hopefully that spoiler is true :D . I cant wait! :tongue:
 

 

 

Spoiler

did he eat gallblader ? 

 

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5 hours ago, JoycceeDreamer said:
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Anyone have any idea what the Old Master in Lanya Hall said in the piece of paper that was given to PJ after his visit? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Contents of the pouch:

Spoiler

On the first day of the tenth month a solar eclipse can be seen from the northern border.

 

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What are you're people's thoughts on this drama overall for me its second after the first NIF , i have not watched many chinese dramas but watched alot of the popular ones and they all have some weakness like bad endings or annoying girls etc..

 

So far this drama ticks all the boxes for me,i really love the NIF team they create such well produced shows and considering this was a original story so far i like it. 

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Why aren't there any more episodes this week? Aren't there supposed to be 8 episodes a week? :(

 

The explanation for how the cure for the frost bone poison works is explained in Episode 24 and since it is subbed, I won't bother putting anything related to that episode in spoiler. Any episodes that are already subbed should be fair game in this thread. 

 

Because Pingjing was poisoned first and for longer his consuming the snake gallbladder alone is insufficient. He requires blood (which contains the qi necessary for full recovery). However this will adversely impact the blood donor in the process. That's why the cure is more evil than the poison because it requires another life to save one. If you remember in the first series, there's was a potential cure from a plant that could help Mei Chang Su which also required the sacrifice of another life. If memory serves I think it was 10 lives actually. But here it's a deliberate gambit set up by the villain to force Pingzhang's hand.

 

There's no justification for what Puyang Ying and the other children of Yelin did no matter how heartbreaking the entire plague was. He took what was meant to be a force for good and turned it into a fanatical death cult. It is normal practice to apply strict isolation and quarantine off one's territory when there's a virulent spread of infectious disease. To me blaming Liang for protecting its own citizenry is bizarre especially when there were doctors from Liang going from town to town. Also I don't know why Yelin's leadership didn't do better with controlling the spread of the plague. It was a natural disaster anyway.

Puyang Ying was undoubtedly unhinged even from a young age. He was already bitter and resentful that he wasn't chosen to go to the next level of training so when his parents died, whatever shred of humanity he had left was thrown off a cliff. It's clear that his sociopathic tendencies were already perceived by his teachers at the academy. All that talent and energy that they put into exacting revenge and attempting to destabilize Liang could have IMO been channelled into rebuilding their old home country. I wouldn't say necessarily that it was pointless... obviously that's not the case. Nuts or not, PYY has inflicted some serious damage to the foundations of Liang that will have long term consequences. The royal court is now fractured. Resentment against the House of Changlin will undoubtedly boil over at some stage.

 

@rhaps To answer your question:

Spoiler

I don't know if the enemy will use the solar eclipse to their advantage but I'm more inclined to think that PJ will use it to his. (That's why the Master of Langya Pavilion gave him the information in the first place) Already you can see the wheels turning in his mind. :wink:

 

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@40somethingahjumma 6 episodes a week

29 minutes ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

Why aren't there any more episodes this week? Aren't there supposed to be 8 episodes a week? :(

 

 

@rhaps To answer your question:

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I don't know if the enemy will use the solar eclipse to their advantage but I'm more inclined to think that PJ will use it to his. (That's why the Master of Langya Pavilion gave him the information in the first place) Already you can see the wheels turning in his mind. :wink:

 

 

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1 hour ago, rhaps said:

@40somethingahjumma, there's only 3 days / 6 episodes a week, which is not enough for me. That's why I've been spending my time looking for spoilers for next week *lol*. Oh, the torture of waiting :D .

Danggit! I didn't realise the show had been going on for a while already. :( #1 was shown just about every single day for a month and mostly two episodes a day as well. Yeah, it's torturous... :wink: but only because it's so good and addictive. Sigh. Luckily though... I have a couple of K dramas that I'm watching which are very good. They'll help me get through the weekend.

Thanks for your answer too @Wotad

 

1 hour ago, rhaps said:

 

PYY is crazy and has a twisted mind. I read somewhere and somebody said that he was like the Joker of Batman, and I agree. He's intelligent but crazy. 

