[Mainland Chinese Drama 2021] The Imperial Coroner 御赐小仵作

[Emerald Snow]

I saw this drama being recommended by others along with a decent Douban score of 8.3 so I decided to give it a shot.  I binged all 18 episodes and love it so much I had to dust off my old soompi account in order to join in the discussion (which I will actually do once my baby stops cluster feeding).  Meanwhile, some behind the scenes videos I found on youtube which hopefully some of you will enjoy.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KWXdVuZi-A

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhN4H9IZM_M

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcH0mFA1bEM

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAaPMxonJ0Y

[SC2019]

thanks @Emerald Snow glad you dusted off the account to join us. Thanks for the behind the scenes. Am counting my fingers and toes till Thursday. LOL

 

I just watched one of the BTS, don't know if they are overdubbed, the FL's actual voice sounds quite close to the drama voice but I think the ML's is not. His actual voice doesn't sound as deep or matured, which is why I guess he was overdubbed (if at all). Ok, the 2nd ML and 2nd FL for sure are overdubbed.

[AusNoodleLover]

4 hours ago, Emerald Snow said:

 I binged all 18 episodes and love it so much I had to dust off my old soompi account in order to join in the discussion (which I will actually do once my baby stops cluster feeding).  

I especially created an account for the Sword and the Brocade after being a long time lurker but that drama in the end was such a disappointment. I enjoy the actors, Wallace Chung and Seven Tan, but the plot became very boring towards the end. Still, the account has been handy to join in the discussion of this drama.

 

What's the airing schedule, how many episodes per week from Thursday?

[SC2019]

@AusNoodleLover on 13 May, for VIP viewers, 21-30 will be released and on 20 May, 30-36. Otherwise, it's 2 every day from Thursday - Saturday.

[hush puppy]

Hi Everybody!  According to V-Linkage, this drama actually out perform the  big-budget "The Long Ballad".  "The Imperial Coroner" is placed First.  While "The Long Ballad" came in second.

 

I don't have a weibo account. So cannot copy it here.

 

I didn't watch "TLB" though.  Not a fan of Dili Reba.

[skibbies]

The dubbing probably has to do with significant dialogue change, it's somewhat noticeable at times.

 

1 hour ago, hush puppy said:

Hi Everybody!  According to V-Linkage, this drama actually out perform the  big-budget "The Long Ballad".  "The Imperial Coroner" is placed First.  While "The Long Ballad" came in second.

Long Ballad finished on demand last week, and VIP this week that's why. I'm still fairly surprised that Imperial Coroner got no.1 though, there's several higher budget dramas airing at the moment, they aren't doing too well but they aren't doing THAT terribly either.

 

Coroner outperformed expectation for it, its non update days viewcount is higher than first week's update days, there's significant drop in this week's non update days but it's still doing fairly well. Tencent didn't even have on demand/vvip at the beginning and changed their minds last week, they also finally gave it some weibo trending, and there's some reviewers (weibo/bilibili) doing recs.

 

EDIT: oh wait Long Ballad finishes on wednesday for vip, my bad.

[partyon]

EVENT: Quick Poll: The Truck of Doom !

 

Chingus, time for a new Quick Poll - this time dedicated to the dreaded Truck of Doom. Please vote!

 

 

Your Event Organizers,

@partyon @Lmangla @Sleepy Owl

[Kathy]

LOVE this one!  About to watch episode 18 after a couple day binge and can't wait till subs are up for the next one!!!   Very well written, love the cast!

[taeunfighting]

On 5/10/2021 at 7:28 PM, SC2019 said:

Hope you catch up soon, so you can tell us how you feel about a particular scene in E18...

 

@SC2019 I am caught up to episode 18. I wasn't certain which particular scene you had in mind, but here are some of my thoughts...

