I just started watching Legend of Ruyi with my mom and she enjoys it. She REALLY prefers shows with lots of historically accurate details, including historical attitudes. That means no pining after the Emperor like a modern woman and expecting monogamy, essentially, which is the reason we had to stop Empress of China. Her favorites are Story of Yanxi Palace, Longest Day in Chang'an, and Goryeo-Khitan War, and Legend of Ruyi might also end up up there - she's enjoying it so far. Any other recommendations? I'm thinking Luoyang after we finish Ruyi but idk.
That depends how not modern she wants - Luoyang has a female policewoman (or equivalent) as one of the mains and I am pretty sure it was not a thing. If that's not an issue, then it's great!
CDRAMAS
Three Kingdoms 2010 is great at feeling period appropriate though there are very few female characters if that is an issue for your mother.
The Advisors Alliance is wonderful, does not have anachronistic attitudes towards either morality or polygamy but more prominent roles for women than Three Kingdoms.
The Story of Han Dynasty (2005) and The Legend of Chu and Han (also known as The King's War) from 2012 also feel period appropriate - the former is old so looks it but vvv solid and the latter is wonderful and that cast!
Any of the Qin Empire series (there are three) would fit the bill.
I've heard amazing things about Legend of Zhen Huan and I peeked at it and it looked very good, but I don't really do most harem dramas so I haven't watched it in full.
In general, because I am not a harem drama person, the recs I gave are more battle/politics/dude heavy so I am gonna throw this ask open to my mutuals who do watch harem dramas for more recs.
KDRAMAS
Most of these are gonna be somewhat older because clearly what your mom likes are traditional sageuks and those are sadly not made much any more.
If your mom liked GK War, then may I recommend King of Tears Lee Bang Won. It's by the same screenwriter, and has the same "adult people doing adult things in period appropriate manner" vibe. Not a pretty boy in sight.
Six Flying Dragons also deals with Lee Bang Won and is one of my favorite period dramas of all time. It's quite epic, has a huge cast of characters, more prominent female roles than King of Tears and to me feels period appropriate enough (no royals yearn for monogamy.)
Tree with Deep Roots - same people who did SFD, this one centers sort of on creation of written Korean alphabet and is not at all boring, surprisingly enough. It's actually intense and heartbreaking and very adult.
The Nokdu Flower - I am in the middle of it but from what I've heard it does not go off the rails. It's set during the Peasant Revolution in 1894-95 and centers around three main characters - a female trader, an illegitimate son of a noble family who's an enforcer, and a legitimate noble heir who goes down a dark path. It's grim and not at all court adjacent so may not be your mom's bag but it would quailfy otherwise.
Empress Ki - this is the closest I've seen a kdrama do a harem cdrama and it's glorious. There is harem and murders and what not and it's definitely female centric and does not feel modern to me (the emperor may be obsessed with the eventual Empress Ki - and historically he appeared to be so as well - but he has plenty of other wives.)
All the good older traditional sageuks about monarchs or their families - Jumong, Lee San Wind of the Palace, Queen Seon Duk, Dong Yi.
Slave Hunters - once again, not royalty centric at all, more dealing with dregs of society, but it's smart and adult and doesn't feel particularly anachronistic to me (the attitudes to slavery feel so tragically realistic.)
Bossam: Steal the Fate - it deals with the custom of kidnapping widows so they could remarry and is surprisingly gritty and real feeling with a lovely romance in it.
Haechi - it follows Yeongjo when he was still a prince. It's a bit of a mystery/investigative thing.
Damo - a police captain, a tea lady and a rebel leader all get entangled in a conspiracy. It's so grim and amazing and heartbreaking.
Conspiracy in the Court - a grownup mystery during Jeongjo's reign.
Eight Days - also set during Jeongjo's reign and centering around assassination attempts on the king. So smart.
My Dearest - it's set during the Qing invasion of Korea and not at all royalty adjacent in terms of the mains though the king and his heir are prominent supporting characters but the attitudes felt so period appropriate - class attitudes, attitudes towards women losing their honor etc. It was my favorite drama last year.
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I've got a theory...
(spoiler warning for s1 & s2)
So the lesbian noodle couple right? My theory is that their story is parallel foreshadowing for Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi.
