The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion (2020)

The story starts with our FL played by JJY climbing a tree to get a kite stuck in a tree for her younger brother and slips and falls. While passed out she dreams about an impending doom that would bring misfortune to her and her family. To see how she can save her father from this, Fu Rong disguises herself as a fortune teller and sets up shop in front of the place she’s scouting. Here is where she meets our ML. Our ML played by Zhang Zhe Han, is the 4th prince Xu Jin/Prince Su.

For anyone who has watched The Legend of Yunxi, this indeed started off hitting the right spots. With most of the original cast brought back for this drama along with our main lead, you can’t help but get butterflies at the slightest interaction as old feelings rush back. In the first few episodes, for lack of better analogy, I once described it as “your favorite band getting together for a reunion concert”. The nostalgia, the excitement.. those were the feelings this drama brought.
The writing itself was teasing fans of The Legend of Yunxi by hiding little hints in the dialogue or certain scenes. Like the fireflies scene that Fu Rong and Xu Jin wake up to on the beach is a throwback to how Long Fei loved to see those. Or when Prince Su told Fu Rong ‘having a son would elevate her status” was a reference to what Yun Xi said to Long Fei. Little hidden Easter eggs like this were an absolute delight to fans of The Legend of Yunxi.

If Legend of Yunxi was on the serious side of the spectrum TBORP would be on the lighter version. Even when you can’t help compare the two you can’t help seeing the difference either. I have found myself grinning more watching this. The main couples interactions has initially been light, fun and cute. Prince Su was not shy about his feelings and was quite forward. His failed attempt to maintain his stern looking face when she tickles him or does something to make him smile added to his charm. It is undeniable that JJY and Zhang Zhe Han work really well on screen. They know how to work off of each other’s emotions and actions, that you can easily see it comes off natural. I adore how good these two look that if they were to be cast in another drama, I’d be the first in line to watch it.

I have often said, a good side couple can help increase the charm of a drama. Thankfully this is true in this one. The love story that revolved around Kiki Xu’s character Fu Xuan and Wang You Shou’s Wu Bai Qi has been captivating to say the least. Kiki played the reserved but smart elder sister of our FL. It would be a crime not to mention Wang You Shuo’s absolute glow up. His look, combined with the actors portrayal of the slightly damages but arrogant general topped with a husky voice has made this character one of the sexiest characters in recent memory. The couple seemed to be made for each other as our calm and reserved Fu Xuan has balanced Wu Bai Qi’s impulsive and somewhat volatile nature while Wu Bai Qi’s more carefree personality has helped Fu Xuan come out of her comfort zone. Like how she was the reason for Wu Bai Qi to clean up his act, while he was the reason why Fu Xuan tried her first alcohol drink. The undeniable chemistry between the couple, the organic growth of their relationship has made this couple more interesting than our leads.

Of course this drama has its share of problems. From weird cuts, disjointed scenes, half explored half dropped plots. Our FL’s (Fu Rong’s) choice of wardrobe and hairstyle also was unfortunate. With her petite frame, and the ribbons stuck to her hair she looked like a child instead of a girl of marriage age. The make up baked on her beautiful face, with an orange eye shadow that made her look sickly, a very bright red lipstick and the overall outfit ended up making a naturally beautiful woman look tacky.  But these were not issues we all were going to linger on, a charming story with leads that give off great chemistry can make you forgive slight problems since most of us were only looking for a light entertaining drama.

But what ultimately failed this drama is a truly poor writing. If the first half of the drama was written to invoke nostalgia then the latter half was written with the intention to cure us of it. One dull plot followed another, with little to no character growth or development for most of our leads. Plots that were initially put forward as important like the prophetic dream were left as an after thought and more time was spent on an absolutely unnecessary jewelry making corruption ones.

