AleksandraSucur

A to your Q: Marquis Yuan DID NOT take the specific concubine proposed by his mother and backed by the Yuan clan. The first Lins' condition to withdraw their divorce claim (as stated by LJQ's mom), accepted by marquis Yuan, established the division of the Yuan family inheritance between the daughters and the potential male heir of the marquis and concubine: the latter would inherit only the noble title of marquis while ALL the assets were to be equally divided among 4 daughters. As the Yuan clansmen who manipulated his mother were after the assets, they've seen no point in pursuing that path and started to argue vehemently (the "show" observed by the marquis and his wife), having nothing to gain from the mere title which would go to the potential heir. With the second condition, Lins accepted the idea of marquis taking a concubine and were willing to select one for him (that's why all the maids from Zichen courtyard + Nanke were eager to marry, fearing they'll be selected as that concubine) with the objective to provide him a son and - as Xiuru told marquis - whether he'll take it or not was up to him not her. Whether she cared or not is irrelevant, she can't stop her husband to take a concubine for the purpose of having a male heir - her words.

A to Q "does she like him?": is open to individual interpretation. She didn't marry him bc she liked him. She married him bc she had an ambition to have a power of a main lady, of a LEGAL WIFE of a powerful man (she is a daughter of a concubine, not of lady Shahua) and she caught her chance when her cousin couldn't marry the marquis, saving the Lins' face who were able to keep their word to marry A daughter to the marquis and gaining a merit with the emperor bc her wedding was used for political purposes (as a trap for the supporters of prince Han and an escape route for the CP) in the process. As a wife, she was committed to her duties and requirements defined by their marriage agreement: she was and is a good mother to his daughter from his previous marriage and three daughters she gave him, certainly a better, more thoughtful and decisive parent than the marquis himself, who didn't think what would happen to his daughters and with the family assets once a concubine from his clan delivers a male heir. She is a great lady of the house nobody can trifle with, not even her husband! And that's exactly what she was supposed to be when they've married.
I personally like to think she also has feelings for him, they get along well, have daughters etc., but I understand if other people don't think so, bc her feelings are... well, irrelevant... when the more important issues, such as the future of their children, is at stake.

you see how interpretations of what we see can vary.
Yes, he didn't "just pack up an leave for Jinling because his wife said so" but he couldn't do so. Before they've moved to the capital, he mentioned that - once he took the office assigned by the emperor - he couldn't leave it for 2-3 years before he could ask to return home. And he couldn't stand to be without her for so long, that's why he drugged her forcibly taking her with him.
In the last episode, he told her: "I am grateful you've PERSUADED me to return to Jinling", which utterly confirmed the reason why he gave up the carrier in the capital... what was the point of him being there without her? Witnessing court conflicts and the rise of eunuchs who were banned from meddling in politics by law. The warning inscriptions all around the palace in that sense certainly pointed that smth went wrong in the system (both to him and to the audience) but - if she were with him there - I don't think he would decide to return home bc he witnessed "smth was rotten in the Kingdom of Denmark".
Anyways, I see and accept your points and interpretation, have a nice day!

I doubt that. Those weren't "men's tasks" in Ming, bc. overseeing businesses and properties were typical "wives' duties", exactly as it is shown in ACT, with his first wife Zhao Xing Tang in charge of finances (when she hiddenly amassed money employing her dress-crossed lover), with JQ's mom and partially even with XLX when she autonomuosly decided not to buy lands in and around the capital. The great added value of this drama is that despite the initial disclaimer on "fictional dynasty", it follows costumes, rules and social habits of the Ming even more faithfully than many dramas with ouvert setting in Ming. The only better representation of this Zeitgeist I can recall right now was in The Story of Minglan: the accountability education and instructions FL received from her granny, the comic wedding night spent doing endless inventory of the properties and businesses ML was putting FL in charge of etc. had a deep motivation in neo-Confucian spirit governing family rules and The Great Ming Code (Da Ming Lü) which separated the classes of officials/scholars from merchants/businessmen. Doing business was considered low, humiliating for imperial officials and even when they didn't hold an office and rank, like Lin grandpa, who visited his shop not for an inspection but to find whether it acquired any interesting items (such as the painting) he would personally like to have. The accounts presented by the managers were checked by the wives in charge, women were low enough for such a boring tasks: when ML asked to see the books he was curious to see his wife's calligraphy, not the math in them.
So, he is now jobless, with plenty of time at his disposal allowing him to meddle in "domestic affairs" and apparently without any personal ambition - all good reasons for Mizuki to feel he "lost his spark"

