THE SHORT VERDICT:

Whether or not this show could work for you, really depends on your expectations.

If you’re looking for realism and logic, this show probably isn’t for you, because Show fundamentally expects you to be able to suspend disbelief – because in no world does Zhou Ye look like a tough fighter male general. 😁

However, if you’re able to roll with those logic stretches; if you enjoy stories about strong female characters; if you just like Cheng Lei’s scowling, smoldering intensity – then this one could be quite enjoyable for you.

Me? I was in it for Cheng Lei’s simmering smolder. 😁🔥

THE LONG VERDICT:

I’ll be the first to admit that this show is far from perfect. In fact, if you set your mind to it, I’m sure you’d be able to come up with a litany of complaints. 😁

As you likely know by now, though, I’m all about adjusting one’s lens, and managing one’s expectations, to gain the best chance of enjoying a show. Sometimes, that’s all that’s needed to take a show from “meh” to “fun!” – at least, in my experience.

And y’know, after adjusting my viewing lens for this particular show, I ended up enjoying it quite well.

This, when I’d been actively trying not to take on another period c-drama (coz I’d just watched several in a row).

That’s not half bad, yes?

OST ALBUM: FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE

Here’s the OST album, in case you’d like to listen to it as you read the review.

Overall, I feel that Show made good use of the few core tracks that it has on its OST. Even though I didn’t immediately take to the songs themselves, I find that I’ve heard them so often in-show, that they kind of linger with me, a little bit, even after I’ve finished watching the show. That’s pretty good, yes?

In terms of a favorite, the track that lingers with me the most, is Track 2, Embroidered Moon Verse. There’s something quite poetic about the lyrics, and I also really enjoy the song’s overall sound and vibe, which I find wistful yet hopeful. 🥲

Here it is on its own as well, in case you’d prefer to listen to it on repeat. Just right-click on the video and select “Loop.”

HOW I’M APPROACHING THIS REVIEW

First I’ll talk about how to manage your expectations going into this one, and what viewing lens would be most helpful.

After that, I talk about stuff I liked on a more macro level, before I give the spotlight to selected characters and relationships, in a separate section. Finally, I spend some time talking about my thoughts on the penultimate and finale episodes.

If you’re interested in my blow-by-blow reactions, &/or all the various Patreon members’ comments during the course of our watch, you might like to check out my episode notes on Patreon here.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS / THE VIEWING LENS

Here are some things that I think would be helpful to keep in mind, to maximize your enjoyment of your watch:

1. Be ready to suspend disbelief

Zhou Ye absolutely does not pass for a man, by any stretch of the imagination, even when in full armor, and the sooner you get used to this, the better it would be, for your watch.

If you find yourself struggling to suspend the required amount of disbelief during your watch, then perhaps this one isn’t for you. 😅

2. Show takes a bit of time to settle

..And a lot of bad things happen to our female lead, He Yan (Zhou Ye), in the meantime. Hang in there; everything settles down a bit, once He Yan starts her do-over.

3. This is essentially a do-over story

..without an actual death and second life. Apparently in the source novel, the female lead actually died and lived a second life, but this version works too.

I think knowing that upfront helps, which is why I’m mentioning it here.

4. There is romance in this

..and it leans more.. honorable and noble, than your typical sweet or spicy. I think managing your expectations around this is helpful.

5. There are quite a few tropes in this

..and they are mostly employed in service of nudging along the OTP connection. I think it’s more enjoyable to just get used to it, rather than trying to fight it.

I mostly allowed myself an eye-roll at each one, and then obediently rolled right along. 😁

STUFF I LIKED

Our story’s pace

Our story trucks along at a pretty brisk pace, and this helped to make this an easy-breezy sort of watch for me.

I must qualify though, that I don’t actually think that this is the best show ever. It’s just that Show is quite simple, in a way, and that makes it easy to watch?

For one thing, it’s very clear that the Main Event here, is the burgeoning connection and potential romance between He Yan and Xiao Jue, and everything else exists simply to nudge that along.

So what we end up getting, is plot point after plot point, which may not necessarily have anything to do with each other, but which have one key thing in common: each will somehow lead to a closer connection between He Yan and Xiao Jue.

Now, this might not be enough for you, if you’re expecting Show to be more and better than that, but for me, understanding Show this way, does simplify things for me a great deal.

And, because I really am mostly interested in the potential OTP anyway, I was quite happy to roll with this simplified understanding of our story world.

The underdog quality of our story

I do enjoy rooting for an underdog, and I realized, belatedly, that there is a distinct underdog quality to our story.

[BROAD SPOILERS]

Yes, it’s true that He Yan is an accomplished general in disguise, but it’s also true that she’s a woman trying to make it in a man’s world, where the people around her either doubt her abilities, or want to kill her.

The odds are stacked against her, and to my eyes, that effectively made He Yan land as an underdog, for a good chunk of our story.

In our early episodes, in particular, I really enjoyed watching He Yan working to prove herself, not only to her fellow trainees, but to Xiao Jue (Cheng Lei) himself, the Commander of the troops, and there’s just something very satisfying about seeing her overturn everyone’s expectations, and actually do way better than they’d first expected. 🤩

[END BROAD SPOILERS]

The burgeoning OTP connection

Can’t lie; my interest in this show centered mainly on the connection between our would-be OTP.

I actually really liked that Show is fairly heavy-handed in sprinkling various moments of OTP connection &/or hyper-proximity into the mix, as a general rule.

I’ll talk more (lots more!) about the OTP later in this review. 😁

The fight scenes

I have to say, I rather enjoyed the fight scenes in this show.

They’re mostly shot with a nice amount of flourish, without leaning into becoming overly fancy.

Yes, sometimes it does dance on the borderline and almost starts to feel a bit try-hard, but overall, I’m quite happy with what we get, and I do think that it’s all quite nicely choreographed and filmed.

STUFF THAT WAS OK

The amount of suspension of disbelief required

I’ve mentioned this as part of my expectations management section already, so clearly, I’m not overly fussed about the extent to which Show expects me to suspend disbelief.

However, I just wanted to talk about it a bit, to demonstrate just how much disbelief we’re talking about here (it’s quite a lot 😅).

Here are two key examples, which I think would give you a flavor for how much suspension of disbelief Show is asking for. 😁

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-4. When our female lead He Yan switches places with her stepbrother He Ru Fei (Bai Shu), and he puts on the mask and armor, the difference in height and general stature is extremely stark.

However, all the characters around them just accept that they are the same person, even though anyone with eyes (or ears, for that matter, coz, voice) would know instantly, that this is not the same person behind that mask.

That’s just part of the territory, with this show.

E25-28. By this point in our story, it feels like almost every other character now knows that He Yan is, in fact, female, and the funny thing about it, is that nobody really seems to bat an eye.

When He Yan readies to go to Rundu to save her last deputy general from He Ru Fei’s trap, and encounter her group of buddies from Yezhou Garrison, who’ve been waiting for her outside the grounds, coz they’re worried about her, the way they matter-of-factly remark that they already know she’s a female, is honestly far from realistic.

If someone you’ve been living with, and working alongside, for months and months, suddenly turns out to be a woman instead of a man, surely you’d have a bigger reaction than, “Oh – so He Yan’s a she and not a he”??

But, that’s just how things seem to roll in this drama world, because anyone who’s come into the know about He Yan’s true gender, has been extremely able to take it in stride, while hardly batting an eye. 😅

Perhaps this is Show’s way of saving screen time? Because if everyone were to have an appropriately shocked reaction, that would take too much time away from the main story?

