Episode 28 recap: Ning Yuan Zhou met Wudi.
After Deng Hui came out, his face was covered in sweat. He decided to find out Tao Wei's attitude, thinking that a retired official probably wouldn't remember much. Moreover, there was an assassin who had never failed and had gained the Emperor's favor to the extent of infiltrating the Yao Yue Tower for her. Deng Hui believed that this person, Ren Xin, might be willing to take on the task. Deng Hui claimed that he didn't have concrete evidence, but he was certain that Ren Xin was manipulating things behind the scenes after the deaths of the Crown Prince and those people.
No one except Ren Xin would remember events from five years ago, and no one would be so audacious. Just as Deng Hui finished speaking, he saw an imperial decree being issued to charge him with a crime. Deng Hui was also in a dilemma and decided to leave his subordinates' fates to luck, choosing between life and death by drawing either a red or black piece of paper. The person who drew the black paper would be executed in front of everyone, and while many people were unwilling, they had no choice.
Ruyi also learned about Emperor An's plan to punish innocent members of the Zhu Yi Wei and rushed to the scene. Just as Deng Hui was hesitating about the execution, Ning Yuan Zhou arrived and informed Deng Hui that a single arrow shot under the sternum could save a person's life. Deng Hui quickly told his subordinates that he would personally carry out the punishment.
Ruyi felt hurt and was not in a good mood, and Ning Yuan Zhou understood her feelings. Ruyi felt that she was inadequate compared to Jin Meiniang, who could use her freedom and abilities to help her colleagues. Ruyi despised the Zhu Yi Wei system but hadn't done much for them. Therefore, she felt the need to help the Zhu Yi Wei more during her time here. Ning Yuan Zhou suggested that Ruyi ask Jin Meiniang what the Zhu Yi Wei lacked and see how they could assist.
Ning Yuan Zhou informed Ruyi that Emperor An wanted 130,000 gold from the Wuguo, and Ruyi couldn't believe that even after losing his sons, Emperor An remained so greedy. Ning Yuan Zhou also didn't expect Emperor An to be like this. Yang Ying and Du Daren had already sent letters to Wudu, and Zhang Song definitely couldn't produce so much gold. They needed to find another way to directly save the person.
Yang Ying had been visiting various countries recently, pretending to want Emperor An to revoke the order, in order to make them lower their guard. Ruyi felt that the Zhu Yi Wei was currently in chaos internally, while the defense on Wudi's side remained tight. Emperor An would definitely suspect these people. Ning Yuan Zhou was most worried about Yang Ying's visit to the tower tomorrow and feared that Wudi would harm him.
Wudi asked Yang Ying to help him leave this place, but Yang Ying saw the selfishness in the Emperor's actions. He wanted them to surrender the gold to redeem him, without considering that the Wuguo's treasury was empty and the people were suffering. Yang Ying felt some dissatisfaction towards the Emperor. Wudi felt that Yang Ying kept procrastinating and not giving him a definite timeframe, and he believed they were playing with him. He would rather trust Ning Yuan Zhou than rely on their rescue, and his attitude suddenly changed.
Yang Ying bluntly said that the reason the Emperor had fallen into such a situation was because of himself. Wudi wanted to kill Yang Ying, but Yang Ying showed no fear. Just as Wudi was about to get angry, Ning Yuan Zhou arrived. He told Wudi that he had explored the terrain multiple times, and Wudi quickly changed his expression. Ning Yuan Zhou presented the flag that Wudi's brother had desperately tried to protect when he died, and asked Wudi to think about whether he deserved to be saved. Wudi realized that he couldn't intimidate Ning Yuan Zhou and his face changed.
