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As with a lot of Chinese dramas, it does well on the hygiene factors: beautiful scenery and computer graphics, strong cast (with both Yang Zi and LiYing Zhao in it), good looking actors and actresses, lovely costumes, lovely music. But the story is somewhat lacklustre - it is just a regular story of guy from good sect and girl from demon sect falling in love and faced a rough journey to be together.
There are a lot of frustrating moments/elements:
1. The first: too long. Series 2 is a continuation and the total of the 2 series is 73 episodes. As expected, when a drama is that long, there are a lot of draggy moments and flashbacks, to fill the time.
2. The evil always survived and lived to create further havoc. It was not until the second series that they were killed off one by one.
3. The main lead was always doing good but the top sector leaders failed to see it, busy with their adherence to rules and rather questionable principles. But instead trusted all the traitors. A bit like the bureaucracy of a large organisation.
4. It is all the cliche stuff - save the damsel in distress or the guy in distress. Not all that well executed for it to feel romantic.
5. The 2 lead characters were all ready to die for each other, and so are the 2 wolf demons. But really, life is that romantic? And Xiao Fen did not even turn his head at the beautiful Lu except for a short brief moment when he met her at the gathering for briefing at the competition?
6. It is all about loyalty. Again, really? Loyalty, adhering to promises and gratitude are good values but should not blind anyone to right or wrong. Xiao Fen's stubborn silence about his weapon and martial art was a the verge of stupidity.
7. Very judgemental and self-righteous: expecting the other person to act as they wanted them to and believing they knew what was best for them, regardless of the wish of the individual. When they refused, they are labelled stubborn. Jing Yu went as far as to sabotage his bro and leaked his seeking the resurrection stone to the enemies because he did not want him to save Bi Yao, indirectly causing his turning away from Qing Yun.
6 and 7 could be about the Chinese culture but 7 is definitely not pretty.
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Highly humorous and secrets keep unraveling...
This drama was highly humorous. I watched it a second time and added this first paragraph. After five years, I could not remember many of the sub-plots while watching season 2. Season 2 made a lot of references to events in season 1. Then I realised how good this drama was. Exchanges were witty and the characters were scheming enough. I kept wonder what Fan Xian was going to do next when sabotaged.If you are reading this review to figure out whether you should watch this period drama, I say I highly recommend it. It had all the hygiene factors of an excellent drama - interesting story, excellent acting, handsome lead actors, pretty actresses, lovely costumes, beautiful cinematography and melodious theme songs - elements that many contemporary Chinese dramas exhibit. The story around the lead character was mysterious. Things were always not what it seemed to be. Just as the story unveiled a perpetrator behind the assassination of Fan Xian, another revelation was uncovered. This is only season 1, and the story ended at less than the mid-point of the story.
However, if you are watching this because of Xiao Zhan, then you might be disappointed. He only appeared towards the last few episodes and he was a far cry from his outstanding performance in the Untamed. The role in this story did not suit him at all. The character was like a block of wood and did not give him the chance to perform his best. It is likely he would appear in future seasons and I hope he does better.
Chinese dramas can be very creative but in general tend to demonstrate a lot of weaknesses in the stories as well. In this drama, the link of the story to the writer and professor was quite redundant. Even if this link was removed, the drama could have proceeded well, so creating this link was really not necessary.
The actress playing the part of Fan Xiao's mother was a rather poor fit. When the episode showed her coming out of the mysterious temple, I was expecting the dramatic appearance of someone exceptionally beautiful and intelligent, but was rather disappointed to find a seemingly silly teenage girl with crooked teeth. She might have done well in a role of a bubbly teenage girl but did not fit the important role of Fan Xian's mum who was to have an immense impact on the politics and a highly successful business woman. Since it was a very short appearance, it seemed like she was just conveniently roped in - perhaps the more established actresses do not want the role.
I think details in the stories are something that Chinese dramas need to work on to perfect their dramas. Even successful epics often demonstrate illogical bits, highly stretched parts that do not gel together well or scenes conveniently thrown together to make the story progress as desired. Someone needs to fine-combed through the scripts to sieve out these bits without dampening the story, or better still, enhance it.
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This review may contain spoilers
It is the on-screen chemistry between Liu YuNing and Dilraba that shines through
There are a lot of negative reviews about this drama on mydramalist.com, which is a surprise to me. I think this period drama is underrated here. I thoroughly enjoy the drama and think that it is very well produced, although I must say there are some sub-plots that could have been better. Part of the reason I am able to accept the drama better is I have not read the original novel and do not have the loyalty baggage to the original story.What I like about this drama:
1. The initial few episodes are hilarious as Ren Anle (Dilraba) flirts shamelessly with the Crown Prince in a bid to get his attention and to get close to him. Her boldness is really humorous.
2. The story keeps you in suspense: will the fake Ziyuan succeed in marrying the Crown Prince? Will the Ziyuan camp succeed in getting justice for the Di family? Is the enemy Qin infiltrator going to undermine the defence of the Jing? Of course, I already know some parts of the story from the trailers released. But it is more of how the story would develop and whether the good guys would be hurt before they win.
