A rather exciting episode but again rather simplistic. But at least not as rubbish as episode 10.
So the duke becomes the Emperor and on the day of him becoming emperor (for want of better word, I can't remember what is the term!), one woman protested and that was Empress Dowager. However interestingly General Ma who never gives me the impression he was THAT powerful told her to basically leave since she is a woman and she had no business there. She of course rightfully replied "My business is the survival of the Tang Dynasty and the man you wish to put on that chair today as emperor is neither qualified not suitable. The late emperor has sons, and other better qualified relatives such as Lee Chun, why this Lee Yi whom we all know is an idiot?" and General Ma explained "The emperor's son are much too young and so is Lee Chun. Moreover his appointment is by will, it was the wish of the late emperor" and Empress Dowager retorted "Be that as it may, we are talking about the dynasty and one can't simply just install anyone on that throne! Can this emperor solve the nation's problem? The flooding at the yellow river? The starving citizens? The invasion of foreign enemies? Can he even make a decision?" and General Ma said "He is ably supported by capable officials!" and here I was thinking "Eh, those officials so silent? Surely the 1st rank won't let a mere eunuch even if head of eunuchs to talk so much?" and General Ma continued "Moreover, General Man Gim Fung will be able to assist the emperor" and Empress Dowager retorted "As clearly indicated by his 50,000 men but I too have 50,000 men stationed! Surely you can't let this idiot with a 10 year old mental capacity to run this country? You! Can you run this country? Can you answer my questions? Can you? CAN YOU?!" and in one of the best scenes thus far, Lee Yi straightened up, looked at her straight in the eyes and answered steadily "Yes, I can" and to the shock of everyone (and the PM did smile a little in the end since he realised this guy's not bad), none more shocked that General Ma and of course Empress Dowager as Lee Yi explained his plans to several nation's problems and when he finished he sat on the throne and General Ma recovered from shock as Empress Dowager sat down in shock, he said "Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor!"
I mean in such a situation what more can she say?
Alone, duke now I shall refer to as emperor thanked a wary looking General Ma profusely for his help and General Ma dared say "I wouldn't dare take credit, I am sure your majesty must have seen this coming, to pretend for so many years" and the emperor smiled and said "I did it only to safeguard my mother's and my own life, no more than that but my becoming an emperor is directly thanks to your help" and the tea offered was put down by General Ma who said "General Man Gim Fung has been of great help. You will appoint him as **some rank I suppose akin to Great General with more army**" but emperor looked reluctant and in the end agreed.
Poor emperor. Now that he has become the emperor, his problem just started since he is under the control of this General Ma who holds military power by de facto power. Will explain more as I go along.
Emperor saw Hin Yeung and appointed him his personal bodyguard come head of I suppose palace guards? Anyway he said "I am at a perilous stage in my life, and I trust only my mother, Sam Hou and you. If you would assist me, I am sure my work is easier but I must warn you, it will be dangerous" and Hin Yeung agreed.
Emperor then saw Sam Hou giving respect to the most respected being in this series, the dead turtle when Emperor walked in, Sam Hou gave greetings as a maid should but he quickly held her up and said "Please ... Sam Hou I owe you my life" and Sam Hou smiled as he said "What gifts do you wish for? I will grant you that" and I was thinking "Sam Hou, say grant me marriage with Hin Yeung!!" but nope, she said "I do not wish for any gifts, I only wish your majesty and her empress dowager (Concubine Zheng is now that) will have long and prosperous lives and I will be very happy indeed" and Emperor smiled and looked at Sam Hou with love as he told her about Hin Yeung and she was happy.
Pause here.
Moses didn't look like Moses in this scene. The amount of foundation, powder, blusher plus heavy duty eye makeup and eyeliner made him look .. so not Moses. Whilst all women upon achieving a rank got upgraded fashion, our emperor here still has the same clothes. Come on, give that man a fashion upgrade!
Meanwhile, Susanna went to see Empress Dowager who was very grateful for Susanna's help as Susanna was grateful for her safety and invited Susanna and Sam Hou (whom she explained as having saved their lives from poisonous medicine) for a special dinner that night.
Pause here.
