Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花 - Episode 32 (Recap)
kakashi: Bai Qian halfheartedly tries to get rid of Ye Hua (she finds his behavior suspicious!) while he (who finds her behavior suspicious in turn) tries to find out why his Su Su is Bai Qian and does not remember him. It doesn't take him all that long to find out.
JoAnne: Oh good, I hate when things drag on forever.
She's very independent. I look forward to her going off to do things or just hang out and drink wine while Ye Hua cooks and raises the kiddo.
Ye Hua is a bit outraged in his quiet way and asks "What about Riceball
then?" I totally love how he is using this nickname now! Bai Qian has a solution: Mi Gu has to go fetch Fengjiu in the mortal
realm. That won't work either, though, nobody knows where she is. Finally, THE
solution: post a notice at the entrance to the Fox Den that they're urgently looking
for a cook!
Why can't YE HUA cook? He used to do it all the time.
But .... he's the Crown Prince!!! :D
Bai Qian is mighty pleased with herself, less so Ye Hua. Surrendering, he tells her to at least make a fire and burn some wood. The High Goddess does - and the Crown Prince cooks. Carelessly, she mentions his wife's amazing cooking skills (thinking she must have taught him how to do it, pffft) and he freezes up, making her regret her words. If only you knew!
At least he's cooking.
After a short pause, he says "She was like you" though and he wonders out loud how she survived on Mount Junji before she met him. It makes her very uncomfortable, this conversation about his dead wife. He calls her "Su Su" then, and she immediately thinks he must be horribly sad and that is why he is calling her by his wife's name again. Was he testing her?
I hope we don't drag out the jealous of your own self-ness of this for too long.
But he smiles soon after and asks whether she has ever been to the Far East? She
quickly lies about it - but she has been there, as we know, with 16th, as Si
Yin! But that identity is a well-kept secret. She now thinks he might have found some clues and that is why he is here at the Fox Den. This must be about Mo Yuan's body! Mi Gu only reinforces this later. She is a bad liar, this woman and Ye Hua realizes something is up. It must be puzzling him, because he is still not quite sure about what is going on.
It would be very trippy, in real life, if this happened. Setting aside all the fantasy elements, to meet someone who is so very similar in so many ways to someone you think is dead, to have that doubt. I can deal with a lot of things being uncertain but I don't think this is one of them.
But then, this:
A-Li says if Ye Hua keeps feeding him, he'll turn into a ball! That would be great, is Ye Hua's reply, "I wouldn't have to carry you anymore when I cloud-leap, I could just roll you up". A-Li takes offense! Father is mean! And he now has a mother to run to with such complaints. Everyone is so cute! Of course, Ye Hua is DA BOMB as father. And look how he tries to care for his (future) wife too!
I love this family dinner. I love it so much. I just want to kiss them all, from Mi Gu right around the table to Bai Qian.
Next, Ye Hua tells his "Qian Qian" to clear out some space for him here - he needs a room to handle official documents. He gets 4th Brother's old room! And he's really staying, isn't he... No wonder she thinks that's mighty suspicious.
Ohhh, so has 4th Brother officially moved in with the old phoenix?
Actually, he has his own residence in the Far North - all the Fox Children are rulers of sorts.
Ye Hua, putting the little one to bed ...
First chance she gets, she closes Mo Yuan's cave with a special spell ...
Probably wise for now. This skill would come in handy when you have a party and some guests are snoopy, I'm thinking. Or to hide the mess from unexpected guests.
... and dumps the Kunlun Fan into a pond.
That, I wasn't so clear on. I guess she doesn't want any connection turning up.
When she comes back after this, Ye Hua isn't sleeping like she thought, but he waited for her and wants to play Go. Mhhhh, I'm pretty sure he wants something else, too.
If she has any nerve endings at all, so does she.