 

Spoiler

 

I do think that Chu Chu's theory (about children's facial features should be the same as their parents') when applied to Jin Li and Jin Yu could suggest that they may not be biologically twin brothers. I thought it was interesting that Princess Xi Ping was upset over the emperor wanting Jin Li to marry Leng Yue for political/military reasons, but she was not concerned when the marriage was previously brought up between Jin Yu and Leng Yue. I am not a fan of baby swaps, but we’ll see where this may go… Whether they are biologically brothers or not, I do love their relationship. It is very sweet how Jin Li cares for Jin Yu.

 

Prince An has definitely fallen for Chu Chu (quite early on IMO). I'm somewhat surprised that he doesn't know it himself yet. I mean, he held her hand throughout caring for her while she was ill from the kidnapping. Perhaps he is so accustomed to operating based on logic that processing emotions/feelings doesn't come firsthand for him. I do think his angry outburst at Jing Yi and rashly jumping in the river will be a start for him to realize and understand his feelings for Chu Chu. But, my prediction is that it will be Chu Chu who will make the first move. (She is not the typical girl. )

 

Does anyone get peculiar vibes from Jing Yi's father? It is odd how he monitors Minister Xue and has Jing Yi report back to him about Prince An in the South West. Also, it seems his wife had gifted the hair pin to Chu Chu's mother. If so, I wonder how were they connected in the past.

 

Prince An is suspecting that the cases may be tied to plotting of a rebellion. It should be interesting to see how the players (in plain view and hidden) will make their moves on the chessboard. Btw, I love how Prince An brilliantly makes his deductions. Like Chu Chu, he is so smart. It's quite enjoyable to have two strong leads. 

 

 

[SC2019]

@taeunfighting my reply

Spoiler

the scene where he jumped into the water (LOL) and saved her, and the highlight was getting told off by the brother for doing so, then admitting that he didn't realise he had jumped in or knew why he had jumped in.

 

I think you may have something there - I suspect the real Prince died when he jumped into the water to save the brother and somehow for stability reasons, the mother adopted another child. So, he is not her flesh and blood, the only incident to explain why the drama has chosen to point that out through the conversation between Chu Chu and Leng Yue.

 

Yes, Jing Yi's father is a little strange, more so, how he is trying to orchestrate a marriage between Leng Yue and the the Prince/brother. I also thought the way Jing Yi is passing messages to the father through someone (whom Leng Yue later identified as one of the officials) was suspicious. I hope he doesn't betray the prince's trust in him.

 

On another note I like how a little by little is being revealed to us about the Duke (heir to the throne) and tonight we are going to find out what he is going to personally see to, now that he has the Emperor's permission to travel (sounds like our Movement Control Order and having to get a police permit to travel )

 

[Emerald Snow]

On 5/9/2021 at 2:11 AM, AusNoodleLover said:

This is surprisingly engrossing for me as well. I particularly like the male and female leads, he's not too cold and she's not too girly. I have just finished up to episode 18 in two days. Since there's not many of us, I'll join the chat. I think episode 18 is where Prince An realises his feelings after the river scene. I'm surprised his brother didn't pick it up and only berated him for going into the river. At the end of episode 18 is Prince An jealous of the attention Chu Chu is giving to her brother, Chu He?

 

I'm pretty sure Prince An is jealous that Chu Chu  is so (rightfully) worried about her brother.  I think Jin Li was so worried for Prince An that he was mainly occupied with scolding him instead of realizing that Prince An is starting to have feelings for Chu Chu.

 

 

On 5/10/2021 at 1:17 AM, Sdfntam said:

I really like the detail that’s gone into this drama! Nobody seems stupid and the logic is there. The transitions and scene changes are done very well, it doesn’t feel like anything is awkward or strange. Sometimes when I watch dramas I find myself going ‘huh?’ But this drama hasn’t made me do that yet.

 

 You can tell that the main leads care about each other but they don’t spend too much time with tropey stuff (and the scenes that are tropey are usually ‘purposeful’). It’s more realized through their interactions with other characters. I do wish their dialogue wasn’t so obviously changed with the voice dubbing. Either they decided to dub with different content or they misaligned really badly... anyone can comment on this?

