#character: yue zhi

[romchat]

In Blossom visual analysis (ep. 1-7): How to film a gothic romance

Although I'm not completely convinced about some of the writing choices of In Blossom, I absolutely LOVE the show's production design and cinematography. @mademoiselle-red wrote a great post about how main character Pan Yue fits the gothic romantic lead archetype, and those gothic elements are not only present in the script but also in the show's visual storytelling.

Lighting

A key element of gothic romance is its atmosphere of mystery and suspense.

Something I really like about In Blossom is that despite its dark subject matter, many of its scenes take place during the day. One of the show's main themes is that appearances can be misleading and the cinematography often plays with that notion by linking light to deception and darkness to truth. Note how many of the emotionally honest beats of Yang Caiwei and Pan Yue's relationship happen at night (e.g., their couple escapades at the Li Residence, Ghost Market, and Life and Death gambling house) while fakery, corruption, and evildoing happen in the day. It's with this subversion of our expectations for light that the show creates an unsettling atmosphere.

And these lighting choices also help set up Pan Yue as a classic gothic romance anti-hero, someone the female lead, Yang Caiwei, fears but still finds herself drawn to.

Look at how Pan Yue is lit when shot through Yang Caiwei's subjective point of view. The strong use of light creates a lot of contrast--through her eyes, he is a mixture of light and dark, his morality as inscrutable as his shadowy figure.

Camera Angles and Shot Sizes

The show's use of low angles and close-ups further reinforces the idea that Pan Yue is unpredictable and even dangerous.

In cinematography, low-angle shots tend to make the subject look more powerful and menacing, and the show uses this technique to great effect.

Even in the intimacy of close-up shots, we can sense the threat emanating from Pan Yue. He’s always shot just a smidgeon too close for comfort.

For example, look at how much Liu Xueyi's face fills the frame in an early "romantic" scene. The shot feels almost claustrophobic as if he's so single-minded about his goals that he has no choice but to dominate the frame (and Yang Caiwei). It's an unnerving moment despite the soft words coming out of his mouth.

Side Note: I live for Pan Yue's (vampiric) long shots. The production design team was smart for dressing the character in dark clothes with such a sleek cut and drape--he looks like a sexy bat.

The Nosferatu references in Yang Caiwei's tomb are also perfect.

Composition and Framing

And finally, like any good gothic romance, In Blossom illustrates how love can drive one to despair and even madness.

Because of this, my FAVORITE scene of the show has to be the introduction of Shangguan Zhi. Her obsessive pursuit of beauty in hopes of seducing Pan Yue has left her a shell of a human being, and the scene's composition perfectly encapsulates this with how it focuses on the elegant lines of her body--not her face or personhood.

Shangguan Zhi is trapped by her delusional fantasy of a life with Pan Yue--see how she's boxed in by the vertical lines of the screen panel she admires--and the show regularly uses architectural lines to show how her desperation has trapped Yang Caiwei as well.

#in blossom #花间令 #cdrama #meta #cinematography #liu xueyi #ju jingyi

[sarah-yyy]

Sarah jie jie, In Blossom rec or no?

this is a real tough question to answer hooooo boy where do i start??

i mean, for starters, the premise of the show is actually really fun, and i like it a lot so far!! let's talk a little about this:

(spoilers for the first 2 eps in its entirety which covers the background/setup of the story)

this is yang caiwei. her dad was a minister who was framed for one thing or another, demoted, and subsequently murdered. she was disfigured in the process, and ended up in the city of heyang where she grew up to be a corpse bearer training under a coroner.

yang caiwei has been betrothed since she was a little girl to:

pan yue. this boy is the son of a concubine so his relationship with his dad is very meh. when yang caiwei's family got into trouble, pan yue's dad quickly cut off all ties with them. this led to yang caiwei being turned away at the door p harshly when she came to pan yue for help. pan yue himself though has loved her since he was a boy, and has been looking for her for 10 years!!

ANYWAY these two find each other. he wants to marry her. ofc he does!! she's his 白月光, and he wants to love and protect her!! he's disowned his family so that he can do this, he is ALL IN BABY. he's only found her again for all of 10 minutes and he's already planning their wedding in his head lbr.

she is calm and composed and v sensible because of the way she had to grow up. this whole thing seems too good to be true, and also she might be harbouring some ~feelings over the way he just cut her out of his life when she needed him the most. the yang caiwei she is now just wants to live her life as normal.

the chemistry is 😘 at this point, and i am so invested in their relationship. at this stage, i was still thinking she was the second female lead and was like. huh. this is going to be one of those shows where i'd ship these two more than the official couple i guess??

anyway enter:

shangguan zhi. sister of pan yue's best friend, who is obsessed with pan yue, putting it mildly. she also has this ~thing about her own physical appearance - essentially, she thinks she needs to look and act perfect to be worthy of pan yue's love. this involves a lot of witch doctors and v unhealthy dieting and scrolls on how to smile the perfect way and walk the perfect way. y'all get the gist.

shangguan zhi hears that pan yue is getting married (to someone ugly at that!!!) and loses her shit. she decides the way around this so she can be with her yue-gege forever is-

(you guessed it!!)

-body-swapping with yang caiwei, and pushing yang caiwei (and also the shaman who actually helped her with the swap) off a cliff so that nobody ever finds out.

to her credit, it actually works!! she swaps bodies with yang caiwei, and marries pan yue.

what she didn't account for was being murdered on her wedding day.

ANYWAY. the actual yang caiwei, now in shangguan zhi's body (😭), survives the fall from the cliff, rushes to the wedding with the intent on stopping the wedding and getting her goddamn body back, and reaches just in time to kinda sorta witness shangguan zhi's murder.

cue her thinking that it was pan yue who killed shangguan zhi (she knew the whole wedding thing was too good to be true) and pan yue thinking that shangguan zhi had something to do with yang caiwei's death (after all, she was obsessed with him and had a whole fit over him wanting to marry someone else).

everything about this premise was *chef's kiss*. give me a bucket of popcorn and some comfy pillows, i can watch this all day.

EXCEPT.

except my dudes shangguan zhi (and subsequently yang caiwei-in-shangguan-zhi's body, let's call her shangguan caiwei for now) is played by ju jingyi. 😞 zhhz played yang caiwei TOO WELL my friends, so that when jjy took over, shangguan caiwei felt like a whole different character. it's a bit difficult to reconcile yang caiwei and shangguan caiwei tbh, which made watching the third ep onwards a bit jarring, especially after zhhz set the character up so well.

it's not like......fatal to the show. i mean. i went in expecting nothing from jjy (rightfully i think 😑) and i wouldn't say i am disappointed by it just because i was prepared to be ehhhh about her going in. i'm still watching the show mainly because i like the plot and also, and this is a big factor that i truly cannot stress enough:

liu xueyi looks so good in this show hoooooo boy

look at this!!! is this a face i would suffer 30+ episodes of jjy for??? apparently it is!!

tl;dr: love lxy + like the plot + dislike jjy = still watching and will likely finish the show. is it a rec?? conservatively, i'd say soft yes??? i mean. a huge part of me watching this show is because i'm entertained by the shenanigans, 😍 over lxy, and daydreaming about an alternate universe of the show where we have zhhz instead of jjy as the female lead. it's not something to watch seriously though!!

#tv rec #in blossom #cdrama #sarah watches tv #tldr 真的是lxy在carry全场🥺

[baoshan-sanren]

best cdramas I’ve watched since the last one of these posts in 2023 (and some I’m still looking forward to seeing)

A League of Nobleman (watch on WeTV VIP | watch on AppleTV | watch on Viki | watch on bilibili | watch on YouTube) Adapted from the novel "The Mystery of Zhang Guo" (张公案) by Da Feng Gua Guo (大风刮过) starring Jing BoRan, Song WeiLong, Hong Yao, Guo Cheng and Wang Duo. Definitely gay, but in like a very focused, we-have-a-mystery-to-solve way. Loved the acting and the plot; cannot believe people actually gave Song Weilong shit for his acting in this drama. He was aMAzing. The downside is that the editing grew progressively sloppier as the drama progressed, and although majority of the visuals were very satisfying, I never realized how crappy the quality of the light was until I tried gifing some of the scenes. The upside is Jing BoRan holding kittens. Enough Said. 7/10

The Blood of Youth (watch on Viki | watch on YouTube) Adapted from the novel "Shao Nian Ge Xing" (少年歌行) by Zhou Mu Nan (周木楠) starring Li HongYi, Liu XueYi and Ao RuiPeng. Love this goddamn drama. I adopted the entire cast within the first 3 episodes and then I spent the next 37 terrified that half of them would get killed off. There’s def some major character death in this drama my chickens, so keep that in mind (and not a canonical death either, from what I understand). Anyway, this is my fave genre by far so I’m never really picky, but this drama is exhilarating and gorgeous from beginning to end. Highly recommend. 9/10

New Life Begins (watch on iQIYI | watch on Viki | watch on YouTube) Adapted from the web novel "Qing Chuan Ri Chang" (清穿日常) by Duo Mu Mu Duo (多木木多) starring Bai JingTing and Tian XiWei. Just sweet and fluffy. The plot is easy and devoid of complexities, but very satisfying nonetheless. The acting is definitely on another level. The entire cast has bonkers chemistry, and it’s about time someone made good use of Bai Jingting’s comedy potential. One of the top 5 easy viewing dramas on my rewatch list.  8/10

