PeachBlossomGoddess

Ep 12 Gu Yu's request of Huai'an seems to me really unreasonable

How many have you watched. Honestly, the first few were not that engaging and there were holes and odd edits. It gets interesting around at ep 8 or 9. It is however one of those strategy intense dramas. If you can't get into that kind of genre, it may not be for you.

Pu Nichuan, Wei Qianting and Liu Ziyan

Only half

There is a lot of strategy and intrigue. Many will find it boring bc its not a folding laundry/eating rice drama. Its all good, to each their own.

From emperor to axe murderer. This dude is moving up in the world indeed!!!

Liu Yitong is a terrific young actor I have been keeping an eye on for some time. So pleased to see his portrayal of Han Ziling here. 👏👏👏

This year I thought the fight scenes were really good they just weren't necessarily matched with great stories.. Journey of Legend was not a good drama but the fight scenes were really good. Also STOTD 3 and Immortal Ascension. And surprisingly Legend of Female General had good fight scenes.

Exactly. In SOPG I just rolled my eyes every time the waterworks started. I mean the FL was weeping over minor characters whose sole purpose was to pop up just to die so that we could get a cry scene. 🙄 So far this is not that bad at least they are quick and not long winded and mopey. I also didn’t like how the FLkept weeping in LOM. Like nothing that sad ever really happened to her.

Its a disturbing trend. Everyone tries to get in their crying scenes as if that is the arbiter of good acting. For me anyway, I am not a fan of them unless really merited by the scene. In this I didn't really appreciate it when I was not yet invested in any of the characters. At least XHA keeps it controlled - no ugly girl crying (so far) - I have dropped many dramas at the point some dude starts bawling uncontrollably over a tragedy that happened well over a decade ago. For me, the saddest scenes are always the ones where the actor is beyond tears and is not actually crying.

Shuang Cheng is a good screenwriter but he has a nasty habit of tanking at the end - he did that to Eagleflag and Heroes. Hopefully he doesn't do that here.

I haven't had time to watch and I am avoiding the comments section for now.

This should be a fictional dynasty but hints at quite an early dynasty bc the poem Shanglin Fu was written by Sima Xiangru during Western Han dynasty. The costumes are not Tang they also suggest earlier dynasty. But the power dynamics as pointed out by @Sincerly Lotus are very similar to Ming Dynasty, specifically Zhu Di's succession and the short lived reign of the second Ming emperor his grandson. Which literally ended in flames.

Seems to me you replied before bothering to read my reply properly bc OMG I am agreeing with you. So if you think this is condescending or sarcastic maybe you deserve to be spoiled. 🤦🏻‍♀️👀People who post spoilers are in my experience repeat offenders. Blocking them means they can spoil you once or twice or as many times as you are willing to tolerate it but after you block them, never again. And its not ok whether the show is airing or not. Bc not everyone watches airing dramas. I am confused as to why you are confused.

It is indeed a pity that people find it so hard to use the spoiler tag. It is so EASY to use, its almost too accessible. LESS EASY but definitely worth the effort is the BLOCK option. Its great - people who LOVE spoilers can LOVE spoilers together... without you. One of the most brilliant features of MDL!!! Try it. Bc you deserve not to be spoiled.

Yeah... and they just look GOOD together. Yes, I am shallow.

Chen Yao + Tong Mengshi.

Casting standing ovation:

Yes, baffling would be a word that definitely belongs in any description of the ending... 😅😂🤡

All good observations. I don't know the answer. I do think the character is complex - cunning, high EQ and morally flexible. He is one where he can choose to be good or bad. Its hard to tell which way he will go. That makes him dangerous. In a game of chess, its easy bc each chess piece has limited moves. But in real life, they are much more unpredictable, esp when given free will.