frankly

the way he says "A'Li"...i just can't! 🪭🫠

yes! i replay this scene A LOT!!

I agree. For me, the journey, i.e., the entire drama was great and hence the destination, i.e., ending be it sad or happy, didn't detract from the story/drama as a whole.

However, I did think the ending was a happy one based on my understanding of the characters and themes developed throughout.

- XFF, the Emperor, Jiu Yue have come to Duke Su's aid in the past because they love him as a lover, as a brother, with unrequited love, respectively. Hence, even though he's losing from the battle scene, I doubt XFF/the Emperor/Jiu Yue didn't know what was going on and just did nothing. From the time XFF was watering the little tree to the time it was quite mature and blossoming meant that it was a long time in between, so a lot could have happened. By the same token, Duke Su doesn't want to leave XFF, so fights to survive and return to her as he promised (and he also promised to return Wen Ji/Lu Ji back to their home).

- mirror theme:
Begins with death 1) XFF running away from SYR, 2) XFF "killed" by SYR, literally and figuratively, i.e., she as a smart, talented woman died by SYR's suffocation or by sacrificing herself for his scholarly pursuits, 3) burial during a dark, stormy night, 4) both SYR/XFF wearing white soiled clothes, 5) death of SYR/XFF love and
Ends with 1) XFF/Duke Su running towards each other, 2) XFF living due to Duke Su's help, his acceptance of her true self, as a smart, talented, capable woman - his equal, 3) the tree XFF/Duke Su planted as a sign of their love - living, growing, strong, 4) both XFF/Duke Su wearing clean, red clothes, 5) healthy, thriving love between XFF/Duke Su.

- poetic justice:
Vice is punished when SYR/Princess WN/Prince Chen lose everything (power/love/life) for their evil plotting and deeds, while
Virtue is rewarded when XFF/Duke Su gain everything (power/family/friends/love/happiness).

So for me, I view the ending, as is, as a happy one and not a sad one. And even if I'm wrong and the director/screenwriter intended the ending to be sad, I'd still love the drama despite the sad ending.

I also saw the 40.5 special episode and though I thought it was cute and funny, the style was very different from the main drama. For me it was a dessert I didn't really need (but still enjoyed eating it cuz it was offered) because I was already full from the exceptional meal.

This mirror theme is quite interesting! Thank you for that insight!

I didn’t catch it before, but it is poetic irony that XFF became and got what SYR always wanted. He “killed” her because of her low status and his marriage to her hindered him. But on her own, without him, she was able to achieve more than when she was married to him. So by “killing” her he actually sets her free and is therefore she is able to have a better life without him. He and his family tied her down vs the other way around…her status tying him down.

And to think their roles are reversed in the end is even more ironic! Nice catch! Love it! She, on the outside, looking into the palace gates at SYR by “killing” her true self for him vs He, on the outside looking into the palace gates at XFF after “killing” her with XFF becoming what he is/was by being her true self, by herself, for herself.

the servants who saw, were probably too scared to speak out, in fear of repercussions. or the servants that did see all served the stepmother, so were loyal to her. and as @TaliaToo mentioned, the dad believed the stepmom more than JL. 😢

interesting perspective. it's nice how the story and drama can have different meanings to different people, so we can all gain new understandings.

some questions for you which i may have missed because i don't speak mandarin and rely on the translations.

1. when did XFF and XH commit adultery? i know they kissed once before the wedding, but was it implied they slept together before then? when did this happen?
2. i thought XFF instigated the fake pregnancy because when she asked SYR to publicly admit what happened, he not only refused, but he schemed to have XFF married to him by imperial edict. XFF wanted to get out of the marriage by faking WN pregnancy to force WN and SYR to admit they have an intimate relationship. i thought XFF always wanted to expose WN and SYR because they are the reason for getting her and her family killed and for soiling her reputation? and the pregnancy would push SYR to publicly admit to his relationship w/ WN? did i misunderstand this part?

some other thoughts:
- SYR is not just selfish in terms of wanting power/glory, i think he's also selfish because he did things that benefitted himself. he may have thought killing XFF was to "help" her, but in reality, he did it because he wanted to live and he wanted his mother/sister to live. he could have done the difficult thing, which was go against WN, especially since he had the Emperor's favor and Prince Cheng had not yet ascended the throne. he could have divorced XFF as she asked him, while he was trying to kill her. but, out of cowardice and self preservation, he chose not to. he chose to kill the love of his life and justify it by saying it was for her own good or because he “loved” her. the thing is, her reputation was still tarnished, even when she "died". he did nothing to help exonerate her name/reputation because he valued himself and his mother/sister over her and her father/brother. though he may not have planned for her father and brother's deaths, he likely knew about it, but chose to do nothing (e.g., tell the Emperor who valued him). the most selfless act he could have done was admit his mistakes and his collusion with WN/Prince Cheng/Li family/etc. and exonerate XFF and her family. instead, he chose to kill himself because he couldn't have her under his terms and killed himself without ever revealing the truth that he tried to kill her and that his mother purposefully soiled her reputation. in the end, even though XFF got her father/brother back (on her own with no help from SYR), XFF’s reputation was never redressed, or at least that’s what i understood from the drama. “getting her name cleared of adultery” by assuming someone else’s identity/name is not the same as getting XFF’s name exonerated publicly, in my opinion. she is still XFF, but must live life as JL because of what SYR did.

here's another comment regarding poetic justice. would like to get your thoughts as well! https://kisskh.at/736749-di-jia-qian-jin#comment-18547951

For me, i see the poetic justice in the following:

Vice is punished:
- SYR is selfish and uses evil means to gain power and XFF's love (after betraying and trying to kill her), but ends up with neither power nor love from XFF.
- WN wanted power and SYR's love, so went to great lengths to kill XFF and her family, but ends up losing it all to XFF (SYR's love, XFF's family survives, WN's brother dies, loses fake pregnancy, kills herself).
- Prince Cheng is a disciple of XH's father, who he killed. XH's father used his sword to teach Prince Cheng martial arts skills, but Prince Cheng ends up dying at the hands of XH, using his father's sword.

Virtue is rewarded:
- XFF gave up herself to help SYR become an imperial scholar (sold her guzheng to support him financially, sold her mother's pendant to get medicine and aid for him when he was sick, didn't go to school because she married him instead, etc.) and he betrayed her and tried to kill her. XFF remained true to herself with XH and he accepted her as she was. When he faced SYR alone, she returned to him because she didn't want to abandon him. In the end, she found love and happiness because XH returns to her alive. He too does not want to leave her alone and abandoned so he fights to survive. She also got her father and brother back and also gained new friends that support her.
- XH's father was killed in a battle against the Dai army because he was betrayed by Prince Cheng and his cohorts. XH brings them all to justice. He battles against the Dai army for the country (selfless compared to SYR, WN, and Prince Cheng who are all selfish). The difference with his father is that his father wins the battle, but can't leave safely because Prince Cheng blocks his retreat. For XH, he is in a losing battle, but throughout the drama, he helps others (Emperor, Situ Jiu, XFF and her family) who made it clear throughout that they would never abandon him and would do what they can to help him. So, that's why it is a clear happy ending for me and why the battle scene does not upset me. Knowing the characters and how well their relationships and character are developed throughout, it's clear that XH wouldn't die because his friends wouldn't abandon him. It is also poetic justice.
- As a couple, XH fights to survive because he knows XFF is waiting for him and he wants to return to her. So he lives, he returns, and he and XFF, who both suffered at the hands of selfish people, both live, finding love and happiness.

The part that doesn't seem fair though, are the deaths of Tong'Er, Lu Ji, and Wen Ji. I don't understand why they would die, given the poetic justice theme. Unless it's to say that some of the innocent and virtuous can't be rewarded because they fall prey to the evil and maliciousness of others. 🤷‍♀️

Yes! In my car...during my walks... 🎶🚗🎧

right! SYR and XH were both running to her, but only one was deserving of her life and love...the one who gave her freedom and support throughout without asking for anything in return. XFF gave up many things (her guzheng, pendant, schooling, her sense of self) for SYR, but the only thing she "gave up" (she didn't really give it up, by giving it to him) for XH was the pendant, which symbolized her love and trust in him.

Agree! It was the journey for me and not just the destination that made this drama so worthwhile. I, too, thought the ending was a happy one. It started with XFF trying to survive to get revenge and ended with XH fighting hard to survive to return to his love. It started with a death/burial by a tree on a cold, dark night and ended on a sunny day with the flourishing tree XFF/XH planted together as a symbol of their love and XH returning alive. It started with XFF/SYR wearing soiled, white clothes (mourning/loss of purity) and ended with XFF/XH wearing bright red clothes (joy/good fortune).

🎉🪭🥰

I first noticed him in One and Only and was happy to see him in Scent of Time and Story of Kunning Palace!

Ah, nice catch!

Agree! So annoying when dramas drag on due to misunderstandings…like people don’t know how to communicate. 🙄 The leads in this drama can not only communicate, but can also understand each other well.

What drama was that taken from?

🙋‍♀️

Thank you!! 😊

Right. I think the kiss symbolizes her love and trust in her husband, who not only betrays her, but tries to kill her as well. Because of this, she is more focused on getting revenge and is more protective of her heart (not wanting to make the same mistake). It’s not until Duke Su convinces her that he is worthy of her and is capable of protecting her from powerful people, like Wan Ning, which her husband couldn’t do.

I’m re-watching and about to start reading the book, too!