grandblue

Yeah but I'm just saying the friend going to get the pig pancake should already get him there! hopefully they show it in the next 2 eps at most.

Hmmm... I mean maybe but I doubt it! he seemed to be mostly at heart a normal red blooded jealous guy so far lol

Jokes aside, as I said this is in essence really have nothing to do with him wanting the fl or not! my issue comes down to the fact that he doesn't seem to be grasping (or at least showing it so far) the severity of his "best friend" wanting her wife and acting inappropriately around her! in ANCIENT TIMES SETTING ^^'

But this is not even about his feelings for fl! this is about his so called friend openly going after his wife and he casually saying "so they both like each other".

He has literally been checking her out and getting a bit too close from the very first time he saw fl!

honestly if the ml just brushes this off and be friends with him like it's nothing I'd say his character is ruined from the get-go... I already think it's somewhat ruined for his lack of reaction to Qi, not out of jealousy but rather his so called friend's lack of morality and respect to him.

There are a lot of hard to believe aspects to this series but somehow I think the most unbelievable part is Qi Zhong Kai! I mean in ancient times setting, he, the ml's supposed best friend, is shamelessly going after his wife? and even complains that he's trying to stop him from meeting fl? lol

I mean for that alone ml should not be wanting to be his friend anymore at the very least haha

Glad it was helpful. and yeah exactly the cricket was too present and had much emphasis in the episode to just be something random they've shown us in passing. I read another comment here that gave more insight about the cricket being based on the hobby of an actual emperor in the ming dynasty.

Glad it was helpful. this drama for sure is one of few cdramas that truly respects the audience's intelligence and hopefully they get to land the ending with the same quality they've shown us as well!

So many don't seem to have liked episode 39 but I have to say I actually found it a very complete episode with impressive direction and style! now reading from here on will obviously contain SPOILERS!

I say complete because at the start of episode we're shown how fl shows ml the differences in their respective "way" or basically views, vary radical views which could get anyone in that time period killed tbf so for anyone saying there is too much time skip from that point till the end of episode, we should pay more attention to the clever use of voice overs of young ml in different points of episode, showcasing his way of upbringing and beliefs since childhood.

now after the 3 months time skip they have a conversation where he asks for more time to come in terms whether he wants to leave the capital or not even though it's basically shown that in principle he agrees with her.

Then we get the so called "confusing" timeskip, which when you pay attention it's actually very smart and beautifully directed. we seen him watch the eunuchs and ministers both using a cricket (which I assume we'll get more context on it in the next episode considering as to how the cricket made an appearance in the end as well) to curry favor with different factions, and especially the immense influence of eunuchs in politics which makes him realize how quickly things have corrupted and been escalated in the wrong direction promising another bloodshed after a bloody rebellion that had happened less than 3 years ago. and this is shown very cleverly as he walks while remembers the bloods that were spilled in the rebellion with his younger self narrating what he had studied even back then making him completely come in terms with what fl told him.

And seamlessly we see him give up his post in capital and move back to jinling with fl waiting for him, which I assume she had moved there 2 years ago with his sisters, as they finally hold their private wedding now that they both walk the same "path", making the episode very complete in terms the concept they were going for.

And yeah their consummation/private wedding may come off looking a bit plain but I think it makes sense considering the process they went through.

That being said I do hope we get a bit more of the romance and context (for episode 39) in the next episodes.

lmao I mean everything is actually relative!

Anyways I think you probably have missed a lot if you dont see that as a main obstacle in reciprocating the ml's feelings, there is literal instances where as they feel like they get closer the past makes her pull away from him! maybe not directly holding it against him but definitely a main reason for not reciprocating his feelings.

And to your last points... she was basically getting married to scholar han and you can bet by now she'd have a kid just to please her parents and to lead a full life following what master lu told her! and considering he became a court official i dont think her social status would've been all that different either

That's not making him a hero or trying to make fl indebted to him! he is a good person and he probably didn't even do that for fl anyways since he literally was discussing previously about the bloodshed of innocent as a result of the rebellion and how someone is trying to cause that again by looking for former CP, but he did literally do the right thing by sparing the former CP and one of the reasons he states is literally not wanting Master Lu and furong to lose their lives!

And keep in mind even if they kill the former CP, without reporting it, it would still be considered treason and if he does report about him whether alive or dead, they will investigate further and other people including master lu and furong will be implicated!

