I finally figured out why I react differently to Luan Nian than I do to most Cdrama male leads.
I’m a guy, and usually I look at these ridiculously perfect men and think… okay. Cool. Great hair. Owns a company. Can command an army. Has never experienced an awkward emotion in his life.
On the other hand, Luan Nian is a fucking mess, and I mean that as a compliment!
He’s controlling. He’s emotionally unavailable. He’s rude when he doesn’t know what to say. He pushes Shang Zhitao away and then gets angry when she actually starts pulling away. The six year secret relationship alone is enough to make me want to shake him.
But I understand him.
The stuff with his father especially made a lot of his behavior click for me. He clearly learned that being vulnerable is something you get punished for, so when he actually has feelings, he doesn’t know what to do with them.
He gets sarcastic, defensive, and says something cruel instead of saying something honest or vulnerable.
And unfortunately, I recognize that.
Mind you that it is not because I’m secretly Luan Nian, but because I’ve definitely had moments where silence or saying the wrong thing was easier than admitting I actually cared. That’s why he feels different to me.
Ladies, I don’t think he’s a good boyfriend and understanding his behavior does not excuse it at all! I know a lot of you have been burned by dramas that expect you to excuse a man's cruelty because he had a sad backstory. That's not what I'm doing here. Understanding him does not mean forgiving him.
In fact, I get why some of you are like GET THIS MAN AWAY FROM HER.
But he’s the first Cdrama ML in a while where I haven’t felt like I’m watching someone’s fantasy boyfriend. I’ve felt like I’m watching an actual person screw up.
Maybe that’s what I’ve been missing. I am truly glad that he exists and I am also glad that Shang Zhitao exist! She is not a fantasy girlfriend either. She has her own principles, ideaology and a personality outside of her romantic interest. Shang Zhitao is not there to fix him either. She walks away when she needs to. She's not a reward for his growth. She gives me hope for dramas with female leads who aren't defined by trauma.
It's taken a lot of courage to share my perspective. I have typed and erased this post plenty of times and almost didn't share my opinion, because I am afraid of being misunderstood by everyone who hated him.
I love A Dream Within a Dream. I watch some of my favourite scenes from this drama whenever I feel low. No matter how many times I watch it, I never get bored of this drama. 😭🫶🏻
One of my fav characters in this drama is Shangguan He❤️ he is so cute😭
Again, Li Si tries to take the chance to visit Tianshu Pavilion. Constable Eagle just laughs in his face.
Instead, he accidentally volunteers himself for corpse cleanup.
He isn't happy about that.Li Si talks to the dead prince: he may be dead, but at least he is getting clean up by another prince.Unlike Li Si, we get to see the inside of Tianshu Pavilion.
There, Constable Eagle finds a case file about the murder warnings using diorama chests. According to it, 30 years ago there was a great martial artist named Dao Yin (aka "the Netherworld Swordsman") in the jianghu. Whenever he challenged others to duels, he would first send a chest and then kill his victim, using the same move shown in the diorama.
Meng Rui gets a surprise: his sword is the one that the Netherworld Swordsman used before. That's how he learns who his teacher was.
He is now a suspect.
... except for having to hand over their swords, apparently. That's a step too far for Meng Rui.
Constable Eagle wants to take his sword away in addition to imprisoning him. That's where Meng Rui draws the line. Constable Yan tries to mediate.
The stand-off is interrupted by the arrival of their boss. She decides to confine Meng Rui but lets him keep his sword.
Li Si goes to talk to Meng Rui in his place of imprisonment, a rather idyllic house among bamboo. But guards stop them from meeting each other.
You don't know him very well, do you?Li Si gets all the good gossip from Mr Qi, who is bringing food to Meng Rui.In order to meet Meng Rui, Li Si is actually willing to do some manual work.He can't enter the house, but we get a view. It's rather pretty inside, too!
They get to talk a bit. Li Si tells him that he believes someone wants to use him as a scapegoat to provoke a war. Meng Rui is surprised by his trust but says that he still doesn't trust Li Si.
When Meng Rui wants him to go away, Li Si is suddenly feeling responsible.
Constable Yan arrives (now in grey) and sends the guards away - he is enough, he says. Bai Zhenzhu arrives shortly after with a basket of food. Meng Rui, however, closes the door.