 

Yes, it is so nice to watch a drama where the people think and react like normal people.  The dubbing is definitely the biggest problem so far with this drama.  My husband was so distracted he couldn't really continue anymore.  Luckily for me, my Chinese isn't great so I'm just going from subtitles.  When you're busy reading, the bad dubbing doesn't bother you as much.  Plus everything else about the drama is great so this is something I am willing to overlook.

 

On 5/10/2021 at 11:29 PM, SC2019 said:

thanks @Emerald Snow glad you dusted off the account to join us. Thanks for the behind the scenes. Am counting my fingers and toes till Thursday. LOL

 

I just watched one of the BTS, don't know if they are overdubbed, the FL's actual voice sounds quite close to the drama voice but I think the ML's is not. His actual voice doesn't sound as deep or matured, which is why I guess he was overdubbed (if at all). Ok, the 2nd ML and 2nd FL for sure are overdubbed.

 

I know, I was also counting down the days until Thursday haha.  Now that the drama is finally getting somewhat more popular and Tencent decided to do the whole VIP thing, I guess we're getting 12 episodes instead of the regular 6?  That's great news but I'm also sad that the show will be ending a week early.  I'm already dreading the withdrawal.

 

I saw one of their BTS on the drama's official weibo where Leng Yue was trying to teach Prince An and General Xiao to dance to Crayon Pop's Bar Bar Bar, then it jumps to Minister Xue nailing the dance LOL.

 

On 5/11/2021 at 2:21 AM, AusNoodleLover said:

I especially created an account for the Sword and the Brocade after being a long time lurker but that drama in the end was such a disappointment. I enjoy the actors, Wallace Chung and Seven Tan, but the plot became very boring towards the end. Still, the account has been handy to join in the discussion of this drama.

 

What's the airing schedule, how many episodes per week from Thursday?

 

I was actually going to watch that because I love Seven Tan.  Then I read reviews about how she was too young-looking to portray that role so I decided not to watch it.  Guess this just affirms that decision.

 

[Emerald Snow]

11 hours ago, taeunfighting said:

 

@SC2019 I am caught up to episode 18. I wasn't certain which particular scene you had in mind, but here are some of my thoughts...

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

I do think that Chu Chu's theory (about children's facial features should be the same as their parents') when applied to Jin Li and Jin Yu could suggest that they may not be biologically twin brothers. I thought it was interesting that Princess Xi Ping was upset over the emperor wanting Jin Li to marry Leng Yue for political/military reasons, but she was not concerned when the marriage was previously brought up between Jin Yu and Leng Yue. I am not a fan of baby swaps, but we’ll see where this may go… Whether they are biologically brothers or not, I do love their relationship. It is very sweet how Jin Li cares for Jin Yu.

 

Prince An has definitely fallen for Chu Chu (quite early on IMO). I'm somewhat surprised that he doesn't know it himself yet. I mean, he held her hand throughout caring for her while she was ill from the kidnapping. Perhaps he is so accustomed to operating based on logic that processing emotions/feelings doesn't come firsthand for him. I do think his angry outburst at Jing Yi and rashly jumping in the river will be a start for him to realize and understand his feelings for Chu Chu. But, my prediction is that it will be Chu Chu who will make the first move. (She is not the typical girl. )

 

Does anyone get peculiar vibes from Jing Yi's father? It is odd how he monitors Minister Xue and has Jing Yi report back to him about Prince An in the South West. Also, it seems his wife had gifted the hair pin to Chu Chu's mother. If so, I wonder how were they connected in the past.

 

Prince An is suspecting that the cases may be tied to plotting of a rebellion. It should be interesting to see how the players (in plain view and hidden) will make their moves on the chessboard. Btw, I love how Prince An brilliantly makes his deductions. Like Chu Chu, he is so smart. It's quite enjoyable to have two strong leads. 