Put that way, that’s not a bad thing, actually. 😁

[END SPOILER]

Show’s chosen exposition method

Your mileage is likely to vary, with this one, but I actually did not mind Show’s “tell, not show” way of going about informing its audience about stuff.

Ordinarily, I would chafe at this, because it does come off as rather lazy &/or stilted, but in this case, I find that I don’t actually mind.

I know that there are viewers who are disgruntled by this lack of effort on Show’s part, but for me, it kinda feels like I’m saving time, almost?

Like, ah, great, now that you’ve summarized this for me and helpfully informed me via a convenient monologue by He Yan (or some other character), I don’t have to spend time watching several scenes where you show that all to me, instead of just telling me about it.

And in that case, I’m free to focus on the main thing that I’m here for: the strengthening of our OTP connection – if that makes sense?

Meaning to say, yes, I understand that this show might be less than satisfying for some viewers, but I do think that with the right lens adjustments, this could be kind of slurpy, almost. 😅

[SPOILER ALERT]

E21-24. I have to admit, it’s not very elegant writing, but I was rather amused at the very detailed, very information and helpful voiceover that Show has He Ru Fei do in episode 23, to ensure that we fully understand his plans, multi-faceted plan, to basically kill Xiao Jue and He Yan. 😁

It’s very clunky, yes, but it takes the guesswork out of the equation for me, and frees me to just focus on how this all affects the OTP, because the fact that I’m mostly just watching for the OTP, has not changed. 😁

[END SPOILER]

When the storytelling feels extra clunky

Even though I basically adjusted my expectations around the quality of the writing in this show, there were occasions when I felt that the clunkiness in the writing came through a little more obviously.

It wasn’t a dealbreaker for me, certainly, but I thought I’d just go on record to say that I felt it, and it wasn’t my favorite thing.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E17-20. I honestly find it a little weird, that Princess Mengji (Zhang Zhi Xi) is shown to open up to He Yan so quickly, that she’d even tell He Yan about her history with Liu Bu Wang, but I suppose Show just needed some kind of prompt, so that it could start with the flashback of their story. 😅

We spend quite a lot of screen time, these episodes, exploring the story of how Princess Mengji and Liu Bu Wang had first met, and how feelings had grown between them, and then how he’d promised to go up the mountain to consult his master about their situation and come back to her, which had come to naught, because his master had kept him behind lock and key, until they’d received news of Princess Mengji’s wedding.

I didn’t hate this side arc, though I must confess that it felt a little.. fillery? As in, this side arc seemed a little random to my eyes, like it didn’t have a whole lot to do with our main arc.

It was only at the end of episode 20, that I finally realized the purpose of the tragic love story between Princess Mengji and Liu Bu Wang – so that it could be a lesson to He Yan; that she would learn that it’s better to cherish the one whom she loves, and not easily let him go.

Which means the detour was worth something after all, though I still felt like it was overly long 😅.

[END SPOILER]

SPOTLIGHT ON SELECTED CHARACTERS / RELATIONSHIPS

Zhou Ye as He Yan

Honestly, coming into this drama, I had reservations about Zhou Ye’s casting, because the little that I’d seen of her in “Love Me, Love My Voice” hadn’t blown me away, let’s just say. 😅

Maybe because my expectations were pretty low to start with, I actually felt that Zhou Ye did decently well, as He Yan.

It’s true that my gut says that she would be so much better with more nuance and dimension in her delivery, but her performance is not bad, I’d say.

And, I did find myself rooting for He Yan, particularly since she spends much of our story doing her best to prove her abilities and loyalty, which is something I could very much get behind.

Every time He Yan showed she was smart, insightful, shrewd, loyal &/or a kickass fighter, I cheered a little, on the inside. 🥲

Cheng Lei as Xiao Jue

I unabashedly admit that I came to this show for Cheng Lei. 😁

I really enjoyed him being all angsty, tortured and smoldery in 2023’s My Journey To You (review here!), and couldn’t pass up the chance to see him be angsty, tortured and smoldery all over again – but this time, in the male lead space. 🤩

No lie; the more Xiao Jue scowled and smoldered, the more enjoyable the episodes of this show tended to be, for me personally. 😁

But also, I did very much enjoy watching Show peel back Xiao Jue’s layers, to reveal the humanity, care and compassion on in the inside.

My favorite thing, though, was watching Xiao Jue fall for He Yan, in spite of himself – which I’ll talk about next. 😁

Xiao Jue and He Yan

Like I’ve mentioned earlier, the burgeoning OTP connection was consistently my main area of interest, during my watch, and I really like the fact that Show knows to keep the OTP development front and center of our story. 😁

Overall, I’d say that the OTP chemistry is decent.

Mostly, I think it’s Cheng Lei’s furrowed smolder and intensity that brings a bit of heat to the proceedings; I honestly don’t really feel anything much from Zhou Ye’s side of things, as far as OTP chemistry goes.

But, I’ve enjoyed OTPs in the past where most of the spark and intensity came from the male lead’s smolder, so I’m fine with this.

Importantly, our OTP connection is one that’s built between equals who respect and trust each other, and Show consistently demonstrates that. 🥲

This does mean that my favorite OTP moments aren’t the ones featuring kissytimes or other skinship.

Rather, they tend to be the ones where Xiao Jue shows that he deeply understands and appreciates He Yan’s worth as an equal.

I love that Xiao Jue keeps this up consistently to the end, and it’s honestly the swooniest thing about him – aside from his simmering smolder, of course. 🔥😁

Here’s a deep dive into the OTP connection, from my watch.

[SPOILER ALERT]

E1-4. There’s a nice amount of tension and thrill, from the fact that Xiao Jue is immediately suspicious that He Yan is a spy, because of her knowledge of military stuff, especially Fuyue Army protocols specifically.

His suspicion of her, up against her efforts to throw him off the scent, definitely make for some nice crackly narrative tension.

Like that whole encounter at the hot spring, where He Yan goes to soak, to treat her wounds, only to be joined by Xiao Jue, which forces her to quickly hide and find a quick exit.

That entire sequence, where they exchange blows, but she uses the water to prevent him from seeing her clearly, is quite artistically shot, and quite fun in concept.

And, even though He Yan manages to keep her femaleness a secret, I appreciate that Xiao Jue does get to see that the person with whom he’d been sparring, is the new recruit He Yan, because this only increases his sense of curiosity towards He Yan – which is a good thing for the plot, of course. 😁

Not gonna lie; this is literally the most tantalizing part of the story, for me personally.

I am most curious to watch the dynamic evolve between Xiao Jue and He Yan, as he inevitably comes to respect and trust her, in spite of himself.

We do see some of that in episode 3, when he reluctantly agrees to help He Yan train for the matches that she has lined up with her fellow recruits.

He Yan’s chosen cheerful demeanor, paired with her clever analysis, seems to regularly disarm Xiao Jue, and I do enjoy that quite well.

Plus, He Yan always makes sure to put in a good word for Xiao Jue, and it amuses me that he basically can’t disagree with her, because she’s said something positive about him.

Like the way she says that he must be concerned about her, to observe her training solo at night, and that he wouldn’t go out of his way to make things difficult for a little recruit like her. 🤭

I mean, he doesn’t easily let her have her way, but her cheerful expectation does seem to help erode his prickly layers, at least a little bit; enough for him to give her the chance to win his tutelage for herself – which of course she does.

