Yanyun tells JZ about Lord Ye's death. She asks if Ye Xian will inherit the title, he says no, and they both agree that this probably saved YeXian's death.
JinZhao and Yanyun visit the next morning Ye Xian, to pay respect to his late father. Yanyun at the same time tells him that he may have lost his father's title, but the emperor gave him a new job - commander of the Xuanfeng Guard.
After their visit, Yanyun and JinZhao talk about the emperor's plan regarding YeXian. They both agree, that the young king is quite capable.
At home, JinZhao, as new member of the family, pays respect to her elders.
(They both are really happy, aren't they?)
When it's Chen XuanQing's turn to pay respect to his new aunt ... things go obviously wrong. He slips the hot tea over JinZhao's hand.
After this, Mama Chen sends the men away, so that the girls can play cards.
Sitting together, his older brother marks that Yanyun refused to marry after his first wife's death (not because of love, but political reasons).
His younger brother then asks how he and JinZhao met. He provocatively asks Yanyun if the Ji family gave him JinZhao to "ensnare" him.
Yanyun, angered by this, immediately demand to know who told him this. Yanwen lies and claims it were people outside gossiping about it.
Yanyun, then picks up the question of how he and JinZhao got together, and he tells them that it was "love at first sight"....
Obviously this is something Chen XuanQing disagrees with (given that he and JinZhaohave some kind of past together), but we know that there's some truth to Yanyun's words.
Remember the way JinZhao stared at Yanyun the first time she met him?
His older brother then says that this is the first time, that he sees Yanyun in love.
(Our boy is so happy😍)
He then promises Yanyun that they will take care of JinZhao, because he cares so much about her.
Their married life is really so sweet, it's hard to concentrate on other scenes that doesn't feature them...
Anayway, it's obvious that Yanyun's younger brother Yanwen is preparing for trouble, as is Chen XuanQing - both for totally unrelated reasons.
Before her wedding, Grandma helps JinZhao to get herself ready. They share one last look, before grandma joins the guests.
They both know it's now time to let go.
JZ then imagines her late mother appearing (🥲)
She tells her that she never thought she would het ever married, until Chen Yanyun changed her mind.
She promises her mother that she will have a good life.
Jinzhao then is meeting up with Yanyun, who waited for her, to bow goodbye to JinZhao's family.
(They are both happy)
After the bows, Yanyun can stop himself from carrying his wife to her bride-carriage😍
Being overly happy, he lifts her veil and kiss her... ❤️
Sadly, Ye Xian's father passen away, the night before, and he is now leading his father's coffin to the temple. Meeting Yanyun and JinZhao on their way to their new home, he let's them pass. (showing his growth).
(Honestly, that scene wasn't necessary. I already heard that the actor is hugely favored by the production company, and that it's their way of promoting him... sadly, things like this exist in Cdrama industry, so I see no purpose in getting upset over this)
At the Chen residence, JinZhao and Yanyun continue their wedding rituals.
An imperial decree then arrives.
The emperor "upgraded" JinZhao as wedding gift to a noble lady.
After the wedding, Yanyun has to toast to his guests, meanwhile -
- JJ sits with Qingpu at the table to eat something. She wonders if the funeral procession was related to YeXian. But Qingpu reminds her that Yanyun is maybe the one she should be worried about, given that YeXian stormed her home at night. But JZ is unbothered, because the one to blame is YeXian🤣
Jingzaho then sends Qingpu to look where Yanyun is. After Qingpu left, she takes out Yanyun's whistle.
(She obviously wonders where he is and is tempted to call for him with the whistle + girl is ready for the wedding night! 😂)
When he appears, JZ has already fallen asleep. Yanyun sits by her side and watches her, just as she wakes up. She imitates him, and he plays along (cute).
Until it's time for the wedding night, and he carries her to the bed...
And then... they have sex.🔥
(Fantastic scene 😉)
At morning, she asks him about the scars on his back.
She wonders, why as a politican, he is in so many dangerous situations.
Yanyun doesn't really give her an direct answer, but what he is basically saying, is that he thinks it's his job to put himself in danger, when his country needs it.
He explains that his life didn't matter much to him before, but not anymore. He will now watch out for himself.
Jinzhao makes it clear again, that he had to take better care of himself. She wants him to live.
YeXian storms the Gu household, the night before the wedding, to bring JinZhao an very inappropriate gift of his.
He stops in from of JinZhao's room (😬) to talk to her. She recalls the the first good deed he did for her - stand up for her at her coming of age ceremony, and how she never forgot this kindness of his.
She recalls another moment where he helped her out.
JinZhao knows that he helped a lot, but YeXian is fast to say that she helped him too in return. He then recalls how she risked his life for him to warn him about the rebellion.
He's confused that she's willing to risk her life for him, but not having romantic feelings for him because of this. JinZhao tells him that this is different, which he doesn't truly understands...
He then thinks she's angry that he never proposed to her, but JZ tells him that is not the case.
She then explains to him that she risked her life for him, not because she has romantic feelings for him, but out of friendship. She seems him as true friend.
YeXian is getting confused by this.
(He can't understand that you can do important and significant things also for friends, and not just love interests)
Worriedly about him because he sits in the cold, so she gives him something to cover.
JinZhao then admits that she had no friends growing up, and he is the only friend she ever had.
She knows that people talk badly about him, but that she doesn't agree with what they say. He's just helpless, just like her.
Talking about her childhood, she mentions that she was abandoned by her parents, and that created a wound - a wound that no one (including grandma) could heal.
JinZhao also knows that she has flaws. But all of this was just an act, to cover her own fears.
She then compares herself to YeXian, seeing him as another version of herself.
She tells him that he is special to her because of that, but she could never love him, because he's they're just too similar.
(Are there really people who take this as a hint that she has romantic feelings for him?)
She uses the word "cannot" because she has to explain to him why she only sees him as a friend, because he just really doesn't understand why she doesn't feel more for him.
People who are bothered by her use of words, just show how little they understand of the drama, and what it tries to tell, and the characters itself.
She the goes on and reveals more about herself, basically explaining her whole character and why she acted the way she did in the first episodes.
She just wants to be loved, but could never admit it. 🥺
Having a very exhausting life because of this, she obviously could not be with someone, who's just the same.
(JZ is not really crying for YeXian, but for herself. It's the first time she openly reveals something so vulnerable about her).
She's indirectly explaining why she loves Yanyun so much... because he's just a very caring person at his core and makes her feel loved.
Ye Xian, understanding her pain, asks if marrying Yanyun could give her what she hopes for.
She doesn't know it, but is willing to take the risk (oh god🥹)
Thank You, Yexian!
He understands how much JinZhao must love and trust Yanyun to want to marry him. She's emotional so traumatized by her parents, that it's just an instinct for her to protect herself from any heartbreak, especially the one's that are connected to love.
Do you know how brave it is for her to decide to marry - binding yourself to another person, with no guarantee that you will be happy forever, or that the person will treat you well?
But for Yanyun, she's willing, and mostly importantly, she sets all her hope and trust on him.
This is the biggest love declaration from JinZhao you will ever get, and it's maybe also the most beautiful.
Anyway, JinZhao's family discuss YeXian's gift for her, and understand it's meaning.
At the same time, Yanyun arrives, and handles YeXian. No matter how inappropriate YX's gift to JinZhao is, Yanyun let's it go.
Ye Xian, finally accepting JinZhao's friendship and words - he let's her go.
- The scene between JinZhao and YeXian was really beautiful.
I liked that instead of making this moment revolve around Yanyun, the scriptwriter makes it about JinZhao (rightfully) - her feelings, her pain, and her hope.
JinZhao understood that telling YeXian that he's only a friend to her is not fixing whatever his problem is. He really didn't understood why she can't love him. So she took another path, explaining to him why he could never be more to her, and revealing her deepest pain and desires during her speech, but also indirectly explaing her love for Yanyun, and the depth of it.
Only then did he accept her rejection, and can let her go.
JinZhao is receiving a letter from Chen XuanQing. Having no interest in reading it, she burns it. It's in the past, and advising him to let it go too.
Late, JinZhao is talking with her Grandma, who is happy that Yanyun puts so much effort in this wedding. He even made sure that his older brother, who lived in another city, is attending.
She then explains to JinZhao the personality of Madame Chen (YY's mother). Jinzhao listens and wants to respect her future mother in law.
We then learn that YY has two elder brothers, both born from concubines, and that one died allegedly from "malaria" (we know this not really true and that he actually drowned at a young age, because YY's younger brother killed him).
The other half-brother Yanzhang was actually raised by Mama Chen and is also favored by her, even though he boy was born by a concubine of her husband (Mama Chen seems to be also a rather complex person).
JinZhao's future sister in law is the head of the Chen household now. JZ then decides that she has no desire of wanting to take charge of the household either, thinking that it's a thankless job, and that she shoulf rather bother about her business.
Grandma then talks about YY's only full-blood brother, who is also the youngest one - Yanwen. He's the guy that killed his older brother as a child.
But JinZhao doesn't know that, and YY only told her that he's away because of "health problems".
Grandma then decides to stop talking about the Chen family matters, believing that JinZhao is already full informed. JinZhao rejects that, wanting to spend more time with her grandma.
JinZhao then get's sad, and expresses her wish not to leave her grandmother.
(She knows it's now time to say goodbye to her childhood)
Grandma then wishes Yanyun and her a happy life. They both smile.
I liked the scene with JinZhao and grandma, and expressing the sadness of leaving her grandma behind. But it's just right, because marriage is not for children, but for adults. It's time to say goodbye to grandma, because it means she's ready to leave her childhood behind and start a new life.
I'm also glad, that we got to know more of the Chen household and Mama Chen.
I respect Mama Chen's willigness to treat the children that were born of her husbands mistresses, like her own children. The problem is just, that she neglected Yanyun (her own born son) for this. It raises the question of why she did this...
JinZhao and Yanyun discuss how to help Ye Xian and his father, who went to prison together, based on false accusations (Fu Hulian's plan).
After Yanyun managed to get YeXian and his father out of prison, he meets again with JinZhao. Both are glad that the family could get saved.
Yanyun explains to JinZhao the possible consequences of Lord Ye (YeXian's father) dying.
He mentions the northern tribe and how they are still at odds with each other, and a possible attack from them if they heard of Lord Ye'a condition.
Why is that important? Because I saw viewers say that the war with the northern tribe in ep39 came out of nowhere - which is not true. The scriptwriter hinted at the confrontation with the northern people far early in the show, you just need to pay attention.
Yanyun explains the reason why Lord Ye was pardoned, and how Fu Hulian (YY's boss) is behind it. And that Lord Ye is unfortunately dying, and so is his legacy.
Being troubled by all of this, he remembers his boss's compassion for people in need. Yanyun then realizes that Fu Hulian is not the man anymore he thought him to be.
Understanding his sorrow and wanting to comfort him, JinZhao takes his hands and tells him a story of Lord Ye and his character.
Comforted by this, he repeats Lord Ye' words, and embraces her. They are both smiling.
Later, we see how Yanyun's mother and sister in law discuss his dowry, he intends to give JinZhao as wedding gift. And it's a lot.🤣
And Mama Chen is annoyed by this.
When asked if she wants to gift JinZhao something too, she rejects, believing that her future daughter in law has already enough...
but changed her mind and decides to gift JinZhao something anyway.
(No matter how she feels about JinZhao, at least she doesn't want to disrespect her.)
Mama Chen then admits that she's still not in favor of Yanyun marrying Jinzhao.
They then go on and describe Yanyun & JinZhao's relationship as improper 😇
Meanwhile Yanyun is preparing another wedding gift for JinZhao (😄) is asking his sister to take it to her.
After his sister complains about JinZhao's wealth, Yanyun clarifies that he wants to make her gifts because he wants to. But expecting her to act spoiled, he also preparing a gift for her, just so that she finally agrees to take the real gift to JinZhao.
(Yanyun has the patience of a saint)
At JinZhao's engagement celebration, YY's sister arrives to deliver his wedding gifts.
YY's sister can't control her curiosity and asks JinZhao bluntly when her relationship with Yanyun truly started. She wonders if it was JinZhao's coming of age ceremony - which JZ embarrassly denies. Then his sister wonders if it was at the new year cestival - which JZ again denies embarrassed. Lastly, his sister wonders if it was Tongzhou (Grandma' home) where they become close, because apparently Yanyun spent 2 years ago several months there...
- This interaction actually left me confused, because obviously the question of that scene is when their feelings for each other started, but it sadly doesn't give us an answer.
When his sister suggested Tongzhou, I wondered which time in story she meant...
Because Yanyun and JinZhao were two times at the same time in Tongzhou:
First time was in episode one, when Yanyun took refuge at Grandma's home, hiding from a potential assassin attack by his opponents, which lead to their first meeting.
But that can't be, because the moment Xanqing (his sister) meant was two years ago and Yanyun taken refuge in Tongzhou was actually 3 years ago.
And the second time was when the bandit captured JinZhao, to threaten Yanyun, and then they both fell from the cliff, which was merely a year ago.
JinZhao was back then in Tongzhou because she mourned her mother, meanwhile Yanyun was in Tongzhou for business related stuff.
But that can't be either, because Yanyun was only shortly in the city, and not months.
Do you have any theories what time in Tongzhou (that was 2 years ago), where Yanyun spent several months, she actually meant?
Anyway, embarrassed by all those questions JinZhao wants to bribe Xanquing with jade figures... and it eventually works.
Spoiled brat😩
Regarding the scene where Yanyun's sister asks about the relationship and the beginning - I know the timeline of it is quite complex.
From Yanyun's POV, we know he realized his in ep09, when he drew the picture of her, but we haven't gotten the same for Jinzhao. In ep 19, during her conversation with Qingpu about Yanyun's proposal, she's already aware of her feelings for him...
But when did he start to develops feelings for her, and when did she for him? The obvious answer is obviously ep01, but I'm amused at the fact that the scriptwriter dances around giving us an explicit answer, and rather leaves the question unanswered.
Jinzhao is visiting her grandmother, and they talm about Yanyun's proposal, and rhe efforts he took for it.
It turns out that grandma didn't approve at first when Yanyun asked her for JinZhao's hand, fearing she would be mistreated.
But when grandma saw that he prepared a divorce letter, as plan b for Jinzhao, she eventually had to agree.
Later, JinZhao and her grandmother are sitting with her cousin together and he wants to talk about Yanyun too.
Amused by her cousins worry about her wedding, she makes fun of him and dismisses his worries.
It turns out she is now truly confident in marrying Yanyun.
Her cousin, knowing the divorce letter, predicts that even if something happens to Yanyun, JinZhao would never leave him.
Jinzhao responds with her declaring that she only wouldn't walk away, if he's the one for her.
She then explains to her family, how she never wanted marry, but because of Yanyun's proposal she changed her mind. But if they have to seperate one day, she knows she could still have a good life.
Again, declaring her will to give this marriage a try.
Later, she talks with Ye Xian's sister about him, and how she has to tell him about her wedding. Knowing his temper, they worry about his reaction.
YX's sister then asks JinZhao if she has feelings for him, but JZ explains that she sees XY only as a friend.
Unfortunately, this is the moment where YX appears and hears JZ's last words. He becomes angry. JinZhao then can only ask him to calm down.
He wants to know if it's true that she will marry Yanyun, which she confirms and then he loses it...
Even pointing a sword at her.
