[Mainland Chinese Drama 2018] The Story of Ming Lan 庶女明兰传 / 知否？知否？应是绿肥红瘦

[Lunkera]

I want to wait until atleast midway in the drama but it's hard so i guess i'll just start watching anyway. I just peeked on the last subbed episode and i have to say that GTY daughter Rong is just precious. I just read spoilers long time ago and i don't really remember and usually they don't follow the novel 100%. I hope when ML marries GTY she and Rong will be close, i feel sorry for the little girl to have such an awful mother.

 

Also the light effects they are using makes it look alot darker but alot more realistic. The downside is unless you watch in good quality it won't be as good. I like it.

[UnniSarah]

7 hours ago, hello210 said:

I agree. Her statement is very meaningful because things are not always what they appear. We can tell by examples you gave. Even ML admitted that even though her motives are different what she did in getting rid of the spies was no less manipulative than Concubine Lin which was why she felt bad about using CB who’s always good to her. Always watch out for the quiet ones 

@hello210  I love that ML grandmother told her she did the right thing.  I love how smart ML's grandmother is and understand her.  I am just happy that ML had one person in the Sheng household who truly loved her.  I don't think ML could have ever survived in that household if she had no love.  smh smh smh  She truly needed love and nurture to survive in such a toxic household that Sheng Hong created. I can't wait for him to get what is coming to him for his STUPIDITY.... 

[Golden Flower]

2 hours ago, UnniSarah said:

Chingu’s Help me 

Is this drama TV versus being translated on YouTube???

 

Youtube has director's cut version which is brocasted a little less though scenes are same (just timed differently and stopped in earlier scenes than TV) and TV version as well as English sub. English sub is done on director's cut version and at epi 23 currently. 

[dito]

1 hour ago, minglan1 said:

I have been lurking around the forum for a while and enjoyed reading the discussions on the show.I don't understand mandarin, can anyone help me understand  what GTY and minglan talked  about in epi 28 preview?

 

She was saying ...When I told you Manniang was not a good person, You didn't believe me. And when you said that about QH and me, I didn't believe you. Seems we are both stupid. 

Then GTY says war is about to begin in the south and after sending these I'll have go there. ML then tells him to be careful.

I think either she is giving him gift for his daughter....or she's asked him to send the doll back to QH. The box in his hand seems similar to the one QH gave her. 

[UnniSarah]

13 minutes ago, Golden Flower said:

 

Youtube has director's cut version which is brocasted a little less though scenes are same (just timed differently and stopped in earlier scenes than TV) and TV version as well as English sub. English sub is done on director's cut version and at epi 23 currently. 

Thank you @Golden Flower and @cheekychipmunk_stv  For answering my questions. 

[minglan1]

26 minutes ago, dito said:

 

She was saying ...When I told you Manniang was not a good person, You didn't believe me. And when you said that about QH and me, I didn't believe you. Seems we are both stupid. 

Then GTY says war is about to begin in the south and after sending these I'll have go there. ML then tells him to be careful.

I think either she is giving him gift for his daughter....or she's asked him to send the doll back to QH. The box in his hand seems similar to the one QH gave her. 

Thanks for explaining. I like how they are building up the relationship of GTY and minglan step by step. Looking forward to see their future interactions.

[m0us3y]

54 minutes ago, Lunkera said:

I want to wait until atleast midway in the drama but it's hard so i guess i'll just start watching anyway. I just peeked on the last subbed episode and i have to say that GTY daughter Rong is just precious. I just read spoilers long time ago and i don't really remember and usually they don't follow the novel 100%. I hope when ML marries GTY she and Rong will be close, i feel sorry for the little girl to have such an awful mother.

 

Also the light effects they are using makes it look alot darker but alot more realistic. The downside is unless you watch in good quality it won't be as good. I like it.

I wanted to wait until the whole series is out before I start watching! I gave in at episode 6 or so. Lol.

[m0us3y]

45 minutes ago, dito said:

She was saying ...When I told you Manniang was not a good person, You didn't believe me. And when you said that about QH and me, I didn't believe you. Seems we are both stupid. 

Then GTY says war is about to begin in the south and after sending these I'll have go there. ML then tells him to be careful.

I think either she is giving him gift for his daughter....or she's asked him to send the doll back to QH. The box in his hand seems similar to the one QH gave her. 

What did he say about QH? Was that in the coffee shop? When he said she was leading him on like a kite? She acknowledged that? 