One of the biggest shortcomings of this drama would be the villain. I don’t know how, but the writer along with actors portrayal have managed to manifest the most pathetic of villains to waddle around for 40 episodes. The villain caught a whiff of a “who could it be” and ran with it. He fixated on one person as the source of all he lost and immediately started planning his “I’ll make them all pay” plan without taking a breathe to investigate if his hypothesis was true or not. This pathetically reasoned quest for revenge was compounded with his absolute obsession to protect and own his childhood friend. The writing for this villain was so weak I was hoping that he was a minor player and someone more formidable would come into picture down the road. However even to the end this villain has stayed consistent in being mediocre. I guess its a befitting end to a villain who embarked on his journey for the most pathetic of reasons to end in the most pathetic way.

My least favorite character next to the pathetic villain would be our supposed FL. If the problem with this character was limited to unnatural makeup and ill fitting outfits, that would have been good. However, this one has earned the right to sit among the most weakly written, useless female leads. She has made so many idiotic choices, jumped to so many conclusion, I was hoping that the ML would just give up on her and walk away. She laments on how she is not free, or how she’s wronged and yet as a married woman she has run countless times into another man’s house without giving a single thought as to how it would make her husband feel.
The writing made a big deal to have our leads reiterate how much they don’t want to hide anything from each other and they should trust each other and yet the first one to suspect Xu Jin would be our dear Fu Rong. Literally everyone close to him trust him unconditionally except the wife he married despite his parent’s objections. If her elder sister was a case for “one should marry for love” than Fu Rong would be a great advocate for arranged marriages. The more I saw her the more irritated I become by her hypocrisy. The only thing this woman managed to do is make the spoilt Princess love rival look like a better choice. Personally even if it wasn’t the Princess any other sensible girl other than Fu Rong would do.

I understand we all have our own version of a happy ending, mine would have been if Prince Su had turned back and left Fu Rong in the dust behind.


If my rating was based on the nostalgia it would be an 8.5. If it based on the latter part of the drama it would be a 6. So I’ll average it and give it a 7.5

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Perfect Casting, Perfect Chemistry, Great Love Story, Masterpiece

This is the best Chinese Historical Drama I have watched so far. Right after I finished it, I re-watched it again. So many sweet scenes and it has a satisfying ending. I love it when Xu Jin/Prince Su gets jealous and chasing Fu Rong. He even married her twice! I hope I'll find a man like Prince Su. I can't move on with this drama. Everyday, I listen to its OST / theme songs and found out that most of its theme songs were sung by Ju Jingyi itself. She has a great voice. So talented! Ju Jingyi & Zhang Zhe Han are perfect matched! They have a great chemistry and I really ship them together. I even watched their behind the scenes and they are so sweet to each other. Zhang Zhe Han fits the character very well. He is so good at acting and so handsome. Fu Rong and Prince Su had an happy ending in the ancient times and in the modern world! What a great love story!

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Very similar to Legend of Yunxi

This drama is very similar to Legend of Yunxi but even better. The cast is amazing and the chemistry couldn't be better. The side story is very cute. Kiki Xu(Fu Xuan) does not play the bad/evil girl in this story, but instead plays the Nice girl and Ju Jing Yi's (Fu Rong) sister in this drama. Instead of a evil, heartless sister like other dramas, she is very caring and adores her little sister. Fu Rong ( Ju Jing Yi) has the ability to dream about the future therefore predicting the future. She tries to avoid everything she has dreamed about but couldn't exactly fight fate. The costumes are also really nice and the script looks/sounds really planned out. The acting is even better. Emotions come out of the screen and into the hearts of the viewers. Ju Jing Yi did better in this role than in Yunxi. Zhang Zhe Han( Duke Su) also did an amazing job on his part. He is more caring in this drama than the other one. Lots of evil plots and scheming, but at the same time, relaxing. Music is sung by Ju Jing Yi and I love it. Looking for a good romance drama, but with mystery and a good plot? this one is for you!

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Started off well but ended in a mess (Watch at your own risk)

I have no previous experience with the cast except for Liu Yi Chang whose acting I've enjoyed in 'I've fallen for you'.
Which means that unlike many others, I went into this drama blind.

The main leads are both seen as one thing: lucky or unlucky, with the male main lead being unlucky and the female lead being very lucky. The plot makes use of foretelling visions in dreams, which is the main force behind the first meet-ups of the two main characters. What started nice maybe slightly annoying, quickly turned into quite enjoyable drama. Besides the few clichéd plot turns which can be overlooked if you're in for a light drama watch, the plot was building up nicely.

