[Mainland Chinese Drama 2019] Goodbye My Princess 东宫

[marinated_lemon]

You read my mind, @ohLIME

I think it is well fitting for XF to go far away with Gu Jian, while LCY show remorse by letting these two go.

I mean...look at our dear Gu Jian's (loving, swoony) EYES (whenever he looks at her)! So well fitting indeed. The actor really nailed it.

 

[maddymappo]

Hello,  I just watched 18 episodes on viki.  This is a very sad story because from the getgo we learn that the master and prince 5 were deceiving her in order to learn the whereabouts of her grandfather's secret camp.  The way prince 5 deceived her about who he was and courted her.  Then he went further - showing no shame at all he insisted on going back and marrying her, because he fell for her, even though he planned to murder her grandfather and extended family.  Gu Jian at least showed  he was conflicted, although his actions were perhaps more horrendous. He knew XF all her life and trained her.  She was his disciple and yet  he  went along with the plan and actually set XF up with the man who was going to  break her heart and destroy her tribe - I dunno, just find it very difficult to understand, but not being royalty I don't have these problems popping up in my life.  

 

The more  I get to know Prince 5 the less I like him. He is always plotting and scheming.  From what I read in the thread he is also playing Sisi along.  That is just his nature, to use people as stepping stones to power.   Gu Jian is very attractive and is determined to help XF or to protect her - but what's the deal? She is going to marry the crown prince, so  other than take her away somewhere into the unknown - I don't see what he can particularly do other than give up his spirit power healing her poisoning.   Are there any good men in this drama?  I guess the Danshi warriors seemed to be sincere and straight forward and supportive, that is for savages.

 

I am watching because it is written well. And only recently got a bit bored, because of the poison routine and the lying servant who sacrifices herself for her master - that is just so old.   Ad hu is a good character, but a bit too stereotype - the loyal warrior handmaiden, who has no life of her own, who just lives to protect and care for the pretty noble woman.   

 

 I like this series because the male love interests have indulged in unforgivable betrayal of the woman they supposedly love, and the pain she goes through, the loss of her beloved family and broken heart, is so very deep.  Although he was a stiff evil character, she may have been better off marrying prince 2 because at least she would know what she was dealing with from the start and have no expectation of happiness.   This is the story of a  happy go lucky girl who really meets up with bad people and had a sad fate.

 

 

 

[dito]

9 hours ago, Miky88 said:

On the minority maybe that i'm with u and would have loved if the HE would be for XF to get her freedom and live her life the way she wants and be happy while LCY gets the throne being all alone atoning for all his deeds if he even feels remorse that is...But being all alone is quite the karma for him......I am a hopless romantic and want my dramas always to have that Happy Ending but i also think about the journey that's paved to it and just thinking of all the blood and atrocities and how manipulative he is i just can't accept one for this doomed couple,just like the writer as well made it...It is kinda sad that people would root for him to be happy with her after all he does to her,and no,his revenge doesn't excuse his deeds and how he is torturing her along the way...Just using her to get revenge on all the others and not even blinking and thinking that someone else (GJ) would come save her so it's okey to hit,let people poison her or burn the house etc.,it makes him a highly manipulative psychopath in my eyes that no way i'll ever root for,to get a women like XF at the end of his journey...

 

For me too, the best alternate ending would be XF and AD fake their death and escape to their homeland. XF is not the kind of person who can survive long, living in the palace anyways. She is a free spirit and doesn't have the cunning required for someone living caged in a palace, facing plots and machinations every day.  

For people wondering if LCY really loved XF.....the answer is yes he did. But his love was the obsessive kind. If I had to define him, I'd say he's some what like Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights. Ruthless in his revenge, selfish, obsessed and destructive in his love. 

[dito]

10 hours ago, Pfsunshine said:

I'm glad I have not read the book and any spoilers past ep24 are book based. Things have been diverging from the book and I like the changes based on the summarized info people have been giving. I think I'm the only one who would like something other than the typical tragedy where one or both of a couple "in love" dies (often at their own hand). I hated The Rise of the Phoenixes ending so I do hope they come up with an alternate but there isn't much time to pull that off.

 

 

Sometimes changes from the book are good.....when its done to better define the characters. Sometimes the changes don't exactly do justice to the story. 

ROP, the book had a happy ending. Both leads faked their death and went away to live a quite life away from all the politics. ML gave the throne to his 10th brother I think....the one who always supported him.The drama changed most of 80% from the book. I read some of the book and liked it and was waiting for the drama to be subbed. But when I saw how much they changed the male and the female leads....I couldn't watch......even though I loved how beautifully it was made.