First Disciple and Sixteenth have a heart-to-heart on the seashore. Die Feng, the poor sod, talks about his relentless but unsuccessful search for Seventeenth. He feels guilty about it! He shouldn't, says Sixteenth, it is all their faults! Plus, even though he claimed to be gaining experience in the mortal realm, he also was secretly looking for Seventeenth there (also failing, so Die Feng's failure is not that uncommon). But now, he thinks it's time to return to Kunlun Mountain! They believe their Shifu's "wait for me" was directed at all of them. The place has become so desolate and that is a tragedy in itself - Sixteenth wants to prepare it for their Master's return. YAY!
I would not complain if we got the remaining episodes with both Ye Hua and Shifu competing for Bai Qian. AT ALL.
Later, Die Feng is attacked by demonic guards in the mortal realm. What the heck?! And Sixteenth is assaulted by them on Kunlun!! What is going on??!
Hmm, Dad is locked up. Where is Li Yuan at this point? Li Jing wouldn't do this, I don't think. Oooh, maybe it's not even Ghost Tribe, maybe someone is framing them. But how? Why? Let's blame it on Su Jin for now, okay?
That was MY first guess too.
Qian Qian fell asleep over the game of Go, but wakes up when Mi Gu comes in with Star Lord Jia Yun, Ye Hua's civil officer and Star Lord Tian Shu, Ye Hua's military officer. Nice to meet you (again), fellows! They're carrying a huge tray with official documents. They're also, clearly, staring. They knew Su Su, didn't they?
Yep, pretty sure they did.
Tian Shu politely informs her that she will basically not see him, but he will be guarding the two Celestials and Jia Yun says he'll only come by once a day, to pick up the signed documents and bring new ones. These two have not yet received any love from us - but let it be known that I really like them!
Yep. They're good people. They don't get a ton of screen time but manage to convey intelligence, kindness, and professionalism.
Of course, Su Jin hears about this from her maid and is devastated (hehehe). Boo fucking hoo. After meeting Bai Qian only once, Ye Hua wants to move in with her? Yep. Suck on THAT, Su Jin. The maid is sure it must have been a Fox enchanting spell. Su Jin has the audacity to call the world "unfair" - because Bai Qian gets all the things; and because this time, Su Jin doesn't dare to go up against her rival. But it does not take a lot of nudging from the awful maid plus Su Jin's belief that her reliance on her brain has brought her to where she is to set in motion another evil plan.
Haaahahahahahaha oh this should be good. This is the beginning of her end, no matter how long it takes, this moment right here starts it.
Su Jin sends her maid to the Fox Realm in order to get Bai Qian to cancel the engagement of her own accord, "in a fit of anger". Okay, Su Jin is still dangerous AS HELL. The maid is to go down and tell everyone that the rules of the Heavens are strict and that what Bai Qian and Ye Hua are doing is sinful! Who died and left HER boss? Bitch better mind her own business. This goes wrong in the most satisfactory way EVER, but more of that later. First, we see that our Princess Miao Qing arrives in the Heavens and has to pass muster with Su Jin. She is really serious about becoming a maid. Insane.
Seriously. We love Ye Hua too and you don't see us offering to clean up after him, even theoretically. Take a lesson.
Su Jin, the snake, is already starting to plot more things. She tells the Princess that just being a maid is way below her status! She should really become a consort. She's not wrong there. And she will help! From Miao Qing, Su Jin hears all about the Banquet and how the silly princess thought Bai Qian was actually Su Jin.
'But then it was clear that the Crown Prince was totally into her and I'm sorry, Your Highness, but everyone knows Ye Hua treats you like a contagious disease.' No, it didn't happen. But don't you wish it did?
Okay, now for the HUGELY satisfying part. Su Jin's hateful maid is in the Fox Realm, turning her nose up at things. She sees Mi Gu approach and hones in on him. She wants to see Bai Qian! Mi Gu tells: "My aunt and your lord play chess at night and take walks during the day. She is tired now and resting. You can tell me." He also makes faces at her behind her back. Ahahahaaaaa.
No respect at all. I loved it! Mi Gu is awesome. I hope we learn more about him.
She then tells him their behavior is "unacceptable". Oh boy, and she never thought it might not be her place to say this?! Mi Gu says: "A mere low immortal is here causing a fuss?" The people of Qing Qiu will not tolerate this, of course! They move in on her and start screaming at her to scram and then chase her off.