However and there is a BIG HOWEVER, the 'conflicts' that the writers kept inventing to keep the plot going are just so ridiculous, you need to turn off the part of your brain that controls logical thinking if you want to continue watching this drama. I have seen drama writers make use of the same ploy before but never have I seen an drama which expects its viewers to be so blind!

I honestly liked the way the actors are doing their job, but the way the plot turned from entertaining to just plain BAD is unbearable. The only saving grace you can say are the second lead couple, the talent of the actors themselves and perhaps the production.

If it wasn't bad enough, it's obvious that the writers were hurrying trying wrap this up last three episodes. Trying to wrap my head around it just gives me a headache. The only reason continued I watching, is because of the time I had invested in the drama and because I still had hope for my second lead couple. The only way I was able to finish this drama at all is because I skipped most of the last episodes.

Unless you are already a fan of the cast or if you don't mind sitting through a whole drama to see if they second lead couple ends up well, I see no reason for you to start watching this drama.

DO NOT waste your precious time on this drama. You are better of watching fan made compilations online. It will save your brain a lot of trouble.

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An ending you wanted!

I think this drama overall was very good, although I did feel like many parts in the drama has been rushed. I think it’s still a very good drama and would still recommend it to new users. It is filled with cute scenes, love scenes, mystery scenes, and so on. I am very glad with all the pairings in this drama, I think every couple matched well with each other’s. We can all have our own opinion about the couples, they all are very cute and loving. Poor one sided loves though, many ended up with one sided love. I hope that the second lead and the FL would get to do a drama together once and also for the second leads to get a drama with their own story. And you already know, I would love to see the ML and FL to be paired together again. Please do watch this drama, I do really think it is a good drama and is worth it but if you decide to not watch it, is totally fine as well. If you ever feel like wanting to watch something don’t forget that this drama is out.?❤️

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This review may contaib spoilers

I thought that it was just me but FL is way too dumb. Like so dumb you want to punch her in the face and say 'wake up ! I get that they were trying to make her innocent but the things she survived thru would have killed any one in another drama.And not knowing your ememy all this time so dumb.
This drama started with promise. Chemistry of the main couple helped move things along because I would just wait for those moments. Then they get married and it was down hill from there.
I can't even start on the King. He was as dumb as FL. Being played like that and still not having backup plans.
This drama is exhausting to watch and even the little sweet moments they have are not enough to save it from a low rating.

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So - So story

Didn 't see any connection between their dreams . Even their dreams connective story not satisfied much . I think their dreams had not shown any interest which had been explained in a synopsis . They stretch story too much . Love triangle story not connected much . I like second lead love story much than the first lead. Except few romantic scene whole story is boring. As a whole I didn't like story much but I liked the acting as well as characters . Lead actor's mother role was good , She looked cute and very rare had been seen in the historical drama that such characters were positive ,so I liked it.

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Pretty Jewelry

My original title for this drama was ‘Hand in Hand They Conquer’. By the time I completed, it’s become ‘Pretty Jewelry’. That's because the plot is rather shallow, everything seems just superficial and decorative. The drama starts off so well, with all the intriguing and interwoven characters. The female lead is beautiful and cute, and both the male leads are so handsome and cool. And yet, the logic is simplistic and often incoherent, and the editing is disjointed at times.

What I Like
I love the Fu Rong (Ju Jingyi) character. She is tomboyish (climbing walls and trees) and yet very feminine. She’s creative, intelligent, kind and has a way with people, and yet she’s also mischievous, stubborn and superstitious. With her curiosity and courage, she’s everywhere, investigating. How she bumps into her future husband, Xu Jin/Prince Su (Zhang Zhehan) is hilarious and lovable. She loves her family and her family loves her. I love how her big sister condones and helps her out whenever she gets into trouble. Her family’s dynamics are endearing.

