B_Doona

If you're looking for another Wei Yingluo, let me tell you, she's REALLY hard to replace 😂 That woman is in a league of her own!

First of all, The Story of Ming Lan is an absolute MASTERPIECE, but I wouldn't say it has the same vibe as Yanxi Palace. Both Ming Lan and Wei Yingluo are incredibly intelligent, observant, strategic female leads, but their personalities and the way they deal with their enemies are VERY different.

Ming Lan is more defensive. She prefers to stay under the radar, observe, protect herself and outsmart anyone who tries to harm her. She doesn't go looking for trouble, but when she's pushed too far, especially when her loved ones are involved, she can be absolutely ruthless.

Wei Yingluo, on the other hand??? YOU WRONG HER ONCE, SHE'LL MAKE YOU REGRET IT A HUNDRED TIMES OVER 😂 She doesn't just defend herself. She settles scores, WITH INTEREST. She remembers EVERYTHING, and she'll make sure you remember it too. No half measures whatsoever. That's what makes her so iconic!

Now, for recommendations:

1. The Glory (2025): THIS ONE!!! If you're looking for a female lead who comes closest to Wei Yingluo, Zhuang Hanyan might actually be her long-lost cousin or her personal student. 😂 She's intelligent, calculating, and absolutely NOT someone you want to underestimate. The story is darker, though, but the revenge element is definitely there.

2. Love Like the Galaxy (2022): ANOTHER MASTERPIECE. Cheng Shaoshang is incredibly smart, resourceful, stubborn, and absolutely capable of making people regret crossing her. She has that same rebellious, don't-mess-with-me energy as Yingluo, although they're not quite the same. HIGHLY recommend!

3. Blossom (2024): Another very intelligent and strategic female lead. She's more composed and calculating, but I loved how she uses her intelligence to navigate difficult situations.

4. Story of Kunning Palace (2023): A good option if you enjoy ambitious, morally complicated female leads, manipulation, schemes, and palace politics. I personally wouldn't put it on the same level as Yanxi, but it's worth watching.

5. The Prisoner of Beauty (2025): Another good one with a clever female lead, political intrigue, and interesting power dynamics. More romance-focused, though.

6. A Dream of Splendor (2022): The female lead is intelligent, independent, and strong, but definitely on the softer side compared to Yingluo. Beautiful storytelling and a more mature kind of strength.

7. Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace (2018): If you loved the palace setting, the politics, the scheming, and the complex relationships in Yanxi, you should definitely watch this. But be warned, Ruyi is VERY different from Yingluo. Don't go into it expecting the same kind of revenge or satisfaction. It's a much more tragic and emotionally devastating story.

BONUS: Joy of Life (2019): If what you truly love is INTELLIGENCE, political intrigue, elaborate schemes, mind games, and characters who are always ten steps ahead, PLEASE WATCH THIS. The main character is male, but the writing, the strategies, the twists??? INCREDIBLE. One of the best in that department.

If I had to narrow it down specifically for your love of Wei Yingluo and SATISFYING REVENGE, I'd say start with The Glory, followed by Love Like the Galaxy. But please, PLEASE watch The Story of Ming Lan too. Not because Ming Lan is another Wei Yingluo, because she isn't, but because she's an equally remarkable female character in a completely different way.

Honestly, Yanxi Palace and Ming Lan remain two of the finest historical C-dramas I've ever watched. They just hit differently. And as much as I've searched, I still haven't found another Wei Yingluo. THAT WOMAN WAS ONE OF A KIND 👑

Here I am again, fulfilling my yearly duty of reminding everyone just how INCREDIBLE this drama is 😂

And honestly, I could write an entire essay about Wei Yingluo ALONE.

THIS WOMAN. THIS QUEEN. THE QUEEN OF ALL QUEENS.

Wei Yingluo is EVERYTHING I want to see in a female lead. Intelligent, fearless, decisive, unapologetic, and absolutely RUTHLESS when it comes to settling scores.