And, I am suitably amused too, that Show doesn’t pass up the chance to give us a moment of hyper-proximity between our would-be OTP, with He Yan grabbing onto Xiao Jue’s neck, in order to save herself from falling outside of the ring.

E1-4. In terms of Xiao Jue’s tutelage of He Yan, I do like the indications that he’s growing to appreciate her abilities, despite his very gruff, very aloof sort of exterior.

Like the way we learn that he’d placed a big bet on He Yan, during that match between her and her fellow recruits.

It makes me kind of gleeful to know that he believes in her enough, to place that bet, y’know? 🥲

What definitely surprised me, in terms of Show’s handling of the OTP connection, is the fact that Xiao Jue learns that He Yan is female, as early as episode 4.

I’d very much expected Show to draw out the whole dynamic where he thinks that she’s a man, but y’know, I’m grateful that it chose not to do that.

I also like that Xiao Jue just files this away as another thing that makes He Yan so intriguing and mysterious; something to be observed and also, investigated further.

In the meantime, I like that his impression of her abilities only continues to rise, first, because she manages to kill that wolf all by herself, and also, there’s the way she handles the whole situation, as the leader of the group.

Additionally, there’s the thing where he overhears her defending his decision to execute Zheng Xuan, the recruit who’d tried to frame He Yan, saying that she’d run away and taken the other recruits with her.

This definitely gives him pause, and I’d like to think that he’s one step closer to accepting her as a worthy comrade.

For now, I appreciate that Xiao Jue’s helping to keep her female identity a secret, like the way he gets Li Su (Li Qing), his nephew, out of the room, so that she can apply the ointment on her own wounds.

E5-8. I do appreciate that Show’s making an effort to work on He Yan’s view of Xiao Jue – and therefore her feelings towards him – like with the way she learns of his family background from Li Su.

With the way she muses that he would have felt alienated from his family after spending long years away from home, it’s clear to see that she identifies with him on this, because she had likewise spent a lot of time apart from her own family.

We also get that moment of conversation and connection over the lanterns.

Even though Xiao Jue acts all cool and uninterested and even a little contemptuous of her lantern-folding skills, there’s that undercurrent of common sadness there, because they both have sad backstories and have both lost loved ones, and these lanterns are their way of remembering those loved ones.

The fact that Xiao Jue even gives in and takes part in the lantern-folding, despite acting disinterested in the beginning, tells me that he’s definitely softening towards He Yan.

I mean, we don’t see him making similar concessions for other trainees, do we?

PLUS. How about that beat where he puts his hand close to her face, in order to block the wind from so that she can light the fire stick?

The way he trains his gaze on her; the smolder in his stare; his slightly lowered lids, as he averts his gaze a little, while he tells her to hurry up and light the fire stick; it’s all quite laden with crackly meaning, yes?

It’s moments like these that make me feel like Xiao Jue is developing feelings for He Yan, in spite of himself, and that thought is rather delicious, I have to confess. 😁

I don’t know where everyone else is, in this moment, because weren’t there lots of other people making lanterns and putting them in the water?

But, I do like the visual, that it’s just the two of them, putting their personal wishes into these lanterns; it makes it feel like a special shared moment that belongs to just the two of them.

E5-8. I admit that I did roll my eyes at He Yan getting drunk, because to my mind, someone like her, who’s deep in disguise, should do everything possible to avoid getting drunk, because when you’re drunk, so many things could go wrong that would reveal your secret, yes?

BUT. I understand that the drunkenness is basically a tool that our writers are using, to provide moments of unguardedness between our OTP.

Because, if He Yan weren’t drunk, she wouldn’t have barged into Xiao Jue’s tent, nor would she have dared to touch his sword in his presence, yes?

Again, I roll my eyes at the fact that Xiao Jue just watches her, while she takes that sword and drunkenly waves it around, because why wouldn’t he stop such dangerous behavior, yes?

AGAIN. This strikes me as a narrative tool, to nudge things along between our potential OTP.

I rationalize that Xiao Jue’s just watching to see what He Yan would do, because he’s curious to know more about her, but I’m barely buying what I’m selling myself, because with Xiao Jue being such a skilled martial artist with such great reflexes, surely he wouldn’t allow any harm to come to his favorite zither, right?

But fine. This is suspension of disbelief that’s in service of the plot, so I’m resolutely rolling with it.

And the point here, is that, even though He Yan does so many things that would ordinarily ignite Xiao Jue’s anger, he doesn’t punish her, and even leaves the tent, allowing her to sleep there in his stead.

That surely indicates a very special soft spot, yes?

I am quite amused at the running gag that we get, that Fei Nu (Miao Wei Lun) is all wary of He Yan being in Xiao Jue’s orbit, after seemingly having spotted them in a compromising position the night He Yan goes to Xiao Jue’s tent, all drunk. 😁

The way he keeps objecting, first to He Yan going with Xiao Jue to Yezhou, and then to the idea of He Yan having her own room, is quite funny, because he always seems so alarmed at the idea of He Yan potentially leading Xiao Jue astray. 🤭

Perhaps I’ve now watched enough period c-dramas to spot more tropes; I honestly found it quite tropey, that He Yan would have reason to go out and investigate, once they arrive in Yezhou – and then have a reason to dress as a female dancer.

Because, of course we need a reason for Xiao Jue to see her dressed as a woman, so that he can appreciate her beauty and her charm, yes? 🤭

I do love that he’s amused at her audacity, while she cluelessly believes that she’s escaped his notice. Yes, it’s tropey, but I’m charmed enough, by Xiao Jue’s knowing smirk, that I’m happy to roll with it. 😏

E5-8. I’m suitably thrilled at the fact that He Yan’s literally hanging onto Xiao Jue’s person, while he takes care of Sun Ling and his men. That’s.. pretty casual skinship on her part, even though she’s play-acting as his nephew. 😁

After this, we get that whole ambush at Sun Xiang Fu’s residence, where they try to kill Xiao Jue, but He Yan intercepts first the wine, and then that poisonous powder, and saves him – but ends up temporarily blinded.

At first, this whole thing lands with quite a bit of pathos, because He Yan loses her sight, all over again, after going through so much to regain her sight.

And, we do get that beat, where she tries to act bright and brave, and Xiao Jue sees through it, and realizes that she’s scared.

That was quite poignant, and I loved the fact that he would go out of his way to take care of her personally, instead of leaving it to a servant.

It absolutely says a lot, that Xiao Jue would tend to He Yan himself, doesn’t it?

And I do appreciate that we get that beat, where he guides her to the bed to rest; it’s another moment of closeness and connection, which is very welcome, from where I’m sitting.

E9-12. When Ding Yi puts that poison into He Yan’s fragrance ornament, the main point here, is that He Yan and Xiao Jue fall into the water together, and he princess-carries her to safety.

I will say that I don’t really understand He Yan’s thought process, when it comes to how she interacts with Xiao Jue, like when she makes a big show out of not being able to find her belt, and calls out to him to get it for her – and then proceeds to ask him for an allowance, since he’s supposed to be her uncle and all.

I have to admit that my first reaction was to question why she feels able to be so familiar and presumptuous with him.

On second thought, I’m digesting this as her choosing to act casual and nonchalant, in hopes of setting a casual and nonchalant tone between them – which would then mean that:

1, He’d be less likely to ask piercing questions, and

2, All is good between them, ie, he’s not suspicious of her.

In terms of burgeoning feelings, I feel like I can detect a growing soft spot on Xiao Jue’s part, for He Yan, though again, I’m not sure how He Yan feels about Xiao Jue.

