Prince of Lan Ling Episode 21

 

Seeing that Xiao Dong is an obstacle to her plans, Zheng Er sets about to find his weakness. She guesses that the lowly peasant is in love with Xue Wu. Xiao Dong denies it but one has to wonder. He warns her to keep her mitts off the prince.

 

As Xiao Dong is getting onto his horse, Zheng Er makes a move to spook the animal. Right at that moment, though, Chang Gong is walking near when the horse starts to rear. Zheng Er pushes the prince out of the way only to be struck by the horse's hooves herself. The doctor assures the prince that she'll recover with time. Chang Gong now feels responsible for Zheng Er's injuries since she was saving his life.

 

Xiao Dong tries to open Xue Wu's eyes to Zheng Er's evil but the divine sorceress refuses to see. A guilty Chang Gong insists on nursing Zheng Er himself, leaving his new wife all alone.

 

Cracks start to develop in their relationship.

 

The next morning the prince leaves early for work. Xue Wu goes in to check on a supposedly sleeping Zheng Er. As Xue Wu checks the girl's pulse, Zheng Er murmurs Chang Gong's name. Pretending to wake up fully, Zheng Er apologizes as she thought the prince had come back to warm her hands like he did last night. Xue Wu struggles to keep the faith.

 

With Xue Wu and Xiao Dong gone to visit Veteran's Village, Zheng Er sets out to create more havoc. For one thing she snoops around Xiao Dong's (rather large) room and discovers one of Xue Wu's handkerchiefs. Next she goes to the marketplace (always a hotbed of gossip and rumor) and puts out the word that she is Han Xiao Dong's long lost wife. She weaves the story that Xiao Dong abandoned her so he could stay close to Xue Wu.

 

Later in the day Xiao Cui goes to the market and of course hears the story. She storms back to Lan Ling Manor and right into Zheng Er's room. By this time Zheng Er has gotten back and is acting all sick in bed again but Xiao Cui isn't fooled. She knows somehow Zheng Er is behind this latest scandal.

 

Xiao Cui yanks off Zheng Er's bed covers to reveal the sick woman is still in her street clothes. Chang Gong happens to be walking by (he's been doing that a lot in this episode) and comes to see what all the ruckus is about. When he asks Zheng Er why she's been up and about since she's so sick, she comes up with this story that she wanted to get treatment on her own as it isn't right for the mighty prince to be nursing a lowly maid. Chang Gong checks his brain at the door and totally buys her excuse. 

 

Xue Wu and Xiao Dong return home to find it in an uproar. When asked, Xiao Dong laughs off any idea of him having a wife anywhere. But when asked if he's got one of the princess consort's handkerchiefs, Xiao Dong must confess he does. He explains it was the very handkerchief soaked in antidote that Xue Wu sent back from Zhou to save Chang Gong's life. Xiao Dong kept the cloth as this adventure was the first time in his life that he felt he had accomplished something major and great. Chang Gong seems to accept this explanation. Seems to. (I don't. We all know very well Xiao Dong kept the handkerchief because he's in love with Xue Wu.)

 

The cracks widen.

 

In order to protect Xue Wu's reputation from any further damage, Xiao Dong agrees to leave Lan Ling Manor. (Oh Cute Boy, I hope this isn't the end of you on the show.)

 

Grandma Fu drops in to give the "Have a baby before I die" speech. To make sure the work gets done, Fu decides to stay at the manor. Zheng Er sees this as just another obstacle in her path. I'm not worried about Grandma, though. I think Fu has enough experience that she can handle Zheng Er.

Prince of Lan Ling Episode 20

So Chang Gong and Xue Wu get married (for the second time) yet this is their first wedding night. My goodness, I didn't expect such steamy stuff onscreen.

 

Anyway, we time skip ahead one month. King Yung and his bros are out in the forest hunting for dangerous killer rabbits. Shen Ju rides up to report on the king's plan to get more people to leave Qi state, as well as to confirm the rumors that the prince of Lan Ling has married the divine sorceress. Yung tries not to let it bother him but it does. 

