AleksandraSucur

The high rating is due to the fact actors did well, so the MDL audience, which is mainly after idol-dramas, dropped their initial expectations and just thought they've got what they were expecting.
It is called cognitive dissonance in psychology. C.d. is explained by the fable "The Fox and the Grapes" which exemplifies cognitive dissonance because the fox initially believes he/she wants the grapes (desire) but then, after failing to reach them, changes his/her belief to rationalize his failure (saying "grapes are anyway sour").
Therefore, the MDL audience (which is mostly after a romance and it is basically irrelevant in respect to the internal share), notwithstanding the more serious premise, simply changed their expectation. As I've read on MDL, in China, this drama didn't reach a 7 point trashold on douban, after many days since it aired it's still on 6,7.
Because, it's not totally bad, as I've tried to point out, but it betrayed the initial premise (if we are to say this in Chinese, we should say "it betrayed 'its initial intention'")

I am not a novel reader, but maybe can answer by telling you that most wars (in real life) are moved or even directly caused because of certain internal strife, ie., to overcome certain weakness & consolidate the rule of the person(s) in power. The best example is Netanyahu's war against Gaza, if he doesn't continue it, he'll fall (and finish in jail for corruption). The similar situation was with Milosevic's Serbia.
Moving a war, autocrats can require and obtain more compact social basis ("against a common enemy"), enact harsher laws, substitute powerful people of the opposition with those who are blindly loyal to them.
Sometimes, wars (between states) are moved to prevent coupes, rebellions or fragmentation of a territory inhabited by inhomogeneous people/tribes, as it is often the case in countries of the so called Coupe Belt.
The motivations of conflicts in this drama are pretty realistic.

you're right! Pigalle has several Vietnamese restaurants serving excellent pho, but I remember also the best bourguignonne served by Vietnamese persons somewhere on or near Rue Blanche in that quarter. Besides, several movie theatres which could be connected with the festival are also there.

just because it's the most obvious possibility, I doubt it is so simple.
Besides, who could be so cunning and capable?

You attending the festival in Paris sounds very interesting. Then I'm looking forward to read a lengthy article in the feeds about it, in your usual documented style! Bonne chance et amusez-vous bien! 🤓

maybe the third killer hasn't been introduced to this point at all.
That would be bad, bc. the drama keeps are interested bc. of this guessing game, but in C-dramas, things like this may happen

Oh, now I see.
After watching this, my guts feeling is: this was not an "acting", the emperor was truly furious.
So, we can rule him out now as a masked man, too, because the masked man knew about ZX's plan to steel the seal.

If we are talking about shipping, I root for BaiChuan as before, the only woman who can keep in check and see through a guy using such an unorthodox means.
There are no sparks with her, but this is not a romance and I don't see sparks with Ning either, just some brother-sister attachment from their childhood

To which trailer are you referring to?

I still have no clue. The hints pointed to someone connected with Dongxia interests

the emperor can only be the masked man, no way he is the third killer.
The third killer knew the ring consisting of three fish and taken from ZX's father after killing him was the key to activate Gui Seal. As an emperor, he could have easily eliminated them both and keep both the box and all three fish. So, the third person is definitely not the emperor

No.
3 fish were split among the eunuch, marquis and the third enemy.
ZX's father had three fish ring on him when he was killed. Indeed, he wanted to hand it over to the Dongxia Queen, so we can only presume he wanted to flee to Dongxia with his family.

Yes. I suppose he thought it would be the best to keep the seal and its activation key (=fish ring) separated in order to avoid to be used against each other, but his killers took and split the ring and ZX has 1 fish (from the marquis)

It's strange the third man haven't ever shown up to this point... As if he/she is not after the Gui Seal at all, or... maybe knows about ZH's plans aforehand

Yesterday I've binged last 8 eps I've put on hold last year, that's probably why I can't stand her, it's too fresh. Now I am just watching ep 3/S2, handkerchief tearing scene... there are still some dumb infantile overractions, the only improvement I see is a less childish hair style... I'll try to catch up with the rest

he appeared only in last two eps. I watched them yesterday. Lord Zichuan presented him to Ning as an "advisor". He is from a rich family, doing business everywhere, lot of connections. Ning is his childhood crash. I hope he takes Ning from Xiu... and far away from the screen 😁

It is exactly as Megumi-H said, Lord Zichuan is all about maintaining/defending his power, hiding it by playing dumb. He doesn't trust anybody, very creepy person.
As for the quick black n white scenes, it is a director's choice to insert them to express what is going on in the head of the character related to the scene. It may be a flashback but it can also be an expectation. It's basically a technique to explain a certain action, given the choice of this director not to use dialogues or narrative, but only and exclusively "actions" to "tell the story". It is very hard, almost impossible, to tell the story just by using actions, almost no hints are given, that's why the S1 ended with such an unexpected cliffhanger and no prediction for what will happen in the next season.

Tnx a lot. ❤️

great comparison 👌, it instantly reminded me both of them and how similarly irritating they were in very different dramas 🤦‍♀️

That bad? You don't recommend watching?

Maybe, our ZH is not a villain either and yet, his schemes knocked down all the villains we've seen till now, who said only villains can be dark and deadly?🙃