The Bloom at Ruyi Pavilion 如意芳霏 [2020]

[SnT]

2 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

Spoiler recaps for eps 36 ( this was a seriously hard episode to watch )

So the King had ordered a decree for the Imperial Guards to eliminate the people involved with the Ruyi organisation. The guards started catching them. XJ's aides were concerned as they know how close FR is to them.  XJ who was worried went by the shop and couldn't decide if he should go in. The maid came out and told him that FR says she can't see anyone due to mental stress and also to be careful of Yuan. Basically she doesn't want to see him. He gave a note to her to tell her to stay away from the Ruyi organisation. But of course she thinks he is just being prejudice.

 

Prince Cheng was supposed to be sentenced to death. Before he drank the poison drink ( that was the punishment) he asked the Eunuch to plead for mercy for his mother as she was innocent ( rolls my eyes). He took the poison drink but didn't die.

 

Then one of the Ruyi guys gets seriously injured. He was helped back to the orphanage by Xiao Qi. FR arrives at the orphanage. The injured guy died. Sad scene . Xiao Qi told her that the Imperial Guards had been catching their members and killing them off supposedly under XJ's instructions.

 

An angry FR goes to see XJ. She asked him why he gave these orders. He says it was the King's decree & that it cannot be ignored. He told her to stay away from them too. But she said she's now the leader of this organisation. She said that he doesn't know that they are not evil . Her master only had her . He was angry she was doing this. Lots of harsh words between them . She told him he must as well arrest her . He was like fine. We will be enemies from this day . ( This was really a pull-hair moment that exasperated me) 

 

Then Ahn begin his sneaky plans. Zhang Yan ( the crazy guy who buried her ) was now well . So Ahn told him he can have his revenge by luring XJ to Ruyi and burn the place up. Yuan, the maid overheard this.

 

[ continue in spoiler] 

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Meanwhile FR and the other maid are hoping to find Yuan as she had been missing from work. They get news that Yuan may be at a market and so FR decided to go look for her. So she left Ruyi shop and they closed shop for the day.  She saw some Imperial Guards ( these were fake guards planted by Ahn) chasing people away from the area. Anyhow she goes to the market , and sees someone that look like Yuan from the back. This was also Ahn planting someone to lure FR out and to give FR the impression it was really Yuan.

 

The crazy ZhangYan for some reason goes to Fu residence and gets a note sent to FR's dad saying that FR was in trouble in Ruyi and needed to be saved. The father told the servant to inform the mother about it as he headed quickly for Ruyi shop.

 

The real Yuan meanwhile goes to see XJ and tells him that FR is in danger in Ruyi. But XJ didn't quite believe her initially as FR had before alerted him to be careful of Yuan. He got his aide to apprehend her . Then she gave some sob story about how she had no choice but do this as the person who instructed her to do this is holding her family as ransom. Lies but XJ was worried as that FR may be in danger. He told his aide to keep watch over her as he rushed to Ruyi

 

At the shop , Zhang Yan had prepped to light the fire and he even tied up FR's dad. XJ came and was surprised to see the shop closed.  But he felt something was not right and checked anyhow. He found FR's dad tied up and freed him but Zhang Yan came in . Shot an arrow , but XJ managed to avert and threw something at ZY's head. He passed out and XJ helped the dad to escape. But the fire had already started.  They had many falling beams & obstacles. Then ZY woke up. He shot an arrow , FR's dad blocked it from XJ.  A beam with fire fell on ZY. XJ continued to remove stuff so they could escape. But sadly as he opened the door, a fiery beam fell and the old man pushed XJ out to safety but he perished instead. XJ was passed out. Some nearby real Imperial Guards saw & came to put out the fire and saw XJ passed out. Took him to safety.

 

Yuan also managed to escape. She asked to make some tea. Then she threw the hot water at XJ's aide and knocked him unconscious 

 

Ahn made his grand appearance with his soldiers, pretending to put out fire. FR hears from the market that Ruyi is on fire and rushes back. She wondered who would do this and kept thinking it was XJ's imperial guards. FR's mum rushed over. They then realised dad was in the shop.

 

Sadly the father died and there was the funeral.  WBQ came to pay respects. Then XJ came to with his arm broken. Ahn came out and said Fu family didn't welcome him there.  XJ knelt and paid respects outside the hall. FR then came out and said to talk in private.

 

FR started questioning him about the fire . She refused to believe his aide that it was not XJ's doing. They tried telling her about how Yuan had come by to tell XJ about her being in danger in Ruyi etc but FR says these were lies as she had saw  Yuan herself at the market. XJ was in so hurt himself but all he could say was that he was sorry he could not save her father. She also didn't believe that Zhang Yan did this as she saw him die plus there was no record of another body. Then she told XJ he is no longer welcomed at Fu Residence. 

 

Towards the night, FR stayed on at the funeral hall as FX took the little bro back. The mum was ill. FX did tell FR that she finds it fishy that XJ would be the one to do this. Actually deep down FR also knew this cannot be XJ's doing but the supposed evidences don't add up. 

