The story is both beautiful and painful at the same time
I watched this drama first time in 2022 without knowing that there were special episodes. However, I still consider this drama to be good and worth watching, although I did not watch the additional episodes in that time. Now here I am again in 2026, rewatch this drama on Viki App.
What I truly love about this drama is that it not only gives us the clever and planned tactics to be the winner in the Eastern Palace to get the "Crown Prince" position, but also a love story that is beautiful and painful at the same time. The fifth prince of Li Empire, Li Chengyin, hid his identity as Gu Xiaowu, the tea merchant, and tried to gain the trust of the eighth princess of Xi State, Xiaofeng, to infiltrate Danchi, the tribe ruled by Xiaofeng's maternal grandfather. As Li Chengyin disguises himself as Xiaowu, his feelings grow time by time, and he becomes truly in love with the princess.
Xiaofeng, the carefree, cheerful, and innocent princess, started falling in love with Xiaowou and trusted him but had no idea about Xiaowu and Xiaofeng beloved master's plan to get rid of Danchi. On the day of their wedding ceremony, Danchi was attacked, and Danchi was eventually defeated due to Xiaowu's hidden betrayal. This part is the most cruel ever. Xiaofeng directly caught Xiaowu herself executing her beloved grandfather. All sincerity and true love between Xiaofeng and Xiaowu just disappeared at the same time from that moment on. After discovering the truth behind Li Chengyin's actions, Xiaofeng jumps down the River of Forgetfulness to lose the painful memories. Then, Xiaowu followed her, and both of them lost their memories.
However, fate seems cruel. Xiaofeng is involved again after losing memories in Li Chengyin's matters for the throne of the Li Empire. And no matter who the crown prince is, Xiaofeng will always be the crown princess. Chengyin and Xiaofeng, in their lost memories, fall in love again. Yes, it was written that Xiaofeng and Li Chengyin were destined to be entangled for three lifetimes.
In this drama, I am truly amazed by how extraordinary Xiaofeng's character was from beginning to end. She was so carefree, cheerful, well-behaved, innocent, cute, and beautiful. She also deeply cared about the prosperity and peace between the Xi State and the Li Empire. Therefore, I understand why she ultimately decided to sacrifice herself for the sake of peace between the Xi State and the Li Empire. On the other hand, it was her way of letting go of all the problems (painful love-hate) between herself and Li Chengyin. She punishes him to live well after her death.
This drama does have some cruel and painful love scenes, but I still highly recommend watching it because the storyline is well-directed and there are many life lessons to be learned. The cinematography, with its grassland setting and Tibetan Hanfu style, is a must-see. Even though this drama has over 50 episodes, I still find myself captivated by each episode. But don't forget to watch the special episodes for their modern life. It will heal your pain after watching the heartbreaking ending of the series. LOL.
I really love how well Peng Xiaoran and Cheng Xingxu portray their roles in this drama. Enjoy watching, everyone.
What I truly love about this drama is that it not only gives us the clever and planned tactics to be the winner in the Eastern Palace to get the "Crown Prince" position, but also a love story that is beautiful and painful at the same time. The fifth prince of Li Empire, Li Chengyin, hid his identity as Gu Xiaowu, the tea merchant, and tried to gain the trust of the eighth princess of Xi State, Xiaofeng, to infiltrate Danchi, the tribe ruled by Xiaofeng's maternal grandfather. As Li Chengyin disguises himself as Xiaowu, his feelings grow time by time, and he becomes truly in love with the princess.
Xiaofeng, the carefree, cheerful, and innocent princess, started falling in love with Xiaowou and trusted him but had no idea about Xiaowu and Xiaofeng beloved master's plan to get rid of Danchi. On the day of their wedding ceremony, Danchi was attacked, and Danchi was eventually defeated due to Xiaowu's hidden betrayal. This part is the most cruel ever. Xiaofeng directly caught Xiaowu herself executing her beloved grandfather. All sincerity and true love between Xiaofeng and Xiaowu just disappeared at the same time from that moment on. After discovering the truth behind Li Chengyin's actions, Xiaofeng jumps down the River of Forgetfulness to lose the painful memories. Then, Xiaowu followed her, and both of them lost their memories.
However, fate seems cruel. Xiaofeng is involved again after losing memories in Li Chengyin's matters for the throne of the Li Empire. And no matter who the crown prince is, Xiaofeng will always be the crown princess. Chengyin and Xiaofeng, in their lost memories, fall in love again. Yes, it was written that Xiaofeng and Li Chengyin were destined to be entangled for three lifetimes.
In this drama, I am truly amazed by how extraordinary Xiaofeng's character was from beginning to end. She was so carefree, cheerful, well-behaved, innocent, cute, and beautiful. She also deeply cared about the prosperity and peace between the Xi State and the Li Empire. Therefore, I understand why she ultimately decided to sacrifice herself for the sake of peace between the Xi State and the Li Empire. On the other hand, it was her way of letting go of all the problems (painful love-hate) between herself and Li Chengyin. She punishes him to live well after her death.
This drama does have some cruel and painful love scenes, but I still highly recommend watching it because the storyline is well-directed and there are many life lessons to be learned. The cinematography, with its grassland setting and Tibetan Hanfu style, is a must-see. Even though this drama has over 50 episodes, I still find myself captivated by each episode. But don't forget to watch the special episodes for their modern life. It will heal your pain after watching the heartbreaking ending of the series. LOL.
I really love how well Peng Xiaoran and Cheng Xingxu portray their roles in this drama. Enjoy watching, everyone.
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