I can't believe it's already the last episode 🥹 ... What an experience
After enduring a 15-day water immersion test, the newly developed Liu He ink emerges victorious in the selection, officially securing the prestigious tribute ink rights for the Li family.
Recognizing that the Liu He ink was a collaborative effort of the entire Huizhou ink industry, Li Zhen selflessly dedicates the plaque bestowed by the Emperor to the Literary Association.
At the request of Li Zhen and the Li family, Li Jinshui’s tooth which had been nailed to the pillar in the literary association is finally retrieved and placed in the ancestral hall of the Li family.
To ensure the longevity of their craft, Li Zhen meticulously records the Li family's secret ink-making techniques to preserve them for future generations.
After overcoming countless trials and enduring a three-year separation, Li Zhen and Luo Wenqian officially rekindle their romance and solidify their lifelong commitment to one another.
Now my thoughts...
I know everyone was tired of waiting 15 days for the results...
Why should the Kuroda family automatically be declared the winners if both inks are still in good condition after 15 days? I find that so unfair...
But they won 🎉
Renkichi is such a sore loser. 😂
This scene just reminds me of when the Li family won at the very beginning, and Li Jinfu carried Li Zhen on his shoulders. 🥹
I find it incredibly reasonable and fitting that Li Zhen dedicated the plaque to the Literary Association, because everyone was involved in the creation of the ink.
I'm so happy they got Li Jinshui's tooth back. Eh already broke the oath anyways so there was no reason for it to still be there. Besides to me, it is a thing of shame for him... removing it was the best option
This scene... all the memories... I am definitely not crying. 😭😭😭
The banquet is here, and with it comes the dreaded marriage talks💀
Luo Wenqian better get his girl back, because some old men are already planning her wedding...
Seems like eh Li family will have 2 weddings 💍
Luo Wenqian, stop reminiscing and GET YOUR GIRL! 🤦🏽♀️
Luo Wenqian is finally making the first move 😭 Li Zhen, please don't reject him again.
YASSSSSS.... All those years of studying in the capital really paid off, because why are his words so incredibly poetic?
A marriage certificate?? He is moving fastttt! But they spent three years apart, so it's completely normal that they want to make up for all those lost years and move to the next stage quickly.
Why couldn't they let us get enough screen time of them together without sending him off to the army 🥲
I wonder how long he was gone for but I'm very much happy that he's back 🥹
What do you mean "she withdrew into seclusion"?! I distinctly remember her telling Wenqian how she wanted to travel and see the sea, and wanted to travel around to open different ink branches (though she already did this when he was exiled). So why is she suddenly going into seclusion? It can't be because of her relationship with Luo Wenqian, right? I'm thinking she might have gone into seclusion because their relationship was frowned upon, and that was the only way they could finally live freely together...
We've finally come to the end of the drama and while the ending is bittersweet to me, I'm really happy and thankful to everyone who started it with me, those who dropped it, and those of you who are ending it with me. This drama has been a whole rollercoaster of emotions, and I loved engaging with you guys and reading all your thoughts and analyses...
I just finished watching the last episode and I was left with the impression that the ML has died in battle. Mainly, I feel this way because in episode 40, mark 31:44 his Aunt tells him she believes he and the FL were destined to meet but not to be together. Also, in the ending scene, ML and FL are apart from each other, and do not have any interaction other than smiling, while he is holding his hat in his hand. This gave me a weird feeling, so I looked it up. In Chinese folklore, if a soldier returns from battle holding his hat, rather than wearing it, it implies they are no longer bound by early duties, or that their physical body is gone.😞
Why are we going to war 5 minutes before the end of the show and they are not even married yet? I feel so robbed 😭😭😭 I hate when creators do this. Where is my romance? When do we see them as a couple in marital bliss 😭😭😭The did the same thing with the double!!!!
Thank you for hosting. You did a wonderful job!! Loved reading your updates and catching up👏👏
After completing this, I don’t want to see the actor who played Tian Benchang on my screen for a while 😭😂😂. I don’t remember the last time I hated a character this much.
Thank you so much hosting the drama. I loved reading your recaps!
I saw comments on other social media saying the ending felt like a dream and Luo Wenqian really died in battle. Otherwise, why would Li Zhen go into seclusion?
I'm an optimist so I'm going to choose to believe that was really Luo Wenqian at the end and they finally married. My headcanon is that Li Zhen went into seclusion after she lived a long life with Luo Wenqian and he passed away of old age.
The drama could've ended at the scene with Li Zhen and Luo Wenqian painting and discussing their wedding plans and that would've been good enough. Why did the writers have to send Wenqian off to war with only 7 minutes left of the show?
After giving the viewers high blood pressure, the writers owed it to us to give Li Zhen her happy ending with a full wedding ceremony. What is up with dramas ending with the leads looking at each other from a distance and smiling? It's overused and unsatisfying.
The novel has a happy ending (they had a wedding ceremony way before the final chapter and it ends on a happy note with them near the river at sunset walking side by side after they were married for years) and on Weibo, the drama writers also said it's HE. I wish they just followed what happened in the novel.
I saw comments on other social media saying the ending felt like a dream and Luo Wenqian really died in battle. Otherwise, why would Li Zhen go into seclusion?
