changemysoul

they do, plenty of times

she didn't steal anything lol and no one is crucify him for working in the shadows, its because he lied about who he is KNOWING who is he is, isn't what she wanted

im a big fan as well!

It doesn't always take marrying the Emperor, it takes being the mother of the Crown Prince. If she had Huayong heir, it would be easier she also said that his life span was enough to put her own people in court that would help her secure the position. And this is just the idea going with her marrying Huayong. What she wants could be done in many ways, just as it as been in history. Marrying Huayong would just make things easier. Crown Princes can be changed in the end though, just like how it has been throughout history.

I agree mostly with the idea that Huayong is the only one but that's not 100% as she mentions in most recent eps. And while being Crown Prince is one of the benefits, that's not what Xihe listed as her main reasons. She was seriously considering all of the Princes, which shows that she would've had plans either way. I bring up Prince Yu as an example because he also meets some of her points. More than being Crown Prince, she also listed that that they shouldn't have any ties in court, she was attracted to the fact that he had no backers, which means no other people to listen to or consider which would makes her plans of gaining power easier. Crown Princes can be changed and lives can be managed.

She can't dictate terms to a future Emperor because she DID dictate terms. She laid out clearly what her terms were to the future emperor and he agreed. She did overestimate how much she could control, which is why she is weary about marrying him now. She thought he was someone with little power, a crown prince in title only. That was what she wanted. Now she knows he has power and that's making her take a few steps back. And she doesn't keep treating him hostility, at least not throughout the entire show. She's doing it now, as of ep 13, because she found out he lied and he wasn't exactly who he said he was and he is deeper in the game that she thought he was. Even then, she's cold and withdrawn but not hostile. I think it's unfair to compare ep 1-12 where she might be cold was but still friendly, to as of now ep 13-15 where she is having a human response to finding out he lied.

And she's not being hard on herself, she now see's a threat, is scared and is taking a step back. Human responses.

Like you said, this is where our preferences differ. I don't really enjoy stories that drag things out for too long. I like a bit more action and excitement, so this is definitely where we part ways.

To be clear, I do see the same younger gu sister the same as you, I was just clarifying that xihe didn't give her two chances. the first time she tried to use xihe as a gun against princess ding, which wasn't enough a reason for xihe to action against her other than making her knee. the attempt on her life the was the first time she actually tried to harm, so xihe really only let her off once and she wont get a second chance. and i think this is the show trying to soften her character because i think novel xihe would've just let her die. so, i wasn't saying it wasn't serious just that she didn't let her off twice.

i would hope that with seeing that changqing doesn't care and wouldn't help her would make her realize xihe isn't someone she needs to mess with. i care less about her going after the prince but i would hope she has the sense to leave xihe alone and know that she isn't fit to compete with her.

i do agree she's pushing her luck and the best thing she could do is marry the chu guy and go off but she was raised in a noble family and i think that is hard to let go of.

for xihe, i agree with that as well. she doesn't want to be controlled and she wants to hold power. but i went back to look at the convo, he does admit that she could've got out if she wanted. but before that he also admits that lady gu was forced to marry changqing and right after he said that lady gu could've found a way to get out of marriage, her up-bringing didn't allow her to turn her back on the mission that her family gave to her. lady gu controlled what she could but still had her family in her mind. that's the same thing she's facing now, she could find a way out, it's not that she wants to enter the palace, it's that she wants to protect her family. like, if xihe hadn't been called to the capitol by the king for marriage, when lady gu woke up as xihe would she had made the choice herself? that's what i mean by she didn't want to enter into the palace in either life. as lady gu, she could've schemed but she needed by her family. as xihe, she woke up already on her way to the palace, so the next step is just control what she can as much as she can being her husband. huayong also admits it was a gamble and she lost her life as result.

Of course she's going to reassess her options as new information comes to light, but I don't think this particular issue needed to be stretched out this much. It feels like this should have been resolved a long time ago. We already spent thirteen episodes watching the marriage selection process, and now we're back to square one.

fair enough on a writing point, for you, they could've brought up the smell issue earlier and we've gotten this conflict out earlier. i don't think we'll enter into ep 20 with this conflict so hopefully around ep 16-17, she changes her mind.

either way, i go enjoy talking about the show and happy watching!

I don’t know about other shows but in the novel, Jin Bai was convinced he was gay and he did not care. He accepted that he was going to be Shulin wife. In the shower they told him early, probs because of censorship but she doesn’t know he knows yet so, maybe they’ll play with that for a while.

If she was truly indifferent to him, she would treat him like she treated the other princes. She hasn’t. She was warming to at least being a friend before the truth came out.

She does have other options. Prince Yu would be the best option right now for that she wants. A male with power but he has no backing, so no threat to court + he’s not interested in politics.