 

Regarding my question :

 

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Yeah, PJ can also use it for his own advantage :) . Hmmm ..perhaps the next arc will be about PJ and his role as a general in the northern border. This is gonna be interesting. 
 

 

 

The Dark Knight parallels occurred to me as well. But I also think that PYY is an anti-Mei Chang Su also. Since you haven't watched NiF 1, it'll probably not make much sense. :wink:

Yes to your spoiler tags... :D I'm pretty sure that's what the next chapter or at least the next arc of the series will be about. Obviously there will be other developments in the palace as well with regard to the Old Prince and the young emperor. It looks the lad is very teed off with his mother. Good. At least he has some sense.

 

1 hour ago, rhaps said:

 

 

 

 

@Wotad, regarding my take on this drama, I cant compare it with NIF 1 coz I havent watched it. I've tried watching it several times, a long time ago, since everyone said that it was great. Then again, because I was impatience, I took a peek on several episodes and thought that, why were they always talking? So I havent tried to watch again.

 

Then again, now I know the prod team's style, and I think I'll try to watch it again after NIF 2 is over. I love the directing, the writing, the cinematography, the atmosphere, and the ancient feel of the show. The acting and the actor are also good.  I was worried whether LHR could do well after HXM left, but he has been doing well for the past several episodes.

 

I was also affraid that it wouldnt be interesting anymore after the bromance was gone, but the story still has potentials and I'm also waiting for the progress of PJ-LX (like, how will PJ find out the truth about LX? Who will make the love confession first ? :tongue: ) . 

 

I dont watch many series, and I skip the populer ones, since I'm not interested in one with too many/overly dramatic romance. I prefer to watch one with a good storyline, good actors, or with actions/grand/big-budgeted production. If NIF 2 can maintain it's quality, then it'll become one of my favourite chinese historical (wuxia?) dramas.

NiF#1 is a talky drama and quite political. IMO there's far more dialogue there than here. That's why I was really surprised to read comments on Viki and other places that this show started off with too much exposition. :o 

NiF#2 is more like a detective drama in the way NiF #1 was more like a caper drama almost in the vein of the Italian Job or Ocean's Eleven but without the flashy tech.:tongue: I started watching it because someone described it as a Chinese Count of Monte Cristo and I love TCoMC.  

They're both quite different in approach but share similar themes but I think I'm far more invested in the palace-Changlin family dynamic than I was in the bromances in NiF #1 (although I loved the characters dearly). It's not criticism of #1 but it was what it was. 

I also really liked the loving husband-wife relationship (which someone has already said... is so rare in C dramas) as well as the romance  between PJ and LX. I honestly didn't think that romance would be that major here but it actually turned out to be quite a significant thread.

With regards to the romance:

Spoiler

I suspect that one of the reasons why PZ gave up his life for PJ is because he probably thought that he had already been blessed with so many things whereas PJ was only just beginning his life and had barely experienced it. From the things he said to LX, I think he wanted PJ, among other things... to experience the love of someone freely given. PZ had already reached the pinnacle of his career, had the respect... even grudging respect of his elders and peers. PJ hadn't even started.

 

 

I'm also interested to know what everyone's favourite arc is so far... Perhaps we could have a discussion about it.

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4 hours ago, rhaps said:

Ahhh, no wonder than I got clicked into NIF 2 quicker than 1. I like detective dramas and I dont like slow-paced ones. Well, let's see what I'll think when I try to watch NIF 1 again. I've heard some people saying that PYY is MCS in evil version, so I'm kinda curious to see how he devises strategies.

 

 

Until I watched #2, there was very little doubt in my mind that NiF was the best C drama that I've ever watched and one of the best dramas I've ever watched in any language. I would recommend that you try again and persevere through the myriad of characters and dialogue. It's a little confusing at the beginning but once you get acquainted with the characters and how they're connected, it gets easier. My favourite part are the 30s onwards right to the end. That's when the brilliance of MCS reaches its peak and one sees everything coming together at last. 

 

4 hours ago, rhaps said:

 

My fave arcs are the shinking ships and PYY. Then again, PYY arc is also annoying, because of the sadness that it causes, so I'll choose the shinking ships as my top fave. 