When wanting to know why she wants to marry YY, she confesses her feelings for Yanyun to YeXian.
But YeXian can't believe it.
He then is pointing the sword at her family.
When he wants to go, he gets a sudden pain in the heart, but then leaves, with JinZhao crying about what just happened.
She breaks down, wirh her family comforting her.
- I know that most Yanyun+JinZhao shippers hate those scenes with YeXian (+JinZhao's crying in ep39, or their talk before the wedding), meanwhile YeXian stans are romanticizing them. I just can say that both is absolutely ridiculous.
JinZhao is allowed to have a male friend she deeply cares about, but that's what he is: a friend. And he was always just a friend to her, not a love interest.
Why does JinZhao breakdown?
Because she hurt him, and even though she's not really to blame, she's still the one that caused him to be in pain and have a mental breakdown. She feels guilty. But she also almost fainted after her mother died. This is just how she reacts when people she cares about are hurt, she then feels the hurt too. JinZhao, despite her temper and arrogance sometimes, is still someome that is deeply attached to the people she cares about and would do a lot for them.
Anyway, let's continue:
YeXian, in his anger, attacks Yanyun on open street (this is beyond ridiculous), but YY can easily overpower him.
Yanyun uses the opportunity and tells YeXian about his father getting imprisoned, which is a wake up call for YeXian (thank goodness).
Yanyun then loudly accuses Yexian of being jealous, with Ye Xian playing along. YY then wants to spread rumors about their rivalry, so that he can't be accused of being on YeXian's side later on, when he tries to help the Ye family (such a good boy).
Yanyun is informing Jinzhao that he got her grandma's approval for marriage with her.
She admits that all of this feels surreal to her, and is quite nervous about something, without telling us what it is.
She then decides to put her thought somewhere else - telling Ye Xian about her marriage with Yanyun.
The fact that she describes telling Ye Xian about her upcoming wedding as "tricky", implies that she's aware of his romantic feelings towards her, and probably knows that he won't react "kindly" to the news. That's why she wants to tell him this in person, out of respect for him.
Why did she wait so long to tell him about Yanyun and herself? I guess, like I said, she knows it will hurt him and has know idea how he will react to the news. He's her friend and she obviously cares for him and doesn't want to hurt him, but I also think she fears that it could destroy their friendship.
Later, Yanyun finally sends someone of high and noble status (Mrs He) to officially propose marriage to JinZhao.
And look at her reaction...🥹
... she even blushes.☺️
Later that day, JinZhao opens up about her, but she's still worried about something...
It just so happens, that in this moment her Aunt comes with her annoying cousin Lian into her room to gratulate her. When they leave JinZhao immediately wants to see her fiancé.
At their meeting place, Yanyun appears with JinZhao staring at him and we see flashbacks of their scenes together (interestingly it starts with JinZhao meeting him for the first time😉)
When meeting her Yanyun immediately takes care of her, and gives her his cloak (meanwhile she just stares at him).
She reveals she feels like "she has lost her senses", and further explains that she's happy about his proposal, but is also worried about something.
Explaining further her thoughts, she admits her fear of this all being a not real and that she could make a mistake.
She realizes that those fears come from her feeling insecure about her upcoming wedding, but him suddenly appearing now made those fears disappear 🤔
Yanyun then admits that she really scared him with her words, and feared she would cancel the wedding.
Jinzhao is surprised this. He explains it's his weakness and she must keep this a secret.
He tells her that she is his weakness, which brings her to smile (she likes it). They hug.
And then she confesses her feelings to him.
They are happy.
Why does she feel suddenly so insecure about her wedding?
Probably because she realizes that with his official proposal, things are getting real. And with that comes the fear of a uncertain future...
The things is, a good future is promised to no one. And no matter how many precautions you prepare, the possibility is always there that things are not going your way. That's just life.
Jinzhao grew up without her parents love and care, and that can make people really resentful towards the world. It also caused Jinzhao to be "hyper cautious" when it comes to anything regarding love or what involves love, like a marriage. She was hurt by her own parents before, so all those fears and insecurities will play a significant role when she discusses marriage, a decision that is actually for life.
But JinZhao is not stupid, and she realizes, that a decision like that, can only be made with a will and hope... it means to be brave enough to take a risk, even though you don't know the outcome. And she does at the end. And that's a big thing, but I will talk in later posts about that.
Why did those insecurities vanish the moment she sees him?
I can only guess, but I think she was just testing him. She wants to be secure of his love and devotion to her (remember she grew up abandoned by her parents), and when asking him to meet at night, knowing that it's actually seen as "improper" for an engaged couple to meet alone at night, she's testing if he's willing to defy society rules and come to her when needed.
And he did.
So, that's why I think she was feeling secure about their marriage again, after he showed up.
The time has finally come - Yanyun is confessing to his mother about his plans to marry JinZhao.
He reveals that he has already asked JinZhao's grandma for approval - and she agreed (sadly, we don't have that scene in the drama).
But he also needs his mama's approval too.
And she get's really angry, when she realizes that he hid his relationship with JinZhao from his own mother (can't blame him).
We actually get a little more insight what he was like as a child, and what relationship to his mother looked like (look at his face 😟)
Unfortunately, she starts to badmouth JinZhao (luckily JinZhao's grandma didn't hear that).
