tbh, this drama would’ve benefited with more romance than politics. they ruined it by focusing too much on the political aspect in the second half of the drama :/
im honestly so disappointed. it had so much potential!!
best examples i can think of for men as they were in their time would be bu bu jing xin (scarlet heart). the ML…
the novel is so long, i’ve only read snippets of it haha! i personally like the changes they’ve made. it fits the tone the drama, and i honestly can’t imagine having to sit through 70+ episodes to get through all of that 😂 maybe i’m just too impatient!
i also think the drama did a good job balancing the court politics and family politics. there was enough intrigue to keep things interesting, but not so much that an audience like me ended up feeling frustrated or mentally exhausted trying to keep up 😆 i reaally appreciated they kept gu tingye as a man of his time though. i would push it and say the same about qi heng.
i jumped into this drama knowing almost nothing about the story, and i’ve never seen the korean version either. imagine my surprise when i saw sun yi and wu you playing besties 😂 they were so good together in because of meeting you!
while my overall rating for this drama is low, i genuinely enjoyed sun yi and zhang wanyi’s performances very much. the story itself hit a little too close to home for me, so i really felt for sun yi’s character whenever she seemed trapped and unloved in her relationship with peng yu an. i was so happy when she finally allowed herself to accept zhao jin as a lover 🥹
my lower rating is mainly because of the editing and the OST. i honestly think this drama could’ve benefited from a different director. the editing felt really inconsistent throughout, and the music often didn’t match the emotional tone of the scenes, which became quite distracting. i can sort of understand the vibe the director was trying to create, but the execution just didn’t land for me. which is a shame, because some of the english songs in particular had such a lovely rhythm, and the lyrics were genuinely beautiful.
i finished this drama a few days ago and still can’t get it out of my head. i think part of that is because i recently came out of a relationship that, in some ways, felt similar to xu nuo and peng yu an’s dynamic, so it stirred up a lot of emotions while watching. minus the overly insistent behaviour from her ex throughout the drama, the emotional side of everything else felt surprisingly realistic. i really wanted to rate this higher, but the editing affected the overall experience too much for me :(
best examples i can think of for men as they were in their time would be bu bu jing xin (scarlet heart). the ML…
agree!
though i have to say, there are plenty of cnovels out there with MLs/FLs that fit those expectations. it’s just unfortunate that visibility plays such a huge role. some authors simply have stronger networks, agency backing, existing popularity, or the right industry connections, so their works are far more likely to get picked up for adaptation. meanwhile, lesser known authors may have incredible stories that perfectly meet audience expectations, but without the resources or reach to get their work in front of the right people, they remain buried ☹️
also, the process of making a drama is so much more complicated than just have a script, get approval, then air it. there can be internal issues with investors, production teams, broadcasters, or even the cast. i don’t remember which series it was since this goes a long way back, but there was a hong kong drama that needed to make some changes to the script because the dialogue and scene was against the lead actress’ religious belief 😐
in saying that, it’s probably exactly why producers tend to play it safe with already popular IPs. less financial risk, a built in audience, and an easier time attracting investors. they just need to tweak the characters from the original source to better appeal to mainstream viewers. creatively unfortunate, but business-wise, i get it 🫠
for example, that’s probably one of the reasons they changed chen yanyun’s character from the novel. i honestly don’t think his original version would be nearly as popular with audiences the way he is right now, and the drama likely wouldn’t have been as warmly received by female viewers. the story of minglan feels like an exception, but i think that worked because of both the setting and the directing choices, which framed those character dynamics in a way audiences could accept.
have you ever noticed how some viewers go around asking questions like “when do the FL/ML get together?” “does the FL/ML have past relationships?” and so on? 😂 production companies absolutely know what they’re doing when it comes to audience psychology.
even cnovel platforms themselves spoil this stuff through tags 😭 whether it’s 1v1, harem, virgins, past lovers, possessive ML, whatever 💀 it’s honestly wild out there lmao 🤣
Actually now that I’m thinking about it, I wonder why they cut that leaked scene from Pursuit of Jade, I’m…
i suspect it could also be a way of the platform punishing the audience, or more specifically the person who leaked the last remaining episodes. because it was originally in the episode, and was only removed after it was officially released 🥲
despite everyone saying it’s censorship, i highly doubt it since there are other cdramas out there with spicier scenes 🤷🏻♀️😬 those spicy scenes are usually okay in cdramas unless they show full nudity lol
I don’t think she likes the ML. She’s the wife of the son of the concubine whereas FL is the wife of the son…
yes, and that’s possibly the point of her ‘evil’ behaviour. the sister-in-law cannot stop chen yanyun from marrying gu jinzhao, but she can try to undermine gu jinzhao’s standing within the household. as long as the FL is suppressed, diminished, or viewed unfavourably, the sister-in-law still has a chance to hold onto whatever power she currently has within the family.
if the FL’s reputation is damaged, she becomes less respected, which makes it harder for her to establish authority as the new wife. and in a household where reputation, hierarchy, and perception matter so much, that kind of social sabotage can be just as effective as direct confrontation.
