noor1234

Not really. She's an actress, he's an actor. They are playing roles in a historical make-believe world. FL is chosen for a specific reason (other than the obvious reason of introducing her as a lead in a drama): His 'wives' are all shown to be older women - FL's role is supposed to be much younger in age to ML & his 'wives'. Hence, the age-difference. It's literally the demand of the role. He gets interested in her after she's living on the premises temporarily as a 'wife' - & she, in him. There's nothing wrong with it. I hope they show full-fledged romance.

Ep. 10-11: Okay I like FL's no-nonsense attitude towards enemies.

All these assassination attempts on her life are to make sure she dies before betrothal or after - which means someone does not a) want ML to survive & b) for him to get powerful army behind him. Hence, he was poisoned & his to-be wife is also under constant threats. And if it was done by emperor, then the drama better have a very good reason for it! And if it's someone else, then drama better have a very powerful villain who could maneuver even a king's consort to move against these two & remain hidden from even the king.

My question is even though FL would make a very good queen (ruthless & compassionate but never 'loving'), is she worthy of this ML? I don't think so. Because even though the drama is built around FL & everyone is either vying to love her or kill her, ML is far more intriguing a character & far more 'human' than her. FL's story & behavior is monotonous. ML's personality & motivation is dynamic. Yes, she's 'warming' up to him (& his puppy colorless eyes) & is nice to people in an indifferent way, but if commenters are right & she does reject ML simply because he kept a side hidden from her & gauged her motives through disguises, then it shows how illogical she can be, his secret does not mean he is untrustworthy or non-dependable. In fact, it shows he is not a weakling & has a mind of his own (& is able-bodied). And he got to appreciate her more during the disguises. She probably wants him to turn into a vegetable! ML has already told her his opinion on what control he as a husband can have over her thoughts (i.e. none), so she should afford the same courtesy to him! In fact, it is FL who is deceptive, cold & manipulative & rejoices in telling everyone how cold & manipulative she is! She hasn't even talked to ML about how painful this poison has been since infancy for him, but was happy when he said I won't live long & will believe if you lie & say you like me (!) in Ep. 9.

I think drama should've shown some interaction of FL when she was a Gu / consort with that husband & her family so that we could see just how cold yet empathetic she actually was beyond the massacre. FL in the drama is literally a robot going from one location to another. And also a few scenes of FL as Shen Hi with her northern area family because she's an imposter, yet does not act or feel like an imposter.

I also don't understand why she keeps asking ML's motivations in riddles - for e.g. she wanted to know whether he sees northern army as a threat - who knows what someone will do after marriage - in Ashes to Crown, in Ep. 1, the emperor actually killed his love-marriage wife empress & her general father in court in front of everyone!!!!

She trusts & is warmer to that imperial bodyguard pretending to be a man (who can get herself & FL killed upon disclosure for impropriety) than ML. There's also zero sisterhood in this drama - all of the females who are FL's peers are jealous of her! All of the guys of noble status are in love with her & ready to die for her! Even though everyone should have their head examined as to what is so special about her that they like or hate her!

So I don't like how everyone has to measure up to the FL, but she does not submit to anyone else. You cannot root for a FL who is this cold. She didn't have as tough a life (or near-death) as ML is having but everyone (esp. ML) bends over backwards in trying to make her happy & accede to her never-ending demands & expectations. Is she worth all this fuss? Yes, as a queen, but as a woman / human being / buddy, she's a cold dish.

Well there better be skinship / romantic / kiss scenes. I'm not watching a documentary on palace intrigue & long-lost kids raised by surrogate parents! It's supposed to a grand love story spread across years of battles.

Yeah.

Ep. 7-8: When did the ML fall for FL? Till Ep. 5, there is no scene of him looking at her for more than 2 seconds & putting up with her - and then the two Mrs. start a bet whether he's in love or not, & the hawthorn thing starts. I think drama should've shown us the 'fall'. It's clear he has supported her life & ambition without conditions (& a general / heir needs good weapons), but about 'love', they should've shown crystal clear 'love'. Anyways, trailer for Ep.9-10, things move fast in the romantic / trust department between the leads. Like their bickering.

