CdramaMaven4762

Yeah ... there was no faking virginity like that ... smh
But her parents definitely knew. His father may also have known.

I am always amused by people who say Actor X or Actor Y cannot act, at a time when huge numbers of people are enjoying their work. I never fails to make me think of that sour grapes fable ... and I want to laugh at them. ;o)

I'm not feeling you on this. I think she's portraying just what she needs to here, which is a very afraid young woman who's trying to make the best of her situation. Her interaction with the other maid is supposed to feel awkward, because she 1/ is still just getting to know that girl and is not sure what reception she'll get; and 2/ is not supposed to be on that porch with them at that moment, but the joy of the plum blossoms pushes her past her timidity.
Comparison is the thief of joy.

I think the ML feels some of this also... he takes a branch of the blossoms to his grandfather, as if to symbolize to his grandfather that he intends to insure the continuance of the family through resilience in the face of hardship.

I think your interpretation is spot on.... I don't hate her, but I can't really like her, either.

Thank you for cursing him on our behalf ....

Unfortunately haters exist. ... and some people think that Xingtang should be the main character, and are downvoting because they don't think the FL is being bold enough. I've seen that expressed several times on other sites.

He's spying. Obviously to move around the Zhao residence without suspicion.

I've been seeing some "anti" comments trying to make this into a revenge drama and then becoming annoyed when it's not ... KML ...

There's a difference between "normal" and "historically realistic", and a portrayal can be considered one without the other.
"normal" means "fitting or following the norm", that is was is considered appropriate, acceptable, or desirable by a certain group in a specific setting. Since norms change based on setting and social group, what you consider normal today isn't necessarily what would have been considered normal in the past. In the context of the drama, both acts you describe would have been considered normal among Chinese aristocrats in a Confucian society. I think we agree that this is NOT normal in 21st global society.
"historically realistic" suggests that the portrayal is similar to what has been seen / recorded in historical documents relating to a particular era. Defenseless women being sexually used and abused by men who are their overlords is not just a historic reality; it's still happening today. Acts against women that we consider atrocious happened all the time. And the whole concept of women committing suicide to avoid this "fate worse than death" is definitely a romantic cliche, but there is some historical veracity to entire family groups committing suicide as a way of upholding family honor. I've seen references to men doing this, but the drama wants to impute that women have that kind of honor as well.
As for " Turning misogyny and double standards into “historical realism”, there's no need to "turn" either ... this was the reality of life for most women worldwide until about 1980. If anything, the drama is designed to highlight the unfairness of such systems and inspire women to fight against them.

Really? Got to watch that part again... lol

I think it was more that by his age he'd already made a mental / emotional commitment to her. I don't know how much opportunity to interact with each other they had prior to the opening scenes... it certainly seemed they knew about each other, but hadn't met formally...
This is something I expect will be clarified in the future.

Maybe you should watch more modern dramas. Historical dramas regardless of setting [European, Asian, African, American] are highly likely to include these stereotypes.

Mainly it's because the men's deaths are outside of the main character's direct experience [this is known as limited omniscient perspective] which is what the drama is focused on, but also because their deaths will not evoke the same level of pathos as the women's deaths. This is also why we see so little of the ML's first wedding.

They relaxed the rule. This drama was originally designed to be aired as 31 + 16, I think, but now I suppose they will allow it to run consecutively.

I think the idea was that the women were all noblewomen who wouldn't have the faintest idea about escaping. So long as the gate was guarded, they would be treated like sheep.

Any word on initial ratings?

I'd love to see him in another modern drama. He has a police type drama in the pipeline, IIRC.

Yeah, I can see a possible allusion to the Yongle emperor in the story line... but getting rid of people who are known to oppose your rise to power is not that unusual in Chinese history.

I think it'll pick up as they advance and have done most of the world-building.