The thread is open.
@nrllee, all I can say about the villain of the story is that he (or perhaps a she?) is a chemist.
With the CP Ui Hyun’s death, for instance, he knew that the “baekchool and changhool extract” when mixed with peaches would make a lethal combination. With the CP Lee Hwan’s bloody hand, he knew that when a medicinal herb called “sappan wood” reacted to the alum powder dissolved in water, a red dye resembling blood would be produced.
However, I think his most successful exploit was shooting Lee Hwan with the poisoned arrow. He knew just the right kind of poison to apply on the arrow to incapacitate Lee Hwan.
I don’t think he intended to kill Lee Hwan.
For one, he made a long list of prophecies dooming Lee Hwan’s future. If Lee Hwan had died during that first hunting accident, then what was the point of making all those prophecies? I say he wanted Lee Hwan to survive so he could torment him for supposedly killing his older brother for the succession right.
To me, it’s significant that the villain (aka the “ghost” writer) saw himself as an avenger. He believed that he was rectifying a perceived injustice done by Lee Hwan. In his mind, a quick death for Lee Hwan was an inadequate and unsatisfactory punishment for fratricide. Lee Hwan had to suffer.
For another, he wanted to frighten Lee Hwan into thinking that the curses written in the “ghost” letter were inescapable.
To me, it’s noteworthy that two years had passed before a second letter followed the first one. It’s as if the “ghost” writer bided his time, wanting to see Lee Hwan’s response to the curses. When Lee Hwan didn’t materially alter his behavior in fear of the prophecies, the “ghost” writer decided to up the ante.
I say that the poisoned arrow was intended to injure Lee Hwan, not just physically, but also mentally.
“Despite having arms, you will not be able to use them. Despite having legs, you will not be able to walk.”
In this sense, the curse had become a self-fulfilling prophecy for Lee Hwan. He freely admitted that he was “becoming twisted inside” after the attempted assassination. Meaning, despite being taught and trained to be a scholar and military leader, he could only demonstrate his potential guardedly, secretly, since no longer trusted anyone to be his ally. Like the cursed arms and legs, he was incapacitated.
Anyway, that’s my take.
Let’s enjoy the show.
@packmul3
Oooh a “she”?? That got me thinking 🤔 Maybe it’s the Queen then..though she didn’t give any indication of being versed in chemistry but she could easily have hired someone, with the ultimate objective of replacing Lee Hwan with her son.
I hope we see get more mysteries and red herrings in this week’s episodes, which our would-be sleuths can solve 😄
Kalimera @Packmule3!
Thank you for the thread!
I agree with what you have written about the baddie being a person who has knowledge on chemistry. Let us see what it will happen tonight!
Yes to the chemist. And someone with a grudge who has a sadistic side to him/her. Bestie has a bit of a temper? He went a bit crazy when he learnt of the alleged affair between JY and adopted son? But he’s too obvious a guess. Ghost writer wouldn’t give himself in by writing about “friends turning against him (CP)”. He/She is almost out to make CP ultra paranoid and isolate him from all his friends.
I will be late to watch the next 2 eps. I need to finish Trolley which airs on the same nights. Looking forward to reading spoilers.
@Phoenix,
I’m just saying that, as of Ep 2, we can’t rule out a female poisoner.
I don’t think we’ve seen all the cast members. Like, where’s the mother of Ui Hyun and Lee Hwan? Do they have a grandmother (or Queen dowager) somewhere? Do they have any sisters? Did Ui Hyun have a wife?
Also, in fiction, poison is often depicted as the weapon of choice for a female murderer. Why?
Because poison doesn’t require brute strength. It’s just added to something that’s already there, like food. Also because women were traditionally in charge of the kitchen and medicine.
And because in this story — at least — the male aristocrats were supposed to be disciples of Confucianism. It would be a no-no for them to dabble in shamanism, like the alchemy of alum. I didn’t think that Right Minister was involved in the bloody hand incident although he claimed to have knowledge of it to his sidekick. Methinks he just wanted to keep up appearances that he was master puppeteer.
Anyway, it’s still too early to tell who the murderer is. Whoever he/she is, the vendetta is personal.
@nrllee,
re. the CP’s bestie, one thing that niggles at the back of my mind is the mention of death in Bestie’s family/the Left Minister’s family.