3. I am one who have been quite hardened by the emotional tricks used in dramas, as I watched too many of them and mostly the good ones. But when MingXi (Liu YuNing), the second male lead, is executed because of diverting the army to save ZiYuan (Dilraba) and violating the military order, it really rend my heart. The chemistry between Liu YuNing and Dilraba really shines through. Dilraba does marvellously well as she weeps over MingXi's death. This scene manages to stir up my rather stagnated emotions.
4. In dramas I had watched earlier of Liu are he was always acting the bad guy. But this time, he is an upright capable but sickly man holding onto what he is entrusted with. I hope this drama is going to elevate his acting career further. He wins my sympathy and this is one drama where I would have been quite happy for the lead female character to marry the second male lead instead, because he deserves it for all he has done for her.
5. The ending theme song is rhythmic and melodious and the lyrics are beautiful and Liu has a beautiful voice. It is also very apt that Liu sings the ending theme song - the lyrics seem to be singing about MingXi's dedication to ZiYuan rather than the Crown Prince's dedication to her.
6. LinLang's dancing, particularly of the initial few episodes is very well choreographed, instead of some lame duck dances I see in many dramas.
7. Seeing the emperor as a loving father (although not a terrific emperor) - is a refreshing break from the usual story of a emperor father suspicious of his crown prince son.
8. Of course, the other hygiene factors are also present: the CGI, and the costumes, and a good looking cast who acts their part well.
What I think are a bit lacklustre in this drama:
1. Gong Jun acts the Crown Prince whose character is a bit uptight, so it hinders the on-screen chemistry between him and Dilraba, the female lead. He is always playing the dodge with her. When situation like this happens, it always compromise the on-screen chemistry. But they both act their part very well.
2. I nearly stop watching the drama after the episode when ZiYuan presents the case of the Di family's innocence as it seems the climax is over. Then the start of the war when the enemy is attacking after thoroughly infiltrated the Jing's defence begins a new chapter.
3. However, from the point when Han Ye, the Crown Prince, takes over the defence pushing ZiYuan away, the story become quite stupid. As a rather meticulous and clever man, he chooses to fatalistically stand alone against the on-slaughter of the massive Qin army. He could have plan better: save the people he cares for and wins the war. And cliches after cliches happens: falling off the cliff and goes missing, becoming blind and then regain the sight. What really trips me is the hair turning white: a fashion returning this year. I call these cheap thrills - conveniently added to dramatise the story but with very little new creativity.
4. There are more insults to the intelligence of the audience: pretending to be marrying someone else to draw out the true lover - surely this is the best way to push away someone who is already keeping away; hiding away ignoring that they might be hurting the people including the father, who care about them.
5. And then there is this: keep the truth from the person they most care for, when they have done so much for them. When there is credit, claim it for goodness sake. When the credit is not yours, don't.
6. The ending trailer gives too much of the story away. So when it happens in the drama, it dampens the effects.
7. At MingXi's death amidst fireworks in the background, there could be more to stir up the emotions - opportunity missed.
But overall, it is a lovely romance and suspense story. So watch it and enjoy. I am debating whether it should be a 9 or 9.5. Well, 9.5 wins.
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Love is a Many Splendour Thing
This is a sweet, tender, slow-burn romance that draws you in with quiet intensity. It centres on Shen XiFan, a poised hotel manager, and He SuYe, a calm and grounded TCM doctor—two people who meet by chance at a clinic, but at exactly the wrong (or perhaps right) time in their lives.Both carry emotional bruises. XiFan has just been abandoned after a seven-year relationship, unfairly labelled as “selfish,” while SuYe is still marked by a past love who left and never returned. Their connection does not ignite instantly—it simmers. What makes this story compelling is not grand gestures, but the hesitation, the restraint, and the unspoken tension. Anyone who has loved, lost, or held back will recognise that quiet fear: What if I care more? What if I ruin this?
SuYe is almost dangerously ideal—steady, capable, kind, and quietly attentive. The kind of man who does not just say the right things but does the right things. And yet, XiFan resists. Not because she does not feel it, but because she does. Determined to study abroad and wary of another heartbreak, she holds back—even when everything in front of her feels right.
Their journey is shaped by near-misses, misunderstandings, and the unwelcome return of the ex-boyfriend. But beneath it all lies a simple, powerful truth: timing matters, but so does courage. The drama gently reminds us that even the most rational people make irrational choices in love—and that clarity, not assumption, is what keeps relationships from falling apart.
It also does not shy away from reality. XiFan’s mother raises a point many would rather avoid: the harsh, lingering bias women face when balancing career, age, and family expectations. It is uncomfortable, but real.
And then comes the quiet wisdom: when two people meet and genuinely love each other, it is rare. Fragile. Not something to be dismissed lightly—even if the future is uncertain. If anything, this drama makes you want to say: if it is real, hold on to it.
A few imperfections add texture rather than detract:
The “perfect timing” encounters stretch believability.
Some cultural inserts feel more patriotic than practical.
Romantic scenes occasionally linger a bit too long—though they do capture the sweetness of being in love.
There are also interesting cultural nuances—more fatalistic expressions of love, teasing that borders on criticism, and blurred lines in mentorship—that may feel unfamiliar or even jarring to some viewers.
Still, what lingers is its warmth. Supportive family dynamics, the quiet beauty of finding the right person at the right time, and a soundtrack that wraps the story in soft emotion. It is no surprise the drama is so well received.