Yanyun eventually explains that he values JinZhao's "status" and her family's political neutrality, because it aligns with his political views.
He then goes on to explain how dangerous it has become at court for everyone.
Mama Chen then concludes that him rejecting a possible marriage with Xue Qinglan was because of political reasons. He agrees but also admits that he doesn't care about Ms. Xue.
He the goes on to explain why JinZhao is the perfect match for him.
But then he says the one reason why he really wants to marry her - he loves her.
His mother realizes that all those many explanations from him served only one purpose - to convince her that JinZhao is the one for him... and look at his face 😂
Mama Chen then wonders how & when Yanyun and JinZhao developed feelings for each other. She then thinks it was at JinZhao's coming of age ceremony - which he denies.
But look at the face he makes after he denied it...
And even Mama Chen doesn't believe him and wants to end the conversation 🤣
And she finally gives her permission that he can marry her.
Yay!
One thing I like about this drama is it's subtext and things left unsaid... Yanyun talking to his mother about JinZhao is the perfect example of that.
When trying to convince Mama Chen to let him marry JinZhao, he goes heavily into the political side of it and how JinZhao's political neutrality is perfect for him, because it doesn't tie him to any faction at court. But in the end, the only reason why he wants to marry JinZhao is because he loves her deeply. He not only loves her, but he absolutely trusts her and feels comforted by her presence - something he struggled with before he met her.
He could have given his mother a whole speech about his love for JinZhao and how he will only marry her, but that would be counterproductive. His mother, despite not being a bad person, is very judgmental and prejudiced towards people with a lower status, and Yanyun knows that. To convince her to let him marry JinZhao, despite her lower status, he knew that he had to come up with something better than a speech about love, so he chose to explain why JinZhao's politician neutrality does him (and his family) a favor.
But in it's core, he's just a man who wants to marry the woman he loves so deeply.
He presents her with divorce papers, that he wrote meanwhile he was in prison.
The divorce letter describes how any harmful action on Yanyun's side has nothing to do with JinZhao.
He tells her that she can use these papers any time she needs too, whatever he faces grave dangerous situation or if he makes her unhappy.
JinZhao, who's quite moved by it, realizes that Yanyun was thinking the whole time about how to write the divorce papers when he was in prison.
Yanyun then explains that the divorce papers is the only way to not only offer a solution to JinZhao's fears about marriage, but also to the fears Yanyun developed.
He then further explains that he has written two copies and one will be shown to JinZhao's grandma, to get her approval of marriage.
She agrees (finally!) with a little peck on his lips.
But he of course goes full in and gives her a proper kiss.
Later, on her way home, JinZhao wonders what Yanyun was thinking when writing the divorce letter.
We then get a flashback of him writing the letter, and get also more insight of what is written on the paper: even if a divorce is happening, Yanyun wishes JinZhao a happy life. It brings her of course to tears, because how could it not? It reveals his selfless for her.
The divorce letter is of course a rather uncomfortable way to agree on a marriage, but it's not like that we don't understand why it's happening.
JinZhao, who's afraid of having a marriage like her mother, needed that paper to not only get the confirmation that Yanyun truly understood her fears, but he's also able to find a resolution for it.
Yanyun on the other side fears that his work as grand secretary will bring harm to JinZhao, and has to find a way to make sure that nothing happens to her. At the end, the divorce papers serve two purposes:
1. Protecting JinZhao from future consequences
2. Convincing her to finally marry him, because he's really that desperate to marry her and have a life as husband and wife.
The fact that he still wishes JinZhao a great life, even after a divorce could happen, reveals that his love is more of selfless nature...
When hearing the news about Yanyun getting released from prison, she immediately rushes to see him (cute).
Worried that he's not here yet, she uses the whistle, to let him know she's waiting for him.
And there he is.
JinZhao is moved to tears, which worries YY, but she has no idea why she suddenly gets teary (Obviously she was worried as hell for him, when he went to prison)
Letting her tears flow, she immediately hugs him tight (their first hug actually).
Meanwhile YY' family is wondering why he doesn't come home after being released from prison.
His brother (the one who murdered the smaller brother), has a very suspicious look while his family discusses YY's whereabouts.
I honestly think that Yanyun not immediately going home and paying respect to his mother - something he actually never seems to miss, is making his brother suspicious. He knows that Yanyun is a very dutiful person, and that's why he probably knows that there is more going on with YY. He may not know about JinZhao yet, but he definitely knows that his brother has now other "priorities".
Now comes a scene that is very important to understand the ending scene of the drama (something a lot of people seem to have trouble with).
Yanyun is walking with JinZhao at the riverside and discusses his boss (Fu Hulian scheming with her.
He realizes that a morally corrupt man with power can be more dangerous than an incompetent man with power.
And acknowledges that him and his boss + other of his coworkers do not share the same morality nor ideals than he does.
JinZhao warns him that separating himself from the faction his boss belongs to could harm5 him.
He acknowledges this too and tells her that his path going forward will certainly not easy. She misinterprets this as him warning her to stay away from him.
But he assures her that he has no intention of doing so.
he also tells her that is aware that things can get really dangerous for him, and that he already has something prepared that protects her from the consequences...
