They were never lovers, that seems a far stretch. More like she was a neighbor that he fell for, but no sign yet…
Why do you assume she has to ask him why he wanted to murder her? Some people might want to revisit the past to know the answer. Others might take the approach that what's done is done, and no excuse/reasoning/clarification is going to matter - they've already moved on.
Like @RilakkumasBubbleTea, my impression is that once LYN fell from the cliff, she considered that part of her history done and now she just wants to move on. It's not as if she wants to rekindle a relationship with the marquess and if anything, she feels embarrassed about their past (it's likely why she kept avoiding telling LSY about the past).
The marquess does continue to seek her out because he wants what they used to have - and frankly, has become a little obsessed over it - but none of that changes the fact that she wouldn't want to be with him in the present, even if he was able to clarify for her that he never wanted her dead back then. He's aligned himself with am embezzler who frames/kills others and has become a dangerous person himself. Clarifying the past doesn't change the present.
Clearly you feel she should react differently and that's why it's a plot hole for you. But for the others of us who see things another way, it's not a plot hole -- so it's not that we're denying there's a plot hole, we simply don't think there is a plot hole in this regard.
Lol, like the drama is so slooowww. Even a tortoise will go faster than their pace 😂
I agree with you. I'm actually enjoying the pacing and the drama's methodical approach - it's like building up to that moment we've all been waiting for. I never find myself bored and always wanting more! I thought it worth pointing out that even in one of the trailer videos that's intercut with lines from the drama and interviews with the lead actors and the director, the director said, "Theirs's is not a traditional romantic type of relationship. Their sibling relationship is maintained for a fairly long time." So this was definitely the intent of the production crew.
I still hope that the river scene would be shown in a flashback at least.
I suspect the river scene was cut because they decided to take the story in a different direction - as in, they filmed two possible outcomes. The image of them by the side of the river would suggest she was aware of him saving her (b/c if I remember correctly she's conscious in that scene). The drama ended up taking the approach that she woke up the next morning not knowing how she returned home, but also mad at LSY. That's my best guess, at least.
Yeah, I feel the grandma might know.... but if thats the case, I'm not sure why she favored yining, considering…
I've also been wondering for a while now whether the grandmother already knows. In that episode where the mother's former maid returns to visit Yi Ning, the grandmother asked why she left all those years ago despite her request that she stay. The maid responded that she had her reasons and hoped the grandmother would understand. They spoke of something else, but eventually the grandmother sighed and suggested they not speak of the past anymore. I can't remember how the grandmother said it exactly anymore, but I do remember wondering whether the grandmother had meant it literally - given that they'd just been talking about the past - or whether she was giving a subtle hint to the maid, like, "Make sure you don't reveal the secrets of the past while you're here visiting."
As for why the grandmother might have still favored Yi Ning, if it does turn out that she's known all along that Yi Ning is not her granddaughter, the grandmother previously explained that she has always felt guilty towards Lady Gu. Lady Gu was the daughter of close family friends and someone she watched growing up. She'd always wanted Lady Gu for a daughter-in-law and basically made sure that marriage between Lady Gu and her second son happened. But she also had to have known the two children were not in love with each other, and that her son was in love with another (the concubine), so that left Lady Gu very unhappy in her marriage. I could see grandmother trying to make it up to Yi Ning, as a result.
Can someone else explain me why the aunt, that cut her daufhters meals to a meager portions, who seemed sort of…
How the aunt seemed at the beginning of the drama is the image she has spent her entire life building. But it's not how she really feels and as the drama has gone on, and we've learned more about her and the other characters around her, we can see where her bitterness comes from. It doesn't excuse her actions, obviously, but if she hadn't turned out so backstabby, she could be a sympathetic character.
Specifically, she married into a family where she's the eldest daughter-in-law (having married the elder son). Yet, because her husband has a lower job position than her husband's younger brother and is also sent for many years to work in a different place, it's the second son of the family who becomes the head of the household. That means even though she should be the mistress of the household (behind the grandmother), it's the women behind the second brother who takes on those roles -- first, the concubine (which was galling for both her and the stepmother) and now, the stepmother.
On top of that, we now know her own husband was in love with her sister-in-law (the FL's mother) so she has a poor marital relationship with her husband, and thus no support from him. And as for losing out to the stepmother in terms of who gets to be the mistress of the household now, that's also bitter pill for the aunt to swallow given that she comes from a scholarly background (and probably not one without influence, if her family was able to help get her husband's job moved back to where the live) and the stepmother comes from a merchant family background (merchants are ranked lower than scholars in the hierarchy of social classes).