Mary Hon's dress looks magnificent and she has one of the most grounded sort of hairstyle in this series which is fine by me. Her make up is still badly done though. And interestingly she was still wearing that supposedly cursed hairpin done by Sam Hou's mother.
Susanna was walking when she bumped into Man Gim Fung and as it turns out he was the man she was supposed to meet I suppose 2 decades earlier. She looked hurt when he boasted of his power and concluded "I am now blessed with a beautiful wife and a beautiful daughter. Did you regret your decision not to leave?" and Susanna excused herself as she looked distraught whilst General Man looked at her back, with I suppose hurt eyes. Michelle saw all this and I think either one of the heads was with her as Michelle said "So he is back in the palace; at least she got to see him now" and one of the heads said "Imagine that. Since he is now a general surely he will back her up, how privileged her life is now" and Michelle sulked.
Were they deaf? Didn't they hear how he sort of insulted her?
He still hurts you know.
Next day, Empress Dowager now called The Nation's Empress Dowager (or as wiki says Grand Empress Dowager but frankly that isn't right as that would put her rank above that of Concubine Zheng's title, basically the title is translated as Nation's Empress Dowager but to save me time from typing such a long title, I will just call her Susan) gathered all 4 heads plus Madam Choi and singled out Susanna who kneel when Susan threw her handmade hairpin to the floor and said with disgust "Just because I am no longer the empress dowager doesn't mean you should just simply give me any hairpins! This quality is terrible! And you call yourself the head of jewelry?" and Susanna tried to explain but Susan retorted "Why? Do you think being the best friend and saviour of the newly installed empress dowager would save your neck now? Ahhh.. you think I wouldn't know. Oh I know about your dinner with that feet washing maid who dared to call herself empress dowager!" and Sam Hou ran out and tried to explain but Susan said "I know you too! You were also invited to that dinner" and Kam Ling and Michelle both looked hurt because they knew these two were best friends with someone powerful now and Susan being vindictive said "I am not happy! Lady Chung, what is the punishment for interrupting a master when she is talking?" and Michelle answered "Slapped on the mouth" and Susan smiled her evil smile as she said "That is too easy. No no, Lady Yuen and Lady Lau, you both shall slap each other until I say stop!" and Sam Hou and Susanna looked at each other and reluctantly slapped each other once very lightly.
Madam Choi and all just looked on although the other heads looked rather pleased whilst Michelle just looked I don't know, sad? Regret? Scared? Pleased?
Susan wasn't happy and said "You call that a slap? No no! I command that you slap each other until you both bleed! NOW!"
Evil woman.
And then right on cue the eunuchs announced the arrival of the new Empress Dowager who rushed in, looked regal and stern as she could be stern and they looked at each other, she rushed to the front and said "Sister, what is bothering you? What have these 2 done to cause you such grief?" and very politely too but Susan said "It is their connection to you that I am punishing them! You (the maid), slap them!" and Empress Dowager said "Do not slap" and Susan said "SLAP THEM!" and Empress Dowager said "DO NOT SLAP!" and Susan said "SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!" and Empress Dowager raised her voice "No one will slap or be slapped! Do not move a muscle!!" and Susan said "You dare to stop me? You feet washing servant! I am above you!" and Empress Dowager said "Sister, when our husband the emperor was still alive, he did not appoint you as the empress and as far as the rules go, you and I are of the same rank. And now that my son is the emperor, I am the empress dowager. Sister, you were the daughter of a powerful and respected general who helped rebuilt this empire, you're a woman of grace and virtue, please act the way it befits your status!" and Susan very angry now said "HOW DARE YOU?" and Empress Dowager walked to the seat and sat down as she said "The rules dictates that I being the empress dowager also run and control the palace maids and its relevant depts and so sister, you're free to leave this place and retire to your place, let me take over from now" and Susan said "So am I not to have any say whatsoever on how these maids are to be used?" and Empress Dowager said "If you're reasonable, I am sure you will be accomodated" and Susan knew she lost her argument and so left angrily. Once she was out of sight, Empress Dowager sighed a sigh of relief and quickly held out her hands to hold Susanna and Sam Hou up and asked "Are you both alright?" and they both said thanks whilst Kam Ling, Michelle and the rest looked on with jealous eyes, except for Madam Choi who looked surprised at the turn of events.
