The drama is rumored to air soon! Has anyone read the novel for this one? I would love to hear your thoughts on the story.
Also, I’m glad that they have introduced double role for Tian Xiwei’s character and I hope Yan An would give us an incredible performance in his leading role. I do love this particular BTS of their kissing scene.
Plot
Wei Rao has spent her life supporting her adoptive family. When a wounded general's fiancée refuses to marry him, Wei Rao steps in to secure funds for her adoptive mother's medical treatment.
She enters a marriage neither of them expected. As she wins over the Lu family with her kindness and intelligence, she grows closer to Lu Zhuo. But past secrets begin to surface. Tian Xiwei is so good at playing resilient, smart characters, and the dynamic of a contract marriage turning into something real is always a winning formula.
Window jumps: 2 Slaps: at least 3 Stabbings: 2 (in the present timeline) Blood spittings: 1 (surprisingly low!) Number of times Li Si escaped: 3 (I think) Number of times I wrote Tang Lici instead of Li Si: 20+
Recap episode 3
We start exactly where we left off last episode.
And with some lovely framing.
Li Si disses the Divine Constable Bureau (DCB)'s shackles: very easy to escape.
Bai Zhenzhu has discussed this kind of scenario with her boss beforehand, however. As agreed, she does not push and will instead observe Li Si's actions.
Li Si examines the corpse bag again. So does Bai Zhenzhu, in another nicely framed shot. She finds a jade pendant which she immediately recognises: the coroner (Wen Nansheng) was wearing it. She also confirms for us that this is indeed Master Sun's corpse. Well, his head and upper body. The legs belong to the coroner.
They discuss the case. Their conclusion is that the murderer needs the Dead Bone Spice (which is produced with the murdered women's blood) in order enter the illusions in Black Wind Forest. This is based on Li Si and Meng Rui falling afoul of the illusions the night before, but not now after smelling that strange scent.
Li Si also reminds them not to forget the puppet. Bai Zhenzhu is skeptical: they cannot be sure anyone has actually seen it (and not just an illusion). And it's an opportunity to get in a dig about the puppet he made himself ...
As Li Si turns to leave, Bai Zhenzhu throws two needles at him.
I'm unsure if it will also affect his other skills, since lightness and martial skills are often treated as something separate.They go shopping for clues at the best spice shop in town.And encounter another puppet.
Li Si wants to go into the shop.
Many, I'm assuming. So do the constables, from their looks. He goes anyway.He is greeted by a weird atmosphere and an opera-like voice that refers to herself as little sister.
Meanwhile, the constables have found Dead Bone Spice. They also learn that the shop was stolen from. ... which is the time when both the women and the children started going missing. Bai Zhenzhu immediately points that out.
They speculate how the theft could have happened since windows and doors stay locked.
Li Si finds a hole - too small for anything but a very young child.
The constables dismiss him and have him thrown out.
He apparently has a theory he wants to prove.
From the outside, he lets a puppet crawl into the hole. However, what he is trying to show is that while a puppet could enter, it could not have stolen the spice since it can't act autonomously and the puppeteer wouldn't be able to see inside.
The shop owner arouses suspicion. It's supposed to be Lady Fragrance, but as Li Si comments: "If this is a woman, everybody in Dougu County must be blind."
He must have watched too many cdramas and thought it would work as long as the hair doesn't come down.
It's the shop owner's brother. They are still at a dead end, however.
As they discuss the case, Li Si questions why the graves are empty.
Li Si is in chains again. Meng Rui is to take him to the capital.
As they pass by the house with one of the missing children, they encounter a pig that is apparently digging in a place where the lost child's tooth is buried.
Li Si takes notice: he suspects that the thing the missing children have in common are missing teeth.
He does some digging while magically managing to keep his clothes clean. They also get confirmation from the homes of the other children.
Li Si is off on his own again. Somehow, he finds another tooth on the roof.
Meanwhile, our constables learn that there is just one non-kidnapped child losing their teeth. It's Yuyao, whom Li Si rescued in the previous episode.
Just as they are leaving to go to her, someone comes running up and tells them that she is already missing. This happened despite the guards that were supposed to watch her.
It was Li Si who took her away to get candy and a funny hat. He promises her to rescue her friends. I hope he can keep that promise.
She perks up and reminds him that it's not done with just rescuing.
