The Vendetta of An 长安二十四计 - Discussion - Episodes 16-17
The Vendetta of An 长安二十四计 - Discussion - Episodes 16-17
Welcome to the episode discussions for The Vendetta of An! Join us as we walk down the long road to revenge...
🔥🗡This post is for episodes 🩸16 and 17 only🩸please use spoiler tags for express episodes or previews, thank you!🗡🔥
Discussion Schedule: Posts will follow the Youku regular VIP schedule. Posts will go up in late afternoon/evening Pacific Time (16-18ish hrs after they go up on Youku).
📅Youku Airing Sched: 2 eps/day through 12/19. 1 ep/per day on 12/20 and 12/21. After that not announced yet.
Links to all discussions at bottom of post
Host Notes:
Ok this post is not as late I expected it to be and for once I succeeded at being brief (for me 😄).
... Previously on The Vendetta of An ...
[DETAILS REFERENCE CORNER]
Character Flashcards: linked post contains character name card pics from all currently recapped episodes, the show has not provided one for every character. Spoiler Note : if you are watching slower than release, sort comments by 'old' on the Flashcard post to avoid later eps.
Timeline: no new updates, see post 14-15
Rogue's Gallery:
❕At Large: Qingyi
⚡In Charge: Yan Fengshan
❌Dead: Pu Nichuan, Liu Ziyan, Wei Qianting
❓Whereabouts unknown: Hooded Figure
EPISODE 16
Multiple new characters this ep, some of which were given on screen name cards and some of which were not.
[RECAP]
Opening Scene: We meet the Tiemo envoy, Wuyin Chong and his guard Fang Genghui on their journey to Chang’an. They stop at the granary in the contested Chen Valley/Mingshanzi Gorge where a captive once murdered his way out. They know this notorious figure is Yan Fengshan and that he is who they are going to negotiate with. Inside the granary is a ‘slave girl’ brought to perform guqin for the envoy. Impressed with her performance Wuyin Chong agrees to bring her along. Its Wumei in disguise.
just thought this was a very cool and eerie shot of her behind the flames
In Chang’an, Huai’an is returning to the city once again. Chancellor Gao sneaks him a message that Gu Yu is alive. In the palace, a eunuch brings bread rolls to Gao under watchful eye of guards on tower.
I liked this brief moment of companionship they had
Gao rolls over to a corner of the courtyard near a grate, dropping food down in it. Underneath the grate is some kind of storm drain, just wide and tall enough for a man to lay there hiding, its Gu Yu.
the reveal of what a small he is in was harrowing, yikes!
We meet Yang Chuhao, a money lender and business man, trusted by Yan Fengshan. He recognizes Huai’an by the intensity of his stare. Yang Chuhao has been in charge of the accommodations for the Tiemo army and has already helped Huai’an by placing Wumei their path. Huai’an further intimidates him and threatens him with blackmail revealing his past close ties to Liu Ziwen. Their meeting takes place at a wonton shop that Yang Chuhao also owns and whose proprietor also has long standing ties to Liu Family. The owner of the shop is called Lao Sha.
We meet another new character, a bright eyed young man collecting ledgers from nearly every shop on the street. I don't think they gave us his full name yet but we heard him called Su. (If you can't remember where you recognize him from, picture him with a headband.... he's Lan Jingyi in The Untamed). One of the businesses Su is working with is Taiyiji Clinic clinic and we learn he has a crush on Shen Xiaoqing (who might have a crush on him back.)
Huai’an arrives at the clinic and reunites with Shen Xiaoqing reunion. They have a talk where she tells him Bai Wan wouldnt want him to live like this.
Su returns from his ledger collecting to his boss, Yang Chuhao. Yang Chuhao can tell he has something on his mind (his crush) and he can tell his boss has something on his mind (being threatened by a former child prodigy).
something about YFS showing up with the bass made me laugh
Yan Fengshan comes to visit Yang Chuhao, bearing a gift of sea bass. The General doesn't like to eat alone. As they dine they have a friendly-on-the-surface talk that turns more ominous as Yan Fengshan 'warns' Yang Chuhao that White Hair has returned and may approach him. It seems he knew of Yang Chuhao's acquaintance with Liu family already (unclear to me if Huai'an's blackmail scheme would have still be effective or if the depth of Yang Chuhao's alliance with Liu Ziwen is not known to Yan Fengshan).
The final scene is Huai’an in shop buying Bitter After, he tells shopkeeper it is "for an old friend I’ve not met for many years."
[NOTES]
📜Schemes and Secrets: Wumei undercover, Huai'an blackmail threat, Yang Chuhao denying meeting with Huai'an to Yan Fengshan, Huai'an's "old friend"
EPISODE 17
[RECAP]
Opening Flashback: Child Huai’an eating at the wonton shop, Yang Chuhao sits down with him and offers him another dish but he gets up, leaving money on table. When Yan Fengshan protests on the account of his friendship with his father, little Huai'an says he doesnt like to owe debts. As he walks away Yang Chuhao wonders what he will be liked when he grows up.
