Alice_01

Yes, novel has a happy ending and the director's past works had happy endings too! So i hope this means we will get it here as well!

Those 3 were the ones i found but i bet there could be more! But honestly they have such good chemi whenever they are together on screen that I really don't mind at all >< As long as the plot remains solid and the chemi is fire I will be satisfied hehe

No based on relationship chart it seems to be Song Han (ML's younger bro)

Btw another thing I noticed and wanted to point out! In this 2nd life thanks to FL's different actions even her half-sister's character is shaped differently! Dou Ming ended up growing up with a nanny and away from her mother's influence in the early years which led to her personality be more pure and naive and not poisoned by her mother's evilness! Tho fate is still pushing her to fall in love with that Wei bastard it seems...

I am betting around ep 19-20! Also based on spoiler pics i have seen on X there should be at least 2-3 kisses to come and they look so sweet as married couple TT Cannot wait fr!!

I think it's because of ML being close to his uncle (Duke Ding, brother of ML's mother) and he even followed his steps becoming a marshal/general and growing up with him in the army base rather than his father at home...Also, his father being a scholar/court official often puts him at odds with the uncle/military ways...And so he is also projecting this hostility to his own son...Probably considering him a "traitor" which is so petty and childish...

With how quick it keeps rising and the interest growing...I have high hopes it will soon! ><

You're welcome^^

Idk! I usually check them through X and the last update was 1 day ago about breaking 28k!!

Same here!!

Same I am so happy to discover new actors and actresses through this drama! Watching the leads and how they performed here makes me wish to see them more ^^ As for the director I have known him through his short series ever since 2022 and I have always wished to see him get a bigger project cause his mini works were so captivating already!! I would definitely recommend A Familiar Stranger, Provoke and Butterflied Lover!

Yep! It's his courtesy name while Song Mo it's how he is called name by close friends and family! The female lead also has that (and all nobles of that time) Shou Gu ( name) and Dou Zhao (courtesy name).

That was the Crown Prince not Prince Qing!
In his first life, he was working together with Prince Qing to kill the emperor & crown prince and help enthrone him! Because, unlike this life, back then he didn't know the king's intentions and I am sure he blamed him for his uncle's death...Which led to his collision with Prince Qing and their plan of treason/enthronement...Prince Qing was the son of the 2nd current empress while the Crown Prince was the offspring of the previous empress who died so for him to become king both the emperor and crown prince had to be eliminated! Song Mo probs helped him just so he could take his "revenge"...But as we saw later on in ep 1 Prince Qing turned on him and the Eunuch came with the order to claim his and the Ding army's lives...Like a tool with no more use...This makes me believe Prince Qing and the empress to be behind it...

This drama is truly the new dark horse btw!! The director tho brilliant is usually someone who works on mini-cdrama, and this is his 1st full-length series. The series is also not S/S+ rank meaning the funding and production of the drama wasn't as high...And yet this series has managed to crack 28k heat index and to rise to #1- #2 in the drama list overall this week!! Whoever decided to invest in this show was truly smart and I hope this will bring more opportunities to both the director & the cast!! I hope this drama can keep it's shine and keep being just as satisfying to watch as ep1!!

For a better understanding of the heat index: It measures the engagement and popularity of the drama. It takes into account the video views, search, and overall engagement. Heat Index can only be compared within networks, not across networks.
For Tencent a drama has some popularity will reach 20k. A drama that reaches 28k is well known and really popular. A drama that reached 30k can be considered a super popular and successful drama.

Btw about the ending...I actually have high hopes!! We already know Novel is a HE and having watched 3 of the Director's old works which are mini cdrama but very well made (Familiar Stranger, Provoke & Butterflied Lover) with happy endings I think we are in good hands here!! I really hope they break the SE/Open ending streak!!

Familiar Stranger and Butterflied lover actually! Both are great mini cdrama! Even tho I usually don't invest in those this director made me >< I am glad to see him work with bigger productions now!!

Btw seeing Xia Zhi Guang here after watching him in The Spirealm and knowing he is booked and busy now makes me so happy >< I am also enjoying his monk/childhood friend/strategist character here a lot! Cannot wait to see what more he has in store for us!

Most gripping drama I have seen in a while!! I am a big sucker for this genre of cdrama I must say ><
Btw after watching the ep 12-13 teasers, it seems we are up for more angst and tension. There is not one dull moment in this show, and the pace is truly exceptional, too!! I cannot wait for our couple to marry and become a formidable duo!! Based on the current timeline's events and that of the novel's I think we can expect their marriage around ep19-20 ^^

Now some speculations and observations from the eps we've seen so far:
It's already evident how FL's new choices have started to change the future (for the better) and on today's ep we even got to confirm that Ji Yong(monk) has also retained his memories...But unlike our FL he doesn't seem to care much about it and only focuses on his target...This makes me worry about him clashing with our main couple in the future...
As for the emperor covering Duke Ding's case, it really makes me think the suspect could be either one of the princes (probs Prince Qing) or the empress...? It would also make for a nice twist knowing how our ML was misled, used, and betrayed by Prince Qing in the previous life to avenge his uncle only to find out it was them who did it...

I started this drama with zero expectations after being in a cdrama drought for a while (I didn't seem to like any currently airing ones), and yet this has been so gripping from episode 1!! I love this!! I just hope it can keep its strong beginning to the end!!

thanks i will check it out!