Duke Chuguo felt threatened, and he thought of what Li Tong Guang had told him. He suddenly had a different idea and decided to give the valuable resources in his hands to Li Tong Guang for development. Chu Yue found it somewhat unbelievable when she saw her father doing this. Chu Yue learned that Li Tong Guang had framed the Crown Prince for the murder and pinned the blame on the Second Prince. This made Emperor An want to support the Third Prince and become the Chancellor. Chu Yue felt that if things went wrong, it would be a disaster for their clan, so she had to quickly break off her engagement with Li Tong Guang. Duke Chuguo felt that he was very clear-minded and had no other choice.
Duke Chuguo felt that he had to take a gamble, and Chu Yue believed that she needed something to restrain herself. Chu Yue thought her daughter's thinking was thorough. When Chu Yue heard Li Tong Guang praise her, she felt inexplicably happy. The two of them competed in martial arts, and Chu Yue ultimately won. Li Tong Guang told Chu Yue to go back and tell Duke Chuguo that he would not disappoint his expectations.
Chu Yue felt that Li Tong Guang was quite thoughtful, and she couldn't deny that she had some good feelings towards him. Chu Yue refused to admit that she had a liking for Li Tong Guang. Ning Yuan Zhou and the others were discussing how to save Wudi, dividing the tasks and aiming to minimize losses. Yu Shi San was worried about what would happen if Ruyi followed Li Tong Guang's advice, but Ruyi silenced him.
Ning Yuan Zhou advised Ruyi to write down the things that were troubling her, as it would make her feel better.
The two instances of lecturing Li Tong Guang would have worked better if Ru Yi's approach to Li Tong Guang's character had been more understanding. In fact, as long as Ru Yi explained two points clearly to Li Tong Guang: ① Their relationship is purely that of master and disciple, not a romantic one, and ② The true identity of the second disciple is the princess, Li Tong Guang wouldn't have gone mad.
She didn't listen to Jiu'er's explanation nor gave her a chance to explain. Whether it's for the main plot of rescuing Wudi or the subplot involving the empress, Ru Yi would have an easier time if she understood Jiu'er's feelings and effectively communicated to clear any misunderstandings.
The more Ru Yi ignores it, the more it seems like Li Tong Guang's love is sick and disgusting, but it's not the case. It's only when Li Tong Guang forces Ru Yi into a marriage that Ru Yi truly faces Jiu'er's feelings and ultimately chooses to let go for the sake of love.
I think the screenwriter deliberately portrayed Li Tong Guang this way so that the official couple could align with the values. These two episodes felt like a dampened fire.
I think if they had recognized each other from the beginning, it wouldn't have been a problem. They were originally going to An State, entering someone else's territory, and everyone knows that saving Wu Di is not a simple matter and could potentially lead to death.
It would have been better for them to work together and come up with a plan, coordinating their efforts. When things escalate, they would still be aware of each other's identities.
In this process, the disciple and master could understand each other better, and Li Tong Guang would realize that love cannot be obtained simply by wanting it.
Perhaps he could let go and make his master happy. Right now, he doesn't even have a single relative. Since childhood, only his master cared for him.
It has been several years, and even though he has done some bad things, he still has clarity in important matters. Not recognizing each other when they met and ignoring each other is truly disheartening.
However, using Li Wang as leverage revealed that Li Tong Guang is immature and lacks stability. This is why I think the screenwriter intentionally portrayed him this way.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to establish the male lead's heroic image. I feel that it's not ideal to make someone who loves you let go in this manner.
This disciple is just too outrageous. His values are seriously messed up. He's a man who doesn't see any other women as human beings except for the female lead... I'm speechless that there are actually people who like him.
Isn't it supposed to be about appreciating the beauty of women individually? Shouldn't respecting women be a priority? How does he treat Chu Yue? Is he just using her? He knows her father has influence, but he doesn't even have the courage to refuse the marriage proposal.
Yet, he doesn't see Chu Yue as a woman at all, just as a tool. And why are people comparing him to Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü? Please, Yang Guo is a normal man, not a pervert. And there are so many people who enjoy watching teacher-disciple relationships.
Did they all switch over from Ning Anruomeng? Why do they all enjoy watching abnormal relationships, forced love, etc.?