The Princess Royal

It's all about how to find your true self in power and politics

I think this is a good series the beginning was very good and interesting...It was difficult to not want another episode...but in between it became quite boring As the character Li Rong was in her own delusional world and just wanted her brother to get the throne so that she can live freely..but the love of PWX changed that I think that is the best part of this show.As for SRQ it was all about choices for him but he made the wrong ones even in the end he died instead of taking the responsibility of his actions..All the actors did a very good job in the drama...and this drama is the best example of showing how to win against power the way Li Chuan did and Li rong did in the end they both lived happy life in the end ...as Happiness is the most important thing everyone craves for and they got their happy ending...I especially liked the 39 episode those proud eyes of LR and the love of PWX was the thing that made me give this drama an overall 9/10 ratings. This is my first time writing a review for a drama so I hope this is helpful to the readers.

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Honest review- Just so you know.. ML is a puppet to attract his fans for viewership.

The drama had potential. it started nice but along the way it's been shown that there is favoritism for SML. out of 45 mins.. whole 45 mins goes to SML forcefully. Barely 5-10mins goes to ML ZHL.

The production house has done really dirty to ZHL. Ep 33 will boil your blood when you will see SML twirling with FL while falling off the cliff.. FL has moved on.. loves ML.. then why this the focus on SML?

If they love the SML so much, then why not make him ML.. because they wanted to use ZHL face to attract viewership.

We all gave benefit of doubt till the end only to realise that ZHL is unfairly treated and used in this drama.. while the focus and face of this drama was annoying and evil SML. The drama even tried to justify SML's evil intentions who doesn't even want to change and take the right road..

Anyways, Ep 33 is the most ridiculous one where they have stupid background OST, focus and full screentime on SML in a 40 episode drama where the ending is important.

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So many questions, so many pasts, so many potentials

"Different reincarnation vibe than Story of Kunning Palace..."

That's the first feeling I got from this 6 episodes, maybe I was a little bit disappointed coz the last thing I love from Zhang Ling He is Story of Kunning Palace... I love a dark hero kinda vibe in a story, as I read The Princess Royal's summary makes me imagining back to the previous drama (maybe I haven't move on yet? hahahahaha). But here, the ML shows the usual patriotic hero of a kingdom character (for me personally, less interesting).
Zhang Ling He is a talented newcomer actor who, I must say, earn my praise, his acting in SoKP marked my eyes on him. But in this drama, I saw him in the new light again. Not much that I can say for these beginnings, but the story's definitely intriguing makes us can't stop wanting for more. The potentials are there, so hoping the team creator can execute it well.

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Second chance in love and its chronicles!

This drama is very much typical ( Time travel elements, second chances, Second leads who want to destroy the main leads, etc). I love that the main focus is actually on romance and the relationship between two estranged lovers who lead a bitter life with a tragic end, yet they are given a second chance to fall in love again!

Plot Summary:

This drama is about a couple in their early 40s who travel back in time to when they were 20 and about to get married again. They choose to get married again for the sake of politics and power, with divorce in mind. They go through ups and downs and so many trials, however, they fall in love again. They choose to be with each other despite the FL thinking she was in love with the SML. The ML, on the other hand, has always been in love with her but circumstances were not in his favor and he is willing to make this work this time.

First Impression:

The drama starts pretty simple as the plot suggests. The pacing is decent, since the leads find each other very early and despite their past grudge, they decide to use this second chance to their benefit and help each other out. The aesthetics is rather simple but the leads are very beautiful and have a wonderful chemistry. This drama is not as glamorous as most Xianxias with heavily decorated scenes and battles but is more focused on the leads and their whereabouts.

There is a very evil SML dressed in white and has an angelic voice. Some say he was given too much screen time compared to the rest( unlike in novel). I personally agree on this yet he had a story to tell and why he traveled back in time and the things he did. sadly he dug his own grave in the end.

Acting:

Zhao Jin Mai and Zhang Ling He create a very dynamic and beautiful couple. They are bickering and scornful at first but their love is deeper than they think and these two depict a wonderful couple. Chen He yi, aka SRQ, has done a good job depicting a villain yet he is being a little too much glamourized for being evil. we have to wait and see about that too. The rest of the cast did a pretty sufficient job as well.

Production, cinematography, and writing:

seems like the authors have taken a detour when writing it seems and the drama suddenly drifted. The main couple's on-screen time and relationship suddenly decreased till the end of the drama and the SML and the rest were focused on. yet, i liked the OTP and their chemistry was beautiful.