The Legendary Life of Queen Lau (watch on Viki | watch on YouTube) Adapted from the web novel "Huang Hou Liu Hei Pang" (皇后刘黑胖) by Ge Yang (戈鞅) starring Li JiaQi and Li HongYi. Loved this. Although it doesn’t shy away from difficult subjects, this is basically a comedy from beginning to end. Not gonna lie, I mainly gave this a go for Li Hongyi, but it’s hard to even notice him when Li Jiaqi is in the room. There’s no shame in being overshadowed by superior talent :) 7/10

(yeah, after all this, I rewatched Nirvana In Fire again)

Under the Microscope (watch on Apple TV | watch on Bilibili | watch on iQIYI VIP | watch on Viki) Adapted from the novel "Xian Wei Jing Xia De Da Ming" (显微镜下的大明) by Ma Bo Yong (马伯庸) starring Zhang RuoYun and Wang Yang. Continuously impressed by Zhang RuoYun’s skills. This drama is 90% grit and tension. Drool-worthy visuals. Interesting plot. Sound mixing that gives me a Mo Ran style boner. Make your friends watch it and they will hate you. 9/10

Till The End of The Moon (watch on YouTube | watch on Apple TV | watch on Viki) Adapted from the web novel "Hei Yue Guang Na Wen BE Ju Ben" (黑月光拿稳BE剧本) by Teng Luo Wei Zhi (藤萝为枝). Starring Luo Yunxi and Bai Lu. This was so breathtakingly gorgeous. The chemistry between the actors, the visuals, the special effects, the costumes, everything is stunning in this drama. The romance is by no means original, but still manages to draw you in. Absolutely worth watching at least once. 8/10

Still waiting on:

Immortality - based on danmei novel The Husky and His White Cat Shizun by 肉包不吃肉 starring Chen Feiyu and Luo Yunxi (you can think I’m a clown but you’d be wrong bc I’m a wholeass circus)

Winner Is King - based on the danmei novel Sha Po Lang by Priest starring Tan Jianci and Chen Zheyuan

Step By Step Lotus - based on historical novel Return to Ming Dynasty as Prince by 月关 starring Zhang Binbin and Luo Yunxi

Eternal Faith - based on danmei novel Heaven Official’s Blessing by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu starring Zhai Xiaowen and Zhang Linghe

Joy Of Life Season 2 - based on wuxia novel of the same name by 猫腻 starring Zhang Ruoyun and Li Qin

Story of Kunning Palace - based on the novel 坤宁 by 时镜 starring Bai Lu and Zhang LingHe

Flying Phoenix - based on danmei novel of the same name by 風弄 starring Dai Jingyao and Shu Yaxin

The Story of the Bat - based on danmei novel Bat by Feng Nong starring Mao Zijun and Zhang Yao

The Longest Promise - based on xianxia novel Zhu Yan by 沧月 starring Xiao Zhan, Ren Min, and Zhang Yunlong

Mysterious Lotus Casebook - based on wuxia novel 吉祥纹莲花楼 by Teng Ping 藤萍 starring Cheng Yi and Zeng ShunXi

Follow Your Heart - historical drama starring Song Yi and Luo Yunxi 

The Thirteen-Hongs in Canton - historical drama starring Zhu Yawen and Yu Haoming

White Cat Legend - based on manhua of the same name starring Ding Yuxi and Zhou Qi

#cdrama #cdrama recs #long post #m

[nemainofthewater]

Best Character surnamed: Yue

Come and vote for the best characters with the same surname!*

What does best mean? It's up to you! Whether you love them, are intrigued by their characters, love to hate them, or they're your '2 second blorbos whose personality you made up wholesale', these are all reasons for you to vote for your favs!

*note, the surnames are not exactly the same in all the cases, as often there will be a different character. I am, however, grouping them all together otherwise things got more complicated.

Propaganda is very welcome! If I’ve forgotten anyone, let me know in the notes.

This is part of a larger series of ‘best character with X surname’ polls’. The overview with ongoing polls, winners, and future polls can be found here

#scum villain's self saving system #mistakenly saving the villain #the smiling proud wanderer #sword and fairy #ancient love poetry #hikaru no go #decline #love like the galaxy

[dangermousie]

It's so beautifully shot but also I cannot emphasize enough how refreshing it is to see characters who have conclusions/opinions and then change them when they get new information. It is so rare in dramas!!!

Oh, and Pan "it's only a flesh wound" Yue strikes again. Young man, you got clawed by a wolf and then fought a small army. It's OK to admit you are in 100%.

I really really like this exchange:

Poll time!

#cdrama #poll #in blossom #liu xueyi #ju jingyi

[tytangfei]

now that In Blossom is over...

i'm going to briefly compare ju jingyi's version of yang caiwei versus zheng hehuizi's version (the first actress) to answer the question of 'is ju jingyi's verson in character according to what we know of yang caiwei in the first two episodes and in childhood flashbacks?'

why? because a lot of people have a reluctance to start this drama due to ju jingyi. i get it, she's not everyone's cup of tea. also, she has a harder task in this drama as the actress that plays the second version of female lead, and many think that she didn't step it up.

but i wanted to throw my thoughts out there in case anyone was willing to give her/the drama a chance. does ju jingyi's version feel in character, and thus, tolerable?

yeah, mostly.

zheng hehuizi's version is just, mature, and sensible. but we know from flashbacks that she wasn't just serious all the time; with her friends, she was cheerful and bright. even at the little kids who bullied her in episode 1, she played a prank on them--showcasing a silly sense of humor and ability to shrug off judgements after years of discrimination. the main reason why she was serious in the first two eps was because she was trying to push pan yue away. (and also she was worried about her sick master.)

ju jingyi's version also was pretty much the same. she was just, smart, and wary of pan yue (rightly so). the reason why she acted extra super cheerful was because she was trying to show to pan yue that she, shangguan zhi, had changed. by doing this, she was hoping to draw his eyes away from her so she could investigate. that's why i accepted the fact that ju jingyi's version could be almost too much with the quirky acts; it was initially for a good reason. once she believed in pan yue, her character wasn't so quirky anymore, because she didn't need to be over-the-top about everything. once the quirkyness disappeared, she felt more attuned to the first version we saw.

so, in terms of whether it's in character and coherent, i would say yeah, it feels enough. it's not perfect, but it's just enough to get through (though the last parts of the drama didn't give much to her character...i say more on this near the end.)

the reality is we really didn't get to see much of zheng hehuizi's version so we really don't have that much as a frame of reference. in fact, we barely get flashbacks to when yang caiwei struggled after her parents died, and her learning coroner skills from her master. because of this, i'm forced by the story to just accept that ju jingyi's version is accurate/correct.

which isn't all bad. ju jingyi's version have several shining moments. (one of my fav scenes of her is when she's drunk and confesses she's not "shangguan zhi" but pan yue doesn't believe her, so she stares at pan yue achingly with these wide regretful sad eyes. we know her conflict, we know why she can't tell him the truth yet! it's heartbreaking.)

but what i've noticed, especially toward the end of the drama, is that ju jingyi's version actually doesn't get that much time to show her character's interiority. we don't get to see her, just by herself, thinking and feeling. the most obvious example of this is when she's in jail! and has been tortured!! and we see NOTHING except she's leaning against the wall and ignoring the food and jail guards. no thoughts, no words about her situation or reminiscing about her family or her master or concerns about her friends or pan yue??? she might die, does she not feel regretful that she hasn't brought justice to her family???? she just silently endures. that might be a testament to her strength of character, but as a viewer, i'm scratching my head. i'm not that compelled by her just sitting there. i need her to say or do something.

now, with the drama all wrapped up, i can definitely say that pan yue has so much more growth and growing than yang caiwei. even his relationship with his father gets a little redemption arc. pan yue becomes the biggest main character. yang caiwei, on the other hand, kind of stops growing once she and pan yue gets together.

whether it's by writing or her own acting or editing, yang caiwei ultimately is an underutilized character. we could've seen more of her character's growth to perhaps appreciate ju jingyi's version more. but we didn't get that, for better or for worse. i liked both versions of yang caiwei in the end. just wanted a bit more for her.

#in blossom #shangguan zhi #yang caiwei #ju jingyi #zheng hehuizi #not sure if this made any sense but like it's writing it's editing it's acting #it's all these things combined to make her version decent but not perfect... #jina watches cdramas

[xiaolanhua]

So here are my thoughts about In Blossom!

This post may have some spoilers!

I finished watching it yesterday and decided to make a post about my opinions while the drama is still fresh in my mind.

So, the drama made me interested from beginning till the end and overall it's great! It's nothing really revolutionary in terms of plot/story (historical dramas tend to have some similar stories) but it delivered what was promised: mystery, romance, investigation, a bit of thriller with amazing shots and gorgeous costumes!

About the leads:

Liu Xue Yi as the male lead really raised the level of this drama. His performance was one of my favorite things while watching it and i'm so grateful to whoever casted him as the lead because he deserves it (enough with playing the bad guy who never gets his happy ending or the girl 🥲).

At first, I was a little bit concerned about watching because I wasn't a fan of Ju Jing Yi's acting from the dramas I've watched with her but after finishing this one I think she made a solid performance (it's not the best one but definitely her best one yet) and it didn't compromised the drama at all. I've seeing a bunch of not so nice comments towards her specially because people were not happy with the actress "swapping" and although I think the "original" Yang Cai Wei did a great job I'm still satisfied with how things turned out and I like both "Cai Wei".

About the main couple:

For me, it's really poetic how Pan Yue loved Cai Wei since childhood, got to reunite with her after 10 years from being apart of each other, to think he finally married her and then "she" dies on the eve of the wedding, and how he goes insane about her death that get white strokes on his hair and goes on a mission to know who is behind her murder WHILE Cai Wei it's alive by his side but with the face of someone he despises (Shangguan Zhi) and when they start to work together on the cases, they begin to be close to each other and he hates himself for developing feelings for Shangguan Zhi thinking he's betraying Cai Wei's memory. It get's even better because he's falling in love again as she's behaving like the Cai Wei he knows so he get's even more confused and watching all of this was a delight!

