So the stepmother framed DZ with the bloody cloth. And WS claimed it was his. And he was beaten and later being…
Dou 5th Uncle set up a trap for Minister Wu. When Wu Shan admitted the bloody cloth was his to save Dou Zhao, he was guilty of breaking into inner court (ladies quarter) of their household and seduce Dou Zhao who at that time was an engaged lady.
That is basically a ploy to put Wu Shan into prison. Once in prison, they can fabricate any lies to charge Wu Shan. That forced Minister Wu hand to save his grandson and step down from his position, which was Dou 5th Uncle's goal all along.
Why does the FL keep saying that marriage is determined by elders and not fight back? She made all this effort…
She's just being strategic. She actually got everything thought out in all her actions, and her being submissive to her 5th Uncle and stepmom was just part of her plan.
She didn't need anyone's support to break off her engagement with WTY. She even got mad at Ji Yong and prevented Song Mo from meddling with her affair, as they are actually interfering with her plan.
Even if the switcheroo thing didn't happen, she already had a plan to escape. It was mentioned in ep16.
Dou Zhao had shown such a strong personality throughout the story. Why would she become indecisive at this crucial point which she had been planning for more than a decade.
Dou Zhao and Dou Min: In the novel, the relationship between DZ and DM is very strained, and they do not associate…
I don't mind the DM's changes. I can accept her as a kind and naive younger sister who encountered misfortune with her marriage. The drama seems to be going in that direction too.
I don't know how to feel about Wang Yinxue though... how much further is she gonna involve? If it stops with the bandit incident, may be not bad, still acceptable. Otherwise, she doesn't have the capacity to involve further in the later major plots.
For now, I'm guessing they will put heavy focus on the last part of the story. All the Duke Ying household power struggle might be toned down a bit.
Ep 20, 21 - That's a ton of changes compared to the novel, and the plot is moving blazing fast too. Feels like there's a none zero chance that we might even be getting drama original plots as well?
If interested, I put a comparison of the major differences for todays' episodes in the comment.
Ep 20, 21 - That's a ton of changes compared to the novel, and the plot is moving blazing fast too. Feels like…
Dou Zhao and Dou Min: In the novel, the relationship between DZ and DM is very strained, and they do not associate at all in the novel. Hence, by extension, SM never cares about WTY as well. In the drama, DZ gets involved in DM's affairs, which implies DM's story might be changed.
DM's miscarriage: This happens quite further into the story in the novel, and it happens at the same time as DZ's pregnancy. In the drama, this incident was moved way forward.
Wang Yinxue: Her role seems elevated in the second half of the drama's story compared to the novel. In the novel, she has minimal involvement in the later half of the story.
I have a question can someone help me 🤯 Song Mo captured his father, gave up on any filial bond and cut ties…
SM lives in a separate household after that, which is however still next to the Duke's main household. These will likely be explained in details in the upcoming episodes.
I have my fingers crossed that Song Han is good and he pairs up with An Su. That was an adorable first meeting…
If Song Han follows his novel counterpart, I'm already feeling sad for Miao Ansu as she was introduced since early part of the drama, and I love her as she's so adorable and good to Dou Zhao.
In the novel, Miao Ansu appears way later into the story as Song Han's bride from the country side. So, her relationship with Dou Zhao was that of sisters-in-law only.
1 
That is basically a ploy to put Wu Shan into prison. Once in prison, they can fabricate any lies to charge Wu Shan. That forced Minister Wu hand to save his grandson and step down from his position, which was Dou 5th Uncle's goal all along.
She didn't need anyone's support to break off her engagement with WTY. She even got mad at Ji Yong and prevented Song Mo from meddling with her affair, as they are actually interfering with her plan.
Even if the switcheroo thing didn't happen, she already had a plan to escape. It was mentioned in ep16.
Dou Zhao had shown such a strong personality throughout the story. Why would she become indecisive at this crucial point which she had been planning for more than a decade.
There are a lot of other areas (like authority, wealth, connections, etc.) where ML straight out beat WTY, but basically, ML is miles above WTY.
But, In the novel, her involvement is minimal in the later half of the story. She doesn't get better as well.
I don't know how to feel about Wang Yinxue though... how much further is she gonna involve? If it stops with the bandit incident, may be not bad, still acceptable. Otherwise, she doesn't have the capacity to involve further in the later major plots.
For now, I'm guessing they will put heavy focus on the last part of the story. All the Duke Ying household power struggle might be toned down a bit.
If interested, I put a comparison of the major differences for todays' episodes in the comment.
DM's miscarriage: This happens quite further into the story in the novel, and it happens at the same time as DZ's pregnancy. In the drama, this incident was moved way forward.
Wang Yinxue: Her role seems elevated in the second half of the drama's story compared to the novel. In the novel, she has minimal involvement in the later half of the story.
You only need to read around 250 chapters that way.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong though, recalling from the top of my head.
In the novel, Miao Ansu appears way later into the story as Song Han's bride from the country side. So, her relationship with Dou Zhao was that of sisters-in-law only.
Can't wait to actually watch it in the drama. Would only get better with the context, music, and full sequence.