I cracked up when the romantic music was playing and they were waiting for the flower to bloom then as soon as it opened she plucked it and left and he was like um what...? 🤣🤣
https://x.com/duduling1018/status/2078042150110146895 according to netflix’s “what we watched” report for H1 2026, two of chen duling's dramas ranked among the platform's top 10 chinese-language dramas—ashes to crown is #4!!!!
Just finished episode 16 and it was hilarious 🤣🤣 coming from someone who has a shallow sense of humor, yes, I found it funny that I have to pause every other scene because I can't help but laugh 😂. That scene with SXH's Grandfather, Father and Future-Hubby is so fun🤣
SXH: There are two rooms. I'll take one. Zhenzhou and Moyu will share the other. Your highness... XHY (very serious look): I get cold easily. I can't sleep in the carriage. It could trigger the poison. Would you mind sharing a room with me?
The crown prince is so shameless and dramatic and make this drama super entertaining for me. Xiao Huayong delivered cheesy lines in a way that makes me fall for him. I never liked a smart ML being a simp but this ML stole my heart by being beyond shame. I started this drama for the very beautiful Meng Ziyi, with no expectation but a drama to watch while waiting for my fave drama to air. Totally did not expect that I fell for Xiao Huayong right from the start. He Yu has truly done a good job 👏🏻👍🏻
« Besides you, who else could make me skip dinner, forget my fragile body, and brave the chill of the night, all just to catch a single glimpse of you »
- no opening scene - saying goodbye to papa shen, grandpa tao must be happy - son in law on his way into battle for dad - horses: now why am i in this? - i am SO glad ya'll are having this moment but no in the middle of battle - papa shen asking real questions - u say this huayong BUT you weren't married to the true lady gu - aahhahaha calling him father in law - congratz duke! xihe: ??? - princess maids are in the group chat showing their support for crown prince - xihe is like ????? why he do that (bc he loves you) - tian yuan also begging for help in the group to melt xihe heart - xihe ur not really upset he went, i can see it - huayong is funny, again, we repeat, he turns around so proud of himself - xihe ruins but it huayong carries on - banquet times - okay so all of the xiao men are hopeless when it comes to love and ALL of the princes love interest don't care about them lmao - it just runs in the family - why does he look so shocked he got it??? also is this faint real????? so it was but it wasn't poison - awwwww dad (suss) caring for him - DAD GETS IT, HE KNOWS ROMANCE - he really dotes on him (suss) - xihe dead-ass asked him straight up and he dead-ass gave a huayong level answer "naturally" - xihe does not have a response to that - this mans scheming, honestly i get her headache LMAOOOOOOOOOOO - xihe knows this is all a ploy, she gives in and it makes him giddy - NOT HER ZHEN ZU CALLING HER OUT - which is another novel level thing, he does get through to her by sparking her annoyance if nothing else - tian yuan spilling tea but lets not use this to morally blackmail her - also tian yuan wasn't this mouthy in the novel, i like the change - all the slight concern in her eyes - but this IS also needed, because he does come off to care free, like it's all a game and he just wants her, knowing the bit about how much pain he's going through will help knock another wall down - xihe yearning era - sad then super happy, throwing in a little cough cough - xihe is like drop it - see, its cute when he can use the little things to threaten her while he's being a puppy BUT that could also be applied to destroying her family, its 70/30 - smooth pillow slid - you could put up more a fight if you wanted lmao - welp, xihe, even though you're trying to legit run away from your feelings....even the clothes ship it - lmao, she's embarrassed and he's pleased - she really did run, no xihe walk - omg they really are boss and employee bc never did he bring shulin to jail - meeting grandpa tao for some schemes - she is so straight to the point and honest - she let it out - another big chip, she said straight out to him what her biggest fear is (even though she was already open about that without mentioning the gu family) and she's really thinking about his words - omg, they're showing this! we don't really read it in the novel but hear about how he didn't know in passing - he really didn't want the gu family to die - pretty sure dad knew the gu family was framed - okay listen, i know you loved hard but be serious changqing be serious - setting my girl up for plots, and u be quiet - the girl in green is sensible - ooooo rumors - but still reasonable even if she had no issue with the marriage - oh yeah, i forgot she said they were good friends and it'd be shitty not to go to your good friends memorial
A lot of people are mentioning the BL vibes between Wen Chengye and Fu Xinxu, and in my opinion they are 100% there. There's A LOT of editing, cinematography, cuts, and scenes that show the difference between friendships v.s. romantic relationships (e.g. see Fu Xinxu's relationship with Qin Ao having an entirely different tone compared to that with Wen Chengye).
By far the most obvious and hilarious one is (as I said before) the fact that when they're practising English on the field together in Episode 8, the moment they practice the line "fall in love with," Chengye basically makes an appearance and walks across the entire screen. These are all in my opinion deliberate ways to kind of show that relationship in (1) a high school context and (2) with reference to the fact that this is primarily Wanxing and Wang Fa's love story. Also, those who have not seen the Douyin challenges featuring Chengye and Xinxu used to promote the drama (e.g. the dances, the heart locket) are really missing out as they are both definitely playing into the "underlying BL vibes" of the series.
