grapejuice

Sometimes it's safer and so much easier to play dumb ... now that these things have slowly dawned on her.

If I were her, I would slap him just to show the family that I was pissed off about being there at a wedding I didn't orchestrate or even agree to. I wouldn't want them thinking or suggesting that I seduced my new husband because I was some kind of social climber extraordinaire. I mean they might get angry that I'm not being appreciative or how dare a maid/wife hit a husband who is our boy ... but that would be better than their thinking I've used hooks and crooks to get up in life at their favorite son's expense.

Do you think she was showing interest in Han or was she just being nice and he felt encouraged by it.

She knew that he wanted to go to the Academy but he didn't want to accept a favor from Lin and certainly not a favor that he wouldn't be able to repay. So she was pleased to have an alternate route for Han to take. He wouldn't have had to turn down something he wanted, he wouldn't have been so obviously disappointed after the fact, if she hadn't known Lin who came along to tempt him with an impossibility.

So, haha, maybe I'm as oblivious as she is but even though she likes him cuz he's a nice guy and a good friend and neighbor, I don't think she really 'likes' or loves or is romantically interested in him. Maybe she can see a nice future with him and it would please her parents if they got together, but I don't see her running into his arms because she really wants to.

Also, I wish she'd kept the calling card for herself to meet that lovely old man again.

No she's in other episodes too. Just at the beginning of scenes where our girl is at home or she goes home to visit her parents. This last time, though, is the first time she has interacted directly with LanXian. There's just the purchase and a few words about marriage and the baby. But maybe that's important.

Is it the painting that the FL recognized and her father bought in an early episode? He bought it for the store he worked at ... the FL recognized that there might be something hidden underneath ... and now the real, previously hidden painting hangs in his study.

Actually, if that's the case then the painting is kind of a reference to the FL herself. Something authentic from the Shen family that has been hidden to keep it safe.

So, then, maybe the arts and business are exactly the right and most peaceful place for our girl. Forget Han and Lin. Forget marriage altogether. She should just eventually buy Lu's shop and, with her parents sell paintings and books as well as paper/ink/calligraphy and do the occasional play or performance with, or for, the opera. It would encompass everything that she's good at. Her storytelling and singing skills might make her a successful star and, underneath that, she'd be taking the spirit of all that she learned as a child, into the future.

They went and showed us her delight at seeing the time girl's baby though. Hmmm.

I just meant, in general, that her fate with Lin could save her from a repeat of her previous tragic outcome. I didn't mean that he would be deliberately saving her from that fate ... since he doesn't know she was a part of it. This plot could definitely be called 'breaking the curse' then ... but not as a deliberate act on the part of the ML.

Fascinating history though. They put a disclaimer on this drama saying that it's not tied to a particular dynasty but there certainly seem to be some inspirations involved in it's production.

What can she do but obey her father? She has to do what he says and it seems that he's testing her resourcefulness and her ruthlessness ... to see if she's strong/vile enough to deal with irritations like this mere maid. Shouldn't be a problem. So, she has to rise to his expectations that she be ruthless in their family way. Chances are that she was raised her to this kind of bar and now is the test. And whose to know if it's a short or a long term project for them. They only want to be with the Lin family if it looks like they'll rise with the CP becoming king. But maybe that's not their ideal outcome. Maybe it's just a sabotage operation unless the CP makes it to the throne.

oh my ...

but at least one of them comes back ?

Very good points!!! He is definitely traveling in his own circle; one that his family doesn't know; a military one that probably, usually, clashes with the official one at court. Jinqi and Yuan are similar (and different from usual military types) because they are educated and scholarly as well as being fighting men. Maybe that's why they hit it off so well. They are more relaxed, closer to, and more appreciative of, the 'common people' that they fight alongside. They're more likely to color outside the lines that are set for people of their class. And that is probably something that grandpa and mom might want to curb because it would feel strange and dangerous to them. So, maybe that feeds into the poor, often desperate seeming, choices they are making for him, without consulting him.