If anything, one cannot help but wish for a little more tension—a late twist, perhaps the return of a former girlfriend at just the wrong moment (which I was expecting but did not happen). Because when a love story is this gentle, a little storm would only make it shine brighter.
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Absolutely nonsensical, hilarious and entertaining
This drama is outrageously funny and wildly entertaining. I laughed so hard I nearly went hoarse, especially during the earlier episodes. The premise is delightfully absurd: an actress is pulled into the very drama she is supposed to be acting in. As if that were not enough, even the scriptwriter gets dragged in—and to make it even crazier, the rules within the script keep changing.Yet, amid all the hilarity, the drama also makes you cry out in frustration. You watch the Emperor, General Chu, and Prince Rui mistreat Prince Nan Heng for a crime he never committed. When a nation is ruled by muddleheaded leaders who neither seek the truth nor protect the innocent, disaster is inevitable. Heng’s true love, Song Yi Meng, does everything she can to avoid marrying him. Prejudiced by the original script she read—where he was portrayed as a villain who faked love for political gain—she cannot see his sincerity.
But in this dreamlike twist, the script changes. Heng falls deeply and genuinely in love with her. It is amusing to see the women in this story boss their men around, though I am not convinced that, in real life, any man would remain so devoted to such sharp-tongued shrews. So, young women, take note: do not be fooled by this drama—real life does not work that way! Of course, one could argue that both Nan Heng and Shang Guan He are men weighed down by their own insecurities. Song Yi Meng, despite refusing to marry Heng, had already shown him her true love in countless ways throughout the drama. As for Shang Guan, his vulnerability lies in yearning to be cherished by a woman of higher social standing—an ache for validation as much as for love.
The soundtrack deserves special mention. Liu Yu Ning’s song is breathtakingly beautiful. True to form, he once again claims the best theme song, whether he is in the cast or not—and rightly so, as his voice brings it alive. Both Liu Yu Ning and Li Yi Tong dazzled in their parade of costumes. Li Yi Tong, in particular, looked stunning; her headpieces suited her perfectly and accentuated her charm.
At first, I assumed this would be lightweight fare, just another drama about actors falling into the worlds they perform in—stories that often turn out mediocre. But this one surprised me. In the original script, the heroine was doomed to a bizarre death. Here, however, you are left constantly wondering: will the story stick to the original or deviate? And if it changes, how? Can the characters’ efforts really alter fate?
All in all, this is a drama well worth watching. It is hilarious, entertaining, and addictive enough to make me binge-watch—and not many dramas can achieve that.
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Light-hearted and humorous but with a serious story to tell
This was a lovely romance drama. Story was light-hearted and humorous with a serious mystery to uncover. What happened to Lu Yan's father who was a general? Was he really a deserter?The drama featured a cast of very good-looking male and female leads, including the villain. Besides the lead actor Alen YiLun Fang (Lu Yan), the second lead actor Charles Lin (Prince Heng) and the villain acted by Jerome Deng (Fan QingChen) were also very captivating. Charles did not look like the typical Chinese actor (notwithstanding that he is Taiwanese) - I always suspect that lead Chinese actors were commonly selected based on a certain look. Jerome looked really psychotic when he was upset in the story - I certainly hope it was completely due to his excellent acting :).
The drama was very humorous in the early episodes. The lead couple was always getting into each other's way. The story started with Luo LingYu, an orphan, trying to run away from an arranged marriage she was forced into by her uncle and aunt. During the wedding, Lu Yan sneaked into Lingyu's fiance's home to search for evidence of treason. Mistaking him for a burglar, LingYu deliberately raised an alarm to divert attention away from herself in order to escape. This caused him to be discovered and shot, and to fall into the sea. Coincidentally, he was saved by the runaway bride in a boat. She nursed him not knowing who he was as he was wearing a mask, and was quite nasty to him. However, not wanting to be seen with him when she reached YueZhou, she forced him to jump back into the sea.
At YueZhou, she sought refuge at her aunt's home where she settled and tried to look for a matrilocal husband. She thought her third cousin , being also an orphan, might be a good candidate and tried to win his affection. More humour arose. Unknown to her, he was Lu Yan whom she sabotaged earlier. Taking revenge, he was always making things difficult for her. Her fiance Fan QingChen traced her all the way to YueZhou. Looking for protection, LingYu threw herself at Prince Heng, a childhood friend of Lu Yan, and won his affection. Threatened by a love rival and getting jealous, the table was turned with Lu Yan now trying to win back the affection of LingYu but was ignored.
The drama got more serious when Lu Yan got nearer to uncovering the secret behind his father's disappearance. What happened next? That's for you to find out.
I had seen Alen in two other dramas: as the male lead in Love by Hypnotic, a comedy and second lead in A Journey to Love. I remember him vividly as the casanova in the latter, who added a lot of humour to the drama. However, I have yet to see a blockbuster where he was the lead actor. He is both good-looking and an excellent actor. I hope he gets his break soon.
Of course, like a lot of dramas, there were opportunities for me to nitpick. The most common was that someone could faint and yet could continue to stand leaning on someone - I always find this laughable - when people faint, their knees grew soft as well. Another was when Lu Yan dashed into the enemy camp single-handedly to save his love one - that was quite stupid for a battle strategist. When he finally found his love, he threw her onto a horse and told the horse to take her back to the camp - why so stupid a second time? He could have got himself onto the horse with her and rode away without staying behind to be hurt. I should check out whether the director or screenwriter was the same as for Love by Hypnotic where there were some similarities in the dramas.
