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

[jacquelinetan]

Just saw a short clip that seemed to suggest that Shi Yiniang has taken over the household authority and she was rewarding and punishing the household "MaMa". She fired the one in charge of the fabric and the one purchasing the expensive herbs. Embezzlement and in the take. She told them she may not have run a household before but she knows how to read a set of accounts and know how much things cost. So don't play play with her.

 

I believe Madame Qiao made a big boo boo in managing the household. I saw the fake rice that Shi Yiniang uncovered in their household stores. I wandered whether it was the ration for the flood victims. One of her MaMa did not look that honest.

 

I think it is this scene that Shi Yiniang injured herself, Hubby Hao Ye comes to her rescue, put her on his horse, rides home and princess carry into the house.

 

I think it is lovely that the first gifts they gave each other are their own craft work. Definitely, something money cannot buy.

 

I cannot believe that the puppy nearly endangered the life of Zhun Ge and she just got away with just a slap on the hand. But she got minus marks from Xu Ling Yi who viewed her in a negative light for trying to frame Shi Yiniang. That is why he brought up Liu MaMa's name. It is a classic "I know what you did". She is still blur, why does he not like me? He just told her that he valued that she kept his mother company. He totally detached from her.

[Polly]

Just watched the latest episodes 13 and 14. Super cute ML gave the FL a fan (supposed to be a precious and rare one with feathers but I don't think its suitable for the FL at all. In fact, it looks like the one Zuge Liang is using hahaha). ML was expecting FL to return a gift. She didn't, which disappointed and frustrated him. He's putting an indifferent and proud front but both his subordinates saw through him lol. It bothered him so much that after a few days he personally hinted/demanded the FL to return him a gift. And, when she finally made him the embroidered boots. He was critising the boots all over but his body language and facial expressions were expressing otherwise (he was over the moon) hahaha. He is falling for the FL already cause when she was helping him to put on the boots, their hands touched and he definitely felt some electric currents 

 

Also found the scene of madame wen touching. She is just hoping for her son to study hard, pass the civil service exam and become an official some day so that she can rely on her son when old age. She knows her place and is not coveting anything else. 

 

This show is refreshing. You don't only see concubines scheming against each other. You see their back story and motivations. 

[pad-hari]

Me too, saw todays episodes 13 & 14 raw.  Atlast they found out QLF is the one who brought the puppy and played with Zhun ge becoz of which he got the allergic rashes and got sick.  The cage was double the weight  of SYL when she started to run with it to show the evidence.  Thank god XJL was on his way to QLF quarters she does not need to run with it all along chased by her minions.  Nice gift exchanges between the OTP.  XJL has already fallen for her and she is also slowly seeing that he is very meticulous in his duties and support her every time.  I love how he is almost returning home these days after his work rather than keeping away from home unlike the past.  I hope everything goes on well for this beautiful couple. 

I have stated liking wallace in this show.  I stopped watching his shows midway with AB and SY.  TSY is queen of chemistry and i like her with WC too in this show.   

[hello210]

That side eye look Qiao Yiniang gave to Shiyi gave it away that she knew the dog had a pathogen and would get Zhun sick.  When he first got sick, I thought it was allergies but it’s worse when it’s a pathogenic infection. She’s really in her own little world that her maids keep propping up. There’s definitely things wrong with the household management cause those Mamas’ are fishy...smells like embezzlement going on. Without Xu TaiTai, Qiao Yiniang wouldn’t be getting away with her escapades. Could tell she going to escalate things as Xu LingYi and Shiyi grow closer. Looking at Erniang’s grudge (2nd sister), I get this feeling that she’s going to be part of the reason Shiyi gets arrested. 

[minglanfan2]

@UnniSarah thanks for the gifs.I like Shiyi's corner by the window.Such a romantic and idyllic view.Wish I could find an airbnb like that!

 

Liangfeng the cupid villain.I don't mind her shenigans as long as she brings the leads closer.I loved her miniscule enlightening moment where she wonders if her antics is bringing her nemesis closer to dearest husband? You are spot on lady! Was even more delighted to see her not dwell on the smart thought further. She needs to keep listening to her maids and favoring own clan's friends and relatives.