 

 

 

Spoiler

It does seem like they're going the route of birth secrets for the brothers as well.  It does seem a little repetitive since it already happened to Chu Chu.  I do think she is actually the daughter of someone more higher up, maybe General Chen Ying himself, since her mom had that special hairpin from Princess Xiping's mother.

 

Jinyu has definitely fallen for Chu Chu.  I think it was super sweet of him to carry the mirror (that she made for him) everywhere with him.  He's so genuine to her, and the reason he gives her for treating her well is because she deserves it.  Such a romantic thing to say and props for not sounding cheesy like other drama's dialogues.  I saw some previews that he's going to make the first move to tell her, except our Chu Chu is either mad at him, or just too blur to understand what he's trying to say.  I can't wait to see this scene!  Leng Yue and Jing Yi had a blast making fun of him, whereas Jinli actually gave him better advice.  What a loving pair of brothers, blood-related or not.

 

I don't think Jing Yi's father is quite giving off bad vibes.  It seems like he genuinely is concerned about keeping the balance of power in court.  Then again, everyone in this drama is pretty smart and monitors each other for their own reasons so I guess we will find out.  I was actually a little surprised to find out Minister Xue is Chang Wang and is probably related to all the murders.  I need to go rewatch the first episode because I think I missed out on quite a few details.

 

1 hour ago, SC2019 said:

@taeunfighting my reply

Spoiler

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

the scene where he jumped into the water (LOL) and saved her, and the highlight was getting told off by the brother for doing so, then admitting that he didn't realise he had jumped in or knew why he had jumped in.

 

I think you may have something there - I suspect the real Prince died when he jumped into the water to save the brother and somehow for stability reasons, the mother adopted another child. So, he is not her flesh and blood, the only incident to explain why the drama has chosen to point that out through the conversation between Chu Chu and Leng Yue.

 

Yes, Jing Yi's father is a little strange, more so, how he is trying to orchestrate a marriage between Leng Yue and the the Prince/brother. I also thought the way Jing Yi is passing messages to the father through someone (whom Leng Yue later identified as one of the officials) was suspicious. I hope he doesn't betray the prince's trust in him.

 

On another note I like how a little by little is being revealed to us about the Duke (heir to the throne) and tonight we are going to find out what he is going to personally see to, now that he has the Emperor's permission to travel (sounds like our Movement Control Order and having to get a police permit to travel )

 

 

 

I would really like to think that Jing Yi is a true and loyal friend to Jinyu and wouldn't do anything to harm him.  He was definitely suspicious, but the explanation for why he did what he did made sense to me.

Spoiler

 

Speaking of Chang Wang/Minister Xue, I wonder how he is related to Princess Xiping?  Are they siblings?  What if Jinyu is Chang Wang's long lost son who was saved by Princess Xiping while Chang Wang's family was being persecuted? 

 

So this current emperor is the previous emperor's uncle, which would make the current emperor to be Chang Wang's great uncle?  They look the same age...

 

 

[backstreetboysfan]

I am loving this drama.

[SC2019]

@Emerald Snow it's 7 hours to go till we get E19-30... yah, I know what you mean, all episodes will be out by next Thursday. Then we can't get to see them solving cases anymore? (sigh, there's only so much re-runs I can stomach)

Spoiler

Ok I don't remember who is General Chen Ying. I will have to go hunt who he is. Well, it may sound repetitive, but I feel like they can take turns to comfort each other then? Empathy is only possible when you have walked the shoes before, right?

 

Jing Yi's father doesn't seem evil on the surface, as you said, it could be just being vigilant about the political situation and wanting to maintain stability. But having said that, it depends on the script writer (coz' I was watching No Boundary, and the ML's adopted father didn't look evil, didn't act evil in S1, suddenly in S2, he becomes evil, am scratching my head, but I guess they have no more antagonist and had to turn him into one).

