The Difference Between Drama and Novel (Pre-5 years separation)

Because there's so much focus on how the drama's latter part was different from the original novel, I just want to share the difference of the drama and the novel   pre-5 years separation. I think the early part of the story had impact on latter story. I'll try to summarize them, but perhaps only included major things.

This will be a lengthy post and I'll update it slowly, so please bear with me.


The Protagonist's Background

In the novel,  CSS was actually Yu Cailing,  a modern college girl who transmigrated into the body of 13-year old Cheng Shaoshang. The real CSS had died due to the fever when she was sent to countryside by her second aunt. Her parents left her to fight the war when she was 3 years old. The real CSS had a very bad temperament, foul mouth, and sometimes even hit the servants. Yu Cailing was a natural science student at famous university. She accepted with top scores. She was very intelligent, logical and practical, also had various skills i.e, making wine, building things, etc due to her educatio. Her parents divorced when she was in kindergarten because her mother chose career and his father was a womanizer. As a modern woman, it's given that she couldn't read ancient Chinese characters,  which later her parents thought she was dumb and illiterate.

In the drama, CSS was the 15-year old daughter of Cheng Family, abandoned by her parents right after birth to fight a war in the name of loyalty. Pretty much received unfair treatment from her aunt and grandmother and not educated.

In the novel,  CSS's has one younger brother. The oldest brother came home with the second and third brother. In the drama, she was the youngest child. Her oldest brother didn't come home.

In the novel,  at the beginning, Yu Cailing/CSS's role in the family drama was mostly an observer since she needed to navigated the relationship in the family.

In the drama, since the beginning she had been scheming the family drama, i.e, Uncle Dong's case, the main house case, and Second Aunt's case.


CSS and LBY's encounters

In the drama, CSS and LBY first encounter was when she pointed to the haystack where Uncle Dong was hiding. After that, LBY was impressed with CSS. He praised her in front of her parents when he visited Cheng Residence. Later, she sent hint about fabric store to LBY. After Madam Ge's divorce and Second Uncle departed to study, Cheng family's carriage went through the road. From the city wall, A-Fei noticed the carriage. LBY's eyes darted the carriage and his expression changed. When A-Fei asked why he had such expression, LBY ordered them to prepare for new year banquet. A-Fei said it's weird since LBY never did that kind of thing.

Then the lantern festival happened. It's A-Fei again who pointed that CSS was there, wearing eye-catching dress. A-Qi asked how could he recognise her from afar. A-Fei answered that the one who skipped and ran on the street must be the fourth lady of Cheng family since the third lady was elegant. This is the first time LBY saw CSS and fell in love, but before this moment, he had always been interested in CSS.

In the novel,  there was no such elaborate process of encounter. LBY just fell in love with her when he saw her at the lantern festival.


The Lantern Festival Scene

In the drama, CSS met with her three suitors in the lantern festival. With Lou Yao and Yuan Shen, she encounter them when she was watching the lantern riddle at Tian Restaurant. Yuan Shen threw her tha decorated ball after she solved the riddle (which she threw back to him),  and Lou Yao mesmerised by her intelligence.

Drama CSS first saw LBY when he saved her from the fire.

In the novel,  her first meeting with Yuan Shen was pretty simple. She picked up the decorated ball from Yuan Shen. He apologised to her for being impolite, and smiled before turning back. CSS didn't see his face clearly. Later in the Cheng family's banquet where Yuan Shen asked her relying message to the third aunt, CSS recognised his voice.

The first time CSS saw LBY, he was standing in front of the restaurant. She saw him with his black armored guards, but couldn't see his face due to the lanterns hanging from the roof. This was also when LBY saw CSS and captured by her beauty, he fell in love at the first sight.

The novel CSS didn't met Lou Yao until later.


YangYang and CSS (I found this one is interesting too)

In the novel, just like CSS,  she's new to the capital's society because she grew up in Ge family. While CSS was new to the society because she's actually Yu Cailing. The real CSS grew up in capital and was a bully to the weak, so her reputation was not good at all.

