Episode 35 recap: Li Yi often accompanies Cui Yi for a chat.
Li Yi brought soup to Cui Lin, who was lying in bed. Cui Lin glanced at him and then turned away. She didn't say a word, and Li Yi remained silent as well. Cui Lin asked Li Yi to bring another blanket because the floor was cold. Li Yi told her she could keep it to cover herself, as it gets cold at night. However, Cui Lin ignored him and went back to sleep.
Gu Wanniang brought Qiu Cui to greet both Li Yi and Cui Lin. She explained that she intended to pay respects to the Emperor and the Empress, so she came at this time. She promised to come and assist Cui Lin with dressing and grooming early in the morning. However, Cui Lin told her there was no need as she couldn't wake up that early. Gu Wanniang then presented Cui Lin with a pair of embroidered mandarin ducks, expressing her joy that Cui Lin would become the Crown Princess. She believed that if the Crown Prince was happy, she would be happy too. Cui Lin glanced at the embroidered mandarin ducks and deliberately stated that she needed a folding screen and asked Gu Wanniang to embroider one for her. Gu Wanniang understood that Cui Lin was intentionally making things difficult for her and didn't want to see her, so she decided to appear more often in front of Cui Lin.
Cui Lin pretended to be asleep in bed when Li Yi approached with the soup brought by Taotzi. Li Yi gently touched Cui Lin's face and suggested that she take a few sips of the soup. Cui Lin glanced at him and turned away to sleep again. Li Yi visited Cui Yi, who had already gone insane. Cui Yi didn't recognize either Li Yi or Pei Yuan when he saw them. He pointed to a nearby location and asked Li Yi how they should deal with an enemy attack. Li Yi provided a solution, which impressed Cui Yi. He expressed his fortune in having such a capable descendant in the Cui family and inquired about Li Yi's name.
Cui Yi mentioned that in the future, he would promote Li Yi to be a captain, as he undoubtedly had a bright future ahead. Li Yi revealed his name, which sounded familiar to Cui Yi, but he couldn't remember why. Taotzi informed Cui Lin that she administered acupuncture and medication to Cui Yi every day, which helped him regain some clarity, but there were still many things he couldn't remember. Cui Lin felt that Cui Yi's condition was a deep concern and that the acupuncture and medication were ineffective. Taotzi assured her that she would continue researching and consulting medical books for a cure. Cui Lin noticed that Taotzi seemed hesitant to speak and urged her to speak her mind. Taotzi revealed that Liu Chengfeng had died in prison. When Cui Lin asked how he died, Taotzi explained that he had contracted a cold from someone he shared a cell with, and it ended up infecting him.
Qiu Cui looked at Gu Wanniang with a big draft in her hands and asked when it needed to be embroidered until. She suggested that they make a simpler one instead. Gu Wanniang told her that since Cui Lin praised her embroidery skills, she couldn't just do it half-heartedly. She wanted to embroider it slowly, but she wasn't sure if Cui Lin would still be living there by then.
Li Yi asked Cui Yi to tell him more about the Cui family army. Cui Yi looked at Li Yi and told him that at his age, he was already married and had children. Li Yi informed him that he was also married. Cui Yi was curious and asked Li Yi to bring his wife next time to show him. Cui Yi then recalled his own wife, mentioning that when he went off to war and returned, his wife had already become a lifeless body.
Cui Yi shared a lot of information about the Cui family army with Li Yi, and his mood improved slightly. In the evening, Li Yi prepared to sleep on the floor with his pillow and blanket. However, Cui Lin asked him to wait and he happily thought she wanted him to sleep on the bed. Unexpectedly, Cui Lin said that the floor was cold and asked him to bring another blanket. The next morning, Li Yi got up and covered Cui Lin with the blanket. As he walked out, he saw Gu Wanniang approaching with a bouquet of flowers for Cui Lin. Li Yi told her that Cui Lin didn't like flowers and asked her to come back after embroidering the folding screen. Gu Wanniang had no choice but to leave with Qiu Cui.
Li Yi and Pei Yuan discussed how to cure Cui Yi's illness. Li Yi believed that after observing Cui Yi's pain over the past few days, he realized it was about his wife. Taotzi picked a bunch of flowers for Cui Lin and told her that she had encountered Li Yi on her way there. Cui Lin shared with Taotzi that she had been thinking about something lately—that Liu Chengfeng hadn't actually died. She found everything to be too coincidental. She asked Taotzi to find the old scouts of the Cui family army and secretly observe what was happening.
On the other side, Ashu brought Jie Shuo's medicine to Liu Chengfeng and informed him that Wulo had new tasks for him. Liu Chengfeng despised Wulo's insatiable greed but had no choice. Chang'er finally had a chance to meet with Taotzi, and he happily kissed her on the cheek. Li Yi told Gu Wanniang that even if he didn't have Cui Lin, he wouldn't be interested in her. He wanted to make things clear and didn't want to keep Gu Wanniang waiting.
I gave up after watching the eighth episode. I don't understand the female lead, or rather, her character design is unlikeable. If she was solely focused on her career and had no feelings for the male lead, that would be one thing.
But she clearly has feelings and yet she manipulates the male lead using those emotions. Moreover, she knows Mr. Cui's feelings but fails to maintain a proper distance in a timely manner.
