You know what I've learned from watching this drama.
How to separate emotions which is the reaction to the storytelling not the drama in its entirety.
It's like having a good husband but when he does something stupid you get frustrated.
you don't throw out the whole husband or really mean it when you say "he ain't ish".
It is the reaction for that moment not your whole marriage.
So while watching this drama I kept feeling disappointed in the writer's choices for our leads at the same time I still felt this is a good drama.
Some of us may rate on how the drama made us feel vs the actual quality of the drama.
To add to that... that's why MDL ratings can not be trusted. Because there is no rating guidelines. People are not rating the same things.
Some people are rating... Their fav cast How it made them feel They loved the darkness/bad people They loved the light/goodness They loved the strength or weakness of the FL or ML
we all have different preferences and interests.
So MDL ratings shows how much people were interested in the drama based on their own preferences not actually how well the whole production was.
This drama has highly disappointed me because I expected a different journey for the leads but it still was a good production overall.
ep 32 Poor Fake doesn't even know when he stopped loving her and why. She knows nothing about him. She like FL - want to use these men for their own jump.
Flashback ep 6 The defining moment...keep in mind she stole Zhao's token to do what she planned and here we are
this is the dialogue that our female lead gave to the prince.
my fiancé is a salt Merchant of Western capital . though he traffics in Contraband salt, in the county he dissolved 100,000 catties of salt and distributed among the common folk. he knows right from wrong, a gallant man of sound judgment. the Imperial Envoy aims to clean up Western Capital's salt Administration. this is his perfect chance to forsake Darkness for justice . I'm begging you please spare his life. my husband and I shall serve you with UTTER devotion, a tone for his crimes with Meritorious Deeds
Utter means complete and absolute Meritorious means deserving great praise, reward, or honor
Zhao is doing what SHE PROMISED
Her naivety made her believe this was a good path. She knew nothing of this Prince's character. Even in naivety - she thought she was rescuing Zhao -- BUT HE WAS ALREADY FREE. He sacrificed himself for her sacrifice and went and locked himself back up,
When she agreed to convince Zhao to work for the prince, work for his freedom - she did not realize that the then Prince was not concerned about Zhao's righteousness but HIS WILLINGNESS & OBEDIENCE. Zhao and Xie are now a package - he - the Prince has 2 prizes.
She played a role as to threaten him but little did she know he watched her performative begging on his behalf. --- if I so desire I could end your life right here. you have yet to grasp the current side of Affairs so I shall spell it out once more. you have two choices follow me to the Imperial Envoy to solve crimes and earn merit, or face certain death. I can grant you that and this instant. 9th young lady you've picked the wrong one to vent your rage on taking it out on me have you not? save your good words for someone else you yearn to walk the righteous path, sick of a world where power crushes the weak . but empty brute force will only leave you at the mercy of tyrant, dragging you deeper into the mire. as you said yourself, they're all cut from the same cloth but mark my words, the envoy is like any official you've known . he is the Crown Prince of the realm
Zhao said this is beyond him. Then she went on to convince him to follow her plan.
FOR HER SAKE - BECAUSE SHE NEEDED A MAN TO DO WHAT SHE WANTED TO DO.
To be fair. Both of them were naive and really had no idea what they were signing up for or who and what they…
The Prince didn't offer to give them an honest life.
He offered to give them a way out for them and in return they would work for him.
He needed people he could use.
he promised to raised their rank based on what they contributed to his plans. ____ keep in mind she stole zhao's token to do what she planned and here we are
this is the dialogue that our female lead gave to the prince. Flashback ep 6 The defining moment...keep in mind she stole Zhao's token to do what she planned and here we are
this is the dialogue that our female lead gave to the prince.
