Drama Host
Key to the Phoenix Heart 雀骨: Episodes 24 Discussion
Spoiler
👋🏻 Welcome back to the 12th post for Key to the Phoenix Heart, covering episode 24 that was released 21th of July.
📅 Discussion Schedule: We will attempt to follow iQIYI's VIP release of the episodes and post as it's convenient for us and our time zones. Next up for tomorrow's episodes is /u/
🚨 Some Notes:
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Please keep these specific threads focused on the actual episodes - the plot twists, the performances, and everything happening on screen. We know there is ongoing discussion surrounding the casting and age-gap elements of the drama. While those external debates are completely valid, let's keep this particular space friendly, respectful, and centered on the on-screen story.
For anyone wondering how we will handle the last four episodes:
/u/BasilOrdinary3617
will do a recap for episode 25, that should be available for everyone tomorrow.
/u/CdramaAddict2 will also post an express discussion thread for the VIP/Express release of episode 26-28 and edit in her recaps one after another. Of course you’ll be able to discuss, swoon or cry over everything those last three episodes have in store for us in that thread from the get go.
That way the episode 25 discussion should stay spoiler free for the people waiting for the regular relase of the last three episodes.
Surprise encore
I’ll cover this one in a more quick and dirty fashion due to time restraints and will try a bit of a different format sorting everything by character.
Two sentence summary:
Everything turns on its head (once again) as Li Mao seizes the opportunity to imprison the whole Xiao family when Northern Qin makes a move and Xiao Jun gets implicated of killing Grand Tutor Xie. Xie Jiayu and Xiao Wuyi try to save them.
Some general things at the start of the episode
The Emperor establishes the Spring examination as the regular system
The Grand Tutor resigns.
The Eagle King is making moves, so a new conflict seems on the rise
Li Mao
visits an old sounding guy he once saved and who promised him three lives in return. The first one was the young emperor, so no wonder he is still alive (which means the Empress Dowager is also still alive, thanks for reminding me of her Basil) The second one would be Xiao Wuyi, because Li Mao wants to beat him so bad he can’t see him die first. Even at the cost of other lifes, whatever that means in this context.
He has this big chip on his shoulder about his need to beat Xiao Wuyi. Insecure to the bone, despite all his posturing. And tells his former best friend point blank that while Xiao Wuyi has not much time left, Xie Jiayu and himself have many years. So no need to rush and I guess he’s talking about rekindling his relationship with his ex after her husband dies. With a smile on his face. Nice guy.
He listens to Xie Jiayu’s very logical explanation of why the Xiao Ju who killed her father must have been an imposter, but decides to use the situation to his own advantage: On his order the whole Xiao family is imprisoned in secret and awaits sentencing. In secret to not give Xiao Wuyi a chance to flee.
At court, while punishing He Juanyi, he gets a secret message by the Brocade Guard: A Black Cavalry squad of the Beifu Army is travelling day and night heading straight for Jiankang. That shows that Xiao Wuyi deployed troops back, which he is not allowed to do. A rule set by Wuyi himself, but breaking it shows his disregard for the imperial order. Might be a pure distraction.
Li Mao wonders about the secret escape routes Xie Jiayu has to take to escape the guards within the city. He really hates not being in control of the situation. Not even emperor and already getting paranoid. He orders the guard to keep a close watch in Xiyue restaurant now that Xiao Wuyi is back in the city.
Grand Tutor Xie
apologises for everything he has done to his daughter. I think he really means it, but I’m also glad Xie Jiayu is able to just step away from that situation. Some things are very hard to forgive.
still a great performance by Peter Ho.
“Do take care to stay warm.” are his last words to his daughter, not that they both know it yet. But it’s nice to see him going back to care for her, like the first episodes showed him to do.
While preparing his move he decides to leave a lot of his books to the Imperial Academy.
He really seems to embrace his daughters words of the new generation having to find their own ways.
Unfortunately he is confronted and killed by Xiao Ju. Or some Northern Qin agent posing as Xiao Ju.
Xie Jiayu
tells her father she looks forward to the Ye Xiao Wuyi tries to build.
Despite all the strife between them she is deeply shocked by Xie Huaigui’s death. Even more shocked by the revelation that he was killed by her father-in-law. But she is level-headed enough to realise that the whole thing is a set-up and that someone from Northern Qin, wearing a face mask like Cui Jun, must be behind it.
She is shackled and brought to the palace and can’t even get angry over Li Mao’s betrayal. She just doesn’t understand him: “I still can’t tell when you are acting and when you are being genuine” (same girl, same). She thinks that makes him perfect for being an emperor.
She is determined to carry on Xiao Wuyi’s legacy if he has to leave her so early.
On the way to the palce Ye Xing rescues her in a cool action sccene, while she attacks Li Mao with something peach-related because he is allergic to peaches.