On a whole, this is an excellent drama for some light-hearted entertainment. I was debating whether to give it a 8.5 or 9, but decided on 9 which is a bit generous. However, with a rating of 8.0 on Mydramalist, I think this drama was underrated.
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No women's right here
Yang Zi is definitely one of the best contemporary Chinese actress. She is always able to strike up excellent chemistry with her co-actors. I first saw her in Ashes of Love about seven years ago. She was good then and I think her acting skills have improved over the years as well. Her onscreen chemistry with Li Xian (as Jiang Chang Yang) was outstanding. Li Xian's cheekiness was very amusing and entertaining. The second male lead was very good as well, with his portrayal of sadness, grief and disappointment. Overall the cast was excellent.Costume and make-up were a good portrayal of the Tang dynasty fashion scene. Historical facts were good. East and West markets existed in ancient Chang-an (XiAn today) - there were two major markets - the East sold mainly domestic and high end goods, and the West was more of foreign trade. (I visited XiAn last year and can testify to this historical accuracy.)
Story was very interesting. The drama depicted the difficulty of women during those time - bullied while running a business, forced to be subservient to the men in their lives and treated as a second class.
Soundtrack was lovely: the opening instrument piece and the ending theme song were beautiful. Also, the dances were some of the best in Chinese dramas - I actually enjoyed watching them. In the past, I termed the dances in Chinese dramas lame duck dances.
In the drama, He Wei Fang (acted by Yang Zi) was fooled into marrying into the Liu family to Liu Chang. Her in-laws believed a fortune-teller that her horoscope would bring great fortune to their family. She was robbed of her dowry and almost killed as the in-laws were after her family's money. Pretending to be dead, she found her way to the capital city Chang-An, tried to make a living and was nearly raped.
She ran into Jiang Chang Yang, a close friend and entertainment officer of the Emperor. Jiang seemingly was a happy-go-lucky guy who was corrupt and only interested in amassing money. On the pretext that he wanted Wei Fang (aka Peony) to help him made money through her flower-growing skills, he helped her set up her business. Along the way, it was obvious that he was falling in love with her. Emotionally damaged by his parents' relationship and in self-denial, he continued to pretend that it was all about money.
Complications set-in as Peony's husband, Liu Chang, discovered that she was still alive and he was in love with her. Her in-laws had their eyes on the county princess as their new daughter-in-law and set out to sabotage Peony's business and get her into trouble with the law. She was declared a slave in the court.
Human dynamics were interesting. Peony teamed up with Qin Sheng Yi to start their business. But Qin's character was a direct opposite of hers - brought up in a family that undermined a woman's status in society, she was emotionally weak, insecure and had a severe inferiority complex. Liu Chang was a proud, stubborn, upright but weak person. In spite of being in love with Peony, he could not stand up against his parents' choice of daughter-in-laws. I also suspect he desired woman he could not get - forbidden fruits taste sweeter to him.
This story was interesting and high on action. Pace was also well managed throughout - not too slow and not to hurried. Music was good and apt.
Overall, it was an excellent production. I rewatched the drama and re-rated it a 10 instead of 9.5.
The English translation of Chinese drama titles are always a bit odd as it is difficult to work out a direct translation between the English and Chinese languages without losing the poetic feel in Chinese . I think The Beauty of a Nation would sound much better or less ideally Beauty and Youth.
The ending was open ended. We were left to wonder whether Jiang and Peony would eventually truly marry, what would Liu Chang do next and whether the Emperor and Jiang would succeed in their conspiracy. A sequel is being produced according to Yang Zi and I cannot wait to watch the continuation of the story and hope it has an convincing ending. I hope it won't have a lame ending.
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Another Tragic Second Lead
After we watched a drama, we often remember the tragic handsome second lead in the story more than other character in the story. This happened for me in this drama.Li Rong, the princess of Xia, was married to Pei WenXuan. Although she did not have much say in the choice of her spouse, the two fell in love. Unfortunately, WenXuan's past engagement to the concubine of Li Chuan, the young emperor, became a point of misunderstanding between the two. With the misunderstanding not properly explained, it resulted in their turning against each other. Thinking that WenXuan had poisoned her, Li Rong ordered the assassination of her husband.
The two woke up from death returning to 20 years ago before they were married. This time, things were more complicated - they were not the only ones who returned with the memories of what might be to come. The other person who also returned was an antagonist who wanted to kill Li Chuan that Li Rong and WenXuan supported, to stop him from becoming emperor,.
In the past one year, this was the third drama I watched which was about a second chance in life. The previous two were The Kunning Palace and Marry my Husband (Korean). Both of these were very good, so I was a little sceptical how this was going to measure up. It turned out to be an interesting story. Zhang LingHe was once again the lead actor (as in Story of Kunning Palace). However, in this drama, he was a little more subdued but infused some humour in an otherwise very serious drama. His jealous reaction to RongQing was entertaining and funny to watch.
There were numerous interesting characters in the story. WenXuan had a hard time convincing Li Rong of his love. Li Rong grew up in the palace with a hardened view on love and a strong sense of distrust. Portraying one who was tough and guided by logical, she actually had a weak emotional side and was completely devastated when she discovered the people she trusted and loved betrayed her.
