Platinum Fox

Princess Wan Ning is the half sister of the emperor. Her full biological brother and her are planning a rebellion. She is important because she is one of the main reasons the female lead needs to get revenge in the first place. She steals the female leads husband.

I know in the novel Hidden Love the age gap is seven years, but for the purpose of what the drama is trying to do, five years is sufficient (14 & 19, 17 & 22, 18/19 & 23/24). Many posters did not like the fact that he knew her when she was 14 and even raised concern when he said he liked her when she was 17. Even the drama argues that there are distinct intellectual gaps as well as physical gaps when she is 14 and he is 19 and when she is 17 and he is 22. At this time in her life from 14 to 19, she can consent to a sexual relationship (age of consent in China is 14). The drama says no at 14 and 17 because teens are still children, but at 17 there is a gray area. She is biologically a woman (the period scene), but she is not an adult (age of majority, 18, or marriageable age, 20). At 19 he is considered an adult (age of majority and able to consent to sex), but he can't get married until he is 22. So even the five year age gap at the times they are showing is very much an issue. Thus why the hashtag age gap. Now when she is 18/19 and he is 23/24, there is no problem and the age gap doesn't matter.

I understand what you are saying and about second leads (whatever gender). They always have it the worst in these dramas. Most of the time I feel they deserve it, but this time I felt differently. As his friend, she could have at least sat down with him and talked it out, not throw everything back in his face. This is what made him go to such extreme measures to get her attention. When you see your friend going down the wrong path, you should try to help him/her. She didn't even try to help him. If they were such good friends, she would have helped him. Even the first male lead didn't try to help him, and he was his teacher. For me, all three of the leads were selfish and immature. I expected more from the dean of the college than what we got.

Thanks for the discussion and insight.

Yes, I could see that. Most people who write on here do it to criticize the work. I have also noticed that about other popular works as well. Not a lot of comments.

You do not see him die in the end, but it is implied. It is a hopeful ending.

Thank you, I did notice that, but I am wondering if people are waiting until all three seasons come out to write.

Felt the same way and watched it without sound when she turned 18. It bugged me why she spoke in a childish voice throughout most of the drama, but I knew there must be a reason. I found it in the novel, The End of Eternity and the age of consent law 14.

You're right. She never asked for any of that and love can be one sided. My argument is was she even his friend to begin with or was he just someone she could use to get what she wanted like all the other women in his life? Did she ever really understand him as a human being or even want to?

So if you apply what Sang Qi says, she is a hypocrite. She is nice to him on the frontier. However, when she enters the college, with his help, she total ignores him and chases after the FML. At first, it is because of the bet and after that it is because she has fallen in love with FML. She ditches the SML even as a friend when she finds out he is trying to court her. She doesn't sit down with him and talk out. If they really had been friends, she would have taken the time to do this.

This is why I do have sympathy for him because the women in his life just use and abuse him. The only one who doesn't is Song Jia Win.

He is in five scenes: the party for him after SS and LY break their engagement (season 1), the scene where he is with Yang Yang while she is doing the household books (season 1?) (, montage of the four weddings at the Cheng residence (season 2). He is Yang Yang's beau.

Thank you, I think I understand and see where you are coming from. Yes, I did have problems with some of the scenes in this drama, but felt it flowed better than most of the dramas I have watched and loved how the camera shots held significant meaning to them. I don't find that in Joy of Life, but I could have missed them. Also, I feel there are a great many discussion topics in LLtG that I just don't find in other dramas even though they are about the same thing.

Presently, I am on Season 1 episode 26 of Joy of Life, so I will see how I feel about it in the end. It took me awhile to watch this one at first, but once I started I couldn't stop and ended up loving it. The same might happen for Joy of Life. But at present I don't see much difference.

You should see him in Jewel in the Crown and Jewel in the Palace. Both are longish, but very good.

Please explain to me how this is just a regular historical drama and Joy of Life is at a different level. I started watching Joy of Life three weeks ago and am on episode 20. Ling Bu Yi seems to be on the same level as Fan Xian when it comes to avenging ordinary people. Poetic justice seems to be happening in both. So I am curious as to how they are different in level. Douban rating for LLtG 7.6 Joy of Life 7.9. Not much difference in my opinion.

I ask because, for me, she is even worse than Shao Shang's mother when it comes to disciplining the children. Whenever she is with the children (both hers and Shen'an's), she smacks, insults, bullies, and belittles all of them, except for LBY. LBY is the favored one. How the parents treat their children in this drama is on point from a historical lens. If you look at mom through this lens, you will see that SS' mother is quite progressive in her disciplining of Shao Shang. When SS doesn't want to study, mom takes away snacks, not survival food. Mom actually tries to get her up to par in reading and writing with the noble men's children, but Shao Shang thinks she is good enough just as she is and rebels. When she is put in the situation where she needs to up her game, notice she leaves the banquet pretty quickly when the girls start harassing her for the very things that she is unruly and illiterate. She understands and is extremely uncomfortable with this talk about her. Peer talk is sometimes more effective than adult talk.

When LBY proposes marriage, mom is only repeating what all the noble families know about Shao Shang, but the emperor and empress don't because they only know what LBY has told them. Reputation was and still is very important in Chinese culture. Mom never once says that Shao Shang is stupid (something repeatedly said by Consort Yue to her children). in fact, mom writes the 3rd Aunt praising SS for her innovative ideas. Mom understands that SS wants to make a difference in the world. Something SS will not be able to do at home, but can in the palace.

I agree with you and understand where you are coming from. Through a modern lens, it does look like mom does not love SS, but actually mom loves her enough to make sure she accepts responsibility for her actions and not to embarrass the family. Something the princesses do not do until Shao Shang comes along and forces the emperor, the empress, Consort Yue, and the noble families to discipline their children.

You may not have liked the way mom disciplined SS or how she "favored" Yang Yang, but all kids are different. There is no one way of disciplining that fits all kids. Parents have to find which disciplinary method works the best. Notice it took killing 5th princess' harem to get her to start acting like a decent human being and yes that is extreme.

As for Consort Yue and the empress, what would Consort Yue have to be jealous about the relationship between the emperor and the empress? CY knows that the emperor does not love the empress. Nor does the empress love the emperor. In fact the emperor treats the empress as an after thought most of the time and especially at her own birthday party. Even though it is not out in the open, there is much more jealousy on the empress' part. Her daughter (5th princess) tells the audience what is going on in the royal harem. It's why Consort Yue smacks her. Shao Shang helps the empress get what she wants, not to be empress, but by this time it is too late for her to find someone who will really love her for herself. Now if the emperor had also married LBY's aunt, that would have been a different story.

Thank you for the discussion.

So Lulu what did you think of Consort Yue?

Thank you. Did you watch The Double?

I am on 17. I am very curious as to whom Fan Xian's mother is and how she knew all about soap, etc. Does it tell us in this season or is it in the big finale (season 3)?

There are no love triangles.

You might like The K2, Flower of Evil, and Signal.

You might find Story of Yan Xi Palace interesting. When I watched SYXP, Fu Heng reminded me a great deal of LBY and the main female was a great deal like Shao Shang. The emperor here, for me, seems to be a comedic version of the emperor in SYXP.

I am on episode 15.