From Ep 1:
Lee Hwan: You said you were leaving for Gaeseong to pick up your fiancée.
Bestie: I am sorry. Especially with the Forbidden Marriage Edict in place from the selection of the Crown Princess…
He was apologizing because he received a special dispensation (or exemption) from the King to go on with his wedding despite there being a marriage ban in the kingdom. There’s a marriage ban because the Crown Prince Lee Hwan has yet to marry and, as Crown Prince, he was given priority to choose his bride among the eligible females in the kingdom. His best friend, however, was excluded from the ban and he was allowed to marry.
Lee Hwan: It’s a marriage that Father granted, knowing that your marriage was delayed due to both families losing a loved one in close succession.
There! I don’t know which two deaths and whose families Lee Hwan was referring to. There’s only death we know of in the story was that of the CP Ui Hyun. That was three years ago. Did the Left Minister also have a death in his family prior to the CP’s death? A death in the family meant that they had to observe mourning for 2? 3? years.
@Packmule3,
I remember that dialogue. I was thinking that maybe…are they blood related?
Mostly because the King told all those things about the Heir of the throne, specifically to the Left Minister and not to any of his other subjects.
@pavkmule3
I see your point. Yes, in detective fiction, poison is called the woman’s weapon of choice for murder because it doesn’t involve strength or bloody results (in case the murderer is squeamish).
Even in history, we have instances of notable women using poison as a devious way to do away with their rivals. Who can forget Lucrezia Borgia! One reason why poison works is because mist of the time, there is no conclusive way to identify who actually mixed the poison, unless there was an eye witness to the act.
Sorry for the typos, @packmule3. Multitasking during MSTeams meeting by typing blog comments is clearly not my forte 🙈😝
Anneyong!
I just finished Episode 3 and the plot thickens, as we find out that the Left Minister might have conspired against the Crown Prince along with the Right Minister.
In his speech towards his son, we get to find out the mindset of the Court who think they are those chosen ones, who control the King.
Since Seja / the Crown Prince is not controlled by them, he is therefore dangerous.
We also have seen that a hidden network exists inside the palace where Royal Guard(s) and Court Ladies are spying the Crown Prince and giving information between the Palaces.
So, as @Packmule3 wrote in her First Impressions, the Elders are one way or another into corruption because they think they can control any King,
while the younger generation is totally different so far!
Consequently, the culprit is not one person, but a web of people who are trying to “train” the Crown Prince to become psychotic because he doesn’t fit to their criteria of the obedient King.
Since they cannot control him, they are trying to eliminate him.
If that is the case, why did they kill his Hyung aka the previous CP? Was it an accident or he was not obedient either?
Should I say that I find this perception awful? I should…
Oops! The code is broken. I put italics in the “chosen ones”.
Can you fix it @Packmule3?
Ep3 highlights
– the eunuchs doing the Joseon rap 😂😂😂. And CP with his mic drop moment. 😂😂😂
– the batcave. CP already trusts her enough to send JY to his batcave. Where he is at his most vulnerable.
– Bodyguard is also part of the whole spy ring surrounding CP? He looked like he was the one who made the first letter drop? With his sword? Didn’t see his face so maybe it was someone else. But he’s the only one so far wearing those clothes and with the sword.
– CP has a good relationship with all his remaining siblings. And he had a good relationship with his deceased brother too.
– As @packmule3 suggested in First Impressions, King has to be competent AND controllable (by Ministers). I am guessing deceased CP wasn’t competent, even though he may have been controllable. No point having an incompetent King? LeeHwan was more competent but he wasn’t controllable. Hence the whole Ghost letters to bring him to heel? That’s my thought after Left Minister’s spiel to his son Sergeant Han. (Side note – the actor playing Left Minister also played a Minister in 100Day My Prince too. And he was evil there. So I am finding it hard to believe that he has no malicious intent towards CP. He is certainly capable and powerful enough to mastermind everything whilst seeming to be benign).
@packmule3 good pick up about the other death. If it was Sergeant Han’s mother or someone else in the family, then Left Minister would certainly have a vendetta against CP. And the timeframe fits as well, since the Ghost Letter and the demise of the first CP coincides with the their family death.
Am I the only one who thinks the production feels very old fashioned? – all the split screens, the final shot of the two staring at each other. Reminds me of CLOY – even the screen effects during the credits. With 20 episodes it looks like there will be a bit of every genre: comedy, romance, mystery, court intrigue, even a serial killer! episode 3 seemed to touch on every genre with the tone all over the place.
