AleksandraSucur

Yesterday I've binged last 8 eps I've put on hold last year, that's probably why I can't stand her, it's too fresh. Now I am just watching ep 3/S2, handkerchief tearing scene... there are still some dumb infantile overractions, the only improvement I see is a less childish hair style... I'll try to catch up with the rest

he appeared only in last two eps. I watched them yesterday. Lord Zichuan presented him to Ning as an "advisor". He is from a rich family, doing business everywhere, lot of connections. Ning is his childhood crash. I hope he takes Ning from Xiu... and far away from the screen 😁

It is exactly as Megumi-H said, Lord Zichuan is all about maintaining/defending his power, hiding it by playing dumb. He doesn't trust anybody, very creepy person.
As for the quick black n white scenes, it is a director's choice to insert them to express what is going on in the head of the character related to the scene. It may be a flashback but it can also be an expectation. It's basically a technique to explain a certain action, given the choice of this director not to use dialogues or narrative, but only and exclusively "actions" to "tell the story". It is very hard, almost impossible, to tell the story just by using actions, almost no hints are given, that's why the S1 ended with such an unexpected cliffhanger and no prediction for what will happen in the next season.

Tnx a lot. ❤️

great comparison 👌, it instantly reminded me both of them and how similarly irritating they were in very different dramas 🤦‍♀️

That bad? You don't recommend watching?

Maybe, our ZH is not a villain either and yet, his schemes knocked down all the villains we've seen till now, who said only villains can be dark and deadly?🙃

If I have to chose who is darker and deadlier between the Marquis and the Eunuch, I'd chose Marquis's wife, she is truly scary...
Now, we can only hope the Queen of Dongxia will live up to their combined "darkness & deadliness"...

I agree with you about the masked man, if not him, somebody really high in status.
As for the 3rd killer, some1 from DX

yeah, I'll miss them both, espc. the singing and drumming 👌of the psycho eunuch 😁😁😁😁I wonder who'll entertain us now?

my review (and rant) https://kisskh.at/profile/11598319/review/459384

It is the poor screen adaptation. In the novel, her goal was to become an empress (and she became one, marrying a sort of Cao Cao, in the novel this character obviously had a different name, an old man who controlled a young puppet emperor and later usurped his throne). She was never after love (as it is presented in the drama), she was entirely after the supreme power, working on it diligently, whatever it takes, using smarter political schemes and her charmes, manipulating a larger pool of political actors, Liu Yan (who also proclaimed himself as an emperor, after Wei Shao killed the previous one) was the last one in a series...
In the novel, she didn't have a handian but believed strongly in her empress fate, in the end, it is LY who kills her... and such an ending is more logical

Totally agree. The first 6 eps were good because the scriptwriters greatly followed the novel which isn't great in its narrative but it is well structured in plots, actions and political intrigues. Far from ever turning into a fluffy romance and - very differently from the drama - the novel MADE SENSE ALL THE TIME, characters and their decisions, plots and motivations were realistic, both on the protagonists' and the antagonists' side. Things we didn't see in the screen adaptation which displayed - beside a completely unnecessary exaggeration and twist of original characters - a great deal of nonsense, episode after episode, culminating in a super-rushed finale.
Last but not least, the drama adaptation failed to maintain the atmosphere, the geist of its time, in many episodes

Yup.

The novel is far from being a great novel, two days ago I've said to another MDL's user "I wouldn't personally recommend it" because it is not a great narrative and the least appealing parts were sections describing their physical contacts and intercourses, which I've skipped... but those parts made a lot of sense to describe both the ML's character and their relationship. It makes sense for a young alpha male, with many powers, but also burdens, traumas and obsessions to be physicaly attracted by a young, pretty and "proper" lady coming from a family perceived as an enemy, and although there were no "bodice rippers", I understand the reasons for such a low judgment: we all form our opinions according to what we are after...
I've rarely read any novel which inspired a drama (I think Pachinko was the only one, I was forced by my mom and btw still haven't seen all the seasons of the drama), but now that I've read it, I think it is very well structured and all the plots, all the actions in it make much more sense compared to those in the drama. What is impactful is not the type of narrative, dialogues or style but the author's capacity to make sense, not only of the relationship between two protagonists, but of the complex power struggle among multiple different undercurrents of the late Han dynasty. These struggles are not hystorically accurate at all (there's a puppet emperor but no Cao Cao 😂), but truly possess that special "se non è vero, è ben trovato" element typical of arts and were very impactful to convey the state-of-the-nation, the society and the atmosphere of the time... And the cruelty she underwent when she married him (that's the particular that hooked us all to keep watching), that "realism" was present in the novel without being watered down with all those misunderstanding games, bad touristic experiences and classic C-tropes drama screen-adaptors filled the drama.
If we ignore the "rebirth motive" in it and consider it just a few dreams the FL had and tells about to the ML later, they've also added to the logic of the novel's structure and its very logical closure.
Last but not least, Su Ehuang's conspiracy was also more logical in the novel, but it was a political plot (and that's why she was punished so "lightly" by cutting her nose), so the idol-drama adaptors simply decided to insert so many nonsensical actions, to make her the female lead antagonist and LY the lead male antagonist.
If the screen-transposers sticked more to the original (in the range of possible), imho, this drama would deliever much more transcending an idol romcom

