ohlalalalaomg

But I still don't approve of his method. 😐 It was still very cruel... 😭

And then ZL would lose the Emperor's trust because it would be like he was no different from the General Secretary Yu.

i saw a very interesting take by someone on why the emperor decided to do this. That person said that the Emperor wanted to test ZL. He wanted to see if ZL has become someone who was would choose power and position over his wife's life. When ZL chose to drink the (not poisoned) tonic, it proved to the Emperor that ZL was not a threat to him, that his life would always be for TY. This made the Emeperor trust him again and allow him to do the secret mission. And maybe, this test also made the Emperor eventuallt accept ZL's request to resign from his position.

I didn't think of it that way and I think this is interesting so I just wanted to share.

Probably just so the Yu can't track him and what he's doing. By the time the YUs found out where he was, it was too late. ZL already had the evidence in his hands.

The main leads have mutual trusting and supportive kind of relationship. None of the hot and cold/tsundere dynamics. There will be few episodes where there will be a breakdown of communication between the two but they will resolve it after 2 eps (?). There are no actual break ups but some emotional distance related to the communication issue. No love triangle but there will be a very annoying character who would try to pursue the FL (to no avail).

✅ Beautiful cinematography, costumes and design.
✅ Great acting by all the cast but special shout out to Ding Yuxi, Deng Enxi, Wen Zheng Rong, Una You and Tan Kai! 👏👏👏👏
✅ Very engaging storytelling that kept me glued to it from start to finish.
✅ Tight plot that remained consistent throughout the series with no filler episodes.
✅ Interesting, complex and dynamic characters with karma tax and believable plot armors.
✅ Great chemistry between the actors: Ding Yuxi-Deng Enxi, Ding Yuxi-Bai Shu and Deng Enxi-Wen Zheng Rhong are my faves!

❎ It has important plot elements that require some degree of knowledge in Chinese history and culture. Not the writers' or director's fault. 😭

Overall, this is a 9.5/10 for me! Will definitely rewatch.

Congratulations to the entire TRTS team!!

It's happy ending.

He even changed into "fresh clothes" when he got home...

Was it the mention of salt? 😭😭😭

For this series, the Emperor had always been difficult for me to understand the "intentions" with what he says or do. There's too many tangents and cultural references that are not that clear to me yet.

I remember in the Ganlin arc something that TY said about YJX that I think is most apt about the Emperor. He grew up as a crown prince, taught that he will one day become Emperor. More than anyone else in the empire, his favor, his
attention, his grace, his presence, even his words, are considered as a gift or kindness to others. It takes that much ego to be emperor.

Maybe the 2nd one is on the way? From the comments of those who read the novel, I gathered that the wedding in the drama was considerably delayed compared to the novel, so maybe in the novel they started havinf kids earlier vs in the series.And agree with their eyes! You'd think those 2 just gor married with the way they were looking at each other.

The emperor is really waving his emperor flag because wow! Playing with people's emotions like that just to test their loyalty to each other? Man, you have no idea about the shit ZL and TY had to go through. But, what was I suppose to expect from a monarch. SMH.

Episode 34:

"Mr. Zhao, what can I do to make you feel more alive?" and the silence that followed was too painful.

Episode 32

Madam Yu has no concept of friendship. Lol!

Their relationship was born out of mutual care and respect for each other. It is such a contrast to the relationship TY has with other women in the capitol that is almost always based on benefit and strategy.

I really like the relationship between TY and her sisters from Ganlin town. They became her community back in Ganlin Town and then in the capital. I love how Mrs. Wang treats TY and Mrs Mo like her little sisters. How these women did their best to protect TY and her household when they were jailed.

And I am so glad they took time to show TY and Mrs Mo mend their relationship. When TY confesses to Mrs Mo that ZL is alive, expecting Mrs Mo to get angry. Instead Mrs Mo tells her she is happy that TY does not have to go through the pain of losing her husband. And how Mrs Mo finally tells TY that she doesn't blame them for what happened to General Mo.

Episodes 33-36: Ting Yun and her sisters