CNKRDramaFan

2 things to point out:
1- There's a major significance to the statue Mrs Chunyu gave the Princess Ruyang
2- The queen is going to play a very big role in CSS's life. And the cause is episode 24. It surprised me the level of loyalty that CSS had towards the queen, but after episode 24 in the drama I can see it clearly. To put in context : CSS will go learn etiquette and manners in the palace, while there the queen will treat her like she is her daughter and will give the affection and acceptance she never got from her own mother. And even the king and Consort Yue will be nice to her and she will bicker and bully some of the princes (5th prince I am aiming at you). When the whole debacle with LBY happens the queen and the Crown Prince will be demoted as a result ( LBY will use the CP's token to mobilize the Eastern Palace's troops to kill Ling Yi and his followers). As a result the queen will push CSS to cancel the engagement. CSS goes back home and gets very sick, the doctor told the family to get ready for her funeral, She survives and finds out that the queen was demoted and has locked hersel in Yongge palace. She sends a message to the 3rd prince saying she wants to get into the palace to see the queen, he takes her and she tells the queen that she has nowhere to go and she can only rely upon her (The queen was depressed and would not see anyone or get out of bed) So the queen agreed for CSS to stay and the king and Yue Niangniang are actually happy that she would take care of the queen cause they were feeling guilty. So CSS spent 5 years on lock down with the queen pretty much. After 5 years the queen told CSS she wanted to see her get married before she dies, so CSS asked 2 of the princes to marry her but they refused. Then meanwhile YS had gone to see CSS all the time and was spreading rumors about her being mean so other man wouldn't try to propose to her. In the book YS was engaged to someone else and broke the engagement in order to marry CSS. CSS gets engaged to YS and the queen asks for LBY to come back cause she wants to see him before she dies.

I agree, I think we will get part 2 as early as August 2nd or around August 9-10. I was looking at other dramas with part 1-2 and normally it's 5-10 days after 1 part ends the other starts.

While waiting for new episodes I have rewatched:
Story of Yanxi Palace
The long Ballad

She is a kid(only 15) I think in the whole drama, the only times I saw CSS acting like a kid was at the Lantern festival and at the palace, everywhere else she is on self preservation mode or acting as an adult

I died of laughter 😃 when I read your comment because I can understand the frustration the parents felt but as a kid whose mother also demeaned and mistreated growing up I totally relate to CSS. Noone is bad or good in this situation both are guilty in some way. And I agree with what CSS said in episode 24 near the end: her pride and self esteem were trampled on by her mother and she just wants to live with dignity, she also understood that she had been resentful and not filial and that they were even. I thought that was one of the most mature conversations she has had with her parents. But XY is too proud and if she had at least apologized like the father did, I think it would have brought some closure to CSS.

Actually LBY is more protective of her, and will be just as generous as A'Yao. I think the difference is that there will be more balance in the relationship between CSS and LBY, because he really understands her. LY I felt was a step down for CSS, he was too naive, too much of a coward. I really hated that he wanted CSS to take responsibility for things like when they went to meet He Zhaoyun. Also, he never really stood up for her even when his family was bullying her. I am sorry I understand why CSS chose him, but he was not the right guy for her. Also there was no physical chemistry between CSS and LY, like when they were reading the couples books and she threw them away, because that was not what she looked forward to with him. Meanwhile, with LBY they will have a different level of relationship, some of the scenes in the book were hot, to the point in 2 occasions she said they had to wait for the wedding. Plus she really fell head over heels for LBY.

Not really is because he deployed the army without permission. His revenge was understood.

Agreed, i tried Immortal Samsara as well but I can't, I need an injection of LBY and CSS. So I am going to read the book again starting from the proposal and I will rewatch episodes 1,6,8,9,12,16,20-24.