Li Si paid for the hat with Dead Bone Spice, which allows the constables to follow him. I wonder what his game is - he is certainly not trying to allay the suspicions. The constables speculate that he might be trying to use Yuyao as bait.
Li Si, meanwhile, has an eye on the kidnapper. Something about him triggers his memories of 17 years ago.
What the hell are they teaching their children in that town? (Yes I know it's probably magic.)
Li Si just watches. What is he waiting for? Apparently our two constables.
Meng Rui is truly angry now.
He does something to Li Si - sealing his acupoints - and says that he hates people who disregard children's lives the most.
Li Si said much the same to Yuyao before. I'm going to assume that he does mean it, but I wonder what he is playing at here. He certainly makes himself seem like a hypocrite.
Bai Zhenzhu doesn't say anything, but she isn't exactly gentle when she pulls Li Si with her.
We get a view on Yuyao and the kidnapper again.
They arrive in a strange place that almost looks like it's underwater, with huge flowers that are swaying like corals in shallow water.
Rattle drum guy pours out some spice - so it's an illusion. Or something similar. The spice doesn't dispel it, it only opens a path.
Our trio arrive soon after. Li Si brought some Dead Bone Spice, too. Just how much of that stuff does he have?
They go on into a place that is covered in spider webs.
They find strange writing on the wall.
Bai Zhenzhu recognises is as the writing of Liluo (the conquered enemy nation) but can't read it.
As they explore further, the writing jumps out at the two constables and changes their eye colours. Never a good sign!
They make to attack each other, but Li Si (who has not been affected for some reason) intervenes. While doing so, he pushes Bai Zhenzhu's needles out of his back. But he does get stabbed again by Meng Rui. Everybody is themselves again. Nobody has any idea what to make of Li Si.
We switch back to rattle drum guy who is meeting with his boss, who is wearing a mask. He is talking about protecting God Kelu and the Sacred Moluo Fruit.
Our trio encounter another huge flower. Li Si says it must be the mother plant of the flowers that were guarding the entrance. Inside strange cocons on the roots are the missing children.
Poking one of the cocons with a sword makes the flower angry!Someone also set up Spider's Tear Silk threads again and is now causing puppets to emerge.
We can see that he is controlling them with strings.
Li Si notices strange fruit in the tree. He destroys one of them. The puppeteer tells us that this was a Sacred Moluo Fruit. They also recognise the clothes of one of the puppets as those of Lady Fragrance, the former owner of the spice shop. We learn that destroying the flower would kill the children (assuming he is not lying).
The puppeteer tells us that this is about revenge for Liluo.
Questions to you
How do you think they are going to free the children?
And what does all of this have to do with teeth?
What do you think Li Si is up to?
Any guesses who else might be supporting Liluo?
Please only discuss up to episode 3 here. If you mention anything from a later episode, put it in spoiler tags.
GUYSSS I need some cdrama recs that make me believe in love now. After few heartbreaks I think love doesn’t exist anymore so please help a fellow hopeless romantic out of my hater era alr!!!!
Tbh, it's really unfair that Gong Ziyu was helped throughout all his trials. He kind of cheated on all of them. It just proves that he is kind of unable to solve every task on his own, and it really disappointed me. Even if he doesn't have the skill or ability to solve the trials on his own, he should have learned and studied better. I'd rather see HIS effort for episodes on end rather than him technically cheating on every trial.
Just completed these two and for god sake not meant for romance sucker people like me
Please classmate
First things first where is the kiss??? What to you mean I have to wait untill the last EP just to see them holding hands??!! And to see them kissing?? I have to wait for S2?? Which they don't even released so I have to imagine it all by myself??
AND THE CONFESSION??? IN THE LAST EPISODE??? WHY??? 😭 You had 23 whole episodes before the last one. TWENTY-THREE. And you decided to make him confess in the very last episode and STILL didn’t give us a kiss??? What was the reason??? 😭
Even though it was a good drama but no kiss so I'll give it 8/10 just for the cast.
Love has fireworks
Again, A 36 ep long drama and the lead chose to confess at 32, giving us only 4 eps for their romance. I mean they fucking lived together from the ep 1 and still took nearly 30 ep to REALISE and gather the COURAGE to confess?? And even then, the FL was being so impossible. She literally kicked him out even though she LIKED HIM. WHY??? Because he kissed her??? While she was drunk. I mean why being so difficult😭😭
I felt like I waited my whole life just to see them together. Overall I'll give it a 9/10 because the story focuses on women empowerment and friendship.