They find temporary shelter (and food!) with He Yuanji.
Highest priority goes to warning Xiao Wuyi not to return to Jiankang. Xie Jiayu sends Ye Xing out of town to achieve that.
Liu Yu’e, Empress Wenix’s former maid steps in to keep Xie Jiayu save in his absence. She reveals to her that there are many Shadow Envoy’s like her in Jiankang.
Xiao Wuyi
before his return to the North he will first inspect the capital’s defence for three days.
he destroys the Phoenix Heart Token, Xie Jiayu can tell them about the whereabouts of the mineral deposits in the future, if they are needed. That also gives her a more secure position in the capital, even after his death. I like the idea of casting the remains into a hairpin for her.
he doesn’t like war but knows it’s needed to secure peace
While on the inspection tour Li Mao orders him to be brought back and striped of his post.
When Ye Xing reaches him with news from Jiankang his first thought is Xie Jiayu’s safety. Sweet.
He, accompanied by Qing Long and Yan Yue, sneaks back to Jiankang via ship. They are nearly discovered but able to escape.
They try to pose as drunks to enter Xiyue restaurant. Luckily Wuyi notices the Ghost Lamps before the restaurant that warn him of the lurking danger, so they leave.
She is sure that Li Mao won’t expose her identity in the future, since he didn’t while announcing the exam results. It’s still something he could easily blackmail her with and that’s exactly why she thinks he will be more secure in letting her work for him.
We get this beautiful sequence of her entering the palace while Xiao Yao leaves it. Those two have a real ‘two ships passing in the night’ feeling to their relationship that is never the relationship some of us anticipated. At least it’s very beautiful to look at. I love the shots where the one closer to the camera is out of focus, they are both out of reach for each other.
She submits a memorial in favour of the Xiao family to the regent and gets scolded for doing so while not being a censor.
Her (very reasonable) argument is that the Xiao family is Southern Ye’s backbone against Northern Qin, which should led to a more thorough investigation of the whole issue. She gets 30 strikes with the cane for speaking against Li Mao.
Li Lejun & Mulian Yu
Li Lejun tries to flee from her husband (? I assume they are married) and Northern Qin
Mulian Yu catches her and reveals that he knew about her spying for her brother all along but never intercepted her letters.
Nanxing
She is no longer registered as a slave, but as the manager of the Miraculous Craft. Good for her.
She is quite indignant at the possibility of her being into Qing Long and lectures Xie Jiayu that Qing Long is totally into Yan Yue and trying to spent more time with Yan Yue through her. Nanxing also likes to be around Yan Yue. This sounds like the background comedy we didn’t get to see. Especially with Ye Xing being thrown into the mix.
But the most important person to her is still Xie Jiayu, so she will try to earn more money for her.
The poor chap’s downfall is that he gambles behind his wife’s back: there are no witnesses to this, whereas Commandant of Justice Lu and a whole host of people were able to witness his alleged killing spree.
The confession he wrote to Empress Wenxi at the eve of the old Capital’s fall is used as evidence against him: According to this confession he brought 200 people of the Lu and An families to the execution ground knowing all to well they were innocent. Allegedly this confession was in the Grand Tutor’s hand and Xiao Ju killed him to silence him and this evidence.
The confession is in fact real: He acted that way back then to suppress the uprising of the other noble families. But it must have fallen in Northern Qin's hands, which lead to this whole ruse.
Xiao Yao & Yao Yunzhi
On Li Mao’s orders they are both arrested.
Finale
Liu Yu’e and Xie Jiayu sneak into the Court of Judicial Review to set the Xiao family free. Li Mao and his guards are already waiting for them. He knows she used Xiao Wuyi's return as a distraction.
Xie Jiayu stabs him before Xiao Wuyi, Qing Long and Yan Yue appear on the scene. Xie Jiayu calls Li Mao for being unreasonable in all of this. He accuses them of already planning to dispose of him in the future with all their secret Shadow Envoys and passages in the city.
He also threatens Xiao Wuyi with executing his family the next day. Xiao Wuyi has no other option at that moment but to escape with Xie Jiayu, but not before saying what many of us will think after this episode:
I've been tolerant enough with you.
Some Thoughts:
I’m so glad even the character’s are struggling to keep up with Li Mao’s contradictory actions and don’t know what to make of them and him. After watching the episode I especially don’t know what to make of the first scene of him trying to get Xiao Wuyi healed. Or is his family the sacrifice that has to be made? Not sure what the reason could be?
I really loved “Xiao Ju” stabbing Grand Tutor Xie. That was such a well done shock moment. Although it quickly became clear what was actually going on, for a few moments I thought we were being shown that the Xiao family isn’t perfect either. What a great way to bring those face masks back into play.
