Si Jin

Overall ok historical drama

I like historical dynasty drama with a mix of palace scheme and fight against other country, ML with great martial skill and FL with brain. This drama started off like that however the story is not well tailored together, it's jumping here and there through FL backlash just bit and pieces..

Will they tell how in the past life from a meek girl to change completely to become a saintess who managed to kill the high and above royal princess ? It was told that she turned against her own country to avenge her husband but when she woke up her first line was "why did you kill me?", not showing even a bit of surprise nor glad that he was alive. Her character is someehat badly written from the start.

Then there's the part where his brother was saved from the river. He was such a weak man who is not disciplined how could he withstand the test of burnt on his chest when he pretended death? Secondly he can't swim to start with, how was he not drawn after he's thrown into the river with bad wound..

Yes its nice to see him alive as he's such a cheerful character but it makes more sense that he's really dead from the torture since the writer wouldn't let him escape the hands of the princess regardless the FL intervention in the second life.

The almighty and scheming royal princess who loves her daughter and spoils her actually lets her daughter marry a nobody just because of a prior agreement? Regardless how her daughter cried to her opposing it. Seriously out of character. She killed the guy's whole family and she wasn't at all suspicious that he is coming for his revenge? Seriously????

Writer please can do better job next time to make characters more consistently please.

Overall, it's still nice to watch alot of actions on this drama. There's the classic family pressure from the matriach and plotting, and FL outsmarted them in the second life, saving her loved ones from the danger.

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Si Jin (2025) — A Flawed Heroine’s Emotional Selfishness vs. A Strong Male Lead

🌟 Drama Review: Si Jin (2025)

🔹 Synopsis :
Si Jin tells the story of Yu Qi, the Seventh Prince wrongfully exiled as a child after an imperial astrologer falsely claimed his birth would bring disaster. In truth, he was a victim of a palace-wide conspiracy.

Jiang Si, an ordinary lady dies with deep regrets and gets a second chance through reincarnation. Her mission? To rewrite the tragic past and protect the people she failed before… or so it seems.

✅ What’s GOOD:

💯 Yu Qi – Strongest Male Lead Energy
• Loyal, clever, emotionally mature.
• Even when betrayed, he chooses protection over punishment.
• A silent sufferer who never loses sight of the bigger picture. Husband material 🥹

🎨 Stunning Production
• Cinematography is breathtaking. Palace aesthetics, starry nights, rain scenes, all poetic.
• Costume and set design are rich yet grounded.

❌ What’s INFURIATING:

😡 Jiang Si – Emotionally Driven & Dangerously Selfish
• She acts on a personal code:
“If someone helped me before, I must help them now” even if they’re the enemy of the nation.
• That’s exactly what happens when she releases Sang Qi, a known traitor who plotted against the Emperor (Yu Qi’s father).
• She values past relationships over national safety and that’s not just naive, it’s reckless.

🚨 She Doesn’t Understand the Stakes
• In her world, loyalty is personal, not principled. She thinks:
“He helped me once. So I owe him everything no matter who he wants to kill.”
• It’s a mindset that could literally bring down an entire empire. She puts emotions above duty, again and again.

🐌 Pacing & Repetition
• Flashbacks and emotional flash scenes can feel overdone.
• Some viewers may find the middle arc slow.

❤️‍🔥 You’ll Like This If You:
• Love slow-burn romance with strong political layers.
• Can handle a female lead who’s deeply flawed, but trying to do better.
• Want a male lead who’s strong, grounded, and NOT easily manipulated.

Unfortunately, the drama didn’t live up to its potential, and I lost interest the more I watched, so I had to drop it.

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Plot holes and constant scheming mended by the leads good look

There’s just something magnetic about Zhang Wanyi — that voice, textured like velvet stretched over steel, demanded your attention before you even realised you were giving it. When he was serious, it dropped low and heavy, like a storm about to break. And when he teased Jiang Si, it lifted — lighter, almost playful, but never losing that quiet authority. He didn’t need theatrics to take over a scene; his voice alone could thread menace, warmth, and irony all in a single breath. And yes — the face helped. Striking bone structure, eyes that could look empty one moment and wreck you the next. No notes.

But Si Jin wasn’t just about voice and presence. It dug deeper — into bleaker truths, especially through Jiang Yu, the Second Sister. She wasn’t some cartoon villain. She was what happened when years of degradation blurred your sense of right and wrong. Trapped in a cruel marriage, reduced to survival mode, she enabled horrors just to keep breathing. It was horrifying — but heartbreakingly human. Because sometimes self-justification was the only thing left standing between you and the truth. And in a world where walking away brought more shame than staying, where decorum mattered more than safety, even victims clung to illusion. Si Jin didn’t excuse it — it just looked it straight in the eye.

That rot ran deeper, though. The Marquis of Changxing’s family wasn’t just powerful — they were untouchable. They didn’t face consequences; they erased them. Abuse? Disappeared. Murders? Covered. And when their monstrous son finally got exposed, the Marchioness offered a masterclass in denial: “Oops, parenting is hard.” No guilt. No shame. Just panic over a tarnished name. In this world, justice was optional — reputation, sacred.

And then there was Jiang Si — walking back into life, shadowed by a doomed love. She tried to stay away from Yu Qi, but her heart never quite listened. Both of them were marked from birth, seen as burdens, not blessings. But somehow, they still found each other in the ruins. That love, fragile but real, felt like defiance. Like a flicker of light in a world built to snuff it out.

Also, give Er Niu his flowers — the fluffiest wingman in the genre. In the novel, he’s a tiny general on secret missions, bartering for snacks. A scene-stealer with paws.

That love triangle moment at the store opening ? Gold ! Yu Qi — usually Mr. Cool— completely lost his composure, all because he wanted to impress Jiang Si. Smoothing his sleeves, trying (and failing) to look casual, throwing little dagger glares at Lord Zhen every time he dared speak to her — he was a mess. And Lord Zhen? Equally stressed, equally desperate for her attention, playing the polite, charming gentleman while Yu Qi stood there fuming silently, like, “Why is he even breathing the same air as her?” These two men were having a whole invisible rivalry war while Jiang Si was just out there trying to sell fragrances. She 100% knew they were both acting weird and competing like lovesick puppies, but she pretended not to see it because it was too deliciously awkward to interrupt. Honestly, I need more love rivals acting like children over the calmest, most oblivious queen in the room. Jiang Si wins without lifting a finger.

Amid all the chaos, Jiang Si’s relationship with her father was a warm little pocket of safety and peace. He believed in her, defended her, never let superstition cloud his love. When she spoke gently about her sister — “She married the wrong man. It’s unfortunate” — you saw her compassion. But her father’s quiet reply hit harder: “We can't control our luck, but when misfortune befalls us, we can at least make the right choices.” A reminder that victimhood does not erase agency, that suffering doesn’t strip away responsibility. Bad things happen. But righteousness is a choice, not a privilege of the lucky.

Also... What is it with Jiang daughters and their taste in husbands? Emotional torture, violent control, humiliation — the family might as well have taken out a Platinum Membership at the "Abusive and Deranged Husbands for Daughters Club™" and renewed it annually. And the worst part isn’t even just that they’re trapped; it’s that they seem to cherish their chains. Like, “Oh no, I’m suffering horribly... but at least I have a husband...” Hello??? Is the bar in hell? Because back then, being married — no matter how awful — was still seen as better than being alone. That mindset? Si Jin drags it into the light and rips it apart. Fortunately, Jiang Si didn’t just break the pattern — she shattered it. She chose freedom, dignity, and her own damn path. That’s Queen behaviour.

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Perfect package!!!

Loved everything about this drama💯
The story, sets, costumes, locations, performances, music, screenplay, emotions, and even villains, everything was perfect about this drama👌
Jiang Si and Yu Qi-a very understanding couple🤗
Zhang Wanyi and Jing Tian were perfect in their roles.
A special mention of actress Huang Yi, who played Rong Yang, the main antagonist. Her performance was outstanding.
Everything about this drama is fabulous.
Justice and law always triumph., is the moral of thus drama.
On a final note, A WORTH WATCHING ONE👍👏

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Si Jin – A Drama That Had Me in a Chokehold ?