 

As for Minister Xue and Princess Xi Ping, are they relatives, that I can't confirm but I recall earlier on there was a voice-over explanation of sorts stating that the Xue family threw in their support to her in her time of need (sth like that). So I thought it was just about political alliance, and didn't think there were any blood ties.

 

So this current emperor is the previous emperor's uncle --> yah that's what was said at the start of E14...I've had friends who had the same issue. Their uncle is younger than them (sometimes by about 10 years?), this happens because the uncle was the child of the youngest in the family, who got married late in life...so sometimes, it does happen.

 

[taeunfighting]

@SC2019 Ah, yes yes! It was quite comical how clueless Prince An was of why he jumped into the river.  We need Jing Yi to point out to him again that there is someone in his heart. LOL.

 

Spoiler

 

3 hours ago, SC2019 said:

I suspect the real Prince died when he jumped into the water to save the brother and somehow for stability reasons, the mother adopted another child. So, he is not her flesh and blood, the only incident to explain why the drama has chosen to point that out through the conversation between Chu Chu and Leng Yue.

 

I also think this is a possible scenario.

 

Prince An is smart. So, I actually wonder if he may already have some suspicion of this in the back of his mind and overhearing Chu Chu’s conversation with Leng Yue may have given a little more weight to it. When Jin Li questioned him why he jumped into the river and how did he learn how to swim, he gave really strange answers. I think you may have mentioned something similar in a previous comment.

 

 

Spoiler

 

3 hours ago, SC2019 said:

Yes, Jing Yi's father is a little strange, more so, how he is trying to orchestrate a marriage between Leng Yue and the the Prince/brother. I also thought the way Jing Yi is passing messages to the father through someone (whom Leng Yue later identified as one of the officials) was suspicious. I hope he doesn't betray the prince's trust in him.

 

On another note I like how a little by little is being revealed to us about the Duke (heir to the throne) and tonight we are going to find out what he is going to personally see to, now that he has the Emperor's permission to travel

 

Yes, Jing Yi's father adamantly pushing for the marriage between Jin Li and Leng Yu was strange too, especially even after Minister Xue told him it was not right. The way that Jing Yi passed the messages to his father was suspicious, but I do trust him after he gave his explanation to Prince An. I just worry that the children will be used as chess pieces by the elders in the court/military politics and unintentionally hurt each other. Hopefully, not though. 

 

I really like the plot development of Duke Chang/Minister Xue too. It was a riveting surprise. I agree it should be interesting to see how he maneuvers (incognito) in the South West. Can't wait to see how all the little details come together and we get to see the full picture of everyone's moves.

 

 

@Emerald Snow Prince An is indeed very sweet and genuine with Chu Chu, and vice versa. I love how he appreciates the embroidery on the handkerchief and the mirror made by her. I have not looked up any previews so I have been blindly going into episodes. Looking forward to the upcoming scene that you mentioned about them!

 

Are we really getting up to episode 30 this week?  Please let them be subbed fast. My Chinese is not great so I normally do not watch raws. 

[SC2019]

 

@taeunfighting as you can see here, 13 May: 19-20 + 21-30 (VIP), followed by 31-36 on 20 May (VIP).

My Chinese ain't that good as well, normal conversation is fine. But when it comes to biology (coroner talk)
and politics, I will be lost, but I can't wait for Eng subs. So I tend to watch raw, then when I have time, with subs. 
Helps me a bit to reduce my reliance on subs, and forces me to prick my ears a little to understand/ guess what is being said. If you are trying to learn Chinese, watching raw helps. lol

 

This is bound to make you laugh 

Spoiler

the guy usually carries the girl. in this case it's brother carrying brother. (E20, around 08:00) Our Prince hasn't been eating his meals regularly and probably had a bout of gastric. The brother carried him back to his room. I laughed so loudly at this scene!

credit: tencent

 

[hush puppy]

Ep 20 is so cute.  Everybody is so nice to each other:

 

1) The eldest brother to Jin Yu (Prince An).  He is so caring and protective of him. Even carry him upstairs to rest.  It is common to have sibblings-rivalry and jealousy.  But none here.  Only brotherly affections for each other.  I would love to have such a brother

 

2) The camaderie between Jing Yi and  Jin Li  (Jin Yu's eldest brother is also very clear). The way they jest with each other. Such friendship

 

3) The way Jin Yu (Prince An) tries to conceal his love for Chu Chu is so funny.  He loves her.  But wants to hide it from her.  So he ends up scolding her instead.  Leaving Chu Chu so confused.  And then later he suffers heartache himself.  So Hilarious

 

4) And the 2 pairs of Lovers are set:  Prince An+Chu Chu (eventhough Chu Chu is not aware of it yet) ;   Jing Yi and Lan Yue. This pair is more obvious to each other

 

Lovely episode

[Emerald Snow]

On 5/12/2021 at 10:24 PM, SC2019 said:

@Emerald Snow it's 7 hours to go till we get E19-30... yah, I know what you mean, all episodes will be out by next Thursday. Then we can't get to see them solving cases anymore? (sigh, there's only so much re-runs I can stomach)

Spoiler

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

Ok I don't remember who is General Chen Ying. I will have to go hunt who he is. Well, it may sound repetitive, but I feel like they can take turns to comfort each other then? Empathy is only possible when you have walked the shoes before, right?

 

Jing Yi's father doesn't seem evil on the surface, as you said, it could be just being vigilant about the political situation and wanting to maintain stability. But having said that, it depends on the script writer (coz' I was watching No Boundary, and the ML's adopted father didn't look evil, didn't act evil in S1, suddenly in S2, he becomes evil, am scratching my head, but I guess they have no more antagonist and had to turn him into one).

 

As for Minister Xue and Princess Xi Ping, are they relatives, that I can't confirm but I recall earlier on there was a voice-over explanation of sorts stating that the Xue family threw in their support to her in her time of need (sth like that). So I thought it was just about political alliance, and didn't think there were any blood ties.

 

So this current emperor is the previous emperor's uncle --> yah that's what was said at the start of E14...I've had friends who had the same issue. Their uncle is younger than them (sometimes by about 10 years?), this happens because the uncle was the child of the youngest in the family, who got married late in life...so sometimes, it does happen.

 

 

 

General Chen Ying is shown in Episode 1, the leader of the army that Qin Luan declared to be rebels.  In this flashback scene, we see that Chen Ying and his army was clearly framed, and he was the one that helped Xiao Heng escape Qin Luan so that there could be someone alive to clear their name.  Qin Luan of course lied to everyone and said that Xiao Heng was killed by Chen Ying/his rebel army.

 

Spoiler

Though now after watching Episode 17 and 18, I guess Chu Chu really is the daughter of Chen Ying's subordinate Yun Yi, since Dan Gui confirmed that Madame Jing did gift one of her hairpins to Yun Yi's fiance before they got married.

 

On 5/12/2021 at 10:56 PM, taeunfighting said:

@SC2019 Ah, yes yes! It was quite comical how clueless Prince An was of why he jumped into the river.  We need Jing Yi to point out to him again that there is someone in his heart. LOL.

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

I also think this is a possible scenario.

 

Prince An is smart. So, I actually wonder if he may already have some suspicion of this in the back of his mind and overhearing Chu Chu’s conversation with Leng Yue may have given a little more weight to it. When Jin Li questioned him why he jumped into the river and how did he learn how to swim, he gave really strange answers. I think you may have mentioned something similar in a previous comment.

 

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Yes, Jing Yi's father adamantly pushing for the marriage between Jin Li and Leng Yu was strange too, especially even after Minister Xue told him it was not right. The way that Jing Yi passed the messages to his father was suspicious, but I do trust him after he gave his explanation to Prince An. I just worry that the children will be used as chess pieces by the elders in the court/military politics and unintentionally hurt each other. Hopefully, not though. 

