KimcheeLover

Love you for that recommendation! 💞 I just binge-watched it in two days lol
You wouldn't happen to have more of those recommendations? 🙈🤭

I think I need to re-evaluate my opinion on short dramas. Some of them are really good, I noticed. Good, well-paced storywriting with some substance and realistic characters, nice music, and most importantly, none of that over-the-top, dramatic acting that made me stay away from them so far. Instead we get realistic acting with a lot less standardised or cut scenes. I hope they keep them coming and that they manage to stay under the radar from the censorship office!

Yes, like @HotGeGesWife said, the OP meant to say that the drama was dropped without much advertisement, announcements, or hype (=fanfare) about it that she/he was aware of. But despite the "silent drop", it already made it onto the list of "new uploaded episodes" on k i s s k h (a website). That list is on the website's home page and works like a banner, hence "front banner".

(I can't see how the OP's English is bad though, correct grammar and everything and nuanced choice of words. Just the missing "kh" after "kiss", which is probably the reason for the confusion.)

By the way, I'm totally with the OP! This show came out of nowhere for me and I'm loving it!! Wonderful acting, screenwriting and oh, the fewer censorship restrictions are simply a blessing! I couldn't bring myself to watch the currently airing full-length productions (Love in Pavilion, Love Never Fails, Serendipity, etc.)--the same tropes for the billionth time over... Instead, I'm addicted to this one and Dominion and Devotion, now XD
If anyone has recommendations for similar shows, I'd love to hear them!

I think, after this gem of a drama I may finally be able to let go of my fury and disappointment about Unchained Love's cut scenes... 😭

My thoughts exactly! I love this drama for being different! I like me a no-brain-fluff-fluff show too sometimes, but unique gems like this one are the reason I continue watching dramas.

I love the story-writing and characterisation here. The fact that it wasn't the ML (and the FL's love for the ML), but Ah Zhi that saved Hanyan from her revenge-abyss by evoking the parallels to her own mother's story? That was brilliant story-writing!
And Hanyan's wardrobe! I could watch this show simply for her costumes! 😍 She wears them like the queen she is!

Lol, I think the OST of this drama is messing with my brain. Some passages give me funny flashbacks to movie scores.
First Pirates of the Carribbean kept popping into my mind whenever that string instruments part in, for example at, ep 3 at 25:12 or ep 4 at 42:30 played. An now in ep. 19 at 42:27, My Favourite Things from The Sound of Music popped up in my brain.
I know they are not the same, but somehow my brain just makes that connection every time I hear these passages. 🤣 Make no mistake though, I love the OST!

Ok, either this drama just went full makjang on us or, and my money is on this scenario, our leads are faking it to make her father lower his guard and coerce him into admitting he is the adopted son. Which he did.
I refuse to believe that our smart, quick-witted, and level-headed girl just suddenly turned into an emotional fool. She knows that the adopted son was said to be a man in his 40ties. And her main objective of this entire set up is to get her mother's divorce letter. Her suddenly forgetting all that for emotional reasons would be so out of character for her.
This entire situation is just too illogical for a drama like this one that thrives of well-reasoned political schemes and calculated moves.

Ah, I didn't know you were refering to a scene where he was shooting backwards. That is indeed harder.

But I still wouldn't call it crazily hard, I guess. Given, like I said, he already had a good seat and balance. Gallop is a pretty comfortable gait to ride, especially if you have a horse with round movements. I have taken pictures and videos of my friends with my phone while in gallop. Worked from the first try.

I mean, what he did was amazing, no questions asked! I'm just saying, the admirable part about it is him having good enough balance and feeling comfortable while riding that he could do the arrow-shooting on the spot. Compared to letting go of the reins and turning the upper body, learning how to sit a gallop well is the bigger challenge.

That may actually be why he was able to pull it off without any prior training. If he has had enough practice to attain good balance and a "good seat" (not sure whether that's the correct translation), riding hands-free shouldn't be too hard. Especially, if you only need to go straight. Reins should not be held on to for stability in the first place.
That is not to say, I don't think he is talented though! Having good balance and a "good seat" while riding is not something easy to learn!

Seriously! No need for enemies, if you got a grandma like that!

Yes to your first question. The BIL thought he could raise his rank by marrying the princess (and maybe get a son too while he is at it). Hence he wanted to get rid of his wife. That ***.

As to what the princess got out of this. As far as I remember that was just her being her usual condescending, arrogant self trying to hurt the FL through her sister. To clean up the mess the princess caused by this (getting publicly entangled with the BIL), her mother, the Princess Royal killed his entire family.
And now I'm celebrating with an evil grin that she didn't succeed completely and it's come biting her back in her royal behind 😈

For real. Now I even doubt her "sacrifice" for the emperor, where she supposedly saved his life. I wouldn't be surprised, if she staged that too to keep his trust and favour.
And her "support" of the crown prince too. Those walnuts? She probably had them added herself, blamed it on Concubine Xian, and played the noble saviour in front of everyone. Three flies with one stone: gain the Crown Prince's trust, estrange him from other potentially powerful figures in the palace (Concubine Xian), and make said potential threat to her power loose points in front of the emperor. Well played, Princess Royal.

Trust really is a funny thing. If you see someone act with a hidden agenda once, you start questioning all their actions...

I haven't even thought of that yet, but true... how sad for her...
And for the crown prince too. He doesn't even realise he's just a chess piece in the Princess Royal's game of power...
Or maybe that's it? Rather than spineless, he is just too naive still...?
But I haven't seen the spoilers, so you probably know more than me. I "try" to stay away from tem XD

I bet the Princess Royal killed the former empress (the one, the emperor loved) too. If she was Jiang Si's role model, she probably was like her, compassionate but strong. So, she would not have tolerated the Princess Royal's schemes. Having the emperor's favour on top of that, she threatened the Princess Royal's position as the emperor's "most treasured woman in the palace" and thus her power. Thus, she had to go. The current empress is probably but a puppet of the Princess Royal.
Can't wait for Jiang Si and Yu Jin to uncover that and bring the Princess Royal to justice!

I'm loving the comedy too, such a fresh breath of air!

I have yet to watch JOL, so I can't say anything about that. But for me, GODF reminds me of Ever Night, if anyting... (another masterpiece btw)

I'm the alien - so fitting haha
and also the undercover-martial-arts-etc.
a guy twice, lol