AleksandraSucur

my question above (erroneously addressing PBG) was directed to you.

I think the reason for "lost in the plot" current state is in a heavy deviation from her character in the novel. In the novel, she appeared later and wanted that revenge over Cixi because she was a daughter of one of the 8 executed regents. In the drama, her character is used to provide background explanations functional for the story or other characters, that's why she's everywhere and the character is less believable and incoherent.
We should ask people who read the novel to update us about her situation at this point in the novel.

you're right about the numbness she rolled herself in, as a way to forget the man who loved her so much to sell his most valuable things to buy her the prettiest wedding dress and father of her sons, was still alive. I can relate with how this hardening experience made her gloomy and depressed, thank you very much for pointing this aspect out.
But still can't connect her character with LWT, how do you explain the connection?

The fainting of Gu's mom and the sickness of LWT (now we can remove spoilers of him being his dad) and Rui Lin knowing and arranging that meeting... is a bit too much for me. Gu's mom is such a boring and depressing woman, hell bent to her values (and that romantic story of her wedding gown + humbleness) which she constantly contradict with subtle ambitious impositions, a woman that any man with a grain of salt would escape many miles, kms and lis away.
LWT is despicable, but I definitely can't connect such a COHERENT man in his greed, cunningness, social-climbing smartness etc. with such a boring (the most boring character in the story) and intrinsicly uncoherent woman, and a dead weight, how could he has ever possibly fallen for her than in a DRAMA?

I agree. This is a (relative) calm before the storm

Thanks to Skibbies, we know the actor playing the customs officer Hart is Andy Friend. What a life, pity a person with such a rich experience in both Chinese and American productions doesn't have his page on MDL https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202303/1286988.shtml

Indeed! While it is somehow expectable for Chen Xiao to have a great screen interaction with veteran actors (playing LWT, Rui Lin, Mr. Chang, Mr Liao etc), it is so good to see this complicit chemistry with such a young actor as Luo Yizhou.

thank you! Yes, later I found about the historical Robert Hart but couldn't find the actor.
It's him, Andy Friend, now I've found a bit about his bio here https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202303/1286988.shtml

What misled me was the biography of person who served as xunfu (viceroy) of Jiangsu province in real historical period 1864-1866, Li Hongzhang. The author shaped fictional character Rui Lin giving him certain distinguishable traits with the historical Li HZ. Eg. he was a Hanlin student, he mentioned twice "I am dealing with the mess Zeng Xiangxiang (this is Zeng Guofan) left here" etc. I've initially thought Li Hongzhang inspired both Jiu and RL characters, but you've pointed out that the first has more in common with Zeng Guofan's (ninth/jiu) brother. But in both cases, Rui Lin seemed more "civilian" and less powerful than Jiu, so I've concluded the real decision-makers are Zeng(s), not him.
Yes, Rui Lin indeed said "he had doubts when Jiu recommended him GPY" (ep 32, around 31' min) but the way he put it made me think it was his (Rui Lin's) decision to summon GPY, which means he is not a figurehead but a real decision-maker.
Yes, I agree with all the rest you've written.

yup, NIF, JOL, Minglan... one watch is not enough to catch all the subtleties... Later you end knowing them by hearth 😂

as Li Baiwan told him: you wanted to lure the snake out (intending himself, ofc) and now I am here.
The dialogues are totally brilliant in this drama, I love them so much, I know I'll rewatch them at least ten times, lol

Yes and no. You are right Rui wants Gu to get things done but he doesn't keep LQ at bay (he is actually happy to milk him...), he just doesn't trust his father.

