RedBear

Wow! This post is so informative! Thank you for sharing this! Is your job related to dealing with snakes? It's so brave of you that you have seen so many of them. I have a serious, legit fear of snakes and I don't think I can handle seeing one or make it out alive after that.
On that note, I have a few doubts. I've always heard that snakes bite out of survival instinct if there is a commotion. That's why people generally tell you to not move or shout when you see one. But, its interesting to know that snakes actually shy away from commotion. If you don't mind, could you elaborate more on that point?
Also, if a beginner hiker encounters a snake, can they actually make it out alive without being hurt?

This!! As someone who also hates being controlled by others, I do understand her concerns, but the way she just assumes the worst about LBY's intentions, especially about his proposal to her, saying that there was no "reason" why he did so, just doesn't sit right with me.
He had very good reasons to propose that day. LBY has always been considerate of her feelings and never acted against her wishes. He backed off earlier when he learnt that she doesn't have any feelings for him, and that they both have different goals in life. He also tried to help her live the peaceful life she wanted with LY, and said that he would help LY get a good position in the government, so that they don't have to go somewhere too isolated and suffer in the middle of nowhere, in their efforts to escape their family's clutches.
Her safety and well-being has always been his priority, and that exactly is the reason he proposed in front of the King too.That day, he saw that she was literally pushed to fall on a pile of broken, sharp objects by those bullies. If he didn't come in time, she would have been dangerously hurt. Those sharp pieces could have pierced through her eyes and left her blind or pierced through her heart and caused instant death.
Honestly speaking, from the moment he rescued her in front of everybody, there was no turning back for them. Everyone saw them being physically "close" and that he had feelings for her. If he didn't pursue the matter further and left it without doing anything, CSS would have become a subject of ridicule for everyone and would be bullied relentlessly. That's the reason he took her hand and made her sit beside him. Soon after, he also saw that the Fifth Prince had dirty intentions about her. So he had no other option but to propose to her in front of the King, in order to protect her.
I am always on CSS's side, but I also hope that she gets out of her bubble and starts understanding him. It's not enough if it's only him walking towards her, she needs to walk her distance too, in order for them to meet in the middle.

Very much disagree. The placement of responsibility doesn't end with only the Xiao family being executed. Prince Xiao maybe the "devil", but HZ is the enabler who held the candle to the devil. She made it possible for him to execute his plans. She is nowhere completely innocent in whatever happened. She was already engaged with LY and things wouldn't have turned out the way they did, if she didn't go crazy for Prince Xiao out of her own selfish interests and break it off with LY.

"Simultaneously holding both parties responsible undermines the severity of the Xiao family's committed crimes." -
Again, hard disagree. The main victims here are her family members, who were only linked to Prince Xiao THROUGH HZ. There is the perpetrator, the enabler and the victim. No doubt Prince Xiao is the peretrator, but HZ is the enabler who caused the demise of the victims. Holding an enabler accountable, rightfully for their role in the demise of the victims, doesn't undermine the severity of the perpetrator's actions in any way. It's just placing the responsibility where it truly belongs.
With all that said, I will not be arguing any further regarding my stance here. I have provided enough arguments for my points, and I stand by them.

Placing responsibility where it belongs to, doesn't equate to victim-blaming. As I said, no one is telling that she "deserved" it, at the same time, it doesn't mean that she isn't "responsible" for it. Nothing changes the fact that she married Prince Xiao out of her own selfishness. Nothing changes the fact that she bullied LY all his life, to the extent that he lost all his self-esteem and felt helpless and depressed being with her.
ZH maybe technically a "victim", but saying that she is "as much" of a victim as the rest of her family, who had nothing to do with her fiance in the first place, is highly incorrect. As I said previously, she ultimately brought it all upon herself, and worse she implicated the rest of her family in the process. You reap what you sow. She is equally accountable to her family members.

