PRAIZNN

COMMENTARY

This drama immediately caught my interest from episode one, and I stayed with the drama until the finale. Some may find the beginning quite slow, but that is the buildup, and if you by any means drop it for this reason, I think you should by all means go back to it again till episodes 5 or so.

This writer deserves an award, or something sort of; I loved the skillful blend of romance, political schemes, household schemes, family drama, and even angst. The pacing and how the plot goes with the villains, side characters, and main characters are all entertaining.

Review in Detail (SPOILER AHEAD)


I just love how the plot starts, the whole process it went through, and even the end; I found it unique. I haven't watched many C dramas, but with the little I have watched, I haven't found a plot quite similar to this. Watching this commoner and a woman fallen from grace become an official was something new and refreshing.

Fu Ting Yun's journey from a woman fallen from grace to a woman well praised, known, and sought after was at times painful, angsty, and dreadful, but it was filled with love and support. Watching her being poisoned (to death) by her Grandma was painful and unbearable; it shows how little value she had to the Fu household and also how most wealthy and officials treat their families when they reach a tough path that involves sacrifice, and most times sacrifice their kins while claiming it was for the greater good, and we saw it more than once—loved how she stepped away from the the thinking of a wealthy daughter into a commoner who fetches water, washes clothes, dries grains, and a lot more. She had perseverance and devotion in waiting for Zhao Ling for five years; she knew when to listen to her husband and when not to. She was a woman of her own making, and she didn't need to rely on her family to rise to power. She was also a source of light to many women. I always love the story of a strong woman.

The process by which Zhao Ling went from a salt smuggler was stressful, painful, and needed every bit of hard work and perseverance, and Fu Ting Yun was his strong hope and light and passing through this path. When he became an official, his character became different from when he was a commoner, and overtime him, being an official weighed down his mind to the brink, where he had constant headaches, as shown by him constantly touching his head, leaving his beard unshaven, and even feeling disconnected from his family, friends, and lover. All this stems from his unwillingness to explain some details, share his burden, and remove some weight from his shoulders, and sure, his excuse was to protect her, but I couldn't quite agree with him. Fu Ting Yu is a strong woman who doesn't need your protection, but needs to stand beside you to fight against the foe. At some point in his journey, I asked myself why he pushed himself in this way and whether it was worth it. I find all this realistic in the right sense.

I really love this couple they have being through so much and they deserve a happy ending, Love the unwavering love and support for each other, they have been through so much hard times and peril, their happiness feel deserves, they made me smile, swoon, angsty and teary, but I'm happy they ended living a peaceful life away from politics, giving birth to a girl and raising her in peace.
From Ganlin to the capital hasn't been easy for them both, and I believe it was the trust, support, love, and care they had that brought them through.
The actors had really good chemistry on-screen; the tension was all there, and the tearjerker scene had the most tension.

Yu Jing Xu was a spineless man, that could have left his father wings, he just had to keep depending on his father and gaslighting himself that his father will bring him back to the office, I couldn't even feel pity for him while he was being used, deceived and manipulated by his father and his mother, I would have cut off from them early rather than staying in a home where I'm one of the castaway piece.
Yake's realization and letting go at the end made it my first time seeing her in a good light, and I loved as it wasn't long before she left the man-eating house. Sadly, she didn't leave with her son, but I guess she wants to live for herself, selfishly, leaving her son under the care of that man-eating house.
The sisterhood between Yake and Fu Ting Yu was broken because of greed, jealousy, and lack of communication. I felt that Yake thinks in a one dimensional manner, that is, rising to become a woman of the society, blending to the group of officials wives, with her husband being her source, their is nothing really wrong with that thought, but she is a backstabber and one that is greedy, she please in your front, only to go behind and stab you, that clearly showed the line of how selfish she actually is. Whereas Fu Ting Yu is someone who wants to rise to a woman where no one can decide her fate, she comes to people with sincerity; even if she schemes, it's not against her own. That is the difference between these two sisters and why they drifted apart.

The relationship between Yake and Yu Jingxiu was really unhealthy, but at least it wasn't toxic. I felt he married her out of desire/he thought she had gentle, womanly features e.g taking good care of books, while she married him because she wanted to lift her status. There wasn't any mutual support/assistance, or talking about real feelings. If they had a mutually supportive relationship like Yu Jing Xu's parents, they wouldn't have had this unhealthy relationship, but they would have been so down.

I thought the villains were really interesting; I never really expected the Yu family to actually take on the role of the villain to the end. They were cutthroat, scheming, and resolute; they do not care what means they take to achieve their goals. It was interesting seeing how they and the main characters were perfectly matched. And I loved how Fu Ting Yu and the Yu woman had their last conversation.

The show realistically portrayed how a human heart can be harsh at times. Yu Jing Xu's father always wanted his son to take the blame for him, which was really bad, and he then gave empty promises to please his son. I really liked how the son refused to be the scapegoat at the last part of the show.
I love how the show makes some characters make a difficult choice; Like when the emperor told Zhao Ling to put the blame on his wife and escape all accusations, while he enjoys power and wealth. That would be a very tempting choice for major characters in this drama, but not for Zhao Ling. I knew the choice he would make. It was predictable, and yet that was my first teardrop in this drama. I believe it was the way it was portrayed: he said everything like he was going to poison, THE ANGST, then he took the cup, held her by her jaw, and said I did not take you out of Biyun Nunnery to bring you into another Biyun Nunnery and then he drank the cup and took all the blame. THE ANGST, THE CHEMISTRY, THE TENSION WAS REALLY GOOD.

The villain's accidental death was just sooo unsatisfying and undeserved. He should have gotten a lot more punishment than that sweet death. Yu Jingxiu's mother's ending was good, like she doesn't have to die. It was good seeing her live as a commoner; her losing her senses was better. I'm sure she would have committed suicide if she were sane.
I didn't even care/connect with A Sen when he was getting married; I felt his part was rushed and underdeveloped, and him avoiding Zhao Ling, his brother, after not seeing him for five years DIDN'T MAKE ANY SENSE.

FINAL THOUGHT


I loved the ending, and seeing the closure shown in some characters was a delight; seeing Yake teaching at Gan Lin showed she's turned over a new leaf, and watching Wu Youde managing the business means she achieved her dreams of being free, not under the restraint of a man,
Loved, as Zhao Ling stepped away from the court; The court is a very awful and dreadful place to be, where your friends today will point swords against you tomorrow. Loved, as they showed that Zhao Ling and Fu Ting Yun had a child and they are living peacefully.
This drama brought me different emotions and feelings, and I enjoyed them all, and I think this has to do with the actors' performance. They all did great; I applaud the main characters and villains of this show, and even the side characters held their own and displayed their range.

This is a drama I would definitely recommend to someone who loves historical C-dramas, as I do slow-burn, family drama, court politics, schemes, angst, wits, friendship, trust, jealousy, betrayal, and a lot more; the drama has all these in the right amounts.

Rating 9.0

Thanks for reading this Long Review.
If you managed to stick around till now🩷.