Cdrama: Eternal Love of Dream / Three Lives, Three Worlds, The Pillow Book (2020)

She's not your ex-girlfriend. She's mine.🙊😢#三生三世枕上书 #eternalloveofdream #迪丽热巴 #高伟光 #shorts

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/K4_LyzW0Zh4

I just finished Eternal Love of Dream and one thing I’m sad about is that we never got to see Dong Hua dote on a pregnant Feng Jiu.

Could you imagine!?!?!?

1. Hua Tuo and Zang Ba

The travelling healer and the daring outlaw

Hua Tuo is a practitioner of medical properties and sciences of great patience and care who's experiments with early anaesthesia pioneer a new age of healing in China. Carrying a near-countless range herbs and oils on his person and writing on the go, he's a walking hospital in himself which nearly every warlord in the land wants solely on their side. Having been born in Pei, Hua Tuo begins work at Cao Cao's homestead, working with Bian Yuexiang and Wei Zi to collect his findings and help the less fortunate. As Cao Cao's influence grows, he remains Hua Tuo's patron but Hua Tuo himself becomes conflicted about aiding a man whose ambitions are in danger of growing out of control.

Zang Ba is fast becoming a legend throughout the mainland. Having broken his own father out of prison, Zang Ba assembles a band of renegades to rob from the rich and give to the poor, overthrowing corrupt officials and secretly aiding the interests of men they consider good and true. Settling in Xu Province, he initially makes an enemy of the invading Cao Cao. However, as quickly as they become enemies, Zang Ba agrees to aid Cao Cao's imperilled family when they're held prisoner and the ambitious but gallant warlord will come to owe Zang Ba a great deal.

2. All three of these men come to hold high positions in the court of Emperor Xian of Han. Yang Biao of the distinguished Hongnong Yang clan is one of the few fundamentally loyal and dedicated ministers left in the chaos of the Han court after Dong Zhuo's takeover and the fall of Chang'an. Dong Cheng, in stark contrast, is the last of the Dong clan, the clan of Emperor Ling's mother, and will part with what power that grants him over his dead body...or anyone else's. Violent, foul-tempered, suspicious and greedy, he is truly a picture of how far the Han have fallen after years of weak and unsuspecting Emperors. Zhao Nan, the oddball of the court, is the head of a secret society of esoteric practices, boasting the powers of soothsaying and prognostication, foreseeing a future for the young Emperor if his advice is heeded. Behind all the glamour and tricks, however, he's an avaricious confidence-trickster whose associates create any futures he predicts. What do all these men have in common? They're all in Cao Cao's way.

Hua Tuo I've already illustrated in the Mystics Group Page but for Zang Ba, I wanted to make him stand out from the average noble-hearted bandit so I gave him a full-on Robin Hood/Zorro vibe. He flies in via handy rope whenever he's needed and speaks in third-person. He's a lot of fun.

The three Han Ministers I had fun designing.

Yang Biao's beard I tried to model off the busts of Ancient Greek philosophers, sort of referencing his sagely but highly rigid conduct. Dong Cheng I hope I'm not making too similar to Dou Wu even if they occupy similar roles. Zhao Nan, I just all out with. In the Romance he's called Zhao Yan but there are at least two other Zhao Yan's so I changed the name slightly. In case you're wondering, his nose doesn't grow longer with each lie but it is meant to highlight his untrustworthy nature. The green beads between his fingers are meant to spell out 'Joy - Younger Son - Heaven', signifying a good future for Emperor Xian, the younger son of the previous Emperor.

okay so the universal response for swallows on the beam playlists being posted has been "yes please," and i'll include these in the next a/n as well, but! see playlist links below.

i will have one english language and one chinese language playlist for every character i have created a playlist for. right now only the english language playlists for the characters below (lan fan/feiyan, ling, xiaoqing, lien hua, and xinzhe) have been formalized in a way that i like. i'll probably fuss them again in future because i can never let anything just exist anyway i'll post the chinese playlists when they're ready and add them to this post in a reblog.

MOST OF THESE PLAYLISTS ARE NSFW BECAUSE I LIKE MUSIC THAT HAS A LOT OF SWEARS PLS DON'T BE MAD

Chapter by Chapter Background Music Playlist. This is the ONLY playlist that is on Youtube at this point because certain tracks are just not available on Spotify. Let me know if y'all want youtube links for all the playlists and I can transfer stuff over pretty easily. (this one is sfw! it's all OSTs aside from a few songs in chinese.)

Lan Fan Huo | Feiyan Ma and Feiyan Ma | Lan Fan Huo. These are different playlists because Feiyan Ma and Lan Fan Huo are slightly different even if they are the same person playing different roles, so it's a fun musical swap for me even if tones are very similar.

The Dawn Emperor | Ling Yao. Self explanatory.

Lien Hua Feng and Xinzhe Feng. Dong Mao playlist in progress.

Xiaoqing Cao.

The Fires of God | hail the sun god's chosen.

