#wei yan

Let's roll the tape:

Qi Min is all dramatic at the end of episode 38, talking about how long this has been coming, etc., etc.

when they find out, of course we got some banger sass from the prime minister about Qi Min's timing (which is quite inconvenient)

at first you are like dang! they are choosing to pause on the grievances we were airing to address Qi Min and his attempt to take the throne. this is a big deal to them.

we cut back to our drama king who has his hostage, i mean empress, dressed to the freaking nines as they head into the palace.

they get in with minimal resistance, thanks to their planted soldiers in the guard. it's a ghost town, we don't see any other military forces.

we get to the throne room, everyone is gone. it's a pitifully small group of guards that get trampled on by these forces.

we got Traitor McGee announcing the 'true heir', who has his dramatic entrance.

see??? no one?? oh wait, they missed---

yeah buddy sorry, they really don't care about you. everyone has to get changed into their sick fighting fits before they battle it out.

my guy is overjoyed, he got his girl (hostage) and gets to torture Qi Sheng. nothing can top this! the coup is going so well!

oh no everyone got dressed and is ready to fight!!! uh oh!!! this was not planned.

oh nooooooooo! they are here! dressed for a fight!

honestly, yeah yeah getting changed was worth it, i mean LOOK at him

oh a trap you say! from behind! he's cornered! but its so few men?

and from the left comes another baddie dressed for battle!!!!

yes, because your coup is boring and not fetch.

then you got Qi Min being like, look, we know you hate your uncle, why not join my team??? we are super cool and have a great work culture!

casually "eat rocks, you colluded with our enemies." very "when its all and said any done, Wei Yan has beliefs, Qi Min has none"

this is a man who realizes, he done fucked up lmfao. and also becomes a nothing burger (i had hoped he died, but alas, he did not)

man isn't even breaking a SWEAT over Qi Min's sass.

literally the only moment of slight panic during this sequence, and of course, our man Xie Zheng saves them with his archery skills.

from there, the battle starts, people be fighting! Qi Min and Qianqian are trying to stay safe, and later we got Li Huai'an forces and Fan Changyu's forces fighting too.

amidst the fighting - what do Wei Yan and Xie Zheng do?

one may think, oh they join the battle! they are cutting people down and knocking heads together. showing off their skills. gonna go knock down Qi Min, the little shit.

wrong.

they fucking address their family drama with a duel. mid battle.

if I was Qi Min, i would fucking expire on the spot out of embarrassment. the two's elite forces are just standing there, watching Wei Yan and Xie Zheng duel and your coup gets quelled??? you get captured??

Wei Yan in that shot is actually representated for what he was.

Just a little thing, a pawn, in a grander scheme that was locked by it.