JoleCole's Station

According to the scriptwriter of Imperial Doctress, Liu Shi Shi and Wallace Huo's characters are the OTP of the story. The role of Zhu Qiyu is just a plot device to achieve the end results she wants, which to me is quite unfortunate. Zhu Qiyu's evil transformation would provide the platform that the scriptwriter needed to justify the love relationship between Zhu Qizhen and Yunxian. Zhu Qizhen was written to be Yunxian's soulmate and confidante. He also gives her unconditional support in everything she does. On the other spectrum, Zhu Qiyu is destined to be her first love, husband, and father of her child as well as a major obstacle in her medicine career. I guess the writer is trying to convey the message that first love is not always good husband material. Love is not the only ingredient you need to a happy marriage. So be careful with whom you choose to fall in love! LOL.

After watching Imperial Doctress, I've grown very fond of Huang Xuan as an actor. I just find his acting to be infectious. At first sight, Huang Xuan is no eye-catching candy like Wallace Huo. It actually took me awhile to give him a chance because my superficial eyes always get disattracted by other pretty things. Huang Xuan is definitely not a newbie in showbiz and has starred in famous dramas like Legend of Mi Yue. His upcoming modern drama with Yang Mi, Les Interprètes, may be his next breakthrough role when the drama airs on Hunan TV this year.

When I first reported about the Imperial Doctress nearly two years ago, I was adamantly against Liu Shi Shi's character falling in love with the second male lead, Huang Xuan's Zhu Qiyu. I was strongly shipping Wallace Huo's character, Zhu Qizhen, with Liu Shi Shi's Tan Yunxian (pseudonym Hang Yunxian). I even decided to abandon following the news about Imperial Doctress when I found out the story may not go in the direction I wanted. After watching Zhu Qiyu's first appearance and the available promotional materials, I'm completely sold on Huang Xuan's performance as Zhu Qiyu, Zhu Qizhen's younger brother and later the seventh emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He prevented the Ming Dynasty from suffering a similar fate as the Song Dynasty, which got split into the Northern Song and Southern Song when the Jurchens invaded northern China.