They had chemistry, their scenes were fun, interesting, tender and sometimes even hot so it's a win for me actually.

About the second couple (SPOILER!!!!):

Their interactions were pretty cute and they had chemistry but it's a shame what happened to them, specially with Lan Jiang (he deserved better). I always felt that they were a "doomed" couple and I'm sad that I was right about it, my heart hurts for them both as the characters themselves and the ship that didn't sail.

About the cases and the story:

Another thing i liked about this drama is how the cases were introduced, they were directly or indirectly related to the main "mystery" and every case were solved so they didn't left any loose ends. Some dramas of this genre tend to abruptly solve the cases and they end up not adding much to the narrative so I'm glad this were not the case here.

The pacing of the drama was pretty good but I do feel like the last two episodes were a bit rushed. We can't have it all, can't we?

The ending was good as expected (not for some characters I would say) but still good. SPOILER!!! I liked that the cliffhanger did not affected the characters so it could have a second season if the producers wanted but it's not necessarily needed (My Journey to You can't relate).

Overall, it was a pleasant watch so I rate 8.9 out of 10. It's not perfect but I would totally recommend!

#in blossom #in blossom spoilers #cdrama #drama review #aurora says #花间令

[luminouslumity]

Here's the backstory of the Pilgrims in accordance to the novel. Because at this point, I might as well!

SŪN WÙKŌNG (孫悟空)

The monkey, the myth, the legend himself!

On the continent of East Pūrvavideha in the country of Àolái (傲來) atop Huāguǒshān (花果山)—Flower-Fruit Mountain—there lived monkey who hatched from stone, and being the only one in his troop to be brave (or impulsive) enough to rush through the local waterfall—what would become Shuǐlián Dòng (水帘洞), or Water-Curtain Cave—he's subsequently made the Hóuwáng (猴王), or Monkey King.

Years later, due to having an existential crises, he decides to go find the secret to immortality and eventually encounters an immortal named Pútí Zǔshī (菩提祖师), Patriarch Subodhi, whom Wùkōng would train under for ten years. Under his tutelage, the Monkey King received lessons on—among other things—human language and etiquette, calligraphy, philosophy, and magic. It was also Subodhi who gave Wùkōng his name, giving the following explanation:

"Though your features are not the most attractive, you do resemble a pignolia-eating monkey (husun). This gives me the idea of taking a surname for you from your appearance. I intended to call you by the name Hu. If I drop the animal radical from this word, what’s left is a compound made up of the two characters, gu and yue. Gu means aged and yue means female, but an aged female cannot reproduce. Therefore, it is better to give you the surname of Sun. If I drop the animal radical from this word, what we have left is the compound of zi and xi. Zi means a boy and xi means a baby, and that name exactly accords with the fundamental Doctrine of the Baby Boy. So your surname will be Sun."

The Patriarch said, “Within my tradition are twelve characters that have been used to name the pupils according to their divisions. You are one who belongs to the tenth generation."

"Which twelve characters are they?" asked the Monkey King.

The Patriarch replied, "They are: wide (guang), great (da), wise (zhi), intelligence (hui), true (zhen), conforming (ru), nature (xing), sea (hai), sharp (ying), wake-to (wu), complete (yuan), and awakening (jue). Your rank falls precisely on the word 'wake-to' (wu). You will hence be given the religious name ‘Wake-to-the-Void’ (wukong). All right?"

"Splendid! Splendid!" said the Monkey King, laughing. "Henceforth I shall be called Sun Wukong."

Eventually, Subodhi sent Sūn Wùkōng away after the monkey displayed his new transformation powers to his fellow disciples, but not before making him promise to not tell anyone where he had learned his abilities from.

Later, after returning to Flower Fruit Mountain and stopping the demon from further terrorizing their home, Sūn Wùkōng then travels to the East Sea for a weapon. Of course he soon obtains his famous golden staff—Rúyì Jīn Gū Bàng (如意金箍棒)—from Áo Guāng (敖光), but as for the rest of the items, he gets the phoenix-feathered cap—Fèngchìzǐjinguān (鳳翅紫金冠)—from Áo Qīn (敖欽), Dragon of the South, the cloud-stepping shoes—Ǒusībùyúnlǚ (藕絲步雲履)—from Áo Shùn (敖順), Dragon of the North, and the golden chainmail—Suǒ Zi Huángjīn Jiǎ (鎖子黃金甲)—from Áo Rùn, Dragon of the West.

Later, Monkey manages to cheat death itself by scratching out his name as well as those belonging to several other monkeys from one of the ledgers of the dead.

Finally grabbing the attention of the Jade Emperor, Wùkōng gets tasked by Heaven to become their BìMǎWēn (弼馬溫), the overseer of the imperial dragon-horses, in order to keep him out of trouble. And to his credit, he does an excellent job at it; as a result of this position, horses in general end up fearing and respecting him.

But then when Sūn Wùkōng realizes just how low of a position he's actually in, he abandons his post, proclaims himself Qítiān Dàshèng (齐天大圣)—Great Sage Equal to Heaven—and soon enough, he's at war with the entirety of the Celestial Host and later ends up becoming even more immortal than he already was. Long story short, he's soon bested by Buddha and gets trapped under Five Phases Mountain, Wǔhángshān (五行山), for the next five hundred years.

After being freed, he's given the Jīngūquān (金箍圈) to wear on his head to ensure his good behavior.

TÁNG SĀNZÀNG (唐三藏)

Based on a real monk of the same name, Táng Xuánzàng (唐玄奘)—courtesy name Sēng (唐僧)—also called Táng Sānzàng or Tripiṭaka, was born to a man named Chén Guāngruǐ (陳光蕊) and a chief minister's daughter named Yīn Wēnjiāo (殷溫嬌), and even before going on the pilgrimage, this man has never known peace for very long. And neither have his parents.

For starters, in his first life, he was known as Jinchan Zi (金蝉子)—Golden Cicada—the second disciple of Buddha, but was so inattentive towards the lessons that he eventually entered a cycle of reincarnation as punishment; by the time he's born to the Chens, he'd already been through ten previous lives.

And then it gets worse.

Having been made governor of Jiāngzhōu (江州) shortly after the wedding, Chén Guāngruǐ and Yīn Wēnjiāo began to travel to their new home, only for Guāngruǐ to be killed by the boatmen who were supposed to take them there because one of them—Liú Hóng (劉洪)—wanted Wēnjiāo for himself. Fortunately, Guāngruǐ body is found by a yaksha loyal to the local Dragon King of Hóngjiāngkǒu (洪江口), whom Guāngruǐ had previously rescued while said Dragon King had been in the guise of a fish; repaying kindness with kindness, Guāngruǐ's soul was allowed to stay with the king until the time came for it to reunite with his body, which was given a preservative pearl so it wouldn't decay.

Meanwhile, after giving birth to a son, Wēnjiāo sends her baby down the river to save him from being killed by Liú Hóng, having been promised by the celestials that she'd be reunited with her family one day. This son is then found by Monk Fǎmíng (法明) of Jīnshān Temple (金山寺) and given the nickname Jiāng Liú (江流), River Float, as well as the religious name Xuánzàng, and after eighteen years of being oblivious to his true identity, he finally reunites with his mother and grandparents, gets Liú Hóng arrested, and then reunites with his father afterwards.

Anastasia AU, anyone?

Anyway, he's later selected to go on a journey to India, called Tiānzhú (天竺), to retrieve a set of Buddhist scriptures, becomes sworn brothers with Emperor Tàizōng (唐太宗) himself before leaving, and then eventually meets a certain mystic monkey who's been trapped under a mountain for five hundred years.

ÁO LIÈ (敖烈)

Known as the Third Jade Dragon Prince and the White Dragon Horse, the son of Áo Rùn is never actually given a name in the original novel, but Liè is the most common in adaptations, and that's when he's given a name at all. But no matter what, his story remains more or less the same throughout—due to inadvertently setting his father's pearls and palace on fire, Áo Rùn reported him to the Jade Emperor, who sentenced him to be executed, but not before having Ao Liè lashed three hundred times first.

But of course, Liè was ultimately saved by Guānyīn a few days before he was set to be executed and was then tasked by her to carry Táng Sānzàng to the West before having his horns and scales taken off, only to regain them at the end of the journey. Being the second of the group Táng Sānzàng would meet, the encounter happens due to Liè eating the monk's original horse and a fight with Sun Wukong ensues until the matter gets resolved with Guānyīn's help.

Technically, he's never counted as an official disciple in the original book and neither Zhū Bājiè and Sha Wujing even realize Liè isn't a regular horse until two months after joining the group.

Other than that, Liè doesn't really do much as far as the original book is concerned, save for two instances. One is sometime after Sun Wukong had been banished the first time and everyone else in the group had been indisposed in some way by Huáng Páo Guài (黃袍怪), Yellow Robe Demon.

Everyone, that is, except for Áo Liè!

In order to save Sānzàng from this latest threat, he disguises himself as a palace maiden, tries to stab the demon while performing a sword dance and... loses. To the point of getting his leg injured.

It's okay, he did his best.

So Zhū Bājiè soon finds him hiding out, and after the pig demon attempts to quit the journey altogether, Áo Liè proceeds to give him one hell of a call out while also showing just how much faith he has in Sūn Wùkōng.