[purplefall94]

Spoiler

I just finished episode 25 and honestly the scenes of GTY and ML in this episode clearly hinted why GTY, not QH, is the better match to ML. QH's plan (not even a plan in my book) to force his mom to accept ML as his main wife only carelessly put ML into awkward and dangerous situations. He did not for a moment consider how his love and actions can harm her in the short and long term, even after she tried to spell it out for him. I can't take his love seriously because of how selfish it is. In the contrast, GTY rescued ML from the bandits but let her go home on her own while secretly protected her from afar because he was worried that his escort could start unfavorable rumors for her virtue. Their conversation at the vendor after his rescue was a super hint in my opinion that fortells GTY's determination to give ML a life that she can truly live for herself because he understands her. I like that whenever GTY and ML met, they showed genuine concern about each other and were able to somewhat freely express their true selves. I think that's a prominent sign of soulmate. Another thing is that it may be safe to say that GTY and ML are fated to be together. So far, their roads have only crossed a handful of times but most of their personal interactions have occurred when one of them was in a life threatening/desperate/nasty situation that they had to show their vunerable and true selves. QH and ML didn't have those opportunities and when they have it in a very few encounters, they're trapped in their statuses and weren't able to do anything. Sorry QH, this is why you can only be second male lead. And props to the production team to flesh out the relationship progress between GTY and ML. I love that GTY and ML are always in equal terms in their relationship, there's respect, understanding, and timely support from both sides! In the book, I felt like I was couped when the author revealed that GTY would be ML's husband, the drama did a much better job at telling their story. Can't wait to see how they show GTY's tricks to get ML to marry him.

 

[nichiwoohee]

1 hour ago, Golden Flower said:

The 2nd long miss, Long Fei Ye, who committed suicide was the one who got kinapped during lantern festival (her disappearance was the reason soliders demanded festival to end early by making people to go home) and got thrown off the carriage in the middle of the street. She is younger sister of emperor's current favorite concubine Long Fei and also admirerer of QH. She is not a princess but pretty spoiled as her family currently holds some power due to her sister being favorite concubine. You can see her smashing tea cups at Polo match after QH helped ML win as she was also in love with QH. Her father proposes the marriage to Qi family as well as Yong Wang Fei (Yong Wang's wife) is interested in QH for her daughter, Jia Sheng County Princess. In drama, County Princess got interested in QH during Polo match as well.

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Although it hasn't been revealed yet in ep 26 why and who kinapped, raped and beaten her, it will be doing of Yong Wang Fei and her daughter. QH's father did not want to offend to either Long family or Yong Wang, he told his wife Junzi to let both party know of each other's interest in marrying QH, leading to Yong Wang Fei and Jia Sheng County Princess destroying Long Fei Ye's reputation by kinapping and raping her. Although it is not QH's parents' intention to get Long Fei Ye destroyed, they indirectly cause it. (They were just hoping Long family will back off knowing the other party's interest as QH's mom regards Long family's status beneath them).

 

The drama has been including events in the book in different order and adding a lot of scences that weren't in the book or visualizing scenes that were just told in passing in the book. So, we cannot really guess in which episode GTY will start pursuing her as potential wife. Like @leeza77 mentioned, GTY already started liking ML as a woman when he rescued her from bandit during first old Sheng madam funeral since he took her away to the camp, spent time talking to her and took her advices to his hearts (epi 25). I think he started to get impressed by her when she told him to do something about his life as well as his daughter's life.

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In the book, GTY said he started liking ML when ML threw mud at Molan to prevent her to go to the back of temple where there are guys from noble family.   

 

For those who asked why GTY used Bai Ye as his name when he met Zhao father and son (imperial relative who are generals) in the forest as well as when he joined the army as a foot soldier, it is very common for someone using mother's last name and his first name when he doesn't want people to know his origin (Ye actually is his name and that's why his nanny and his mom before she died calls him Ye Er or Ye Koe Er, Er=endearing term, Ting is his generation name which he shares with his brothers and all his male cousins from his father's brothers). His father's Marquise family is well-known military generals and if he used his real name GTY, Zhao father and sons as well as other generals will realize who he is. In drama Yun Zong Ge, young Liu Fu Ling told young Yun Ge that his name is Zhao Ling (Zhao his mom last name) as he didn't want her to know when they first met that he is Han's emperor. 

