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I also think Grandpa Lin was even more upset because Jinqi had witnessed that himself already back with the Shen family yet he didn't truly "get the lesson". There is no guaranteed that the emperor who favors him now will favor him in 5 years especially if he keeps on being involved in the military and gain merits. We have seen all these other period C-dramas of military men being send far away to protect the border and/or their children held hostage in the palace because their army and reputation among other warriors have gotten too positive/huge and now a threat to the emperor. 🙂‍↔️

I was thinking how the scriptwriters can turn it around after the imperial decree/drugs but it seems like they are heading into the direction of Lin Jinqi being forced to confront his current worldview. The upcoming arc with his sister might also play into that. Though whether the end of his character arc will be satisfying remains to be seen. I have seen people really upset over what he had done (valid) and have to see whether these development can truly convince the audience he "changed".

Yes, for the marriage alliance, he actually married /in/ to their household so he was supposed to follow their plans such as becoming an official. He went back on that and went to the military route instead. And regardless of what happened later with the embezzlement and cheating, this marriage was not meant to end in a divorce. Lin family managed to survive by tying themselves to the Zhao family and the Lin family thus was supposed to keep the end of their deal by helping them become even closer to the imperial family/be their supporter in court. It is why Grandpa Lin was so upset because he understood it was meant to be an "exchange" but the Lin family didn't complete their end of the deal.

Jinqi offered Zhao Xingtang a mutual divorce as they hated each other and he wanted to separate from the Zhao. But he didn't understand that the divorce wasn't fully what Zhao Xingtang needed in her position. She herself needed way to separate from the Zhao too and not get divorced then get married off again.

I enjoy seeing Jinqi's worldview getting rocked. 😂 He is a very typical man for his time. With both the negative qualities of being an elite who might never fully understand the struggles of the poor and women but also the positive qualities when it comes to his relationship with his siblings and responsibilities to his military men.

The drama has made it obvious his one-sided decisions regarding multiple things with Lanxiang have been wrong and he himself needs to change and adapt his views if he wants to have a good relationship with Lanxiang but also his own future as the head of the Lin household. Though he claimed he was in love with Lanxiang, he didn't truly understand her at all and was perhaps "in love" with a false image of her. He was in his delusion that a woman that was an ex-servant would be happy "marrying up" and in time, she will be in love with him just because he can provide her with anything.

The past episodes have different characters like Grandpa Lin warning Jinqi that he had used others' power to get what he wanted but power can swing from one side to another. The emperor might be happy with him today and reward him with the imperial decree he wanted, but what is stopping the emperor from issuing another imperial decree to destroy his entire family in a couple of years? Jinqi is used to using "favors" from those in power like him (and even pulling back from his end of the deal when it doesn't benefit him anymore) and he has to stop using that as his primary negotiation tactic as these favors can easily become entrapment.

Lanxiang has shown him that there were ways to negotiate with others and get what both side wants /without/ using force or giving the other no alternative options. Lanxiang's exchange with Zhao Xingtang is a good example. Jinqi though married to Zhao Xingtang, never truly understood her during their marriage nor the position she was in. But Lanxiang understood Zhao Xingtang and was able to offer her a solution in return for what she wanted too.

Agreed! Episode 31 was especially well-done with the pacing and giving time to even the more background female characters and their effects on each other.

The best storylines of this drama really have been Lanxiang with all the different female characters. The scenes with Zhao Xingtang, Ji-er, and the other women were truly women understanding each other and helping each other with their own methods. 🥹

Yup!!! But thankfully it wasn't that bad. C-platforms also loves Su Cheng Cheng. It was one of the few dramas I watched with overwhelmingly majority of the C-viewers understanding FL's/Su Cheng Cheng's perspective a lot. It helped that the drama/writing established Su Cheng Cheng as a character so early on that viewers fell for her first before they ever fell for Tang Qi. 😂 Especially since the writing also made sure they provided scenes of Tang Qi reflecting how he had a hand in the mess too.

He is doing great in this role!

Yes, and it doesn't step back from showing the viewers that what he had done was terrible. Even though they did put some romantic OSTs for some of the other questionable scenes with him in his delusions while Lanxiang looked miserable. 😬

Zhao Xingtang remains a hater even after all the mess she went through, I am impressed. 😂

It is really because female leads are not allowed to make too many "mistakes". Look at how many female leads get dragged even in MDL comments for simply "rejecting" male leads or "hurting" male leads which are often a response to male leads' actions. 😐 Male leads are allowed more wriggle room to be all types of colored flags with people defending them/giving context to their actions but female leads are limited in really just accepting male leads' feelings for them and not allowed to stay mad at male leads for long since viewers want the romance to "start". So female leads refusing to "give in" often "ruin the vibe".

Well, let's hope Jinqi is going through his character development right now. In episode 30 when he was leaning towards Lanxiang, it was actually pretty scary to me because my mind did go to /that/. Though I know this drama will not push it there as it essentially means there is 0 chance to support the FL's and ML's relationship development and there did be no return for ML as a character.

But it does show much Jinqi has abused his power against Lanxiang and it is a slippery slope from the imperial decree, the drugs, etc. for me to even have felt that there was a chance that posture of his was a legit threat. Especially given the context of that time period too and his constant verbal confirmation that Lanxiang is his lawfully wedded wife now (so he can do anything and she is not allowed to think about anyone else).

Lanxiang saving another marriage. 🙂‍↕️

Yes, it was the same pastry.

Jiugao: "I know full well my mother doesn't want Yuchan as her daughter-in-law. If I insist on forcing her to marry me anyway, they will never get along, and Yuchan will constantly be caught in the middle. Why would I put her through that?"

The shade. 😂

I am sure it is heartbreaking for her but I feel like her character throughout this drama has gained so much beyond just this future romantic relationship. Lanxiang has established great friendships with many and she will have a fulfilling life with her potential career and her descendants. I think it might also be a commentary on how a woman can continue to live on even with no love or love that has passed away. Her journey didn't begin with Jinqi and won't end with Jinqi's passing.

Had Lanxiang been the one to die earlier, Jinqi probably would had died within a year. 😂 This is probably also a reference to how husbands tend to die quickly after their wives passed away while wives tend to be able to live on much longer and it is actually less stressful for them now. 😂

I know they changed his character for the drama haha (he is straight up a rapist and abuser in the novel). Him dying by his 50s is the drama script leak and I am still happy he died earlier even if they were more happy in the drama.

Lanxiang as a character isn't defined by this marriage so I am happy that after his death, she had decades of time to live for herself and not continued to be tie up as Jinqi's wife. The romance to me is the least important aspect of this drama and not really the most important part of Lanxiang's character either.

The comment is just my opinion based on a future leak I saw but the leak is pretty big so I am sure people who don't like seeing spoilers will not like that spoiler at all. 😅

I am glad Jinqi died early by his 50s. 😂 Lanxiang then have at least 20-30 years to herself to enjoy her life as the matriarch of the Lin household and not just be tied to Jinqi as his wife and deal with the constant drama from his side of the family. By then, she has her own children and probably her own grandchildren which was the wish of her parents and Scholar Lu for her to continue to live and essentially have Shen descendants who live on. It was really a journey of her life and everyone else was a traveler who stopped by for awhile.

Includes big drama script spoiler so don't read it if you don't want to know about Jinqi's future: