MadelineMaureen

I love that i find out this is a prequel in episode 39 🙃

On desktop/browser for the page you can rate the individual episodes. And as you're watching on the app as well you can rate the overall show. it's the pencil(edit) button rating is under the episode counter.
Episodes you have to "write a review" and save it. You don't actually have to write anything you can just give a star rating and leave it at that, but it is only on the browser version/desktop version at the top of the drama's page. Next to "Details" which is the default pages open to.

Chen Xuan Qing is NOT going to take his uncle courting JinZhao well. That is going to be messier than Ye Xian finding out, I fear. Because Ye Xian was able to somewhat openly TRY to court her and vie for her affection. But Xuan Qing has suppressed his emotions and wants for so long that it is more like a pressure cooker without any ventilation. The resentment will build in a much nastier way than Ye Xian imo. Ye Xian at least has a violent outlet to release his anger in the form of his new job. Also love that his sister not only understands WHY he likes JinZhao now, but can fully see how that match wouldn't work, and would harm both of them in the end. Aka she is going to back Jin Zhao's choice and hopefully be able to reason with her little brother with the bigger picture.
I just need Ye Xian and Chen Yan Yun to continue to work in the shadows together toward their shared goal.

PS....I STILL can not tell with 100% certainty if Ji Yao has romantic feelings for Jin Zhao or if he truly just sees her as family to protect. He's so scholarly and closed off most of the time that I'm not picking up any major romantic vibes from him...just protective familial love. Anyone have any other insights in to this dynamic?

If she was better at thinking how manipulative people do she wouldn't have been poisoned for so long, or had her kid taken from her barely a month after giving birth. She wasn't scheming and she was a trusting person by nature.
At that point she was just giving her husband what he wanted and to get attention off of herself. As both maids came with her she naïvely trusted that she would look after the other. As the man can't keep his member to himself, I bet if anything, having Wu Ping serve the newest concubine would expedite her becoming his next concubine just based on proximity.

Please tell me I'm not the only one who has an issue with the OSTs/score? It's too modern in places and too western classical in others. I literally had a "What in the Bridgerton is happening?" moment and it took me right out of the show. I'm really enjoying the story and acting, it's just some of the post production choices are leaving a bit to be desired.

Thank you! With work being insane keeping the finer details of all the shows im watching in my mind has been a challenge. dont have the time to sit and journal like I did prior to the busy season kicking off.

rumor says end of the month...dont know for sure yet.

Had to pause in the middle of the episode crying to go hug my mother.

Chen YanYun's brother(can't remember his number rank) killed their 5th brother when they were children. Chen XuanQing was adopted into the the Chen family under the 5th branch(as the 5th brother's son) because he was never married and had no heirs.

This was to help repay XuanQing's birth father for saving his life(or his father's life, so sorry can't remember and i didn't write it down). The bio father comited treason, and the mother killed herself after...I believe it was considered more of a sacrifice as her son would be looked after only if she was taken out of the picture completely. Aka he could be adopted without the stain of his birth family following him. I might have read too much into her death tbh.

There are only a few people who know of Chen Xuan Qing's true origin. One of those people is the father of the girl his grandmother wants him to marry. That man has enough power in the court to shield his daughter and son-in-law if his birth origins were to be exposed. But if he were to marry, say a granddaughter of a merchant, both he and his wife would be in danger if his parentage was ever exposed. The girl actually likes Xuan Qing, and her father is aware of this.

After learning everything about Ye Xian's Master...it makes me wonder. Could he have been lying about Ye Xian's illness this whole time and actually making the Marquis's son sickly on purpose as revenge for his true Lord(the prince)? It just seems like a convenient way to stay within the Marquis' household. The young lord is ill and sickly in nature, it's best to have a doctor within the house hold and there to take care of him. When really he's been giving him things that harm his heart and overall health. Seems like since his death Ye Xian hasn't exhibited any health issues. I know we haven't really seen him much, but he seems full of murderous vigor.

The irony of him being behind most of Ye Xian's hidden weapons only for that to be the thing that takes both him and his Lord down in the end.