 

 

FX goes and check on her mum. The mother gave her the title to their summer home in the village. Tells FX that they'll likely need to sell it to pay for expenses. FX goes to the garden. She had been trying to stay strong the entire day for everyone. WBQ came to see her there. She became cold to him as she doesn't want him to wait for her . She had to observe 3 years of mourning which means no wedding. But WBQ didn't agree. He broke down her walls , and says she should let it all out and that he would be here for her. He will wait no matter how long. Finally she gave in and cried in his arms

 

-eps ends-

Wow definitely w tough episode to watch. Esp dealing with fr dad death.. N i feel so bad that he never even visited fu Manor while daddy is alive.. It is like a regrettable gap to me. Throughout the show i keep thinking. U need to go back w her to show ur respect as a son in law I know as a prince n her being just secondary consort, he doesnt hv to. But  as fr husband he loves her much, no harm to interact w ppl she loved n talked about the most n see how she previously live like lfy w yunxi n finslly understood yunxi more as a result . I also oved how he really like guan ge on the village trip n buying him the sugar fruit candy. After that there is just no xj as brother in law w guan ge anymore. At least we see wbq interacting so much more with the fus. It feels like a hole in show. Now he comes when there is funeral n get kick out. Sigh. 

 

Now looking at this ruyi drama, i started to think. Trust is in fact a choice. It is easy to trust when feelings n rationale are there, when u see it your eyes, hear it w ur ears or faces with solid evidence. How 

willing are we to trust so despite feelings and rationale are gone, solid evidence or non existence of it. Then it is a choice. Trusting by choice is the greatest trust. Good tjing is It can  be a habit/instinct thst u cultivate with things u go through w the person n time that u spend w him/her. N receiving ends need to realise it is a gift n appreciate it. Husband n wife, parent n children all the same.

 

Even though i would like to see FR choosing to trust xj absolutely at this last leg of the show n that she had learn about her husband enough to hv the habit of trusting him esp up against  the damnnest evidences, i guess that is too much to ask for. It wd hv been so much more besutiful to the drama. At 3rd time round, she still chooses to trust evidences more than him. 1st the master death n stabbing, 2nd the divorce saga (yes its trust again.. He wrote that note to her rong er, trust me, wait for me... No matter how she can love him, she still doesnt trust in his ability n his determination to find the truth for her n choose to act on her own) . Somehow she can choose to love him with all her heart but she cannot choose to trust him with all her heart. Guess it is not the greatest love of all. 

Edited November 14, 2020 by SnT

[UnniSara]

2 hours ago, gween97 said:

Already watch general and i🤗because i like angelababy😂

Oooppps  I meant to @Yana About the General and I. It was such good drama. I made Gifs for this drama because I was so addicted to it.   Glad you loved it too. It seems we have the same taste. lol. 

[gween97]

46 minutes ago, UnniSara said:

Oooppps  I meant to @Yana About the General and I. It was such good drama. I made Gifs for this drama because I was so addicted to it.   Glad you loved it too. It seems we have the same taste. lol. 

honestly i watch all c-drama from bad to a good story, happy ending sad ending lol, i don't know because i'm in love with cdrama especially historical drama

[HerManyShows]

On 11/12/2020 at 12:10 AM, 40somethingahjumma said:

It occurs to me from these last two episodes that one of the reasons why Prince An's schemes don't generally work because it is predicated on certain assumptions about Xu Jin. There's no doubt that he causes problems... he is a troublemaker and does serious damage but having done all that he seldom achieves his actual goals. The reason being is that while he has some understanding of how the emperor thinks, he really doesn't know Xu Jin all that well. He has an erroneous view that Xu Jin is some kind of ambitious scoundrel. I think it's convenient for him to think that way so that he has someone to blame for his mother's death. Just thinking about how he convinces the emperor to give Xu Jin back the leadership of the Imperial Guards on the proviso that he divorces Fu Rong tells me that he really doesn't understand what makes Xu Jin tick. Prince An has demonized XJ in his own mind that he simplistically... and ridiculously believes that XJ would give up Fu Rong in order to be reinstated to his old position. He is so obsessed with vengeance that he has forgotten or ignored one of the fundamental things in warfare --Know your enemy. In his case he doesn't know the first thing about his "enemy" or even if XJ is really an enemy. A 12-year-old boy knocking over a candle and setting fire to a temple is hardly a monstrous enemy.

 

The kindest thing I can say about Prince An is that he is simple-minded... of course other words spring to mind... Does he really believe that if he manages successfully to separate XJ and FR, that somehow she will end up with him? Or that the emperor will allow him to marry her? Won't this pass the parcel game look a tad suspicious? There's no guarantee that those outcomes are certain. In large part his character that makes so little sense to me. He is so self-centred to the point of where no one can take him seriously.

 

The other thing that frustrates me about Prince An is that he gets in the way of XJ getting the job done consistently. I suppose he doesn't give a damn about corruption or what that does to the country. All he cares about is his revenge. Hard to have an iota of respect for someone like that. But also in the long run his vendetta against XJ will have unpleasant ramifications for FR. It will most certainly put her in jeopardy. 