She's been holding in her bitterness for all these years by focusing on her children and living with the hope that they will have better outcomes and also help her gain status in that way. (For example, witness how the minute LYS became the top scholar, the other wives started inviting the stepmother to social events.) For her son, she always knew he would be battling against the concubine's son for power, but she probably thought her son had a fighting chance against him. Unfortunately for both those boys, there was still LYS -- someone the whole family had underestimated! Now that he's swept both exams so far, she knows, in the future, LYS will become the head of the Luo family. With him in control, she loses any standing or possible backing. She also knows that LYS is close to LYN, who was already favored by the grandmother (again, it's all about what level of support you have in the family), and given that LYN has already been investigating the circumstances of her mother's death, the aunt knows that if she doesn't deal with LYN first, then her past actions will be revealed sooner or later. This is also why she's been trying to push her daughters into advantageous marriages; again, it's that whole backing/support thing. The stronger your network is, the stronger you will also be. The aunt is literally watching the small lifeboat that she had around her start to sink and it's sinking fast -- no wonder she's going nuclear now.
Guys. In which episode FL finds out about her birth secret? When will their romance start?
Previews for tomorrow's ep, Ep 27, show the FL (and her family) learning the birth secret. I'm sure she'll have to go through an adjustment period after learning the truth before the romance may begin.
I wanna make something clear For me is not about why 2nd cp scenes is a lot, but abt quality of whom the scenes…
Chemistry is subjective -- you don't think the second CP have chemistry and that their story is boring, those are your opinions (which you are, of course, entitled to). But just remember, for every person who doesn't think they have chemistry and/or thinks that their story is boring, there will be an opposite person who thinks they do and finds their story is interesting.
Given those are subjective factors, what you should be asking yourself when determining whether ANY character has an appropriate amount of screentime is whether their presence adds anything to the plot.
I've watched some dramas where the second CP added nothing to the plot and totally agree, I wished they would be off my screen.
Here, Lin Mao and Yixiu's story is actually adding to the plot -- and that's why we have been seeing more of them late. Initially, when they were just at the beginning stages of their relationship, we didn't see much of them. There were even some eps where we didn't see them at all. But right now, their relationship is bugging the heck out of her mom and THAT is why it's necessary for the plot. Her frustration over losing out on a potential connection to the royal family will make her bitter. That's bitterness on top of her son already not passing the initial exam. She will also resent the Lins even more than she already doesn't like them, which will exacerbate the conflict within the family. The angrier she gets, the more extreme her actions will become, which reveals her true nature to her family, and most importantly, will allow her to be finally caught.
Truly, it's not about just watching Lin Mao and Yixiu for the fun (or not) fun of it. It's about how their story affects the main one.
Here's a different perspective on why the second couple has been getting more screentime lately. First, as others have mentioned, it's fairly common in the dramas to have a second (or even a third couple) to share the screentime. Second, for this drama, I actually think they've done a good job of integrating their story into the main's. On its face it may seem like they're not connected, but take a look at how Yixiu's mother is reacting to the situation. For a long time the aunt has maintained a façade of one who goes about her own business, worries about her own courtyard in the Luo family estate, and isn't willing to get involved in the matters of the second family's courtyard. But LYN's return, followed by the rise of LSY, is now making her feel more desperate and she's pushing harder at her children. The more they "fail" in her eyes, the more desperate she will become. What happens when a person reaches desperation point? The cracks begin to show.
Already we're starting to see the cracks because now she's plotting - whether it's her trying to manipulate her children or plotting against LYN, these are when the missteps will occur and how she will ultimately be able to be caught.
Ep 25 was full of foreshadowing comments! (Which I'll put under a spoiler cut in a reply to this post.)
First, when Grandmother discussed the invitation to the Duke's house with the other women in the household. There was a lot of discussions about how he has remained surprisingly single all these years without even a concubine and how he has "no daughters" since Lady Zhao isn't actually his daughter. Just wait until he finds out he has a daughter!
Second, when the young women of the Luo family arrive at the Duke's house, the concubine sister comments on how if someone was reborn into a household such as this one, they would be really fortunate (or something like that). Just wait until she finds out her most hated sister is such a person!
Was there another I'm not remembering now... I'll have to think about it. Back to work for now!
There's no 2ML syndrome for me. He hurt and tried to kill her brother many times and abused his power when he…
I totally agree. The marquess may be innocent as related to the cliff incident, but it doesn't change the fact that he has not become the type of person LYN would want to be with at this point in their lives. From the minute he hitched his cart to a person who embezzled tax funds, framed an innocent man, and killed a lot of people as part of that plot, rising to power in this manner, he said bye-bye to Mei mei.
When LSY admits to LYN that he already has a person he likes, she asks if she's seen that person. He answers, "You've not only seen her, you also know her."
And she doesn't press for more information after that????
I admire her restraint. There's no way I'd be able to resist wanting to know who among my acquaintance had caught the ML's eye! :-P
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Like @RilakkumasBubbleTea, my impression is that once LYN fell from the cliff, she considered that part of her history done and now she just wants to move on. It's not as if she wants to rekindle a relationship with the marquess and if anything, she feels embarrassed about their past (it's likely why she kept avoiding telling LSY about the past).