It felt so good. She's so full of herself, and not even about herself but about Su Jin, because they both mistakenly believe that Su Jin matters to anyone. I mean yeah, Heavenly Lord is backing her right now but not about her, about her parents. And I think we've seen enough from those Celestial folks to know that if Su Jin became more of a liability than an asset they would cut her loose without a second's hesitation. She is completely insignificant, in reality.
Bai Qian is mildly curious what that was about and hears about Su Jin wanting the Crown Prince back. She listens to what happened and takes particular note of the fact that someone thinks they should not "lie together" before they are married. She goes and sees Ye Hua about it, who is in his "study", drawing. That's her chance to get rid of him, she thinks, ahaha. But he wants to hear details. His answer? "I wanted to live here, so I came to live here". And: "All in all, you are my wife. How is it anyone's business?" Ye Hua: 1 - the rest of the world: 0.
He's completely unruffled by any of it. I love it. Let's hope he doesn't screw it up with Bai Qian after the mess he made of things with Su Su.
She tries the age-thing again (saying that she could have grandkids his age if she had married earlier, pfft). He just sighs. Is there something she means to say? Hm, not really. She asks about that Princess, Miao Qing - Ye Hua does not see a need to explain himself but tells her to sit down. No, lie down. In a comfortable position. And: "Raise your hand and face me. Have a smile on your face". Hmmmmm, bossy, I like it.
I do too, I remember commenting on it on Twitter, watching these episodes. I don't think Bai Qian minds it all, either.
She complies, puzzling over his mood swings. Is he painting her, she wonders? How come he is so sour one moment and smiles so pleasantly the next? As he starts drawing, he explains about Miao Qing, whom he allowed to be a maid. He is sure she will leave on her own. She mentions that Die Feng isn't unpleasant at all. Oups, Bai Qian. How do you know this? She quickly claims her 4th Brother told her and all disciples of Mo Yuan are great guys.
Meanwhile in her head alarm bells are sounding and she's thinking 'Abort! Abort! Abort!'
She eventually falls asleep (all those nights of playing Go make the poor woman tired) and he gently covers her with his coat. He smiles at her sleeping face, but his expression soon turns pensive again. Her behavior still puzzles him a lot. And why is she behaving like she has secrets, he asks himself?
Uh, because she does?
Su Jin has a rage-fit when she hears about how her maid (and by extension herself) was treated by the Fox People. hahahahahahaaaaaaaaa. Like anyone cares what you think, troll. We'd PAY people to insult you, wouldn't we Kakashi? And then, more plotting (to get Ye Hua back into heaven). It's the Heavenly Lord's birthday feast today and she asks if anyone interesting is coming? Well, someone new is coming: The Water King of North Sea (that's our ex 2nd Prince) will bring his eldest son, Yuan Zhen. Oh no. what is Su Jin planning?! Even her maid is shocked.
Completely objectively, I have to admit that having an evil soul hasn't kept Su Jin from being really, really pretty.
Ye Hua is still keen to find out what Bai Qian's deal is, so he keeps asking Mi Gu (who is older than Bai Qian and saw her grow up) questions. He looks 16. This time, it's about the two trials she had to undergo to become High Goddess. Mi Gu certainly isn't the brightest, but he does realize what this is about - Mo Yuan! He lies about it, but still says that she ascended to High Goddess because of her battle with Qing Cang.
That's Mi Gu, loyal to the bone.
That's the missing piece of information for our Crown Prince. She must have lost her memory and became mortal after that battle! Understanding this makes him very happy and Mi Gu, just like Bai Qian before, thinks this prince has mighty weird mood swings.
We'll take them. It's okay. He's worth it.
It starts raining and Bai Qian is happy about it because it means she doesn't have to go on a walk with Ye Hua. False, because Ye Hua is actually taking her to the mortal realm, together with A-Li. It's not raining there. Ahahaha. Ye Hua is using his son, skillfully, to twist her arm.
Hey, Riceball is Grade-A weaponry. He'd be fool not use what's at his disposal.