Michelle heard the other 2 heads talking about Susanna's new fortune being the empress dowager's favourite and how she came to rescue them and she looked jealous.
Kam Ling said to Sam Hou "And you call yourself my sister when you didn't tell me anything! Smuggling the duke, I mean Emperor out of palace, being on such good terms with the empress dowager... so it's true, doing good deeds does get you good rewards" and Sam Hou said "I didn't want to implicate you and moreover I didn't do it for rewards" and then the other 3 assistants to the 3 heads came and gave Sam Hou gifts and Kam Ling was jealous.
All 4 heads and Madam Choi were invited to dinner with General Ma to celebrate General Man's success who was there with his wife and he said "General Man married my cousin (ahhh that's the connection! her name is Suen Ka Bik I think) and now achieved high military honours. They will be moving into the palace soon and I wish that all of you assist them in settling down in here" and they looked offended, as Michelle said "Surely you can't expect us to assist them since our function is to assist the concubines?" and General Ma said "I am now busy with the emperor's work, General Man will be too so it is not too much for your assistance. I am sure the empress dowager wouldn't mind" and so they had to agree.
Once outside, the 2 heads plus Michelle (Susanna wasn't there) said "How dare he asks us to do that? I couldn't even swallow this dreadful dinner! And Lady Yuen, off she goes to the empress dowager. She is so respected now, favourite of empress dowager, former lover now a powerful general.. lucky her" and Michelle didn't look too pleased.
Michelle presented her design to Mrs Man who liked it very much. She was eager to see the hairpins when Michelle said something along the line that Susanna once knew General Man, whether Mrs Man knew who of course didn't and Mrs Man asked and I suppose Michelle told her everything.
Lui Shan made some new chopsticks and presented to Madam Choi and straight to Susanna, back up to Kara who was jealous and of course Michelle, who was even more jealous. Suddenly Mrs Man came and said "I was waiting for my jewelry which has yet to be presented to me so I came here to have a look on what's the delay" and Madam Choi smiled and said "The hairpins have just been completed, and since you're here, do have a look" and Sam Hou carried the tray out with 3 very beautiful hairpins and Susanna explained each one and Mrs Man just dismissed her and said "That one" rather tersely. Everyone was shocked by her rudeness. So a chair was brought forward so Mrs Man can sit and try the hairpin and when Sam Hou was about to place the hairpin on her head, she asked "Shouldn't it be the head of jewelry doing that?" and so Susanna reluctantly came forward after Madam Choi urged her and was busy thinking where best to place the hairpin as Mrs Man insulted her. Yes, she said like "You know, I once had a servant whom I liked very much and was thinking of making her a 2nd wife for my husband but that ungrateful girl thinks she is above me when she is just a servant, much like yourself Lady Yuen. How can someone like Lady Yuen ever think above her own station? How inappropriate! There is a reason I am a general's wife and you're just a servant" and Susanna completed and said "There" and mirror brought forward and she looked and scolded "WHAT IS THIS?! HOW UGLY!" and she threw down the hairpin and shouted "WORTHLESS! LIKE YOU!" and Susanna wanted to fight back but Madam Choi held her and said calmly "There are various design elements which we can change to suit your taste, you need only say so"
Pause here.
WHO IS THAT WOMAN? WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS?! These people weren't supposed to even serve her. She is just a general's wife, a commoner, a nobody. Empress Dowager should have a talk wth her. If it was the old Empress Dowager, that woman wouldn't behaved such a way. And why should the 4 depts please her just because General Ma say so? When they weren't happy with that crazy woman, they protested. Where's their spunk now?
Anyway Susanna went to see General Man and General Man asked tersely "What is it?" and she said "Why did you have to tell your wife about our past?" and he was like huh? and she went on "She came by today and insulted me! If it was indeed the past, let it be!" and General Man rubbed it in and said "Didn't you always wanted to be in this position? Well you got your wish and you have to bear all insults that comes with this job!" and she said "Bear all insults? Yes, I should bear all insults, it is my own undoing" and General Man said "You looked down at me then. Of course I was a mere guard then. But look at me now! A general, a first class general. If you didn't abandon me, you could have been my wife, a general's wife rather than a servant! I made a life for myself, I met Ka Bik and I married her, had a daughter, worked my way up. But oh how I waited! I waited for you and in the end all I had was a cruel rejection letter. I hope you're happy with yourself now because whatever is happening now is your own undoing!" and Susanna in tears repeated "My own undoing..." and she walked away and General Man looked back, shocked at her unwillingness to fight back and probably regretting a little at being such a first class jerk with an equally first class bitch for a wife.
