Mstique

I also replayed it and it wasn’t the most straight forward scene and was like what’s going on? why is everyone just standing there? is this a theatre performance? lol

Oh, I thought you meant an actual English dubbed audio - like English voice over, that would be wild. lol

English dubbed audio? I dont have an English dubbed option.

Yes, but nothing extraordinary.

In ep 36, the fl also wrote a petition adressed to his majesty, the emperor, where she not only reveals her true identity but defies a royal decree, but luckily and conveniently the letter was intercepted before it reached his Majesty. lol.

Ah ok thanks. I hope they will stay nice in the drama too

And does the fl’s cousin and her bro in law stay nice?

ah ok thanks.

Does the ml takes a concubine in the novel ?

Although this is an idol drama it has a cinematographic feel to it due to the color grading and the lack of white/skin smothering filters. Not sure if it’s high budget, but it sure looks it. I read on another platform that they don’t make high budget/production dramas because they are not as popular as idol dramas. Dramas like The Princess Rebel or the Rise of the Phoenixes - high level non idol productions with a major cast - have become a rarity. Is this true?

Thoughts?

There are barely any negativity here. Almost all the comments are praising the drama and the choice of actors and actresses

Trust me, you won’t regret it, if you are also into political intrigue with a mature cast.

What? How told you that? Lol

I would suggest The Rebel Princess, arrange-mariage between the beauty/noblewoman and the low-born general, who looks the part. It’s not an idol drama, but a high budget high production with an A-list actres as the lead and an impressive supporting cast. The ml is no flower boy; he is straight 🔥. It’s a long drama though

I think it was A Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught that I may have mixed up the storyline with another novel. I know in Kingdom of Dreams it starts with a wedding with everyone tense. The hero may have smiled but the smile did not reach his eyes, and the heroine was either absent minded or furious, and then the story takes you back to the events leading to the marriage. They were ordered to marry by the king.

7.5 for this? You are very generous. I actually rolled my eyes and give them a bombastic side eye when the fl during the wedding night scene was like ”someone vital was missing from our wedding” When the ml asked who, she replied, ”your sister, Lu Mingshu.” and they chuckled. 🙄😂

I had to look at the cast chart because I was like who is this? Lol. After reading the comment, I was like "hmm, did he make it” because I paid no attention to him at all and he did lol

This drama reminds me of so many historical romance novels that I have read over the years. Feuding clans, Cold Warlords, Incomparable beauties, the hero falling hard for the beauty. Ahhh

The wedding scene reminds me of a novel I read that starts with a wedding between two feuding clans, each side tense, hand on their swords, ready to start a fight as the smallest provocation, the hero cold & unsmiling, the heroine in misery & absent-minded. I could feel the tense atmosphere

Well, there is nothing else exciting out (at least to me), almost maybe you are into: arrange marriage & enemies to lovers tropes. To me, this is the first cdrama of 2025 that I am completely invested in. I dropped so many dramas this year

I cannot stress enough how important it is to select the right actor/actress for a role. I can guarantee you that I would not have been invested if the fl was the habitual red eye makeup actress with ornaments in her hair - that shall not be named - and the ml was one of the flower boy actors that look like they can barely hold a sword.

So far, the actors are doing a great job and they are bringing out their characters.