I’m interested in the relationship between the CP and his bestie – how this is going to evolve? Hard to believe the Left State minister would be involved in murdering his son’s fiancée’s family as their reputation has also been tarnished by the crime. So even though he has espoused the need to have a king responsive to the minister and opined that CP would be a dangerous king, I don’t think he is behind the curse (assuming the same person(s) is behind the curse and the murders). But we will see ….. so far everyone of the older generation seems suspect – including the “frail” queen.
One thing episode 3 seemed to firmly establish is that the CP did not send the letter.
Kalimera @nrllee!
Good to see you here! I would like to pinpoint something, though.
First of all, the royal guards that are in the Crown Prince’s Palace aka the Easter Palace, all wear the same uniform. Recheck the scene when the FL is entering the Palace with the Princess, in the gate you can see two Royal Guards guarding it with the said uniform.
I really think they made the montage that way for the audience to think he is corrupted, but it is a red herring and the bodyguard is innocent and loyal to the Crown Prince. I am glad though, we got to see that there is a spying network that gives intel between Palaces and the Ministers most likely.
Secondly, Sergeants Han’s mother is very much alive.
You can see her in Episode 1 when his parents are talking to him, not to look for his fiance after they have accused her for her family’s murder. So, Sergeant Han is not into vendetta mode. His father though is another chapter altogether.
So far, we don’t know who died from their family. 😊
@Good Twin
If you have seen the “Red Sleeve Cuff”, it started as a comedy and then we got into more serious stuff after a while. I guess they have added the comic relief in order to keep it light here and there and then we will have our sad parts as well.
For now, the Left Minister is in the same league with the Right Minister. Their difference is that the first is more quiet and reserved, while the second one is more ambitious.
Who is more dangerous? I would say the first one, because he seems to be a softie and in reality he isn’t. He can do more damage than the second one.
The Left Minister’s mindset reminded me of “Bloody Heart’s” Park Gye-Won (Jang Hyuk). He did everything in his hands to control the King and annihilated some clans in the process, because he had a vision. The idiom that is perfect for him is: The end justifies the means.
@Cleo thanks for clearing that up about the mom and the bodyguard. I must’ve missed the mother. I am having to watch this on an illegal site so when the ads pop up I miss stuff. And I can’t be bothered to rewind because then more ads pop up. I wish this was on Netflix.
@nrllee you are welcome. I understand your frustration.
Please check your dm’s. I have sent you something… 😊
who do we think the main spy is?
the one who delivers the ghost letters to our seja and creates the letter sent to Jae Yi’s father… or am I bold to assume there is only one main spy?
right now we have tae gang – the bodyguard and the only character, that we know of to date, who know of seja’s unsent letters to Jae Yi’s fathers and who has access to the hunting ground and definitely enough skills to shoot the arrow. note: no eunuchs were seen in hunting scenes. note: CP said before becoming his bodyguard, tae gang was a nobody – then where would his loyalty come from? the most stable source of loyalty usually comes from being indebted and tae gang being a nobody aka potentially without family or a clear history means he can be a spy from the beginning. he can be planted by anyone. he is also close enough to seja to fit in the criteria of “betrayal from close ally”. my question is how could he have accessed the CP’s bed chamber at the middle of the night to deliver the ghost letters? by martial arts?
we also have the head eunuch – whatever his name is – who just has so much more screentime, headshots and face acting than normally; he has direct access to the crown prince’s bed chamber yet that must mean all the other ladies in waiting and eunuchs are his allies – which is possible considering how weak the crown prince’s personal force/ power is from what we have seen. considering they might be specific East Palace’s attendants (where the Crown Prince resides), it would make sense how easily this secret power behind them killed off the previous Crown Prince: by poisoning his peach? note: the Korean royal families has poison testing – as in attendants would eat a piece of food before their master or test for poison using special tools. if the drama were to be even mildly historically accurate, they should explain how the previous CP died, immediately, from eating a peach right in his room, in broad daylight. if all these attendants are spies, then the culprit would be either the king or the queen. considering how the queen seems so innocent in her conversation with her uncle, it’s unlikely she has planted all these spies from over 2 years ago. my guess is the king for this case.
i am quite surprised that seja literally has no military power or political influence or good reputation by the general public – all of which the ML in the novel possess and are what makes him feared and envied by others, who are then incentivised to damage him and see him suffer. like we definitely need some reason as to why the culprit want our seja to suffer.
