SpicyLime

During the lantern festival I think she was 13. When they get engaged she was 15. LBY was I think 6 years older so 21. Yes there is more physical intimacy in the novel. A lot more. The drama was suppose to have a lot too, but it was cut. My understanding is with the begging scene it was removed after a discussion with everyone. Because the reason was that HBY was not sorry for carrying out his revenge, just like in the novel. He is only sorry about making CSS sad. CSS accepts that HBY needed to get revenge. So they changed the narrative in the drama into a trope. The trope of confessing your love thinking they are dead.

Just my two cents and interpretations. This ended up being kind of long and I went off on a tangent. I hope this is helpful and provides you with some insight.

I guess it depends on what you define as spicy. LBY/HBY is extremely possessive in the novel. So much so, that it caught me off guard at first. He will just straight up grab CSS and pull her along whenever he wants. In the revenge arc, he kidnaps CSS and tries to bring her along as he escapes. I don't think this was a ruse. I think he really planned to take her with him. But, they are surrounded, so to save her he tosses her off the horse and falls down the cliff. She doesn't rescue him like in the drama. They have some pretty intense kisses almost to the point of hurting, but CSS doesn't/can't refuse. She fears him, but at the same time is infatuated with him. However, CSS is different in the novel as well. We get to see all her monologues and thoughts on LBY. Every single time that CSS gets a glance at LBY, she is in awe. She puts him high up on a pedestal. There is literally like a paragraph each time that LBY comes in to describe how majestic he is, in the eyes of CSS. CSS is not an innocent pure girl in the novel. She is very mischievous and headstrong. She almost never listens to LBY, prior to the flogging incident. Regardless, LBY loves her almost unconditionally. He always cleans up her messes and is always the first to start the reconciliation, regardless of fault. The one thing that LBY wants from CSS is her sincerity. It's not that CSS doesn't want to give it to him, it's just that she really doesn't understand what it means to love someone. A lot of the revelations she has are thanks to other people telling her.

Leading up to each revelation, CSS always has a feeling that something is wrong. When LBY was upset with her, since she was kind of taking LBY for granted, she could tell something was wrong with LBY. After cleaning up one of her messes again, she ditches him, not knowing that she should wait for him. He catches up on his horse and gets in the carraige and tells her, that she should treat him better. I don't think she realizes what she did was wrong. So finally she goes to the Wan family and Madam Wan explains to her what her husband did for her to show he loves her and ultimately made her fall in love with him. A lot of the actions Madam Wan's husband did, mirror what LBY does for CSS. Madam Wan asks CSS the question of how LBY treats her. She flashes back to all the times LBY has helped her and finally responds that he treats her well. When she has the realization she always tries her best to correct her mistakes. She quickly leaves to see LBY who shows up looking for her. Again he apologizes first. She realizes that he is always the first one. So she resolves to treat him better and says she will rememeber how good she treats him. She slowly starts to make an effort to take better care of LBY. She is starting to get more and more in sync with LBY each time they have difficulties.

LBY has always been a constant. His love for CSS never wavers in the story. After the time skip, the one who has changed is CSS. She is someone that pretends to hate the things that she likes and cares too much about putting on a show. This is later confirmed by her brother who said that she made a lot of mistakes when LBY was around, but made less mistakes when he was not. So, he's implying that CSS could only be herself when LBY was around. When he was gone, she put up airs again. Finally after realizing the truth about herself she sought out HBY to confess that he finally understands that no one can treat her better than he can and that he loves her for the way she is. Yuan Shen only fell in love with the "best version" of CSS, not the real CSS. Yuan Shen later confirms to HBY, that after HBY was exiled and CSS was in her coma, he heard her call out for HBY not to leave her and to take her with with. If they die, they die together. Those were her true thoughts.

So just like before the exile, when HBY returns, he is the one to beg for forgiveness. It's easy to think that everything in the relationship was HBY's fault. But, the truth is he did a lot for CSS. CSS could not return everything in kind. HBY had to get his revenge no matter what in the novel. CSS slowly comes to the realization herself after HBY keeps begging her. She thought about if the Huo family was still alive and how different things would have been for HBY. She finally understands his pain and suffering. She had another revelation again. She understands to love someone you need to stand with them and put yourself in their shoes and empathize with them. So, immediately she breaks off the engagement with Yuan Shen, realizing what she really wants and soon after confesses that HBY is the only one she loves and wants to marry. After this point, they are like mirror images of one another.

CSS is most like HBY. By the end of the novel, they are always in sync and can read each other's minds with just looks and gestures. Finally, to confirm how much CSS loves LBY, she confesses that in the year that she was engaged to LBY, she knew that he was willing to die for her. She never considered dying for someone else. Survival for herself was the utmost importance. But, now she has someone whose life is more important than her own. That person is HBY.

