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--> '''Fan Xian''' ''(Episode 17)'': You will understand one day. Hope is the scariest thing in this world.
--> '''The Emperor''' ''(Episode 41)'': In the end, what torments a person the most? It's not a threat. It's hope.



* {{No Name Given}}: The emperor, who is literally only ever referred to by his title. Also applies to the Shadow, Chen Pingping's bodyguard and the head of the Black Knights.

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* {{No Name Given}}: The emperor, Emperor, who is literally only ever referred to by his title. Also applies to the Shadow, Chen Pingping's bodyguard Lord Shadow and the head of the Black Knights.Miss Shen.


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--> '''Fan Xian:''' In order to prevent chaos, you're willing to let corruption continue?


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--> '''Ye Ling'er:''' The person who died was just a guard!
--> '''Fan Xian:''' Everyone says this. That's what makes me the angriest.
--> '''Ye Ling'er:''' Did I say anything wrong? Does that guard have another identity?
--> '''Fan Xian:''' He doesn't. He's just a guard. The world thinks he's not important. I don't like it.
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* FakeRelationship: Fan Xian briefly has one with [[spoiler:Haitang Duoduo]] in order to pull off his schemes in Northern Qi.


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* SmartPeoplePlayChess: Throughout the series, many people play go and other strategic board games to indicate a character's intelligence and cunning.

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* {{Names to Run Away From Really Fast}}: The King of the Night, Chen Pingping, and his Black Knights.

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* {{Names to Run Away From Really Fast}}: The King of the Night, Lord Shadow, Chen Pingping, and his Black Knights.



* {{Opposed Mentors}}: Chen Pingping and Fei Jie get into a fight over Fan Xian having to go to Northern Qi, with Fei Jie believing that going is too risky and Chen Pingping believing that he must go in order to gain more skills . [[spoiler: Though Chen Pingping also has an ulterior motive.]]

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* {{Opposed Mentors}}: Chen Pingping and Fei Jie get into a fight over Fan Xian having to go to Northern Qi, with Fei Jie believing that going is too risky and Chen Pingping believing that he must go in order to gain more skills . [[spoiler: Though Chen Pingping also has an ulterior motive.]]skills.



* {{Pragmatic Villainy}}: Unusually for the genre, when Wicked Stepmother Liu Ruyu realises she and her son have much more to gain from treating Fan Xian well, she drops the hostilities and thereafter treats him like one of the family.



* {{Rage Against the Mentor}}: Fan Xian towards Chen Pingping when [[spoiler: he discovers the extent of Chen Pingping's manipulation regarding the entire Xiao En plan]].
* {{The Reason You Suck Speech}}: Wan'er delivers one of these to her mother [[spoiler: the night before Li Yunrui is set to be sent out of the capital]], telling her that she doesn't even know her favorite foods, anything she likes, or even anything about her, while Fan Xian does, because she never came to see Wan'er when she was growing up.
* {{Reincarnation}}: The story starts with Fan Xian being reborn as...well, Fan Xian, with all his memories of modern life still intact.

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* {{Rage Against the Mentor}}: Fan Xian towards Chen Pingping when [[spoiler: he discovers the extent of Chen Pingping's manipulation regarding the entire Xiao En plan]].
* {{The Reason You Suck Speech}}: Wan'er delivers one of these to her mother [[spoiler: the night before Li Yunrui is set to be sent out of the capital]], telling her that she doesn't even know her favorite foods, anything she likes, or even anything about her, while Fan Xian does, because she never came to see Wan'er when she was growing up.
* {{Reincarnation}}: The story starts with Fan Xian being reborn as...well, Fan Xian, with all his memories of modern life still intact.



* {{Tragic Bromance}}: [[spoiler: Over the course of Fan Xian's initial trials in the capital, he and Teng Zijing become close enough to regard each other as brothers. Teng Zijing dying to protect him from an attempt on his life marks a big turning point in the story, forcing Fan Xian to realize that there are people in this world he truly cares about and keeping him in the capital to enact revenge on all parties who had a hand in Teng Zijing's death.]]
* {{Unspecified Apocalypse}}: [[spoiler: The world as it was suffered one, at some point after Fan Xian's first death and before his "reincarnation" as Fan Xian.]]

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* {{Tragic Bromance}}: [[spoiler: Over the course of Fan Xian's initial trials in the capital, he and Teng Zijing [[spoiler:Teng Zijing]] become close enough to regard each other as brothers. Teng [[spoiler:Teng Zijing dying to protect him from an attempt on his life marks a big turning point in the story, forcing Fan Xian to realize that there are people in this world he truly cares about and keeping him in the capital to enact revenge on all parties who had a hand in Teng Zijing's death.]]
* {{Unspecified Apocalypse}}: [[spoiler: The world as it was suffered one, at some point after Fan Xian's first death and before his "reincarnation" as Fan Xian.into the current timeline.]]



* {{Using You All Along}}: Fan Xian suspects [[spoiler: Chen Pingping]] of this after the reveal about [[spoiler: the Xiao En plan]].
* {{Utopia Justifies the Means}}: [[spoiler: Chen Pingping and the Emperor's justification for the Xiao En gambit, because they suspect the Temple holds the secret to immortality.]]
* {{Voiceover Letter}}: Happens when Fan Xian finds and reads the letter his mother left to him.
* {{Vulnerable Convoy}}: Fan Xian's convoy to Northern Qi to trade Xiao En for the captured Overwatch Council spy is attacked several times on its way there.

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* {{Using You All Along}}: Fan Xian suspects [[spoiler: Chen Pingping]] of this after the reveal about [[spoiler: the [[spoiler:the Xiao En plan]].
* {{Utopia Justifies the Means}}: [[spoiler: Chen [[spoiler:Chen Pingping and the Emperor's Emperor]]'s justification for the Xiao [[spoiler:Xiao En gambit, because they suspect the Temple holds the secret to immortality.]]
* {{Voiceover Letter}}: Happens when Fan Xian finds and reads the letter his mother [[spoiler:his mother]] left to him.
him. Occurs again when he reads [[spoiler:the Second Prince]]'s letter.
* {{Vulnerable Convoy}}: Fan Xian's convoy to Northern Qi to trade Xiao En for the captured Overwatch Council spy [[spoiler:Northern Qi]] is attacked several times on its way there.



* {{Zero Approval Gambit}}: Fan Xian's initial plan to get his engagement with Lin Wan'er broken off due to his {{Love at First Sight}} with the mysterious chicken drumstick girl from the temple. (His efforts turn out to be completely unneeded.)

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* {{Zero Approval Gambit}}: Fan Xian's initial plan to get his engagement with Lin Wan'er broken off due to his {{Love at First Sight}} with the mysterious chicken drumstick girl from the temple. (His efforts turn out to be completely unneeded.)
temple.

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* {{Batman Gambit}}: Fan Xian uses this often, and to great success.
** An example of this is when he [[spoiler: single-handedly orchestrates Shen Zhong's downfall in Northern Qi by first manipulating Shangshan Hu into pledging to the Empress Dowager, then using Shen Zhong's loyalty to his country against him and disfavoring him in the eyes of the court.]]

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* {{Batman Gambit}}: Used frequently in the show. Fan Xian is especially fond of this and uses this often, and it to great success.
** An example of this is when he [[spoiler: single-handedly orchestrates [[spoiler: Shen Zhong's downfall in Northern Qi by first manipulating Shangshan Hu Shang Shanhu into pledging to the Empress Dowager, then using Shen Zhong's loyalty to his country against him and disfavoring him in the eyes of the court.]]