In that case, I've misunderstood your comment, sorry for that.
But you've also misunderstood mine. I never wrote "he failed her by accepting to take a concubine", I've written he let down the Lin family (and ofc, his wife who comes from that family) with whom he stipulated the marriage agreement.
Arranged marriages followed a strict legal frame and protocols under the Da Ming Lü and neo-Confucian family rules. They were written agreements between TWO FAMILIES (not individuals), signed by their respective heads (ie., marquis Yuan and grandpa Lin) and was "brokered" by LJQ (who was also a mastermind of the escape plan with Yuan, which was unknown to grandpa Lin). These written agreements were BINDING and there was also an obligation "he er xing zhi hao" with the presence of a mediator in the case of frictions or disagreements. Under the Da Ming Lü, there was no way for Yuan's mom to pop up unilaterally with the idea of taking a concubine for her son, actually, she bluffed pressuring not only her son but also her daughter in law to accept HER PARTICULAR CHOICE of concubine. For how much the practice was common, men couldn't take concubines as they wished, in particular, there were restrictions for officials (age above 40, no male heirs) and under the Code, the consent of legal wife was required. Without her consent, her family had every right to intervene, even asking and obtaining a divorce (plus restitution of the entire dowry), exactly as the Lins did in the show. If Yuan's mother wasn't in bad faith (manipulated by her clansmen who were after the assets), and was ok with ANY concubine just to produce a baby boy, she would have consulted the Lins to find one - who then wouldn't have felt offended and would have gone along with her request. Additional reason why the legal wife ought to be consulted was practical: main wife was in charge of the household's finances and servants (concubine were considered maids, servants of the legal wife), taking a concubine required money wives were in charge of... That's why I've said he made a fool of himself when yielded to the pressure of his mother.

I've also sensed smth like "jobless as he is now, no wonder he has a lot of time to participate in solving family issues, even bossing, showing off his authority when someone give his wife a wrong gaze..."

They are not portraying maturity but a deep grief she'll never be able to overcome. Each time she is reminded she was once Shen Jialan, she becomes heavily distressed. She can only live normally as XLX, a person who has a family to live for, to fight for - her foster parents who also care for her deeply. Shen Jialan committed suicide together with other female members of the Shen family. A family whose members, both men and women, preferred to die than to betray their principles. If she were a Shen, she should have been in that nameless grave together with her dearest persons. But her mother (real one) wanted her to live, not as a Shen, but as a daughter of the couple who exchanged their dead daughter with hers. Only living as Xu LX, she can actually live without being overwhelmed by such a heartbreaking grief.
Saying "I am Shen Jialan" to him is impossible, she wouldn't be able to live as XLX after that.
Why did he even ask her who she was, when he already presented "the evidence"? Does he need to hear her say to know who she is? I think her sufference told him what was really important for him to know, that's why he decided to burn evidences of her exceptional upbringing (calligraphy, paintings etc).

Ah, ok, you've referred to this specific crisis, not to the end of dynasty. In that case, the death of Xuande is near and it's wiser - from the historical pov - not to be anywhere near the people on the throne.
Anyways, the mess afterwards was not the reason behind LJQ's decision to return to Jianling. I think the details regarding the rising power of eunuchs, especially those around CP, his passion for cricket fightings were shown in the drama to contextualise (exclusively to the audience) the main plot with some bits of general political frame and to prelude the shifting of powers (from ministers/officials to eunuchs) after the change on the throne. We've never seen any scene or moment in which LJQ was contemplating on "what will happen after the emperor's death" and generally this drama goes easy, even too easy, on politics, so we cannot assume his decision was motivated by politics and the foreshadowed shift of power.

Yes, taking a concubine was a normal thing. But taking a concubine from Yuan CLAN is a big issue! It automatically translates that the Lin woman married into Yuan family is deprived of her authority of the chief lady of the house. From the moment the concubine becomes biological mother of the heir and having the entire clan to back her - Lin lady is nobody in the family, a wife only in name and mother of girls with no assets or power of their own.
You are right, Lins also have concubines, but none of them has any importance, they aren't even shown bc the authority is firmly in legal wives's hands.