Lil' recap: Lin Zhen (the chef) and Yu Xia (the marketer) started a business called Xialin Noodle House (literally a combo of their names) with a very successful signature recipe. Eventually Yu Xia strays from the path and Lin Zhen says she's leaving. This prompts the money/growth focused Yu Xia to go to our boys for help in finding the secret ingredient to their famous noodles. Turns out it's the ingredient that she herself introduced which is only made in her home town. So, coming to her senses, she goes to find her wife¹ Lin Zhen waiting outside a house for her where they then hug and assumedly live happily ever after. At the end of the episode there is a parallel event where our boys only have one bowl of noodles for them to share. They both look at eachother a lil stun locked because the it reminded them of the time Lin Zhen and Yu Xia had a Lady and The Tramp moment that had Cheng Xiaoshi coughing in fear.
So what am I saying? Obviously the noodle scene is a parallel but what if it's put in as more than just a 'hey they're queer too'² funny haha? What if it's meant to be a flashing neon sign of "hey their whole story is similar"? Keep in mind this is all under the assumption that Cheng Xiaoshi has died and Lu Guang has tried numerous times to change that unchangeable node.
Here's my points of parallel:
Obvious one out first: Yu Xia & Lin Zhen are business partners with a special secret recipe. Lu Guang & Cheng Xiaoshi are business partners with a special secret method they never intended to share with anyone else. This feels like the beggining knot to the noodle's end one connected our strings. It's also made to make you compare the two pairs.
Yu Xia strays from the path. Lu Guang strays from the path. In Lu Guang's case, it's probably supposed to be the rule set he drills into Cheng Xiaoshi's head.
Lin Zhen doesn't stray, neither does Cheng Xiaoshi. When CXS thought LG died, he contemplated going back in time to change his fate but decided against it. He thinks LG would be displeased with the idea.
Lin Zhen gives Yu Xia a reality check and then waits for her to come back to her senses. She literally and metaphorically waits for her to come back home. So what if: Cheng Xiaoshi does the same thing with Lu Guang?
Now I have a few ideas for how this story could play out as a parallel:
The Happy Ever After idea. Cheng Xiaoshi finds out what Lu Guang has done before the time of the crucial event (CXS's og death). CXS's previous deaths are the equivalent to Lin Zhen leaving and LG finally saving him is the equivalent of the lesbian reunion.
The Oblivious idea. CXS doesn't find out what LG has done. His previous deaths are the equivalent to Lin Zhen leaving. LG's attempts, and eventual success, to save him are the equivalent of Yu Xia returning home to her partner. LG's abandonment of the rules to do this would be too. The strict adherence to the rules would've been his 'straying from the path'. Perhaps this is what resulted in CXS original death. CXS living is the parallel for Lin Zhen waiting for Yu Xia at home and their hug (return of togetherness) at the end.
The Argument idea. CXS finds out what LG's done and they have an argument. This would be the parallel to Lin Zhen's push. CXS also lives, same parallel as #3. Bonus if CXS has never found out in previous attempts.
The Doomed By The Narrative idea. I... don't wanna explain this one. It's pretty self explanatory. Basically, despite LG's best efforts, he can't change CXS's death. The hug could be death bed forgiveness. Might include a CXS finds out argument too.
The Religious idea. They both die. The lesbian reunion is a parallel to them meeting again either in another life or in the afterlife.
Now here's where I've gone and gotten spicy and off course:
The Trade idea. Lu Guang dies instead of Cheng Xiaoshi, purposefully taking his place. This could draw comparison to the hostage situation where CXS trades himself for a silenced LG. The silenced part could relate to CXS's previous death, LG never telling him what he's done, and/or LG not telling him what he's doing. Maybe LG's already tried this tho given both how he gets into that situation and how it would be a very basic idea to at least attempt it with other people.
The Attempted Trade idea. The trade idea except CXS doesn't let him.
So what am I on about?
Well I think The Argument Parallel (Lesbian)³ Theory is the most likely of all of these. I think, assuming we're correct that Cheng Xiaoshi has died, it's highly unlikely that the show will end with him being dead. Normally I'd say it'd be boring to have an ending like that but honestly Link Click is good enough to make it work... So unfortunately for my heart I can't rule it out but still.
Anyway, thanks for listening to my nonsense. 'Till next time friends!
