Lizzy

Wow yeah this makes sense. If they had stayed truer to the ML’s character in the novel, then my whole perception of this dynamic would be 💯 different. I would be blaming the ML a lot more than I am currently, and have a lot more sympathetic feelings toward the FL. Damn, it’s too bad that they changed so much of his characterization, and yet I probably wouldn’t enjoy the show if he was an asshole for most of it 😂 Thanks for sharing, that makes sense.

I wish I could do that too 😅But if you’re saying that the Second Prince’s mother is actually calling the emperor “husband” or “my lord”, then IQIYI just messed up the English translation.

So what you’re saying is that IQIYI messed up the translation of that word? My subtitles seem to be translating her calling him “Father”.

See, we are getting much more insight into the ML’s internal struggles with his deception than with hers and it’s unfortunate. With him, we got to see him reflecting on the advice he got from a friend to “trick her into marrying him”, we also got to see that moment of internal turmoil as he considered the advice and hesitated, and then we got to see him drinking and reflecting on the FL’s words that they can separate as soon as the mission to save her friend is over. Earlier, we got to see him seeking advice from a friend on how to make it up to her that he’s been lying to her, showing that he’s feeling the dissonance. Btw, the ML needs new friends 😂

Whereas with her, her inner thoughts have largely been how she can continue to manipulate his feelings to get what she wants, whether it’s helping him with something or throwing herself and affection at him. It doesn’t paint her in a good light, even if the actress can show through glimpses in her acting that she may be developing genuine feelings for him. The problem is that we aren’t seeing it in her private thoughts like we are with the ML. We are mostly left to guess and make assumptions with her based on what we know of her history. With her private thoughts being those about manipulating him, it’s harder to not be a little more biased toward the ML. I think I also hold her a bit more accountable than him because it was her plan from the very beginning to insert herself into his life and manipulate him (even if the reason made sense). He didn’t seek her out, he just decided to take advantage of the opportunity that she provided.

The writers are making an extra effort it seems to make the ML the person we sympathize for. They’re showing us his history as an abused slave since childhood, his desire for revenge, his heartbreak about the death of his master (I am in episode 10 and he’s with his master in the pool and practically crying 💔oh my gosh my heart 💔). We see his difficulty with trusting others, and others using him for the golden millet dream. As I type I am in the illusion realm with the ML fighting off the clones in the pool. “It’s fake! Everything is fake!” is what they are telling him. Sadly, she’s lying to him too and I feel for him 💔

The character development is not balanced, which is sad. I wish they made more effort to develop the FL’s character, as she has a rich history that isn’t being developed to its full potential.

I get it, but the excuse that she’s dying doesn’t make it much better 😂 So now she’s lying to the ML, playing with the ML’s emotions in order to use him and save herself, and on top of it she’s dying - he doesn’t know it - and she’s stringing him along and keeping him in the dark 😂😬

Hey so I’m confused about something that may be a translation issue- I’m watching this in IQIYI. The second prince’s mother keeps calling the emperor (Susha) her father and that confuses me. I thought they were married? A couple times I thought I was insane by thinking that she’s been calling him “Father”, but I saw it again last night while watching. Am I nuts? It’s possible 😂

I’m not saying I don’t get her reasoning, but at the end of the day she is still toying with his emotions and even the glimpses into her private thoughts that I have seen so far are all about how she can win him over emotionally for her own gain.

Other comments have said that he realized that she has been lying to him all along about something, perhaps her feelings for him, but he doesn’t know who she actually is.

So I am only on like episode 10 or something, but I kinda know some of the things that are coming up. I knew picking up this show that I was probably gonna struggle with it because the whole premise is on lying and deception (my most hated plot device). But the visuals looked gorgeous and I wanted to see more of the ML actor because I really liked him in BFTB even though I didn’t finish it.

I get that intellectually we know that our FL has been having to lie about her identity her whole life. I get that she has been digging herself a deeper and deeper hole with her lies, making it harder for her to climb out and tell the truth. I get that.

I think what would help this show out a lot is getting more direct insight into her thoughts - and maybe we do as I am still several episodes behind. I want to see more of that internal struggle, SOME sort of acknowledgment that she knows she is hurting him and some angsty inner turmoil for continuing to do it. Can we see more of that visceral fear of him finding out? It’s been hard for me thus far fully getting into the romance because it’s tainted by lies, and it is more obvious to me that the ML is catching the authentic feelings and less obvious to me that she is. Having the ML ask his friend for advice and expressing acknowledgment that he’s screwing up helped give us more insight into his thoughts.

It’s just difficult because she’s toying with another person’s heart, now knowing that he has had some fcked up shit happen to him in the past and has been hurt by many others who wanted to use him. It’s not like she is just lying to him about her identity, which is one thing, but she is going so far as to tell him that she wants to marry him and that she loves him in order to win him over for her agenda. That is a whole other level of cruelty and deceit that is incredibly difficult for me to swallow and makes it hard for me to root for them.

If the show is dead set her continuing to lie until there’s a horrible reveal and things break down, I think it would also help if the ML maybe figures out himself who she really is, so then he is not being strung along and deceived without knowing all of the information. If he were to somehow discover it himself and then act accordingly, whether it’s helping her keep the secret or confronting her on it whatever.

Anyway those are some of my thoughts.

Yeah. I hope they are wrong, but I saw it in a couple places. :/

No apparently not for a while yet. Someone else said 8 more episodes, which is way too fucking long imo.

Oh wonderful!

It was SUCH a good scene! And when she told him the meaning behind her name… and him fishing for whether she was romantically involved with someone (and his face when she wasn’t). It was such a heady scene filled with soooooo much emotion.

😂She said she wants a vacation and to eat, drink and enjoy a life of luxury. How is that not relatable lol? 😂

Ya the villains are dumb 😂

Just finished episode 5 🥰Fu Yixiao freaking kicking ASS on the boat and looking like a gorgeous freaking trapeze artist while doing it. Feng Suige showing up with his men and being all like, “Leave one alive” like the badass mf he is. Suige being all sexy af Alpha Male by being all protective of Yixiao and tossing her off the boat (come at me if you want - alpha males are hot if written right). Suige saving her “son” on the ship by calmly smirking and telling him to not be afraid AND EFFING STAB THE JERK WITH THE KNIFE HE GAVE HIM. Him being a freaking badass DAD FIGURE sacrificing his life to save his future *son*. Her in turn freaking swimming bACK TO THE BOAT TO save him from drowning. A moment of connection by a campfire with a flustered KILLER GOD OF SUSHA who was blushing like a schoolboy and then him sitting clOSER THAN NECESSARY to her and being all flirty like the sexy mf he is. And she is being all flirty back liiiiiiiike Ahhh lemme just sit back and enjoy this warm cup of fluffy feels ☕️ while it lasts.

Just finished episode 5 —

Yeah I struggled to get into this one until episode 20 and then even more around episode 30. I think for me I watch shows primarily for the romance, and it’s hard sustaining my interest if the main couple doesn’t have a lot of scenes together. I’m lame, I know 😅 But I LOVED the main couple in this one so much once they got together. The ML in this one is one of my faves. I rewatch a lot of their scenes.

I think my biggest issue with this show was the lack of the FL caring that she was dying… Like she remained in denial for the entire show. I wish we had more human feelings of fear, I wish we saw more hospitalizations and / or cancer treatment, or her wrestling with her own mortality.

Wow this is lovely 🥰 Thanks for sharing