general feihong-s wife

I saw some people were blaming ZHY for not knowing about the handkerchief but honestly it could've been just about anything and also it's not like she's an expert on horses either. I feel like some viewers have extremely high expectations for her as she is really smart, but I think it's also interesting to see how she figures out plans and acts in the moment, shows another kind of intelligence.

That scene was so scary, when he showed his true colours to the audience. It's going to be super interesting to see him show his true colours to the other characters, as I don't think that he has even in front of Ruan Xiwen, who already knows he's a villain.

I love that I'm not the only one who calls Chai Jing her girlfriend

Pei Dafu was a eunuch amassed great amounts of wealth under the Emperor's nose, and from his faction being called the 'Zuohang Gang', I assume that they engaged in other illegal activities. Fu Yunxi throughout the drama so far has been investigating the Zuohang Gang and any possible connections after Pei Dafu was presumably executed, because when they went to his mansion, it was destitute, despite there being evidence of Pei Dafu having a massive fortune. Fu Yunxi then discovered that Pei Dafu had a secret adopted son, and that this son has Pei Dafu's secret illegal fortune. In one of the early episodes, Fu Yunxi goes to visit Danzhou, and the viewers are led to believe he only did that because he was interested in Zhuang Hanyan's past. However, he had other business in Danzhou, as Danzhou appears to be somewhat of a trading hub that is faraway from imperial jurisdiction, so it is a good place to hide a secret fortune. In later episodes, the viewers find out that the adopted son of Pei Dafu is in his forties and is from Yinan.

In ancient China, such marriages were normal and sometimes necessary to secure the safety and place of the passed wife's child within the husband's family. There are many parts of ancient Chinese society that would probably be deemed as inappropriate under a modern lens, such as a woman being property of her father, then her husband, and then her son, a whole family getting massacred for the actions of one member, or the extreme emphasis on filial piety.
Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and it's not to say that viewers should swallow their morals and views for the sake of watching a drama. I also disagree with a lot of aspects of ancient China as someone living in the current age today.
If it really bothers you, then I would advise you to watch something more your taste that doesn't feature such an outdated aspect of ancient Chinese society so heavily.

Yes, from my memory we do learn quite early on about the whole truth, although by the time she's telling the story to the ML I had already guessed what had happened. And Chen Duling is completely destroying this role, her gaze, posture, line delivery, and expressions are so defined and refined. She's embodying the character perfectly.

I understand to some extent the discomfort with the relationship between the FL and ML but for me the feelings of the FL's sister (the alive one) to the ML are way more deserving of scrutinisation and perhaps criticism. Comparing the FL and her sister, the FL never knew the ML until she was seventeen and knew nothing of their pre-birth betrothal (?). She also never knew that her older sister existed until she had already passed away and had been dead for three years. Meanwhile, the FL's sister most likely knew the ML growing up and spent time around him, and the older sister that married him is her full-blood older sister that she grew up with. When it came time for her older sister to marry him, although she was only fourteen years old, she made a fuss and has even declared that she'll never marry anybody but the ML.
Maybe the reason why the FL's sister's feelings don't get discussed as much as the relationship between the FL and ML is because the drama presents her feelings as worthy of condemnation, while presenting the FL and ML's relationship as something that the viewer should support.

I'm not familiar with much of Duling before this but I think that she must have lost weight for this character. After all, ZHY has experienced harsh beating and also severe malnutrition throughout her whole life. I respect how much effort Duling put in to really bring ZHY to life in this drama. I obviously don't endorse any kind of intentional starvation or malnutrition for a certain figure though.

sorry I should've worded it better 😓

atp they should just kiss honestly

no there is an episode it just airs in the evening so I need smth to do all day

I have to rewatch again and analyse the arm movements to see exactly what's going on in that scene. something that I really love abt this drama is that I saw somebody say that there was relationship development up to episode 11 and then all back to square 1 in episode 13 but honestly even though they're not the closest right now and their dynamic is changing, it's still plausible for either of them to be the culprit of the 'accidental' kiss.