 

Crazy Zheng Er is now working as a maid at Lan Ling Manor. Xiao Cui gets to boss her around. 

 

Chang Gong gets an unexpected visit from a strange Taoist monk. The monk has come to warn the prince that Chang Gong has gone against the gods and now he's in trouble. Xue Wu isn't left out either. The monk says she's not the real Princess Consort Zheng and stole the role from someone else. This of course gets everyone upset.

 

 

Xue Wu asks the monk how they can avoid the upcoming calamity. The monk recommends the prince get a concubine to restore balance to Lan Ling Manor. Chang Gong says this is all nonsense. Xue Wu is his one and only woman.

 

Aha. We see later it was Zheng Er who hired this so-called monk. And now my cat is laying on my mouse again. I'll try and persevere.

 

The emperor calls on Chang Gong and An De for an emergency meeting. What with locusts and drought, the rice crop this year is pitiful and the people are starving. Because of the recent wars with Zhou, the Qi treasury is about empty. The emperor gives Chang Gong the minor task of somehow finding a butt-load of money to refill the treasury so they can help the people out.

 

While Chang Gong works on this problem he asks his wife to take over seeing to the Veteran's Village. With access to the household accounts, Xue Wu learns Lan Ling Manor is actually in the red. 

 

At the village, both Xue Wu and Xiao Dong start thinking it's time for the people to stop being so dependent on the prince and start being self-sufficient. While Xue Wu brainstorms, Zheng Er finagles her way into more power at the manor house.

 

How strange. They're doing that green screen thing again as Chang Gong sits down to dinner. He's not really there with the rest of the cast. Anyway, it has something to do with Chang Gong liking something Zheng Er cooked more than anything Xue Wu cooked. Xue Wu starts to feel less confident.

 

Xue Wu returns to village to make artificial limbs for the veterans. She's so busy here that she forgets to make Chang Gong some lunch. Not to worry as Zheng Er takes over and brings the prince some food. But wait! Here comes Xiao Dong with Xue Wu's homemade lunch, which Chang Gong gladly takes instead. Zheng Er doesn't like Xiao Dong. Xiao Dong doesn't like Zheng Er. 

Prince of Lan Ling Episode 19

Knowing Chang Gong is worried about the mass exodus from Qi, Xue Wu suggests they move back to Lan Ling Manor so he can get to work on fixing the problem.

 

Zheng Er is forced back to work making bricks for the pharaoh building the temple for the emperor. The tricky slave who escaped is recaptured and brought back to the work site. Zheng Er acts like all is forgiven between the two women. I see that crazy look in your eye, girlfriend. You up to something.

 

Later Zheng Er is put to the task of burning the contaminated clothes of the slaves who died of the epidemic. She saves a blanket from the fire and gives it to the tricky slave. Sure enough by the next morning the tricky slave is covered in sores. The soldiers start to take her away to go dump her in the woods. Since Zheng Er supposedly slept beside the sick slave (she didn't), the soldiers figure Zheng Er is sick as well and take her along to be dumped.

 

What the soldiers really do is dump Zheng Er and the sick slave on top of a pile of straw and set fire to it. The soldiers don't want to hear the screams or smell the burning flesh so they leave. Zheng Er, tied up and unable to get away, cries out for Chang Gong. Miracle of miracles, it starts to rain and puts out the fire. There's a long, drawn-out scene as Zheng Er struggles back to the city and Lan Ling Manor.

 

Of course Chang Gong has her brought in to be tended to. Once she's able to, Zheng Er falls to her knees and apologizes for her part in the conspiracy. Xue Wu is all ready to forgive the other woman. (Thank goodness it appears Xiao Dong isn't falling for Zheng Er's story. Stay vigilant, Cute Boy.)