I suppose for now, it’d be sufficient to say that she clearly seems to have a good amount of loyalty towards him, and a good level of trust in him as well?

I’m not sure whether she already has a soft spot for him, just yet; my instinct says not quite – but if you see it differently, please share!

For example, in that beat where Xiao Jue puts that outer garment on He Yan, the way his movements lean gentle, and the way he speaks in such low tones, and the way his gaze is trained on her, it all adds up to a picture of a growing soft spot, even though he turns the moments on its head and tosses the garment on her head.

On the other hand, I haven’t quite felt like there’s a hyper-awareness of Xiao Jue just yet, on He Yan’s part. I think that’s the missing link for me, at this point in time.

However, it’s early days yet, so I’m guessing that that hyper-awareness will come, eventually. 😁

Although, I do think that having that layer of hyper-awareness would definitely add a layer of crackly deliciousness to scenes like the one where He Yan climbs into that bathtub, while Xiao Jue’s sitting in it, all glistening and shirtless.

It’s true that it’s a moment of potential danger, and she’s getting in there to hide, but once Ding Yi leaves the room, and Xiao Jue leans in to look at her in the eye, and ask her why she’s going around in that stealth outfit, she’s fully able to just look him right back in the eye, while holding her hand over the lower half of his face, and point out that the other stealth intruder from earlier, had been none other than Xiao Jue himself.

See, that tells me that she’s not very affected by his presence at all, because, uh, he’s sitting there all glistening and shirtless, in such close proximity, and she’s not showing any signs of been keenly aware of any of it.

However, I’m hopeful that this will shift, as we get deeper into our story.

E9-12. I’m quite surprised (almost pleasantly so) that Show would have He Yan kill Ding Yi, not just to protect Xiao Jue, but also, to avenge herself, since Ding Yi had once tried to kill her.

I dunno; I’d imagined that Show wouldn’t give He Yan that satisfaction, at least not this early in our story, and so, I’m almost pleasantly surprised to see her put an end to Ding Yi (“almost” because it seems wrong to be genuinely pleasantly surprised at someone’s death 😅).

And, I’m glad that Xiao Jue witnesses this, and gets to hear He Yan question Ding Yi about why He Ru Fei wants Xiao Jue dead.

First, this does give him an assurance that He Yan is on his side, and second, this gives him a glimpse at He Yan’s backstory, and third, this also gives him an opportunity to confront He Yan and ask her about her identity.

I’d imagined that He Yan would tell Xiao Jue the truth, but I guess it’s early days yet, since He Yan doesn’t trust that Xiao Jue would allow her to stay on in Yezhou Garrison, if he knew the truth.

To Xiao Jue’s credit, it doesn’t look like he’s fully convinced by her cover story either, which is likely why he continues to observe her closely.

But, what I do like about this development, is that now it’s out in the open between them, that she’s a woman, and this does open up the possibilities for a wider range of interactions between them, while they’re alone.

And, it also means that Xiao Jue is now in a position where he’s able to help He Yan keep her secret – like the way he helps her avoid being dragged directly into that hot spring with her fellow trainees. 😁

E9-12. I was not at all opposed to the sudden development, where He Yan secures Xiao Jue’s permission to sleep in that partition in his tent.

This effectively makes them roommates, and although they’re currently only speaking to each other through the closed door, I still enjoy the fact that they now have more opportunities for conversation and interaction. 😁

And while Xiao Jue’s studiously keeping silent through He Yan’s various efforts to make conversation, it’s clear that he’s paying attention and listening closely, and I do like that.

Whether He Yan’s talking about He Ru Fei’s likely future plans, or about how beautiful the moon is, Xiao Jue’s keenly aware of her every word, and it feels like a breakthrough of sorts, when he later tells her that the moon had indeed been beautiful – because, he’s acknowledging that he’s listening, huzzah! 😁

Also, I do think that there’s something quite beguiling in the way that Xiao Jue’s in a position to help He Yan apply ointment on her wounds, often in hard to reach places like her shoulder blade – which requires her to bare her shoulder to him.

Show doesn’t play it in a sexual kind of way, which I appreciate, but there’s just something quite special about the fact that he has this kind of access. It feels intimate, but not in a sexual kind of way, and I rather like it.

E9-12. I was quite thrilled to see Xiao Jue show up, right on time to catch He Yan in his arms.

Yes, it’s an unrealistically long drawn out moment that they share, right there in the midst of the battle, but whatever, I don’t care. 😁

Afterwards, when Xiao Jue insists to Li Su, that he start by feel He Yan’s pulse (there’s more to it than that, I’ll explain in a second), I kind of held my breath because in Chinese medicine, this would be enough for Li Su to learn that He Yan’s a woman – and he does, huzzah!

I’d been half afraid that Show would gloss over this, but it doesn’t.

On the thing with the pulse, it’s the closest English translation to 把脉 (bǎ mài), but in reality, my TCM doc explained to me that it’s not really about taking the patient’s pulse.

Instead, it’s more about feeling for the flow of “qi,” which is a completely different thing altogether, and it’s also why TCM doctors can tell so much from putting their fingers on your pulse – because they’re actually doing so much more than taking your pulse.

ANYWAY. The other thing I was amused by, in this scene, is the fact that Li Su happily starts to refer to He Yan as 舅妈 (jiùmā), which is the term of address for Xiao Jue’s wife, as Li Su’s 舅舅 (jiùjiu).

It is amusing to me, that Li Su would embrace He Yan as his 舅妈 so readily, and it is also amusing to me, that Xiao Jue doesn’t actually protest very much at all – which means that he doesn’t hate the idea, yes? 🤭

After that, we end the episode on a pretty strong note, with Xiao Jue tending He Yan’s wounds, and being stoically gentle, both in word and action.

I like that when she says it doesn’t hurt, he tells her that she doesn’t have to lie in front of him (because of course it does hurt), and I also really like that when she asks him if she’d done well, he looks right at her, and nods firmly – then silently leaks a little smile, while still holding her gaze.

Ahhh! This definitely feels like evidence of a deepening connection, yes? 🤩

E13-16. I really like how Xiao Jue makes it a point to personally nurse He Yan, even though he could literally be doing a hundred other things, as Commander of the garrison.

Just goes to show how important He Yan has become, to him, yes? 🥲

I love all the little details that he is putting a lot of care and attention towards nursing her, from the way he checks the temperature of the medication with his hand, to how he pours it back into the pot to heat up, because the medication works best when hot.

It all makes my heart wobble a bit, no lie.

I also like that Xiao Jue doesn’t seem to be surprised by He Yan’s military prowess any longer.

When he’s informed by Instructor Shen that He Yan had given him the defense layout of the garrison, and sees that He Yan’s done a really detailed job, beyond anything a recruit should be able to muster, he doesn’t even look surprised; he only looks at her and asks her to explain.

This makes me think that Xiao Jue most likely has an inkling of He Yan’s military background, and is just waiting for her to fill him in on the details.

It’s like he’s humoring her cover, by this point, and for a person like Xiao Jue, I’d like to think that it means a lot, that he’s choosing to trust He Yan implicitly, even though he doesn’t know the details of her background.

And when she requests to be allowed to join the Nine Banners Battalion as a reward for saving the garrison, he agrees, and even states that whether they’re men or women, anyone can do anything – as long as they do it well.

This feels like an indirect statement of support for He Yan, doesn’t it?

On a cuter note, I do love how he silently leaves that piece of candy for He Yan, as she drinks the medicine; it’s like he already knew that she would find the medicine bitter, and decided to give her the candy to make it all better.

