CKDramaddicts

Exactly! And that first scene with the 5th prince! He was so obnoxious with rating the potential marriage candidates and fixated and judgy about their looks, etc. And he turned out to be one of my favourites and just ridiculously adorkable. And Hao Jia totally gave me the vibe that she might be the typical good-turned-bad villain who could betray her friends in order to stay in the good graces of the 2nd prince, and instead, I loved her constant bravery and loyalty throughout.

It's so rare to come across a drama that keeps bucking all the traditional tropes, where the side couples and side characters are just as wonderful, entertaining, and compelling. I absolutely adore so many characters I never thought I could love when they were first introduced to the show.

THIS. SHOW. The way it portrays the incredible sisterhood between all the women and the relationship between the 3rd, 5th, 6th brothers, the way people grow and change (I was dying when Prince An got a taste of his own medicine), all the healthy relationships, the communication! EVERYTHING. Even it's portrayal of pregnancy blues, post-partum depression, and domestic abuse -- things that usually don't "exist" or get a half-episode treatment and it's done. They did a really good job showing abuse is not always physical, not always through yelling, and never just once. But it's ongoing, it's also the manipulation, "chastising", and gaslighting (HJ: "I don't like sour food." 2nd prince: "Yes you do."), etc. -- and often behind a serene, benevolent, yet threathening smile. It really shows how brutality can hide behind a smile. Anyway, this really deserves at least an 8.6+, not an 8.3, and I will be so sad when this show ends.

I was underwhelmed by him in FIYS, but I actually think he is quite good here. He conveys a lot with very subtle expressions and movements. (This is a C drama, so it would never be described/acknowledged this way, but I wondered (especially in the early episodes) if his character is possibly on the milder end of the autism disorder spectrum.)

I usually enjoy hanging out or lurking in the comments section when I'm watching a show, but I've *never* seen one for a drama with so much offensive name calling and just obnoxious rudeness. Obviously not most commenters, but it only takes a few to make this place extremely unpleasant. Anyway, be kinder to each other.

Not that I think she was necessarily rational about it, but I think it reflects how sensitive she is about marriage and divorce. Her father being twice-divorced/three-times married is clearly a sore point for her -- from her personal family experience, from a societal prejudices against divorced families standpoint, and as a career woman trying to get ahead. It also wasn't entirely clear *when* he even introduced her to his mother. Either way, it's also possible she knew how it would end, so she was cutting her losses. Again, not that I agree with the way she handled it (I would HATE not having closure!), but I can rationalize why *she* choose to handle it that way. Also, as much as we would like to think we are marrying the individual, not their family, the reality -- perhaps more so in some cultures than others -- is that family is often inextricable from the individual.

He is pissed for a few reasons. I think initially, it was because he never really got closure from their relationship because she basically left him without a word and didn't give him a chance to tell her that he didn't care about her family background. But now he is also bothered because he thinks she got married to Yang Hua right after they broke up two years ago (which was why he said in the locker room that women were fickle, and that for someone who was so against marriage, she went and got married right after breaking up). I suspect the timing of the marriage also makes him wonder if she cheated on him. That she also has a kid (that's 2.5 years old even!) appears to confirm that she was definitely cheating on him.

For everyone wondering what the ex said in Chinese, he said she was a "坚定的不婚主义者" -- literal translation would be "staunch no marriage activist", but basically he meant that she was someone who was staunchly against marriage.

I normally have absolutely zero tolerance for completely off-the-charts unreasonable parents obsessed with marriage/status/pedigree, etc. but for some reason, they're all hilarious here. I keep finding myself cackling at the rediculous exchanges and the way each party makes the best digs and tries to outwit each other. 😂

I really appreciate the way younger man-older woman K and C-dramas I've watched all tend to do a great job shining a harsh light on the realities of women in the workplace. While this is obviously a global issue, these dramas highlight the particular challenges in many parts of Asia, where there are fewer or no legal recourses for women, so companies don't even try to hide the discrimination, sexism, and misogyny.