This drama? WHEW. I went in thinking it’d be a cute historical romance and came out emotionally wrecked, yelling at the screen like I live there.
The female lead? Smart, savage, and not here for anyone’s nonsense. She’s the kind of woman who’ll cry once, then come back with a plan and a sword. Love her.
The male lead? Silent. Grumpy. Obsessed. The way he looks at her like she’s the only light in his cold, war-torn world?? Yeah. I was gone. 💀
Watch-worthy? 1000%. Plot’s juicy, characters are solid, and the chemistry?? On fire. You’ll stay up “just one more episode” until it’s 3 a.m.
Breakups? Yep. Painful. Real. But not stupid. You’ll feel the heartbreak, scream at the miscommunication, but then sob during the reunion like it’s your own love life. Worth the emotional rollercoaster. 🎢💔➡️💖
Rewatchable? Oh absolutely. The longing, the tension, the little glances—you’ll want to relive it all. Again and again.
So yes. Si Jin is for the girlies who love strong heroines, obsessed quiet kings, and just the right amount of suffering before the happy ending.
10/10 would risk my sanity again. 😂🔥

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Intricately detailed production visuals added with outstanding acting from all

Intricately detailed production visuals added with extremely solid acting all around, this is a historical drama I would rewatch. Pacing was good (a bit on the slower end) and kept my interest - some of the writing in certain plot points could have been stronger for sure, so may not want to binge watch some of the eps at once (def. can binge the last quarter of the drama however) - but the characters are very consistent throughout and the overall story is built up well to the very end. I'm completely satisfied with the OTP and the secondaries cps. Overall a very lovely visual atmosphere and telling.

Some good thematic exploration about spoiling can lead to their doom (and also other victims along the way), pursuing justice despite the personal cost/sacrifice, and giving into destiny/fate vs. fighting against it. For a "rebirth" premise, this did not feel cliched. None of the subplots/supporting characters felt like filler. The villains' are written and portrayed very well. I really enjoyed seeing the flashbacks to the FL's previous lifetime (and otp loll) and also the various additional details revealed throughout. A satisfying happy ending if a bit abrupt in the finale ep.

Zhang Wanyi is amazing as always (his microexpressions are the best), and Jing Tian's FL character here is a good balance of sweet and competent and vulnerable (my first drama I've finished from her!). They're fun to watch together. Loved all the supporting characters~

**Bonus points to the director/photographer for all the scenic shots and some zoom in time for the production details**

Some notes/comparisons to other cdramas (because I could not resist):
The Double: "rebirth" premise, but SI JIN is better in that I felt like the main otp is given the justified screentime they deserve
Legend of the Female General: again, "rebirth" premise, but SI JIN has more brains in the writing/plot esp. in regards to the politics and the villains
ZWY's other drama Are You the One: similar in the reluctance/push-and-pull beginning of the otps in both dramas - esp. from the FLs in both dramas. Stronger performance from Jing Tian as the main FL in SI JIN (suspect probably better writing for the FL character) compared to WCR in AYTO. Which I'm happy to find as I mostly enjoyed her performance in Wonderland of Love opposite Xu Kai but I think the writing did not give credit to her character and made me dislike watching her character in the drama. I'm convinced the ZWY can have chemistry with a stick of wood while watching AYTO, yet Wang Churan seems better in what I've seen of her in How Dare You?! opposite Cheng Lei.

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A fast paced and nicely written rebirth drama | A mission to save lives and change the past.

"Husbands are meant for troublesome chores, you know? If you don't bother me, that'll be my biggest problem. Therefore, please keep bothering me." - Yu Qi/Jin

I must say that producers are becoming more and more resourceful and crafty in circumventing Chinese censorship laws these days (because of time travel ban). Well, I guess I am just glad that the theme was executed decently and the plot was nicely woven together.