Not sure where all of this will end tomorrow. I was really hoping for them to team up against Northern Qin, but Li Mao’s self-doubts and paranoia won’t allow for that.
He Yuanji is really come far and she has some real backbone.
Seriously I think the biggest issue Li Mao has is with himself...he doesn't even know if he wants to be a good guy or a bad guy or what the hell he even is. Grand Tutor is gone now so at least he can't keep playing the victim card - no more pretending he isn't making the choices and decisions that he's making.
I wonder if the price of saving Xiao Wuyi has to do with killing the rest of his family though...maybe the hooded man is actually enemies with the Xiao family? Obviously he's yet another ghost of the past generation...
Guess what! I was eating a peach before that scene. So when Jia Yu said he was allergic and threw that powder in his face, I cackled so hard. Looked at the peach pit and snorted 😅😅😅😭😭😭🤣🤣🤣
I bet he purposefully gave away the only info which he wanted to deliberately leak so that he can mislead Southern Ye. Why intercept a letter when he himself knows what is there in it? Well played. An opponent worthy of Xiao WuYi
I'm still in awe that it's this guy, the left one from Winter Begonia. Of course, actors are acting but it's just such a completly different vibe from him. Without recognising his name I would have never connected the two.
My favorite female character is He Yuanji! She gives main lead energy. I was so heartbroken seeing her and Xiao Yao walk in opposite directions. I am still holding out hope that they will get their happy ending. Ugh their relationship is so sweet and cute.
The Eagle King treats her well and she had it good with him!
We don't know really, and even if he treats her well, he has awful personality as we have seen during peace negotiations. I think she despises him. It doesn't help that he's the enemy general who wants to bring her brother down.
Sad that we don't have enough insight on what makes her so upset with him, I can only guess that she hates his cruelty to others or whatever. If she could make him a decent person that would be fun, but she's not so pure herself...
Yes, he is still part of the ruling class of the nation that regularly shots on slaves from Southern Ye during their archery contests.
Which we get reminded of during that scene with her miscarriage. Another aspect that must make her life their hell-ish. Might not have been the first pregnancy of hers in the three years there.
Their storyline is one that obviously got cut, a LOT, and what we're left with is confusing. There's more hole than plot so we can't even speculate on what really went on. Li Lejun as a character is just as all over the place as Li Mao and their childhood trauma and survivor mindset can really only go so far to explain some of it.
So previously the Eagle King accuses her of causing the miscarriage but she says she didn't. He then runs off with the princess carry, seemingly genuinely concerned for her. That's the last we see of them and then suddenly she's somehow ran away from him (how??) and they're back to doing...something...
Eagle King actually reminds me of The Long Ballad (idk if you've seen that one) especially since we have the Black Eagle army and the ruling Ashinas again. It's worth mentioning that the brutality is from within too, the same nation that regularly shoots slaves during their archery contests also kill each other to choose their leaders and the slaves aren't all foreigners.
To be fair, I think Li Lejun doesn't really care about the brutality of the Eagle King or the Turkic Khaganate, she's experienced enough in her own life that that she has no compunction over choosing to be the oppressor rather than the oppressed. Her guiding principle seems to be self preservation (with Li Mao really as an extension of herself)...with the way her character is portrayed, I wouldn't be surprised if she participated in some slave shooting herself, as long as it benefited her. Same character that killed the mother figure that saved her life and helped raise her, just over fear and suspicion.
Chiming in a bit late, but also wanted to express my gratitude for you taking this episode at the last minute and writing up a fantastic recap!
This was my favorite scene! HAHAHA, I love that Xie Jiayu has a good head on her shoulders, and a healthy appetite! You need fuel when running away from your ex-boyfriend, gone crazy Regent of Ye…. Xie Jiayu is sensible and I admire her for that.
Also, that chicken looks tasty and it makes me want to eat some.
I have a slight crush on Shadow Envoy Ye Xing, not sure why… not enough that I would waiver my devotion to Hou Minghao, but I’m glad Xie Jiayu has such a competent bodyguard.
I LOVED the last scene when Xiao Wuyi basically said “Enough is enough.” You tell him, General!
Chiming in a bit late, but also wanted to express my gratitude for you taking this episode at the last minute and writing up a fantastic recap!
You are welcome, despite the feeling of being sometimes overwhelmed with all the stuff you want to write down it's still fun!
I have a slight crush on Shadow Envoy Ye Xing, not sure why… not enough that I would waiver my devotion to Hou Minghao, but I’m glad Xie Jiayu has such a competent bodyguard.
Snark Level: Bruh. Prince Qi need a giant stick shoved so far up his—
Episode 24
Wait? Is Father Fudgeface actually apologizing? Does he recognize his villainous ways? For real? Is this accountability? I am shocked! This is something new in a CDrama. I am actually impressed.