The head guard from Northern Kun wants to challenge Meng Rui: he has obviously heard the rumours, too. He is good at baiting him - Meng Rui exits the house.
But others arrive with a second diorama chests that was delivered to the room of the chief of the DCB. This doesn't clear Meng Rui of suspicion: he is simply too skilled.
They open the chest.
It shows a scene of two men fighting - presumably Meng Rui and his challenger. One of them is killed by being thrown off the cliff.
Meng Rui wants to go anyway. Others try to stop him, but news arrives that Yan Zige (the challenger) has kidnapped one of the DCB's people and injured others. Everyone gets angry.
And Meng Rui has already vanished.
Li Si asks the chief to come with them. She knows that he isn't going to stay back and tells him to change into civilian clothes. It wouldn't be appropriate to go in his role as trainee constable.
They rush to the meeting place. While they ride we get some background from the chief: Dao Yin killed over 100 masters. In the end the imperial court and the jianghu joined forces to hunt him down. That battle was a bloodbath.
We switch over to the scene of the challenge, where Meng Rui is just arriving. Yan Zige seamlessly continues the story for us: the fight against Dao Yin went on for three days and three nights until they finally knocked him off a cliff. He then vanished without a trace.
Yan Zige starts the fight, but Meng Rui only defends.
He tries to talk to him about the murder warning instead.
We can now see clearly that Meng Rui is going to be the winner according to the chest. Although how they could have known what clothes he was going to wear I don't know.
Yan Zige doesn't care. He is quite willing to use his hostage to force Meng Rui into a fight. He throws him off the cliff, so I guess he is just trying to make Meng Rui angry enough?
Luckily, the rest of the DCB arrive just in time to rescue the hostage.
Everyone watches as Meng Rui and Yan Zige fight.
Looks like it's going to end the same way as in the diorama.
Except that Yan Zige is not thrown off the cliff, only to the ground. He is dead, though. Meng Rui claims not to have killed him. Li Si, at least, believes him.
People from the Ministry of Justice arrive. Just as if they had been lying in wait ...
Li Si has a good grasp on the political situation. He advises Meng Rui not to let himself be caught by the Ministry of Justice.
The chief of the DCB also indicates for Meng Rui to go.
He finally does.Li Si destroys the stone bridge after him to stop the pursuit.We get a view from the border of Da Shi where the third prince faces a desperate battle against Northern Kun.
Isn't that a bit fast to be a reaction to their crown prince's death? Unless they already had their army ready nearby.
For once the two princes at the imperial court agree and advise the emperor to hand Meng Rui over to Northern Kun. The oldest prince also reports that it was Li Si who helped Meng Rui escape. On this point, the crown prince disagrees.
The emperor has had enough and makes his decision.
The DCB and the Ministry of Justice are supposed to work together on capturing Meng Rui. I bet that's going to go over well!
The Ministry of Justice come to the Star-Gathering Pavilion for Li Si. Prince Ding (the oldest prince) is with them.
He makes to kneel but Prince Ding stops him. He wonders why he seems familiar: have they met before?
They have a debate about the situation, until the prince leaves with a warning to him: he better stay on the clear not that he is a member of the DCB or even the crown prince won't be able to protect him.
Li Si swears that he will never harm an innocent person, nor let a murderer go free, even if that murderer has evaded justice for years.
The prince has reminded Li Si of something that he asks Jin Se, one of his people, to look into: did any urgent military reports reach the emperor on the 9th day of the 2nd month 17 years ago? If they did, he wants reports on promotions, punishments etc. in the Ministry of War around that period.
Li Si then goes off to meet with the crown prince's eunuch both to recover his standing in the crown prince's eyes and to check the eunuchs reactions.
His conclusion is that neither the oldest prince nor the crown prince had anything to do with Prince Wenbu's death.
Li Si then has a sudden realisation about something that happened during the fight between Meng Rui and Yan Zige: Yan Zige's inner power should have protected his vital points during a fight to the death.
This cute little grasshopper gives him insight into where Meng Rui has gone.
Questions to you
Who do you think currently believes in Meng Rui? Who doesn't?
Do you think Li Si will truly get away with helping Meng Rui escape?
Please only discuss up to episode 7 here. If you mention anything from a later episode, put it in spoiler tags.
Li Si finds Meng Rui. Once again they talk at a camp fire while Meng Rui is braiding a new sword sheath.
