Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms 三生三世十里桃花 - Episode 16 (Recap)

kakashi: Ye Hua has plans. How to be with his Su Su forever. But before he can, there are a few things to take care of - mainly finding a good opportunity to go to war with the Mermen. 
*sigh* His plan is to be stabbed enough to look fatal but not be fatal. Does anyone think that anything could go wrong with this plan, besides me?

Episode 16

Oh holy fuckedy! Ghost Princess Yan Zhi has found her brother! He looks terrible. And he believes she has been sent by Li Jing to kill him. Nope, to free you, buddy.
Not that he ever looked good, really.

Li Jing wakes up ... with Xuan Nu as his bed-fellow. She still has a hopeful after-sex glow, but after one rather surprised look at her he's like "A-Yin, where have you been for the last 70'000 years" - and "the 3'000 women in my harem don't measure up to her finger". *Gulp*. 3'000?! He walks out. 
You cannot mention Li Jing and after-sex glow so closely together, Kakashi. It's too dangerous. Of course, he pretty much always looks like he just had sex... but if there are really 3'000 women in his harem, he probably has just had sex.

A demon soldier from the Arctic Lands comes running then and reports about Big Bro Ji Yuan's escape and the military seal. Yup, Xuan Nu helped your sis get it. Apart from seething with anger, Li Jing is concerned about the implications of this - quite clearly, Li Yuan will go the his relatives, the Mermen at Chang Sea now, to start a revolt. He tells his soldiers to capture the fugitive, but keep it a secret. The Nine Heavens are not allowed to know.
Oddly, I do not mind it in the slightest when he manhandles Xuan Nu. I might actually have wished for more.

Ohhhh, look at him.
This is just how he looks, on any given day. 'Oh, the menu? Let me figure out what I want.' *intense stare: menu bursts into flames, girl at the table next to him realizes she just became pregnant, chef behind the counter decides he likes men now, migratory birds change their path and land on the roof, moon suddenly changes phases, oceans swell* You get the picture.

Crown Prince Ye Hua has cloud lept to Su Jin's clan members (who look remarkably alive for all having been reported as dead, so who are these imposters? Conscientious Objecters? (I think they're uncles but from another clan ... it's complicated and I already hate them)) and is pacing his room. Every breath he takes must be torture. Every breath is about an hour in the mortal realm. He has been impatiently waiting for Third Uncle, who hurries in. He is not quite as fast at cloud leaping, it seems. But he has good news: Su Jin is with her uncles, serving them tea. Ye Hua orders his guards to keep anyone from entering and quickly disappears.
Let's hope he takes a few precious moments to come up with a cover story for going forward.

But of course, Su Jin is NOT at the tea house, but on her way to see her foster brother, wearing an excited smiles on her face. The guards do their job and don't let her in, but she calls out to the Crown Prince. Several times. Why is she so CLUELESS? Uncle Three, who is inside, sweats a river until he comes up with the only thing that can make her go away ... he blows out the candle. From outside, it looks like Crown Prince just very rudely told Su Jin (who started to get suspicious!) to go the f away. Which is totally in character, one must add. He's never been particularly friendly with her.
And I love that about him.

Inside, Uncle Three tells himself that this is no "long-term solution". Nope. Ye Hua will get caught this way. Dammit.

I'll come visit you in prison, Uncle Three. 

Ye Hua went straight to the hut, but it's empty. He finally finds her in the forest, where he disappeared ... hugging his bow and arrows, asleep. *Sob*. When he steps on a branch, she wakes up. Oh god, this breaks my heart ... I don't know how I'm going to get through the really hard stuff. TT_________TT

Has she just stayed there for six months? Poor little stupidly loyal muffin...

He has been gone for more than half a year (which amounts to something over 12 hours in heaven). And he can't even explain why he had to leave without a word even if it wasn't something concerning life and death. She doesn't make much of a scene, but man, you're asking a lot from her when you say she should just trust you.

I don't buy that he can't just tell her the truth.

I don't know .... I think he has missed the opportunity a long time ago. And I think he likes to lie to himself, that he can fix this, that she does not have to be tainted by the shitty Heavens.

Of course, he cannot stay for very long. In the morning (I do fear it's actually the NEXT morning already), he has to tell her he will be gone for one, maybe two years. Two years?! He has something for her though, a copper mirror. If she speaks into it, he can hear it, wherever he is and he can talk back.
And thus, cyber was born.

She says she'll get very angry if he keeps her waiting for too long, but what can she do ... ack, it's so sad. He tells her to close her eyes... and disappears.
Ugh. I joke, but it IS sad. What would you be thinking? You'd be thinking he was lying to you, that he was married or something. Maybe he doesn't actually give a shit about you at all, you'd be thinking. He's probably never coming back anyway, right? *sniff*

Uncle Three is surprised to see him again this soon. But Ye Hua feels especially uneasy, not being at home. He gets some rest and the next morning, he goes to greet Su Jin's ancestors with her uncles. Oh shiiiit. He did some thinking that night and he tells Uncle Three he will fake his own death!! It's the most dangerous - but also the only permanent option if he wants to be with Su Su. To make it believable, it has to happen in front of many people. During the battle! 
This is the very definition of a foolish plan. Look in the dictionary, and there'll be a photo of a fake-dead Ye Hua.