Uh, women have managed to be the power behind the throne throughout centuries. If she bore an heir, the crown prince dies, she would become empress dowager and there have been a few irl who’ve ruled as empress dowager with a male heir.

And someone helping isn’t owed. Especially even the crown prince knew that if he told her he was helping her, she’d find a way to replay it in kind to draw a line between them.

And no other woman has interested them because they’re not her.

I do see that one big thing between the two of us is pacing, I don't have an issue with the pacing nor do I think that the marrige issue was too long drawn out. So that's one big thing for my persecption of the drama.

Just because she has people targeting her, doesn't mean she shouldn't think about long-term schemes, imo. They still matter. Yes, she can't deal with assassins just by making plans but the plans she's making weren't focused on assassins but her marrige, which is a long-term, life long thing.

I do agree she's acting more out of fear than logic. I think there is some confusion with the younger gu sister? That was the first time she spared her. She couldn't the younger gu's sister life at the party. The younger gu sister didn't do anything to warrent Xihe taking extreme measures. She simply taught her a lesson. Following the assassian thing, we see the younger gu sister is upset but she didn't seem against Xihe again, instead she turned her attention towards schemeing to get in the good with Prince Lie. And I'm sure she does realize she can't control everything but that doesn't mean she shouldn't try to contorl and plan for what she can. Marriage and her husband she choses is one of those. She can't do the best she can and deals with the rest but she can at the very least, pick her own foundation when it comes down to it. Just like irl, you don't just get married because you can't control anything. You at the very least try to find out as much about the person, see whats up with them and etc before getting married and then whatever happens, happens. That's what she's doing right now. She was ready to enter into a marriage with him based on the information she had. She's recived new info and now she is reconsidering.

Her goal isn't to enter to the palace. I'm sure if she had choice, she wouldn't enter into the palace. She was called back but the King and ED, so it's more so, her goal is to find stable footing. She didn't enter the palace of her own choice but she can't go against the King outwardly. Then again, I don't mind if the marriage is delayed because I'm enjoying the story without it.

Marrying a Prince saved her but it also killed her. Her marrying into the royal family made her family too powerful. In the novel, her husband was upset because the thought he the Gu family would have protection which led to him hating his dad. The court felt like the Gu family was too powerful and challenged the imperial court too much, currently like the Shen family. So, in some ways it was a gamble and it ended up being a death sentance. She didn't want to be saved which is why she then used her own life to bring down the Fan family. At the very least, she could bring down the Fan family but the Fan family had the backing of the King. It was with his okay, that the Gu family was killed. So, it helped and didn't help. Which why as Shen Xihe, she wanted the Crown Prince because he had no backing, no infleunce in court, the harm of being married to the Crown Prince wouldn't have been as huge if he was capable.

Again, it's not so much that she wanted to be on the winning side but she just wanted peace and safety. Something she still could achieve through other husbands, it might've been harder but she could still do it. Right now, Prince Yu has would be the best. His family has no backing so it wouldn't really been as a threat and he doesn't seem to be interested in court politics.

Since her rebirth, she has never considered her ex-husband an option anyway. The disloyal princes who constantly play both sides aren't worth considering either. And as for the immature young prince who throws a tantrum because he can't get what he wants and immediately tries to force her to stay with him through threats, he should have been eliminated as a candidate from the very beginning. A woman like her is way out of his league.

I wasn't really commenting on how the other Princes were or weren't options, I only brought up the ex husbnd to explain a bit about their relationship.

But in the end, if it's mainly because how much it's stretch out then that's fair enough. I currently have no issues with the pacing or whats happening so there is a big difference there between us.

im greedy lol, i wish i could just access the system and watch it all now

when did anyone called her saint, i just said she trusted him enough to want to continue on and marry him before she found out the secret

you know, if she knew about half the things he did, she'd repay him. again, its not fair to use all of that to say she should give him romantic action. there was even a scene where ml servant was...lets tell her you did the thing, and the ml replied that if she knew, she'd try to repay the favor. half the stuff he did, she didn't know about but that doesn't change that she did things for him and she would repay any favors owed. she's also not punishing him for the crimes of other men, she backed out because he lied.

she's not remained frozen and has showed him care.

no, she trusted his words. if she didn't have any trust when she married him, she wouldn't so easily back out. she trusted him enough.

lady gu is the dominant soul

is it down to one episode a day now?

