• The next time our two leads meet is in the royal court in front of the Emperor who was greatly troubled over how to control the nomadic nation next to his own country. Fierce fighters by nature, the nomadic people has been a persistent thorn to Tian Sheng.
  • All eyes turn to Zhi Wei when the Emperor asks for her opinion out of desperation. Stunning everyone in the royal court, Zhi Wei comes up with a way to “tame the wolves”. 1. Open the borders so other than weapons, the nomadic nation would have access to all the goods Tian Sheng’s citizens enjoy. 2. Allow Tian Sheng’s women to marry men from the nomadic nation. (Once the nomadic people learn to enjoy the finer lifestyle of Tian Sheng and learn to farm after settling down with women from Tian Sheng…would they still want to go back to their warring lifestyle?) 3. Help to spread the nomadic nation’s original religion which encourages celibacy and not killing. (Celibacy= less kids, Not killing= less men willing to go fight.) 4. Encourage the nomadic nation to grow sheep for fur which will lead to a more economic advantage to Tian Sheng (for trade) also makes the nomadic nation have more to lose if they do get in a war.
  • While trying to demonstrate to everyone her third point, Zhi Wei asks Ning Yi to borrow something from him:

Their eyes met and each quickly looked away. Glancing down at his hand, Ning Yi replies “Alright.”
He didn’t ask what, seemingly having already guessed what she wanted.
Confused by their exchange, everyone looked eagerly towards Zhi Wei as she points towards Ning Yi’s wrist “If I could borrow your highness’ prayer bead?”
Ning Yi is wearing a white robe with large wide sleeves so people couldn’t see the prayer bead on his wrist. The Emperor asks with amusement “6th, I have never heard of you being particularly religious, so how come you have suddenly taken an interest in Buddism?”
“A few days ago, 7th brother invited everyone to drink together.” Ning Yi smilingly explains “On the party, all of us received a prayer bead that supposedly helps the wearer stay cool during the summer. I am extra sensitive to the hot so that’s why I started wearing it.”
Holding out his hand, Ning Yi pulls up his sleeve, revealing the black prayer bead that is obviously rare and precious just by the look of it. The exquisite black bead resting against the equally exquisite wrist, somehow giving off an air of seduction…despite the fact it’s a prayer bead.

Keeping his hand stretched, Ning Yi doesn’t take off the prayer bead himself but is full of smiles as he stares at Feng Zhi Wei.

Zhi Wei looks at him.
He looks at Zhi Wei.
The hand is still outstretched in the air, seemingly without any intention of moving.

Gritting her teeth in secret, Zhi Wei knew that the longer they are at a standoff the more awkward it will be. Without any choice, Zhi Wei reaches out a hand with fingers carefully extended so that she would not touch him at all. Breaking out into a chuckle, one of the officials muses “What’s with Official Wei’s fingers?! That’s a woman’s gesture.”

Everyone else joins in on the laughter as Zhi Wei explains with mild embarrassment “I am my family’s only son. My parents were too worried after losing a couple of male babies, so they raised me as a girl from young in hopes of keeping me alive.”

Zhi Wei quickens her movement but jerks in surprise when she suddenly feels Ning Yi’s finger lightly scrapes across her palm. Caught off guard by the feathery light touch, Zhi Wei instinctively retracts her hand, almost dropping the prayer bead in process. Feeling her face flashing hot, Zhi Wei silently worries. She is wearing a mask so her face would be fine, but she bet her ears are bright red.

With a soft laugh, Ning Yi says “Official Wei is such a meticulous person to be so careful with a simple prayer bead.”
Staring back at Ning Yi’s cool laughing eyes, Zhi Wei smiles and answers with ease “Wei Zhi comes froma lowly background so I am excited and cautious at the same time to have such a great honor of being in the presence of the Emperor and your highness.”

Still all smiles, Ning Yi assures her “No worries. I am also happy when I see you. So happy that I am anxious.”