I love little details like this. 🥲

E13-16. I appreciate that He Yan speaks with Xiao Jue, and talks about how a general must not be afraid like other people, and must not hesitate, on the battlefield, which changes all the time.

That understanding and solidarity must be so precious to Xiao Jue, because it feels like a rare and very personal moment, when he describes that fateful night of the battle, to He Yan.

And then there’s that moment, later, in the snow, where He Yan puts that cloak on Xiao Jue, and then tells him that he’d had no other choice, at the time, and give him a hug – not a romantic one, but a comforting one, that tells him that he’s seen and understood.

I feel that this moment of vulnerability must be a really important bonding moment, for our OTP. 🥲

And then, when she relapses and falls sick again, he personally feeds her the medicine. That’s definitely a step up from simply brewing it, yes? 😁

E13-16. Another thing that seems to keep happening, is He Yan getting drunk, because that is the perfect excuse for Xiao Jue to step in to protect her and take care of her, and it’s also the perfect excuse for Show to have He Yan get all handsy with Xiao Jue, while potentially leaking clues about her past, yes?

It’s honestly a bit of a running gag by this point, because I feel like He Yan’s already been drunk a couple of times now, but fine, I’m willing to just roll with it, in service of nudging our OTP closer together.

Yes, the things I’m willing to just roll with, in this show. 😅

..And that’s because Show gives us beats like Xiao Jue giving Chu Zhao (Zhang Kang Le) the side eye, while informing him that He Yan will not be drinking with him on Mount Baiyue, and then picking up He Yan and carrying her outta there, on his shoulder.

I dunno; that kind of decisive familiarity feels extra satisfying to witness, particularly when it’s done in Chu Zhao’s face, y’know? 😁

Afterwards, like I said, it’s fun to see He Yan get all skinshippy with Xiao Jue, from hugging his waist, to talking breathily into his ear; I can see why Xiao Jue would look silently discombobulated, a little bit. 🤭

On a more meaningful note, I appreciate that beat, when Xiao Jue goes to Mount Baiyue in Chu Zhao’s place, and ends up opening up about his mother, to He Yan.

This feels like a very personal thing to Xiao Jue, so it feels Very Significant, that he’s willing to tell her about his mom and the osmanthus candy she’d used to make – and how he’d given the last piece to a blind girl at Yuhua Temple (which we know is He Yan herself, of course).

Importantly, this gives He Yan a fuller picture; that Xiao Jue had once helped her, long before she’d decided to join Yezhou Garrison. 🥲

In episode 15, we’ve got that whole plan for He Yan to go undercover as a noble lady in Jiyang, and I know the logic is barely holding together, but whatever, I don’t care; I just love the idea of He Yan and Xiao Jue pretending to be a married couple.

It’s like I got a contract marriage bonus trope in here, kinda. 😁

He Yan trying her hand at noble lady pastimes is played for comedy, but I’m absolutely fine with that, especially when that allows us to have that moment when Xiao Jue gets up close behind her, to teach her how to play the qin.

The mutual hyperawareness, you guys. 🔥

Plus, how about the way Xiao Jue mutters, with lowered lids, that the way He Yan’s acting all nervous, might lead him to think that she likes him.

Ahemmm. It’s quite tantalizing, that Xiao Jue’s kinda flirting with He Yan now, yes?

E13-16. I was quite delighted with how He Yan and Xiao Jue lean into the whole “most loving couple in the world” cover story.

Sometimes, it’s more like He Yan’s teasing Xiao Jue in private, like with the way she kind of hints playfully that they should put up a perfect act, and that he should draw her eyebrows for her.

At those times, it’s pretty fun to see Xiao Jue rise to the occasion – and discombobulate He Yan instead, heh. 🤭

For example, I am delighted by the look of devilish mischief on Xiao Jue’s face, when he teases He Yan that her face is all red, after he draws her eyebrows for her. 😁

Of course, there’s also the thing where they put on the most lovey-dovey show evar, for everyone in the town to see, and I guess I must be easily amused, because this tickled me no end, in episode 16. 🤭

Like, I feel like I’ve seen variations of the dress shop scene many times now, in different dramas, and yet, that didn’t stop me from getting a stab of satisfaction, when Xiao Jue acts the part of the sweetest, most doting husband ever, to He Yan, to the displeasure of that nobleman’s daughter, who’d set her sights on him. 😁

I also got a stab of satisfaction at Noble Daughter’s discontent and displeasure, when they show up at that banquet, and everyone lauds them as the most perfect golden couple.

And every single time Xiao Jue’s made out to be this super attentive, doting husband who would do anything to please his wife, I couldn’t help but chuckle, because he then has to do said thing, to live up to that name. 🤭

Like play the qin in He Yan’s place, to appease the audience, for instance.

I got an extra kick out of it, when it’s He Yan hyping him up to the other ladies, boasting about how Xiao Jue is the most attentive and loving of husbands, and what they’ve seen is just the tip of the iceberg. 😁

Ahahah. I am really enjoying this fake married couple ruse.

E17-20. How happily convenient, that the Water God Festival which Jiyang is celebrating, is also treated as a festival for lovers, because that allows our fake couple to do more couple things together, yes? 😁

Like Xiao Jue taking part in that Plucking Spring competition, in order to win that Ziyu Whip for He Yan, because she’s set her sights on it.

I mean, it’s true that he’s reluctant at first, and even tells He Yan not to even think about it, but once he realizes that she really does want it, and isn’t just teasing him, he doesn’t hesitate to declare that he’s interested in competing for the whip – which he easily wins, of course.

I’m dutifully tickled at how everyone oohs and aahs at what a loving and wonderful husband he is. Yes, let’s get him used to this idea, please. 😁

And I do love that moment of sincerity, where she thanks him, and he looks genuinely pleased, as he tells her that it’s nothing – as long as she’s happy. And she looks sincere, as she tells him that she truly is very happy.

Show then gives us another moment of unguarded sincerity, which I love even more.

It’s when Xiao Jue notices He Yan’s interest in a stallholder’s dough figurines, and asks the man to make one for her.

When He Yan protests that they won’t be able to take it with them when they leave Jiyang and it would therefore be a waste, I find it very melty, the way he tells her that she should enjoy what she likes; that if she shouldn’t be afraid to receive something, just because she fears losing it.

That.. definitely feels like some kind of foreshadowing, in terms of our OTP loveline, yes?

In the meantime, I love that open expressiveness that we get from Xiao Jue, as he tells He Yan that he wants her to just be herself, and do everything that she wishes to do, and like all the things that she likes; whatever she pleases.

I love just as much, the slight smile that he wears, as he tells her this, and then later on as well, as she delights in the dough figurine, like it gives him pleasure to unclip her wings for her. 🥲

Afterwards, we also get lots of hyper-proximity and hyper-awareness, as our OTP crosses the shaky Lovers Bridge, as a test of their love. 😁

That moment when their faces literally almost touch, and they’re within easy kissing distance of each other, I feel like there was a clear crackle between them, ahem. 🔥

And then we get an actual accidental kiss on the forehead, as she slips and he grabs her, which brings her forehead up to his lips. Methinks that the way things are going, it might not be too long before we get an actual kiss. 😚

In the meantime, I am very much enjoying the various tantalizing close encounters that Show affords our OTP – like when He Yan’s called upon to dance in that play, and Xiao Jue volunteers to be the immortal to her liar fox, in order to protect her privacy.