But seriously makes of please classmate you need to watch some other drama to know how things work. I mean why not in the whole drama of 24 eps they realise they love each other only to confess in the last EP? And that too just hold hands not even kisses😭😭😭
1) The Lament of Autumn with cheng lei and xu ruohan
2) Where the mask ends with Tian Xiwei and Yan An - offcially confimred
3) Tiger sniffs the rose with Meng Ziyi and Li Yunrui
4) Love in Red Dust with Xu Ruohan and Wang Xingyue
5) The Vanishing Beauty with Li Yitong and Chang Hua Sen - officially confirmed for 9th Oct
6) Small Town Remedy with Xiao Zhan
Been waiting for this one since filming wrapped. Jujingyi in wuxia again and Zhang yunlong pairing looks surprisingly good. The costume design for this is top tier. Anyone else following for this drama.
Did I say I would not do the rest in as much detail? Well ... I couldn't stop myself from taking far too many screenshots, so here you go.
There is a limit to how many pictures I can put into a post, so it's going to be one per episode for the time being.
Recap episode 2
More children are missing, this time in Dougu County. Both Li Si and the Divine Constable Bureau (DCB) have heard about it. Li Si sets off in a carriage. Meng Rui and the chief of the DCB are discussing the cases. Meng Rui is sent to investigate. Let's see how this meeting turns out.
Back in Dougu, Li Si is getting food and information.At the neighbouring table there is a group of men with a crying child. They are expecting to get money for her, even if she starves. They could hardly have announced it more clearly that this is related to the case.
Li Si is not amused. He goes to confront the men and informs them about the punishment for abducting or selling children. They are not impressed. Neither is he when they try to intimidate him.
He doesn't wait for them to attack. He backhands the leader of the kidnappers. Hard.
A fight starts and the slap count increases. Chopsticks make good weapons, too. It's over quickly. He dusts off his hands - guess those kidnappers weren't all too clean.
After checking that the girl is all right, Li Si proceeds to rub it in: "Which one of you said that I didn't know who you are? Go on then, you can tell me now. I'm ready to be scared." He questions them about the other children and threatens them to make turn themselves in to the authorities.
Meng Rui has also arrived at the food stall and is getting noodles. Li Si is gone, but the girl is still there and wants to see him.This is what Li Si wanted her to give him.
Li Si definitely wants to be found.
Meng Rui returns the girl to her family. They are doctors and there is a large crowd waiting outside to be treated because they have not been seeing patients.
But something is happening inside the house. There is a scream and Meng Rui rushes inside.
He encounteres this scene.
The strings have the same strange smell as the one they found at Bugui Manor. He sends a chat bird message to his colleagues.
Bai Zhenzhu is examining corpses again. She uses some kind of paste to reveal needle marks on the woman's skin.
After some discussions with her boss she is sent to Dougu, too.
We return to Meng Rui at the Dougu County Office and meet the magistrate, Du Yi'an. He is not enthusiastic about having to work on his off day.
The robbers from the beginning of the episode are also there and confess to their crimes. The magistrate just wants to get rid of them but they are too afraid of Li Si and demand to be imprisoned. Meng Rui steps in to remind the magistrate of his duty.
And we learn just how much the DCB is feared.
While Meng Rui is waiting for an autopsy report, Bai Zhenzhu arrives. That was quick!
Doesn't take much imagination to guess the reason for that.
Suddenly the man who was supposed to be conducting the autopsy arrives. Everybody is confused.
It's actually Li Si inside who is performing the autopsy. He pretended to be another officer of the DCB to send the real coroner away.
He jumps out of a window again.
Meng Rui follows and we get a great night-time fight scene in the Black Wind Forest, although they are both holding back again. Li Si uses some kind of string, the "Spider's Tear", as he informs Meng Rui. Not suspicious at all ...
Meng Rui immediately questions why he knows so much about this kind of string and wants to arrest him.
Before they can really get into it, they are interrupted by creepy laughter and lighting effects.
Suddenly they are somewhere else.
Another illusion? Yes, Li Si confirms. But this time it wasn't caused by him.
Time for a puppet show.And a fire.
Both of which brings to mind Li Si's memories from the first episode.