Susanna alone in her room, she took out her one cherished earring and used a hammer and destroyed it. Sam Hou saw and quickly said "Lady Yuen, why did you do that? I thought you loved that earring?" and Susanna said "I am sure you must know by now my history with General Man. This earring was a gift by him. I was lucky enough to have been chosen to leave the palace for a day decades before but someone destroyed by chance by making sure I contracted symptoms of measles. I couldn't leave the palace and rather than stopping him from achieving his ambition, I wrote him a cruel rejection letter telling him I chose my ambition over love. It seems he has never forgotten that letter" and Sam Hou asked "Why not tell him now?" and Susanna said "What use is there? What's done is done. Sam Hou, whatever is the past, let it past" and Sam Hou looked at her, probably thinking of Hin Yeung.
Susan was alone when PM came to see her and Susan was trying to garner his support to overthrow the emperor but PM said "My Lady, his accession may be questionable but ever since he sat on that throne he has been doing well. Please, for the sake of the dynasty, support him, don't overthrow him!" and Susan of course wasn't happy but she seems to be rather lenient with this PM. Anyway I can't remember what happened next but I do remember next episode...
Susanna got poisoned when she ate some food given by Empress Dowager who in turn found out the food was given by Susan to her!
Anyway is all lady in here servant hater? Seems like same old speech. And as for Susan trying to overthrow the emperor, she doesn't realise her real enemy is not him or Empress Dowager BUT General Ma. That's the real villain.
Some good scenes in here, like confrontation between Empress Dowager and Susan as well as how the emperor revealed himself as smart and not dumb.
However the entire story with the general's wife is just ridiculous. Poor Susanna; not only was she often insulted by the immature Michelle, now she has to suffer insults from equally immature General Man.
Is everyone so immature in here?
Performances wise, I can't get Michelle Yim. Most scene she looked shocked, regret, etc and yet her character started all these insults for Susanna. So where's the sly smile? If not, did she look sad? Did she look happy? Satisfied? Jealous? Michelle, what were you exactly?!
And I don't get Kara and Lui Shan's characters as well. They looked united and yet spent their time sniggering, giving stares, talking like they're always in gossip mode, etc. What are these 2 doing in here? Nothing. Waste of talent I tell you.
Poor Susanna Kwan stuck with 1 expression thus far; worried look. I hope to see her temper back because that Mrs Man deserves some scolding.
Another poor performance comes from the usually reliable and still rather good looking Cheung Kwok Keung as General Man. I blame the writing; the character is just so darn immature so all he has to work with is a rather sulky immature jerk. Since I do see him as a jerk, I guess that's not a poor performance. But his story and Susanna's Lady Yuen seems like the familiar Anne and Captain Wenworth of Persuasion exception Captain Wenworth came back to town as a success after Anne spurned his love years before to seek her love again. Here General Man is just a jerk.
Charmaine, no comment. She hasn't much to do at all.
Tavia also although there's a hint of rivalry eventhough her Kam Ling tries her best not to feel that way.
Lee Kwok Lun is ok except he really overacts in this series. I just find him OTT most of the time. I would think General Ma as someone subtle and cunning but he is rather loud and I find it interesting no one killed him yet. Is he THAT powerful? Well we know he is since he holds the army by de facto power thanks to General Man married to his cousin BUT earlier scenes never indicated that and shows that the then Empress Dowager could even fight him off. Drama! I tell you, just drama!
Susan Tse rules. If there is a reason to watch this series with its ridiculous politics, it will be Susan Tse.
Same goes for Mary Hon who made this episode a pleasure to watch.
The others are just zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Posts
December 15, 2010 at 4:00 PM
The word you are looking for is 'coronation'?