During the dance, the secrets that He Yan reveals to her “immortal,”as required of her role, range from trivial to revealing: that she’s memorized “Wuzi’s Art of War,” is top in the Yezhou garrison, gave Cheng Li Su’s pendant to courtesans.

She also confesses feeling heartbroken when Xiao Jue misunderstands her. Ooh. That surely would give him some food for thought?

Importantly, her secrets include “we met in a former life,” and that she “was once a general.” Definitely clues that Xiao Jue will eventually come back to, yes?

And, for her final secret: “I love the moon, yet the moon doesn’t know.”

Is that.. a reference for her feelings for Xiao Jue..? I’m not sure, but it sure sounds poetic and pretty. 🥲

Afterwards, I really like the visual of them floating down the river together, on that little boat, with no one else in sight, enjoying the sight of the fireflies.

It feels very cozy, that they’re spending time together, just the two of them – even if this is most likely to keep their cover as a married couple.

And then, when He Yan asks Xiao Jue why he’s being so nice to her on this day, I love his answer – that it’s because it’s her birthday.

Ahhh. He remembered! 🥹🥹 And he’d decided to make it happy day for her too; how lovely. 🥰

I really like this time of thoughtful, open conversation that they share, and most importantly, I like that she opens up about how she feels about always having to pretend to be someone else, and how this leads her to forget sometimes, who she really is – and that she’d like there to be at least one person in the world, who comes (to her), just for herself.

It feels momentous and important, that Xiao Jue promises her, without any real prompting, that he’ll remember her name. 🥲

We even get to see that sometime during the night, she’d snuggled up to him, because as we see in the opening minutes of episode 18, she wakes up with her cheek resting on his chest.

Ooh. Very significant, yes? I feel like we are inching closer towards some acknowledged feelings here? 😅

E17-20. I do think that, in that scene where He Yan assists Liu Bu Wang in preparing the antidote for the little princess, this is the first time that He Yan acknowledges any potential for a romantic future with Xiao Jue.

Even though it’s in the context of her telling Liu Bu Wang that nothing will likely come of it, this does feel significant, that she’s finally articulating a desire for a future with Xiao Jue.

And Liu Bu Wang’s words to her, about their combined fates being about navigating a passage through peril, also feels like foreshadowing of how this OTP loveline will go, as it continues to develop.

E17-20. It feels meaningful and significant, that when Xiao Jue and He Yan pledge their assistance to Princess Mengji in the face of the Wutuo threat, Xiao Jue appoints He Yan to lead the troops.

Woah. That’s a very big statement of his trust in her, yes? 🥲

And then, when Xiao Jue readies to divert Huyate and his heavy armor troops, I appreciate that he acknowledges the reason in He Yan’s analysis, that as the Commander of the troops, Xiao Jue cannot take unnecessary risks.

And I also very much appreciate that Xiao Jue’s order to He Yan, is that she return alive.

That.. is very gruff speak for “you’re very important to me,” yes? 🥲

E17-20. Of course, He Yan prevails against Huyate, but that logic stretch is undeniable, that while the water is shallow enough for her to impale Huyate on her spear, it’s also deep enough for her to sink into the depths – so that Xiao Jue can dive into the water to rescue her, while also giving her the kiss of life, while underwater.

Hahahaha. Sure, Show. Whatever you say. 😂

I’m just focusing on the fact that He Yan throws herself into Xiao Jue’s arms in a joyful embrace, when she hears the shouts of the people and realizes that they’ve won the battle.

Later, I appreciate how Xiao Jue shows respect for He Yan, by giving her space to grieve, when she learns of her master’s unfortunate death.

The way he just stays outside her door, while she cries, feels so.. steadfast, y’know? 🥲

E17-20. I love the beat where Xiao Jue waits for He Yan with that flatbread that she likes, because he’d noticed that she’d been so busy preparing that memorial meal for Liu Bu Wang, that she hadn’t cared to eat.

How warm and lovely, that He Yan would share that flatbread with him, so that they can eat together. 🥰

E21-24. It was rather fun to see He Yan try to lean into her feminine side, and try her hand at doing the kind of things that girls of the time would do for the objects of their affection, for Xiao Jue.

I do think that that nudges our OTP deeper into that unofficial “we’re something special” zone, where you both know that you have something that’s more than a friendship, but nothing’s been officially confirmed.

Unsurprisingly, He Yan is laughably bad at both needlework and cooking, since she’s never really spent time learning to do either, but I thought it was sweet of Xiao Jue to eat the terribly salty bowl of noodles, in order to indulge her.

In fact, I was surprised that he would go as far as to slurp it all down right away, when she makes to taste it, because he doesn’t want her to be disappointed that her efforts had not actually been as successful as she’d thought.

Aw. He doesn’t want her feelings to be hurt, yes? I like it when we get to see Xiao Jue’s thoughtful, tender side. 🥲

But also, he’s definitely keen to lean further into this “we’re something special” zone too, as we see from the way he purposely rips his sleeve, when he realizes that He Yan’s looking to help him mend his clothes.

E21-24. We see that Xiao Jue is still looking out for He Yan a great deal, with the way he makes that special request of Princess Mengji to help He Yan keep her gender a secret.

I.. find it hard to believe that one promise from Princess Mengji would do anything to keep He Yan’s gender a secret, since she’s been so openly female in Jiyang, as well as during that battle with the Wutuo forces, but fine, I’ll roll with it anyway. 😅

I thought the stop at Chonghuai was a bit fillery, with the focus on Yang Ming Zhi and Hua You Xian, in terms of their marriage and divorce, but the key effect that this has on our story, is that Hua You Xian casually mentions that the small masked guy from the boys’ Xianchang Academy days, had been female.

This effectively turns Xiao Jue’s world upside down, because now, he’s suddenly able to piece together all the fragments of information that he’s been filing away in his mind, and the new information, that He Ru Fei’s sister is also named “He Yan,” and reach the conclusion that the He Ru Fei from before, had actually been He Yan herself.

Which commences a whole bunch of angst, of course.

But I knew that this angst would have to come at some point, when Xiao Jue realized that He Yan had actually been He Ru Fei; it had always only been a question of time.

And, I do think that Show front-loaded this reveal with an extra generous serving of OTP togetherness, with them being a fake married couple and everything, in order to balance out the angst of this reveal.

Because, Xiao Jue does indeed take it very much to heart, which strains the relationship between him and He Yan, to the point where they are barely on speaking terms.

To He Yan’s credit, we see that she does have a desire to tell Xiao Jue the truth, and almost does so, while drunk; it’s just that she passes out before being able to get the words out (because of course she would 😅).

I do feel that this just deepens Xiao Jue’s sense of betrayal, because the reveal doesn’t come from He Yan herself, but is something that he pieces together on his own, and then verifies through testing her knowledge of the Xiao family sword style – by attacking her without forewarning, no less. 🙈

As far as our OTP connection goes, it’s a mess, isn’t it? 😅

Significantly, though, Xiao Jue doesn’t actually want He Yan  to leave, like she offers to do.

He commands that she stay at Yezhou Garrison, and forbids her to go anywhere until the truth is uncovered.

It’s true that he makes it sound like a punishment, but my fangirl heart is convinced that a key reason he commands her to stay at Yezhou Garrison, is because he can’t bear to part with her. 🥲

One of the key reasons I say that the angst at this point is quite bearable, is because, even while the relationship between Xiao Jue and He Yan is so strained, we still get to see Xiao Jue casting many troubled gazes in He Yan’s direction.

