kakashi: An intriguing episode, in which different people plot different things and ... would you look at these eyelashes? Damn.
JoAnne: I always start at his lips and then get stuck there.
Episode 14
Yi Fuling plays the zither often these days - is it to "reconcile" with the Regent? It's what Pei Yu suggests, but I don't see how they would "re"concile when they never were, you know, close at all? Anyway, the Regent has a thing for zither-playing women, so I guess it works. Also, Pei Yu actually secretly told her that she looks a bit like Feng Ren's dead wife.
Who we never see even in flashbacks or hear a story about or anything at all other than that she's dead. I think we at least deserved their story, don't you? They made such a big deal of his sadness.
I really like how she is clearly gaining the upper hand in this "relationship". Next, he challenges her to a game of Go. When they talk during the game, it's all code about her and the Wingkind Emperor. If she wins, he says, she can go see him. We see him smile during the game ... it reminds him of his dead wife again, but in a good way. She wins. Actually, this was interesting. It feels like these two ... are becoming friends? And he says something cryptic as he walks out: That he wants to see whether Feng Tianyi loves her or the throne more.
Oh he's one of 'those' people: let me screw with your head, it's totally for your benefit!
Okay, now she has the permission to go see the Wingkind Emperor and go she does. He is still getting drunk every night, watching women dance for him. Hmmmmm, yummy. But you can't fool us, boy. You ooze sadness.
Also, he's always fully dressed. He's not doing much beyond drinking. Come on! Do these people not bathe?
A great wedding gift is announced then - it's Fuling. But Feng Tianyi just smirks. She is his uncle's woman, he certainly isn't interested in left-overs. He orders his very drunk friend Xiang Cong Ling (what's up with him? He seems eager to forget something too) to escort her back immediately. But we know how fierce she can be! She has come to tell him something important! Everybody quickly leaves when she says that.
She is so pretty. They match well.
But Feng Tianyi does not want to hear anything important. In fact, he doesn't want to listen at all. She says she did it all for him, and that she feels miserable seeing him like this. Awww, Fuling. You are so young and it clearly shows. Did you really think you could just waltz in here and he would forgive you?! She says he cannot marry the princess! Why? He retorts, because he likes her more? (No, because they want to kill you, but she doesn't say it) Because she is so beautiful every man should fall for her? Yes, he did love her. And he gave her many chances. But he will no longer waste his feelings on her. There is nothing between them anymore.
Just press him a little more, Fuling. He's absolutely lying to you. (Pssst...this is the perfect moment for a tear or two...)
He tells her to leave and she is almost crying ... that hurt. That really hurt, but you silly woman, did you not hurt him just as much just days ago? He is not one to easily forgive, you should know that by now! When she sees it's utterly pointless, she wishes him happiness in marriage ... and walks out. Crying. He turns to look after her. No. He's not okay.
You gave up too soon.
She is utterly heartbroken now and breaks down crying outside his hall at a stone table. Yes, cry, woman! You broke up with the HOTTEST guy in your universe and without even being with him. That's just idiotic. Oh, but why is he coming out to watch her cry?
Who cries in that position? No one!
When she walks back, she meets the Regent, who had one of his men follow her and heard every word. He now knows she wanted to warn the Emperor. And Fuling begs him to let him go. But Feng Ren tells her that he would have killed Tianyi quasi immediately had she said one more word in that hall. He considers this a useful test of Tianyi's weariness. Oh ... so maybe .... Tianyi knows this? And that is why he acted that way?!
For crying out loud. These people exhaust me.
Huanzheng is puzzling over Jishu's riddle day and night and even forgets to eat. Well, he eats in his delirium, thinking it's something nice, but he actually bit off a piece of the metal-thing his unwilling "Master" left! Bang, Huanzheng solves it. It's a map!
Sure, okay, that made sense. No. No it did not.
Next, we see a very sober Feng Tianyi meet with his "elite club" soldiers. It's only a handful, but hey, better than nothing! And, ohhhhh, he only
pretended to be drunk all the time. Well, he certainly had me fooled, I hope it also worked on the Regent! So they plan to act during the wedding too! Ohhhh, and he has planned for this for years. Men who are loyal to him have been placed everywhere in the royal army. Ohhhhhh, I don't know, I'm not having a very good feeling about this!
