dangermousie | Yes, I know nobody cares

But you all will have to put up with this until I finish - I am on ep 30 out of 50 so it will be a few days yet.

Ep 29 was PERFECT. Finally, finally, we got to some comfort part of the whole hurt/comfort equation (yes, the political stuff was fascinating too - this is such a smart drama - but I want to talk ship).

So yes, he's been in prison for days, getting tortured every day (his dry sense of humor seems to still be in existence - he comments to his cellmates it's no big deal because they just beat him until he falls asleep). Here he is with Xiao Yue (I love their non-shippy relationship).

I think if he ever gets out, Zhao Gao will have a lot to fear. Zhao Gao knows that which is why he has no intention of ever letting him out.

But he has not counted on Yu Shu. She has found out what has happened to Xiao Chuan, made herself better as fast as she could (she was sick), and went to pay a little visit to Zhao Gao. I loved the scene so much. Yu Shu is so well-spoken you forget just how powerful she is and how smart and ruthless she can be. This scene was prieceless, my favorite being when Zhao Gao greeted her with head on floor (as supposed to) and then made to rise and she cut in "who gave you permission to rise?" and he had to stay grovelling on the floor for half the interview. Her proposition is simple. She tells him to release Xiao Chuan, her savior, and when he says it's Emperor's orders and he cannot, she tells him her men had captured a would-be assassin of General Mang Tian and he told him Zhao Gao hired him and she is on her way to inform the Emperor. When Zhao Gao freaks out on her and starts sputtering, she says she knows he can read between the lines and adds, impatiently, that if he will release Xiao Chuan, she will give him the assassin to do with what he wants. No wonder Zhao Gao did his best to keep the news of Xiao Chuan's arrest from her (too bad he did not count on Xiao Yue).

So then they basically release him unceremoniously.

And so he is in his quarters that evening, still clearly shellshocked when...Yu Shu comes in - I love the look on his face because he did not expected it. Even seeing each other is such a huge deal to them but to be able to actually touch... And the scene that followed totally made me bawl. They are such an OTP. I loved it so that when she freaks out about his wounds, he tells her he was able to endure it because of her so it is OK.