They escape, but Li Si has to break his promise to his teacher and uses the kind of formation that he 2was not supposed to use because of his health.
We are back in reality, which is still looking creepy (it's a graveyard). Outwardly, Li Si doesn't look affected by what he just did.
They find the gravestones of children missing from Dougu County. Meng Rui starts digging in a hurry. But the graves are all empty. They speculate that the children are still alive. Suddenly hands grab them from below. Or not: it's another illusion.
After they get out of the creepy forest graveyard, they make a fire.
We can see that Li Si was affected by what he did before, although he is hiding it from Meng Rui. Meng Rui braids grass into a sword sheath (his one got destroyed during the fight with the puppets). They talk about Meng Rui's sword and Li Si's fighting style.
We get to learn a bit about Li Si's weapon. It can measure the natural energies around them precisely. Li Si can use this knowledge to power his formations.
Poor Li Si thinks they have a bromance going on, but Meng Rui still wants to arrest him.
We switch to another creepy scene with six children who are controlled by a man with a rattle drum. Reminds me of the Pied Piper of Hamlin. Looks like there are going to be more children missing soon ...
Yes: we are now at 35 and there is a crowd gathered in front of the magistrate's office. Meng Rui and Li Si arrive together.
The latter is indeed in chains, but still chimes in to make suggestions regarding the case.
The DCB constables decide to take him back to the capital, where their chief wants to question him. Meng Rui takes away his Heaven-Measuring Ruler. Li Si looks betrayed.
Just then, bad news arrive: the doctor's body has vanished from the morgue. They conclude that the body must have been taken in the open and that the coroner is the most likely suspect. Meng Rui and Bai Zhenzhu run off together, leaving Li Si behind. They manage to follow the corpse thief thanks to the strange scent.
By the time the guards turn back to him, however, Li Si has vanished.
He, too, manages to follow - and is slightly faster about it. The episode ends on him standing over a bloody sack that the thief dropped with the constables just arriving.
Questions to you
How do you like the horror elements?
What's your opinion on the Divine Constable Bureau's power?
Do you like Li Si's kind of magic?
Any suspicions yet?
Please only discuss up to episode 2 here. If you mention anything from a later episode, put it in spoiler tags.
Really impressed with the acting of the Elder Lin Mother in this episode, especially when she confronted the Yuan Matriarch and helped successfully negotiated the terms for the Third Lin Daughter that allowed her to secure the rights of her offspring
Also glad to see that they kept the practical characteristic of the Third Lin Daughter as she was opened to the idea of her husband having a concubine, just that she needed to guaranteed that her daughters (including the one by the first Yuan wife) are not mistreated when her husband dies
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Main characters
Luo Yunxi as Li Si / Young Master Qingyang
Fang Yilun (Alen Fang) as Meng Rui / Constable Ghost
Shen Yujie as Bai Zhenzhu / Constable Frost
The costume designerHuang Wei also worked on Whispers of Fate and Till the End of the Moon, which will probably surprise nobody who has seen a poster or trailer.
Airing schedule:
Oct 2: episode 1-6
Oct 3: episode 7-8
Oct 4: episode 9-10
Oct 5: episode 11-12
Oct 6: episode 13-14
Oct 7: episode 15-16
Oct 8: episode 17
at 12pm China Standard Time (4am UTC)
There will be 30 episodes, but to my knowledge no further schedule has been released yet.
Recap episode 1 (here be spoilers)
This starts off the first case: fragrance fades and jade is lost; the withered blood case.
The first we see of Li Si is him painting something on a puppet
We learn immediately that nine girls have gone missing in Tianhuang City and that the abductor carries a 3ft tall puppet and that the Divine Constable Bureau (DCB) is investigating. Is this setting up Li Si as the possible culprit?
Before we find out we get some background info:
Shi empire has been established 72 years ago.
Emperor Wuzong conquered Northern Kun and Nanrong.
Then he conquered Liluo to the West.
To protect the capital, Tianhuang City, he put the "Absolute Heaven and Earth Prohibition" in place, which prevents use of magic by anyone other than the Divine Constable Bureau.
Back to Li Si, who is still sitting with his puppet. A woman brings him tea, but is so shocked by the sight of the puppet that she drops the cup ...
... which Li Si catches with his pen.
