Calla

well, we feel bad for lanxiang, but most of us have been rooting for jinqi, so we deserve that slap. 😅

LOL. you're too funny. 😂

i just started ep27, and all i have to say atm is that i feel so protective of master lu and lanxiang's parents. they are some of the best adoptive parents / mentors a girl could ever ask for. nothing terrible better happen to them or else i wlll riottt.

ohhh, nice. i will check it out. thank you!

wait, the 3rd sister will eventually leave the city for good? so in the novel, the fl never sees her again?

also, speaking of the novel - did you enjoy it? is it better, the same, or worse than the drama? and do you recommend it? i'm like 70% done with my current novel, and i am looking for something else to read after.

i feel bad for saying this, but i'm lowkey happy that jinqi put an end to all the duets. i have so much respect for the opera style of music, but i was getting tired of lanxiang and scholar han constantly breaking into song lol.

nope, i meant what i said lol. i was referring to the reunion of lanxiang and ji'er at the brothel in ep23.

each of my bullet points is a different episode. i just didn't mention a timestamp in case others haven't gotten there yet.

and the girl master lu and lanxiang's father redeemed was zhi. she was the girl who slashed her own face to avoid being used as a prostitute. she is not ji'er's servant.

SO gooddd. this drama continues to deliver!

ohhh, interesting theory! just imaging the shock and anger on the father's face if that is true is cracking me up lol.

as of ep25, here are my top 3 most powerful moments so far:

- the shen women's tragic fate
- lanxiang and ji'er's unexpected reunion
- lanxiang and master lu's heartfelt words

i bawled my eyes out in all three scenes. such great writing, acting, and directing.

he really is. he gives me the creeps.

props to the actor, i'm sure he's a lovely person irl lol.

that's exactly what it is. i know i shouldn't expect anything good to come from these characters, and yet i still find myself disappointed that there is no growth in any of them. i guess this family really is beyond saving.

and speaking of dumb xie family members, the 2nd madam takes the cake. she is the only spouse to have given birth to sons for the xie family — she has two! she practically won already, so why must she still scheme, lie, and steal even at her grown age? all she had to really do was sit back, enjoy her favors as the reason why the xie family has any heirs, and wait for her husband to die so her sons can take over the family's wealth and estate. smh.

her whole reason for hating the fl was that the fl's mother supposedly killed her own mother, the 5th madam. but even after finding out it might actually be the 2nd madam who did it, she still hates the fl. she was so smug when she found out the fl might have died from falling off a cliff... so hypocritical and dumb. but then again, most of the xie family is hypocritical and dumb. it must be a genetic thing lol.

i'm halfway through ep15, and the 3rd sister makes no sense.

she dubbed her own character though lol.

oh yeah, after rewatching scenes from ep23 and ep24, i think you are correct. the duke is supposed to be neutral because he is the maternal uncle of both princes, but he has actually been colluding with prince han. the english subtitles really do make this scene a bit confusing.

but now, i am as lost as the original commenter lol. why would the duke want the crown prince dead if it does not matter which prince ascends the throne? in ep23, marquis yuan also mentions that the duke is usually on the sidelines between the fights of the two princes. or is that a mistranslation?

yeah, it is a bit confusing because a noble has so many names lol.

but in ep22, at the beginning of the episode - manyi is introduced as duke xianguo's youngest daughter. she was able to be raised in the palace by the consort dowager because she is a relative of the royal family.

and in ep24, around the 37:15 minute mark - after the crown prince reprimands manyi and dismisses her from the room, he calls her father "duke xianguo."

zheng baichun and duke xianguo are the same person. zheng baichun is his name, and duke xianguo is his title.

in ep22, when we are introduced to zheng manyi, she is labeled as the youngest daughter of duke xianguo.

as for the duke trying to make jinqi marry his daughter, the duke just wanted to be closer to the throne. he originally thought that since jinqi has the crown prince's favor, tying his family to jinqi's would benefit him. however, this was before his daughter offended the crown prince with her actions. things have changed since then.