This is stupid.You forced a marriage, now you have the audacity to say you'll release her from the marriageand…
Yeah, exactly! That's why, in the next episode, he understood that she was as angry at him as he was at the Zhao for trying to control him and dictate his life. And apologize to her for forcing her hand.
This is stupid.You forced a marriage, now you have the audacity to say you'll release her from the marriageand…
It seems there was some confusion due to the translation, but she never said he wasn't wrong for forcing the marriage. She said he wasn't wrong in thinking that she was angry with him for forcing her into the marriage. But that he was wrong thinking she was angry because she loved scholar Han.
This is stupid.You forced a marriage, now you have the audacity to say you'll release her from the marriageand…
It seems there was some confusion due to the translation, but she never said he wasn't wrong for forcing the marriage. She said he wasn't wrong in thinking that she was angry with him for forcing her into the marriage. But that he was wrong thinking she was angry because she loved scholar Han.
My hypothesis is still the same: Lanxiang has feeling for Jinqi and these are the hints :1) the 200 strokes -…
I understand what you're saying, and part of me agrees. But we're also talking about a woman who killed someone to save her enemy, who comforted and cried for her enemy. She's simply a kind and empathetic person.
Her husband isn't a bad person, and she knows that. She can also see he loves her and treats her with kindness. From the moment the edict arrived, she knew she was bound to him for life. So even if her heart isn't there yet, her mind knows they're together forever, and that eventually she'll have to accept it. So it could simply be that she doesn't want to become a widow so soon, forced to live with his family forever without his support. She may also genuinely want to help the man she's bound to.
That said, she's not insensitive to him either. Her heart is starting to open up to him. It's not full love yet, but I would say she's beginning to feel some affection for him.
Xin Tang asked to be burned not buried. She should have done what she asked.
The grave the servant mentions to the female lead is that of the younger sister who was killed by bandits because she resisted being raped. She was the one married to young Xie, who isn't very good at his studies. I think the female lead must have had Zhao's body (her husband's ex-wife) burned in the barn before they left.
On his side, there really isn’t anything yet, indeed. On her side, though, I do think there’s an important…
That’s what I was trying to say (sorry, I’m not a native English speaker, so I may make some mistakes).
She's aware of the life she should have had if it weren’t for her family’s tragedy. She’s not in love with him, but she never feared or disliked the idea of marrying him. She was genuinely happy and satisfied with the prospect of that marriage, which is why she was genuinely shocked when they broke off the engagement, and later when he married someone else.
Meanwhile, she was grieving the loss of her entire family. So there’s also this feeling of, “This was supposed to be my life. I was supposed to be part of this family, to be his wife. But now everything is gone, and I’m a slave while he and his family get to live happily ever after.”
I was just trying to say that, from the ML’s perspective, she’s simply a slave. But from the FL’s perspective, he’s her former fiancé and the Lin family was supposed to become her family too.
So when she faces him, there’s more going through her mind than just, “I need to survive.” There’s also the grief for the life she lost, the lingering sense that this was supposed to be her fate, and maybe some resentment toward the fact that he and his family were able to move on and live happily while her own family was destroyed.
On his side, there really isn’t anything yet, indeed. On her side, though, I do think there’s an important…
I understand your point, and I think you're right. But what I was trying to say is that she longs for the life she could have had if it weren't for the tragedy.
I'm not saying she loves or loved him or anything like that. I simply mean that she was happy to be engaged to him. When his family called off their engagement, when he married someone else, and when she saw him happy with his mother, part of her couldn't forget that it was supposed to be her.
It's not just, "This family is happy while mine was slaughtered." It's also, "I was supposed to be happy too. I was supposed to be part of this family, to be his wife. But they never warned us, they got away with everything, while my family was executed, and now I have to live as their slave while I was supposed to be the wife."
But her primary thought is: "I need to survive and buy my freedom and my family's freedom."
