SpicyLime

Yep. It should be the scene I described. They have a scene in the trailer where CSS is playing the flute for LBY sitting on a bed. That's the aftermath of the flogging. What happens between them after LBY massacres the Ling is worse.

If you want to read what happens after the time skip you can see below's spoiler post. It covers the key points regarding their relationship from the time skip to the end.

https://kisskh.at/687167-xing-han-can-lan#comment-10500703

Yuan Shen and CSS were engaged earlier in the novel, right after the time skip. However, their engagement is broken off in chapter 166. CSS wants to break off the engagement to start over with LBY and Yuan Shen was utterly defeated by LBY's love for CSS.

LBY always had this weird feeling that they would be seperated one day. CSS explains that the heart is something that can easily change due to seperation. LBY wanted to do a blood oath so that they would be forever bound. They both bite each other and swear to the heavens that they wouldn't forsake each other.

I think this alluded to the fact that LBY would not be able to control himself to carry out his revenge and they would be seperated one day. He probably knew deep down inside what was going to happen when he went to take his revenge.

Soon after, LBY carries out his revenge and you can figure out the rest.

Right! I stopped keeping track of the chapters after I got to their reconciliation. One day I'll go back and re-read all the chapters and will take notes.

So far around 80%. A lot of content was cut, but the main points have stayed the same.

If you are willing to try, the discussion board has a google translate of the novel.

Edit: Here you go. I gave you some of my favorite chapters too if you don't want to read the whole thing.

https://www-tianyashuku-com.translate.goog/yq/10696/?_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en

Chapter 23 – Lantern Scene.
Chapter 56 – They are finally interacting and talking about their past.
Chapter 75 – LBY admonishes third princess and CSS is moved to tears.
Chapter 83 – CSS resolves to treat LBY better.
Chapter 99 – LBY tells CSS she is free to leave the palace.
Chapter 101 – LBY gets beaten for CSS.
Chapter 116 – CSS talks about having babies.
Chapter 133 – LBY bites CSS.
Chapter 163 – LBY begs CSS not to be cruel.
Chapter 166 - Yuan Shen engagement broken off.
Chapter 173 - Finally reconcile.

Not sure. CSS gets pushed into the water in episode 36 teaser. That means LBY will probably be flogged a few episodes after that. The worst angst happens after LBY and CSS bites each other. That's what to look out for.

I can barely get through the sweetness between OTP, let alone the angst.

Regarding Fifth Princess, I remember a little bit better. A little bit of setup and what happens.

LBY has eyes and ears everywhere. He has people that always keep an eye on CSS. That's why whenever she gets into trouble, he is always there to rescue her. When she finds out about it, she gets pretty pissed off and tells him to call them off. This is the start of a cold war between them. He reluctantly calls off his men to stop following her as requested. From this point on, LBY does not know what is happening to CSS.

At the Empress's birthday banquet, CSS tries to put Fifth Prince in his place by getting him to fall into a pool. After having a heart to heart chat, Fifth Prince and CSS have a better understanding of each other and decide to have a truce.

Around this time Fifth Princess's cohorts push CSS into a pool. Luckily, CSS knew how to swim. CSS sneaks into Fifth Princess's Court Yard and sets up a poop trap that falls on Fifth Princess and her cohorts. Fifth Princess appears in front of Empress Xuan with her grievances. CSS gets ready to rumble. Unknown to CSS, Fifth Princess also brings in the dead body of one of her cohorts and pins the crime on CSS. The suspected murder weapon is a shawl that belongs to CSS. Everyone comes to CSS's defense. Consort Yue, LBY, even the Empress are on CSS's side. A key witness is Fifth Prince, who was able to provide an alibi for CSS's whereabouts during the time of murder. Fifth Princess is punished for framing CSS. Fifth Princess is also responsible for a lot of other shady business like confiscating land and property for her own profit. Everyone including the Emperor knew about it, but just didn't do anything about it. Finally with no choice, they severely punish her. Her servants are killed and tossed in front of her Court Yard to serve as a warning to stop with her bullshit. She is to be kept under house arrest until she marries.

