Painful: A father dies and a Monster is revealed

Spoilers Ahead

This episode is one of those major transitional episodes because a big enough event happens that causes life changing choices to occur. After the mistress of Gu Ting Ye ruins engagement after engagement with her theatrics, Ming Lan meets her and concludes based on her evidence (or in this case performance) that she has a bad personality. She tries to tell Gu Ting Ye this and it triggers an argument before he storms off.

Later, Gu Ting Ye has a heated argument with his father in which he basically confronts him about his mother, her treatment and death, and his father is extremely defensive, refusing to admit any responsibility and instead shifts blame by focusing on Gu Ting Ye's behavior (incidentally, this episode actually highlights how similar these two are in terms of temperament). His father suddenly coughs up blood (I am not sure what could have caused this) and Gu Ting Ye naturally panics and runs to his stepmother, who sends him away to get an imperial physician.

GTY returns and no one will let him inside to see his father. his elder brother goes so far as to fist fight him in front of the house, and after his father is dead is he allowed to see him--this is a pivotal moment because it allows Gu Ting ye to see his stepmother for what she really is (an evil witch) and helps give him the final push he needs to abandon this Gu family of his. It's so painful to watch because he is clearly wracked with guilt, and he must contend with the entire Gu clan throwing false accusations at him including his mother making up lies about what actually happened. He realizes that the end game for everyone has been to expel him from the family.

GTY tells his stepmother directly that she disgusts him before leaving. The eldest Sheng son goes to see him and keep him company. This is just awful, because everyone who has hurt him feels justified for doing what they do: his stepmother just wants the best for her son, his eldest brother wants to help his mother rest easy knowing that the son of the woman who (in a way) resulted in her death is not having an easy time, and his family all disdain him for being born from a low class woman.

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