I like the decorations personally and since this drama doesn't show fights or battles, those who like a serene sort of historical drama will definitely love this drama.

Overall, if you're in for a good romantic historical drama with a nutjob SML and cute couple, this is for you! the leads are just very sweet and mature at the same. However, bear in mind the story does deviate at some point and it could've been written better but this doesn't mean It's of low quality. totally worth the watch.

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entertaining the first 11 eps and then repetitive

Ep12/13 : I am revising my rating of this story as it's repetitive. Episode 11, I thought there's finally some progress. She shows remorse for what she did to her ex-husband. In the next episode, she contradicts herself. They are just going back and forth ... for now I am going to drop it because I don't have time to watch these back-and-forth plot fillers. Maybe when they finally resolve her conflicts, it will be better... but for now, I am switching to another show.

Yep ... went back to see the ending ... the SML still taking up a lot of time... and the fighting scenes not too exciting either, very low tech. Glad I didn't invest my time on this drama!

I also don't like the lead actress ... her expressions are sometimes annoying to watch because it's too modern ... PLEASE NOTE that I didn't say she's a bad actress. She's a good actress. BUT I just don't like some of her mannerisms. Sometimes she has an unsympathetic blank face, and she also flicks her head to the ML as if to answer him ... This is supposed to be a ancient time ... some of these mannerisms just kill a scene sometimes.

HOWEVER, I DIDN'T drop this drama due to her acting or expressions. NOTICE I gave acting a 9.5!!!!

PLEASE DON'T question/criticize me about my rating, otherwise, you will be BLOCKED. It's a personal choice/taste. I am not an anti-fan. I welcome constructive questions and not personal attacks. I usually dropped the drama because I don't like it as a whole.

---- REVIEW up to 11 ---
This is a solid story. Yes, it's confusing at first ... but if you are patient to wait for the development and growth of the characters, by ep 11, you will start to understand and feel less frustrated.

Special effects in fighting scenes are not as good as The Double ... in general, the filming is just normal C Drama. However, the story makes the drama.
I feel that in these types of stories, acting and plot make a huge difference, not the fighting or special effects.

There are lots of twists and funny lines in the story, which is full of redemptions ... I love that the relationships of the characters are better in the 2nd life. When given a chance to communicate in the 2nd life, the leads do ! And that is what makes this story interesting to watch. They know what happened in the last life. They communicate their needs and they worked things out.

People ask is this story a tragedy, comedy ? I think it's a story about redemption. It's complicated but it's unfolding slowly through communication.
It's a comedy of errors because the FL is too strong-will and controlling. She turns all her relationships into tragedy. She wants to fix things for others without asking their permission or even understanding the reasons behind their actions. She is essentially a good person. But she's too controlling.

In her second life, she is willing to listen fix her flaws. I think it takes a humble person to do this ... to make things right the second time.

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How to Implode a Drama in 30+ Episodes

Step 1: Decimate the Male Lead's character so much he becomes a shadow, a ghost, a forethought, leading to viewer chaos and anger. For me, the male lead must be established early. There can be some competition, but there should never be any doubt by the middle of the series, who the FL likes. By episode 37/40, I was still unsure. Here, the director/writer/producer created a mess of the boundaries between ML and SML. But that's okay. ZLH will rise from the ashes of the character they destroyed like the Phoenix that he is.

Step 2. Make it as confusing as hell. If this story didn't have the MDL forum, it would probably have a much lower rating on here. The character's misunderstandings and motivations need to be frequently explained by those who have read the book. You lose me when I have to watch a drama where the story, the characters, the direction ARE NOT the one's letting me know what is going on. I keep reading in the comments, "Oh....I read the novel, so now I, forgive, understand, etc." I'm sorry....but I'm not an avid reader (don't judge), and I don't feel I should have to read anything to supplement me watching anything. A great TV drama should stand by itself. This, unfortunately, needs book legs. When I'm constantly pulled out to ask...why did he/she do this, it makes me want to give up watching.

Step 3. Make sure to lack direction regarding your actors. I've watched many of the ML's dramas, and I think he has played very diverse rolls. I am a fan. I'm not familiar too much with the FL except for one drama. I do like her; however, I believe ZLH is doing a better job at conveying his feelings, making me sympathize with him, etc. As for the FL, she's gorgeous, but sometimes, I said, sometimes, her unfitting-to-the-scene expressions actually pulls me out of the moment. During one scene, while the ML was crying and pouring his heart out, her rather blank expression didn’t match the passion of the scene. I wanted to be pulled in, engulfed in the moment with them. Instead, I was left drenched with disappointment in my living room. (Insert Michael Scott angry meme face here). This does not mean I don't like the actress. I think she has plenty of potential, and I was looking forward to watching her grow and mature into one of my favorite actresses.