Like, yes, he’s suspicious of her, but at least he’s sending Fei Nu to investigate He Ru Fei, and also – all these troubled gazes in He Yan’s direction land as evidence that he still very much cares about her, yes? 🥲

E21-24. We see that Xiao Jue’s heart is softening towards He Yan, bit by bit, like in the way he observes that she’s hurt herself while training, and leaves that bottle of ointment for her.

Plus, he even relents and pulls the blanket up for her, to make sure that she’s properly covered, as she sleeps.

It’s like he knows that she’s working out her internal struggles via her unreasonably tough training, and his heart aches for her, even in the midst of his own troubles. 🥲

I’d say that the compassion flows both ways, even in the midst of our OTP’s formal estrangement.

When Xiao Jue receives that imperial decree of 20 strokes (because Chancellor Xu is set on driving a wedge between Xiao Jue and He Yan), and has to endure said 20 strokes in front of the entire Yezhou Garrison, He Yan doesn’t actually say anything, but you can tell that she feels terrible for Xiao Jue, and would do anything, if she could make this horrible punishment go away for him.

Even though Xiao Jue tells Li Su to shut up when Li Su keeps hinting that he’ll get He Yan to come help Xiao Jue with applying the ointment on his wounds, I’m glad that he at least sees her shadow, as she lingers outside his quarters.

This way, at least he knows that she cares, yes? 🥲

As we get deeper into episode 24, it feels like Xiao Jue’s sense of He Yan’s innocence in terms of the betrayal during the Mingshui battle, seems to strengthen, as he gains intel on the fact that Chancellor Xu had visited He Ru Fei’s “sister” at Yuhua Temple.

And then, there’s the report that He Ru Fei had triumphed at Huayuan, but at the cost of the lives of all 7 of his deputy generals, which only brings him to draw similarities between this and the Mingshui battle.

That basically seals Xiao Jue’s suspicions towards He Ru Fei – but the news of the death of the 7 deputy general hits He Yan really hard, and understandably too, since these deputy generals had all been like family to her, while she’d been their general.

As we know, this is all part of He Ru Fei’s plan to galvanize He Yan into wanting to protect the last of her deputy generals, who’s still alive, and is in Rundu.

And it’s working, too.

First, we see how deep He Yan’s grief and anger runs, as she lashes out, literally, with her whip, until her own hand is all bloody.

At this point, I’m glad that Xiao Jue reaches out to her, to remind her that it’s He Ru Fei who should be punished, not her.

It’s also good to see Xiao Jue tend her wounds again, because this signals a closing of the gap that’s been keeping them apart for some time.

In fact, we even get Xiao Jue starting to articulate how he feels about their connection, with him starting to talk about how her pains and struggles so often resonate with him.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t get to finish what he’d been saying, and gets called away by a summons from the Emperor.

The moment he tells He Yan to wait there for him, because he still has things that he’d like to say her, I knew that she wouldn’t be there waiting, when he came back.

I do think that Xiao Jue was about to articulate his feelings for He Yan, when he got interrupted.

And, I also think that the thing which he speaks with the Emperor about, which we aren’t clued into just yet, at this point, has to do with He Yan’s secret gender and possibly identity.

My guess is that he’s asking for the Emperor’s favor, to not punish He Yan for disguising herself and going undercover as a man, which essentially is a form of deceit.

E25-28. Of course, Xiao Jue arriving on the scene, with his unwavering, smoldering gaze trained on He Yan, along with his quietly emotional declaration, that He Yan hasn’t changed a bit, qualifies as one of my personal highlights. 🤭

Certainly, it’s not just a casual statement, since, last we saw, things had still been strained between Xiao Jue and He Yan, and now, with this one statement, Xiao Jue is acknowledging that he knows that He Yan had been with him as He Ru Fei, in all that time that they’d spent at Xianchang Academy.

It does feel like a relief, to have Xiao Jue and He Yan be on amicable terms again. 🥲

It also feels pretty gratifying to finally see them fight side by side, as fellow generals, rather than with He Yan undercover as one of Xiao Jue’s men.

A significant milestone indeed. 🥲

And then, when He Yan loses sight of Xiao Jue, mid-battle, and becomes devastated, thinking that he’d died, it is honestly quite a dramatic moment, when Xiao Jue shows up, saves her from being sliced down, and then tells her that, with her still around, he can’t die.

In general-speak, this is quite possibly the most romantic thing Xiao Jue could have said, yes? 🥲

After the entire battle is over, we do also get that moment where Xiao Jue takes He Yan to that wishing tree, and they both express what’s been on their minds.

He shares that he’d wanted to tell her that he’d realized that she wasn’t the same He Ru Fei that he despised, and she shares that she’d wanted to confess the truth to him.

Again, the thing that Xiao Jue tells her – that he’ll henceforth trust her and overcome hardship with her – isn’t typically romantic, but when understood in the context of their military background, it is quite stirring, isn’t it?

[END SPOILER]

Zhang Kang Le as Chu Zhao

To be very blunt, I had very little interest in Chu Zhao, period. 😅

Whether it had to do with his personal backstory, or his secret plans, or his feelings for He Yan, I never found myself truly invested.

To my mind, he was just there to further the OTP connection, honestly.

Maybe if Zhang Kang Le had more acting range and screen presence, that might have helped, but I really don’t think that Chu Zhao was designed to be that important or interesting of a character.

Special shout-outs:

Li Su and Tao Tao

I wanted to give a shout-out to our secondary loveline between Li Su and Tao Tao (Zhang Miao Yi).

I found this would-be couple pretty cute, though I think I would have enjoyed them more, if we’d had a bit more focus on their burgeoning feelings for each other, instead of all the screen time we get of them bickering.

The other trainees

I couldn’t not mention the other trainees, because I found it utterly endearing that they would glom onto He Yan so well; they not only like her, but also look upon her as a kind of de facto leader among them.

It’s very wholesome, and I’m quite delighted by this. 🥰😁

SPOTLIGHT ON THE PENULTIMATE EPISODES [SPOILERS]

E29-32. The thing about watching this show, is that I have confidence that justice will prevail in the end, and that He Yan will prevail in her quest to reclaim everything that  is rightfully hers, while all our shady bad characters get their comeuppance.

Admittedly, this has mostly been a secondary focus of mine, over the course of my watch, with my primary interest being mostly on the OTP relationship.

These episodes, you can literally feel Show gathering all its ducks in a row, to make this final victory happen.

And once again, I notice that Show is leaning into that approach, where it keeps telling us stuff, to ensure that we as the audience is able to follow what’s going on.

I noticed this most when He Yan and Xiao Jue discuss their plans, in terms of dealing with He Ru Fei and Chancellor Xu.

You can just tell that Show is not confident that viewers would be able to appreciate just how farsighted, astute and shrewd our leads are, in formulating their plans, and that’s why it gives us these unnatural-sounding, stilted conversations between He Yan and Xiao Jue, where they explain together, in detail, exactly how their various moves will impact both He Ru Fei and Chancellor Xu.

I am quite amused by this, and not at all offended that Show doesn’t have the confidence that I’d be able to follow its line of reasoning, if it didn’t tell me upfront.

After all, I’ve been taking this as a pretty low-effort, slurpy sort of watch, and I’ve long gotten used to Show informing me, often via sudden monologues by our key characters, of things that I need to know.

Why change its approach now, right? 😁

In this stretch, we also get some definitive OTP developments, where our OTP’s feelings for each other are acknowledged even more overtly than before – and we even get an official first kiss.

