AleksandraSucur

Imo, FL doesn't look stupid at all. She seems to be quite capable: experienced in travelling and trade, she is a tough girl with broad horizons, an excellent horse rider, brave enough to draw a knife and kill the aggressor of the khan (not because he is a khan but bc he is the only person who can save her father and his trade escort gang and pay them the rest of the money for the tough job they've done), pragmatic yet sensitive enough to distinguish the right and wrong, to save the life of the ML and even clever enough to engage in deeper conversation with the ML (who is a highly knowledgable and educated scholar) etc.

I haven't even noticed her voice, but I don't see anything "childish" about her character, on the contrary: orphaned from a mother, she was a child who ought to grow up faster than her age. Yet, she is still an unmarried (read: very young, younger than ML) girl and completely unexperienced in heart matters. Through the challenges they've passed together, it's natural she started to develop feelings for the ML (btw. these feelings are mutual, GTY's feelings are not limited to the gratitude he feels towards FL and her father, he also feels admiration, complicity, necessity to be completely honest with her, to risk his life to save her etc. they are "the first love" for each other). And although her heart aches after he told her he already has a marriage obligation (which is a gratitude obligation towards his teacher for giving him such a high education for free), she is still capable to act tough and to treat him like a buddy. I have no idea how the Bai teacher's daughter will be in this drama, but this tough girl (who will eventually furtherly grow up) is a perfect match for a future "magnate".

I also disagree that this drama tells a "male-centred story". This is a story of GTY, who happens to be a male. The same director with the same ML actor already (successfully) told another interesting story of a female tycoon in Nothing Gold Can Stay: in both dramas, the goal was to tell a story of "interesting persons in interesting times" that flows in a logical way.

I agree

I've liked how Li Baiwan opposed businessmen's "philosophical approach" to the "ominious money" (as expressed by the GTY scholarly pov.): "there's no money that can't be spent and no person that can't be employed". Clear and concise, great writing, the author of these lines knows his trade 👍

thank you again, I've missed that detail he was exiled in 5th year of XF's reign. But in ep 9, we have another reference (a loan ledger in Wang's bank allegedly prepared for the purchase of the auctioned Kang's properties) saying it was made in 8th year (ie. 1858). If he spent 5y in exile, he could have not been sentenced 1855 but earlier (and there's also some time he travelled with the Changs among the Mongols). Ofc., the ledger can also be smth else, a deed from a few years before, maybe I've misinterpreted it

yes, I've had the same feeling.
By the way, as I am currently viewing episode 9, at 24' 32'', there 's a "loan ledger" hanging in Boss Wang's bank, inscribed with "8th year of the Xianfeng Reign." So, the precise year is 1858.😀

I've also had some difficulties to decipher the exact timeline, that's why I've asked novel readers. Actually, you're right, we are now in the middle of Taiping rebellion, but the ML's story starts just before it, when he was set up and I think the reason why he was eliminated from the examination has smth to do with this rebellion or at least with one of the players involved in the rebellion. Probably the ambitious Li father. As a secret helper of the Southerners (but with his own agenda), he may have wanted to obstruct fair employment of talents by the central government or smth like that.

The setting is realistic, but the character is fictional, maybe loosely inspired by some real businessman of the time... Per aspera ad astra kind of story.

No, it was earlier, I've discussed it with a novel reader. GTY was exiled in the first year of Taiping rebellion, when emperor Xianfeng was enthroned, ie.,1850. It was mentioned that he spent 5 years in exile before he escaped which coincides with the rebels' failure to take over Beijing in 1855. This is the current timeline (for ep 9-10), but the story will probably go several decades after but not into the 20th century.

Thank you very much! 👍👍The story is fast paced and we can easily forgotten that GPY was already an adult when he participated in the imperial examination and then spent 5y in exile. The guns, in particular Ms. Su's revolver handgun ("of Russian production"), could not exist before the rebellion and although she talks about the "southern reign" etc. to appraisal experts, it's difficult to understand if the southern rebels already took Nanjing (as a "safe city" where their families would be transferred) or still have to take over it.
And yes, the beautiful visuals of the intro animation allude to the realism in painting, in particular Russian realism, both in portrayals and landscapes (the latter even with few traits and symbolism of Croatian naive art which I find very cute), indicating the story will go several decades into the second half of the 19th century.

Imo, S3 haven't lost its charm compared to S2. Interesting scenery and landscapes from the previous season are greatly compensated with the lushness of Chang'an, its deadly politics and clashes. Its subtle and sophisticated dangers (continue to) challenge our heroes - their unity as well as their individual characters - perhaps even more than mythical beasts and monsters from S2. Very satisfied: 9/10

Has anybody read the novel? Could you tell us if the story takes place before, during or after the Taiping rebellion?

They are just fine. You're not the only one

yeah, but what's more important, he can act

That drama was great indeed, but it it was a little bit long. The FL was played by an awsome actress and ofc., Xiao Chen was great as well, but his role, the story, the length and the direction... lets' say there were certain flows, I still can't rate that drama properly.
But here: I can tell from 2 eps I've seen, this is a proper drama, great pace and interesting story. Let's hope 🤞

Chinese Johny Depp, Xiao Chen, in an all-rounder role, perfectly suitable for him, immediately remembered Nothing Gold Can Stay but here in an even more promising story and under the more promising direction: Zhang Ting is one of those rare directors that can still tell an epic story (his Long River is a recent example), genre unfortunately totally lost elsewhere and certainly in extinction in C-dramaland.
I'm looking forward for this drama because it indicates only "Historical" as a genre and the genre simplicity usually indicates "very high quality". Two eps in and I haven't press FF once, here and there I've pressed 0,75 speed to better understand the dialogues.
But 40 eps are long...