Once again, to quote the Anthony Yu translation (side note for those unfamiliar with Yu, Bājiè's name is given a literal translation, hence Eight Rules):

Idiot mounted the clouds quickly and went back to the city; in a little while, he reached the post-house. The moon was bright and people had become quiet at this time, but he searched the corridors in vain to find any trace of his master. All he saw was the white horse lying there: his whole body was soaked and on one of his hind legs was the mark of a bruise about the size of a pan. "This is doubly unfortunate!" said Eight Rules, greatly startled. "This loser hasn’t traveled. Why is he sweating like that, and with a bruise on his leg? It must be that some evil men have robbed our master, wounding the horse in the process."

The white horse recognized that it was Eight Rules; assuming human speech suddenly, he called out: "Elder Brother!" Idiot was so shaken that he fell on the ground. Pulling himself up, he was about to dash outside when the white horse caught hold of the monk’s robe by his teeth, saying again, "Elder Brother, don’t be afraid of me."

Idiot was so shaken that he fell on the ground. Pulling himself up, he was about to dash outside when the white horse caught hold of the monk’s robe by his teeth, saying again, "Elder Brother, don’t be afraid of me."

"Brother,' said Eight Rules, still shaking, "why are you talking today? When you talk like that, it has to mean that some great misfortune is about to befall us."

The little dragon said, "Did you know that Master had landed in a terrible ordeal?"

"No, I didn’t," said Eight Rules.

The little dragon said, "Of course, you didn't! You and Sha Monk were flaunting your abilities before the king, thinking that you could capture the demon and be rewarded for your merit. You didn't expect that the demon was so powerful and you were the ones no doubt who were beaten. At least one of you could have returned to give us the news, but there was not one word from either of you. That monster-spirit had changed himself into a handsome scholar and broken into the court to present himself to the king as an imperial relative. Our master was changed by him into a ferocious striped tiger, who was then taken captive by the officials and locked up in an iron cage in one of the palace chambers. When I heard how Master suffered, my heart felt as if it had been stabbed by a sword. But you were gone for nearly two days, and I was afraid that any further delay might mean that Master would be killed. So I had no choice but to change back into my dragon body to go and try to rescue him. When I reached the court, I couldn't find Master, but I met the monster in the Silver Peace Palace. I changed into the form of a palace maid, trying to deceive him. He asked me to do a sword dance, during which I tried to slash him. He escaped my blow and defeated me instead with a candelabrum. I tried desperately to hit him when I threw the sword at him, but he caught it instead and gave me a blow on my hind leg with that candelabrum. I dived into the imperial moat and saved my life; the bruise on my leg was caused by the candelabrum."

When Eight Rules heard these words, he said, "Is that all true?"

"You think I'm deceiving you?" said the little dragon.

Eight Rules asked, "What are we going to do? What are we going to do? Can you move at all?"

"If I can," said the little dragon, "what then?"

"If you can move at all," said Eight Rules, "move into the ocean then. Old Hog will pole the luggage back to the Old Gao Village to pick up my wife again."

When the little dragon heard this, he clamped his mouth onto Eight Rules's shirt and refused to let go. As tears fell from his eyes, he said, "Elder Brother, you mustn't become indolent."

"Why not?" said Eight Rules. "Brother Sha has already been caught by him, and I can't beat him. If we don't scatter now, what are we waiting for?"

The little dragon thought for some time before he spoke again, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Elder Brother, don't mention the word scatter. If you want to save Master, you have to go and ask a person to come here."

"Who is that?" asked Eight Rules.

The little dragon said, "You'd better hurry and mount the clouds to go to the Flower-Fruit Mountain, so that you can invite our Big Brother, Pilgrim Sun, to come back. Most certainly he has dharma power great enough to subdue this fiend and rescue Master, avenging at the same time the shame of our defeat."

"Brother," said Eight Rules, "let me go ask someone else. That monkey and I are not on the best of terms, you know. When he killed that Lady White Bone back there on the White Tiger Ridge, he was mad at me already for wheedling Master into reciting the Tight-Fillet Spell. I was just being frivolous, and I didn’t think that the old priest would really recite it and even banish him. I don't know how he hates me now, and I'm certain also that he won’t come back. Suppose we have a little argument then: that funeral staff of his is pretty heavy, you know. If he doesn't know any better at that moment and gives me a few strokes, you think I'll be able to live?"

The little dragon said, “He won't hit you, because he is a kind and just Monkey King. When you see him, don't say that Master is in peril; just tell him that Master is thinking of him and deceive him into coming. When he gets here and sees what's happening, he will not get mad. He will want most certainly to have it out with the monster-spirit instead. Then the demon will surely be caught and Master will be saved."

"All right, all right!" said Eight Rules. "You are so dedicated. If I don't go, it'll mean that I’m not dedicated. I'll go, and if indeed Pilgrim consents to come, I'll return with him. But if he is unwilling, then don't expect me, because I won't be coming back either."

"Go! Go!" said the little dragon. “He will certainly come."

Clearly the dragon is the true unsung hero of this story.

As for the second instance, long story short, Sūn Wùkōng wanted to make what he ended up calling the Elixer of Black Gold for an ailing king and needed Liè's help—in his horse form—for one of the ingredients.

ZHŪ BĀJIÈ (豬八戒)

Originally holding the Heavenly title of Tiānpéng Yuánshuài (天篷元帅)—Marshall of the Heavenly Reeds—Zhū Wùnéng (猪悟能)—also known as Zhū Gāngliè (猪刚鬛) and Zhū Bājiè, and often given called Idiot, dāizi (呆子), was punished via reincarnation because he'd attempted to seduce the moon goddess Cháng'é (嫦娥), a massive no-no! In certain retellings, such as the 1996 version, this is expanded to him going through many lifetimes of tragic romances. Regardless, his soul eventually passes through the womb of a sow by accident, thus becoming the pig demon we know him as today.

The second of Táng Sānzàng's disciples, Zhū Wùnéng joins the pilgrimage after he kidnaps and marries a young woman from a wealthy family in Gāolǎozhuāng (高老莊) named Gāo Cuìlán (高翠蘭). Disguising himself as Cuìlán, Sūn Wùkōng eventually defeats Wùnéng in battle and he becomes a disciple afterwards, earning the name Bājiè (referring to the first eight of the ten Buddhist commandments) in the process.

Glutenous and selfish, Zhū Bājiè is often at odds with Sūn Wùkōng and also tries to find reasons to quit the pilgrimage on more than one occasion. His weapon is known as jiǔchǐdīngpá (九齒釘耙), the Nine-Toothed Rake.

SHĀ WÙJÌNG (沙悟淨)

And last but not least, Shā Wùjìng! Once Juǎnlián Dàjiàng (捲簾大將), or Curtain-Raising General, in Heaven, Wùjìng was banished after he carelessly broke a crystal cup during the Festival of Immortal Peaches, and as such, was not only banished to the Mortal Realm as punishment, but was also sent flying swords to stab him every week. Growing desperate, he soon starts to eat any traveler who passes by his territory. Taking mercy upon him, Guānyīn tasks him with also accompanying the Táng Monk on his mission.

Eventually, the other pilgrims encounter Wùjìng, Wùkōng fights him for a bit, and then after that gets resolved, our heroes, having finally assembled, are all ready to carry on with their journey to the West. He also carries a staff.

You all know the rest: they traveled for the fourteen years in total (as opposed to the eighteen years it took the real Táng Xuánzàng), got the scriptures, Sānzàng completely forgot his promise to a turtle to ask Buddha about how much longer it would take for him to regain human form and so the Pilgrims were forced to swim to shore after being thrown overboard (no one ever say that older books can't be hilarious), and then they were all granted titles upon returning home: Táng Sānzàng and Sūn Wùkōng are made Zhāntán Gōngdé Fuó (旃檀功德佛) and Dòu Zhànshèng Fó (鬥戰勝佛), or Buddha of Candana Merit and Buddha Victorious in Strife, respectively, Zhū Bājiè is named Jìngtán Shǐzhě (淨壇使者), or Cleanser of the Altars, Shā Wùjìng becomes Jīnshēn Luóhàn (金身羅漢), or Golden-Bodied Arhat, and Ao Liè gets promoted to Bābùtiān Lóngmǎ (八部天龍馬), or Dragon Horse of the Eight Heavenly Sections.

#journey to the west #jttw #monkie kid #lego monkie kid #lmk #sun wukong #monkey king #tang sanzang #white dragon horse #zhu bajie #sha wujing

[modernvictories]

In Blossom, Episode 13:

I think Episode 12 and 13 are the strongest episodes of the series yet (Episode 12 being superior in my opinion, but only slightly), and the writing considerably tightens in these episodes.

More below the cut. Spoilers included, obviously; proceed at your own risk.

I found myself irrepressibly charmed by the interaction between our second male lead and our first male lead in the beginning, and the insight into Pan Yue's past (the wounds on his heart finally revealed) was appropriately heart-wrenching; the mystery still isn't the best, but the investigative writing in this episode (12) is by far the most impressive of the things shared so far (in no small part due to the fact that they're investigating themselves, and not just interviewing people who coincidentally have the answers they're looking for and then going Eureka! while staring at scrolls or randomly thinking). I think it's no secret that In Blossom doesn't have the tightest writing when it comes to actually being a mystery, so the focus on the character aspects instead makes it a much more compelling story.

Our female lead continues to be the weakest point in the show to me (including her writing): I think her chemistry and compatibility with Pan Yue and Jiang is pleasant and much improved since she first met them, but her writing is inconsistent when it comes to her own character and her interactions with other characters, plus I think the lack of cohesion between how the two actresses portrayed Yang Caiwei doesn't do her any favors either. I'm liking Jiang more than I thought I would, too: his personality is playful, fun, and boyish, and I wonder if he's going to end up as an item with Yang Caiwei's other friend instead? They have very cute interactions and it does seem to be set up that way: I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up as an item.