So, our ML may be saving our FL from a replay of her first tragic experience? Han is too much like her grandfather and father, maybe. Well, we do find ourselves unconsciously attracted to what we already know in people; what feels comfortable. And then we inadvertently repeat unfortunate situations too.

Ty!!! for the advice. I'm too consumed with Against the Current and omg they are very different. I will restart Early Spring after my first rewatch of Current. :-) or maybe the second :-)

Could anybody have guessed, though, that a pot of flowers would lead to LanXiang? No. The Duke has spies and they had already done their homework. They already knew about the former maid that the Young Master visits too often. And they knew where to find her. And I'm sure that others have noticed by now as well. Old Madam was right to worry about gossip starting over her son and his maid.
But XueYi's not an idiot. JuiGao will have known that his boss wanted to dismiss the Duke's daughter as quickly and as clearly as possible. And Lanxiang house is being watched and maybe even protected ... not just because of the Han butterfly season.a

Yes!

The Zhao family was a much worse disaster than just their daughter. It was an expedient decision to marry into that family but even grandpa knew that it had huge risks. It made them beholden to a family that was too powerful. JinQi has even said outright that he ran off to the army to avoid being under their thumb. He hated them and I guess everyone saw that they (Zhao) were willing to manipulate the court and even who the next king would be. So ... marrying into the Zhao group was a safe answer in the short term but since they're so incredibly power hungry ... it was a dangerous option for the long term.

And the Duke is trouble too. He has no love for our Young Master. He's just hitching his family to what he thinks might be the next or second most powerful group around the throne. And since she's his youngest daughter, I wouldn't mind betting that any others are embedded in other families that are on the rise or have already risen. Which raises the idea that his daughters are spies and planted manipulators for a dastardly daddy who is really most aligned with the Zhaos. If they look like they're staying in power, the Duke is ready to help the Zhao with 'operatives' behind enemy lines so to speak.

So, the Old Madam really should have consulted with the Young Master before doing this without his approval and, worse, without his knowledge. Since it goes directly against the alliances that he is trying to create, could make him look shady to his allies and, well, it may actually just play into the hands of his enemies. This is the worst mistake that the Old Madam has made actually since it's entirely her own, while the first one involved circumstances and grandpa as well.

He knows that the orchid is extremely important to his boss and guesses correctly that it's more important than the woman walking beside the boss. He's also let a few things fall through the cracks regarding LanXian for which he got at least one kick in the butt. Plus there may have been more to it. He may have known that his young master would want to escape this visit. He may even have been told to interupt to open an opportunity for his boss to bolt. And perhaps something else that was important came up as well and this was a double good way to get XueYi's attention. JiuGao knows about the decorum but his priorities are always straight so he'll break it for something of a high priority. Also ... what a great message for the lady to hear and understand ... a random plant is more important than you and this engagement. Ouch.

It's also revealing. I mean he's got spies watching her and her home so that he's never too far from the action around her. Careful ML. Clever director. :-)

Oh I think you're being too harsh on our girl. Should she not have opened the door to go out and let someone else in? That's how it happened the second time so I don't think you can fault her for that. And why wouldn't she just naturally help somebody to carry some things the first time?

No I don't think you can fault her either way. . You can only be just so paranoid in life. She doesn't know what's going on at the Lin household and how she might be interfering with other people's plans. Her established enemies are busy elsewhere and the second time it wasn't even obvious that they were after her instead of Han who was the more likely target.

I think Grandfather, Grandson and maybe two Grandaughters got all the brain cells and the rest either didn't receive them or haven't activated them.

But they couldn't marry the grandson to a Shen daughter without going down with the Shen ship. They had to disengage in order to survive and then marrying a Zhao was the next act of desperation.

That was then and this is now though so they don't have any 'we're acting out of desperation' excuse anymore.

Except that these truly wealthy and powerful families are entirely cutthroat and the social climbers aren't far behind. Marriage in those waters is a treacherous prospect.

I don't mind myself :-) and ... Hopefully the Young master will not be offended since he asked her in the garden which she preferred, the scent of the orchid or silver. I mean he might be a bit hurt but I think he will get it when he hears how much silver was involved. He should know by now what that amount of silver means to her and her family.