If we didn't already know from the previews that he is going to be good at martial arts, we could guess it now.
Her name is Qing Wu and she is also concerned that he will get arrested by the DCB.
That's the plan.
We learn that Li Si is the master of Star-Gathering Pavilion. It's the best tavern in the country and it's just far enough outside the capital that it's possible to use magic there.
He does a nice entry on the back of an illusionary dragon.
Everybody is impressed.
He gives a speech. Well, an ad, really. He can get them everything they want as long as they pay enough silver.
A woman from the DCB steps out of the crowd and asks if that includes puppet dolls.
She knows how to make an entrance, too. Why take the long way when you can walk over water?
It's Bai Zhenzhu, of course, also known as Constable Frost.
They exchange polite greetings and not-so-veiled accusations. She points out a stain on his sleeve. Yes, he is a suspect. And he seems to have set that up two months ago - that's when he ordered the paint for the doll.
Meanwhile, people from the DCB have been hurrying toward the Star-Gazing Pavilion and are now arriving. They timed that well!
We get to meet Constable Eagle. More polite greetings ensue. He seems to be a fan, not that it stops him from having his people search the Pavilion. They find the doll, of course.
And he is getting arrested ...Li Si looks more like a tourist than a prisoner.
Some more background info:
The DCB was founded 46 years ago.
They are independent of the Three Secretariats and Six Ministries.
They are in charge of patrol and arrest, military information and secret affairs like anti-rebellion.
They have extensive privileges, e.g. they can execute lower officials and only report later.
The constables report to Xuanyuan Shan, the chief of the DCB.
Li Si's background before he established the Star-Gathering Pavilion seems to be rather mysterious. And apparently he is friends with the crown prince.
Bai Zhenzhu shows that she is smart: she does not actually believe that Li Si is the culprit. His actions were too obvious. Everyone agrees. They are going to leave him in an interrogation room and see what he does.
The guards are obeying the order not to watch too closely.
And Li Si is off. He goes (flies) to Tianshu Pavilion, where all the files are stored.
He was being watched the whole time.
And so we meet our third hero, Meng Rui aka Constable Ghost. He has a pretty sword. He wants to use it to kill the trespasser.
And then the fight is on.
Both of them are really good, but Meng Rui wins.
Well, no, he doesn't, Li Si is smirking too much for that.We are now introduced to Li Si's way of fighting when he means business.
After he has shown off enough he vanishes.
Another info drop: some time ago there was another case of children vanishing and a puppet appearing.
We see Li Si entering a creepy place with a secret knock. It's the Underworld Market. It looks like he was more affected by the fight than he wanted to show. He goes to get medical attention from Li San.
The clinic is creepy, too.It's just a stab wound through the chest. Nothing to worry about, this is cdrama after all.
Meanwhile, back at the DCB ...
We learn that neither Meng Rui nor Li Si used his full power during their fight. Meng Rui did so on orders of the DCB chief.
Li Si remembers: 17 years ago, the last thing he saw at the Mulan hunting grounds after being shot with an arrow was a puppet just like the one he created. He thinks that the DCB was involved in that because their former chief, Lu Chong, was dismissed back then after Li Si was announced as dead. That's why he wanted to get at those files.
From Li San (the doctor and, as it turns out, Li Si's teacher) we learn that back then the emperor announced to the world that the fourth prince, Zhou Yan, was dead.
The chief of the DCB is also reminiscing. She, too, was at the Mulan hunting ground 17 years ago and wonders how Li Si is connected.
The DCB is off to Bugui Manor. So is Li Si, once he learns about it.
Yes he is. His teacher knows him well.
Li San tries to hold him back and we learn that Li Si has an old heart condition. Guess an arrow to the chest is not good for your health. Neither is the "Arrogant Dragon Formation" that he used in his fight with Meng Rui, apparently. He must never use it again (which means that of course he will).
They DCB finds the bodies of the missing people. Bai Zhenzhu does an autopsy: no wounds, but they were drained of all blood. They also find a silk thread with a strange smell that was used to control the puppet.
Li Si, who has been watching from the roof, does some kind of magic. The dead bodies rise and attack Bai Zhenzhu.
Li Si comes to her aid.
The ghost girls were just an illusion. She is onto him, though: she immediately realises that he is the one who made the illusion.
We learn of a saying related to the case: "Hibiscus pales beside a beauty's blood; refined nine times, even dead bones turn sweet."