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GTY using Bai Ye was not in the book and I think drama writers included in here to make sure that GTY gained his merits of becoming a general on his own, not relying on his family's name. Later, in the book, when GTY planned to let new emperor arrest his family members and forgo the Marquess title for involving in 4th prince's rebellion, his older brother reminded GTY that his family's prestige as generations of generals made GTY's life easy to lead the army and that inheriting the old Marquess title is a lot more meaningful than gaining a new Marquess title. His brother told GTY that he won't adopt a son of third brother and passdown family's Marquess title to GTY in exchange for him helping the family and regaining his mother's dowry. So, these events in the book most likely won't be shown as there were no rebellions of 4th prince and 6th prince and GTY did not help 8th prince to become emperor who knew him as 2nd second of Marquess in the capital  and became close friends with GTY when he went to border as idle Jianghu person.

 

 

You didnt have to mention my poor Ling gege  

Cried buckets for his story in book YZG

[dito]

11 minutes ago, m0us3y said:

What did he say about QH? Was that in the coffee shop? When he said she was leading him on like a kite? She acknowledged that? 

 

I don't know. Maybe.

I went back and translated it again. I missed one line in the middle.

I don't understand what it means though..."that day in Houfu you compared me and Qi heng to Ming Huang Yang Fei. I didn't listen to you. Seems we are both stupid."

My guess....Ming Huang is Emperor of Ming...Yang Fei is his concubine?? 

[Lunkera]

@dito It's Emperor Ming of Tang and Yang Guifei. Ming dynasty comes later than Song Dynasty 

 

It's Song Dynasty>Yuan Dynasty(Mongol)>Ming Dynasty

[dito]

26 minutes ago, purplefall94 said:

  Hide contents

I just finished episode 25 and honestly the scenes of GTY and ML in this episode clearly hinted why GTY, not QH, is the better match to ML. QH's plan (not even a plan in my book) to force his mom to accept ML as his main wife only carelessly put ML into awkward and dangerous situations. He did not for a moment consider how his love and actions can harm her in the short and long term, even after she tried to spell it out for him. I can't take his love seriously because of how selfish it is. In the contrast, GTY rescued ML from the bandits but let her go home on her own while secretly protected her from afar because he was worried that his escort could start unfavorable rumors for her virtue. Their conversation at the vendor after his rescue was a super hint in my opinion that fortells GTY's determination to give ML a life that she can truly live for herself because he understands her. I like that whenever GTY and ML met, they showed genuine concern about each other and were able to somewhat freely express their true selves. I think that's a prominent sign of soulmate. Another thing is that it may be safe to say that GTY and ML are fated to be together. So far, their roads have only crossed a handful of times but most of their personal interactions have occurred when one of them was in a life threatening/desperate/nasty situation that they had to show their vunerable and true selves. QH and ML didn't have those opportunities and when they have it in a very few encounters, they're trapped in their statuses and weren't able to do anything. Sorry QH, this is why you can only be second male lead. And props to the production team to flesh out the relationship progress between GTY and ML. I love that GTY and ML are always in equal terms in their relationship, there's respect, understanding, and timely support from both sides! In the book, I felt like I was couped when the author revealed that GTY would be ML's husband, the drama did a much better job at telling their story. Can't wait to see how they show GTY's tricks to get ML to marry him.

 

 

The reasons I quit reading the book the first 2 times.....

First when it became clear QH was not the main lead....and then when HHW cousin came and started her drama almost dropped it here...but kept going to see who the main lead will be.

 

Second time I did drop it actually when it became clear GTY was to be the lead...

so when you say author duped everyone...you are right. I was shocked that this rake type guy with wife , concubine and 2 kids was going to be Minglan's husband. I picked up again when I didn't have anything to read...and just started in the middle after they get married. I liked it from there.

I have started reading the book again since the drama started. And some things that didn't make sense before are getting clear after watching the drama. I love that we are being shown GTY's whole character trajectory. Which was sorely missed in the book. And I agree that production team have done a wonderful job with ML and GTY relationship.

[dito]

12 minutes ago, Lunkera said:

@dito It's Emperor Ming of Tang and Yang Guifei. Ming dynasty comes later than Song Dynasty 

 

It's Song Dynasty>Yuan Dynasty(Mongol)>Ming Dynasty

 

Thanks...So is there a story about these two people that relates to QH and ML situation in some way for GTY to compare them?

 

[fra8]

28 minutes ago, dito said:

 

The reasons I quit reading the book the first 2 times.....

First when it became clear QH was not the main lead....and then when HHW cousin came and started her drama almost dropped it here...but kept going to see who the main lead will be.