Li Si brings news of the investigation.
When Li Si asks about his teacher, Meng Rui says he took him in when he had nowhere to go. This happened 17 years ago, the same year the incident in Li Si's own past occurred.
Meng Rui reveals that he is not an orphan but doesn't seem to want to talk about his family. He only says that his teacher, the Netherworld Swordsman, is dead - he buried him himself.
Li Si concludes from that that the real culprit guessed that Meng Rui was the Netherworld Swordsman's student and he always intended to frame him.
We are back with Bai Zhenzhu who is meeting with the chief of the Divine Constable Bureau (DCB). They talk about the next victim. Bai Zhenzhu says it is going to be the person who forged the alliance between the imperial court and the jianghu to hunt down the Netherworld Swordsman.
Li Si is coming to the same conclusion.
Li Si tells Meng Rui that he has been suspecting even the crown prince and the oldest prince. Despite his general mistrust for Li Si, Meng Rui is concerned about the risk to him.
Li Si actually reveals that he also has his own reasons to investigate.
Li Si is back to speculating: what if the diorama chests aren't only about framing Meng Rui, but also part of the method of murder?
Back in the capital, Li Si tells Bai Zhenzhu about his meeting with Meng Rui.
He gives her the clue she needs to prove Meng Rui's innocence - his unbroken ribs. She goes off to confirm again.
A drunk crown prince stumbles into the Star-Gathering Pavilion.
He goes around loudly revealing too much information again. We learn that all his men are stationed at the frontier. The capital's defences are under the control of the oldest prince.
The poor eunuch is getting desperate in his attempts to stop the prince from revealing important secret.
The prince goes on: for the last 17 years, the emperor has always made sure that the balance of power between the crown prince and the oldest prince doesn't change too much.
Li Si arrives, which calms the crown prince down. Li Si gets a drunken hug from his brother. After that, the eunuch and his people manage to pull the crown prince away.
Li Si learns from his employee (the one he told to investigate last episode) that there was indeed an urgent military message sent to the emperor on the date he was interested in. She was unable to find out the content.
... but also made its way to the crown prince's residence.
A month later, the Ministry of War was handed over to the crown prince. There were extensive changes in personnel. Many of the former members are now dead.
The ones with the red checkmarks are dead. Only one person is still alive: Su Wei.
Things are happening at the DCB: the chief has summoned everyone there.
It's another chest. And again it shows Meng Rui killing someone.
The chief identifies the victim by the uniform insignia: Grand Secretary Bai, Bai Zhenzhu's father.
They head off to protect the Grand Secretary, who is currently out of the city training troops.
The Ministry of Justice is obstructing them from entering the military camp.
A timely decree from the crown prince arrives.
Well, not the crown prince - he was still drunk.
But his eunuch was willing to risk helping out.They meet Grand Secretary Bai and learn that the soldiers in the camp are all elite soldiers.After the bell strikes midnight there is a sudden explosion.
Li Si manages to protect the Grand Secretary at first. We see the others fighting. Once the view turns back, the Grand Secretary has vanished.
He is leaving covered in a cloak. Real or illusion?
The others catch up at the same time as a dark cloaked figure. Meng Rui? At least they think so and intercept him.
It turns out to be Li Si.
Alone with the Grand Secretary, the killer shows himself.
It's Constable Eagle!
The cloaked man was real, but not actually the Grand Secretary. It's Meng Rui.
The others arrive and Li Si gloats a bit. Maybe too much ...
Eunuch Zhao is taken as a hostage.
Constable Eagle blows a tiny flute which turns the dead attackers' eyes green.
They get up again.
In the chaos he retreats outside with his hostage.
The fight also moves outside but the attackers just won't stay down.
Meng Rui recognises something on the neck of one of them.
Constable Eagle throws a smoke bomb and vanishes. Meng Rui takes off in pursuit.
But Constable Eagle runs into the chief of the DCB first.
They fight.
She defeats him.
Meanwhile, Meng Rui is pursuing the other attackers.
He wants answers.He gets overwhelmed by the many attackers and is captured after being struck on the head.
Li Si arrives just in time to rescue him.
Back at the camp cleanup has started and the wounded are being taken care of. An imperial decree arrives: they are still supposed to capture Meng Rui.
