YanXi Palace [Episodes 29-31] Recap + Review

[@dramarecaps4217]

All these comments about missing scenes are KILLING me. Had no idea there were this many. Can anyone confirm if the drama-novel includes all these scenes? Especially the stuff about YL's big sis? I might have to read it after all if it'll fill in all these missing pieces 🤔

[@mt0881]

I'm not sure. But a lot of scenes were removed due to censorship and restrictions on how long dramas can be

[@natashajagadhish1887]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2PRiJ6Vis6ZpsUsi=ZSHm7iTh91Q_BaHv

[@natashajagadhish1887]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/r2PRiJ6Vis6ZpsUsi=ZSHm7iTh91Q_BaHv, explains some things.

[@Tekirai]

It stinks that they cut the connection of yingluo’s sis and gao.

[@natashajagadhish1887]

@@Tekirai yep

[@alison4398]

Personally, I don’t think Xian was faking her desire to help people. I think she’s still at this point overall wanting to help others genuinely and be a fair and just person. However, she’s learned that just because she wants to be fair and just doesn’t mean others will be, and so she’s willing to really hurt those who want to mess with her. Up to this point, we’ve only ever seen her go after people who really cross her in a serious way, or scheme in a way that doesn’t necessarily hurt others while still benefitting herself. Of course, the saying “The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” is well known for a reason… In terms of Yingluo and Fuheng’s relationship, yeah, at this point in the story it’s not hard to want them to be together. Their devotion is really sweet, and Fuheng is able to correctly figure out that Yingluo publicly denounced the Empress so she could do her own work without anyone suspecting. Fuheng is being crafty in his own ways trying to help her, but he’s still learning. And the Emperor is… there’s no other way to put it, he’s being a d*ck.

[@greygryphon6881]

Yeah that's one of the reasons Xian makes such a great villain, she is still a compassionate and caring person....when it suits her

[@Winter74575]

Xian may be naturally kind hearted but only when it suits her. Her coming up with the soup kitchen plan is really for her benefit ( long run) she’s really intelligent and patient and knows exactly when to take advantage of open opportunities, she strategically protected the Empress Doweger on purpose to get the recognition then suggested the soup kitchen, she’s building reputation as she only has 1 goal, she plays the other consorts against each other in such a subtle way that if you blink you will miss it and that is why she is the best female villain I’ve seen so far in these Harem dramas.

[@dahliahawthorne4151]

Not kidding, I totally fell for Xian's niceness for an embarrassingly long time 😅

[@Winter74575]

@@dahliahawthorne4151 she is brilliant at what she does , honestly, she almost had me too🤣 there were times when I thought I could be wrong about her and she’s actually good but I’ve learned that anyone acting too Holy should be kept an eye on 😂

[@annisakamilah]

Ruyi's all wisdom and virtue and everything combined with this ambitious Xian in Yanxi Palace... Wow imagine how cool she is

[@bravejelly2615]

I sometimes wished Ruyi would cut the threats to her and her children early on and without mercy. Overall i liked that series the best but here in yanxi I'm fan of Dark!Xian and I believe at the beginning before her brother and maybe her father died she was truly and honestly good and rightful but she understood the people in the harem would tear her apart so discarded her morals

[@KC-ne1vi]