I previously said I was glad Pan Yue's father didn't look to be an abusive monster (just a bad dad) during a previous episode discussion, but I'll have to take that back now: apparently I was too optimistic about historical fathers with illegitimate sons. My bad! For all I think that it's a tired trope, though, I was hoping for more angst, and it definitely delivered. It's so fascinating that Pan Yue's father doesn't seem to care for Pan Yue's mother or back up Pan Yue when he stood up for her despite his illegitimate birth and instead reprimands him when he refuses to apologize for defending his mother, because you notice that Pan Yue doesn't care about what other people say about him at all: but that temper and violence lashes out whenever people speak badly about people he cares about (like Yang Caiwei).

I also love how Pan Yue's propensity for violence isn't something that he manifested late in life because of Yang Caiwei's death: his method of defending the women he cares about in both past and present is strangling people who speak badly of them with his bare hands.

Again, though, I wish that Yang Caiwei was allowed more complexity: I love Pan Yue grappling with his trauma, his guilt, his suspicion, and his burgeoning feelings of affection towards "Shangguan Zhi" while still grieving, but Yang Caiwei's portrayal is widely inconsistent; she uncovers Pan Yue's grief before she clears him of suspicion (like finding their portrait in his locked box with a key he keeps on him, then saying that he probably did it to fool the public[??]), but once she realizes he's not the killer, she doesn't really think about it afterwards: I expected some more emotional impact from her figuring out he buried her where she wanted because he loved her, or some more grief about her affection for him after she decided not to tell him who she was because she thinks he's in love with the princess, but apart from that initial melancholy, she seems to be giggly, upbeat, and inquisitive around him. I anticipated some shock or emotional response from her: they only reunited for a few days, so she couldn't have known how deep his love ran; but now that she knows he genuinely cared for her, it's just unfortunate that she doesn't figure out the reason for his white hair or have any response to what she found out previously.

Various notes:

I hope Shangguan Zhi and Pan Yue's servants don't become an item; they're cute together, but I'm so tired of the trope where the main characters' second-in-commands/servants get together! It's basically in every drama I've seen.

That moment when Shangguan Zhi almost tells him who she is! And I can't believe that a traumatized, coughing, poisoned(?), still-injured-from-wolves, ill Pan Yue manages to smash a wall with his bare hands, carry Shangguan Zhi out of the dungeons, grieve his dead wife, and flirt with his close friend's sister while laying under the stars: the level of multi-tasking is insane.

The reveal of what the princess actually wants from him was also fascinating: I love that the princess isn't the obsessive female lead type that we're familiar with (see: Shangguan Zhi) but instead has a vested interest in protecting the natural interest.

And when is Pan Yue going to fire that coroner? There doesn't seem to be any point in him being there since he hasn't been able to do his job on multiple occasions.

#in blossom #ciri writes #episode commentary #text #mine #pan yue #yang caiwei #hua jian ling #花间令

[hils79]

Hils Watches In Blossom - Ep 17

I love that Ling'er is just so happy that Shangguan Zhi is no longer abusive to her servants that she's never even questioned the dramatic change in personality. She's happy she can just speak openly now without fear of being beaten for it.

Oh, dude, you done fucked up

He about to beat your ass

So much unrequited pining in this drama, which makes me worry because often these character end up sacrificing their lives for the people they love.

That had better not be foreshadowing

Look at this good boy being brave and using his words

I don't think anyone is surprised by her response, including him, but at least he tried

I love A'Ze. 'Oh, no, our casual horse ride that I requested just happens to have brought us to the home of the girl I like and the girl you like. What a coincidence.' Pan Yue's face is amazing 😂

Dude you work in a prison. Pull yourself together.

Man realises that clerical work done by a woman is actually harder than she makes it look.

Oh, hey, it's the smoke monster from Lost

Oh it's that dude who I know from several other dramas

I love how gossip spreads and gets distorted

So many things

GDI YOU CAN'T END THERE

#hils watches #hils watches in blossom #hils watches cdramas #in blossom #cdrama

[web-novel-polls]

Less Popular Danmei Character Tournament - Round 1 Bracket

Side A

Yan Hao vs. Xiao Chiye

Shen Zechuan vs. Wang Zhi

Gu Mang vs. Yan Zhengming

Side B

Wenren È vs. Song Qingshi

Yin Hanjiang vs. Wu Xi

Li Yu vs. An Zhe

Cui Buqu vs. Helian Ye

Exempt from Round 1: Yue Wuhuan

Side A of the Popular and Less Popular Danmei Character Tournaments will take place on the same day (Thursday, June 8, 2023) around noon CST and will remain open for 1 week.

Side B Polls will open on Tuesday, June 13th, 2023, at noon CST and will remain open for 1 week.

Character Information under the cut (subject to change) - CWs: sex mention, death mention, murder mention, slavery, sexual slavery, rape mention, animal mention, animal death mention, pet death/murder

Side A

Yue Wuhuan from Mistakenly Saving the Villain

A villain saved by the MC who is focused on revenge. The story seems to focuses on trauma recovery from his life as a s*x slave and handles mental health pretty well 

Technically a “yandere” character, but the Novel Updates reviews describe his possessiveness and dark thoughts as byproducts of his trauma that he heals from, realizing that he shouldn’t be thinking of the MC that way and growing

“Our ML’s journey embodies a major theme of MSTV, which is about redemption and rebirth. His tragic past shaped him into a cunning, ruthless, manipulative, and obsessive individual. His past and continuing struggle will make your hearts break. It’s a difficult and painful journey of overcoming past trauma, letting go, and subsequently achieving freedom and happiness.” - blackkoi on NU

Yan Hao from Vicious Male Counterpart Isn’t Competing Anymore

Submission: He’s p cute

Yan Hao was jealous of and competed with his younger brother, who seemed to be loved more by their parents. After he dies, however, he realizes he was a villain meant to contrast his kind younger brother and be slapped by the male protagonist. Once he’s reborn, he decides to ignore his brother entirely

“High IQ, low EQ” - Sugaminny on Novel Updates

Honestly, the story sounds super cute and interesting. Yan Hao seems to be a character “hated by everyone” in his past life who can’t figure out how to be loved but does love others a lot, especially in his second life. Skite on NU describes him as autistic and villainized due to his neurodivergency / attempts to be loved and praised (their review words it better, but it sounds super interesting). 

Xiao Chiye from Qiang Jin Jiu

Submission: Also an absolutely insane character but somehow not as deranged as his husband, shen zechuan, although he comes pretty damn close. i just wanna cause problems by putting them in the same poll 

“VERY cocky and arrogant (sexy of him), but also an extremely talented leader and fighter” - QJJ Carrd

Initially kicks Shen Zechuan, the MC, due to SZC’s father’s treason, but starts to fall in love with him (Enemies → Lovers)

Shen Zechuan from Qiang Jin Jiu

Submission: he just serves absolute cunt and is absolutely insane. like we joke about characters being crazy but shen zechuan is the 1st one where ive paused reading and said outloud oh bitch you are absolutely out of your mind. Give it up for ruthless chronically ill schemers with a sense of loyalty so strong it becomes a fatal flaw and who are also at all times 100% devoted to the ppl they care about

The son of the Prince of Jianxing, who betrays the empire out of cowardice, that must survive when his entire family is to be killed for treason. There’s actually a scene at the beginning of him losing his brother in a battle and (I believe) returning to realize his father has run away

Another of the “chronically ill schemers” type and incredibly ruthless when necessary

Refuses to die or despair; he WILL survive and will turn things around - fate can be damned

Wang Zhi from Fourteenth Year of Chenghua

Submission: Wang Zhi is the emperor's eunuch-assassin who spends the entire book and show crashing the main character's brunches. There's a scene where someone gets confused because they can't fathom why Wang Zhi would show up at someone's house if it's not to murder them. In the series he has a tiny gun. 

Gu Mang from Stains of Filth / Yuwu

Submission: He’s my little guy

He’s the tragic ML who betrayed the MC while also being the biggest fucking clown / the comedic relief

He truly believes he’s a fucking wolf at one point. 

Essentially, Gu Mang was a slave in Murong Lian’s household, which led him to meet the MC, Mo Xi, who is a noble of similar standing to the Murong clan. He eventually becomes the General-in-Chief of the Wangba Army (later renamed to the Northern Frontier Army bc it was a funny name) and fights for the Chonghua Empire. However, since the Wangba Army was made of slaves, not a single of his fellow soldiers were given a proper burial, which - along with other reasons - led to Gu Mang defecting to an enemy nation (that also killed Mo Xi’s father and may or may not be cannibals).  

The story begins when said enemy nation trades Gu Mang back to Chonghua as a prisoner of war with parts of his soul gone, causing him to believe he’s a majestic blue wolf. The summary is a tiny bit misleading, albeit not wrong - “they’ve slept together before” is actually more “they slept together multiple times while Mo Xi, at the very least, is incredibly in love with Gu Mang.”  