Done, @Cleopatra. I left the italics on for “chosen ones” and “their.”
Thank you @Packmule3! <3
Kalispera,
I have finished watching Episode 4 and we see that Sergeant Han is not exactly loyal to the Crown Prince. Because he was afraid that his father was behind the incident in the hunting grounds, he actually lied to him about the finding of the turtle / present from the Ming Dynasty to the chemist’s hands.
From that turtle, we now have an idea about WHO is behind what is happening against Seja / the Crown Prince.
I am trascribing the information we need:
Left Minister: Two years ago, when an ambassador from the Ming Dynasty visited, he gifted them only to the Court Subjects. The three state counsilors, including me, and the six ministers received one each.
So far, the guard who is below Sergeant Han looks very suspicious to me. I was watching his facial expressions when the lower ranked guard came to tell him news about the Maiden and her half-brother who confessed that they had an affair. He vanished into thin air of course.
As it seems, from next week, we are entering into the era of the FL solving the cases as she had said to Seja.
Also, they are falling in love and they don’t know it.
All those glances while she dresses him, are not that innocent!
At the same time, the Princess has a soft spot for Sergeant Han.
Her mother the Queen realized it as well. So, are we being introduced to his alternative loveline? We shall see..
Lastly, our Coroner Nari will definitely be in their detective – solving cases team as well. He seems to realize things without having much information, considering the times.
He found out the poison that hit the guard as well, making it the same one as the Crown Prince’s: Amur Viper Poison. Have you heard it before?
That’s why the wound hasn’t closed properly. The arrow contained poison!
To sum up, is the FL going to beat her ex – betrothed the Sergeant, until they all will work together to solve the mysteries?
I am game on in this one!
@Phoneix nice to see you here! I know the Queen looks very timid and innocent here. Being the mother of the only other prince, she has a good motive to hurt CP though. I will wait and see.
@Cleo, thanks for answering my questions in the last thread 🙂
So far, people who have the motives to hurt CP:
1. Right Minister: He is the obvious bad guy. Is this drama going to be traditional and stick with the first bad guy presented?
2. Left Minister: He wants a King that leans on the court. He wants to train CP.
3. The turtle owner.
4. By default, the Queen as her son can be the next CP. Although she looks timid now.
5. The King, who knows the importance to join alliance with the right minister.
Currently FL is rather in love with the Sergeant. Will they work together? Or will the competition turn the FL against Sergeant?
I am also waiting for the central minister to appear. He could be one of the turtle owners too and his son (Coroner Nari) is brilliant in chemistry and forensic science.
Nice cameo from the side couple from 100 days my prince!
@cocole883 I agree so far the CP seems not to have much military power or political influence unlike the book. Although I suspect they may be setting us for more given the training with his guards and how he handily defeated them including when he was outnumbered 4 to 1. I think the fact that he reprimanded them to train harder but then rewarded them with money for food really garnered their love. I predict some time in the future his fighting and leadership will come into play (maybe he has to defeat some outside enemies for the country) and then make his enemies up the ante to take him down. (Like they bring in the backstory from the book but advance it to present time instead.)
I don’t know why but I feel worried for the princess. She seems so nice and cute that I fear the CP’s enemies will find a way to use her against him- just hope they only attempt an assassination.
Speculating that the best friend is a bit too narrow minded to truly love the FL for who she really is and not who his thinks she is in his mind/fantasy. His reaction to the supposed lover and also being challenged by a eunuch doesn’t speak too well to his character.
Was the mysterious guy in black talking to the right or left minister the same actor who played the main guard for the queen mom in Hwarang?
You are welcome @Viva!
@koalatown,
The mysterious guy – most likely a trustworthy person – was talking to the Right Minister.
As for Sergeant Han, he seems to be in crossroads. It is okay to express anger if you think you were wronged.
In the first case, it is a huge scandal that his betrothed was accused of having a sexually romance with her half-brother and she wasn’t there when this happened. They believed that half brother and he vanished of course into thin air!
Regarding his challenge by the eunuch aka our FL in disguise, his anger came along because the Right Minister made a remark in front of everyone and challanged him.
