EPISODE 15

More on Yuk Ying and Yee Soon tonight.

So Yu Fei said to Yuk Ying "Alright, prove your loyalty to me, scratch your own face with this hair pin" and Yuk Ying was shaking and crying and eyes looking rapidly left and right didn't know what to do when Bak Yeung came and said "My lady..." and Yu Fei quickly said "Stand aside!" and Bak Yeung stood aside and then Yu Fei said "You said your loyalty is towards me, that you wish only to serve me, so that would mean whether you serve his majesty, it does not matter. So if that is the case, surely it wouldn't matter to you to do as I requested, wouldn't it? So what are you waiting for?" but Yuk Ying didn't have the guts and threw down the pin and Yu Fei before she left sniggered "Useless..".

When Yuk Ying went back to her room, she was in the godzilla mood and Bak Yeung was very frustrated and said "Do not waste the effort of those who is trying to help you!" and she screamed "Help? HELP?! Is this what you call help?!" and Bak Yeung said "You must get away from Yu Fei for a while, take this as your resting time" and Yuk Ying said "What rest? I don't want to rest! You want to help me? Give me back my money!". Must pause here. When she was dragged for isolation, her stuff was burned. Amongst them her money that her mother gave her. Yuk Ying burned her hand trying to retrieve the money, unsuccessfully. Anyway Bak Yeung angrily said "Do you think money can help you now? When are you ever going to realise, bribing others who no longer cares will bring you no benefit!" and Yuk Ying screamed "Get out! GET BUT!!!". Onn Sin walked by and was quite speechless.

Next scene Yuk Ying was trying to write a letter with her injured hand and Onn Sin walked by. Onn Sin then said "My lady, writing home to your mother for money won't help much now.." and Yuk Ying was like "What do you know? Leave me alone! I had to write this letter, I promised my mother I must write to her during mooncake festival so as not to worry her" and Onn Sin couldn't stand by and do nothing and so she said "Let me write this letter for you" and Yuk Ying suddenly removed her earrings (her earlobes were bleeding because of that) and Onn Sin said "My lady you're bleeding!" and Yuk Ying said "I need your help, please help me..." and then Onn Sin listened.

I tell you Onn Sin's only weakness is her kind heart. She agreed to help and went to see Siu Luk Tzi who said "Why are you still helping them? Don't drag yourself into this.." but Onn Sin said this is different, this she must help. Onn Sin asked Siu Luk Tzi to see Chan Song but don't tell her it's from her. She even gave Siu Luk Tzi a lot of money to give to Chan Song! From her own pocket! So Siu Luk Tzi met I think Chan Song or Hung Mo (can't remember who) and Hung Mo/Chan Song was like "Do you know how dangerous it is now to remove anything from the palace? The guards are checking!" but Hung Mo agreed. This was overheard by Po Shim. So Po Shim wanted to trap them and asked someone to ask Hung Mo to help sell the stuff she stole from the palace to raise her dowry so that she can marry well next time. When Po Shim saw the letter amongst the items belonging to Po Shim in a trunk. Po Shim wanted to take the letter but Hung Mo recognised the handwriting (Onn Sin) and quickly took the letter and had a huge argument with Po Shim that she walked off threatening to tell Yu Fei. Chan Song ran after her and tried to patch things up and Po Shim agreed to let it be. But secretly she planned to sabotage the whole taking of goods out of the palace 2 days later and get the letter for Yu Fei. Yu Fei didn't know about this, yet. I tell you, Po Shim is consistently cunning.

Next scene we have probably the most romantic scene thus far where Onn Sin was hanging clothes to dry when she suspected someone was looking at her. She turned to her back and saw Hung Mo, standing there staring at her intently. She couldn't stare back and looked away. Hung Mo helped her with the clothes and then Hung Mo returned the money to her and said "You don't have to give me this, and even if you do, it doesn't have to be so much" . Hung Mo said "Next time, you can come and see me directly if you need any help" but Onn Sin said "I'd rather things are as they
should be, in a proper manner and proper sequence (what she meant was she cannot be what Hung Mo wanted she to be)". Very sad as Hung Mo looked at her as she left.