I don't know but I assumed maybe because he didn't betrayed her family. He wasn't the reason they were killed. His family simply chose to protecter themself and not to risk extermination by informing the other family of what was going on. Also, her own grandparents seemed to know well the situation so, in the end, there's not so much to forgive I guess even if she has every right to be resentful.
I didn't read the novel, but judging by the trailer, the FL didn't have a say in her marriage. She was his maid, and he was the one who made the decision.
I find this show to be so interesting. In most shows we would have seen even a hint of romantic interest from…
On his side, there really isn’t anything yet, indeed.
On her side, though, I do think there’s an important point to consider: as a teenager, she seemed genuinely happy and excited at the thought of marrying him, and she was heartbroken when his marriage with another actually took place. As an adult, she seems tense around him, or when she sees him happy with his family, not merely like a servant who fears her master, but like a woman looking at the family that should have been hers and the man who should have been her husband.
I’m not saying she has feelings for him now, but rather that she really does act as though losing him was significant to her, and that she is still aware of what he was supposed to represent in her life if not her family crual fate.
Why would you check that you've watched all the episodes when you've only seen five? It's misleading and gives readers the wrong impression right from the beginning of this review.
Sure, the pacing is a bit fast, and that's a valid criticism. But you also have to read between the lines. The female lead was Empress for three years and the highest-ranking woman in the kingdom. On top of that, she discussed politics with her husband and proposed reforms that he later implemented. In a way, she ruled alongside him for those three years.
Yes, she was naïve and trapped in the illusion of being in love, but that didn't make her any less perceptive or intelligent. Once the tragedy unfolds, she's finally able to fully express her intelligence without the naïveté that once clouded her judgment.
I mean she doesn't really need to marry for the romance to work. Also she vowed to never marry or have children…
She just been betrayed and killed by her husband, a man she loved and trusted over her own father. It’s understandable, at this moment of the story, she didn’t think to marry again. But time will tell if she could give up this title and have a chance of a normal marital life she longed so much at first.
I hv no problem with her shedding tears or showing concern for YX, but not to the extent to hv emotional turmoil…
He’s her only friend. In many ways, they’re the same, almost like rebellious soulmates. They both grew up feeling like outsiders within their own families: he because he could never live up to their expectations due to his illness, and she because she was treated like a curse and sent away. As a result, they both built emotional armor around themselves. They’re rebellious, insolent, resentful, a little unhinged at times, cold… and deeply guarded.
Despite her attitude, she has always felt comfortable with him because she sees herself in him. Their bond may seem strange to outsiders, but in a society where men and women rarely interact outside their families, their scenes together, their connection, mutual understanding, support, and even their arguments, are actually incredibly intimate by their standards.
Knowing that she’s hurting her only friend so badly that he’s coughing up blood, seeing how fragile his health is, and fearing the loss of his friendship is genuinely painful for her. People need to put themselves in her shoes for a moment and realize just how important YX is to her. In her own words, she says she “can’t love him”, not that she doesn’t love him, but that she prevented herself from developing those feelings because they are too similar, and she longs to escape the misery she associates with that part of herself.
The tragedy is that, in another life, if they had both been less traumatized, she probably could have allowed herself to love him, and she knows it. She also understands how difficult it is for both of them to let themselves love or trust anyone, which is why knowing that she’s breaking his heart hurts her so deeply.
From trailer ep 27, Idk what Chen Xuan Qing is thinking, he jinxed her then he wonders why she wants to marry…
Yeah, the man didn’t talk to or see her for 3+ years, never confessed to her or anything, yet had the audacity to think she owed him something. What a piece of trash. I hope FL tells him he's a jerk because I can’t deal with him shaming her for having a crush years ago when they never talked about it, never made any promises, and were never a thing since he rejected her 3+ years ago.
She is 18 in this drama, it was said at her Coming of age ceremony. In the novel she is 15.
It was said she's been away for 15 years when she was send to her grandma at 1 month old so she's 15 which is consistent with the coming of age for this era (15 for women).
