Freefoxx

In the drama (and history), both Du and Zhang betrayed the "southern court" to side with the Khitan. The Khitan emperor sent Zhang ahead of his main army with a joint Khitan and Chinese force to approach the capital. The "vanguard" essentially. I don't know if Zhang was actually trying to become emperor in history, but Du certainly was.

I think Bai Yu will be a better fit for the older version of the character. Zhu Yawen doesn't match his character's age but he better matches his energy, conveying a headstrong younger man getting tempered by a hard world.

I agree with this. I actually thought the scene was strong dramatically (like if this were a purely fictional drama, it would have been excellent) but from a narrative standpoint, I agree that twisting the capital plotlines around Hongchu are a week point. I'm guessing this will set the stage for a more complex relationship with Guo Rong/Zhao Kuangyin in the future so it will probably pay off narratively, but I agree that it's a bit "off."

On the whole, though, I think the drama is enjoyable to watch, and it's doing a good job of rendering very convoluted and fast-paced historical events into a coherent plot.

Likely a reference to Jing Yanguang (景延廣), the top military official at the end of Shi Jingtang's reign. He hasn't appeared on-screen to my knowledge.

I think we're supposed to assume that some of the "high politics" in the Capital/Central Plains arc, especially in the first few episodes, is occurring off-screen. We're only seeing those interactions that our main characters (and Zhao Kuangyin's father) are privy to, and they aren't that important (yet) in the grand scheme of things.

Thank you!

Anyone know where to watch? Neither of the listed options seem to work (international viewer fwiw)

Whatever you think of this drama, IMHO it delivers one of the most moving scenes in cdramaland - the close of Yu Qian's story, as he realizes that the people he saved understand exactly who he is and what he did for them, all framed by Ruowei inscribing her lament on the painting of Wen Tianxiang. It's a powerful scene, and handled very well by the actors. This is at times an uneven drama, but where it succeeds - as in this scene - it succeeds greatly.

Loving this drama! Does anyone know with the setting and costumes, if they are early Tang or later Tang? They seem very authentic and that plus the filming style really adds to this show's appeal to me.

This is an extremely good drama and has aged surprisingly well. Really great performances, the political intrigue is captivating, and you actually get invested in the characters. I suspect the portrayal of Yongzheng is a bit kinder than history would justify but it's a fun watch.

I agree that it's an excellent drama. I'm still partial to season 1 just because of the amazing worldbuilding and how expansive the whole series is. But this season is, at least to me, a perfect sequel and fleshes a lot of things out.

Thanks! Yeah, that's what I was sensing too - big-time jealousy against YQM and this makes sense. She probably knew the emperor forever and hated the "outsider"

Been awhile since I watched S1 and I can't remember if this was made clear. What is the Eldest Princess's relationship to the emperor? Like an adopted sister or something?

I love Chen Daoming's acting in this drama, until the emperor genuinely gets angry (like in the scene with the empress) you can never tell if he really means what he's saying, whether he's being callous, menacing, charming, or friendly, or whether he actually cares at all about FX or not. Supposed to be an unpredictable/hard to read character and he really sells it.

Character being given the third degree by Judge Dee: "Are you an official or a villain?"
Judge Dee: "When I meet an official, I'm an official. When I meet a villain, I kill a villain."

Possibly my favorite C-drama line thus far lol

I thought she only found out because she overheard her father, but I might have missed something before that.

This drama is actually very good. Way better than these ratings suggest. The mystery plot is actually quite intelligent and if anything has taken on more complexity as the drama has gone on. Sure, some of the "cat" CGI is not top-tier but other than that, the acting is very watchable and the sets are solid. Certainly an above-average drama and deserves better ratings.

He's a very well-developed character. Grief can make people very irrational and this is shown well here. As maddening as he is when shown plotting, you can also understand that, from his perspective, the court has done nothing but wreck his family and social standing, leaving him with nothing but the ability to take revenge.

Ep 27 was great but I had to laugh at the bad English subtitles when the traitor guy yells something translated as "Emperor, you jerk!" after just murdering his son and betraying the empire lol

Totally agree. Even where it deviates from the original history or lingers too long on the politics, I still enjoy watching it because of the good acting and overall quality. Ep 27 was really good.

Total spoiler but I looked this up and at least in the real history, they survived, the coup was defeated, and Jang (the funny guy lol) became the minister of finance