Tnx

Thank you.
Pity we have to await so long...

Does anybody know when S2 will be airing?

Indeed. It wasn't a given. But this turn from the predictable also gave us a great food for thought. I've sensed the case was treating hate crimes and haven't expected the predictable "gentry trampling over merchants" (the predictable is not in the "nature" of SToDT cases which are mainly focused on mystery and/or dark side of human nature), but what I've expected wasn't the case either.

The majority of hate crimes are against women or smth involving "family honour" (or better "family dignity"), but they may also target specific groups of persons (immigrants, homosexuals, "merchants", "gentry"....) and may be instigated by some political-ideological undercurrent in order to create public unrest or chaos. I've suspected so. was manipulating merchants to harm gentry with purpose to cause unrest. Although perceived as "lower class", the boost of foreign and domestic trade (carried on by this "class" of people) was the main (although not the only) reason of Tang's economic prosperity but this wasn't the matter the author wanted to explore. He tackled instead hate crimes against women and family dignity and such cases are unfortunately common even today (from crime news to war rape camps...) because women are weaker targets and if someone wants to realy hurt you, he will hurt your family.

The problem is: how to treat such horrible unscrupulous crimes from legal point of view and deliver justice at the same time? Few days ago my mom remembered the case of Franca Viola, an Italian girl who refused to "marry-your-rapist marriage" and it took 20 years to change the law which permitted such injustice and I've answered her that many other "1st world" countries maintained laws exonerating rapists if married the victim, even later, countries like France, Greece, Denmark were the last European countries abolishing such a crazy exoneration which still exists in many other countries of the world. The laws are made by humans according to what is perceived right by the society in a particular period of time. I've also thought a lot about married women being raped by other persons when I've seen Ridely Scott's The Last Duel. A rashomon-style povs. of the victim, the perpetrator and the husband were so convincing that I've thought "maybe the best 'judicial tool' to "legally" resolve such "family conflicts" is a duel (ie. "let the God decide" - in the medieval Europe) between the male representing "the family" (in the movie, husband who perceived the rape as a hate crime against HIM, and wasn't completely wrong) and the rapist (who misinterpreted the woman and being arrogant and favoured by the power lord above both of them, forgot to restrain himself, he was probably convinced every woman would fall for him and even if she doesn't, no married woman would denounce such a crime, as it happened to many other ladies in the movie and many more in the history of humankind).

As for LLF's apology - he raised the tone, that's why the apology was necessary, not just because SWM had the right suspicion (based on the word "gentry"). But this LLF's reaction was indeed necessary to "open the mind" of SWM and to think deeper of the case: here we don't have only merchant victims, but the crime against two noble families, too (as it was already clear so. desecrated the pillars). He didn't apologize, but in front of the emperor, he attributed all the merits to LLF.

I am totally convinced they've acted outside the system bc they didn't want Wei's sister's ordeal to become public. Sheriff Du also must have known about it, his sister must have told him, the victim was his sister-in-law, ultimately a family too. I think what may irritate you is what irritates all of us: a sense of justice not being served for what the merchants had done. The only sentence publicly pronounced was the one made by the GP behind the closed doors referring only to hate crimes connected with the desecration of pillars.
Sheriffs could have not pursue that case directly in a legal way: being direct victims (of the desecration of both families' pillars), they should have excuse themselves and let so. else investigate it.
But whoever investigated it - eg. LLF who would have done it thoroughly - would discover the sister's ordeal (that's why Wei changed the subject when LLF asked him if he was family related to He Bi). That's why I think LLF understood that from their pov they've had no options but to start a personal revenge. We know that at least one person (He Bi's bro, tortured with paper suffocation before being stoned, bc he tortured Wei's sister in the same way and even came up with the idea of sharing Wei's sister with wealthiest members of the sect in exchange of money) was a perpetrator of the crime (we all see as a criminal org with purpose of rape, but it was ultimately committed as a hate crime against gentry, too!) and can reasonably presume other murdered merchants were not innocent victims either. People who committed the crime against Wei's sister were members of the "inner sect" of their sect, the wealthiest (and least scrupolous ones). They've deserved to die. Wei's sister also deserved to be left in peace which would be impossible if her ordeal was revealed. Understanding the situation, LLF respected their choices but didn't plead for them for the reasons explained by PBGoddess. Although we understand and empathise with their reason, they've broken the law and were also ready to accept the consequences of their deeds. They are nobles to the core, glad to die for their values and beliefs (values that may have wronged the merchants before, who knows), they were satisfied with the fact merchants were sentenced "behind the closed doors" (by the GP, not publicly as not to expose Wei's sister's ordeal), therefore, they are not wronged with the death sentence and there's no need to plead for them.
Imo, the only thing which left a bitter aftertaste was too light punishment given to the high priest. The princess probably also didn't want to expose Wei's sister's case in which he played a part, being the first who committed it and multiple times, deserving death as well. That's why he was punished only for his role of an accomplice in a crime of desecration and instigation of hate. Hope only the GP sent so. after him, the road to exile is long and anything can happen...