[Mainland Chinese Drama 2021] Brilliant Heart Like Jade/The Sword and The Brocade 锦心似玉

[omiki]

18 hours ago, whome said:

...

Qiao Lian Fang (QLF) in her one-sided love for XLY is causing too much trouble. I mean she's not even the wife, but a concubine and wants to weld power over the entire household? XLY doesn't even have feelings for her nor. Have they even consummated during their wedding night or at all?

 

Doesn’t look like they have consummated their marriage yet. It’s ‘painful’ to see LF try so hard. I mean, as a woman, I feel sad for her in her unrequited love but of course, as a viewer, I’m all for Eleven.   
Did anyone notice that LF sang out of tune in Ep 9? Her singing was clearly not in tune with the music. I wonder if it is intentional to show how hard she tries to catch XLY’s attention. And the way XLY was touching the strings, did it look like he was pitying the poor strings which had been ‘massacred’ by LF? It’s hard to decipher his feelings during his interactions with his wives. After that, he asked his servant to pass LF his music book. Is it to show his affection for her? Or to ask her to please improve her playing? 

[miaka fy]

I'm just started and finish episode 01. I dw until episode 10 but will continue later 

 

First when I know that Wallace and Seven are acting together I was surprise and happy. I know also it's from a novel. Then I went to read the synopsy and I was like WALLACE have wife and concubine already O.O NOOOOoooooooooo. But I started it because my friend ask me how I'm thinking about this serie. 

 

My first impression, it's started a bit like Ming Lang serie and I like it. Sure the feeling from the first minutes was like why and why Luo Shiyi and her mother suffer like that. It's probably the wife was jealous that Shiyi mother's was pregnant. Sadly she seem lost the baby too sigh

 

Luo Shiyi seem really a intelligent woman when she grow up. 15 year old and already have able to analyse the situation. Really fast thinking and can I said she cunning ^^

 

First meeting with Xu Liying was dramatic LOL Probably he didn't see her well but Luo Shiyi probably saw him. Second male lead there and I hope we don't have any second lead syndrome in this novel . He was like ''fall in love in the first sight'' and we already know he won't get our FL. Also when the LEAD wife call Luo Shiyi and her mother back, we already know that isn't something good. 

 

It's alike a novel I have read, the main wife call back the FL lead just to replace her daughter for the marriage and I was thinking it's probably a same situation. 

 

the only thing I don't like it in this story is ....WALLACE HAVE ALREADY A LOT WIFEYS 

 

Well...I only watch one episode so please let's me catch on everything before  I have so much anime, drama and novel to catch it's crazy....24h isn't enough awawawaaaaaa

 

@UnniSarah Chingu I complete one episode yay for me LOL

[backstreetboysfan]

I have seen up to episode 4.

[tazmin]

Watched up to 10 and I have to say I feel sorry for our male lead. A fellow introvert wants to come back to a quiet home with no wives and live out his days peacefully but psyche as a person of power he can’t avoid all these concubines which have been thrusted upon him.

 

I have to say the wedding scene was probably the most painfully awkward I’ve seen but it’s so realistic. Two quiet people who didn’t want this I feel for them 

[hello210]

4 hours ago, omiki said:

Doesn’t look like they have consummated their marriage yet. It’s ‘painful’ to see LF try so hard. I mean, as a woman, I feel sad for her in her unrequited love but of course, as a viewer, I’m all for Eleven.   
Did anyone notice that LF sang out of tune in Ep 11? Her singing was clearly not in tune with the music. I wonder if it is intentional to show how hard she tries to catch XLY’s attention. And the way XLY was touching the strings, did it look like he was pitying the poor strings which had been ‘massacred’ by LF? It’s hard to decipher his feelings during his interactions with his wives. After that, he asked his servant to pass LF his music book. Is it to show his affection for her? Or to ask her to please improve her playing? 

Spoiler

LF was trying to find a way to get the ML to visit her in her room but sadly ML didn’t fall for it and sent a maid to bring the book to her. 

 

I saw people complaining in another forum about ML having multiple wives/concubines. It was so typical back then and just like in TSOML, most of the times the husbands had no say in it (political and parental reasons) and the only thing they can do is provide them with material comfort and protection if they don’t really want them. If wives go against a parent giving their son a concubine they were not virtuous. If the son refuses, they were unfilial for not doing their duty to provide heirs. Problem with the concubines and wives come when they want affection and power. Greed for both is dangerous/destructive as we’re finding out with Concubine Qiao. 

[marrez1]

1 hour ago, hello210 said:

  Reveal hidden contents

LF was trying to find a way to get the ML to visit her in her room but sadly ML didn’t fall for it and sent a maid to bring the book to her. 