But what about the cohorts of Fifth Princess that were bullying CSS? LBY overhears Fifth Prince talking to CSS regarding the cohorts that pushed CSS into the pool. He was there when it happened and saw all their faces. LBY is livid. He reasons that if CSS didn't know how to swim, she would have died. He didn't know of the bullying, since he called off the people following CSS and she didn't tell him. He tells off CSS for not treating him with sincerity and "releases her from her bondage" of having to stay at the Palace and with him. CSS breaks down crying after realizing the life and opportunities that LBY has given her. She resolves to treat him with all her love and looks for LBY to make up. However, he is long gone. After a nap, CSS is awoken and finds out LBY has beaten the fathers and brothers of each of the cohorts. LOL. A panicking CSS rushes to see LBY who is in front of the Emperor waiting to be punished.

The Emperor makes judgement and orders LBY to be flogged. He makes it clear that LBY is not only being beaten because of her, but for her (it's for her sake). CSS rushes out to LBY as he is flogged. CSS is heartbroken. Being held back by guards, she begins to break down crying and screaming for them to stop hitting him and to hit her instead, stop hitting him. Unknown to CSS, it's a ruse by our favorite matchmaker the Emperor, to finally get CSS to realize her feelings for LBY and to treat him better (LBY wasn't beaten that bad. It looked worse than it was. But CSS didn't know since she was too emotional). The Emperor watches as the Empress questions him if this was all necessary. The Emperor is satisfied hearing CSS's raspy voice calling out to LBY. Later, CSS sneaks into LBY's room to take care of him. And...now CSS is fully in love with LBY and always considers him before she does anything. (In the novel, the change of CSS's behavior and thoughts regarding LBY is very obvious. To me this is when CSS becomes ride or die with LBY).

She is a bitch. She is the opposite of the Crown Prince. A running theme of the story is that, the reason why a lot of the characters become so devious is because the one's that have the power to do something about it, don't. The Empress and Crown Prince are both too soft hearted and only dish out slaps on the wrist. It's only when things get really bad, that they decide to severely punish. Harsh punishment is a last resort. Literally all of the girls that are trying to hurt CSS will do the exact same thing each time. Talk shit, take some type of action against her, lose, cry to their parents/elders, no punishment (slap on wrist), repeat cycle.

The Crown Princess, like many of the other characters are kind of being manipulated by other people. The reason why the ladies hate CSS is 1) they are delusional about their love for him (like most of the royals are married, or are engaged, but still thirst for LBY) and 2) they are getting rumors on how bad CSS is. CSS smartly deduces who was pulling the strings and sues her.

Edit: to add on. Another theme is the politics that is involved in regards to marriage. Even the Emperor had to compromise for the nation. He married Empress Xuan for political reasons and his true love was relegated to a consort. Most of the girls don't get married for love but for duty. So they are pretty bitter. Even CSS marraige was a tool. Luckily for her she feel deeply in love with LBY. If it isn't clear. CSS led LBY on and was using him. She caused him a lot of pain and didn't treat him with sincerity. She grows, regrets her decisions, and realizes how much she loves him and takes the steps to treat him better. She could very well have easily turned into someone like the third princess. Just bitter.

The mother figure relationship is mainly through the Empress Xuan. The relationship that CSS builds with her is deeper than her biological mother, enough that she chose to stay with the Empress, when she is deposed. Remember, once you enter the Palace, you cannot leave without an edict. Consort Yue is more hands off and avoids the drama as much as possible. She only comes and intervenes once the imperial family have gone too far with their antics and she has to put them in their place. It's almost like good cop bad cop with her and the Empress. She is nice to CSS, since she doesn't cause any trouble. The Crown Prince is too soft hearted like Empress Xuan, so he'd not make a good ruler.