* {{Brain Uploading}}: [[spoiler: As it turns out, Fan Xian's "reincarnation" is actually due to his past consciousness being uploaded into a new baby in this time (by Ye Qingmei).]]
* {{Bureaucratically Arranged Marriage}}: Fan Xian and Wan’er’s match was personally arranged by the Emperor rather than by either of their parents as a political manoeuvre by the Emperor to transfer control of the imperial treasury from Wan'er's mother, Grand Princess Li Yunrui, to Fan Xian.

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* {{Brain Uploading}}: [[spoiler: As it turns out, Fan [[spoiler:Fan Xian's "reincarnation" is actually due to his past consciousness being uploaded into a new baby in this time (by Ye Qingmei).newborn baby.]]
* {{Bureaucratically Arranged Marriage}}: Fan Xian and Wan’er’s Wan'er's match was personally arranged by the Emperor rather than by either of their parents as a political manoeuvre by the Emperor to transfer control of the imperial treasury from Wan'er's mother, Grand Princess Li Yunrui, to Fan Xian.



* CostumeDrama

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* CostumeDramaCostumeDrama: A staple of Chinese historical dramas.



* DecadentCourt: The entirety of the imperial palace. Only a handful of people refrain from scheming.



* {{Earth that Was}}: [[spoiler: As it turns out, Fan Xian was not reborn in the past, but instead thrust far, far into the future, to a time when the earth had undergone another ice age and all of human civilization as we know it has already been wiped out to start anew, which is why this "past" isn't quite like how Fan Xian remembers it should be.]]

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* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: When Wang Qinian returns home late to retrieve supplies for a mission, his wife shouts at him and [[{{Domestic Abuse}} hits him]] [[{{Amusing Injuries}} hard enough to leave a mark]]. Entirely played for laughs.
* {{Earth that Was}}: [[spoiler: As it turns out, Fan [[spoiler:Fan Xian was not reborn in the past, but instead thrust far, far into the future, to a time when the earth had undergone another ice age and all of human civilization as we know it has already been wiped out to start anew, which anew. This is why this the "past" isn't quite like how Fan Xian remembers it should be.]]
* FakeoutEscape: Fan Xian and Wang Qinian do this to [[spoiler:Shen Zhong]]. When enemy soldiers barge into the inn they're staying at, Fan Xian [[spoiler:leaves a pile of dust, leading the soldiers to think they've [[{{Decoy Hiding Place}} escaped through the roof]]. In actuality, they're both hiding under the bed.
]]



* {{Forged Message}}: The letter Teng Zijing receives with the orders to kill Fan Xian on behalf of the Overwatch Council [[spoiler: that was actually written by Li Yunrui]].
* {{Gambit Pileup}}: In a series filled with chessmasters, this is inevitable. Happens most obviously whenever Fan Xian is up against another chessmaster (ex: Li Yunrui or Shen Zhong).

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* {{Forged Message}}: The letter Teng Zijing receives with the orders to kill Fan Xian on behalf of the Overwatch Council [[spoiler: that was [[spoiler:was actually written by Li Yunrui]].
* {{Gambit Pileup}}: In a series filled with chessmasters, this is inevitable. Happens most obviously whenever Fan Xian is up against another chessmaster (ex: Li Yunrui or Shen Zhong).one of the series' many chessmasters.



* {{In the Hood}}: The Shadow, Chen Pingping's nameless, masked bodyguard wears a dark, hooded robe.

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* HopeIsScary: This idea is used by both [[{{Meaningful Echo}} Fan Xian and the Emperor]] in their gambits to [[{{Enhanced Interrogation Techniques}} gain information from their targets]].
* {{In the Hood}}: The Shadow, Chen Pingping's nameless, masked bodyguard wears a Shadow and Ku He wear dark, hooded robe.robes.



* MeaningfulEcho: Both Fan Xian and Chen Pingping express the sentiment that "hope is the greatest cruelty" many episodes apart. It goes to show that [[{{Strange Minds Think Alike}} Fan Xian is well suited to be the next Bureau head]].
* {{Meet Cute}}: Or, perhaps, [[{{Lame Pun Reaction}} Meat Cute]]...Fan Xian and Wan’er’s meeting, with him running into her hiding under a table in a temple eating a chicken leg could count as this.

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* MeaningfulEcho: Both Fan Xian and Chen Pingping express the sentiment that "hope is the greatest cruelty" many episodes apart. It goes to show that [[{{Strange Minds Think Alike}} Fan Xian is well suited to be the next Bureau head]].
* {{Meet Cute}}: Or, perhaps, [[{{Lame Pun Reaction}} Meat Cute]]...Cute]]. Fan Xian and Wan’er’s meeting, with him running into her hiding under a table in a temple eating a chicken leg could count as this.


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* StateSec: The Overwatch Bureau. Although they're also responsible for more mundane things as well, the narrative focuses mostly on their [[{{Elite Agents Above The Law}} spy network]]. Many of the members are trained [[{{TykeBomb}} from childhood]]. Lead by [[{{The Spymaster}} Chen Pingping]]
** First Bureau: In charge of the capital city. Led by Zhu Ge [[spoiler:until he is killed for treason.]]
** Third Bureau: Specializes in [[{{Master Poisoner}} poisons]] and [[{{Shoe Phone}} gadgets]]. Led by Fei Jie.
** Fourth Bureau: In charge of everything outside of the capital, including foreign espionage. Led by Yan Ruohai.
** Fifth Bureau: The armed division. AKA, the Black Knights. Led by Hei Qi.
** Sixth Bureau: The assassination division, lead by [[{{Names To Run Away From Really Fast}} Lord Shadow]].
** Eighth Bureau: [[{{The Last Of These Is Not Like The Others}} Publication of books.]] Led by Xuan Jiu.
** The second and seventh bureaus have not yet been appeared.


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* WhatMeasureIsAMook: The attitude that most of the cast regarding [[spoiler:Teng Zijin]]'s death.
* WintryAuroralSky: One is seen by [[spoiler:Xiao En and Ku He]] when they travel far north and discover the [[spoiler:God Temple]].

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* {{Wicked Stepmother}}: Subverted. Initially, Fan Xian suspects Liu Ruyu, Fan Jian's second wife and Fan Xian's stepmother, of being the one behind his assassination attempt, but after they clear up a few misunderstandings, their relationship with each other becomes quite genial.



* {{Xanatos Gambit}}: The plan to get Xiao En to spill his secret was so carefully thought out that every possible twist and turn was accounted for.

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* {{Xanatos Gambit}}: The plan to get Xiao En [[spoiler:Xiao En]] to spill his secret was so carefully thought out that every possible twist and turn was accounted for.
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* BattleButler: Eunuch Hong for the Empress Dowager and Li Yunrui's [[{{Ninja Maid}} primary servant]].


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* DeliberateValuesDissonance: One of the underlying conflicts in the story is Fan Xian's 21st century ideals clashing with those of the current era. Particularly when it comes to equality and class, Fan Xian struggles to make people understand why [[spoiler:Teng Zijing's death]] is important even though he's 'just' a bodyguard.


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* MeaningfulEcho: Both Fan Xian and Chen Pingping express the sentiment that "hope is the greatest cruelty" many episodes apart. It goes to show that [[{{Strange Minds Think Alike}} Fan Xian is well suited to be the next Bureau head]].

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* {{Anachronism Stew}}: A deliberate example. Although the setting is ''mostly'' based on imperial China, it has a few oddities. People have dogs, but don't know what wolves are; wheelchairs exist; some clothing and decor doesn't fit the time period. This is because [[spoiler:the series actually takes place in the future, after the world was decimated by an ice age that wiped out most of recorded history and technology]].

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* {{Anachronism Stew}}: A deliberate example. Although the setting is ''mostly'' based on imperial China, it has a few oddities. People have dogs, but don't know what wolves are; wheelchairs exist; some clothing and decor doesn't fit the time period. This is because [[spoiler:the series actually takes place [[{{Feudal Future}} in the future, future]], after the world was decimated by an ice age that wiped out most of recorded history and technology]].