 

Sorry for going off-topic.

[Rouzmary]

I have already gotten used to c-drama tragic endings long ago, so those no longer bother me.

 

What does bother me is when they are executed badly and do not make sense or do not fit the story/character up to that point! THAT is when I hate the sad endings.

 

9 hours ago, Pfsunshine said:

I'm glad I have not read the book and any spoilers past ep24 are book based. Things have been diverging from the book and I like the changes based on the summarized info people have been giving. I think I'm the only one who would like something other than the typical tragedy where one or both of a couple "in love" dies (often at their own hand). I hated The Rise of the Phoenixes ending so I do hope they come up with an alternate but there isn't much time to pull that off.

 

 

For Rise of the Phoenixes they changed the novel ending to opposite and even if I did not know of the novel ending, I would've still hated the drama ending because it did feel out of place.

RoP is a perfect example when drama's sad ending bothers me and I hate it - for it just doesn't go with the plot & characters actions up till then.

 

However, if the sad ending fits the plot & characters, I'll happily cry those sad tears (thou rarely dramas manage make me shed a tear) because it makes sense!

And Goodbye My Princess IS one of these rare dramas where I would not only accept the sad ending as completely normal but prefer a sad ending...because it completely goes with the plot & characters! 

 

Even if it will make me sad, it will be a satisfying & accepted sad feeling (if that makes sense XD)

 

If they really make the alternate ending which will be a HE...I'm just curious how exactly they expect to bring about THAT miracle.

[churasan]

Coming out of lurker mode for this drama...

 

This is a great angsty drama to fill void of The Last Empress.  I love the pacing of the first 10 episodes... It's also nice to to see Shawn Wei again - I liked him in Prince of Lang Ling.

 

@Rouzmary @dito @Miky88  Thank you for explaining the novel.

After understanding the basic plot through spoiler posts, I was wondering if anyone could answer a few questions about what happens later in the story:

Spoiler

1. It's obvious that LCY starts to like XF the second time while they are in the palace.  Was that his motivation to become crown prince, so he would be the one to marry her?  Or was it more for political survival?

2. Also, when XF remembers everything, does she purposely mention Gu Xiaowu's  name to make LCY jealous?  Does she know that LGY likes her, so she does it for revenge to make him mad?

 

Also, even though she gets her memory, does she still love him?

3. When XF gets her memory back, does she also remember about Gu Jian's betrayal?  Does she ever forgive him?

 

 

I tend to fast forward all the political stuff, so don't know if I accidentally missed content that may have addressed these questions.

 

Also, does anyone know if anyone on the web is doing weekly recaps of this drama?  I'm watching on Viki, but only one episode a day is tough...  
 

[faithwalker]

I'm just getting started on this drama, and so far after a few episodes, I am encouraged to continue watching.  And, I'm reading the comments from those of you who are ahead of me.  I'm trying to avoid spoilers, though.  I was curious to see how the writers would allow the couple to stay in relationship after the princess learns of the prince's deceit.  They devised an interesting plot -- forgetfulness!  Looking forward to sharing my thoughts and reading more of yours.

[ayang23]

6 minutes ago, faithwalker said:

I'm just getting started on this drama, and so far after a few episodes, I am encouraged to continue watching.  And, I'm reading the comments from those of you who are ahead of me.  I'm trying to avoid spoilers, though.  I was curious to see how the writers would allow the couple to stay in relationship after the princess learns of the prince's deceit.  They devised an interesting plot -- forgetfulness!  Looking forward to sharing my thoughts and reading more of yours.

I started watching about a week ago and am waiting patiently for the latest episode to be subbed! I've also been silently reading people's analysis and comments on the drama, which has been great! Props to you for not reading the spoilers!!! I read all of them just because I was too curious!!! I almost dropped the drama bc I hated how brutal the main lead was with his scheming but then decided to continue watching due to the storyline and great acting. I cannot wait to see how the story will continue to unfold!

[marinated_lemon]

1 hour ago, faithwalker said:

I'm just getting started on this drama, and so far after a few episodes, I am encouraged to continue watching.  And, I'm reading the comments from those of you who are ahead of me.  I'm trying to avoid spoilers, though.  I was curious to see how the writers would allow the couple to stay in relationship after the princess learns of the prince's deceit.  They devised an interesting plot -- forgetfulness!  Looking forward to sharing my thoughts and reading more of yours.

 

Forgetfulness is indeed an interesting device on its own. Sometimes people think "If only we can just forget our problems and woes, and just move on, start fresh!"

