The story was definitely interesting, I'd rate it 9. But the execution... Let's start from the fact I've watched the entire drama at 1,25x speed: I've tried several times to watch it at "normal" speed but then it felt like a slow-mo. And many times I've ought to double the speed bc there were so many unnecessary scenes. Such an organisation of scenes, editing etc. doesn't even deserve a positive rating, I've thought of dropping it continuously. Kept going on only bc the story was really good, the acting was not bad, although it wasn't excellent - not all the actors delivered convincing characters (I have no idea how I've survived Chun Ge in a hero-in a game-story 🤦♀️) - and the settings were more or less ok but certainly not above 8. I am sad to rate it 7,5, bc the story deserves much better, it's a rare case I'll check on a sequel if there will be one, maybe it will be the first one after I've given such a low rating, but for the reasons above I truly can't give it more (and I am a generous rater).
A bit underwhelming. They've cranked up the idol-ness of this season.
Yes, I've rated the first season 9, that's how much I've enjoyed it. But this season - at least in these first eps - lacks on comedy and surprise... the efforts to create smth funny (like her remarks on his skull and so on) not only seem very artificial but are also pathetic in a way, I definitely don't feel the same enjoyment. And maybe I wouldn't be bothered with this lack, they are now a married couple, so the thrill is understandably lesser, but the cases also seem less compelling. The first case was so-so acceptable, but the second is just off. I may not have the patience if don't see a significant improvement in the next few days
Agreed with your points. Whether is Xue Family or Rong family, they both have unfair treatment and unhealthy upbringing.…
The capital plot certainly felt disjointed, but this flaw would have been obvious during the very first reading and could have been replaced with a re-balancing plot as you've said. If they wanted to maintain the tea counterfeiting element and enlighten us about the life of her father (at least to have an idea of one person of that "missing" mid-generation), they could have maintain her father's story, and involve LJL as a main investigator... That duke's family story wasn't only less consistently written, but totally unnecessary. Nevertheless, they've decided it to keep it. Why? The only logical explanation that came to my mind was that the intention of the author was to make a comparison between a "matriarchal family" and "patriarchal family", both messy bc ruled autocratically, but the first is still better (also bc the old lady was greatly condoned, she cried etc. although she didn't change her mind about the correctness of the way she educated and trained those girls) and, although not completely, it is sufficiently egalitaristic for both men and women. The patriarchal family can't stand such a comparison, it will always appear worse especially towards women. That's why I dislike the very idea of such a comparison. The audiences are not fools, we all know what's patriarchal family, there are tons of costume dramas dealing with the injustice produced in them. Let us see what's in matriarchal family.
But maybe that side story was just an expedient to make us wish a whole another season at Linji, with LJL as a part of that family
So, it was all about choosing the type of family mess to live in, matriarchal or patriarchal one. None is depicted as "the best" but certainly one must be "worse" than the other and it's totally clear which one is that "worse". I don't know why, but I am a bit disappointed with this comparison and with the overall plot in patriarchal family, the story in the capital had several loopholes which challenged our logic while overly confiding in our suspension of disbelief. On the other hand, it brought to the light harsh life and inhuman treatments (eg. feet bonding) women suffered in the past, we all know about but many don't like to see in a drama. It confirmed my previous impression this scriptwriter reveals a descrete bravery.
Anyway, I've liked how this matriarchal idea and setting were developed in the drama. The parody on drama tropes - in particular the reverse use of clichés - was also a great fun to watch. And the last scene on the boat... while reminding us of a similar "iconic scene" on a transocean ship 😏, directed our leads (and through them our thoughts) to Linji, the very place where their love story started and their "original intentions" formed. Yes, to that mansion we all wanted to leave, but was also entertaining. If they make another season, I'll watch it, curious of their future life.
What happened to LJL to reduce such a great man to crying alone in a dark room? He knows how to fight, he understands…
For how many times must I repeat: LJL is in peripeteia, a sudden change of character when discovers the truth about his origins leading him to depression. If you discover your parents aren't your parents, how will you feel?
It is such a fun reading the comments. From the comments, I think I can tell who is a male (ofc, they'll oppose the FL coming to save the ML). The smart males would be like LJL, adaptable to every situation and awaiting for the FL to rescue them when in trouble. What's wrong with that?
Isn’t his father a servant and already dead ? Unless his mom remarry and stepdad ?