All other major characters have a playlist in progress.

finished eternal love/ten miles of peach blossoms! albeit with liberal skimming of some subplots. concluding #thoughts

oh god holy hell the way bai qian and ye hua are so wrapped up in each other is 1) very enjoyable as a watcher of a drama, but 2) their son is going to need so much xianxia therapy lmao. mom called, she said she’d rather lay around drunk in a cave with dad’s corpse than say hi

su jin was insufferable and i loved drunk bai qian just storming into her room and taking her eyes out. there’s probably a pantheon out there explicitly for He’s Just Not That Into You vengeance goddesses in xianxia land 

LOL at everyone trying to revisionist history ye hua into being a good husband to su su after he died. girl, i saw the episodes

mo yuan was almost too reserved, but mark chao played the longing and repression so well. the way the emotional screw was turned in every time the word “fiance” was said lol i love it

i love that bai qian is not very maternal -- it’s consistent with her character and also highlights just how removed these immortals are from regular human connections

this is my first yang mi drama and im going to definitely check out some of her other ones because she’s got mad charisma

i enjoyed it!! but i dont think i’ll check out the sequel because im in the minority of fengjiu/emperor dong hua doing absolutely nothing for me 

Bai Feng Jiu and Emperor Dong Hua's first meeting in Eternal Love (Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms)

Generation One: Childish Lovers

Chapter 9: Nanu's Surprise Son

Welcome back to the home of Dean and Nanu Magana who are throwing a little house party for their newest family member who was born in China. We'll get into the details of this in a moment but first help yourselves to some hamburgers and key lime pie and a nice glass of nectar that was recently made by their eldest son, Sean.

Meet Nanu's new son from China, Keung whose favorite color is 'spiceberry'. This is his new everyday outfit.

When Nanu returned to China to deliver the keystone to the Dragon's Cave to Abi Yat Sen that she had retrieved on her recent trip to France, there was a big surprise waiting for her. Apparently since Nanu's last visit in Shang Simla, one of the town's local paparazzi and acquaintance, Shen Phua had passed away in her absence and left her with a young boy whom he had adopted and named Nanu as his guardian/mother in the event of his death.

Keung playing chess while Nanu was out looking for some mercury metals so that the relic merchant, Zhang Hua could repair his miniature replica of the 'First Emperor's Tomb'.

This young boy's name is Keung and he was found wandering around the Dragon Springs fishing holes by Shen one day. After sharing his lunch with Keung and gaining his trust, Shen found out that he had just lost his mother to a drowning accident after she had fallen into one of the fishing ponds while trying to catch some dinner for the two of them. Shen couldn't just leave the boy out there by himself so he decided to take him to where he lived in a rooming house just outside the Shang Simla town limits and adopt Keung as his own. At this point of his life, Shen was into his senior years and knew that he didn't have much time left on this earth so while filling out the adoption papers he named Nanu as his future guardian (aka mother). After Shen passed away, his roommates did their best to care for Keung although they were busy most days with various jobs.

Kids grow up fast and here's Keung's teen photo. Since becoming a teenager, Keung has taken quite an interest in the martial arts skill and loves to practice on the training dummy or board breaker in his spare time and is now at level 4 in the skill

After delivering the Dragon Cave keystone to Abi Yat Sen for safekeeping, Nanu tried contacted her son and invited him to hangout with her at the base camp but naturally Keung was a little wary of being with someone who was practically a stranger even though she was now his mother. One of adult household members where Keung lived agreed to visit with Nanu at the lodge and the two of them became friends. After a few phone chats with Keung, he finally agreed to come and meet Nanu and after getting to know her a bit better, Keung agreed to return to Monte Vista with her so that he could get a good education and have a family to call his own.

Keung just after he earned his yellow belt.

When Nanu and Keung arrived home in Monte Vista, his new step-father Dean welcomed him with open arms and lots of stories. He even became fast friends with his new step-brother and sister, Sean and Deanna. Apparently Nanu had missed most of Keung's childhood life as he celebrated his teen birthday after only one day in grade school but still managed to pull off a B average. Keung takes after his late Chinese father's neurotic side but is very 'disciplined' and has a 'good' attitude. Since becoming a teenager, Keung is also showing signs of being a 'born salesman'. He will be taking his first trip to France in the near future to interview a local for an assignment his new high school history teacher gave him.

One last photo for now of Keung watching his mother practice on the training dummy after he earned his 'green belt'. Nanu is working hard to master the martial arts skill so that she can return to China to fulfill her destiny of defeating Dong Huo's mummy deep inside the Dragon Cave.

That's the main news for now and hope you all enjoy meeting Keung in the few photos that are included. Dean and Nanu also hope to have some photos of the renovations they've been doing on the house by adding a third floor which will have a large family/hobby area with two future bedrooms and a bathroom for any future family additions.

Have a great day everyone enjoy your long weekend if this is a holiday weekend for any of you.

Dean & Nanu Magana

Besides Zhang Jue, do you think any of the Turbans or their successor bandit groups were significant enough to merit inclusion in DW? Did they have any people who became accomplished? (I would have said Liao Hua but I read somewhere he wasn't really a Turban).