She even tried to harm his son.That was a below the belt hit! No father would take it lying down and favor the mastermind for his affection.Glad that tenacious general is trying to find evidence and hold the culprits accountable. 

 

Liang feng is getting ready to create another disaster with the refugee soup kitchens.I am sure Shiyi will save the day and make strong inroads into XuLingyi's heart.. 

I should send a thankyou bouquet to her for making sure the affection between Shiyi and XuLingyi grow deeper.

 

On a side note Madam Xu needs some tough talk on how her misplaced love for Concubine Qiao is bringing disaster on her family.Will someone wise in the Xu household do the honors please?

[backstreetboysfan]

12 hours ago, UnniSarah said:

Shi YiNaiang’s sharp tongue and the way she stares at husband makes him so frustrated.   @minglanfan2 @backstreetboysfan @pad-hari

 

 

 

 

This house interior design is so beautiful and Shi YiNiang sitting in it is just makes it so much more memorable 

 

 

 

I am like their interactions too.

[tazmin]

It’s so sad that Lingyi being decent is such a high standard for male leads in historical dramas but he is so throughly decent. While we see the adverse effects of polygamy with these dramas in regards to how it effects women and children, we never see it from the men. Men like Lingyi who are probably a few (especially who has a high EQ) who don’t see the benefits of having so many wives and sees only burden and responsibility. But he tries to provide for them, make they are okay but he can’t as he pointed out give them the respect and devotion they want because it’s almost impossible for one person to do that for multiple people. They’ll always be a hierarchy even in voluntary polyamorous relationships. That’s just the fundamental of life  

[bomnie]

On 2/28/2021 at 9:36 AM, hello210 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. 

Thank you for your explanation and sorry for cutting your post! Makes plenty of sense!!!

 

 

Re: ep 13 and 14. 

My thoughts every time I see Qiao yi niang: "why you so lame, girl?????" XDDDD. 

Spoiler

Her starting to pray and starving herself to "atone" for her sins was quite hilarious. All the while everyone else (aka Shi Yi niang) was actually taking care of the child and cleaning up the mess Qiao did. Reminds me of the saying that goes like: the guilty ones will always be louder than the real victims. Glad that the general is seeing through Qiao's bad deeds and is not buying her fake acts. 

 

Also, may I say, other than our lead couple, I really like the 2nd concubine, Wen yi niang. I recognise the actress from the Rebel princess, in which she played the maid that obsessed over the 3rd prince. I like her character in this drama, very transparent and not cunning. She kind of reminds me of So Bong from the drama Mr. Queen: always on her way to follow the strongest in order to survive. It was quite heartbreaking seeing Wen crying over her powerlessness and not being able to rely on her husband. I can't wait to see her bonding with Shi Yi, because she'll find ways to appreciate Wen for the person she is and not for her family's background. We already see a glimpse of how Wen's son (Yu ge) is being looked after by Shi Yi, and how that could be a soft spot for Wen.

 

By the way, anyone knowing how this drama is being received in China? How are the ratings faring? I am personally quite enjoying the show, but I do see some commenters disliking the drama and its pace here and there. Was just curious about the show's popularity in its home country ;). 

[hello210]

7 hours ago, pad-hari said:

 

I have stated liking wallace in this show.  I stopped watching his shows midway with AB and SY.  TSY is queen of chemistry and i like her with WC too in this show.   

I like Wallace Chung’s acting but I had a hard time with those two dramas too. I watched General and I until about 2/3 before ffw through the rest. Same with All Out of Love. The script just didn’t hold me like this one does. 
 

Just saw the second teaser again and can’t wait for the last scene of the teaser. Kids are so precious and innocent ...”Dad still sleeps in mom’s arms at his age”.  I wondered before how he saw them until someone posted the bed picture of the three of them from weibo.

[hello210]

So I was wondering what Daddy Tang’s role was in this drama. After rewatching the minister meetings and looking at the cast list, I think he’s related to the ministers that (the Ou family) that Xu LingYi is going up against. His other name on the cast list is Ou Yan Qing while the minister that is in the smuggling business with the pirates is Ou Li Qing. He could be using the name Lin Shi Xian for multiple reasons (to separate himself from paternal family image or to hide the smuggling business)...either way I heard he’s not in the novel so anything to do with his character is going to be a surprise. Now I can see that there are so many different ways that Shiyi can be set up for jail/execution. 