Nobody is victim-blaming here. We are just pointing out facts. Nobody is saying that she "deserves" it, we are just pointing out that she is "responsible" for the tragedy of the He family. You know who truly doesn't "deserve" all this? It's the rest of the He family members. They are the true victims. They are the innocent ones here. They didn't deserve to be killed so brutally by her fiance. A fiance which she CHOSE on her own accord, while throwing away her ex-fiance after bullying him his whole life.
She called him weak, useless and all other insulting things, and was obsessed with powerful, charming men. She saw that her psycho fiance fit her criteria of being "powerful" and charming, so she immediately clinged onto him, while throwing away LY. Ultimately, her obsession with "powerful" men is what caused the tragedy of the He family.
If we start talking about "women of her times", we have a bunch of women in this drama itself(apart from the FL) who weren't crazy about marrying powerful men. The best example is SS's Third Aunt. SS's third uncle is just like LY, but his wife still chose him and even leads a happy life with him. She infact rejected her politically powerful and socially established ex-fiance and chose her present husband over him. So you can't use "women of her times" as an excuse for HZ's abusive behaviour towards LY. Her behaviour was not influenced by the times in which she was living in, but rather by her own nature.
The one who is actually victim-blaming here is you. You call LY unimpressive, weak, incompetent and other names, and completely disregard the fact that he is a VICTIM of abuse by his family and fiance since childhood. LY is the true victim here. He clearly has PTSD from the prolonged abuse he suffered at the hands of the evil First Madam and her family, and an evil fiance, and that's the reason he struggles at standing up for himself. It's called as "learnt helplessness" in psychological terms. By calling him names, YOU are victim-blaming here.
HZ could have chosen to understand him, support him and stand beside him like a pillar, just like how SS does, she would be ultimately benefitting from doing so. But she instead chastised and berated him at every chance she got. She just wanted a powerful husband to fall into her lap, without even putting in any effort from her side into being a better person herself. So yes, she is very much responsible for the tragedy of the He family.
It's funny how you say that the world does not revolve around SS's wishes, because it's pretty obvious that it's HZ who thinks so. Just because her family members suffered a tragedy(for which she is responsible), it doesn't mean that she gets to falsely accuse and mistreat SS for "stealing" her ex-fiance, whom she herself cut-off ties with on her own.

Few things which I found irrational about the writing in the last two episodes:

1. Death of Han Pu. It was so unnecessary to kill off his character. They could have shown him growing up into a wise physician saving lives after the war. It looks like his death was just a plot-device to pave way to the next ridiculous story-arc of Lanxi loosing most of his life span; which leads to my second point.

2. Bai Fenxi's impulsive act of diving straight towards the cannons. A pretty stupid move IMO. Yeah, she was grieving Han Pu's death, but that doesn't mean she should get all impulsive about revenge and not think about how Lanxi would feel if she died. Her impulsiveness caused Lanxi to loose his lifespan. This is why I feel Han Pu's death was such a stupid plot device.

3. Did the writers completely forget about the divine flower🤷‍♀️? Lanxi used just two petals of the flower, so where did the rest of the flower go? He could have very easily used another petal to save her, instead of exchanging his life for hers. Again, looks like the writers just wanted to make the ending bitter-sweet by making Lanxi live only for 10 more years. But, what about Bai-Fenxi? What is she going to do after he dies? Or, are they still trying to find a cure for him? Sorry, but I don't like the ending, tbh.

Overall, I liked the drama. Especially the first quarter of it was amazing. I'll go back and watch the first few episodes again. Can someone recommend me good romance-wuxia dramas wihich don't have a major political storyline like this one?

Oh! Well, that explains why the plot went downhill half-way.

The director left this drama in the middle of shooting😮? Could you share the whole story please? I'm all ears👂.

Me too! I really do feel sympathetic towards him, but it's hard to forget his behaviour towards the servants and common people. He mistreats people below his status as if they are disposable and inanimates. I disliked that "flaw" of his, since his introduction episode, where he abuses Feng Lanxi's maid, Miss Huan. Other than that, I love his brotherly bond with Lanxi.