 

I don't want the third party to be an outright scumbag. He should have some redeeming qualities. Apart from being nice to FR, he doesn't seem to have any. But even him being nice to her is tainted by his agenda to break up XJ and FR to possess her.

 

Although I rolled my eyes whenever Screechy threw a tanty, I suppose her intrusion is something that had to happen. As far as I'm concerned she's largely irrelevant and I suspect the show agrees with me. :P She is irrelevant and has been relegated completely to irrelevance after her recent episode in the Su household trying to get XJ's attention and cause a wedge between them. Let's face it, she's no master schemer by any stretch of the imagination. She's a spoilt kid that has no boundaries or sense of proprietary whatsoever. It isn't that she met her match in FR, but honestly she hasn't got much between her ears to begin with. She's not even an amateur. Of course FR cottons onto quick and takes it all in her stride. 

 

The role she played in recent episodes I think only reinforces the point that not only would she be a terrible consort to XJ but XJ and FR are fairly secure in their affection for each other. Outside influences can only do so much but as far as they're concerned, they are sure about each other. Ultimately whether this marriage makes or breaks is really on them. People have tried to put pressure on them and are trying to put pressure on them without success as long as they're determined to hold it together. A pesky fly like Screechy registers only as a nuisance not really presenting herself as any kind of obstacle. Their marriage is a lovely thing if only other people would just leave them alone to get on with it. 

 

The other thing I really liked about the recent episodes is seeing FR thrive and mature not only as the lady of the house but also as a businesswoman, the head of Ruyi Pavilion. I love how she's experimenting to break new ground and diversify. Certainly it's something I'd like to see more of before the end. With Fu Xuan, it's good to see more of her mischievous or scheming side. She's always been very smart but was someone who needed to let loose a bit. Not necessarily live on the wild side but to be less conventional. The writer has really given this a great deal of thought in terms of character development for both these women.

About Prince An's ineptitude, I kind of blame his henchman who I keep thinking we will find out works for XJ because he fails Prince An so often.

12 hours ago, Yana said:

I have finished last ep...and too bad duke an ended up killing himself coz he wanted to die with nong nong after stabbing her. and he himself not knowing that his mom still alive all these years...

And happy for FR and SJ finnaly have their own happiness. even though for me its to rush to end..should have add 2 or 3 eps... 

Same about Duke killing himself...I wanted that vengeance for one of the main leads.  

[HerManyShows]

My one hope in addition to a happy ending, is to have a call back to FR needing to burn XJ underwear.  This plot point always makes me smile and I just think it would be a cute way to say all disagreements between the two are resolved.  Or maybe I want another shirtless scene of Zhang Zhehan....

[abs-oluteM]

2 hours ago, HerManyShows said:

My one hope in addition to a happy ending, is to have a call back to FR needing to burn XJ underwear.  This plot point always makes me smile and I just think it would be a cute way to say all disagreements between the two are resolved.  Or maybe I want another shirtless scene of Zhang Zhehan....

Yes, I won’t mind . He’s supposed to be known for a good body in the biz 

 

 

Gals , I haven’t got time to recap eps 37 onwards yet. I will later. But I did scrub through eps 37 & 38 

Spoiler

You’ll see them reunite in eps 38 & yes he specifically addresses that they hv not consummated the marriage. He’s the one who’s worried because of the dreams .She was actually miffed they hv not done it yet.

 

 

[UnniSara]

2 hours ago, HerManyShows said:

On 11/12/2020 at 3:10 AM, 40somethingahjumma said:

 

About Prince An's ineptitude, I kind of blame his henchman who I keep thinking we will find out works for XJ because he fails Prince An so often.

@HerManyShows  The blaming of Prince Ahn’s henchman is due to the fact he isn’t of noble blood. He wasn’t ambitious or cruel. All the plans were planned by Prince Ahn. But Prince Ahn wasn’t interested in Court Affairs and that is why he lacked the essence of people’s heart. 
He tried to use people but didn’t find out what was in their heart. Knowing peoples heart is the best way to manipulate and keep them by his side.  And welcome to the thread.

[Yana]

8 hours ago, gween97 said:

honestly i watch all c-drama from bad to a good story, happy ending sad ending lol, i don't know because i'm in love with cdrama especially historical drama

Me tooo...i love historical and costume cdrama...

[SnT]

2 hours ago, Yana said:

Me tooo...i love historical and costume cdrama...

Hehe.... C drama costume n historical are so well worth watching. Mostly cinematography, costume,  props are feast to eyes. Cant really watch other dramas like hk ones anymore. 

 

Any recommendations u all hv. I m needing new dramas to get over ruyi now..we r so captured by it. Need to detox a bit. Watching some part if general n i. I thought wallace n angelababy look so good together. Both have the same elegance for historical drama. Cant wait for Wallace new drama, jade brocade i think. He plays a marquis n general too.. Story prob closer to story of minglan genre. Love story of minglan too. Both leads have amazing chemistry. Nowadays c drama plays a lot of perfect hubby trope haha... Waiting n waiting for qing luo too... I love the male lead, liu xue yi when i saw him in love n redemption as a villian. Qing luo is first male lead character. 