Significance is a relative question. Obviously the farther you get from the rebellion itself, the less important its remnants are. There are a few groups I think are noteworthy though. I think if one wants to extend the story of the Turbans or add more recognizable faces to the faction for the sake of a story, that's the place to look.

There was a group of Turbans who settled down in Hedong, In Bobo/White Wave Valley. They opposed Dong Zhuo but later helped Li Jue reclaim the capital from Wang Yun. They supported the junta for a bit, but later helped Liu Xie escape. Members of this group included Han Xian, Hu Cai, Li Le, Yang Feng, and Guo Da. After turning the emperor over to Cao Cao, Yang Feng and Han Xian briefly served Lu Bu before being killed (Yang Feng by Liu Bei, Han Xian by a local man). Interestingly, Xu Huang (a Hedong native) was also part of this group, although he does not appear to have joined until after they started fighting Dong Zhuo.

The Turbans in Qing province were numerous and weren't really suppressed the way those elsewhere were. They ravaged Qing for years, before moving west. After being defeated by Gongsun Zan, then migrated south into Yan, where they were finally subdued by Cao Cao. The best of their fighters became part of his army. As far as I know, the names of these individuals are not recorded. There is, however, a Qing turban named Guan Hai who is famous for attacking Kong Rong (where he was rescued by Taishi Ci and Liu Bei) and could be a representative of this faction; though there's no evidence he was one of the ones who went to serve Cao Cao.

The Turbans of Runan were actually key supporters of the Yuan family. They joined with Yuan Shu to fight against Dong Zhuo, and against Cao Cao. Many of them were killed in 196, but the group persisted. Liu Bei joined up with them in 200 to harass Cao Cao's rear while he was engaged at Guandu, though to no significant effect. After Cao Cao's victory at Guandu, he returned to Runan and crushed the Turbans for good. Members of this group included Liu Pi, Huang Shao, He Man, and He Yi.

So there's a collection of names. The most important, in my opinion, are Yang Feng, Han Xian, Guan Hai, and Liu Pi. The others (Hu Cai, Li Le, Guo Da, Huang Shao, He Man, He Yi) less so. If you want to flesh out the group, those are the people to use, since they were the ones who did things of note after the larger rebellion was settled.

Top Drama China Historical yang akan Datang

serial drama historical andalan 4 jaringan china yang akan datang. 腾讯 (tencent) 1.梦华录 Meng Hua Lu - A Dream of Splendor - Crystal Liu Yi Fei , Chen Xiao, Jelly Lin 2.玉骨遥 The Longest Promise - Xiao Zhan, Ren MIn, Wang Chu Ran, Han Dong, Alen Fang 3.星汉灿烂 Love Like The Galaxy - Zhao Lusi, Leo Wu, Zeng Li 4.春闺梦里人 Romance of a Twin Flower - Ding Yuxi, Peng XiaoRan 5.重紫 Chong Zhi - Yang Chao Yue, Jeremy Tsui, Zhang Zhi Xi 6.说英雄谁是英雄 Heroes - Joseph Zeng, Yang Chal Yue, Liu Yu Ning, Baron Chen, Meng Zi Yi, Sun Zu Jun 7.雪鹰领主 Lord Eagle - Sheng Ying Hao, Sun Rui, Fei Qin Yuan 8.乐游原 Wonderland of Love - Xu Kai, Jing Tian, Zhao JIa Min, Gao Han, Zheng He Hui Zi, He Feng Tian 9.长相思 Lost You Forever - Yang Zi, Deng Wei, Zhang Wan Yi 10.天行健 Heroes (judul rencana akan diubah biar ga tabrakan) - Qin Jun Jie, Maggie Huang, Liu Yu Ning 11.飞狐外传 - The Young Flying Fox - Qin Jun Jie, Liang Jie, Xing Fei, Peter Ho, Sarah Zhao, Lin Yu Shen, Hei Zi, Yvonne Yung 12.只此江湖梦 - Love and Sword - Gao Wei Guang, Xuan Lu, Jia Nai, Martin Zhang, Yuan Yu Xuan, Ren Hao 爱奇艺 (iqiyi) 1.月歌行 - Song of the Moon - Vin Zhang, Xu Lu 2.云襄传 - The Ingenious One - Chen Xiao, Rachel Momo, Tang Xiao Tian 3.显微镜下的大明 - Great Ming Under Microscope - Zhang Ruoyun, Qi Wei, Wang Yang 4.明月入卿怀 - A Forbidden Marriage - Mao Zi Jun , Zhou Jie Qiong , Zhang Xin ,Li Jiu Lin, Eddy Ko 5.请君 - Welcome - Ren Jia Lun, Li Qin 6.七时吉祥 - Love You Seven Times - Ding Yu Xi, Yang Chao Yue ,Yang Hao Yu, Dong Xuan, Hai Lu 8.倾城亦清欢 - The Emperor's Love - Wallace Chung, Yuan Bing Yan, Jason Gu, Zhang Yue 9.九霄寒夜暖 - Warm Cold Night in the Nine Heavens - Li Yi Tong, Bi Wen Jun, Chen He Yi, He Rui Xian, Ma Yue 10.苍兰诀。 - Eternal Love - Yu Shu Xin, Dylan Wang, Cristy Guo, Xu Hai Qiao 11.花溪记(分销) - Love Is An Accident - Xing Fei, Xu kai Cheng, Wang Yi Nuo 12.花戎。 - Hua Rong - Ju Jing Yi, Guo Jun Chen, Liu Dong Qin, Lu Ting Yu, Ma Yue 优酷 (youku) 1.长月烬明 - Till The End of The Moon - Luo Yunxi, Bai Lu, Chen Du Ling, Deng Wei, Sun Zhen Ni, Wang Yifei 2.星河长明 - Novoland: The Princess From Plateau - Feng Shao Feng, Peng Xiao Ran, Cheng Xiao Meng, Zhu Zheng Ting, Liu Meng Rui, Kim Jin 3.沉香如屑。- Immortal Samsara - Yang Zi, Cheng Yi, Ray Chang, Meng Zi yi, Yang Xizi, Hou Meng yao 4.星落凝成糖 - Love When the Stars Fall - Chen Xing Xu, Landy Li, Luke CHen, He Xuan Lin 5.郎君不如意。- Go Princess Go 2 - Wu Xuan yi, Chen Zhe Yuan, LQ Wang 6.隐娘 - The Assassin - Qin Lan, Zheng Ye Cheng, Hu Lian Xin, Du Chun 7.安乐传 - Legend of Anle - Dilraba Dilmurat, Gong Jun, Liu Yu Ning, Xia Nan, Tim Pei, Chen Tao 芒果TV (mango tv) 1.落花时节又逢君 - Love Never Fails - Yuan Bing Yan,Liu Xue Yi, Xu Xiao Nuo, Ao Rui Peng 2.覆流年 - Lost Track of Time - Xing Fei, Zhai Zi Lu, Jin JIa Yu, Cheng Yu Feng, Zhan Jie, Han Ye catatan: nanti saya update judul resmi inggris dan siapa aktor aktrisnya. sumber: artikel topik upcoming chinese drama di cerita-silat.net dan Weibo