my fiancé is a salt Merchant of Western capital . though he traffics in Contraband salt, in the county he dissolved 100,000 catties of salt and distributed among the common folk. he knows right from wrong, a gallant man of sound judgment. the Imperial Envoy aims to clean up Western Capital's salt Administration. this is his perfect chance to forsake Darkness for justice . I'm begging you please spare his life. my husband and I shall serve you with UTTER devotion, a tone for his crimes with Meritorious Deeds
Utter means complete and absolute Meritorious means deserving great praise, reward, or honor
Zhao is doing what SHE PROMISED
Her naivety made her believe this was a good path. She knew nothing of this Prince's character. Even in naivety - she thought she was rescuing Zhao -- BUT HE WAS ALREADY FREE. He sacrificed himself for her sacrifice and went and locked himself back up,
When she agreed to convince Zhao to work for the prince, work for his freedom - she did not realize that the then Prince was not concerned about Zhao's righteousness but HIS WILLINGNESS & OBEDIENCE. Zhao and Xie are now a package - he - the Prince has 2 prizes.
She played a role as to threaten him but little did she know he watched her performative begging on his behalf. --- if I so desire I could end your life right here. you have yet to grasp the current side of Affairs so I shall spell it out once more. you have two choices follow me to the Imperial Envoy to solve crimes and earn merit, or face certain death. I can grant you that and this instant. 9th young lady you've picked the wrong one to vent your rage on taking it out on me have you not? save your good words for someone else you yearn to walk the righteous path, sick of a world where power crushes the weak . but empty brute force will only leave you at the mercy of tyrant, dragging you deeper into the mire. as you said yourself, they're all cut from the same cloth but mark my words, the envoy is like any official you've known . he is the Crown Prince of the realm
Zhao said this is beyond him. Then she went on to convince him to follow her plan.
FOR HER SAKE - BECAUSE SHE NEEDED A MAN TO DO WHAT SHE WANTED TO DO.
2 
1 
How to separate emotions which is the reaction to the storytelling not the drama in its entirety.
It's like having a good husband but when he does something stupid you get frustrated.
you don't throw out the whole husband or really mean it when you say "he ain't ish".
It is the reaction for that moment not your whole marriage.
So while watching this drama I kept feeling disappointed in the writer's choices for our leads at the same time I still felt this is a good drama.
Some of us may rate on how the drama made us feel vs the actual quality of the drama.
To add to that... that's why MDL ratings can not be trusted. Because there is no rating guidelines. People are not rating the same things.
Some people are rating...
Their fav cast
How it made them feel
They loved the darkness/bad people
They loved the light/goodness
They loved the strength or weakness of the FL or ML
we all have different preferences and interests.
So MDL ratings shows how much people were interested in the drama based on their own preferences not actually how well the whole production was.
This drama has highly disappointed me because I expected a different journey for the leads but it still was a good production overall.
my 2¢
Food for thought
LOL Tian is 58?
He looks 70
Poor Fake doesn't even know when he stopped loving her and why.
She knows nothing about him.
She like FL - want to use these men for their own jump.
Y'all couldn't separate her batch?
SMH
Now they are like a CEO and a VP with different focuses for the business
If your husband says this is what my employer wants and you say well I want something else... lol
geesh
YOU USED TO LISTEN TO ME.
😂 Boo, if I listen to you and go against the King we are all dead...
She forgets what she promised. She promised that both of them will be his dogs.
But she wanted to be a master with a dog.
She is playing her own game not the what the other ladies are doing.
Her actual intention was to mingle with them and manipulate for him. But they aren't even really working together.
They work apart.
A issue arises.
Then she mingles with the ladies to get help to resolve the issue.
complete
repeat
recycle
The defining moment...keep in mind she stole Zhao's token to do what she planned and here we are
this is the dialogue that our female lead gave to the prince.
my fiancé is a salt Merchant of Western capital . though he traffics in Contraband salt, in the county he dissolved 100,000 catties of salt and distributed among the common folk. he knows right from wrong, a gallant man of sound judgment. the Imperial Envoy aims to clean up Western Capital's salt Administration. this is his perfect chance to forsake Darkness for justice . I'm begging you please spare his life. my husband and I shall serve you with UTTER devotion, a tone for his crimes with Meritorious Deeds
Utter means complete and absolute
Meritorious means deserving great praise, reward, or honor
Zhao is doing what SHE PROMISED
Her naivety made her believe this was a good path. She knew nothing of this Prince's character.
