Episode 4 Summary: Isolated & Alone

Note: I think this episode is important because it clearly establishes the foundation for understanding why the Emperor becomes incredibly domineering in his future relationship with Li'er (in my opinion).

New Characters:
Lan'er: The daughter of Legendary Martial Artist Gie Nie (recall he has fled Qin and is even stronger in combat than Gongsun a.k.a gramps)

Crown Prince Yan, Yan Dan

Madame Min: A royal concubine to Zheng
Maname Chu: A royal concubine to Zheng

-We open up where we left off. Chengjiao raises his sword and the Qin army General orders the army forward but Zheng harshly rebukes him to stop. He the focuses on his little brother, whom he coldly and calmly implores to abandon his futile plan. He explains to him that this is a battle he cannot win however Chengjiao retorts that he is honor bound to do this, for their father. This seems to provoke Zheng a bit, who almost out of derision points out that he would sacrifice the lives of Qin soldiers, in a battle he knows he cannot win, for something that happened so long ago and may or may not be true.

-And then, in my opinion, the director DESTROYS the tension by having Zheng break out into a childhood song about family. The effect is oddly similar to the First Hobbit film, when the dwarves break out into song, but it lacks the same impact because a)it is a kid's song and b)seems so out of character for the emperor to do. Still, it has the desired effect of uniting both armies. Chengjiao drops his sword, recognizing his army will no longer fight for him and in the woods, the Prince of Zhao (who is heavily painted as a coward given he is colluding with Lu Buwei for protection and operating in the shadows but heck you do what you have to do to survive)

-Zheng decrees that in the future no soldier in Qin is to raise arms against a fellow soldier. He then banishes his brother, severing their ties and says he is never going to see him again. In a poignant moment he turns his back on him, literally and figuratively and Chengjiao, realizing what he has lost, screams 'brother' dramatically (that was a bit over the top in my opinion but everything about this show is).

-Elsewhere, Jing is practicing martial arts in the woods (this must be some time skip because it was cold and winter where the battle with Zheng was but here it is a green forest) and Li'er paints. In the spirit of many shows and films, she is something of a contradiction: on the one hand she can fight but on the other hand she is very feminine. It makes her a little over the top perfect: she's beautiful, she can sew, she is smart, she can do just about anything it seems. What is her weakness?

-Jing stops to view her drawing and she explains to him that she would very much like to withdraw from the world and live together with him. But Jing says that it's his responsibility to live for the world. She hastily states it's a silly idea and realizing he's hurt her he grabs her hand and tells her that he would try this with her, to see how long it lasts.

---Let's just point out how he is likely Very different from the Emperor--

-Meanwhile, the Crown Prince of Yan drinks with the emperor, who wonders what he did wrong and is clearly upset by the fact that Chengjiao committed an act that left him no choice but to exile him. Yan points out that being the emperor is to blame, and were he not, this never would have happened. He tells him that Chengjiao was likely manipulated--and asks the emperor to think about who would benefit from that?

hmmm.....I wonder who??

-In the next scene, the emperor sits on his throne in the dark, completely alone. The only person there is Lu Buwei who tells the emperor that he will never abandon him. And this infuriates the emperor, who coldly explains that Chengjiao was always with him, that in spite of him being the emperor he never asked for anything or expected anything, and he's gone now. he accuses Lu Buwei and his mother of taking away everyone who has ever meant anything to him and for making him completely alone--he tells Lu Buwei that he never wants to see him again

-Meanwhile, Jin encounters a skilled female martial artist by the name of Lan'er. Apparently she is the daughter of Gie Nie and looking for him. They find him, and Jing asks to be his desciple but he is rejected. Lan'er clearly likes both Li'er and Jing (I somehow think she will fall in love with Jing) and she and Lan'er, who essentially have the same life history except her father is alive, swear to be best friends forever (not going to last...)

-Back in the harem, the Grand Queen Dowager sits with the top concubines and learns that Zheng has never once slept with them. The only heir to the throne is Fusu, a child of a long dead concubine. That's it. Most emperors and kings have like 50 kids. So this is a big deal. She learns from Zheng that he wants a queen who is both smart and a warrior....and until that person is found he won't name a queen.

-The episode ends with the Emperor issuing an edict that Li'er be captured and brought to him.

My Thoughts:

I think that the scene in the throne room is important to really gaining insight into the emperor's actions , that follow. Everyone he has loved has been taken from him due to the scheming of others. The people he was supposed to trust, who were supposed to care for him (mother and 'uncle') used him for their own gain and everyone wants to kill him. Li'er is the only remaining person whom he cares about. It isn't surprising that he will likely do everything in his power to force her to his side and prevent others from taking her. I feel very bad for her. And for him.

I gave the episode an 8.5. because of some of the writing--the plot devices don't bother me because chinese dramas are chock full of tropes but the execution could be improve upon. The contrast between the emperor, and then Li Er whose living a strangely upbeat life in spite of everything that has happened to her--is odd. For comparison, Journey of Flower had an extremely cheerful female lead, but the show was fairly consistent with her being cheerful--I think that if Li Er was less of a paragon of womanhood than maybe it might seem less jarring--she transforms from confident swordsman, to someone with thoughts about the state, then to a girlish person so quickly that while not unbelievable it is a bit difficult to execute into seamless plot.

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