In the dark depths close to the mortal realm, shrouded in mystic darkness, lies the ancient domain of the demons. Here, shadows dance and whispers of malevolent power echo through eerie corridors.

The Demon Realm's landscape is a mesmerizing blend of haunting beauty. Its dark and ominous allure captivates the senses, drawing in observers with a mysterious charm. The twisted and jagged terrains defy the laws of nature, creating a surreal and mesmerizing sight. Fiery pits punctuate the land, casting an eerie glow that illuminates the shadowy recesses of the realm, adding a touch of otherworldly elegance to the demonic domain.

Towering citadels rise like majestic sentinels, their spires reaching towards the darkened skies in a display of haunting beauty. An ethereal atmosphere envelops the air, resonating with whispers of mystery and echoes of sinister laughter. The very ground pulsates with an otherworldly energy, infusing the realm with a sense of eerie elegance and foreboding grace.

This is the Demon Realm—a place where fear and trepidation reign supreme, where the boundaries between nightmares and reality meld into a chilling tapestry of darkness.

"That ignorant Bing Mo!" Ming Wang's thunderous voice reverberated through the chamber as his fist met the arm of the throne chair. The force shattering the cold, black stone into fragments under the force of his fury. The Emperor of the demon realm remained embittered from the war lost fifteen thousand years ago, his recent attempt to provoke the heavens leading to a backlash of magic from his use of magic mortal realm. He now bore the brunt of the magic's rebound, suffering greatly from its effects.

His four horsemen stood in silence, their eyes fixed on their master's wrathful display. None dared to interject or utter a word, cowed by the looming specter of his rebounded anger and the consequences it might unleash upon them.

Dong Hua, Mo Yuan, Bai Qian, and Ye Hua each played a part in the downfall of his trusted Lieutenant Qing Cang and the loss of his cherished Golden Lion beast pet. The celestial rulers and warriors foiled his plans, with the presumed deceased Mo Yuan who had faked his death emerging triumphant, vanquishing a legion of his demon soldiers. Bai Qian, sister to the repugnant Bai Yi, wielded the powerful Five Star Fan. The Demon Emperor underestimated the Bai family. A mistake he would not repeat.

Read more: https://archiveofourown.org/works/55132009/chapters/140024710

Blood of Youth recap - episode 24

Xiao Se says it was a coincidence but also like it was arranged in advance.

As they wait for the ceremony, Lord Chi makes fun of Lord Bai for being blind. The marquis attends with the State Preceptor. The emperor comes out then collapses with a heart attack.

The emperor is mostly in a coma for three days and wakes three times to issue three edicts: Marquis Lanyue and Grand Preceptor Dong Zhu are in charge; officials below second rank may not enter or leave Tianqi and those above second rank may not leave their residences; and the third is a secret decree delivered to Ye Xiaoying by Jinyan, the Director of Seal.

