MadelineMaureen

They eventually had to have a crew member hold the reins because the horse kept blocking the shot so he could see over his shoulder. As with LYR's body twisting to the side and down was giving the horse a bit of a false turn signal.

It's definitely a "trust the process" moment.

Male twins Liu Wei Hao as Lu Ming, and Liu Zi Hao as Lu Zheng
Female twins Tong Xi Qiao as Su Lan, and Tong Xi Yu as as Su Xin ...as per dramawiki.
Also also. they had the wrong actor listed for one of the male twins for a long time so I a long with others thought they were being played by 42 year olds...they were actually born in 1999. The girls were born in 2000.

The casual confidence of Li Yun Rui with his stunt work and horseback riding really helped establish his character as having been trained in the military since he was young. I saw a clip of him just chillin on his horse between takes playing on his phone. didn't have the reins, no one did, just a "we good" attitude that I find extremely attractive in a leading man.

He was investigating everything secretly for the Emperor. When he passed that exam & supposedly disrespected the Emperor & was given a lower job it was a cover so that him joining Prince Qing was believable. As the prince only understands greed & wanting power NOT what is best for the nation.
The Emperor saw that Ji Yong ment what he said & that his belief was resolut & unchanging. & thus a Bishop was put into play.

Final episode 34.

Duke Ding would have remained completely loyal to the Emperor and his wishes aka the Crown Prince. So if the Emperor would have died with his last decree being that the Empress "joins him" so to speak, to keep the peace amongst the royal court, Duke of Ding would become her biggest threat. The Emperor knew she was trying to take his best knight off the board and he did his best to remove his teeth and claws so he would no longer be perceived as a threat to her, but it was too late.
He was trying to remove the Duke of Ding's power just long enough to wait until called on once more. But because of the political maneuvering from the other side and shady assassinations he wasn't able to save him.

The plan was always to set the trap and get as many people comfortable as possible before springing the trap. He miscalculated with calling his bestie back to the capital. But once he knew there were too many snakes in the grass to take out on his own that was when Song Mo and Ji Yong became the most valuable assets on his chess board. Emperor got a bonus queen piece with Dou Zhao being so quick on her feet and willing to trust not only her husband, but her friends as well. They put loyalty to the people above their own family first and trusted.
He needed the coup to happen how it did. He put safety nets in place, but every player on the people's(Emperor/Crown Prince) side knew the risk and were willing to sacrifice their life for it. Also, it's extremely hard to undo a "kin slayer" title, so trying to not kill direct family is usually best. I personally loved Prince Qing's punishment. He stripped all the family that sided with Qing of their titles/positions and a large chunk of there assets at the end.
The only messy bit was the fact the Crown Prince wasn't in charge when he, the Emperor, went down. That would have never actually happened unless he was a literal child or there had not yet been a crown prince chosen. An Empress can't rule like that unless the next male heir is underage at the time. But maybe there is a true reference to something like that happening and I'm just unaware as Chinese history isn't really my strong suit.

That slide into a hug....sirs and ma'am, yall didn't need to go that hard/make it that cool, but I thank you for it.

He trained her himself and has known her since childhood, he knows how smart she is. He also knows that she trusts her husband and would do anything to back him up. The only time his plans deviated from the start was when he realized he had feelings for DZ and was worried about her safety, knowing that he was about to slap an UNO reverse card down hard on the royal family & court, and her proximity to her husband could get her hurt.

Hello fellow commentors who have finished the drama.
I kindly ask that you check that little "spoiler" box before hitting post when mentioning the final episodes, that not everyone has access to yet. Most people don't even realize that this show has ended today and if they stubble into the comment section it could ruin some great plot points and twists for them.
Just check that little box next to spoiler before hitting post. If you want to make sure your comment is read, put a header in a comment and then reply to your own comment with the spoilers hidden with the spoiler tag. Write it out in one comment copy/cut the spoiler info, leaving the non spoiler header behind. post, reply, paste (ctrl v), spoiler check, post.
please and thank you.

I just need to say that I was right to defend some characters that everyone was hating on....imma leave it at that cause there are enough people spoiling with full summaries in the comments without even checking the spoiler tag.

I was like "I just don't get that vibe from him" because of his repeated "clean up" comments and with how arrogant Prince Qing is...also in previous life both Ji Yong and Song Mo made sure that Prince Qing died, so in my mind Ji Yong was smart enough to realize he is not a side worth fighting for. (and now I can't unhear my last sentence as a Mulan song)

All legal sites are linked in the page above the cast list. If you don't have access to any of those send me a dm and I'll send you a few alternatives.

Happily Ever After, Five year flashforward for Epilogue after satisfying conclusion to other storylines . Plus extra bonus scene at the end of the credits.

I'll be rewatching on VIKI on my very large television once they air. I had my phone inches from my face with covers over my head as the sun came up.🤭

Happily Ever After, Five year flashforward for Epilogue after satisfying conclusion to other storylines . Plus extra bonus scene at the end of the credits.

Y'all this one is for the romance girlies.
Can officially say with my whole chest that this was the best period drama of the 14 that I watched this year. Probably the best Cdrama of 2024, at least of the 23 that I watched.
From start to finish cinematography, lighting, direction, action, acting, musical score, story/writing were top tier. The added little extra bit of running comedy with the slaps will forever live rent free in my head. I promise you, if you are someone who enjoys period dramas and romance you wont regret starting this one. The only spoiler I will give in this comment I'll add below under a spoiler tag. It is the most common question I get from binge watchers who wait until the end of show to start watching.
Sad Ending, Open Ending, Happy for Now, Happy Ending, or Happily Ever After?

I'm not sure current BSE is even related to the orphanage. The only reason I think he could still be connected is if he was saved by the grampa(fisher) and was secretly living with him. As we didn't see baby pictures of him in the home just preteen/young teen photo and memory. (he also knew the layout of the villa near the orphanage)

If the grandfather of the real PSE was killing kids or trying to kill his own grandson and the current PSE witnessed it...kind of hostage exchange maybe. The grandpa(fisher) guy doesn't give "I'd sell my grandson" vibes.(could just be because I've always liked that actor so I might just be going based off of personal feelings towards real life person and not character)

But if his nightmare was based on 1st person memory and not him putting himself in place of someone else, current BSE might be a victim of grandfather/real BSE.

100% believe kidnapper and PDJ are OG BSE and an orphan/victim of the Baek family. Which one is which....idk just yet for sure. but leaning kidnapper real BSE because of the banging on the door and anger/emotion issues he displays as an adult.
I wonder if both twins are alive, and if any of the other orphans are alive as well.

Honestly the man deserves an award for not slipping and saying "My wife" when referring to Hui Ju when he got all "lets go". 😏🤣