 

Will definitely revisit ruyi sometimes in the new future. I thought all the episodes are interesting n look beautiful too. Zzh n his xj character will last for a long  long time in my mind haha i call the ruyi poison... Jjy will hv two new dramas soon. One modern with another one of my fav zheng ye cheng.. Actually i wish to see them more in historical drama. Another jjy one is historical w a young male lead. Palace Court drama I think. This time she look grand i think.. But so far her best chemistry is still w zzh. Haizzz... 

Edited November 15, 2020 by SnT

[Yana]

3 minutes ago, SnT said:

Hehe.... C drama costume n historical are so well worth watching. Mostly cinematography, costume,  props are feast to eyes. Cant really watch other dramas like hk ones anymore. 

 

Any recommendations u all hv. I m needing new dramas to get over ruyi now..we r so captured by it. Need to detox a bit. Watching some part if general n i. I thought wallace n angelababy look so good together. Both have the same elegance for historical drama. Cant wait for Wallace new drama, jade brocade i think. He plays a marquis n general too.. Story prob closer to story of minglan genre. Love story of minglan too. Both leads have amazing chemistry. Nowadays c drama plays a lot of perfect hubby trope haha... Waiting n waiting for qing luo too... I love the male lead, liu xue yi when i saw him in love n redemption as a villian. Qing luo is first male lead character. 

 

Will definitely revisit ruyi sometimes in the new future. I thought all the episodes are interesting n look beautiful too. Zzh n his xj character will last for a long  long time in my mind haha i call the ruyi poison... Jjy will hv a new drama soon. One modern with another one of my fav zheng ye cheng.. Actually i wish to see them more in historical drama. Another jjy one is historical. Court drama as well.. But so far her best chemistry is stilk w zzh. Haizzz... 

Probably i will watch promised of chang an. when the drama first came out I just finished love and redemption and by looking at the storyline its too heavy  same with you i need another drama to. I have finished general lady...oh dear..its sugary drama..love them so much!! any suggestion for drama? Btw jjy will come out new costume drama..looks like the ML younger than her. I dont any ML can beat zzh with jjy chemistry..

[gween97]

21 minutes ago, SnT said:

Hehe.... C drama costume n historical are so well worth watching. Mostly cinematography, costume,  props are feast to eyes. Cant really watch other dramas like hk ones anymore. 

 

Any recommendations u all hv. I m needing new dramas to get over ruyi now..we r so captured by it. Need to detox a bit. Watching some part if general n i. I thought wallace n angelababy look so good together. Both have the same elegance for historical drama. Cant wait for Wallace new drama, jade brocade i think. He plays a marquis n general too.. Story prob closer to story of minglan genre. Love story of minglan too. Both leads have amazing chemistry. Nowadays c drama plays a lot of perfect hubby trope haha... Waiting n waiting for qing luo too... I love the male lead, liu xue yi when i saw him in love n redemption as a villian. Qing luo is first male lead character. 

 

Will definitely revisit ruyi sometimes in the new future. I thought all the episodes are interesting n look beautiful too. Zzh n his xj character will last for a long  long time in my mind haha i call the ruyi poison... Jjy will hv a new drama soon. One modern with another one of my fav zheng ye cheng.. Actually i wish to see them more in historical drama. Another jjy one is historical. Court drama as well.. But so far her best chemistry is stilk w zzh. Haizzz... 

right now i watch general lady but still ongoing with sub on youtube

[SnT]

25 minutes ago, Yana said:

Probably i will watch promised of chang an. when the drama first came out I just finished love and redemption and by looking at the storyline its too heavy  same with you i need another drama to. I have finished general lady...oh dear..its sugary drama..love them so much!! any suggestion for drama? Btw jjy will come out new costume drama..looks like the ML younger than her. I dont any ML can beat zzh with jjy chemistry..

General lady is actually a very very easy to watch drama. Not angsty at all.  Nice costume n props, beautiful framing n fighting scene, basically they give audiences what we want in a historical romance story. Tropey but it still works. Definitely not so heartbreaking like ruyi (in ruyi, I still feel wounded by ruyi, even though really only 5 to 6/40 episodes of heartbreaking scenes). General lady has good clear ending. N they hv written some beautiful lines, so poetic especially when ML talked to FL. It was like whoosh, why u can talk like that, u r a general right. I was surprised at the ML ceasar wu acting. He carried off the air of seasoned general well, just slightly young n skinny in my opinion. I think he will hv a lot of characters to do in the future. Only a little annoyed with the FL characters, quite noisy n spoilt. 

Edited November 15, 2020 by SnT

[abs-oluteM]

Before I recap (waiting to use my laptop)    , I do have to say that in spite of the angst of the separation, this second one was somewhat necessary. I just need to rant a little . 
 