Then quite suddenly this scene appearing out of nowhere. And it ended very abruptly and I wonder..something edited?

Hung Mo was walking at night when he came across an injured Po Shim. She was bitten by a snake. I was thinking "ahhhh Hung Mo, run! Fake! At trap!" but apparently it wasn't. He sucked the poison out from the foot and even carried her to the doctor. Po Shim was touched but wanted to get down because she wanted to go to the toilet. As she was about to you know pee, she couldn't and Hung Mo asked "What?". He wasn't very polite with her and she said "You could not see but...you can hear..." and Hung Mo took out the flute (nothing sexual here ok!) and ermmm you know blew it...to play a song. Aiyah it's getting very difficult to write these stuff! So innocent but sounds so sordid! Anyway Po Shim was very touched (and I suspect she will prove beneficial to Hung Mo's ambition in future) and Onn Sin heard the music and smiled sadly to herself. She was already in love with him.

Pause for awhile.

She rejected him because a maid can't have affairs with a guard but they can be together once she leaves. Problem is you and I know she will become a concubine later. Very sad. I really like Hung Mo and Onn Sin's love story. Imagine how much he loves her; he is willing to kill for her and he is willing to jeapordise his career for her and even die for her. We all know how desperate Hung Mo is to have a career but for Onn Sin, he is willing to let go of it all. Onn Sin herself was willing to die for him probably because she is too kind hearted but I think it is because she was falling in love with him. I am ready to melt with such romantic notions though I am still reminded of "taking out his flute and began to blow" statement which killed
all romantic notion.

Next scene Yuk Ying was in her room when Bak Yeung came by and Yuk Ying was like very angry with him and Bak Yeung was liek frustrated with her. As they argued about what she should and shouldn't have done, she saw Onn Sin walked by and she ran to Onn Sin and saw that Onn Sin have yet to sell her stuff and deliver her letter. She screamed at Onn Sin as Onn Sin apologised and Bak Yeung walked right up and scolded Yuk Ying and said "How could you scream at Onn Sin? Why are you destroying the efforts of others who wanted only to help you? When are you ever going to realise money will never solve your problems now?! Why are you wasting the opportunity I am giving you?" and accidentally broke her jade bracelet and Yuk Ying ran back into her room and slammed the door. Onn Sin chatted with Bak Yeung for a while. Truth be told I was like Bak Yeung too, thinking what an ungrateful bitch that Yuk Ying was. But Onn Sin explained to Bak Yeung, "I think you have misunderstood Yuk Ying. Her mother is the 4th wife of the governor. They looked like they're having a good life to others but in actual truth they're poor and her mother is always being bullied and had little status in the house. The mooncake festival is coming and it is a tradition in her family that the children must bear gifts to their mother, and some money to give to the servants if not her mother's life would be unbearable because even the servants will bully her mother. She wanted money desparately to do just that, if not her mother would know what she is going through now" and Bak Yeung was like "She stepped on the toes of Yu Fei, her mother will know sooner or later" but in actual fact Bak Yeung was feeling quite guilty.

Me too. Yuk Ying may be a godzilla, but she has one virtue; everything she is doing, she is doing it for her mother. And that perhaps is teh greatest virtue one could have. I kinda pity her.

Then we have more on Yee Soon.

