DefyingDestiny

1. Ye Yan (the little boy): I started suspecting him of being a spy/saboteur during the Yinzhou arc and suspected him till ep 38😅. He was just a child that found a mentor😂
2. Prince Xian: At first I thought he was swapped, when it looked liked Chen Hou'e could change faces. And then I thought he was the mastermind egging Lai on. And then I thought he was just one of the causes of the Shen case. It turns out he's just an innocent sweetheart that is sidelined by his mother for her favourite child 🤦‍♀️
3. Princess Running: After I stopped suspecting Prince Xian of being the mastermind, I thought she was the mastermind and she was recruiting Princess Yong'an to her evil league 😈 . Nope, just a repented humble royal lady😅
4. Mama Shen: For a very brief moment I thought Shen Du's mother would "come back from the dead"( haven faked her death) and be the mastermind causing chaos to avenge her family. This was my most wacky prediction. I didn't really take it seriously 😬
5. Chui Chui: I thought she would either die or cause Jiang Liang and Marshall Xu's deaths or both. She and JL survive and Marshall Xu's death had nothing to do with her😐. (Once again, Chui Chui I apologise for being a hater🫠)
6. Yun Que: Maybe she was a spy? But I didn't care much either way... Instead she finds love and dies 🤷‍♀️. A very random character.

The plots I did guess correctly:
1. Yong'an would be "innocent"
2. The Dowager Empress would be innocent
3. Concubine Shu would be Lai's mother
4. Lai would not be eligible to take the throne for some reason even if his mother was Concubine Shu.
5. Two characters of our main cast would die for the plot. I had expected Xu and Liang but Xu and Yun Que is not far off.

I had alot of predictions while I watched this and I'm going to laugh at myself below

Completed🌟🌟🌟💕💕💕💕
It was a good time: good intrigue, good performances, good story, good costumes, great fight scenes and fun characters. I absolutely love Shen Du: wonderfully written and perfectly portrayed character. Ding Yu Xi👏👏👏💐💐💐
My Official Rating is 8.5 (But till the page rating goes above 8.0, I'm rating it a 10)

I had a long list of people on my sus list and 😅😅. Like🙈 atleast I called Lai's birth secret

Ep36
Yun Que: I want a big wedding
PDnim: We don't have the budget for that😒

The problem with overturning the Shen case is that it's an open secret that it was an unjust case. And since so many powerful people's interests are intertwined in the injustice, how do "you wake up someone that is pretending to sleep"?
Unless they take the old trusted historical cdrama ending arc trope of "Palace Coup" to thoroughly expose who the villains are or more accurately, who the most villainous is? I don't think anyone would care even if Shen Du brings out all the evidence and proofs.

They have managed to maintain Shen Du's aura even though he is softer and sweeter. He's still looks scary and brutish but now more like a loveable bear 🐻.
My love for Yan Xing has been revived. She's adorable and precious 💖.
Chui Chui😐 I'm sorry I wished bad things on you. I hope you make it out safe😕
Also the intrigue is quite intriguing, I really don't know where this is heading, not because the storytelling is chaotic but because it's a real mystery being played out👏👏👏
With only 6 episodes to go colour me impressed 😁

The continuity person for this drama must be underpaid because they DGAF. The amount of snow on Shen Du's head kept changing from frame to frame. I was tickled silly🤭😅

In as many cdramas that I have watched, the Yan family is the most peaceful family I have ever seen. Husband, Wife, concubine and their children all at peace with each other and know their roles, stations and have their own lives and agency.
This family goes into the hall of fame that the Emperor from Love Like The Galaxy is in as the only non- toxic Emperor.

Did anyone notice the Yan Famly reunion scene in Ep 33 was patched together. I'm guessing Yan Xing and her mother where not available to shoot on the same day and they forget they shot the brother with the mother when her sisters where available😂😂😂. The whole scene is a mess😂😂

Ratings just entered 8.0💃💃💃💃🥳🥳🥳🥳

Lethal Man sort of falls into the incesty category 😅

ILMPTHIAP?

We need to make a list of red flag character / green flag lover ml cdramas:
- Story of Kunning Palace
- Well- Intended love
- Nothing But You
- Love like the galaxy
- Blue Whisper

What other shows can you add?

Only 4000 watchers and 500 raters. Most ratings per age group is between 7.9- 8.3. When more people watch and vote it would likely change.

I just started rewatching The Romance of Tiger and Rose and Han Shuo is like Shen Du as a young adult before he perfected his aura 😂😅🤭😂

She's a nepo baby. She's definitely not smart. And the heart wants what he hear wants, if your hearts wants her to die, please don't judge yourself too harshly😔; almost everyone agrees with you

They haven't explained enough. Too much time was spent in the Yinzhou arc that had almost nothing to do with anything. They introduced and killed multiple characters and plotlines that didn't matter before they went there and after they are back, hasn't changed much.
The plot progress from the Yinzhou arc-
1. The CP got closer
2. Princess marriage decree because Princess Ying needs security.
3. Uncovered truth about the Shen Grain charge
All of this seemed to happen in Ep 29-30; so it didn't need 8 episodes. They should have started fleshing out the final arc and laying ground work for the story resolution.
Unless Princess Yong'an is the ultimate villian, I think we veered into an unnecessary plot too late in the drama.

It is strange and cruel but the royal family tend to mix cruelty and love with duty, so Yan Xing is getting her first taste of it.
It might be the first time I'm seeing a granted marriage being saddled with a second granted marriage without a preluding scandal. They would work it out by giving Yan Xing and the princess equal status, both as equal wives or Yan Xing could be demoted to an exalted concubine. Depending on the egos of the parties involved, the wives mostly kill themselves or get killed to ease the awkwardness and shame.

I was surprised to see my rating was a 7.5 but after reading your comment I guess I was as annoyed as you sound when I finished and rated it😅. I just upped my rating to 8.0 since I have good feelings about it when I think back about it. And I really enjoyed Yang Cai Wei as a character, I enjoyed her portrayal by both actresses and this was my first time watching Jui Jing Yi and I also enjoyed her Cai Wei and Shangguan Zhi.