His anger is redirected to the eunuch because he is a low rank officer and not to the Right Minister for obvious reasons.
From all the scene in discourse, Han tends to believe that he is right and that the Crown Prince is trusting him in public, in front of the Officials anyway.
Up until now, Han was not challenged by someone else.
So, when that happened, he got angry, because the Eunuch was also the one who found out what the trick was in the hunting grounds. Han knows he is at fault for not telling Seja / the Crown Prince about the turtle and he is redirecting his guilt to anger, in case he is going to lose CP’s trust.
He will, not because of our girl aka Eunuch in disguise is going to be correct about the serial killer case. This will happen because he will let down the Crown Prince with his wrong decision. If Trust is broken it is not easily mended..
Correction:
Regarding the man in the black uniform, he is trustworthy to the Right Minister.
@Good Twin, I also was bothered by what I felt was overuse of split screens in eps. 3 & 4. Overall the flow of these two episodes felt choppy to me, especially with many flashbacks being inserted into scenes. Abrupt swings between time and place almost gave me whiplash.
I’d like to know who prescribed baekchool and changhool extract for the previous CP, why, and who knew about it.
Here’s info on baekchool:
https://ethmed.toyama-wakan.net/SearchEn/View/4344
I could not find anything about changhool, but came close with something that has the vernacular name Kanghwal and scientific name Qianghuo.
https://ethmed.toyama-wakan.net/SearchEn/View/945
The previous Crown Prince had been healthy and athletic enough to teach his younger brother Lee Hwan how to ride a horse. Why was he regularly taking medication for problems with stomach, intestine, bladder, sweating and/or pain? Baekchool is a diuretic. Qianghuo affects the bladder and kidney meridians.
How could eating peaches while on these extracts be fatal? Some diuretics are potassium sparing: that is, they increase urination without the loss potassium. I’m not clear on what taking Qianghuo does to kidneys, but “It is the job of the kidneys to balance the amount of potassium taken in with the amount lost in urine.” I imagine taking a potassium-sparing diuretic and having another medicine messing with your kidneys could lead to hyperkalemia (high potassium). Eating peaches or other foods high in potassium could potentially send someone over the edge. Here’s what kidney.org has to say about hyperkalemia:
Many people have few, if any, symptoms. If symptoms do appear, they are usually mild and non-specific. You may feel some muscle weakness, numbness, tingling, nausea, or other unusual feelings. It usually develops slowly over many weeks or months and is often mild…If hyperkalemia comes on suddenly and you have very high levels of potassium, you may feel heart palpitations, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, or vomiting. Sudden or severe hyperkalemia is a life-threatening condition.
I’m finding it hard to believe that in this show, it seems common knowledge that eating peaches can cause a fatal reaction in someone taking baekchool and changhool extract, yet the Crown Prince, himself, didn’t know to avoid eating peaches. Can the taste of peaches, a large quantity of them, be hidden so he was tricked? Did the doctor not warn this very important patient and his staff of the side effects of the drugs prescribed? The blame for the elder Crown Prince’s death being laid on Lee Hwan assumes that Lee Hwan knew the medicine his brother was taking, knew his potassium levels were dangerously elevated, and fed him potassium-rich food with the intent to kill him. Frankly, even if Lee Hwan did give his older brother peaches to eat, I lay the blame on the doctor whose cure was worse that whatever was initially ailing the Crown Prince. If the doctor’s intent was innocent, then whoever gave the medicine to the Crown Prince to the point of overdose is suspect.
Too many things had to be set in place over a period of time for eating peaches to be the cause of the Crown Prince’s death. The killer of Crown Prince Ui Hyeon is someone who is educated in pharmaceuticals and medicine.
I enjoyed reading all your analyses and glad you are all with me in watching this drama😊
About the spy royal guard who transmits messages to a palace lady, I also think that is a red herring. The show wants us to think it is the CP’s bodyguard who doesn’t like the FL, but I think he is truly loyal to the CP who saved him from a life of crime and trusted him. I also think the palace lady is relaying these secret notes to someone within the palace, my guess is that person is the Queen.
Note that the messenger was also killed by a royal guard who FL remembers delivering the gift (with hidden letter) to her father, but can’t recollect his face due to trauma. Maybe he somehow slipped the poison into the food of the teacher’s fanily too. What I’m not able to understand is the motive of the villain/s in delivering that letter to CP’s teacher. The CP insists that he had sent no such letter, then why was it sent? Why get the teacher involved out of the blue – first inform him of the plot and then kill him for having the same info? It makes no logical sense to me.