At the same time, the male lead is too love-struck.
He easily loses his focus due to the female lead's small tricks, jeopardizing important military matters. And he falls in love too quickly. I can't grasp what makes him truly attracted to someone who repeatedly takes advantage of his kindness and uses underhanded tactics.
The scenes where needles are used leave the female lead speechless, and I can't understand the male lead's mindset either.
Cui Lin is truly a very contradictory person. In the beginning, it was her insistence that forced Li Yi to become the crown prince, even at the cost of using herself as bait. The current fate of the Cui Family Army can also be attributed to her actions.
I used to think she was truly intelligent and had a clear understanding of the long-term consequences.
But she is far from being like 17 Lang. He initially didn't want to become the crown prince, not only because of his promise to the former crown princess but also because he didn't want the Cui Family Army to fall into the current predicament.
Cui Lin, on the other hand, wants everything. How is that even possible?
In the ancient palace, power struggles and family conflicts were the norm. The emperor had a sense of fear towards the Cui family because of their strong military power, which posed a potential threat to the royal family.
When Cui Lin and Li Yi were about to marry, this union did not proceed as expected.
Instead, if Cui Lin married into the royal family, the Cui family's military would have to disband, which put immense psychological pressure on General Cui and led him into a state of mental disorder.
The newlywed couple engaged in a tense confrontation in their room, engaging in a physical altercation.
This wedding was filled with a tense atmosphere. However, amidst the beautiful land of Leyouyuan, the love between Jing Tian and Xu Kai blossomed like vibrant flowers.
They met, understood each other, and fell in love in this place, sharing many wonderful moments.
The scenery of Leyouyuan was picturesque, with distinct seasons—spring brought rejuvenation, summer was lush and green, autumn displayed golden hues, and winter was covered in white snow.
The beautiful landscapes became witnesses to their love and a source of solace for their souls.
On this beautiful land, Cui Lin portrayed by Jing Tian and Li Yi portrayed by Xu Kai embarked on a tumultuous love story.
Their fates intertwined, and they went through many hardships together. Against the backdrop of power struggles and family conflicts, their love became even more precious.
Despite facing numerous difficulties, they remained steadfast in their beliefs, supporting each other and moving forward courageously. The story of Leyouyuan is not just a love drama; it is a work that showcases the brilliance of human nature.
Here, we witness the bravery of Cui Lin and Li Yi as they face adversity and their unwavering dedication in the face of love.
This relationship makes us believe that true love can overcome all obstacles, as long as we bravely pursue it, we will surely find our own happiness.
I'm honestly a bit speechless. It feels like the female lead doesn't understand the male lead at all. It's already a step back for the male lead to save her, considering how many people from the Zhenxi Army have died, how many lives have been lost.
Should he just ignore all that and go save the untrustworthy Mr. Cui?
Come on, let's not be ridiculous. I think the male lead did nothing wrong. The female lead grew up with Mr. Cui and he even jumped into the water to protect her from a blade.
It's understandable that she would feel sad and upset, but she shouldn't blame the male lead for it. The male lead has his own stance, and she can't demand that he trust her like that.
How could he trust her given the circumstances?
Moreover, he didn't do anything that truly hurt the female lead, and he even apologized later. After all, it's a fact that so many people from the Zhenxi Army died.
The female lead doesn't need to hold a grudge against the male lead, right?
As for Mr. Cui, I think he brought this upon himself. He knew it was Cui Li who attacked him last time, but instead of punishing him severely, he sold out his savior.
It's only natural that no one would come to his rescue this time.
After watching the drama twice, the inconsistency of the female lead's character became increasingly jarring. I can't see any trace of the righteousness she speaks of in her actions.
From the previous elderly couple and the Zhenxi army soldiers who were deceived by the second male lead, to her resolute decision to use the Crown Prince as a pawn, indirectly causing the death of the Queen (don't argue with me, she had multiple reasons to refuse the emperor's marriage, but she proposed to marry the prince just to pressure the male lead).
She has also mentioned multiple times that the world is treacherous, but she completely failed to anticipate the consequences of the Queen's death. There's a saying that every action has a consequence.
"I do not kill with my own hands, but others die because of me." So, you are not innocent. She repeatedly tells the male lead that they either both get the Eastern Palace or neither of them does, but when it comes to dissolving the Cui family's army, how does she handle it?
"I won't marry," she says. Why doesn't she consider the bigger picture in that case? Doesn't she know that if the Cui family's army doesn't disband, war is inevitable?
The inconsistency lies in the fact that all the deaths seem unrelated to her, but she is either the instigator or indirectly benefits from them. Yet, she can boldly and without guilt tell the male lead that the world will be at peace.
But when it comes to sacrificing her own interests for the sake of peace in the world, she immediately refuses. How is this acting in the name of righteousness? The reason the female lead's character doesn't collapse is simply because the deaths are unrelated to her.
Some may say she is smart and rational, but she pushes for the struggle for the crown without preparing any backup plans, and each time she lets the outcome go beyond her expectations. Is that true intelligence?
Therefore, the female lead is merely a self-centered person dressed in the sugarcoating of righteousness. The validity of her character relies not on her dialogue, but on her actions.