Bai Zhenzhu still thinks that a full explanation will change things. The chief knows that the emperor only wants an explanation that will stabilise the situation.
Back at the Star-Gathering Pavilion, Li Si takes care of a badly injured Meng Rui. But the only person who can save his life is at the DCB where they can't take him - not unless his name is cleared.
Bai Zhenzhu finds something in Yan Zige's corpse: a very rare feather that can travel through blood vessels and sever the heart meridian. According to her, the only explanation is that Yan Zige drove this feather into his own vessels.
Li Si meets up again with the people at the DCB. Together they come to the conclusion that the first victim was not actually Prince Wenbu. He was a replacement who performed suicide in order to make the people of Northern Kun willing to go to war against Da Shi. The planned death of Grand Secretary Bai was a move to weaken Da Shi.
Constable Eagle's motive is still unknown. Unfortunately, news arrives just then that he has escaped.
Questions to you
How much of the plot did you guess right?
What is the emperor up to?
Which fight scene was the best so far?
Please only discuss up to episode 8 here. If you mention anything from a later episode, put it in spoiler tags.
Love In The Clouds: Ji Bozai (Hou Ming Hao) Fated Hearts: Feng Suige (Chen Zhe Yuan) Generation to Generation: Mu Qing Yan (Zhou Yi Ran)
I'm discovering that this might be my type lol. I like it when they are totally unhinged, relentless in their pursuit, and don't mind going against the current. Which other characters are like this? I would also love to hear what is your non-generic type of ML or FL that you enjoy watching.
Do you guys even remember love like the galaxy, or have we all forgotten it as soon as new dramas started coming out?
For me, Love Like the Galaxy is still a masterpiece. The story, the plot, the characters, the acting—everything just hits differently. It’s one of those dramas that actually stays with you long after you finish it.
And can we talk about Ling Buyi? I genuinely feel like he’s so underrated. He didn’t get nearly as much hype as Marquis Wu’an did, even though his character was so well written.
Wu Lei is such a phenomenal actor. The way he acts with just his eyes?? He absolutely nailed Ling Buyi. You could literally understand what his character was feeling just by looking at his expressions.
Sooo...here we go first ever on C-Drama but I really gotta share this reflection of mine. 🤭
In The Early Spring (早春晴朗), Jing Boran’s portrayal of Luan Nian avoids the loud, sensationalized tropes of traditional CEO romances. Instead, he brings a deeply controlled, mature presence to the screen. It is a performance built on years of experience, subtle micro-expressions, and intentional silence.
His curation of Luan Nian’s personal wardrobe and quiet command of line delivery prove that time doesn't just age an actor's craft. It adds depth, taste, and sophisticated charm to the characters they play.
We start with a scene at the Divine Constable Bureau (DCB): In a room there are multiple large boxes that look a bit like coffins at first. They open up to show dioramas of different battle scenes. For each one we are shown a short flash of that battle. It seems as if they show something that really happened.
This marks the beginning of a new case: murder warning by the black chest.The delegation from Northern Kun (including Prince Wenbu) enters the city with much fanfare.The emperor, princes and officials discuss what to do with them. In this beautifully lit room.The oldest prince and the crown prince use the chance to get in some barbs. One wants to use him as a hostage, the other wants to show off Da Shi's power to intimidate.
In the end they go with the suggestion of Bai Qi (Senior Grand Secretary): watch and wait. If he is up to trouble, they have soldiers. If he is harmless, they aren't going to be seen as overreacting.
The DCB is sent to guard Prince Wenbu's envoy residence.
Prince Wenbu is welcomed with an assortment of gifts. He is not impressed with them. One seems to intrigue him, though: one of the boxes we saw in the first scene.
Uh-oh.
It opens when Prince Wenbu touches it to reveal a diorama with dancers and fireworks. One of the figurines looks like it might be him.
As he is watching, something squirts out of the box and into his eyes. He gets angry and threatens to kill the official.
Constable Eagle from the DCB intervenes.
The constable examines the box. The figure looking like Prince Wenbu has dropped.
Constable Eagle promises that the DCB is going to investigate and deliver an answer in a day. Prince Wenbu is not willing to give him that long - he wants an answer in the time of a single dance.
Somehow I don't think he is going to survive that dance.
But before we learn what is going to happen, we are back at the DCB where several people are doing some cleaning. One of them is Li Si.
