ChineseDramaFan

Actually I can sympathize with her and her needle. Not only that's the needle she has been using when she was little (because her mom wouldn't let her sew, and wouldn't have noticed if she uses the old golden needle - which is not meant for sewing but she didn't know), it symbolizes her mother. Imagine something so important to you, now in the hand of someone you hate so much, I think I would do the same as Liu Li does, even if it means losing my life :)

The bloody new Emperor (Li Zhi) wants Liu Li for himself. He also knows that Pei Xing Jian and Liu Li are lovers, so he purposely separates them by appointing Pei Xing Jian an outstation post. He wants to make Liu Li his concubine but she quickly says she wants to be a nun with Wu Mei Niang. Li Zhi says he intends to bring Wu back to the palace. So Liu Li says she wants to be the Emperor's tailor instead. 2 years after the death of the former Emperor, Li Zhi brings Wu Mei Niang back from the temple (I guess that also means marrying her). For 5 years, Liu Li has been distancing herself from the Emperor. And yet, the Emperor is still unrelenting (so annoying). Poor Pei Xing Jian! Luckily they have Wu Mei Niang who is still trying to help them. Let's see what happens in the next episodes.

Pei Xing Jian's first wife dies, partly because of the elder princess. So now he's about to marry Liu Li, the apparently nasty princess is starting to scheme against her. Some people are so rich and have nothing better to do, so they carry out evil deeds, hurting others :(

"zhuì xù" (the Chinese title) means son-in-law living at wife's parent's house, and their offspring will follow the wife's family name, in this case "Su".

I love JOL but not so much for this drama. Am I alone?

Let's hope CP snaps out of it because by the end of Episode 40 (Duboku version), CP is hopelessly in love with Liu Li :(

45 or 40 depending which version you're watching. I'm watching the 45 version and I'm on 40 now.

- Emperor dies and CP becomes Emperor
- Liu Li and Pei Xing Jian leave the palace and get married
- The return of Wu Mei Niang

Not many things left and still 5 more episodes to go. So yeah, you're right - they are going to drag out the story, most likely a nasty love triangle fight. I don't like that.

Let's take stock what is outstanding:

Yeah, it's getting annoying that punishments and deeds don't match. Cao Wang has been trying to kill Crown Prince for umpteen times and each time he only gets a slap on the wrist. When would he get serious punishment? When he has successfully murdered the Crown Prince? Then there won't be punishment because he would have made himself the Emperor. Bad logic!

Oh boy! Now they've made it into a love triangle. Dang!

Episode 40:

Watch Zhao Shun Ran in 'A Girl Like Me'. He's great there.

Yes, she becomes his Emperor, not Empress, eventually; she the only female Emperor in Chinese history :D

No, he's not her biological son.

Yeah, the latest episodes make me want to pull out my hair. "Really, really?"

I'm at Episode 38. I watch this raw on Duboku (no subs).

Su Jin'er is heinous at the same time pitiful. She's just a love sick girl wanting Zi Dan's love - that's all she has wanted. Her mind is simple, unlike the other even more heinous and scheming guys. What seemingly righteous, may even be more hideous and dangerous :)

This drama does have a lot of flaws. However, I believe many viewers, like myself, also like the historical aspect of it and how fiction is being written into a true historical story. It's rather intriguing despite the screen writing may not be as good as the original novel. Acting wise, sure, it's not top notch and they haven't used famous big names. This doesn't mean the other dramas with popular idols are better than this one. There are a few recent ones using the most popular actors with over the roof ratings, for me, the dramas are just meh :)

Now Consort Yang and her despicable son Prince Cao know that Xiao Douzi is a girl. The Crown Prince is still, sigh, "in the drum".