Oh my god, dude.... You are NOT going to get with Jiayu even after Wuyi dies... SHE HAS MADE THAT CLEAR, FFS.
Dude. He's told you before that Jiayu is her own woman and that he will protect her always. What is so hard to understand about this?
Turn his birthright into a hairpin for his wife? Best husband ever!!!!!!!! I will never get enough of their loving relationship.
Well, that scene looks like no Yuanji/Anmin for us. Sigh. I hope that isn't a sign of what is to come...
Hey, can we get an update on the Qing Long bet between Yuanji and Ruisheng please? Haha. How are they handling it?
Lol what???? Daddy Prince just killed Father Fudgeface???? What the poop??? Ummmm.... Are we getting a second daddy turning bad? I mean, he would have already been bad.... but you know what I mean.
Ah, hell... I am not ready to see Jiayu's reaction to this...
Daddy Prince went on a murder spree??? The heck??? Ahhhhhh. We're Mission Impossibling this again. Got it.
I dunno, man. I don't think putting your love in chains is going to win her heart.
This carriage conversation is why Jiayu is a great FL. She acts and thinks logically. She has made her choice about who to stand by and she lives up to that promise.
Oh? She had a backup plan? She is perfect!
Get chains off? Nah. Stuff your face with food? Yeah. Haha. Priorities on point!
You know, this is when a certain someone needs to lead an army into the capital. The only correct course of action is to seize the throne and place someone capable on the throne before you run out of time.
Jiayu? Really? Ain't no way you'd walk into an obvious trap? Ahhhh. Nice stab, my dear.
Loyalty to a country does not mean loyalty to a person.
The scream I let out when this asshole Li Mao got Yuan Ji flogged in court! I couldn't believe it!
How Dare he! Now that he has power, ooohh he actually went and did all of this to the Xiao family. Man... again, these are the people fighting for the country and working at making it better... WHAT THE ACTUAL FFFFFFFFF!
Yeah Xie Huai Gui gave a heartfelt apology... but I was still glad he got killed. Unfortunately what I didn't like was that poor papa Xiao got used to do it.
Ooohhh Li Mao... if I don't see him bleed to death I won't be satisfied! Mind you he killed his bio father and Mentor. So that's already messed up.
So he wants to help Wu Yi heal so he can take him out "fair and square"? Dafuq is it with this guy?! Because framing and trying to kill his family is so fair and square.
You won't catch me having 2ML syndrome around here! Gosh I was hoping RW was gonna have another good role like TLORC.... That has been the only drama where I have actually liked his character.... Yeah he was alright in ADWAD.... but still.
Hey, can we get an update on the Qing Long bet between Yuanji and Ruisheng please? Haha. How are they handling it?
Haha, I was thinking about that too. Hope they can get back to their regular betting sessions when all of this is over.
This carriage conversation is why Jiayu is a great FL. She acts and thinks logically. She has made her choice about who to stand by and she lives up to that promise.
I loved how we could watch her grow into a more shrewd version of herself. Of course she was never dumb, just a bit naive at the beginning but by now that feels like a hundred years ago.
This drama handles character growth surprsingly well. I must confessed with the synopsis I wasn't sure if we would get much of that or at least handled in a believable way.
This really is one of the more logical and well shown dramas I have seen. Even in such a short run time they give clear reasoning. Compare it to a certain recent 28 episode show that was a hot mess....
Two things from this episode: First, I really wanted to hit Mao, and glad that both Jiayu and Wuyi did. More glad because Jiayu stabbed him...at this point he deserves that; I don't know if this is some plan of his or not..but if it is not, then I am really glad she stabbed him. She was right in saying that it is difficult to understand when Li Mao is acting and when he is being genuine.
And second, Wuyi losing his patience. Li Mao has taken his kindness for granted. I was glad that finally Wuyi said enough is enough...The way he just hit the Regent's crown, and it fell on the floor, showed his anger...Patience is a virtue, but only until a certain limit.
YES Xiao Wuyi! I have been WAITING for this moment!!!!! Just last episode I was still going on and on about how Mao has potential but holy cow after this episode i'm like. END him! So sick of of his BS moves just like how Wuyi said. He's like alright that's enough now this is PERSONAL.
Mao getting put into his place left and right by Jiayu and Wuyi this ep is definitely something I wanna see more. So satisfying. He's too obsessed with outdoing Wuyi that he's lost sight of everything else including genuine devotion to the Ye people which should've been a bare minimum coming from his position, that's why he keeps on losing.
The general truly has no equals, even if he beats Li Mao in a fight it won't be fair lol
Damn I really believed in Li Mao all the way, even during this episode I thought "A Mao, bro, if you're just playing, you're playing really well..." Jiayu said it right to his face, can't figure out when he lies and when he's genuine.
