monkeylover

😭😭😭 i hope it can blend seamlessly

It's not a 10-year age gap, don't round it up. And some Chinese dramas have kissing or inappropriate love scenes. The theme of the drama is more about the two characters working together for the sake of the nation, not on romance.

The actors' age is set to match the character's age. It was written that RSB is supposed to be older than LJL by a couple of years. The power dynamics is supposed to be that the FL is more powerful than the ML. What mos viewers enjoy is the push-and-pull tension between two strong, scheming (means lots of things implied but not stated explicitly, sometimes what they say does not reflect what they truly mean in their hearts) characters. They end up making concessions for each other. It's less "visually obvious" romance, more like, captures your heart in a different way, in a way that you feel they both are truly a match made in heaven. (words quoted from Lang's character commentary, when he was walking up the mountain)

I hear you! Unfortunately, it is truly one of a kind! The producer, Yu Zheng said that they were doing something experimental in the industry with this drama. They made it more like a vertical drama, so the pace is definitely faster than most long-length c-dramas. One of the directors they used also came from the short drama industry. The screenwriter is the one who made Yanxi Palace (a very popular drama from 2019). She noted that she felt sad that she made so many strong Female characters only to end up in tragedies, so that's why she made this female empowerment drama where it's full of strong female characters.

RSB and LJL had a talk about this. He asked her, does the tea bone actually exist? It is questioning whether talent is carried from birth or can it be fostered (nature vs nurture). This is where both characters are similar to each other because they both studied diligently and went through a lot of life experiences to be a master at what they are doing. So after RSB answered LJL, they both accepted each other's answer. She does not have to "prove" herself to others. It is widely recognized over and over again that she is so smart she can distinguish the tea grades. But if her sister successfully grades it, she will be called a fake, no matter if she can do it now too. Would you want the family business to be run by a "tea bone" that is mentally impaired and acts like a child? It doesn't matter if the tea bone is real or not, she cannot let the family business fail.

I agree, a lot of actions and plots are not explained explicitly but have to be inferred and read between the lines. So that is why a lot of people who don't fully understand Chinese Culture and political power play fail to understand the story properly. I admit I had to look at commentaries and viewer analyses from Rednote to fully understand the subtle details I missed, so after reading them, I became more captivated by how amazing this piece of work is!

i understand your point, it's because of the chinese culture and political power play involved that needed to be read between the lines (not explicitly stated). truth be told, i only understood it better after reading several threads of commentary and other viewers' analysis on Rednote.

The premise of this drama is a "reverse harem" and that FL has been a businessman in Linji for years, not satisfied with the corrupt system and gov officials, waiting for an upright official to come. She would understand the playing field more than the ML. both leads are strong, just that she is more of a strategic long-term player, while the ML is definitely good at tactics and reacts to situations as they arise; as he was just recently placed in Linji. It would be weird if he suddenly was able to overthrow the governor there, an old fox is definitely hard to catch and there's a reason why he was able to stay in that position for so long. He was the empress dowager's man while LJL is sent by the emperor. this is a politic power play from the top. when LJL expected another imperial censorate to be sent, the one who came asked about the empress dowager's birthday gift. clearly he was on her side! that's why the only way RSB can put Jiang away for good is by giving the books to her. because Jiang knew the empress dowager loved the books but he used despicable means to obtain and keep them in his private collection. so in a way she was telling her, look your jiang governor is not even loyal to you.

chemistry is definitely there, and more obvious in the details. it is definitely less "visually obvious" compared to most dramas. The people who love it, definitely loves it and keeps rewatching.

on the contrary, i think he is more sincere and straightforward about love during his amnesiac period. if he wasn't amnesiac, his identity and job would've prevented him from falling too deeply in love with RSB. The details are in the subtle and gentle interactions when they are together, and they both make special concessions for each other. you'll see the contrast that when he gets his memory back, he is tied down by responsibility and other considerations; even though his stance is more clear; his love was more pure in the first part.

it was stated in episode 5; RSB's informant notified her about his past and the information spread to the general public was that his boat capsized and there were no survivors. AKA people thought he died, and his teacher even did a speech for his burial ceremony. Clearly the people who wanted him dead covered their tracks by trying to make it look like an accident.

Hopefully iQiyi realised his potential after seeing QG and BXC. Hoping he gets a great project! Interesting character, more action scenes, great script, great cinematography, great director, great castmates! He deserves it, the best actor of this generation!!!

i read 1/3 of the novel. so far the ML’s role is not so prominent. the focus is more on the FL, and the ML’s character development is not obvious yet. if they are filming in seasons, they might’ve cut the script around that area. for whatever reason HMH dropped it, it should be for a good one.

he’s kind, great in acting, thinks about the whole scene and understands director’s pov, not afraid to speak up to smooth out logical flaws and plot points, not stingy in giving acting tips to fellow actors for the sake of the scene. Plus he has a really solid fanbase, and also casual drama fans who follow his dramas; notes that whatever drama that stars him will be watchable because of his solid acting skills. (Also recognized by the industry for his professionalism) really, these platforms should be giving him extra for free acting tuition and consultation service 😂

yes, so glad it’s not affecting the whole generation! it’s just really sad that it’s a valid fear with all the real life cases.. i just like to believe that there is still goodness in this world and i think that HMH is definitely a good person!

they're just always using him to promote lesser known actors & actresses... it been like that for ages hahaha business decisions at the end of the day, would sometimes trump artistic decisions unfortunately...

this was before i saw zhu yu but i thought tian xi wei would've been great because the novel clearly stated "dimples". after watching, i was like, yes she suits the character

to be fair, it was considered pretty for the 80s tho, and i think she really rocks it hahaha

Thank you for the tips! I'd like to add though, sometimes I notice that when I cross different platforms, the people who are really disturbed about the age gap are the Gen Zs. I asked my Gen Z niece and turns out she's the same 😂 so fervent about disputing age gaps and triggered by pedophilia in general hahaha... (it's so pitiful that there are too many cases of that, that a whole generation is triggered tho..) so maybe sometimes we need to chill and try to not get triggered by their flame comments but differentiate, is it really a hater or just a triggered gen z. for the latter i guess we can try to educate them to be a bit more understanding about how the entertainment circle is not always all bad. (I mean I can't say the same about what's happening in hollywood)

ready to go to war for General XWY! 😇😂

basically an oscar-worthy film! i’ve been praying for that too!!