OMG, they're in the mortal realm (the only town there is, haha), looking so good! She is dressed as a man (A-Li calls her godfather), he like the warrior he once played for her - and it becomes clear immediately, that she has never been here as Bai Qian. She wants to pay for a little snack with a pearl! And there is nuts PPL :)
Someone in China, please send us photos to support our fervent belief that you can buy nuts in this very same container in the present day?
When Bai Qian asks why Ye Hua wanted to go to the mortal realm, despite a huge tray of official documents, he whispers into her ear that it's A-Li's birthday. Is it?! Bai Qian is a bit offended that he did not tell her earlier. He teases her - did she want to give him a luminous pearl? Haha, he knows about her habit of (non-creative) gift giving. A luminous pearl would be a waste for a boy, he lectures her.
I wonder what kind of toys would be appropriate for a 301-year-old boy?
All of a sudden, a wagon speeds their way! Ye Hua swings her out of the way, but is A-Li okay??! He is. Oh, but Bai Qian isn't ... she remembers something ... her mother, crying over her unconscious body, lamenting the state she is in. Was it a dream? She asks herself. She lies to Ye Hua that it's nothing, when he asks.
I actually think this is my favorite outfit, other than shirtless. You notice it's blue, not black, right?
He takes them to a restaurant after, where A-Li is praised for being adorable. "Who knows what he will look like when he grows up", Bai Qian says. Haha, no! What a horrible thing to say. Ye Hua says good looks are not important for a man, he needs strong fists! Besides, sons resemble their mom, which means A-Li will never look bad. Awwww. Bai Qian feels awkward about this, of course, but she tells the little one that however he will look, he will always be the apple of her eye and she will be most protective of him. And Ye Hua is so in love with her and his little family, look at him.
Who wouldn't be? Well, Su Jin and her suck-up maid and oh yeah, most of the Celestials but who cares about any of them? WE love this little family.
And he goes on to put food on Bai Qian's plate.
I think this particular habit is very endearing whenever I come across it in a drama. It's not how westerners eat at all, and generally we consider messing with someone else's plate very rude and potentially even insulting, but this is just so caring and attentive and sweet I can't help but love it.
This is embarrassing to her, well, and she isn't used to this kind of attention, isn't she. But she better get used to it, he says.
Yes, Bai Qian. He has all sorts of ways he'd like to pay very close attention to your needs. Allow them all, girlfriend, and praise the stars for your good fortune.
Of course, someone comes to interrupt now, gah! It's his aide, telling him it's time for the feast! Apart from that, Die Feng has arrived and is seeking an urgent audience. Ye Hua guesses it's something serious and takes his leave, but he promises to be back for them tonight. Bai Qian takes A-Li to the teahouse, because the restaurant owner recommends this. It's soon night, because yeah, time difference...
They just hang out like he's a little grown up, ha ha!
Up in Heaven, Ye Hua proves he has learned his lesson. As soon as he appears, he lights a candle and tells Die Feng he has until it's burnt down and not a second later. Die Feng tells him about the demonic soldiers who attack travelers, aiming to kill. Yeah, shit. Trouble again!
Just blame Su Jin, kill her, and figure it all out later. Trust me, you will not regret that.
I do know that's what she says and I believe she would fight to the death to protect him, but she's so un-motherly. Deeply un-motherly. Sometimes her lack of concern or awareness with regard to A-Li makes me feel like she's a very selfish person. Which she is and is not, at the same time. But I actually do not like her overly casual treatment of A-Li, very often.
The other important scene is when he connects the dots about Qiang Cang and her memory loss. He was quite obviously puzzling about this, and with her weird behavior - she and Mi Gu came up with this elaborate scenario in which he is doing all this to find Mo Yuan - he was growing more confused and maybe suspicious again that she might just be pretending to have forgotten about him. But knowing she went through her trial on earth, in the mortal realm, without any powers and without memory, that makes sense to him.
Let's resolve this bit quick and move on, drama folks. The longer you drag it out up front, the longer it will drag when she remembers everything, and I don't got time for that. Not when there's lovey-dovey stuff that could be happening.
