The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion (2020)

This was a waste of time

If this show taught me anything, it’s that you shouldn’t let ratings tell you what to watch.

Idk how it’s rated 8.1 on MDL but that convinced me to give it a try, along with the cast-I’m also from legend of yunxi so I like both actors, but I wish I had never started this drama.

First of all, the synopsis is all wrong. This show is not about a girl who sees the future. That lasted the first 2 episodes and deteriorated into something entirely useless and incoherent.

Second, this is the worst female lead I have ever encountered. I usually always give the Fl the benefit of the doubt and find the good despite all the bad but in this show, the bad farrrr outweighed the good. Not once did she trust the ML. She kept repeating the same bad behavior with the same consequences or results throughout to show-even till the last couple of episodes. How do you write a character like that? No growth at all. She talked so much about trust and the truth, but she didn’t trust her teacher/master and she didn’t trust her husband despite him repeatedly reassuring her of his innocence on numerous occasions. Also, her always spending so much time with the second male lead, in public and privately, especially after the male lead expressed discomfort about it repeatedly to her annoyed me. Like you are married-a little bit of respect towards your husband won’t kill you. There was also the issue of the blind faith/trust she had in the SML due to them knowing each other for like 5 secs when they were kids that she doesn't extend to the ML, who is...her husband. I didn’t even care if she lived or died-in fact, on some occasions, I wanted them to truly get divorced and he married the princess. Put simply, the female lead sucks, she’s awful. Her character belongs in a trash can.

The second male lead is even worse. He decides to go on this entire evil crusade based off secondhand info about a 10-year-old incident without verifying or questioning a single thing. Who does that? Who formulates an entire revenge plan that involves the betrayal and murder of so many innocent people without first verifying your reason? Even if he was right and that incident was what caused his mother's death, the male lead was a child then??? You're telling me the writer decided that his main villain is going to be someone who can't distinguish between a mistake made by a child and malicious murder? You will betray and murder someone who calls you uncle and has done nothing but trust you because he knocked over a candle when he was like 10?? Also, the actor’s acting was pretty bad. Maybe this role doesn’t suit him or something idk, this is my first show of his, but he portrayed zero emotions and he tried to act without moving his lips and that just annoyed me. And his obsession with the female lead due to their 5 sec childhood interaction grew tiresome really quick. Also, the way his story ended was the absolute WORST! We watched this lunatic run around for 39.5 episodes killing people in an attempt to kill the male lead over the stupidest misunderstanding, all for him to die before fully understanding how wrong he was and what he had done. Like what was that?!

The secondary couple, although cute, became annoying and repetitive promptly after because they refused to actually do anything about their relationship or make it official. This is a historical drama, how many episodes of flirting and almost kisses can there be before you freaking ask for the girl’s hand in marriage? The whole show with them flirting and fighting and no marriage. It was the same thing over and over.

And then there's the ex-friend of the female lead who became her enemy after misunderstanding the female lead's part in her father's execution. It was literally the simplest misunderstanding that could have and should've been easily resolved but it dragged the entire drama and the friend tried to murder her and it never gets resolved. Why not clear it up at the end-even if it's to make the ex-friend feel guilt and remorse for her actions? They left that unresolved.

The only character that had any growth was the annoying princess and that’s the saddest thing I’ve ever written. She grew from the most annoying person on the show, to still annoying but sorta like-able and caring.

I stayed through the drama for the male lead. While he was the typical cold ml, every so often he’d smile, smirk, or make the funniest, most ridiculous faces that just made your heart melt. He also turned into a total sugar ball around the female lead.

This show sucked. The plot was awful-I’m not even sure that there even was a solid plot to follow. The villain is so crappy that you’re more annoyed than scared of him. Every episode is a repeat of “how can we make the people in the male lead’s life not trust or believe him today about issues that are clear cut until he almost dies proving himself to them”. This is what you will be watching for 40 episodes.