You wrong her once? Oh, she's coming for you. You wrong someone she loves? EVEN WORSE. And the best part? She will get her revenge with the straightest face imaginable. No hesitation, no unnecessary tears, no endless forgiveness, no suddenly becoming naive for the sake of the plot. NONE OF THAT.

She doesn't let ANYTHING slide. Not a single thing. You think she's forgotten? TRUST ME, SHE HASN'T. She's simply waiting for the perfect moment to make you regret ever crossing her.

And her intelligence??? THE WAY HER MIND WORKS??? She's always thinking, always calculating, always ten steps ahead. She doesn't just react. She STRATEGIZES. And when she strikes, she makes sure the score is settled down to the very last detail.

What I love most is that she never loses herself in the process. She knows exactly who she is, what she stands for, and what she's willing to do. She doesn't need saving. She doesn't need someone else to fight her battles. SHE IS THE BATTLE.

It's SO rare to find a female lead this consistently sharp, capable, and unapologetically fierce. The writers never had to dumb her down to move the story forward, and I LOVE THEM FOR THAT.

Wei Yingluo CARRIED this drama on her BACK. An absolutely ICONIC performance and easily one of the most unforgettable female characters I've ever encountered in a C-drama.

I've watched countless C-dramas over the years, and very few have left the impression that this one has.

Between *Story of Yanxi Palace* and *The Story of Ming Lan*, we're talking about the absolute crème de la crème of historical C-dramas. Different female leads, different approaches, but both absolutely MASTERFUL in their own way.

Years later, and I'm STILL obsessed. And I will continue coming back every year to remind new viewers that this drama is THAT GOOD.

10/10. ICONIC. LEGENDARY. A MASTERPIECE 👑❤️

Years later, and The Story of Ming Lan is STILL one of the best dramas I have ever watched. And trust me, I've watched A LOT of C-dramas. But when it comes to historical C-dramas, this one is truly the crème de la crème. An absolute MASTERPIECE.

The complexity of the characters, the depth of the storytelling, the incredible acting, the directing, the cinematography... EVERYTHING about this drama is top-notch.

What makes it so special is how deeply you get to understand the characters. Their personalities, their motivations, their thought processes, their flaws, their decisions, and the way they navigate the world around them. Nobody feels one-dimensional. Every character has layers, and even the smallest interactions carry meaning.

And the slow burn? PERFECTION. It's a slow-paced drama, yes, but you barely notice it because there's always something happening, something unfolding, something that makes you want to keep watching. The storytelling is so rich and immersive that you genuinely become invested in these people's lives.

Nothing feels rushed, nothing feels forced. The character development, the relationships, the family dynamics, the politics, the subtle details... everything is so beautifully woven together. And the cast delivered some truly outstanding performances.

I genuinely believe this is one of the finest historical C-dramas ever made, and that's a hill I'm willing to die on.

At this point, I feel like I need to come back here every single year just to remind new viewers that THIS is what exceptional storytelling looks like. If you're wondering whether it's worth watching in 2026, IT ABSOLUTELY IS.

Some dramas are entertaining. Some are memorable. And then there are dramas like The Story of Ming Lan that set the standard so high that years later, you still find yourself comparing everything else to them.

10/10. A timeless masterpiece ❤️

spoiler alert please

IKR this show is 10/10 so far, so fun to watch hehe

When she said she could almost feel bad about her revenge but they persistently keep being jerks and then thanked them, i felt it

I am watching Kunning place right now and yes it's really good, I have watched 20 episodes in 3 days lol

I see your point of view but what about you think of it this way ? It’s also a story about a woman who have seen the worst and can make better choices for herself now. She now knows what a good man is, how she should be treated her (either by a man and people in general) and that she too can be happy. She knows how to value her self more and stand up for herself instead of hiding from bullies (be it in friendship or at work). She now knows how to be proud of her job and receive compliments. She now knows how to recognize a good friend from a bad one. She literally knows how to defend herself from abusers. She has made huge improvements to boost her confidence. All these contribute imo to a great development and a great plot. Isn’t that a good message ?