Ironic again that Ye Xian is seeking more and more power so that he can protect and marry Gu JinZhao, only to paint himself into a corner because that just means larger household aka more wives/concubines. At least Chen YanYun is aware of this misgiving when it comes to JinZhao's hesitance to even THINK of marriage. I'm hoping that he will just tease her and not actually take any steps to appease his mentor and marry someone of his approval. I'm really curious to see how they do this as in the novel, though his wife is dead, he had concubines and multiple children that she had to navigate after marriage. (i didn't read the novel, but this had been brought up in previous discussions)

Imo it looks as though her husband(the king) set the fire himself after sending the edict and robes to his brother. Or with the doors blocked by him and a fire starting(not his doing) he might have just accepted his fate without trying to escape.
The fact she treated the same thing to her own son in the exact situation is blood chilling. The fact she continues to burry her head in the sand about everything makes me feel she has yet to full learn her lesson.
I want to know who she hid. Her late husband's lover, the servant who poisoned the wedding goblet, a yet unknown woman who holds a royal secret?

I was hoping that he was just working with QM's father to get the poison out of the court as a double agent, and that I-An was never in danger. Then I saw the preview...and unless it's a nightmare of HuiJoo's, I-An is in fact in the explosion/fire. So the double agent situation is looking less and less likely.
I just cant understand though. If he wants power, he has it, it's never been threatened. If he wanted HuiJoo, he had her...for a decade, and never made a move. If he still wanted her, killing the man she loves and making her a royal widow, isnt going to help him get her. I know reasoning with crazy is pointless, but it just seems left field levels of writing. Maybe showing more jealousy of I-An in their school days, or dislike of the royal family as an institution would have helped develop this plot point better. Like if he secretly hated the monarchy, this "twist" would be more understandable. But with his friendship with I-An being established & his jealousy only showing when I-An shows interest in HuiJoo both in school and adulthood...idk.
I'm hoping the writing/editing makes more sense once all the episodes have released.

Based on trailers I've seen it goes very badly before JinZhao is able to truly fight back gloves off against all the wrongs done to her and her mother. I'm pretty sure that the Gu family is about to have holy retribution rain down on them so hard....considering who the Ji's(Gu JinZhao is included in the Ji family imo) have in their corner, the second JinZhao's mother is no longer on the board(needing to be protected) all the men(and women) will be going after that ungrateful daughter and concubine...the father will be lucky to come out the other side with a penny to his name. Bother is still a wildcard to see if he grew any kind of backbone or conscious.

havent gotten home yet to watch it

the way the marriage conversation was translated made me think he was previously married. and in the drama has CXQ as his adopted nephew of his dead 5th brother.

(As of episode 9)Ye Xian is not only much more immature compared to the others he cant read the gesture of others like Chen Yan Yun and Gu Jin Zhao can. While they can read multiple ways to interpret a gesture or political move Ye Xian just assumes and is 9 out of 10 times wrong with his assessment and then doubles down on it. Ji Yao and Chen Xuan Qing are careful to never overstep and put JinZhao in a compromising position that could harm her reputation. They respect her as a person and dont just think of her like a plaything.
Chen Yan Yun hasn't really started making decisive moves toward her(as in forming a romantic relationship) yet, but he enjoys her mind and admires her beauty. He's saved her 3 times and been discrete about every rescue, again knowing her reputation could be injuried or a target put on her. Ye Xian causes a scene everywhere he goes expecting her to fall in line and all over herself to please him. He needs to wake up.

It lays out all of her suitors and might spoil some character development

so quick question for the novel readers. Were Chen Yan Yun & Chen Xuan Qing father and son in the novel? I heard they changed a lot and lowered Chen Yan Yun's age a bit because he had an adult son who was also pursuing Gu JinZhao.

he looks like Jeno's older brother tbh. When I first saw him in Forever and Ever I though he was older than he was because his character was a lawyer.

I was so confused at first. I was like, how can a 15 year old be a cougar...all the guys are older than her 🤭🤣