Gu Mang’s also pretty funny, even with his memories gone, albeit the inherent tragedy is overwhelming. Idc what “evils” he committed… the Lotus Pavilion thing or whatever was fucked up. The author is so brutal to him, and for what? Funsies? (<--mainly joking, but it’s a SAD story… I’ve cried so many times) 

Anyway, Gu Mang Did Not Deserve This 2023 

Yan Zhengming from Liu Yao: the Revitalization of Fuyao Sect 

Submission: Winner of the award for highest number of times I’ve called a man a “pretty princess” 

Apparently has a fantastic character development into the Sect Leader (I’m not that far), but he’s also just a pretty princess <2

He’s the eldest disciple of Han Muchun / Fuyao Sect who was born into a rich family. He ran away at age seven and became Han Muchun’s first apprentice/disciple. He’s similar to a spoiled young master character, but he doesn’t really bully anyone; he may try to bully/clash with Cheng Qian, but I don’t think he wins (been a while since I started it - he’s like 15, and Cheng Qian is ~9-10 at this point) 

“Strict with others but lenient on himself” → responsible Sect Leader pipeline, More at 10 pm

Side B 

Wenren È from Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

The MC of Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know, Wenren È, finds a book that details the world around him where he’s the second male lead / love interest who dies to protect the Female Lead / protagonist. He is not in love with her, and he can’t imagine dying for her as is; he also doesn’t understand why his subordinate, who supposedly likes her as well, tried to kill her after his death. I think he’s tasked with addressing readers’ concerns with the novel, but there’s also a lot more going on lol

Submission 1: unhinged, no idea what romance is, has a feral dog with rabies for a boyfriend and thinks that boyfriend is super cute. Also, middle aged man. I love middle aged men.

Submission 2: Because Look, he is trying to get two characters to fall in love for Important Plot reasons and a: him and his main Minion have to look up what love is like in the shitty romance novels they're characters in, and then b: decide to make the two characters fall in love through the Cunning Use of Bugs. Also he got a copy of the book he is a character in, found out his fate, and was like I Think The Fuck Not. 

He also has pretty good morals, if not personality. He’s a much better guy than I expected him to be tbh 

Song Qingshi from Mistakenly Saving the Villain

A medical student who chooses to transmigrate into a sad Danmei novel to save the protagonist. He does not save the protagonist - he saves a cannon fodder villain named Yue Wuhuan. 

“Has a lack of understanding of social situations/an odd personality” - past submission (Danmei Tournament)

Very intelligent but dense to love and s*x; book smart; passionate about what he likes

Yin Hanjiang from Devil Venerable Also Wants to Know

Submission 1: He’s my little scrunkly

Submission 2: He’s my evil wife.

Yin Hanjiang is the second-in-command of the current Demon Lord Wenren È and the fourth male lead of Abusive Romance: You are the Unchanging One in My Heart, a novel Wenren È reads. In the novel, Yin Hanjiang blackens and tries to kill the female lead after Wenren È’s death. 

You would think Wenren È would be the craziest mf in this story, but it is, in fact, Yin Hanjiang. In the original novel, he tortured/chased the FL for quite a while to the point of being one of - if not the most - hated villains in the story; he was originally masked and revealed in a completely unseen twist, I believe. 

He was saved by Wenren È as a child and is obsessed with him, although their relationship changes more to friends than boss-subordinate WAY before they get together. 

Wu Xi from Lord Seventh / Qi Ye 

Submission: He is the roundworm in my stomach

Qi Ye tells the story of Prince Jing Beiyuan’s seventh life, which is a repeat of his first life. Wu Xi is the Great Shaman’s Shamanet and the Empire’s captive from Nanjiang who did not appear in Jing Beiyuan’s first life. 

From what I remember, he uses something similar to magic to make a court official become aroused / see a beautiful woman and embarrass himself in front of the entire court. As a child. 

He also has a vast array of dangerous and venomous animals, one of which he gifts to Jing Beiyuan after they become friends. 

Li Yu from Disabled Tyrant’s Pet Palm Fish 

Submission: He’s infuriating and I love him, also helped create equal rights in ancient china

Li Yu transmigrated into a carp tasked with stealing a mute tyrant’s heart (by the system). He does not know how he’s supposed to do this, but the tyrant - Mu Tianchi - is waiting for him to transform into a human, already in love(?) with him.

The reviews on Novel Updates are… mainly unflattering… but he appears to be a naive and sweet character with in a fluffy love story with the ML, Mu Tianchi 

An Zhe from Little Mushroom 

Submission 1: honest to god, he’s just a little mushroom

Submission 1: he’s just a little mushroom

An optimistic mushroom mutated into a human trying to find his stolen spores

“An Zhe is the only person who wholeheartedly believes in Lu Feng [the ML]” - Carrd 

Cui Buqu from Peerless

Submission: He’s mean, he’s disabled and unapologetic about it, he’s a genius and all his braincells escape him when faced with his rival, he’s a secret agent and has no martial arts, he’s deeply in love and will never say so unless pushed, he will liken his rival to his sun and then tell him he’s the most annoying person he’s ever met. He’s a bastard little fox <3 

Helian Yi from Lord Seventh / Qi Ye 

Qi Ye tells the story of Prince Jing Beiyuan’s seventh life, which is a repeat of his first life. All of his first five lives have been tied to Helian Yi - he helped him ascend the throne in their first life, he was an insect crushed by Helian Yi in his second life, he was a beloved dog killed to feed Helian Yi’s family in his third life, he was a neglected jasmine plant in his fourth life, he was a fox skinned by Helian Ye in his fifth life - but in the first and seventh lives, Helian Yi’s the Crown Prince of the Jin Empire while Jing Beiyuan is the Prince Nan’ning (a title; he’s not related to Helian Yi as far as I know). In their seventh life, Helian Yi seems to be treating him very well (from what I’ve read), but he’s not the love interest. 

He’s also in Faraway Wanderers (for, like, one chapter) and technically is Prince Jin in Word of Honor (but they’re pretty much completely different characters). Zhou Zishu is his most trusted aid who formed Heaven’s Window and then left. 

Idk, I haven’t gotten that far in Qi Ye; he sounds like the villain, but he’s really just Sad - Idk if he’s in love with Jing Beiyuan or what, but he’s SAD, okay? From what I can tell, he cares for Jing Beiyuan but can’t be with him because of his position as Crown Prince, but don’t quote me on that

“In that instant, Helian Yi suddenly wanted to take him into his arms, suddenly wanted to wholly throw out and disregard the home, nation, and world that weighed down on his mind and body, no longer brooding on and wishing for a liaison he didn’t dare to have. He wanted to say, from now on, come earthly blades of wind and swords of frost, I will do everything I can to block them or you. There is only one person in this life and this world for me, even without this extensive, partially mountainous, mostly oceanic king’s land.” - Source 

Feel free to submit propaganda in the notes or in my ask box!

#less popular danmei character tournament #danmei character tournament #I tried to be as detailed as possible but some of the submissions really said all that I thought needed to be said lol #also my memory is SUPER bad so stories that I read a long time ago & don't have my notes for got the short end of the stick #mistakenly saving the villain #vicious male counterpart isn't competing anymore #<-definitely wanna read that one. that one NU reviewer who described the MC as autistic REALLY upped the property value #qiang jin jiu #fourteenth year of chenghua #stains of filth #yuwu #liu yao #liu yao the revialization of fuyao sect #devil venerable also wants to know #dvawtk #lord seventh #qi ye #disabled tyrant's pet palm fish #little mushroom #peerless #wushuang #brackets #danmei character polls round 1 side a #danmei character polls round 1 side B

[fandomside]

Nirvana in Fire Rewatch Episode Nineteen

Events:

Meng Zhi visits Jingyan, gives him a fright by casually opening the secret passage, and pledges his support in the battle for the throne. He does not outright state that he's working with MCS but he hints it very strongly. They discuss the Chiyan case.

The Emperor stays overnight with Jing-pin and they talk about Jingyan and about Prince Yu. In the morning she gets promoted to fei.

Nihuang is sent back to Yunnan for military reasons. Mu Qing is kept in the capital as a hostage. MCS and Nihuang get upset over parting.

Gong Yu makes an attack on Xie Yu, gets wounded, and takes refuge with Banruo. This is all according to plan.

Yuwen Xuan, Prince Ling of Southern Chu, picks a fight with Mu Qing as everyone's saying goodbye to Nihaung.

Banruo and Prince Yu discuss Liyang's affair with the Chu prince. The Empress told Prince Yu she doesn't know why Liyang married Xie Yu.

Yuwen Nian, the Chu princess, spars with Jingrui. It is very portentous.

Names and titles:

Jingyan calls him 'Meng Zhi' instead of 'Meng-da-tongling' while they discuss the Chiyan case.

MCS refers to Mu Qing as xiao-Qing while talking to Nihuang in private.

The Chu princess is called Niannian by her brother, in public.

Characters:

Our first look at how Consort Jing deals with the Emperor.

Banruo and Prince Yu both dismiss Consort Jing's promotion as unimportant.

The excuse for keeping Mu Qing as a hostage is that the Grand Dowager can't bear to part with him, so she must have a grandmotherly relationship to him as well.

Mu Qing's presence in Yunnan is not militarily significant, Nihuang's is. The Chu prince teases him about that - it must be a common occurrence.

MCS tells Nihuang he wishes he was just Lin Shu again.

MCS asks after Gong Yu's injury with some concern.

Meng Zhi claps MCS on the shoulder, and Fei Liu takes offence and they nearly fight over it. This isn't significant, but it's hilarious.

Yue Niuze was number 6 on the Langya list. He recently defeated number five. He has twice fought Master Zhuo, who's number 4, and is thought to be gunning for him again.

Time:

Nihuang has been in the capital about half a year, maybe a bit more. That's regarded as a long visit.

Misc:

There's a tiny moment when the eunuch who's delivering an edict to Prince Yu angles for his favour.

The Southern Chu party doesn't travel or arrive in Jinling with nearly enough pomp - budget issues I guess.

#nirvana in fire #nif #langya bang #lyb

[lenateliier]

How would you describe tai sui to someone who wants to read?

