Tribes and Empires: Storm of Prophecy 九州海上牧云记 - Episode 4 (Recap)

Panda: Birth secrets are revealed and we see just how dysfunctional the Royal couple are.
kakashi: Oh wow, that sequence between the Emperor and the Empress gave me goosebumps. We know by now this woman isn't nice - but nobody deserves such living hell.
JoAnne: Which came first, chicken or egg? Is she not nice because she didn't get the love she wanted, or did she not get the love because she wasn't nice? Probably neither of the above.
SakiVI: I feel bad for her, but she is also crazy. 

Episode 4

In the cage fights, HeYe goes up against his first opponent- a truly really ugly, nasty specimen. He looked like a zombie! He was even stitched together, all Frankenstein like. In the audience are his owner- Princess Jing, Muyun Yin (eldest Muyun Prince and hottie) and Muru Han Shan. They all look very comfortable with each other.
I like Han Shan too - actually, he's hotter than the prince to me. Maybe that's a bad thing. Hotties don't make it long in this drama
He is good looking, I agree. The giant guy looked like he suffers from acromegaly - like Andre the Giant? or the guy who played Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me.
So, Princess Jing's brothers like her being another guy? I suppose since she can never be a contender for the throne, they can accept her tomboyishness and her going to fighting pits. I'm just saying because this family seems awfully rigid in its behavior.
HeYe steps into the arena and tries his best against his opponent but it is clearly quite futile. He gets knocked around very roughly and is nearly killed until Han Jiang comes in and makes it a 2 against 1 battle to the delight of the spectators. This all kind of reminds me of Spartacus by the way.
Han Jiang negotiated this with the slave owner guy. - I think he told him he'll make more money this way. 
I love Han Jiang. I knew I did, but that decision cemented it for me. He's smart and he cares about people.
The two boys in tandem defeat the Ugly guy and HeYe defeats Han Jiang and is crowned the winner. During the fight, Han Shan is informed of Han Jiang’s identity and immediately the fight is over, Muru soldiers drag the boy away.
Han Jiang let our little Heye win, didn't he? Or why that smile when he was knocked out? 
Yes, I think he did.
Yes, that's right. Also, I noticed that Han Shan is actually concerned about his brother, unlike the father.
Han Jiang wakes up and finds himself in a strange house - Muru mansion unbeknown to him. General Shuo comes in and without any frills tells him he is his dad. Han Jiang is so happy at last to belong somewhere and have a family.
Oh dear, that boy...it broke my heart to see him so happy, but at least he's still alive and Han Shan wasn't the one who killed him
It's like the sun broke out on his face, those few moments. Not only does he have family, but his father is one of the few men he has long admired.
Han Shan cares about Han Jiang. He probably was all excited as a child to have a baby brother only to have that baby thrown out.
But, Dad hands him a sword and tells him he has to die. It turns out, when he was born, the Prophecy said he was going to be next Emperor. Dad knows the Emperor absolutely believes in Prophecy and therefore he must die since Emperor now knows he is alive.
Oh shit. People who believe in prophecies too much are dangerous, by the way. This Emperor...not sure I like him.
I do like the emperor. And I sympathized with Dad in this scene, too, which surprised me. It clearly cost him greatly, this decision.
I am not sure whether I care about the emperor as yet.
Han Jiang, tears in his eyes, looks his dad and tells him they no longer owe each other anything and stabs himself in the heart! Nooooooooo! (Superb acting in this scene by both).
That boy is GOOD. And yes, the father's pain looked real. He is a good guy, this Muru Dad - what fault of his is it that the Muru hold the military power and the Muyun hold "only" the throne? This arrangement is bound to blow up.
This scene really got to me. Even though I knew that Han Jiang wouldn't actually die (Shawn Dou, hello) it broke my heart, their pain. THEY don't know about Shawn Dou, after all.
The Muru family carry his body to the Emperor who is holding court and General Shuo confesses everything. However, the Emperor calls for the Royal Physician to heal the boy (Okay, he must truly be meant for great things if both the cut and its attendant blood loss didn’t kill him). He tells General Shuo that he trusts him completely and that Han Jiang will become a study companion for the 6th prince- Muyun Sheng. A “Past incidence” is also referred to in this scene which I am very curious about.
I think it has to do with that mysterious woman we hear about soon...
This is why this drama has me pushing that 'play next' button so frequently.
I don't understand why he didn't die from a stab wound to the heart.
Han Jiang comes to, and is told by his brother that he will enter the palace and be the Mad Prince's companion. Rather than look scared though, he looks very happy. Awww, his mum comes to see him TT__TT.
TT_____________TT (Wow, Han Shan is HOOOOOOOOT. And that robe!!!!)
I will comfort you, Shawn Dou!
I loved how the big bro was happy to help him.
We then get our first introduction to Muyun Sheng when he absolutely refuses to acknowledge and receive the Emperor’s oral decree.
Is he crazy for real or is he just playing crazy?
He didn't seem crazy to me.
You're right, he isn't.
He just has his doubts about his dad's judgment, I think. 
Still at the palace, Su Yu Ning is finding it difficult to get a roommate. After she gets kicked out very politely by another Lady-in-waiting, Nanku Yue Li “happens” to pass by and suggests they become roommates. She is initially skeptical but gets won over by Yue Li’s apparent sincerity over similar backgrounds. Hmmmm.
Seriously, somebody tell Su Yu Ning to smarten up.
God, yes.