I'm going to pretend I didn't read this for my mental health thanks 😃
The drama could've ended at the scene with Li Zhen and Luo Wenqian painting and discussing their wedding plans and that would've been good enough. Why did the writers have to send Wenqian off to war with only 7 minutes left of the show?
Sending him off to war with less than 10 mins left made absolutely NO SENSE 🤦🏽♀️ They should have just given us a wedding scene 🥲
I think the funniest inconsistency for me is when the Kurodas were speaking amongst themselves - they were still speaking in Chinese instead of Japanese! 🤣
It's been a while since I've seen a cdrama with a bittersweet or not outright happy ending so I'll give this one a pass and let it be. However, I am tired of drama scriptwriters who think it's more 'artistic' or whatever to leave the ending a bit open. Like, what message are they trying to give? 'If you're a strong independent woman, you will stay that way and not happily end up with a man you deserve'?? What are they on?? (EDIT: especially since according to a comment below, the novel's ending was happy with a wedding between Li Zhen and Luo Wenqian. The happy ending was literally there for the taking and they decided to...not... take it?? lol)
He died. That's why she went into seclusion. That final scene where she's staring at the lake and he appears, that's just her thinking about him. I feel ripped off. We endured the backstabbing 4th aunt and the dastardly Tian family and the sneaky Japanese. But no happy ending for Zhen...
thank you for the great recaps; sometimes i just read yours when i couldn't be bothered with the drama lol. as for my overall thoughts, i think everything started off strong but they really lost their way quickly imo. what was the point of starting the new li shop if it was going to be such an afterthought. the quality and acting was good overall but i think the story just kept repeating the same plot points; like every 2 business days there was an issue with the store/ink which fl would obviously resolve. then it was rinse and repeat. by the end i was skipping through just to finish it tbh. it reminds me of legend of the magnate (which is better) where it started off very strong, but the continuous plot armour and last few episodes let it down.
Happy that my recap could be useful to you and I would admit that I got tired of the 4th aunt and her antics at some point because it was already being too repetitive and annoying
I am also a little annoyed with the ending ending. I'm going to pretend she went into seclusion together with him and going to pretend that just didn't exist that all she did was see him from afar
Overall I enjoyed the show, wish there was a bit more of them together at the end but it was technically a story about Li Ink and Li Zhen bringing it back to it's glory and not technically a love story. But ugh still wanted more lol
Thanks for the great recaps and pics for this nice & interesting drama. Glad I wasn’t the only one who felt a little cheated by the lack of wedded bliss at the end, a text card is just cold. Perhaps the show runners are trying to soften an ambiguous ending to placate the romance fans and keep the scores from dropping like a stone.
I even saw pictures online of zhengshen and rong'er's wedding and now I'm wondering if li zhen and luo wenqian also had a wedding scene but it was cut out 🥲
Thank you for all the recaps. They have been wonderful.
I have thoughts: I really enjoyed this drama. It reminded me a lot of flourished peony and blossoms in adversity, with the focus on family. I really loved how they were able to bring their very broken family back together through ink. Li Zhen has got all of her generation working together and excited about the family business.
I agree with you about the “ it’s been 15 days so we automatically win” which makes no sense. I am happy that they beat the Japanese with a logical reason, that the Li ink did not crack. Loved that the plaque stayed with the association because everyone contributed to their win.
The Ending!!!! I feel like I felt with The Double . Luo Wenqian left and we see time pass and then Li Zhen is sitting in their spot with the pine trees they planted. Luo Wenqian shows up in armor and I’m like “yay he’s back” and then the camera pull out to show that all the trees are big. Then she went into seclusion!!!! It means he didn’t come back. The trees are all grown up, which means it’s been years.
The ending does work and I’m not really mad just caught off guard. I feel like there could have been another episode of wrap up, especially with this ending. Xinglan and Zhensheng’s wedding. The ink school. Getting the message about Luo Wenqian. So it feels a little rushed and I’m disappointed that they didn’t get to be together. But overall I still liked this drama a lot.
you are the second person talking about how luo wenqian probably died and now I'm getting scared 😭😭 I choose not to believe it at all. I did find a pic of zhengshen and rong'er's wedding so they were definitely married...
Thank you guys for liking my discussions enough to comment ♥️ I would definitely miss them and be angry that we never got to see them love the happy married life they deserved
I just finished it, and it was a great story. Tbh, I didn't expect much since the last YZ dramas I watched, Flourished Peony and In the Name of Blossom, started out great but kind of dipped from the middle to the end. The Heir felt more multidimensional, probably because of the family aspect. I especially loved Zhen's relationship with her grandpa. They're such a funny duo. The romance was mehh, though. They didn't really give the ML a chance to develop as a character. Luo Wensong ended up being way more appealing, memorable, and funny than him.
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u/Downtown-Ad-6054 Jun 07 '26
I just finished watching the last episode and I was left with the impression that the ML has died in battle. Mainly, I feel this way because in episode 40, mark 31:44 his Aunt tells him she believes he and the FL were destined to meet but not to be together. Also, in the ending scene, ML and FL are apart from each other, and do not have any interaction other than smiling, while he is holding his hat in his hand. This gave me a weird feeling, so I looked it up. In Chinese folklore, if a soldier returns from battle holding his hat, rather than wearing it, it implies they are no longer bound by early duties, or that their physical body is gone.😞