Outside Taiyiji Clinic, Ye Zheng and Huai’an spot Su waiting eagerly and have a humorous moment as Ye Zheng learns about his crush on Xiaoqing and then Huai’an gives him some romantic advice, which may or may not be accurate. Another impressionable young man for them to take under their wing?
Speaking of young men they are mentoring, in Cangshui River, Xiao Wenjing has a 1 sided chat with his brother, who is still pretending to be asleep. He has gotten over his whining about the assignment and is saying his goodbyes. Mr Long will have people watch over him. He then goes to say goodbye to the salt shop owner, It turns out he is Zhang Mo’s dad (which I did not see coming!). Per DramaWiki his name is Zhang Sheng. Zhang Sheng has known this whole time who Wenjing is of course. But Wenjing only recently realized it as he was mending the man's old coat and found letters from his son sewn inside. They come to a kind of understanding before parting ways.
a scene full of complex emotions and beautifully acted by them both
Huai’an mets Yang Chenhao again at a tea house and intimidates him some more. Chang Yi is doing a lot with his more menacing facial expressions. Huai'an needs money, which Yang Chuhao has a lot of him. He tells him his plan to meet with (but not harm) the Tiemo envoy before the envoy gets a chance to talk to Yan Fengshan.
The envoy arrives. Chen Zhiying and Huben soldiers meets them at the gate. As they are escorted through town they are ambushed by low to the ground grappling hooks that catch the wheels and pull them off.
they've been making great use of this tasseled curtain to frame the shots in and out of the carriage
Wumei drags Wuyin Chong out of the carriage and down the street, holding a cord around his neck as a threat. Ye Zheng arrives as back up. They scuffle with the Huben soldiers and Tiemo envoy attendants.
Wumei continues to be a badass
Wuyin Chong gets away and turns corner where he finds Huai’an posing as a peddler from Tiemo. It seems like Huai'an's scheme is to get Wuyin Chong to ask him for help and give him convenient shelter for the night but then Yang Chuhao comes up and knocks him out with a brick.
Yang Chuhao tells Wuyin Chong that he is Huben and tries to take Wuyin back to convoy but Huai’an has somehow shackled them together. They have to drag Huai'an down the street behind him, (ouch. I'm having a flashback to Huai'an throwing himself down that hillside, why must he injure himself like this). Wuyin Chong sees the wanted posters of Huai'an and decides to take advantage of the reward.
Chen Zhiying arrives with his envoy and Yang Chuaho talks him out of killing Huai'an, instead suggesting he is valuable to Yan Fengshan while alive. Wumei and Ye Zheng watch from nearby, hidden in the shadows. They can't tell if this is part of Huai'an's plan or not. Wuyin agrees to bring Huai’an back to Yan Fengshan as a gift.
Back at the clinic, Ye Zheng, Wumei, and Shen Xiaoqing read a letter from Huai’an explaining his getting captured plan.
We Xiao Wenjing has entered city in a disguise.
Final shot is Yan Fengshan starring at tied up Huai’an in the courtyard. Huai'an voiceover from the letter to Ye Zheng saying that coming face to face with Yan Fengshan will be "his most anticipated meeting."
[NOTES]
This show does not always tell us characters' names, like with the Fisherman/Ferryman or the salt shop owner. In this case, I can see why as the Zhang last name may have given it away.... but for other characters I still feel confused sometimes why we aren't allowed to know their names (without looking them up on MDL/DramaWiki for ourselves).
📜Schemes and Secrets: Emperor still pretending to be asleep, Zhang Mo father, Huai'an's layered schemes, Xiao Wenjing disguise
[REFLECTIONS]
Wow what a week of TV we have had! It's been so fun watching this show with you all. Tomorrow we go down to 1x ep per day which I think will be okay, given how dense these eps can get.
The schemes simply never stop! Can't wait to see how this most anticipated meeting plays out! AHhhh!
I'm so worried about Gu Yu in that storm drain 😬 It's really stressing me out.
What do you make of Xiao Wenjing and Zhang Mo's dad? Of Huai'an using himself as bait in his scheme?
🔥🗡This post is for episodes 🩸16 and 17 only🩸 please use spoiler tags for episodes or previews of episodes beyond these, thank you! 🗡🔥
Links to Discussion Posts:
Index | Masterpost (Eps 1-3) | Eps 4-5 | Eps 6-7 | Eps 8-9 | Eps 10-11 | Eps 12-13 | Eps 14-15 |
Other useful links: Airing Schedule | DramaWiki | MDL| Weibo | OST info
Posted Dec 20, 2025, 3:55 AM UTC