 

I really like the plot development of Duke Chang/Minister Xue too. It was a riveting surprise. I agree it should be interesting to see how he maneuvers (incognito) in the South West. Can't wait to see how all the little details come together and we get to see the full picture of everyone's moves.

 

 

@Emerald Snow Prince An is indeed very sweet and genuine with Chu Chu, and vice versa. I love how he appreciates the embroidery on the handkerchief and the mirror made by her. I have not looked up any previews so I have been blindly going into episodes. Looking forward to the upcoming scene that you mentioned about them!

 

Are we really getting up to episode 30 this week?  Please let them be subbed fast. My Chinese is not great so I normally do not watch raws. 

 

The main couple is such a shippable CP.  This is how male leads should be.  I'm over the domineering aloof and cold guys, and I'm also annoyed when the male lead is too sappy and cheesy.

 

On 5/13/2021 at 9:04 AM, hush puppy said:

Ep 20 is so cute.  Everybody is so nice to each other:

 

1) The eldest brother to Jin Yu (Prince An).  He is so caring and protective of him. Even carry him upstairs to rest.  It is common to have sibblings-rivalry and jealousy.  But none here.  Only brotherly affections for each other.  I would love to have such a brother

 

2) The camaderie between Jing Yi and Jin Yu's eldest brother is also very clear. The way they jest with each other. Such friendship

 

3) The way Jin Yu (Prince An) tries to conceal his love for Chu Chu is so funny.  He loves her.  But wants to hide it from her.  So he ends up scolding her instead.  Leaving Chu Chu so confused.  And then later he suffers heartache himself.  So Hilarious

 

4) And the 2 pairs of Lovers are set:  Prince An+Chu Chu (eventhough Chu Chu is not aware of it yet) ;   Jing Yi and Lan Yue. This pair is more obvious to each other

 

Lovely episode

 

Jinyu and Jinli are such siblings goals!

 

 

 

The opening sequence starting from Ep 19 shows Minister Jing's face first?  So strange...shouldn't it be Chu Chu first?  Maybe there is something weird about Minister Jing...

 

EDIT: Nevermind, turns out that's General Leng.  I thought he didn't quite look like Minister Jing 100%.  Whoops.

 

 

So here are my thoughts on Episode 19:

 

Spoiler

 - Jinli's favorite line "One or two sentences cannot explain everything clearly" apparently works for every situation LOL
 - LMAO at the part where everyone jumps out after Tan Gui tried to kill "Chu Chu."  There was so much going on there, Jinli stating that Jing family has always gotten on his nerves, Dan Gui saying that Minister Jing is just trying to get rid of those who killed his friend Xiao Heng, Jing Yi saving Chu Chu even though that would be going against his father's wishes because he knew his best friend Jinyu would be sad if something were to happen to Chu Chu
 - Hmm who leaked about Chu Chu being a descendant of rebels to Minister Han?  Is it Minister Jing, Chang Wang/Minister Xue, or Qin Luan?  Is it Qin Luan though because during his conversation with Sun Mingde, it sounds like they were happy that the news is being leaked?

 

And Episode 20:

 

Spoiler

 - Prince An is so smart!  He can deduce that his father was smart enough to figure out that Chu Chu's birth was strange and probably knew her actual parentage and yet chose to treat her well most likely because he approves of her parents...therefore there must be something fishy about her father/his army being labeled rebels
 - OMG Jinli is such a great brother!  I guess now we got the answer to why only Jinyu is a Wang Ye and Jinli is not
 - LMAO Zhou Han is such a lecher even while he's getting some serious business done
 - the little eunuch Jin Bao waiting around Eunuch Qin...I wonder who he belongs to
 - hahahha Jinli is hilarious during his conversation with Chu Chu when she is asking if Prince An would be mad/be put in a difficult spot at someone who is technically his enemy.  Basically he answered nothing and just told her to go find Prince An.  And then he goes sneaking around their conversation!  He is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters in this drama.  And then of course Jing Yi joins him in the act.  Haha these two are so funny together!  It's also really obvious by this point that everyone else knows that Prince An likes Chu Chu except Chu Chu.  Jinli is not so oblivious after all.