—————
¹ striked out words are: her wife
² striked out words are: 'hey they're queer too'
³ striked out word is: (Lesbian)
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Summary of all mentions of members of Hong Lu's family in the game + comparison with the original book
Summary:
Mention of his “family” in general in the game
Mention of the family elders in the game + comparison with the original work
Mention of his grandmother in the game + comparison with the original work
Mention of his grandfather in the game + comparison with the original work
Mention of his father in the game + comparison with the original work
Mention of his siblings in the game + comparison with the original work
Mention of his brother (Jia Huan) in the game
I wanted to recap all the times Hong Lu talks about his family or a particular member of his family while at the same time comparing them to their version of the original novel by giving some info on the latter (assuming that Hong Lu = Jia Baoyu ). I excluded from this list the uncles and aunts by marriage as well as Baoyu's cousins for various reasons (too long otherwise, not mentioned...) but I will perhaps do a part 2 to talk about them.
Was also excluded, the entire branch which stems from Jia Yan (the brother of Jia Yuan (the father of Jia Daishan, the husband of Grandmother Jia)), a branch which remains important since it is this one who leads to the actual Head of the Ningguo Mansion (Jia Zhen) when the story takes place. But since, they are distant relatives/cousins of Jia Baoyu, that was taking me too far and so I had to remove them from this list. But I still wanted to mention it since it is an important branch of the family
The Jia family is mainly composed of 4 great families: the Jia Family, the Xue Family, the Wang Family and the Shi family in other words those who were born with the name Jia and those who joined the family by marriage / alliance / by being the brother / sister of one of the grooms… (born Xue or Wang or Shi).
There are also other families like the Xing or Lin family joining the Jia family but whose name appears (very) less often and which are also not considered as one of the great families of the novel.
This list of family members is made in relation to the place they occupy in relation to Jia Baoyu.
I/Mention of his “family” in general in the game
LCB sinner, chatter#3
Abn. logs, Pink shoes: lacking data
Abn. Logs, Sign of Roses: level 1
Abn. Logs, Sign of Roses: level 3
Liu Association South Section 5, story
Liu Association South Section 5, story
K Corp. Class 3 excision staff, post-uptie chat 2
W Corp. L2 Cleanup agent, Idle
Main story, Canto II, episode: 3
Detour Tales, Chapter 5.5, Miracle in district 20, episode: 13
Main story, Canto V, episode: 2
Hong Lu’s promo pre-limbus company release (Hong Lu also mentions the family’s chef’s side dishes but I didn’t include it because it was not about his family specifically)
II/Mention of the family elders in the game + comparison with the original work
W Corp. L2 Cleanup agent, story
W Corp. L2 Cleanup agent, story
Main story, Canto IV, episode: 27
To tell the truth, I don't really know what the term "elders" is supposed to encompass in this context in the sense that, I don't know whether or not parents and/or uncles/aunts should be included in addition to the grandparents.
In my opinion the term "elders" refers to all the generations who are above the one who uses this term (in this case Hong Lu / Jia Baoyu) so I would tend to want to count the parents and uncles / aunts but I cannot say this with certainty.
I will therefore base myself on my interpretation so that it will allow me to talk about more characters of the novel but do not hesitate to let me know what this term encompasses!
1st generation:
Grand parents:
Jia Daishan:
Son of Jia Yuan
first Duke of Rong
husband of Grandmother Jia
father of Jia She, Jia Min and Jia Zheng
grandfather of the three first Spring Ladies (Jia Yuanchun, Jia Tanchun and Jia Yingchun), Jia Zhu, Baoyu, Daiyu, Jia Huan, Jia Lian
died before the beginning of the novel, reason why we don’t know much about him
Grandma Jia (the Dowager):
Daughter of the Marquis Shi of Jinling
Wife of Jia Daishan
Grandmother Jia is a generation above the oldest member of the Rongguo Mansion (Jia Jing)
Thus, members of the Jia family all defer to her
For further information, refer to the paragraph dedicated to her below
Great uncle(s):
Dowager’s brother:
We don't know much about the Dowager's brother
He is Grandmother Jia’s brother
He is the father of Shi Ding and Shi Xiangyun's Father
He is Shi Xiangyun’s grandfather
died before the beginning of the novel, reason why we don’t know much about him
2nd generation:
Parents:
Jia Zheng:
Jia Zheng is the second and youngest son of Jia Daishan and Grandmother Jia.
He has a wife, Lady Wang, and two concubines: Zhao (with whom he had two children) and Zhou
For further information, refer to the paragraph dedicated to him below
Lady Wang:
Daughter of one of the four most prominent families of Jinling (Wang)
Primary wife of Jia Zheng
Mother of Baoyu and Yuanchun
Because of her purported ill-health, she hands over the running of the household to her niece, Wang Xifeng
In the eyes of her servants, she appears as a statue of a lifeless Buddha.