It's also a mind blowing double standard to a) expect women to be married in order to move up the corporate ladder and b) be discriminated against if that same family "gets in the way" of their career. Successful women are expected to have it all AND do it all, whereas successful men may be expected to have it all, but they certainly are not expected to do it all when it comes to responsibilities at home.

I don't know if it's the script itself or the editing as a result of authorities (or both), but I find the pacing, editing, tone is all over the place in this drama. Some episodes are really funny and move along, while others are incredibly boring and super draggy -- and I say this as someone who almost never drops a drama and never FF. The entire storyline with the loser brother, BFF/sister-in-law, for example, could be cut or significantly tightened up. The rivalry with Li Dai -- they can't seem to decide whether they want it to be a humourous dynamic or a serious, cutthroat one. The best scenes by far (that makes this drama worth watching) involve Yang Hua and his family, which are laugh-out-loud hilarious.

I actually wondered if it was her way of keeping him safe, not to cause him any trouble or draw too much attention to him. i.e. Keep a low profile in case someone saw him as a threat and schemed against him, or in case someone felt that she was trying to scheme to raise his status or position in the family. Prior to the story that begins in the drama, the prince worked very hard to stay completely under the radar and remain unnoticed. And now that he is making his move, she even cautioned him that he was drawing too much attention. That's purely my interpretation of the drama, and not based on the books/history.

That scene both made me laugh so hard but was also kind of heartbreaking the way he told the weapons that he had to take care of them, coddling them like babies because said she cares for them more than she cares for him. Also, the later scene when he realizes he just isn't cut out for the political games necessary to navigate court life and the look on his face when Shangguan told him he should just be himself.

I also love his character arc in general, because he was so obnoxious in the opening scene when all the princes were "rating" the candidates. I like how they set it up to look like the start of the classic trope of annoying playboy princes competiting against each other only to turn everything on its head.

(And they've done this with pretty much all the classic tropes -- the harems, the relationship between the women, even Hao Jia. I was so worried she was going to change once she married the 2nd brother in order to establish her position and compete with the first wife the way they often do in these dramas, but she has stayed extremely loyal and true to herself even at the expense of her own safety.)

This show is so good at making me laugh and cry at the same time. I love how healthy and positive the relationships are not only between the women, but also the brothers, especially when they work together (except for 2&4 of course).

No problem! Yes, the first prince's mom would be one of the concubines.

The crown prince is the second prince, but he is the first son of the first wife, so he already has a more prestigious status by birth. (But I think in theory, the father can designate whoever he wants as the crown prince, which is why there's always so much palace intrigue and infightingwhen they're trying to secure their position, power and influence?) The ML's biological mom is one of the concubines. Not sure if she even has "official" concubine status though, since the second prince refers to him as "illegitimate".

The new official wife? No. She wants her freedom too, so they agreed to help each other out -- she would help secure his position in court and teach the FL everything she needs to know to become worthy of becoming a future first wife, and he promised to grant a divorce when his position was secured.

The ML just turned 20, so I'm guessing the FL is around 16/17? I think she has shown signs of being smart in her own way with growing vegetables, the creativity with the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, how to get the ML to try new foods, etc. but she is still quite young and inexperienced, which is why she is so clueless in other ways, not to mention cultural differences she is not used to. But she has already proven herself to be a quick study even if she has more to learn. I expect she will become a capable ally as he strengthens his position. The ML made clear early on that he would rely on no-one but himself and didn't need anyone, so I feel like they are setting it up for him to come to depend on her as a capable partner.

It really depends on what you're looking for, I think. There is a little bit of palace intrigue in terms of two of the brothers trying to secure power at court and there is a teeny bit of angst coming up, but for the most part I would consider this a "slice of life" or "family life" type of drama, so there isn't going to be a lot of physical action or melodrama. I'm really enjoying it so far, but maybe "slice of life" doesn't appeal to everyone.

OMG, the happy tears I had in the beginning of Ep 14.😭😭 If this drama can sustain its current quality, it will easily make my list of this year's favourites. ...I just had a thought (please don't hate me 😅), but imagine if Tian Xiwei had played Little Orchid? She is super cute and immensely endearing.