The handsome talented Su RongQing, who was deeply and secretly in love with Li Rong, was an obsessive and stubborn personality. He had the chance of becoming the prince consort to Li Rong but he threw it all away to pursue his obsession with protecting his family and the noble families. He would protect her with his life but yet stand in opposition to her chosen path. He was obsessed both in love and in his pursuit. He was not quite the villain as he pursue all these with actual selfless goals but insisted on taking a misguided path. So I term him an anti-hero.
Then there was the old emperor who was determined to fight the nobles whom he believed had been standing in his way of building a better country and fighting the war against the northern invaders. However, his obsession led to him to be blinded in the choice of succession to his throne.
The last 4 episodes were intense and suspenseful. I was restless watching it. Although recent Chinese dramas tend to be less tragic, the writer could easily flip the story for either side to win in the last few episodes.
There was not much to criticise except to nitpick on some small matters. When RongQing fell over the cliff with Li Rong trying to save her, they both ended up on the river bank all wet but with their hair wear almost intact. Surely falling all the way into the water should have done more damages.
The last piece of music played by RongQing on the qin was quite lame - like a piece from an old Cantonese opera. I thought they could do better. Really lame compared to the piece played by Rong in this drama, or those play in The Double or The Kunning Palace.
Also in this drama, all the men were such faithful lovers, other than the old emperor. Lol. I don't see this happening in real life - after being rejected, most men would move on eventually and some move on very quickly; only an exceptional few lingers.
Nevertheless, I highly recommend this drama. I think it's greatest strength was in portraying the characters in the story. They were each with distinct characters and personalities.
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Not all lives are equal
As you can guess, the seven times were in seven lives, although there was a double counting. In one of the lives, they retained their memories and knew each other. Still, you watched seven stories, each different. And all the stories were interesting.Xiang Yun was a cloud which became a fairy with the help of the Marriage Pavillion Master. She was tasked to find a marriage partner for the God of War Chu Kong, but instead she was chosen to become his partner for tribulation, against her will.
The God of War had his primordial spirit damaged as he fought the demonic Cang Hai 30,000 years ago. A heavenly prophesy said that Cang Hai was going to be resurrected soon. It was therefore dire that the God of War repaired his spirit asap to fight the powerful demon monarch. The only way for him to repair it was to reincarnate several times in tribulation. Each tribulation would be successful if the partner would sacrifice herself for him in the reincarnation.
What I like about this drama?
1. Each life was an interesting story. The first reincarnation was funny and three were tragedies. So you would experience a range of diverse emotions.
2. Overall, the drama scored well on the hygiene factors. The cast performed well. The costumes were lovely and the CGI was beautiful. The music was pretty good too.
3. Ding Yu Xi looked his best as the cat demon with his heavy fur coat. But period drama hairdos did not suit him and he did not look good in them. While as the cat demon, his hairdo suited him best.
What I do not like about this drama?
1. The theme of loving someone over a several lifetimes has become quite cliche beginning with Ten Mile of Peach Blossom (3 lifetimes), Love and Redemption (10 lifetimes), Love and Destiny (over 2 lifetimes) and more if I care to check out.
2. The chemistry between the male and female leads was a little lacklustre. So it did not quite bring out the romantic feeling.
3. While all the stories in this drama were interesting, the story when their fate began was a yawn as the drama dwelled on a lot of trivials. The director was trying to create these lovey-dovey moments when their romance began and their lives became intertwined into the future. But it ended up becoming quite boring. Somehow the two leads did not have the chemistry to pull this off .
Overall, this drama is entertaining and worth watching. However, I won't rate it among the highest league.
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This review may contain spoilers
Gosh... nearly every key individual dies
Initially I thought this is an abridged version of the Royal Nirvana and did not pay attention. Then someone mentioned this was an epilogue that would explain who was Xu Chang Nian. So I started watching it to my regrets.The prequel, Royal Nirvana ended on a positive note - the Crown Prince was entrusted to go to the border to calm the situation as his uncle was assassinated. Lu WenXi was happily pregnant awaiting her baby and presumably the return of her prince.
Gosh, in this sequel nearly all the key people died. If you enjoy an emotional torment, go ahead and watch this. For all my ranting about the pessimistic story below, it was a good production. You can stop here if you do not want to know the rest of the spoiler as I am going to spell them all out.
Encouraged by the head of maids Jiang, the empress feeling sorry on how she had neglected her youngest son, the fifth prince, killed herself in an attempt to help and keep her youngest son stay on in the capital. The fifth prince turned evil, plotted against the Crown Prince, was set up by WenXi and was caned to death with the emperor not attempting to save him. Zhang Shao Yun was shown in a positive note as an anticipating uncle as his sister was expecting but was killed by Feng-en's soldiers when delivering medicine for the Crown Prince. Li Ming-An was killed by Feng-En. Gu Feng-en, embittered by the assassination of his father wanted the Crown Prince to overturn the emperor and claim the throne. When the Crown Prince instead plotted against him and decrowned himself to declared him a traitor, he committed suicide.