 

Second time I did drop it actually when it became clear GTY was to be the lead...

so when you say author duped everyone...you are right. I was shocked that this rake type guy with wife , concubine and 2 kids was going to be Minglan's husband. I picked up again when I didn't have anything to read...and just started in the middle after they get married. I liked it from there.

I have started reading the book again since the drama started. And some things that didn't make sense before are getting clear after watching the drama. I love that we are being shown GTY's whole character trajectory. Which was sorely missed in the book. And I agree that production team have done a wonderful job with ML and GTY relationship.

I agree. And  it's one of the few times that I like the drama better. I like the build up of ML and GTY and that they show them listening to each other, helping to each other and even when they give each other advice they don't judge each other. They get where the other is coming from. In the book, it was out of nowhere.   It's believable that in the future they could fight together some battles.

But I also like this ML better, she is less jaded and more open and sometimes she shows her true self. This makes her relatable and makes it possible this interaction with GTY.

 

 

[nnnju]

9 hours ago, m0us3y said:

@nnnju did you finish reading the book? You read Chinese?

Yes, i can read Chinese. I’m a Chinese living oversea for years. I finished the book long time ago. Therefore might need to go back to check if it comes to the very details. I like the forum here. All are peaceful and nice discussions about the plots, especially no overly protective fans of any actors and actresses. lol.

 

Quite some book fans are complaining about the changes of the character setting and the story. I think i’m among the book fans who like the changes. The drama is reconstructed into two story lines: the growth of Ming Lan and the rise of Gu Ting Ye. First these two lines were parallel and now they are interweaving. Beautifully done! The book is all just POV from ML. 

[dito]

1 hour ago, m0us3y said:

What did he say about QH? Was that in the coffee shop? When he said she was leading him on like a kite? She acknowledged that? 

 

51 minutes ago, Lunkera said:

@dito It's Emperor Ming of Tang and Yang Guifei. Ming dynasty comes later than Song Dynasty 

 

It's Song Dynasty>Yuan Dynasty(Mongol)>Ming Dynasty

 

I read about Yang Guifei on wiki . Wow, was she playing that emperor or what. Leading him like a kite...playing him like a piano, etc

@m0us3y I think she is acknowledging it....How's that for a character growth. Love it. These writers are smart. 

Thanks @Lunkera.

[leeza77]

Welcome @nnnju. Glad that you can read chinese. U Might be our guidance as majority of us are non chinese speaker. Godsend. 

[zenya22]

1 hour ago, purplefall94 said:

I just finished episode 25 and honestly the scenes of GTY and ML in this episode clearly hinted why GTY, not QH, is the better match to ML. QH's plan (not even a plan in my book) to force his mom to accept ML as his main wife only carelessly put ML into awkward and dangerous situations. He did not for a moment consider how his love and actions can harm her in the short and long term, even after she tried to spell it out for him. I can't take his love seriously because of how selfish it is. In the contrast, GTY rescued ML from the bandits but let her go home on her own while secretly protected her from afar because he was worried that his escort could start unfavorable rumors for her virtue. Their conversation at the vendor after his rescue was a super hint in my opinion that fortells GTY's determination to give ML a life that she can truly live for herself because he understands her. I like that whenever GTY and ML met, they showed genuine concern about each other and were able to somewhat freely express their true selves. I think that's a prominent sign of soulmate. Another thing is that it may be safe to say that GTY and ML are fated to be together. So far, their roads have only crossed a handful of times but most of their personal interactions have occurred when one of them was in a life threatening/desperate/nasty situation that they had to show their vunerable and true selves. QH and ML didn't have those opportunities and when they have it in a very few encounters, they're trapped in their statuses and weren't able to do anything. Sorry QH, this is why you can only be second male lead. And props to the production team to flesh out the relationship progress between GTY and ML. I love that GTY and ML are always in equal terms in their relationship, there's respect, understanding, and timely support from both sides! In the book, I felt like I was couped when the author revealed that GTY would be ML's husband, the drama did a much better job at telling their story. Can't wait to see how they show GTY's tricks to get ML to marry him.

@purplefall94thank you. Very well said. 

[Lunkera]

@nnnju Also didn't they change which dynasty it is compared to the novel? maybe i remember incorrectly. Anyway, it's good that it is in the song dynasty, since it lasted quite a while. Since it's in the northern song it is during the first half of song dynasty. I tend to feel depressed if the dynasty fall short after the novel story when it's displayed in the past rather than an alternate world.