 

I saw people complaining in another forum about ML having multiple wives/concubines. It was so typical back then and just like in TSOML, most of the times the husbands had no say in it (political and parental reasons) and the only thing they can do is provide them with material comfort and protection if they don’t really want them. If wives go against a parent giving their son a concubine they were not virtuous. If the son refuses, they were unfilial for not doing their duty to provide heirs. Problem with the concubines and wives come when they want affection and power. Greed for both is dangerous/destructive as we’re finding out with Concubine Qiao. 

I bounce off what you say, you are right, I remember seeing a historical drama where the male lead was a prince and very in love with the female lead, he said he did not want to marry other women, but his grandmother told him that it was his duty, kinda what you say, but she added by saying that he had to assume his role of parent and give them a child is like ensuring a descendants in the families of these women that are given to him, so suddenly he said to marry other women and sleep with others wife, well the female lead understood after having cried a lot.

 

All this to say that in reality here in this drama he would surely sleep with his concubine, it is also his duty as a husband

[minglanfan2]

The troubles of Xu Lingyi..3 concubines are constantly chasing him for affection and the new legal wife is happy to chase him away from her.Mother dearest brings her own wishes to be fulfilled in the name of filial pity..The revolutionary idea that he proposes @the court official meetings doesn't find takers.His hair has not turned grey with so much baggage is itself a blessing.He still remains a handsome general and must be relieved of the fact that no one is scheming for him to have a 5th wife. He is the apt guy to give a Tedxtalk on how to manage stress and still keep looking like a million bucks!

[jacquelinetan]

The recent episodes really proved that Xu Ling Yi has never been in love. All his involvement with the women in his own inner court has to do with responsibility. His family owed a favour to Luo family for helping them in them in trouble times, he married the Elder Miss Luo. Madame Qin was on the request of his mother. Madame Wen helped out in increasing the family fortunes and Madame Qiao is a case of super chaos. He even mentioned to his mother that he had deemed all his relationship as failure as the main reason he did not want to Xiao Lian Fang to enter his house. Madame Xiao went in despite the warning Xu Ling Yi had given her. She thought she will be able to make a difference and capture his heart.

 

His valet said that men with concubines found much pleasures with them but Xu Ling Yi, it is something he just want to avoid. I found it so funny that he sincerely made an attempt and in the end he ran away from all three of them. He has nothing in common with them. Instead he found some peace with the only woman who is not making any attempt to get his attention. I think he is a little upset that he is not the center of attention of Shi Yiniang.

 

I believe he came to the title after the death of his brother. If his brother was alive, I think he will be happy with just that one wife. He will doing what he love best - safety of the country and not to bother about the family wealth and power.

 

I like it that Shi Yiniang is observing everything first and as she said often enough her mission there is not a women power struggle but finding out her mother's killer.

 

Madame Xiao is going to find out the hard way that her love meant nothing to a man who has no feelings for you and as compensation he is just providing you with a roof over your head.

 

Xu Ling Yi will be Shi Yiniang biggest supporter. He already asked her to take back the household authority. He reprimanded Madame Xiao for stealing the brocade that was meant for his wife. He told her it is a crime for covet something that is not hers in the first place. I believe it does not mean that piece of cloth but his heart too. Shi Yiniang is totally opposite from any of the women folk in his household so she must be so refreshing and he can so at ease with. He is amazed that she managed to pinpoint his troubles.

[aptfangirl]

1 hour ago, jacquelinetan said:

All his involvement with the women in his own inner court has to do with responsibility.

 

At first I was really disturbed by the fact that he has so many wives but after several episodes in, I kind of understand that he got married with all of those women out of responsibility. I really like how they show us the scenes when he briefly visited his concubines, make us understand the whole situation with these women.

 

I'm not sure if this counts as spoiler but just to be safe I'll put my thoughts in the box since it relates to specific scenes:

 

Spoiler

QLF and her music, I assume that it somehow reminds him of the thing he once liked (music) but no longer have the luxury to do anymore because he has to take up the responsibility of being a patron since the death of his brother.

 

He is not compatible with Concubine Wen because she's too extravagant. When he visited Madame Wen, he seems uncomfortable with how she spends so much money on food. After all, he is a sensible person who cares so much about the welfare of the people. His indulging in such expensive food while the people are in poverty doesn't fly with his personality.

 

Concubine Qin, to me she doesn't look like she wants to compete for XLY's attention. She was once the Great Madame Xu's servant and I got the impression that she's somehow content that he's willing to take her as a concubine. Although she is nice and gentle, it's clear that she was not privileged to have a good education. That's why she can't keep up with XLY's attempt at a conversation about the painting hung in her pavilion. She can't be the equal partner he seems to be looking for. 