I mean I said "kinda" and "little bit" in my defense since I can definitely see why! but at the same time the reason for me is that even as a viewer and someone who didnt even like ji'er character that much I was kept getting reminded what she'd done to her so I figured this should be much more present for fl! no?

and you said "she would do this much for anyone" and I kinda agree since she is a very kindhearted and sympathetic character who has lived as both a noble and a slave! but I mean everything is relative, do you think she would be even capable of bringing herself to be this upset for what she had gone through if the one who was sold to a brothel by Xing Tang was someone way closer to her like maybe her mother, or even herself with each of her parents being sold to different places never to be reunited?

I mean even by her characterization, one of if not the main reason, which is a very valid reason too, that she can't bring herself to reciprocate the ml's feeling is the fact that they broke the engagement to save themselves while the shens went through such a tragedy, which she can actually understand logically why they would do that but rightfully emotionally she cant accept it! and I mean at this point she doesn't even know anything about the old master lin not wanting to warn shens.

You do realize that ml by letting the deposed cp go literally saved master lu and furong's lives as well! right? lol

Oh right! just didnt see the point tbh since literally every comment under here is somewhat of an spoiler haha

Yes exactly, that's why I said I can see why considering the "context"! and that's why as viewers we got emotional too and as I said this is one of the reasons i love this series, I'm sad and emotional for the context of whats being discussed and the unfairness the world they live in but when it came to the individual character herself I couldn't really be that sad for her since I kept being reminded of what she'd done

Wow this drama is getting better and better! this might be one of the few cdramas which is maintaining quality this late in the series, hopefully it can land the ending too!

Now that said after watching episode 36, rightfully I see a lot of people sympathizing with Zhao Xing Tang, myself included (but not to the point of completely getting teary-eyed), and I think it's a credit to writer, director and performers but all that being said let's not forget that she's NOT a morally GREY character, she is more or less just evil and selfish with a somewhat heartbreaking background. I mean let's not forget what she did to ji'er and her whole family, let's not forget the ml was actually happy in beginning to marry her but she ridiculed and made him a "cuckold" for their entire marriage, let's not forget at any time she was willing to beat anyone to death or put them through hell for her own interests and even at the end she could not see anything wrong with her own actions especially towards the ml.

that being said she did have an unfortunate life, and that's why I love this show because in ep 36 I kept getting kinda sad for her and then remember what she's done and go 'well... it's sad but she kinda deserves the misery since she's inflicted so much on many others', in fact I kinda got a little bit annoyed that fl seemed too upset about her considering what she did to her friend ji'er! but at the same time I can totally see why in that context!

I loved this series since ep 1 and it's only getting better!

And the imperial decree was not an ideal approach but when you deep it, if they are to end up together that is literally the only thing he can do. and the whole thing gave us that meme so I'm all for it lmfao

btw I see some comments talking about slaves/servants/maid in regards to ml or in general, I wanna point out that fl's own father in ep 1 literally described slaves as chattel and no different than livestock to fl, which I think is very clever writing when you think about what happens to him, his whole family and daughter later on! anyways considering the theme they set from then I'd say the ml is quite a decent person in that regard for the times they live in, I mean her father for sure wouldn't have taken a maid as his wife ^^'

This series might've the best first episode of a c-drama I've seen, it was brilliant and so far it's going quite well as well. hopefully it keeps getting even better as it goes further in the story.

exactly! that's what I'm saying, I'm all for happy endings but since they made him vanished till the very last few minutes they might've as well kept him dead! at least that would've been a logical proper ending for him and I could've respected the writers for making a bold choice for his fate.

But that doesn't make any sense! there was really no need for him to "die according to the prediction" in order to go seek medicine! and live in peace as "male concubine" without anyone recognizing him as the late crown prince? not to mention how ridiculous the whole notion of empress dowager having a male concubine actually is lol
Putting all the responsibility of the throne on his infant child?
they literally reduced ml to nothing at the end! I miss a good series like fated hearts with proper leads and characters these days ngl.

And they literally depicted the whole thing as that everyone including fl thought he was dead! no hint at the fact they were in on it with each other! I can talk about plot holes for this series to no end!

This is somewhat better! but still "Empress Dowager and her male concubine" is stupid af lol

"I also didn't understand the point of the ML's "disappearance" in the last 4 episodes."

Exactly! wth was that? at least i was respecting them for making a brave choice to ending him before the series finale... but making him come back at the last few minutes with no reasoning behind it??

I gave it 7.5... and that's only because it was overall well executed, well acted, at times quite funny and overall an enjoyable watch. but that whole "disappearance" plot left a bad taste and a pretty big plot hole for me.