they've dragged this story for too long, finally in ep. 24 some action and some light starts to be shed on the past secrets

I've forgotten to reply on the wheat thing. Useless to say, it never happened in the novel, it was invented by the screenwriters to (badly, I'd say, how did they manage to take the wheat, cook it and then return it?) enhance dramaticity. In the drama, the granary contained a resistant seed for sowing sent from Qiao's, not a disaster relief. Up to this point, all unrealistic thing happening in the drama I've noticed are scriptwriters' fault. All original, convincing and interesting parts in the drama were taken from the novel (unfortunately, not all from the novel were included) but they managed to mess with the sequence of the events, as well...

Hm, would an ancient Han woman realistically expect of her family to accept her back after she eloped with a stableman, dishonouring family commitment for another marriage? If we are to judge by ancient standards, we know such an expectation is far from being realistic. Btw., her family is not only her father, her mother was always very kind to her, she visited her, worries about her, as well as her cousin Ci, not to mention Manman.
You're right Manman's knowledge of war strategies and politics is not that believable, drama truly exaggerated her skills (also in respect to her - more convincing - character and skills in the novel), but a noble and educated ladies like Daqiao and Manman certainly had some basic knowledge and skills, at least, they knew to use their brains. In the novel, Daqiao was exactly such a lady, screenwriters messed a lot with her character in the drama. All these character exaggerations described via their decisions and actions - Daqiao's refusal to aide WS or MM's diversion of the river level to flood the marsh (btw., the screen transposition of this thing is defying any physical/hydraulic principle, espc. the communicating vessels principle) and many other things... -never happened in the novel. They were entirely written ex novo to add to the suspence. Unnecessarily, imho, because the novel doesn't lack in suspence and thrill at all.

I was just joking, my dear. 🙃Ofc, being pragmatic, the two of us can hardly root for "donki" (= don quijote-ian) type of heroes...

But was WS really dumb to release "a troll + 50k troops free to wreak havoc on their world"? He punished her, partially but in a permanent way, while still keeping her alive for emotional reasons: the promise to his bro, their childhood relation (she helped him to overcome some traumas after the deaths of his family members...) etc. If we have feelings for so., it is really hard to cut that relation definitely, even if we punish a person we feel for, we still hope he/she will come around, redeem himself/herself etc. Killing her for defamation of his wife was just too hard for him, too early to definitely kill last bit of that previous emotional bond.

He didn't "blame Manman for the tunnel", he blamed her for not telling him about the tunnel after they've confessed their feelings and commitment to each other. And she is feeling guilty for that.

As for your question: "Are we sure Daqiao is the only selfish one here?", I'd answer: YES. She is the one who is not only selfish, she is also terribly DUMB. Selfish, because for her, there are no other emotional bonds and loyalties except towards her husband, so her mother, cousin Ci and Manman... as all the people who care deeply for her and are now in danger do not exist any more, do not matter any more. That's not normal. Dumb, because she doesn't realise it's better for her husband to oppose earlier LY's 100K soldiers with joint WS's and Qiao's forces at Panyi than later when Bi Zhi's 20K should face such a force alone at Boya (over which she raised up Qiao's flag), which is the next stop in LY's progress towards the capital of Yanzhou. If WS's and Qiao's forces are defeated at Panyi, if WS and cousin Ci die there, where will she flee with her husband she is so eager to "protect"?

I can't say "I warmly recommend you to read the novel", bc. the novel is not a masterpiece but I am very confidant to say: the things that really hooked us - as smth original, a novelty - to follow this drama are all present in the novel and in my humble opinion, they are way better developed, or at least (rebirth trope apart) they don't offend our elementary logic or knowledge in a way drama does.
You decide. ☺️