iamanda____

I really love the newly released trailer. It’s so sweet, and i especially love the figurative lines exchanged between He Yan and Xiao Jue 💖
I can’t wait—hopefully the drama airs right after Serendipity 🙏

you're right 🤣

yes

I think episode 25 yesterday was the fastest one i finished watching 🙃
I mostly skipped through it because the scenes felt boring and flat to me

yes, i have

Chinese dramas usually dub over the actors’ voices for the following reasons:

1. To match the genre of the drama—especially in genres like wuxia or xianxia, which often require a distinct vocal tone that aligns with the characters. Production houses may feel that the actors’ original voices don’t suit the tone or style required for such roles.

2. Because of the actors’ Mandarin accents or dialects. Since Mandarin has many regional dialects across different parts of China, some actors still speak with the accent of their hometown. Their voices are dubbed to match a more standard, natural-sounding accent that better fits the character they’re playing.

3. Tight production schedule: Sometimes actors don’t have time to re-record their lines due to a busy schedule, so professional voice actors are used to speed up the post-production process.

But despite all those reasons, i still feel it’s a pity that their voices are dubbed—after all, they put in so much effort acting with their original voices 😔

The Chinese title of the novel is different from its English title. The novel’s title is Bǎng Xià Guìxù / 榜下贵婿, which can be interpreted as The Noble Son-in-Law from the imperial exam

If I may compare the drama version with the novel version, i prefer the novel, which is better.
Some parts in the drama don’t exist in the novel.
For example, Lu Chang knowing Su Laoshi and Su Tang Li, and wanting to reopen his case — sigh that didn’t happen in the novel 🤨
Even the plot in the drama feels way faster compared to the novel, and the scene transitions are terribly edited (reminds me of Sijin drama).
But oh well, i’m still watching and somewhat enjoying Lu Chang’s “forbidden love” 🤣🤣 — the poor guy, all miserable and full of regret.

and i think this is the first time i’ve watched a C-drama where all the actors are dubbed by voice actors 🥲 It’s so strange. It’s such a shame, really … 😔
Especially since i know their real voices — that’s what makes it feel so cringe hearing someone else’s voice instead of theirs 😃

Well, in the novel there's a love triangle too, just like in the drama.
What’s different is the timing of Song Qing Zhao’s appearance — in the drama, he appears too early.
In the novel, Song Qing Zhao only shows up after Lu Chang has already settled at the academy to prepare for the exams.

In fact, in the novel, it wasn’t Song Qing Zhao who helped Lu Chang fight the bandits at the inn.

There are quite a lot of differences, but the main storyline still follows the novel.

Yes, i agree. In the novel, there was no 'forced marriage' scene, and Lu Chang rejected Ming Shu firmly but kindly, without making Ming Shu feel cornered — unlike in the drama.
I was a bit surprised that they changed the scene of Lu Chang rejecting the marriage like that 😏
They made Lu Chang drink a drug and suddenly appear in wedding clothes, which led to him rejecting Ming Shu with harsh words.
I was quite disappointed with this part — I prefer the novel version 🙃

Sorry, i'm still only at chapter 17, so i don't know if it's a happy ending or not. But so far, the story feels light, not heavy, and it seems like it will have a happy ending

After The Glory ended, i’ve been waiting for this drama to air while reading the novel. (Rumor has it that it will air after The Glory.)
So far, I’m enjoying the novel and its plot. Ugh, I hope it won’t be too different from the novel 🙏🏻🤞🏻

The other names of the FL and ML in this drama are names that are typically used by people who are closer to them or those who are older.
In this case, it refers to family members, friends, or partners. That's why the FL's and ML's families sometimes call them by their other names (Shougu/Yantang), which indicates that their relationship is closer than with others.

And as they approach their wedding, Song Mo has already started calling Dou Zhou by his affectionate nickname, Shougu.

it's not the same
The drama is more about revenge. The romance is somewhat similar to The Double, but even thinner—so thin that i’d say it’s almost nonexistent 😅

I'm quite satisfied with the happy ending, but i don’t know why, towards the end, it felt like something was missing—it just felt empty as i watched from episode 26 until the finale.

And as usual, towards the end, it felt like they were rushing to wrap up the case quickly (which is pretty common in the dracin world). But it's fine for me—i still wanted to watch until the end 😄

As for the acting, honestly, i think Dudu and Jeff's (Xin Yunlai) performances were still enjoyable. I wouldn’t say they were amazing or terrible, but as long as i, as a viewer, can still enjoy their acting and don’t find it annoying, it’s good enough for me.
However, after reading some chinese netizens' comments on Weibo and Xiaohongshu about Xin Yunlai’s acting—how they said his expressions were "wooden" and his eyes looked blank with no emotion—well, i kind of agree with that, haha. But at least, for me, it’s still at a level where i can enjoy it

And as for Zhuang Shiyang’s character, i officially crown him as the worst father among all fathers in Chinese costume dramas, LOL. The second place goes to Song Mo’s father, but Zhuang Shiyang is even worse.
Are there really fathers like that in real life ?

Alright, that’s all from me. The important thing is, it’s a happy ending! 😄

I'll wait until tomorrow when two episodes are released.
Uugh, one episode per day is torturing me ><

i looked at the broadcast schedule from Xin Yunlai's official agent account, and the wedding scene will be in episodes 19 & 20

Finally, i finished watching it. After 36 episodes, i lost all my excitement for this drama 🫤
In my opinion, it became flat towards the end, and everything felt rushed just to wrap things up. In the end, i just sped through it 😅

As the final episodes approached, i started wondering—what was the point of the Nanwu tribe ? They didn’t even have a battle with the Zhou dynasty. Was the Nanwu tribe even part of the novel’s story ? It felt like they were just there as filler, without any real meaningful involvement

Aaaand the most frustrating part was the ending of the Royal Princess! I feel like she got off too easily, just dying like that after all the crimes she committed. She should have been kept alive, tortured, and exiled until she realized and regretted everything, ugh 🙄
then, why was she posthumously granted the title of Royal Princess for "protecting the emperor"? Was it just to cover up her rebellion ?

Oh well, at least ZWY and JT's acting made up for it

That's all from me :)

I mix it up😃
For express episodes, i watch on iQiYi because i subscribed to iQiYi's VIP premium, so i don’t have to pay extra like on WeTV 😒
But for subtitles, i prefer WeTV's

I also looked up the meaning of barefoot ghost, and based on what i've read, the figurative meaning of barefoot ghost in chinese culture is associated with certain Taoist and Buddhist beliefs about spirits and the afterlife. It can be interpreted as a wandering spirit that has lost its way or is linked to sorrow, suffering, or unrest.
That's why the fake Taoist priest spread the rumor about the barefoot ghost haunting the FL, as it was believed to bring misfortune or disaster upon the family.