Lizzy

So let’s just first address the fact that this is a harem drama with the ML beginning the show with several wives. I initially put this show on hold for this reason, but after taking a break from a string of more intense shows, I decided to pick this one up. I’m glad I did. The reality of it is that having multiple wives was the cultural norm, and that marriage was rarely about love. Regardless of this, the show did a great job of both showing the reality of life for women who lived during the era of harems and concubines while also catering to what appeals to the audience. It was not long into the show when it became clear that the ML, bound by a sense of duty and filial piety, was guilted and manipulated into these marriages. While there may have been a faint glimmer of affection with his first “main wife”, who died early on, it was clear that he harbored no love for his other wives. He buried himself in work and avoided his home and the scheming women that needed to use whatever underhanded means necessary to gain status in the house. Some have criticized the ML for this because he had sired two sons, but I cannot say that I blame him. Which men don’t become workaholics in order to avoid unhappiness and strife in their home? He also gets called out for his neglect of them later on and is held accountable. For those of you who are hesitant simply due to this being a harem drama, it honestly was not as big of a deal as I thought it was going to be. There was one concubine in particular who was terribly awful and villainous, but the ML ignores pretty much all of his concubines throughout the show and develops a romance with our FL, who takes his late main wife’s place as matron of the family. The ML does not harbor feelings towards anyone else, and he does not sleep with any of his concubines during the duration of the show. He does, however, have two sons at the start. And a little spoiler alert- he doesn’t have any concubines by the end of the show.

All that aside, I LOVED the slooooowww burn romance with the leads. I love the “love comes after marriage” trope and this show did it well. The ML, tired of the schemes and being surrounded by people who only wanted to use him for their own agendas, assumed the FL was no different… until he began to notice that she didn’t participate in the scheming, she didn’t get caught up in petty power struggles, and she didn’t not care whether or not he liked her or not. It was incredibly endearing watching the ML catch the feels for our gal, and doing the dance of pursuing her while also respecting the fact that she takes a lot longer to fall for him and initially resists his advances. The age gap between the two shined, as he was much older and had experience *ahem* (I love me a good age gap with an experienced man 👌🏻) It was endearing watching her begin to get flustered and begin to fall for him as well. The angst between them was believable and well done, and it was AWESOME seeing our gal chase after him after she severely hurt his feelings and unintentionally betrayed his trust while pursuing her agenda. It takes a looooong time for them to iron out their individual differences and get on the same page. I also wish they had a liiiiiiittle bit more screen time. When they finally do learn to communicate and acknowledge their feelings, we are blessed bed cuddles, a bit of pillow talk, and more skinship. I wish there was more, though. Sadly, after they got together they got a lot less screen time. I missed the romance a little.

Although this is a drama concubines and scheming women, it also showcases the awesomeness of women without being preachy. The FL is basically the Chinese version of Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice (actually this whole show could be compared to Jane Austen). She’s astute, confident in most areas, and overcomes the scheming with kindness and assertiveness. She maintains boundaries and holds her own, and wins over the hearts of almost everyone. It showcases how other women needed to backstab, compete and claw for status in a culture that is so oppressive towards them. Even the most hateful female characters have their glimmers humanity, and my most hated character felt more human at the end of her story arc.

In terms of complaints, well, there are a few. I had to suspend my disbelief at several points during this show with very conveniently placed pieces of evidence as the FL is investigating the murder of her mother a year after she died. At times the plot was inconsistent, probably with how scenes were cut. The show probably could have concluded in less than 45 episodes. I wish there was a little bit more screen time with the leads, especially after they acknowledged their feelings for each other. We didn’t get as many scenes of them after they “got together”. And if it wasn’t already clear from the synopsis, this show probably won’t be for you if you can’t stand plots centered around scheming and power struggles, and villains who are bitchy, entitled and don’t take responsibility. Oh, and the mother in law isn’t great either lol. Her character made a dramatic shift in the last bit of the show, almost unrealistically.

So if a Chinese version of a Jane Austen novel sounds like your cup of tea, I encourage you to give this one a try.