For me, this was an extremely character-driven show despite the various events and occurrences going on within.…
I think Gu Tingye kept silent about the plans because to an extent he was testing Minglan's devotion to him. He wanted to see if he lost everything if she would stay with him - perfectly understandable considering his history with that witch and his family.
He really had been starved of genuine affection from the very beginning until his marriage with Minglan and even then knowing her history with QH he was never really sure that she loved him or was she was just being the dutiful wife she was raised to be who he undeniably manipulated into marriage.
All the times he kept getting mad that she wasn't jealous about any current or future concubines. It feed into his insecurity about their relationship each and every time he didn't get the reassurance that he needed from her.
You can see what it means to him when she outright refuses the suggestion to divorce and I think more importantly the name she gives their son - it really hits him then that she is ride or die! He should have told her then but maybe they were worried about more people finding out.
In an earlier episode he did hint at the unrest to come because the emperor and empress dowager where going up against each other. Remember when he suggests taking her out because they should enjoy the peaceful days while they still can and then it starts raining.
In regard to the empress dowager, she was just trying to stay relevant and out stayed her welcome and then didn't know what to do with her time if she wasn't in the palace ruining/ running (depends on your take) things. I think it was very telling that even though she instigated the imperial concubine to stage a coup- she was never actively part of the coup. I think it hit her very hard that the new emperor was a reformist and wanted to change so many of the things that she had spent a life time building. She saw that as a betrayal of her husbands legacy and she couldn't have that.
Any way those are my two cents after watching the drama several times.
Question about the OST. Does any one know the music that plays when the future emperor decides to accept the crown prince position. That's the same theme as when he calls on his guys to go on the salt audit. (ep 57 at min 22) Shazam can't find it and I don't know of an better alternative. Its so uplifting
In my short drama viewing career, I have never enjoyed a drama as much as this one!!! I love that the heroine is such a strong, loyal albeit flawed character who is nobody's fool. I even love how expertly written the villains are... strong smart females every where you look whether good or bad. No body is one dimensional. Its great that emperor was not a fool either. The whole show is like watching Sheldon Cooper play 3D chess against himself --- masterfully done. In the future I will be watching whatever these writers make without hesitation. BTW am only 55 eps through the 70 but am thinking of ways to delay it so as to fully savor the last eps.
He really had been starved of genuine affection from the very beginning until his marriage with Minglan and even then knowing her history with QH he was never really sure that she loved him or was she was just being the dutiful wife she was raised to be who he undeniably manipulated into marriage.
All the times he kept getting mad that she wasn't jealous about any current or future concubines. It feed into his insecurity about their relationship each and every time he didn't get the reassurance that he needed from her.
You can see what it means to him when she outright refuses the suggestion to divorce and I think more importantly the name she gives their son - it really hits him then that she is ride or die! He should have told her then but maybe they were worried about more people finding out.
In an earlier episode he did hint at the unrest to come because the emperor and empress dowager where going up against each other. Remember when he suggests taking her out because they should enjoy the peaceful days while they still can and then it starts raining.
In regard to the empress dowager, she was just trying to stay relevant and out stayed her welcome and then didn't know what to do with her time if she wasn't in the palace ruining/ running (depends on your take) things. I think it was very telling that even though she instigated the imperial concubine to stage a coup- she was never actively part of the coup.
I think it hit her very hard that the new emperor was a reformist and wanted to change so many of the things that she had spent a life time building. She saw that as a betrayal of her husbands legacy and she couldn't have that.
Any way those are my two cents after watching the drama several times.
Does any one know the music that plays when the future emperor decides to accept the crown prince position.
That's the same theme as when he calls on his guys to go on the salt audit. (ep 57 at min 22)
Shazam can't find it and I don't know of an better alternative.
Its so uplifting
I love that the heroine is such a strong, loyal albeit flawed character who is nobody's fool.
I even love how expertly written the villains are... strong smart females every where you look whether good or bad. No body is one dimensional.
Its great that emperor was not a fool either.
The whole show is like watching Sheldon Cooper play 3D chess against himself --- masterfully done. In the future I will be watching whatever these writers make without hesitation.
BTW am only 55 eps through the 70 but am thinking of ways to delay it so as to fully savor the last eps.