Bak Yeung was asked by Mrs Tsui to give to Yee Soon a letter. Bak Yeung refused and he should refuse but he couldn't because he was to deliver the results of fate telling (those pink slips) to Yee Soon. The actual pink slip was "You're will find the person you're seeking for" which is great news to Yee Soon as she was looking for her sister but Mrs Tsui changed it to something like "The person you're seeking for could only be found in the after life" which meant the sister is dead. Bak Yeung didn't want to do this but he did for reasons I do not know why. Mrs Tsui did this so that Yee Soon would lose hope and just get on with accepting her fate as the Emperor's woman. So Bak Yeung gave this to Yee Soon who tearfully and mournfully cried. Next day Bak Yeung came to see her and he realised she did not sleep the whole night. Yee Soon said "I was always told those who died will become stars in the skies. I waited the whole night, I couldn't see any stars. I couldn't see my sister.." and she cried. Bak Yeung felt very guilty, and again I ask why then deliver the letter? He could have said NO WAY.

Anyway Yu Fei met with Yee Soon when she just learned her sister may be dead and Yu Fei said Yee Soon may be serving the Emperor soon. Yee Soon was a least bit happy though and we will find out why later.

Anyway next thing Yee Soon received a very big package from Bak Yeung. She opened it and inside was a rotating lantern where the stars is reflected on the wall. Yee Soon was very touched and she well, she cried.

One major mistake in this scene I guess. How can the lantern rotate? Yee Soon wasn't pushing anything, no electricity back then, so how? Ahhhh just show only lar!

Anyway Yee Soon met with Fook Nga whom now she has a very close relationship with. She once asked Bak Yeung what was her illness and why Fook Nga who is so kind could meet such an unfortunate fate and Bak Yeung simply replied Concubine Fook is much happier now than ever. Which may be true. Anyway Yee Soon never thought of Fook Nga as her real sister and vice versa BUT Bak Yueng knew. In a way Bak Yeung quite cruel to kill Yee Soon's dreams but the she can't hope what she could never get. Anyway Yee Soon asked Fook Nga whether Fook Nga ever left anybody outside of the palace before she went into the palace and Fook Nga was curious and asked "Did you?" and Yee Soon lied and said "Yes" and Fook Nga asked "Someone in the palace?" and Yee Soon said "No" but she was talking about Bak Yeung. She said "I don't know whether he likes me or he doesn't (she never mentioned it was Bak Yeung by the way) but he does things for me and give me gifts. I wonder if he has feelings for me?" and Fook Nga said "Does it matter now? You're the emperor's woman now, you will be serving him and you should not think of that person anymore of what could never be" but Yee Soon said "I just want to know for myself...".

She then went in search of Bak Yeung.

Bak Yeung meanwhile went to see Yuk Ying who sarcastically said "What are you doing here, seeing someone who is not appreciative of your efforts?" and Bak Yeung said "I came to apologise, I thought I knew things, I always assume I was right but with you I was wrong and I am sorry" and he gave to Yuk Ying a painting of herself and her mother. Yuk Ying was in tears and looked at Bak Yeung and asked "What..why? You've seen my mother?" and Bak Yeung said "Yes, and she wanted me to return this painting to you so that you won't miss her much. I have also given her some herbs and money on your behalf" and Yuk Ying was in tears speechless. "And I want to return this to you, fixed of course" and he gave to her the fixed jade bracelet. Yuk Ying quickly took it and tried to wear it in her injured hand but she couldn't and Bak Yeung said "Let me" and as he slided it into her wrist with a very grateful looking Yuk Ying he said "You must learn to listen to advice and it is my only hope with this you will learn to appreciate the efforts of others who are trying to help you..". Unfortunately Yee Soon saw what was happening and her heart was crushed.

Bak Yeung then received a package from Yee Soon who returned the lantern to him signifying that her heart is dead she shall accept her fate.

Bak Yeung of course didn't know what that meant.

Yee Soon was taken to the Emperor's room.