The first meeting. When he defended her at Princess Yuchang's birthday. The horse and under the bridge scene, and when he helped her get back at the mean girls and smiled at her. When he escorted her through the city gates. " Don't be afraid, I am here" scenes in ep 12 and 20. Also, when they are rehearsing the lie at the hunting grounds. When he defended her in front of He Zhaoyun.
But my all time favorite was the proposal, when he said " I didn't know how wonderful I was in your eyes, the same you don't know that in my eyes, Cheng Shaoshang is the best lady in the capital, and in the world" .I have rewatched all those scenes like dozens of times.

He is not going to get engaged. Just pretend they are together. But in reality he wi ll. only be with CSS. Actually he just ignores LJT ,

They did not change that. Both ZL and WL did a little clip explaining their character and it is shown in CSS's

The Rebel Princess is on my top 10 list of dramas to rewatch. I just want good acting, I personally don't like historical dramas with young kids all the time, They could have casted a younger actrees for the first 6 episodes but it would not change the fact that she was 15 marrying an older general.

There is an alternate novel ending published last year. I think you need to wait. Part 1 is not even over.

Again, he does not get engaged to her. The emperor said he would arrange an engagement between him and LJT when CSS got engaged to YS.
1- Marquis Cui went with LBY to the border and on all his letters to the king he mentioned that LJT was taking care og LBY.
2- LJT saved Liang Qiufei, and so LBY let her be.
3- He was exiled for 7 years, CSS had broken the engagement, he wanted her to be happy, and he knew most likely she would get engaged to YS.
4- I don't know how it's going to be in the drama but the book is clear LBY did not want to get married ever, and so he pretended to be with LJT so the king would not ask him to marry anyone else and he knew he would not marry her because she was a murderer.

Nope, Part 1 end before she goes to the palace. They were engaged for a year or so before he goes bazurk. That will only happen until mid part 2, there is like over 70 episodes in the novel between episode 25 and 27. In the preview you can see there is still a lot to be covered before the killing of the Ling clan, son not before episode 15 of part 2.

Lby willl not engaged to Lou Jitong she is just a hangers-on that took care of him while he was wounded and tried her best to get him to marry her, more like a housekeeper or maid that took care of his daily needs. However, LBY just pretends to like her ( In reality he despises her ) because he wanted the emperor and crown prince to leave him alone.. Plus that woman Lou Jitong killed her maid and husband and LBY knew about it. The emperor said he would have him marry her but there was no official engagement. She actually visited CSS trying to get her to speak to LBY on her behalf.

She is not self centered if she was, she would have refused and to hell with everyone. She had no choice for her self esteem, for her pride, for her parents and family 's future she could not refuse. In this case she is going with the lesser of 2 evils. Either accept the marriage or refuse and her family would loose their position and status. It would not only affect her parents but the whole Cheng family. Also, her mother was wrong in the way she demeaned her in front of everyone. As for LBY this is the only way he could get a positive answer. His position makes it nearly impossible for him to court her and her parents and his "family" would not have agreed to the marriage. On the contrary his family would blackmail him into marrying the princess first and then making CSS his concubine.

The banquet itself was part of the novel, however XY did not get to object to the wedding in the novel, actually she had agreed with her husband that they would wait at least 2 months before accepting any engagement. But they were called to the palace and CSS 's dad could not say no to the king. Xiao Yuanyi in the novel is more tamed. And CSS was told she was engaged when LBY sat her next to him after the scene with the 5th princess and he announced to the collective that they were engaged. I feel that they made it so she could accept and fall in love with him quickly or at least open up to him , cause that was a big issue in the book for her to actually be more loving towards him.

Actually this was added to script was not in the original novel. Originally CSS was just presented with the fact that she was engaged and her mom did not have anything to say about it because it was decreed by the emperor and her father just agreed. But aside from that, LBY needed to stand up to CSS's mom verbally demeaning her daughter in front of everyone. I understand that this is not the "norm" however it was a pivotal point towards getting the answer he wanted from CSS. Also all the sass was added. Not in original novel

Agree, hide the big shame away and find a general for Yang Yang