 

 

Don't you think the entire first part is 

Spoiler

PYY's arc? :wink: Although it's not known at first but gradually it becomes clear that he's practically behind just about every nasty occurrence.

 

Like you, I'm very fond of the sinking ships arc especially as an intro to the Changlin family and to the fact that all is not well in Liang. That while the Changlin family are a talented, loyal, upright clan, they are feared as much as they are loved. The fight scenes are great and I love that bit where DTZ whips out his ginormous needles and flings them in the direction of Magistrate Zhang, Yuanqi, JP and LX. It's a great sequence that shows off in no uncertain terms PJ's skill. I also like it for how it demonstrates PJ's acumen and observation skills that he's still in the process of honing. Some people complain that there was too much exposition and while I manage to work it all out before he did his Hercule Poirot shtick, it's important for his character to broadcast his talents.

 

But my favourite would be the epidemic arc. It has a strong sense of urgency and it's good to see at least for a time and to some degree political adversaries reaching out across the divide and working together for the common good. Sure, Grand Sec Xun does his bit for the Empress behind the scenes but even he knows that he can't get the job without Pingzhang's help. At least he is politically astute and expedient enough to be able to do that much. The empress is a lost cause. She doesn't even know how to play politics.

Also, I'm super fond of PJ and LX's blossoming romance even though I didn't watch this for the romance and this arc has plenty of PJ and LX goodness. It's nice to see that all of PJ's efforts... just really him being him... finally make inroads into LX's heart.

 

As for PJ's future

Spoiler

Yes, while it might be hard to move on, he can't continue living in guilt as that will poison him but he can, however, live positively in gratitude for what he has been given and treasure what advantages he enjoys while he can, knowing that there are no guarantees in life.

 

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If there are any who are lurking about in this thread wondering if they should watch this drama, I'd encourage you to go for it. Even if you think you won't like it as much as the first one, it will still be better than 90% of C dramas out there. Personally I think it is at least as good as the first one even if the entire approach is different. I know some people aren't big fans of Huang Xiaoming but trust me, he is very good here. I'm not a fan myself but there's no denying that he's made his mark here.

 

@rhaps -- if you want to post a picture, you will need to first upload your image on a third party host site like Flickr. Then copy the URL here.

 

@rhaps  @LyraYoo 

Re: Puyang Ying

Spoiler

 

Bar the terrible face powder, he's a great villain in terms of his patient scheming. It's incredible when you think of how long he's waited to execute his plan. 25 years. He starts off being a Moriarty figure that's lurking in the shadows. The bad face powder is undoubtedly part of his priestly gear although I can see why he's been associated with Batman's Joker.

With all his cleverness, I feel he's miscalculated. He wasn't wrong to believe that PZ was a formidable obstacle he had to take out of the equation but it seemed he didn't consider PJ a threat. Which may end up being a mistake.

I imagine that since the Yelin threat has been diffused, the infighting within Liang will intensify.

 

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8 hours ago, rhaps said:

Thanks @40somethingahjumma. I did that before, but it's still didn't work *sigh* . I've posted the url that was given by the image hosting, but it still failed

 

I heard some bad comments about HXM's acting. I only watched Return of Condor Heroes as his drama that I watched fully. Other than that, I only took a peek at several dramas of his, like Shanghai Bund and one of his movies (I forgot the title). I think his acting was average, but I dunno how bad he is in his other dramas. Now, I really really love him in NIF 2. He's really good and charismatic, and he and LHR are my favorite characters. In fact, he is one of the best things in this drama.

 

Btw, in epi 30 :

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I noticed that Xiao Tinsheng told PJ to forget about marriage promise (pls CMIIW). I thought that it was quite funny coz it was like encouraging PJ to love every girl that he wanted. So if he decides to open up his heart for LX in the future, then he'll end up getting close to fulfill that promise,  while thinking that he has let go of it.

Now, I'm wondering if perhaps PJ will realize who she is near the end of the series :tongue: . I think the writer wanted PJ to love someone because he wanted to, and not because he had to.
 