I guess you could argue that the little brats in the Imperial family and the nobles around them act as they do, since Empress Xuan let's them walk all over her.

In the novel, I don't think the Emperor knew about LBY's real identity, until CSS explained it to him. Yes the Emperor was a sworn bother of LBY's dad. The Emperor just wanted to take care of the "nephew" of his sworn brother, General Huo. So he adopted LBY.

Yes she stays good. She has to stay in the Palace. The reasons she deposed herself is so Consort Yue can become Empress and her son can become the next Emperor. Consort Yue's son is the best candidate.

CSS accompanies Empress Dowager Xuan in the Palace until her death.

The Empress Xuan, who is teaching CSS. Consort Yue is the Emperor's childhood sweetheart.

For the dramas I really enjoy, I always go back to read my favorite scenes in the novel. The last one I did was 'Legend of Fei'. There is so much monologue about the characters that we just don't get to see in the drama adaptation. However, I'm fully aware that most adaptations deviate quite a bit from the novel. Reading the novel only serves to quench my thirst, especially if I am unhappy with how a scene unfolded, or how the drama ended. Faithful adaptation also does not necessarily mean better. One of my favorite all time drama is 'The Story of Minglan.' The adaptation is only loosely based off the novel, but the drama has such a fantastic story. Anyways...to sum, everyone should check out both mediums and enjoy the journey.

I'm just making a personal opinion that the drama for LLTG felt more angsty than the novel. The angst is really not that bad.

Actually. IMO, I feel that the drama has a more angsty vibe than the novel. Considering what we got in part 1, part 2 might be worse. Probably a lot has to do with the fact that we don't get the monologues and what the characters are thinking, like we get in the novel. But I agree with you that it was effective in the drama to make CSS realize now how much LBY did for her at the end of ep27.

But here is what happens in the novel that causes her to flash back if you are up for a read.

In the novel, CSS is already infatuated with LBY since the beginning. Every time she gets a look at him, she describes him as dreamy, powerful, heavenly etc. He is someone that she just plans to admire from afar and never dreamed of actually being engaged to him. Just back tracking a little. LBY legit proposes marraige to CSS on the same day that Lou Yao's engagement is cancelled. She really doesn't think she deserves him. She doesn't have the two people as one entity mentality that LBY has at this point. She wants to continue to solve her problems herself. That's why she wants to break off the engagement and keeps pushing him away. She has a real hard time dealing with LBY's affection. After LBY saves her again and again, one night he sadly tells her that he should treat him better. CSS is hurt and knows something is wrong with LBY, but she doesn't understand what and why. It's only until Mrs. Wan, who is famously known to be very affectionate and loving with her husband, reveals how her husband treated her that she understands everything LBY has done for her was love. Mrs. Wan pops the question of how LBY treats her and she flashes back to all the times he helped her starting from when he rescued her from the bandits to a countless number. Finally, she replies that he treats her very well. I think this is where CSS has a small understanding of what it means to love. She realizes how badly she had been treating him, using him, taking him for granted, but he never complains. So she commits to treating him better. Finally, she is starting to consider LBY and not just herself. He was always the first one to seek reconciliation first, regardless of who is at fault. My man LBY is a good dude.

I am on the boat that the drama will end like the original novel. If you watched the official MV, the final scene there, looks like a setup to what happens in the end of the original novel. Drama MV endings also have a tendency to show you scenes of the end of the drama. There is a smidge of hope we will get the true ending though.

Yep. Just keep what I wrote with a grain of salt. This is an adaptation after all. Part of the scene I provided you is from an epilogue that was not in the original novel. The epilogue is from the original author and is canon though.

Yeah I got it. I usually don't read them too. This is just one of those exceptions. I already expected early on it'll be different.

Literally as soon as I heard the music the first time, I hit pause and stopped watching. I felt it was cringe, lol. But I get it, recycled stuff happens. It's just with music, it feels more cringe, since music should be tied specifically to a show. That said, I love the ending theme song for AD.