Skipping over the next bit which is just Zhi Wei using the prayer bead as a way to say that religion is a powerful tool they can be very useful to them.

  • Zhi Wei’s new manor is actually right next to her uncle’s. Thanks to her new status, Zhi Wei can finally waltz back into her old home in style, no longer the powerless girl that can be stepped on by anyone and everyone. However, there is still one person that can hurt her deeply- Mama Feng. Knowing that with Feng Hao’s personality staying in the Capital will only mean big trouble ahead, Zhi Wei offers to send Feng Hao off far away for school. Unwilling to be sent off on what he sees as an exile, Feng Hao throws a tantrum and declares that he will not leave even if it means he will die in the Capital. Zhi Wei was too busy dealing with Feng Hao that she doesn’t notice Mama Feng’s body had trembled slightly when Feng Hao had mentioned death. Disappointed and furious when Mama Feng agrees to Feng Hao’s pleading to stay in the Capital, Zhi Wei storms out as a triumphant Feng Hao yells that he is the precious son of the family and Zhi Wei is nothing. Poor Zhi Wei. She so blinded by her desire for Mama Feng’s love and the trauma of believing Mama Feng only loves her brother that she misses all the clues… clues that her usual self would’ve easily caught, that Mama Feng’s attitude towards her son is terribly suspicious.

  • Like in the drama, Princess Shao Ning does try to use Zhi Wei again while Ning Yi was “drunk” during a small drinking party at Zhi Wei’s house with his older brothers. (Episode 30). The only difference is that instead of the raised blood vessels, it was Ning Yi’s blood that was supposed to turn into the color of gold if he was the royal blood of this certain tribe. It didn’t take much for our heroine to figure out that whatever thing the Princess had her put on Ning Yi mixed with whatever is on the knife that is to be used to draw his blood will make our hero’s blood turn into a golden color. Since it wasn’t quite as easy as raising her hand and asking “Why is my blood vessels puffed up as well?”, our heroine in the novel volunteers to be the one to make a cut on Ning Yi, then while everyone is getting over the shock that Ning Yi’s blood is indeed the color of gold, Zhi Wei accidentally slips on some spilled water (from the basin that was used to catch Ning Yi’s blood) and cuts herself on a knife- proving Ning Yi’s innocence since her own blood as everyone else there, is the color of gold as well.

  • Helian Zheng finally shows up and like in the drama, decides to marry Zhi Wei so he can teach her a lesson after their unfortunate first encounter. So… Helian Zheng is really a super awesome character in the novel. Not only is he hilarious but he is also a great leader. Extremely smart yet still pure in heart, Helian Zheng treats all his men like they are his own so his men are extremely loyal to him and would not hesitate to die for him. In the drama Helian Zheng ended up kinda annoying towards the end, but in the drama he was awesome from beginning to the very end.
  • The scene in Episode 31 when Helian Zheng fights Gu Nan Yi is actually even more hilarious in the novel. Helian Zheng has eight elite guards who followed him everywhere. The bet in the novel was that one of Helian Zheng’s men would be able to beat Zhi Wei’s fragile maid- Gu Nan Yi. Completely dazzled by the willowy figure of Gu Nan Yi, Helian Zheng men start hollering that there will be two weddings nights that day. Pleased, Helian Zheng proudly declares that once his guard wins the bet for him then Zhi Wei’s maid will be rewarded to him as his new wife. Obviously, things don’t go as Helian Zheng expected and his man was beaten to a pulp by the “fragile maid.” This scene was especially touching because Helian Zheng guard refused to concede defeat since that would mean his master would have to suffer the humiliation of calling Zhi Wei “aunt.” Willing to fight until death, the man fights on until Helian Zheng steps in, intercepts what might’ve been a killing blow from Gu Nan Yi and promptly calls Zhi Wei “aunt.” Helian Zheng’s action greatly improved Zhi Wei’s opinion of him. Here is a man who is willing to keep his promise and who obviously has earned great loyalty from his men because he treasures their life more than his own pride.

 

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