Calla

you are welcome! and i'm right there with you. this drama never ceases to amaze me. i keep saying that every new episode is better than the last, and it's still true even after 38 episodes. we've been so blessed!

what a brilliant decision by the director though, right? the detail was so quiet, but it said so much!

right? such an emotional scene. don't worry, we were all crying together lol. 🫂

yes! but only because my family also burns incense for our deceased loved ones. i love how quiet and subtle those little details are, and how impactful they make that scene. i rewatched it twice lol.

the director and screenwriters have poured so much love into this drama, and it really shows. 👏

i've seen the trailer for this episode multiple times, and i told myself i wasn't going to cry because i already knew what was coming. but the moment the drama showed us that scene with the entire shen family sitting in one room, and lanxiang's little sister saying, "jiejie, we promised to meet no matter what. i've waited so long for you" - i broke down right along with lanxiang.

and then when jinqi explained why he brought her to visit on this specific day, i cried even harder. so you're telling me that not only did this man go through the effort of giving her family a proper burial and grieving them, but he also remembered her real birthday even when she forgot??? 😭

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and just some context on this unmarked grave visitation scene that a few might have missed if they don't practice burning incense for their deceased loved ones: there was a breeze (the wind) that day. the wildflowers were swaying, the candles were flickering, and the embers were dancing, but the smoke from the incense was moving in only one direction - straight up. in traditional beliefs, this means that the souls of the people you are burning incense for hear your words.

lanxiang noticed these small details, and that's why she became so emotional. she took it as a sign of her family being relieved and approving of the words jinqi has said in front of them. that is why she asked him to kowtow with her, with the traditional wedding vows to heaven and earth narrating over the scene. it was lanxiang officially accepting jinqi as her husband with her family as her witnesses.

such a heartfelt, beautifully written episode. it delivered arguably one of the most romantic moments yet!

ep38: my reaction + some cultural context regarding the incense.

i tend to prefer flawed characters more than perfect ones, as i find them more layered and fun, but i actually really like lanxiang too, despite her perfection. part of that reason is because i've seen her lose everything and everyone. i've seen her suffer. when a character is a good person, and she is this pitiful, why wouldn't i want to see her succeed?

i treat her like i would treat another woman in real life. if i see someone very beautiful, talented, and accomplished, my first instinct isn't to try to find faults.

also, the drama did clarify why she is so knowledgeable. the shen family doesn't discriminate based on gender; they give their daughters the same level of education as they give their sons. since her grandfather was an extremely high-ranked official, they were able to provide her with the most elite tutors around.

to say she has no emotion and she is cold isn't really fair to her. didn't we both see her terrified for her life during those early episodes when every wrong move could result in her death at the lin mansion? she is very cautious because she knows fear. that isn't a lack of emotions... that is the instinct of a survivor. didn't we see her hold no grudges over the people who have wronged her in the past? she has helped the lin family, ji'er, and xingtang. that isn't coldness... that is compassion.

when the drama first started airing, there were many people saying the pacing was too slow, complaining about a lack of romance and screentime between the leads, and wondering why there wasn't more revenge.

i would assume those people rated it according to how they felt, which is one of the reasons why the rating is what it is. but to be honest, c-dramas have always had a harder time receiving a high rating on mydramalist.

in my heart, this is a 10/10 drama as well. it deserves at least a 9/10 for the overall rating, but an 8.8/10 is already a feat. don't worry, i'm sure the rating is only going to go up from here.

thank you, and heavy on the "that family owes her more than she owes them." they would've died so many times over if it weren't for her stepping in. yet she never held this fact over their heads; she considered all debts paid after her family gained their freedom - all through her own merits btw. she does not owe them anything.

i don't think we are watching the same drama. lanxiang does NOT want to avenge her family. her only goal since the extermination of the shen family has been to live well... those two words have been repeated over and over again. so where are we getting this "revenge" trope from?

she is a multifaceted person. she can be sad that the lin family broke off the engagement without having to hold a grudge against them for the rest of her life. and she doesn't hold a grudge. that is why she continues to help them. the entire reason why she is mad at him isn't because he is a lin; it is because he took away her power of choice.

i love jinqi, and he's one of my favorite characters, but i do find it interesting how some of you defend a slave owner forcing his ex-slave to be his wife so hard - painting him as more sympathetic than the actual ex-slave who had no power in the matter herself.

literally this! it is such a treat to find a drama that pulls us in so completely that we just can't help but live the moment right alongside the characters.

"i just saw you feed some to the mule..." - jinqi's reaction to lanxiang feeding that mule some brown sugar and then using the same hand to feed him right after was the only time i laughed in this entire episode. i had to mention the mule lol. 😭

and yes, you're right. it does look a lot like a horse. 😂

that entire scene broke my heart.

watching jinlan step up to trick the traitorous soldiers so they would leave the premises... seeing him give his wife those roasted peanuts before he left and her tears falling over them... witnessing him cough up blood because of the stress of that interaction... hearing him make his niece promise not to tell the others... and then seeing xiuwan sigh in relief, "thank goodness my second brother is here" once they realized they were safe...

she didn't even realize that her dear brother was living on borrowed time. 😭

that scene made me laugh. 😂 it was a much needed comedic relief in the midst of all the chaos.

lanxiang and jinqi are killing it as always, but i'm so thankful that the supporting characters are all getting their moments to shine in ep35. my standout scene stealers:
- nanke
- sun yong
- han liang
- the emperor
- jinlan

honorary mention:
- the mule lol

seriously though. how is it possible that each time i think, "this is my favorite episode yet", the drama continues to deliver one more that is even better? i hope it sweeps every single award when the time comes.

correct. her name is xingluo, and she's xingtang's younger sister.

i have a feeling xie zhao isn't very fond of her either, so it's probably another jinqi + xingtang situation.

yes, it's like @meiiyuki said.

according to the spoilers i read, xiuwan originally planned to stay single forever, but scholar xie eventually proposes to her. they get married when she is 35 years old.

not sure if this will be included in the drama, but from the missed encounter we saw in today's episode, it feels pretty likely.

yeah, i expected him to marry literally anyone else given his high standards, but i guess the power and status of the zhao family was just too tempting lol.

i agree. no wonder grandpa lin was so worried. he might be too strict, but he does have a point.

and how he didn't think highly of the lin family because he didn't feel they were scholarly enough. yet, he married a zhao daughter who can't even read or write. obviously, there is nothing wrong with being an illiterate woman, but the situation is a bit ironic.