Agree. I just hope they show more of the lead-character interactions and the outside world, instead of focusing on the same old political trope. They set up the storyline with seven kingdoms(6 states and one imperial state), and they don't show much of what's happening outside the ML's kingdom.

Like the writers have the whole story-base set-up, but don't utilize it. Such a waste of all the story build-up during the first few episodes. Just tell me it gets better in the latter half of the series🥺. I really started watching this with lots of hopes and had been enjoying the first quarter of the series.

I'm half-way through the series and I'm sick of the plot revolving around the spineless King, the b*tchy Queen, and their sociopathic third Son. I've had enough of the Palace politics. Can we have more of HF and BF's story already?! I want more of our HOT main leads, Huang Chao and the martial arts world. Not the usual palace politics and scheming b**ches! This started off SOOO GOOD, but has gotten boring half-way.

We share the same thoughts about QM's and YL's redemption arc😂!

Haha, yeah😂! Regarding the timing of her suicide, I was actually thinking that the Consort's suicide might have triggered her own guilt and pain, so strong that she decided to follow in her footsteps. She had been bottling up all her guilt, for all these years, and her most beloved friend's(who is also her partner-in-crime) suicide, might have left her pretty depressed and all alone to bear the weight of the truth.
So, the Consort's death might have triggered her and she ended up making that decision. But still, can't disagree that it was a sloppy filler,lol!

"She is not on the payroll." - Lol😂!!

Yeah, very much agree! And, the fact that the noble idiocy trope was pulled after wrapping up the whole story was what made it so bizarre. If they really wanted a filler, they could have actually given a sneak-peek into the MC's travelling adventures and their journey towards realizing their dream of becoming authors. But no, they just had to go and sabotage a decent ending, just for a filler, *smh*.

The last episode was quite questionable and bizarre, with all the weird turns the story took, but the most ridiculous part of it all, for me personally, was the childhood "backstory" of QY and QM. It was so unnecessary IMO. I can't help but think that the writer used it to justify QM's behaviour towards QY and to make it seem like there was a valid "reason" for the way the b*tch behaved?! Well, if that's the case, sorry, I don't buy that BS. There is no valid "reason" to go around guilt-tripping people to go bury themselves alive, or to sexually manipulate someone whom you claim to love. Also, it doesn't make any logical sense that a sweet kid, who genuinely liked her step-sister, would go on to become a spiteful, over-the-top jealous, scheming b*tch. I don't buy all the "QM was a sweet little kid when she was young" narrative. I don't like that QX is supposed to accept her after all that has happened.

Another bizarre filler was the "LY's Mom poisoned his Dad" story-arc. Seriously? If LY's Dad was really a good person, like they have been implying from the start, an honest plea from LY's Mom to not reveal the Noble Consort's past, would have done the job. His Dad would have definitely stopped his attempts to report the truth to the Emperor, if only the Mom requested him and vouched for the Consort's loyalty. Afterall, the Consort was not plotting any conspiracies and was quite loyal to her adopted country. So, there was no valid reason for him to not let her off the hook, especially considering the fact that LY's Mom and the Consort were BFFs.

Overall, I enjoyed the drama, and the first half of the series was really good. QY is one of the most impressive FLs for me!

Ep 29:
Can QM just stop pestering QX already! Imagine being drugged by someone and forced to sleep with them, manipulated into believing that it was your fault, and ridiculed and shamed by random people into accepting your perpetrator as a life partner. As if that was not enough, you get to hear your perpetrator boasting shamelessly about how they drugged you and made you "theirs". God! I feel so bad for QX. She doesn't even leave him alone at his work. What an obsessive stalker she is! They all need to leave him alone and let him heal.

Also, QM telling QX that QY loves only herself - Girl needs to stop being a delusional hypocrite and take a clear look at herself. QY has already left, but she is still going off about her.

