budoboo

This helps to understand it. Wondering if he planned on killing Gu too?

Episode 13 - just realized the actor playing the general Zhu Ya Wen was in Ming Dynasty. Threw me off that his voice is dubbed. Appreciating him here in this drama.

Had to rewind it. Took me a while to realize it was death by asphyxiation. Yes, the candle going out helped. 😅

The writing and acting was soo good. Went right through me.

Luv her. She is slaying here. Wonder if her role swings back around later in the drama.

Such a sweet scene. Thought the same thing when she said she would save him too.

ingenious - u so funny. 😂

Accepted. Appreciate we have a chance to disagree here on MDL.

I am okay if the female roll is actually 'just' female. I am not a feminist - I think its a missguided adventure. Human equality is more my style as my ultimate strength is actually found in my femininity. Starting in 2026, the only thing I will now be asking for in a drama is that the acting levels match irregardless of the sexes.

He walked away with enough to balance the Wang Tian Gui energy gap.

"...getting more and more impatient and expect female characters to be exactly how they want them..." - let me raise my hand as I myself have done this off and on throughout this year. 😕😉😂

How does Chen Xiao find himself in so many questionable contemporary dramas only to rise like the pheonix he is in these outstanding dramas (e.g., A Dream of Splendor & so far Legen of the Magnate)? I get so confused.

Understood. If it was not such an impactfully written/acted (so far) drama I think my opinion about the actress would not be so stern. Been hungry all year for this level of drama satisfaction. I still have hope that I am overreacting. 😅

Think its a good opinion. Let me follow it up by saying I think after the exchange in the jail/prison between the two (Li Wantang & Gu) that Li Wantang is his father or nephew and he is the son he always wished he had. Or, the love of Li Wantang's life is Gu's mother.

Points taken. Thank you for the info share. I agree with the premise that the contrast in acting levels is substantially informing my opinion on the actress. Stand firm that no matter how bad she actually is or is not, its a mis-match between the actress and the drama.

Agree we need to give it time and that the final judgment should be rendered much later on in the drama. Still, for me in the here and now, there is cross over confusion betwen the written character and the acting portrayal- " like she's a sweet strong gentlewoman that lost her mom since childhood and was raised by her dad traveling and doing business she barely knows anything aside traveling with her da" - yes it is a good solidly built character backgournd. The writing is outstanding. The acting, however, from the FL up until now is not on par with either the script or the fellow actors. The net result is a compromise of the drama itself.

Ouch. 😂 😂 😂

No sense in being shy - intelligent, insightful, researched, informed, view point-flexibility, mountain climbing 😅 - all great answer making skills. Woohoo.

Feel the need to call out iQIYI decision making again this year (starting last year for that matter). Who is managing the 'big picture' over there? Was this FL actress chosen for political reasons? Part of the power game? Management shift? Mess of a business? Why throw away good money and an award worthy drama (possibly even historic) and select such a glaring and compromising FL actress? Assume she is good in her contemporary rolls (never watched so can not verify). Here in this outstandingly acted drama she literally has no place. I am gonna call out management in lieu of the actress. And, so far, its a drama crime - lets see how it goes in later episodes.

Not sure I can agree. Both Ci Xi & Su Zi Xuan are the boss bitches in the room in every scene they are in. Its not just behind every man its behind all the men. Said it before will say it again - its not the character, plot, timing, voice over - its that the FL actress is 100% not right for the role.