 

 

 

 

this is a spoiler to who maybe will die next etc.. dont click unless you want that discussion

 

Spoiler

I did think Xiao Tinsheng will die at least from spoilers before the show aired it says his dad and brother die so i wonder when Xiao will die. 

 

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18 hours ago, rhaps said:

Thanks @40somethingahjumma. I did that before, but it's still didn't work *sigh* . I've posted the url that was given by the image hosting, but it still failed

 

I heard some bad comments about HXM's acting. I only watched Return of Condor Heroes as his drama that I watched fully. Other than that, I only took a peek at several dramas of his, like Shanghai Bund and one of his movies (I forgot the title). I think his acting was average, but I dunno how bad he is in his other dramas. Now, I really really love him in NIF 2. He's really good and charismatic, and he and LHR are my favorite characters. In fact, he is one of the best things in this drama.

 

Btw, in epi 30 :

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I noticed that Xiao Tinsheng told PJ to forget about marriage promise (pls CMIIW). I thought that it was quite funny coz it was like encouraging PJ to love every girl that he wanted. So if he decides to open up his heart for LX in the future, then he'll end up getting close to fulfill that promise,  while thinking that he has let go of it.

Now, I'm wondering if perhaps PJ will realize who she is near the end of the series :tongue: . I think the writer wanted PJ to love someone because he wanted to, and not because he had to.
 

 

 

I had only ever seen Huang Xiaoming in Return of the Condor Heroes before this and I honestly thought he was okay. I don't really follow actors with regards to my choices in dramas because even good actors do duds. I tend to go with storylines because as we can see in the case of NiF 1 and 2, it almost doesn't matter who the star is because the storytelling and acting's pretty much on the money. I remember people saying they didn't like HuGe before watching NiF and then changing their minds about him later. Even average actors can do well under good direction... not that I think HG or HXM are average mind you. But there's a lot more to a drama or film than the actors.

 

As for PJ

Spoiler

It's not a matter of "if" but "when" he confesses to LX. :tongue::wink: I am quite certain he knows how he feels about her but he can't make himself take that step to be honest with her. After all he has this longing look every time he passes by a Ji Feng Hall. I don't think he's missing the Old Master or the herbs in the pharmacy.

 

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4 hours ago, rhaps said:

Exactly. I still check on the actors names before I watch a drama, but there are still ones that I enjoy without actors that I like. I heard that people praise the director and the scriptwriter of NIF/NIF 2. I, myself, think that the production quality of NIF 2 is above average. 

 

On PJ :

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*LOL* ..you're right, it's a mater of 'when'. He did miss her, and didnt he also think about her when the bird/pigeon died and his subordinate called a doctor? Please cmiiw.  He just couldnt accept her helping PZ . I dont blame him. I rewatched epi 1-2 and, awww ..the bromance were really warm.

Btw, if you said that 'when he will confess', then are you sure that he'll be the one who confess? *LOL* . I'm considering the possibility that LX will be the one instead, hahaha *is that even possible?*. Well, perhaps she'll be sick again and blurt out her true feeling for him *LOL*
 

 

 

Spoiler

 

I have no idea who will confess first but I assume it's him because he is the one that ran away and hid so naturally I'm assuming that he will have to be the one who walks out of that cave and embrace life to the fullest. It's not as if he didn't know why she did it despite knowing full well that he would rather have died than taken this brother's blood.

His father was giving him his blessing to follow his heart and so was his sister-in-law every time she mentioned Lin Xi. PJ can be fearless in the face of a fight but he needs the courage to move on without PZ. His guilt and fear is keeping him from living life to the fullest. As long as he keeps thinking that the world would've been better off with him dead then yeah... he'll keep hiding.

Yes, he was most likely thinking of her when his subordinate was trying to get their camp physician to look at the injured pigeon.