There are multiple villains here, each working for his/her own agenda. At times they collaborate, but mostly, their schemes are uncoordinated, and our protagonists always come out on top winning because they are smarter than the antagonists (the antagonists are super dumb).

I love the epic military scenes – they are fearsome and grand, and look very authentic. I love how Xu Jin fights – lightning fast and deadly. And he’s infallible. Though gravely injured each time, he always miraculously heals the next day (unreal but it does take out the angsts).

I love it that whenever Fu Rong is in great danger, Xu Jin is always there to save her. Again, unreal but how they are being put together, meeting by chance over and over again is heart-warming and sweet.

I love the side couple, especially Wu Baiqi (Wang Youshuo). I love his humor, forthrightness and devotion. I also like Liu Yichang’s acting as a double character with a hidden identity as the antagonist. I feel both Wang Youshuo’s and Liu Yichang’s acting here a lot better than Zhang Zhehan’s.

What I Don’t Like
I love the Xu Jin character but not so much for Zhang Zhehan’s acting. He lacks the micro facial expressions. He maintains a frozen face, hardly a twitch of his facial muscle, not unlike a mannequin; a stern face doesn’t mean a frozen face. Having said that, at times, he can change completely with huge smiles and comedic facial expressions which are totally out of character.

I don’t like Ju Jingyi’s makeup here – it’s overly done especially with the eye section, making it uncomfortable to watch; her eye lashes are not unlike how little children drawing faces. With an overly white face, she can look horrendous closeup and unreal.

I cannot accept how no one recognizes that Xu Ping/ Prince of An (Liu Yichang) is also Ju Shui Nong Fu, not even the intelligent Xu Jin; by just wearing a half-mask doesn’t make a person unrecognizable.

I don’t like the grand scheme of things. The overall plot is basically fighting over the control of the production of jewelry for the palace consumption, a personal revenge for a misunderstanding, and a deranged obsessive one-sided love for a girl who takes him as a good friend. Though there are rampant government officials’ corruption and treasons, these are not the main features of the story. The fighting over the control of the spy agency can be a big thing but again, has not been the main plot here. Though unusual for palace politics, it does feel the bloody fighting is over nothing but just some trivial matters.

As always, people jump into conclusion too quickly without verifying matters properly and causing a lot of unnecessary misunderstandings. The supposedly intelligent Fu Rong falls under this and it really frustrates me watching how her logic plays out.

I also cannot accept that a person can think of one’s own safety when one’s ready to die – imagine wearing a Kevlar vest when the person also wants to be killed. I don’t appreciate the logic that Fu Rong wears her soft armor when she wants to die with Xu Jin, and how she revives later is even more head-scratching.

As the Emperor is quick to execute any persons, it is out of character that he pardons a hideous character here. When this hideous character is down, I breathe a sigh of relief but with him still surviving while others who are less evil perish, and with a dumb maid still trying to show her love for him, it’s just hard to stomach.

My Verdict
I have mixed feelings for this drama. On one hand, it’s rather enjoyable watching a young girl running around doing some mischiefs and falling in love with a super good looking and powerful prince. But on the other hand, there seems to be not much substance here; the plot is rather shallow. Nonetheless, it is still rather entertaining if you don’t mind the usual tropes (yes, falling off cliff, multiple times, is one) and don’t have anything else to watch. Just don’t expect too much.

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An entertaining drama that suffers from uneven writing in the second part.

I just finished this drama and I'm mitigated.

[NO SPOILER]
The good:
The story is cute, not too dramatic and go quickly without dragging too long. Couples and servants are cute, funny and endearing.
Each "nice" character has their own unique personality which makes them believable.
The couples have a lot of chemistry and share a lot of scenes. The second couple is definitely one of the most interesting, cute, and well-built side couples I've seen in a Chinese drama. They even have more romantic scenes than the main couple. Which is good for them but sad for the main couple.

Neither good nor bad:
Like a lot of Chinese dramas, the editing is not great and there are a lot of things that seem to have been cut but it works if we think it saves us time. This avoids staying too much on things that are not really useful.

The bad:
But the main issue, for me, is the motivation of the villains, the lack of credibility of the context and the lack of confidence in the main couple.

