Sunflower

Why do directors pick FL who's so much older than the ML?

Methinks it's a good drama. If you compare with some other dramas, think of a few which are more toxic, corrupt & evil even to plot, poison & kill rivalry or revenge, unbearable childishness & immaturity. etc.

I don't see any toxic relationships either. Maybe some would like to see no thrills, straightforward & uncomplicated romance lol. It's a good drama with a happy ending.

I agree this drama deserves more. I don't think it's that bad like what some commented. In short, in order to earn FL's love, ML has to try hard to win her hand by being responsible, be matured, and be a "man", not some spoilt Commandery Prince of Julu. She'd eventually fallen for him after he has proven his worth by sacrificing his royalty status and gone to battle for his country.

I do agree there's a lot of misunderstandings on FL (Liang Jie)'s part but what matters most is a good ending. She grew to love ML (Joseph Zeng) and is willing to wed him as he became more responsible and matured enough to go to battle for his country. He has proven his true love to her by having given up his status of royalty, not some lazy and spoilt Commandery Prince of Julu.

True that. FJM may as well die as he has to go through all those sufferings as a baixi all over again. I must say, in this modern era, people will find it odd or mere stupidity to sacrifice one's own dear life and happiness for whatever reasons such as protecting a replaceable bloodline, as FHS has once mentioned briefly. Is it worth it?

I'm not altogether pleased with the ending. I too hate that Fang Jianming is once again a baixi, never got free of this drat "servitude". It's so grossly unfair that it's none of FJM and FHS's fault that Tilan's traitor brother Suolan rebelled. Xu and Tilan would've understood. It would be sweeter if FJM and FHS have their own children as they've always dreamt of having when FJM was presumed dead and supposed to live happily ever after in some remote village.

Yeah, I understand that Yanyan should be rightfully Han Derang's wife, however, the primacy of reforming the Liao dynasty to succeed, needed an intelligent, visionary Empress to assist her Emperor husband Yelu Xian/Ming Yi, and Yanyan is the woman, the chosen one. Honestly, although the Emperor is sickly, he's a better looking guy than her scrawny lover. I think over a period of time, Yanyan has grown to love her husband 😂😂

Don't thank me yet, Love movies becos I'm not sure whether you'll be able to see the ending as happy (or sad). I read from some translated online novel that Emperor Qiyan (Cheng Yi) died. It may be that the director has provided us an alternate ending after all. If you really listen carefully at the last episode, it was said that somebody sounded like Qiyan ordered a bowl of biangbiang noodles from his beloved Chen Ruoyu/Wang Ruoling (Zhang Yu Xi) who has since owned her own noodle shop. If you'd watched and recalled, Qiyan had wanted to spend his remainder of his lifetime with Ruoling faraway from the palace, living as ordinary country folks. Hence, it may be that he'd re-engineered his death earlier. Let's keep it this way and imagine that they'd a blissful life ever after. Whatever the ending is, 2021 Stand By Me/Dream of Chang'an is a well-written storyplot, and I'm sure you'll love it as I do as everyone has played tremendously well.

Do watch FL Zhang Yuxi "couple pair" with Cheng Yi in Stand By Me (2021), it's a good drama and worth watching, although its ending is quite ambiguous, up to you to choose whether you want to see it happy or sad ending. Yes, she's the FL in Intense Love and I think that drama is entertaining.

Okay, thanks Poongs. Just wondering whether there's any where we could message the director to change the storyline to a happier ending, contrary to the novel. Shifu is very stupid to have this "bond" with that drat Emperor. What's so special about that whingy, temperamental, dispensable Emperor? Shifu with his superb Kungfu could just butt him out of the palace and replace him since he's also a Prince, marry his girl HS and live happily ever after. Similarly, with One and Only, can't fathom why Zhousheng let himself be deboned!! So frustrating!! I'm sure this drama will get +9.5/10 rating if it's modified with a happy ending 😂😂

Is there a link to read the novel online in English, thanks! My Mandarin sucks 😂😂 I don't like the abusive, bad-tempered Emperor and thus, he can die for all I care, but I would hope that the director will let Shifu live happily ever after with Empress Dowager HS just like in The Legend of Xiao Chuo, Yanyan got to marry her beloved Han Derang 💖

Oh no!!! You mean Shifu and Emperor will die, and HS will become the Empress Dowager just like Princess Weiyoung. Not liking the storyplot at all!! 😭😭 Can't imagine a promising beginning could overturn into a disappointing ending!! That's the reason I did not complete watching Princess Weiyoung, can't bear to watch a bad and sad ending!!