 

When Zheng Er learns there's a wedding tomorrow and she's not the bride, she goes a little bit further down the rabbit hole to Wonderland.

 

It's the day of the wedding and Chang Gong is wearing something Liberace would be proud of.

 

There's a custom in Qi for the bride to be escorted to the altar by her eldest male relative. Xue Wu doesn't have any family and is expecting to walk in by herself, causing all the guests to gossip. But then here comes the Queen Dowager, Grandma Fu, to take on the role. Love you, Fu.

 

As a further romantic gesture, Chang Gong has unveiled some artwork. They're paintings of him and Xue Wu from their past adventures. (This is a rather clip heavy episode.) Apparently all you have to do to marry a prince back in this time is to bow to him three times. Everyone cheers as Chang Gong and Xue Wu are now officially married.

 

Watching from the back, crazy Zheng Er comments to herself that the wedding ceremony will be different when she and Chang Gong get married.

Prince of Lan Ling Episode 18

Now that there is peace (albeit brief) between Qi and Zhou, its time to move on to the next dramatic plot point. The Qi emperor wants to get back to finishing a temple. Chang Gong and his team are against it while Gao Wei is all for it. The emperor gives the building task to the crown prince since Chang Gong needs to get ready for his upcoming wedding.

 

Xue Wu is washing Snowy, and making quite a mess, when she's joined by some sacred maids the emperor sent over. They're here to help organize the wedding and get on everybody's nerves. They give Xue Wu a hilarious make-over involving one of those complex loop-de-loop hair styles you often see in Chinese historicals. Xue Wu has a hard time balancing all that hair and dangly ornaments. Chang Gong looks on in horror.

 

Guess who just learned how to make a screencap

 

Everyone sits down to dinner. Everyone, that is, except the sacred maids who are appalled to see the servants like Xiao Dong and Xiao Cui eating alongside the prince. (This is an odd table they're sitting at. It comes up to An De's waist where he's sitting, yet Xue Wu and Chang Gong look like they can barely peek over the top of it. Are you guys in a hole or something?)

 

Xue Wu can't even sleep without a couple of sacred maids hovering over her. Chang Gong wants to send the women back to the ministry. Xue Wu stops him as she fears the women will be punished if they're sent back early. She'll just have to put up with them.

 

The next day Chang Gong is able to help Xue Wu escape her captors, at least for a little while, as they ride off through the city. They don't bother to notice the slaves they ride past. The women, all tied together, are being taken to work on the temple. One of the slaves is poor Zheng Er. Remember her?

 

Chang Gong offers to live with Xue Wu at his mother's humble home until the wedding. Here they can live without all the rules and sacred maids. That evening as they worry over why the hen isn't laying, Xue Wu remembers Zheng Er and asks the prince to find the poor girl so they can set her free. They both feel Zheng Er was simply another victim of Zu Ting and the empress.

 

As Zheng Er struggles with her new life (those soldiers sure do like their whips), an epidemic breaks out at the construction site. It mainly strikes the overworked and underfed slaves. Zheng Er gets it into her head that this is all Xue Wu's fault. Xue Wu is to blame. Xue Wu must pay.

 

The next day poor Zheng Er is tricked by another slave into trying to escape. While all the guards are chasing after Zheng Er, the other slave is able to get away. Zheng Er is captured and forced back to the camp. (Zheng Er obviously didn't listen to my earlier advice to never trust peasants.)

 

While Chang Gong is in the marketplace, he overhears the people talking. King Yung has given an order that anyone moving to Zhou state will get 40 acres and a mule a piece of land and exempt from taxes for three years. Some people are already moving to Zhou, which would certainly weaken Qi. No one seems to support building the temple.

 

I know at least one person who doesn't support it: poor Zheng Er, who is getting beaten for her troubles.