I couldn’t wait for the special episodes but now that I’ve finished the show, I don’t even want to watch it cause just looking at the female lead is going to piss me off. Also, my idea of a happy ending for this show does not include the female lead. He could do so much better and be so much happier with a person who loves and trusts him. He loves her with everything, but she abuses that. My perfect ending would have been if he fell in love with someone, one of the times they were separated, and she cares about and trusted him as much he does her.

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Reunion at Ruyi Pavilion

2 years after the much loved Legend of Yun Xi ended, the gang got together once more to give us The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion. This is a reunion of the cast and crew, comprising:

Director - Lin Jian Long
Screenwriter - Jin Yuan Yuan
Main cast – Ju Jing Yi, Zhang Zhe Han, Xu Jia Qi (Kiki), and Wang You Shuo
Supporting cast - Lu Xing Yu, Chen Jing Yu, Tan Li Min, Tong Rong Qin, Li Rui Chao, and Jin Xiang Dong, among the notable ones

Unfortunately, Merxat isn’t part of the reunion (which is just as well, since the SML’s character here wouldn’t have suited him anyway).

UNOFFICIALLY, this is the sequel to Legend of Yunxi about the reincarnation of Han Yun Xi and Long Fei Ye. OFFICIALLY though, The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion is a totally different story - it’s apparently an extremely loose adaptation of the novel Chong Hou Zhi Lu (宠后之路) aka The Way of Favors by renowned web novelist Xiao Jia Ren (笑佳人). This drama is essentially about LOVE in its many incarnations – affectionate love, enduring love, familiar love, romantic love, playful love, obsessive love, self-love, and selfless love (also known as the ancient Greek’s 8 types of love). Included in the mix are subsets comprising the dreaded love triangle, and the most unusual of all, love gone horribly wrong (more on this later).

This concoction of love themes is set within the context of palace politics with an underlying conspiracy brewing throughout and, to some extent, an exploration of ancient jewellery-making and commercial rivalry between diverse jewellers, chief among them being Ruyi Pavilion (in addition to other “activities” it’s involved in) and Feng Lai Yi, the royally-commissioned supplier of palace jewellery. Although the synopsis says otherwise, I really consider these as mere side stories and plot devices that accentuate the main story, which really is all about LOVE through its assorted manifestations among the various characters.

This drama is largely character driven rather than concentrated on an intricately woven plot. The plot itself is rather straightforward and the so-called villains contained therein belong to the quite harmless category. I do appreciate its unique premise that centres around the fascinating concept of foreboding dreams, much like LoYX’s distinct focus on detoxifying poisons as a healing art. Sadly, this concept was not explored in-depth but instead only fleetingly referenced at the beginning of the show. This has led to much discussion on the cut scenes involving dream sequences (particularly in episode 1) in both the Chinese and International versions of this drama. The uncut version is available on cable subscription in certain regions and, having seen the deleted footage, I can safely conclude that it does not diminish the overall storytelling. As such, viewers can be rest assured to enjoy this drama with a peace of mind and without fear of plot holes to adversely impact your viewing experience.

This is a well made production with excellent quality art direction and cinematography. However, the editing is rather choppy which is made glaringly obvious particularly during scene transitions. For the most part, the wuxia action scenes have been superbly choreographed. Interestingly, these martial arts skills (particularly the Qinggong 轻功) feature prominently during courtship and dating scenes e.g. the dashing male protagonists holding the female love interest tightly in their arms as they gracefully leap across the night sky from roof to roof or to the top of the watch tower to gaze longingly upon the constellation of stars and even the floating Kongming lanterns孔明灯 (definitely more visually stunning and stylishly romantic when compared to using the clumsy step ladder). Without doubt, the martial arts choreography reached its zenith through the spectacular display of awesome swordsmanship by the main characters of Prince Su and Prince An during the night skirmish in episode 31.

The FL Fu Rong is a character that’s supposedly written to be adorably cute, selflessly courageous, and intelligently bright. Whether intentionally or not, the character design did come across as somewhat immature and irrational at times, thus infuriating certain segments of viewers. However, seeing as all that’s well ends well, I have since resigned to the fact that the FL for this show is not written to be as consistently strong and intelligent as the character Han Yun Xi in LoYX. I’m a big fan of Ju Jing Yi and I thought she delivered what was expected of her, since actors can only work with what they’re given. The other aspect that bothers me somewhat is JJY’s heavy makeup and excessive red eye shadow (much like in In a Class of Her Own). I honestly hope that her makeup team would make the necessary adjustments to tone down the vampire with conjunctivitis look in her future projects. She did look much better in LoYX back in 2018 anyway, so sometimes less is definitely more.

