Peony22

I think Luo Shu’s choice of song to play the piece “Chu Han” at MingKe House reflects her desire to escape more so than being very skilled at playing the pipa. There was a lot of emphasis from the beginning that she is trapped in MingKe House with no freedom and could not escape whatsoever so playing the pipa was a form of hope that she could leave the place one day. She is basically fighting a battle as the song depicts and Menglin was the first one to notice the choice of song which made her stand out and he became interested in her. Essentially, Luo Shu’s inner voice for help was unconsciously carried out by Menglin as he was the one who gave her the chance to escape by taking the highest bid from the old man which bought time and let the magistrate arrive in time to bring her out. Luo Shu and Menglin were destined to be together from the beginning.

I believe that playing the pipa in ep 18 reminded Luo Shu of MingKe House which is something she wants to forget but kept being brought up and that was why her playing was not as bold as in the beginning.

Yes that’s true. Especially because of his background, Menglin needed to show what he is capable of and not just flaunt his status by spending. But it is also because that is how he started off as he had not seen what the society really looks like do we see his growth later on and why it took a while for Luo Shu to see the good qualities in him. First impression plays an important role.

In episode 3, the old man with the kid that Menglin first showed an act of kindness by giving his food to them was actually the one who had taken him in when he was injured while escaping from Qin Yi’s underlings in episode 35. This shows that his small act of kindness was repaid when he least expected it. Had they stayed at the old man’s place without risking being caught when Luo Shu went to get medicine, they may have been safe for a little longer until Menglin’s wound was better.

Actually if they had met at MingKe House, Luo Shu may have seen Menglin differently early on when she realized he had spent to get the highest bid to save her from the old man with no intentions of the deflowering instead of viewing him as someone who spends lavishly when he was trying to get revenge on her by buying a lot things to make her carry. She recognized his voice at the prison cell being the one who had called for the highest bid but because she only heard that he will outbid the old man and was at MingKe House and then claimed to be Governor Qi’s son while being locked up in prison, she came to the conclusion that he is not a good person which was why she mocked him with the food box. Even though his identity was cleared shortly after, it was still due to his spending behavior that makes Luo Shu feel that he does not have any capabilities. Basically they had met at the wrong place and time which led to all of these misconceptions and perceptions. So essentially first impression plays an important role here for Luo Shu. Luo Shu meets the magistrate at the right place and time where she needed it most by helping her escape MingKe House and she eventually looks up to him and likes him due to his righteousness and how he treats others. If you remember the qualities she mentions as her ideal type during the mine case, it can be either the magistrate or Menglin based on how she views them. If Menglin was the one who had saved her in the beginning at that time at MingKe House, then Luo Shu would have seen the potential in him.

I think if they gave a bit more of a glimpse into her story at MingKe House about why she is the most well known and how she and the magistrate met for the temple case before leading to her escape in the beginning, then it would have been a stronger start and make the story more coherent. It seemed a bit abrupt how we only got a part of a flashback in episode 2 of her trying to escape her deflowering night without knowing too much about her background story. The scene with the madam and Mr. Li’s conversation about the deflowering night was used to foreshadow that there was someone behind the scenes and I get they were trying to save the big reveal of Qin Yi’s part until later on but it felt confusing when they did not explain the part with Luo Shu having connections with the authorities pertaining to her knowing the magistrate early on. It would have been clearer if they used the rest of episode 2 to explain more.

Also, the guy that works for Qin Yi at MingKe House (Que Si) was among the crowd of people in episode 2 when Jin Nang was planning to jump off during her escape which is a detail we did not notice. I like how they were able to make side characters play a significant role later on in the drama and connect everything. First it was Bai Yue who escaped from the temple case and later on appeared during the mine case, creating danger and suspense to the story. Then it was another disciple Niu Da Li which we learn that he had also escaped from the temple and the concubine was another victim from the temple case. And then there is Que Si who was a character we never paid attention to that played a role in Miaocui’s death.

Thanks for putting the translations to the OSTs. I have also edited my post and put my interpretation of the two OSTs for those who are interested.

