noor1234

I assume that sword scene is after the war with Eagle King when he is presumed dead & turns up in a mask to cry over her ribbon on a memorial tree....I don't think that scene / plot point is at the end. Probably in Ep. 26 or so. Let's see what happens.

I think he will be & should be regent & king. Why should only a blue-blooded noble end up as king? He will go rogue definitely, he may even try to kill ML (as per trailers), but ultimately he will do the right thing, reform & become king. If the world doesn't find out about his true lineage (in which case he'll get killed) he could be king. There has to be redeeming quality about people.

Also, if not him, who?

ML does not want to be king. That's why he told SML (who doesn't know yet but feels threatened by the prospect of having a rival to throne) that crown prince wenxi is dead & is never coming back.

And yes, I also think ML will die in the end after restoring peace & settling FL for life, but not because of someone else, but because of the poison in his blood.

I hope not. Forehead kiss is like an uncle / elder kissing a child, it's not romantic at all.

Ep. 17-18: This drama knows how to hook the viewers. Ep. 18 had some very good scenes - FL giving sword to ML & him saying that's not what he wants, the dowager banquet confessional scene & the last scene in which ML & SML confront each other. Good acting all around.

SFL who literally wanted to die with FL's mom in order to stop her is not a bad person (she did save ML & his bro early on through quick thinking), and her need to protect her bro against all odds is understandable, her guilty conscience & regret was visible, but of course she would kill a lot of people if given half the chance, just to get away with one murder. She was not evil, but she sure was on her way to becoming evil like empress dowager.

I love the dilemma created by the last scene: ML reminding SML that he is from the disadvantaged commoners & should know right from wrong as a regent. I believe SML will try to kill ML to get revenge for his sis & to remove ML as heir midway before uniting forces with ML for better reign. I hope SML lives, reforms & gets the throne. Looking forward to the punches he gives to ML in Ep. 19/20.

I am betting that ML's first 'wife' (dowager's niece) will marry that poor calligrapher who came to say goodbye and not ML's brother. She has more in common with him (love of books & all).

ML needs to get a bit selfish. He's too much of a Buddha deity / sage right now. He still does not disclose much to FL (whether it is his finances or bear drug). I think he still has 3-5 years to live with no antidote..... I still think he'll die in the end.

I'll also say that even though scenes between ML & FL are nice, this is a bit of an old-fashioned romance, like in the 30s Hollywood films or 80s J-dramas. A little skinship never hurt anyone. And is a kiss a bridge too far? (Surely if some netizens have a problem with it, it can be suggested without being shown?) This couple needs to take it to the next level for love story to be believable. They need to show that her love does not stem from gratitude for his sacrifices & help & father figure syndrome. That she sees him as a man - that sort of thing.

That's an extremely nonsensical ending - so this good-for-nothing unaccomplished FL who has done nothing in her life but has been ordering people around as a queen since Ep. 10 because of the title of her dad & bro, & is unpleasant all year to ML especially, will now get to sit at the throne with her son as emperor??? While the poor ML is off to get treated??? He'll probably come back & play second fiddle to her! This FL's priority has always been to get power. But she deserves neither power nor love. She has done nothing in either her first life or second life to deserve all this (wealth, power, lovable guy, etc).

Both are time-pass fluff dramas. Both are vehicles for the lead actors (in BOP, the drama obviously has been made to lift the FL & ML's careers, while KTPH seems like a total ML project built for him - even the intro & outro songs are co-sung by him). Both are vanity projects IMO not classic entertainment, but time-pass (maybe watch during a workout or cooking).

I will recommend KTPH over BOP even though BOP's visual & production is high-end. KTPH has been shot like a short drama, so scenes move forward quickly. The romance is more like banter between the leads than hot and heavy variety (which makes me feel like I'm watching something meant for teenagers).

BOP had much potential (FL was an interesting character at first, cold logical person in another body, swift with enemies, even though ML is more multi-dimensional, frail, with disguises, martial moves & fool in love, possibly poisoned by his own dad, & the actor is doing a good job as a machiavellian prince, and both leads look good together on screen). They will have 'heat index' love scene so if that's your thing, watch those scenes in upcoming episodes, but story has come to a standstill (along with the romance). There's not much of a story in BOP even though it's built on a 800+ chapter webnovel.

You should watch him in KTPH - you'll hate him! Good actor.

I'm following KTPH, have stopped watching BOP except for the scenes featuring the second lead couple.

The best thing about this drama is the second lead couple. The female heir to Marquis who works as a manly guard is one of the best 'fake-man' portrayals, she can easily pass off as a guy, even though she's pretty & has a chest! The aloof Deputy Justice Minister is cute & I am forwarding each episode just to see their interactions.