The Crown Prince returned to the capital disgraced, depressed and committed suicide. His son was born an orphan - the mother WenXi committed suicide after giving birth to join her husband in the next world. Xu Chang Nian as it turned out was the son of the Xiao DingQuan's uncle, the former crown prince who was forced to kill himself. The emperor put all hope on his grandson and appointed Xu as his tutor - I am surprised with his suspicious nature that he would appoint him as tutor knowing Xu was actually his nephew and had possibly a claim to the throne.
Actually, I blamed WenXi for all the trouble (or more correctly the writer for crafting it that way). If she had not misinformed the fifth prince to set him up, all the sequence of events would not be sparked off. She could have shaken off the control of the fifth prince by simply telling the Crown Price that the fifth prince had captured her brother to control her. In the earlier sequel, her father and brother was imprisoned because she failed to pass a message as she went searching for the lost seal and were eventually killed. Her interfering did not end well in both instance.
In the previous sequel, while it was a sob story but at least it ended in a positive note. In this sequel, the good turned evil; the evil who started to show their human side died. The Crown Prince after all his effort to safeguard his position killed himself. I would rather have kept the positive image of Feng-En and the fifth Prince as righteous people. Also Shao Yun and Li Ming-An did not deserve to die as they were good people. This sequel practically killed all belief in the humanity and the fight for righteousness.
Also, while explaining who Xu was, it created more mystery - why the fifth Prince said that if Xu was indeed the son of the previous Crown Prince, then he (the fifth Prince) was as good as dead was incomprehensible.
This sequel was certainly one of the most tragic story I had watched so far, beating Nirvana in Fire in being tragic. Nirvana should not be used in this drama - this is supposed to be the ultimate state of bliss and final goal of Buddhist - in this drama, it is the ultimate suffering.
I applauded the cast for their excellent acting but condemn the production team for being masochistic and taking pleasure in pain. If I were the writer, I would have crafted this sequel to focus on the story behind the death of Xu's father as that would have been sufficiently tragic and more interesting.
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An Epic Production in the same league as Nirvana in Fire
This drama is under rated on mydramalist. I say it is in the same league as Nirvana in Fire and a similar genre.It is a rarity to see Zhang Zi Yi in a drama. For those of you who have watched Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon which is an international success, she acted the rebellious girl who ran away from a marriage.
This drama is very well produced. The story is convoluted and captivating, and the cinematography is fantastic, with costumes and a good looking cast to match. The acting is excellent and the chemistry (or animosity) of the various couples are impressive. There are many sub-plots, each with suspense and mysteries that keep you glued to your seat to find out what is going to happen next. The ending theme song is melodious. The backdrop is beautiful and the battle scenes are very well choreographed.
It talks about Princess ShangYang who is the daughter of the Prime Minister Wang Lin. She is in love with the Third Prince and aspires to marry him. They are forced apart by the Prime Minister who wants to strengthen his power and she is betrothed to a outstanding general from a commoner background, Xiao Qi. She is forsaken on the wedding day as Xiao Qi leaves her behind in the capital. Xiao Qi is in a bid to avoid being roped into the political side of the Prime Minister although he has become rather fond of her after a couple of encounters. Being captured by Helan Zhen who is exacting a revenge on Xiao Qi is the start of their adventure and the Princess shifts her affection to him when he risks his life to rescue her.
I feel a bit sorry for the main villain in the story. He is overly ambitious, very cunning and ruthless. Yet he has this soft side to him as a father. He is a capable person but unfortunately has set his eyes on the wrong goal.
I think this drama is almost perfect. There only two things I do not like about this drama. The first is the length - it is too long. With 68 episodes, you can expect some draggy moments. But overall, it is well paced. The second is the ending. I think the ending is a very weak - the choice of the eventual emperor to ascend the throne is too cliche, perhaps influenced by the last dynasty. I do not think there are many of such emperors in history. With no strong empress dowager behind them, they would all be overthrown by their imperial relatives.
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Power-struggle, romance and jealousy
This drama will capture your attention within a short time into the first episode. The usual hygiene factors rolled in: handsome actors, beautiful actresses, good acting skills, great on-screen chemistry between the leads, exciting story, lovely cinematography and lovely ending theme song. I certainly put it among the top dramas I had watched.54 episodes is a good length for this story – sufficient to cover the story in sufficient depth with only a few lull moments. I had seen worse ones with draggy time-fillers.
Tiffany Tang and Luo Jin had this amazing chemistry and on checking the Internet they were married in 2018, no doubt falling in love while acting together in the numerous dramas they shared.
In this story, there were two classes of villains – the totally evil like the ChiYun family and the deceptive third sister whom you would hate throughout the drama, and those who showed a bit of conscience like the Tuoba Yu whom I empathised with at moments.
Storyline was quite sensible and realistic – no far-fetched scenes, at least none of those magical cure by internal energy transfer kind of crap, although there was a couple flying scenes in the first episode but the 'flyer' was aided by someone. These are interesting in fantasy dramas but spoil a period drama.
There were a few lovely music pieces like the ending theme song but the melody in the opening theme song is a little lacklustre.
However I must say a lot of similar themes were repeated over and over in Chinese dramas and in this – heros/heroines got framed again and again, disguise was so good they fooled everyone – wonder why no one picked up the difference in the voice, the villains were always lucky in their evil ways, and of course revenge which is a beaten to death theme in Chinese drama. If a couple of the framing scenarios were removed and the drama was shortened, it could work better.
