Good Grief

The story itself depicts the complexity of these dynasties' history. And the comments on this thread complete it with praiseworthy veracity accentuated with commendable links.

So, I want to be superficial about these 20 episodes and list what I love :
the sound track - I don't have enough of it, generally soundtracks keep me invested by watching a Cdrama
the horses - there is something captivating about the horses, I freeze my screen when they appear
the wardrobe - I praise the wardrobe department, it's arts
the actors' diction - give the impression of being right at the warrior camps, the actors surely had diction courses
the gestures, body language - the feel of that era is so real
the choice of actors for each character - I am impressed by the casting department
the uniqueness - I cannot compare with other Cdramas as for this genre there are also impressive filming. Still here extra effort was made.
the last but not the least the veteran actors - if they were not casted, I wouldn't watch it.

I am in the mood for a serious drama, very excitedt to watch this one.

I am definitely looking things up and am going to do some reading - I love history and I have realized just how lacking my knowledge is.

There is just too much information and it was a super chaotic time in history. I find looking up some historical references/figures helps in following the narrative.😅

I think it definitely got lost in translation. They did give the background, but there wasn't enough there to connect the dots to current events and figure out why the emperor went mad, at least not for me. But then I basically have no knowledge of the relevant historical events. The way you lay it out, it is very clear, so thank you.

Yeah it was a pretty chaotic period of history and to be fair to the drama, it is all laid out in dialogue although I am not sure how much of it got lost in translation or the sheer confusion of so many important characters. The drama intro which is always the most important in setting the context already states the founding emperor ceded the 18 territories of Yan and Yun to Khitan in exchange for their support in defeating Later Tang and securing the throne. He was mocked and shamed for that and bore the ignominious title of Son Emperor. Sang Weihan advised the first emperor in this matter and he speaks of it with great regret and shame for what will be his forever historical legacy but at the time saw it as the only way to restore peace to the Central Plains. So the ceding of those territories was always a sore point with the court and people of Later Jin so when the emperor's nephew Shi Chonggui ascended the throne, he decided to take it back. It was an unwise decision and he did it despite advice that the time was not ripe to take back what was theirs. That is also why the Khitans called him Marquis of Betrayal for going back on his uncle's word. Arguably he could have won if Du Chongwei and Zhang Yanze had not betrayed him in his third battle with the Khitans. I think the drama for budget reasons (and bc they are boring unless there was some brilliant battle strategy at play) decided to skip the war scenes and narrated it in the dialogue. But it was actually all there though it may not have been fully captured in the translation.

What also may not have come across is Du Chongwei, who is still a threat was Shi Jingtang's brother-in-law and Shi Chonggui's uncle. That's why his betrayal to Khitan was so unexpected and diabolical. I guess he also decided he is as qualified to succeed to the throne as his nephew by marriage.

I don't disagree that it's a glaring flaw, but at this point it kind of is what it is. Those who want to find the answers will find them. Goodness knows this isn't the first cdrama chopped to pieces in editing nor will it be the last I am sure. That's what you get with censorship.

Well, this drama is not aimed at foreign viewers. It's primarily for domestic consumption where some surface-level knowledge of history is expected (although I have no idea how well they teach history in Chinese schools). Ultimately, this is entertainment, not educational programming. So far. I am pleasantly surprised by lack of propaganda.

For such a complicated historical drama cutting scenes out is a terrible decision. It makes viewers confused. Viewers are supposed to understand the story (I’m sure not all Chinese know this history, especially younger generations).

There is a discussion on Reddit that is quite helpful and filled the gaps for me as my knowledge of the history of that period is very limited. It is shown in the drama that he wanted to reconquer lost provinces from the Khitan. Apparently, he initially did quite well and won two battles, but then one of his key generals betrayed him and defected to the Khitan and he decisively lost the final battle (I am not sure if this is the same general that Lord Feng does not want to become the emperor). This kind of explains why the emperor went mad and just gave up, while the drama just makes him look like a fool (the theory on Reddit seems to be that some of this storyline was censored out).

I'm still catching up on this - can't fast forward this show for sure, the dialogue is so dense. And I can listen to Lord Feng speak for hours - such a captivating performance.

I get why this drama is not getting the noise it deserves. This is like serious drama that you need to pay attention to. Not the type that you can have on while scrolling douyin 😅 😅

technically count it, she probably play 5-6
1. Cha Mu-Hee
2. Cha Mu-Hee playing as Do Rami from Quiet Woman
3. Do Rami the hate comment
4. Do Rami the impulsive
5. Cha Mu-Hee pretending as Do Rami the Impulsive
6. Cha Mu-Hee's mother.

you obviously dont know what a paedophile is😂

It was great. 💗
i enjoyed it.
it was not unbearable as some comments potray
watch it. dont hesitate