DramaAjumma

It's called shifting alliances so there are no fixed factions in this situation. People change friends/allies like they change socks and underwear. People align themselves with various royals according to the need of the moment. This is the case because most people here are opportunistic. There are people who are playing more than one side for a longer game. Most do what they have to do in the name of "survival".

Go Mum!
It was fun watching the current empress manoeuvre her way to making Zijin the new concubine second only to primary consort. I mean why not? If Zijin wants to meddle in palace politics this much, why not have a front row seat and actually have some real power to do some real good especially for the women in the palace. The reality is that Zijin is someone who can't sit still and be a docile palace maid. Already she thinks of herself as some kind of advocate for women's rights so the truth is that the kitchen is already too small for her. Plus her hand will take some time to heal.

To her credit, the empress can see that Zijin would make Zhanji a good wife. She's really not like the others. Plus Zhanji actually likes her. This is a wise mother who knows her son and actually wants the best for the family. From his flower metaphor, she can tell that despite what he says, he is in love with Zijin and that his rejection of her is in effect an indication of how much he loves her. She's an intelligent, perceptive woman that has the bigger picture in mind. Besides all that she knows she's doing both of them a favour.

I think Zhanji is a wonderful male lead who wants to show unconditional love to the woman he loves by letting her have her freedom in as much as that's possible. I also think he wants a willing wife that is sincere towards him. He hasn't had much luck in that department. Having said that, neither of them have the luxury of choice in that regard. On a practical level, he needs her more than he realises and if she wants to accomplish her goals, she needs him too. While she's resigned herself to her fate, she also knows that this change in status can be used for good. Reform of any kind is possible and it depends on who calls the shots.

A case in point. After Zijin makes a case in front of the emperor for reversing the verdict on female members of families of those who had committed acts of treason, for example. We have a rare recorded harmonious moment between the emperor and empress afterwards. The emperor has done a lot of good and he actually cares about his subjects but as he says, he can't think of everything. It is up to the people around him to be bold and open-minded enough to broach difficult subjects with him. Those who understand his heart will do it in such a way that will not intimidate or undermine his authority but help him to see that it is really what he wants or consistent with his own broader agenda.

This is one of the things I like about this drama (aside from the food porn and Xu Kai's understated performance) and it's that power is a privilege and a gift to be used responsibly. Talents are bestowed on individuals for the good of many not just for bragging rights. There's an expression in the New Testament -- where much is given, much is expected. That's why I like Zhu Zhanji in general because he doesn't feel bound by his position despite all the external impositions. But he uses his authority to optimize the outcomes in any given situation. With Zijin, because he is in love with her, his normally pragmatic sensibility goes a bit wobbly. He can't or isn't willing to make the same demands on her that he does elsewhere even though he knows deep down that she's absolutely the perfect woman for him in every way.

My husband watches them with me occasionally. Whenever I think something's up his alley.

Thanks with much gratitude. I can get by with my level of Mandarin but when they start quoting classic texts and poetry... it's rough.

I wouldn't mind reading what the writers' explanation was but I don't see how that dog's breakfast of an ending was any kind of fan servicing at all. A real fan service would see the pair and Mdm Jin off travelling the country, Liang Yi and Qiu Yan collaborating on their first book together, getting published and then maybe a pregnancy. I don't need a wedding but at least that would be more logical than what we got instead.

Is this why C dramaland keeps giving us these nonsensical resolutions? Because they think a nasty twist followed by a noble idiocy separation trope is what viewers want in the last 15 minutes of a drama? Really?

This is why I loathe the twist and the noble idiotic follow-up to it because it does open up interpretations of Qiu Yan's character in all kinds of negative directions. I'm not sure why the showrunners didn't understand the cynical ramifications of the ending. I think your conclusion here is quite valid in light of the twist and follow-up.

It is his own voice.

Because there are rules in the palace that has to be abided by. This is 15th century China not a 21st century rom com. Even Zijin knows that. She did what she did knowing the consequences of her actions.
In fact, Zhu Zhanji was already quite forward thinking for his time in some ways.

It's a valid enough interpretation of the writer's intentions but I still don't think it was properly thought through. By trying to make Liang Yi looked like the perfect husband, they made Qiu Yan look terrible.

I liked the ending to the Imperial Coroner. Handsome Siblings was decent. The Longest Day in Chang'an was acceptable and I didn't mind the ending to Nirvana in Fire 1. Miss Truth was okay, Sleuth of Ming Dynasty and Miss S.
This are just the ones I remember at the top of my head.

