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Saddest marriage I have seen in awhile from a FL's perspective. 😔

Can't get rid of them. 😭

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The latter half of the drama will probably focus more on this development on them since they are actually living in the same place now and will have to have interactions. 😂

I think part of it is also them rushing this arc to get to the marriage part. The writing has started dipping since Du Cuique. We spoke before about how they combined 2 characters for Du Cuique and the screen result really wasn't as good as the screen result of Zhao Xingtang. Then you have Manyi who pretty much just showed up to push the plot forward and then died. There are some potential depths to her character, but they really weren't explored much. Even Scholar Lu and Furong though represent something/are new friendships really don't have as much focal scenes compared to say Xiaolian, Gantang, etc.

Agree, the start was really strong because they took the time to flesh out and gave time for all the characters to show us who they are. But the midway mark is struggling a bit as they are rushing to seemingly get through this arc with all the new characters to get to the marriage part. There are some really good scenes, but they don't link together as much compared to the beginning of the drama.

But also damn the dead emperor must be killing everyone (Jinqi did say it was a bloodshed) because what is the chance of 3 people from 3 separate families/clans end up meeting each other. 😂

Her parents didn't overreact. Lanxiang's parents in episode 1 were originally kicked out from the Lin household because their daughter was sick too. Lin household was afraid their daughter would infect the others. Now the Lin household is once again getting involved with their second daughter for upteempth time. 😭 Can't escape them lol.

More episodes of Jinqi moping are always nice. 😂

The scriptwriters are pretty sly about it too. They didn't outright say they were Lin servants until after the identity swap and they went to Jinling to work for the Lin household again (meaning their servant papers had always been with the Lin and it was the Lin household who kicked them out in the first place).

I agree with you that some executions especially for the past episodes of this drama has been off. I can even add in how Jinqi losing his nerve in front of Manyi so obviously about the plant was too blatant of the scriptwriters to make sure Manyi clock that he might have someone he is interested in (despite how closed off/wary he usually is). There have been several scenes these past episodes like this even with Lanxiang getting knocked around the second time just for the kidnapping to be possible, etc. 😂

Scholar Han represents a regular man who Lanxiang can enjoy a normal life with and with supportive in-laws (ignoring what happens in the future as he steps into court). IMO he shouldn't be /too/ interesting because he is meant to be the "normal". Marriage with him is basically the bare minimum of what a woman should have (respectful man, nice in-laws, families get along well each other, everyone come together to work a solution when something happens, etc.). Love can be involved but not truly needed.

Scholar Han recognizes it himself in episode 26 that he too was selfish about his proposal, but his "selfishness" was more okay as it was the traditional standard of that time and Lanxiang wasn't against it. She still had the option to talk to her parents to say no. It left her still /some/ room. But after the imperial decree, he realizes that what he did wasn't great either. He also saw her as a friend first and foremost. Their dynamics were built more on equal footing, and he is able to see her as herself and how choices were important to her. Jinqi at this stage is not even there yet.

Jinqi helped but we have to remember pretty much everything Lanxiang had gone through so far were related to him. His help should be expected as he indirectly/directly caused the mess.

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Exactly, we have a ML who for once makes a decision that really had no excuse or scriptwriters trying to add some explanations to make it a bit better (the ML was forced to, the ML did it to protect her, etc.). We are getting a raw selfish decision that impacts the FL deeply and it is what makes this drama so interesting. The conflict between one's selfish desire VS another's freewill.

Yup! To add to the injury, the Lin household was also the one who kicked them out when their daughter was sick as they were afraid their daughter would infect them. Again, nothing "wrong" with the Lins doing that for their own survival but it does showcase how the Lin family's decisions have affected them over and over again.

They do have 21 more episodes to go to give us a well-paced development. 🙏

Yes, this drama is not taking the easy way out with him. 😂 Usually these types of plots get brushed aside with FL already in love with ML, ML actually did ask FL for permission already, ML saved FL so much already, etc.

It removed all the excuses and gave us a decision that was simply due to selfishness.

"How could the emperor be wrong? Whether thunder or gentle rain, all are sovereign's grace. If anyone thinks otherwise, then that person must be wrong and that person deserves to die." 😢

Not sure why some people are mad about others having positive thoughts about Scholar Han. This is really not a drama where just because someone is the ML and the FL and ML ends up together, everything else can be ignored. This drama has been very explicit about Lanxiang's strive for freedom and about subverting tropes. Most of the time, Lanxiang witnessed Scholar Han having a hand in helping her and supporting her compared to Jinqi. Most of the dangers Lanxiang had faced up to this point were associated with Jinqi and he knows it too. Matter of fact, Lanxiang and Scholar Han probably had way more interactions of being more "equal/normal" and spending time together enjoying their shared interest than Lanxiang ever had with Jinqi.

Everyone knows Lanxiang would have never accepted Jinqi's feelings or be married to him using normal means. Their past, the gap in their status, not wanting to be involved with the Lin family again, Lanxiang having no romantic feelings for him at this time, etc.

Scholar Han serves as a parallel but also a juxtaposition of the route/life Lanxiang could have had. Scholar Han cried and recognized that even his marriage proposal (though through proper means) still wasn't suitable for Lanxiang because he realizes Lanxiang is someone who should have the freedom to CHOOSE.

For women of this time, most are fine with their parents playing matchmaker and having a potential love development after marriage (but even just having mutual respect would have been enough). But Lanxiang is someone whose choices have been constantly taken way that at least her feelings should be respected which wasn't the case here.

This drama has romance and we are meant to root for the leads, but this drama also goes out of its way to show the complexity of the characters, and that "romance" sometimes conflicts with the characters' autonomy. If this drama wanted to do the easy route, they could have had Lanxiang have feelings for Jinqi already, Jinqi asked permission from Lanxiang prior to the imperial decree, and not bother emphasizing so much on her struggles as a servant. They also didn't need to put so much emphasis on the variety of different female characters.

Basically, viewers are meant to ponder over these characters and even mourn the what-ifs. It is not just the typical ML VS good/nice SML and get the SML out of the way already for the romance to begin.

He wronged Lanxiang's adoptive parents too. 😔 He might not care about his own parents' thoughts about this, but Lanxiang prioritizes her parents' feelings a lot. It hurts her to see them so devastated after they worked so hard to get out of the Lin household. In addition, for a proper marriage/courtship process, the parents are typically involved as a sign of respect. This decision was disrespectful to her but also to them.

I just saw their other comments on Tan Songyun,,, a whole weirdo.