Thanks for pointing that out. I went to rewatch those scenes and the dresses were different but similar in that they both had the drape around the collar with white pearls. The one she wore at MingKe House was a deeper red with bigger flower designs while the one in the last episode was brighter red with smaller flower designs. It seems that the wedding attires during the period of time are that style.

That is a good point with where her fear stems from leading her to believe that all good things are only temporary. I think that actually explains why she reacted that way when Menglin confessed and we did see her thoughts afterwards about how the beauty and splendor of the world are like dreams and will eventually fade away.

Actually I think Qin Yi purposely sent the poisoned pastries to Luo Shu using Menglin’s name as a way to put all the blame on the Qi family for being the ones involved with the fire incident to make Luo Shu think that they wanted to prevent her from further investigation since she was making progress, and at the same time, make her leave and go with him so he can continue to hide the truth by giving her misleading information. It happens right after she gets information from the owner of the gambling place. Right after that, they caught Lian Qi following Luo Shu but his suspicion was brushed off when Menglin went to confront his second brother about making Lian Qi follow Luo Shu and accused his brother of sending the poisoned pastries. Qin Yi was eavesdropping on the conversation outside at that point and was smiling as if he got what he wanted and then tried to persuade Luo Shu to go with him, once again reiterating the fact how her investigation had most likely offended the Qi family but he can help her uncover the truth.

I feel like with the poisoned pastry incident, it was already clear that there is a spy in the Qi family which is Lian Qi but we do not realize it is him early on. However, we did first see Lian Qi hiding at the military base when Menglin came to ask about petroleum and he was suspicious. It seemed like it may have had something to do with the second brother since Lian Qi was his servant and follows his orders.

I personally really liked the wedding scene in the last episode. I just realized the wedding outfit that Luo Shu wore was actually the same one she had on during her deflowering night at MingKe House. The wedding scene appears to be fulfilling their meeting back at the beginning when Menglin got the highest bid and they should have met then as their initial meeting instead of at the prison. However, it shows that they were fated to meet since the beginning and the prison ended up becoming a meaningful place for them. From starting off on the wrong foot to sacrificing for each other, their deep conversations always happen there. I wonder if they had met back then at MingKe House, would Luo Shu have asked Menglin to help her escape?

I also liked how they showed the contrast with the food box in the jail cell from when they met at the beginning. It serves as a stepping stone and journey to their relationship.

No problem. The lyrics for the two songs are written really cleverly and well.

I could also add my comment about the songs to the discussion page for anyone who is interested to check it out. I will be on the lookout for your translation of the songs.

I actually rewatched the scene where Luo Shu was talking with Aunt Guo in episode 24 and Luo Shu mentioned that Aunt Guo did save her back then but was asking why she was in such a rush to send her away so there was some truth to what the aunt had said about saving her from the fire and how some people came after the fire to ask if anyone survived.

The part where the aunt lied would probably be how she said they brought her to their cousin’s after those people from the Qin family came but she eventually got lost. The aunt most likely handed her over to the Qin family when they came to ask about the situation and discovered that Luo Shu survived and used the aunt’s family to threaten them to hand her over and disguised it as selling her to the Qin family and prevented them from saying anything to anyone or telling the truth later on. That would explain why the aunt was telling Mr. Guo to tell Luo Shu the truth if he did not care about their family after Luo Shu had spoken with Mr. Guo and eventually being killed by Qin Yi when Luo Shu wanted to go back and ask for more information.

If that was the case, Qin Yi lied again about saving Luo Shu from the fire which shows that he cannot be trusted but keeps trying to use that fact to make her see the good in him with the hopes that she will eventually go back to him. The only truth from him is that he likes Luo Shu and has an obsession over her. Apparently he did not really care if she was killed with her family since we only saw him setting the house on fire and that was it. I assumed what he meant that the fire brought them together was how he took her in when they found that she survived to cover what they did.

I also just remembered the part about the poisoned pastry where a servant brought it to Luo Shu and mentioned that it was given by Menglin but the clues all pointed that it was from Qin Yi. I wonder if it was an order from Qin Yi to have Lian Qi ask someone to deliver it to Luo Shu saying that it was Menglin who is trying to poison her so she would leave him since she was still at his place at that time?
I am sure Qin Yi knows she would not eat it but would check if it was poisoned and there is no way he would want to kill her so I do not see what other reason the poisoned pastry serves if it was not an attempt to make Luo Shu leave Menglin and go back to him.

Yes I agree. The underlying reason behind the magistrate’s action in finding Liu Wan at the end remains ambiguous. It does seem like it was more of an obligation to find her even though he says so otherwise since she played a role in getting her father to confess, thus, saving everyone from extreme punishments and he was not expecting that from her. But at the same time, I think it was at that moment that he finally had a place for her in his heart and wants to be with her. The magistrate needed to prove his love to her through his actions that it comes from the heart like the way he treats Luo Shu in order for Liu Wan to accept him. So their opened ending was both due to the magistrate’s lack of sincerity and also karma for humiliating Luo Shu which led him to become prejudiced of her character for the most part and that hindered his view of her.

I think they only asked Han Muzhi to speak in the trial because he was the magistrate and it was assumed that he knows most of what happened so his words can be accounted for whereas if they brought Menglin to the trial, his statement wouldn’t hold much validity given that he was a fugitive and his whole family was charged with the embezzlement crime. It can be said that the main reason leading Liu Wan to get her father to confess was to save Muzhi and Menglin embezzling the grain was for Luo Shu’s sake but they both do also see the importance of the situation with saving the common people so Liu Wan and Menglin’s action goes both ways.

Luo Shu and Liu Wan were both trying to save the men they love during the trial but because there was no physical evidence, Liu Wan came forth to push her father to confess. This shows that love has no limits and you cannot underestimate what one will do even if it means going against your family. In this case, Liu Wan sees saving Han Muzhi above all else even if she will have to suffer with her father for his wrongdoings.

I like how this drama is making us ask all these questions and analyzing the characters and situation. It is well written. Thanks for your input.

For the most part of the drama, Bright Moon was used as the ending song. You can take a look at the translated lyrics there. And for Ask Moonlight To Take Her Home, you can see some of the translated lyrics in episode 23 during the scene where they were drinking with the servants and also in the last episode during the prison scene.

It is interesting how they did not use the song Bright Moon in any of the scenes in the drama but mostly the other two OSTs. Heavy Snow seems to be the main theme song for the drama.

I think the reason they made Menglin and Liu Wan sidelined at the end and Luo Shu and the magistrate both moving up in their life as a way to show the contrast of the switch in status. Menglin and Liu Wan were both of high status so they had everything easy and now that they’ve lost that privilege and became a commoner, it is a place they are not used to. They were most likely lost and is using the time to reflect on themselves about what they can do now that everything has changed so they do not play much of an active role in the end. Meanwhile Luo Shu and the magistrate were both of lower status and have always been working hard towards their goal so in the end they were rewarded with the rise in status upon their efforts. And so we see the reverse roles of husband and wife for Luo Shu and Menglin and the opened ending for Liu Wan and the magistrate.

In regards to why Menglin and Liu Wan both went against their father with their actions, I believe it was to show that not all wealthy people of high status are power driven. Although Menglin and Liu Wan are both from a wealthy family, they are not like their fathers who seek political power above all else. They are able to discern between right and wrong and care about the common people which is most likely why Menglin risked the crime of embezzling the military grain to help the famine and Liu Wan kept urging his father to stop going on the wrong path and confess to his crimes.

I took a closer look at the two OSTs, Bright Moon (明月) and Ask Moonlight to Take Her Home (请月光带她回家), and they are actually describing Han Muzhi and Qi Menglin. Han Muzhi is the “moon” while Qi Menglin is the “moonlight” to Luo Shu’s life.

Bright Moon describes Luo Shu’s life in MingKe House and her determination to be free despite what fate has for her and since Han Muzhi was the one who helped her escape in the beginning, that gave her hopes of freedom. However, they were not meant to be together given the circumstances with their statuses, just like how the moon is bright but far from reach. Muzhi is not able to be with her in every step of the journey, hence, he is the moon that she is only able to watch from a distance and look up to but not reach.

In Ask Moonlight To Take Her Home, Qi Menglin is the moonlight that shines on Luo Shu and guides her in the direction to the freedom she wants. He is the light that is within reach and is always where Luo Shu is and always there for her. Compared to what is not attainable, she comes to realize this that Qi Menglin has always been right there and sees the good qualities of him.

I believe Liu Wan was living the life of a commoner to reflect on herself and experience what it was like compared to when she was of high status and took everything for granted by looking down on Luo Shu who was of low status. In a way it can be said it is karma with that open ending for her. The magistrate was moving up in his position and she feels that with everything that has happened and in her current state, she is not worthy to be with him even though there are lingering feelings.

I am not sure whether Qin Yi’s words can be trusted completely given his character but whether or not he saved her after she fainted from the fire by bringing her in or when they came back to inquire about the incident and took her in as precaution for finding out what had really happened to her family, it was not a coincidence that she ended up in the Qin family. It seems that Luo Shu was being controlled all her life right when she entered the Qin family until she escaped and found out the truth which is just cruel.

Also thinking back on Qin Yi’s past, I think he became very scheming to seize control of power because of that time when Wuniang plotted against him and had him almost killed but Luo Shu saved him by giving him food which led him to have an obsession over her. After that incident it caused Qin Yi to become ruthless and led him to bring down Wuniang later on no matter what even to MingKe House until her death as revenge since he did not want to be plotted against. We see that unyielding force with his death at the end where he would rather kill himself than be arrested and locked up in prison.

That is a good point that I missed. So it was actually foreshadowed that the Qi family had something to do with the fire accident when the brother mentioned that Luo Shu is destined to not be with them. But Luo Shu forgave them when she mentioned that it was mostly the Qin family’s involvement and since his father made up for his past crimes when he was punished, it cleared the barrier for Menglin and Luo Shu to be together.

I think the ending for Menglin and Luo Shu made sense since Luo Shu really only wanted to live a free and simple life like how her family was which makes her happy and she got that which makes up for her past.

For anyone who is hesitating to watch the drama because of the rating, love triangle, or due to the male lead’s character, you are missing out on a gem. Everything is written out the way it is for a reason and you will see it as the story progresses. Yes, the male lead’s character can be annoying and you may prefer the second male lead, but as you watch, you will notice the shift and why the male lead is the male lead here. The rating here on MDL does not provide an accurate representation of the drama. You will have to watch it for yourself to determine if the drama is good.

The story is very well written from the beginning to end without losing focus and able to effectively incorporate characters from the cases into other parts of the story. It engages you right from the start. This is not just an investigation drama about solving different cases without any focus, but is with an enticing main plot evoking different emotions. Each case provides an insight into the aspects of life and humanity which makes us think and question. The relationship between the main leads is also not the typical cliched love line we tend to see but a depiction of what real love is. It is unconditional and not just about being together but where both are willing to sacrifice for each other to live and sticking together through thick and thin.

His character was written like that for the beginning in order for there to be character development and we actually see his growth starting in episode 12 and then in 18 it becomes more obvious. Luo Shu ends up scolding Menglin for being spoiled and useless in a fit of rage and that made him come back in victory as a Deputy Commander in leading the troops to defeat the bandits to prove himself. He then stands up for Luo Shu when no one else would and when she needs it the most. Menglin's love for Luo Shu is unconditional. He wanted to be with her and would do anything for her but he did not want to get her involved with the mess he was in towards the later end of the drama and would even trade his life just for her to live. In return, Luo Shu’s persistence to stick by his side proves her feelings and choice she has made to be with him and that shows that they are worthy of each other’s love.

Menglin’s acts of kindness, words, and justice for the common people through the drama slowly won Luo Shu’s heart. We see many times where he fell asleep while guarding her afraid that she will be in danger and Luo Shu’s expression when she saw that shows she was moved.