Lets analyse it step by step. Yesterday, I was wracking my brain why marshal Jiu wanted GPY to be viceroy's economic advisor while so many people are more experienced and have powerful backers who can help in removing the obstacles for money-making, necessary for the recovery. I've thought Jiu wanted all these backers at bay (with a possible purpose not to disband the whole army which must be payed and then disbanded), assuming Rui Lin was just a figurehead Jiu can maneuver at his will. PeachBlossomGoddess and Megumi thought that either all other better candidates already refused (because they were in a position to refuse such a hot potato mission) or Ms Su convinced marshal Jiu to employ GPY, still wanting to make GPY's life hard... All 3 of us were wrong (= following wrong tracks) bc. untill eps today we didn't know it was RUI LIN who wanted GPY, as he candidly admitted today (besides, it is more Jiu who follows Rui Lin's orders than vice versa as we've seen when he was ordered to stall rice mearchants in Nanjing as to delay them to flock all together to their destination and ruin the sale at higher price of Anhui's rice to the greedy fat guy).

So, the real question is why Rui Lin, who hides his extreme intelligence with "Confucius, Mencius, blabla", wanted GPY? Bc. he caught the info GPY won in previous clashes (banks, tea...) over Li Baiwan, who is now threatening to take over 90% of salt industry in the region (consisting of several provinces) governed by him. Actually LTW already is in possession of all these salt fields (and now even has an official position of "salt commissioner"), just not all of them were obtained in a clear or legal way (he was purchasing these fields during the Taiping rebellion, highly probably through Ms Su) and now wants Rui Lin, as the top authority, to "legalize" all these deeds. Rui Lin is reluctant to do so 1) because he doesn't want the salt profit to leak out (and that's why he constantly milks Li Qin) of his region which desperately needs money and 2) doesn't trust LTW won't sell them to the foreigners (and GPY, having dealt with the latter, is certainly more experienced than him). That's the reason why he is constantly driving a wedge between GPY and LQ.

Confucius, Mencius... and other Viceroy Rui Lin's pearls of sageness, part two:

"the sage once said: if you don't take advantage when you can, you are a fool" (ep 31)
"have you ever seen a sage who was poor?" (ep 32)
Despite he is continuously trying to drive a wedge between LQ and GPY (pardon, he is just committed to a "divide et impera" wisdom), I really enjoy these pearls 😂😂
(somehow I also feel for him, being abruptly awaken... that's what I hate the most too, lol)

still, they are not pimps, they only collect taxes from that business

It was a good juxtaposition but how much money - collectable only in form of tax revenue - can sex industry generate in a war destroyed city? How many merchants pleasure houses can attract?
They need millions of taels to compensate 1y salary of 120.000 soldiers and disband them and other millions to reconstruct the city. So, the next idea must be miraculous, this one was just for fun

indeed, that was a little bit unbearable

Confucius, Mencius, blabla... just give money to brothels to boost the economy. 🙄 I hope GPY will come up with some better idea soon...

Ukraine has 0 chances to join NATO. Any RF-UA peace treaty will include this clause among its first dispositions, with a series of the serious safeguarding clauses in the case of its breach.
GDP per capita at ppp of Ethiopia (where China strongly invested) is 4.400 USD for 2025 (source: IMF)
GDP per capita/ppp of Ukraine is 2.219 USD (for 2024, last estimate, source: FRED)
Not only Ukraine is poorer than many African countries, it faces more serious problems than just lack of money. Its population halved and will continue to drop furtherly, the only variable is the speed of that shrink.

I read that possibility (China rebuidling Ukraine) completely different than you. The crisis of Chinese construction industry on the internal market is such that it is constantly pushed to the external markets, while being subsidised by the state in such enterprises (even in constructions abroad) is nothing new or uncommon. If China doesn't make such an offer, the reason can only be in awaiting to see the amount and allocation of EU funds and where will the USA exactly start to invest under the agreement Trump-Zelensky for UA mineral resources exploitation in order to avoid direct clashes with the Americans. It's not a secret that China today is a leader in this industry and hardly any great project can be carried out without at least Chinese tech and products in the field, so it's in a way unavoidable for China to be (at least, partially) involved.
The problem with Ukrainian reconstruction is all... political. The Europeans are aware they'll have to pay the most for this reconstruction and will try to stall it - formally for high corruption reasons - sine diem.

ok then, I'll take it as Ms Su convinced Jiu to burden GPY with this ungrateful task.