I don’t think she likes the ML. She’s the wife of the son of the concubine whereas FL is the wife of the son…
i get your point, but just to open up the discussion as there is so much space for imagination.
yes, and that could very well be the whole point behind her “disdain”. but it may not be about who chen yanyun marries at all, but the fact that he wants to marry anyone in the first place, because that alone threatens her and her husband’s position within the family. it’s also the fact that he personally picked his bride, which shows he places importance on gu jinzhao (edit: and that she’s rich lol).
the second sister-in-law is currently in charge of the household finances, which is a huge position of power in a family like that. the moment chen yanyun takes a wife, if his wife wants that responsibility handed over, it could happen at any time, and no one could really argue that it would be inappropriate. on top of that, it would naturally affect her children’s standing and future benefits down the line too. you could see madam chen and the sister-in-law testing gu jinzhao’s interest in this matter the morning after the wedding.
we already had a glimpse of how important these power dynamics are in the gu family, when gu lian and her mother were so eager to get their hands on gu jinzhao’s mother’s dowry. so from that lens, the sister-in-law’s reaction could be less about personal dislike and more about self preservation within a system where marriage, inheritance, and household authority are all deeply intertwined.
i could be wrong since i didn’t read the novel thoroughly, but from the snippets i’ve read, i think her reaction…
but that’s because he’s a 4th 😂 so why would he be a threat compared to someone like chen yanyun, who is not only 3rd, a legitimate son, and also has high status in court?
the ost is really off putting ngl 😩 i was so ready to enjoy the romantic moments between our leads, but the second the ost starts playing, i feel like i’m being transported to a modern drama 😒
i could be wrong since i didn’t read the novel thoroughly, but from the snippets i’ve read, i think her reaction…
true. but we could also look at it from another perspective: as long as chen yanyun does not marry anyone, he won’t have legitimate children of his own, which means her children’s future position may remain more secure. family politics in a household like the chen's would be incredibly complicated, especially when inheritance and lineage are involved. furthermore, chen yanyun holds a high position in court, making him outstanding in the family already. her unhappiness upon learning chen yanyun wanted to marry could honestly stem from many different reasons haha
We've already seen he's very good at quickly removing her hairpins 😏😉 One day I pray a director will actually…
now that you’ve mentioned it, i feel like i’ve seen a drama with that description too. don’t remember the name though 😆 although i do remember in story of minglan, gu tingye removed minglan’s heavy headpiece on their wedding night. they were just casually chatting too, and i really liked that scene because it felt so ordinary and natural.
as for mr and mrs smith lvl…i dont think we have any cdrama with such a ML/FL before! would be so interesting haha. i think the closest we have in recent dramas would be “are you the one” 🤔 i havent been up to date much tbh 😆
The Chen’s 2nd brother’s wife is another venomous snake. I used to think it’s because she liked the 3rd…
i could be wrong since i didn’t read the novel thoroughly, but from the snippets i’ve read, i think her reaction had more to do with family politics, like inheritance and power within the household. when the FL became pregnant in the novel, she didn’t seem genuinely happy and instead came across as feeling threatened. this seemed to be further implied when gu jinzhao successfully gave birth to a son for chen yanyun.
someone who’ve read the novel properly should correct me on this though 😅
We've already seen he's very good at quickly removing her hairpins 😏😉 One day I pray a director will actually…
this has been done before actually. waaaay back in the days when TVB dramas were popular, there have been a few that shows this kind of scene 😄 it’s often seen as a romantic gesture, something like a ML helping FL draw her eyebrows 👀
best examples i can think of for men as they were in their time would be bu bu jing xin (scarlet heart). the ML…
i think a lot of this is also due to the idolising culture we have nowadays. aside from the politics, people can be very easily influenced, so censorship becomes one way of placing restrictions on what is portrayed. unfortunately, some viewers do become obsessive and take things to extremes trying to imitate fictional characters. we’ve literally seen cases of people attempting suicide because they believed they could time travel back to ancient times, and others trying to jump off roofs in the name of practising martial arts.
in that sense, portraying a ‘good’ ML becomes a way of signalling, “this is the ideal man” —understandable, because a majority of viewers are females. BUT, also because of this, many women now have unrealistic expectations in relationships in real life (but this is an entirely diff issue ig haha) 🥲 we’ve definitely reached a point where some people struggle to separate real life from fictional entertainment 🫠 it’s lowkey kind of sad 🙃
im honestly so disappointed. it had so much potential!!
i also think the drama did a good job balancing the court politics and family politics. there was enough intrigue to keep things interesting, but not so much that an audience like me ended up feeling frustrated or mentally exhausted trying to keep up 😆 i reaally appreciated they kept gu tingye as a man of his time though. i would push it and say the same about qi heng.