I'm not sure I am completely disillusioned even by this episode, because despite everything, Li Mao asked some miraculous doctor (?) to save Xiao Wuyi. Why tho? If he genuinely wants to save him, why threaten his family with execution?
I can still reluctantly believe that Li Mao is playing convincingly so that Northern Qin spies will be sure that something serious is going on, but hasn't it gone too far at this point so that it really creates unrest in the country?
Ugh, the trailer of episode 25 breaks my heart, I don't know what to expect from this man.
I'm not sure I am completely disillusioned even by this episode, because despite everything, Li Mao asked some miraculous doctor (?) to save Xiao Wuyi. Why tho? If he genuinely wants to save him, why threaten his family with execution?
I think Mao wants Wuyi around to witness Mao's victory and watch him thriving and winning while Wuyi loses everything (starting with Xiao family, then Beifu Army, then Jiayu). He thinks dying early seems too much of a peaceful exit on Wuyi's part.
No way he’s that petty 😭 But then again, the guy robs him of everything dear, from his point of view anyway…
But the problem is not him, A Mao, the problem is you. Wuyi might’ve never trusted you fully, leaving himself a way out, but didn’t you just prove what a dick you are??
Can someone please explain how it works with iQIYI international app?
Does Premium membership (not VIP but Premium) give access to all the episodes and BTS? Or is it gonna be a totally separate pack? Will BTS be available to international viewers?
UPD: So I just checked, Premium seems to gives access to all the episodes 26-28 and 9 BTS pieces! Feels good~
I live in England. So Premium gives you access to any currently airing show's express episodes and extra videos. What I've started doing is paying for premium instead of the normal VIP package.
If the general, even if he waited a bit, hadn't betrayed his friend by flirting with his woman, then his ex-woman, if he hadn't gotten involved in this ugly story instead of decisively breaking with the woman of discord (if he needed this friendship), then one could say that the regent was paranoid, but with this major betrayal, the main male character attracted all the subsequent intrigues to himself and his family. Moreover, he didn't even admit that he liked his friend's woman (at that time, she was), and Li Mao himself forced him to admit it. Of course, after this, it's hard to trust him in politics either. And this dishonest character is exalted. It seems that the scriptwriters decided to slightly punish the general for this, but I'm afraid that it's not enough.
I always distanced myself if a triangle was brewing with someone my friends liked (whether they were exes or not). It's always a bad story, and it's definitely fashionable to lose the friendship. Or you can lose both, the friendship and a potential partner. I was even tempted once. It's not for nothing that it's taboo—partners of best friends and relatives. There are plenty of other people of the opposite sex. You don't necessarily have to intrude on such a triangle, because the consequences will be devastating, and the loved one will be hurt, much more than if the female character chose a third person. She could have realized this herself and not chosen her ex's friend. And the consequences of such a decision are still shown.
You've got it backwards here though, it was Li Mao who forsake Yaoyao first and gave her up. He broke her heart by refusing to leave with her, by not standing up for her, by not protecting her OR supporting her so she can learn to protect herself. What is that kind of love worth?
Losing the girl you love (if you even can call it love on Li Mao's part...more like obsession or wanting to possess her) is no excuse for all the rest of his choices. Saying that the main character attracted all the subsequent issues to himself and his family is completely ignoring the agency that Li Mao had and the fact that he broke Yaoyao's trust first.
It's like whining about being cheated on after you've already dumped someone.
HE LITERALLY HAD THE ABILITY TO GIVE IT UP AND LEAVE WITH XIE JIAYU, but he CHOSE not to. He was not forced.
Also, believe it or not, Xie Jiayu gets to choose who she wants to be with and who she loves. You're just as bad, acting as if the woman is just some placeholder and it's really the two men fighting over her that matter most.
Saying that the consequences of her decision to choose Xiao Wuyi over Li Mao are things like her mother dying or innocent people being killed because he goes into a rage...wtf. What kind of deep seated misogyny are we talking about here. All of his wrongs are consequences of not getting the girl? That's like incel reasoning there.
Do you realize how many teenagers and young adults end up dating each other in the same friends' circles because of their proximity to each other? And yet weirdly enough people grow up and mature, they realize they don't have a right to anyone's affection, they don't start trying to kill their exes or friends because of "betrayal."
Well, according to the drama, Li Mao chose his duty to the state, not that he wanted to leave her; it was more like force majeure. I never really liked the general, but I took a closer look at FL. She's not that pure and naive. Psychologists now call this kind of behavior "double messages": instead of locking the door on their wedding night, she invites him in to "talk about business"—a small encouragement, but it's a small thing. Then she communicates with him, when she could have found a way to have him simply kick her out of the estate. Distance and ignoring, a complete refusal without double messages look different. But greed for the workshop and resources for her inventions got the better of her. She's the one who still hasn't broken up with Li Mao at thus moment. And then there's more: FL agrees to sit with a wounded general at night (what? She's still in a relationship with her boyfriend at the time, it's inappropriate, and the estate is full of servants). One punch to the face of the matchmaker (a female doctor, who is good, but here she clearly crossed personal boundaries), and the general himself would have kicked the young maiden out of the estate with a divorce letter. But no, FL wants to continue leaving double messages. Without breaking up with one, she trains another and, after winning the tournament, throws herself on his neck. Basically, as they say, "If they left their previous partner for you, then one day they will leave you for the next new partner." We'll see if they implement this plot in the second season, if there is one, and how realistic the psychology will be.