Eps 36 & 37 highlighted a fundamental problem that this young couple needed to address which was compromise ( more than trust ) - a necessary ingredient in marriage. And that compromise was a two way street . For me , time & again XJ had made a lot of compromises for their relationship- risking his position, royal ties and life . FR had been fortunate to be on the receiving end of that ,  a lot more than she has been giving . While FR has matured & grown over the episodes, and I don’t doubt her love for XJ - this is the one time I was aggravated by her decision to assume her Master’s position & continue her legacy .I understand there were lives at stake , but in my opinion FR understood very little about the impact the trading of such secrets meant in the greater scheme of things. Yes , Master Ruyi had noble reasons to be peddle such information- to support the orphans but do the means justify the ends though ? Did FR understand the manipulation & scheming that went on behind the scenes ? The intentions may have been pure but the methods weren’t. Is that truly acceptable. She has no experience in palace politics etc, couldn’t she have trusted XJ a little since he had more insights in such matters? 
 

As much as I rant , the story is good though since it is able to provoke such strong emotions from me . I personally don’t mind the angst & conflict as it does give some substance to the story. 

 

Edited November 15, 2020 by abs-oluteM

[gween97]

1 hour ago, SnT said:

General lady is actually a very very easy to watch drama. Not angsty at all.  Nice costume n props, beautiful framing n fighting scene, basically they give audiences what we want in a historical romance story. Tropey but it still works. Definitely not so heartbreaking like ruyi (in ruyi, I still feel wounded by ruyi, even though really only 5 to 6/40 episodes of heartbreaking scenes). General lady has good clear ending. N they hv written some beautiful lines, so poetic especially when ML talked to FL. It was like whoosh, why u can talk like that, u r a general right. I was surprised at the ML ceasar wu acting. He carried off the air of seasoned general well, just slightly young n skinny in my opinion. I think he will hv a lot of characters to do in the future. Only a little annoyed with the FL characters, quite noisy n spoilt. 

Yes the story is light to enjoy, beauty costum and *cough* passion kiss

Can’t believe the blooms at ruyi pavilion is end, honestly I’m craving for more jjy and zzh pair but doesn’t want with the same production team like star48, they just killing the main lead just to push another artist

Zzh already out from yuzheng company to zhaowei company hope jjy will out from her company after her contract end and find a good company that treat her better

[abs-oluteM]

Eps 37 spoiler recaps

As expected, FR is now the head of the Ruyi organisation ( I still feel she is in no position to assume this role ) . She tells all those involve to go into hiding since the Imperial Guards were after them. The kids at the orphanage were also lead to somewhere safer up north. Uncle Yan and Xiao Qi stay back to investigate the Ruyi fire.

 

Meanwhile WBQ accompanies FX to meet the buyer for the village / summer home. Actually this buyer was just acting on behalf of WBQ . Lol he offered a very high price for the house. FX was surprised but happy.  But she does not WBQ was the one who bought it

 

Xiao Qi sneaks into the office of the office of the Criminal Investigation Bureau. He wanted to find the document about the body count at Ruyi fire. He managed to find it but unknown to him Ahn's aide had come & switch the documents. Xu Jia ( Xu Jin's aide ) also came to check .

 

Xiao Qi takes a copy of the document to FR. She was devastated that it only accounted for her father's body and not Zhang Yan's. She thinks XuJin lied to her. Xu Jia also reports to Xu Jin about the document and they are aware that someone is out to get XJ by doing this. Ahn's aide also reports to him that Xiao Qi had come to take the document as they had expected. Ahn was happy that all his scheming is coming together & he thinks this means he will have his Nong -nong in his arms soon ( rolls my eyes here) .

 

FR writes a note to XJ declaring the end of their love ( am sure in Mandarin the play of words would have much better meaning) . Then she gave the note along with the fan & the copper headpiece that XJ had made to the guard at the Xu Residence. She asked the man to pass it to XJ. It was painful to see how devastated XJ was . 

 

Xu Jia at Xu Jin's instructions continues to look for the maid Yuan as she was the key to find out what is going on. As Xu Jia search the markets , he saw FR drunk on the table . Then he saw Ahn in his Farmer disguise take FR with him back to his pavilion . Xu Jia tails them. Ahn put FR on the bed. She was still passed out drunk . He wanted to touch her face but held back as he somewhat felt guilty about her father's death. In his heart he apologised as it was unintended ( rolls my eyes again). 

 

Then he had called Yuan to his place. In a separate room they were having dinner & drinks, and Yuan thanked him for looking after her. FR woke up and walked around looking for Ahn. His aide quickly alerted Ahn. Ahn got out of the room where he was dining with Yuan & closed the door. Yuan was trying to hear what they were saying, and got distracted while pouring the wine . The wine spilt on the table and burnt the wood. She knew she was being poisoned and escaped. Meanwhile Ahn took FR to another part of the garden and they chat. When she went back to her room, Ahn discovers Yuan was missing. Yuan had gone into FR's room and held her at knife point. FR asked her who she worked for before she kills her. But she just apologised to FR and looked like she was going to slit FRs' throat. FR close her eyes. When she reopened Yuan had gone.

 

Yuan managed to escape the pavilion and again bumps into Xu Jia who was spying from outside. She had jumped on him & kicked his back . So he couldn't give chase. Next morning he sees FR leave the place . Then Xu Jia goes back and reports these things to Xu Jin.

