Hikari Hana

Exactly my sentiment.

If she tells him, he will definitely take revenge on her (or worse, he does everything without giving her a chance to exact her revenge). If I were Shaoshang, why would I tell him when I can do it myself? Isn’t taking revenge sweeter this way?

Somehow, the thought of watching the Empress passing saddens me more than the thought of Ling Buyi abandoning Shaoshang soon.

The worst cliffhanger they gave to us TT_TT

I see your point. The only difference is I never thought those plans she made earlier were well thought out, so this time it gave me no surprise (but still hair-pulling) that she would come up with this plan. When she did something, she always ended up giving herself away, and luckily for her Ling Buyi is always there to help her. If she truly thought things through, she wouldn't expose herself as being the "whistleblower", or got caught having her hands in destroying the bridge. Sure, she did think of a plan and succeeded in executing it but her execution did fall short (as we can see, she got punished for those), and this time is no different. As you said, she overlooked some key elements, with which I agree. She didn't know about the magnetic property of the seal, and she's almost busted.

If we're talking about the importance of the military seal, does she really knows the importance of the military seal (not towards the Empress but for the country's safety)? We, as the viewer with normal upbringing and months if not years into dramaland would understand its significance, but would someone who has been sheltered her whole life know about it?

And if we're talking about the trajectory of her character, something big is yet to happen to her for her character to truly have character development, so let's wait and see.

Can you elaborate more about Shaoshang having common sense? I'd like to hear your opinion about this.

Your insight is wonderful. I enjoyed reading it.

I might add a bit. Despite feeling disappointed (and frustrated) with the latest shenanigan, I feel it is a necessary point for character development. Without having FL regressing (making that fake tally which is a dumb move), she will keep staying as someone easy to manipulate, especially in the palace which is full of snakes. Being green to the way the palace works, she won't know that someone is using her for their advantage, and this plot is essential to let Shaoshang see the palace is no place for simple tricks like what she did with the tally. One wrong calculation and she was almost busted.

But that's what Shaoshang is. The mistake that she made is still within her character. How many times have we seen Shaoshang do something that could make her and her family get killed? Starting with the first time she met Ling Buyi in which she turned her granduncle to him which might cause her family to be labeled as traitors, and then to the bridge incident that might get someone hurt, and this time, making a fake tally which involves national security.

She has always been someone that never consider the repercussion of her action, and it will never change until something really really really bad happens not to her but to the people around her. I'm lenient with how her character develops because Shaoshang is new to the palace and barely understands the way the palace works. I see her life in the palace as a starting point instead of a continuation. She needs to recalibrate her thoughts and emotions in a new environment, so she is bound to make mistakes despite her good intentions.

What is important is how she will move forward from this incident. But I won't put too much expectation on that because Ling Buyi keeps protecting her, and thus she always manages to avoid truly seeing the effect of her actions, and that might give her reason to believe that her past action is right since nothing is happening to her or to the people she wishes to protect.

Every time an episode ends, I always wonder if we're watching a 40-minute episode, because I swear it feels really short!

I was like "FINALLYYYYYY!!!". And oof their entrance, charismatic and powerful!

My respect for her rises tenfold when she berates her brother about fairness. She mentions how the Empress family and Huo family lost so many, and yet she gets to live her life with equal standing as the Empress and with her family intact! That was mindblowing when she put it that way.

You're right. They really need to communicate. But I'm glad the recent incident with the military seal has forced more serious communication between Ling Buyi and Cheng Shaoshang.

I wanted to pull my hair when Shaoshang didn't heed Ling Buyi's warning. But I also understand that Ling Buyi's vague warning won't make someone new to the life of the palace, and who is also new to the way the world works understand. But like Shaoshang, I'm also frustrated at Ling Buyi's vague warning. He should've told her the "how" to navigate life in the palace, not the "what". Shaoshang is the type to build things, so she always sees from the perspective of "how" and "why" things work the way they are. She won't simply accept things as they are!

I love that Ling Buyi truly understands the way she thinks. An eye for an eye—be it to her foe, or to someone who treats her well. That's her charm and Ling Buyi loves that part of her. Instead of forcing her to lay low, he protects her in silence, and she also can do whatever she wants. Ling Buyi would spoil her rotten!

I love that despite Niaoniao yet to realize that she's in love with Ling Buyi, she's quite attentive to Ling Buyi's overall being (his expression, his mood, his health). Somehow, her eyes always find their way towards Ling Buyi, and I found it sweet.

She was! That character has a different aura than Leyan and even Shaoshang.

I'm with Wu Lei on this one. Ling Buyi is charming, but I'm terrified of him! I know once he loves someone, the love is fierce, but he is too controlling and too strict (which reminds me of my dad. P/s: sorry dad!) I want a love interest like Luo Yao, but a love like Ling Buyi's (and with a face like Wu Lei). LOL.

I heard there's also another type of nun--nun with hair (reference from Sword and Brocade, The One and Only). This type of nun is the kind that can revert back to their previous lifestyle if they want. Maybe that's what she goes for? Anyways, even when she shave her hair, Ling Buyi would never spare a thought on her.

Yes, her character as Li Leyan is very impressive. There's strength underneath her slightly meek personality and fragile build. It's not easy to carry such persona.

Her previous cutesy and funny characters suited her (since she's cute), and she did very well, and I understood she got typecasted a lot since she was a newbie at that time. I'm glad she persisted with her decision to act as Leyan. It changed my mind about her completely!

I've watched several of Lusi's dramas but never finished them because of those cute and/or ditzy characters she acted. She changed my mind as Leyan in The Long Ballad, and I'm completely in awe here as Cheng Shaoshang.

No wonder! I thought she looked familiar but couldn't place it. Now that you mentioned it, I finally can put two and two together! She played such as badass phoenix in the Blue Whisper, and here she gives such a gentle and motherly aura. Totally different!

I'm sorry for your experience. Nurture and nature has always been a core in one's growth. But being the rigid, and stubborn that she is, Yuanyi won't probably see the err in her methods.

I agree with your words. If Yuanyi has this sort of thinking, we won't be discussing her right now. But sadly, I think Yuanyi is the type that won't listen to what other people say, and also the type that will only see her mistake after she learns it the hard way; in this case when she sees how Shaoshang changes after living in the palace under the Empress' gentle and understanding nurture.

Agree. If one can watch past the part where the FL acts as a teenager, this drama surely won't disappoint.