It’s all pretty tame, as far as romances go, but I realize that the thing that makes this romance swoony to me (apart from Xiao Jue’s smoldery scowls, which have kept this show afloat for me more than I’d like to admit 😁), is the fact that Xiao Jue wholeheartedly admires, respects and supports He Yan’s desire and right to serve her country in a similar capacity as a man.

In fact, the beat that sticks with me, in these episodes, isn’t their first kiss, but that moment, when He Yan comes out of her chambers, all dressed like for battle, and everyone waiting outside offers words of encouragement and support.

When she turns to Xiao Jue, he tells her that he’ll wait for her to return in victory.

I wanted to highlight that he actually uses the phrase “凯旋” (kǎixuán), which, in olden days such as these, is specifically used to describe a triumphant return from the battlefield, like a general returning victorious from war.

I felt that this was significant, because it indicates Xiao Jue’s acceptance and full support of He Yan, as a general. 🥲

That said, I also did very much enjoy that moment in the garden, when Xiao Jue asks her if she still likes the moon, and, when she says that she does, he then presses his personal jade token into her hand, and tells her, so intently, that the moon is now hers.

That was pretty swoony, I have to admit. 🫠

And then it was pretty satisfying to see He Yan defeat He Ru Fei in that sparring session in front of the Emperor.

Afterwards, it was also pretty great to see the other ministers sniggering at the fact that He Ru Fei had been beaten by a woman – because of course, there’s also the thing where Ping Ting outs He Yan as being a woman, in front of everyone.

Happily, Xiao Jue’s already informed the Emperor of this way beforehand, so this turned out to be, well, much ado about nothing.

And then, eventually He Yan brings her accusations against He Ru Fei, which then extends to accusations against Chancellor Xu as well.

That beat, where He Ru Fei tries, time and again, to command the soldiers in the room, to purge the villains, but is greeted with nothing but crickets, is satisfying, and quite entertaining, actually, mostly because he looks so smug and is trying to look so cool, but then gets such a rude shock, when it turns out that these aren’t his men after all. 🤭

Yay that Chancellor Xu and He Ru Fei get detained and thrown into prison, but with 4 more episodes still to go, I’m guessing that Chancellor Xu is going to have one more trick up his sleeve at least, that he’s going to use, to try to turn the tables.

To which I say, bring it on – because I’m secure in the knowledge that Show’s going to defeat him anyway, and give our OTP the happy ending that they’ve been fighting for, all this time. 🥲

THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING [SPOILERS]

E33-36. Overall, I’m pretty satisfied with how Show handles its finale, even though there were parts that were annoying or frustrating to watch.

I mean, we start pretty great, with He Yan regaining her title of General Feihong, and He Ru Fei and Daddy He being stripped of their titles and thrown into jail.

It was also satisfying to see the Xiao family name cleared, and Xiao Jue’s father being conferred a posthumous title of Loyal and Valiant General, while Xiao Jue is promoted to lead the Xiao Army.

That already feels like justice has prevailed. 🥲

I did think that Chancellor Xu’s death was quite sudden, with the way he’s shown to just collapse and die, after slamming himself against the prison cell’s wooden bars in shock, at the realization that Chu Zhao had never returned his daughter’s feelings.

I mean, I guess that’s shocking, and Chancellor Xu would therefore be worried about his daughter’s future, but still, to just collapse and die like that did feel rather underwhelming to me.

I would have preferred if he’d been convicted of his crimes and then executed, because that way, he’s formally paying for his wrongdoings, yes?

It was quite heartwarming, to see Li Su and Tao Tao get married, finally, after bickering their way to love over most of our story.

Honestly, though, I’d had a sneaking feeling that something would go wrong for our OTP, the way Show leans into giving them lovey-dovey moments, where they’re even planning their wedding and getting wedding outfits made.

That’s.. just too much happiness to not be suspicious, when Show’s still got 3 whole episodes left, yes?

And sure enough, Show’s final trick, so called, is to have Chu Zhao completely lose it, when he realizes that He Yan and Xiao Jue really are a couple in love, and therefore plot to keep them apart.

To be brutally frank, I thought that the whole thing with Chu Zhao losing it, felt weirdly shoehorned in and out of character, though I wonder a little, if this is actually partly to do with Zhang Kang Le’s limited range, rather than just weird writing.

Because for that entire scene, it suddenly felt like I was watching a whole different character, rather than Chu Zhao; that’s how strangely it landed for me.

That said, I do think that the Emperor’s perspective – that two powerful generals joining hands is a threat to the throne – makes sense, even though it’s a result of Chu Zhao trying to find a way to separate Xiao Jue and He Yan.

And, for a start, I thought that the Emperor did come across as pretty reasonable, with his offer, that Xiao Jue and He Yan could be permitted to wed, provided one of them gave up their military command.

I also could understand Xiao Jue’s decision not to marry He Yan, because he couldn’t stand in the way of her dream, which she’s worked so hard to achieve, and neither could he forsake his family’s name and the legacy it represented, which he’s worked so hard to clear.

HOWEVER. I hate the Emperor for how cruel he is, to make Xiao Jue deliver that marriage decree himself.

I know his idea is to separate Xiao Jue and He Yan even more completely, but man, that was horribly cruel. 😭

I was relieved, though, that the angst over this separation is quite short-lived, and I rather loved the way He Yan went to the Emperor and asked him to take back the marriage decree, while pledging not to marry Xiao Jue.

The scene where Xiao Jue and He Yan choose each other and pledge themselves to each other, regardless of the marriage issue, was really quite touching.

My logical brain does wonder at how this could appease the Emperor, since they could still join forces, whether they’re married or not – but since I’d rather not have the Emperor sending one of them to some faraway land, I’m choosing to just roll with it. 😅

And, well, the Emperor does make a point to split them up, when war comes knocking in the form of Wutuo forces attacking Mingshui and Huayuan – which is how we end up losing General Yan, whose poor wife gives birth on the day he returns from the battlefield and promptly collapses and dies.

I get that this is to convict Chu Zhao of his wrongdoing (both in terms of him realizing it, and also, in terms of the Emperor convicting him of his crimes), but this doesn’t truly sit right with me.

Reason being, the Emperor is taking no responsibility in the matter, at all, is he?

He’s just dumping all the blame on Chu Zhao, when he had been the one to issue the orders – that does not make me think well of this Emperor, at all. 😑

Still, he does do one good thing, and that is, he changes his mind and issues a marriage decree, that Xiao Jue and He Yan are to marry.

You could say that this final battle with Wutuo has proven to the Emperor, that he does not need to fear Xiao Jue and He Yan joining forces for treasonous purposes, though this does stretch believability, but whatever, y’know?

It’s nice that we get to see Xiao Jue and He Yan get married, with all the pomp and splendor that they deserve, and I thought it was nicely in character, for them to sneak away from the festivities on horseback, to have a quiet moment together.

It feels apt, that since He Yan’s christened Xiao Jue the moon, that they admire the moon together, and rapt in each other’s company, pledge to admire the moon together, for many years to come. 🥲

All in all, I thought this was a nicely satisfying and hopeful note on which to leave our pair of generals.

THE FINAL VERDICT:

Not objectively amazing, but pretty solid and even rather slurpy, with the right lens adjustments.

FINAL GRADE: B+

TRAILER: 

MV:

PATREON UPDATE!

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The next drama I’m covering on Patreon, in place of Legend of the Female General is Romantics Anonymous [Japan].

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