 

[bomnie]

I ended up binge watching all 10 subbed episodes and I have to say I'm hooked! Love the slowburn, love all the karma that hits all the snakes, and I especially love our female lead's passive aggressive manners. I found it hilarious when the couple argued in the carriage and then she let him go to the office, clearly knowing he had no business there xD. Love all her comebacks at him! Like she takes no bs from him and I love it. It's also clear she gives no S being there, and that creates quite funny scenarios with him. Though, so sweet to see them starting to learn more about each other's characters. 

 

By the way, I have a question regarding the names! First time I hear the suffix 'niang' added to names! Is our female lead's name actually 'Luo shi yi niang'? With my limited knowledge in Chinese, I thought 'niang' was the same as in 'niang niang', like how you call empresses, but then I realised I might have been confused, since she's no empress and 'niang' seemed to be part of her name even before getting married. Any ideas anyone?

[berryberry]

Spoiler

I love how he actually tried to make some effort with each of his concubines after he was called out on it. He seems to be quite duty driven, so it wouldn't make sense if he kept neglecting them after that. Of course, I'm relieved that it nothing came of it, and not surprised at all, since he's made it abundantly obvious where his priorities lie and that he's content with just doing his duty in providing them with their material needs and status.

 

I also feel like the scenes of him trying to spend time with the concubines are a good contrast to how he will interact with the FL in the future. Even now, his interactions with the concubines are very distanced and polite, whereas even though he hasn't fallen in love with FL yet, there are moments where you see him less guarded. I especially loved when she yawned and he smiled/smirked a little! So excited to see how this all pans out!

 

I was initially a little put off by the fact that he has concubines and children (which of course is the norm), but after watching 10 eps, I don't mind at all, since none of them are favoured. In fact, it creates interesting household dynamics. 

Edited February 28, 2021 by berryberry

[ElleSor]

Regarding, the main wife and concubines... I fully expect costume/ historical dramas to have these. It was something that people expected from men and women back then. When I watch these kinds of dramas, I have no prejudices against the circumstances that follow what people do during those times.

 

The sad reality is that during those times, women were regarded as pawns and had no say on what their fathers and then their husbands do to them. This happened not just in Asia but around the world as well. Women empowerment was nowhere to be found until recently. 

[hello210]

4 hours ago, bomnie said:

I think it’s similar to gu-niang, like how Minglan was Lieu (6th) Gu-niang and in this era, that first part is dropped? The concubines are similarly addressed to differentiate them from the wife...Furen (wife) versus Qiao Yi-niang, Wen Yi-niang. In Minglan which was Song Dynasty, it was Da Niangtze (wife) and Xiao Niang (concubines)...big madame versus small madam. Also noticed that the address for the Matriarch is Da-Taitai...like Lou Da-Taitai and Xu Da-Taitai. It’s very interesting how these forms of address evolved. 

6 hours ago, jacquelinetan said:

The recent episodes really proved that Xu Ling Yi has never been in love. All his involvement with the women in his own inner court has to do with responsibility. His family owed a favour to Luo family for helping them in them in trouble times, he married the Elder Miss Luo. Madame Qin was on the request of his mother. Madame Wen helped out in increasing the family fortunes and Madame Qiao is a case of super chaos. He even mentioned to his mother that he had deemed all his relationship as failure as the main reason he did not want to Xiao Lian Fang to enter his house. Madame Xiao went in despite the warning Xu Ling Yi had given her. She thought she will be able to make a difference and capture his heart.

 

Xu Ling Yi will be Shi Yiniang biggest supporter. He already asked her to take back the household authority. He reprimanded Madame Xiao for stealing the brocade that was meant for his wife. He told her it is a crime for covet something that is not hers in the first place. I believe it does not mean that piece of cloth but his heart too. Shi Yiniang is totally opposite from any of the women folk in his household so she must be so refreshing and he can so at ease with. He is amazed that she managed to pinpoint his troubles.

Spoiler

Qiao LinFeng is too used to her family status and the support of her aunt (ML’s mom) that she ignores the fact that she’s just a concubine. Especially with the mother-in-law favoring her and allowing her to manage the household, she’s literally the defacto Madame without the title. ML trying to put her in her place is just going to add fuel to the fire. Could tell she was trouble before the concubine trap when she would always try to have coincidental meetings with ML...running around the courtyard hoping to “bump” into him. Her vanity (beauty and noble status) keeps her thinking that she can make any man, in this case, ML, fall in love with her without really knowing the ML, just her own ideal fantasy of him. 

