ep 6 spoilers ahead

6/96!

The plot advances slowly, but due to the sheer volume of events occurring, the show continues to maintain my interest.

1.We open to Ru Yi being tortured. Before Noble Consort W. Can kill her, it is announced that the emperor is arrived (this is how skilled she is at this game)--Noble Consort issues an order to have the jacket removed. She rushes out to greet the emperor (delay) by the time he arrives Ru Yi looks very weak but there is no blood on her, no jacket.

2.The emperor maintains an emotionless face as he tells Noble Consort W. that there is no need for torture. She says she has not tortured her and that she has only been questioning her and that Ru Yi is just weak. Ru Yi tries to tell the truth but before she can the emperor tells Noble Consort that he of course believes her, causing Ru Yi to feel dejected.

3.Ru Yi is released, and we learn from the Noble Consort that the emperor may have appeared to be on her side but he is in fact playing the game too: he is giving her a concession in order to advance and protect Ru Yi later. It is a courtesy, basically, to her clan, but nothing more.

4.Ru Yi later finds herself in Chenqing call--I don't know why she came here--and assassins attack her. They nearly kill her but she manages to escape. She runs into the arms of the emperor, who luckily was there. He immediately takes her to his palace and Xu Hui is summoned to care for her.

5.Ru Yi has PTSD as she has awful nightmares about Wanyan. The Pure Consort visits her and asks her what her plan is. Ru Yi tells her that she has no intention of pursuing Noble Consort because she recognizes that she cannot win against her. Pure Consort is happy to hear this. She tells her that Consort Wei was once like her, innocent, but after arriving in the harem she had 3 years of miscarriages. It was discovered someone was poisoning her. The palace was turned upside down but no one was caught. Consort Wei lost the ability to conceive children. This makes Ru Yi pity her, and we at last learned how she came to be so ruthless.

6.Later, when she is alone with her servant, Consort Yang (pure consort) discusses how unpredictable Ru Yi is and how she could be a useful pawn in the future (I wonder why she did not say 'ally'?)

7.The emperor has placed the Grand Court in charge of investigating, and Dai Qing (?) a loyal friend and minister is placed in charge. They gather evidence and the emperor learns that Wanyan was poisoned because of the jug, which had a reverse mechanism, however the conclusion is that Wanyan was tricked and set up--so they know a bigger fish is out there behind all of this.

8.Meanwhile, the crown prince arrives, a merchant crashes his court into him, he is thrown from his horse, and the horse crushes his leg. The ministers report that this is because a follower of the prince murdered the merchant's father whiled drunk and this was an act of revenge. The prince is to be assigned a new teacher to learn to have a better nature. We also learn the prince will be crippled for life (the emperor is angry, stating it is better to be dead than crippled)

9.After all the ministers leave Dai Qing reports that the incident was likely planned out by someone with power, and he suggests it is related/mirrors the Xionwu gate incident (perhaps implying the siblings tried to kill him?)

---I enjoyed the episode, I enjoyed seeing Ru Yi grow more savy with harem politics, and am curious to watch more of the story unfold. Since the emphasis is clearly on plots and politics, I have accepted it will be advancing very slowly--

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