 

So the enemy state Xuan Huan has now a new ruler.  This younger King unlike the previous one wishes to build diplomatic ties with Dayu instead of going to war. So they propose a diplomatic marriage. XuanHuan send's the King's brother to head the entourage to propose this. This XuanHuan prince said that his brother had specifically requested for Screechy after hearing about her great beauty and noble manners ( sorry this cracked me up  ) . So the King ( XJ's dad) asked Screechy if it would be alright with her. Well , she was not for it of course as she knew this means she would never see her Xu Wang Ge Ge anymore. But if she didn't , the King said this could mean them going to war with Xuan Huan. She felt kind of bad so she asked for time to consider. 

 

Screechy tried to hang herself but the maids and Consort Shu saved her in time. Shu told her that she should have told the King she can't do this. Screechy asked Shu to help her. She wanted to see XJ one last time. Shu said she will arrange.  What followed really made me laugh so hard. So Screechy was trying to seduce XJ to trap him into marriage. When he came to her room , she was in her bed with her "lingerie" . She tried ...hard...

Spoiler

But guess what XJ did......he told her he will support all her choices except marry her . He says there is only one person in this world that he would marry

 

So anyhow, Screechy agreed to the diplomatic marriage . But she had two conditions . The first was that she takes Zhu Er ( FRs' ex bestie who became Consort Duan's adopted daughter) with her as a companion , and 2ndly she wanted XJ to be the one to lead & send  her marriage entouraage to XuanHuan. The King agreed. 
 

Just a note about Zhu Er. Now that Consort Duan has been banished , Zhu Er's so called princess status has no meaning nor power. She didn't even have servants working for her as she was shown washing her own clothes. Screechy had approached her asking her for help since she knew that Zhu Er is crafty and has good ideas. She then told Zhu Er that she wanted the latter to follow her to XuanHuan.

 

Yuan woke up  & found herself in the Lotus Village house. She had fainted on the street ( from the poison in the wine Ahn had given her) and the man from this Lotus house saved her. Yuan was actually feeling very bad knowing that she had taken many wrong turns & was worried if her Master Ruyi would forgive her in the afterlife.  The man advised her to repent and do the right thing.

 

Meanwhile Ahn meets with the Prince of Xuan Huan in private. So there was some scheming going on with this two. Ahn finds out that the King of Xuan Huan wasn't particularly interested in women & he finds out that this Prince had eyes for his brother's throne. So I think they come to an agreement to help each other out but Ahn wants this Prince to help him get rid of XJ when XJ sends Screechy for her wedding. 

-eps ends-

[40somethingahjumma]

I'm now up to Episode 35 and am really enjoying the final clean up phase. It's clear that the show is trying to differentiate from LoYX not only in terms of divorce talk plays out but also in how the villains are dealt with in various phases. It is a great pity that the show couldn't go into much more detail especially pertaining to Xu Jin's teacher and mentor but I suppose the showrunners made the decision to focus all their storytelling on Ruyi Pavilion and its relationship with the palace. I'm of two minds about Liu Ruyi dragging Fu Rong into the fray especially after specifically saying she didn't want FR to be involved with the princes. But perhaps she also wanted to change the course of Ruyi Pavilion because of all the disastrous things that have inadvertently occurred due to its information brokering. Some things of course were made worse by Xu Ping's meddling.

 

While everyone knows I'm no great fan of Xu Ping and honestly he's an amateur, the fact that he can get away with so much is not about his talents as a some kind of master strategist but about the how degree of trust has been afforded him. Although he hasn't been successful in achieving his goals, he has been successful in concealing himself in other people's schemes because no one in their wildest imagination would see him as a villain. Even Xu Jin who might be a tad jealous of his relationship with FR.  Of course it is a double-edged sword. Borrowing the hands of others to avoid getting your hands dirty means that you are subject to the unpredictability of what others decide to do. You can't guarantee success when your plan relies on unreliable people who don't know that they're being used. They have their own agenda. They can be threatened. They can be bribed. They have limitations and shortcomings. While they can't give you away, there's no inherent loyalty to the cause to ensure that things will happen the way you want. That's why conspiracies are much harder to maintain than people think. In a show like Leverage where the protagonists run game on people, the most fundamental thing is an understanding of human nature and of the mark. The grifters and con-artists at the top of their game understand people better than the average psychologist. Opportunism only works if the there's a highly proficient understanding of human nature. Someone like Xu Ping who has lived a fairly closeted, sheltered existence who doesn't even know his own nephew can't play this game and hope to win.

 

This is why an intelligence network/organization like Ruyi Pavilion exists. Because no matter how brilliant the head, they can't be in all places and at all times. Agents and small time operatives/assets are needed at the local level to pick up on gossip and news.

 

After watching the brilliance, heroism of Xu Jin in Episodes 31 and 32, what I think he needs to learn is that he can't do everything especially when his hands are tied behind his back (in this instance by the emperor). He is forbidden to take an army to the border city. The only thing he can do is protect his mentor's family for as long as possible while providing military intelligence to his brother. I also see that if he puts on his husband's hat, Fu Rong can't be free to do what only she can do. It's been established that she's an inveterate busybody that's protective about everyone she cares about. Whatever he feels about her involvement in potential dangers, they are a team even when they are not. They want the same thing... at the end of the day... to know the truth and to save lives. But ironically as the show demonstrates, they each can do their thing if they don't have to worry about the other getting hurt or getting in the way. It is as it should be because this is a part jianghu part palace drama.

