VesperBleu

What in the makjang is this drama? It's riddled with flaws, especially questionable... um... acting (I'm looking at you ML actor) and cheap soap opera editing in some places, but I can't stop watching. Maybe because it reminds me of the old Mexican telenovela La Usurpadora which I absolutely loved when I was a kid (and a teenager...). Tian Xiwei as the real Wei Rao is as deliciously over-the-top evil in this drama as Paola (the evil twin) was in La Usurpadora.

There's no memory loss in the novel.

That's the info I found online and I can hear the difference quite clearly. A few lines here and there are definitely ADR'd/dubbed because they sound very crisp, but most of the dialogue has a natural tone, without this studio quality (also, I haven't noticed any mouth/sound discrepancy so typical for dubbing). Last year another period drama - Legend of Zang Hai - also used sound recorded on set (apparently Prisoner of Beauty also did it for around 80% of the drama?).

I saw some reuters for The Road to Glory with the sound mic hanging over the leads, so here's hoping.

Yes, I'm now at the half point of the novel and it's definitely focused on court politics, while the romance is in the background.

Any news if this be either on Viki or Netflix?

I've started reading the novel and it's quite a good read, though the translation is confusing at times. Definitely a lot of court politics (not my favorite thing), but so far it keeps me interested in how the plot will develop.

Thanks for this. Some comments are truly disturbing. I'll never understand fan wars. Most of us just come here to read up on the news about the drama, not to see teenagers fighting over people they don't know and will never meet.

I praised this drama a few days ago when I was still catching up on it, but now that I heard about the forced marriage I'm out. What do you mean she got out of slavery to be enslaved right back (since she didn't have any say in it and can't even seek a divorce because of the imperial edict)? I thought the drama's theme was various kinds of imprisonment women experienced in the past, but now I'm supposed to root for a forced romance and cheer on a grotesque version of "love"? If the ML truly loved her, he would never do something like that to her. What a mess and what a disappointment.

Thank you for the detailed explanation!

Thanks, wonder how they'll show it in the drama given that pre- and post-face change ML is played by different actors. Admittedly, Wang Hongyi looks a bit similar to ZLH.

I've read around 90 chapters of the novel and skimmed through the rest and indeed - the romance is quite heavily one sided. All the emotional load is put on Xiao Li (ML) - it's clear he's fallen hard for Wen Yu (FL) and does everything to help her. On the other hand, the FL is withdrawn and guarded and at a certain point treats the ML like trash to drive him away (noble idiocy, basically) and she's solely focused on her revenge. It's clear towards the end that she loves him, but I don't think the novel presented the romance in a balanced way. I've read a post on X where someone who read both the novel and the script said that the romance is more balanced in the drama and starts earlier than in the novel (e.g. one of the reuters kiss scenes doesn't happen in the novel at that point).

Can't wait for this one, the reuters and trailers I've seen look promising. Hopefully, it's not dubbed, but uses sound recorded on set like Against the Current.

I had no expectations for this drama, just checked it on a whim. And WOW - I haven't been this hooked on a drama for years. What a gem in a sea of endless slop.

Also, finally a historical c-drama without dubbing! So it can be done, there just has to be a will... The voices recorded on set have a unique natural quality that even the best dubbing can't replicate.

A question for those who read the novel: how does the ML change his face? I mean, given the historical setting, I doubt he went to a plastic surgery clinic.