I have a bit of a spoiler here – it had a sad ending although I cannot say it is a tragedy. The prelude of each episode gave away too much of how the story concluded although not the entire final ending.
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Excellent for most part except the end
This drama was excellent for the first 42 episodes. In my mind then, I was going to rate it a full 10. On the positive aspects, the lead actress was stunningly pretty and the lead actor very handsome, and they had amazing on-screen chemistry which made their flirting scenes very romantic and sometimes amusing. The story was interesting, romantic and full of suspense, characters were complex and the cinematography was great. If there had been a tightening of the plot, this drama could have rivaled some of the other top drama productions.But after the 42nd episode, it started going downhill, the plot weakened and it ended with a ridiculous ending. It was melodramatic. Xiao Feng spent a lot of time with Gu Jian but the two did not have much on-screen chemistry. There was a lot of screaming and shouting at each other. The three lead characters were going absolutely crazy, each insisting on getting ahead with their own ways and refusing any compromise. The ending was meant to be dramatic but it ended up as an anti-climax. After all that ChengYin did for her, I was expecting Xiao Feng would eventually be won over. It reminded me of the ending in 'The Rise of Phoenixes' - a let-down.
The christian teaching of forgive and forget could give the characters a life. The princess was so driven by hatred, she did not know how to love properly. The crown prince was so possessive and vindictive. Had he cut some slack, the princess might have been won over.
If you absorbed by the tearjerking you may overlook some of the flaws in the plot.
Chinese dramas always mixes in some ridiculous wuxia medical methods which always mysteriously cure someone of severe injuries. And this drama is no exception. I can accept this in a fantasy (xianxia) story. For a supposedly historical romance epic, it spoils the realism of it. And the 'forget thy love' ravine was a further strain on this.
Additionally, there was some major illogical views - the crown prince pretended to be nasty to the crown princess in order to keep her from harm. I do not understand this logic as no one was planning to harm her. In fact, it made the empress more angry with his concubine and made enemies out of the princess and the concubine.
There were a lot of stupidity in the story. The crown prince was plotting for the empress to fall into his trap of trying to assassinate him. Yet there were no hidden bodyguards near enough to protect him and he ended up severely injured.
A weak script spoiled it for the production team. However, it is still worth watching if you are not too critical.
I thought I was going to re-watch it but after the ridiculous ending, I decided not to because it had spoiled my mood and impression of the drama.
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A second chance in life.
A second chance in life seems to be the recent popular theme in dramas, be it a rebirth, reincarnate or time reversal. This was the fourth drama I watched over the last 12 months that features a second chance in life. The others were Story of Kunning Palace, Reborn Rich (Korean), The Princess Royal, Marry my Husband - they were all very good. I was wondering if this drama would measure up to the same standards.As it turns out, this drama was very good and had all the hygiene factors: most importantly an interesting storyline with a mystery to uncover. This was supported by a good cast, excellent chemistry between the leads, fast-pace, lovely costumes and excellent backdrop.
Dou Zhao was married to Marquis Wei Ting Yu in an arrangement marriage. She discovered to her horror that he was having an affair with her sister, Dou Ming, and was hoping that she would die soon as she was in poor health. Leaving the Marquis residence in disgust, she ran into General Song Mo who was infamous for his cruelty and ruthlessness. Song Mo wanted to avenge the death of his uncle, General Jiang, a loyal capable close friend of the emperor, and to track down the person behind the conspiracy.
Setup by Prince Qing who succeeded in rising a rebellion and Marquis Wei, they were both accused of adultery and killed by the same single arrow. Prior to this, the monk Yuan Tong handled Dou Zhao a Book of Truth and told her that her fate was intertwined with Song Mo.
Both Dou Zhao and Song Mo woke up to their childhood years. Song Mo could only vaguely remember segments of his previous life and thought it was a dream. Dou Zhao on the other hand was fully aware that she had re-tracked to her past and had the chance to change her fate, and assumed the maturity of an adult.
In the new life, Dou Zhao witnessed the suicide of her mother and was concerned that she might be unable to change the future. Much worse, she was forced to honour her engagement to Marquis Wei again and failed to free herself from the arranged marriage. For an intelligent woman, Dou Zhao's plot to escape the marriage seemed very silly.
I was glad to see Meng Zi Yi in a lead role of a successful drama. Since her appearance in the outstanding drama, The Untamed, she seemed to have not landed any significant lead roles and had not benefited from the success of this drama like Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo had. She is one of the best looking female Chinese actresses, aside from her good performance.
However, the death of General Jiang was not so much of a mystery to us, the audience. We knew from the first episode that Prince Qing who had made use of Song Mo in rising the rebellion was very likely behind this. Song Mo had no memory of how his previous life ended and was therefore clueless. But as the audience, we could pretty much guessed. It was just a matter of finding out how it all happened.
It was very trying to watch this drama as the bad guys seemed always to be ahead of Song Mo and Dou Zhao with their sabotage. In this new life, the personality of some people and their lives turned out quite differently due to Dou Zhao's interference. It was also sad to see how the evil ones who now turned out good died due to the evil deeds of others. And the good ones turned bad. As always, people were not what they appeared to be.
For me who had watched a lot of Chinese dramas, the theme of a fight over the throne was a bit stale.
For 34 episodes, this drama was not as long as many Chinese dramas and the pace of progress was good.
