YearoftheTurtle

totally agree, she even had fight scenes that were well done, the ML was more feminine than her. that drama was not received well but i thought it was a hidden gem.

Perfectly enjoyable PG-13 cdrama. Watch it with your little sisters cus what 16 year old is gonna say no to HMH? Well executed scenes, just enough political intrigue to keep you guessing, great acting from the entire cast, and overall good pacing. Great figurative ending as she is the key to his phoenix heart as she reawakens him from the fire.

The strong female characters are also whats foundationally great about this drama. Each woman stays true to who she is whether its the pursuit for power, to seek the truth, to protect their familty, or to further their knowledge/ education, they rely on their own skills and abilties and stay true to their values. Unlike all the men and the chaos they create, it’s the women who make this world go round.

ahh thank you, that makes sense. sometimes i wish they would keep the original titles, its nice to see the merging of their names

I’m still on the last few episodes, but any indication why it’s called first jasmine?

they both could use a little love lol

thank you for the recap! its been awhile since i read the novel. looks like Ximeng will be the stronghold/kingdom that they will build together. Lets hope they catch a break!

sad to see this comment feed so toxic, but let me try to help with some of the plots you brought up, Li Ce is the current emperor’s son and represents everything that the empress hates in this world. she only had him to solidify her place as empress, she never truly cared for him as she did for Li Yan. But she could never express her love for Li Yan and admit that he is her biological son because that would mean that she committed treason by keeping him alive. So in this lifetime she could never accept him as her son and he knows this which is why he didn’t rebel until after her death. i agree the Li Yan storyline felt a bit rushed, but at the same time im glad it wasnt dragged out. Li Ce has always been carefree and trusting, so it did make sense for Li Yan to get close to him to assassinate him in that way since Li Ce had no idea of his true background. As for Zhuge Yue, he is an honorable man who repays his debt. the Ximeng king not only saved his life but also Xing’ers so he was repaying those two favors so they could call it even. No matter what Zhuge Yue is always around to save the day when it comes to Xing’er, he will always do whatever he can to protect her as he did in PA, while allowing her time to sort things out first on her own. no matter what they always have each other’s back

yesss… they also missed the styling on ZY, i was just thinking why is he always in a bathrobe? his hot bod is always covered up! he needs some leather straps and a ponytail

i think its because ZY is always doing things behind the scenes to help her and she doesn’t know about it until after the fact. so it might appear like she takes him for granted. she just knows that he doesnt need her to care for him because he’s so strong on his own. they have a tacit understanding that they will have each others back, but he is always going to be the one to protect her and makes sure shes safe. hes always been her protector since day one, but he allows her to also do things her way independently. they are able to make decisions on their own while also make decisions together which is why i love their relationship in all the variations

white hair vs old lady was intense, lesson in subtlety that speaks volumes.

is there any talk of a final concert like they did for MLC? i love the OST especially the group songs and would be great to see them all reunite on stage in modern times

would be a great drinking game, shots for every trope!

i just want to give props to Wang You Shou and Riley Chen for being great supporting roles. They are really good actors in their own right and i must say while i appreciate that there are zero side stories that i need to fast forward thru, i wish they would spend more time with the supporting role character development. these guys were great on other dramas like Song of the Moon, which was overall horrible but the side story with them as brothers was flawless. that’s actually how i discovered the both of them and am so happy to see their continued success here.

I’m on episode 17 and I really wish Lu Di would keep his shirt on

whats your take on why she is denying her feelings? i think its cus she thinks she is his bad luck in that he died in protecting her, so she wants to use this life to become the “better” man that he is capable of being, and giving him support to do good things vs corrupt/bad deeds. like if she admits her feelings for him it might bring him doom? i dont know, just trying to figure out why she wont even claim the fox mask at least?

I’m not a novel reader, but my interpretation is that he wanted to disown Song Mo so that he could not inherit the Duke title as his eldest son. he used the opportunity of the maid’s death to frame Song Mo and remove him from the clan. Song Mo left home at an early age to join his uncles army and his father has always resented him saying that he is more Jiang than Song. The father also wants to distance himself due to the court politics as he did at the hunting party only to see that backfire.

my head is about to explode from all the information in the last 5 episodes 🤯

she’s just gonna sit there and say everyone’s name, just so she’s not as useless as BJ. but then I remembered that the Baize token made her weak and was essentially killing her, so perhaps now that its out of her body she can redeem herself with some more meaningful contributions. we shall see!

love the show so far but is it just me or are the tears a bit excessive? it’s almost to the point of distraction. i know they’re dealing with a lot of hurt and loss. each character is handling their own grief, but the flowing tears at every turn just seem a bit much.

watched eps 1 & 2 the instrumental soundtrack and fight choreography is very reminiscent to mysterious lotus casebook. i think the only way i can continue this is to imagine its fang duobing’s chapter 2 post li lianhua. can we please just go back to old school wuxia without the bad cgi??