 

 

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Been lurking and reading...and I was so happy to read shifu's @40somethingahjumma

input on every thread. I'm so excited to to watch on how the scheming and plotting will unfold on each episode. I think the release of episodes here in the Philippines are very slow. ep 25 and 26 are still not subtitled. :(

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Been reading the posts and catching up on the thread except for the spoilers and thank you all for the discussion and most of all the spoiler warnings. I am in ep 24 at DF and so tempted to read the spoilers but I will wait for the subs in DF. I have a feeling something worse is still to come for the Changlin Princes. As for the Empress, I get it that being in charge of the Harem with all the backdoor politics, is a demanding job and she does have to protect her own interests but boy is she dumb and totally clueless. In the end all she cared about even at the death of the many people was saving her neck. Can't wait for the next episodes. 

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7 hours ago, rhaps said:

Arrghh, I need English subs!

 

Epi 31-32, would anyone care to explain :

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Please CMIIW :
- the new enemy was the Kingdom Yu, right ? Wasnt that the same Kingdom with Touba Yu's ?
- so there were 2 enemies of Yu : one was Pingzhang's enemy, the high official who attacked the border in epi 27-28, while the other one was a Prince, a new character, right ?
- Pingjing and the gank were all sneaking into the Kingdom Yu, disguising themselves as merchants, and the Jifeng Hall doctor said that LX was also going there (that's why Pingjing realized that the girl nearby was LX and the girl that he saw was indeed her)
- now the important thing is : why should Pingjing go there ? Did this new Prince want to attack the Liang, so Pingjing decided to investigate their movements ?
- and Yuanqi, did he read Pingjing's letter ?? Did he tell PIngjing's plan to Grand Sec Xun? (and tried to cooperate with him)

 

That Xun Anru seemed to be a good girl, and I hate to see her ending up with Yuanqi. Okay, so our 'new PYY' is Yuanqi now. Pingjing's enemies are now Yuanqi, the Yu's people, and Grand Sec Yu+Empress

This is what happen when I can't wait for new episodes with english subs :tongue::( . I have to choose between the torture of waiting vs watching the raws :bawling:

Regarding PJ-LX, I love their reunion :wub:. I was afraid that it would be too dramatic and/or superficial, like what usually happened in other dramas. Here, there's no overly dramatic-romantic scenes. They just met, that's it, and I was surprised when PJ suddenly popped up there. But it was still touching and sweet, coz they both gave that longing expressions and there was love in their eyes. You immediately knew that they missed each other, and despite the cold, I-dont-want-to-look-at-you gestures, it's obvious that they really longed for each other and held back their feelings.

I like PJ's subordinate :tongue: . And it seemed that everyone knew about LX, or at least has guessed that PJ-LX were close :tongue:

 

 

In response (containing spoilers for 31-32):

Spoiler

 

The enemy here is the one that Pingzhang faced off in the beginning of the drama in Ganzhou and at the end of his life -- Yu or literally Great Yu. The folk here like to add da 大 before talking about the different states/dynasties. Tuoba Yu is from Northern Yan (Bei Yan) who used to be a friendly state until their king went berserk and gave Yu access through one of their mountains.

There's a sharp disagreement between two lords about whether they should go to war with Liang. The one who killed his nephew... is determined to fight... and is probably the king's brother (wang ye) Prince Kang. The other one that came to see him was previously the chief marshall, Ruan Ying who was in combat with Pingzhang previously. (Sorry I got a bit mixed up because someone mentioned shi zhi) He was sent by their king to try and persuade the other guy to back down and hold their forces. Prince Kang wants to seize the opportunity to attack while Liang is vulnerable: new young emperor just ascended the throne, House of Changlin has lost its oldest son, sent a whippersnapper to the front and the Old Prince is occupied with court matters. 

 

Physician Du did tell Pingjing that Lin Xi's been wandering around in the northern border picking herbs and may have likely crossed the border into Yu. She'd been sending the occasional letter telling people where she'd been but he wasn't sure about her exact location at the time of speaking. He also commented that he and LX seem to be connected by some fate as they seem to end up in the same place(s).

 

PJ snuck into the Yu camp in order to determine what the state of affairs was with regard to the differences of opinion within Yu about going to war. 