 

One of the questions that the writer seem to want to answer is whether forgetting the past will make people choose their path differently (or will they choose the same path all over again)...will remembering will actually help people make better decision, despite the pain.

 

Whatever the ending is, I think I will still watch this drama for the sake of enjoying the story and the pictures. So far, the story is not boring, looping, or pointless, and it has managed to keep being interesting and enjoyable so far, especially with nice pictures and color scheme that they have in each scenes. So, yeah, I will keep on watching.

 

Btw, I think LCY looks better as Gu Xiao Wu. I think the way they styled the hair (with side swept bangs, and longer hair) works better for him.

 

Other than that, I think bold colors (red, royal blue) works better for Xiao Feng. Soft or pastel colors like peach, pastel yellow and soft white makes her look pale. But perhaps it is intentional: Life in the palace (with the rules. Conformity, muted, expected elegance) vs life in the wilderness (free, brave, expressive, bold).

 

Gu Jian, on the other hand, seem to almost always wear white. I do love white. It is the color of purity.

[Miky88]

Guys,do u have any ideas if maple will post the eps on Monday or it will wait till Th to post them all together? Asking this because i remember than on the previous Monday they didn't post anything...I want to prepare my heart if i have to wait till Th

Also,i'm quite curious on what ep she'll remember everything as we're almost getting on the 30 eps...Oh boy,for some reason with all the story remaining in an instant this remaining eps seem not enough,there sure will be heavy packed with so much stuff going on!

 

For people who read the novel,what is the first reaction of XF after she recovers her memories regarding Gu Jian and how she tells him she remembers everything?And does she ever gives some kind of explanation to LCY about their relantionship and who he was or how they know each other as vagues as it might be or just leaves him to his paranoia making his own stories(that he is GXW)

[dito]

On 3/3/2019 at 5:09 AM, churasan said:

Coming out of lurker mode for this drama...

 

This is a great angsty drama to fill void of The Last Empress.  I love the pacing of the first 10 episodes... It's also nice to to see Shawn Wei again - I liked him in Prince of Lang Ling.

@Rouzmary @dito @Miky88  Thank you for explaining the novel.

After understanding the basic plot through spoiler posts, I was wondering if anyone could answer a few questions about what happens later in the story:

  Hide contents

1. It's obvious that LCY starts to like XF the second time while they are in the palace.  Was that his motivation to become crown prince, so he would be the one to marry her?  Or was it more for political survival?

2. Also, when XF remembers everything, does she purposely mention Gu Xiaowu's  name to make LCY jealous?  Does she know that LGY likes her, so she does it for revenge to make him mad?

 

Also, even though she gets her memory, does she still love him?

3. When XF gets her memory back, does she also remember about Gu Jian's betrayal?  Does she ever forgive him?

 

 

I tend to fast forward all the political stuff, so don't know if I accidentally missed content that may have addressed these questions.

Also, does anyone know if anyone on the web is doing weekly recaps of this drama?  I'm watching on Viki, but only one episode a day is tough...  
 

 

To answer your questions......

Spoiler

 

1. What I remember from the book, LCY was already the crown prince at the start.....though all his actions and manipulations are for one reason only to become powerful enough to take his revenge and bring down the political heavyweights. I'm not sure about the drama.....I haven't watched subbed epis yet.

 

2a. I think the first time XF mentions GXW was in her sleep and LCY was near her and heard it. After that LCY became obsessed with finding out who GXW was. He'd keep asking XF about GXW and XF started taunting him by saying GXW is the person who loves me the most in this world. And you can't even come close to what he is to me.....things like that.

 

2b. She think she hates him but when gets the chance to kill him she couldn't do it. Maybe that's when she realizes she still loves him.....even after everything he's done.

 

3. I don't know if I remember this right but in the book after she remembers everything she only meets GJ again when he dies trying to save her and AD. I do think she was angry at him and wouldn't have forgiven him if he had not died for her. 

 

 

I'm waiting to binge it after its done. But I watch unsubbed epis sometimes...just to see where in the story we've reached.

[dito]

27 minutes ago, Miky88 said:

Guys,do u have any ideas if maple will post the eps on Monday or it will wait till Th to post them all together? Asking this because i remember than on the previous Monday they didn't post anything...I want to prepare my heart if i have to wait till Th

Also,i'm quite curious on what ep she'll remember everything as we're almost getting on the 30 eps...Oh boy,for some reason with all the story remaining in an instant this remaining eps seem not enough,there sure will be heavy packed with so much stuff going on!