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* RoyalHarem: Of the more realistic variety. The royal harem is a distinct political entity, and anyone who wants to get ahead could stand to make a few alliances with the women of the court.

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* {{Anachronism Stew}}: This is set in a fictionalized version of imperial China, so things aren't accurate to any particular period of real life. [[spoiler: In-universe, Fan Xian also starts to notice these discrepancies, only to find out that he actually isn't in the past at all.]]

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* {{Anachronism Stew}}: This A deliberate example. Although the setting is set in a fictionalized version of ''mostly'' based on imperial China, so things aren't accurate to any particular period of real life. [[spoiler: In-universe, Fan Xian also starts to notice these discrepancies, only to find out that he it has a few oddities. People have dogs, but don't know what wolves are; wheelchairs exist; some clothing and decor doesn't fit the time period. This is because [[spoiler:the series actually isn't takes place in the past at all.]]future, after the world was decimated by an ice age that wiped out most of recorded history and technology]].


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* BlendedFamilyDrama: In the early series, played for laughs. Later, [[spoiler:it simmers down as Fan Xian is accepted by his stepmother and half-brother and they become a functioning family unit]].


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* CostumeDrama

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* {{Show Within a Show}}: Or rather, {{Book Within a Book}}, as Fan Xian’s entire story is framed as a book a university student is writing for his science fiction professor.

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* {{Show Within a Show}}: Or rather, {{Book Within a Book}}, as Fan Xian’s entire story is framed as a book a university student is writing for his science fiction professor.professor.
* StallingTheSip: Occurs a few times within the series.

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* {{Double Agent}}: [[spoiler: He Daoren]], an agent of Northern Qi, turns out to actually be working for the Overwatch Council.

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* {{Double Agent}}: [[spoiler: He Daoren]], an agent of Northern Qi, turns out to actually be working Unsurprisingly for the Overwatch Council.a political drama, there are a great many of these in play.


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* {{Order Versus Chaos}}: Towards the end of season one, Fan Xian and [[spoiler:Yan Bingyun]] both must grapple with the question of whether it's okay to let corruption run unchecked if it means maintaining order.
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* ChekhovsGun: In [[spoiler: Ye Qingmei's lockbox]], Fan Xian finds a literal one of these. As of the end of season one, [[spoiler:it has not yet gone off]].


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* {{Lost in Translation}}: There are many puns, jokes, and cultural references that will only make sense to fluent Chinese speakers. See [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtMRGlIq3SQ Joy of Life Jokes Explained]] for more.


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* {{Punny Name}}: The show is rife with these. See the Characters page for specifics.
** The name for the royal treasury is a homophone for "underwear" in Chinese.

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shifting character tropes to the appropriate page


* {{Affably Evil}}: [[spoiler:Li Yunrui]], who veils her malice towards Fan Xian under a veneer of politeness and geniality, once even inviting him into her quarters to chat. [[spoiler: Li Chengze]] arguably also counts, though whether or not one truly counts him as "evil" given the show's {{Grey and Gray Morality}} can be debated.



* {{Bastard Angst}}: Subverted with Fan Xian, who couldn't care less about being an illegitimate child, but played somewhat straight with Lin Wan'er, who is only too aware about how her status has affected her family and how she was raised (i.e. in isolation).



* {{Big Brother Instinct}}: Fan Xian is protective to both of his younger siblings (Ruoruo more so, but also towards Sizhe). Wan'er's older brother Lin Gong is also extremely protective towards her.



* {{Blind Obedience}}: Yan Bingyun is a staunch patriot who strictly adheres to the Overwatch Council’s rules [[spoiler: (something that may have been brainwashed into him as a child on Chen Pingping’s orders as part of the Xiao En gambit)]].



* {{Bunny Ears Lawyer}}: Fei Jie, Fan Xian's eccentric poisoning/medicine mentor, turns out to be the head of the Overwatch Council's third bureau, a branch filled with equally eccentric people obsessed with poisons and gadget creation à la Q Branch from James Bond.



* {{Cassandra Truth}}: Shen Zhong, who kept insisting that Fan Xian's plan regarding cutting Northern Qi into the profits of the Qing imperial treasury was part of a bigger plan to meddle in Northern Qi affairs despite the fact that no one would listen to him.



* {{The Chessmaster}}: So many people. This is a series filled with chessmasters, but Fan Xian, Chen Pingping, and the Emperor get special mention.
** Also in the royal family, Grand Princess Li Yunrui and Second Prince Li Chengze.
** From Northern Qi, Shen Zhong also is this.



* {{Combat Pragmatist}}: Fan Xian is definitely willing to fight dirty whenever he can get away with it, notably when he poisons Haitang Duoduo instead of having an honorable duel with her. [[spoiler: And then it turns out he'd lied about the poison just to freak her out and make her run away anyway.]]
* {{The Comically Serious}}: Wuzhu.
* {{Dead Sidekick}}: [[spoiler: Teng Zijing.]]
* {{Deceptively Human Robots}}: [[spoiler: Wuzhu, who looks pretty much like any other human but acts slightly atypically and does not age.]]



* {{The Dragon}}: Yan Xiaoyi could be considered as this for Li Yunrui. [[spoiler: Also, Xie Bi'an for Li Chengze.]]



* {{Eccentric Mentor}}: Somewhat applies to both Wuzhu and Fei Jie.
* {{Even Evil Has Loved Ones}}: Shen Zhong, the villain of the Northern Qi arc, cares very much for his younger sister, to the point where he fakes stabbing her to let her be taken to Qing to start a new life before he’s arrested by the Northern Qi imperial guards.
** Xiao En, the fearsome Northern Qi warrior who was responsible for Chen Pingping's disability, seems to care very much for his family, [[spoiler: treating Fan Xian kindly when he becomes convinced that Fan Xian is his grandson, and telling him to notify his brother about his death.]]
* {{Evil Prince}}: Li Chengqian, the Crown Prince and third son of the Emperor, who is suspected of trying to assassinate Fan Xian. [[spoiler: It turns out to actually be Li Chengze, the Second Prince, with the help of Li Yunrui.]]
* {{Excellent Judge of Character}}: Fan Xian is definitely this, given how much he uses his understanding of other people's character flaws and motivations in his plans, [[spoiler: though it fails him at the very end of season 1.]]
* {{False Friend}}: As of the dramatic reveal at the very end of season 1, [[spoiler: Li Chengze]].



* {{Femme Fatale Spy}}: [[spoiler: Si Lili, the most popular and revered courtesan in the capital, is actually a spy for Northern Qi.]]
* {{Fish Out of Temporal Water}}: Fan Xian, being a modern guy with perfect memories of his past life, is this, and it's used both as a source of humor and a source of drama.



* {{Genius Ditz}}: Fan Sizhe, Fan Xian's younger brother and the legal heir of the Fan family, is incredibly lazy and incompetent at anything that doesn't involve money, so it comes as a surprise to Fan Xian when he discovers Fan Sizhe can do complicated calculations at the drop of a hat and has great business acumen.



* {{Gilded Cage}}: Lin Wan'er, being the illegitimate daughter of Prime Minister Lin and Crown Princess Li Yunrui, as well as a very sickly girl suffering from lifelong tuberculosis, is effectively kept in one of these.



* {{Guile Hero}}: Fan Xian is this in spades.
* {{Handicapped Badass}}: Wuzhu, who is blind, but is still a martial arts grandmaster who can stand his own against the highest level martial arts grandmasters in the land [[spoiler: though whether or not he's actually "blind" by human standards is questionable]], and Chen Pingping, who is in a wheelchair and is a [[{{The Chessmaster}} Chessmaster]] of the highest order as well as the second most powerful person in all of Southern Qing.