Prince Qi's transformation starts the second he tastes power / bow by common people during that lantern scene in Ep.6.

More than finding the pieces of phoenix heart, I think people should find a birth registry because everyone is raising someone else's kid in this one!!!

Fortune-teller/senior weapon-maker tells FL she'll be married 3 times but only uses 'husband' not 'husbands'. Foreshadowing to the max! I'm expecting a sad ending (I think ML will win some grand war by using her technology, but she'll die).

I loved the (female vocals) song ('love & hate fade like shifting sand') that was played during the 'racecourse training / flashback' scene in Ep. 8. I wonder what it is? Didn't find it on youtube. (Btw, I didn't know the ML had sung the lead singles (start & end credits) as well other songs for this drama). But the new song in that scene is pretty awesome.

Isn't it 40 episodes?

@peachblossomgoddess thanks for this explanation. All of it makes sense now.

oh okay! Interesting.

Ep. 4: Can someone here explain what did the empress dowager gain from arranging the death / defeat of the country's army (30,000 soldiers!!!!) by creating faulty crossbow weapons & by engineering downfall of general ML who also has a general as father? What kind of skin does she or sickly emperor have in the game to create so much chaos & killing of their own people when it was Prince Changsha who coveted power, not ML?

If emperor has no kid of his own, surely the power will go to his uncles & relatives or whoever the courtiers/ eunuchs decide.

Prince Changsha's downfall I can understand, because he was attempting to overthrow the emperor & dowager. But I don't understand why faulty weapons were created for one's own army when it was fighting a foreign power. Also, if ML hadn't arrived to protect the crown, both emperor & dowager would've been killed - so why do they want to kill him?! And erecting a monument for 30K soldiers that got killed because of empress/emperor is okay????!

And why is ML sooooooo shocked to see SML aka prince #3 be installed as Regent? And now why can't SML get married to FL as a regent? & why must FL be married off to ML the same night a rebellion has been crushed with a new regent (her bf) appointed?!!!!

FL's father's speech to her did not make sense to me either. He says he, dowager, emperor & his pupils/ courtiers are on one side, & ML's family on the other side so FL has to be pawn to stop ML's family from rebelling in future! ML's family has command of 300,000 soldiers. If they want to rebel, no one can stop them, certainly not a sickly emperor with no son of his own & his senior citizen mother (dowager). And the general's family did not betray the trust even on the day of Prince Changsha's rebellion. So why should FL not marry the 'crown prince' (her bf) but still HAS to marry the general who emperor, dowager & her own father suspect of aiming for the throne? And IF for e.g. FL's father does not want her to know that SML is his son & she is not his daughter, still it should not stop her from marrying SML.

If Prince Changsha & ML could not work together, what makes the sickly emperor, dowager & FL's father think SML & ML will work well together?If ML's family wants to rebel, how can FL as wife stop them?!

ML did not even want to marry FL, he was only doing it to crush Changsha & got her to run away for this specific reason too. And he knows she doesn't want him. Why continue with the farce now?

And he already has 2 other wives - I don't care how merry & independent they are, he has TWO wives already. Why be stuck with a woman he never intended to marry?

I know 'Grand Tutor' is probably going to turn out to be a villain too - but why should ML+FL marriage continue right now?!

All of these developments are far-fetched, the story is sounding dumb right now. It makes no sense.

Blossoms of Power is great. I've watched the first 2 episodes & this is okay too.

Yikes! And the grand tutor has never told his only daughter the truth, who is fantasizing about Mao all the time! Or his very secretive wife, who knows more than she tells. And why would Mao go evil later on knowing she is betrothed to ML?! More Yikes!

@smolbeans @capybaraaa @monkeylover, thanks. Watched the first 2 episodes & ML & FL are doing well in their roles. But the 'enemies' i.e. Crown Prince & (I think) FL's former bf are weak, almost cartoonish villains. How can a mere general be one-up to such a corrupt crown prince & why doesn't the crow prince have the backing of emperor + empress. In fact, empress has gotten her niece married off the ML. So ML has a wife already (though he hasn't even seen her before coming back from battle & has no relationship with her, but there's a kid?), which made me feel sorry for the women of this era. She'll end up with his older brother later on (the end credits scene)?