General Ye says the secret decree should have been issued secretly, then finds out it’s blank. His soldier confirms Xiao Se is back in Xueyue and Ye Ruoyi is with him.

A doctor tells the marquis and Dong Zhu the emperor may not wake for months.

Sikong Changfeng asks if Ji Ruofeng has returned to Baixiao Sect. The disciple says there’s a new head and asks why Baili Dongjun and Mo Yi haven’t returned from Penglai island.

Xiao Se remembers his father being angry because he wanted to travel in the jianghu. Qianluo comes to him and asks if he’s going back to Tianqi and whether she can go with him.

Xiao Lingchen, the younger Lord Langya, joins them and laughs at Xiao Se for not answering. Qianluo leaves and Xiao Se asks where Xiao Lingchen’s been. He says they were stopped by White Tiger but he was allowed to go after his father surrendered and he’s been in hiding. He says Xiao Se should return to Tianqi but it isn’t time for him yet.

Marquis Lanyue visits Hua Jin to command her to treat the emperor.

Xiao Se tells Sikong Changfeng he doesn’t know the answer to Qianluo’s question. Sikong Changfeng says he hates the emperor but he’s tried to be a good ruler and a good father.

Zang Ming reports to Lord Bai that Tang Lian faced punishment but Tang Lianyue defeated Tang Huang, Tang Xuan and Tang Qisha, there was an internal fight and Tang Lianyue is now the leader. He won’t ally with Lord Bai.

Tang Lian asks Tian Lianyue whether Tang clan will ally with Lord Bai or Xueyue. Tang Lianyue says he won’t get involved. Tang Lian says he’s decided to follow his heart and has been studying the book of liquor. Tang Lianyue tells him how Lord Langya entered the Insouciant Phase after drinking Seven Starry Nights.

Hua Jin says she can cure the emperor but it will take a month.

Marquis Lanyue asks the guard captain how an assassin got into the palace.

Wuxin disguises himself as an official/eunuch and gets caught by the chief eunuch, who injures him. He wonders when Xiao Se will come back.

Yin Luoxia tells Sikong Changfeng Xiao Se has left. Sikong Changfeng starts mapping out Xiao Se’s enemies:

General Chen Luoying receives message from Lord Chi.

Wushuang sends Lu Yuzhai on a mission.

Dark River will come from the southwest.

Xikong Changfeng tells Yin Luoxia to issue the emergency Qiancheng token.

Qianluo comes in the Vermilion Bird’s robes to say goodbye.

Sikong Changfeng says he’s going to take on Luo Qingyang.

Tang Lian sees the Qiancheng token and leaves.

Lei Wujie sees it with Li Hanyi and she tells him to leave Sword Heart Tomb to protect Xiao Se.

Li Wei (Ye Battalion commander) hears General Ye can’t leave his residence. Ye Ruoyi passes on General Ye’s order to protect Xiao Se.

The State Preceptor tells Marquis Lanyue Xiao Se has left Xueyue. The marquis calls Li Changqing and says he needs eight hundred tiger soldiers to accompany him out of the city.

The marquis makes a speech to rally the soldiers to protect Lord Yong’an.

Cdrama: Eternal Love of Dream / Three Lives, Three Worlds, The Pillow Book (2020)

只有两个高鼻梁才能这么玩~

Watch this video on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/tYSM9J6lqx8

Dong Hua x Feng Jiu

Character Guide and plot summary of SOTB to this point: 

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

The Investigators Lan Fan Huo, also known as Enkhtuya. Formerly a member of the Huo, one of the Yao’s sworn subordinate clans, Lan Fan’s true identity has been banished by the Dowager Empress. She is currently posing as a nomadic woman, Feiyan Ma, from the steppes, and acting as an imperial spy.

Side note, I finally have a facecast for Lan Fan! Dilraba Dilmurat.

His Imperial Majesty, Ling Yao, the Dawn Emperor. Extremely Stressed about declaring it open season on himself (romantically? Violently? Both? Who knows) by opening the Lotus Hall. Also extremely stressed about his job overall. He is half-brother to Mei Chang as well as Lien Hua, Xinzhe, and Dong Mao Feng, but defeated them in the race for the throne by bringing a Philosopher’s Stone to Xing. 

Her Highness, Imperial Cousin, Princess Mei Chang. Alphonse’s alkahestry teacher, First Governor of Chang-guo, and the half-sibling of Ling Yao and Dong Mao, Xinzhe, and Lien Hua Feng. Usually accompanied by her bearcat, Xiao Mei. Has feelings for Alphonse Elric. 

Alphonse Elric, a Western traveler and old friend of the Dawn Emperor. Despite Ling’s best attempts to keep him out of the ongoing situation, he’s as deep in it as anyone. Has feelings for Mei Chang, but is not voicing them. It’s possible he is unaware of them.

Suyin Ma. Also named Sarangerel. The wife of Shan Yao, and Feiyan Ma’s cousin. Suyin claims Fuu told her about Lan Fan’s past prior to her joining the Huo family, but has not elaborated on how, when, or why.  