* {{Heroic Bastard}}: Fan Xian, being an illegitimate son, is this.
* {{Hidden Depths}}: Fan Sizhe's skills with business and finance.
** To various people in the capital, Fan Xian's "literary prowess" seems like this.
* {{Hitman With a Heart}}: The reason why Fan Xian is able to talk Teng Zijing down from killing him at the start of the show, [[spoiler: as planned for by Chen Pingping.]]
* {{Ignored Enamored Underling}}: Yan Xiaoyi's blind devotion to Li Yunrui gives off vibes of this.
* {{I Just Want to Be Normal}}: Fan Xian isn’t a fan of his father’s wish for him to take over the imperial treasury and continue his mother’s legacy, nor is he a fan of Chen Pingping’s wish for him to take over the Overwatch Council (also his mother’s legacy), because both will paint large targets on his back.
* {{Ill Girl}}: Lin Wan’er is literally this as she is frail and suffers from consumption/tuberculosis.



* {{Inventor of the Mundane}}: How the imperial treasury, under Ye Qingmei, got most of its money.



* {{Jack of all Trades}}: Fan Xian is skilled in tactics, combat, and politicking his way through the imperial court. He also is seen as a literary genius by many other characters (though that's more due to his {{A Little Something We Call Rock and Roll}} shenanigans than his own actual skill).



* {{Literal Minded}}: Wuzhu doesn't get figurative speech, let alone Fan Xian's jokes and references to stuff from modern times.



* {{Long Haired Pretty Boy}}: Fan Xian wears his hair down for most of the first season, as do a couple other male characters (most notably Yan Bingyun, for fans of Series/{{The Untamed}}/Xiao Zhan).
* {{Luke I Am Your Father}}: [[spoiler: The reveal that Fan Xian’s biological father is actually the Emperor.]]
* {{Master Poisoner}}: Fan Xian, his teacher Fei Jie, and all the members of the Overwatch Council's third bureau (which Fei Jie is head of) specialize in poisons.



* {{Missing Mom}}: Fan Xian's mother, Ye Qingmei, is dead before the beginning of the show.



* {{No Arc in Archery}}: Yan Xiaoyi, the one and only Level 9 archer, shoots a couple long-range arrows, which fly very straight.



* {{No Sense of Humor}}: Wuzhu, who takes everything people say to him literally and rarely, if ever, smiles. [[spoiler: This is because he's a robot.]]
* {{Nothing Personal}}: Li Yunrui [[spoiler: tells Wan'er that her attempts on Fan Xian's life are this--that she has nothing against him, really, and it doesn't matter what kind of person he is, it's just that once Wan'er fell in love with him, she had to kill him to keep Wan'er from being dragged into the political mess surrounding him.]] Whether or not this is true is debatable.
* {{Obfuscating Stupidity}}: Fan Xian makes use of this initially at his arrival to the capital, pretending to be a country bumpkin with no knowledge of proper etiquette in order to further his own goals.



* {{One True Love}}: Fan Xian and Wan'er are like this for each other (in the TV series, not so much the books).

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* {{One True Love}}: Fan Xian and Wan'er are like this for each other (in the TV series, not so much the books).other.



* {{Overprotective Dad}}: Fan Jian stands up to the Emperor in order to try and prevent him from sending Fan Xian to Northern Qi, though without success.
* {{Papa Wolf}}: Fan Jian is implied to be this based on his serious vow to cause a ruckus in the capital if Fan Xian suffers any harm on the mission to Northern Qi.
** When Fan Xian is [[spoiler: being threatened by Xie Bi'an on behalf of Li Chengze, with insinuations made about the future well-being of his family and friends should he choose not to side with the Second Prince]], he calls their bluff by saying if anything happened to Fan Sizhe, Fan Jian would tear up the capital.



* {{Perfectly Arranged Marriage}}: See {{Arranged Marriage}}.
* {{Photographic Memory}}: Fan Xian has this to some degree, as he can memorize maps and such in incredibly short periods of time, and retains perfect memories of hundreds of poems he read back in modern times.



* {{Pragmatic Villainy}}: Unusually for the genre, when WickedStepmother Liu Ruyu realises she and her son have much more to gain from treating Fan Xian well, she drops the hostilities and thereafter treats him like one of the family.

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* {{Pragmatic Villainy}}: Unusually for the genre, when WickedStepmother Wicked Stepmother Liu Ruyu realises she and her son have much more to gain from treating Fan Xian well, she drops the hostilities and thereafter treats him like one of the family.



* {{Raised by Grandparents}}: Being an illegitimate son and thus a shame to the Fan family name, Fan Xian spends most of his childhood out in Danzhou, where he is raised by his grandmother.



* {{Signed Up For the Dental}}: Teng Zijing professes to only stay behind with Fan Xian because Fan Xian’s paying him enough to support his family comfortably, and even though he’s Fan Xian’s bodyguard, if anything happens, he’s going to ditch Fan Xian and run away because his family comes first. [[spoiler: This, tragically, turns out to be a lie.]]
* {{The Spymaster}}: Chen Pingping, obviously.
* {{Stepford Smiler}}: Fan Xian, who acts pretty upbeat and carefree most of the time, but underneath suffers from a deep loneliness and disconnection from the world around him as a result of being a {{Fish Out of Temporal Water}}, is this.
* {{Tailor Made Prison}}: Xiao En's maximum security cell in the Overwatch Council's dungeons.
* {{Those Two Guys}}: Wang Qinian and Gao Da in the later half of season 1, providing comedic moments as Fan Xian embarks on a dangerous diplomatic mission to Northern Qi.



* {{Training from Hell}}: Fan Xian goes through a bit of this in his childhood, with Wuzhu's idea of teaching him martial arts being "I hit you until you learn to dodge my attacks," and Fei Jie's idea of teaching him poisons being "I make you ingest poisons until you can tell them apart and poison me."
* {{Trapped in the Past}}: Fan Xian, being a modern guy now stuck in imperial China, is this. [[spoiler: Though the truth turns out to be a little bit more complicated than that.]]
* {{Underestimating Badassery}}: Lin Gong does this [[spoiler: to fatal effect]] when he doesn't see Wuzhu as a threat due to his blindness and lack of noticeable aura.



* {{Unwillingly Girly Tomboy}}: Haitang Duoduo, when dressed up all fancy in her "Saintess" persona to attend the Northern Qi imperial court.



** Teng Zijing, as of the reveal with how [[spoiler: Chen Pingping and the Emperor]] plotted to get Fan Xian to the capital.
** Fan Xian also suspects he's been used as one by [[spoiler: Chen Pingping]].



* {{Well Done Son Guy}}: Fan Sizhe’s borderline comical obsession with money is suspected by Fan Xian to have stemmed from this in order to get praise and attention from their father, who is Assistant Minister of Finance and who thinks Fan Sizhe is just a lazy idiot until Fan Xian helps him recognize Fan Sizhe's hidden talent.



* {{Worth Living For}}: What Fan Xian is truly searching for.



* {{You Are Worth Hell}}: Wan'er states to her mother that even if Fan Xian is doomed to suffer in the political firestorm surrounding him, she will gladly follow him to stand by his side.

Changed: 10675

Removed: 7265

Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


[[caption-width-right:350:From left to right: Chen Pingping, Fan Xian, and the emperor.]]

to:

[[caption-width-right:350:From left to right: Chen Pingping, Fan Xian, and the emperor.Emperor.]]



