ItsBRN

novel is very different—the drama changed a lot of things.

I think the point is that without the decree, we would never see them together; ML still seems bound by the conventions of the time, so without his parents' consent, he wouldn't be able to get married.

People are flawed; no one is perfect. I think it’s commendable that the story shows us flawed, imperfect characters; it’s hypocritical to hate being forced into something yet do the exact same thing in the name of so-called "love" or "protection."

But it’s not a matter of defending him or not—but Yes, he is wrong;

"Marriage was a decision made by the parents, and without the decree,
he never would have married her."

Is he right?
He is wrong to force the issue without her consent.

he didn't have anything planned;
I think he never thought he would lose.

Her family was powerful, and her father became implicated in the crime of treason—kill a prince... And worst of all, that prince became Emperor.... "It is virtually certain that the men would be executed.; and the women would probably become prostitutes"
But here’s my point: unlike her father, who debased himself by saying all sorts of things, she—She...—didn't say much and chose death.

right, "new villain" met her fate.
I must say that, in the end, she caught my attention.

I understand that people find forced marriage unacceptable.
But have you stopped to consider how common it is? It is the parents who make the decisions regarding marriage; the ML's ex-wife had no say in the matter whatsoever. Yes, it wasn't right for the ML to force the marriage via Imperial Edict, but if we look at the era, who actually held the power of decision? The ML himself could never have married the FL, as his parents would never have accepted her.
That is why I think this talk of "viewing things through a modern lens" is a waste of time.
I look at it based on the logic of the time: yes, the ML was in the wrong—but it was simply the reality.

Different, but in the end;
Both parties were in the wrong, as they failed to obtain her consent.

Ultimately, the decision rests with the parents; the children usually have no say regarding their partners—look at the male lead's first wife; she had no choice.
"In ancient times, freedom is an illusion."
The male lead is in the wrong; it isn't right for him to force a marriage. There should be proper wedding rites, and he ought to obtain the female lead's consent.

Shen family values ​​honor.
Fundamentally, due to their beliefs, their upbringing, becoming "prostitutes" and living in dishonor was unacceptable; death was the only path.

"in this life",
Looking forward to the next episodes.

Eps 23-24
It’s shame that Jier ended up in this situation—being sold and forced to sell her body. Even though she was a bit annoying at first, she wasn't a bad person, and I’m glad she’s remained a good person; I hope she gains her freedom soon.

Now, let’s be honest: it was quite a convenient plot device for Han to run into the female lead.

The male lead went looking for the female lead but didn't find her in the end—though I actually think that’s a good thing. I mean, the male lead doesn't always have to be the one to save the girl in distress; it’s good for the female lead to be able to handle things on her own. Thanks to Lu Ji'er, she managed to escape.

Ah, it’s also understandable that the ML didn’t recognize Jier; I mean, there are countless servants, and he didn’t usually have contact with the female ones—the exceptions being the FL and that other one (I forgot her name).

The new female villain isn't even worth mentioning.

return of Lu Jier

I wrote "SecondML"—I know that, in practice, he's a secondary character, but the fact that he's a "love interest" made me mark him as "SML."
Don't take what I wrote literally; I simply didn't remember his name.

I wrote "SecondML"—I know that, in practice, he's a secondary character, but the fact that he's a "love interest" made me mark him as "SML."
Don't take what I wrote literally; I simply didn't remember his name.

yeah

truth is that, from the perspective of the time, many people had no choice—especially regarding marriage. After all, there was the well-known custom of marriages being decided by parents; so, even if one didn't want it, personal freedom was relative.

ML is going to have to do a lot to win FL over
I mean, she wanted freedom, only to end up deprived of it.
Well, at least we'll get the "slap" scene.

common to see emperors decreeing marriages and taking away their subjects' freedom of choice; in this case, the female lead is the one deprived of that choice.

I must be one of the few who didn't like "SecondML"—don't get me wrong, he is fair and a decent person.

real issue is the lack of rights and equality; interestingly, if we were to flip the script to a "matriarchy," we would see the same dynamics—only in reverse, with men being the ones who are "oppressed."

In modern times, women actually have more rights than men—at least in my country, judging by the sheer number of laws that favor them.