The marquess does continue to seek her out because he wants what they used to have - and frankly, has become a little obsessed over it - but none of that changes the fact that she wouldn't want to be with him in the present, even if he was able to clarify for her that he never wanted her dead back then. He's aligned himself with am embezzler who frames/kills others and has become a dangerous person himself. Clarifying the past doesn't change the present.
Clearly you feel she should react differently and that's why it's a plot hole for you. But for the others of us who see things another way, it's not a plot hole -- so it's not that we're denying there's a plot hole, we simply don't think there is a plot hole in this regard.
As for why the grandmother might have still favored Yi Ning, if it does turn out that she's known all along that Yi Ning is not her granddaughter, the grandmother previously explained that she has always felt guilty towards Lady Gu. Lady Gu was the daughter of close family friends and someone she watched growing up. She'd always wanted Lady Gu for a daughter-in-law and basically made sure that marriage between Lady Gu and her second son happened. But she also had to have known the two children were not in love with each other, and that her son was in love with another (the concubine), so that left Lady Gu very unhappy in her marriage. I could see grandmother trying to make it up to Yi Ning, as a result.
Specifically, she married into a family where she's the eldest daughter-in-law (having married the elder son). Yet, because her husband has a lower job position than her husband's younger brother and is also sent for many years to work in a different place, it's the second son of the family who becomes the head of the household. That means even though she should be the mistress of the household (behind the grandmother), it's the women behind the second brother who takes on those roles -- first, the concubine (which was galling for both her and the stepmother) and now, the stepmother.
On top of that, we now know her own husband was in love with her sister-in-law (the FL's mother) so she has a poor marital relationship with her husband, and thus no support from him. And as for losing out to the stepmother in terms of who gets to be the mistress of the household now, that's also bitter pill for the aunt to swallow given that she comes from a scholarly background (and probably not one without influence, if her family was able to help get her husband's job moved back to where the live) and the stepmother comes from a merchant family background (merchants are ranked lower than scholars in the hierarchy of social classes).
She's been holding in her bitterness for all these years by focusing on her children and living with the hope that they will have better outcomes and also help her gain status in that way. (For example, witness how the minute LYS became the top scholar, the other wives started inviting the stepmother to social events.) For her son, she always knew he would be battling against the concubine's son for power, but she probably thought her son had a fighting chance against him. Unfortunately for both those boys, there was still LYS -- someone the whole family had underestimated! Now that he's swept both exams so far, she knows, in the future, LYS will become the head of the Luo family. With him in control, she loses any standing or possible backing. She also knows that LYS is close to LYN, who was already favored by the grandmother (again, it's all about what level of support you have in the family), and given that LYN has already been investigating the circumstances of her mother's death, the aunt knows that if she doesn't deal with LYN first, then her past actions will be revealed sooner or later. This is also why she's been trying to push her daughters into advantageous marriages; again, it's that whole backing/support thing. The stronger your network is, the stronger you will also be. The aunt is literally watching the small lifeboat that she had around her start to sink and it's sinking fast -- no wonder she's going nuclear now.
Given those are subjective factors, what you should be asking yourself when determining whether ANY character has an appropriate amount of screentime is whether their presence adds anything to the plot.
I've watched some dramas where the second CP added nothing to the plot and totally agree, I wished they would be off my screen.
Here, Lin Mao and Yixiu's story is actually adding to the plot -- and that's why we have been seeing more of them late. Initially, when they were just at the beginning stages of their relationship, we didn't see much of them. There were even some eps where we didn't see them at all. But right now, their relationship is bugging the heck out of her mom and THAT is why it's necessary for the plot. Her frustration over losing out on a potential connection to the royal family will make her bitter. That's bitterness on top of her son already not passing the initial exam. She will also resent the Lins even more than she already doesn't like them, which will exacerbate the conflict within the family. The angrier she gets, the more extreme her actions will become, which reveals her true nature to her family, and most importantly, will allow her to be finally caught.
Truly, it's not about just watching Lin Mao and Yixiu for the fun (or not) fun of it. It's about how their story affects the main one.
Already we're starting to see the cracks because now she's plotting - whether it's her trying to manipulate her children or plotting against LYN, these are when the missteps will occur and how she will ultimately be able to be caught.
Second, when the young women of the Luo family arrive at the Duke's house, the concubine sister comments on how if someone was reborn into a household such as this one, they would be really fortunate (or something like that). Just wait until she finds out her most hated sister is such a person!
Was there another I'm not remembering now... I'll have to think about it. Back to work for now!
And she doesn't press for more information after that????
I admire her restraint. There's no way I'd be able to resist wanting to know who among my acquaintance had caught the ML's eye! :-P