Snail that arrived

Making tanghulu out of someone's balls.

I'm sorry 😭🫣

Master Xing Dou, the one who self-immolated, had that death mark on his hand, the tattoo. Someone here speculated that he was a prisoner on death row so he existed for Zanghai to teach him, his death sentence being deferred and then once it was done, enacted. I think this is very possible.

I definitely think the masters are playing their own game. Nobody invests just like that into someone else's revenge. In fact, that scene today when Zhixing is in the army and that guy tells him nobody will do something for nothing is like a mantra for this whole drama. We just don't know what game the masters are playing and if that game will end with them betraying Zanghai once he does what they want him to do.

That whole village ending up dead for Zanghai makes me think there is a connection to the Empress or Emperor because imagine how much power needs to be behind that movement to protect Zanghai to get that kind of sacrifice?

Some incredibly powerful forces are playing chess here. I just wonder if Zanghai gets to leave the chess board and become a player before he experiences a huge betrayal or after? Because I don't think he is as innocent as he is projecting to his masters.

It is definitely giving our brain a workout, I love that!

Douban has been flooded with paid bots that have been scoring this drama 1 star in waves. The people who organised these have even been caught red-handed but it really depends on what Douban chooses to do. They can purge those votes but they have never done so before for any Xiao Zhan drama. So it could go either way.

That's right. The drama basically already told us how it's possible. I am just not sure which woman. Empress? Someone else we haven't met?

Too young. Eight was a child when things went down and the masked person saved Zanghai. Couldn't have been her but someone using the same technique, yes.

The more time passes the more I think it really is a woman. But if that's the case, which woman, we don't have a lot to choose from. One person we haven't met, yet is powerful enough is the Empress. Maybe one of hers? Or maybe a woman connected to the Prince that the court wishes to name the Crown Prince (I forgot his name) that the Emperor fears?

Are we sure masked guy is a man?

She obviously has a pretty great impact considering he got himself in major trouble to get her out of it. His revenge could have ended there. What a glorious end that would have been.

It drives me crazy the way they have just a few archetypes and in 95% of the cases, that is that.

I am also annoyed when we get accused of internalised misogyny because we don't appreciate this writing.

But who is actually being misogynistic here? The writer set up XAT as an extremely successful young woman who has achieved much and is a real strong woman.

And then, as soon as love comes knocking, this accomplished survivor, because that is what she is, suddenly turns into an immature, moody, capricious little girl. That, that is misogyny because it feeds right into the stereotype that women are too emotional, they cannot control themselves, etc. That is tale as old as time and pure misogyny.

Genuine critique of the way FL is written is not hate.

Sorry but she is really young doesn't work with this drama's setting. This isn't the 21st century. It's centuries ago in Imperial China.

She is a captured princess who was probably forced into the court as collateral and she had to survive that court. Then she survives that viper pit and not only managed the Z tower but has a whole spy network, working on reviving Dongxia, getting the seal and helping her people and then, on top of that, she is an assassin.

These two things, she is young so her bruised ego revenge and toddler tantrums are normal, and all the above simply aren't possible together. These two things cannot coexist. It's simply not possible to accomplish all this, survive all the hardships and then act as she does.

The writer really needs to pick the accomplished young woman part and write her like that in romantic situations as well. Hopefully from the next set of episodes.

Also please, let's not start pretending she is some innocent little lamb that isn't playing her own game, even with Zanghai.

I think the boat date was a perfect stepping stone. There was a bit of romance and some opening up on both sides.

I expected that at this point we would have her heritage come to light and that would bring the notion that she too has a reason to go after the seal.

This doesn't just represent a problem for Zanghai. He wants revenge but he is not a traitor and Dongxia would use the seal to attack. But XAT has the opposite problem. Zanghai or her kingdom? That is such an amazing growth line for her. As we are half way there I really expected us to already be deep in these ambiguous waters. Not this. I hope you are right and we will be moving on quickly now.

Yes, I agree, in fact it's what I expected. That her own plotline connected to her heritage would come into play and then intersect with his revenge which would cause both conflict and possible alliance. I don't know what this is right now apart from a drastic tonal shift that really does water down the otherwise tense atmosphere.

I really don't understand this way of writing the FL. Immature, manipulative games, as if she's a teenage girl not a serious head of a business, not to mention her side-profession. It's luck the writer had him keep his self-respect because this is already heavily trampling on the tone of a serious drama. Are we watching a revenge or idol drama here? It's also a disservice to JGY who can act.

It's simply not your place to tell people how they should engage with the content of this drama. You don't get a say in how people spend their time. It's their right alone to decide that. You have no say in it nor any right to tell them what they should do. What is wasted time to you, is not to them.

You think some "need to read" about your opinion on how they do that, as if they aren't adults capable of their own thoughts and opinions. Your opinion isn't the right one in general, just as theirs isn't. You all engage in this content in ways right for you and you alone.

Again they aren't saying anything to you while you feel like you have the right to tell them how they should do this or that.

If you claim you have no wish to debate over fictional couples, then let people be unhappy about this aspect as they please, for as long as they please, as many times as they please. It's none of your business.

If they start getting on your case over enjoying romance, I would say the same thing to them. You are allowed to, as much as you please.

This talk about the FL has me thinking. It's true that as the Dongxia princess she probably has ulterior motives, one of which is to find the seal. We don't know the role of her mother in all this just yet.

I hope the director will have a care in how he handles the FL's motives and actions. Right now, they are very sweet together but if she did approach him with ulterior motives, that would make her another manipulator in his life. I trust Zheng Xiaolong to handle it well so I hope he is worthy of that trust because it's so easy to push this situation into a sour one.

Why so aggressive?

Posters below your posts are expressing their dislike for romance in this drama. They aren't saying anything about romance lovers.

You on the other hand are talking how they shouldn't express their opinions. These are very different things because they are addressing the happenings in the drama while you are addressing them.

I understand how it can be annoying to see them dislike something you like but that is just how things are. And until they start attacking you or other romance posters directly, there is nothing wrong with their posts.

There is no need to be aggressive. You like what you like, just like they like what they like. There is room for both.

If people are allowed to gush about romance and heavens knows they do then others are allowed to be unhappy about it and think he doesn't need a romantic partner.

There is literally no reason why you are allowed to express your happiness and they are not. It's a discussion board, not a fan page. Each of you just skip the others posts and everyone's satisfied.

Gao Ming has his own agenda.

Zanghai needs some light in his life. The real question is why is Gao Ming isolating him from that and therefore making manipulating Zanghai easier?

I have wondered about that myself but I suppose considering we are mostly focused on the official departments and officials, the lack of women seems plausible because they weren't in those positions in those days. Maybe we will see more once he hits the court, like the Empress?