 

That's why I like this show more than some other so-called historical dramas that I've seen in recent times because there is an element of realism that I don't find in other places. I don't watch historical dramas in search of a rom com, I watch them because I expect the stakes to be high and mistakes to be costly.

 

I'm not especially bothered about the divorce talk although it is rather silly at the end of the day because they both know that it's a ruse. They both use it reflexively because they do care and understand what is at stake. That's why she doesn't fight him on it and takes off for home doing her own thing. 

 

 

[SnT]

Can someone explain what is the promise she was talking about at his 'funeral'? She says u did not uphold ur promise. 

[abs-oluteM]

I really liked the last 3 episodes and I have to say I am feeling particularly emotional. I am happy with the way it ended but I don't want the magic to end.  In many ways this drama proved to be a very good watch. The ending was perfect because he divorces her as his concubine and re-marries her as his official wife. 

 

I have more to say and will recap the last 3 episodes. But if you're wondering if you should watch, do go ahead. I liked that all the arcs were closed nicely. If anything I would have wanted to see WBQ and FX get married too since I like their romance a lot. 

 

Perfect ending for one of my favourite pairings. So so glad that they reunited for this show. Would it be too greedy to ask for a third drama together?  I can even watch a 2nd season of this with them becoming King and Queen :D 

 

6 minutes ago, SnT said:

Can someone explain what is the promise she was talking about at his 'funeral'? She says u did not uphold ur promise. 

She found the letter that he had given him after her father's funeral. He had "edited'' it and added some words & turned it into a love letter from him . He promised that if he is alive in this lifetime , he will always find his way back to her.  

That fake funeral scene really made me cry buckets.

 

[SnT]

17 minutes ago, abs-oluteM said:

I really liked the last 3 episodes and I have to say I am feeling particularly emotional. I am happy with the way it ended but I don't want the magic to end.  In many ways this drama proved to be a very good watch. The ending was perfect because he divorces her as his concubine and re-marries her as his official wife. 

 

I have more to say and will recap the last 3 episodes. But if you're wondering if you should watch, do go ahead. I liked that all the arcs were closed nicely. If anything I would have wanted to see WBQ and FX get married too since I like their romance a lot. 

 

Perfect ending for one of my favourite pairings. So so glad that they reunited for this show. Would it be too greedy to ask for a third drama together?  I

 

 

She found the letter that he had given him after her father's funeral. He had "edited'' it and added some words & turned it into a love letter from him . He promised that if he is alive in this lifetime , he will always find his way back to her.  

 

That fake funeral scene really made me cry buckets.

 

Ic i thought they make some promise somewhere that i missed. But i thought it was referred to his promise in earlier episode 18 of this lifetime, we will not be separated. Guess it is everything because he always promised her 2 things 1. To not be separated 2. To onky marry her. 

 

I love the drama but i still feel disturbed that live burial idea n the look of her laying peacefully in the coffin with all his items. Omg... Honestly that is the hardest scene for me. It feels dark, creepy, painful n heaetwrenching all in. Next hardest scene was the funeral passing the house.... Sis n lanxiang was so hard to watch. N if they do it in ep 39 n give us a full sunny ep 40 i would better comforted in a way. The new wedding was gorgeous n that final scenes are beautiful. Yes i do want to see wbq n fx wedding. But we hv devoted ep 34 35, 39 to them already. In fact there were quite a lot of them in the last 6 episode. So i want my full episode for main lead. Too greedy i suppose. 

Edited November 15, 2020 by SnT

[abs-oluteM]

56 minutes ago, SnT said:

So i want my full episode for main lead. Too greedy i suppose. 

Get what you mean. I would not mind an extra episode of them happy raising their children. In fact this show was slated for 48 episodes , so I wonder if there are any deleted scenes of them.

 

Any of you got news about the modern scenes? I honestly can't let this pairing go. I just love watching them together. I won't even mind a 3rd drama perhaps?  How often do you find a pairing that has effortless chemistry . There is no need for obvious tropes . Just them sitting together & looking at each other  gives you enough feels :D

[gween97]

39 minutes ago, SnT said:

Ic i thought they make some promise somewhere that i missed. But i thought it was referred to his promise in earlier episode 18 of this lifetime, we will not be separated. Guess it is everything because he always promised her 2 things 1. To not be separated 2. To onky marry her. 

 

I love the drama but i still feel disturbed that live burial idea n the look of her laying peacefully in the coffin with all his items. Omg... Honestly that is the hardest scene for me. It feels dark, creepy, painful n heaetwrenching all in. Next hardest scene was the funeral passing the house.... Sis n lanxiang was so hard to watch. N if they do it in ep 39 n give us a full sunny ep 40 i would better comforted in a way. The new wedding was gorgeous n that final scenes are beautiful. Yes i do want to see wbq n fx wedding. But we hv devoted ep 34 35, 39 to them already. In fact there were quite a lot of them in the last 6 episode. So i want my full episode for main lead. Too greedy i suppose. 