It's so nice to see Yanyun being that open about his worries and fears regarding his job, his master, and how he himself will move forward.
Jinzhao is just listening and sharing her opinion when needed. The scene at the river is the perfect example of why they work so great as a married couple later. They are each other's biggest supporters and safe space.
After YY got informed about the grain incident, he calls for GJZ to meet.
I sweet that even though YY is in trouble, he makes it clear that their relationship shouldn't revolve around business matters.
He also knows that JinZhao's cousin Yao proposed to her, but she wastes no time to make it clear that she rejected.
+ He also bought the cookies for JinZhao that she offered him back when she fought he waited in front of the shop for him.
Yanyun then starts to explain to JinZhao what happened with the grain.
She immediately suspects her father being the culprit (😅), but YY makes it clear it wasn't him.
She understands his situation and how serious it is, but YY makes it clear that he already knows what to do, and what role JinZhao has to play in that.
He knows he is in trouble, and that he will have to go for a short time to prison, but he makes it clear that he trusts JinZhao to help him when the time comes.
Later, when she hears about the news of Yanyun getting imprisoned and how he took the blame on himself, it's easy to see how upset and worried she's about that.
Yanyun hears the drums and immediately knows that JinZhao, who tries everything to help Yanyun, went to the emperor even though YY forbid her that. She knows that this could be the only way to fulfill her part in the plan, and even though YY is against it (because she could get physically punished), she's willing to take this risk.
Having a secret meeting wit his boss outside of the prison, he official confesses to him about his feelings for JinZhao and even asks him to keep an eye on her.
Obviously, it's Yanyun telling indirectly his boss, that he endures being part of theor scheme, but only if his teacher can protect JinZhao.
It's so nice to see the how much YY has changed. From being someone that isolates himself from anyone, to someone who trusts others enough to help him.
And also JinZhao shows that no matter how tempered or resentful she can be, she's willing to help where she's able to.
After telling Qingpu about the kiss, she's certain that Yanyun will soon propose. But... JinZhao's still not certain if she wants to marry him (😅).
At least Qingpu is as confused by this as me.
I mean, she has a point - just because you kiss doesn't mean you get married. Marriage is not an easy decision, and requires honest judgement.
But at least she smiles at the thought of Yanyun proposing to her (for the 4th? time).
Meanwhile Yanyun overhears his mother gossiping about the rumors that JinZhao has allegedly an affair with Wang Zan.
(For reminder: it was JinZhao's cousin Lian that spread rumors about JinZhao & Wang Zan, because she was afraid of using Yanyun's name).
Our boy is even scolding his own mother for giving those rumors any attention (good).
With those new rumors around, and hurting JinZhao's reputation, he's sending his friend Jiang to deal with it. But also using this as an excuse to meet with JinZhao 😉
Cute.
I like they way he looks at her. He's obviously excited to see her, especially after their first kiss. And she's embarrassed and can't even quiet look at him, but also smiling the whole time.
Talking about the rumors, he's let's her that he obviously doesn't believe them (I mean he's the one she has an "affair" with right now🤣).
Jinzhao realizes that it was him who send Wang Zan to apologize to her. Wanting to know how he did it, he get's sneaky.
"I'll tell you later" - he already makes plans for their next secret meeting.🥰
They both then agree that their little "affair" is very likely not a secret anymore in the Gu household.
When trying to plan how to smooth things over, he suggests that it's time for him to official propose to her -
- which she rejects... at this point i just feel sorry for him.
At least she's clutching her dress when he mentions the proposal - expressing her excitement about it.
Him, being the smart man that he is, tries to make her realize that her family already knows about them, and that it would be the right time to make it official.
But she rejects again, because she needs "more time"...
The disappointment, the misty eyes...
Ci Sha is fantastic in this scene.
She then sends him off.
Her dress brushes his hand (unintentional), and you can see how smitten he is with her.
Later, JinZhao confronts her family, especially her cousin, about the rumors floatings around. Even though the family acknowledges Lian's fault in that, she barely gets any punishment. Which leaves JinZhao unsatisfied.
Her grandma then uses the opportunity to talk about Yanyun and her.
She then mocks JinZhao about it, claiming that Yanyun would never marry her.
This scene speaks for itself.
JinZhao doesn't even try to clear her's or Yanyun's name. Letting her grandmother believe that he just used her, knowing damn well that YY planned to propose, but that she herself stopped it. (I can't even feels sorry for JZ right now).
Grandma then declares that JZ has to marry Wang Zan, but before JinZhao can reject it, her cousin Yao arrives, with his own intention of proposing to JinZhao.
Having a moment alone, JinZhao rejects Yao's proposal, and declares she will only marry a man who makes feel these things:
(Obviously telling us indirectly how she feels about Yanyun).
And even Yao wonders why she could give such an detailed explanation.
A little rant: Yes, I was annoyed at JinZhao and her attitude towards Yanyun during those scenes. I also don't think her hesitation has anything to do with her mother anymore, but if it does, then the writers did not a good job in writing those scenes like that, because it appears that she hesitates just for the sake of it... like its seems that the writers wrote JinZhao like that because they wanted to highlight the ML and his devotion to marry her - no matter what. But the FL's characterization and her progression suffered for that.
