PeachBlossomGoddess

Yes, you are right Marcus also uses Vlinkage bc its objective and comprehensive and I think it makes sense to separate TV and web dramas. He aggregates the daily points for the week every week. TSOPG has been narrowly ahead of Eastern Fantasy for web dramas for the last two days already. It should be able to top his list next week.
https://weibo.com/2041291667/OEOzww3qH

IMHO the most reliable source of ranking data is Vlinkage for TV dramas and variety shows. It is independent and data driven based on real-time viewership, online engagement and other independent and broadly sourced metrics of a shows popularity. Advertisers rely on it the most as an independent check of the platforms/TV stations internal heat indexes. It considers other sources including Weibo, Maoyan, Douban etc.

Maoyan is probably the best source for movie rankings and data as it is one of the largest distributors of films in China but its TV drama rankings is not that differentiated from Douban, Weibo, Baidu Tieba and Yunhe in that their rankings are largely driven by their subscriber bases and they each reflect slightly different subscriber demographics. I usually find the best reviews on Douban. For Weibo you have to sift through a ton of garbage to get an occasional gem. But different people will gravitate towards different sites/sources that better resonate with their own preferences so its a bit more subjective whereas Vlinkage is much more data driven and objective. But Alibaba owns large stakes in both V-linkage and Weibo.

No worries he is quite pedantic I totally agree it comes across as annoying .😅😂

😅😂😂😂

I didn't read the novel but the tribute pearls are essentially a tax owed to the emperor that was embezzled:
https://mydramalist.com/749429-zhu-lian-yu-mu#comment-19337752

True but... with no offence meant whatsoever, there are also lots of very effete looking Chinese men...

You are too kind - All I have to say is I have never seen her in anything where she didn't either bore or annoy me to death. I find it completely unfathomable that she is in lead roles.

Yeah these business stories are inevitably kind of dry. I think the history of the pearl trade is quite interesting but some of the detail is a bit too much information.

Actually he is saving her. This is set during in Tang dynasty. One of the biggest achievements of Tang dynasty was the Tang Code and rule of law. If you watch enough Judge Dee, Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty etc etc, you will know that taking the law into your own hands is a big no no. Taking justice in her own hands in broad daylight can get her killed. He is just trying to protect her from herself. Her not knowing any better or the fact that he killed her mother is not going to help her at all. I think his role will be to help her get smart and use the Tang Code to her advantage against her enemies rather than let herself be victimized by it.

No, as I posted below I went back and checked the Chinese subtitles, they are different characters for Yan. Zijing's family name is 燕/Yàn and Duanwu's family name is 妍/Yán.

Lol! I agree and I really don't mind if the romance starts later in the game.

Yeah I have no problem with him whatsoever. I don't know why people tend to be so prickly about SMLs in general. If the ML is really that great, he is even better if he can beat a real, worthy competitor rather than winning over a real weenie. Give the girl a real choice.

Yes, its not a secret at all. I don't blame her. All that head gear, so heavy and gets in the way of everything.

No its super misleading I was confused as well so I went back to check out the subtitles they are different characters. Zijing's family name is 燕/Yàn and Duanwu's family name is 妍/Yán.

I think the production values are very nice and the character stories are interesting and quite well written. The business plot however I find to be quite dry.

You are in the final stretch.

At a high level, there are two opposing factions: Prince Ying and Prince Tan. Most likely they are fighting for the throne/crown prince position.
The Cui family own the pearl farm and they have to send tribute pearls, which are a pearl tax to the emperor. But they have been under-reporting tribute pearls which are very valuable and probably selling them to fund Prince Tan's military buildup. Both Envoy Xu and the Cui family are in Prince Tan's faction but now that they are about to be exposed for illegally selling tribute pearls, they are kind of starting to turn on each other.

Meanwhile the Cui family murdered Yan Zijing's family and took over the pearl farm from them so he is out for revenge. He is inciting Zhang Jinran who is Prince Ying's sworn brother to investigate the Cui family and take them down. At the moment, its not clear that Zijing is on Prince Ying's side. He is just out to get the Cuis. But they are so powerful that it is going to take more than some pearl tax evasion to take them down. They are rich enough to buy back the tribute pearls to make good the tax. That is what they are trying to do but Zijing is trying to make it super expensive for them by cornering the pearl market.

Throughout Chinese history, there were quite a few noble clans that exerted significant influence over the court for centuries, outlasting different dynasties because they are so critical to the economy that each emperor always needs their influence. The Cui family, Yan family, Wang clan of Langya etc are among them and you will see them pop up in many period dramas.

You echo exactly my first impression of this drama. That piece of garbage was exactly why I simply could not bear to watch this. The actress has failed me in so many dramas this year that she is on my NO list.

Ah ok, I am only at ep 4.

Isn't she supposed to be dying bc she lost the Baize Token? She is a goddess that has lost her powers.Probably surviving is a priority even if she has to crawl or cower or grovel.