Episode 14 is when they finally open up to each other more or less, although Episode 7 also has a reveal of Xiwen's true feelings towards the middle-end part

Do you want a spoiler with what episodes so far have some development in her demeanour towards ZHY? I won't include many details, only the episode numbers.

So real, she suffered so much in that hell hole. Maybe tomorrow when I'm bored from no episode I'll memorise her whole monologue for whenever I rewatch this in the future because looking back it's so amazingly accurate.

I'll preserve his dignity and label it as an accident, but I know that bro has been bottling up some stuff since Episode 10 let's be real. Thank goodness he's a gentleman.

This episode was so good! I'm definitely going to be rewatching it all throughout tomorrow while waiting for Episode 16. The way that Zhuang Hanyan convinced the Conciliator's daughter in about five minutes to completely switch sides was amusing to me, but hopefully they can become good friends and allies as Hanyan has basically opened her eyes to the nature of the world (still can't take it seriously). The way she instantly gagged that old lady with the rouge comment was so satisfying though.
The way that they attempted to humiliate Ruan Xiwen was way too heartbreaking but also so obvious that I knew that they could not possibly succeed in their scheme with all the evil smiling and conspiratorial glances. At that point, the outright bullying was blatant and unbelievable. Hanyan coming back, speaking facts to those insufferable senior citizens, and using the prejudices against her in her favour was so refreshing and satisfying to see. She hasn't done that enough so far in my opinion. Nanny Chen continues to be the greatest of all time as she somehow managed to break out and save both Xiwen and Hanyan. And the part where Xiwen finally snapped is also so satisfying. If she can use those skills against her family, she can definitely use them against some irrelevant bullies. The way that Hanyan tripped the old lady and then Xiwen slapped her was such a beautiful mother-daughter moment, I love how they're on the same wavelength when it comes to beating up ableists.
I am a firm believer that not everything is as it seems regarding the relationship between Xiwen and Noble Consort Miao. Something about it is just so shifty and I definitely believe that from Xiwen's previous characterisation and Miao's association with her, neither of them are the type of people to show their true selves or true relationships to the public, in front of so many of Xiwen's enemies. So far, I find Miao to be an interesting character and I'm intrigued to see her true colours revealed.
Then, the highlight of the episode. Hanyan climbing onto the mad horse had me physically applauding and cheering. The moment when everything clicks (at least for the viewer) is also so satisfying. The flashbacks to her learning to ride a horse with her girlfriend (sorry, Chai Jing) were so beautiful yet heartbreaking. Truly bittersweet. And Xiwen showing open concern for her daughter was strangely exciting. Her then accepting Fu Yunxi's help and the subsequent accidental kiss had me screaming and rewinding multiple times. I love my wife and my husband-in-law (?) together. Such an amazing episode, and I'm excited to see where everything goes.
Damn you Tencent, one episode a day is just too cruel.

And the accidental kiss! I was so shocked I had to pause and rewind several times because I was still admiring ZHY. Also, I can't help but notice your pfp. We're all still waiting for the ZLS x WAY modern drama, right?

What episode are you on? When I first saw videos about this drama before watching, I saw someone saying that the mother is their favourite character. In the beginning of the second episode, I couldn't understand that at all. I thought; No matter what her excuse is, I will never like her. As soon as it got to her monologue when she screams at her husband to shut up, I knew that she was one of my favourite characters. I won't spoil it for you, but personally I believe she has good justification for her actions towards the FL. However, I can completely understand where you're coming from if you don't think it's a valid justification.

I've seen people criticising her for bad acting and lack of aura and I just can't understand it. I've seen a comment saying she just repeats lines from a script and cries a few tears with no emotion, but that's just so ridiculously unbelievable to me that I can't even understand where that's coming from. Her acting is truly top notch in this drama. She embodies ZHY so perfectly that the only time I think about CDL is to admire her appearance. All the eye communication - her pain, scheming, love, desperation - a whole wide range of emotions. Something else that I love is that she isn't scared to look imperfect when she cries. She has completely impressed me with this drama, she and WZR are definitely carrying it on their backs.