Pause here. Back in Qing Dynasty, a woman serving the Emperor (probably serving for the first time or maybe in each and every time, I am not so sure) will be washed, perfumed and rolled naked in a blanket and carried to the Emperor's room where the emperor will unroll her like a gift. Quite degrading. This scene I believe have one mistake; Yee Soon already unrolled herself. Anyway I believe after sex, depending on how weak the Emperor is and how overzealous the eunuch may be, the woman will be carried into another room and cleaned and washed and I think rolled back into the blanket and back into her own room. What I do know for sure is again depending on which Emperor and how overzealous the eunuch may be, the eunuch will be standing or squatting next to the bed whilst the Emperor is doing is, count how many thrusts and all and record them all. Back in those days Chinese believed if the Emperor ejaculates, it will be like for the woman zapping the energy of the Emperor and that is a big no no. So I guess we have many sexually frustrated emperor or could this be the eunuch's revenge for not being able to do the deed himself? The records will in
away identify the real son of the Emperor and also to check the sexual virility of the Emperor which is disgusting in my opinion. There is no way a concubine can have affairs and give birth to a bastard more so in Qing Dynasty where they have overzealous eunuchs recording each and every sexual encounter of the emperor, the date, time, length, who, where, what, how many thrusts even. Quite scary. So just imagine this with Yee Soon in it. And the Eunuch will stop the emperor if he feels the emperor is overdoing it. But again I repeat depending on which emperor. I can't imagine Kang Xi doing it and his eunuch said "Stop your majesty, your power is being zapped". I bet Kang Xi would say "bugger off!".

Anyway Yee Soon then waited and then the Emperor walked in and she had a panic attack and she recalled her godfather, Bak Yeung and all and she was afraid but when the Emperor walked in and patted her hand whilst she laid naked under the blanket, she forced a smile.

Next 5 episodes, we have Yu Fei falling from grace, Yee Soon now Emperor's favourite concubine and Yuk Ying trying her best to reach the Emperor but Yee Soon said "Do whatever you must do Yuk Ying but I can always find a way to stop the Emperor from ever meeting you". Ahhhh plots and plottings! I bet Yee Soon was just jealous but Yuk Ying will get the one man Yee Soon wanted!

Interesting episode. Got a deeper understanding of Yee Soon and especially Yuk Ying. But I still don't like her and however desperate she was, she was rude to scream at Onn Sin. In fact she should learn from Onn Sin that patience is a virtue. Bak Yeung may have mistaken her but Bak Yeung was right.

Bak Yeung and Onn Sin, two similar character who did what they did out of the goodness of their hearts. Surely worse fate will befallen the kind hearted, I bet.

Best scene is Bak Yeung scolding Yuk Ying for being rude to Onn Sin.

Performance wise, Sheren Teng was ok. Not quite impressed, I still feel she is prone to deliberate movements for movements which are supposed to be non-deliberate.

Charmaine Sheh did well with those quiet tearful moments but something skipped. Earlier she disliked Fook Nga since Bak Yeung showed so much concern for her but today she was like I like Fook Nga so much. Inconsistent if you ask me, not her fault, scripting problem.

Maggie Cheung needless to say did very well. In pity her; she is the one character that get scolded by everybody.

Bowie Lam was fantastic. No further comment.

Gigi Lai did well in that scene where Yu Fei asked her to do the impossible but notice how much she was shaking and that to me is overacting. ONE LOOK already we can now she will never scratch her own face. Gigi is emphasising too much on body acting if you ask me that it was SO OBVIOUS.

Other than that, she was mostly bad except for thst scene where she was grateful for what Bowie's Bak Yeung did for her.

The girl who plays Po Shim was surprisingly quite ok. I suspect her character will help Hung Mo in later scenes because she was falling for him. And it will be great to have Po Shim by your side since she knows so much.

Moses did ok tonight and his best scenes are those with Maggie Cheung. Very good couple if you ask me.

Everybody else was ok.

One thing though; I can't bear to think Yu Yeung's old wrinkly hands on Charmaine's smooth skin. I mean urghhhh can't find a more good looking and better actor of an older actor meh??

Next week is more plotting. Yippee.

- For screencaps of this episode do check out Sehseh's WAB page -