The ML's character is intriguing (dangerous+gentle aura & a mission) & is a catch, but has turned into a pathetic simp who is constantly rejected by the overbearing, rude & dismissive FL. The uniqueness of the FL (her cold logical nature fit for a queen, usurpation of another woman's life as her own) is lost because she is unlikable as a person & unworthy of the effort unless ML has a deep-seated inferiority complex. I don't know what her priorities are anymore, because the plot has come to a standstill over the course of 5-6 episodes, where ML has to prove he is worth HER. Meanwhile her character has shown zero self-awareness or growth & story is moving along to show her as queen bee, all in all authority fixing all wrongs - when frankly she has no role in active politics or title. She just happens to have a powerful general as father & bro. She has zero accomplishments of her own to merit this kind of attention from ML & others or have this kind of power. I don't like stories that dumb down everyone so that the lead (in this case lead actress) can shine.

In this regard, there's more of a balance, humor, conflict, passion & angst in the second leads relationship than in the ML+FL who are just going round in circles with him being p***y whipped. I will also say there's more equality in their bromance / romance relationship even though girl-guard is rich, while dep. minister is from humble background but the relationship is on equal footing, unlike that of FL+ML.

I had forgotten SFL had saved ML's bro & in fact she also got rid of the poisoned arrows that dowager had arranged for ML.

Interesting! I thought this scene was from upcoming episodes, not the end. But it'd be interesting if this was the ending.

Ok that makes sense.

Based on this interview alone I think: 1) SML will by the end help ML achieve his reform even if shit hits the fan over his sister / crown prince/ tutor etc. stuff in upcoming episodes. Idea as per statement: 'Although he’s the Prince of Qi, as he gradually witnesses the desire for power—or rather, as he sees everything I’ve sacrificed in carrying out these reforms—he also wants to contribute more of his own strength to this world.'
2) This drama most definitely is sliding towards a SE - even if ML+FL get together in coming episodes, by the end ML will be dead, and the FL free to roam the world & make inventions with the money & title he leaves her. I'm basing that on the statement above 'by the ending relationship also has a very strong sense of fate and destiny'.

Actually dowager's cruelty is aimed at holding on to power that she will NOT have once the son dies without heir - that's why she's against anyone who threatens her reign. She's corrupt to the core with no regard for 30K soldiers, Lu/An massacre, Qin territories, etc.

SFL's cruelty is just to safeguard her brother's life - if his true parentage becomes known, he will be killed off (for deceiving this emperor). So she did it not just to keep SML as a regent. It's to protect him.

Oh, it's definitely with SFL OR mother gave it to ML (they showed a flashback where they were quibbling about it).

I think he's heart broken over her death. That's why he disregarded the divorce to claim her again as his wife to give her an esteemed 'titled home' burial. He thought it really was an accident (he'll find out SFL's murderous involvement in Ep.17 as per trailer).

LOL!

Ep. 15-16: I don't mind SFL killing FL's mom for her brother's future. But it DOES shorten her own life - I'm sure her eventual death, ML's status as heir & FL's feelings for ML will push SML to go after ML in future episodes. The irony is that everyone - ML, FL & SML - worked to save her life & liberty by stopping that marriage to Eagle King. That 'cause' / 'karma' song by Duan Aojuan is so perfect for this drama. The lyrics say it all.

I hate to see grand tutor's face (he's playing FL's cute fake father general in the simultaneously airing 'Blossoms of Power' which I've stopped watching because of overbearing FL & simp ML). But he not only wants to see his son ascend the throne, but also wants justice for the An/Lu family massacre 20 years ago - which led to empress & 'crown prince's' death - which was what even his ex-wife wanted to talk to him about.

But my god, the way he said he rather wished FL had died instead of ex-wife & how he announced to EVERYONE (including SML/regent) that she was not biological daughter so couldn't be part of mother's funeral & disinherited her outrightly! He's grief-stricken but he showed he doesn't care at all for the girl he has raised. I hope his own son stabs him in the back or front before this drama ends!

This drama has been made in the style of short vertical dramas, scenes change, each character has a scene to push the story / plot forward.

All those punches to fake Cui Jun's face by ML did not remove the supposed 'mask' on his face?

I did not feel sorry for the dumb Master (weapons maker) who was still crying over Northern queen who had betrayed him SPECTACULARLY, even when he was dying! What a loser!

The main couple needs to have more scenes together, intimate & otherwise. I guess 'don't get kidnapped' (by him, when saying goodbye) & 'don't overthink it' (by her, in dungeon) is also a form of buddy / love language.....

Can anyone explain the meaning of the 'biting of ML's hand' in Ep. 16 when in fever she calls out his name after her mom & dad & he asks 'do you even know what you are saying?' - did she bite it because she wanted to hurt him even in delirium as she already suspected him? I did not understand that move.

Yes, but ML's royal lineage has to be a plot arc down the line.

Ep. 13 was a very good ep.