I'm with you. That Regent is tricky.
We next see him draw his dead hawk.
Between two massive slices of burnt bacon, near a raggedy pickle.
In comes Feishuang. Wow, I could feel sorry for her if she weren't, you know, her. She tries to suck up to him by mentioning how much he cried when his hawk died ... but the memories she offers just let him be even colder than he already was. Damn, he despises her. Okay, and she has doubts about this marriage thing, because she's not that stupid. She also warns him - his plans for the wedding are known to (at least) her! Her family has spies all over the city. Feng Tianyi and all his men will die if he doesn't listen to her.
I trust her, as far as her interest in saving his life goes. But that's all.
Swallowing hard, he asks what she wants. Oh, easy: she wants YOU. And not tomorrow, but now. Okay, now I feel sorry for her. This is horrible. Just have some dignity, woman! She starts to undress in front of him and it turns out that she is wearing a dress he gave her after her Spreading of Wings Ceremony, which was a disaster, because she was afraid of heights. But with his help, she overcame that fear. No wonder she's totally in love with this guy. One could also easily mistake his gestures for mutual affection. Almost.
That just pisses me off. They were friends. He did things for her because they were friends. But he never made a move on her, he never told her he wanted to be with her. He was kind and he gave her gifts sometimes. It takes more than that! But I do agree, sometimes boys are confusing as hell.
And she undresses further. As soon as her naked shoulders appear, he closes his eyes and tells her to get dressed.
That is just mortifying. No matter how much I dislike her, her sincerity toward him cannot be denied.
She still doesn't get it and hugs him. I mean, she knows he doesn't love her, right? But she won't give up. She claims she is the one who knows him best (yes, because she kept spying on him!) and she tells him to act now is stupid. But "It's all for Yi Fuling, right?" Even if there will be rivers of blood, he would not let that woman go into somebody else's arms.
It's always funny to me how the very people who insist their love is fated assume that everyone else can just turn it on and off on a dime; all the object of their desire has to do is 'try hard'. They never see the irony or the disparity.
And if it's true? he says. In any case, she should not belittle herself. And after he carefully puts her cloak back onto her shoulders. He has always considered her a friend, like family. If she helps him, the title of the queen .... she interrupts him. She does not want the title. She wants him. And even though she knows his heart doesn't belong to her, she is ready for a trade.
Oh, that's always a mistake. A big one.
Comments
I loved this episode! Not least because of Tianyi's and Feishuang's interaction. No, I don't like her, because how could I? But I am happy we got a glimpse at how close they are (or were) and can now better understand why Feishuang is madly in love with this guy. Sadly, she is too spoilt and self-centered to realize in time that he is just considering her a friend, or maybe a slightly older sister. Or maybe she always knew, but she never wanted to believe.
I suppose, in fairness, she had some reason to think it would be them together in the end. There was only ever her, they're matched in station, they've been life long friends. I'm sure she thought it was inevitable, and it must have been a big shock to have someone else show up out of the blue - it's not her assumptions that I don't get, but her refusal to face reality.
As a character, she has layers (like all characters in this show, actually) and that made her self-humiliation in his room much worse. Only desperation could lead her to go there and actually undress in front of him. Man, I cringed so hard. It's almost like she wanted to blackmail him with her knowledge about his plans. It's not beyond her to tell him "sleep with me and I will help you, do not sleep with me and all your men will die".
Oh, I don't for a minute think she was really willing to accept one night as her total 'reward.'
I also liked the Regent - Fuling interactions. I ship them, but not as a couple - as friends. When he is with her, he shows a completely different side of himself. There are glimpses of happiness there. It is very clear she gets under his skin and if Feng Tianyi doesn't do anything rash and stupid, I believe she could actually mend parts of this uncle-nephew relationship. But of course, Feng Tianyi WILL do something rash and stupid.
Of course he will, but you're right - I do think she could be a bridge for them if they would let her.
It seems Yi Fuling is pushing his hand - or rather, the Regent is, because he took Feng Tianyi's love. Of course he still loves her; he will never ever stop loving her. But at this point in the drama, it looks like he has to choose between either the throne or this woman. The Regent, the bastard, knows this. He deliberately forced his hand. Now he has the perfect opportunity to take his nephew down.
And end up with both the woman AND the throne? Winner takes all?