 

And of course right after I finish Episode 20, the rest are up and available.  I really want to watch more but then I also don't want to go too fast and then feel sad until next week.  First world problems indeed.

[SC2019]

Spoiler

credit: tencent

 

so this was indeed the scene that I thought revealed the father, from the opening/ending song. I suppose it was inevitable, otherwise this part of the mystery/ bringing the grieviance to the attention of the Emperor would have been easy if the father were alive.

 

 

credit: tencent

 

And she gets to comfort him when he is down. we get to see the Prince with his guard down, logic aside, just as a mourning son, a victim of injustice.

 

And in E23, Duke Chang @Minister of War questions him about his affection towards Chu Chu and he does not deny it. So, our Prince is fully aware about the consequences of his feelings for her. The Duke has also pointed out the mess he will get himself into by entangling himself with her, the political implications, her messy/undesirable background and the mother's/emperor's likely violent reaction towards their relationship. (though the mother already posed that question to her personal maid, so I think she already suspects something)

 

 

[taeunfighting]

Awww, episode 20 was such a delight. I really admire their bond with each other. And, it looks like we have another blossoming couple. Fingers crossed Jin Li will also find a match too. 

 

Spoiler

23 hours ago, SC2019 said:

the guy usually carries the girl. in this case it's brother carrying brother. (E20, around 08:00) Our Prince hasn't been eating his meals regularly and probably had a bout of gastric. The brother carried him back to his room. I laughed so loudly at this scene!

 

This part was so hilarious yet heart-warming at the same time. I loved the brothers’ candid conversation with each other afterwards. Normally, royal brothers would compete over rank/title with each other, but these two value brotherhood above anything else. I was happy it was clarified that Jin Li cares for Jin Yu so much simply because they’re brothers, not out of guilt from their childhood incident.

 

About Prince An, I think he was suffering more from heartaches than gastritis. LOL. Based on his conversation with Leng Yue, he seems aware of his feelings for Chu Chu, but he cannot accept them yet. I assume it’s because Chu Chu is supposedly a descendant of a rebel family responsible for his father’s “death”. I am hoping he will be able to debunk this claim soon. For justice of course, but it's also hard to see Prince An wrestle with his feelings in front of Chu Chu and lose his composure. It's so not him.

 

 

I still can’t shake off the strange vibes that I get from Jing Yi’s father.

Spoiler

There was so much tension while he was playing chess with Princess Xi Ping. And, now we learned that he is secretly extinguishing people with any ties to the “rebels”. I sort of think there’s a possibility that he’s somehow involved with what happened to Prince An’s father and is trying to get rid of evidence. Nevertheless, I’m glad through the incident with Tan Gui, Jing Yi chose to expose his father’s plans and proclaimed that he wouldn’t betray Prince An who is like a real brother to him.

 

23 hours ago, SC2019 said:

as you can see here, 13 May: 19-20 + 21-30 (VIP), followed by 31-36 on 20 May (VIP).

My Chinese ain't that good as well, normal conversation is fine. But when it comes to biology (coroner talk)
and politics, I will be lost, but I can't wait for Eng subs. So I tend to watch raw, then when I have time, with subs. 
Helps me a bit to reduce my reliance on subs, and forces me to prick my ears a little to understand/ guess what is being said. If you are trying to learn Chinese, watching raw helps. lol

 

Thanks! @SC2019 I saw that the raws are out to episode 30. I don't think my Chinese is nearly good as yours though to take the crutches off. So, I won’t be watching un-subbed episodes. I may fall behind you all, but enjoy!