In the modern day, a young man with a terminal illness dies, only to be reborn in imperial China with all his memories intact as the illegitimate son of Fan Jian, the assistant financial minister to the emperor, and Ye Qingmei, a woman who was assassinated under mysterious circumstances soon after his birth. Now named Fan Xian, he is raised in the countryside province of Danzhou at his grandmother’s estate where he completes an apprenticeship with Fei Jie, a master of poisons and medicines, and learns martial arts from his mother's former servant, a blind man named Wuzhu, until one day, an attempt on his life and a summons from his father lead him to journey to the capital. There, despite his best efforts, he is soon drawn into the political plots revolving around the royal family and a powerful organization answering only to the emperor known as the Overwatch Council.

to:

In the modern day, a young man with a terminal illness dies, only to be reborn in imperial China with all his memories intact as the illegitimate son of Fan Jian, the assistant financial minister to the emperor, Emperor, and Ye Qingmei, a woman who was assassinated under mysterious circumstances soon after his birth. Now named Fan Xian, he is raised in the countryside province of Danzhou at his grandmother’s estate where he completes an apprenticeship with Fei Jie, a master of poisons and medicines, and learns martial arts from his mother's former servant, a blind man named Wuzhu, until one day, an attempt on his life and a summons from his father lead him to journey to the capital. There, despite his best efforts, he is soon drawn into the political plots revolving around the royal family and a powerful organization answering only to the emperor Emperor known as the Overwatch Council.







* {{Affably Evil}}: [[spoiler:Li Yunrui]], who veils her malice towards Fan Xian under a veneer of politeness and geniality, once even inviting him into her quarters to chat. And later, [[spoiler: Li Chengze]] arguably also counts, though whether or not one truly counts him as "evil" given the show's {{Grey and Gray Morality}} can be debated.

to:

\n* {{Affably Evil}}: [[spoiler:Li Yunrui]], who veils her malice towards Fan Xian under a veneer of politeness and geniality, once even inviting him into her quarters to chat. And later, [[spoiler: Li Chengze]] arguably also counts, though whether or not one truly counts him as "evil" given the show's {{Grey and Gray Morality}} can be debated.
debated.



















* {{Batman Gambit}}: Fan Xian uses this often, and often to great success.
** An example of this is when he [[spoiler: single-handedly orchestrates Shen Zhong's downfall in Northern Qi by first maipulating Shangshan Hu into pledging to the empress dowager, then using Shen Zhong's loyalty to his country against him and disfavoring him in the eyes of the court.]]

to:

\n* {{Batman Gambit}}: Fan Xian uses this often, and often to great success.
** An example of this is when he [[spoiler: single-handedly orchestrates Shen Zhong's downfall in Northern Qi by first maipulating manipulating Shangshan Hu into pledging to the empress dowager, Empress Dowager, then using Shen Zhong's loyalty to his country against him and disfavoring him in the eyes of the court.]]
]]




* {{Big Screwed Up Family}}: The royal family is this, with the large number of wives the emperor has, the relationship between the crown prince and the second prince being downright homicidal, and the emperor himself seeming to relish in the infighting. [[spoiler: And once it's revealed that Fan Xian is actually also one of the emperor's sons, the web only grows larger and more screwed-up.]]

to:

\n* {{Big Screwed Up Family}}: The royal family is this, with the large number of wives the emperor Emperor has, the relationship between the crown prince Crown Prince and the second prince Second Prince being downright homicidal, and the emperor Emperor himself seeming to relish in the infighting. [[spoiler: And once it's revealed that Fan Xian is actually also one of the emperor's Emperor's sons, the web only grows larger and more screwed-up.]]
]]







* {{Bunny Ears Lawyer}}: Fei Jie, Fan Xian's eccentric poisoning/medicine mentor turns out to be the head of the Overwatch Council's third bureau, a branch filled with equally eccentric people obsessed with poisons and gadget creation a la Q branch from James Bond.

* {{Bureaucratically Arranged Marriage}}: Fan Xian and Wan’er’s match was personally arranged by the emperor rather than by either of their parents as a political maneuver by the emperor to transfer control of the imperial treasury from Wan'er's mother, Crown Princess Li Yunrui, to Fan Xian.

to:

\n* {{Bunny Ears Lawyer}}: Fei Jie, Fan Xian's eccentric poisoning/medicine mentor mentor, turns out to be the head of the Overwatch Council's third bureau, a branch filled with equally eccentric people obsessed with poisons and gadget creation a à la Q branch Branch from James Bond.

Bond.
* {{Bureaucratically Arranged Marriage}}: Fan Xian and Wan’er’s match was personally arranged by the emperor Emperor rather than by either of their parents as a political maneuver manoeuvre by the emperor Emperor to transfer control of the imperial treasury from Wan'er's mother, Crown Grand Princess Li Yunrui, to Fan Xian.
Xian.









** Also in the royal family, Li Yunrui and Li Chengze (second prince).

to:

** Also in the royal family, Grand Princess Li Yunrui and Second Prince Li Chengze (second prince).Chengze.







* {{Combat Pragmatist}}: Fan Xian is definitely willing to fight dirty whenever he can get away with it, notably when he poisons Haitang Duoduo instead of having an honorable duel with her [[spoiler: and then it turns out he'd lied about the poison just to freak her out and make her run away anyway.]]

to:

\n* {{Combat Pragmatist}}: Fan Xian is definitely willing to fight dirty whenever he can get away with it, notably when he poisons Haitang Duoduo instead of having an honorable duel with her her. [[spoiler: and And then it turns out he'd lied about the poison just to freak her out and make her run away anyway.]]
]]







* {{Deceptively Human Robots}}: [[spoiler: Wuzhu, who looks pretty much like any other human, but acts slightly atypically and does not age.]]

to:

\n* {{Deceptively Human Robots}}: [[spoiler: Wuzhu, who looks pretty much like any other human, human but acts slightly atypically and does not age.]]
]]
















* {{Even Evil Has Loved Ones}}: Shen Zhong, the villain of the Northern Qi arc, cares very much for his younger sister to the point where he fakes stabbing her to let her be taken to Qing to start a new life before he’s arrested by the Northern Qi imperial guards.
** Xiao En, the fearsome Northern Qi warrior who was responsible for Chen Pingping's disability, seems to care very much for his family, [[spoiler: treating Fan Xian kindly when he becomes convinced that Fan Xian is his grandson, and telling him to notify his brother about his death.]].

* {{Evil Prince}}: Li Chengqian, the crown prince and third son of the emperor, who is suspected of trying to assassinate Fan Xian. [[spoiler: It turns out to actually be Li Chengze, the second prince, with the help of Li Yunrui.]]

to:

\n* {{Even Evil Has Loved Ones}}: Shen Zhong, the villain of the Northern Qi arc, cares very much for his younger sister sister, to the point where he fakes stabbing her to let her be taken to Qing to start a new life before he’s arrested by the Northern Qi imperial guards.
** Xiao En, the fearsome Northern Qi warrior who was responsible for Chen Pingping's disability, seems to care very much for his family, [[spoiler: treating Fan Xian kindly when he becomes convinced that Fan Xian is his grandson, and telling him to notify his brother about his death.]].

* {{Evil Prince}}: Li Chengqian, the crown prince and third son of the emperor, who is suspected of trying to assassinate Fan Xian. [[spoiler: It turns out to actually be Li Chengze, the second prince, with the help of Li Yunrui.
]]
* {{Evil Prince}}: Li Chengqian, the Crown Prince and third son of the Emperor, who is suspected of trying to assassinate Fan Xian. [[spoiler: It turns out to actually be Li Chengze, the Second Prince, with the help of Li Yunrui.]]







* {{Family Honor}}: As typical of dramas in similar settings, family honor is a Big Deal and people come/come close to blows over perceived slights to it often.

to:

\n* {{Family Honor}}: As typical of dramas in similar settings, family honor is a Big Deal and people come/come come close to blows over perceived slights to it often.
often.