Notes: -The 火锅/huoguo, hotpot at the banquet (which sadly no one got to enjoy) was apprently a common thing during Qianlong's reign, being one of his favorite dishes. Basically, you have a soup or broth base brought to a boil, along with a variety of sides, which you dip into the pot to cook and eat (sorta like fondue but with soup rather than cheese). It's believed that hotpot became a thing during the Three Kingdoms Period, and archeologists have found copper hot pots, which conduct heat well, from that timeframe. This continued into the Qing Dynasty, where according to records, Qianlong held a hot pot banquet with 530 tables! There are regional hotpot variants, the most famous being the Chongqing or Sichuan hot pot, which is very spicy; the one we see in the drama is a Beijing-style hot pot (涮锅/shuan guo) which typically is more meat-based. -The congealed deer's blood cubes (which look a little bit like Lego to me?) are generally served with hot pot. Deer's blood is considered to restore vitality and strength, and was generally reserved for the royal family. However, although China has many native bat species, none of them feed on deer blood (you're thinking of the vampire bat, which lives in South America), so maybe Shu trained them to attack based on the scent of deer blood instead? -Yes, Gao is actually bathing in milk. It's widely believed that milk hydrates and nourishes the skin, and some claim it makes the skin lighter, but personally I'd take those claims with a grain of salt. To his credit, the Emperor forbids her from doing it once he finds, precisely because it's such a waste. -Big note here: After Yingluo leaves the garden (after being stepped on by Gao), Xian's procession passes her just as she faints, and Xian (who doesn't seem to recognize her in the rain) has an imperial doctor treat her--she still has some kindness left, it seems. -Another big note: There's a reason why Yingluo is distancing herself from the Empress, and why she expressly volunteers for milk-carrying duty despite knowing Gao would take full advantage of her situation. (Holy crap, those sychee shoes may be impractical for walking, but they could probably break some fingers if the wearer bore down hard enough. That's like the second time this has happened in this drama.) -Chunwang getting his boss' old job is just perfect karma. You definitely see more to his character here--he's quick-thinking, ruthless when need be, and good at reading the situation, much like a certain Wei-surnamed palace maid we know. -A few episodes back, when Fuheng asked the Emperor for permission to marry Yingluo and the Emperor shot him down, floating Erqing as a potential suitor instead. In this episode, Erqing, having cottoned onto this fact, asks him directly but he turns her down. This has a profound effect on both Erqing and Chun Fei, who pretty soon are going to start causing a lot of trouble... -Xian Fei sets up Ye Olde Soup Kitchen on the outskirts of the palace by the moat---we don't actually see it, but it's likely somewhere behind her stand. The palace moat---筒子河/Tongzhi He, 'Tongzhi River', was constructed in 1420 during the reign of Emperor Yongle of Ming. Its' purpose was threefold--to provide defense in case the palace was invaded, to provide drainage for rainwater, and to provide a water source in case of fire. It was a pretty large and extensive network, but only small parts of it remain today, despite restoration efforts.

[@SolitaryBee-wd5wf]

One other big note: it seems that Xian was at least part of the deer blood scheme since she spurred Gao into concocting it with Shu with the threat of the Empress's potential son undermining her position, which is how Xian got into the Empress Dowager's good graces. She really knows how to read someone's character and use it to her advantage, which will come into play when she schemes against Gao and the Empress through other people who have a vendetta against them.

[@its99pm]

@@SolitaryBee-wd5wf Xian in this drama is similar to Jia in RRLitP. Dropping hints and "casual" remarks that she knows will encourage other consorts to act the way she wants them to, without her hand seemingly being involved. It's a very clever tactic in a harem!

[@SolitaryBee-wd5wf]

"At this point, Gao should be shaking in her shoes." She should be. Xian's revenge is just around the corner in the next episodes. And Yingluo's encounter with Gao was also probably not just to catch the emperor's attention, since Xian helps her right after Yingluo leaves the imperial garden (while Xian doesn't recognize her in this scene, she is aware of how close Yingluo is to the empress and knows how to use people for her schemes without getting her own hands dirty which will come into play in the next episode).

[@flowermagnolia4551]

It’s kind of insane how as soon as yingluo is gone, the palace becomes out of order. How were they managing before yingluo entered the picture?

[@nia_njema]

that's why empress doesn't have any living kids 😅😅😅

[@imogencrusader6306]

This isn't even the last time this will happen either 😂

[@dramarecaps4217]

Wow! 😭😭

[@imogencrusader6306]

@@dramarecaps4217 these commenters take no prisoners i s2g

[@moonstarstories1298]

Lets give a moment of appreciation of Eunuch Wu's hardworkingness. Is it his job to handle every department? Also, Xian is so impressive! Easily one of the most brilliant characters in this drama and probably up there when it comes to palace drama characters in general. Very quick thinking on her and Yuanchunwang's part.

[@charliemagnebautista2902]

Honestly having a throne room in a feeding program is Wild and Jaw dropping

[@its99pm]

it reminds me of influencers and youtubers who give large amounts of money to beggars and homeless while filming it. They're only generous for clout. Xian wanted the people to SEE that she's the one behind the soup kitchen

[@phthalojohan]

There is a bit of traditional belief that milk baths helps you get glowy, bouncy skin. I guess when you have a servant to help you prepare everything (I mean just the milk heating / pouring and cleaning after alone) it’s a great idea.

[@imogencrusader6306]

Oh God I didn't even think about the fact the milk probably wouldn't drain out 😅

[@Monica-by4me]

The emperor is such a tsundere I can’t 😂😂😂

[@MiyuMotou]

Annoying!! And kinda cute? Idk

[@abbyfmc7812]

YES

[@imogencrusader6306]

Honestly one of the biggest arcs in this show is the emperor learning to emote 😂

[@beeworkin1461]

Thinking about it Yingluo didn't really go back on her promise to the empress not to hurt HongZhou. She went for his mom instead. btw Yuan seems like a male version of Yingluo

[@dramarecaps4217]

This is like when kids try to find workarounds for their parents rules "I know you said I couldn't watch any more TV but... This is a *movie* so ..." 🤣

[@mathewcole827]

Murdering Yu-taifei may not *technically* be a move against HongZhou, but...really? For myself - I get it. Yu-taifei literally got away with murder. And nothing indicated that she wouldn't one day just...have Yingluo whacked like she did Yingning. To me, killing Yu-taifei was seriously self-defense on Yingluo's part.

