Tibbs

I agree with your points that she is reckless and naïve and is not considering things from her hubby's perspective. In her defense, her husband is the one who seems to be growing affection for her, and not really the other way round. She's still under the impression she got from the first or second episode, that the ML doesn't care for her and that they have a fake marriage and that he can't wait to get rid of her, that's why she's behaving as if she's still single.

As much as the ML is longsuffering, that really isn't going to cut it, he needs to let the FL know that he loves her and wants their marriage to be permanent. It's obvious to the viewers but not obvious to his wife. As for the FL, regardless of how the ML feels about her, will she for once use that head of hers and develop some commonsense, listen to her husband's instructions which are mostly for her safety and stop jeopardizing his life? I can't believe anyone is a genius at detective work but too stupid at commonsense things!

I like the drama, but I think that an 8.8 is overblown. Plus I skipped episodes 3 and 4 and continued at episode 5 without any break in continuity. Which means that nothing much happens lol.

Initial Douban rating of 8 which is very high for this sort of drama. Hopefully the rating stays the same or climbs higher.

You know, I feel really bad for his servants. One of them was crying because he got scolded for throwing away an item which after it was recovered, he had him throw it away.

Poor servants! I feel so bad for them! They are at the mercy of their Lord's whims.

Thank you so much for your comment. Many FL haters seem to forget that she was cunning enough to lead an underground organization for over three years. She has her ambitions and her methods. So she's to throw that all away over a man? Just to play Mary Sue, cooking and baking in his house?

We the viewers complain about the Mary Sue characters in C-drama, but when we see a different one, who is cool, calm, collected, resourceful, ruthless and ambitious, (all the qualities we enjoy in a male lead), we can't tolerate it and criticize her with a vengeance, so what's all this talk about female empowerment about? LMT's character is a rare one, for once, we do not need to know why the ML and the Emperor are in love with her, its so obvious we can see it, because she's so different from everyone else, heck, if I were a man, I would be in love with such a woman as well, one who lives life on her own terms and makes her own rules, and lives with honesty and dignity.

And as the ML was told, the FL is like water, she DOES NOT NEED him, she can live her life very well on her own terms. She doesn't need to be with a man to live a full life. She's mature enough to love and leave men who do not support her chosen path in life. And CXZ agreed, that HE IS THE ONE WHO NEEDS her. That's why he's chasing her even when she told him it's over between them. That's why he will grovel and do everything he can to convince her they have a future together. Even if he never deceived her and she never lost her memory, he would still have to work very hard to convince a woman like her to marry him. Because she is so independent minded , self-sufficient and self-reliant.

And the truth is, she doesn't need to acquiesce to the ML. She has made her plans on what she wants her life to look like, whether or not she will be with a man is her own choice and agency and we should respect that.

Finally! A comment from someone who understands the plot!

They are both crazy about each other. She wants him to leave her alone because she's planning what would be a suicide mission if she's found out and she doesn't want to implicate him. And also because she's deeply in love with him, so his betrayal hurt her very deeply.

Many people who just expect her to forgive the ML don't realize that because she is in love with him, his betrayal hurt a whole lot more than Ziyu's. Because he constantly lied to her face, even after she asked him NOT to lie to her.
The scene where she stabs him because he betrayed her was very telling and very layered.

She stabbed him because she was angry with him for lying to her for so long and making a mockery of her trust and her love. But her eyes teared up because she was sad that she had to stab/hurt him and cause him pain. She was also angry that he forced her into a place where she had to stab him to show her displeasure.

He accepts the stabbing because he knows he deserves it. His eyes teared up because he saw her pain and knew he hurt her. He was angry with himself for hurting her and putting her in the position where she found out about his betrayal. I think that scene will remain indelibly in my memory.

And for those commenters who think she didn't get her revenge on Ziyu - she did it her way. She simply told him she wasn't going to be his empress or stay by his side. She chooses to be independent and live her own life. For Ziyu who needs trusted people around him so desperately, that must have stung. Also, the realization that she no longer trust him must have hurt him as well.

The writing and acting in this drama is brilliant and layered.

That's who he was. I thought he looked familiar! Meteor Garden. LOL.

So beautiful. Their acting.... so surreal. Too bad the writing made them spend more time apart than with each other...

Honestly, I understand your hesitation. I didn't like the first few episodes, but I stuck it out for Zhang Ling He and he doesn't disappoint. The drama gets better and better the more you watch it.

The low ratings may be from viewers who just watched the first few episodes and decided to pass on the drama.

I like the ending. It's pretty realistic.

For anyone who thinks she just dropped everything she had going in Korea and sailed off into the sunset with him, two things disabuse the viewers of this notion.

When he asked her, "But I thought you weren't coming?" She tells him she has oodles of unused vacation days which implies that she plans to return after her vacation period is over. It doesn't make sense for her to relocate to another place without first considering the possibility of continuing her life there, so she pretty much will travel to LA to see what life in LA could look like for her in a long term fashion.

Secondly, she didn't even consider getting a visa before showing up at the airport! She could easily get a travel visa, but I imagine getting an immigration visa would be much more difficult and time consuming. I'm glad the drama references this, even if it is in passing.

I imagine them having a long distance relationship for a while, and if they want to stay together for life, then they will explore the things they need to put in place for a life either in LA or Korea.

I agree. The ratings are a disservice. The drama is worth more than its current rating. I enjoyed it a lot. Highly recommend!

Yes, it’s sad though.

He’s too good looking.

I think, if he didn't like her, and she was just a one-night stand, wild horses wouldn't drag a confession out of him. However, he was interested in her from the beginning, but he was too cowardly to admit it. Seeing that he might be a dad and have a family has certainly got him invested in her and given him the courage to come out with his feelings for her. It's also understandable as a child who grew up in an orphanage without the concept of how a real family operates.

If a waiter of the opposite sex was bending over my significant other the way he was, I would be right to call him out on it. I get that the waiter was being helpful, but what is it with giving your customer 'personal space' and not leaning over them like that.

If a waiter of the opposite sex was bending over my significant other the way he was, I would be right to call him out on it. I get that the waiter was being helpful, but what is it with giving your customer 'personal space' and not leaning over them like that.

Is the child the emperor's? Looks like she was in love with the South General.

I found it very relaxing as well. The drama has a lot of good qualities, it's a shame it is rated so low.

Nah, he didn’t get her pregnant, he gave her COVID🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣!

Not to body shame anyone at all, but I love the lead actress’ baby cheeks and her low key bohemian vibe. I love that she looks healthy, like a person you could see in real life. I hope we can see more people in the media portrayed like this.