He seems to have changed and learned so much in the 300 years she was missing. He acts on things, he doesn't only plan and he is no longer passive. Also, he talks to her! When she asks about that Princess he brought to heaven, he explains it to her, in as much detail as he can. When he is forced back to heaven, he is clear about how long he will stay. His son and his (past and future) wife - this is what counts for him.
I see his growth as well, but I wonder if it will be enough. I like that he isn't pressing her to hurry and get up to speed, though. He's willing to wait for her, willing to earn her all over again. And he should have to.
Several things are (of course) worrying, though. A) is she starting to remember things? That's ... not good, I guess. He is just now trying to (re-)gain her trust and if she does remember, she will probably hate him again. B) Su Jin is still doing it and she is still dangerous. Just locking her away in some obscure palace won't do the trick, Ye Hua. C) Those ghost soldiers are a problem that will need Ye Hua's attention, whoever is behind it. Can he be a good ruler and fix this and woo Bai Qian at the same time?
I guess we'll find out! It would be a really cruel drama if he couldn't though. And we're on life three, right? Si Yin-Golden Lotus, #1; Su Su and Ye Hua, #2; now Bai Qian and Ye Hua, #3. Right?
JoAnne: Oh good, I hate when things drag on forever.
Episode 32
Making a tree spirit, who is mortally scared of fire, cook! So mean! When they go check on him after his panicked scream, he claims he is hurt! He won't cook! And Bai Qian, who would never EVER consider cooking herself, says "Looks like we'll just have to forget about this meal. We'll be fine if we don't eat." She really cracks me up.She's very independent. I look forward to her going off to do things or just hang out and drink wine while Ye Hua cooks and raises the kiddo.
Why can't YE HUA cook? He used to do it all the time.
But .... he's the Crown Prince!!! :D
At least he's cooking.
I hope we don't drag out the jealous of your own self-ness of this for too long.
It would be very trippy, in real life, if this happened. Setting aside all the fantasy elements, to meet someone who is so very similar in so many ways to someone you think is dead, to have that doubt. I can deal with a lot of things being uncertain but I don't think this is one of them.
I love this family dinner. I love it so much. I just want to kiss them all, from Mi Gu right around the table to Bai Qian.
Ohhh, so has 4th Brother officially moved in with the old phoenix?
Actually, he has his own residence in the Far North - all the Fox Children are rulers of sorts.
Probably wise for now. This skill would come in handy when you have a party and some guests are snoopy, I'm thinking. Or to hide the mess from unexpected guests.
That, I wasn't so clear on. I guess she doesn't want any connection turning up.
If she has any nerve endings at all, so does she.
I would not complain if we got the remaining episodes with both Ye Hua and Shifu competing for Bai Qian. AT ALL.
Hmm, Dad is locked up. Where is Li Yuan at this point? Li Jing wouldn't do this, I don't think. Oooh, maybe it's not even Ghost Tribe, maybe someone is framing them. But how? Why? Let's blame it on Su Jin for now, okay?
That was MY first guess too.
Yep, pretty sure they did.
Yep. They're good people. They don't get a ton of screen time but manage to convey intelligence, kindness, and professionalism.
Haaahahahahahaha oh this should be good. This is the beginning of her end, no matter how long it takes, this moment right here starts it.
Seriously. We love Ye Hua too and you don't see us offering to clean up after him, even theoretically. Take a lesson.
'But then it was clear that the Crown Prince was totally into her and I'm sorry, Your Highness, but everyone knows Ye Hua treats you like a contagious disease.' No, it didn't happen. But don't you wish it did?
No respect at all. I loved it! Mi Gu is awesome. I hope we learn more about him.
It felt so good. She's so full of herself, and not even about herself but about Su Jin, because they both mistakenly believe that Su Jin matters to anyone. I mean yeah, Heavenly Lord is backing her right now but not about her, about her parents. And I think we've seen enough from those Celestial folks to know that if Su Jin became more of a liability than an asset they would cut her loose without a second's hesitation. She is completely insignificant, in reality.