Step 4. Rushed Production: The Boat Scene. I know we were all starving for some sort of amazing "skinship" between the main couple; however, I don't know if it was the angle and shakiness of the camera or the the reaction of the FL, but something about the VERY QUICK, almost overly aggressive interaction left me unsettled as opposed to enamored. The director should have taken more time to smooth this one out so it didn't look so uncomfortable to watch. (Some on Douban have echoed the same reaction).

This does have a happy ending, for the most part. Unfortunately, there was so much baggage you had to drag along with you to get there to actually enjoy it.

For the record, I tried to walk away from MDL earlier today, but after this last episode, I feel it's important to support ZLH more. What they did to his character was hard to watch. I do believe he will rise like a Phoenix from these ashes; however. As well he should.

This review pained me to write because all the other dramas the ML was in, I loved. There were just too many problems with this one.

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Of 2nd chances and power corrupt!!.

That's the themes of this drama as most of us have regrets for with hindsight we wouldn't have done what we did or would do it diferrently. There's always the"what if..." question.3 main characters, ML,FL and 2ML of the drama were given this chance; to change their losing fate into a winner destiny.
3 were given 2nd chances to be winners in life,
2 strived & gain while 1 made no effort, still a loser.

Spoilers Alert!
.
The drama opened with the ML, the PM who has the authority to even barred the empress from seeing her dying husband.The infuriated empress ordered one of her maid to inform /2ML to get ready. The PM entered and the emperor ordered him to kill his sister, the princess royal,the PM's wife who he suspected of being the head of the nobles. The PM went to talk  with his wife who was in falling health and living with her lover, 2ML.After their conversation ,she ordered him to be killed,while taking her medicine,.she collapsed and as she laid dying reflected how if things were different. She then woke 20 years back to the past.Same with the ML, they then allied together to find out who and why were tricked to be killed.

In order for readers to readily understand the characters, circumstances, and scenarios, the writer employed modern terms while describing the key characters. Additionally, during the drama, enjoyable and contemporary activities like portraying the damsel in distress, indirect kissing, and hard to get were explored! The ML and 2ML were referred to as "toy boys," men who gained prestige, riches, and influence by using their attractive appearances.FL is described as a pampered, pushy, forceful, and proud,woman with "princess syndromes," a strong sense of self-worth, and a position of rank, riches, and power. Given that even her name was Princess Pingyue, she was the embodiment of the Princess Taiping type—the powerful and politically astute daughter of Empress Wu ZeTian.


The theme of 2nd chance is linked to power corupts for it corrodes ibling love as the FL eventually discovered that it was her brother who ordered her to be killed out of fear that she would be the head of his enemies.Power corrupts the ethnics and moral responsibilities and obligations of marital bond,parental love, siblings love and government officials towards the people and country.The emperor viewed his wives and children as disposable pawns.A princess saw her brother as a puppet to control and not kill her, a mother could replace her dead son with a fake to become Queen Mother.A lover could stand by to watch his lover slowly poisoned so that his illegiminate nephew could be the crown prince; and friend killed a friend so that her illegiminate son could inherit the throne. Also a corruptor's visage can be benign, harmless, and unthreatening, similar to the 2ML, such that he bent and turned his lover into a adultress and a concubine into a murderess, killing the emperor. To curb corruption in the government the FL was appointed to head the Inspectorate Department which was an anti-corruption department. The nobles had siphoned money for themselves and will kill innocents who stand in their way.To weed out corruption was to choose a leader with integrity and incorruptibility, such as the 2FL, who will enforce the law inside her own clan should she discovered to be corrupt.

In the ending the writer also presented an intriguing, utterly improbable feminist dream for history buffs like me: what if Princess Taiping inherited thethrone like England's Elizabeth I ? !!

The flaws! !! The 2ML has too much screen time! !!!He even has a sorrowful, lost love song that is playing in the background that is just for him!! Its an overkill!! !! Just remark that he returned from the past and was sufficiently enough! The 2ML was to be a foil to the ML for he don't learn from past mistakes. He fallen for the princess during childhood and wanted to marry her. His 2nd chance came in the present time-line when she proposed to him during the Spring Banquent an offer he decline . His father cannot disagree as it was an imperial degree. He failed to see that as a consort he made himself strong enough to push through his older brother proposal to 2FL and subsequently no illegiminate prince hence his family will be saved.The frequent scenes between him and princess were totally uncessary, and showed the writer's flaw. She was supposed to be the arrogant ,proud and strong princess who wouldn't look twice again to a man who rebuffed her proposal and who conspired with others to kill her.