 

For people who read the novel,what is the first reaction of XF after she recovers her memories regarding Gu Jian and how she tells him she remembers everything?And does she ever gives some kind of explenation to LCY about their relantionship and who he was or how they know each other as vagues as it might be or just leaves him to his paranoia making his own stories(that he is GXW)

 

Going by the previews.....they get married around epi 25-28. And afterwards she comes to know that LCY destroyed her family and country. She gets sick and remembers everything afterwards. One scene in the preview has XF attacking LCY with a knife....that happens in the book after she remembers.....she stabs him with her hairpin, I think. So, I think she might remember by 36-38.

In the novel, she remembers everything after getting sick......after escaping from GJ.

Spoiler

 

A little while after she remembers everything, LCY comes to see her, all warm and smiling. His betrayal and her family's death still fresh in her mind, she stabs him with her hairpin, in her rage and despair. When he's bleeding and asks in confusion ..why she did it. She at first can't say anything but when she realizes he doesn't remember, she finally tells him "You separated us. You took away GXW and you killed him."  

She only calls him GXW when she's about to die...which then brings all his memories back. I think she wanted him to suffer with his memories and saw this as her revenge.

 

 

[thunderman1]

I am only on ep 5 and slowing catching up but the 2nd prince assassinated the 5th prince's older brother, right? So in turn, the 5th prince has misinterpreted everything and conducted his revenge on Dan Chi tribe and the main actress's family as a result? Such a tragic story in deed but nonetheless the chemistry is there. Feel free to spoil for me. 

[Miky88]

2 hours ago, dito said:

 

Going by the previews.....they get married around epi 25-28. And afterwards she comes to know that LCY destroyed her family and country. She gets sick and remembers everything afterwards. One scene in the preview has XF attacking LCY with a knife....that happens in the book after she remembers.....she stabs him with her hairpin, I think. So, I think she might remember by 36-38.

In the novel, she remembers everything after getting sick......after escaping from GJ.

  Hide contents

 

A little while after she remembers everything, LCY comes to see her, all warm and smiling. His betrayal and her family's death still fresh in her mind, she stabs him with her hairpin, in her rage and despair. When he's bleeding and asks in confusion ..why she did it. She at first can't say anything but when she realizes he doesn't remember, she finally tells him "You separated us. You took away GXW and you killed him."  

She only calls him GXW when she's about to die...which then brings all his memories back. I think she wanted him to suffer with his memories and saw this as her revenge.

 

 

Thanks a lot for the info,so lucky u can read the full novel...I remember in the promotional MV's is a scene with LCY coming and hugging her all happy in winter type clothing and she stabs him with Adu's knife and he tells her after to kill him and she can't,just injuring his sholder,curious if this is also related to the things happening in the novel when she remembers or she tries to kill him for a total other reason after time pass...I've seen the short previews posted and it looks like she is poisoned and when he checks on her she uses the knife but in the scene mentioned that is in the MV her pain is huge and was thinking that was when she remembered...I actually believed she would recover her memories in that scene when he hears her call GXW name

[ohLIME]

Seems like there's a lot of curiosity around how/what Xiao Feng remembers after she enters the palace, so I'll add on to what @dito has shared already. Putting it under a spoiler tag so those of you who are disciplined enough to wait can enjoy the surprises as they happen! 

 

Spoiler

What's already aired so far (up to episode 24): 

• Between episodes 20-24, Xiao Feng learns that Li Cheng Yin led the army that wiped out Danchi, her grandfather's tribe. This happens a few days before their wedding ceremony. Xiao Feng runs off to meet the delegation from Western Liang (who are in town for the wedding), and they actually aren't the ones to break the news to her-- General Pei Zhao had already ensured that they would lie to Xiao Feng and say that her parents + family are doing fine. She's a bit suspicious when they can't give an answer as to why her grandfather didn't send delegates from Danchi to celebrate her wedding, but mostly shrugs it off. Xiao Feng learns the truth eventually because Se Se tells her (RUDE), and she immediately confronts Li Cheng Yin. That's the scene where Li Cheng Yin has Xiao Feng pinned down and says, "Did you think this marriage was between you and me? It was always between the Li Dynasty and Western Liang." It's pretty harsh, but also his way of getting Xiao Feng to go through with it. Sadly, it means that she'll enter into the marriage hating him. 
• To be clear, she doesn't remember anything of their past history at this point. There's no talk of Gu Xiao Wu yet because no one (except Ah Du, Gu Jian, General Pei Zhao and Cai xian shen) knows about what happened between Xiao Feng and him.

