jace

I loved this drama soo much. such an amazing feels good drama with incredible acting from everyone, well written characters, beautiful cinematography and solid storyline.
he Yu was phenomenal as xiao huayong, I've never seen such a charming ml tbh, which really took me by surprise. the way he'd say and do such cringe worthy lines and acts but have it be funny and enjoyable to watch lol it was just so fun to see him be unserious amongst all these nobles that took themselves too seriously, it's almost satirical. and the contrast between that puppy in love side and his green tea scheming genius crown prince side was just chef's kiss. he was just so likeable and perfect like xihe said. and ofc meng ziyi did amazing as shen xihe as I expected. she's just perfect for this kind of role as a smart and elegant woman of power. they had sooo much chemistry, truly a power couple, and I love that they get to have this 2nd collab with a happy ending that takes full advantage of their current beauty and acting skills. their promotions are also so fun to watch bc they're close friends and get along so well!
also I loved that the antagonists were all quite multifaceted. everyone's got their own reasons for doing things and it's not black and white. I was especially having conflicted emotions about xiao changqing; I despised him for being such an obsessive freak, but wavered when he showed brotherly love for huayong even despite being rivals in love, and then hated him again for being so unreasonable after huayong's passing, but then got surprised when he revealed he was doing everything for xihe's benefit. it's great when side characters are interesting, and there were quite a few of these plot twists, like for the 4th prince and his wife too.
overall I loved every episode, there wasn't a boring moment, and both good and bad karma were fulfilled in a very satisfying way

I'm hollering bro quan yi lun as wu shan here as well? this cameo gotta be a reference to blossom, like most of the cast is all from there it's so funny

ep 20 actually had me crying... T___T xihe learning he only has one year left, recalling their memories since their meeting and crying... she's truly fallen for him and knows she will have to experience the pain of losing a loved one, but is willing to marry him anyway, to make the most of what time they have left... idk if the words of denial she says to huayong of her feelings is to make it hurt less for herself or for huayong ;;

also every episode I'm laughing so much; there's so many cringe worthy scenes but in a way that's enjoyable rather than annoying, which is surprising for someone like me who usually dislikes cringey things. I feel like it's the way they make it more satirical, like purposely making it cringe worthy in a lighthearted way, and it's a nice contrast to the solemnity of the fl and other characters. huayong's cheesy lines lightens up the atmosphere when everyone else is taking themselves a bit too seriously haha

I'm so attached to huayong fr like damn, he's such a loveable ml I'm truly a bleeding heart for him and I'm so invested in his and xihe's relationship like I love how you can see xihe slowly but surely have her ice heart melted by him, the way she now trusts him and cares for him despite believing an unfeeling heart is necessary to survive in the capital

wahhhhh I can't wait for next ep, finally she agreed 😭 I'm gonna cry

this is def heyu's best role, he pulls off both the cute puppy in love and confident scheming green tea crown prince so well! huayong is seriously such a charming character, and he and xihe are so cute together and such a perfect match in all ways :')

huayong is sooo funny omfg every time he shows up the serious atmosphere is completely broken hahaha I love it. makes it so the drama doesn't take itself too seriously

enjoying it so far! been looking forward to this couple for a while and they exceeded my expectations lol they're written so smart they're almost gods... a lil too smart tbh I can barely follow their thought threads at times hahaha like didn't the writer make them a lil too op? it isn't often that the writer treats the audience smart rather than dumb tbh. and everyone talks so fast I keep needing to go back to digest the words. but it's better to feel the leads are a lil too smart than not smart enough haha! it's an interesting watch and very fast paced
tho the only not too smart moment I think is the fl not bothering to hide her personality and skills at all after waking up in another body, disregarding the fact that she's so different from the original owner or caring that people might get suspicious... it's like she doesn't fear death at all after poisoning herself and all that

I'm looking for the bgms that aren't originally songs with singing :') like the one that's in most of the previews

it's probably just bc mo li is a homonym for jasmine in chinese

are they not releasing the instrumental ost? I love the bgm in this drama so much, I really want to listen to them on spotify

also the fact that ye li's grandfather is the same actor as her shifu in unveil jadewind T____T made me tear up. he's such a good older actor, I love his aura and voice. when ye li cried in the last ep, I cried with her

I just can't get over princess lingyun's death tho. until the end I thought maybe she faked her death, bc such a smart and strong woman was that easily killed? it feels like an injustice to her character. they built her and her relationship with fzy up so much only to have her die at the drop of a hat...

this was a very beautiful, atmospheric and mature drama. even though it had its hiccups in the writing and felt a bit slow at times, it was overall very good. I liked that most of the characters were well written, even the antagonists. things were not black and white but complex with human emotion. the acting was also phenomenal. bai lu always excels at strong female characters, and ye li was incredibly strong and smart, even with her struggles with her past, which was amazing to watch. I also personally liked the ending, though it was quite bittersweet for some side characters.

it's nice seeing mxy remorseful, he needs to grovel more. it's not right that she forgives so easily just bc she doesn't remember anything. he better not get mad at her or mistreat her ever again

also hold on, don't tell me princess lingyun really died?? just like that? she was so strong and smart, and she died from one stab from her maid?? I was so sure she like faked it or smth bc that's ridiculous. I can't believe she really had no idea her maid would betray her. and we didn't even really see her die or see her dead body, I thought it was so sus but nothing happened

the last few episodes have been pissing me off ngl. the characters were written smart in the beginning but suddenly everyone started being ridiculously stupid.
top 1 stupidity. in a murder scene, you should arrest everyone at the site for interrogation, not listen one sidedly to the only conscious person in the room. I was almost banging my head at this like wtf was going thru the writer's head here. a drugged person killed her own maid by slitting her throat and also stabbed the princess in the heart before passing out, not being stopped by the two non drugged maids in the room? sure let's all just be selectively dumb ig.
number 2, mo xiuyao didn't ask where the edict came from when yeli vindicated his family and soldiers but suddenly believed muyang hou when he put the blame on her mother? ur really gonna be mad yeli didn't tell u about anything when u didn't ask at the time of the edict reveal and also when her mother died trying to save ur brother bc of muyang hou's schemes?? where'd his brain go?? this seems like unnecessary misunderstanding written just for the sake of angst but it's not angsty cuz it's just dumb. what happened to ur promises to stay with yeli forever? u made them just to break them? I hoped for a moment it'd be different from the cliches and he'd spent all that time away processing the situation and accepting that her mother was betrayed while trying to help, resulting in both family's downfalls, but no, only ur family's downfall matters to u ig. not sure if he's gonna get back into my good graces bc this shitty writing really turned me off, especially when it's been so good up until like 5 eps ago!
ugh ok rant over

at first I thought ye li was always lying when talking about her teachers and shixiongs on lishan, but now it seems she actually believes they're still alive... but sometimes it does look like she's lying so maybe she occasionally has moments of clarity? either way her mental illness and ptsd is really sad and her shixiong's expression when looking at her after returning from lishan makes my heart hurt

the eerie mysterious atmosphere in this drama is amazing and the instrumental ost is so chillingly beautiful, i need them to release it asap