Something I'm glad about, is for the production team for keeping the trope scenes at the bare minimum. I expected it to contain the typical elements found in idol dramas and knowing that they kept unnecessary plots at bay made me truly grateful. Thank you for not infesting this show with loads of foolishness and absurdity.

Looking back, I can only recall 2 scenes from Shan'an Medical Hall arc that made me roll my eyes and sigh for being ridiculously illogical. First is when Shen Xin'an is disguising as a woman but no one noticed it. Even the supposedly keen ML failed to notice it at all. Like, hello!! It's 2025 and knowing that people are still utilizing this god forsaken stupid plot offended me. I can praise them for casting a feminine and petite looking man but cannot forgive them for making the characters seem stupid for not recognizing a man at one glance. I mean, if Shen Xin'an is at par with Thai lady boys I might understand but he's not. You can see his prominent men features on him. So, nope! Second is the sense/purpose of this entire Medical Hall scene. I was expecting it to have some kind of relevance in the story towards the following arcs but it never had any. It was a filler plot that was added as device to make their journey a bit what? turbulent? perilous? totally useless. Omitting that whole plot will not harm the story in any way or form. So I don't understand why they included that in the final cut which brought nothing but a smear to the story's flawless run.

Continuing this trend of bad blood, I want to express my greatest and most sincerest appreciation to this production for killing Cui Mingyue in the most cruel and satisfying way. That ominous b*tch deserved countless deaths but knowing that she got stabbed multiple times then burned beyond recognition made me at peace. LOL! On the other hand, I'm quite dissatisfied with Princess Rongyang's ending as she deserves 10x of what her daughter received. The small cut/slash and a hairpin stabbed were simply not enough for me. She much deserve to be stabbed multiple times by a thick sword on top of the grief and betrayal she's having caused by her brother and husband. She even got a posthumous title when she should've been labeled as a traitor and her body thrown in the wild. I can never understand kindness given to unpardonable sinister evils. Anyway, I got no other grievances to vent aside from the above. Haha!

Traversing towards the brighter aspect of my review. I enjoyed the master-servant relationship between Jiang Si X A'man & Yu Qi X Long Dan. Both are equally adorable and entertaining to watch. It was also fun seeing Erniu (Dog) being included in almost every scene of Jiang Si & Yu Qi. He's like a guardian angel who's their to witness all the sweet and bitter moments of their relationship. He's practically their son (assuming he's a male).

Kudos to the writer/s as well for giving the CPs time to develop and sort out their feelings. It make sense and become much meaningful to know Zhen Heng's reason for not accepting Princess Fuqing (marriage proposal) the first time. Same thing goes with Jiang Zhen & Lu Chuchu. Both are cautious to not spoil their friendship but when triggered by a hint of confession, they immediately expressed their mutual affection. Gotta thank the writer as well for the improvement bestowed to Jiang Zhan. Like, thank you so much for the 2nd chance given to him to become competent. I was furious and worried when he got tricked, thinking he might die. Good thing it served as a lesson and a wake up call for him to stop being so useless. Phew!

Talking about the leads, I think they have a strong chemistry that was made even firmer by their undeniable connection. Another aspect I noticed is that they have a good understanding of their roles, which allowed them to execute them splendidly. This was of course, made possible because their characters are nicely written, well-developed, and exhibited intense commitment and affection towards one another.

Lastly, the ending. I'm a sucker for a landscape-worthy scene of a harmonious, happy family, and they presented it in a heartwarming way. However, I am just not really fond of Jiang Si & Yu Qi being an Emperor and Empress. I would much prefer them retreating to a mountainous abode, living a simple life—farming and taking care of their kids.

P.S. I just want to praise the adjustments in aspect ratio and color grading whenever a flashback is being shown. It is such a considerate move for viewers to distinguish scenes and to avoid confusion. This is much better than just playing flashback scenes out of the blue without any cue at all—a lazy practice that most production companies often resort to right now.