* {{Forged Message}}: The letter Teng Zijing receieves with the orders to kill Fan Xian on behalf of the Overwatch Council [[spoiler: and was actually written by Li Yunrui]].

* {{Gambit Pileup}}: In a series filled with chessmasters, this is inevitable. Happens most obviously whenever Fan Xian is up against another chessmaster (ex: vs Li Yunrui or Shen Zhong).

to:

\n* {{Forged Message}}: The letter Teng Zijing receieves receives with the orders to kill Fan Xian on behalf of the Overwatch Council [[spoiler: and that was actually written by Li Yunrui]].

Yunrui]].
* {{Gambit Pileup}}: In a series filled with chessmasters, this is inevitable. Happens most obviously whenever Fan Xian is up against another chessmaster (ex: vs Li Yunrui or Shen Zhong).
Zhong).




* {{Grey and Gray Morality}}: Arguably, most of the villains of the show are "villains" only because they are working against Fan Xian’s goals or have hurt Fan Xian’s friends or family, but whether or not they are actually “bad guys”, or whether even Fan Xian himself can really be counted as “good” can be up to debate.

to:

\n* {{Grey and Gray Morality}}: Arguably, most of the villains of the show are "villains" only because they are working against Fan Xian’s goals or have hurt Fan Xian’s friends or family, but whether or not they are actually “bad guys”, guys,” or whether even Fan Xian himself can really be counted as “good” “good,” can be up to debate.
debate.















** Also, the reveal that [[spoiler: Chen Pingping and the emperor forced Fan Xian to go on the trip to Northern Qi as the culmination of their twenty-plus year long plan to get Xiao En's secret, at the risk of Fan Xian's life.]]

to:

** Also, the reveal that [[spoiler: Chen Pingping and the emperor Emperor forced Fan Xian to go on the trip to Northern Qi as the culmination of their twenty-plus year long plan to get Xiao En's secret, at the risk of Fan Xian's life.]]
]]




























* {{Jack of all Trades}}: Fan Xian is skilled in tactics, combat, and politicking his way through the imperial court. He also is seen as a literary genius by many other characters (though that's more due to his {{A Little Something We Call Rock and Roll}} shenanagins than his own actual skill).

* {{Justice by Other Legal Means}}: Fan Xian can't directly get Li Yunrui [[spoiler: for the murder of Teng Zijing, his friend, because to many people, the fact that Teng Zijing was a lowborn nobody means that his death is insignificant]], so instead he [[spoiler: exposes her for meddling with the Overwatch Council, thus revealing that she broke the emperor's cardinal rule and getting the emperor to exile her far from the capital]].

* {{Kangaroo Court}}: The court in which Fan Xian is tried for the assault of Guo Baokun is clearly this, with the judge flipflopping on his verdict every time another member of the royal family walks in to "spectate" on the judging. [[spoiler: and then the emperor simply shuts the whole thing down and declares Fan Xian innocent regardless, even though he's actually very much guilty.]]

to:

\n* {{Jack of all Trades}}: Fan Xian is skilled in tactics, combat, and politicking his way through the imperial court. He also is seen as a literary genius by many other characters (though that's more due to his {{A Little Something We Call Rock and Roll}} shenanagins shenanigans than his own actual skill).

skill).
* {{Justice by Other Legal Means}}: Fan Xian can't directly get Li Yunrui [[spoiler: for the murder of Teng Zijing, his friend, because to many people, the fact that Teng Zijing was a lowborn nobody means that his death is insignificant]], so instead he [[spoiler: exposes her for meddling with the Overwatch Council, thus revealing that she broke the emperor's Emperor's cardinal rule and getting the emperor Emperor to exile her far from the capital]].

capital]].
* {{Kangaroo Court}}: The court in which Fan Xian is tried for the assault of Guo Baokun is clearly this, with the judge flipflopping flip-flopping on his verdict every time another member of the royal family walks in to "spectate" on the judging. [[spoiler: and then Then the emperor Emperor simply shuts the whole thing down and declares Fan Xian innocent regardless, even though he's actually very much guilty.]]
]]



** In Northern Qi, Shen Zhong thinks Fan Xian's plan to loop Northern Qi into an embezzelment scheme with the Qing imperial treasury is an attempt to scam them. [[spoiler: It's really an attempt to ruin his favor with the empress by manipulating him into loudly voicing disapproval of a publicly popular venture.]]

to:

** In Northern Qi, Shen Zhong thinks Fan Xian's plan to loop Northern Qi into an embezzelment embezzlement scheme with the Qing imperial treasury is an attempt to scam them. [[spoiler: It's really an attempt to ruin his favor with the empress Empress by manipulating him into loudly voicing disapproval of a publicly popular venture.]]
]]




* {{Keeping the Enemy Close}}: Chen Pingping does this to some Overwatch Council members suspected of trechery.

to:

\n* {{Keeping the Enemy Close}}: Chen Pingping does this to some Overwatch Council members suspected of trechery.
treachery.




* {{Leave Behind a Pistol}}: When [[spoiler: Zhu Ge]]’s treachery is revealed, Chen Pingping gives him a dagger to kill himself with to spare him the shame of being dragged back to the emperor in chains to face justice.

to:

\n* {{Leave Behind a Pistol}}: When [[spoiler: Zhu Ge]]’s Ge’s]] treachery is revealed, Chen Pingping gives him a dagger to kill himself with with, to spare him the shame of being dragged back to the emperor Emperor in chains to face justice.
justice.









** As a child, he'd written letters to his younger sister Ruoruo telling her the story of ''Literature/{{Dream of the Red Chamber}}'' (红楼梦), one of the four great Chinese classical novels, only to find out later when he gets to the capital that she'd distributed his letters to many of the other noble ladies in the city and it'd become extremely popular.

* {{Lonely at the Top}}: Implied to be how the emperor feels, given his reaction to the poem Fan Xian recites. The poem also resonates with Li Yunrui, who even takes it as a threat.

to:

** As a child, he'd written letters to his younger sister Ruoruo telling her the story of ''Literature/{{Dream of the Red Chamber}}'' (红楼梦), one of the four great Chinese classical novels, only to find out later when he gets to the capital that she'd distributed his letters to many of the other noble ladies in the city and it'd it had become extremely popular.

popular.
* {{Lonely at the Top}}: Implied to be how the emperor Emperor feels, given his reaction to the poem Fan Xian recites. The poem also resonates with Li Yunrui, who even takes it as a threat.
threat.







* {{Luke I Am Your Father}}: [[spoiler: The reveal that Fan Xian’s biological father is actually the emperor.]]

* {{Master Poisoner}}: Fan Xian, his teacher, Fei Jie, and all the members of the Overwatch Council's third bureau (which Fei Jie is head of) specialize in poisons.

* {{Meet Cute}}: Or should I say, [[{{Lame Pun Reaction}} Meat Cute]]...Fan Xian and Wan’er’s meeting, with him running into her hiding under a table in a temple eating a chicken leg could count as this.

to:

\n* {{Luke I Am Your Father}}: [[spoiler: The reveal that Fan Xian’s biological father is actually the emperor.]]

Emperor.]]
* {{Master Poisoner}}: Fan Xian, his teacher, teacher Fei Jie, and all the members of the Overwatch Council's third bureau (which Fei Jie is head of) specialize in poisons.

poisons.
* {{Meet Cute}}: Or should I say, Or, perhaps, [[{{Lame Pun Reaction}} Meat Cute]]...Fan Xian and Wan’er’s meeting, with him running into her hiding under a table in a temple eating a chicken leg could count as this.
this.




