Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花 - Episode 9 (Recap)

kakashi: The Nine Heavens may look like paradise, but in fact, they're like hell. We learn how horrible the Heavenly Lord really is and why the Crown Prince seems like a miserable black block of ice. Luckily, we also meet a new ship.
JoAnne: Do we ever!

Episode 9

Crown Prince Ye Hua was right: 2nd Uncle Sang Ji brought Shao Xin with him to the Heavens, carrying her in snake form in his sleeve! They are major cute these two and he is so excited to show her his home. He promises her that she will be received properly here, he just needs some time. 
I have rarely met a more clueless royal.
Ha, yes. They're so useless, too! 

Uh-oh, here comes 3rd Uncle Lian Song. He's a bit conangry (concerned and angry) and it doesn't help that his older brother tries to lie that he selected this woman as his personal maid. Lian Song is anxious to send her back before their father returns, but Sang Ji will not allow it. Frankly, he doesn't see what the problem is - or doesn't care. The problem is their father's waning power over the other clans, which makes this alliance with the Fox Clan a hundred times more important.
And Sang Ji just does not care one bit.

The one concession Sang Ji is ready to make is the following: If he must marry the Fox Queen, he wants to marry his little snake spirit at the same time. Aiiiii, that's just a no go. It means he's degrading the Queen and humiliating her! That's in no way what Shao Xin ever wanted. She may be in love, but she is also is indebted, grateful and loyal to Bai Qian. Alright, says Sang Ji, they are right about this. Therefore, he will request their father to cancel his engagement with the Fox Queen - so that he can marry Shao Xin as his Consort.
What an idiot.

Naturally, their father is FURIOUS when Sang Ji asks this of him. She's even a queen! And he a mere prince! Actually, the Heavenly Lord gets even more furious when he realizes that Sang Ji is truly in love with this other woman. His sons can do anything they want, but they cannot fall in love! Marriage and procreation is only allowed for the sake of the Celestial Tribe and the world (pffft, you idiot. What if you fall in love with a woman you are forced to marry?). No women who will "make them lose their principles".
We spend way too much time on the obvious here.

Heavenly Lord orders the guards to throw the snake spirit off Zhuxian Terrace (I guess it's a long way down?) - but when his son begs him and is so determined to marry this woman, he has her thrown into Evil Sealing Pagoda instead. I wonder whether that's better or worse? He wants to "see how long she can last in there". OMG this old man is hateful.
Honestly I blame Sang Ji. He knows how things work. He put the girl in this position.

Ye Hua witnessed this exchange from outside. He seems cold or maybe detached and completely emotionless. His grandfather steps up to him and tells him that all his hopes are on him. And he says: "You were born for the world, not for a woman". Hmmmmmmmmm I say. The Heavenly Lord then tasks Ye Hua with going down to the mortal realm, to subdue the Tiger Beast himself. For prestige.
I have to admit to a bit of anger toward Ye Hua, who should have just kept his mouth shut.
Yes, I was a bit miffed at him too. But I don't think he meant harm at all. Rather, by talking to his 3rd Uncle, he was asking for his help. In the end, it was Sang Ji himself who escalated things by going to his father.

Si Ming, The Lord of the South Star who is in charge of the life and fate of the human realm (he has an incredibly soothing, sexy voice - and I really like this character!) warns our Paragon of Virtue NOT to get involved with any mortals down there. Else, destiny will be thrown into disorder. Of course he won't, says Ye Hua. Suuuuuure.
Yes, agreed on the voice. I noticed it right away! 
He can read me bedtime stories anytime. 
Also, taking bets on how long before Ye Hua gets involved in a mortal matter... although what could it be? He's meant for Bai Qian right? There are no mortals around her.

Before he retires to his own place, the Crown Prince takes a last long look at his 2nd Uncle, who is still kneeling in front of his father's throne. Later, when he is on his bed, he thinks back to when he was just a boy. Extremely studious and good, the best there ever was. But something is lacking in his life: his mother. Because "a doting mother fails to raise a child properly" and "Your mother was destined to be unable to raise you to be worthy". First chance little Ye Hua gets, he asks his grandfather to see her.