 

 

How the rest of the story might unfold: 

 

I say "might" because these are my guesses based on the novel + scenes from the original trailer and MVs. 

• Xiao Feng remains in the dark about her past for a few years into her marriage. She and Li Cheng Yin fight a lot, but she eventually finds herself falling for him anyway. In the drama, it looks like Li Cheng Yin built a memorial hall for Xiao Feng's grandfather out of respect for him as a warrior/leader. She's touched by this, though (understandably) still upset at him and not willing to see him as a real husband. The previews for episodes 24-28 show scenes where Li Cheng Yin is taking care of Xiao Feng after the wedding when she falls ill, but there's way more scenes of them yelling at each other because 1) she hates him and 2) he's taking Se Se's side on one thing or another. 
• At some point, there'll be an assassination attempt at night and Li Cheng Yin will be injured badly in the process of protecting Xiao Feng (it's probably the scene in the trailer where he steps in front of her and gets stabbed in the chest by a sword). This is the turning point in the novel when their marriage shows the slightest hope of working out, since Xiao Feng gets really worried about him and spends days and nights taking care of him. 
• Happiness never lasts long in this story, though.. Xiao Feng is taken away by Gu Jian after an assassination on the emperor (Xiao Feng offers herself as hostage to rescue the emperor), and after getting a bad fever, she regains all of her memories. She returns to the palace with her memories in tact and quickly realizes that Li Cheng Yin has forgotten everything. 
• This last part of the story is all dark and twisty. Xiao Feng chooses not to tell Li Cheng Yin about the past, but she doesn't hide from him that "Gu Xiao Wu" is the love of her life and that Li Cheng Yin tore her and her true love apart. All technically true-- just not in the way Li Cheng Yin interprets it. He thinks that Gu Xiao Wu is Gu Jian and sets a trap (using Xiao Feng as bait) to kill Gu Jian. Rough stuff. 
• Xiao Feng doesn't have much of a chance to confront Gu Jian after she regains her memories. They do have one last conversation as he lies dying in her arms; it's really sad in the novel because she's crying and yelling at him, "Why did you have to be so stupid? You could have escaped. I never loved you." It's implied that Xiao Feng forgives Gu Jian after realizing how important her happiness is to him, and how he would give everything to salvage the last bit of her happiness. 
• Li Cheng Yin never has a chance to talk to Xiao Feng after regaining his memories. It's her last act of retaliation before she commits suicide-- triggering the realization that he was Gu Xiao Wu all along. Again, rough stuff. 

 

Phew, that was a lot! ~30 episodes seems on the long side for the rest of the novel's plot, but the drama's been adding quite a few side stories in. Fingers crossed that some of these will be sweet moments for Xiao Feng and Li Cheng Yin! 

[XxchinesedramacrazexX]

Hi! I am new to thread. Just finished watching ep 21 and oh boy.... I know LCY treats XF badly because he wants to protect her but please tell me they have some sweet scenes before she regains her memories. I srsly love the leads and their story, but all the mean things he has done and will do to her make me so devastated. It confuses me on whether he truly loves her.

[XxchinesedramacrazexX]

I also cant believe he allows her to be poisoned? And he sets fire to her place? God I want to love LCY but he is making it very hard for me to do so

 

 

[thunderman1]

The deadly war is in ep 8... ;(  I'm sad but at least this plot is moving.

[Rouzmary]

Ya, know...what I'm really curious about is - once Xiaofeng regains her memories and remembers everything...why doesn't general Pei tell Chengyin that Chengyin is in fact GXW? Surely general Pei must know that Chengyin is looking for a GXW...sooo, I wonder about that. Does general Pei somehow not know about the search for GXW? hmmmm

[ohLIME]

59 minutes ago, Rouzmary said:

Ya, know...what I'm really curious about is - once Xiaofeng regains her memories and remembers everything...why doesn't general Pei tell Chengyin that Chengyin is in fact GXW? Surely general Pei must know that Chengyin is looking for a GXW...sooo, I wonder about that. Does general Pei somehow not know about the search for GXW? hmmmm

 

Yea, that’s a good point. In the novel, General Pei’s an interesting character— he’s Li Cheng Yin’s closest friend, but he also kind of has a crush on Xiao Feng. It isn’t made very clear but there’s definitely hints that he cares for her beyond his duty of looking after the Crown Princess. He probably also just feels bad for his part in the deception?

 

My guess is that General Pei is trying to protect Li Cheng Yin by not telling him the truth about Gu Xiao Wu. In a way, not knowing gives Li Cheng Yin more courage to love Xiao Feng.. but yea, it could also just be a logic gap in the story