PReid

This is a great character analysis and is exactly why I love this show so much. It's not just the main CP that have layers and depth and feel real, it's the side / supporting characters as well. This show is so amazing.

I agree with everyone else. After the end of episode 4 I was hooked and consider it one of my top dramas of the year now (if not #1, then a very very very close #2). But I had a hard time staying focused before episode 4, so you're not alone.
But if after episode 4 you're not hooked, then it's probably not for you. <3

I'm on episode 4; the first consort and Rui Sheng make a bet about Xiao Wu Yi (the ML) already being in love with the FL and I'm like... what? I get no romantic vibes between the ML and FL so far; they have a very sibling like relationship (so far).
He's clearly a complicated / complex character, seems to be both brutal and fair, so all his actions toward the FL appear to be based in basic human decency (so far). Did I miss a scene where he gazes longingly at the FL? Or falls in love at first sight? They barely know each other, why do the first consort and Rui Sheng think he's in love?

Or... what am I missing?

If they can stick the landing, same for me!

I'm really enjoying how the lead CP are back in sync again, how the ML leaned on the FL when he got back from court, how he said, "Help me think through this..." and how she was there to support him and work together in partnership.

This couple is so great.

Episode 25, this quote, "I've drunk horse blood and slept among corpses..."

Certainly paints a picture.

The writing in the drama is SO GOOD!

It honestly gets better with each episode. I thought the first 3 were fine, but then was hooked after episode 4.

The plot of Melody of Golden Age was definitely subpar, but the main CP chemistry was fire. I ended up fast forwarding most/all of the plot and just watched their scenes together.

It's so great seeing the same actors here with a sublime plot instead of a nonsensical one. Their romantic chemistry is still fantastic, but now I don't have to FF the rest of the drama.

It is SOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOD

1. They've been apart for 5 years
2. They're not on the same page anymore/aren't used to relying on each other like they did before.
3. He's had to turn more brutal and ruthless in order to survive and succeed; therefore, he has fundamentally changed.
4. Separation makes her heart uncertain; when they were first together, she wasn't in love with him so she didn't feel vulnerable with him. Now, she's been in love with him for years but the time and distance between them means she needs assurance that he is still in love with her as much as before.

I guess I'm one of the few people who are glad they haven't married yet. I appreciate this drama so much, and the distance between them now (up to episode 22) makes the whole story/plot feel so much more believable and the stakes (therefore) higher.
ML has been off on his own, being brave and brutal, and those are his talents. FL has been left behind to be strategic and smart, and those are her talents. They complement each other, yin and yang, and when they work together they are in balance.

This show seems to ultimately be about a couple working together to use the opportunities available to them given "gender roles" at the time, plus their own innate talents for the greater good but also for peace within their own relationship. They got close to that peace before the war, but the ML acted on his own and out of his depth (and without his eyes on right and wrong) and therefore they suffered. Now they are back together and it will take time for them to come back into sync. He needs to learn to rely on her again, like he used to, instead of acting on his own and discounting her advice. She needs to learn to be more straightforward with him, like she used to be, and realize he's changed due to the brutality of war.

I love this story *because* of the realistic flaws and character growth for both the ML and FL. I wouldn't change a thing so far.

I agree with Lela2004 , the letters may have shown that FL was set up, but it was within "the right" of the Fu family to do what they did, thus the FL would've been implicated no matter what.

I think the SML will somehow ruin his own reputation in a desperate bid to save FL (this time). SML is being shown as obsessive for FL, thus I think he'll ruin everyone's plans here.

Let me know if you find one.

Episode 20
Did anyone else think that was an odd exchange between Mrs. Wei and ZL (where she said, "Your good looks are not wasted") Why did ZL look so flustered after? That felt intentional / important...

LOL

This drama is SO GOOOOOD!

Yu Jing Xiu's comment about Fu Ting Yun being "one of a kind" (and that's why he loves her) is very reminiscent of his attitude toward Fan Ya Ke's father's books. He values the books because they are so rare (one of a kind) but he doesn't learn anything from them or understand their real meaning.
Similarly, he values Ting Yun because she seems unusual / rare, but doesn't know her at all / makes no attempt to understand her as a person.

This is all to say, HE'S THE WORST!

The answer is sorta obvious. She's been waiting, biding her time, and building her own merit.

Have you ever had to wait / bide your time? That sh1t is HARD.

The lack of AI and CGI is so refreshing. It's like taking a deep breath of clean air for my brain after being choked by plastic particulates.

In the back of my mind, I'm still thinking about ZL's friend who has the salt license (earlier arc of the drama, the dude who cut off his own ear) and how he said he would save 1/2 of the money for ZL.

Six or seven years later, ZL has got to be super rich by now. $$$$$