Prince of Lan Ling Episode 17

Chang Gong insists Xue Wu leave with him for Qi immediately. She refuses as she has already promised King Yung to stay an extra couple of days to keep an eye on Zhen. Chang Gong isn't fooled. He knows Yung has fallen for Xue Wu and that's the real reason the king wants to keep her around. (Feng Shao Feng is actually quite funny in this scene. His character has been so serious in all these episodes. This is the first time Chang Gong has let loose.)

 

Xue Wu talks her husband into giving her just one more day. Chang Gong warns her that trouble seems to be brewing between Yuwen Yung and Yuwen Hu. Xue Wu wonders if this is part of her grandmother's prophecy.

 

Yung is having a flashback to the death of his older brother, the former king. Apparently back then Hu had instructed the young Prince Yung to poison the king. Yung wasn't going to do it but the king took the poison himself so Hu would be fooled into thinking Yung was under the Prime Minister's control. This is more messed up than Game of Thrones.

 

When Yu Tu returns to the Prime Minister's manor, Hu has her arrested. He explains how he purposely allowed her to overhear the talk about the poison plot and the imperial chef. Turns out the chef was totally innocent, but now that the king has replaced (i.e. killed) his entire cooking staff, this allowed Hu to work in his real spy. Yu Tu meets a gruesome end. On her person they discover the list of Hu's cronies who are planning to be turncoats.

 

It all comes down to tomorrow's meeting. Hu already has his kingly robes ready to wear when he claims the throne.

 

The day breaks. King Yung is served a huge breakfast. Surely he's not expected to eat all of that. Yung is just about to eat his (poisoned) soup when Shen Ju interrupts with his report. Yung arrives at the great hall and orders the meeting to commence. Yuwen Hu and only a few of his hardcore supporters come in. When asked where the other ministers are, Hu says he had them stopped at the gate.

 

Hu also has the dead body of Yu Tu brought in to show the king. It's time to stop pretending. The Prime Minister announces his plans to overtake the throne. He grabs a nearby sword and starts... killing his hardcore supporters? Okay, maybe these were the men who were on the list and the ministers at the gate are Hu's real supporters.

 

Hu advises Yung to not get to worked up as that will only make the poison work even faster. A gasping Yung grabs his chest and spits blood. Hu wants this all official, though. He estimates the king has about two hours to live. Hu wants Yung to make out a will naming the prime minister as his successor, or else innocent lives like Zhen's will be lost.

 

Xue Wu is doctoring the little girl when they hear all the commotion outside. Xue Wu goes to investigate and runs into Queen Axina who explains the situation. The women attempt to go see Yung but the guards stop them. Everyone has been ordered to stay inside the inner palace. That includes queens and divine sorceresses. Ah, but there's still the Masked Marvel, Chang Gong, who's still free to move about.

 

A dying Yung is allowed back to his bedroom. Shen Ju wants to go fetch Xue Wu but Yung stops him. Yung fears Hu will send his imperial stormtroopers into the inner palace. With not much time left, Yung orders Shen Ju to start writing him a will. A Hu spy overhears all this and gleefully reports back to the big man. Hu feels confident enough to go to the king's quarters and retrieve the will himself.

 

Chang Gong wants to get Xue Wu out of the palace and away from all this internal strife. Xue Wu says she can't as now Zhen has gone missing.

 

Hu and his entourage enter the king's bedroom. Yung is lying there in bed, the will grasped in his dying hand. Hu reaches down for the document and is surprised when a healthy Yung springs up and holds a knife to the prime minister's throat. Shen Ju and his men swoop in to arrest the other cronies.

 

Yung knew Hu was using Yu Tu. Furthermore, the king is the one who made up that list. All the names on it, the men Hu killed for being traitors, were actually true Hu men. Unfortunately Yung makes the classic mistake of talking too much before getting down to the killing. Just as he's about to lop off Hu's head, Zhen comes running into the room to check on her uncle. The distraction is enough for one of Hu's men to break free and take the little girl hostage. (Even the girl's crying is dubbed by someone else. You baffle me, Chinese TV.)