Story - 9.5, I loved and enjoyed this story a lot. The only aspect that prevented me from giving it a perfect score was the completely unnecessary filler episodes of Shan'an Medical Hall. Aside from that, most of the scenes were compelling and really entertaining to watch. I also want to commend the production team for giving us a well-written script and not just some random stuff hastily put up together to create a so called story.

Acting/Cast - 10, I am satisfied with them all. This is my first drama of Zhang WanYi & Jing Tian as the main leads, and I'm amazed by their overall performance. Something noteworthy is Zhang WanYi's resemblance with Bai Jingting. He reminds me of Bai Jingting so much!! Specially his goofy and clumsy characters in New Life Begins & Destined which you can't help loving.

Music - 10, I so love all the music used in this drama. Specially the opening and insert ballad song for dramatic scenes.

Rewatch Value - 10, Overall this is a good idol drama. Great script with consistent plots, and the leads are perfect for their roles.

Overall - 9.5, I would have given this a perfect rating only if I was not reminded that this is an idol drama after all. That Shen'an Medical Hall arc really tainted this story for me. Such a distraction for a good script!

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

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Beautiful and Talented Cast!

Actual review of the drama without comparison:
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There are lot of things to like, first being Jing Tian's performance as Jiang Si. Usually, I find it hard to see her as a character I just get stuck with her otherworldly beauty and find it so hard to get past that. After Wonderland of Love this is the second drama where I could see her as a person. I love Jiang Si as a character and how she navigates through the obstacles life put in her path.

As for Yu Jin in the drama, he is green flag so he is in my good books. He seems a bit goofy and silly at times and Zhang Wan Yi is the right choice for the character. However, I do hope to see Zhang Wan Yi grow as an actor. He was my fav in LYF season 2. His reactions sometimes often come across as too comical where they could be a little subtle.

Jiang Si and Yu Jin just seem to melt for each other, i love that and would like to see more such couples in dramas instead of people not being considerate of each other. Jiang Si's father, brother and sister are lovable so is the niece. That drowning incident sure knocked some sense into the Zhan and it was very much needed.

The one thing that the drama got absolutely right was the casting. It was chef's kiss, the most powerful contenders were actors for Princess Rong Yang, Jiang Si, and Cui Xu.

The romances, if were to focus solely on the trajectory of the romances between the leads, and secondary couples it was quite heartwarming to watch. The ending was also satisfactory. I especially loved what Jiang Si did for Nanwu as a Saintess. In the book she didn't seem to care for them that much.

My one point of contention with some cdramas is why do they want to humiliate the female characters with beatings even when they were not present in the books? This has recently happened with Blossoms where Dou Zhao got beaten and humiliated a couple of times, again with the slaps received by Jiang Si and the torture at the hands of Rong Yang, that didn't happen in the book. I as an audience derive no pleasure from things like these, who are these scenes catering to? What lunatic derives pleasure from watching this? That's not the correct way to deliver angst.

It seemed less like Si and Jin's story and more like Princess Rong Yang's temper tantrums. All the evildoers had the same script, they blamed everyone but themselves.

While some aspects of the drama worked, the story as a whole was a bit lacking.

My rant about why the drama isn't like the book:
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They could have turned it into such a nice script but so many lost opportunities.
Er Niu was a major character second only Si Jin, but he became such a underutilized prop.
When I first came across episode 1, I put it on hold because I would rather read the book to figure out why he killed her to have the drama leave it unexplained. Thanks to someone's comment I noticed that he still has his arrow nocked and wasn't the one who killed her. But the drama didn't execute the scene well, you can see when the arrow hits her, he puts his hands down as far as we can see the blurry figure. But later when the shot pans to him, he again is at the same position with the arrow nocked. So it can be a bit confusing! All in all, I'm glad he wasn't the one who killed her.
Another change that bothers me is Zhen Heng, it is hard to digest the fact that they gave us Zhen Heng who is combination of two characters father and son: Zhen Shicheng & Zhen Heng. It is upsetting because Zhen Shicheng was an absolute gem of a character and Zhen Heng was a decent one as well. The funniest part was always when he tired to push Zhen Heng together with Jiang Si and he wasn't having any of it only to fall in love at first sight when he saw her. I must admit the drama Zhen Heng is certainly likable and i am glad they changed his story with Princes Fuqing a little.
They cut back on lot of characters , far too many to mention but most primarily, Jiang Qian had two brothers one younger and one older. Jiang An Chen had one more brother who was born of a concubine but Jian Qiao was their daughter. Oh the empress dowager who was actually much more complicit in things compared to Rong Yang.
They watered down so many characters. The Emperor himself was so multifaceted, he did have the qualities they portrayed but he was also someone who loved to read novels in between memorials and then ended up having a cat as a pet.
So many plotlines just gone and most of them were messed up version.
They didn't need to kill Duer, Sang Qi, or Aman..