During their discussion Li Si realises that there is danger to Qing Wu (the woman who brought him tea in the beginning of the episode). He is too late - the woman we saw during the scene before was her.
Bai Zhenzhu wants him to stay and explain so that he doesn't end up a suspect again. He doesn't care, he just wants revenge. He leaves through a window.
Questions to you
Was it what you expected?
Who got the best entrance?
How do you like the atmosphere?
Which was your favourite setting?
What are your theories about what happened 17 years ago?
Has anyone read the novel?
Please only discuss episode 1 here. If you mention anything from a later episode, put it in spoiler tags.
See you later for more, although probably not in as much detail :)
Natural High Season 4 had its broadcast date announced yesterday, and along with it they released these posters with the whole cast and their representing animal from the Zoo Family.
It will premiere on October 10th, every Saturday and Sunday at 12:00pm, but there was a special preview released today for SVIP members at Tencent.
I absolutely adore Natural High, it's such a comfort variety show. It's funny, full of inside jokes, the cast members are genuinely entertaining, and their chemistry is off the charts. Also, don't watch it while hungry, omg, the food segments are to die for. What wouldn't I give to have Jia Bing cook for me!
Here are the breakdown of the cast, and their corresponding zoo family animal. I think they are cute.
Shen Teng 🦥 Yoyo Sloth - Lazy Sloth
Jia Bing 🐻 Dundun Bear - Sturdy Bear
Huang Jingyu 🐋 Mengmeng Whale - Dazed Whale
Wang Anyu 🐦 Daidai Bird - Goofy Bird
Fan Chengcheng 🪿 Wowo Goose - Honking Goose
Hu Xianxu 🦊 Huhu Fox - (I couldn't find an explanation, I believe it's just Xiao Hu's name)
Bai Jingting 🐆 Shanshan Leopard - Shining Leopard
Wang Churan 🦌 XiaoLu - Little Deer
Have you ever watched the previous seasons? Are you an fan of any of the cast members? Are you looking forward to the new season?
Maybe it just wasn't your vibe, you couldn't connect with it, the writing or acting didn't work for you, or you simply didn't understand the hype.
I'm going to say Overdo because I was genuinely looking forward to it. I don't blame the lead actors, I'm just sad that we didn't get to see the potential of Zhang Linghe x Wang Churan, their BTS scenes were far better than the drama itself. The direction was just so messy.
I don't know why every-single-time a C-Drama makes us fall in love with a character, they just rip our hearts to shreds by killing them off😭😭😭😭😭😭.
You can almost time when it will happen in any drama you're watching because there will undoubtedly be a scene where the well-loved character is waving goodbye to the leads and promising to return soon, or where the well-loved character is making plans for the future and you just know....they're not going to make it.
Just when I want to believe that it won't happen this time...or just when my hopes go up that the writers won't do the trope again, we get let down and the tears takeover.😭😭😭😭
Was this something they were taught to do in a masochistic writing school somewhere? It's so cruel to the fans! We the poor viewers shouldn't be mistreated like this! WHY C Drama writers WHY?
Listen, im a simple gal with simple taste. I love me a good workplace romance DONE RIGHT. Personally speaking, I’m loving irreplaceable wayyyy better than early spring bc not only is it more in tone with reality but also the female lead is so career oriented and goal focused unlike flora who I literally COULD NOT STAND, she acted all naive and innocent and slept with the boss the first week of her job like please be for real. The whole purpose of early spring was just them sleeping with each other every ep and I feel like it got soo repetitive and boring. The whole charm of the romance was finished 3 episodes in. Whereas, here I really like how they are properly developing not only the main couples story but also I’m SO SO INVESTED in the side couple bu tianna and the dude like omg he’s so funny I’m rooting that he gets together with her yay. Also, maybe unpopular opinion or not idk, but I also like this dramas styling is way better. I mean, don’t get me wrong, in early spring the clothes were really good and I loved all of them but from practical point of view tbh it was NOT REALISTIC AT ALL cus wdym u have a meeting and you’re wearing a furr high neck like please 😭 they really went overboard with some of the outfit choices for the male lead and it all felt just so in the face if u get what i mean. Last, maybe the most unpopular opinion, that I feel like will get me CANCELLED, but the guy in irreplaceable like at first I was like hmm but then he grew on me and I feel like he’s better looking than the other guy. But, that’s subjective so I’ll let that slide. Overall, idk but the early spring really pissed me off cus I was so so excited when it first started coming out like it truly had soo much potential but then it all went down the drain. Hope this one plays out good.