Although generous, she is described as without will or conviction.
Lady Wang seems kind and caring but can be cruel and ruthless when her authority is questioned.
She shows excessive concern about her son Baoyu's romantic relationships and closely monitors his maids.
Lady Wang plays a role in the death of Baoyu's maid, Qingwen, due to her suspicion and cruelty toward maids she perceives as threats to her son's virtue.
Uncles:
Jia She:
Elder son of the Dowager
Big brother of Jia Zheng and Jia Min
Husband of Xing furen
He has 2 concubines: Yingchun’s mother and Jia Cong's mother
Father of Jia Lian, Jia Yingchun and Jia Cong
He inherited the title of Marquis Rong
He is treacherous and greedy, as well as seductive/woomanizer.
He feels jealous towards his younger brother, favored by their mother.
He was later stripped of his title and banished by the government.
Father of Wang Ren and Wang Xifeng:
Lady Wang’s brother
Also brother of Wang Ziteng and Wang Zisheng
Father of Wang Ren and Wang Xifeng:
Wang Ziteng:
Lady Wang’s brother
Also brother of Wang Xifeng’s father and Wang Zisheng
Wang Zisheng:
Lady Wang’s brother
Also brother of Wang Xifeng’s father and Wang Ziteng
Aunts:
Jia Min:
Daughter of Jia Daishan and Grandmother Jia
Sister of Jia She and Jia Zheng
Wife of Lin Ruhai
Mother of Lin Daiyu
Xue Yima also known as Aunt Xue:
Sister of Lady Wang
Sister of Wang Ziteng, Wang Zisheng and Wang Xifeng’s father
Mother to Xue Pan and Xue Baochai
She is generally kind and affable.
However, she struggles to control her rambunctious son.
III/ Mention of his grandmother in the game + comparison with the original work
K Corp. Class 3 excision staff, story
K Corp. Class 3 excision staff, story
K Corp. Class 3 excision staff, story
K Corp. Class 3 excision staff, story
W Corp. L2 Cleanup agent, chatter #1
K Corp. Class 3 excision staff, post-uptie chat 1
Detour Tales, Chapter 5.5, S.E.A, episode: 4
If Hong Lu is indeed the equivalent of Jia Baoyu in the world of limbus company, Hong Lu's grandmother should be the one known as Grandmother Jia, née Shi:
Grandmother Jia:
Also called Dowager Shi or simply the Dowager
She is the daughter of the Marquis Shi of Jinling
Grandmother Jia is a generation above the oldest member of the Rongguo Mansion (Jia Jing)
Main elder of the great family, she is the oldest and most respected authority of the Jia Clan
Of an enjoyable temperament, she does not intervene in the private lives of her children provided that they do not disturb her, even if they have become debauched or high rollers.
It was she who arranged for Daiyu, her only "outside" (i.e., maternal) grandchild, to come to the Rongguo Mansion
She spoils her grandson Baoyu whom she carries in adoration
Despite this, she does not approve of his love for Daiyu
She is the one who supports the marriage arranged by Sister Pheonix (Wang Xifeng) between Baoyu and Baochai
She will die at the ripe old age of 83
Maybe it's just me, but she seems to be one of the people if not the person who pays the most attention to Jia Baoyu's jade, reminding him to take care of it, asking him if he knows where it is his jade when he is not wearing it, paying attention to the stone...
IV/ Mention of his grandfather in the game + comparison with the original work
Detour Tales, Chapter 5.5, Yield my flesh to claim their bones, episode: 4
Abn. Logs, Pink shoes: lacking data
Hong Lu’s promo pre-limbus company release (yéyé" (爷爷) meaning "grandfather" or “grandpa”. It is an affectionate term used to refer to one's grandfather in Mandarin.)
So we don’t really know which of his two grandfathers Hong Lu is referring to but knowing that in the novel only his paternal grandfather is mentioned and died before the novel begins, I think the "grandfather" Hong is talking about is Jia Daishan (and that he probably died in the world of Limbus Company too)
Jia Daishan:
Son of Jia Yuan
first Duke of Rong
husband of Grandmother Jia
father of Jia She, Jia Min and Jia Zheng
grandfather of the three first Spring Ladies (Jia Yuanchun, Jia Tanchun and Jia Yingchun), Jia Zhu, Baoyu, Daiyu, Jia Huan, Jia Lian
died before the beginning of the novel, reason why we don't know much about him
V/ Mention of his father in the game + comparison with the original work
LCB sinner, chatter#1
If Hong Lu is indeed the equivalent of Jia Baoyu in the world of limbus company, Hong Lu's father should be Jia Zheng:
Jia Zheng:
He is the second and youngest son of Jia Daishan and Grandmother Jia.