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A small comment after having watched almost 70% of the soap opera

Cui Ming Yue's character and her mother are horrible!!!! There are always characters like that!!!! How horrible! I'm on episode 27, but I had to stop for now. Soap operas are for us to have fun and not get so angry!
But the story is quite interesting. It's time for a second chance after a dramatic and dark first time. However, in this second chance it doesn't seem like the heroine will come out on top. She is pursued by envy from all sides: by Ming Yue, by her stepmother, by her stepsister... Poor thing, will she finally have a good end by episode 40 with all the bad guys being punished?
The actors are excellent! The two evil characters mentioned above have actresses who convince us of the evil of their characters. The music goes very well with the rhythm of the plot.

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a premise with promise, but an ending that fell short

This show was a “happy accident”. I had it on my list for a while but I got impatient with my list and started several first episodes. From the first episode I was 50/50 about the show just because I wasn’t sure the direction it was planning to take. However, the acting was compelling and even after starting other shows, I chose to come back to Si Jin.

The best parts about this show:
- Excellent romantic chemistry between the main leads. Jiang Si & Yu Qi / Yu Jin were a romance I ate up. I love when a man is smitten and Yu Qi walked so his Prince self as Yu Jin could run. When he gave her all his flowers, one by one I was a goner. His devotion to her was elite, but I will say I wish she had a bit more romantic gestures on her end. *Just a tad more near the end*. But still, I loved it and you can tell she loved him since she literally jumped off a cliff to save his life in their first lives.
- I love the relationship between Jiang Si, her brother, and her father. It was sooo cute and very sweet to see them support and love one another even with all their family drama
- The overall drama that happens *before* the imperial specific issues
- Jiang Si’s flashbacks. I am pretty against flashbacks, but these ones had me curious as heck
- Jiang Zhan was such a cutie patootie himbo at the start and even after he trains to become a fighter, he is too cute. I loved his pure heart for his family and ofc Lu Chu Chu. So happy he climbed up the ranks and became general of territories.
- While the sisters were pretty scheming and the grandmother was frustrating to say the least, I did like the character development and dynamics of the Jiang family. It was toxic but you see them all grow as Jiang Si fights for a better life for herself and every member of the family, even her insidious aunt.

