Episode 19 Spoilers Ahead

Spoilers Ahead!

1. We open to Father Mao who continues to warn Chou Nu that nobles should not be trusted and that she will essentially get burned by Qu Yuan who is young. Eventually he will grow up, tire of her, and abandon her. She defends Qu Yuan but her father is relentless in his condemnation.

2.Elsewhere, King Qin continues his military preparations. He is told that they have only 5,000 men despite his edict. This is because many people have fled once they learned of the edict. The prime minister suggests that they kill 2 birds with 1 stone and use their men, disguised as Chu soldiers to execute these deserters. They will leave some people alive to spread the tale of the Chu attack. This will keep people at home and give them a reason to invade. This plan is carried out successfully.

3.Following this bloody scene King Qin reflects on his actions with his young queen. He knows he is cold blooded but in order to defeat Xirong (the Western states that have been warring with Qin for centuries) he must go to war and crush them. He vows he will get revenge for the Qin lives lost over the years...

4.Meanwhile, back in Chu Tian Ji demonstrates to the Queen how well she can dance. Not only does this delight the Queen (who sees her as a tool to supplant Consort Zheng) she even orders her a dance outfit and tells her she likes her. Later, Tian Ji reveals to her servant she is extremely confident that she will soon ensnare the king....

5.Back in Qin, the King and his queen and royal brother and youngest son, Ji'er (son of the Queen) tour the military training fields. They watch the eldest royal son (and probably heir) show how strong he is (I had to laugh out loud this scene is so over the top he lifts guys up with his arm and throws them across the field). While this strength earns the King's praise, Ji'er condemns his elder brother for lacking strategy/smarts. Prime minister acknowledges both are important. (these princes clearly don't get along).

6.Next, General Wei demonstrates his archery skill. Apparently he is one of the best generals they have but Prime Minister warns the king to be careful so that his skill does not, essentially, eclipse his his own image and make him look bad. Bai Qi arrives late, and shoots an arrow that can turn corners (I am not lying). Apparently he is so skilled one arrow shot can kill 3 men at once. The king is so impressed he promotes him 6 or 7 ranks and chastises General Wei who criticizes him for this. All I can say is CHU IS GOING TO NEED SOME ALLIES.

7.Back in Chu, the Dowager's birthday is under way. Consort Yin gives a gift of a red robe embroidered in gold while the Queen gives a painting of peaches. Consort Zheng performs a dance (clearly for the emperor's benefit). After this, the Queen suggests they tour the lotus's. The Dowager retires but insists they all go look without her. In the lotus garden Tian Ji performs a jaw dropping dance that makes Consort Zheng look like a joke. Even Consort Yin is visibly jealous. That night, the king takes her to bed and she further ingratiates herself to him by appearing extremely innocent and kind, defending servants who gossiped about her....she is good.

8.Back at the Ling Family Wine Shop, Lord Jing hires a professional to kill Lord Qu. He gathers some men, and they chase Qu and Chou Nu while they are spending time together in the woods (here Lord Qu proposes marriage and tells her he will speak to her father, and she shares that her father has his reservations because of their status difference but he tells her he will convince him). They fall off of a cliff and the assassin returns to Lord Jing who reports they must be dead and that he killed the men who helped him. Lord Jing thanks him by poisoning him.

--I want to know who taught Chou Nu martial arts. She saves Qu Yuan CONSTANTLY-

9.Miraculously (because this is a drama) the two managed to survive a fall from thousands of feet and are at a scenic waterfall. Qu Yuan awakens and finds Chou Nu's still body. He holds her tightly, yelling at her and cries ugly tears while ordering her to live again (this scene is so dramatic it actually touched me a bit) but then I laughed because he squeezed her so hard she coughed up water and began to breathe. She promises to never allow anything this war to separate them before passing out, and he notices the blood on her back (she was cut by a sword earlier).

10.Meanwhile, the magistrates office is in chaos. They send people to search for them. Her father searches.

11.Using his robe, she stands behind it and we see some naked shoulder. He is so respectful of her modesty they he applies a salve to her back, without facing her (this is a little too much for me, but I am trying to respect the fact that she likes him BECAUSE he is so respectful). They spend the night in each others arms and he sort of imagines a scene of simple married life....

12.Meanwhile, Tian Ji prepares a secret message. I think her servant sees her writing something secret but she is dismissed. She then sends it by carrier pigeon and it seems there is an elaborate chain set up, of spies in Chu and Qi....

13.Meanwhile, the king of Qin addresses his advisers. There are not enough rations. He will cut his meals in half and basically tells them they are unpatriotic if they do not donate rations to help the soldiers (one guy warns him that this could be a warning sign but the king counters that Qin always plays risky and wins). The nobles agree to donate rations. Qin is in to win! (elsewhere, the king of chu is...frolicking with his new love)

14.Following this scene, the Queen prepares to donate her dowry to help the King. Her son is kind of spoiled and states that the soldiers should eat dirt if they don't have food. She orders him to donate his jade and tells him he can do whatever he wants when he is king but until then he has to suck it up. They present this to the king, who is so touched he admits he is shamed to take their things but will pay them ten fold.

15.Elsewhere, people continue to look for Qu and Chou Nu. The Qu family is finally notified and You'er goes out to immediately assist with Qu soldiers. In a cutscene, his fiancee admits that she hopes he is found alive because she wants revenge for Cang Yun.....Meanwhile, You'er arrives and immediately Qing'er points the finger at Liu Zui, who wanted to marry her sister and basically says he must want revenge. Liu and the other guy (not Jing) are arrested and essentially tortured for info in front of the town. They light a fire under them (literally) and they still don't confess!

16.Meanwhile, Qu and Chou Nu discover they can escape their area by following the fish. After being treated to an extremely funny scene of Ma Ke almost drowning, they escape, and return just before Liu is burned alive. At the same time, an assassin is recovered who may know who ordered the attack. They go to visit Jing....

17.Lord Jing is not only arrested but beaten in front of Qu. They only have circumstantial evidence, nothing really to arrest him. They want him to admit. Lord Jing tries to pull status but Qu tells him he could care less. Qu states he won't even spare nobles from justice.

All I can say is that Qu Yuan is making a TON OF ENEMIES>

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