For Su min she still hasn’t realized that what she is doing is wrong. But only by going trough the worst she might shed her old skin, and hopefully make some improvement in her character herself, who knows? We need to see the end to know if she remains the same. What I mean is that based on the plot she has been abusive for years now and didn’t get a chance for change so far. When you have been bad for so long you don’t see anything wrong with your actions anymore. Unless you hit rock bottom, sometimes that’s what it takes. Either way she brought it to herself. At the end, you reap what you sow, don’t you agree ? An abusive person doesn’t deserve a good person. She made her bed so she has to lie in it. That’s only fair.

Well if you follow the plot, one cannot escape their fate here. So it’s either she gets the abusive husband or she pass the ball to her friend. Considering the fact that her friend was a littéral piece of s*** to her trough out their friendship (the reason she got bullied for years), stole her work, cheated with her husband while she was almost dying from cancer, thought of killing her while she was almost dying from cancer and ended up killing her when she was already dying from cancer… I mean the plot is pretty logical don’t you think ? lol

But one thing you should consider is that even though she wants her friend to take the bullet, for one these two deserve each other and for two the FL is being remorseful too. She is not heartless and going all in for revenge for no reason and no regrets. What I mean is it’s not imo a mean spirited plot, and not a all evil character type of drama either. We can all meet a Su min in our life, someone that is fake, not because they are all bad but because they don’t love themselves and just see their values trough other people. Which make them do questionable things.

At the end of the day it’s not that serious and it’s just a drama. I have seen worst drama where it’s literally all black or white. I just don’t think it’s the case for this one. It’s a fun ride so you should just enjoy it. If not there are plenty of better uplifting and empowering dramas out there that you might enjoy more ☺️

To my understanding she can't break up with the SML because for one he is violent and has a big ego so he could definetly hurt her if she tries to break up with him. Also, she explained that one cannot run from one's fate. So that means even if she breaks up with him, she might end up dying since it's her fate. That's why she wants the SFL to marry him instead. All this is pretty logical

This is so fun to watch, for the first time I am rooting for both the FL and the SFL lmao since they both want the same thing.

I haven't read the webtoon so I don't know how much it differs from the drama, but this one is pretty enjoyable from my point of view. Also, it's pretty obvious why she can't break up with the SML, she explained it herself smh

I haven't seen this ML in any other drama but he does look very good !

You probably haven't watched Yanxi palace yet nor The story of ming Lan, these two are unbeatable.

They happen after they get married. The second FL tries to break them up multiple times, so she spreads rumours about the FL and other men trought another character.

Just finished it. If i dare compare Empresses in the Palace to Story of Ming Lan and Yanxi Palace, I would say ZH is the OG for sure , then comes Ming Lan but Ying Luo definitely surpasses the master. All three were so good, will remember it for a long time.

Years later and I am still yet to find another FL like this one. She was lethal, precise, intelligent, calculating, scheming. She was such an unique character. I loved her to bits, and this drama as well. Highly highly recommended!

I remember watching this drama years ago, still perplexed about what happened in the middle. First half was awesome but then it flipped and it seemed like a totally different story. I guess it was an alternative story but it got me scratching my head hard. Not that I didn’t like the second half but I was not expecting that kind of story.

This drama has all the best actors so it felt like a waste of their talent honestly, they still played well (not the ML thought lol it might have been his first drama because he was stiff like a tree, years later he is better)

I remember watching this drama years ago, still perplexed about what happened in the middle. First half was awesome but then it flipped and it seemed like a totally different story. I guess it was an alternative story but it got me scratching my head hard. Not that I didn’t like the second half but I was not expecting that kind of story.

This drama has all the best actors so it felt like a waste of their talent honestly, they still played well (not the ML thought lol it might have been his first drama because he was stiff like a tree, years later he is better)

Not worth it then

Love triangle no cause the leads like each other
SML that likes the FL yes but doesn’t really try to break them up
Very annoying SFL that tries to break them up yes
The Lee ads get together really later in the story, they have a lot of misunderstandings before that, it’s annoying and unnecessary imo but you might not mind

Unpopular opinion below