No problems, I'm the same.

The last couple of episodes were super good as we see Ha-young refining his interrogation techniques on the one hand and spiralling emotionally downwards on the other. I love the spiritual aspects of the show as much as the criminal ones. It's not difficult to see how they are inextricably connected. No decent human being can look at so much evil in the face and come away unaffected.

Kim Nam-gil is superb in the role.

It's a complete red-herring and an unnecessary one at that.

I don't agree with her assessment of the drama either.

With Qiu Min, I thought the green-eyed monster was the culprit behind all the nuttiness. It is what animates many of these so-called second female leads so it's not exactly outside the realm of possibility. And I think that's borne out too by the way Qin Xuan was egging her saying that she would never be as good as Qiu Yan no matter how much she tries. He was pretty much pressing on a nerve there. I think jealousy is a good enough explanation for me but I don't think the show did a good job by placing her in positions of danger in the final act just so she can get her wake-up call.

I generally agree though that Qiu Yan didn't handle Min'er very well especially when they ended up at the brothel.

I'm sure many of us do. I've used the same language myself "bait and switch" in a post last week after Episode 28. I really didn't like what I saw then and thought already that it was a abrupt shift in tone.

This isn't my first C drama outing and I've suffered plenty of bad endings. It's certainly not the worse (talk about low hanging fruit though) but I always lament that a show with so much potential for greatness can be so easily screwed over in the final act or just in the last episode.

I have also seen the Lion's Secret and I know what you're saying. I think it's also the case where the writer/director wanted to go for the childhood connection trope in this particular context without really understanding the implications of how that looks in that kind of trajectory. My problem often is that writers use tropes in the effort of trying to kickstart the narrative or push the narrative forward without thinking through the implications of what that does to characterization and development. I don't pretend to know what goes on in the heads of writers or directors and maybe there are logistical issues at play but that's why time spent on a script and even in the editing room are crucial.

I also have mixed feelings about how the show handled Qiu Min on hindsight. I was happy to overlook some of those writing flaws initially because I was watching the show largely for the leads' romance but also at least for a time it made sense that Qiu Min would go down the dark road. However, there's no doubt the show overdid her shtick especially when in the final act, she was still insecure and clingy until her near death experience. To be honest the show isn't great at explaining things except as an afterthought.

The same thing with the courtesan, Xiao Xiao. I really didn't like what they did with her character at all in the final act.

I think the show should have maintained that lightweight tone that made it an attractive watch in its first two-thirds. Trying to be all dark and gritty in the final act really did a lot of harm to the likeability and integrity of the characters because the show just didn't take into consideration some of the moral implications of using characters to move the story in a particular direction.

I really liked how Zhanji finally opened up to Zijin in Episode 24 after their "cold" war. It was a long time in coming. I'm glad that they sorted out the misunderstanding that she's in love with another guy very quickly. Sometimes it's up to the servants to help things along. :D

Okay he didn't recognize her when they had their first encounter in the present timeline but he wasn't exactly to be blamed for what happened in the past. I have no doubt that Zijin also feels sorry for the present crown prince consort Hu Shanxiang. She only wanted to study medicine but got dragged into the palace fray because of her siblings. I can understand Zijin not wanting to get embroiled with all the palace politics and the baggage between Zhanji and Hu Shanxiang by taking refuge in the kitchen. However the reality is that she can't avoid all of that forever especially because she's so outstanding and so well-liked. Despite the machinations of others, she still managed to come to his attention and he fell for her anyway. I get that she doesn't want to be manipulated or be anybody's puppet as she's been burnt before but I don't think it's entirely up to her. Obviously the narrative is that they're meant to be together because they are both exceptional individuals who can a do lot of good together for the country. He is good at everything. She's good at everything. It seems to be a natural fit. The incident where the emperor is now sending him off to Nanjing is a case in point. He needs a woman who can help him deal with his family issues.

Hu Shanxiang also didn't try that hard at first with Zhanji even when he tried to be thoughtful in those early days. In a way her story is the more tragic one because she doesn't really fit into the milieu and she doesn't have the love or respect of her husband. Of course now that her sister's gone, her life won't get any easier. However, I'm sure she'll soon realise that Zijin is better off being an ally than a rival.

Interesting that you say that because Chen Wu said the opposite. It certainly wasn't the case in the early part of the drama.
The only reason why he's been brooding is because of Zijin. Especially when he thinks that she's in love with some other guy.

I like it. It has something for everyone. Food porn, great set pieces, costumes interesting characters and dynamics.

But you have to watch it with good subs.