Yes, we've seen him in a flashback story referred to RSB by an older steward (Zheng) sent in ep 5 to the province where LJL grew up and where his Lu father was a servant of the governor while LJL was a page boy particularly favoured by the grandfather of that noble family who was in charge of his grandson's education but favoured LJL bc smarter. After that grandfather died, his grandson, who was always envious of LJL framed and accidentaly killed Lu father. In LJL's later story he told to RSB in bed he mentioned he was bullied as a child for not having a mother and that his uncles took his inheritance from him just to return it to him once he passed the imperial exam becoming a big shot. Therefore, that Lu may not have been his biological father, bc the characters' relationship chart mentions his mother (who in the previews is in the Duke Xue's mannor), but there's a question mark above her relationship with the duke. Maybe she had the duke's illegitimate child (it looks like she was a maid) and fearing for the child's life if the main wife discovers, she entrusted LJL to Lu who raised him as his own. After the circumstances changed in the duke's mannor she may have revealed the truth and the duke wants this son back. We'll see tomorrow what exactly happened. But such a scenario is very likely, bc we've seen in RSB's dream and in the previews LJL disheveled, depressed and nervous, ie. not being himself. In classical (Greek) dramas, an unbeatable hero shows symptoms of depression/sudden change in character only when the plot twist deploys sc. "peripeteia" and a sudden revelation of the truth about his origins (as in Sophocles's Oedipus Rex). We've seen the writer is a pro of dramatic techniques, pushing them to the extremes, mixing genres, boldly using reverse and reversal narrative, capsizing pov on male-female relationship, on power, roles, rules, hierarchy... everything is challengeable, put on a test, so I would not wonder at all that her intention was to use a classical device for a tragedy to turn it into a happy ending with FL rescuing ML from that predicament. We'll see how it will work out.
I've just seen the previews, she'll turn both her father's and his father's house upside down! It looks I've sensed correctly, the two fathers are in collusion in that tea fraud. Fantastic, such fathers are a perfect material to undergo the first rule learnt by a Rong girl: "obey neither monarcs nor elders, just follow the righteous path according to the morals and conscience". And if the Duke-father or people from his house wronged her man... she'll turn into a Fury 🔥to save him.
The English title is "Glory", translation of Chinese "Rong". The title in Mandarin is "Jade…
I see, you were probably misled by genres and tags listed here on MDL. I've noticed they are often unreliable as well as the synopsis. The reverse narrative technique used in Glory indicated early it's focus will be on (family, power) intrigue, investigation and the game of wits, with serial plot twists typical for these genres, asking from the audience to be fully engaged in catching the hints and playing the guess game. Watching the "effect" first and finding the "cause" much later is energy consuming, it's understandable why you've felt tired and perceived that the family problems "lasted too long". That arc was a rollercoaster: it boosted our adrenaline to raise our alertness but humans can't go on adrenaline for too long. Counting only on viewers' ability to control emotions on their own is risky. If initially the story offered some comic reliefs in a bizzarre setting in this queendom of tea & reverse harem show and interesting documentary inserts on Chinese tea culture, around ep 23 even the reliefs started to run out, pushing the audiences' limits in sc. "delayed gratification". So, although I've expected exactly this kind of a drama (and am very satisfied how it was narrated), I can understand certain things you've said.
Share your thoughts with me! I'm totally enjoying this drama and am still impatient awaiting the next eps. And…
I've never offended anybody on MDL and certainly would never offend a person with reference to his/her nationality. I have no idea who you are, never exchanged a word with you. Oh, I see you've just opened your profile. Why are you targeting me specifically?
Did someone count the number of slaps in this drama? It looked as they've replaced blood-spitting trope with slaps, lol. (I am rewatching today's eps already, Butler Cheng is so good at slapping 😂😂😂)
She is indeed affectionate in putting a lifesaving pill in the mouth of her lover after stabbing or drowning him...…
The Wang guy from ep 1 wasn't her lover at all. She knew very well he was a spy planted to her side by her granny.
She doesn't mistreat the ML, she just doesn't think the best thing for him would be to take "the most difficult job in the world" as she described the role of her husband. As a manager, she thinks his potentials are better used if he continues to uphold justice. But she obviously cares about him and feels he is now in some sort of danger, that's the real reason why she went to the capital (and the reason why we've heard butler voicing his inner thoughts, a device which wasn't used before and looked a bit off).
Leaving him alone in bed was definitely heartless, I've also said that. But that's how she is, it's in her character to act heartless, as she knows no better. But whenever a person she protects or cares of is in danger she'll turn the world upside down to save that person. Chill, the drama has 6 more eps, lets' try to be patient.
3 
1 
I am sad to rate it 7,5, bc the story deserves much better, it's a rare case I'll check on a sequel if there will be one, maybe it will be the first one after I've given such a low rating, but for the reasons above I truly can't give it more (and I am a generous rater).
But this season - at least in these first eps - lacks on comedy and surprise... the efforts to create smth funny (like her remarks on his skull and so on) not only seem very artificial but are also pathetic in a way, I definitely don't feel the same enjoyment. And maybe I wouldn't be bothered with this lack, they are now a married couple, so the thrill is understandably lesser, but the cases also seem less compelling. The first case was so-so acceptable, but the second is just off. I may not have the patience if don't see a significant improvement in the next few days
But maybe that side story was just an expedient to make us wish a whole another season at Linji, with LJL as a part of that family
Anyway, I've liked how this matriarchal idea and setting were developed in the drama. The parody on drama tropes - in particular the reverse use of clichés - was also a great fun to watch. And the last scene on the boat... while reminding us of a similar "iconic scene" on a transocean ship 😏, directed our leads (and through them our thoughts) to Linji, the very place where their love story started and their "original intentions" formed. Yes, to that mansion we all wanted to leave, but was also entertaining. If they make another season, I'll watch it, curious of their future life.
In LJL's later story he told to RSB in bed he mentioned he was bullied as a child for not having a mother and that his uncles took his inheritance from him just to return it to him once he passed the imperial exam becoming a big shot.
Therefore, that Lu may not have been his biological father, bc the characters' relationship chart mentions his mother (who in the previews is in the Duke Xue's mannor), but there's a question mark above her relationship with the duke. Maybe she had the duke's illegitimate child (it looks like she was a maid) and fearing for the child's life if the main wife discovers, she entrusted LJL to Lu who raised him as his own. After the circumstances changed in the duke's mannor she may have revealed the truth and the duke wants this son back. We'll see tomorrow what exactly happened. But such a scenario is very likely, bc we've seen in RSB's dream and in the previews LJL disheveled, depressed and nervous, ie. not being himself. In classical (Greek) dramas, an unbeatable hero shows symptoms of depression/sudden change in character only when the plot twist deploys sc. "peripeteia" and a sudden revelation of the truth about his origins (as in Sophocles's Oedipus Rex). We've seen the writer is a pro of dramatic techniques, pushing them to the extremes, mixing genres, boldly using reverse and reversal narrative, capsizing pov on male-female relationship, on power, roles, rules, hierarchy... everything is challengeable, put on a test, so I would not wonder at all that her intention was to use a classical device for a tragedy to turn it into a happy ending with FL rescuing ML from that predicament. We'll see how it will work out.
And if the Duke-father or people from his house wronged her man... she'll turn into a Fury 🔥to save him.
The reverse narrative technique used in Glory indicated early it's focus will be on (family, power) intrigue, investigation and the game of wits, with serial plot twists typical for these genres, asking from the audience to be fully engaged in catching the hints and playing the guess game. Watching the "effect" first and finding the "cause" much later is energy consuming, it's understandable why you've felt tired and perceived that the family problems "lasted too long". That arc was a rollercoaster: it boosted our adrenaline to raise our alertness but humans can't go on adrenaline for too long. Counting only on viewers' ability to control emotions on their own is risky. If initially the story offered some comic reliefs in a bizzarre setting in this queendom of tea & reverse harem show and interesting documentary inserts on Chinese tea culture, around ep 23 even the reliefs started to run out, pushing the audiences' limits in sc. "delayed gratification".
So, although I've expected exactly this kind of a drama (and am very satisfied how it was narrated), I can understand certain things you've said.
I have no idea who you are, never exchanged a word with you. Oh, I see you've just opened your profile.
Why are you targeting me specifically?
It looked as they've replaced blood-spitting trope with slaps, lol. (I am rewatching today's eps already, Butler Cheng is so good at slapping 😂😂😂)
She doesn't mistreat the ML, she just doesn't think the best thing for him would be to take "the most difficult job in the world" as she described the role of her husband. As a manager, she thinks his potentials are better used if he continues to uphold justice. But she obviously cares about him and feels he is now in some sort of danger, that's the real reason why she went to the capital (and the reason why we've heard butler voicing his inner thoughts, a device which wasn't used before and looked a bit off).
Leaving him alone in bed was definitely heartless, I've also said that. But that's how she is, it's in her character to act heartless, as she knows no better. But whenever a person she protects or cares of is in danger she'll turn the world upside down to save that person. Chill, the drama has 6 more eps, lets' try to be patient.