Fine, the Grandfather from Hell gives him an impossible task next: ascend to high immortal before he is 20'000 years old. And little Ye Hua does. He braves the lightning bolts and becomes the youngest god ever. To see his mother. OMG, this touches my heart...
Yes, the little love.

She cries bitter, bitter tears when she sees her bloody child - 20'000 years without seeing him and now he's in such a state? (Wow, they really took him away right after birth) The child tells his mother he will only wear black in the future so that the bloodstains will no longer be visible and she won't have to be distressed. That does not reassure her one bit, you silly child: does he think he won't bleed if he changes his clothing? she asks. And she adds: "Your intention to suffer in silence will only bring you anguish".  
Pay attention, boy.

Okay, I think it's time to officially apologize to you, Ye Hua. I said you were an ass before. You still are, but wow, you have had a horrible childhood. 

The Crown Prince lies on his bed ... and dreams of Si Yin, running away, her back to him, and the Golden Lotus. And of sitting in that cave, seeing Si Yin feeding Mo Yuan her blood. Lotus memories! Lotus memories!!! That makes me excited.

Yessssssssss

His sleep is disturbed by some woman ... ah, it's Su Jin! Now all grown-up too. And "too man-greedy", as my daughter commented. She did what his mother told her to do: she watched over him these 20'000 years, but it's clear he finds her intrusive and it's clear why: she's in love with him. Just leave him alone. She talks about the snake-scandal and that she's glad that Fox Queen won't be coming to the Palace. She's higher in status than both of them and she thinks that would have been a nuisance. Ye Hua isn't even listening.

She's hoping to marry her foster brother. Ick. I don't see her as greedy, though. It's a man, not any man, and it's not like she hasn't devoted a lot of time and energy and care on this one. That being said, he doesn't want her. At some point she will need to give it up. Well not 'it.' Give up the hope, I meant.

In the meantime snake spirit Shao Xin is in the Evil Pagoda and ain't fairing well. Pure desperation leads 2nd Uncle to beg his father to free her, and, when he refuses, to exclaim that he will have to accompany her to death then. He really means it. Because the Heavenly Lord is truly horrible, he says fine, kill yourself. But that snake's life will still be in my hand - and I will torment her as much as I can. Ye Hua, who once again witnesses the exchange, seems somewhat bewildered. More about his uncle than his grandfather, I think.

I loved that he tried to excuse himself from the scene, and so then when his uncle looked at him like 'what the hell are YOU doing here' he just looked uncomfortable to me. He'll do what he's supposed to do and I think he believes what he's told he is supposed to do, but it seems pretty clear to me that he does not really agree with things in his heart.

At Peach Blossom Valley,  Zhe Yan and the Fox King discuss the rumors that are spreading everywhere - of the snake and the cancelled marriage. The Fox King is quite enraged - to use a maid to humiliate his daughter? "Yes, it's intolerable!" Zhe Yan agrees and suggests they go to the Celestial Palace right away. Since he knows that Bai Qian has no desire at all to marry this dude, he thinks it's very opportune to go cancel the marriage for real - and get compensated for it. Oh, excellent *rubs hands in glee*

Zhe Yan is funny.

Oblivious to the crisis, Bai Qian is chilling in the Peach Blossom paradise - she has been asleep for five whole days, we learn from her brother. Appearances are deceiving though. In two days, Qing Cang will break out of the Bell. And she is fully expecting not to return from her attempt to seal him back in. Anyway, it's her birthday today! 4th Brother tells her that Bai Fengjiu, her niece with the red birthmark, will soon be back for it. It seems Fengjiu adores her aunt very much.

And I adore 4th Bro:

He's a cutie pie. I'd really rather have seen him with Shao Xin. I would have bought that sincerely. As it is, 2d Prince and Shao Xin just angers me.

And there she is, the niece! She is a red nine-tailed fox, as mischievous as Bai Qian was in her youth, currently running back to Peach Blossom Valley as fast as she can, to celebrate her aunt's birthday with her.

Bad luck has it that she runs into the Tiger-Lion Beast!! He ain't friendly and she is mighty scared.

So am I but okay I am finally laughing about CGI. Wow.

She runs, he takes pursuit ... right before the Beast can devour her, Dong Hua Dijun appears out of nowhere and catches her in his arms. The Tiger-Lion disappears immediately. This is not a God to take lightly.

This is a tall, tall God.