On a side note, I like the start of the romance, it’s quite cute and is a nice way to balance the mystery and murder elements. The CP’s gruff and untrusting exterior hides a caring side and the FL’s bravery in the face of peril hides a childlike innocence. I like that they are seeing each other’s true natures and liking it, and the CP already thinks the FL is “his person” and gives her entry into his “batcave” (I love that reference here, @nrllee😝)
I think the show also clearly wants the viewers to favour the CP in the love triangle, because the fiance Seegeant is a weak character who doesn’t do the right thing morally. He gets swayed from his duty when he thinks his father is part of the conspiracy and also acts entitled by looking down on a lower eunuch. He is clearly not worthy of the FL, and his loyalty to the CP isn’t unshakeable.
@nrllee
The eunuch rap and mic drop moment was so funny 🤣
Kalimera @Phoenix!
I was thinking these past days about WHY the FL’s family was killed in the first place and my guess is as a pressure to Seja.
As you have written, the FL’s father was CP’s Master. That means he was someone he trusted and could be used as a potential Subject / the King’s Advisor in the future if he was not murdered. He would be elevated into a higher Status than some who could lose their power within the Royal Court.
Because of that relationship between them, the mastermind behind his Master’s killing did so, in order Seja doesn’t have anyone trustworthy beside him. As it was revealed to us, they want to “train” Seja and by doing so, they are killing innocent people who are his allies.
To sum up, the killers wiped out this respected family because it would make their schemings go as planned i.e. to control CP or eliminate him.
@cleopatra @phoenix
my guess is that responsible for the letter and the massacre are two different parties. if the culprit for the killing also sent the letter, then they just leaked information unnecessarily to people who were about to die. i am guessing whoever sent the letter did so because they know the Min family will send someone or at least a response to the CP, making him more paranoid about the ghost. that’s the only motive i see fit.
if we continue this path of thinking with the motive for killing to weaken the CP’s support and the motive for the letter to further paranoid the CP, then the two parties responsible for the killing and the letter have different motives. right now, i see the left and right ministers have different motives: one hoping to replace the CP and another to train the CP. yes minister Han did speak to his son about the possibility of replacing Seja, but the current CP is still his best option rather than the younger prince with half Cho clan blood. this is precisely why he even bothers training the current CP. in this sense, he would have the incentive to send the letter but not kill the Min family, because the CP standing is already really wobbly to begin with and even after successful training and Han’s support, seja would still need more support to gain majority in the court.
on that note, i do think Sergeant Han will get married to the Princess probably mid-season to escalate conflicts and because minister Han is so far the slyest looking character in the whole drama – if the CP ends up being replaced the Han family will be fine considering the matrimonial alliance and if the current CP gathers more power and emerges successful, Han can simply help him at some stage to buy peace for his family – as for the princess now wife of Sergeant Han, it is very easy in such patriarchal society to control her – not that seja will allow it but han family would def offer that to prove loyalty.
note: the reason behind the Min family massacre in the novel is simply personal revenge of a secondary character.
Kalimera, @Cleo!😊
That’s an interesting and very plausible theory. Makes sense that the trusted advisor/mentor will be killed to weaken the CP mentally and leave him with no allies.
I wonder how much of a puppet the current king is, so far he has stayed in the sidelines and not overtly reprimanded his scheming ministers (I’m sure he knows his own son is being targeted by some in his court). Maybe it is his giving in to his ministers’ demands always which has upped their expectations of controlling the future kings too. Clearly in Joseon history there were other kings who kept their courtiers in their place by curtailing their powers, but our drama’s fictional Joseon king has been unable to do so, in spite of one son being murdered and the other almost being handicapped.
@cocole883
I like that theory too, that there are two parties involved and the letter sender is not necessarily the murderer. It’s totally feasible given what we know of the tried and tested Joseon trope of a multitude of scheming Court ministers each with a different agenda and candidate to back🙄
Sergeant Han getting married to the gullible princess will be a good plot move, and you are right that it will strengthen the Han camp.