[@bravejelly2615]

Well, she obviously was pissed off by the assault to her sister but she was out for blood because she was murdered, she entered the palace thinking the assaulter and the murderer were the same person but realized that hongzhou never tried to kill her sister at all since he was so confident the emperor would not even care enough to punish his beloved little brother, also the man is primarly selfish as hell, he would do things because he enjoys them but he doesn't enjoy cruelty per se and it may have been even true what he said after, that he wanted to apologize or pay off her sister later but couldn't find her so he left things be, I don't think he also knew his own mom killed the girl. Tai yu fei was truly vicious, she knew what her own son did, and not only didn't punish him or help the poor girl but killed her without reason because though HZ commited a crime the emperor would rather dissapear the accuser than do something to him, the widowed consort should have let YingLuo's older sister leave the palace if she was not even willing to help her.

[@Stinoco]

I think this was the closest YingLuo was of losing her head, good thing the Emperor showed up! And true, the friendship between YL and Chunwang is the best. You’ll hardly find this closeness between a main character and a man in these dramas that’s not romantic. They’re like platonic siblings ❤

[@imogencrusader6306]

That's the thing I love, for all the jokes, these two are absolutely platonic and still so incredibly sweet. I adore them

[@cheryl8069]

Yingluo and Chunwang's friendship is my favourite relationship in this series. ❤

[@cheryl8069]

Loved the fancy shoes on the hooligans 😅! Isn't Consort Xian so cool? My heart broke so many times for her and Yuan Chunwan. Gao knew she was up to something but far underestimated her, Gao is just no match for Xian's intelligence.

[@TeroTheShortOne]

"It was at this point where Gao should have known, she'd f*cked up."

[@shyler4444]

Thanks for another great video. I love the way you describe the relationships between the characters especially when your pointing out a dynamic that I didn't pay enough attention to. Amazing job

[@Winter74575]

I’m back to say that I much prefer this Emperor’s voice over the Emperor’s in RRLITP 😅 And thank goodness he’s not always eating and slurping his tea ☕️ 😮

[@apple-eg5xl]

your channel is such a gem, it's already much rarer to find videos on Chinese palace dramas, and I love how you embrace nuance and difficult characters/plotlines. I also love your humor. These videos are too addicting

[@dramarecaps4217]

Thank you so much for the compliments!!

[@MiyuMotou]

Why is it that Yingluo is the only person being able to protect the Empress?! XD

[@Backtoalonica]

It seems yingluo is the only smart person there lol

[@Winter74575]

All the Players realise that Yinglou is not an easy target that’s easily distracted by their games in order to get to the empress, Goa and her servants know for sure, consort Chun, Xian also realise this fact also, Yinglou is way too quick thinking for them to easily target the Empress , they’ve tried over and over only to be blocked by Yinglou so whenever she’s not around it’s always going to be the easiest way to attack successfully.

[@mathewcole827]

The Empress' other supporters are too bound up in rules, regulations and social mores to do what Yingluo does. How many times has Yingluo skirted, flouted or flat-out ignored the rules to do what she feels to be right? Lots.

[@MatchaMummyMi]

Look forward to these every day thaaank you ❤❤

[@dahliahawthorne4151]

The thumbnail, oh my god. Gold gold gold.

[@heidibottcher137]

I love your recaps and how you describe the story. Finally I see it all in right order.😂

[@gojiberry7201]

Thanks for another great video! I look forward to these every evening when they post in my time zone 😊😊

[@ri9759]

7:15 wish that happened instead of the real ending

[@rujeaniasabajo8487]

Xian is so cool. Lol so I'm not the only one who roots for the Xian/HongZhou 🚢

[@Winter74575]

Maybe in their next lifetime 😂

[@G.SCmaria]

Yes. Shushen is no saint, but that guy SA Yingning. No woman deserves such trash.

[@charliemagnebautista2902]

I like the throne rooms the high ranking consorts have

[@TheTCMfan]

Xian started the bat ball rolling though by clapping back at Gao by saying that no matter how beautiful she is or how powerful her clan is if the emperor has a son she won’t have a place.. although Gao despies Xian she admits to Zhilan that she Xian is right and she should act

[@Backtoalonica]

Yuan is great lol he is super crazy and annoying but he is great always, as a regular guy or bad guy he has a big brain. Like yingluo, his brain is always working extra hard

[@Winter74575]

I still can’t figure out why Yinglou volunteered to deliver milk to Gau, how could she possibly know the emperor would turn up there? I feel like that episode had some serious cuts because it doesn’t make sense that she would even think of going there without knowing the emperor would go there that time also 😳.

