Italophilia

Yay, our second couple finally gets together

I think they'll do well together even thought it started as a childhood crush for Zao. He'll be great for Mao Mao esp. after that prick of an ex-husband.Our main couple's romance wants to take off, but keeps getting hampered. Even their fishing trip seems to be getting extra people...Ugh.

Could not stop laughing

Ha Ni closes her eyes as she gets the needle closer to the vein. OMG, so funny. Seung Jo was so brave to volunteer for her to practice on. His poor arm.

Courage

ML finally had the courage to confess but he takes it back. Lame. FL at least gets the clue because she's been unaware of his feelings. Maybe this is the start we've been waiting for, for them to truly start trusting each other and develop their feelings.

Heartbreaking

This was an intense episode. Heartbreaking for Hua Zhi, Shaoyao and the grandkids who will grow up without the loving care of their grandmother.

FL's Mother still hasn't learned boundaries

I understand that she means well, but her daughter moved out because the Mother didn't respect boundaries. Ep 16 with that fiasco of an engagement party was the last straw for FL. But now, the Mother is again butting in and putting at risk FL's relationship with her staff. It's infuriating.

That was unexpected

Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention, but I cried buckets because I wasn't prepared. And with that ending, I don't think Yao ZhiMing was prepared either. I thought Nǎinai would do a 50-50 split since Zhiming kept saying ChengHuan could oversee him.

My suspicions came true

I had suspected the culprit from the start but couldn't fathom the reasoning behind it. What a convoluted way to think, that someone's death would solve problems for someone else. That's palace intrigue for you. So much pain for Shaoyao and Yanxi.What's been surprising is that even with the reveal that YanXi works for the government's scary bureau, Hua Zhi still trusts YanXi. I guess she has gotten to know him well enough, or is she being naive?

Humility, it's what ML needs to learn

FL has had hardships because of poverty but grew up in a loving family even though her Mom expresses it in an annoying way. ML had privilege but grew up distant, closed-off and is a good trouble-shooter. They have a lot to learn for each other, which Grandmother seems to realize already.

Remarkable FL

FL's travels with her grandfather broadened her outlook and the dividends are paying, but she has a long way to go to earn her family's freedom. Now, people are waiting to take advantage of them. I don't trust their former guardians who abandoned them when they were at their lowest.

Best episode ever

The NC scene, the talk that came 10 years too late, the saved bunny and tiger, the rescued pup. So many emotions.

A clue

We get an inkling that they had feelings for each other even as far back as high school, but neither wanted to confess first. It's a difficult situation. Things drastically change between friends when there's a love confession and it's one-sided. And even when there's mutual feelings, you start asking:Should I preserve the friendship and not act on these feelings, or do I take the leap and potentially have the relationship progress to the next level (an even closer relationship)?There's no easy answer, and both of them keep avoiding addressing the elephant in the room.

Wow, their game of deadly chess kept me on pins and needles

That last scene was a little too much angst. Jwasang Seok Ji-sung is a heartless power-hungry official who would sacrifice his own son just so he would not be implicated by his past schemes. It was hard to watch.

So many political intrigues

Poison. It's always poison. I guess it was harder to track in those days, so it was more widely used esp. since it didn't leave tell-tale signed like blood. But an autopsy would reveal certain signs if the one performing it has a discerning eye.

Delulu much

Wow, I'm noticing an underlying theme here. If the object of your affection doesn't love you back, just create an alternative reality that fits your delusions. Both Liu Cheng Feng and Gu Wan Niang are doing exactly when faced with the truth.

More political scheming

And I trusted Minister Gu, the scheming b*st*rd. Besides General Pei and his son, maybe there really isn't anyone to trust. And why would the court trust an enemy giving "proof" against General Cui, who has served the Empire faithfully for decades!?! It just doesn't make sense. The court is so easily manipulated with this puppet of an emperor and the ministers with their own evil agenda.