AnthonyJackson

The author's treatment of King An of Han is deliciously cynical. He throws out a random scholar as a complete sacrificial pawn, barely caring whether he lives or dies. The original owner's fear and desperation in being forced to travel to Qin, knowing he's going to be executed or worse, is palpable. And the way An of Han just forgets about him after the Zheng Guo leak is the cherry on top. It makes the protagonist's survival feel even more like a defiance of terrible odds.

I feel like Tan Mobai is secretly way more invested in Yi Qianqian than he lets on. The way he watches her from the window, follows her movements, and seems to know exactly when she's upset? That's not the behavior of someone who doesn't care. He's just bad at feelings.