AleksandraSucur

me too

no, you're not the only one, we all suspect he is somehow connected.

exactly. Their relationship feels definitely more realistic (no falling downs from the roof, no slow mo while watching fireworks or fireflies... actually, no tropes at all) and in being such, it induces us to think of them "wow, this relationship has a great potential once he clears his situation with the Bai family".

I also often have that problem, don't stand "cutesy and helpless" 😱😂

me too

ah, not that sharp... Another user told me he introduced himself in the 1st ep "as exiled in the 5th year of XF reign" and that the precise year should be 1860, a year and a half before the emperor's death. The ledger could have been smth else, a deed from 1958 just hanging there ready to be reviewed by the boss.
If we are in the 1860, soon there will be the 2nd opium war and the occupation of Beijing by the foreigners. The cast list also mentions Cixi and prince Gong... this drama is definitely to our taste, my dear friend! 😀😍

❤️❤️❤️
Now, everything makes perfectly sense. Thank you so much

Imo, FL doesn't look stupid at all. She seems to be quite capable: experienced in travelling and trade, she is a tough girl with broad horizons, an excellent horse rider, brave enough to draw a knife and kill the aggressor of the khan (not because he is a khan but bc he is the only person who can save her father and his trade escort gang and pay them the rest of the money for the tough job they've done), pragmatic yet sensitive enough to distinguish the right and wrong, to save the life of the ML and even clever enough to engage in deeper conversation with the ML (who is a highly knowledgable and educated scholar) etc.

I haven't even noticed her voice, but I don't see anything "childish" about her character, on the contrary: orphaned from a mother, she was a child who ought to grow up faster than her age. Yet, she is still an unmarried (read: very young, younger than ML) girl and completely unexperienced in heart matters. Through the challenges they've passed together, it's natural she started to develop feelings for the ML (btw. these feelings are mutual, GTY's feelings are not limited to the gratitude he feels towards FL and her father, he also feels admiration, complicity, necessity to be completely honest with her, to risk his life to save her etc. they are "the first love" for each other). And although her heart aches after he told her he already has a marriage obligation (which is a gratitude obligation towards his teacher for giving him such a high education for free), she is still capable to act tough and to treat him like a buddy. I have no idea how the Bai teacher's daughter will be in this drama, but this tough girl (who will eventually furtherly grow up) is a perfect match for a future "magnate".

I also disagree that this drama tells a "male-centred story". This is a story of GTY, who happens to be a male. The same director with the same ML actor already (successfully) told another interesting story of a female tycoon in Nothing Gold Can Stay: in both dramas, the goal was to tell a story of "interesting persons in interesting times" that flows in a logical way.

I agree

I've liked how Li Baiwan opposed businessmen's "philosophical approach" to the "ominious money" (as expressed by the GTY scholarly pov.): "there's no money that can't be spent and no person that can't be employed". Clear and concise, great writing, the author of these lines knows his trade 👍

thank you again, I've missed that detail he was exiled in 5th year of XF's reign. But in ep 9, we have another reference (a loan ledger in Wang's bank allegedly prepared for the purchase of the auctioned Kang's properties) saying it was made in 8th year (ie. 1858). If he spent 5y in exile, he could have not been sentenced 1855 but earlier (and there's also some time he travelled with the Changs among the Mongols). Ofc., the ledger can also be smth else, a deed from a few years before, maybe I've misinterpreted it

yes, I've had the same feeling.
By the way, as I am currently viewing episode 9, at 24' 32'', there 's a "loan ledger" hanging in Boss Wang's bank, inscribed with "8th year of the Xianfeng Reign." So, the precise year is 1858.😀

I've also had some difficulties to decipher the exact timeline, that's why I've asked novel readers. Actually, you're right, we are now in the middle of Taiping rebellion, but the ML's story starts just before it, when he was set up and I think the reason why he was eliminated from the examination has smth to do with this rebellion or at least with one of the players involved in the rebellion. Probably the ambitious Li father. As a secret helper of the Southerners (but with his own agenda), he may have wanted to obstruct fair employment of talents by the central government or smth like that.

The setting is realistic, but the character is fictional, maybe loosely inspired by some real businessman of the time... Per aspera ad astra kind of story.

No, it was earlier, I've discussed it with a novel reader. GTY was exiled in the first year of Taiping rebellion, when emperor Xianfeng was enthroned, ie.,1850. It was mentioned that he spent 5 years in exile before he escaped which coincides with the rebels' failure to take over Beijing in 1855. This is the current timeline (for ep 9-10), but the story will probably go several decades after but not into the 20th century.

Thank you very much! 👍👍The story is fast paced and we can easily forgotten that GPY was already an adult when he participated in the imperial examination and then spent 5y in exile. The guns, in particular Ms. Su's revolver handgun ("of Russian production"), could not exist before the rebellion and although she talks about the "southern reign" etc. to appraisal experts, it's difficult to understand if the southern rebels already took Nanjing (as a "safe city" where their families would be transferred) or still have to take over it.
And yes, the beautiful visuals of the intro animation allude to the realism in painting, in particular Russian realism, both in portrayals and landscapes (the latter even with few traits and symbolism of Croatian naive art which I find very cute), indicating the story will go several decades into the second half of the 19th century.

Imo, S3 haven't lost its charm compared to S2. Interesting scenery and landscapes from the previous season are greatly compensated with the lushness of Chang'an, its deadly politics and clashes. Its subtle and sophisticated dangers (continue to) challenge our heroes - their unity as well as their individual characters - perhaps even more than mythical beasts and monsters from S2. Very satisfied: 9/10

Has anybody read the novel? Could you tell us if the story takes place before, during or after the Taiping rebellion?

They are just fine. You're not the only one

yeah, but what's more important, he can act