I don’t understand why some people think he’s the culprit when we literally have two scenes suggesting otherwise:
In the flashback from three years ago, he is genuinely shocked and frightened when he realizes his daughter might have been responsible for the fire. When he sees the FL poisoned, he immediately suspects his daughter and rushes to the palace to warn her to be careful and not go that far.
He is definitely power-hungry, but it’s clear that this kind of murder unsettles him because it threatens the power he and his family have built. Also, he seems genuiely concerned about the consequences for his daughter more than anything else.
My suspects and their possible motives behind the deaths of the royal family members:
1) The ML’s right-hand man He was abandoned at the palace as a child, and the fact that this information was revealed feels significant. On top of that, he’s a trusted confidant who knows all the secrets and can move freely without raising suspicion. It would be a great plot twist if this seemingly comedic and loyal character turned out to be the mastermind behind everything. He could be driven by deep resentment toward the royal family (possibly an illegitimate child?).
2) The FL’s sister-in-law I find her really cute, but in the last episode I had a very bad feeling about her. What if she’s been playing a double game all along? She could be part of a larger conspiracy against the monarchy along with her family. This marriage might be a way to get closer to the ML in order to eliminate him. Her family and inner circle could be tied to the previous deaths within the royal family, and she might be continuing their legacy. It does sound a bit far-fetched, but I still wanted to mention it.
3) The Prime Minister (PM) He could be part of a secret organization planning to replace the monarchy. However, this theory feels less convincing, especially considering his feelings for the FL and some of his reactions (he seems a decent guy).
Overall, I think suspect number one is the most plausible.
I think in the end, everything will turn out to have been done by Jinmu...from the poisoning to the accidents…
Considering how he talked to his daughter after that, I don't think it's him. He seemed to suspect his daughter for been behind it and was scared by the consequence of it, that's why he rushed to the palace to tell her to be prudent. Also, he was genuiely shock when his daughter seemed to reveal been the one behind the fire (causing the previous king's death).
Pure garbage. ML is more concerned that FL married another man than she believes him guilty of the death of her entire family (and it takes him so long to investigate). FL is brutally tortured and staked through the heart, but ML doesn't treat her wounds and instead tries to sexually assault her while she covered in blood, then handcuffs her to the bed. I have to stop watching for that reason alone.
K-Drama 
Her husband isn't a bad person, and she knows that. She can also see he loves her and treats her with kindness. From the moment the edict arrived, she knew she was bound to him for life. So even if her heart isn't there yet, her mind knows they're together forever, and that eventually she'll have to accept it.
So it could simply be that she doesn't want to become a widow so soon, forced to live with his family forever without his support. She may also genuinely want to help the man she's bound to.
That said, she's not insensitive to him either. Her heart is starting to open up to him. It's not full love yet, but I would say she's beginning to feel some affection for him.
She's aware of the life she should have had if it weren’t for her family’s tragedy. She’s not in love with him, but she never feared or disliked the idea of marrying him. She was genuinely happy and satisfied with the prospect of that marriage, which is why she was genuinely shocked when they broke off the engagement, and later when he married someone else.
Meanwhile, she was grieving the loss of her entire family. So there’s also this feeling of, “This was supposed to be my life. I was supposed to be part of this family, to be his wife. But now everything is gone, and I’m a slave while he and his family get to live happily ever after.”
I was just trying to say that, from the ML’s perspective, she’s simply a slave. But from the FL’s perspective, he’s her former fiancé and the Lin family was supposed to become her family too.
So when she faces him, there’s more going through her mind than just, “I need to survive.” There’s also the grief for the life she lost, the lingering sense that this was supposed to be her fate, and maybe some resentment toward the fact that he and his family were able to move on and live happily while her own family was destroyed.
I'm not saying she loves or loved him or anything like that. I simply mean that she was happy to be engaged to him. When his family called off their engagement, when he married someone else, and when she saw him happy with his mother, part of her couldn't forget that it was supposed to be her.
It's not just, "This family is happy while mine was slaughtered." It's also, "I was supposed to be happy too. I was supposed to be part of this family, to be his wife. But they never warned us, they got away with everything, while my family was executed, and now I have to live as their slave while I was supposed to be the wife."