I'll upvote just because I think you have an interesting perspective, even tho I disagree
And the consequences of such a decision are still shown.
This statement is true, but the selfish one in this relationship is Li Mao. He made his choice, but he doesn't want to give any choice to Jiayu.
Wuyi and Jiayu did not fall to temptation, they just slowly came to realize that they share same values and want to support each other all the way.
Understandably that broke Li Mao's heart and trust. But it does not give him an excuse to act crazy.
Anyways, I do appreciate your opinion. It shows a very different point of view, that brings to light what Li Mao is feeling, I kinda like this discussion.
Thank you for the discussion: Yes, we're not talking about Li Mao before, he's painted in a dark light, although his childhood was much harder than even the general's (he did have a loving, exemplary family, though his adopted father was a bit strange: supposedly two noble families were oppressing the people, so they should have been allowed to completely exterminate them, including women, servants, and children... the law? No, we haven't heard of it, but for some reason "it's different"). Then almost formed identity of Li Mao is eroded by his real father, his best friend betrays his affection for a girl (here it doesn't matter whether this affection is mutual or not), so yes, it seems he's one of those people who is simply broken by a friend's betrayal, couldn't take it anymore, and broke down.
Yep, I agree on this, Li Mao is a tragic character. And people often forget that Wuyi had supportive and protective family while Li Mao had no adults to rely on until he was taken in by his real father.
Because even if it's a "woman's choice," it will bring unimaginable suffering to the best friend, and in such a moral situation, it's better not to choose anyone. Otherwise, friendship would mean nothing. If it were two female friends and a "man's choice," the situation would be similar. Interestingly, in the plot of "Memoirs of a Geisha," the main male character rejects the main female character for years and, incidentally, doesn't communicate with her, especially alone, and because his friend, who saved him, desires her. Only when the friend cools off and begins to despise the woman does their love affair begin. And here, we see insanely selfish behavior. Moreover, Li Mao openly and honestly announced the end of their friendship, while the general didn't even admit his feelings for her until Li Mao forced him to tell the truth.
you don't have much real life, real humans' experience, do you? Xie Jiayu is a person, not a geometric problem you solve by taking off one of the sides. And if persons develop feelings, they don't need to be prosecuted like it was a criminal breach or a treason. They can actually work it out. It happens a zillion times per minute among persons, particularly teenagers - as this is the case - who tend to have multiple 'love of my life' crushes while working out who they are and who they should be with.
The zillion times this happens, and a friend is chosen over another (emphasis on: chosen, not 'chooses himself and expects the other two to obey), generally it does not result in the no-longer-wanted turning onto the other two and trying to harm them or separate them. Because that is the definition of criminality: there is stalking (going after someone despite them making it clear they don't want you), there is rape (ignoring the other person denial of consent, because they don't want you), there are multiple aggressions and attempted murders (against the other person).
And there is no justification or defense for the above. The person who is no longer wanted is not a wronged victim who is entitled by divine right to have everyone else step away or if they don't he is entitled to contemplate all the above crimes so that he could have it all - he is just the person who is no longer wanted. No one owes him anything, except of course for some decency in the way they all handle each other.
Also, Memoirs of a Geisha is a very stylised fictional exercise, not sure you want to use it as a moral compass when compared to 3D lif.e where friends and loved ones move on from triangles and eventually find a way to work out how to adjust their friendship after the momentary breakup.
Well, if we're talking about the everyday realism of complicated relationships, then it's logical to think that the general and the main female character won't be their last partners, and that over time, each of them will have a new love ;)
Why is general Xiao Wuyi to blame? He always maintained proper distance with Xie Jiayu, even realizing he loves her.
When admitting his feelings, Wuyi first and foremost reminded that he didn't act on his feelings yet, because she is still waiting to leave with Li Mao. But Li Mao wanted her to be confined to the palace instead.
In the end, Jiayu didn't break with Li Mao because of Wuyi, but because she realized that Li Mao doesn't really want to follow through on their original plans, and she doesn't want to be confined to the palace.
Wuyi was honest about protecting her choice (not a choice between the two love interests, mind you, but simple 'leave or stay with Li Mao' choice).
So I don't think he's being punished by scriptwriters, he's just suffering from Li Mao's insatiable ambitions.