Agh I am so terribly sorry for the late response!! I've been very busy lately ^^" however!!! I can now go on for 50+ hours on why you should read it wahaha

So you want to read Tai Sui 🤨 Bring several boxes of tissues then, you'll need them!! It's an absolutely phenomenal novel that I think everyone should at least try - it's just your classic fun little family friendly xianxia that definitely won't grab you by the throat and wring you dry of everything you've ever felt 😉

For the absolute basics, Tai Sui is 247 chapters + 7 extras long, and it's a steampunk xianxia + historical fantasy. What's even better is that it has a lovely coherent completed translation done by E.Danglers!! It does not have a character pairing but PLEASE do not let the fact that it isn't a danmei dissaude you from reading!!! Tai Sui is such a rich and beautifully written novel for so many different aspects it's just so!!! *clenches fist*

As you may expect from it being a work by Priest, it's a deconstruction/breakdown of the xianxia genre with astoundingly intricate world building, detailing just what effect cultivation really has on the environment and the people who live there. It feels so incredibly weighty in the sense that it's so lived in, so very tangible..... One of my favourite things about it is that it showcases so much of the tragedy of the average person; the result of cultivation being so prominent and exclusive of the general public, the class divides it creates....and it does so through characters that aren't even named, while still making it sting! There's a handful of scenes like this I can think of off the top of my head but I wouldn't want to spoil them wahaha, so here's a screenshot of my reading thread mentioning it!

Another thing it does that I adore about Tai Sui is how it toys with the concept of what makes a deity/god. Think TGCF, but where TGCF came the the conclusion that gods are just the same as humans and left it at that, Tai Sui dissects that even further from various angles. What makes a god? Why do they hold that much power? Do they owe anything to the people? Should they? What makes them legitimate? Why can't we question them? Or to quote a scene from chapter 128, “so which are higher, the gods in heaven, or the gods on earth?” It's so incredibly good when contrasted against the MC, Xi Ping, and his situation that you'll see progress in the novel!! I don't want to spoil too much wehehe.

Priest touches on and explores so many different concepts over the course of it too!! To name just a few (courtesy of @/iplepee who made a list of these on twitter) there's environmental injustice, labour exploitation, resource monopoly, phrenology, the power of language, the power of names!!!!..... WAH I cannot stress it enough how amazing this novel is.... It's so beautifully done.

The characters too are incredibly enjoyable....agh...AGH OUR MC ESPECIALLY oh he has a special place in my heart my xiaobao 😭😭 to name just a few of my favourites it would be Xi Ping, Zhou Ying, Zhi Xiu, Xi Yue, Wei Chengxiang, Yu Chang, Zhao Qindan, Lin Chi, Wen Fei.....wahhhh so many...but honestly there are so many great characters and all I can do is clutch my chest at them,,, the relations between them, their interactions, what they mean to each other, how those ties affect their actions — it's so amazing and compelling. I've hinted at it in the prior little paragraphs but more than anything Tai Sui can be considered a story of the people, really.

Xi Ping especially is such a wonderful character and I really do think that out of all the Priest mcs, he is perhaps the most tragic one — not that you would know it until you think about it for a while longer :') Xi Ping does this wonderful little trick of fooling you into thinking everything is fine and good and great. I think one of the things that Tai Sui fans debate over a lot is whether it would have been more painful to see Xi Ping cry, or whether the fact that we never do see him just. Give himself a moment to breathe and feel that is the most painful......He comes close to it in one particular chapter, and those who have read it know exactly which one I'm talking about 😚😚

If you have ever read any of Priest's novels before, then in classic Priest fashion she will tear you apart and glue you back together only to maul you even worse than before. And it's such a great experience!!! You're in tears and you sit there gratefully. When I say Tai Sui changed my brain chemistry on a fundamental level I mean it... I have never been the same person since. The Tai Sui fandom on twitter, best described, is just a bunch of sadomasochists 😭😭👍

I'll stop here because I really could go on forever, but if you need any further reason to start this novel, please just take a look at some of these (not spoilery, don't worry!!!!) posts from my reading thread;

PLEASE READ TAI SUI!!! PLEASE READ IT!!!!!!! WAHHHHH HA HAAAA this novel means so much to me!!!

#lena's inbox #WAHAHAHAHA please do forgive me the length of this.. #this was me trying to be concise if you'll believe me #ANYWAY PLEASE READ TAI SUI #READ IT PLEASE I BEG YOU #tai sui #priest tai sui #priest太岁

[redwolf17]

I love Bel So Much, I can see why you wanted to spend so much time writing her she’s such a fascinating and nuanced character and she gives such an interesting perspective on the world you’ve created!

🥰🥰🥰

Thank you!!! Hilariously, the end result of 20,110 words (!!!!) was still me holding back!

Most of what Olyvar was doing during the initial BOOM! period will be referenced or maybe a brief flashback in Olyvar II, because I realized in the panic and chaos Bel would NOT be paying attention to a dude halfway across the square, or be able to hear much of what he was saying.

Bu’s entire family was supposed to come to the parade and be part of the manhunt, but I realized it was wayyyyyy too many people to keep track of, so they won’t be popping up until Bel II. Here’s the prose I cut, since I can’t use it for their later appearance anyway.

There were his sisters, Feiyan, just turned fourteen, whistling through the gap in her teeth and hanging off Bu's arm, and pretty Changxu, five-and-twenty, her belly swollen with her first child. Her husband Pate the butcher took her by the hand, smirking whilst Hubard scowled. Whether Hubard had bedded Changxu before or after she wed, Bel would never know, but she did know that Pate had once chased Hubard all the way down the Street of Silk while waving Zhi's largest rolling pin. Unluckily for Pate, Hubard ran very, very fast.

Then there were the cousins. Widow Zhao looked as tired as ever, with a girl of three clinging to one hand and a boy of four clinging to the other. The gods had not been kind; the grippe had taken her husband, a YiTish spice merchant, his younger sister, and the wife and children of her husband's elder brother. Her own brother Fei, strong and steady, kept close to Zhao; he'd been betrothed to her goodsister before she died.

Yin was filling Feiyan's ear, speaking rapidly in YiTish; the girls were much closer to each other than Yin was to her sister Jieyu. Zhi had disowned her for marrying a mere porter, and only welcomed her back after the bloody flux took Bu's father Hui, who had been Zhi's favorite and last living child. Jieyu still hadn't entirely forgiven Yin for abandoning her; she spoke only to her husband Donnel, and to their six-year-old son, who rode on his father's shoulders, the grippe having badly weakened his lungs.

Zhi had stayed behind, of course, as had Bu's mother, Yuan, and Zhi's youngest grandson, Yue. A pimply boy of fifteen, he doted on his grandmother so much that even the easygoing Bu had once dared to say that his cousin's groveling was unseemly.

Also, I had a whole backstory in my head about how Zhi’s children married fellow YiTish spouses, but most of her grandkids didn’t/couldn’t, because the entire YiTish community in King’s Landing is like, 40 people total. Medieval people did NOT move or travel much, they were for the most part extremely local, with limited exceptions being a small subset of merchants, sailors, nobility traveling for fun (very rare), or exiles fleeing war/regime change/natural disasters.

#the weirwood queen #always enjoy a good ask

[nemainofthewater]

Completed 'Surname' Polls

This is where I take several characters from different Chinese media (mostly cnovels and cdrama) and run a poll on which one is the 'best'. What does best mean? It's up to you! Whether you love them, are intrigued by their characters, love to hate them, or they're your '2 second blorbos whose personality you made up wholesale', these are all reasons for you to vote for your favs!

NB: the surnames are not exactly the same in all the cases, as often they will be a different character. I am, however, grouping them all together otherwise things got more complicated.

This post is for the polls which have finished running and can no longer be voted in (since I have realised that I'm quickly approaching the limit for hyperlinks in the original masterlist).

If you want to see the currently live polls, they can be found here

Finished polls: Cao/Wei/Guo/Chen/Ye/Qiao/Yu/Xue/Tang/Jiang/Su/Gao/Mei/Lin/Wu/Sun/Liu/Di/Zhang/Ying/Mo/Li/Song/Yan/Xiao/Pei/Hua/Xie/Mu/Qi/Shen/Lan/Fang/Luo /Huo/Xu/Wang/Ming/Fan/Yuan/Feng/Bai/Jin/Meng/Yun/Zhao/Wen/Zhou/Yang/Shang/Yue/Sheng/Ouyang/Lu/Ling/Hu/Gu/Ding

Shi/Hong/Zhu/Yi/Cheng/Zhan/Xia/Cui/Chu/Lei/Ma/Liang/Jing/Zhi/An/Nie/Hao/Qin/Han/Guan/Zhuge/Jia/Ning/Xiang/Huang/Fei/Ruan/Dong/He/Baili/Long/Duan/Zhen/Wan/Qiu/Dongfang/Du/Bi/Jiao/Zhong/

#best surname #masterlist #poll

[wangsejabin]

Chapter 90

Because of this incident, Pan'er and Yue Wangfei had inexplicably gained an extra level of intimacy.

As they walked that way, Yue Wangfei said quietly, " Prince Chu and our prince are not very close, but I didn't expect him to greet me today."

Pan'er had a different thought in mind, probably because of her keen sensibilities, but she felt that Prince Chu's sudden stop was because of her. But Prince Chu did not do anything other than glance at her and ask her a question knowingly.

   However, it was not easy to say such things to Yue Wangfei, so she could only say shyly, "I stay within the Eastern Palace and rarely see outsiders, especially men, so I am a bit flustered by the sudden sight of them."

Yue Wangfei smiled understandingly and felt that Su Liang Di was a frank and honest person, and had long since cast away any prejudice she had against her.

By this time, the two of them had already reached the children, and as they were talking to them, Pan'er looked back.

