DramaSlurpingPanda

"Leader of Men"? Later part of the show.
1. He listened to someone who gave him really good advice (his wife) based on not only their own lived experiences BUT on what we now know was the historical pattern of the time. Removed himself, his men, and his family from harm ways in the capital. And mind you, it took him 2 years to ACTUALLY take her up on that advice. So it's not like he blindly followed her like a simp. 2 years! Any conspiracy could have wiped out his whole clan like they showed us they did for other clans during that time.
2. He saved his 1st sister from an abusive husband by listening to 2 people in his life (his mother and his wife) who gave him good advice and told him to cherish his bonds with his siblings.
3. He made sure that his 3rd sister and her 3 daughters AND her stepdaughter STAYED powerful in her marriage (and by extension the Lin family) by serving as her "blade", and ONLY him could do it because he is male and the first born. Had he not, the Yan family would have plotted to put their own "heir" to inherit that title...and given that the man are the ones who bring the Y chromosome we don't know whose baby that baby could have been because we know for a FACT that this man ain't shooting out no Y chromosome. Therefore, not only save later headaches after for his friendship with that Marquis but also serving the Lin family's interests.
4. He kept HER SECRET not for only her but for the whole family because now his family at his own insistence harbors a "dead" traitor/criminal!!

So far not one of these actions have been to her benefits or that of her foster parents. As a matter of fact, if you ask me or anyone with 2 brain cells to rub together, based on the facts alone SHE is the one SIMPING for him by helping HIM save the family who were not even willing to send a warning letter for her family to save theirs. That grandfather saw his "bestfriend" family on fire and didn't even bother to spit on them. Mah Gawd! It's ok for us to develop even a little bit of media literacy 🤣. Common sense hasn't killed anybody yet.

I feel like at this point if I were a man (or a woman) watching this and my first reaction is to say "he's simping" just because the character is portrayed as someone with common sense and who is willing to listen to the women in his life when they give him advice, I would think this is indicative of a bigger problem with the way I view the world...and the women in it. I'm not trying to be an asshole here but you may be a covert misogynist...and you may need to fix that 🤷🏾‍♀️. Anyways...good luck!

Interesting take! I'm intrigued 🤓. In your words define what you think is a "simp" (and if you're using that as a shortcut to "simpleton" which is a foolish or gullible person who lacks good judgment, common sense, or high intelligence. Or the colloquial "simp" which is is when a male is overly submissive to a female and gains nothing from it. So overly submissive that other guys cringe and feel ashamed when seeing them. This applies to males in relationships when they are so submissive that they say literally anything to be in favor with the "female".), AND please give us example of when you thought that character acted, as you put it, "simp?"

Why is this lady so awful? lol!! She sounds like such a bitter ass. I guess at some point she was part of the industry so I use to follow her for what I thought was industry insight. But lately her takes are just unhinged and nonsensical. Like are we watching the same drama?!!

Blah blah...ain't reading all that! Good luck, though!

And it's literally called a review, which is someone's opinion...why are they so pressed about someone else's opinion written in the literal opinion section?! Good lord!

Girl, hush! There was absolutely no chemistry between Leo and Reba. And that's ok. Zhao Lusi is literally the first female lead this boy ever had good chemistry with, in "Love like the Galaxy". And it was amazing. And then he just released a new modern drama this year that he knocked right off the park. And that's good and that's growth. Many child actors took years to develop their chopping skills as adult actors (Yang Mi, Yan Zi, Lee Seung Gi, and many more). That's because child acting is different from adult acting, which is even more different than being the Main lead in 40+ episodes drama. This is not news, so why are you attacking people about what is their obvious opinion? Who are you to come here and make YOUR salty opinion about someone else's opinion the only valid opinion? That drama was trash in OUR opinion because obviously, it's OUR review. We don't have to agree. The internet is not new, bestie. The first rule of engagement is if you see something you don't like...keep on scrolling you will find your niche.

OMG, yes! Oh I feel so much better. This has been bothering me for minute...and I know I really sound like a hater 😭...but it's bothering me so much lol. Like...he's clearly not a bad actor. And he plays his (albeit badly chosen) roles with a lot of ease that many experienced actors in Cdramas don't have. But the surgeries really did a number on him. It's very early 2000's "K-pop face". And I'm so tired of him still playing "idol dramas"...when he has the talent to carry one of them serious dramas...that they always give to that one kid who played the same character in 3 different dramas (I'm looking at you Zhang Ruo Yun 🤣)

Omg, yes!! He was so good in it. I ate my words after watching "Love like the Galaxy." I just think he needed the right drama...and setting. I'm just so surprised that the chemistry was so subpar between him and Dilraba. I'm sure he will grow to be an adequate actor (if not great) but his team needs to be more selective in the drama that he gets, he is not experience to play certain roles as seen in "The long ballad", in my humble opinion. Please drop by after you've finished the drama and tell me how it went.

Lol I'm gonna go with your logic!

But also yes to everything you said. I hate when dramas do that ish. They craft a hero that is sooo smart that can solve the most intricate plot on the fly but who somehow is not smart enough to overcome one of the dumbest attacks against him. The stepmother and weirdly "dumb-but-not-dumb" (what was up with that?! His character was not really well-written at all) younger brother aside, one plot point that made me so mad was the sequence of events that got the king to use the FL's sect against the ML. Like bro, you should have seen THAT coming! Of all the hard things you were able to "predict" THIS is what takes you down?! Ridiculous!
I assumed that he couldn't attack the brother and mother duo outright because there would have been too many complications and he would have to kill too many people like the other prince had to. And the stepmother's "shaking" could be assumed to be from guilt for trying to kill him, not from killing the mother. I can give them a pass on a lot of that "court drama" stuff. That part of historical dramas is usually v. boring anyway and rarely done well. But when it came to the main villain that was lukewarm basura at best! That was one of the worst Cdrama villains I have ever seen. AND he was not even THAT smart, IMHO. ALSO...why couldn't they use that flower when she almost died in the end or when that pharmacy boy dies? Did they run out? So many things that they could have done better, but...well next time I guess lol. TBH, Yang Yang, and Lusi's interactions, which were plentiful, made up for 80% of the plot holes lol, and that's why I gave it such a high rating. I came for the romance and I got the romance...so I'll overlook the other stuff. If we were to be fair, this drama will not hold if analyzed under a fine-tooth comb.

Thank you! I tried because I wanted to do the show justice...and I love both actors.

I assumed that's how he guessed it but the drama never truly made it explicit enough. It feels more like they left it to the audience to "fill in the blank." I mean we can "assume" that's how he learned of it. But then again, the way the drama frames it, the fact that there is no reaction from him may also lead the audience to assume that he either had an inkling for a minute or he'd already known. This "framing" doesn't do the drama or his love justice. It leaves us the audience questioning him. It raises suspicions where there shouldn't be. This man's actions have always informed us that he is very smart, often devious, and sometimes conniving when it fits his goals. So...it's a no big leap for us to think that the reason he didn't react is that he has known for a minute and that his love is not as pure as he wants us to believe. BUT I know that is NOT the intent. Therefore, it's more on the writers of the show than the character, really. I wish, they'd workshopped that scene a little bit more to make it work better.