On the other hand, I’m quite pleased with some of the other main characters. The ML Prince Su initially gave me Long Fei Ye vibes, the cold and stoic military man. He turned out to be much more that that - he gave us a nuanced display of emotive expressions and glimpses of a cheeky and mischievous side. Zhang Zhe Han has done a brilliant job here and portrayed probably his most endearing moment of the show when he cried his guts out in episode 21. That visibly touching scene truly tugged at the heartstrings and you cannot but sympathise with his insufferable plight. A masterclass in acting perfection indeed.

The highlight of the entire show is undoubtedly the delightful interactions and amazing chemistry between the OTP that’s reminiscent of their time together in LoYX. It’s as if they had stayed married and never parted ways since 2018. From their hilarious first encounter, to their eventual acceptance of each other as lovers and soul mates, and finally working together hand in hand to unravel the underlying conspiracy, their romantic development is somewhat slow burn this time but still evenly paced where they finally get together around the halfway mark. Although they encounter much adversity along the way, these are promptly resolved without the prolonged angst and the OTP’s many sweet moments throughout more than make up for those anxieties.

The SML, Prince An, is played by Liu Yi Chang in what is perhaps his first serious role as a “villain”, compared to his previous roles in youth and comedy dramas. As the “third wheel” of the low angst (and highly implausible) love triangle, he is perhaps the perfect example of how “love”, no matter how one-sided, can go wrong on so many levels – by being the only guy who has ever given away, willingly, the love of his life to another rival (considered to be his bitter enemy, no less) to be married. Such a magnanimous character indeed. His version of the lovelorn and vengeful antagonist who is seemingly motivated by familial piety and misplaced sense of justice is as feeble as the basis of his motivations. What started out promisingly in the first 5 episodes devolved into a depiction of an utterly unbelievable twisted psychosis of love sickness and vengeance.

Meanwhile, the second couple is truly a pleasure to observe. Portrayed by the exquisitely talented and gorgeous Kiki Xu and the undeniably charismatic Wang You Shou (with a really captivating voice), the supporting characters of Fu Xuan and Wu Bai Qi are one of the major compelling reasons that kept me watching this show. I honestly find their individual character growth as well as their emotional connection when they eventually got together to be extremely well written and remarkably depicted. How their entire story arc unfolded, is so believable and relatable without ever being contrived, cringeworthy or OTT. Fantastic portrayal and outstanding acting! At times, I do wonder whether Fu Xuan and Fu Rong are biological siblings for they seem worlds apart. Perhaps the screenwriters would know the answer to this.

There are side characters who compete for attention in annoying the heck out of viewers. None more so than the unholy trinity of the Emperor, the Marquis, and the Princess. The Emperor, played by Chang Cheng (who was much more pleasant in Love is Sweet), antagonises with his peculiar mix of incompetence and fanaticism in matchmaking his son with what he considers to be the “proper noble wife". Lu Xing Yu’s Marquis Zhang is the perfect example of the lousy parent. Even from beyond his grave, his villainy continues to cause much torment. The Princess of Xihe, Cui Wan is one of the most infuriating characters ever created for a C-drama. Jiang Shan’s portrayal of this idiotic, bratty and loathsome airhead leaves us all tremendously exasperated and literally gasping for air.