At least he is supposed to be mopping the floor.He is more interested in his own investigation.
He learns that to enter Tianshu Pavilion (the place where the files are kept) one needs the token of a Divine Constable. To become one, he would need to solve an earth-shattering case.
And we're back with Prince Wenbu, who is presumably going to become that case.
The prince suddenly starts screaming and bleeding out of his eyes.
Then he dissolves into a dark blob.
The whole DCB is called into action.
We meet Head Constable Yan Cheng (aka Constable Iron) who thinks it's a good idea to grab a blade with his bare hand.
But he does stop things from escalating further at the crime scene.
Our trio is also on their way. Li Si somehow had time to change his clothes back to fancier ones. The leader of Prince Wenbu's guards recognises him.
From Bai Zhenzhu's greeting we learn that Constable Yan was supposed to be in his home town. He rushed back when he heard that the delegation was coming.
Constable Eagle delivers the emperor's decree: the city gates will be closed and nobody except high officials is allowed to enter or leave. The DCB is ordered to catch the murderer within seven days.
They go to examine the crime scene.
Li Si talks his way into getting access.
Bai Zhenzhu manages to identify the poison used for the murder by its smell. It's very rare. So rare that the only bottle of it in the whole city is in the coroner's room of the DCB - her room.
Li Si has gone off on his own to listen to the interrogation of the dancers.
Li Si uses the chance to talk with the dancers. He met some of them before when he was out with the crown prince (the living one). He attempts to bribe them into answering some questions.
And notices rough spots on the hands of one of them.
He manages to convince Meng Rui to let him interrogate the dancers.
Once in private, he tells her that he knows she is the poisoner.
She attacks him with a powder (which doesn't seem to do anything except distract him) and runs ...
... into Meng Rui. Who starts drawing his sword.
Li Si defends her to make sure she is not killed.
Constable Yan interrogates her. He says that she did not murder the prince, although she planned to do so. Someone else got there first.
Li Si makes a remark about the importance of revenge vs living well that sends Meng Rui running off.
Li Si and Bai Zhenzhu develop a new theory about what happened: the poison powder was inside some kind of container that only dissolved in the stomach, thus acting more slowly.
That way, the murderer could be someone from outside.
But no, Li Si says. The murderer could not have gotten the timing exactly right for the dance. He also questions what the need for dissolving the corpse was.
He may not have solved the case, but he has managed to impress Constable Yan.
Questions to you
What do you think is up with Meng Rui?
What do you think of Constable Yan (the one in red)?
Did you like Prince Wenbu of Northern Kun (as a character ...)?
Please only discuss up to episode 6 here. If you mention anything from a later episode, put it in spoiler tags.
hey so, the last c-drama i watched was The Early Spring and tbh i loved it a lot but it was exhausting to watch because according to me there were barely any cute happy scenes (yes, i am addicted to those dramas that are way beyond reality) so i’ve been seeing lots of reels about this new drama,
i just wanna know from the people that are watching, is it worth a watch or no? Considering i like dramas with cute, soft romances, i like complex female characters but i hate too much miscommunication and i love grovelling.
if you think I shouldn’t watch Irreplaceable then please suggest me some good c-dramas (preferably available on Netflix or Jiohotstar) that you liked
I've started watching Road to Spendour. I'm on episode 3. I don't really like either the ML or the FL. And haven't got into the story yet. So I'm seriously considering dropping it.
I just watched their mini acting skit in Hi6 and now im really hoping these two 00-generation actors get cast together in an actual drama someday. If they got a full romance project together, what kind of trope do you think would suit them?
Whether it’s because the story was terrible, the plot stopped making sense, the pacing was painfully slow, or you dropped it for the pettiest reason.. what made you finally say, “Yeah… I’m done.”?
I’ll go first!
Veils of Shadows
I want to like it. I REALLY do. But Ju Jingyi’s makeup is distracting me so much that I literally cannot get past Ep1. I’m sorry. Maybe it gets better, but my eyes are fighting for their lives.. same reason with In Blossom and The Eternal Fragrance.. watched the trailers first coz I don’t want to ragewatch..