Oh, methinks little Fengjiu is a goner. She stares and stares. And he says: "How much longer do you intend on hugging me like this?" ahahaha. Yes. He is the God of "Don't Care".

He is the very tall God of Don't Care. That's okay. I ship this. Immediately. Fully.

And she knows no propriety. This is going to be a lot of fun. She even doubts he's really Dong Hua Dijun at first. He looks nothing like the picture of him she has seen before in Zhe Yan's books. Hahaha.

Oh this will be good.

ADORABLE.
Dilraba (the actress) is the best, so funny and cute.

The mention of Zhe Yan's piques his interest (a bit) and when she introduces herself as the young Fox Princess, he keeps talking to her. He scoffs at her for not being a high immortal yet and then loses interest. She runs after him. She thinks she must "repay his kindness" of saving her life. Naturally, he doesn't care. But he does continue to talk to her for a bit and that, I think, is quite unusual for this guy.

I have a hard time picturing this girl surviving lightning strikes.

He does tell her to get lost though. She doesn't, but keeps a slight distance afterwards. Bumping into him rattled her. He is a pretty juicy god indeed.

This is a very sturdy ship.

Oh, he is going to the scene of the last battle, to look at the Bell (a bit later, the Ghost Princess also appears, to pay her father her respects. She seems to be searching for her 1st brother, Li Yuan). He put an earth spirit on guard there (who hasn't noticed anything unusual, duh), but Dijun has. Qing Cang seems to have made some movement. He gives the guardian a bell to shake if anything happens, anything at all - he will come immediately.

The two little bells, the angle, the way the earth spirit took them in his hand... it reminded me of things and I laughed quite hard. It's like 'here, take my precious balls'.

And yes, the Fox Princess is still following you. But that's as far as he will tolerate.

Might as well give in now, Dijun.  This is happening.

Inside the Bell, Qing Cang opens his eyes. Fooook, it's happening!!

I'm guessing he's going to come out one highly pissed off former King. Really, uh, hot under the collar.

In the Nine Heavens, 3rd Uncle has come up with a plan how to save his elder brother from certain death. He is sly, this one. He tells his nephew Ye Hua that he is lacking something. Something fundamental. Ye Hua: "How am I not perfect?" pffffft. It's easy, says his uncle: he does not know affection and hence, he does not know life. Without that, he will not be a perfect ruler. Ye Hua looks amused. I don't think he takes this uncle very seriously.

I think he sees right through the plan.

As they walk on, 3rd Uncle continues: What would he do if he had to marry a woman he had never met, whose temperament he doesn't know? For example, if he were to marry Bia Qian of Qing Qiu, what would he think? Nothing, of course. He'd just do it. Oh, that's exactly what 3rd Uncle wanted to hear. He tells his nephew that this is the way to save the lovesick fool Sang Ji. He has to become the groom of this woman who is 90'000 years older than him. "Fine", says the Crown Prince. "It is just one more person sleeping on a bed next to me". What's so difficult about it?

One more? One MORE? How many people sleep in his bed now?

Comments

Very much LIKE. 

Guess what? I no longer care about the lack of facial hair. It was that smile at the end that did it.

This episode was very entertaining! The introduction to the Crown Prince was excellently done. Indeed, he lacks affection, very much so. His grandfather's teachings may have forged him into a perfect governance-machine, but the old man is quite obviously a bad ruler (hence the discontent in the realm about him), because he is a mean and cruel tyrant. 

Out with him! In with Ye Hua!

At this moment, we know much more than Ye Hua and Bai Qian and I cannot help myself from rubbing my hands in glee in what is most certainly coming; the Crown Prince experiencing love of gigantic dimensions. 3rd Uncle also seems to rub his hands in glee, internally. He is very much amused by his stick-in-the-mud nephew who is so high and mighty. Crown Prince is very young, considering - and 3rd Uncle has life experience. Of course, he is right to laugh at him.

It's going to be epic.

Su Jin... she will be a problem. She isn't evil though, at least not yet. Just needy. 

She was so cute. It will make me sad.

And then, the new ship! The young Fox Princess is so adorable in her playful ignorance. I hope she makes him grovel before her, this haughty, arrogant and very tall and delicious god. 

I want to see him giggle like a boy.  And then kiss the bejesus out of her.