Shan Yao. Suyin’s husband, Commander of the Imperial Guard, Lan Fan’s supervisor for her current mission, and Ling Yao’s older cousin. He has known both Ling and Lan Fan for over a decade and has many embarrassing stories in his arsenal because of it. Lan Fan is currently staying in Shan and Suyin’s rooms at Pubuchuan. 

Niu Lu. An alkahestrist trained by Mei and a former torturer for the Imperial Army, Niu Lu is currently serving as Lan Fan’s maid during her investigation of the Fengs. 

The Suspects The Triplets, Dong Mao, Xinzhe, and Lien Hua Feng. The triplet children of the Feng family, and Imperial Cousins in their own right, and as such half-siblings of Ling Yao and Mei Chang. They have come to the capital to tear the Dowager Empress from her position of power by whatever means necessary. 

The Dowager Empress, Huian Yao. Ling Yao’s mother. Ambitious, venomous, and ruthless. Appears to have played a role in the massacre of the Nohin people alongside the Retired Emperor, Ling’s father. Currently working with Minister of the Left Shen Liu to get one of her chosen subordinates into the role of Ascending Empress. Fond of poisons. 

Residents of the Imperial City Shen Liu. Minister of the Left and primary ally of the Dowager Empress, though they historically have not gotten along very well. Has been pressuring Ling to get married for at least the last eighteen months. He absolutely loathes Feiyan Ma.

Bao Zhang. Minister of the Right and founding member of the Reconciliation committee. He is reclusive and odd, rarely coming out into court even though he is one of the most powerful ministers in the Imperial City. He has a pet crow that delivers messages for him, and an assistant, Yue, who is a mathematical genius.   

Xiao Niao Song, First Governor of Song-guo. Head of the Song family, mother to Xiao Huan, Xiao Liu, and Xiao Xie Song. Another founding member of the Reconciliation committee. She respects Feiyan Ma and is seeking her advice on dealing with the nomadic peoples on Song-guo borders.

Xiao Huan Song, Second Daughter of the Song family. The Song Family’s entrant into the competition for the role of Ascending Empress. She is an alkahestrist. 

Jian Zhang. Imperial Master of the Horse and Bao Zhang’s cousin. Reclusive and resents politics. A former soldier, he served in the border wars with Thamasq. He is helping Feiyan Ma with Changchang.

The Cao Brothers, Aiguo and Heng. Aiguo Cao is Lien Hua’s fiance. He has appalling manners and a worse personality. Heng, his younger brother, is equally as unpleasant.  

Biyi Chang. The Thirteenth Lady of Chang-guo, a distant cousin of Mei’s. She is shy, awkward, and quiet. She was also Suyin’s first friend at court. 

Caterina della Barbarigo. An Aerugan noblewoman and the fiancee of Dong Mao Feng, she struggles with Xingese cultures, languages, and customs. Lan Fan has offered to teach her more Xingese. 

Gen Chang. Lan Fan’s bodyguard, a former imperial guardsman, and a distant cousin of Mei’s. He may or may not have a slight crush on Lan Fan. He was assigned to guard Feiyan Ma after the Firebrand assassination attempt that nearly killed her.

Citizens of Xinjing Xiaoqing. A former firebrand, Xiaoqing is half-Qarashi and half-Xingese. Al is teaching her the basics of alkahestry in return for her assistance in infiltrating the Fires of God in the capital. She is an older-sister figure to Peizhi.

Peizhi. An assistant groom. Formerly a jockey in the Xuanwu ward. He owes Feiyan Ma his life, and is determined to repay the debt any way he can, up to and including getting into massive trouble with Xiaoqing. He and Changchang have a very special bond that seems to be related to his latent alkahestrical abilities.

Changchang. A trained warhorse who has gone half-feral due to abusive treatment. Lan Fan rescued her along with Peizhi, and is trying to convince her that humans are not universally shitheads. It’s not going particularly well.  

The Fires of God Father Shiloh Trener. The shadowy leader of the Fires of God. An Amestrian who learned (or convinced himself) that he is the son of the sun god, Leto after a forty day fever which culminated on the day the Elric brothers exposed Father Cornello as a fraud. In the wake of the  outbreak of Liore’s civil war, he led his religious community to the desert, and then to Feng-guo, where they are currently settled. 

Huli. “Fox.” A Firebrand and an assassin. Possibly Cretan or Amestrian. Has tried to kill the Fengs at least once (that we know of) and seems intent on fighting Lan Fan. Original name unknown.

Lang. “Wolf.” A Firebrand. A Xingese man working as a spy for the Feng in the Imperial City while simultaneously reporting all their doings to the Fires of God. He is mute, and speaks primarily through sign language. Original name unknown.

Sheng. “Weasel.” A Firebrand, an Aeurgan, and a former slave. Seems to be the leader of the quartet of Firebrands who are after the Fengs, or, at least, the only one that Huli will listen to. Original name unknown.