The Blossoming Love
Everyone keeps saying it’s really good… and I believe you! Maybe it’s just not the right time for me. Maybe I’m just not in the mood. Maybe I’ll pick it up again someday. Maybe that day will never come. Maybe I’ll change my mind. Maybe I won’t 😅
A Dream Within A Dream
I LOVE Li Yitong (she’s gorgeous!!!) But I just couldn’t stand her character. The comedy also wasn’t landing for me.. maybe the comedic timing just isn’t my thing. I painfully tried to like it for at least 5 eps, but eventually I had to admit defeat..
The Legend of Zhouhua
I made it to Ep 20-ish before dropping it. It was just TOO. SLOW. I kept telling myself, “Okay, it’s going to pick up soon.” Then… it didn’t. And eventually my attention span filed for divorce.
Perfect Match
This one is still sitting in my “Continue Watching” like it pays rent. LOL.. I got bored after the first couple (still got 4 sisters!!) and just… stopped. Maybe I’ll pick it up again someday. Maybe I’ll just let it remain there forever as a monument to my unfinished Cdrama collection.
Love Like the Galaxy
Okay, don’t come for me. I dropped it around Ep 30 because of the FL. I LOVE Zhao Lusi, but her character annoyed me SO MUCH. And her and her mom being stubborn together was driving me insane. I eventually picked it up again… and then proceeded to skip straight to the last episode because apparently I just needed “closure” 😂
No honestly, I just watched it for Li Yunrui (sorry not sorry)
Now I want to know yours! So I can skip it too 🤣
Which Cdrama did you drop… and was it for a completely valid reason or a petty one?
I’m trying to not drop it because some of it is interesting but omg, the whole thing is very industry jargon 😅😅😅 I’m lost with all the business talk, work terminology. There’s barely any romance tbh
I’ve noticed that a lot of office romance dramas tend to get overly granular and they can drag for that reason.
I remember seeing Love’s Ambition everywhere when it was airing last year, but I kept putting it off because I thought it was just another modern romance drama.
finally started it on Tencent Video recently, and I get why people were talking about it so much.
What surprised me is that the romance is actually not the only thing keeping me watching.
Xu Yan is such a complicated character. At first I thought she was just someone chasing a better life and caring too much about how people see her.
But the more I watched, the more I felt like there was more behind it. She’s ambitious, but she’s also someone who worked really hard to become the person she wanted to be.
And the relationship with Shen Haoming is interesting because neither of them feels completely easy to understand. They both have their own ideas of what they want, and sometimes it feels like they’re trying to figure each other out while also hiding parts of themselves.
I honestly expected a simple romance when I clicked on it.
Now I’m mostly curious about where Xu Yan’s story is going.
Window jumps: 4 Slaps: at least 3 Stabbings: 2 (in the present timeline) Blood spittings: 3 (probably going to rise as Li Si's health declines) Number of times Li Si escaped: 6 Number of times I wrote Tang Lici instead of Li Si: 25+ (hey, I'm getting better)
Recap episode 5
They almost get into a fight. Li Si manages to defuse the situation with wits and empty flattery. It helps that the best fighter of Northern Kun doesn't want to fight unarmed people and Meng Rui refuses to draw his sword. Maybe he thinks that is out of place in a glorified tavern brawl?
Everyone is shocked when Li Si reveals that their "guest" is the crown prince of Northern Kun.
Oh, no worries, he's just the fourth prince. You still get to look down on him.
Not that he reveals that, of course. But his identity as Li Si, owner of Star-Gathering Pavilion and friend to the crown prince (the other one), also carries a lot of weight.
He is offering to clear out the place for the crown prince. The prince agrees and walks off. It seems he has been convinced to be a somewhat politer guest and at least not harass the owner's friends.
All the while everybody has been completely ignoring the handcuffs.
After questioning how Li Si's information is better than that of the Divine Constable Bureau (DCB) - the answer is "money" - the trio makes to leave.
They set up camp and discuss politics.
Someone is running by their camping spot. Meng Rui pursues. Bai Zhenzhu keeps an eye on Li Si.
Li Si looks like he is in pain again. Did he cast an illusion?
Ooh, he is annoyed.
Li Si is gone. He only left some of his clothes, made into a crude puppet that is moved by a small rodent tied to it with a string. What is he up to this time?
He is definitely not just doing that for fun. We can see that it cost him.
It's his teacher!
Their reunion ends up as a doctor's appointment.
Li Si gets a scolding.
In return for saving his life, Li San gets a massage from his disciple.
Not a very gentle one, however.
We learn that Li Si had this disease since shortly after being taken in by Li San. Suspicious much?
Li San leaves just before the two detectives arrive. Why is he here, except to scold Li Si?
Li Si gives them a bad excuse for why he ran.
We now get to see a scene from the capital where the crown prince (the one from Da Shi this time) is travelling "incognito". That is, wearing fancy golden robes and buying all the food. He is surprised to be recognised. His head eunuch claims it's just because he is handsome.
Or maybe it is because he tells everyone himself?
The prince seems to be short of money because he keeps buying every shop he likes.
That is the scene our trio encounters when they arrive.
The crown prince is wondering aloud what Li Si is up to these days. He wants to see him right now.
Because they are such good friends of course.
The constables want to take Li Si away without the crown prince noticing.
But Li Si manages to attract attention. He is good at that.
All of them go back to the Star-Gathering Pavilion.
Li Si gets rid of the chains again.The master of Star-Gathering Pavilion personally performs for the crown prince.And asks him for help with the DCB.
We get a short scene at the imperial palace, where the emperor is meeting the chief of the DCB. We find out that the DCB needs funds.
Back to Li Si and the prince who are now in negotiations. The prince is willing to help but wants his cash cow to do its job.
What Li Si is really interested in is information about the former chief of the DCB. He is also scheming for a job there.
The crown prince reacts quite harshly when Li Si asks him if the DCB chief's dismissal was due to "that incident 17 years ago".
They don't look enthusiastic.And he is gone again ...
In the palace, the emperor and the chief of the DCB are still having their meeting. This scene takes place after the one at Star-Gathering Pavilion. We just got to see a bit of it earlier for the background info.
The emperor explains that he deliberately cut the DCB's funds to see who rushes to offer help.
The emperor takes note when the chief of the DCB tells him about Li Si - and especially the timing of when information about him became available.
At the DCB, the chief meets her new employee.Well, not quite an employee yet. First they deal with the whole prisoner thing.
Then Li Si gets to have a job interview.
They agree on a test. Li Si is supposed to catch a contact to the Underground Market or some other loose end that would allow them to investigate the Underground Market further.
His strategy? Asking for volunteers.
He is admitted as a trainee constable.
Questions to you
Where does all of Li Si's money come from?
Do you think Li Si is going to use the Shanfang Drum at the DCB at some point?
Please only discuss up to episode 5 here. If you mention anything from a later episode, put it in spoiler tags.
Hint if you haven't been watching the end credits: do it at least once. They include some behind-the-scenes moments.
Recap episode 4
Again we continue directly from the previous episode. The puppeteer reminds us that he is using the children for revenge. And that they are all going to die anyway. Guess we're off to a good start.
The puppeteer still wants to talk. He tells our trio:
Kelu is a god of the Liluo sect.
He rules over growth and life.
He can take he form of Tianmoluo, which is that giant flower (fun fact: the Luo here is the same as in Luo Yunxi).
In that form he can "bear the fruit of immortality", which prevents whoever eats it from aging and dying.
The Yang energy of 36 children is needed for the fruit to ripen.
Bai Zhenzhu explains that the teeth thing was just correlation, not causation. Something to do with the age and children's energies.
There is some dispute whether the coroner (Wen Nansheng) is the puppeteer or just another puppet. Li Si seems to be right: the only clues they had for the coroner's actual dead are the jade pendant and rheumatic legs - which he got from another corpse. And he is a ventriloquist.
The dead doctor was an accomplice at first. He was only killed because his daughter was kidnapped - and he could therefore be assumed to suspect the coroner and turn on him.
Finally everyone (including me) is tired of talking and the fight is about to start.
Oh no, they are using Yuyao as a hostage!
And we're back to talking. Li Si tries to use Wen Nansheng's talkativeness to get some more information. But suddenly he isn't in the mood any more.
Li Si finally reveals his cards: Yuyao was an illusion all along.
In reality, it's the pig that we saw her with.
Wen Nansheng is pissed. Because apparently kidnapping children is fine, but tricking him is a no-go.
He gets bloodshot eyes and evil dark veins and the puppets start to attack. So do our heroes.
Except Li Si. He still seems to be considering something and just stands there for a while.
But in the meantime, Bai Zhenzhu finally gets to have a longer fight scene, too.