Uncle Three says that this means he will abandon his tribe, seeing how he is the Crown Prince. He may be that, answers Ye Hua, but he is also Su Su's husband. If he disappears, someone else can and will be Crown Prince. But if he doesn't act now, Su Su might be discovered, with dire consequences. Uncle Three looks at him, almost pitiful, and says this obviously isn't just an infatuation. It's serious. I bet ya.
Looking serious is not going to be enough, Ye Hua.

The last thing he can do for his Grandfather before he disappears is to win this war against the rebels, says Ye Hua. But first, he needs to win the trust of these Su Jin' people. They all fought in the Ghost War and talk about Mo Yuan and his merits non stop (they're annoying!), but praise Ye Hua for becoming an immortal at only 20'000 years too. Before they talk about how much they miss Mo Yuan for what feels like another hour.
Who cares what you think, you relatives who just happened to pop up out of thin air?

Ye Hua is super patient with them, well, I guess he has to be. It's clear they do not like his grandpa at all. Welcome to the club, gentlemen! We are many. And even though Ye Hua knows the exact number of death people from each of the uncle's clans and holds a really impressive speech, they're still not swayed. It takes Su Jin, as survivor of that martyr clan (love the look Ye Hua gives her to get her into action), to convince them to give Ye Hua their troops.
Well it's either that or become vassals of the Mermen, fellas, so what's it going to be?

And we learn a bit about the politics at Chang Sea. The Water King of Chang Sea is not a good leader and has a weak personality. That lack of leadership gave the mermaid clan the opportunity to become a pain in the neck. Since the Water King isn't a good ally (and even sucks up to the Mermen), Ye Hua needs to find someone else he can trust. GUESS WHO!!!!! The 2nd Prince of the Water King of the West Sea! You know who that is?! Die Feng! Senior Disciple!!!! *happy dance*
Awww, it will be good to see you, Die Feng!

It is night before Ye Hua can mirror-talk to his Su Su. He looks happy. And even deliriously so when she expresses the wish for a child to keep her company when he's gone. His immediate answer is: "Do you want a boy or a girl?"
Never has 'focus on the journey, not the destination' seemed more appropriate.

He isn't back just yet, though. First, he has to report back to the Heavenly Lord. And this is what Ye Hua plans to do: he wants to go to Chang Sea incognito to meet the troublesome Water King and to observe the Mermaid clan, in order to find a good opportunity to start a war against them. Hm, easy there, tiger. 
Nope! He's got places to be and wives to d...err, things to do!

The plan is to destabilize the relationship between the Water King and the Mermen. That is smart, Ye Hua. If the Water King himself requests royal troops, then it's all done properly and other Water Kings wouldn't get nervous about the Celestials taking away their authority.
I have to give you credit, Ye Hua. You might be moving fast, but you aren't cutting corners.

Ohhh, it's Fengjiu. And she is obviously ... drunk? From eating fruits? Along comes Dijun. Close your mouth, girl! :D
Drunk on fruit. Can we hope that Dijun also lets down his hair a little bit?

So, Cheng Yu gave her the fruits, and Dijun knows immediately what's up. I guess not, then. But Fengjiu is too drunk on fruits to care about anything ... she hugs him and says how much she likes him (look at how she rubs her head against his chest ... Awwwwwwwww). Oh come on you stupid god, stop being so disagreeable! He tells her she shouldn't waste her time with him, an old god. He isn't old to her, of course, bu when he was Heavenly Lord, her grandfather wasn't even married yet.
A flighty little thing like her needs a steady man, though, so this is perfect.

Does he look a bit unnerved?! Haha, she is getting to him! She's just too cute. And look whom we've got there, watching from behind some pillars ... Si Ming and Chen Yu. Who wants to see sparks! Si Ming is toooooootally into that too (and apparently, Chen Yu gave the same fruit to Lian Song, back in the day).
I think Dijun can't believe someone would treat him so casually, and the two instigators behind the pillar are loving every bit of it.

And behold... Dijun is carrying Fengjiu home himself (especially after hearing how Ye Hua cousin is giving her a hard time).
But of course.

Comments

This episode was partially annoying. I really disliked those stupid uncles and the way they talked. Glad they're providing troops, now get on with it.
Hurry and let him fake being dead so they have some time together! Stat!

I have been watching dramas long enough to know that Ye Hua's plan to disappear is CRAZY. Crazy, crazy, crazy! Listen to your uncle! How will he trick the Old Man (Heavenly Father) who is so suspicious by nature?! I do understand his urgency though. The danger of being discovered is very real - and Su Jin already suspects something. She's always lurking.
I don't think you need to have watched a lot of dramas to see all the problems with this crazy plan. I think all you need is to be breathing and have eyeballs.

The cute scenes are great, because they're heart-warming ... her telling him she would like a child, him being so happy about it ... and of course Fengjiu and Dijun, our comfortable ship (for now). I wouldn't mind seeing more of them.  
Lots more!