@cocole883
Thank you also for adding references and deviations from the novel for us here who haven’t read it😊
There are quite a lot of improvisations the writer of the drama has made on the novel plot, which is interesting because then there are no spoilers available anywhere on the net on what might potentially happen.
@cocole883. I like your idea of 2 different parties responsible. We know CP did not send the letter so only someone in the network of baddies trying to destabilize him sent it. If their goal is to control him why send the letter to a strong ally asking for assistance? At first glance it seemed like it would be someone trying to help the CP but maybe they want the CP and the governor to waste their time and energy trying to solve this mystery-misdirection to give the baddies time to make a different power play. Or later use their obsession about a “ghost” to defame them. Clearly this mastermind has a long game in mind since they have been at it for 3 years.
Maybe the other baddie who seems more impatient and unaware of the first baddie’s plan (hence the poison and mistiming of killing the governor before that plan can occur) is the queen trying to remove MJ as a suitable bride for HS so her daughter can marry into that family and strengthen the right minister and her son’s claim for the throne rather than strengthen the left minister and CP. Perhaps she was too hasty in acting without consulting her uncle who pretty much said “don’t worry your pretty little head and let me do all the thinking.”
Was the adopted brother of the FL perhaps the young boy whom she saved from a life of slavery when she was a child? It’s curious that we’ve only seen a glimpse of him once as an adult (and that it was none other than Kim Woo-Seok in what was billed as a cameo–he was the SML from The Forbidden Marriage).
Speaking of TFM, why is it that so many heroines fall from a cliff into a body of water in historical k-dramas? Is this a trope I’m unaware of? In OBY and TFM both FL were wounded before being backed off the edge of the cliff by a group of men who were after them. There may be other historicals where this falling-off-a-cliff trope has appeared. The only other one I can remember where it’s the FL is Bossam–but she jumped off the cliff and then was saved. Are there others?
@BethB
Yes FL falling off a cliff is indeed a Joseon sageuk trope😝 There is even a Dramabeans post about such Joseon tropes.
By the way, the boy the FL saves is not a “boy” but her lady’s maid, friend and companion in sleuthing. Her brother was shown as a young boy in the latest episode where the FL is still a child and being scolded by her father for duping the CP and his friend. Dld he also make an appearance as an adult (played by the SML of Forbidden Romance?)? I don’t remember that.
@phoenix thanks for the clarification! I should have caught that the “boy” she saved was her maid.
The SML from TFM shows up briefly in episode 1 of OBY around 15:52 minutes in.
Since this show is based on a Chinese novel, I wonder if they added the falling off a cliff scene as a k-drama addition?
yes @BethB it was 100% a kdrama addition
the show is so far 30% original 70% deviation and we will probably see it deviate even more
when i say 30% i might be generous because almost all ~ 98% of the scenes are not from the novel
only half the characterisation, backstory and half the plot points are original
@phoenix I do believe the boy that she saved when MJ was young said his name was Shim Young early in episode 4 in front of the CP and SML. This is also the name of the adopted son who turned MJ in as the murderer. I don’t think it was GoRam in that scene but since MJ has a strong moral kind heart she may have saved a bunch of strays including also GoRam.
It is possible this adopted son is part of the whole murderer plot and or palace plot …. Who knows. It would be interesting if the writer keeps his role similar to the book given how most of it is different except some broad strokes about the characters and some of the plot as @cocole883 said.
@BethB
Thanks for pointing out the timing of the SML appearance, I will go rematch it, I must have missed that.
@koalatown
I assumed that the boy she was saving in the earlier scene was GoRam because the show immediately cut to the present with a grown GoRam in a similar getup pretending to be a man. This is always an indicator in dramas that it is the same character now grown up😝
I thought the adopted son who accused the FL was the supposed lover of the FL? He spread that malicious rumour and I also susoect he was in league with the actual murderer and was told to use thr FL as a scapegoat.This adopted son is different from the actual blood brother FL had who had died. I should go rematch the beginning episodes again before too many characters get introduced!
@phoenix Yes agree adopted son is the supposed lover and the one who told authorities MJ bought arsenic which was used to poison the family. He was the only one not present at the meal and they briefly shows him crying over the dead bodies too. He has disappeared and HS is looking for him. Blood brother whose name was used by MJ while she investigated is dead. FYI In the book I guess in China the women had more freedom so the FL just went around as a kid with her dad helping to solve crimes without needing to cross dress or pretend to be anyone.