The OST for this show is truly exceptional. Comprising 5 tracks, 3 of which were sung by JJY while Kiki sings one track. JJY’s singing, as always is enthralling, much like her OST for LoY. Her rendition of the opening theme is particularly touching while the duet, Dreams Crossing is hauntingly enchanting. Kiki showcases her soulful side through her song, Deep Feelings. Track listing as follows:

古画Ancient Painting - 鞠婧祎Ju JingYi
芙蓉Fu Rong - 鞠婧祎Ju JingYi
梦渡Dreams Crossing - 鞠婧祎·霍尊Ju JingYi·Henry Huo
意浓Deep Feelings - 许佳琪Xu Jia Qi
祈愿Make a Wish - 孔肖吟Kong Xiao Yin

The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion is, to many, a much needed “sequel” to the uncertain outcome of Legend of Yunxi. Although we were given alternate endings then, there was a feeling of unresolved emotions that needed a proper closure. Fortunately, the production team gave us a definite happily ever after ending this time. I believe fans of LoYX would probably savour this more than those who have not watched the “parent story”. There were many references that paid homage to LoYX in easter eggs such as the puppet show highlighting the story of Han Yun Xi and Long Fei Ye, as well as the “cold poison” that afflicted the MLs of both dramas. Having said that, I think this drama provides enough entertainment value for newcomers to the romance between Ju Jing Yi and Zhang Zhe Han, who also get the value-added second couple’s romance between Kiki Xu and Wang You Shou. Despite its imperfections and not surpassing LoYX’s overall quality of script and storytelling, I still had fun watching this show, and I think most viewers would too.

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A Huge Disappointment

I love Legend of Yunxi. And I was madly in love with Zhang Zhe Han. I was beyond excited when this drama came out.

The first 20 episodes or so was pretty good. Then it just became so ridiculous, I didn't bother to finish it. I think I stopped at 22 or 24. I did try to watch the last episode out of curiousity, but even then I fast forwarded most of it and watched only about 10 minutes in total.

Like what the other reviewers said, the reason for the main villain to want to revenge and kill ML was way too stupid. Come on..., surely the writer can think of something else more believable??! And FL is so unbearable to watch. I did love her in Legend of Yunxi. But her character in this drama is just too dumb.

The music are lovely, though.

Writers, please step up your work!! I want to support Zhang Zhe Han and all the wonderful actors in this drama. But please don't think we viewers will watch everything just because you put lots of beautiful looking people in here. I'm being very generous by giving a 5 star.

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Fu Rong lack of trust in Yu Xin

If you like melodrama and demonstrations of lack of trust between your ML and FL, this is for you.

The first half was great. We saw a wonderful love story with usual love triangle where another man likes the naive, happy go lucky , sometimes smart, conveniently stupid FL. Misunderstandings and Duke An's vengeful, evil plots ensue and the last 20 episodes kept me in a rollercoaster of disappointment in Fu Rong's consistent lack of trust in our ML and their getting together. It was highly frustrating watching the FL's belief in everything her "little follower" whom she hasn't seen since they were little kids does/says compared to how easily she'll doubt and hate and divorce the ML no matter how his actions show how much he cares for her.

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If you don't know me by now.

This is another enjoyable light romance that has many amusing moments but is overall lazily written and doesn't bear close scrutiny. If there is a hidden message, it is that going for the brainy sister can change your life in the best of ways whereas choosing the reckless* one and can well end it. [*I could use a much more accurate word but since its just the first paragraph, I restrained myself].

The overarching plot is centered around the mysterious Ruyi Pavilion, at surface a purveyor of unique jewelry and the finer things in life. Fu Xuan and her younger sister Fu Rong are daughters of a mid-level magistrate and disciples of the enigmatic Liu Ruyi and assist her in crafting Ruyi Pavilion's celebrated designs. Fu Rong is plagued by prophetic dreams of a tragic future with Prince Su and while trying to ward off this inauspicious future, she instead catches his eye. After a number of hilarious encounters as they get roped into unraveling the secrets of Ruyi Pavilion, they fall for each other. Does this couple have what it takes to overcome an emperor's disapproval, unscrupulous political rivals, deadly love rivals and ultimately an ill-fated destiny itself to stay together?

The plot around the secrets of Ruyi Pavilion is fresh and promising and the drama starts strongly, aided by the wonderful chemistry between the leads who worked together on the much loved Legend of Yunxi by the same production team. Sadly this production mostly cruises on audience indulgence as the writing fails to hold up and the intriguing backstory and some of the more promising plot threads are never exploited to their full potential.

