MaryB23

Exactly! and trust me when she embraces her feelings for him it's explosive.

You disagree about what? lol

That scene made me cry, I never thought it would make me so sad. Honestly, it made me realize as much as I love LBY, LY and CSS would have worked, yes they would have had their differences and LY would have to work harder for CSS, but they would have worked. Two souls that understood each other so well and were able to embrace the other's faults and turn them into positives. LY always praised CSS for her auxiliary knowledge rather than mocking her for being illiterate, CSS always praised LY's soft heart and taught him how to be strong and stand for himself.

When he gets better in Part 2 its pointless to me and too late. He gets better because he is finally accepting his love for CSS; maybe if he hadn't spent so much time demeaning her earlier she may have grown to feel something more than cordial respect for him. Heck! they could've been very close friends. But yeah I still won't like him LMAO

Their love is going to be hard, it will feel like the world is against them, she is bullied by royal ladies, their lives are constantly in danger, but their love is worth it.

Funny enough it just seems to be a coincidence, I think LBY was investigating the people talking about overthrowing the CP and happened to see CSS

Yes she falls, they separate for 5 years, she waits for him, when she is tired of waiting 5 years she gets engaged to the 3rd man and right after LBY shows up (LMAO great timing right), and he wins he back with the simplest expression of his love. In the novel the 3rd guy even asks her "did he promise you heaven and earth? Did he say he would never allow anyone hurt you or your family? Never allow anyone bully you?" and she's like no, he only said two words "感情" (Gan Qing) - which is hard to translate as it has a strong and deep meaning in Chinese literary culture but basically means "feel" "affection" i.e. what they have and what he feels for her is more than those 5 years and more than anything YS or any man could offer her.

I would disagree that they aren't together tbh, at this point almost the whole city knows LBY is on fire for CSS. Hence everyone's freak out including YS and the Emperor.

Part 2 will be so heart breaking and angsty I have been dreading and anticipating at the same time.

I got upset towards the end. I'd have like to see more of the leads or even the secondary couples like Qiqi-Song than on the emperor bickering and YS being a jealous jerk to CSS

Yes it does foreshadow it, but LBY is very different from YS master and won't make a foolish mistake like he did.

Loved episode 21 was absolutely cute. Episode 22 had some major strides for the couples in the show but ultimately made me upset. I get that LBY is pretty much the apple of the Emperor's eye, but he shouldn't look down on CSS because of that. So much time was wasted in the episode watching the Emperor bicker with his Consort, then Empress, then Enuch about Zhisheng. I'd rather have spent that time watching Song and Qiqi or the new guy Ban and his crush on Yang Yang.

On another note, my dislike for YS has reached an all-new height, he is narcissistic, immature, and petty. If you like someone man up and speak up or shut up. Instead, he spends his time demeaning CSS and making rude comments about how she is dumb, ignorant, greedy for marriage, and unfit to marry nobles. It's so tiring whenever he is on the screen.

High points from today's episodes for me are: LBY learning CSS nickname, LBY saving CSS from death (AGAIN LOL), Qiqi and Song getting closer, Yang Yang getting a new love interest.

Yeah they change some details from the book that actually frame some things in the show. For example, that lantern festival where her aunt gifted her that beautiful red dress and the mom was like "why did you give this to her, what about yang yang?". In the book the mom actually buys beautiful red brocade and ornaments for both Niao Niao and Yang Yang but Niao Niao intentionally and stubbornly doesn't wear the pretty red dress but a plain green one (Indicating the conflict between mother and daughter isn't always mom's fault). ANOTHER importance of this difference is that this is when LBY sees her fully for the first time, and despite her simple dressing, she takes his breath away ( The description in the book is so heart fluttering and sweet; she's like a ray of sunshine to him). It highlights the importance of Niao Niao as a person to LBY.

I am also very hopeful that she will treat LY better. The loss of her family seems to have changed her. I am not sure how the show will take it, but per the book her next fiancee is LBY, and she waits for him for 5 years enduring hardships then she gets engaged to YS. By the time she does get engaged to YS in the book, he is pretty much head over heels in love with her, and she doesn't feel the same at all. So there's not as much bickering as you would expect as she has matured.