The weakest parts about this show:
- Jiang Si as the Saintess. I get the use of it but I don’t feel it was used to it’s full potential in this show considering the “war” between the two countries.
- I am not sure I get the sacrifice origin story for the Saintess. Does that mean Yu Jin killed her in their first life on purpose? I was pretty sure he didn’t realize it was her when he shot her with an arrow her from behind. But then the ending of the show mentions: nán wū gǔ shù // ruò zhí niàn zhòng dié // kě yǐ zì jǐ de xìng mìng // huàn suǒ ài zhī rén wàn fēn zhī yī // zài shēng zhī jī // shì yù jǐn // shì tā dǔ shàng xìng mìng // huàn wǒ gǎi biàn // mìng yùn de jī huì // duì // tā fù chū de dài jià bù zhī shì xìng mìng huán yǒu chè dǐ wàng jì nǐ
- Even with translating the subtitles over it makes no sense how Yu Qi / Yu Jin triggered Jiang Si into becoming the Saintess. This is not a case of subtitles/translation, but I feel more poor execution of the overall Saintess plot and logic
- Jiang Si’s past. While the flashbacks made me curious to keep going, by the end I was still a bit confused because how was she with Yu Qi in her past life if she was married to Ji Chongyi who she spends the first part of the show trying not to marry? Also, curious if this means in her past life, when she fell into the water, Yu Qi saved her but went on his way because *she wasn’t the Saintess yet* which changed how her and his first life played out.
- I know villains are evil, but I like my antagonists with layers. Madam Xiao was supppper annoying but she had more layers than both Princess Rong Yang and Cui Ming Yue. I will say while Cui Ming Yue and her mother are pretty one dimensional, there are a decent number of antagonists with different personalities and roles to make the overall show interesting.
- The ending, while a HEA romantically, did not really feel complete nor make sense to me fully
- Princess Rong Yang’s death monologue pissed me off. She claims no one ever understood her and no one ever loved her, but she was able to get away with so much specifically because the Emperor saw her as a sister. Her husband didn’t love her, but that was her own fault for forcing an engaged man to be with her. Plus, she cries a river about her daughter, Cui Ming Yue, dying, but she gave 0 effs about the several families she broke and damaged. From killing Jiang Si’s mother, to forcing Consort Xian to abandon her son to the war torn boarders.
- Princess Rong Yang did not deserve to have a post-humorous title. I don’t care that they were probably trying to cover just how messy she was but her and her daughter (Cui Ming Yue) both did not deserve to be given any good title, they should have been marked as evil and disloyal to the Emperor.
- We don’t hear anything about the two princes that died when Rong Yang usurped the throne
- The Emperor just decides to let the 7th prince be Emperor and everyone is okay with it after he was labeled bad luck by the woman that they post-humorously defended with a stupid princess title.
- The Emperor was ready to kill Jiang Si but then decides she can be Empress?
- Jiang Si is able to fix centuries of war with basic trade teaching? I think that whole thing with the Nawu fell flat at the end.
- The Elder is learning from Jian Si like she’s never heard of the words barter and trade which is highly ridiculous
- It looked like they are a community only made up of like 100 people so how have they been “beating” Zhou? They could have used all the extras to fill in the space or had the people on screen be just the “leaders” or something. Small nit, but after all the buildup it matters.
- Why are they kinda portrayed a bit like “savages” as if trade was never an option? I feel like it must have been at some point but Zhou must have cut them off of resources or something.
- I feel bad for Arong and worse for Aman. Aman was sooo cute, I think the actress did so good. I wish they at least found her body after she jumped off the cliff.

Overall, this was a very fun show with “twists and turns” but also emotion and heart. I loved the main leads as characters and their romance was moving. That said, the ending was a tad unsatisfying with how some things are just rushed over. The biggest weak points were the lead antagonist and Jiang Si’s role as Saintess. Both just felt underutilized and oversimplified as basic plot devices.

### Original Thoughts & Ideas
- This show does a good job with the narrative of evil acts being born out of misgivings and jealousy. The examples below are all different fonts of the same story: evil is not exactly innate, but when left unchecked can fester and cause more harm than peace
- Yi’s husband was led astray by the allure of being the husband to a princess and maybe finally appeasing his always complaining mother. His mother actually liking Yi (and defending her as a wife) was a fun twist lol. Jiang Yi’s husband at least has his redemption because a) he was stopped early on b) he confronted *his own* accountability in his downfall
- Aunt Xiao couldn’t stand the judgement and inferiority of being from the second branch. She redeems herself by finally finding contentment and no longer comparing herself to the first branch or with what she doesn’t have. Her death was actually saddening because she had finally grown.
- Princess Rong Yang killed Jiang Si’s mother for thinking an affair was happening (even though it wasn’t). Princess Rong Yang’s hatred was not only left unchecked but generationally passed down to her daughter (Cui Ming Yue). The two of them wreak havoc on society mostly for sick entertainment.

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