PeachBlossomGoddess

Grandpa Qiao's biggest mistake was not to demote him.

I agree the plot in this kind of setting could have been better written whether or not it followed the novel.

I did skim the first few chapters of the TPOB but I thought it was just a so-so cliche rebirth plot and not particularly well written. The Douban book reviews were also kind of like meh about it so I didn't continue.

I don’t know why or how this practice originated but it goes back as early as Qin dynasty. It is only practiced by the nobility and the educated and not the common people.

As long as that means a bad end, I am with you.

He was Jin Yong's most boring hero. He didn't deserve Huang Rong.

During that time, a husband can use a wife's given name. A wife however must use his courtesy name or 夫君 (fūjūn) or my lord. It is common for couples in their social class to use 夫君 (fūjūn)/my lord and 夫人 (fūrén)/my lady to address each other. There are variations on this form of address by dynasty. They may also use nicknames in private/family settings.

Bi Zhi is a commoner. Unlike a noble like Wei Shao, he doesn't have a courtesy name. He is just Bi Zhi. Common couples can just use given names for each other.

I am not someone to gush over romance but I did find them convincing as a couple. I think they both conveyed well that they are not ordinary people. They can't just love each other unconditionally even though they may really want to. They have a duty to their people that can get in the way. I think SZE's best moment was her shattered expression when it struck Manman in conversation with Daqiao that unlike Daqiao, she didn't put WS's life first even though she loved WS as much as Daqiao loves Bizhi. Bc both as the WS's wife and as the Qiao clan's ambassador to Wei she has a duty to both the people of Wei and Qiao that has to come ahead of her personal feelings. And WS is equally conflicted between his consequential and deeply personal losses in the past and his feelings for Manman.

The worst part is that SZE hasn't made anything in 2 years. So its gonna be a long time before we see her again in another period costume drama.

I love her nose and the fact that it sometimes awkwardly gets in the way. Its what gives her face character.

Wow Qiao Yue is really the kind of dad even a daughter can't love!!!

To each their own. I had to prop my eyelids open with toothpicks for Zanghai and dropped at ep 3. I did find the middling episodes of TPOB a bit draggy and lacking in plot. I don't think its the best drama ever or even this year but at least it didn't bore me from the start.

Zhonglin is the ML's style or courtesy name, which is the name given to him at his coming of age which should be around age 20. From then, outside of his parents and the emperor/superiors, no one can address him by his given name. Even his wife is cannot use his given name, it is considered disrespectful. She can use his style name but more often, she will just use 夫君 (fūjūn). That's why his hair nearly all fell off when she had the audacity to call him Wei Shao in that one episode.

That would be the Guo Jing prototype to a T.

Indeed in the drama the wheat cooking and replacement arc made no sense at all but nonetheless realistic or not, Lady Yulou was indicted for it. I can't really comment about the novel bc I didn't read it. I am simply judging and commenting on the characters in the drama. But from what I heard, the novel was just a tawdry bodice ripper also not great on plot so I think there was probably nothing lost there.

Yeah I was almost certain they had a fling during filming! 😅😂

Believe it or not, I still think Cheng Yi did the hottest kiss scenes by far with Yuan Bingyan in Love and Redemption. Zhang Linghe is pretty good too. But the most shocking ones are Darren Wang and Li Qin's in The Wolf. I couldn't stop laughing when she described as being sucked by a vacuum cleaner.

In history, the states were well matched and they fought for 60 years. WS who is loosely based on Cao Cao did not succeed in the end, he was defeated at the battle of Red Cliffs when his enemies joined forces against him. But they didn't want to write a real political/war plot bc those are just not that popular and don't leave much room for romance. But I agree with you, they dumbed down the political/war aspect a bit too much.

Yeah it suddenly dawned on her WS could die or be seriously maimed.