Even in naivety - she thought she was rescuing Zhao -- BUT HE WAS ALREADY FREE.
He sacrificed himself for her sacrifice and went and locked himself back up,
When she agreed to convince Zhao to work for the prince, work for his freedom - she did not realize that the then Prince was not concerned about Zhao's righteousness but HIS WILLINGNESS & OBEDIENCE. Zhao and Xie are now a package - he - the Prince has 2 prizes.
She played a role as to threaten him but little did she know he watched her performative begging on his behalf.
--- if I so desire I could end your life right here. you have yet to grasp the current side of Affairs so I shall spell it out once more. you have two choices follow me to the Imperial Envoy to solve crimes and earn merit, or face certain death. I can grant you that and this instant. 9th young lady you've picked the wrong one to vent your rage on taking it out on me have you not? save your good words for someone else you yearn to walk the righteous path, sick of a world where power crushes the weak . but empty brute force will only leave you at the mercy of tyrant, dragging you deeper into the mire. as you said yourself, they're all cut from the same cloth but mark my words, the envoy is like any official you've known . he is the Crown Prince of the realm
Zhao said this is beyond him. Then she went on to convince him to follow her plan.
FOR HER SAKE - BECAUSE SHE NEEDED A MAN TO DO WHAT SHE WANTED TO DO.
He offered to give them a way out for them and in return they would work for him.
He needed people he could use.
he promised to raised their rank based on what they contributed to his plans.
____
keep in mind she stole zhao's token to do what she planned and here we are
this is the dialogue that our female lead gave to the prince.
Flashback ep 6
The defining moment...keep in mind she stole Zhao's token to do what she planned and here we are
this is the dialogue that our female lead gave to the prince.
my fiancé is a salt Merchant of Western capital . though he traffics in Contraband salt, in the county he dissolved 100,000 catties of salt and distributed among the common folk. he knows right from wrong, a gallant man of sound judgment. the Imperial Envoy aims to clean up Western Capital's salt Administration. this is his perfect chance to forsake Darkness for justice . I'm begging you please spare his life. my husband and I shall serve you with UTTER devotion, a tone for his crimes with Meritorious Deeds
Utter means complete and absolute
Meritorious means deserving great praise, reward, or honor
Zhao is doing what SHE PROMISED
Her naivety made her believe this was a good path. She knew nothing of this Prince's character.
Even in naivety - she thought she was rescuing Zhao -- BUT HE WAS ALREADY FREE.
He sacrificed himself for her sacrifice and went and locked himself back up,
When she agreed to convince Zhao to work for the prince, work for his freedom - she did not realize that the then Prince was not concerned about Zhao's righteousness but HIS WILLINGNESS & OBEDIENCE. Zhao and Xie are now a package - he - the Prince has 2 prizes.
She played a role as to threaten him but little did she know he watched her performative begging on his behalf.
--- if I so desire I could end your life right here. you have yet to grasp the current side of Affairs so I shall spell it out once more. you have two choices follow me to the Imperial Envoy to solve crimes and earn merit, or face certain death. I can grant you that and this instant. 9th young lady you've picked the wrong one to vent your rage on taking it out on me have you not? save your good words for someone else you yearn to walk the righteous path, sick of a world where power crushes the weak . but empty brute force will only leave you at the mercy of tyrant, dragging you deeper into the mire. as you said yourself, they're all cut from the same cloth but mark my words, the envoy is like any official you've known . he is the Crown Prince of the realm
Zhao said this is beyond him. Then she went on to convince him to follow her plan.
FOR HER SAKE - BECAUSE SHE NEEDED A MAN TO DO WHAT SHE WANTED TO DO.
chill it was a joke.
no one blamed AI.
I THINK... IS NOT BLAMING