Obviously Nanku Yue Li doesn’t have good plans for her as she had previously asked her aunt how one could potentially frame another lady. Aunt knew immediately that she meant Su Yu Ning and told her not to bother as her fate is locked in stone. During their conversation, she had been painting a woman- Yin Rong who was apparently the great love of the Emperor.
She has a few great lines here, the Empress...the thing that stuck in my mind is that she tells her niece a title (like Empress) is not as desirable as a man's heart. That vixen of a niece though declares she means to have both in the future. Ah yes? And who, pray, will be the next Emperor in your opinion?
It won't be who you think, little lady...
When I was watching the Empress, I thought: obsessed. Like saesang-level obsessed. But with whom? Yin Rong (girl crush), or Emperor (husband) or someone else related to Yin Rong?
The Empress goes to see her husband who tells her to stop behaving like another woman, that it has no effect on him and is demeaning for her. She agrees and basically breaks down, begging him to be nicer to her just a bit. He refuses and escapes even though she clutches at his robe.
Great monologue she has there about how cold everything is - including him. Oh woman ... I even felt for you there.
Me too, a little bit, briefly. I don't understand why a grown woman would debase herself in this way, honestly. So you're not fated to have a loving relationship with your husband?  Okay, fill your time with other things. It's not the end of the world. It seems clear he wouldn't be deliberately cruel to her if she wasn't poking him like a bear at the zoo.
So, she's obsessed with him.
Episode ends with her going back to her quarters after demanding all the attendants that witnessed her pleas be executed. WOAH
It was utterly humiliating indeed. But maybe she shouldn't have degraded herself this much. Poor servants.
Yep, she lost whatever sympathy I had for her there. She chose to behave that way: why should they lose their lives as a result?
She's crazy. Also, this probably happened a lot in ancient times when you couldn't get away from servants.
 

Comments

So many standout scenes for me. But first, what do you think of the King healing Han Jiang? For some reason I am not reassured that the Muyun x Muru friendship is safe. And I really like General Shuo! (hopefully he won’t die in the next 2 eps) The tears in his eyes when he spoke to Han Jiang were so sad. Su Yu Ning is like a lamb being led to slaughter. I wish her nanny could have accompanied her.
Don't like General Shuo too much! I am not sure about the Emperor...he seems slightly deranged, and not only because he is still in love with a spirit. I was thinking he wants Han Jiang near to observe and control him. 
I like both men equally - I think their affection is genuine but man, they're in a terrible situation, and it's a delicate balance.
I think that emperor has a cunning plan. He doesn't care about Han Jiang per se. And yes, he is deranged too.

Standout scene 1: when Han Jiang’s mom came to see him. So sad, especially since he might never see her again. 2: The Empress and her niece conversation. The Empress is a deeply unhappy and evil woman. I loved this quote “It’s not Luck but fate. Luck benefits, Fate not so much”. 3: Our introduction to Muyun Sheng. I have never seen someone refuse to bow to receive a royal order before. Such guts.
I loved the last sequence the best ... the Emperor, refusing to see her, then, when he almost touches her face ... he knows he is torturing this woman, but he is unable to give her any affection. Wow, I'd be very much afraid of her. This isn't only a woman scorned, it's a woman deeply, deeply humiliated. I also liked the Muyun Sheng introduction. I am looking forward to seeing more of him ... and to him meeting Han Jiang (hopefully soon).
True about the emperor - there's nothing about loving a person that prevents you from caring about another person, so is his inability to take that step the result of her own behavior?  I feel like there's more to this story.