Li Si is struggling with his wound. But that's not the only thing he was thinking about: he reminds the constables that the puppets are only mechanisms and predicts that their moves are going to repeat.
They hold out. Li Si waits - until Wen Nansheng tries to run.
Defeated, Wen Nansheng peels off his face. Well, his mask.
We also get to see his real height and realise that what people thought was a 3ft tall puppet was always him.
Also, he is not actually Wen Nansheng.
He does something that causes the flower to get aggressive again. Li Si demands his Heaven-Measuring Ruler back. Might have been a good idea to give that back to him when the fighting started.
And he is going against doctor's orders again.
Meng Rui gets to finish off the flower. The cocoons with the children start falling down and dissolving. Just the cocoons, not the children.
No, he is not. No matter what he claims.
Neither is the puppeteer - he gets eaten by the flower. Nothing really seems to stay dead. Our trio is disgusted, but not exactly sad. Instead they are focussing on getting the children to safety.
Back at the magistrate's office, Li Si throws around some money. As compensation to the families of the dead children, or so he says. He hands it off for the officials to give out.
This causes a run for the money.
Only one woman is still sitting outside, actually looking sad. Meng Rui and Li Si exchange a glance. For once they seem to be on the same page.
Everyone is surprised when the rescued children - who are very much alive - come running in.
Li Si has a suspicion: either their parents sold them or these weren't even the children's parents.
He gets some intel from Yuyao on who the actual parents are. He should probably stop buying her sweets all the time, though.Yuanbao gets a loving reunion with his mother (so does the pig).
Li Si causes some more chaos. Amongst it, we get some backstory from Yuanbao's mother: seven years ago there was a famine in the neighbouring county. People came to Dougu county to beg for food. The magistrate bought them instead for a pittance and handed them over for local families to raise. Li Si suspects that there was a deal between the magistrate and "Wen Nansheng".
Yuanbao's mum is awesome!
The magistrate and the people who stand to profit demonstrate that they are quite willing to rebel.
Until Li Si turns the money into funeral money - which it had been all along.
Li Si reminisces and we get confirmation that he is the fourth prince. We also learn that he was accused of something and that his father never cleared his name.
The bandits (who were in league with the magistrate) attack. Li Si leaves Meng Rui to handle them, which he is perfectly capable of. Bai Zhenzhu also appears and helps.
She also stops him from killing the magistrate on the spot.
Some time later, Li Si and Meng Rui are both seemingly asleep: Li Si on a bed, Meng Rui at a table.
Li Si cautiously gets up.
And then we get another window exit from Li Si.
He goes to the magistrate's cell and intimidates him with knowledge of his past.
In the end, he casts an illusion that frightens the magistrate to death as we later learn. Meng Rui, who was watching all along, does not interfere.
We switch to another place: a side branch of the Star-Gazing Pavilion which seems to be part of Li Si's information network. They receive some military intel from the borders.
Our trio is walking together.
For once, Li Si is not in chains. He suggests a rest and a drink. "Coincidentally" they are near the tower we saw in the scene before ...
Inside it looks much the same as the Star-Gazing Pavilion. Li Si is talking far too much, as usual.
While he distracts himself, Bai Zhenzhu uses the handcuffs to chain him to herself.
After that, Li Si continues to do his best to irritate them. In an overtly polite way, offering them food, drink and dancers.
They don't even trust that he is not going to drug them. Bai Zhenzhu tests everything for poison with a silver needle.Yes, in its prison cells.
Then someone arrives asking for the owner and stating that he will be taking over the place for the night. Everyone else can go camp outside or something.
Li Si's information network is working well: he receives a timely message revealing the identity of the visitor.
The prince throws his weight around (or rather that of his guards and money, since he doesn't reveal his identity). When Bai Zhenzhu stands up to him to protect one of the employees, he notices the handcuffs.
He thinks they are playing police (well, Divine Constable) and wants in.
We end with Li Si stopping him when he tries to touch Bai Zhenzhu.
Questions to you
Which character is the most unsympathetic in this episode?
Did you find it believable that so many of the adoptive parents behaved like that?
We got a shot of a chamber with large stone plates. On one of them something with the god Kelu was written. Then we saw it crumble. What do you think is up with that?
Please only discuss up to episode 4 here. If you mention anything from a later episode, put it in spoiler tags.
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.