 

I don't think it's a big secret that Pingjing feels confident to deal with an attack from Yu. Yuanqi (Big Sigh) approached Grand Sec Xun to say that he's concerned that PJ might be going to war not for the good of king and country but to make a name for himself and for the honour of the Changlin family, intimating that he might be prone to recklessness. He plays on GS Xun's fear of the Changlin family's power and talks up the fears that the royal court has about the family's favoured position and if PJ actually does achieve something great, the family will be even more favoured.  [I am so angry with his parents right now... mother especially... for setting him on this path although I accept that the path he's chosen now is all on him. Looking at his scenes with the Old Prince, I can only imagine how things would be so different if his mother had moved on and let him spend more time with the Changlin family and experience things with them.] 

 

 

Hi @ces8 Good to see you here too dear! Glad to hear that you're enjoying the series. I think I've found my new C drama addiction.

 

Edited: Corrected mistakes under spoiler tags and added more information about the Yu big wigs.

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@rhaps -- I understand your dilemma. :wink: It's how I feel about some K dramas that I really like. It's times like these I'm glad I was forced to learn Mandarin in school although wading historical dramas can be a killer at times. :D I keep hunting for NiF 2 previews but I never seem to be able to find any for this show. There was always plenty of those for Princess Agents.

I'm beginning to wonder if I should hold off myself because I'm getting a bit nervous for PJ. 

 

It's not very hard for anyone to cast aspersions on the Changlin family with the merest whisper. In Australia there is a phenomenon called the Tall Poppy syndrome. When someone becomes popular and successful, eventually they become the object of fear and jealousy. Those who are hostile towards the successful party will latch on to any little thing to drag their name through the mud or cut them down whether or not the successful party are good people, bad or indifferent. There are already fears rumbling through court of Changlin's favoured position, so to use that as a foothold in gaining traction with the right people is a given.

Jealousy and fear lead people to have irrational thoughts which lead to irrational behaviour. It is in human nature to assume the worst. We know of course that the Changlin family has earned every favour and respect... they've even shed blood and been at death's door protecting the country and the imperial family. It frustrates me endlessly that certain people can't see past the favoured status bit to the meritous contributions. The Empress really gets on my nerves in that regard. 

 

Right throughout the show there are people who are largely driven by ambition. They believe that if they make their mark, they will receive the recognition they crave and gain some measure of power. Those who think those thoughts find it hard to believe that anybody else could be driven by virtues that transcend self-interest and personal gain. They're are constantly projecting onto the Changlin family notions they themselves hold to. Those characters become villains by way of being obstructionist. They do great things because they seek glory for themselves and their clan, sceptical that there are people who do great things just to serve their country. Or at least they believe that those who serve nobly with no thought for their own glory are naive beyond belief.

 

The Old Prince and his wife indoctrinated their sons from young about the responsibilities of being a member of the family to the extent even Pingjing with all his carefree ways knows what all that entails. Others looking in see the privileges but the men of this family understand what it means to carry the burden of the position.

 

Yuanqi

Spoiler

I am not without sympathy because he grew up fatherless and not knowing what it was his father did to deserve ignominy. Still, it's sad that he is probably about to repeat history. I keep hoping that he isn't really embarking on the road to hell but the way he skulks around when no one's watching is unmistakable. The Changlin family have been so good to him and the thought that he might turn around and stab them in the back is very upsetting.

I don't think the Xun clan trusts him that much but they'll use him nonetheless.

 

Lin Xi

Spoiler

 

She does look lovely in these last couple of episodes. It's good to see her smile a bit more. She even looked happy when she saw PJ again on the mountain. For a moment she probably thought he came looking for her. But her strength of character is such that she's kept herself busy while hoping in the back of her mind that he would come looking. I'm glad that he's worried enough about her safety to "break the embargo" to see her. The awkwardness between them after he pulled her up was cute. She actually looked happy for a brief moment.

I feel a bit sorry for her. She spent the early days keeping him at bay and trying not to get emotionally involved with him and now when she's in love with him, he finds it so hard to look at her. It's admirable that she's been able to maintain her grace and maturity in this situation.

 

 

 

Da Yu

Spoiler

They have their own internal strife so Pingjing can count on that in his favour  There's blood between Ruan Ying and Prince Kang. The latter eyes the former with suspicion. I guess the prince wants to make a  name for himself which is why he thinks Ruan Ying is holding him back because of a personal agenda. 

 

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