But the other thing is probably this is meant to show the development of the careers of Liu Jun and Yuchen as actors; Liu Jun was previously in a BL work before (e.g. Revenged Love) and has been getting a lot of good projects under Hesong Entertainment, while Yuchen was the top scorers in the entrance examination for the Shanghai Theatre Academy. I think both of them will only grow to be even more popular and eventually acquire leading roles in the future. They really have such good chemistry together and I honestly consider them "the second couple" at this point. It's also quite nice seeing the differences when it comes to "romance and affection" between our leads, who are much older, weary of the trauma and the hardships they've experienced in their working lives, versus between Chengye and Xinxu which is much more riddled with the miscommunications of youth and the inability to express one's feelings.
according to netflix’s “what we watched” report for H1 2026, two of chen duling's dramas ranked among the platform's top 10 chinese-language dramas—ashes to crown is #4!!!!
XHY (very serious look): I get cold easily. I can't sleep in the carriage. It could trigger the poison. Would you mind sharing a room with me?
The crown prince is so shameless and dramatic and make this drama super entertaining for me. Xiao Huayong delivered cheesy lines in a way that makes me fall for him. I never liked a smart ML being a simp but this ML stole my heart by being beyond shame.
I started this drama for the very beautiful Meng Ziyi, with no expectation but a drama to watch while waiting for my fave drama to air. Totally did not expect that I fell for Xiao Huayong right from the start. He Yu has truly done a good job 👏🏻👍🏻
🤣 ANOTHER ROMANTIC LINEEEEE
- no opening scene
- saying goodbye to papa shen, grandpa tao must be happy
- son in law on his way into battle for dad
- horses: now why am i in this?
- i am SO glad ya'll are having this moment but no in the middle of battle
- papa shen asking real questions
- u say this huayong BUT you weren't married to the true lady gu
- aahhahaha calling him father in law
- congratz duke! xihe: ???
- princess maids are in the group chat showing their support for crown prince
- xihe is like ????? why he do that (bc he loves you)
- tian yuan also begging for help in the group to melt xihe heart
- xihe ur not really upset he went, i can see it
- huayong is funny, again, we repeat, he turns around so proud of himself
- xihe ruins but it huayong carries on
- banquet times
- okay so all of the xiao men are hopeless when it comes to love and ALL of the princes love interest don't care about them lmao
- it just runs in the family
- why does he look so shocked he got it??? also is this faint real????? so it was but it wasn't poison
- awwwww dad (suss) caring for him
- DAD GETS IT, HE KNOWS ROMANCE
- he really dotes on him (suss)
- xihe dead-ass asked him straight up and he dead-ass gave a huayong level answer "naturally"
- xihe does not have a response to that
- this mans scheming, honestly i get her headache LMAOOOOOOOOOOO
- xihe knows this is all a ploy, she gives in and it makes him giddy
- NOT HER ZHEN ZU CALLING HER OUT
- which is another novel level thing, he does get through to her by sparking her annoyance if nothing else
- tian yuan spilling tea but lets not use this to morally blackmail her
- also tian yuan wasn't this mouthy in the novel, i like the change
- all the slight concern in her eyes
- but this IS also needed, because he does come off to care free, like it's all a game and he just wants her, knowing the bit about how much pain he's going through will help knock another wall down
- xihe yearning era
- sad then super happy, throwing in a little cough cough
- xihe is like drop it
- see, its cute when he can use the little things to threaten her while he's being a puppy BUT that could also be applied to destroying her family, its 70/30
- smooth pillow slid
- you could put up more a fight if you wanted lmao
- welp, xihe, even though you're trying to legit run away from your feelings....even the clothes ship it
- lmao, she's embarrassed and he's pleased
- she really did run, no xihe walk
- omg they really are boss and employee bc never did he bring shulin to jail
- meeting grandpa tao for some schemes
- she is so straight to the point and honest
- she let it out
- another big chip, she said straight out to him what her biggest fear is (even though she was already open about that without mentioning the gu family) and she's really thinking about his words
- omg, they're showing this! we don't really read it in the novel but hear about how he didn't know in passing
- he really didn't want the gu family to die
- pretty sure dad knew the gu family was framed
- okay listen, i know you loved hard but be serious changqing be serious
- setting my girl up for plots, and u be quiet
- the girl in green is sensible
- ooooo rumors
- but still reasonable even if she had no issue with the marriage
- oh yeah, i forgot she said they were good friends and it'd be shitty not to go to your good friends memorial
TWO EPS TOMORROW
This drama is more about the political tension between the female lead and countless male leads who stand in her way. Romance is just a side act.
I wanna compare this to the cruel prince (book). There is romance but the female lead cares way more about politics so come on.
9.5/10
By far the most obvious and hilarious one is (as I said before) the fact that when they're practising English on the field together in Episode 8, the moment they practice the line "fall in love with," Chengye basically makes an appearance and walks across the entire screen. These are all in my opinion deliberate ways to kind of show that relationship in (1) a high school context and (2) with reference to the fact that this is primarily Wanxing and Wang Fa's love story. Also, those who have not seen the Douyin challenges featuring Chengye and Xinxu used to promote the drama (e.g. the dances, the heart locket) are really missing out as they are both definitely playing into the "underlying BL vibes" of the series.
But the other thing is probably this is meant to show the development of the careers of Liu Jun and Yuchen as actors; Liu Jun was previously in a BL work before (e.g. Revenged Love) and has been getting a lot of good projects under Hesong Entertainment, while Yuchen was the top scorers in the entrance examination for the Shanghai Theatre Academy. I think both of them will only grow to be even more popular and eventually acquire leading roles in the future. They really have such good chemistry together and I honestly consider them "the second couple" at this point. It's also quite nice seeing the differences when it comes to "romance and affection" between our leads, who are much older, weary of the trauma and the hardships they've experienced in their working lives, versus between Chengye and Xinxu which is much more riddled with the miscommunications of youth and the inability to express one's feelings.