But in the drama, she didn't get engaged to YS. It was confirmed by the Empress Xuan. So, she stayed true to her heart. She couldn't forgive HBY, but at the same time could not marry another. In the novel though, she gets engaged to all 3 men. She gets re-engaged to HBY again. So it's 4 engagements.

Time skip starts at chapter 143. What happens during the time skip is told through memories.

Shoot your questions.

I started a new discussion that shows some of the changes from 52-56. You can find it in the discussion board if you are interested. It's a WIP.

Thanks for the insight. CSS and HBY are different in the novel. In the novel CSS fully embraces the fact that HBY had to do what he had to do. There is a scene where HBY tells of his regret to CSS, and she responds with I know, I know. She realizes his pain and the need to get his revenge. He had the whole weight of his ancestors on his shoulders. His aunt has chilling words before she passes away that his ancestors cannot rest easy. He knows what they want.

I guess in the drama they are trying to make it HIS choice. In the book, he really didn't have a choice. There wasn't any guarantee that he would be able to get justice later. It was only a small window and he had to do it, no matter how slim the chance was. Revenge was his whole life, it was more important than CSS. I think CSS understood it wasn't about her. She needs to support him. In the final scene, CSS actually tells HBY that his family would be proud of him, before saying that he is the best man in the world.

Now that I think about it. If they shot the scene. Maybe we will get it in the rumored director's cut.

I got you. A lot of angst incoming.

Hey Hey. It is from the book.

I have a list of some of my favorite chapters below (mainly the romance between our leads). If you don't want to know do not read on. That said, it's a relatively easy read, but has a lot of characters. I'd start a journal to keep track of them all.








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 82 – Consort Yue Smack Down
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 148 – CSS finds out Empress Dowager Xuan asked LBY to return to the Capital.
Chapter 163 – LBY begs CSS not to be cruel.
Chapter 166 - Yuan Shen engagement broken off.
Chapter 173 - Finally reconcile.

I'm glad my comments have been useful to you. This community has been very kind and a lot of fun. Glad to share my thoughts and content for everyone to enjoy.

Ah! I didn't talk about my favorite scene in the show during the reconciliation. Hands down the scene where they talk about living good lives before walking away. HBY breaking into tears while smiling. The fact that CSS breaks from a fake smile into a genuine one, but quickly into a sorrowful face, catching herself and feeling all those emotions. The fact they they are so close yet so far. Talking about what they are going to do to live their lives seperately, when they should be doing all of it together. Ugh. Best scene.

Yeah. I'm glad they didn't try to give him a hard time. Cause in the novel and I think more so in the drama they all know she still loves HBY. In the drama she just straight up admits to it and didn't get engaged to Yuan Shen at all. I think she was just giving him a hard time and wanted him to keep groveling to test his sincerity. All of that changed suddenly during the incident with Wang Yanji. I think she regretted not letting him know that she still loves him and was planning to eventually forgive him.

Dunno. I just posted it since I was doing the differences between the drama and novel in the discussion board. I can't do the scene justice by summarizing so I went to Google translate it and cleaned it up. People can always find it. It's a real beautiful scene so I hope people get to read it.

It is a real beautiful scene, but it needs a lot more set up to be viable. With 5 episodes remaining I don't think it would have fit either.

HBY just found out that CSS's bite mark scar is about to disappear so he finds her and bites her again. A fight between them break out and after it's over HBY is putting medicine on the new bite mark. He then confesses that he does not plan to marry anyone.

"You're crazy, the Huo family is waiting for you to pass on the incense (continue the bloodline). If you dare to be alone all your life, His Majesty will eat you alive!" She lowered her voice, stunned beyond words.

Huo Buyi is smiling resolutely without any care.

Shaoshang's eyes were wet, and she persuaded in a good voice: "Can't you look away (move on), the past is gone, we parted each other, got married and had children, and after more than ten or twenty years, old friends gathered to talk and laugh. Isn't it beautiful to laugh?" If he was lonely all his life, standing alone, what would she do, just look at him like that?

Huo Buyi grabbed her thin back, hugged her tightly, and said sullenly, "I don't want to be old friends with you, I want us to be an old couple."

Shaoshang felt a scorching breath coming towards her, his warm head buried in her neck, surrounded by a clean masculine scent mixed with the familiar scent of medicinal herbs and rust-smelling blood.

She silently shed tears, then slammed her heart hard, pushed him away, stood up straight, and said coldly: "If you want to marry a wife, you can marry whoever you want. It has nothing to do with me! I'm done, I'm leaving."

Huo Buyi grabbed her, knelt down on one leg, firmly hugged her slender waist, and begged, "Don't be so cruel, I wronged you six years ago, others don't understand, but I understand—you never believed in others or depended on others, but I forced you to accept me, and when you wanted to be with me wholeheartedly, I gave up on you..."