Mao. “Cat.” A young Firebrand, approximately sixteen. She has pursued alkahestrical treatments which have turned her into something similar to a chimera, but unable to shift back and forth between her human and animal forms, which means she has long, permanently extended claws, fangs, and hair that is more like long fur. Original name unknown.

Shu (formerly Shubiao, but I fucked up, that means computer mouse, please feel free to laugh your ass off at me). “Mouse.” A Nohin man and Firebrand that Lan Fan captured snooping through her quarters. His original name is Kazuki Sakari. He is currently in hiding after escaping imperial custody, and cannot reunite with his firebrand cohort for fear they will simply execute him for his failures.

PLOT SUMMARY: It is September 1918, three years after the ascension of the Dawn Emperor, Ling Yao, and troubles are brewing on the northwestern border of the Empire. The Feng, one of the Fifty Families of the Xing nobility, have been eliminating Yao spies sent into their territory, Feng-guo, for the past several months. Knowing that the Gathering, the bi-annual celebration and political meeting of all the Fifty Families at the capital, is approaching, Ling orders Lan Fan to take on the role of a steppes noblewoman and enter the imperial court to spy against the Feng triplets. The triplets—Sixth Prince Dong Mao, Seventh Prince Xinzhe, and Ninth Princess Lien Hua—are attending court formally for the first time since the Dawn Emperor’s ascension, and there are concerns that they are planning to assassinate Ling in an attempt to gain power and push the Yao out of ascendancy in the Court. 

Despite her discomfort—Lan Fan is the Emperor’s Shadow first and foremost, and is extremely discontented with having to leave her position and her charge as Ling’s guard—Lan Fan takes the position. She is posing as Feiyan Ma, the “cousin” of the wife of Shan Yao, the commander of the Imperial guard and one of Ling Yao’s cousins. Shan’s wife, Suyin Ma (also known as Sarangerel) is pregnant, and wants a member of her family to be with her in the capital throughout her pregnancy and the birth of her first child. Mei Chang, in illicit support of Lan Fan’s position, provides Lan Fan with a maid and guard of her own, Niu Lu, a half-Drachman noblewoman who is a talented alkahestrist as well as a professional spy and torturer. Despite a rough start in the capital, Lan Fan manages to befriend at least two of the Feng triplets, along with Mingli Chen, a particular friend of Xinzhe Feng. She accompanies them to horse races in the lower districts of the capital, during which she saves a young jockey and his irascible, traumatized mount, a former war horse named Changchang. Thanks to her actions, Lan Fan meets a young woman, Xiaoqing, who is ana-Qarashi and Xingese. She is attempting to teach herself healing alkahestry to assist people in the Xuanwu districts of the capital, the poorest and most destitute people in the area. 

While attending a party at the Chang estate, Lan Fan saves the Feng triplets from an assassination attempt by a masked intruder, who is later identified as Huli, a warrior and spy from a Letoist religious cult known as the Fires of God. The Fires of God believe that Shiloh Trener, an Amestrian who formerly lived in Liore, is actually the son of the Sun God, Leto, come to earth. The group is gathering recruits and converts in preparation for the end of the world. Their base of operations is in Feng-guo, and the Feng triplets, along with their uncle, Mengyao, have been trying to keep the ongoing political damage a secret from the other Fifty Families as well as the Emperor. Xiaoqing, who used to be a firebrand, lost her mother to the cult, and she and her father left Feng-guo and fled to the capital to get away from the chaos. 

During this time, Lan Fan has been struggling with her work as a spy. She does not feel that she is capable of pretending to be another person, let alone that she has the right to act as a noblewoman, particularly when she was raised from a very young age to be an imperial bodyguard and shadow. Putting herself in the spotlight in any way makes her deeply uncomfortable. She struggles with interacting with Ling on a more equivalent footing (noblewoman to emperor, as opposed to servant to emperor) and with the emperor’s attention. Ling asks her to go riding with him in the mornings, which is of particular note to the gossip grapevine, as the Dawn Emperor has been extremely reluctant to even discuss the potential of marriage, let alone lavish any special attention on any noblewoman at court. 

Ling is struggling as well, in ways that Al (who is in Xing to study Xingese alkahestry) doesn’t particularly understand. When Al attempts to push and states that Ling, as emperor, can do what he wants, Ling lashes out and states that he can’t do what he wants where Lan Fan is concerned, because the last thing he wants to do is make her uncomfortable and force attentions where they may not be wanted. He knows that he has feelings for Lan Fan, and that they’re more than likely returned, but he also knows that Lan Fan’s identity is wrapped in her honor and her service as bodyguard, and that so long as that state of affairs continues, nothing can possibly happen between them. However, due to Lan Fan’s role as spy, and their attempts to get the Feng to remain interested in and trust Feiyan Ma, Ling is caught between his wish to keep Lan Fan alive, safe, and happy, and courting Feiyan Ma to ensure that she remains politically and materially relevant to the people they are investigating. 