When I first watched those scenes, I didn't mind, because I was just so happy and excited to watch new episodes, but during the rewatch, I found myself really getting annoyed at her. They really stretched that arc of her being hesitant and needing more time far too long.
After the Spring banquet, Yanyun wants to see JinZhao, only for her to reject his request...
Apparently she's still angry over the possibility that Yanyun could be matched (engaged) with Xue Qinglan.
And we get another rival for Yanyun... even though that new guy is scum and has zero chance with JinZhao.
Later, Yanyun (on behalf of JinZhao's father) is visiting the Gu household, and happens to see JinZhao, who's troubled by Wang Zan... obviously, he doesn't like that.
When her father requests to JZ to attend their meeting, she declines, because she's still mad at him, and decides to rather help the kitchen with the dish, Yanyun wants to try.
When hearing that she helps in the kitchen, Yanyun can't hold himself back from making an ambiguous comment to her own father.
"The young lady knows my tastes."...
Shameless 🤣
Meanwhile, we get to know the real reason why she wants to help with the dishes...
She wants to make the meals taste disgusting...
And that's his reaction...
I honestly don't see the sense of doing this other than her being childish.
But kudos to him for not complaining and just swallowing it. He seems to be the only one who's capable of being an adult.
When being invited to stay overnight, he agrees. (He just wants to see her that bad)
Jinzhao is not happy about him staying and plans to hide from him (keyword: childish)
Thank goodness for Qingpu, because she's us in this moment.
On the way to hide, she overhears her uncle and grandma, but before they can catch her, she runs away and hides in the exact same place where Yanyun is staying.
Yanyun is of course worried, why she was hiding from her uncle in the first place.
Look how pleased he looks when hearing she knew he will stay overnight...
Jinzhao on the other hand is still mad (?) at him and tries to leave.
Yanyun mentions Wang Zan and how he saw her with him interacting, but she quickly shuts him down, without giving him context to the scene he watched earlier...
When telling her then that he shut down a possible engagement with Xue Qinglan, she's for the first time looking directly at him (ahaaa).
She worries about possible consequences for him, given that the match with Xue Qinglan was suggested by his boss.
He tells her indirectly that he can't worry about his boss displeasure with him because she's his priority right now.
And she rejects him again... (it's not even funny anymore)
He tries to get her to focus on just the two of them (good), and not on the buisness side of marriage (i blame her parents and grandmother).
He (again) tells her he understands her, but that they should handle things together.
And she finally can agree with him on that.
He looks like a dream came true for him, and then kisses her.
And she's into it, but really into it.
When they have to depart, he fixes her hair.
Cute 🥰
But, sadly, her mean cousin has seen her leaving Yanyun's room at night, and already plans to use this info to her advantage 🫤
P.S. For people wondering why some of my comments sounded a bit annoyed: the next part will be worse.
When have the opportunity to talk to Yanyun, JinZhao waste no time and immediately confronts him about Xue Qinglan and him letting her win.
The fun part is that she pretends to not know the fact that Xue Qinglan doesn't like easy winnings and that Yanyun also knows that.
She's testing him.
Yanyun, who's not taking the bait, doesn't react to her provocative accusations 😇
Our girl is not happy... and he enjoys it.
When competing against each other, they get a tie.
Obviously this has more symbolic meaning, signaling that they are both equals in their relationship.
Yanyun takes that opportunity and explains himself, about why he let Xue Qinglan win. Turns out, he only did it because she hates when people give her an easy win, and because his teacher wants to match YY with her, YanYun had to find a way for Xue Qinglan to reject this match proposal.
Even though, she is pleased to get an explanation, she's playing cool again.
And then we get this wonderful moment of him, watching her leave... 😍
Having a moment for themselves, JinZhao asks him why his horse was following her.
Turns out, he gave the horse's caretaker her scent, so it could remember her it and approach it when the moment came... hah.
What a interesting way to signal to your beloved that she's the one you want to be with.
Things are getting serious, and Yanyun asks her again about his proposal.
JZ explains that she's still don't see why she should marry, given that she would have no benefits from that.
And explains that becoming his wife has it's consequences, because she would be then a noble lady and would have to follow a certain etiquette.
YY's look, when YZ explained her side, is proof that her words are not just her biased opinion. He knows that the "freedom" she experiences now will become less after she marries him, because certain things are expected from a grand secretary's wife.
Only when she says that this marriage is also of no benefit for him, he can finally disagree with her.
He explains to her how he doesn't want his marriage used for political purposes, and how it actually helps that her family belongs to no political faction. He further clarifies that he trusts her, and how lucky he is that she's also rich. And then tells her that he likes her very much.
And then he tells that he knows she likes him too... leaving her speechless. She leaves, and he is left with a very satisfied look on his face.
the banquet ends with GJZ winning the contest against Yanyun, and Ye Xian storming the event to arrest some random official.
Anyway, back at home, GJZ has unfortunately listen to her family gushing over Xue Qinglan and her possible engagement to Yanyun...
it's again a reality check for JinZhao and the different status in society she has compared to Yanyun.
It's sad to see her like this.
Given, that she usually doesn't care about nobility, it's obvious that her sudden displeasure about it comes from the fact, that it separates her from Yanyun, and gives her the feeling of not "being good enough" for him.