Aside from that, I enjoyed the drama ..My favorite artistes, Zhao Jinmai and Zhang Linghe are the major leads, and they did not disappoint in fact ZLH ' s portray as the epitome of a perfect princess consort was spot on.

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The Title is Misleading-ish

The title of this drama is called the "The Princess Royal" but I feel like it's all about Su Rong Qing.

Let me start off that the first half of the drama was intriguing and interesting. I like the concept of both Li Rong and Pei Wen Xuan returning to the past and trying make changes, but I also feel that Li Rong was acting the same as she did in the past. It was so frustrating watching her trusting SRQ and "loving" him even though she realized that he killed her in the past. I feel so bad for PWX because she treated him so poorly even though he was the most loyal person by her side. He was willing to sacrifice his life for her and yet, she put his feelings aside for "what it might be".

I hated SRQ the most. In the past life, he not only killed "his loved one" he did everything he can to get revenge for his family, and he was even willing to excuse his brother for killing QZZ and having an adulterous affair with the empress. It does not make any sense to me that he was willing to stand by all of that. I mean, I get it, he lost his entire family and was even humiliated by Li Chuan, but he needs to understand that what SRH did in the past was also wrong.

He claimed that he "loves" LR but does he really though? It feels like he loves himself more than anyone else. He claims to "love" his family, but yet, he killed his own father to gain control of the Su Family. Everything that he did, was for himself and no one else. He claim that he was protecting his family and LR but he was really doing everything for himself.

My main compliant about this drama is that SRQ was the main lead and everyone else was just supporting characters. I mean, SRQ has the most screen time and his face was everywhere. I know that PWX and LR are the main leads in this drama, but I feel like they have been sidelined and it became SRQ.

7.5 is where I am standing at with this drama. I don't think I will rewatch this drama unless I'm totally bored, but if I did, I would probably watch the first few episodes and that's it. I did thought of dropping this drama and I did end up ffw majority of the episodes, but I didn't because I wanted to see it through and I was right, it was disappointing.

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WHEN SML IS ACTUALLY A ML PORTEYED BY THE DIRECTOR

Ill not watch these type of drama anymore where the sml is treated as Ml and ML is treated as having a GUEST ROLE with FL.
I cant understand why Li Rong had a conversation with a man(dying) who wanted to kill her husband in the present life and killed her in the past one... & wtf SRQ literally played 3 min song for her and she just watched it . it was my first Historical drama and it will be the last i rated it 10/10 but im giving it a 5 now . nothing wrong with the Acting (its a 10/10 from my pov)its the director who had a crack head. Even they show us 100+ special ep ill still begiving it a 5 and thats only for the acting section for the story ill be giving a 1 still its too much .DISAPPOINTED With the story and direction.

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My thoughts after dwelling on comments and eventually watching...

My hesitancy to watch this drama started with a quick look at the comment section. Many people weren't happy with the plot, screen time, and characters. I commented on my uncertainty and received replies that were fighting each other. So, I logged off to watch in peace and came back to write a review after completing it.

MY ADVICE: If the synopsis interests you even a little bit, give the drama a try without dwelling on the comments. It seems like a hit-or-miss drama. Yes, it has flaws, but it is not as bad as some people may say.

First, I have some remarks about Rong and Wenxuan's relationship. Their misunderstandings were solved quickly, and I liked how their relationship changed for the better, compared to their past. What got me rolling my eyes most of the time was how Wenxuan could not stand up for himself when it came to Rong, and how Rong was not communicating her trust and love for Wenxuan. Yes, their arguments were solved quickly, but it felt so unnecessary to begin with at such late episodes.

However, my biggest concern reading the comments was Rongqing.
- Does Rongqing have a lot of screen time (compared to Wenxuan)? No, **IN GENERAL**, I wouldn't say so. Wenxuan has plenty of screen time, especially in the first half of the drama. The only part of Rongqing's screen time that confused me was the last couple episodes, especially his scene in the last episode.
- Did Rong love Rongqing? Hard question to answer, but I'd say maybe at some point in her past life, she did. HOWEVER, in their current life, she always worries for Wenxuan, cares for Wenxuan, and loves Wenxuan. What I can collect from watching her interactions with Rongqing, she definitely has lingering sentiments for him. Probably because he stayed by her side during the days leading up to her death in the past. But that is really it. She loves Wenxuan, and I never doubted her love for him. Did I get annoyed because of her soft spots for Rongqing? Yeah, it was annoying, but I guess it's understandable if you consider her past.