 

[hello210]

Spoiler

Waiting for the subs to fully understand but it seems like QLF is purposely getting Xu Si Zhun sick so she can make herself look good. Looks like he’s allergic to dogs. Just for that, I can’t wait for her take down...even though it’s going to be after she frames Shi-Yi Niang. 
In ep12, you can see the tiniest crack Shi-Yi Niang put into her mother-in-law’s bias when she starts to try and repair the relationship between father and son. I think if it weren’t because her original plans for QLF were thwarted, she would have been a little more open minded about Shi-yi Niang.

 

the little boys are so cute.

 

[choco milo]

Am I the only one that thinks that it is not a member of the Xu family that killed Shiyi’s mom? I can’t see anyone in that family having the motivation. For some reason I think it was Shiyi’s big mother that killed her. The comment about psychological warfare was especially suspicious.

[minglanfan2]

4 hours ago, choco milo said:

Am I the only one that thinks that it is not a member of the Xu family that killed Shiyi’s mom? I can’t see anyone in that family having the motivation. For some reason I think it was Shiyi’s big mother that killed her. The comment about psychological warfare was especially suspicious.

I earlier thought that she or her step sister must have been who caused her mother's death.Since Shiyi found the fabric at the Xu countryside villa which matched with the incriminating piece she has recovered from her mom, I am not sure of their culpability.

At this point it feels someone in the Xu household or with connections to them inadvertently caused the mom's death.

[hello210]

5 hours ago, choco milo said:

Am I the only one that thinks that it is not a member of the Xu family that killed Shiyi’s mom? I can’t see anyone in that family having the motivation. For some reason I think it was Shiyi’s big mother that killed her. The comment about psychological warfare was especially suspicious.

I also think someone from her family had something to do with it. Cutting out what’s precious to her so that she has to cooperate with the marriages. It just so happens the Xu family females were there that day. Shiyi and her mom are always caught in the middle cause there’s someone in Xu family that don’t want her to be able to marry into their family and there’s Lou family who wants Shiyi to cooperate. Either way her Big Mother is taking advantage of her guilt (psychological warfare) to get her compliance.

[jacquelinetan]

I just loved how Shi Yiniang managed to turn the tables on Madame Xiao. Like the main female villain, she just looked so disappointed that her plan had failed. Her plan is to get Shi Yiniang kicked out of the household and she gets promoted to be the principal wife. I am sure all her vile plans will come to a stage that her Aunt will not be able to side her and that Xu Ling Yi was never hers in the first place. He already told her that he had no such feelings for her.

 

The main reason Xu Ling Yi is protecting Shi Yiniang is she is his wife and he will not tolerate anyone disrespecting her and treat her unfairly. The more mess Madame Xiao create, the more Xu Ling Yi will stand by Shi Yiniang. She basically had pushed Xu Ling Yi to Shi Yiniang.

[backstreetboysfan]

1 hour ago, jacquelinetan said:

I just loved how Shi Yiniang managed to turn the tables on Madame Xiao. Like the main female villain, she just looked so disappointed that her plan had failed. Her plan is to get Shi Yiniang kicked out of the household and she gets promoted to be the principal wife. I am sure all her vile plans will come to a stage that her Aunt will not be able to side her and that Xu Ling Yi was never hers in the first place. He already told her that he had no such feelings for her.

 

The main reason Xu Ling Yi is protecting Shi Yiniang is she is his wife and he will not tolerate anyone disrespecting her and treat her unfairly. The more mess Madame Xiao create, the more Xu Ling Yi will stand by Shi Yiniang. She basically had pushed Xu Ling Yi to Shi Yiniang.

I so agree, the more they do that it will just push them together more.

[hello210]

2 hours ago, jacquelinetan said:

I just loved how Shi Yiniang managed to turn the tables on Madame Xiao. Like the main female villain, she just looked so disappointed that her plan had failed. Her plan is to get Shi Yiniang kicked out of the household and she gets promoted to be the principal wife. I am sure all her vile plans will come to a stage that her Aunt will not be able to side her and that Xu Ling Yi was never hers in the first place. He already told her that he had no such feelings for her.

 

The main reason Xu Ling Yi is protecting Shi Yiniang is she is his wife and he will not tolerate anyone disrespecting her and treat her unfairly. The more mess Madame Xiao create, the more Xu Ling Yi will stand by Shi Yiniang. She basically had pushed Xu Ling Yi to Shi Yiniang.

Definitely pushes them together. I thought it was funny how Xu LingYi was like “if you turned your sharp tongue on them instead of me, they wouldn’t bully you”...ShiYi gets under his skin and piques his interest.