[clawedzip]

6 hours ago, minglanfan2 said:

Liangfeng the cupid villain.I don't mind her shenigans as long as she brings the leads closer.I loved her miniscule enlightening moment where she wonders if her antics is bringing her nemesis closer to dearest husband? You are spot on lady! Was even more delighted to see her not dwell on the smart thought further. She needs to keep listening to her maids and favoring own clan's friends and relatives.

 

The funniest thing is, that in the beginning Lianfeng was much better poised to gain Lingyi's affection than Shiyi was. Lingyi was clearly sympathetic to her being forced to marry him due to an underhanded scheme, and was annoyed with Shiyi for what he thought was her role in the scheme. If Lianfeng had continued to play the martyr and put her efforts into intensifying Lingyi's suspicions toward Shiyi, she probably would have had a much better result. Instead, she totally blew all the goodwill Lingyi initially had towards her, and made Shiyi look like the martyr. She really messed that one up

 

 

[minglanfan2]

31 minutes ago, clawedzip said:

 

The funniest thing is, that in the beginning Lianfeng was much better poised to gain Lingyi's affection than Shiyi was. Lingyi was clearly sympathetic to her being forced to marry him due to an underhanded scheme, and was annoyed with Shiyi for what he thought was her role in the scheme. If Lianfeng had continued to play the martyr and put her efforts into intensifying Lingyi's suspicions toward Shiyi, she probably would have had a much better result. Instead, she totally blew all the goodwill Lingyi initially had towards her, and made Shiyi look like the martyr. She really messed that one up

 

 

Yes! She screwed up her chances with great dedication.If she gets to know about the gifts exchange between the two,there will be an earthquake in Xu mansion courtesy her histronics.

[hello210]

I don’t think Xu TaiTai is going to put aside her bias for Qiao Yiniang until she realizes that Qiao Yiniang has been manipulating her with the Ci’an temple and if there’s evidence in the dog case or Xu LingYi gets hurt. She thinks that it’s just petty schemes aimed towards Shiyi but she will have to face everything once it’s all revealed. Luckily Shiyi has only been isolated or grounded by Xu TaiTai...the writers didn’t go as far as sacrificing Shiyi like in some other dramas. The temple/superstition trope gets crazy sometimes (burying baby, throwing them in river, etc.) 

I think He Hong Shan can play crazy/vindictive or mentally unstable role...at least that’s the vibe I’m getting from her performance so far. It’s annoying when she’s putting up the innocent act cause it’s acted out too obviously. But that look in the eyes when the doctor said he can’t say it Zhun will make it through the crisis...her eyes showed her true motive. 

[Polly]

Saw some previews of ep 19 and 20 on Weibo. Qiao is going a notch higher. She is going to harm the pregnant Da Niang (XLY's 5th brother's wife) so that she will miscarry and blame it on Shi Yi. Hope Da Niang and baby survives it and finds out about the real culprit soon. That evil woman needs to be extracted and terminated asap. 

[Super_Dede]

55 minutes ago, Polly said:

Saw some previews of ep 19 and 20 on Weibo. Qiao is going a notch higher. She is going to harm the pregnant Da Niang (XLY's 5th brother's wife) so that she will miscarry and blame it on Shi Yi. Hope Da Niang and baby survives it and finds out about the real culprit soon. That evil woman needs to be extracted and terminated asap. 

 

Spoiler

I saw a behind the scene that Shi Yi breaks the fall for Da Niang. Like she fell backwards and landed on Shi Yi instead. Hopefully after this incident Da Niang sides with Shi Yi and they build a relationship. 

 

Hello everyone! Been awhile since I see a thread so active. I’ve watched episode 1-14 in one setting. I like the story and I can’t help but see a lot of people comparing this drama with Story of Minglan. In my opinion the two stories are completely different. Although they have the same concept, concubine daughters and FL not showing her intelligence publicly. I find the two stories different. Additionally, I saw a lot of complaint about our ML having concubines and how our FL is only 16. I actually like how it’s showcase realistic events that can occur in the past. And find it common back in the days. What I really like about this drama is the relationship between our ML and FL. I love how it shows our FL not experienced in many things because she’s young and have never been a wife or any experience. Her nervousness during the wedding scene and even when she had to take off his clothes was so realistic! I can’t wait to see more of our couple develop in their relationship and our FL winning the hearts of other Xu family members. 