* {{The Mole}}: Someone in the Overwatch Council is spilling secrets to Li Yunrui, in direct violation of the rule that states no member of the royal family (excluding the emperor) may interfere with the Council's affairs. [[spoiler: It’s Zhu Ge]].

to:

\n* {{The Mole}}: Someone in the Overwatch Council is spilling secrets to Li Yunrui, in direct violation of the rule that states no member of the royal family (excluding the emperor) Emperor) may interfere with the Council's affairs. [[spoiler: It’s Zhu Ge]].
Ge]].







* {{No Arc in Archery}}: Yan Xiaoyi, the one and only Level 9 archer, shoots a couple long range arrows which fly very straight.

to:

\n* {{No Arc in Archery}}: Yan Xiaoyi, the one and only Level 9 archer, shoots a couple long range arrows long-range arrows, which fly very straight.
straight.















** Fan Xian at the very end of the season when [[spoiler: Xie Bi'an shows up with the second prince's "message" for him.]]
*** [[spoiler: And then of course, when Yan Bingyun stabs him.]]

to:

** Fan Xian at the very end of the season when [[spoiler: Xie Bi'an shows up with the second prince's Second Prince's "message" for him.]]
*** [[spoiler: And then then, of course, when Yan Bingyun stabs him.]]
]]







* {{Overprotective Dad}}: Fan Jian stands up to the emperor in order to try and prevent him from sending Fan Xian to Northern Qi, though without success.

to:

\n* {{Overprotective Dad}}: Fan Jian stands up to the emperor Emperor in order to try and prevent him from sending Fan Xian to Northern Qi, though without success.
success.



** When Fan Xian is [[spoiler: being threatened by Xie Bi'an on behalf of Li Chengze with insinuations made about the future well-being of his family and friends should he choose not to side with the second prince]], he calls their bluff by saying if anything happened to Fan Sizhe, Fan Jian would tear up the capital.

to:

** When Fan Xian is [[spoiler: being threatened by Xie Bi'an on behalf of Li Chengze Chengze, with insinuations made about the future well-being of his family and friends should he choose not to side with the second prince]], Second Prince]], he calls their bluff by saying if anything happened to Fan Sizhe, Fan Jian would tear up the capital.
capital.













to:

* {{Pragmatic Villainy}}: Unusually for the genre, when WickedStepmother Liu Ruyu realises she and her son have much more to gain from treating Fan Xian well, she drops the hostilities and thereafter treats him like one of the family.




* {{Raised by Grandparents}}: Being an illegitimate son and thus a shame to the Fan family name, Fan Xian spends most of his childhood out in Danzhou where he is raised by his grandmother.

* {{The Reason You Suck Speech}}: Wan'er delivers one of these to her mother [[spoiler: the night before Li Yunrui is set to be sent out of the capital]], telling her that she doesn't even know her favorite foods, anything she likes, or even anything about her while Fan Xian does, because she never came to see Wan'er when she was growing up.

to:

\n* {{Raised by Grandparents}}: Being an illegitimate son and thus a shame to the Fan family name, Fan Xian spends most of his childhood out in Danzhou Danzhou, where he is raised by his grandmother.

grandmother.
* {{The Reason You Suck Speech}}: Wan'er delivers one of these to her mother [[spoiler: the night before Li Yunrui is set to be sent out of the capital]], telling her that she doesn't even know her favorite foods, anything she likes, or even anything about her her, while Fan Xian does, because she never came to see Wan'er when she was growing up.
up.







* {{Screw the Rules I Have Connections}}: Used both by Fan Xian and the villains to get off scot-free from various legal violations ranging from assault to murder, and even treason.

* {{Secret Test of Character}}: The initial attempt on Chen Pingping's life, leaving him, Fan Xian, Wang Qinian, Si Lili, and the Shadow seemingly trapped in the Overwatch Council's dungeons with no chance of escape is revealed to be this for Fan Xian (the Shadow suggests that Fan Xian kill Chen Pingping himself so that the rest of them may live to see if Fan Xian would take the suggestion or choose to try and protect Chen Pingping by fighting).
** Many of the things Fan Xian has to go through in season 1 are all basically this from either the emperor or Chen Pingping in order to see if he really has what it takes to control both the imperial treasury and the Overwatch Council.

to:

\n* {{Screw the Rules I Have Connections}}: Used both by Fan Xian and the villains to get off scot-free from various legal violations ranging from assault to murder, murder and even treason.

treason.
* {{Secret Test of Character}}: The initial attempt on Chen Pingping's life, leaving him, Fan Xian, Wang Qinian, Si Lili, and the Shadow seemingly trapped in the Overwatch Council's dungeons with no chance of escape escape, is revealed to be this for Fan Xian (the Shadow suggests that Fan Xian kill Chen Pingping himself so that the rest of them may live to see if Fan Xian would take the suggestion or choose to try and protect Chen Pingping by fighting).
** Many of the things Fan Xian has to go through in season 1 are all basically this from either the emperor Emperor or Chen Pingping in order to see if he really has what it takes to control both the imperial treasury and the Overwatch Council.
















* {{Tailor Made Prison}}: Xiao En's max-imprisonment cell in the Overwatch Council's dungeons.

to:

\n* {{Tailor Made Prison}}: Xiao En's max-imprisonment maximum security cell in the Overwatch Council's dungeons.
dungeons.







* {{Training from Hell}}: Fan Xian goes through a bit of this in his childhood, with Wuzhu's idea of teaching him martial arts being "I hit you until you learn to dodge my attacks" and Fei Jie's idea of teaching him poisons being "I make you ingest poisons until you can tell them apart and poison me".

* {{Trapped in the Past}}: Fan Xian, being a modern guy now stuck in imperial China, is this. [[spoiler: Though, the truth turns out to be a little bit more complicated than that.]]

to:

\n* {{Training from Hell}}: Fan Xian goes through a bit of this in his childhood, with Wuzhu's idea of teaching him martial arts being "I hit you until you learn to dodge my attacks" attacks," and Fei Jie's idea of teaching him poisons being "I make you ingest poisons until you can tell them apart and poison me".

me."
* {{Trapped in the Past}}: Fan Xian, being a modern guy now stuck in imperial China, is this. [[spoiler: Though, Though the truth turns out to be a little bit more complicated than that.]]
]]




* {{Unspecified Apocalypse}}: [[spoiler: The world as it was suffered one at some point after Fan Xian's first death, and before his "reincarnation" as Fan Xian.]]

to:

\n* {{Unspecified Apocalypse}}: [[spoiler: The world as it was suffered one one, at some point after Fan Xian's first death, death and before his "reincarnation" as Fan Xian.]]
]]






** Teng Zijing, as of the reveal with how [[spoiler: Chen Pingping and the emperor]] plotted to get Fan Xian to the capital.

to:

** Teng Zijing, as of the reveal with how [[spoiler: Chen Pingping and the emperor]] Emperor]] plotted to get Fan Xian to the capital.







* {{Utopia Justifies the Means}}: [[spoiler: Chen Pingping and the emperor's justification for the Xiao En gambit, because they suspect the Temple holds the secret to immortality.]]

to:

\n* {{Utopia Justifies the Means}}: [[spoiler: Chen Pingping and the emperor's Emperor's justification for the Xiao En gambit, because they suspect the Temple holds the secret to immortality.]]
]]













* {{We Help the Helpless}}: Part of the reason behind the establishment of the Overwatch Council, as is written in its purpose statment carved on the stone tablet outside the Council headquarter's gate.