Also, the end credits of each episode show an older couple - I'm guessing that is the leads as old people or someone else?

If FL demands a breakup of engagement, then it will not make any sense - surely she should know better than anyone else that if she can manipulate & scheme her way to power, then others can also manipulate to get the truth out of her to know her true intentions - after all she is the one seeking a prince to strengthen her (new) general dad's position. And ML IS still the short-life span crown prince so the real dynamics of this cold partnership do not change. For a woman who no one can trust, she sure has a tall order for others to fulfill.

Ep. 9: ML's role is one of the best written that I've seen in quite some time. Usually these sort of dramas give the meatier role to FL, with ML being a supportive eye candy. I think this is ML's show all the way: with his illness & terminal notice, his disguises, his martial skills & desire to do good as emperor, he's ambitious & love lorn - plus if his father/ emperor really did poison him, the pain that ML has had to endure in his short life, that's such a cruel thing to do to anyone, let alone one's own 'favorite' son. And he has grown to know FL in his own way, each encounter leading him to appreciate her dubious, diabolical nature more (even when it hurts him badly).

FL is bugging me now: she has the soul of the cold logical Gu consort & memories of being Wei general's daughter. She should've shown SOME reaction on first encountering the equally cold widower prince (former husband) in that temple especially since she comes to know he has lived in her memory for 3 years & he did save her. She is an imposter living someone else's life. Yes, she's making choices that ensure she & her new family has power to save themselves in court intrigues BUT she is not Wei's daughter. She is actually Gu. So for her to not even think of Gu past or this guy who DID save her is really cold. I like her character (especially as the faceless Gu consort who was pragmatic even when she faced the massacre of her entire family & avenged them in her own way) but love is not everything. I think common decency or care could also be shown. And she only shows her warm side to less fortunate, poverty-stricken people, never to people of her own status.

She also is taking advantage of the love, goodwill & short life span of ML. I don't think that hut scene would've worked with any other prince where she is calling the shots & the guy is just agreeing to all of her terms for the 'union' & is merely getting her token 'presence'. They do show her as 'missing' the one person she can talk to (& that's ML) & I know it will take a long time for such a woman to even comprehend that she is dependent on some guy for love - but she is taking advantage of a dying love lorn guy (technically).

I still don't understand why Rongo consort wants to get rid of FL.

The Justice minister & that imperial guard are a hoot!

SML who is ditto copy of BTS's Jungkook is extremely irritating. His scenes are unnecessary.

Ep. 1: What a start!

A few observations based on the various trailers for this series:
1) The FL does not look like 'lead actress' or 'heroine', she still looks like a second lead category actress.
2) She IS too young i.e. she looks like a teenager than a woman, but my guess is that given the historical times these people lived in, girls were married off quite young, & ML is supposed to be older man (as opposed to her). There have been a few dramas with 'wiser senior male' & 'precocious girl' in court politics storylines recently.
3) The trailer has NO kissing / intimate scene - a sign of doomed production or is it not shown as a caution over anti-fans reaction?
3) What has happened to the ML? He looks haggard & dull - I'm talking about makeup & styling - in fact the FL is also styled & filmed in quite B-grade production film style. The production looks & feels low budget too.

But I'll watch the first few episodes to see how it goes.

Ep. 1-2: This is off to a very good start, even though I'm getting jetlag fatigue with the avalanche of royal court politics & scheming 'princely' historicals that have aired this year.

Both of MZY's upcoming dramas - Blossoms of Power & Tigers Sniff the Rose - look very promising. But I will say, MZY & LYR, the leads from Blossom (2024), have a natural chemistry as in they look effortlessly very good together. I don't know why, maybe it's got something do with his almond-shaped eyes & her donut-shaped eyes, when they look at each other, they sizzle.

Both of MZY dramas - Blossoms of Power & Tigers Sniff the Rose look very promising.

It's rumored that it will release in November 2026 as 8 episodes!!! I think it HAS to release this year because of maybe the time frame / storyline, but EIGHT episodes is too few. I hope nothing got changed. I hope it lives up to sky high expectations. I hope JJW aka Lee Jae Han resumes acting.