Shaoshang burst into tears again, and a crack was torn open in her heart that had been scabbed.

She has a high wall made of solid ice in her heart. She is alone on this side of the wall, and no one can walk in. Six years ago, Ling Buyi smashed through this ice wall with a mighty thunderbolt, saying that they could keep each other warm in the future. She tried her best to believe him, and the result... She had made up her mind that she would never let it (her heart) come out again in this life!

"I will never forgive you!" She cried, gritted her teeth, and said fiercely, "Stop dreaming, I have been able to live well until now, just by being hard-hearted. I will never forgive those who have wronged me. Once you are unfaithful once, you will do it a hundred times. You abandoned me six years ago, how can you know that you will not repeat the same mistakes in the future! I know that everyone speaks for you, including my family members, but I am not as good as you wish! Without you, I can live very well, I will never trust you again. Never!"

Huo Buyi also shed tears and begged humbly: "They are not helping me, they are helping us. Take a mirror and look at yourself. The way you look at Yuan Shen is completely different from when you look at me. I'm not blind, others are also not blind. Not blind!"

Shaoshang burst into tears, choked and unable to speak: "Without you, I can live well, Yuan Shen and I will grow old together and spend our whole life together..."

Huo Buyi softly said: "Yes, I deserve to be lonely all my life, you can always forget me."

Shaoshang's throat is uncomfortable.

Huo Buyi looked up at her: "I never thought of hurting you, I have always hoped that your life will be smooth and joyful. Back then, I even found a place for you and Lou Yao, where the mountains and rivers are beautiful and the folk customs are simple. If you like to burn bricks and tiles, burn bricks and tiles and if you like to make wine, make wine. No one will criticize you."

"In the past six years, I have always had a dream, dreaming that my parents, brothers and sisters are living well and there has never been a disaster; I went to your house to propose a marriage, you agreed, and then we happily became husband and wife——"

Shaoshang's tears blurred, thinking how great it would be if Huo Chong and his wife were still alive, if everyone was alive.

Huo Buyi will definitely be the most heroic and cheerful young man in the entire capital, and they will meet at the lantern festival, but this time, he will no longer have any worries, but walk over confidently, and as soon as she saw his face, she would definately go crazy.

Maybe Mrs. Xiao would think that she was reckless, and Father Cheng would think that she was impulsive, but given the prominence of the Huo family, she would always marry him; when the children were around their knees, she would tell everyone how she found love*.

Huo Buyi's eyes were red, and his eyelashes condensed into tears. He grabbed her hands and put them on his cheeks: "Don't be so cruel, please, don't be so cruel to me."

Shaoshang could no longer hold on to her air of indifference, and cried like a child, with tears and snot, and no dignity; today, she was defeated and could not fight back.

*So this is where it sucks to not know Chinese analogies. The Google Translate for this sentence is: "When her children were around their knees, she would tell everyone it was the cabbage who moved first." This is the meaning of the analogy according to my friend: It means for a daughter to grow up and start finding love. Farmers (parents) grow (raise) their cabbages (daughters) and once they are ripe (old enough), pigs (sons) would eat (woo) the cabbages. So in this case. The pig (HBY) would eat (woo) the cabbage (CSS), or the story of how HBY wooed CSS. (i.e. Their love story). I hope this makes sense.

The scene above is what gets CSS to finally break. She calls off the engagement with Yuan Shen and the two reconcile soon after.

So, a lot of people who have finished the series are talking about how HBY didn't do enough.

I did the Google Translate of the infamous "don't be cruel" scene in the novel, which we didn't get in the drama. This is already posted in the discussion and throughout, but I'd thought I'd post it again for those who missed it. I cleaned up the translation a little bit and will post it here for those that want to read it.

Edit: I personally thought what was done in the drama was fine. But I felt it was a little rushed and things could've been done differently. But overall I was satisfied with how it played out.

Thanks. I'm not too familiar with using the discussion board. I might try. Since I want to talk about the novel difference between the episodes.

Definitely. They lived a full happy life together and the Huo bloodline will continue. The only one who was hurt g was Yuan Shen. Although he is married, he still loves CSS.

I think most people just Google translated it. They are 4 extra chapters told from the perspective of 4 different people. I say give it a shot.

Chapter 3 is told from the perspective of the villager when CSS and HBY arrive. He is the one who passes away in chapter 4, which gets HBY to resign his official position and CP fulfill their promise of travelling together. Chapter 4 is told from the perspective of Yuan Shen when CP are at the Capital and later leave.

Chapter 1 and 2 just fill in events that happen during HBY's exile and when Yuan Shen's engagement is broken off.

Same. I really enjoyed the ending in the show, but I kept in mind we probably would not see the "true" ending. My biggest complaint was just the reconciliation. I think that's how most novel readers feel.