[morningdew]

8 hours ago, hello210 said:

Just saw the second teaser again and can’t wait for the last scene of the teaser. Kids are so precious and innocent ...”Dad still sleeps in mom’s arms at his age”. 

I wondered before how he saw them until someone posted the bed picture of the three of them from weibo.

 

The scene where the three of them in bed together is in this new OST sung by Tan Song Yun :

 

 

There are many sweet scenes in this MV 

[hello210]

57 minutes ago, Super_Dede said:

 

  Reveal hidden contents

I saw a behind the scene that Shi Yi breaks the fall for Da Niang. Like she fell backwards and landed on Shi Yi instead. Hopefully after this incident Da Niang sides with Shi Yi and they build a relationship. 

 

Hello everyone! Been awhile since I see a thread so active. I’ve watched episode 1-14 in one setting. I like the story and I can’t help but see a lot of people comparing this drama with Story of Minglan. In my opinion the two stories are completely different. Although they have the same concept, concubine daughters and FL not showing her intelligence publicly. I find the two stories different. Additionally, I saw a lot of complaint about our ML having concubines and how our FL is only 16. I actually like how it’s showcase realistic events that can occur in the past. And find it common back in the days. What I really like about this drama is the relationship between our ML and FL. I love how it shows our FL not experienced in many things because she’s young and have never been a wife or any experience. Her nervousness during the wedding scene and even when she had to take off his clothes was so realistic! I can’t wait to see more of our couple develop in their relationship and our FL winning the hearts of other Xu family members. 

For me, I love both dramas because they’re the same genre. That slice of life with cultural nuances...dramas that you have to pay attention to the little details to appreciate the story. They’re definitely two completely different stories. Even the situation of how the FL of both dramas were raised. Plus they’re two completely different eras. The restrictions on women weren’t as tight going into the Song Dynasty (Minglan) but possibly due to neo-Confucianism from part of the Song Dynasty an onwards, especially in the Ming Dynasty (Sword & Brocade) things seemed to have reverted to where women’s chastity and patriarchy was at its height and women’s right to inheritance and property decreased. Widow chastity and widow suicided was rewarded and if the remarried, they lost their dowry and husband’s property. 
Most of the complaints I saw on other sites have been the same complaints the Minglan got...too slow or boring, too many wives...basically not the idol historical genre they’re looking for. 

[pad-hari]

Heart wearming scene

 

How precious is the gift!!!!!

 

One of the bts in an upcoming episode.  I watched many bts videos and the OTP are so cute.  

Actually in the show, he is literally like a walking rock, but he does tease Shiyi so much and also enjoys it.  Wallace is becoming one of my favorite actor after this Xu Jingli character.

cr: weibo

[tazmin]

1 hour ago, hello210 said:

For me, I love both dramas because they’re the same genre. That slice of life with cultural nuances...dramas that you have to pay attention to the little details to appreciate the story. They’re definitely two completely different stories. Even the situation of how the FL of both dramas were raised. Plus they’re two completely different eras. The restrictions on women weren’t as tight going into the Song Dynasty (Minglan) but possibly due to neo-Confucianism from part of the Song Dynasty an onwards, especially in the Ming Dynasty (Sword & Brocade) things seemed to have reverted to where women’s chastity and patriarchy was at its height and women’s right to inheritance and property decreased. Widow chastity and widow suicided was rewarded and if the remarried, they lost their dowry and husband’s property. 
Most of the complaints I saw on other sites have been the same complaints the Minglan got...too slow or boring, too many wives...basically not the idol historical genre they’re looking for. 

Don’t understand why they complain since the promotional material was pretty explicit what kind of drama this was. There’s million of dull idol historical dramas they can indulge themselves in 

[jacquelinetan]

I think it is so lovely to watch that for once our Hao Ye wants to stay Shi Yiniang's bedroom because he wants to.