He has a wife, Lady Wang, and two concubines: Zhao (with whom he had two children) and Zhou
Father of Jia Zhu (deceased), Jia Yuanchun, Jia Baoyu, Jia Tanchun and Jia Huan
Confucianism had a great influence on him: he is a Confucian scholar who tries to be an upright and decent person, he fulfills his duties of filial piety towards the Dowager, and wants to educate his children strictly
Afraid his one surviving heir will turn bad, he imposes strict rules on his son (Jia Baoyu), and uses occasional corporal punishment.
Jia Baoyu is afraid of him
He has the ambition to become a good civil servant
But he lacks experience and is easily deceived by others, which earns him a bad reputation.
VI/ Mention of his siblings in the game + comparison with the original work
Main story, Canto III, episode: 2
Detour Tales, Chapter 5.5, episode: 13
Abn. Logs, Pink shoes: lacking data
If Hong Lu is indeed supposed to be the Jia Baoyu of the world of Limbus Company, then, if we refer to the novel The Dream of the Red Room, Hong Lu should, like Baoyu, have 4 siblings:
Jia Zhu:
First son of Jia Zheng and Lady Wang
Big brother of Jia Baoyu and Jia Yuanchun and half-brother of Jia Tanchun and Jia Huan since they share the same father.
In the original novel, Jia Zhu is already dead prior to the action of the novel, so we know very little about him.
He had a son (Jia Lan) with Li Wan
Jia Yuanchun:
First female family member of the quartet of "Springs", first daughter of Jia Zheng and Lady Wang
Big sister of Jia Baoyu and Jia Yuanchun and half-sister of Jia Tanchun and Jia Huan since they share the same father.
She is about 10 years older than Baoyu.
She was raised by her grandmother
As an older sister, she taught Baoyu to read and write when he was liitle like his mother would have done.
Originally one of the ladies-in-waiting in the imperial palace, Yuanchun is later promoted to the highest ranking of imperial concubine "Xiande”, having impressed the Emperor with her virtue and intellect.
Despite her prestigious position, Yuanchun feels imprisoned within the four walls of the imperial palace.
She died at the age of forty, following an illness, in total isolation.
Jia Tanchun:
Third female family member of the quartet of "Springs", second daughter of Jia Zheng and his concubine, concubine Zhao
Big sister of Jia Huan and younger half-sister of Jia Zhu, Jia Yuanchun and Jia Baoyu since they share the same father.
The fact that she is the daughter of a concubine is still such a burden that she often claims Lady Wang, Baoyu's mother, as her own
Tanchun is a very clever and capable person, as much as Sister Phoenix for comparison
But, as the proverb says, "he who comes last will have fewer opportunities than the others", and this is what happened to her, because when her family declined she had not done much and she was sent to a distant region following an arranged marriage
Jia Huan:
Third son of Jia Zheng and his concubine, concubine Zhao
Little brother of Jia Tanchun and younger half-brother of Jia Zhu, Jia Yuanchun and Jia Baoyu since they share the same father.
More info just below
VII/ Mention of his brother (Jia Huan) in the game
Main story, Canto I, episode: 30
Main story, Canto V, episode: 18 (there we don’t know if he is talking about Jia Huan or not but there are not many other options and from what we can deduce from Jia Huan’s behaviour (in game and in the book too) it’s not very out off character)
Jia Huan:
Third male family member of the generation of the Jia household, son of Jia Zheng and his concubine, concubine Zhao
Little brother of Jia Tanchun and half-brother of Jia Zhu, Jia Yuanchun and Jia Baoyu since they share the same father.
He is described as ugly and clumsy
He and his mother are both reviled by the family, and he carries himself like a kicked dog.
He is very cunning but mediocre, he shows his malignant nature by spilling candle wax, intending to blind his half-brother Baoyu
That’s all! If I have forgotten any moments where Hong Lu talks about his family, don't hesitate to tell me and I will add it! Also, I tried to verify and proof-read all the info and everything should be correct but if I made a mistake feel free to point it out to me :)
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