while my overall rating for this drama is low, i genuinely enjoyed sun yi and zhang wanyi’s performances very much. the story itself hit a little too close to home for me, so i really felt for sun yi’s character whenever she seemed trapped and unloved in her relationship with peng yu an. i was so happy when she finally allowed herself to accept zhao jin as a lover 🥹
my lower rating is mainly because of the editing and the OST. i honestly think this drama could’ve benefited from a different director. the editing felt really inconsistent throughout, and the music often didn’t match the emotional tone of the scenes, which became quite distracting. i can sort of understand the vibe the director was trying to create, but the execution just didn’t land for me. which is a shame, because some of the english songs in particular had such a lovely rhythm, and the lyrics were genuinely beautiful.
i finished this drama a few days ago and still can’t get it out of my head. i think part of that is because i recently came out of a relationship that, in some ways, felt similar to xu nuo and peng yu an’s dynamic, so it stirred up a lot of emotions while watching. minus the overly insistent behaviour from her ex throughout the drama, the emotional side of everything else felt surprisingly realistic. i really wanted to rate this higher, but the editing affected the overall experience too much for me :(
though i have to say, there are plenty of cnovels out there with MLs/FLs that fit those expectations. it’s just unfortunate that visibility plays such a huge role. some authors simply have stronger networks, agency backing, existing popularity, or the right industry connections, so their works are far more likely to get picked up for adaptation. meanwhile, lesser known authors may have incredible stories that perfectly meet audience expectations, but without the resources or reach to get their work in front of the right people, they remain buried ☹️
also, the process of making a drama is so much more complicated than just have a script, get approval, then air it. there can be internal issues with investors, production teams, broadcasters, or even the cast. i don’t remember which series it was since this goes a long way back, but there was a hong kong drama that needed to make some changes to the script because the dialogue and scene was against the lead actress’ religious belief 😐
in saying that, it’s probably exactly why producers tend to play it safe with already popular IPs. less financial risk, a built in audience, and an easier time attracting investors. they just need to tweak the characters from the original source to better appeal to mainstream viewers. creatively unfortunate, but business-wise, i get it 🫠
for example, that’s probably one of the reasons they changed chen yanyun’s character from the novel. i honestly don’t think his original version would be nearly as popular with audiences the way he is right now, and the drama likely wouldn’t have been as warmly received by female viewers. the story of minglan feels like an exception, but i think that worked because of both the setting and the directing choices, which framed those character dynamics in a way audiences could accept.
have you ever noticed how some viewers go around asking questions like “when do the FL/ML get together?” “does the FL/ML have past relationships?” and so on? 😂 production companies absolutely know what they’re doing when it comes to audience psychology.
even cnovel platforms themselves spoil this stuff through tags 😭 whether it’s 1v1, harem, virgins, past lovers, possessive ML, whatever 💀 it’s honestly wild out there lmao 🤣
despite everyone saying it’s censorship, i highly doubt it since there are other cdramas out there with spicier scenes 🤷🏻♀️😬 those spicy scenes are usually okay in cdramas unless they show full nudity lol
if the FL’s reputation is damaged, she becomes less respected, which makes it harder for her to establish authority as the new wife. and in a household where reputation, hierarchy, and perception matter so much, that kind of social sabotage can be just as effective as direct confrontation.
yes, and that could very well be the whole point behind her “disdain”. but it may not be about who chen yanyun marries at all, but the fact that he wants to marry anyone in the first place, because that alone threatens her and her husband’s position within the family. it’s also the fact that he personally picked his bride, which shows he places importance on gu jinzhao (edit: and that she’s rich lol).
the second sister-in-law is currently in charge of the household finances, which is a huge position of power in a family like that. the moment chen yanyun takes a wife, if his wife wants that responsibility handed over, it could happen at any time, and no one could really argue that it would be inappropriate. on top of that, it would naturally affect her children’s standing and future benefits down the line too. you could see madam chen and the sister-in-law testing gu jinzhao’s interest in this matter the morning after the wedding.
we already had a glimpse of how important these power dynamics are in the gu family, when gu lian and her mother were so eager to get their hands on gu jinzhao’s mother’s dowry. so from that lens, the sister-in-law’s reaction could be less about personal dislike and more about self preservation within a system where marriage, inheritance, and household authority are all deeply intertwined.
but yeah, the story will reveal itself soon haha
but all of this is just a guess 😆
as for mr and mrs smith lvl…i dont think we have any cdrama with such a ML/FL before! would be so interesting haha. i think the closest we have in recent dramas would be “are you the one” 🤔 i havent been up to date much tbh 😆
someone who’ve read the novel properly should correct me on this though 😅
in that sense, portraying a ‘good’ ML becomes a way of signalling, “this is the ideal man” —understandable, because a majority of viewers are females. BUT, also because of this, many women now have unrealistic expectations in relationships in real life (but this is an entirely diff issue ig haha) 🥲 we’ve definitely reached a point where some people struggle to separate real life from fictional entertainment 🫠 it’s lowkey kind of sad 🙃