ep 12

- the show tricked me into thinking they were going horror and lady gu appeared
- 0/10, younger gu sis, you are NOT that girl and you're lucky to have your life
- xihe are you waiting or did you follow?
- everyone going ?????????? as huayong choses to be corny
- huayong peeping what she said about the northwest
- but it does rain so....chill lol
- changqing does NOT care, please stop having ideas....you're not good at them
- great reflection though, younger gu sis is upset because he doesn't love her and he is upset because his love never loved him
- she burned that shit, great moment from meng for me and for changqing, please give it up, he wasn't THIS obsessive in the book but tv right?
- our girl getting a little curious about love
- not huayoung taking the shen bro on a why you shouldn't support this prince tour
- NOTE: if xihe was indifferent to her sister, i felt like the shen bro was down-right mean and even more cold, so i'm a little surprised that they had had him attempt to intervene, maybe warmer dynamics?
- also bro, younger shen sis said no to you, accept the no changmin
- shen bro admitting he see's huayong trick and saying it still worked
- gu girl, get away from prince lie
- marriage granted and omg not our crown prince about float into the air with xihe sweet words


ep 13

- huayong feeling pleased with himself and xihe dumping cold water on him lmao
- okay but they're truly a funny couple
- he's not acting strange, just even more of a flirt
- he stole her handkerchief and we're getting taste of romance but she finds it a endearing
- also SIR, STAND UP.
- being forced to admit he stole the handkerchief
- the great duo, shulin and jin bai
- a wild jin bai appears and shulin runs away, i loved this arc in the book as well lol
- shulin shulin shulin how the tables turn
- aww the bros talking about romance
- oooooo now im sad, in the novel, jin bai fully committed to being a gay man in love
- i guess it could still be fun if shulin doesn't realize that jin bai realizes
- did he somehow get them matching outfits lol
- i liked this scene for two different acting moments. for heyu at the end, when he was bent down. he accepted what xihe said but there was still a smile of sadness. for meng, the little sigh/deep breath she did when she was about to answer to his confession. it was a super deep one because its not like she's about to reply with something that is painful for her to say, nevertheless, she's prepared herself to deliver some harsh truths to him.
- murder in his eyes when they messed up his outfit
- good job at guard appearing so it doesn't come out that he killed everyone
- seeing her worried state, i can't wait for her worried state when she's truly in love with him. again i enjoyed her crying in princess gambit at the end when she thought the ml was dead
- huayong is such a romantic and you can see that xihe...while she doesn't love him, she has her moments
- well, was the princess ding doing something other than praying???? hmmm
- he learns about her amazing nose and coughs up blood, seems right...steal it back, you have the skill lol
- the little sadness in her eyes when grandma says there might be no hope for him, like i said, she doesn't mind that he has a short life span but she doesn't want him dead
- i mean its not a death bed confession but CONFESS, while you're weak and pitiful
- oh, some good ol body heat to, i'm down
- nah, still confess
- xihe....you're close, so close
- uh-oh
- yeah, she said it
- heartbreak, all heartbreak
- mr red flag, kinda hot tho
- oh no...the hair pin

still happy with the drama thus far

so, they've gotten through a little past chapter 300 and something, i do wonder if there the pace will slow at some point


kinda a little irked that people make seem like she owes him affection. one major thing that is brought up is everything he has done for her but if she had known, she'd repay him in kind. fl has stated from the start, she is not interested in love or romance. she wants a stable partnership. she built a future in her mind based off half-truths, ofc when she learns the truth she wants to take a step back. he became a threat because she didn't want someone who was deep in court, prince yu or lie are better options then because it doesn't seem like they have that ambition in court. she does not want to be put in a position that could put her family and homeland at risk and he has become that risk.

her reason isn't ridiculous, the other princes are powerful but clearly not as powerful as him. she at least had a true gage of the other princes power and personalities but he was hiding his deeply, which means that he can pull off a long term scheme, which means he's 10 times more dangerous. if he were to ever turn on her, the shen family has no chance. at least with the others, she has some idea of countermeasures.

her ex-husband loved her deeply but half-way sentenced her family to death by marrying him. she accepted because it was gamble, so there wasn't really much choice, she didn't close to him because she knew it could in death. and it did. plus, he married someone who people knew to be cold and apathetic. it wasn't a personality she developed but one she always had.

and yes, it's stated in the novel that all of the princess because obsessed when it comes to love.

nope, being married to someone weak with power would be a good thing in her case. the crown prince is the safest because if he died, she could leave. if she married another prince, she'd be stuck in the palace. a stronger ally is stranger because what if he started to resent her? the biggest issue with her past life was that her family was framed and the court found the gu family too powerful. thats not an issue she'd have in this life

i dont think there would be much, even in the novel...they dont talk much about lady gus past. just that she knew marrying him could either save or destroy her clan and it ended in death. everyone says she was cold since and had no attachments.

I mean the ml explained clearly why he fell in love with her. She's not a horrible person, she's just logic first.