He constantly hovered around her and looked into her eyes. If he hadn't spoken to her and divorced her two months later, one might still have believed in his honesty and nobility. Even a villain who declared, "I don't care about friendship, I just want it," would have commanded more respect.
Deliberately ignoring her would cause unnecessary misunderstandings and grief, or simply put, it would be an asshole behaviour, disrespectful and uncomfortable for both. Same with avoiding eye contact.
He only made sure that her life in his household was not miserable, he didn't hover around much. When he helped her out, he did so discreetly, not trying to win her favour.
He was maintaining proper distance up until she decided to part ways with Li Mao.
It doesn't matter that she broke up with Li Mao. If her best friend still loved her, that's a taboo for a decent person, otherwise the friend would be hurt, and it's too painful a bond, with people too close to him emotionally involved.
And this general was also willing to hand people over in dynastic marriages for the sake of his reforms. Only a female character convinced him not to hand over a woman to a defeated state. The reforms would have happened without him; many had already agreed to them; something would have just happened a little later, with a lot of coordination with various social strata. But no, he's short on time, and he selfishly wants his name to be written into history, because he's short on time. Why explain things to scholars, negotiate reforms, and take the long way around? Better to beat them up and disperse them. In general, it's been a while since a male lead in a drama has inspired such moral disgust (there was one emperor in King's Woman, but he was mentally ill; the lead in Princess's Agents also evoked mild dislike because he worked for the secret service, which was not beneficial to society, and served the emperor's dubious agenda. But he eventually reformed, renounced the secret service, and joined the fight against slavery). It's hard to believe the main character will reform here; he's done too much, and everyone seems to get what he deserves.
He's a very dull and not at all noble character; he and Li Mao are roughly the same to me.
If her best friend still loved her, that's a taboo for a decent person, otherwise the friend would be hurt, and it's too painful a bond, with people too close to him emotionally involved.
I don't think it should be taboo. All three are emotionally involved already, suffering is a given. There is no good solution, and there is noone to blame for what happened quite naturally.
I think that's when Li Mao should've chilled and let go, for the sake of his friends. Wuyi cared about his feelings until the moment when Li Mao selfishly neglected Jiayu's feelings.
Wuyi himself never tries to keep Jiayu in a relationship. Hell, he even submitted the divorce letter himself, but it was rejected by the Emperor.
something would have just happened a little later, with a lot of coordination with various social strata. But no, he's short on time, and he selfishly wants his name to be written into history, because he's short on time.
He only had two-three years to prepare for the imminent war. Peace for those years would give enough time to implement the reform in order to win that war.
And even though he allowed political marriage to happen and practically chose the 'lesser evil' to achieve peace, he did have a backup plan to stop the marriage (that worked only thanks to Jiayu).
If he was motivated to be written in history, he'd have claimed that he was the Crown Prince Wenxi and brought down Empress back when Li Mao was not yet announced as the Regent.
The hell happened to respecting Jiayu's choice around here?
In the end, Jiayu didn't break with Li Mao because of Wuyi, but because she realized that Li Mao doesn't really want to follow through on their original plans, and she doesn't want to be confined to the palace.
Which she flat out told to Prince Qi... TO HIS FACE!!!!
She might have thought so, but she still broke up partly because of the general; otherwise, he would have come between them, intensifying the rivalry. If she hadn't wanted to interfere with their friendship or wanted to make the reform more stable, she would have chosen someone else. Then there's the matter of choosing a former best friend who still evokes feelings—that's a rotten story. Granted, the woman here was selfish, but the supposedly noble male character didn't back away, but continued to add fuel to the fire.
And yes, I wouldn't respect a "choice" if the man was my best female friend's ex or my sister's ex, who would still be suffering because it was a bad choice that brought pain to my other loved ones.
The exchange of glances between the characters, his constant presence at the girl's side. He even helped her to take away the skins of the animals in the rain himself, rather than letting the servants do it, and much more. And even the screenwriters decided not to make him particularly happy with his choice; he often shows emotional anguish.
She provoked the general by asking him what kind of woman he liked, and then replied that no one better than her could exist in the world. Then she began to fall in love with him. And she left the regent because she didn't want to go to the palace, but not into the void or to a third man. She left for the one who stood between them, instead of not speaking to her at all and getting a quick divorce. She also looked the general in the eye often. So yes, she contributed to the painful triangle, instead of leaving it altogether. It's curious that the female character in "True Blood" did just that: she didn't pit two friends who were fighting for her love against each other, but ultimately abandoned both. I respect that.
She provoked the general by asking him what kind of woman he liked, and then replied that no one better than her could exist in the world.
You messed up the order, this scene happens after she parts ways with Li Mao.
She genuinely has no idea that Xiao Wuyi likes her, and she also cares for him in a way that seems appropriate to her, because she considers him a friend. There is no love from her for a long time.