At least just give us like oh my sweet liar or renascence

34 minutes ago, abs-oluteM said:

How often do you find a pairing that has effortless chemistry . There is no need for obvious tropes . Just them sitting together & looking at each other makes gives you enough feels :D

Agree! Seeing them sit together and hug like that is really somthing, i love the ending scene, it calm and beautiful

[40somethingahjumma]

I'm done! For now.

 

Ouch... Episode 36 was really painful to watch. One thing after another and it seemed almost like a reload of the first wedding night and what ensued. Prince An managed to completely undermine the trust that had been painstakingly built in one fell swoop. Should FR have kept faith with Xu Jin? Possibly. But then I think, he didn't try very hard to explain himself either. It seemed he had an impending sense of doom and presumably he used their falling out as a way of keeping her at bay for her own protection. I suppose the show wants to say that push comes to shove, old habits die hard. 

 

Now that I've come to the end of the drama I don't know how I feel about Xu Ping.  The resurfacing of his supposedly dead mother at the 11th hour renders everything he did completely meaningless. I know I shouldn't have but I burst out laughing at the utter ridiculousness of it all. His rationale for revenge was rather weak to begin with but now that all is revealed, it makes him the biggest laughingstock of all. Truly. When I consider all the resources he poured into his big revenge plan against XJ because he believed the latter was responsible for Mother's death and then compare how easily the people at Ruyi Pavilion found Consort Wen after a short period of legwork... the joke is all on him. 

 

I am not convinced that XP really loved FR. What he loved was his memories of her younger self. Ironically in believing that he was setting her free, all that he ended up doing was hurting her and giving her grief. In his defence he seem to labour under the impression that she was unhappy in her marriage perhaps her secret visits to his place and XJ spurts of jealous intrusion led him to believe all that. When I called him The Phantom of the Opera it wasn't just about the mask. He was a man obsessed that carefree mischievous little girl. But that was never her. As long as she had the premonitions, she wasn't carefree. Plus her entanglements with XJ very early on ensured that she would always be involved with matters related to him.

 

So XP's role in all of this isn't that he's a master criminal but that through his machinations, he brings the leads closer together.

 

My own view at the end of this journey is that this show at its core is about changing one's fate. That's certainly what I understood from the closing scene. XJ and FR were always meant to be together as husband and wife in some fashion. That is fixed. But what's not fixed, according to the drama, are the circumstances in which they marry. Does she assent willingly? Is she in love with him when they marry? Is she the primary consort? Does he die not long after they marry? Does she end up being buried with him? Apparently marriage is inevitable... that's a fixed event but falling in love might not be. So what the show does is to throw in the unpredictability outcomes of falling in love? What consequences are there when two people in that context fall in love and marry... with the knowledge that they might not have long to live and/or with each other? This is the problem that needs to be solved. He is a prince... and while she isn't a noble, her father's a public official. So how do they navigate the rules of a marriage based on love keeping in mind the premonitions and the dangers/demands inherent in his position?

 

Therefore in a real enough way, the villains don't matter hugely in the bigger picture which is why they're largely relegated to the periphery. Ultimately the problem is really about XJ and FR. It may or may not be about trust but their own perception of how much agency they have in course correcting or changing events for a better result as well as disappointment when nothing has changed. Actions have consequences. Inaction have consequences too.

 

I think the show would certainly have benefitted from another one or two episodes because it was obvious that they were trying to stuff a lot in those final few episodes jumping from one character to the next in the final arc. On hindsight I can see where some of those extra 8 episodes could have gone. To some degree I'm glad they gave Screechy her happy ending because aside from being a noisy spoilt brat she was largely harmless. At the end of the day she let go and moved on. And perhaps too that she will finally learn that it is better to be with a man who actually likes you for who you are than demanding that you be loved by a man who is in love with someone else.

 

It's disappointing that Ju Jingyi has the heebie jeebies about romantic scenes because a kiss (at the very least) was certainly called for during the dong fang sequence.  ;) It's the least they could do for putting us through those harrowing events from Episodes 36-40. :D

 

Okay... I'm sleepy and it's way past my bedtime. Will write more in the morning.

 

 

[SnT]

@abs-oluteM @gween97 yes i think there should be enough material for a 20 min epilogue right.... I really really want that. Like a proper closure. I badly want a kid trope because of the son elevate mother's status they hv been talking and talking about since yunxi. All the leads spending time together even visit screechy. She is lucky to get a handsome king haha.

 

You r so right about their chemistry. Yes they just hv to look at eavh other. Thats why the last few scenes they don really talk.. It oozes love so beautiful n their chemistry is like deep love, not attraction, passion but love. 

 

[UnniSara]

2 minutes ago, SnT said:

You r so right about their chemistry. Yes they just hv to look at eavh other. Thats why the last few scenes they don really talk.. It oozes love so beautiful n their chemistry is like deep love, not attraction, passion but love. 

So true @SnT their chemistry is off the chart. When characters don't need to say a thing and just look at each other is all about talent.

[gween97]

Their chemistry is no joke @SnT @UnniSara hope iqiyi will give them next project as a couple