AleksandraSucur

Last evening I've wrote a review not recommending this drama to certain groups of persons among which are also individuals who can't stay on a rollercoaster or suffer from disturbs connected with the production of adrenaline (and/or noradrenaline) during the states of high vigilance. Even persons with no specific issues can't go on its high levels for long bc the depletion of glucose alarms the brain which then passes to the production of cortisol and the person will inevitably feel exhausted. The narrative method used in this drama simulates what we feel when go on a rollercoaster but often the state of allertness it induced lasts too long, turning us to an exhausted mode.
I've felt the same today after we followed at least four threatening threads (Yunshi-Bai-Yang), (Jiang gov.-RSB+LJL), (Yunxi's ex and child), (tea tree-tribute problem), all four mutually intertwined. It was really too much with no real gratification (the slap was certainly insufficient) to compensate the stress piled up throughout an hour and a half.
So, yes, I also fear for the next 10 eps heavily packed with issues and threads to follow.

I don't think LJL invented the story he frequently got in fight with other kids who were teasing him bc he had no mother. And that later, when his father passed away, too, his uncles took the inheritance and returned it to him only when he passed the imperial exam fearing the consequences.
So, out of curiosity, I've asked meanwhile a Mandarin speaker to translate the relationship chart. As it is actually written that this "maid" is his mother, and that there's a question mark between her and the Duke, she might have had an affair or been the Duke's lover, having LJL as the Duke's illegitimate son. For some reason, they couldn't expose this fact (probably the Duke's wife) and gave their baby to a person surnamed Lu to raise as his legitimate son. Or, alternatively, she was married before with LJL's father and later became a concubine of the Duke and now wishes the Duke adopts her son as well

Yes, we'll definitely see. And lets hope nothing will be rushed.

This time I've forgotten that it could have been part of her scheme🤦‍♀️ I wondered how she could have been so unprepared after the robbery and didn't check warehouse. Thank you for the reminder 👍

Ah ok, I don't read Mandarin, now I've got it.
Do you know why does he have a different surname?

His father is dead, his uncle already tried to snatch his inheritance and returned it back to him after he became the official, he mentioned this thing to RSB when they were lying in bed.
He'll go back to the capital probably for another reason: the governor has people who are backing him in the capital. Or maybe he'll accompany RSB, who'll go there to explain to the emperor what happened to the tributary tea

@repamekala said so ironically, as Bai asked the 5th to meet in 3 days time and leave to the capital with him, otherwise he'll reveal the truth it was she who opened the mannor and colluded with the robbers. And that she can as well kill him to prevent him to reveal the truth

It sounded like a proverb: "it's easier to invite trouble than send it away", with word "trouble" changed with "devil". As it was directed to the governor, the meaning was: you've created this trouble, but you won't be able to manage it or win over "the devil you invited yourself", bc the trouble you've caused will turn against you.
Actually, it isn't particularly difficult to reveal governor as a mastermind behind the robbery as he used the same middleman (Yang the twin) both to engage the former pirate and to negotiate how to enact the robbery with the 5th sis. It's enough LJL catches the three and in particular the Yang guy and make him confess the truth.
If the governor stayed put after he killed prefect Xu in prison, it would be very difficult to connect him with Wei-Yang case, so with this robbery act to get rid of RBS and LJL, the governor indeed invited the trouble upon himself

Cheng is still in a shock room after being hit by RSB's glance 😂😂😂

indeed, maybe that's the thing I've disliked: it looked she didn't take any preventive measures (which is out of her character)... but maybe you're right: not seeing them doesn't mean she didn't. This drama uses reverse narrative 90% of the time, so we always see first "the effect" or "the risult" and only later "the cause", intention or plan...

The 5th sis (Yun Shu) has chosen the worst way to fight RSB. It's somehow understandable, she was the one who observed the most other sisters' fightings as well as she suffered the most, her resentment may have reached the point of loosing all the scruples towards her family.
As the trajectory of the plot is directed towards their uniting after RSB defeats each sister of hers, it isn't hard to imagine she'll be taken down and brought to her senses as well.