Also in the novel, YangYang was never attracted to Yuan Shen. She was like, whatever I never met this guy. It was CSS's mom who intended to make arrangement for Yuan Shen and YangYang, although this intention was rebutted by the her eldest son and then she knew that Yuan Shen had an eyes to her daughter.


The Young Ladies' fight


In the drama, the fight happened at Lord Ruyang manor when they were invited to Princess Yuchang's birthday. It was also where CSS met LBY the second time, and the birth of infamous quote "Eleventh Young Master has long admired me, but I'm never interested in him".

In the novel, this incident happened at Yin family's banquet. This was also where the first time CSS met Lou Yao, who at that time, was arguing with He Zhaojun. (The eldest daughter of Yin family eventually married CSS's eldest brother).

The horse riding scene

In both drama and novel, after the fight CSS went to Wan Manor. This is where CSS first saw LBY (she didn't recognize he was the guy from the lantern festival).

The horse riding and stirrup scene were similar in both drama and novel. In the novel, though, there was no bargaining scene between LBY and CSS about the map and the bridge. She only heard about it under the bridge when LBY and General Wan talked.

The Collapsed Bridge Incident

In the novel, at the banquet at Wan family we learned that the real CSS (before Yu Cailing transmigrated) was just like other girls, who were having a crush to LBY. But since the present CSS was Yu Cailing who thought she never saw LBY,  she declined it, saying people could change etc. (she didn't know that Eleventh Young Master was LBY).  This was also CSS's first encounter with Wang Ling, who was so bitchy that CSS decided to  take a revenge later that day. Hence the collapsed bridge incident.

The Arrow Scene

In the drama, CSS commanded the defense of her group when they took a shelter in the hunting house. There was actually no such scene in the novel. LBY came with his army to saved them.

In the novel, after pulling out the arrow,  CSS took back her shaoshang string. In the drama, LBY took it. In the novel,  when LBY prohibited her from seeing the execution, she obeyed because LBY implied that he knew about her antics in the collapsed bridge incident.

Hua County

In the novel, we got information about LBY mainly from Third Aunt and Uncle's conversation about how the Emperor was losing his temper because of LBY's injury.  We saw this scene in the drama.

In the novel, Lou Yao didn't tag along to Hua County after expressing his admiration to CSS right before she departed to Hua County. He arrived later and confessed he wanted to propose marriage to her.

There was no "romance book"  scene in the novel.

CSS and Lou Yao's engagement

In the novel, CSS's mother actually wasn't that opposed to this arrangement. But she knew that CSS didn't love Lou Yao and Lou family's situation wasn't good. This mother and daughter's relationship was actually pretty calm.

In the novel, LBY didn't present the decree himself, so there was no scene where CSS fell and grabbed his arm. He was there at the engagement banquet when the decree was presented, though. 

At this point in the novel, CSS had a great admiration for LBY, often described his good look,  and considered him almost like a celebrity. She also liked him because he has good relationship with Lou Yao. In the drama, CSS who initially had unfavorable impression of LBY,  at this point respected but also feared LBY.

In the novel, when LBY asked her to meet him, CSS talked to LBY in a rather carefree manner even if she was reluctant to come at first. In the drama, CSS looked more... solemn? I don't know how to explain but the tone of this scene was different between the novel and the drama.

At their engagement banquet, Ban Jia (who later married YangYang) was introduced.

The Hunting Ground & Tower/Pagoda Incident

In the drama, this event occurred after CSS broke her engagement with Lou Yao.

In the novel, this event took place before the engagement ended. CSS was not fond of crowd so she went alone and found the pagoda. She climbed the skylight and took a nap there. In the drama, she was curious about the construction.

In the novel, LBY was the one who snatched and broke CSS's jade ornament, threw half of it, and keeping one to threatened CSS. He also told CSS about Crown Prince's seal incident (in the drama this happened way later). When LBY asked her if she heard something, she declined. LBY suggested he would break her arm and tore her clothes as an excuse for being late to the hunting ground. CSS was frightened. In the end, he broke his own arm,  and CSS cried because of this.

(Gosh, novel LBY was such a psycho tbh)

 WindBlows:

Thank you for this thread, rays! It was very nice to read these differences. I skipped some of the introductory chapters in the book and read from the Lantern festival onwards. Even so, my memory is a bit hazy so I appreciate your attention to details.