But her primary thought is: "I need to survive and buy my freedom and my family's freedom."
On her side, though, I do think there’s an important point to consider: as a teenager, she seemed genuinely happy and excited at the thought of marrying him, and she was heartbroken when his marriage with another actually took place. As an adult, she seems tense around him, or when she sees him happy with his family, not merely like a servant who fears her master, but like a woman looking at the family that should have been hers and the man who should have been her husband.
I’m not saying she has feelings for him now, but rather that she really does act as though losing him was significant to her, and that she is still aware of what he was supposed to represent in her life if not her family crual fate.
Sure, the pacing is a bit fast, and that's a valid criticism. But you also have to read between the lines. The female lead was Empress for three years and the highest-ranking woman in the kingdom. On top of that, she discussed politics with her husband and proposed reforms that he later implemented. In a way, she ruled alongside him for those three years.
Yes, she was naïve and trapped in the illusion of being in love, but that didn't make her any less perceptive or intelligent. Once the tragedy unfolds, she's finally able to fully express her intelligence without the naïveté that once clouded her judgment.
Despite her attitude, she has always felt comfortable with him because she sees herself in him. Their bond may seem strange to outsiders, but in a society where men and women rarely interact outside their families, their scenes together, their connection, mutual understanding, support, and even their arguments, are actually incredibly intimate by their standards.
Knowing that she’s hurting her only friend so badly that he’s coughing up blood, seeing how fragile his health is, and fearing the loss of his friendship is genuinely painful for her. People need to put themselves in her shoes for a moment and realize just how important YX is to her. In her own words, she says she “can’t love him”, not that she doesn’t love him, but that she prevented herself from developing those feelings because they are too similar, and she longs to escape the misery she associates with that part of herself.
The tragedy is that, in another life, if they had both been less traumatized, she probably could have allowed herself to love him, and she knows it. She also understands how difficult it is for both of them to let themselves love or trust anyone, which is why knowing that she’s breaking his heart hurts her so deeply.
I don’t understand why some people think he’s the culprit when we literally have two scenes suggesting otherwise:
In the flashback from three years ago, he is genuinely shocked and frightened when he realizes his daughter might have been responsible for the fire.
When he sees the FL poisoned, he immediately suspects his daughter and rushes to the palace to warn her to be careful and not go that far.
He is definitely power-hungry, but it’s clear that this kind of murder unsettles him because it threatens the power he and his family have built. Also, he seems genuiely concerned about the consequences for his daughter more than anything else.
1) The ML’s right-hand man
He was abandoned at the palace as a child, and the fact that this information was revealed feels significant. On top of that, he’s a trusted confidant who knows all the secrets and can move freely without raising suspicion. It would be a great plot twist if this seemingly comedic and loyal character turned out to be the mastermind behind everything. He could be driven by deep resentment toward the royal family (possibly an illegitimate child?).
2) The FL’s sister-in-law
I find her really cute, but in the last episode I had a very bad feeling about her. What if she’s been playing a double game all along? She could be part of a larger conspiracy against the monarchy along with her family. This marriage might be a way to get closer to the ML in order to eliminate him. Her family and inner circle could be tied to the previous deaths within the royal family, and she might be continuing their legacy. It does sound a bit far-fetched, but I still wanted to mention it.
3) The Prime Minister (PM)
He could be part of a secret organization planning to replace the monarchy. However, this theory feels less convincing, especially considering his feelings for the FL and some of his reactions (he seems a decent guy).
Overall, I think suspect number one is the most plausible.
Also, he was genuiely shock when his daughter seemed to reveal been the one behind the fire (causing the previous king's death).
ML is more concerned that FL married another man than she believes him guilty of the death of her entire family (and it takes him so long to investigate).
FL is brutally tortured and staked through the heart, but ML doesn't treat her wounds and instead tries to sexually assault her while she covered in blood, then handcuffs her to the bed.
I have to stop watching for that reason alone.