One of the main problems is that this drama lacks that one, good, well developed and multi-faceted villain. Many of the better villains and interesting grey characters in the story get killed off quite early and we are left with a mastermind with lame motives. He is revealed early on but his plotting with respect to Ruyi Pavilion doesn't seem to have a real end game. He is such a poor excuse for a villain that I couldn't even be bothered to hate him. As for side characters, despite her annoying voice, I thoroughly enjoyed Princess Xihe; or more specifically Xu Jin's gut-busting facial expressions and terse rebuffs that spoke volumes. Initially I was both intrigued and charmed by Xu Ping/Duke An and was so looking forward to a rare, enjoyable triangle. It is unforgivable that sloppy writing turned him into a creepy Phantom of the Opera-like character with mommy issues.

In this drama the second couple stole my heart over the lead couple. Both characters and their relationship develops in a more convincing way. His desire to pursue the more mature and responsible Fu Xuan is the catalyst that pushes Wu Baiqi to set aside his resentment, grow up and work hard to prove his potential. He trusts Fu Xuan with his mother's legacy, which also unlocks her dreams and he brings out a more fun loving side to her nature. Adversity strengthens their relationship and they grow from it and are so natural and fun together I couldn't get enough of their moments.

Unlike Wu Baiqi, Fu Rong is an immature and over-indulged character at the beginning that shows minuscule development. Ju Jingyi's beauty and charisma can only go so far to make up for shortcomings in how the character is written. Fu Rong cannot fight yet she allows her low survival instincts take over and charges recklessly into one dangerous situation after another. Luckily we can always count on Xu Jin/Prince Su or Xu Ping to be conveniently around the corner to rescue her. Like all selfish brats, she does as she pleases even if it is inappropriate or if she knows it hurts Xu Jin's feelings or is against his interest. Unlike other viewers, I understand why the emperor considers her a most unsuitable consort for his son.

Nonetheless as a couple, Fu Rong and Xu Jin have a sparkling, lively chemistry that still seduces me into rooting for them and forgiving their faults. Ju Jingyi's brilliant comedic flirtatiousness is so seamlessly in sync with Zhang Zhehan's answering glimpses of mischievous, amorous appreciation behind a severe façade it is no wonder that this is an OTP that melts hearts. But their relationship is frustratingly developed - even when their goals are aligned they at best work in parallel independently of each other. Xu Jin over indulges her and is over protective of her at the same time. Although Xu Jin is allegedly the love of her life, Fu Rong doesn't trust him and repeatedly jumps to the most heinous (and retarded) conclusions about him. This was forgivable early in their relationship but it is really disappointing to see her doubt him after he risks his life for her time and again. My favorite part was the look on her face when Xu Jin tells her off and pretty much gives her the spot on "If you don't know me by now..." speech. Its just too bad that our lovable doormat was once again just being a noble idiot but his biggest saving grace is he manages to suffer successfully without spitting blood. In the end, I am not convinced this is a couple that lasts because unlike Fu Xuan and Wu Baiqi, adversity seems to pull this couple apart and not together; thus the whole is lesser than the sum of the parts.

Despite the poor writing, the main characters are so lovably portrayed that I enjoyed this drama immensely. That said, I cannot in good conscience rate this higher than an 7.0 maybe an 7.5 if you are a die hard Yunxi fan (I did not watch Yunxi).

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female lead failed the show

2nd drama together for ZZH and JJY but i am still doubtful about their chemistry. I don't think JJY have very good/bad acting, but the roles she got were all about the same and something about her makeup in the show, i didn't like it. This time her role at Ruyi failed her badly.

For how much anticipation for people that wants to see them again, this show didn't manage to bring out its full potential. The synopsis about foreseeing future in the dream was just 5% of the whole show - with or without that part won't change the show in any way. JJY character was not likeable, she has no trust in ML at all. All the misunderstandings are not needed if only she trusted ML more, and if she wouldn't waver so easily by other people's words. It's ok if she is smart, but she is not. Idk what she is doing, aimlessly running around and crying but nothing from her "investigation". In most times, she doesn't understand ML and is always hanging out with 2nd ML without telling ML what is prince An real identity. I don't deny their lovey dovey times are quite sweet but FL will always do something to annoy me again. Honestly, Xihe princess have more development than FL in the show.

