I never imagined that I would become a fan of Su Ge and Qin Tianye, two completely unrelated people, in my lifetime.
But I really... fell for it.
After ascending the throne, the scumbag emperor became increasingly adept at concealing his emotions, preventing his subordinates from guessing what was going on in his heart. Even when he was overjoyed to have eliminated his most trusted confidant, he would still weep and wail in front of his officials, putting on an act of remembering the past.
Yet, he revealed his true self to the Empress without any attempt to hide it—what's the difference between that and a lion rolling over and snoring in front of you!
Then there's the Empress. Even seeing the Emperor in such a wretched state, she still loved him terribly... She didn't care that the Emperor had killed his old comrades, she only felt sorry for him having to worry about such things... She loved him terribly.
Maugham's passage perfectly describes the Queen's feelings for the Emperor:
I know your intentions, your schemes, yet I love you. I know you are cruel, vulgar, and selfish, yet I love you. I know you are second-rate, yet I love you.
The selfishness of a saint and the sincerity of a scoundrel are too much... delicious.
After the emperor finished spouting his bunch of nonsensical platitudes, the empress disappeared. It turns out that the empress was just a figment of the emperor's imagination (it was also mentioned in the first episode's flashback that the empress had died many years ago).
The moment the Empress disappeared, the scumbag emperor actually lost his composure.
That's right, this scum of the earth who treats people like food, beheads old ministers as easily as chopping melons, and thinks he's the most important person in the world, actually broke down when the illusory image in his heart disappeared!
Three animated GIFs of the Emperor breaking through defenses:
The scumbag emperor chased after her to the window, but the empress had already vanished. Pear blossoms filled the garden, falling one after another. The emperor blinked, and the pear blossoms disappeared too… It turned out that what was once a garden full of pear blossoms was now a flurry of snowflakes.
You lie buried beneath the earth, your bones turned to dust; I, on earth, remain with my head covered in snow.
Nothing is left.
Qin Tianye's acting has been thoroughly discussed in the group, so I won't go into detail. Su Ge's acting here... it's as if she received guidance from a peerless master, instantly leaping from the Foundation Establishment stage to the Deity Transformation stage!
Honestly, even a ruthless woman like me, after seeing Su Ge's eyes, actually shed two tears.
Zheng Bohan is really something. You know, the last big director who failed in "The Singer" was Zhan Kexiang, who taught her for three days and still failed miserably... But Zheng Bohan did it.
In the final scene of this episode, the imperial physician comes to check on the emperor's health, and the old emperor casually bestows his head maidservant upon the physician as a concubine.
The scene shifts to Consort Bao and Consort Zhen, the two trusted generals, washing clothes in the laundry department.
The imperial physician mustered his courage and asked the old emperor why the two empresses were being punished.
The scumbag emperor utters another golden quote:
“The imperial harem holds a selection of candidates every three years, and each time about a hundred people are selected; the Imperial Medical Academy recruits doctors from all over the country every year, but among them, only three or five are truly talented.”
The imperial physician was so frightened by the emperor's words that he broke out in a cold sweat and immediately knelt down, shouting "Long live the emperor, his grace is boundless!" The scoundrel emperor chuckled wickedly, waved for the physician to leave, and then turned around to take out the small wooden witchcraft figurine, which he began to play with in his hand.
Episode 2, End.
——
Watching dramas during the Chinese New Year holiday is pointless, so I'll just state the conclusion: based on these two episodes alone, it's a masterpiece; if the remaining 38 episodes maintain this level, it'll be a stellar production.
It's not that it's a masterpiece compared to "The Legend of Qingyun," but rather that it is a masterpiece in its own right. Rather than saying it's trying to piggyback on "The Legend of Qingyun," it's more accurate to say that it's elevating the status of "The Legend of Qingyun."
So far, two episodes have aired, each a standalone story. But they're incredibly addictive, making you want to see what other outrageous things this scumbag queen will do next... Girls, please, please watch it!
——
Third Editor: Oh my god, this post is so popular! I didn't expect so many of my fellow "saw sisters" in the group to have read it!!! I thought it would be niche! Saw sister has great taste! The official Weibo just released a preview, tomorrow—oh no, it's already past midnight, so it's today, tonight's two episodes are called "The Tale of the White Crane" and "The Tale of the Raven"!
P.S.: I might write a review later, thank you for not minding my rambling...
[A review of over 4,000 words... Thank you for your hard work, author!]
[@Zheng Bohan, come over and kowtow.]
[Finally, I found something I can relate to! Su Ge's acting in this drama is really good; although her role isn't particularly large, it's still amazing...]
I never imagined that a palace intrigue drama could be made into an absurd comedy. Although it feels a bit too frivolous and satirical, it's still very entertaining.
[The Emperor is truly full of witty remarks...]
I'm already looking forward to tonight's episodes of "The Tale of the White Crane" and "The Tale of the Crow," they sound like mythological stories?
[Is this emperor an atheist? He plays with witchcraft and effigies like it's nothing.]
[The Legend of Qingyun has finally met its match; the values in this drama seem to be directly competing with those of The Legend of Qingyun in every aspect...]
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