Meanwhile, the investigation is escalating. The day before the Gathering opens, Lan Fan catches a firebrand spy—a Nohin man—snooping around her rooms. The man, Kazuki Sakari (referred to as Shu by himself and firebrand cohort) was attempting to find information about Feiyan Ma after her interference in the assassination attempt on the Feng triplets. The discovery of a Nohin man rattles Lan Fan, who is also Nohin, and has been hiding her identity for over a decade with the help of her grandfather. During the Gathering ceremony, Lan Fan discovers that Xinzhe and Mingli are lovers, which could get them executed due to anti-sodomy laws in the imperial court. She promises Mingli she will keep their secret. However, during her attempts to research queer love, she is drawn into a meeting with the Minister of the Left, the Dowager Empress Huian Yao, and the Song Family regarding the complex issues surrounding the northwestern borders and raiding by nomadic steppes peoples, such as the Ma. During the debate, Lan Fan brings up the massacre of the Nohin people, backed by the former Emperor, Ling’s father; the Dowager Empress threatens to have her exiled. Ling settles tempers, with difficulty. The following day, the Firebrands attempt to assassinate Lan Fan, which results in her being poisoned. 

As Lan Fan recovers in the Emperor's chambers, Al, Mei, and Peizhi, the jockey that Lan Fan rescued, learn that the Firebrands have been smuggling in massive amounts of weapons from Thamasq into Feng-guo, in an attempt to raise an insurrection against the Feng family and take over the province. Shu escapes custody and flees to a Nohin safehouse. As a result of the attempt on Feiyan Ma’s life, the Emperor’s Shadow—Lan Fan—is exiled permanently from Xing after complaints registered by the Dowager Empress. While Lan Fan herself is not going anywhere (the position of Emperor’s Shadow has been filled by a soldier with a similar height, build, and qi signature as Lan Fan), she now has no identity to return to after the job is over. Her life and her existence as Lan Fan Huo, particularly as the Emperor’s Shadow, has been terminated by Huian Yao, and Ling was unable to do anything to stop it. She is angry about this but feels horrible for being angry with Ling, specifically; she has not explicitly forgiven him but understands this was not his fault, and is hiding from her own complicated emotions about the entire situation.

Lan Fan throws herself into the investigation of the Fengs and the Firebrands, as well as her role of Feiyan Ma, meeting regularly with Xiao Niao Song, the head of the Song family, as well as other important members of the imperial court, including the Minister of the Right, Bao Zhang, a reclusive administrator who puts her name forward as a member of a new political group, the Committee for the Resolution of Human Rights Abuses, Conflicts, and Injustices, or colloquially the "Reconciliation Committee." Additionally, Lan Fan meets Dong Mao Feng’s betrothed, an Aerugan woman named Caterina della Barbarigo, and one of the Feng retainers, a mysterious woman named Lotus who seems to have a strong bond with Dong Mao. 

Finally, Lien Hua Feng makes the decision to trust Feiyan Ma, and reveals that the goal of the Feng is not to assassinate the Dawn Emperor, but rather his mother, the Dowager Empress, as revenge for Huian Yao poisoning their mother and killing their baby sister in utero twelve years before. The problems with Yao spies being killed in Feng territory was the result of a misunderstanding; the Feng believed the spies were sent by Huian Yao, not the Emperor, and summarily executed them, while the Emperor believed that Feng spies on the border were part of a plot to overthrow him, not investigating the internal goings-on of Feng-guo. Lien Hua also introduces Lan Fan to one of her own spies in the palace, a mute man named Lang, who Lan Fan knows is a double agent for the Firebrands. Lan Fan does not reveal Lang's betrayal to Lien Hua in the moment. Instead, she asks Xiaoqing to infiltrate the Firebrands’ base of operations in the capital, and Xiaoqing, wishing to avenge her mother, agrees. 

The Gathering closes, and many families return to their home provinces. However, due to the Emperor’s announcement that he is going to begin his search for a wife, many families summon daughters and cousins to the court in an attempt to take the role of Empress. The Emperor is retreating to Pubuchuan for the winter, a mountain palace with many hot springs to last them through the long snows. Only ten families have been invited. It is here that the battle for the role of Empress will occur—and Ling has already asked that Lan Fan participate, in her role as Feiyan Ma, to keep up the ruse of their courtship. Lan Fan agrees.

Eternal Love of Dream

Episode 26 SPOILERS

Ugh I remember this asshole being a BIGGER asshole in TMOPB! A fancy dance at another banquet and he’s willing to forgive Zhi He her previous transgressions, he asks Dong Huas’ opinion on the matter and all he gets is a lacklustre-

Bai Zhen interrupts the exchange to admonish Feng Jui for smiling, ( though I’m pretty sure he knows what a exceptional bitch Zhi He was to Feng Jui when she was posing as a maid in Tai Palace and is just trying to give Feng Jui the opportunity to apply some smack down) Which is exactly what Feng Jui does. She remarks that Zhi He is talented and skilled so of course she’ll be absolved but what happens to an immortal who is neither talented or skilled.

Lian Song is amused.

The couple that trolls together...😂😂😂

Sifeng’s demon dad >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Sifeng’s celestial dad