So, I tried the initial chapters of the novel and I laughed more than I should have after reading how Wu Zhen describes the relationship dynamic between the Emperor, Empress, and Mei Guifei, especially after watching the drama version of it.
----------------- "When Wu Zhen arrived, Empress Wu had just woken from her afternoon nap and was sitting on her couch, wearily rubbing her forehead. Consort Mei, who had been sitting beside her, rose and stood behind her, gently massaging her temples to ease her headache."
"Wu Zhen sat at the lower seat, observing the deep affection between her imperial sister and Consort Mei. Though not for the first time, she couldn’t help but feel that every time she saw these two so intimately together, the jade crown on the emperor’s head seemed to grow even more emerald green." -----------------
For those unfamiliar with the expression, "wearing a green hat" = cuckold. Apparently, Mei Guifei shows her tender side only towards the Empress, not even towards the Emperor lmao. I'm sooo looking forward to more of their scenes in the drama. 😂
Did they turn this into a detective drama?? The novel has investigating about 30% of the plot, 70% rom-com.
Nah, it's not investigation heavy so far (ep5). There're tons of interaction between the leads and quite enjoyable. Better watch it by yourself and judge imo.
This is seriously one of the most entertaining first 5 episodes of a drama I've watched in a while. Characters, story, styling, production... everything is sooo fine.
Also, TXW's noona aura is so strong. Really love her line delivery as well, it's just captivating. 😍
The novel’s English title on Novelupdates is The Daily Life of Mei Furen Doting on Her Husband. It also seems…
I'm planning to read it after finishing the drama. This one I wanted to watch the drama first because of TXW. And she's looking so fire in the drama. 😍😍
I didn't expect I would enjoy it this much. This drama deserves way higher than 8.2. Speical effects were just so so, but that's not the focus of this drama either. It's the story, how it was presented, and the stellar performance of the leads that really stood out.
I watched this show for Bailu and Hua Ruyue is easily one of her top performances. I was not expecting to cry when I started this drama, and my gosh, I cried along with Bailu till my eyes puff.
That’s the flaw in the drama. In the novel, they’ve been students only for 1 year, when she was 14-15 and…
To top it off, in the novel, He Yan was transmigrated into a different girl's body after her death. So, when she reunited with Xiao Jue after she enlisted into his army, she's of total different apperance, voice, and everything. It took Xiao Jue tons of clues to figure out who He Yan really is.
These rebirth plots are such a pain for adaptation tbh. You are basically taking apart a well linked plot and rebuild it just to fit with the censorship. Just like this drama, what originally worked in the source material no longer works that well.
That flute playing was indeed weird, totally Didn't match with the vibe of those scenes.Monologue, okay.but him…
May be they wanted to evoke those scenes from other movies and dramas where some generals or MC playing qin atop the city wall while facing the enemy army.
But, Chu Zhao's felt totally out of place without any rhyme or reason to what's happening down below...
To all the novel readers how would you rate 1) the novel, 2) the adaptation, on a scale from 1 to 10?
For me,
Novel 10 Drama 7
Too much were lost in the adaptation process. I'm not talking about the changes the drama made, I'm cool with those. More like the characters are not flesh out at all in the drama, like the drama just didn't have enough space at all for proper character building.
I bawled at Yan He and his wife's story...But, I don't think we'll see much of that portion of the story in the…
Yan He is a major character for the final arc, so he'll be there. But, I guess they may not go into details about his family due to episode constraint.. even right now the drama is cutting out a lot of things and speeding through the main story.
I completely agree , that's why I was thinking if I would have enjoyed drama much more if for not already read…
Oh, don't look far. I dread the day Malicious Empress (another novel of same author as this one) is finally adapted into drama. It will be hell everywhere the day it airs.
To climb her career ladder. For a soilder from commoner background like her to move up, she needs to accumulate…
The drama skim through how Xiao Jue reclaimed the glory for the Xiao army.
Remember how Xiao Jue was given no soilder to fight the war? It was briefly mentioned that Xiao Jue flood a whole city to wipe out the entire enemy army and won that war. His prestige was recovered after that and now Xu Jingfu is very wary of Xiao Jue, trying to sabotage the Xiao army again.
Without those achievements and a good standing with the Emperor, how would he regain the capability to conscript and raise an army.
I bawled at Yan He and his wife's story...But, I don't think we'll see much of that portion of the story in the…
Yes, Yan He is their classmates and also a General at current point of the story.
If I recall correctly, Yan He loves his wife a lot, basically henpecked. At the final arc of the story, wars broke out at the border at multiple locations. All the available generals had to set out to different places, and Yan He was leading one of those armies. He got poisoned during one of the clashes but led his army despite it, which worsen his condition and ultimately succumbed.
At the same time at the capital, Yan He's wife was diagnosed as pregnant. But, once the war settled, what awaited her was the news of her husband death. Afterwards, she didn't remarry and raise their son alone. Until her death bed in her old age, she's still reminiscing of her husband.
The extra chapter of their story is just so poignant and broke the readers heart.
-----------------
"When Wu Zhen arrived, Empress Wu had just woken from her afternoon nap and was sitting on her couch, wearily rubbing her forehead. Consort Mei, who had been sitting beside her, rose and stood behind her, gently massaging her temples to ease her headache."
"Wu Zhen sat at the lower seat, observing the deep affection between her imperial sister and Consort Mei. Though not for the first time, she couldn’t help but feel that every time she saw these two so intimately together, the jade crown on the emperor’s head seemed to grow even more emerald green."
-----------------
For those unfamiliar with the expression, "wearing a green hat" = cuckold. Apparently, Mei Guifei shows her tender side only towards the Empress, not even towards the Emperor lmao. I'm sooo looking forward to more of their scenes in the drama. 😂
Also, TXW's noona aura is so strong. Really love her line delivery as well, it's just captivating. 😍
I watched this show for Bailu and Hua Ruyue is easily one of her top performances. I was not expecting to cry when I started this drama, and my gosh, I cried along with Bailu till my eyes puff.
These rebirth plots are such a pain for adaptation tbh. You are basically taking apart a well linked plot and rebuild it just to fit with the censorship. Just like this drama, what originally worked in the source material no longer works that well.
But, Chu Zhao's felt totally out of place without any rhyme or reason to what's happening down below...
Novel 10
Drama 7
Too much were lost in the adaptation process. I'm not talking about the changes the drama made, I'm cool with those. More like the characters are not flesh out at all in the drama, like the drama just didn't have enough space at all for proper character building.
Remember how Xiao Jue was given no soilder to fight the war? It was briefly mentioned that Xiao Jue flood a whole city to wipe out the entire enemy army and won that war. His prestige was recovered after that and now Xu Jingfu is very wary of Xiao Jue, trying to sabotage the Xiao army again.
Without those achievements and a good standing with the Emperor, how would he regain the capability to conscript and raise an army.
If I recall correctly, Yan He loves his wife a lot, basically henpecked. At the final arc of the story, wars broke out at the border at multiple locations. All the available generals had to set out to different places, and Yan He was leading one of those armies. He got poisoned during one of the clashes but led his army despite it, which worsen his condition and ultimately succumbed.
At the same time at the capital, Yan He's wife was diagnosed as pregnant. But, once the war settled, what awaited her was the news of her husband death. Afterwards, she didn't remarry and raise their son alone. Until her death bed in her old age, she's still reminiscing of her husband.
The extra chapter of their story is just so poignant and broke the readers heart.