It took quite some time for the magistrate to see Liu Wan in a different light since he kept thinking how she is always the one creating trouble whether it be giving Luo Shu a hard time and forcing her to leave Linfen or not allowing her father to allocate the grain to Linfen as revenge on him for breaking the promise. It was until she came to Linfen to give him back his resignation letter and told him that she was the one who picked him to be the son-in-law because she liked his unyielding spirit and resilience and that made him not forget his motive as being the magistrate. From then on his interaction with her was much more genuine and it made sense why the father did not give the grain to him. It was far more than just going through with Qin Yi’s plan. There was also personal discontent since the father had always felt that the magistrate goes against him and he only chose to endure because of her daughter and thus decided to use the chance to get back at him.

I guess that open ending was partially karma for what she had previously done to Luo Shu which led the magistrate to become prejudiced against her and the other reason was most likely because she did not want to drag him down with her any further given what her father had done. She felt that she is not worth his love in the end.

I see what you mean about Luo Shu’s thoughts and reactions. I believe it is because she’s not the type to outwardly express herself and also at that point in time given her status when compared to Liu Wan, she could not do anything else but to go along with what was happening. Even if the magistrate had spoken up for her, I assume she would still have been in the center of attention and talked about.

I think you meant Lian Shu. Lian Qi was the second brother’s servant and he ended up betraying him. However, I think we can see that he still has the slightest empathy for the second brother and wanted to spare his life when Qin Yi was going to kill him and the expression he had when it was too late. The second brother was actually a really good character despite how his father ended up neglecting him for the most part in the Qi family and he did not betray them. His death was inevitable after the plot and he knew he was going to die in a matter of time when Qin Yi found him and still protected Menglin until the end. What he said to Qin Yi about the wealth and status and his character was right on point and that triggered him to give the final blow. Only he cared about those things which caused him to become so ruthless and corrupt.

Yes, Menglin’s acts of kindness, words, and justice for the common people through the drama slowly won Luo Shu’s heart. We see many times where he had fell asleep while guarding her and Luo Shu’s expression when she saw that shows she was moved.

Menglin’s father originally only wanted to bribe Luo Shu’s father by giving him money to keep the secret and leave but it was the Qin family that instigated the fire plan and Qin Yi’s idea to kill the family. He kept saying that he saved her in that fire but it does not seem so. There was probably some truth to what Aunt Guo had mentioned about how some people came after the fire to ask if anyone survived and since Luo Shu survived, they most likely took her in by disguising it as her being sold off to the Qin family to prevent her from finding out the truth about what happened to her family.

Yes, the only way that Menglin could officially be together with Luo Shu without any concerns was if he no longer had his status and we see that at the end with his father being punished for what he had done in the past, but if the Qi family had not been punished, I think his father may have allowed the marriage with Luo Shu if he realized she was the daughter of the minor official that the Qin family had killed back then and also how she saved his family from the charges as a way to make up for her loss.

Menglin’s love for Luo Shu was unconditional. He wanted to be with her and would do anything for her but he did not want to get her involved with the mess he was in and would even trade his life just for her to live. But Luo Shu’s persistence to stick by his side proves her feelings and choice she has made to be with him and that shows that they are worthy of each other’s love. The prison scene with the wedding ceremony was very touching as it was a way for Luo Shu to prove that she will be with him whether in life or death. Menglin thought it was a dream until they bumped heads and was once again was reluctant and wanted to push her away but Luo Shu is always able to persuade him.

Also Qin Yi got it too easy for his death. He was planning to burn Menglin in MingKe House with petroleum like he did with Luo Shu’s family to prove himself to Governor Liu but even though he knew he was being used, he still wanted to kill Menglin with the hopes that Luo Shu will be with him. He would rather burn down the whole place by having everyone killed together with him than be controlled by others when Commissioner Zhao came to arrest him. The one thing he least expected was for Luo Shu to slash him with her hairpin and push him down. And of all places he chose MingKe House since it was his place of control in Linfen which was also quite ironic how Luo Shu is brought back to where she started.

I feel that the case with Liu Wan’s cousin actually made her think about her relationship with the magistrate since their situation was very similar. It was evident to her that he likes Luo Shu and not her so if they had been together despite that before, it would only end up benefitting him with his status just like how her cousin’s husband only married the cousin because of her status but only likes the concubine. And with what happened at the end, she felt that it was best to not be with him.