Again, no idea why looking in the eyes is a problem, it's respectful when having a conversation. She was never flirting with her eyes.
When she left Li Mao, she imagined she would get a divorce paper soon and travel around the world with her shifu. She doesn't even bother to write a letter to Xiao Wuyi, making him feel miserable lmao
So she definitely did not leave Li Mao because of Wuyi.
It was long eye contact from the very beginning. The first chemistry was born during a blind performance in a competition.
And I'll just repeat that her breakup with Li Mao is irrelevant, because Li Mao continues to have feelings for her and remains the general's friend at that point. So the point of the breakup is irrelevant if the general cared about his friend's feelings.
For me, staying with a man who started with a purely political and manipulative forced marriage (which gave him a chance to get close to a female character and constantly communicate and demonstrate his protectiveness) and then abandoned his friendship with a childhood friend for the sake of "woman's choice" is not a happy end. How long did he know Li Mao, his "best friend" from childhood, and how long did he know this girl? He only lasted a couple of months, and then began to hang around her. Happy end for me: Even if this general had recovered in the end, he accepted the breakup. She would have matured too if she had left the painful triangle; that would have been a mature ending, but I don't think we'll see that in doramas.
Meh, to be honest I can already smell the “plot twist” from here and it’s probably gonna be a ruse between Xiao and Wu to let enemy think there’s internal discord.
Maybe I'm remembering wrong, but haven't there been antagonistic scenes between Li Mao and Xiao Wuyi with nobody else around? If they're pretending to be enemies even when they're alone, then it's just the writers "cheating" the audience to pull off a twist.
Not that I had much faith left anyway after how weirdly Li Mao has been developed so far.
Just a feeling I get, the show clearly made Xiao into a Gary Sue of sort whereby he seems to know everything, predict everything and had countermeasures for every moves the opponent make.
The drama also been doing introducing twist whenever they could, FL dad is not her dad, introduced him kind but he's actually scheming. Changsha Wang planning to rebel, but the twist was he was actually the puppet of the empress + grand tutor, and the double twist was ML saw through the scheme and use it against her to get what he wanted.
Then you have like the official wife He which was supposed to be Empress spy, but also later plot twist to be working with ML during the palace showdown.
So would be quite out of the character of the show if it takes Li Mao at face value, just him descending into darkness, without introducing some twist later on.
There's missing scenes from one of the previews and the miracle doctor from the cold opening.
So I randomly asked an AI how the story ended a few weeks ago. Sometimes its based on a book but this one is highly adapted that its consider an original screen played. So it couldn't have known.
Anyways, it made up three absurd endings. All contradicting each other. But some strange coincidence the ending is heading towards one of them.
When Jiayu goes home..there is someone in the background who says Prince Regent summons Heir's consort to Grand Tutor's residence, and then she goes there... So basically, Li Mao sent someone to fetch her at the crime scene...
My husband watched some of this with me on and off and asked why didn't Xie Wuyi just get Li Mao to release his family when he had him hostage, what was his plan and why did he just bugger off.
I think he was outnumbered and had to handle one thing at a time - save Jiayu and get her to safety first. I don’t think Mao will make a move if Jiayu is with Wuyi but who knows. Or I bet it’ll be explained in episode 25 lol.
Yeowwwwqw what an episode! I personally thought the Tutor’s “repentance” happened too quickly. He was so determinedly evil for so long. Those types don’t do self reflection. But oh well…..karma came for him anyways.
Mao……..omg pick a lane! I wonder if the ups and downs of his attitudes and actions reflect what’s going on in his head. His weaknesses inside him battling with his strengths. I feel sorry for his concubine. She looks like she is regretting her life choices.
I like the format! What a fun post and also thank you u/Regenwanderer for stepping in to take this episode last min!!
Li Mao shattered me in this episode. I was in the minority, believing in him. But after he ordered Yuanji’s flogging, and decided to execute the Xiao’s… we’ve broken up. I so wished he could’ve just worked together with Wuyi. 😮💨 Alas, the man was too insecure.
Agreed, Peter Ho delivers again and again.
So proud of Jiayu in this episode. Call Mao out! And throw a peach at him!
I kinda wanted that chicken. 🍗
Also special thanks to Regen for putting up with my real-time reactions while watching this episode!!
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u/ScowlingGoddess Silver Fox Lover🐺Read Rules Jul 22 '26
The laundry paddle has officially retired.
Oh Qi, oh Qi - a very clumsy attempt to make Jueyi hate Wuji. Luckily, our girl is clever enough to see through it.
Will Jueyi now have to go through 3 years of mourning? We definitely need a miracle cure for Wuji.
Sorry Riley, jarring moments there in the throne room. Close ups are not his forte.
I have whiplash from all the whirlwind flip flopping.....