I'm just 16 mins into ep27, watching that scene right now, and came here to rant about it, b'coz I'm so pissed with QM, and I completely agree with you! B*tch is going on and on about.. umm...don't know what exactly! At first she blames QY for not "caring" for her, and not hugging her🙄. But then she thanks her for teaching her how to be "strong" and "own" what she wants🤷‍♀️. In the end she reveals that she was super jealous of her, even before she was assaulted. She said that she hated her because QY "stole" her mother's affection(seriously🤷‍♀️?!) and QX's heart from her🙄.

So, I'm confused, what exactly is her f**king problem! Why on Earth is she blaming QY for her actions and going off on her! She herself ackowledged that it was her fault. Oh, and what's more absurd is that she says that she always "protected" QY and "supported" her, and I'm like, "Really🤨?! Did she forget that SHE was the one who guilt-tripped QY into going back to the He residence and become a nun, and also told her to get burried alive?! Is that what she calls "protection🤨?!". I'm just aghast at her BS!

What is most heart-breaking, is that QX heard all of it, when Ms. Entitled was shamelessly boasting to QY about how she drugged him and made him sleep with her, and how she claimed him to be "hers". Urghh! I feel so sorry for QX. Poor him. That b*tch should just leave him alone at this point!

Ep25: Mixed feelings throughout the episode.

What exactly is the writer trying to achieve by incorporating stupidity into an otherwise smart, wise FL's character? This has happened a couple of times now. QY is smart and wise most of the times, but the writers just have to sabotage her character by making her act all dumb and impulsive at the most crucial moments. I facepalmed when she so easily agreed to be taken hostage by Yuan Lang, and that too at such a crucial moment, when LY and the others were putting their plan into action. Did she not think about the consequences of her actions🤷‍♀️? The moment she decided to meet YL, she gave out her identity as Qiu Yan. LY's anxiety and anger is very much understandable. Still, he managed to not lash out at her; he has lots of self-control, lol!

Also, QM. This girl is such a ticking time-bomb. God! She's so selfish and narcissistic, that even in such crucial times, her own ego is more important to her, than saving her family members. Can't believe that she actually drugged her sister and entered into the palace as a Fairy who is supposed to be a "virgin"! All this just for "proving" to QY that she is what, "strong"🤷‍♀️?! This girl's whole existence is just twisted! I'm sure the King will come to know that she has deceived him, and the Qiu family will have to pay for the repercussions🤦‍♀️.

Pig Yuan Lang got on my nerves real bad! The way he tortured QY, if it was me, I would not be able to sleep until I could break all the bones in his fingers and give him a slow painful death! Also, I feel really bad for QX and hope they all stop forcing him to marry QM. What happened between those two, was all QM's doing and has nothing to do with him. Btw, I loved all the romantic moments between the leads. The actor playing LY, emoted all the feels on point. I love his acting and he reminds me of Zheng Ye Cheng. Both of them play emotional and romantic scenes so intensely😍!

"while having zero feelings to him" - Not really. QY DID have feelings for QX in the starting. She was in the starting stages of love. She was very happy and thankful to him, that he saw her for who she is. He didn't put any labels on her or treat her like an easily disposable object, unlike how LY and the rest of her family did in the starting.
Tbh, if the writers didn't give any character development for LY, or make QX lose his emotional dependability when she complained against her Grandma for her Mother's death, QY would have ended up with QX.
Also, QY didn't "seduce" QX, he fell for her on his own accord. QY simply used some small tricks (rightfully so), one, to unmask her other sister in front of everyone, who tried to hurt her during the golf game, and two, to find out how serious QX was about their relationship, when they were literally being chased by both their families(all thanks to QM, for deliberately blowing their cover). QM on the other hand, forced herself upon QX, when she clearly knew that he didn't have any feelings for her. She also decieved him into blaming himself for what happened.
"but you make it seem like QY never hurt QM in the process too." - Lol! Seriously?? When on Earth did QY hurt QM?? If any, she tried to PROTECT QM again and again, even after so many betrayals from QM. QY should have actually learnt her lesson to NOT care for QM anymore, immediately after QM revealed her true intentions about how much she hated QY, in the starting itself. But, QY is too good to care for her till the end.