Also, the book is actually a reincarnation/transmigration from future to past story; but like in "The Story of Ming Lan" the drama leaves that part out. So I am interested in how they'll play it off

Yea I see your point TBH the old LY and ZHJ did not match and she in deed did leave him for a supposedly better match . It is crappy that CSS engagement has to be ended for this, but I am also glad not because she will go to LBY but because that family sucks. I mean his mom actually suggested her marry both women... whaaat?

Ypur argument is not following the chronological order. CSS family fought in a war years ago and when they returned to the capital they were rewarded with the Wan family and other generals. We saw when her family was bestowed the decree and her dad made a Marquis because of his contributions. General He fought in that same war her parents did and ALSO fought to the death in this new rebellion by Prince Yong which LBY ultimately had to go quell. Your logic is saying CSS family should be rewarded twice for a war fought years ago and ZHJ family shouldn't be rewarded at all for a war they just fought and rebellion they quelled.

You cannot victim blame, even the Emperor didn't know that Yong and Xiao would rebel, to suggest those assumptions are what caused her family to pass away is inaccurate. You're missing the key picture: the General could have let his daughter get married to Prince Xiao and allow the Rebel army to make its way to the capital city of Ruyang to kill the Emperor ( even LBY would have been unprepared to defend the city). Instead, even though his troops were small, General He chose to defend Feng Yi Prefecture with his life and that of his kids to keep the rebel army from moving forward. THAT is the loyalty that is being rewarded and was even mentioned by LBY in the scene in the palace where the 5 officials and the Emperor are discussing what to do.

You're missing a key part of the equation: it was General He's dying wish, which is why the Emperor is so conflicted. To decree she marry someone outside the Lou family would be to disregard his sacrifice of his entire family save for 2 kids to save the nation. So it HAS to be the Lou family like the general wished, but doesn't mean it has to be LY, which is why everyone thinks the first family branch is being shady engaging their 2nd son so quickly.

YS explains why it pretty much HAS to be LY, apart from their affinity from their previous engagement. All the families currently interested in HZJ are after her dowry and family assets, they will take over them and probably abuse them, leaving nothing for her brother ti inherit, the families that are wealthy and established like YS's that don't care about HZJ family assets don't want to marry her because its a hassle to have to diligently support her brother till he grows and they've heard rumors about her attitude. LY is the easiest choice because his family is rich enough to not covet her assets but not powerful enough to take them over and considering they were engaged before and it was her dad's dying wish.

I think it's childish because she has yet to grasp the meanings behind her parents intentions (which she later will in the book). While her mom goes about it the wrong way she cares for CSS and wants a good choice for her. The chances of LY ever becoming a Minister out of State are almost zero as explained by her mom because of the rule by the Emperor of limiting number of officials in noble families. Even if he manages to become one, it will be manipulated and they'll be sent to a barren dangerous place ( which would be a woeful situation fore these two children). That is why LBY tells her not to rush just because she wants to escape her family, that she wouldn't be able to survive out there so she should wait and he would beg the emperor to post her and LY to a good place.

CSS and LY haven't even begun to understand the real word. The incident at Hua county was a small eye opener for her and we see how much character growth it caused.

When she truly finds herself and becomes independent, you'll begin to understand why at her current age, almost none of them are right for her: she will outgrow the playmate thing with LY and want more, currently LBY and the circumstances, prestige, and people around him are too much for her and she suffers for it, YS is the worst choice of all as he is fickle and conceited, which ultimately gets her to be complacent and devoid of emotion.

Her character growth will be awe inspiring. The words "感情" (Gǎnqíng) i.e. "feel" "affection" will come to mean so much to her. That is all I will say without giving too much away.

It's what I love about the character, there is a certain duality to him that just makes the character so refreshing. It once again confirms the depths of his emotions for her and explains the shock of the emperor and his aides at the things he does for CSS.