* {{Well Done Son Guy}}: Fan Sizhe’s borderline comical obsession with money is suspected by Fan Xian to have stemmed from this in order to get praise and attention from their father, who is a minister of finance and who thinks Fan Sizhe is just a lazy idiot until Fan Xian helps him recognize Fan Sizhe's hidden talent.

to:

\n* {{We Help the Helpless}}: Part of the reason behind the establishment of the Overwatch Council, as is written in its purpose statment statement carved on the stone tablet outside the Council headquarter's gate.

headquarters' gate.
* {{Well Done Son Guy}}: Fan Sizhe’s borderline comical obsession with money is suspected by Fan Xian to have stemmed from this in order to get praise and attention from their father, who is a minister Assistant Minister of finance Finance and who thinks Fan Sizhe is just a lazy idiot until Fan Xian helps him recognize Fan Sizhe's hidden talent.
talent.




* {{Wicked Stepmother}}: Subverted. Initially, Fan Xian suspects Liu Ruyu, Fan Jian's second wife and Fan Xian's stepmother of being the one behind his assassination attempt, but after they clear up a few misunderstandings, their relationship with each other becomes quite genial.

to:

\n* {{Wicked Stepmother}}: Subverted. Initially, Fan Xian suspects Liu Ruyu, Fan Jian's second wife and Fan Xian's stepmother stepmother, of being the one behind his assassination attempt, but after they clear up a few misunderstandings, their relationship with each other becomes quite genial.
genial.










* {{Xanatos Speed Chess}}: The emperor and Chen Pingping seem to be playing this all the time, much to Fan Xian's displeasure.

to:

\n* {{Xanatos Speed Chess}}: The emperor Emperor and Chen Pingping seem to be playing this all the time, much to Fan Xian's displeasure.
displeasure.









Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* {{Justice by Other Legal Means}}: Fan Xian can't directly get Li Yunrui [[spoiler: for the murder of Teng Zijing, his friend, because to many people, the fact that Teng Zijing was a lowborn nobody means that his death is insignificant]], so instead he [[spoiler: exposes her for meddling with the Overwatch Council, thus breaking the emperor's cardinal rule and getting the emperor to exile her far from the capital]].

to:

* {{Justice by Other Legal Means}}: Fan Xian can't directly get Li Yunrui [[spoiler: for the murder of Teng Zijing, his friend, because to many people, the fact that Teng Zijing was a lowborn nobody means that his death is insignificant]], so instead he [[spoiler: exposes her for meddling with the Overwatch Council, thus breaking revealing that she broke the emperor's cardinal rule and getting the emperor to exile her far from the capital]].
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


* {{Deceptively Human Robots}}: [[spoiler: Wuzhu, who looks pretty much like any other human, but acts a little weird and does not age.]]

to:

* {{Deceptively Human Robots}}: [[spoiler: Wuzhu, who looks pretty much like any other human, but acts a little weird slightly atypically and does not age.]]



* {{Family Honor}}: As typical of dramas in similar settings, family honor is a Big Deal and people come/come close to blows over it often.

to:

* {{Family Honor}}: As typical of dramas in similar settings, family honor is a Big Deal and people come/come close to blows over perceived slights to it often.




to:

**Also, the reveal that [[spoiler: Chen Pingping and the emperor forced Fan Xian to go on the trip to Northern Qi as the culmination of their twenty-plus year long plan to get Xiao En's secret, at the risk of Fan Xian's life.]]



* {{Parental Substitute}}: Fan Xian gets a lot of "father figures", but Wuzhu and Fei Jie get special mention for taking care of and raising him when he's raised out in Danzhou.

to:

* {{Parental Substitute}}: Fan Xian gets a lot of "father figures", but Wuzhu and Fei Jie get special mention for taking care of and raising him when he's raised out during his childhood in Danzhou.



* {{Unwitting Pawn}}: A couple.

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* {{Unwitting Pawn}}: A couple.Inevitable in a series filled with chessmasters.
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*{{One True Love}}: Fan Xian and Wan'er are like this for each other (in the TV series, not so much the books).

*{{Opposed Mentors}}: Chen Pingping and Fei Jie get into a fight over Fan Xian having to go to Northern Qi, with Fei Jie believing that going is too risky and Chen Pingping believing that he must go in order to gain more skills . [[spoiler: Though Chen Pingping also has an ulterior motive.]]

*{{Overprotective Dad}}: Fan Jian stands up to the emperor in order to try and prevent him from sending Fan Xian to Northern Qi, though without success.


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*{{Parental Substitute}}: Fan Xian gets a lot of "father figures", but Wuzhu and Fei Jie get special mention for taking care of and raising him when he's raised out in Danzhou.


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*{{Rage Against the Mentor}}: Fan Xian towards Chen Pingping when [[spoiler: he discovers the extent of Chen Pingping's manipulation regarding the entire Xiao En plan]].


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*{{Tailor Made Prison}}: Xiao En's max-imprisonment cell in the Overwatch Council's dungeons.


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*{{Underestimating Badassery}}: Lin Gong does this [[spoiler: to fatal effect]] when he doesn't see Wuzhu as a threat due to his blindness and lack of noticeable aura.

*{{Unspecified Apocalypse}}: [[spoiler: The world as it was suffered one at some point after Fan Xian's first death, and before his "reincarnation" as Fan Xian.]]


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*{{Unwitting Pawn}}: A couple.
**Teng Zijing, as of the reveal with how [[spoiler: Chen Pingping and the emperor]] plotted to get Fan Xian to the capital.
**Fan Xian also suspects he's been used as one by [[spoiler: Chen Pingping]].

*{{Using You All Along}}: Fan Xian suspects [[spoiler: Chen Pingping]] of this after the reveal about [[spoiler: the Xiao En plan]].

*{{Utopia Justifies the Means}}: [[spoiler: Chen Pingping and the emperor's justification for the Xiao En gambit, because they suspect the Temple holds the secret to immortality.]]


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*{{Vulnerable Convoy}}: Fan Xian's convoy to Northern Qi to trade Xiao En for the captured Overwatch Council spy is attacked several times on its way there.

*{{We Can Rule Together}}: Both princes effectively offer this to Fan Xian to try and get him on their side.

*{{We Have Ways of Making You Talk}}: Happens to Si Lili when she's being questioned after being captured.


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*{{You Are Worth Hell}}: Wan'er states to her mother that even if Fan Xian is doomed to suffer in the political firestorm surrounding him, she will gladly follow him to stand by his side.

*{{Your Favorite}}: Fan Xian bringing chicken legs for Wan'er to eat.

*{{Zero Approval Gambit}}: Fan Xian's initial plan to get his engagement with Lin Wan'er broken off due to his {{Love at First Sight}} with the mysterious chicken drumstick girl from the temple. (His efforts turn out to be completely unneeded.)

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* {{No Name Given}}: The emperor, who is literally only ever referred to by his title. Also applies to the Shadow, Chen Pingping's bodyguard and the head of the Black Army.

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*{{Names to Run Away From Really Fast}}: The King of the Night, Chen Pingping, and his Black Knights.

*{{No Arc in Archery}}: Yan Xiaoyi, the one and only Level 9 archer, shoots a couple long range arrows which fly very straight.

* {{No Name Given}}: The emperor, who is literally only ever referred to by his title. Also applies to the Shadow, Chen Pingping's bodyguard and the head of the Black Army.
Knights.
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* {{Killing in Self-Defense}}: Fan Xian does this to some of the people who try assassinating him.

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* {{Killing in Self-Defense}}: Self Defense}}: Fan Xian does this to some of the people who try assassinating him.
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*{{Keeper of Forbidden Knowledge}}: Ku He and Xiao En are the only two people who know the secret of [[spoiler: the Temple's location, and how Ye Qingmei arrived in their world.]]

*{{Keeping the Enemy Close}}: Chen Pingping does this to some Overwatch Council members suspected of trechery.

*{{Killing in Self-Defense}}: Fan Xian does this to some of the people who try assassinating him.

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