2nd ML isn't any better, his revenge is beyond ridiculous. I don't understand how someone that love FL so much have to send her into his enemy's hands. All for the name of revenge. Supporting characters love line was slightly more interesting but it does overpowers the main couple's love line because they have so many screen time.

Overall, i would watch this for ZZH. I think he did a good job and his acting was good. Ofcourse he is also an eye candy! He can switch from serious to playful mode when in love, i really liked this character as Prince Xu. Otherwise, i wouldn't recommend this or rewatch.

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This drama had a great story that went all wrong. The leading couple’s relationship was marred by the constant mistrust of the leading lady toward the male lead. What more did he have to do to prove himself? Also, the lead couple lacked chemistry and their romantic scenes were nothing spectacular. The second lead couple was so much better! The music is nice and the action scenes were well played. The drama’s way of getting the bad guys was great until the last villain, Duke An's, played his vengeful plot against the main lead. SPOILER ALERT: REALLY? Does it make sense that no one could make it clear that Duke An's mother didn’t die on the fire? If the viewer is looking for a nice romance, this drama is not it; if the viewer is looking for a well developed plot and a reasonable sense of revenge, this drama is not it either. This drama will not make the rewatch list; it is one of those to watch while waiting for a great one to come!

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I would like to say that this is a very good show. I guess you can call this the afterlife of Han Yunxi. I honestly really liked An Wang for some reason. I wanted Fu Rong and An Wang to end together, I mean she had Su Wang in the previous life. Some of the show's settings were very similar from other shows. I didn't really get the ending, she got stabbed by An Wang, and then somehow got struck by lightning and came back to life. I thought that the Xihe Princess was actually a good person, I didn't like her at the beginning but she has a kind heart sometimes. There are also a lot of similar faces, the people who acted in Han Yunxi, a lot of them also acted in this show. I liked the ending though, where she said "if there's a next life, I want to be your lover again", the same line she said in Legend of Yunxi after she stabbed herself. If only there are so many afterlives for her to be his wife again, I feel like a season 3 is going to come out.

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Cute couples chemistry!

I watched Legend of Yun Xi first and fall in love with the couple, so when I knew this drama I know I gonna watch it no matter how good it is!

Overall it was okay, it wasn't fantastic but not too bad too. Although I prefer Legend of Yun Xi more but I think if you enjoyed watching the couple this could be just nice for you to watch it too! :) Besides slightly weaker storyline, other such as production, acting and chemistry are on the point! :)

Favourable part about this drama:
- Cute second lead couple
- Good looking side roles (even the villain of the show XD)
- Better ending than Legend of Yun Xi and also the Spinoff additional 3 mini episodes! I love it! It was such a well done piece that is made specially for the viewers! :)

Not so favourable part about this drama:
- Some argument and misunderstanding in the show are done quite "deliberately". (E.g. main couple supposed to love each other as they gone through A LOT but ended up getting into big argument for a very small issue).
- Useless emperor that makes weird decision (E.g. He should be wise and decisive but instead listening to all sorts of nonsense by nobody and acting like a dumb butt)
- The main lead's character and how the couple fall in love (I prefer their personality in Legend of Yun Xi's, also the story on how they established the relationships are better there)

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HAN YUNXI AND LONG FEIYE- I MEAN FU RONG AND XU JIN LIVE HAPPILY EVER AFTER

I will tell you guys the truth.... This drama's plot is probably not the best? There are plotholes and unjustified revenges but I rated it 10 just for my favorites Ju Jingyi and Zhang Zhehan. I know many will ask if the polot is good, but I will tell you from the get go that the plot was okay. I DO SUGGEST (HEARTBROKEN) LEGEND OF YUNXI VIEWERS TO WATCH THIS.

My thoughts:

1.) This drama is nothing like the novel so don't worry about the weird things that happen in the novel.