Anytime! I was rereading the novel again and found that I might like the show a little bit better. I just want to organize things so it will be easier to analyze why I feel that way :D 

Days Following CSS & LBY's engagement 

In the novel, at this stage, CSS and LBY's relationship was filled with bickering and flirting, although CSS still didn't love him, they had a good relationship. CSS was still afraid of him most of the times so she often coax him when he's in bad mood.


LBY lifted CSS and sat her down on the Railing

This is also not in the novel.


Consort Yue Roasting Everyone in the Room

In the novel, this happened in a normal royal family banquet. Old Princess Ruyang came with Princess Yuchang uninvited. Third princess didn't attend this event because she was punished and scared of facing the Emperor.

LBY actually bit CSS's hand here (he really liked to bite her. Is she a food??)

In the drama, this event took place in Huo's memorial banquet. This was also where third princess's fake coin scandal unraveled and she got her punishment.

Tiger Seal Incident

In the novel this happened way earlier before CSS entered the Palace. Novel CSS didn't really get involved in Crown Prince matter at this point. She was actually smart enough to avoid palace's politics.

In the drama, as soon as she entered the Palace, CSS was tangled in Crown Prince's problems, which made LBY unhappy and the main source of their arguments. Drama CSS was naive and rather simple. Because Crown Prince and Princess treated her well,  she also treated them well. 

CSS decided to treat LBY better

In the novel, after the banquet they argued again. Then LBY said this line "You started this first." CSS was angry, later she seek advice from Old Madam Wan (Qiqi's grandmother) and realized the things LBY had done for her. On her way back, she encountered LBY, and promised him to treat him better and grow old with him.

In the drama, this happened after the tiger seal incident and after listening to Qiqi and YangYang's advice. Later she ran out of the house and found LBY outside. LBY took her to his mother's house, where they had their first kiss.

Thank you very much, rays, for sharing this.  I really appreciate all the effort you put into this.

 kathleentheturtle:

Omgosh. This is really gracious of you to take the time to do, rays. Your notes and translations are so very thorough with g respect the source material and the break down makes it so easy to understand between the novel and the drama. Wow. Novel LBY sounds crazy indeed. I'm really glad for the changes they made to the drama regarding many of the scenes you wrote out to share that didn't come from the novel. I loved the changes more knowing the source. Perhaps in some ways, I'm lucky that there isn't a great completed English translation of the novel and can read snippets from kind souls like you who take painstaking efforts to share information and thoughts. This way, my experience watching the drama is a bit less subjective in comparison to the novel. Thank you for taking the time to share all this. 

No worries! I enjoyed doing this to fill the void after finishing the drama. The novel had many hilarious and overdramatic unhinged scenes which sometimes are hard to believe. 

@rays, I appreciate your hard work here as it provides greater depth to understanding the characters and their motivations. I think the Director took the approach to "soften" LBY character from novel to drama to make him more palatable and acceptable to the wide range of viewers. There are young impressionable girls watching.....seen from video clips. LBY is highly disturbed and distraught figure during his pursuit of revenge it became an all consuming obsession. One of the commenters gave a brilliant quote, along these lines....when you pursue revenge, prepare two graves, one for the person and one for yourself.

In todays environment he would be diagnosed with having a mental illness which could be resolved with treatment and diagnostic conversations ( OK, we know thats not happening in the Han Dynasty) but often these people seek "intense" relationships and we can see this is why CSS would be the only person for him. My thoughts for the night.

Yea, based on what you had shared, it makes sense that CSS in the novel was more mature in age, and also coming from the modern era with her forward way of thinking with her educational background too. It feels fitting that the characters do fit their respective purpose in each media between novel and drama. Sometimes I can't help but compare the tidbits of the novel that I am privy to with the drama, but I feel lucky at times that I can also treat the two forms of stories as separate entities, despite the source.  Thank you again @rays

@tinygreencollective: You're right about LBY being someone who we would classify as having a mental illness. I would say it's PTSD for him. Love what you've been discussing too! :)