"in a few more years"... hmm. The emperor in the show is Hongxi+Xuande, the fourth and the 5th, the latter ruled untill his death in 1435. The last (17th) emperor of the entire Ming (ie., excluding the Southern Ming from the calculation) ruled till 1644, so this "few more years" before "shattering" are MORE THAN TWO CENTURIES and among those 12 emperors there were also a few great rulers...
I agree with you the survival and self-preservation motivate many decisions/actions in this drama but they didn't motivate LJQ to give up his position in the capital. This decision was almost entirely motivated by his desire to be "on the same path" with his wife. Lan Xiang, who survived the extermination of her family, can't care less about the imperial power, on the contrary, she has every reason to abhor it and to stay as far as possible from it. But he still doesn't know this (main) reason, he thinks she wants to be more with her (and his) family, writing plays for her friends, adjusting things favourably to her relatives and subordinates

Their marriage was decided and agreed by families, marquis asked to marry a girl from Lin family bc he was a widow and needed a woman who'll act as a mother of his daughter and, as a head and title bearer of his family, he needed a marriage which would utterly solidify the bond between his family and the Lins. He got exactly what he asked for. A devoted wife and mother of all his daughters. Additionally, their wedding feast served as an escape door for the emperor. How can such a marriage be easily desolved?
So "the show" she was talking about was exactly that divorce claim advanced by the Lins. Her "non acceptance of a concubine" was just a trigger, a pretext, not the real cause of disagreement. The real cause is: their marriage agreement cannot be unilaterally modified by the Yuans. The Lins have a say in their marriage - and this say is a big one. The previous show inacted by marquis's mom and relatives put him under a great pressure (mom accused him of being unfilial if he didn't take a concubine which would provide her a grandson!) - it was ridiculous but the marquis yielded to pressure, without asking himself how would a concubine from his clan (meaning: backed by the clan) affect his daughters (and three of them are of Lins'blood too) and her own position in Yuan family hierarchy. Her divorce show was to protect his own daughters who would remain without any assets and backing once he passed away leaving a son he got from a concubine. She willingly let "the audience" to believe she was a jealous wife, bc her real goal was to protect the daughters. Whether he takes a concubine or not, whether it hurts her or not - is not an issue at all bc other, more important things, are at the stake. He made a fool of himself twice: first, when he accepted to take a concubine, letting her (and the Lins behind her) down and second, when he thought her asking divorce was out of jealousy.
Finally, you are right: they have feelings for each other. But his feelings for her didn't make him think, didn't make him to oppose his mother, didn't protect their daughters. Why would she act out of her feelings for him? She did what he should have done: she protected their daughters, fulfilling the basic reason why he married her in the first place - to be a good mother, wife and the chief lady of the household none can trifle with.

Even the name! Li Ci - Li Si!

Luo Yunxi, Alen Fang, Jeremy Xu and an actress who looks like Jelly Lin... + sumptuous costumes and makeup... give me such a strong Whispers of Fate vibes

ah, now I remember that one, yes she is his sis

I remember a boy (who was complicit with the FL in the past) but not any girl.

Finally a C-drama creator remembered people wear pijamas when going to bed! It's a huge discovery 👌
On a serious note, I didn't get who's the girl receiving wedding gifts in ep 39

She is certainly an excellent actress but I can't say I've seen her in a particularly memorable story before. Although I haven't seen Go Ahead which has the highest rating on MDL

A calculated move when dramas reach "peak interest" point.

It climbed to #117 and continues to go up. It will be among 100 highest ranked of all times before ending.
Is it that good? That judgement is subjective. The story, the narrative is peculiar, the directing and performance excellently convey feelings and thoughts and imo it deserves a place among top 100 of my personal list. Maybe even among top 50.

Now, I'm truly curious to see her story on how their paths differ.
The platform calculated precisely "the peak interest" to delay the airing for one day. Pure cruelty.

Even if he doesn't think she is Shen Jialan (that's my guess), that divination scene with the scholar was very important to him and it certainly reminded him of this particular Granpa Shen's skill. No doubt he felt her "familiar", "close" and "interesting" - special to him in particular. I've appreciated a lot that small subplot, so unexpected