I started watching this drama just because it was the drama Ju Jingyi and Zhang Zhehan would be reunited in, but I was so impatient for the episodes that I decided to read the novel. There were many things that were very questionable in the novel... Things that will be seen as sexual assault in our generation today. So if you have read the novel, I suggest you watch this drama! They basically just take the names of the characters and some plot points but they are totally different.

2.) The Plot

Fu Rong has a dream of the future where she becomes Xu Jin's concubine and when he dies young, she is ordered to be buried with him. She has more dreams about the future and realizes that her dreams come true, so she tries everything to never cross paths with Xu Jin. Now what she doesn't know is that Xu Jin also has dreams, although he doesn't know that it was Fu Rong he married, he resolved to change his fate of dying young. When Xu Jin and Fu Rong meet, there are many misunderstandings between them. Xu Jin thinks Fu Rong is like a spy or something, but after many interactions with her, he realizes she is a simple girl and falls in love with her. Fu Rong on the other hand tries very hard to avoid him but finds herself moved by his actions.

There are many misunderstandings between Fu Rong and Xu Jin when they get married, but their interactions as husband and wife get cuter and cuter. Despite the many misunderstandings and fights they have, they somehow find their way back to each other.

I feel that the villains in this drama are all kind of dry and dumb. The main villain (and maybe the second lead- I refuse to call him that) is actually Duke An, Xu Ping. He is Xu Jin's uncle and Fu Rong's childhood friend. after she saves him when they were young, he started lovi- obsessing over her. I find that his motivation for revenge is so stupid and unfounded. He wanted to rebel and also kill Xu Jin because he believes that his mother, who was shunned by everyone because of her unique eyes, was killed in a fire that was cause by Xu Jin himself. I find it so stupid that he didn't confirm these accusations before he started his revenge because it ended up being useless. Xu Jin did knock over a candle in the same temple as his mother, but she was actually sent away by the emperor for her safety and not because she died in a fire (YES XU PING'S MOTHER IS ALIVE AND ONLY SHOWS UP IN THE LAST TWO EPISODES WHEN FU RONG AND XU JIN FALL OFF A CLIFF). She stayed away from Xu Ping to protect him.

I will be honest and say that the plot wasn't the best, but I am in love with the interactions of Fu Rong and Xu Jin.

3.) The Main Characters

XU JIN - I LOVE HIM. If you thought Long Feiye was super cold, Xu Jin is like the soft boy version UwU. He has been so sincere to Fu Rong in the start and everything he does for her just makes me go awwwwwww. He resolved when he married Fu Rong that she would be the only one he would marry. I love his facial expressions in this drama LMAO they're so funny especially when he and Fu Rong troll each other.

FU RONG - Many people are hating on her because of her actions and lack of trust in Xu Jin. But if you think about it, she doesn't know if Xu Jin really loves her or is using her. We are mad because we are sure that Xu Jin absolutely loves her, but she doesn't see this until later. She has many misunderstandings with Xu Jin and I think this is partly because she was brought up.... spoiled? Fu Rong is from a rich family where her family really doted on her. She sometimes fails to see how her actions hurt Xu Jin, but in truth, she loves him a lot. Just like Xu Jin, she tends to hide things when she thinks it can potentially hurt him. All I can say is... give her a chance.

4.) The Acting

Do I still have to say this??? There's a reason Legend of Yunxi was so popular, and the biggest factor was probably the chemistry of JJY and ZZH. As a drama lover, there will always be good or bad chemistry between the leads, but I can say that out of all their on-screen partners, JJY and ZZH have the BEST chemistry ever. Their chemistry actually makes you forget about the plotholes and all that jazz. Their sweet moments as a married couple will make your hearts flutter for sure.

Now I didn't expect this but Wang You Shuo and Kiki Xu have really good chemistry as well!!! I would also like to say that I was impressed with their acting. First, Wang You Shuo has gone a looooooong way since Legend of Yunxi and I can see him leading famous dramas in the future. Now Kiki Xu, I didn't expect her to be in this drama. I watched her in Youth With You Season 2 and found her really talented! I really liked her performance in this drama, because it seemed very natural. Her chemistry with Wang You Shuo is very cute! I find myself enjoying their scenes to when I would usually skip the parts of 2nd leads....