 

This is when Chang Gong and Xue Wu catch up on all the action. Chang Gong doesn't want to get involved but we all know Xue Wu is going to run blindly into the middle of things. The divine sorceress holds up her clenched hand and claims she has poisoned sand. One touch of the sand and the villain dies. Hu notices masked Chang Gong moving up behind and shouts out a warning to his crony. Xue Wu does have something in her hand and throws the powder in the man's face as Chang Gong cuts the man's throat. They take the crying girl back to safety while Yung finally gets around to killing Hu.

 

Yung is enjoying having total power. What he's not enjoying is hearing that Xue Wu has left the palace without his permission. He orders Shen Ju to gather his men and follow her.

 

Chang Gong and Xue Wu make it to the Qi border where they're supposed to be meeting up with An De. An De is there, but so is King Yung and his soldiers. Yung again asks Xue Wu to stay with him. Xue Wu says no, that if she has to be Yung's prisoner he'll never really have her. Besides, she's Chang Gong's woman. Can't we all just get along?

 

Yung relents. He'll release Xue Wu, Chang Gong and An De. He'll even release the Qi prisoners as he originally promised Xue Wu. The cherry on top is a peace treaty for three years. While Zhou builds up her strength, she won't attack Qi. However, Yung warns Chang Gong if the prince ever hurts Xue Wu, Yung will take her in and never allow Chang Gong any peace. Chang Gong replies that will never happen as he'll never let Xue Wu go.

 

 

This was a damn fine episode!

Prince of Lan Ling Episode 16

Xue Wu takes her masked marauder aside to scold him for peeping. She threatens the man with getting Chang Gong to rip the man's eyes out, not realizing it is Chang Gong behind the mask. He's keeping mum the entire time as Xue Wu tasks him with finding out if the Prince of Lan Ling knows she's in Zhou.

 

General Yuchi Jiong is back in town for Prime Minister Hu's birthday party. Old men so love to party. King Yung seems to forgive Yuchi for that muckup back at the battle of Luo Yang. Yuchi pledges his life in service to Yung.

 

Yung goes on to drop in on Yuwen Hu's deadly dull birthday bash. The two act like the best of friends. Hu is feeling magnanimous enough to offer the king a present. The present being a chained and beaten Yuchi Jiong. Hu wants to lay the blame of Zhou's loss at Luo Yang on Yuchi and execute the beleaguered general by tying him to several horses and tearing him apart. Yuchi, knowing he's a dead man walking, makes a last stand and publically blames the prime minister for the reason they lost the battle.

 

Yung, unable to do anything to save his man, seizes upon the excuse that Yuchi dared to use the prime minister's full name, a capital offense. Yung grabs a sword and rams it through Yuchi's chest, a more merciful and quick death than being ripped apart. The king returns to the palace to wash off Yuchi's blood and swear more eternal vengeance against Yuwen Hu.

 

Xue Wu sees how Yung is trying to hide his pain and offers comfort. She's too naive to see how he's falling in love with her. Queen Axina notices it. (I'm still not clear if she's his wife or sister-in-law.)

 

Yu Tu (with earrings that must be a yard long) overhears the prime minister's plans to poison the king through the imperial chef who's really working for Hu.

 

Yung takes Xue Wu to the royal library where she gets all excited over the engineering and chemistry scrolls. He's blinded her with science. A jealous Chang Gong sneaks around outside to keep an eye on them. Yung asks Xue Wu to stay in Zhou for Zhen's sake. Xue Wu refuses as she's anxious to get back to the man she loves and pinch his cheeks.

 

Yu Tu warns the king about the poison plot. Yung asks her to put some feelers out and find out which of Yuwen Hu's cronies are willing to switch sides to support the king.

 

A masked Chang Gong finally reveals his true identity to Xue Wu.

