Linayeol

The emperor is rather petty, because limiting the power of the princes is not, in itself, an unreasonable position. Maintaining power is particularly difficult for an emperor who has several sons, since each of them may try to overthrow the sovereign and form their own faction to seize power. Limiting the princes’ influence can actually serve to preserve the authority of the reigning emperor. It is a fairly logical form of political control.

What is ironic is that the emperor himself took the throne, yet he is offended when ministers who were loyal to their former sovereign continue to uphold their political convictions, rather than plotting with the crown princes at the time to weaken the emperor. A minister who has convictions and remains loyal to his principles is ultimately more loyal to imperial authority than one who takes part in factional struggles and tries to manipulate the succession.

The Lin family understood the political danger and chose to sacrifice their principles to save their family, whereas Shen chose to remain faithful to his convictions, even when that choice became extremely dangerous.

Patriarch Shen probably underestimated the political danger. He knew that his position could get him into trouble, but he clearly did not realize that the matter had escalated to such an extent or that it would be turned into an accusation of treason. So I think it is excessive to say that he was responsible for the tragedy: he is responsible for making a risky political choice, but not for the decision to turn the matter into an accusation of treason and condemn his entire family.

Someone clearly pulled the strings to reopen this old case and bring down the Shen family. And we should not forget that the Lin family did not warn the Shens when they realized that the matter had escalated into a treason accusation. They abandoned them while they were still unaware of the real danger.

And that is precisely why there will probably be an arc dedicated to clearing the Shen family’s name. If Lanxiang’s true identity is discovered before this whole matter is cleared up and the Shen family’s name is restored, she could be condemned as well. And if she is married to LJQ by then, the entire Lin family could also be dragged down with her.

The real question is why this political position was turned into an accusation of treason, who caused this old case to be reopened, and why the entire Shen family was punished so severely. There has to be something more going on.

All the men in this drama can suddenly turn into women 😂😂. And honestly, they make some gorgeous women! 😭😂

Same! I had forgotten just how much the novel emphasizes her beauty, while at the same time putting so much emphasis on her personality and wisdom.

TSY is truly perfect for this role, because very few actresses know how to portray characters who are so passive in the dramatic situations around them while still remaining completely at the center of attention. Everything comes through her body language, the way she analyzes situations, her looks, her expressions… She doesn’t need to speak or explicitly express herself for us to understand what she’s thinking or feeling.

Her character is often more of an observer than an active participant in dramatic situations. In the novel, we have direct access to her thoughts, but in a live-action adaptation, everything depends on the actress’s ability to convey those thoughts without dialogue. You have to be able to be present on screen without becoming overly expressive, almost blending into the background while still being expressive enough for the audience to understand what is happening internally.

Many actresses have very expressive verbal delivery, but creating such a harmonious combination of body language, looks, expressions, and dialogue is much more difficult.

I have so much to say about her performance, but in any case, TSY is doing an absolutely exceptional job. 🥹

To them, she’s simply not beautiful enough. They keep comparing her to other actresses. I ended up deleting and moderating some of the comments. If it continues, I’m even considering turning off the comments.

The readers of the novel have literally flooded my TikTok account to criticize Tan Song Yun’s appearance because she doesn’t match their idea of what the character is supposed to look like. I even had to delete and moderate several comments.

Honestly, it’s pretty crazy. She’s doing such an incredible job in this role, her portrayal is so spot-on, and this character suits her perfectly. She has absolutely nothing to prove, especially not to people who reduce an actress to her appearance.

If the story follows the novel, there won’t be any revenge. The whole story revolves around Shen Jialan’s resilience and quiet strength, and the fact that she never responds to evil with evil, but instead lets karma take care of it. It’s very rare for her to do anything wrong to anyone, whether they’re her enemies or not.

Exactly!! The more developed the characters’ stories are, the fewer inconsistencies there will be, and the more we can fully enjoy the story. It’s refreshing to watch a drama, after such a long time, that takes the time to establish solid foundations before diving into the romance. And honestly, this drama has so much more to offer than just the chemistry between the protagonists and their romance. The story is truly poignant and deeply moving.

This drama has a vibe that reminds me so much of the older dramas I really love, even though the genre is completely different: The Story of Ming Lan, The Sword and the Brocade, Someday or One Day, Marvelous Women, The Rebel Princess and others.

I can’t really explain it, but I have this feeling that I’m watching a drama that’s truly going to stay in my memory one of those dramas I could rewatch over and over again without ever getting tired of

Yet, that’s the reality. There’s nothing misogynistic about acknowledging it. Women themselves can sometimes show no empathy toward the plight of other women and treat them like livestock or simply as stepping stones to achieve their own goals.

That’s true! But even beyond jealousy, they can use other women as examples, or even take young women and make them available to their sons as if they were nothing more than toys. They can also kill or sacrifice other women out of frustration. It seems like any reason is enough for noblewomen to hurt other women. As for the servants, they are willing to betray or accuse others to gain favor and achieve their goals. This reality is truly sad.

Women in this era are often more cruel toward other women.

I don’t know if they’re going to keep this part of the story, but marrying off their daughter, who has lost her virtue, to an almost fallen family would clearly ensure that they would be desperate enough to keep the information secret, especially since she continues to have relations with other men.

Not to mention the risks of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, women in brothels rarely lived to see their thirties. Given their time period and circumstances, it’s understandable that they would fear more than simply losing their chastity or honor. They risked living a life where they were treated as objects, treated worse than animals, and ultimately dying in even more miserable conditions. Especially because of their former status as noblewomen, they would be relentlessly persecuted.

I think they consummated their marriage, because in the BTS, I saw the scene where he discovers, on their wedding night, that she wasn’t a virgin, just like in the novel. But I don’t know if they’ll ultimately keep that scene, since it’s one of the reasons why he hates his wife.

Tan Song Yun is truly an excellent actress. In the scene where she watches the moon, she doesn’t say a single word, but she still managed to make me shed a tear. 😭 She’s incredibly expressive.

I’m already suffering and it’s only the beginning… The rest is going to be intense and painful. 😭😂

Yes, he has several women, and when they become pregnant or when he takes a liking to them, they are promoted to the rank of concubines. He also has an official wife, but she cheats on him by having sexual relations with other men

Good decision. I really hope his character has been toned down and that his harem is less dramatic.

Sexual assaults, physical violence, verbal abuse… He threatens her and forces her to do countless things, sexually or otherwise. He plays around with women, and there is so much more…

I’m excited because I absolutely love both leads, but at the same time, I’m nervous because almost all the characters in the novel are absolute trash, and the ML is simply the biggest piece of garbage of them all. 😭

I really hope his character will be softened as much as possible and that his extremely violent and misogynistic behavior will be removed or heavily toned down, as is the case with many other adaptations. I also hope the romance between the leads will feel much more natural than it did in the novel.

Given the budget and the quality of the cast, I really hope this drama achieves the success it deserves, especially for Liu Xueyi, who unfortunately hasn’t had a major hit in quite some time.

Tan Song is an excellent actress; she always delivers in her roles. ❤️ I’m really looking forward to seeing what this adaptation will be like. 🥹