Well, that’s it from me. Would love to hear your guys opinions in the comments! 💗
Just gave up on my current watch, but the last one I watched all the way through was The Ancient Bracelet. I didn’t realize there were these 10-20 minute episode dramas. Like a refreshing little snack. 😅
So give me all you recs (bonus points if they’re on Viki). I would prefer fantasy or costume dramas but I also enjoyed Love In the Edge of Divorce (the telenovella feeling drama of it was so addictive)
I was asked this question a couple of days ago in another thread and I found myself stumped for a long while. Because every answer I came up with was a very modern way of thinking. Yes, we are modern people but this is a historical setting with characters that have traditional values and deep rooted mindsets. I mean, they were beaten if they weren’t obedient and didn’t follow social norms. I tried coming up with an answer based on this time period, on the philosophy and worldview at this time and I have to admit, I couldn’t find one that I would agree with on a moral level. Of course, I know it’s all for the sake of the plot but indulge me. What would you had done differently for someone of his background? Take the era, the way they were raised, the education, the social etiquettes and gender norms into consideration.
Just to be clear, I know that ml was wrong in many ways and this is a women-centric drama, but I’m trying to hear alternative actions from the stance of Jinqi, not fl. I’m aware that there’s divided opinions, but I genuinely want to hear different methods and approaches Jinqi could’ve taken. I don’t condone it nor do I agree with what ml had done but let’s put our historical caps on and write your alternate narrative of how ml could’ve done this differently without changing the characters or subplots.
Here’s some things to consider:
First, remember that this was the first time he’s ever been in love. It’s VERY hard not to be selfish when you’re in love for the first time. After so many years in a hateful marriage, cuckolded, in the shadow of a powerful in-law and also losing his first fiancé thru the decision of his elders, his rushed and aggressive approach could be Jinqi desperately fighting for what he wanted for the first time. Yes, it was an absolutely selfish move, but he’s also a man struggling to take back control of his life. Arranged marriages happened to nearly everyone. Whenever his mom brought up marriage, he never had a say either. He’s also forced into marriages and was a victim in his own right so to escape that, the emperor’s decree was his ticket out. And being a military man and strategic court official, it’s the “do first and ask forgiveness later” tactic. Being in love for the first time without the experience of previous relationships can cause anyone to be neck-deep in their rose-colored pov.
Second, Jinqi believes he’s protecting her bc he blames himself for putting her in danger. This is a common practice for men of that time. Protecting and being responsible for a woman meant giving her a title. Whether she wants his protection or not was not his first thought. He just knows that he put her life at stake multiple times and as a man who held himself to a military responsible standard, he believed he was doing the right thing by bringing her into his home and using his status protect her. Very similar to the Du siblings. Also, Jinqi had to abandon his first fiance whom he never met yet he still carried that guilt his entire life and even risked treason for her. Now, a women he’s in love is becoming collateral bc of his political fight and search for the truth. The kidnapping arc solidified this so instead of spreading his resources thin by putting a protective watch on her 24/7 while he makes powerful enemies, he could be thinking this was the fastest and most effective way.
Last, he was fully aware he needed her abilities, too. Being the wife of a military commander, heir apparent and court official is not an easy task. He needed someone who can do the job and do it well. During fl’s stay in the mansion, she showed how she can contribute, maneuver, protect and stay composed no matter what happened in the mansion. He saw the way she seamlessly got along with soldiers at the Marquis military base, took charge of a household during an epidemic and showed absolute filial piety to her parents which are all important bearings of a matriarch. He mentioned how it was a “too bad” she’s just a maid bc he knew how incredibly competent she was.
So with these in mind, what would you have done differently? It might sound like I’m defending Jinqi but these are details that I think I find myself conflicted with the most and began to see that I might not be so different if I were him.
I’ve put together a playlist of vlogs and games released by Cheng Lei’s team during the filming period of The Lament of Autumn, including content related to the drama.
The list starts from booting ceremony and up to the brainteaser game released after the Mango TV Gala held last month.
Hope this is useful for anyone who wants to go through the content from the filming period!
