Yan Yu Fu / The Autumn Ballad 嫣语赋 [2022]

[peperomia]

I am kind of watching this with mom when I see her on the weekends. Have seen up to ep 20. To be honest, I am mainly watching it for Jeremy Tsui and his character, Liang Yi. His voice is just so attractive. Overall, I personally think the story lacks a strong main plot and I wish they would have developed the second leads in a different direction. I get frustrated with Qiu Yan’s recklessness, but I do admire her strong will and how tenacious she is in fighting for her own destiny. I also like how she loves reading investigative novels and the backstory behind it relating to her mother is touching. Her and Liang Yi are a hoot together. They are like two peas in a pod. I think that is why they bicker yet understand each other so well. I cracked up so hard when he ripped off her fake mustache and she retaliated back by doing the same. LOL.

 

I agree Liang Yi can come across as mean at times, but I think part of it is his direct and unfiltered personality. He is a noble, but he does not necessarily carry himself like one as the typical male lead in this role normally would (if that makes any sense). Especially when it comes to love, I like how he does not hesitate at all for the sake of Qin Xuan and is honest with himself.

 

By the way, does it seem Liang Yi may be investigating the circumstances around the death of his father? I need to go back and find it, but I sort of remember Qin Xuan mentioning to Qiu Yan that Liang Yi’s personality changed after his father died. I wonder if the story will delve into this aspect more and explain how it affected him.

Edited February 22, 2022 by peperomia
Typos.

[Tofu]

On 2/20/2022 at 6:22 PM, 40somethingahjumma said:

Truth be told I don't think Qiu Yan was ever really committed wholeheartedly to Qin Xuan in the same way that he is to her. He was her ticket out of a life of dreariness and oppression.

I don't think she was committed to him either. Just like he was a benefactor to Qiu Min, he was originally one to Qiu Yan too. I do feel a little bad for him because both girls used him and his status. 

 

I also agreed that the fall of the Qiu Family has helped them in many ways including humbling a few of them. I do hope that Liang Yi is able to restore their status, or at least help clear them of any misunderstandings. I know it'll be tough because Yuan Lang doesn't plan on backing down. Yuan Lang is dead set on destroying Liang Yi for what he did to him before and doesn't care about the collateral damage. 

 

20 hours ago, UnniSara said:

Min’er does hate Qui Yan. She is also very jealous of her sister. I was wondering why the synopsis said she was an unloved daughter when it is her own mother who ignores her when her own son is selfish due to her doting on her.

I think the half sisters have a complicated relationship. Qiu Min's mother doted on Qiu Yan growing up because she also had a similar background. Qiu Min probably felt conflicted seeing this and I guess it doesn't help that all the men in her life (Qin Xuan and Liang Yi) both adored Qiu Yan. 

 

14 hours ago, IpohBanana said:

[Incidentally, Jeremy's soon to appear in Be My Princess (BMP) with Zhou Jie Qiong, who I first saw in Ms Truth. It's coming soon in iQiyi. Her acting in Ms Truth was passable but not memorable, I was definitely more into Toby Lee than her; I loved the story, Ms Truth, so much so I google translated the novel which was nothing like the drama. This drama, BMP, sounds terribly like Love Script - I just hope the writing for the former fares better than the latter did.]

That's good to know about Ms. Truth! I didn't watch it but I was interested, then it just never happened. I'm curious about Be My Princess and will probably watch it for Jeremy but I'm not that excited for Zhou Jie Qiong either. Honestly, all his upcoming female leads are a bit underwhelming. In Chong Zi, his female lead is Yang Chaoyue and for Zao Zuo Shi Guang, his female lead is Meng Ziyi. I'm not familiar with Meng Ziyi, but I've seen some of Yang Chaoyue's dramas and she's ok. Jeremy also have quite the age gap with them. Yang Chaoyue is 23, so he's about 13 years older (not that it matters)!

 

5 hours ago, peperomia said:

By the way, does it seem Liang Yi may be investigating the circumstances around the death of his father? I need to go back and find it, but I sort of remember Qin Xuan mentioning to Qiu Yan that Liang Yi’s personality changed after his father died. I wonder if the story will delve into this aspect more and explain how it affected him.

The drama talked about how his dad did not want him to avenge his death, which is enough to suggest that his dad died because of outside factors. I think that Liang Yi is still looking into his dad's death. I also think that Liang Yi's straightforwardness is the result of his dad's passing -- he's not able to be that carefree boy anymore. 

 

@40somethingahjumma You and I get sucker into these dramas because we love the connection between the leads. This one and our previous one, Cupid's Kitchen. Hahaha!

 

 

I love that we are all continuing to watch because we love Jeremy and his voice. 

 

 

[40somethingahjumma]

@peperomiaand @Tofu

 

I don't mind there not being a strong central plot in this instance because I'm here almost entirely for the Pride and Prejudice style romance. An argument perhaps could be made for the fact that the romance is the central animating feature of the drama but I'm not too fussed one way or another. The crime element in this is nowhere near as central as what was in Miss Truth or the Imperial Coroner. @Tofu knows that I'm a huge sucker for this type of pairing -- competent leads with their respective skill set team-up to problem solve. These are the sorts of romance dramas I really dig and that's why this one has captivated me. As I've said in other places. I started this because of Jeremy Xu and I stayed for the romance. Once in a while, C dramaland comes up with these gems -- low budget historical romances with a decent crime element. Even with an anachronistic female lead, it's all good as long as the writing is good. 

 

Liang Yi is not reinvestigating his father's murder. He had already caught his father's murderer the Duke Lu 3 years earlier. What he wants is a pearl that his son (Gao Yu) has in his possession to save the Qiu family especially Qiu Yan's father. 

 

Jeremy is super good here. His experience really shows especially in the way he interacts with the female leads. I'm glad he's finally getting all these male lead roles because for years he was playing second fiddle to other actors. I really want to watch Trace but I need English subs for the forensic pathology business. My Mandarin is not good enough for the technical stuff.

 

@IpohBananaI loved Miss Truth when it came out. It was my crack drama then. I wrote screeds about it on Soompi and on my blog. Toby Lee was a revelation -- like Jeremy you can read the expressions on his face like a book. I also discovered Tim Pei as a result of it but it was Toby that I adored. He was another cunning male lead one that lived and breathed the part in toto. 

 

Qiao Xin was in Nirvana in Fire 2. Not the first one. She later became the wife of the cousin, Xiao Yuanqi who later caused a lot of problems for one of the male leads, the younger brother Xiao Pingjing. 

 

________________

 

I really loved Episodes 21-24. Episode 23 especially. My favourite bit had to be that confrontation between two old friends -- Liang Yi and Qin Xuan -- about Qiu Yan. I'm Team Liang Yi and have been every step of the way. It's not because I knew that there was a soft centre to the hard surface or even because I knew he was a bright bunny. I always thought he was more suitable for Qiu Yan because they are very much alike -- intelligent bold risk takers who have their minds fixed on the bigger picture. Liang Yi's honesty that he would never give the girl up is refreshing. No one says he has step aside especially when Qiu Yan has made it abundantly clear that they've broken up. Besides, if she's really that attached to Qin Xuan, why would she be so enthusiastic about playing Liang Yi's concubine. Liang Yi is a soft target for Qin Xuan. It's easier for him to confront his friend and accuse him of being a scoundrel but it's much harder for him to conclude that Qiu Yan was not wholeheartedly committed to him. That should be the crux of the issue. Not his friend "stealing" his girl but why his girl is behaving so convincingly affectionately with another man. And why she doesn't care to let him know that she's alive.

 

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by 40somethingahjumma

[abs-oluteM]

On 2/21/2022 at 8:22 AM, 40somethingahjumma said:

@abs-oluteM I recommend that you watch this show very slowly because once you get through them all, you'll be hankering for more.

Am actually not very fast. I caught up to eps 7 and it's been fun.

 

So far the best thing in these episodes for me are the leads trying to foil each other's marriage plans. Of course LY thinks her sister is the owner of the fan, so he thinks that marriage to the sis may be good for his plans and not such a bad idea.  And he's also having such a fun time watching her fail at her attempts to secure marriage to the 2nd lead - Qin Xuan. He's quite cruel sometimes but I get that he wants to protect his friend.  I have to hand it to our FL - she's a true survivor and fast thinker. I agree with her logic at this point - given the circumstances of those times better to marry a man who cares for you than just to any stranger. I am not sure if she is in love with QY but she appreciates that he's a good man and he's in love with her. For any woman trying to secure a better future for themselves that is a win. 

[peperomia]

1 hour ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

I don't mind there not being a strong central plot in this instance because I'm here almost entirely for the Pride and Prejudice style romance. An argument perhaps could be made for the fact that the romance is the central animating feature of the drama but I'm not too fussed one way or another. The crime element in this is nowhere near as central as what was in Miss Truth or the Imperial Coroner.

 

I know I mentioned the lack of a strong main plot, but I actually do not mind either. I only realized it when I could not quite explain what the story was about - except that I really enjoy the two main leads especially when they are together. Your thought that it is essentially the Pride and Prejudice style romance is on point. I have not seen Miss Truth, but I have seen Imperial Coroner and loved it to pieces. When the leads put their minds to work, they do remind me of a bit of Prince An and Chu Chu.

 

One thing that I really appreciated about the story was although there was a childhood trope, Liang Yi and Qiu Yan did not fall for each other because of it. Qiu Yan was the first to find out that he was her benefactor from 6 years ago, but she disliked him anyway at first due to misunderstandings. Liang Yi mistaken Qiu Min as the young girl he had saved, but he grew feelings for Qiu Yan instead. I loved the scene when she finally revealed the truth to him on the mountain top. It was so beautiful and the look on his face was priceless. I think it was just a plus that they had encountered each other in past and turned out to be each other in the present.

 

2 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

Liang Yi is not reinvestigating his father's murder. He had already caught his father's murderer the Duke Lu 3 years earlier. What he wants is a pearl that his son (Gao Yu) has in his possession to save the Qiu family especially Qiu Yan's father. 

 

I totally missed this part. Do you recall if it was explained somewhere in episodes 1-20? No worries if not.

 

2 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

Jeremy is super good here. His experience really shows especially in the way he interacts with the female leads. I'm glad he's finally getting all these male lead roles because for years he was playing second fiddle to other actors. I really want to watch Trace but I need English subs for the forensic pathology business. My Mandarin is not good enough for the technical stuff.

 

This is my first time seeing Jeremy Tsui in a drama and I agree he is super good here. Coincidentally, I have been wanting to see Trace as well, but unfortunately, there are no signs of English subs.

[40somethingahjumma]

2 hours ago, peperomia said:

 

I totally missed this part. Do you recall if it was explained somewhere in episodes 1-20? No worries if not.

 

 

The death of Liang Yi's father is talked about in Episode 24 and featured quite strongly.

 

@abs-oluteMGood to hear that you're still enjoying it. 

Qin Xuan is a good guy and on a normal day probably a good prospective husband. But Qiu Yan is not having a normal day and won't be having normal days for some time.

 

[IpohBanana]

@40somethingahjumma

Yes, I recall reading your forum comments in Soompi about Ms Truth. Till this day, I fondly turn to the online chapters and read my favourite parts, had the script stayed true-r to the novel, I think the show would have done far better. From the ending, it sounded as if there would be a sequel but I think the lukewarm response from China audiences sealed its fate.

 

@Tofu between Yang Chao Yue and Meng Zi Yi, I'd much prefer the latter. I saw her in Legend of Two Sisters In the Chaos briefly and felt she was pretty good for that role. Let's hope they both complement him and give the drama (and him) the much needed boost.

 

Here's something (video in spoiler) I found discussing why some male actors are still stuck in the second-lead rut and even if they made it to male lead, have yet to gain fame. I believe the translations are done by a bot, but it's good enough to understand. One of the actors being discussed is Jeremy. The other I like very much is Liu Xue Yi. As the narrator in the video said, I think it's a matter of getting a script and a character that audiences will like. In terms of acting and looks, neither fall short. Even Chen Zhe Yuan is pretty decent, though he is still young and has room to grow. [oh and need we say more about Han Dong, hehe?]

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

Edited February 22, 2022 by IpohBanana

[abs-oluteM]

@peperomiaYay! Another Imperial Coroner fan !! . I realise most of us here who are watching this also enjoyed that one. The subbed site I was using had complaints that this has become another crime mystery / procedural but since I'm a fan of romance in the middle of danger , I can't complain! 

 

Oh @IpohBanana is this Jeremy's 1st main lead role? He's really good here - oozing with charisma

 

@40somethingahjumma @Tofu  I am enjoying this more than I expected.  Am up to eps 10 - I liked it when they went undercover at the brothel house. She's intelligent  so I think she's been an asset to Liang Yi. I feel that here in eps 10 , there's a marked change in how they view each other since they saved each other and 2nd ML is slowly becoming irrelevant. LOL.

 

Haha..I was surprised this was the 1st kiss ! 

Spoiler

 

@UnniSaradid you continue?

[IpohBanana]

@abs-oluteM nope, this isn't his first lead role. He's been the ML in Legend of the Phoenix, Legend of Dugu and Novoland: The Castle in the Sky 2, but I think those dramas didn't propel him to fame (for example) the way AOL did for Deng Lun (you know the kind that shoots one to stardom). Perhaps, this one will, it's doing quite well in the rating charts, not #1, but top 10.

FYI, I enjoyed The Imperial Coroner to bits as well. I am still hoping they shoot a sequel but seems like all we got is a 8-minute sweetener.  :P

 

I must say, I like crime-solving dramas as well as those with a good dose of fantasy/magic.

 

Edited February 23, 2022 by IpohBanana

[abs-oluteM]

I am up to eps 15 where her mother died and it was discovered that her father or grandmother may have gotten the physcian to poison her (since she has someone else in her heart - the monk at the temple). QY's family problems is pretty much central to the plot and they are really quite unlikeable. The only good thing is that  one way or other Liang Yi gets involved and helps QY.

 

In eps 12  I was a little disappointed with the moment they talk about the fan and their childhood connection. It was an important moment but somehow felt anticlimax. I was surprised LY didn't know - I always thought he somewhat did but was not just owning up to it. I felt sad that QY played it down because she knows Liang Yi is going to marry her sister. Up to know (eps 15 ) , I can sense that Liang Yi has this thing for her ( he's going to great lengths to help her - he took the whipping just to get medicine for her mother) but she's not had any feelings for him. I suppose she's been too pre-occupied with all the family problems. 

[40somethingahjumma]

20 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

 

 

In eps 12  I was a little disappointed with the moment they talk about the fan and their childhood connection. It was an important moment but somehow felt anticlimax. I was surprised LY didn't know - I always thought he somewhat did but was not just owning up to it. I felt sad that QY played it down because she knows Liang Yi is going to marry her sister. Up to know (eps 15 ) , I can sense that Liang Yi has this thing for her ( he's going to great lengths to help her - he took the whipping just to get medicine for her mother) but she's not had any feelings for him. I suppose she's been too pre-occupied with all the family problems. 

 

I think the whole point of the child connection reveal is just really for Liang Yi to realise that he missed the boat on that one. To make him regret not recognizing her sooner and letting his friend get the jump on him, so to speak. It didn't make a difference romantically for Qiu Yan and nor should it. But there's later reference to him in Episode 24 to his youth and why he changed so much. 

 

Before the big family crisis that's about to occur, I don't think Qiu Yan was all that romantically inclined. Does she even know what that means? She was never in love with Qin Xuan -- he's really a stepping stone to a better life even if he was sincerely in love with her. To be honest, he hardly knows her but maybe he likes her spunk which makes her a standout in that kind of society. I never thought he was a good fit for her anyway because of his family background and his personality. 

 

Can't wait for you to finally get to Episodes 23 and 24.

 

Two more sleeps!

[abs-oluteM]

On 2/24/2022 at 9:22 PM, abs-oluteM said:

it was discovered that her father or grandmother may have gotten the physcian to poison her (since she has someone else in her heart - the monk at the temple).

Am up to eps 18 ..so a major twist to this. Never expected the monk to be mother's brother. Practically overnight  the Qius  went from well-respected court official's family to criminals and slaves.  And the entire family crisis is  Yuan Luang's  way of trying to bring Liang Yi down and get rid of him. QY is right - her family became  collateral damage. 

 

I was worried that QY would misunderstand LY's swift decision to annul the engagement with her sister etc.  He made sure he intervened so that the he could be in a position to oversee that they were still safe.  Fortunately, there was no dragged on misunderstanding. I appreicated that he went to great lengths to protect them and in the process the leads had many moments together . At this point even though the romance is snail pace,  they have become friends & allies which forms a good foundation for how things will develop later. 

 

4 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

Before the big family crisis that's about to occur, I don't think Qiu Yan was all that romantically inclined. Does she even know what that means? She was never in love with Qin Xuan -- he's really a stepping stone to a better life even if he was sincerely in love with her. To be honest, he hardly knows her but maybe he likes her spunk which makes her a standout in that kind of society. I never thought he was a good fit for her anyway because of his family background and his personality. 

Agreed. I am glad she is cutting him off - though he thinks its noble idiocy on her part. She does appreciate that he's such a good person but he's really just been her ticket out of a troubled situation. Plus personality wise they don't seem to match. In time to come , he won't be able to take that spunk. There were already a couple of times when I thought their values & take on things were not aligned. She's very practical and determined ( perhaps stubborn)  , and someone like Liang Yi would understand her better. 

 

[peperomia]

I have caught up to episode 24. I am not crazy about subplot with the pearl and the empyrean fairy, but I know it is a common plot device and royals back then strongly held onto these types of auspicious beliefs. I guess we will see where the "newlywed" couple’s out of the box ideas take us. LOL.

 

On 2/24/2022 at 5:22 AM, abs-oluteM said:

In eps 12  I was a little disappointed with the moment they talk about the fan and their childhood connection. It was an important moment but somehow felt anticlimax. I was surprised LY didn't know - I always thought he somewhat did but was not just owning up to it. I felt sad that QY played it down because she knows Liang Yi is going to marry her sister. Up to know (eps 15 ) , I can sense that Liang Yi has this thing for her ( he's going to great lengths to help her - he took the whipping just to get medicine for her mother) but she's not had any feelings for him. I suppose she's been too pre-occupied with all the family problems. 

 

16 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

I think the whole point of the child connection reveal is just really for Liang Yi to realise that he missed the boat on that one. To make him regret not recognizing her sooner and letting his friend get the jump on him, so to speak. It didn't make a difference romantically for Qiu Yan and nor should it. But there's later reference to him in Episode 24 to his youth and why he changed so much. 

 

I felt there were many times when Liang Yi’s intuition told him that Qiu Yan may be the girl he saved. If Qiu Min had not assumed herself as the fan owner and confused him, he probably would have trusted his gut completely (like he normally does) and figured it out sooner. But…I actually like the sequence of events of how he started to fall in love with Qui Yan. Not knowing she is indeed the girl, but Qiu Yan as just Qiu Yan. It was sweet to see him want to be "chained" to her longer and secretly buy the jade necklace for her. When she finally told him the truth, I enjoyed the shock on his face. Yes, Liang Yi, you should have known. She was right under your nose. LOL.

 

I agree Qiu Yan and Qin Xuan were never meant for each other. Regardless, he is a good man so my heart hurts for the guy. He deserves better than what is happening to him.

[abs-oluteM]

1 hour ago, peperomia said:

He deserves better than what is happening to him.

True true! It was awful that QM deceived him the way she did. Does she really think he will love her this way? This won't end well. She's so silly and she took her sister's advice of learning to be strong wrongly. Anyway she's always been a very weak character. Many times I got annoyed she didn't come to QY's defence.

 

I watched till eps 22 and I am having much fun watching the whole fake concubine scenario. Sometimes the "acting" they put up is so real . Haha. And Liang Yi's mum cracks me up - the ways she advises QY to not forgive him so easily!  I admit I do love contract marriage / cohabitation tropes. Finally the romance will start to develop. 

[abs-oluteM]

Look at this! The visuals here 

Spoiler

 

I just finished eps 23 ...this is so sweet. Liang Yi is in love. And I think she's headed that way too. 

 

 

[abs-oluteM]

I just want to report that I am up to date . Gosh these two - I love that they have each other to talk to ...I am not sure what to think about this whole pearl and  virgin fairy thing ,  but please don't separate them. 

 

Trailers for new eps

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

Film making

 

[peperomia]

16 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

True true! It was awful that QM deceived him the way she did. Does she really think he will love her this way? This won't end well. She's so silly and she took her sister's advice of learning to be strong wrongly. Anyway she's always been a very weak character. Many times I got annoyed she didn't come to QY's defence.

 

Ugh, I was so upset with that part.  It should not be a way to gain his heart.

16 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

I watched till eps 22 and I am having much fun watching the whole fake concubine scenario. Sometimes the "acting" they put up is so real . Haha. And Liang Yi's mum cracks me up - the ways she advises QY to not forgive him so easily!  I admit I do love contract marriage / cohabitation tropes. Finally the romance will start to develop

 

The marriage was supposed to be fake, but I think they forgot it was most of the times. LOL. It gave a good glimpse of how happy they would be as husband and wife – bickering as usual yet so sweet with each other and sticking by each other’s side through thick and thin. Li Yiang’s mother is the ideal mother-in-law. Doting to her son, but also supportive of her daughter-in-law because she is a woman and wife herself. I loved the part where the mother told Qiu Yan that at first, she was ecstatic of the marriage because she wanted grandchildren, but after getting to know Qiu Yan more, she realized her son truly found happiness with Qiu Yan by his side. When Qiu Yan promised his mother that she would always stay by his side, in a way, I think she acknowledged her feelings for him.

 

I also liked the part where Qiu Yan found Li Yiang’s drafts of the Collection of Odd Occurrences in his chest. Who knew that he wrote them!

[40somethingahjumma]

I'm inclined to do a bit of cut and paste here of what I wrote somewhere else about Episodes 25 and 26

 

The incident involving Consort Guo was hilarious. I laughed a lot and annoyed some members of my household. My daughter complained that I woke her up from the nap. I suspect Jeremy Xu and Liang Yi got into the spirit of things rather too gleefully... and convincingly.

The thing that interested me most about Episodes 25 and 26 was how the leads were sounding out each other and testing one another with seemingly innocuous words or actions. They've obviously fallen each other but they're both unsure about the other. They aren't quite sure if these feelings they've developed are requited and they see enough to hope but not enough to be sure. This predicament is humorously played out with the inclusion of Qin Xuan and Min'er in particular interactions. Liang Yi shrewdly and wisely doesn't try to keep Qin Xuan away from Qiu Yan. He lets that play out because from there he can see if 1) he is winning by a significant margin or 2) how Yan'er sees Qin Xuan. Is she pretending disinterest or is she genuinely over the guy? There are moments when she's seems deeply concerned for his well-being -- but does that imply "love"? He can't be sure. They went on a shopping spree and it was for the mother-in-law. Does that mean she wants to stay being a permanent member of the Liang household? I observe Yan'er doing the same thing. She doesn't feel confident about coming outright saying how she feels so she's also testing the waters. She senses that he's going beyond the call of duty and guilt, reasoning that there's something else driving his actions.

 

I also think that Qiu Yan feels more guilt than anger against Qin Xuan (who thinks it's the opposite) and it's partly why she's keeping her distance. She feels that she mislead him and then her sister manipulated him into that one night stand to exploit his grief. I think she feels that it's her fault that he's in the mess that he's in. 

 

______________

 

@abs-oluteM @peperomia

I am beginning to feel somewhat sorry for Qin Xuan having to be stuck for the rest of his life with the conniving Qiu Min. That said, I have an uneasy feeling about how she's going to end up because she doesn't seem to have learnt her lesson from recent events. It's bad enough that she hijacked other people's plans to prove something, and created extra problems but she is still impatient and adamant that she's only doing what other people are doing to get what they want. As Liang Yi says, he's not. There are many ways to get what you want -- not all of them are ethical and there are long term consequences to doing things unethically. Take short cuts and you pay for it eventually. She wants Qin Xuan but she's not willing to play the long game -- that is to say,  be patient, lay the groundwork, build the foundation and win the man's heart through conscientiousness. It's fine to be naive about how the world works but to be stupid, reckless and arrogant is a dangerous cocktail for a disaster. 

 

I've just completed The Legend of Hao Lan which I started a few years ago and one of the things that Hao Lan says to one of the conspirators in a failed coup is that aspirations to better one's lot is understandable but it should be correlated with one's ability. It's okay to be ambitious on some level but if one's ambition are not correlated with one's ability to reach that ambition, it seldom ends well. A person has to know their limitations to be successful. Changing circumstances will not necessarily guarantee success because it doesn't automatically deal with what's at the core of the problem -- the individual (mind, body and soul). The problem with Qiu Min is that she is a petty thief who is trying to play with the big boys who are playing for much bigger life and death stakes. Her real and recently stated agenda is that she wants to show that she can do what big sister can do. She foolishly thinks she can plot and scheme with the best of them if given the chance and tries hard enough. If she can get Qin Xuan to love her, she will (in her mind) be on the same level as Yan'er. 

 

The thing about love however is that it plays differently to the process of trying to outwit your enemy. The goal is to gain trust and affection which cannot be done by manipulation and cheating. It can only be achieved by sincerity, effort and even time. It's so much harder for Min'er because she starts from almost zero whereas Qin Xuan was instantly attracted to Yan'er from the first day he met her. The irony of course is that if Min'er had been much more patient and had more belief in herself, she could have won Qin Xuan's heart fairly and squarely over time without all the manipulation and emotional blackmail because objectively speaking, she is actually better suited to Qin Xuan than Yan'er is.

 

The show sets Min'er up as a contrast to Liang Yi in that regard. LIang Yi is more intelligent and wiser by orders of magnitude. Even though he's a great schemer himself,  he has enough maturity to know that he cannot win a woman's heart by manipulating her. Especially a smart woman. However, he can only win her heart if he is genuinely sincere about her wellbeing and not play the insane jealous rival. He can wait because he knows he has things he can offer her in this current climate without resorting to cheap tricks but also deep genuine affection comes from building on a solid foundation.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 27, 2022 by 40somethingahjumma

[abs-oluteM]

5 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

The incident involving Consort Guo was hilarious. I laughed a lot and annoyed some members of my household. My daughter complained that I woke her up from the nap. I suspect Jeremy Xu and Liang Yi got into the spirit of things rather too gleefully... and convincingly.

I had so much fun watching this scene. They definitely took their "acting" to the next level. But that was one convoluted plan.  What I liked was that Wan'er knew immediately that only Liang Yi could think of such a thing. 

 

5 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

The thing that interested me most about Episodes 25 and 26 was how the leads were sounding out each other and testing one another with seemingly innocuous words or actions. They've obviously fallen each other but they're both unsure about the other.

True true. It is clear that they have fallen for each other. I am in awe at how well Jeremy Xu is delivering his scenes. This was my favorite bit from eps 25, the way he looked at her when she was asleep

5 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

I am beginning to feel somewhat sorry for Qin Xuan having to be stuck for the rest of his life with the conniving Qiu Min.

Qiu Min annoys me no end. I am sorry for Qin Xuan because he was tricked into this. But I have to confess ...QX also irritates me sometimes...ahaha...I am not sure if it's because in all his scenes he seems so helpless and he's just moping around. I wish he could let go of Qiu Yan

 

What worries me are the upcoming episodes. I went through the trailers and it is quite sad all the way.

 

Spoiler

 

 

[40somethingahjumma]

3 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

 

 

Qiu Min annoys me no end. I am sorry for Qin Xuan because he was tricked into this. But I have to confess ...QX also irritates me sometimes...ahaha...I am not sure if it's because in all his scenes he seems so helpless and he's just moping around. I wish he could let go of Qiu Yan

 

 

This is why I'm not that sympathetic towards him either because I don't really buy into the fact that he was that much in love with Qiu Yan. I've been unconvinced the entire time that he loves her to the point that he's still clinging on to her despite having slept with her sister and after the fact that she's been telling him that she's moved on. He barely knew her and then he was head over heels in love with her to the point where he's turning into Min'er lite. And it could just be the weakness in the writing of his arc and he's not that fleshed out.

 

3 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

 

What worries me are the upcoming episodes. I went through the trailers and it is quite sad all the way.

 

 

The trailers don't worry me as much although it does look depressing. It feels like they're trying to strip Liang Yi of everything before the end. Yuan Lang has been trying it for ages but there's someone else behind the scenes causing problems. I imagine that everything is going to be hastily wrapped up in that last two episodes as is the habit of these type of shows. Happy to be wrong.

 

What's annoying me right now is the ending of Episode 28. And I stayed up late to watch it as well. I really hate it when C and K dramas pull this sort of move. I'm not only devastated for Liang Yi but totally irritated by the showrunners for going down this road when it really is so unnecessary.

[abs-oluteM]

On 2/28/2022 at 4:27 AM, 40somethingahjumma said:

What's annoying me right now is the ending of Episode 28. And I stayed up late to watch it as well. I really hate it when C and K dramas pull this sort of move. I'm not only devastated for Liang Yi but totally irritated by the showrunners for going down this road when it really is so unnecessary.

I watched till eps 27 and am gonna watch eps 28 now...but I have such bad feeling about how this show is going to end. They want to separate the leads and I am guessing they would only get back in the last  episode or even last few minutes...

[abs-oluteM]

Liang Yi deserves more.

 

I don't like the development at the end of ep 28 . This is supposed to be a sweet turning point for the leads but then he doesn't confess because he wants her to be happy and free. So she wants to go out there and fulfill her dreams. Nothing against her wanting that but what happened to the part where she was crying her eyes out when he was injured. Has she forgotten everything he has done for her?  Love someone let them go? But this is a historical drama. If I wanted this I would have watched a modern drama 

[abs-oluteM]

Eps 29 - so he told her how he felt - they both confirmed their feelings for each other. They had some sweet moments. But at the end , LiangYi decided not to cage this bird & set her free. Honestly I cried ( the 1st time in this series) for him. I wished he had been a bit more selfish and told her to stay. 

 

 

[40somethingahjumma]

@abs-oluteM I've decided not to watch Episodes 29 to 34 until everything has been aired so as to minimize the pain from what the storytelling seems to be doing to Liang Yi. Needless to say I'm disappointed at the arguably abrupt shift in tone and progression -- so much unnecessary angst for Liang Yi when things were going so well between them. I'm guessing that they're trying to install some kind of Equal Opportunity suffering arc for him that they did for Qiu Yan.

 

10 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

 

I don't like the development at the end of ep 28 . This is supposed to be a sweet turning point for the leads but then he doesn't confess because he wants her to be happy and free. So she wants to go out there and fulfill her dreams. Nothing against her wanting that but what happened to the part where she was crying her eyes out when he was injured. Has she forgotten everything he has done for her?  Love someone let them go? But this is a historical drama. If I wanted this I would have watched a modern drama 

 

It is an odd development to my mind not because historical dramas can't have this sort of trajectory but because the justification for creating that kind of separation isn't there because of the context. She's already confessed, albeit in a moment of grave urgency and panic so that needs to be addressed in the script before she tells him that she wants her freedom... vaguely defined... to see the world and write her book. But the truth is that she doesn't need to separate from him to have independence and write her book. Why doesn't she even try to negotiate with him? Or explain her thought process -- how she has come to see that travelling will enhance her experiences. Now I hear that Episodes 29 and 30 offer some explanation as to why she made her decision. Fine. But why didn't she say that before? Why did the show frame it as a zero sum game right off the bat? 

 

The other problem I have too is that she's decided to go off on her own. How is that feasible? Why isn't he putting forth a proper argument as to why that's actually a really bad idea in practice? This isn't exactly the 21st century. Where is she getting the funds to do that? How is she going to look after herself if there are physical dangers afoot? So is he going to put a tail on her? So much for freedom. Doesn't that defeat the purpose of the entire exercise? She's not exactly an wuxia pugilist of any description -- she can't even defeat him in a self-defence exercise. What about Yuan Lang... hasn't he just recently attempted to kidnap her and torture her to make a confession? Is she going to be safe wandering around by herself just because she feels like it? 

 

Even if Qiu Yan pretends that she's some kind of proto-feminist, she is still a woman of her time. Yes, it's unfair that she can't do what she wants but as she said herself earlier in the drama, it's not the right time to play out the ideas that she has. I have daughters and even if they are of age I wouldn't be letting them travel the world without a plan and some kind of companionship in the exercise of their freedom. They have to be capable of looking after themselves also. No parent in their right mind even in the 21st century would let their daughter go off on their own unless they were certain that she was capable of looking after herself or is well looked after. Did we also forget what happened to Min'er? 

 

Okay, so the show wants us to think that Liang Yi is a broadminded progressive male but what about the times he scolded her for acting recklessly or on impulse? Do we just pretend those occasions never happened so that we can separate the leads momentarily? It's a fake separation ploy because they can't really separate at this juncture of the drama as things are still happening in the bigger story. 

 

The problem is that the script doesn't really address the elephant in the room because the posture is a non-event.

[abs-oluteM]

9 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

Now I hear that Episodes 29 and 30 offer some explanation as to why she made her decision. Fine. But why didn't she say that before? Why did the show frame it as a zero sum game right off the bat? 

Agree with your post above. The explanation came towards the end of eps 30. Spoiler just in case ...

Spoiler

It felt weak to me - she said it was for his sake that she didn't ask him to go travel the world since she didn't want him to give up his ambition or what he had been doing. I rolled my eyes because it didn't feel that way at all when she decided to leave. It was about her and her quest to search for her soul ...rolling my eyes. Sorry ...still sore about the way eps 28 shifted tone within eps 28. 

 

I am not sure what the writer was thinking but making Liang Yi suffer and stripping him of everything must be his / her idea of character growth. Not necessary as far as I am concern.