Prince of Lan Ling Episode 15

Chang Gong and Xue Wu go to visit the Queen Dowager. (I feel the need to comment on the unusual use of the green screen. The actors playing the Queen Dowager and An De appear to be actually on set, while the actors playing Lan Ling and Xue Wu are obviously in front of a green screen. Why couldn't they all get together? What gives, Taiwan? I'm assuming this show was mainly filmed in Taiwan as it seems to be raining all the time. But I digress, as I usually do.)

 

Anyway, Fu (I'm still calling her that) expresses her worries over trouble brewing between Chang Gong and Gao Wei. She knows her time on earth will draw to a close one day and asks Xue Wu to protect Chang Gong.

 

The next day Chang Gong and Xue Wu return to our dimension. He takes her out for a romantic walk in the woods. Once again the prince is slowly making his move. Once again his move is blocked when Xue Wu hears a peasant child crying. She'd rather help the kid than get kissed. Xue Wu starts to take the child home to feed him/her/can't tell. Chang Gong instead gives the child some money and hustles him/her/it away. "Get lost, kid. You're cramping my style."

 

Chang Gong brings up the fact that she needs to learn not to trust random kids. Remember the last time she trusted a child? She got drugged and kidnapped. Xue Wu doesn't like to be reminded of her past faux pas and storms off in a huff. She instantly arrives at a village and sees the little urchin munching down on some food. She asks the kid what he/she did with all the money they just gave him. The kid says it put the money away and offers to show Xue Wu where. Like the trusting fool she is, Xue Wu follows and gets a hikeeba to the neck. Let this be a lesson to you, kids. Never trust peasants.

 

Xue Wu awakens to find herself in an abandoned house with King Yuwen Yung of all people. I thought you sent Shen Ju to get her? What are you doing there? Chang Gong is listening from the doorway as Yung tells the divine sorceress his sad sack tale of a dying niece. Won't she please come and help Zhen? Xue Wu pleads lack of medical skills. She would be of no help at all.

 

Chang Gong continues to just stand there as Yung pulls out a huge knife and threatens to kill himself. When that doesn't work, Yung plays his final card and offers to release all the Qi prisoners he's taken if Xue Wu will come to Zhou for just a month. Xue Wu asks that a message be sent to her fiancé to tell him where she's going and why.

 

Chang Gong is still standing there when suddenly the Man In The Iron Mask attacks. Chang Gong easily disposes of him while Xue Wu and Yung don't hear a thing. Two other masked men are sneaking around outside. Are these supposed to be elite Zhou warriors? Because they're acting like Laurel and Hardy. Chang Gong, now dressed in his opponent's mask, returns and gets caught up with the other two oafs. Xue Wu and Yung continue not to hear anything.

 

Everyone returns to Zhou. Yung takes Xue Wu straight to Zhen's sickbed while the masked men stand guard. Xue Wu makes a quick diagnosis and gives a long-ass prescription.

 

Prime Minister Yuwen Hu is having a dinner party for his cronies. He has Yu Tu serve some wine. She addresses the gathered cronies and proclaims she hates the king for wiping out her tribe and she is now on Hu's side. To prove her loyalty, Yu Tu reveals that she's poisoned everyone's wine on the king's orders. Yet to test her even more, Hu offers Yu Tu a glass of his own poisoned wine. Once she drinks it she must come to him every week for the antidote or die. Yu Tu boldly drinks the wine.

 

After making all his cronies also drink the poisoned wine, the Prime Minister audaciously announces his plans to overthrow the king. Yet later that night we see Yu Tu reporting all this to Shen Ju.

 

Xue Wu is in the royal bathroom tending to Zhen's bath. Black masked Chang Gong tries to peep inside to see what Xue Wu is up to. He gets caught by Laurel and Hardy who accuse him of being a pedophile.

 

Xue Wu comes out and accuses all of the masked men of being pedophiles. Laurel and Hardy quickly blame Chang Gong as the real perv. Xue Wu threatens to rip Chang Gong a new one.