[@dramarecaps4217]

That is a great question and it's answered on tomorrow's video! She did it so everyone would be very clear on how much they hate each other, so that if she gets caught later there won't be any suspicion that she did this on the empress' orders

[@its99pm]

@@dramarecaps4217 yup, Yingluo is good at laying down CYA (cover your arse) groundwork BEFORE she acts

[@Winter74575]

@@dramarecaps4217 Holy crap, omg you’re so right, do you know how many times I thought about why she went there and it didn’t even click. 😅 Thank you , anyway the show is about to start picking up a bit more now so happy i have somewhere to come and enjoy the ride with 🌸

[@Winter74575]

@@its99pm yes she sure is😃🌸

[@levinnedayrit335]

Please do Empress Ki next 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@rujeaniasabajo8487]

Love this video

[@phthalojohan]

Yeah even after I finished the drama and even the sequel, I hilariously find the emperor to be the 2nd best choice for Ying Luo. You can never tell if she is with him because of true love or if the emperor is just useful for her schemes. If only life haven’t gone against them, Fuheng and Ying Luo would have been a great couple, alas.

[@its99pm]

Personally, I think she grew to love the emperor over time, after spending a lot of time with him and getting to know him better (which she had to in order to secure her own position and keep his interest/favor so she wouldn't be mistreated). And I appreciate that, as someone who strongly dislikes characters blindly falling in love with literal strangers. It's cool if you present it honestly as such and voice that it's unusual (like Yuhuan/Consort Shu in RRLitP), but most of the time they don't. Actually, I think what I dislike is when writers put zero work into why character A is attracted to/falling for character B. Show it to me! Make me believe it!

[@G.SCmaria]

Fuheng and Yingluo are just puppy love. They would've never been good as a married couple. Both their characters and statuses are worlds apart. Opposites might attract but complete opposites never work well together. Fuheng is an overly rigid rules-follower, and in the end, he would've tried to dictate her actions in the name of "protecting her" (as he did with Hongzhou) and mold her to his ideal. Then you have social status. Marriage to Fuheng wouldn't change Yingluo's status (as it happened when she became an imperial concubine) so she would've forever been an inferior and outcast in the nobility as well as among her in-laws with whom she would've lived alone most of the time as Fuheng was usually away to the battlefield (and even if he wasn't, it's clear in the drama that he'd never dare to speak against his parents because of the good old filial piety). Yingluo is simply not made to be locked up in a mansion and serve a hateful mother-in-law or quietly watch as her children are raised by others (or do you think the Fucas would've allowed a Han bondservant to raise their heir?!) so all hell would break loose in the end (as the Empress warned Fuheng).

[@mathewcole827]

Yingluo probably came to love the Emperor. Having a kid once doesn't prove jack, but going through that three more times? For someone as baby-hungry as Qianlong is, that's practically an ironclad declaration of love. I'm not sure if Yingluo was ever "in love" with the Emperor - she came to care for him, fairly deeply I'd say, but I doubt she ever felt quite the same connection with him that she so quickly did with Fuheng.

[@yellowpurple600]

idk why people think the Emperor's behaviour is cute at this point of the story, I've seen many comments where people think it's cute the Emperor is bullying Ying Luo because he can't express how he's feeling like a boy pulling on girl's hair when they're children. Both situations are not cute and people should be teaching their sons to be more emotionally intelligent.

[@dramarecaps4217]

100% agree with you there

[@MiyuMotou]

Is this showing tje consecuences of over protective mothers creating useless sons?

[@wongpentelglobal]

7:00 7:08

[@charitywilliams5288]

🎉🎉🎉

[@missemma559]

🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@incrediblydopeish]

I cant help but to cringe every time i see yuan chunwang just because ik whats to come 😖😂

[@aonline_abridged]

Argh, youtube's new layout is godawful. I tolerated it today only for your video, but I'm avoiding it otherwise until I find a solution. Also, look at those guy's shoes! lol

[@its99pm]

wait, there's a new layout? must be a staggered rollout cause everything's the same for me

[@dusksunsetio6042]

What layout?

[@aonline_abridged]

yup, you can google some some vids coming out just over a month ago complaining, I just got hit yesterday so it is def coming. Comments squished to the right, suggested videos spamming the bottom below the view window, video description is a pop-up *edit*:I found out from other folks that if you complain via 'send feed back' they change it back for you and voila, l I loaded this video again this morning and it looks normal.

[@dusksunsetio6042]

@@aonline_abridged oh it seems It’s website only