I personally thought the drama started out really strong—I was captivated up until maybe episode 30. I almost completely lost interest after episode 30, but kept watching for the main couple. They started bringing up the past (which I could care less about), and Rongqing's story (which I had no sympathy for), so I was just trying my best to watch until the end.

This drama has flaws, which is disappointing since the budget seems to be so high. There are things I wish they could have added, changed, or removed. Despite that, there were a lot of moments that I liked.. I can list some below:
- Wenxuan said, "If I admitted I liked you, it would feel like a form of surrender."
- Wenxuan confronts Rong when she assumes he still likes ZhenZhen, and Rong runs after him to clear up the misunderstanding even more
- Rong offended the whole Pei family because they hurt Wenxuan
- Rong writing countless letters to Wenxuan while everyone is telling her he's dead
- Wenxuan picking up Rong with the umbrella in this life (Rongqing did it in the previous life)
- Rong worries over Wenxuan in many instances

I'll stop here. Even if the drama isn't perfect, I'll still give it a 9.5/10. Stop hating on the drama; it scares potential watchers. The hate almost scared me away, but I'm glad I gave it a try. And you should too.. if you ended up reading this before watching :)

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A bit too much politics and a bit too less passion.

Started off with a bang—pace, laughs, emotional beats, and a generous dash of every genre . Each element was served with flair and honesty. In previous life , our leads' married life was destroyed by politics and misunderstandings so to face that trouble , the plot got hijacked by politics somewhere around ep 12 . And not fun politics like Game of Thrones-style politics—just straight-up bureaucratic overload, 'typical'. Now, I don’t mind politics in a story, but when it starts choking out the plot’s charm? Yeah, no thanks.


I genuinely felt there wasn't enough character development around the main leads’ personal arc. Like— to resolve the misunderstandings that growing on you for twenty years, it must have taken a lot more than just jumping out of her carriage and running in opposite direction ( who watched the show will know what I am talking about ). The Real emotional payoff was lacking a big time and suddenly we see them making out in the pool. The whole love trajectory felt about as convincing as my cat saying she wasn't sheepishly trying to throw the glass off the table ( as I am writing this review). Honestly I would have preferred them writing a new love story, knowing each other from the start and giving proper closure to the hanging loops from their previous lives.

The parallel leads? Practically ghosted. Their entire storylines were shoved into the last two episodes like leftovers on a Sunday plate—rushed, half-cooked, and barely satisfying.

But credit where it’s due— the feminist undertones in this drama deserve applause. The contrast between the caged empress and the fiercely independent princess-turned-ruler was chef’s kiss. And the side female characters? One's a badass general, the other’s a resilient, whip-smart aide. All three women nailed the art of keeping their professional lives separate from the chaos of love triangles, family mess, societal nonsense, and emotionally unavailable men. KUDOS TO THE WRITER for giving us some actual role models in historical robes.

Now… that villain.
Don’t get me started. The dude causes multiple rebellions, sets the kingdom on fire (almost literally), and our leads still go, “It’s not too late to come back”. EXCUSE ME? What’s next—send him a muffin basket and a “get well soon” card? They gave this two-cent villain a fancy, poetic exit like he was some misunderstood anti-hero. Nope. Not buying it. Over-generosity? Or stupidity pro max? You decide.

As for the cast—ZLH? Absolute perfection. The role fit him like a glove dipped in charisma. Maimai? Stunning. She pulled off her 39-year-old character arc with grace and depth. Chemistry? Check. Sparks? Mostly. Side cast? Passable. They showed up, they acted, they left.

BGM? Meh. The soundtrack felt weirdly modern for an ancient setting—like someone accidentally played their Spotify playlist in the background. Fight scenes were few, but tolerable. The real tragedy? The dialogue in the final episodes. Monologues for days. It felt less like a dramatic showdown and more like two emotionally constipated characters (FL & VILLAIN BOY) hosting a midnight podcast.I mean every time the FL and villain come across, there are long segments of monologues from both sides, she talked to him like the entire last night .. then next morning he comes to rebel in the palace and bam another coffee session between them .. 2 hour later ML defeats him in a sword fight .. guess what ??? The same conversation again..huh!

Special shoutout to the inventor of the skip button—you’re the real MVP.

Overall?
It was… okay. Could’ve used more fluff in those dry case files and way more depth in the love story. Oh—and did they ever tell us if the main couple had a kid? i remember she was announced pregnant before the three year leap ..did it missed something?

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