So, right now, beside granny, I despise Yun'E the most. We still have little info to even slightly understand her behaviour, just that she always sides with the winner. But after all others are defeated, I wouldn't like to see her just adapting to "the new situation" to use her words. Unless defeated, no Rong girl can truly accept the authority of the winner... It would be unacceptable the other way round as well: once united, could other sisters accept a hypocrite as an equal member just like that?

yes, I agree with everything you've said

Yes, the current trajectory is towards their uniting (and I don't think it'll change), but this can happen only after RSB wins over their weaknesses, flaws, illusions and selfishness. They were trained to fight each other and only after a fight/defeat can they give up coming to their senses. 5th sister is no exception here just bc she is smarter - she is simultanuously more "blinded" (this wasn't intentional, lol) bc she suffered more there and naturally resents more...

I don't think her anger is directed only towards Grandma. After she told RSB (in YS's bedroom) they've had completely different upbringing and that RSB cannot understand her pov bc she never counted the passes between her courtyard and the Grandma's as she did, she openly challenged RSB: let's see which one of us will go farther.

Maybe your guess is right, maybe in that moment her intention was to let know RSB she was behind the robbery, but I've felt she was just defying RSB

yup, she was an obvious target, as she was already a sus for the robbery.
Yeah, I agree with you: she seemed low-key amused... but somehow I disliked this fact. It looked she almost deliberately made things harder for LJL to solve, the governor is a dangereous man with enormous power and you can't play games in such circumstances, just to see how much your lover is worried about you. There are innocent people in the plantation who are at risk here. It isn't smart and I don't like when FLs aren't smart

Although she could have not predicted the exact governor's move, she could have guessed the collusion of the sister with robbers (and it wouldn't be the first time one of the sisters working with the outsiders) and check better the warehouses on the plantation avoiding this setup, instead of playing the tea roasting game with WW.
Now she plays a damsel in trouble, who always trusted ML will get her out of that sh*t. She deserved that scolding.

why do you think so? She said smth to Bai in the preview of the next ep?
To me it looked like she is taking her revenge

the first one was more fun to watch, remember his strip-teasing, feistiness... this one is just annoying. However, the actor delivered two distinct characters well

Yun Shu was able to see even before. The whole story she narrated: the ingestion of a herb (napeta cataria, cat's herb) when she was a child is a total invention. There's no plant on Earth and not certainly this one that can make a person blind.
The Monk is certainly... not a person he claims to be and the granny knows it perfectly (she knew it even before she pressed the FL to marry him). For the rest, it's still not easy to figure him who he is (there's a high probability he is a Wei) and his exact goals/agenda.
The Grandma is ofc very hypocritical. But... Shen Bow didn't call her out with that confrontation, her rebellion and the "parallel world" RSB created for her sisters/family. I'll be satisfied only when I'll see the final showdown between the two. In this moment, I fear the story will whitewash the granny.

Yup. She also immediately saw through the monk: she is aware he's not a Yan (hinted in the convo between her and Madam Yan) and that's why she wanted RSB to marry him in order to make her experience the same disappointment and resentment, once his true identity is revealed.
That's why I fear the story will whitewash/condone all her bad words and decisions as her intentions were for the "greater good" and/or she predicted they'll rebel, gather and start to work together and calmly pass down the family scepter... I don't think such a turn will be believable/acceptable. I also feel this whitewashing already started with RSB talking the granny was the person who told her/them the noble stories of their ancestors, taught them the noble rules, a noble tea craft etc...
I'll have a problem to accept such a twist and explanation, as - for 2/3 of the drama - her education was definitely off and we don't wonder at all why the 5th (the youngest) is so scheming, wicked, sinister and... so much alike her

you've got 4 answers:
- mine (none)
- Lightangel452's (medium)
- Lulu_haneuls's (both)
- CdramaAddict's (more of a slow burn....it's like sometimes they take one step forward then two step backward, but still not boring)

I've told you "it's complicated" (and you see all other persons agree that's the case) and you didn't believe me! 😂

I suggest you to watch it yourself and then come back to tell us what do you think about their romance 😂😂😂😂😂