He's completely unruffled by any of it. I love it. Let's hope he doesn't screw it up with Bai Qian after the mess he made of things with Su Su.
I do too, I remember commenting on it on Twitter, watching these episodes. I don't think Bai Qian minds it all, either.
Meanwhile in her head alarm bells are sounding and she's thinking 'Abort! Abort! Abort!'
Uh, because she does?
Completely objectively, I have to admit that having an evil soul hasn't kept Su Jin from being really, really pretty.
That's Mi Gu, loyal to the bone.
We'll take them. It's okay. He's worth it.
Hey, Riceball is Grade-A weaponry. He'd be fool not use what's at his disposal.
Someone in China, please send us photos to support our fervent belief that you can buy nuts in this very same container in the present day?
I wonder what kind of toys would be appropriate for a 301-year-old boy?
I actually think this is my favorite outfit, other than shirtless. You notice it's blue, not black, right?
Who wouldn't be? Well, Su Jin and her suck-up maid and oh yeah, most of the Celestials but who cares about any of them? WE love this little family.
I think this particular habit is very endearing whenever I come across it in a drama. It's not how westerners eat at all, and generally we consider messing with someone else's plate very rude and potentially even insulting, but this is just so caring and attentive and sweet I can't help but love it.
Yes, Bai Qian. He has all sorts of ways he'd like to pay very close attention to your needs. Allow them all, girlfriend, and praise the stars for your good fortune.
They just hang out like he's a little grown up, ha ha!
Just blame Su Jin, kill her, and figure it all out later. Trust me, you will not regret that.
Comments
All in all, not much happened in this episode, but the dialogue between Ye Hua and Bai Qian, all of it, is so delightful! They hit it off immediately and with all her protestations and attempts to not go on walks or even chase him off, it is quite clear she is growing ever fonder of father and son. That moment where she tells A-Li she will always protect him is quite telling and important. She does not know she is his real mother, but she has already fully accepted him as "son" and she is ready to fight for him. No wonder Ye Hua looks at her like he wants to hug her close and cry.I do know that's what she says and I believe she would fight to the death to protect him, but she's so un-motherly. Deeply un-motherly. Sometimes her lack of concern or awareness with regard to A-Li makes me feel like she's a very selfish person. Which she is and is not, at the same time. But I actually do not like her overly casual treatment of A-Li, very often.
The other important scene is when he connects the dots about Qiang Cang and her memory loss. He was quite obviously puzzling about this, and with her weird behavior - she and Mi Gu came up with this elaborate scenario in which he is doing all this to find Mo Yuan - he was growing more confused and maybe suspicious again that she might just be pretending to have forgotten about him. But knowing she went through her trial on earth, in the mortal realm, without any powers and without memory, that makes sense to him.
Let's resolve this bit quick and move on, drama folks. The longer you drag it out up front, the longer it will drag when she remembers everything, and I don't got time for that. Not when there's lovey-dovey stuff that could be happening.
He seems to have changed and learned so much in the 300 years she was missing. He acts on things, he doesn't only plan and he is no longer passive. Also, he talks to her! When she asks about that Princess he brought to heaven, he explains it to her, in as much detail as he can. When he is forced back to heaven, he is clear about how long he will stay. His son and his (past and future) wife - this is what counts for him.
I see his growth as well, but I wonder if it will be enough. I like that he isn't pressing her to hurry and get up to speed, though. He's willing to wait for her, willing to earn her all over again. And he should have to.
Several things are (of course) worrying, though. A) is she starting to remember things? That's ... not good, I guess. He is just now trying to (re-)gain her trust and if she does remember, she will probably hate him again. B) Su Jin is still doing it and she is still dangerous. Just locking her away in some obscure palace won't do the trick, Ye Hua. C) Those ghost soldiers are a problem that will need Ye Hua's attention, whoever is behind it. Can he be a good ruler and fix this and woo Bai Qian at the same time?
I guess we'll find out! It would be a really cruel drama if he couldn't though. And we're on life three, right? Si Yin-Golden Lotus, #1; Su Su and Ye Hua, #2; now Bai Qian and Ye Hua, #3. Right?