[SPOILERS]
Let's start with the couple:

The progress of the love story was fine until episode 18. From there, apart from a few cute scenes, the romance stagnate or even regress. It's a shame to have 22 episodes of them married only to, in the end, see them so little really act as husband and wife and overcome obstacles as a couple.

In this, the second couple is much more credible in their romance. We see them getting to know each other, falling in love and then being a couple in adversity. It is a pity that the main couple is not entitled to this.

I liked the FL a lot in the first half of the drama. But from the moment she marries ML, the writing of the FL becomes catastrophic. She was portrayed as loyal, eager to believe the best in those around her and with some intelligence. But the writers seem to have forgotten this.

After the death of her master, she does not try to investigate any further nor does she give a chance to the man she loves to explain himself. She declares him guilty and organizes his assassination (which could have her whole family killed). Throughout the second half the ML will not stop declaring his love for his wife, defing his father, risking his career and his life for her. However, she will not stop imagining the worst of him, without giving him a chance, without trusting him. To see a FL continue to believe the worst of the man she claims to love, showing that she doesn't know him at all and doesn't trust him, 3 episodes before the end of the drama is a worry. This couple does not seem strong. How to believe in their future if the heroine doubts him to the end and only realizes her error when the villains come to confess to her?

If I love a man, I have to be confident in his personality, know what he would do or not do, want to give him a chance to prove to me that he is a good man. I do not declare him guilty at the slightest problem and call his servants liars (while they tell me the truth and I know they are good people).

From the start her master tells her to beware of Duke An but she never seems to suspect him while he is very strange, secretive and he agrees without problem to help her murder his nephew.

So I admit I'm a little frustrating about this kind of thing. It is difficult for me to believe in this couple if the FL imagines, after all that they have lived, that her husband is able to have her father killed.

Credibility:

The ML is the target of at least 10 assassination attempts throughout the series, yet his father does not seem more concerned than that. The emperor has no personality/intellect of his own other than following what each of his interlocutors tells him to do.

The villains:

FL's two childhood friends are arguably the most stupid, illogical villains ever. One blames her best friend for... what? Wanting to protect her sister from a criminal!

And the other is angry with a little boy for spilling a candle.

It makes zero sense. Their actions after that are so vicious, devoid of logic and coherence that it's easier to tell yourself that it's 2 terrible lonely people who love to hate than to believe what the script is trying to sale us.


Conclusion:
The beginning was promising despite a few flaws but the second part became redundant, lacking in originality and character development, a little boring even (I put forward several passages) and frustrating by the lack of communication of the main couple as well than by the lack of investigation on their part to find out who their enemy is.

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Rushed, but love it!

I love the OSTs and actors so much! Shipped the leads since Legend of Yunxi, and love them even more here. There were scenes where I definitely questioned the FL's love for the ML, but she proved it soon enough. I adore the second couple so much. I watched every scene of theirs, and cannot get enough. If anything, I need a season 2 based on the second couple!!! OSTs are superb and catchy as well! I believe the intro theme song was sung by the FL as she's a singer as well. FL's acting can be slightly awkward. Her character was a little bipolar and all over the place. But definitely loved the ML's acting and character. It felt rushed because they obviously cut it to 40 eps, but it was still understandable. I pity the second ML so much. His character was all over the place due to his past of not having a mother around so I am surprised he went crazy. This is just a short and sloppy review, but I cried my heart out at the end. I pitied second ML and main couple so much <3

If anything, it's worth watching for the fact that its only 40 episodes and not the long historical ones.

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Drama Has It All

If you like an annoying FL, a handsome ML who loves her anyway; a King that believes a less than upright, not to be trusted person's accusations about the loyal, never dishonest, honorable ML (and not once or twice); a King that makes instant judgments of right or wrong and is willing to behead families; a OTP that never believes in each other and never communicates; a passionless relationship, stupid decisions after stupid decision; revenge based on assumptions; most characters deceiving others for greed; way too many lies and conspiracies, and lightning curing poison ....well this drama is for you! Zhang Zhe Han couldn't even save it.

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