Liu Yi Chang.... I loved him so much in I've Fallen For You, and his transformation in this drama gave me a shock (I guess that means he did well- because I didn't find his acting forced or awkward). I would say that his acting as a villain was pretty good, especially with his evil smile that's not really a smile. I think his character was given such a bad storyline so I can't say much about it LMAO

Jiang Shan as Cui Wan was..... ANNOYING LMAO but isn't she supposed to be annoying? SO I guess she did her part well. Her character made me like her because.... although it followed the stereotype of annoying spoiled princess, she did realize her faults later on and left the main couple alone willingly. Because of this, I want to give her a round of applause even if she was unbearable in the first few episodes.

5.) Legend of Yunxi connection

If you haven't heard, this drama is actually starred in by the main cast of Legend of Yunxi (Ju Jingyi, Zhang Zhehan, Wang Yuo Shuo) and was produced by the same team. The viewers were super happy to hear that they would be working together again after that tragic ending.

This drama is basically the production crew fixing the heartbreak in Legend of Yunxi. JJY and ZZH has so much lovey dovey scenes that feel more intimate unlike in LOYX where they were very stingy with cute scenes hmph. There are also many references made in the drama insinuating that this may be another life/reincarnation/continuation WHO KNOWS? But there is a connection for sure and I am happy that the production crew gave Xu Jin and Fu Rong a happy ending.

YES IT HAS A HAPPY ENDING NOW GO WATCH IT AND ENJOY SOME ANGST, FLUFF AND DOGFOOD!!!

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The Blooms Have a Strange Yet Entertaining Fragrance

Honestly....I have mixed feelings. I definitely enjoyed watching it, it was really entertaining despite the numerous plot holes, faulty logic, annoying misunderstandings, and pathetic villains. I smiled and laughed with the characters, and I enjoyed the journey to their endings, even if it was rather rushed.

That said, I can't deny its flaws. As I and other viewers have pointed out, this show has many flaws. The biggest ones imo are the draggy and at times repetitive plot and the main villain's weak, weak motivation. As well as the forgotten plot device of the dreams...I feel like they weren't used to their full potential, which was very disappointing tbh.

There's the fact that the FL's character is not very appealing. Certainly, she's not the worst one out there, but sometimes it was a chore to watch her. I also wish she'd been fleshed out more - we don't know much about her and her master's relationship or their history nor did I ever feel Fu Rong enjoyed making jewelry. It just felt like it was something she was doing for her master.

As for the ML, he was a joy to watch. He starts out as a cold and reserved military man, but we soon get hints of a playful and mischievous side as well as his commitment to his duty and to being a good person. He grows on you and definitely steals your heart with his devotion! However, to me, he was a little too perfect and kind of a pushover at times when it comes to confronting Fu Rong. He indulged her too much, which is nice and all, but imo there are times in a relationship when you need to challenge your partner to help them grow. Still, he was the sole reason I enjoyed the main couple as much as I did.

And the second couple!!! They were definitely my favorite and I adored every one of their scenes. Wu Bai Qi stole my heart almost from the start, he was my favorite character out of all of them. I also liked Fu Xuan's character, altho again, I wish she'd been fleshed out more as well. It would have also been great to have Fu Xuan and Fu Rong's relationship explored a little more in depth as well as Xu Jin's with his brother!

The main villain.....will frustrate you A LOT. His reasonings for revenge and killing innocent people are weak and his love for the FL is obsessive and annoying. But I found him handsome so his scenes were tolerable for me xD

As for my ratings, I have to say despite enjoying this drama, the story is nothing to write home about and the acting is good enough. The music is great in general! And for rewatch value....hm, I don't think I'd rewatch this except for the 2nd couple's scenes LOL, but I don't really tend to rewatch dramas anyway. It's simply a matter of taste.

All in all, this is an entertaining and light drama despite the constant scheming and investigating that can go around in circles. I'd say give it five or so episodes to see if you like it!

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