ep 1 spoilers ahead

Well here we are episode 1! I am very excited to begin this show as it is a little different from other shows that I have seen. Let's see how it is :D This is my first non-fantasy in quite a while.

1.Our story begins with a narration describing several important events: It is the beginning of the Han dynasty, and Emperor Lu We Che is trying to consolidate his power. But in the far north is the Xiongnu tribe, a military power and rival to Han. Between these two powerful nations, in the western land, is the Wusun tribe. They serve as an intermediary between Han and Xiongnu.

2.Princess Xijun, a daughter to the Han emperor, dies at the very beginning of an unknown illness at Chigu (the Wusun capital). At the same time the Kunmi (king of Wusun) learns she is one month pregnant. She married him to solidify an alliance with Han. Her death means the end of that alliance. It is strongly implied to the viewer that the young princess was poisoned, as a maid switches out her medicine and disappears before she can be apprehended (only one maid notices this).

3.The Kunmi sends an envoy to the Han Emperor to secure another marriage. He sends the General of the Left and prince, Wenggui. His envoy is attacked by men from Xiongnu (they were hiding in the sand, it is actually a very cool fight scene). Wenggui suffers heavy injuries but manages to survive.

4.Not far from the battle is a travelling troop of performers. Our female lead appears. She is looking for the water they have traveled three days for, and comes across the blood bath. She recognizes the swords as being Xiongnu, but she does not know the man. She has words for him because his killing has contaminated the water. Wenggui is silent, so she starts calling him mute. Then he leaves. Fortunately, the Xiongnu soldiers have canteens. Jieyeou (female lead) takes from a body a very ornate dagger...(they also loot the corpses for money)

5.Meanwhile, the Han emperor receives a diplomat from Wusun (a survivor of the attack). He learns that Xijun is dead. This seems to visibly upset him, and there is a brief flashback to him telling her that she must marry into Wusun.

6.We return to Kunmi, who is walking with two royal family members, an old man and a youngman. The young man seems a little grovelly while the old man seems kind of proud. We learn the old man is Wenggui's father. They are reporting that Wenggui was attacked, but should still be alive. The old man brags that his son is the best general they have, is very smart, but also unpredictable/difficult to understand.

7.Meanwhile, in Han, the diplomat requests and is granted a private audience with the emperor that night. The envoy reports that they were attacked and that Wenggui is missing. He requests an edict to help find him, and reports he waited to tell him because he did not want the news out since he is injured.

8.Back in Xiongnu, they appear for the first time and are seen doing military exercises. A messenger delivers a hand drawn portrait of Wenggui, and the man in charge of these soldiers gives the order for Wenggui to be hunted down....

9.Meanwhile, the troop stops at a town to perform. There is a woman performing whom Jieyou appears to admire. But she injures herself as she is distracted by soldiers (Xiongnu) in the crowd. For the first time, Jieyou has an opportunity to use her magic tricks (she has never performed; her father clearly has no faith in her and thinks it will end badly). The crowd seems to like her until the box trick. (A box with a false bottom). The trick is stalled because of Wenggui, who is hiding from the soldiers. He runs off, attracting the soldiers...

10.Later, the troop leaves and takes refuge in an abandoned military base. They find Wenggui in the box, and after examining him her father reports that he has been poisoned by the arrows in him. They need rootless water (rain) to purify and detox him. Luckily, a storm rolls through! Jieyou uses the fancy knife she found (after burning it for sanitation) and digs out the poison. She is not very gentle and seems to enjoy causing pain for Wenggui, whom she doesn't seem overly fond of.

11.After, as she cleans the knife, Wenggui watches her and she smiles at him, and he seems a bit...thunderstruck? Later, that night, when everyone is asleep she goes to check on him and he pulls her down (such a common scene in dramas). He basically intimates that he likes her without directly saying it, but she is obtuse and it goes over her head. He also lies and says that he is a travelling merchant. She challenges him and explains that no merchant is so skilled at fighting but he is able to defend his point and she believes him. He wants her to return to the capital with him but she must stay with her family...

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Thoughts:
This looks like it will be good. Aside from the time period and location, the costumes are also unique compared to the dramas I normally watch. I am excited to see what happens next. The acting is good, and the way it is filmed is kind of interesting. I think they are tying to emphasize realism/human nature, with the kind of angles they film, zoom in and out, and the fade-to-black between scenes. Interesting.

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