Even the 'annoying one' notices JinZhao's angry face.
And Yanyun, that little rascal, finally got what he wanted - making her angry... and jealous 😀
And boy, she's really angry.
Angry, that he appears to search for a different wife than her.
Her reaction just shows that she doesn't want him to marry someone else (obviously), but that she wants him to chase her.
Meanhwile, Xue Qinglan challenges YY to compete with her at the contest.
And YY just waited for that opportunity...
Our girl is happy to see him winning.
Ugh, the way he looks at her... oh, he knows she likes him.
And another win.
Our boy was showing his skill, so when he competes with Xue Qinglan and loses - everybody knows it's on purpose.
And our girl is everything but happy for Xue Qinglan, who apparently just won...😅
He already came to the conclusion thar he let Qinglan win on purpose. What bothers her about that is that she believes he did that to win Qinglan's favor -
- only to be told by Yanyun's sister, that she forewarned her brother in advance that Qinglan doesn't like easy wins... what she doesn't understand yet is why he did it.
When Qinglan is quitting the competition with YY (who clearly let her win), JinZhao wants to take her place and enter the contest against YY.
And she obviously does that because she wants to talk to him, given that the opportunities to speak to him in private are limited at a social gathering like this.
Jinzhao, who's visisting a restaurant she manages, meets no one else than YanYun there, who's not alone, but with his boss and coworkers. You can say that there both quite taken by surprise when meeting each other.
YY's coworker (forgot his name) has obviously drank too much, and starts to bother JinZhao, and orders her to drink "penalty shots".
YY tries to stop him, but with no success. JinZhao who notices the tension between the two, agrees to drink the shots.
You can see how much this bothers YY, because in some way JZ is totally without power, surrounded by those powerful official, and no matter how much he wants to help her, things would just get worse.
When leaving, GJZ can't help herself and takes a look at YY, who can surprisingly not look at her this time.
He likely feels guilty, even though it wasn't his fault, but he would of course blame himself. It's one of those rare moments, where he's not the most "powerful", but has to sit back and can only watch. For someone, who cares about morality and "standing on the right side", this must feel like a gut punch.
And JinZhao understands - not only the danger of the situation, that's why she took those penalty shots, but also that there's nothing YY can do now.
Yanyun follows JinZhao outside, and immediately clarifies that his coworkers like the company of girls, but he doesn't 😆
Jinzaho, who smiles at his words, pretends to bot care even if he would enjoy the company of girls.
Why do I say "pretend", because she obviously doesn't want to admit that she would be hurt by that. She likes him, and even thinks about marrying him, so of course she would be hurt by that.
He then apologizes for what happened earlier. She clarifies that there's no need for that.
She plays cool and understanding and clarifies that she's not angry at him. She then advices him to return to his group, before leaving herself.
Yanyun, who watches her leave, wonders of she's really not angry ... only for Chenyi to appear and telling him that's she's really not angry 🤣
Why would YY want her to be angry? Because he wants her to like him, and this includes wanting your beloved to help you when needed. He wants her wanting him to stand up for her. When things got awry with his coworker, YY wanted her to to be angry at him for not fulfilling those romantic expectations.
Was she angry and just pretending to be fine? No, she wasn't angry. But not because she doesn't have those romantic expectations on him, but she understood that he couldn't help her, it would only make things worse.
When returning to his coworkers, the annoying one wants to bother him about GJZ.
Having put the annoying one into place, YY's boss pressures him about marriage.
YY agrees, and the lies - claiming he hasn't found a suitable match yet (hahahah).
Strangely, his boss claims to have a suitable match for him - his own niece.
YY, who can't outright refuse him (it's his boss), can only pretend to be grateful for his suggestion.
At home, YY asks his sister about Xue Qinglan (the boss's niece), especially her personality.
With all those new information, you can see him coming up with a scheme to stop this matchmaking nonsense.
And he's making sure that his real beloved will also come to the spring banquet - the event where his boss wants to match him with his niece.
The Spring Banquet - part 1
At the spring banquet, JinZhao meets a horse that is strangely following her (we later get an answer for that).
She meets CXQ again, and doesn't show any sign of heartbreak or regret. And even if she feels a little bit about it, she doesn't show it nor mention it. CXQ is history for her.
Meanwhile, YY meets Xue Qinglan for the first time, and pretends to have some misogynistic views regarding archery and riding (only to make her not like him).
At the same time, GJZ appears, losing control over the horse, but manages to calm it down before it could threw her off... with YY proudly watching.
She turns to see Yanyun watching her, and Yue Qinglan standing beside him...
And it turns out, that the horse that kept following JinZhao is actually Yanyun's.
Oh, I love JinZhao's stern expression... she's definitely not amused.
Hi! Since you’re watching ASM in great detail, I’d like to ask you something. It’s about CYY’s ring. For the first 30 episodes it’s a wide jade ring on the thumb of his left hand. In episode 31 it’s more narrow jade ring on an index finger of the same hand - and it doesn’t change back. Is it like a fashion choice or was there some significance to it I’d missed? I need it for headcanon/fanfiction reasons, if you know the answer, I’d very much appreciate it =)
I sadly don't have an answer myself for you (it's also not explained in the show), but I found this site:
