I’ll keep this short.
1. In exchange for Li Rong’s hand in marriage, the Emperor demands that Pei WenXuan (PWX) kill Yang Quan. His exact words –
Emperor: Pei Wenxuan, if I make you my sword to kill Yang Quan as your betrothal gift to marry Pingyue, would you dare to do it?
Though we don’t see PWX’s response, we know that he accepts the mission.
To me, this scene is significant because PWX is altering the past. In the previous episode, after he saw Li Rong’s bruised cheek after her meeting with the Empress, he remembered how Li Rong wept that she felt so abandoned during her marriage. She had believed that her father doted on her, but he ended up using her to control the noble families. Her mother sided with her noble family; her husband was unfaithful; her brother suspected her of conspiring with the noble families.
PWX took her words to heart. He regrets that Li Rong became disillusioned about her father, and that she felt used like a political pawn. So, this time around, he steps into her place and allows the Emperor to use HIM instead as a weapon. He becomes a sword so Li Rong will cease to be a pawn. Their marriage will no longer be a political exigency forced upon Li Rong. Rather, his marriage to the Princess Royal is recast to be some sort of prize or bounty which he must “earn.” He has to prove himself worthy of her by killing Yang Quan.
That’s why he takes on the King’s mission. He’s rectifying a past regret and failure.
And his action has an immediate and concrete result. After Yang Quan is killed, the Emperor has tea alone with Li Rong. Remember in Episode 1, the Emperor hesitated to take her offering of biscuits because he suspected her of planning to kill him? This time, he sits with Li Rong without fear, and they talk like a normal father-and-daughter, just as Li Rong once wished.
Father: Pingyue, you interacted with four men this time. No, it’s just three now.
Lol. Because Yang Quan is dead. The Emperor seems to be gloating about this fact.
Father: How do you feel about Pei Wenxuan?
LR: I…I feel that he’s a good man. He could be of use to you in the future, too, Father. It’s just…it’s just that Mother…
She sounds hesitant. She wants to impress upon him that her first loyalty is to him and that she has no intention of forsaking him for her Shangguang relations.
Father: (reassuringly) All you need to consider is whether you like this man. You don’t need to care about other things.
See the change in him? He no longer sees her as bait to entrap a noble family who’s out to seek a power alliance with the Shangguang family to overthrow him.
LR: (pretending to cry) Father. I just don’t know. We’re a family, but why can’t we just be simple and happy? You and Mother –
Father: No need to ask about your mother and me. Treat it as if you know nothing.
He’s firmly convinced that she isn’t conspiring with the Shangguan family against him, and he wants to keep it that way. He doesn’t want her to get involved with his power struggle with her maternal relatives.
LR: (relieved)
Father: (dotingly) Pick someone you like. I’ll always respect your choice. However, you and Pei Wenxuan spent a night alone together. That pretty much makes you his woman. As I see it, Pei Wenxuan is a good choice. He’s smart and also good-looking. If you marry him, you won’t suffer.
Now, he’s talking like a real father. He’s interested in her marriage because he wants her to have a good match and happy life, not because he wants to discover who his enemies are.
LR: (silently reflecting)
Father: Go back and think about my words. After we close the case about Yang Quan, I’ll betroth you to him.
LR: As you wish, Father.
That’s it. The father and daughter have begun to form a new bond. Clearly, Li Rong benefits from the success of PWX’s successful mission. Because PWX has demonstrated his allegiance to the Emperor and the Emperor is pleased with his work, the Emperor also sees Li Rong in a new light.
2. I like the sword fight in the carriage.
PWX and Li Rong were obviously anticipating this attack. Since PWX had no sword of his own, Li Rong obtained one from her brother. She gave it to PWX supposedly as a token of gratitude for rescuing her the previous night.
But because she was still worried about PWX’s safety, she made sure to have her personal guards by PWX’s side in case he was overpowered by Yang Quan and his men. But PWX did a quick work of eliminating his assassins all on his own.
3. PWX’s response to Li Rong’s demand to kowtow to her portrait three times is witty. He meets her audacity with audacity of his own. Or as Shakespeare said, he fights “fire with fire.”
He draws himself bowing just as she ordered. To me, this is their first “love letter.”
4. Li Rong’s visit to her father is premeditated; she wants to lend her support to PWX should the court turn on him for killing Yang Quan.
Using a flower offering as an excuse, she drops in on her father, uninvited. She times her arrival at the palace to coincide with PWX’s arrival. She knows that PWX is heading to the palace to report on Yang Quan’s ambush and death.
But when they meet each other, PWX feigns ignorance. Of course, Li Rong is curious to know the details about the ambush so she’s understandably peeved when he refuses to be more forthcoming.
LR: I just saw you leave the palace. Why did you return? Could it be that you miss me?
She’s giving him an opening to tell her about the attack. But he sidesteps it.
PWX: You jest, Your Highness. I wouldn’t dare.
LR: (annoyed)
PWX: It’s just that something happened on the way so I came back to report it to His Majesty.
LR: (thinking to herself) Scoundrel! He’s not only acting naive, but he’s also acting innocent!
Perhaps he wants to spare her the gory details.
Once they’re inside the palace with the Emperor, she witnesses PWX’s masterful performance as a terrified and innocent victim of Yang Quan’s violence. He deftly connects Yang Quan’s attempted abduction of the Princess Royal to the Yang’s family’s corruption. She then volunteers to lead the investigation on the Yang family’s management of the Northwest territory. She also volunteers Su RongQing to be the overall supervisor of the investigation, much to PWX’s chagrin. He’s jealous of her motives and tells her so.
PWX: Just now at the Imperial Palace, you requested SRQ to supervise the case. What’s the meaning of that? How would you like him to supervise the case? Are you going to summon him daily and see him while investigating the case? Or are you going to keep him by your side, so you can investigate together all the time?
LR: You…
PWX: Do you see me as a hindrance to your investigation? All right then. You can investigate this case alone with Mr. Su. Why do I even need to be here?
To me, the reason he’s mad is that after all the trouble he just went through with Yang Quan, her first instinct is still to run to SRQ for help.
LR: Can you be a little more pretentious? (then pretending to pick up dirt from his shirt) Look, what’s this?
I like how she sidetracks him and leaves him confused.
PWX: What is it?
LR: (grinning) Your pettiness.
Lol. To get back at her, he harps about her age.
PWX: How old are you already? SRQ is at his best years. Give up on netting yourself a younger guy. Why? Does being called old make you upset?
LR: Do you think you’re young? You have a tainted heart. I don’t want to talk to you.
PWX: (nagging) I’m just kindly reminding you not to let him sabotage our plans. He’s ruined you before. If you allow him to do it again in this life, then you’re foolish.
LR: Even so, it’s none of your business. We’ll get divorced in two years anyway. Pei Wenxuan, if I kill you in this life, it won’t be because of someone’s instigation.
PWX: (angry) Head back on your own. I won’t see you off.
Hmmm… I see a pattern here. When he’s hurt to the max, he chooses flight instead of fight. He bolts out of there.
Thankfully, he remembers that he needs more guards to round-up the Clan members so turns around. He has no choice but to ask for more favors from her.
5. Li Rong lets PWX sleep against her back.
He’s sleepy because he didn’t get any rest from capturing the Yang clan members who were fleeing the city to go back home to their Northwest province.
Next, Episode 6.
For one, their lack of trust in each other in the previous life has been rectified by a lot more trust in each other after the night they spent with each other and got a lot of misunderstanding sorted out.
In ep 5, they are, in a way the dream team. Each have their resources and advantages in the roles they play in getting to their goal. Even though there is some unpredictability, the aid each other. The perfect ally, I would say.
LR is cutting with her words but in this life she has been showing a delayed soft-heartedness. ie. she bullies PWX and then regrets it and does something to make up for it.
Their love letter is the best! I wasn’t expecting it and it was such a good ‘attack’.
I thought I have been seeing a lot of eye rolls in these early episodes. haha..esp when LR picks on his pettiness. LR also did so somewhere in the earlier eispode.
Their bickering is fun to watch though. And when she shows that concern for him, we feel the contrast and really love those small gestures.
PWX is dedicated and I don’t think he is expecting too much from LR but when she’s mean to him it hurts. She isn’t one to gush her thanks to him.