The English titles of Chinese dramas need a lot of working on. This drama's title could be more interesting and closer to the Chinese title like 'Purple Blossom', than a plain 'Blossom'. Often, the poetic sentiments of the Chinese titles were adulterated.
These days were a major departure from a few years ago when every other Chinese dramas had a tragic ending. In recent Chinese dramas, it is the fashion to have loving couples giving birth to offsprings as a show of happy ending. Almost like an echo of the government who now wants the people to have more kids.
Overall, I highly recommend this drama. Its rating of 8.9 on mydramalist, which is a very high rating, is well deserved.
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A woman with four suitors
It is a really good production: an excellent cast who acted well, good looking actors and actresses, CGI is good, cinematography is great and costumes are lovely. So all the hygiene factors are there.What I like about this drama?
1. Yang Zi had excellent chemistry with her 4 suitors. And she acted according to her relation to them: fear of the demon lord yet fond of him, anger with the betrayal of her real lover and dignified jealousy of his fiancee, gentleness and devotion to her lost cousin when she discovered him, and polite respect for her last suitor on the scene, who demonstrated his fondness of her. I think she was at one of her best. And she looked stunning dressed as the princess.
2. The story was well paced and interesting enough to keep me pursuing the drama to the end. Out of the 39 episodes, I can only recall one episode which was a little draggy. And this was probably because I had mistakenly skipped this episode and went back to catch up with it and I knew what was going to happen next.
What I dislike about this drama?
1. I felt that while Xiao Yao's selected fiance was a good choice, his relationship with her was the most shallow. So I felt it is a bit of a shame.
2. And since the drama ended prematurely, the conspiracy behind the Tushan family was unexplained and the lover's betrayal was not clarified - poor guy who was so much in love with Xiao Yao and had done so much for her.
But overall, I would give this drama a thumb up and highly recommend it.
It looks like there is a part 2 to this drama. Frankly when I watched some of the trailers of the follow-on, it looked trashy, with the main character Xiao Yao (Yang Zi) nearly marrying every of her suitors, and two of them died. I do not like tragedies. I like to have a good feeling after watching a drama, not sick in the stomach.
However, if I should ever write the ending of this drama, I would give it a twist and end it like this:
Cang Xuan ascended the throne on the support of the clans in the central plain. He fulfilled his promise to Xiang Liu and gave one of the mountains as a burial ground for the dead ChenRong warriors. Hong Liang, the ChenRong last defending general was impressed. He proposed a peace truce on the condition of a marriage alliance with the heir apparent (would be Crown Prince if the kingdom had not fallen) of the ChenRong royal family and Xiao Yao who was both a princess of HaoLing and a close cousin of the new emperor, therefore representing both kingdoms. The heir-apparent's identity and whereabout had been kept secret all these years to protect him from assassination. And he requested for all treasures of the ChenRong's royal family and the rebuilt ChenRong palace to be returned as a dowry for the princess and all the remnant ChenRong warriors to be pardoned.
CangXuan did not like the idea that an heir apparent existed and could potentially gain support for the re-built of the ChenRong kingdom. While Xiao Yao tried to get in touch with Xiang Liu to find out what was going, but he passed a message to her that the heir apparent was good looking, capable and in love with her, and encouraged her to agree to the marriage.
Before any decision, Cang Xuan revealed his love for Xiao Yao and promised that if XiaoYao should marry him, she would be the new empress as his current wife was only a concubine. Possibly, the old emperor was leaving the empress position for Xiao Yao when he decreed that Shen was to be the concubine and not the queen. Xiao Yao replied that she loved him as a brother and did not have any romantic feeling for him but want to support him with all her ability to bring prosperity to his kingdom.
Saddened by the news that her real lover had just fathered a child, Xiang Liu's indifference and her shallow relationship with her fiance, she agreed to the marriage alliance to bring peace to Cang Xuan's kingdom. Her father, King of HaoLing, supported her decision to breakup her current engagement and marry the ChenRong heir apparent. Her fiance was heart broken. Cang Xuan however promised only the palace as dowry as the treasures of the ChenRong kingdom had long been awarded to the different mandarins who helped in the overthrow of ChenRong and to pardon all the remnant warriors if they lay down their arms. But the King of Haoling backed his daughter up with a generous dowry.
On the wedding day, the ChenRong heir apparent fetched XiaoYao from the ChenRong's mansion in a red cloak with a hood covering his face and a crystal mask. At the ceremony altar at the palace, Xiao Yao could see through her veil that he looked familiar. Xiyan anti-ChenRong faction with the silent approval of Cang Xuan and her ex-fiance, attempted to assassinate the heir apparent. In the fight, the red hood and mask was lifted from his head and it was revealed that the heir apparent is Xiang Liu! Xiao Yao was surprised and stunned for a moment but stepped in to defend Xiang Liu. The assassination failed as Cang Xuan ordered his guards in to protect her. Xiao Yao suspected that it was Cang Xuan's conspiracy to murder her husband and left with Xiang Liu to QingShui where they lived in seclusion. Her real lover, after realising his marriage is a sham, arrived only to see her leave with Xiang Liu. So Xiao Yao was lost to Cang Xuan, her ex-fiance and real lover forever.
Like my review or ending, give it a thumbs up. Let me know which you like in the comments. lol
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