Prince Chu and the Seventh Prince were no longer there, and she was instantly relieved.

"Okay, all sweaty from playing, there's many bodies of water in this Western Garden, you can't leave your lackeys behind when you go for walks, you have to bring them along with you before you can come out, tell Mother in advance before you go anywhere, got it?" Pan'er's words were deliberately addressed to Wanyin and Zong Lin, she was not worried about Zong Yue, the boy had always known what was proper.

   "Understood Mother."

The Yue Wangfei also felt that Pan Er's words made sense and told Zong Zhi and Shu Li to listen and to do the same in the future.

   Both children answered in the affirmative, and seeing that it was getting late, they turned their heads and walked back.

In front of the Pavilion of the Lotus Wind and the Hui Lu, Pan'er and Yue Wangfei made an appointment to go out for a walk next time, and the children of the two families also agreed to play with each other, and then went their separate ways.

Pan'er had not walked so much for a long time, and her legs were a little sore, so Xiang Pu kneaded her legs, while Zong Yue and Wan Yin went to the study to practise their writing. Before they went out, they had agreed that they would each write two big words when they returned from playing.

   The child did not follow Pan'er in anything, except for her reluctance to do embroidery and practice calligraphy, and her writing truly was atrocious. However, at her age, there was no need to worry too much, but Pan'er thought to herself that her daughter would have to be better than herself.

   When dinner was about to be served, the Prince came back.

After having dinner together, Pan'er forgot to tell the Prince about the encounter with Prince Chu today because of the children's interruptions.

   Pan'er thought that Yue Wangfei had probably said something out of the ordinary because she was so desperate for help, and given her character, she would not mention it again if she missed it this time. At this point, she was a little glad that Prince Chu and the Seventh Prince had appeared and interrupted the conversation, otherwise she would have had a headache thinking about how to answer the other party.

   What Pan'er hadn't expected though was that the Yue Wangfei apparently didn't give up so easily.

   It was also when she was leading the two children back to Juren Hall that she happened to meet Side Consort Guo, who made a couple of barbed remarks, and Yue Wangfei was defeated by her mouth and suffered a lot of anger. She originally thought she would just remain calm, but Shu Li was still young and although she was usually shy and reserved, she did not want her mother to suffer such anger, so she complained to the Prince of Yue.

   The couple inevitably had a big fight, and when she returned, she was so angry that she became dizzy and wept.

   So she came uninvited the next day to find Pan'er.

   Pan'er was a little surprised by her sudden visit, but seeing her face even worse than yesterday, and the look in her eyes, she already had some idea of her intention.

After the palace maids had served tea, she dismissed everyone and passed the tea in front of Yue Wangfei , saying, "Wangfei, have some tea first."

Yue Wangfei drank the tea, taking the time to calm herself down, but the moment she opened her mouth, she still let her intention wash away the feigned calmness.

   She gave a brief account of what had happened last night, and then mocked herself, "I'm not afraid that you will laugh at me, Su Liangdi, but at first my Prince and I were in love for a while. ...

   "...... When my mother in law took a fancy to her and wanted to choose her to give to my prince, I had a bad feeling in my heart,we were both from the capital, although she was of high rank and my family was of low rank, I had heard a few rumors about her. You can say I'm not confident, say I'm small-minded, I remember when you were pregnant with Zong Yue and Wan Yin, we also met twice in the Kunning Palace, at that time I really didn’t want to let her enter the door. Unfortunately, I couldn't resist the 'rules' of the palace and the 'filial piety' ......

   "...... When she entered the house, it was true that there was less and less room for me to stand in the house. I hate my own lack of courage, and thought it would be just as well to live like this, just enduring it, but the children are getting older, I sometimes see my children put up with it in front of her children, I want to slap myself. I also know that I have come abruptly today and asked abruptly, but I don't want to worry my parents there at my maternal home, and there is no one around to say these things ......"

The princess of Yue said, while dropping tears.

   Pan'er sat by the side, not knowing what to say.

In fact, she felt that Yue Wangfei was making things difficult for herself and as a woman of the royal family, if she couldn't even manage to think it through herself, Pan’er was afraid that the life would be unbearable for her. Inevitably, she was reminded of when she was waiting for the crown prince's other children to be born, and she had been pretending that nothing was wrong, but she was still a little uncomfortable in her heart after all.

She had been reluctant to know the Prince's movements in the backyard because she didn't want to face it directly, and she was also putting her head in the sand, but he did come to her most often, especially since the birth of the third child, and he came almost every day, sometimes not, so she just assumed...

She just pretended he was busy in his study.

But when the truth came out, she couldn't continue pretending.

Was it difficult? Of course it was, but not as hard as she thought it would be. On the contrary, she felt relieved, as if some things were still going the way they had in her previous life, which gave her a sense of security.

The days still had to pass, and after two minor tantrums with the prince, which seemed to be genuine, he seemed to understand a bit where her anger lay. He talked about how jealous she was, how she didn't tolerate people, how others knew about it, and how he still came more often to her place.

   Was she happy? She seemed a little happy, but not as happy as she thought she would be, and why not, she didn't know. She just didn't want to explore the issue too much, she always felt that if she thought about something too much, her convictions would collapse.

   So how could she instruct others on something she didn't even understand?

   But looking at the teary-eyed Yue Wangfei, Pan'er also had mixed feelings, not only because of the other party, but also because of herself, because of the Crown Princess, because of this situation where wives and concubines are destined to be on opposite sides.

   Just now, when Yue Wangfei cried to her, she wondered if she was like this in the Crown Princess's heart, too.

"In fact, this matter, I really don't know how to go about it with the Crown Princess, after all, the situation is different, the status is different, my words might not be useful. Just like you are the main consort, the person you are opposite of is a side consort, a concubine. I am also a concubine, my position is obviously different from that of the main wife."

   "No, you misunderstand," Yue Wangfei panicked a little, wiping her tears as she said hastily, "I'm not trying to get you to speak for me or anything, I just want to learn from you, learn how to please men, I think my prince favours her because I'm not as pleasing as she is ...... I see that you are so pleasing to the prince, so I ...... I don't really mean anything else, I just ......"

   I know you don't mean anything else, but you've already embarrassed me a bit.

   Pan'er sighed in her heart, suppressing some messy thoughts, and instead looked squarely at the Yue Wangfei once more.

She must have loved Prince Yue very much, otherwise why would she have degraded herself, reduced herself to ask a concubine and condescended to such a level, there must have been some firm conviction that drove her to do so.

If one looks at it this way, it seems that she did not love the crown prince as much as she thought she did. As soon as this thought surfaced, it was immediately dismissed by Pan'er, who felt that she had to stop Yue Wanfei's tears now, otherwise she might be drowned in them.

   It was the first time Pan'er had ever seen someone so good at crying. This was not meant to be derogatory, after all, she had seen all kinds of tears in her previous life, including her own, and none of them had been so genuine.

   "It's actually quite simple to please someone, whatever he likes, you do."

   "Whatever he likes, I'll do it?" Sure enough these words interrupted the tears of Princess Yue, she murmured, seemingly a little confused, "That's all?"

   Pan'er nodded, that was all.

   She tried to imagine herself in the position of the Crown Princess and added, "For example, if he doesn't like you to be jealous, you shouldn't be jealous, jealous women are sometimes ugly and make themselves look hideous and aggressive, men are bound to dislike them."

   "A jealous woman is ugly, with a hideous face?" Yue Wangfei went to touch her own face, she had been jealous a lot, and she knew she must have looked ugly then, and he had said she was becoming less and less herself, but she was herself, who else could she be?

   "But jealousy can still be controlled?"

   "Naturally, it's not easy to control, but slowly and consciously, I think it can get better. For example, whenever I feel jealous and want to act out, I just think about how I have nothing to complain about if even the Crown Princess is not jealous."

Obviously Pan'er's teasing tone made it very difficult for Yue Wangfei to accept. She even wondered a little if it was a deliberate perfunctory remark, but when she saw the bitter smile that didn't show at the corner of Pan'er's mouth, she didn't think so again and hesitated.

"When you're not jealous anymore, you can calm down, take time to think about what he likes about you and what you should do to make him like you."

"Make him feel guilty, make him miss you, make him believe what you say, make him gradually be swayed by you, make him ......" Pan'er felt that she was no different from that Guo side consort of the Yue Mansion, the difference being that that person was too arrogant and she was not.

So what qualifications did she have to judge people, what qualifications did she have to instruct the Yue Wangfei, who is the main wife?

   In fact, there was another sentence that was most pertinent, but Pan'er did not want to say it. Because this sentence is too out of the dangerous a concept to say, just don't fall in love.

As long as you don't love him, you can be good at everything you need to be good at to uphold your status, you can calmly fight for favour and use tricks to make him like you more because of how understanding and how thoughtful you are.

Something roared in her ears, it was the last words that Empress Chen had said before she was imprisoned in the cold palace in her previous life--

   "...... Do you think he really favours you? You are wrong, he only has his kingdom and his nation in his heart, he is doting on you for the sake of his kingdom and nation, you think you have really won? You're wrong! I will wait, I will see you lose like I did ......"

   "...... You think that bitch really loves you? No, she doesn't love you, I'm the only one who loves you the most ......"

   ......

   Outside the door, the Crown Prince stood there with his hands behind his back, surrounded by minions cowering with their heads hanging.

   Only Fu Lu stood a little closer, but hearing how Su Liang Di was pointing out the Yue Wang Fei inside, he was also in a cold sweat. You have nothing to do with the affairs of the House of Yue, why are you getting involved?

   As he watched the Prince's face grow darker and darker until he turned to leave, his heart thumped and he knew something big was about to happen.

#yingchong