This review may contain spoilers
Dont be scared beacause of 76 episodes they are just a delight to go through!!
I started watching this after my finals started, as the series hit harder when you are about to give your exams!!! So I asked Deepseek (the chinese AI) to recommend me some chinese historical drama. It recommended a bunch of dramas. This one looked the most promising and had stellar reviews on MDL.
This is a very enjoyable drama. We follow Zhen Huan as she enters the forbidden city and rises to become an empress. The first few episodes are just her getting used to the palace. We are also introduced to other concubines. And we slowly get a taste of palace politics and, boy, the politics are BRUTAL!! But Huan is smart. She learns and finds better ways to protect herself. What I liked was this drama doesn't let you catch your breath. It's plot twist after plot twist. Over the course of 76 episodes, I cried, laughed and worried.
The characters are also so different !! Noble consort Ning she is evil, but she didn't hide. And that evilness was also due to the palace having to share your love with dozens of women is hard. I was always contemplating, is this character actually bad, or is she just trying to survive?! Although we cannot forget the fact that whatever the concubines did, it was out of choice and, as huan says, 'every action has consequences'. Obviously, Zhen huan is my favorite character!!! She was just trying to have a normal relationship with the emperor. And the emperor and other concubines did not let her do so. The emperor is truly a different story, but I think somewhere he seems to represent all the other kings. The insecurity, suspicion,weight of wearing the crown. But this emperor annoyed me quite frequently. He was great at finding plots at a national level, but in his own harem his concubines easily fooled him. And dare I say WOMEN are the best strategisers. I mean, if you look back at all the plots and schemes, they should be part of the court to help the emperor and his ministers!!!! Still, I could understand the antagontists' motivations and hated them for it!!
Zhen Huan's life was full of drama, which was a delight to watch!! This drama also gave detailed insight into the dynasty and I kid you not- I was reading about chinese harem before my i.t exam, so yeah, this was a compelling watch. I heard it is historically accurate and Zhen huan's character is based on a real concubine. I really hoped Zhen huan would get a happy ending with Yun Li, but it did not happen, alas. I LOVED THIS DRAMA. Go watch it now.
(P.S. please skip the start and end credits as they give major spoilers)
This is a very enjoyable drama. We follow Zhen Huan as she enters the forbidden city and rises to become an empress. The first few episodes are just her getting used to the palace. We are also introduced to other concubines. And we slowly get a taste of palace politics and, boy, the politics are BRUTAL!! But Huan is smart. She learns and finds better ways to protect herself. What I liked was this drama doesn't let you catch your breath. It's plot twist after plot twist. Over the course of 76 episodes, I cried, laughed and worried.
The characters are also so different !! Noble consort Ning she is evil, but she didn't hide. And that evilness was also due to the palace having to share your love with dozens of women is hard. I was always contemplating, is this character actually bad, or is she just trying to survive?! Although we cannot forget the fact that whatever the concubines did, it was out of choice and, as huan says, 'every action has consequences'. Obviously, Zhen huan is my favorite character!!! She was just trying to have a normal relationship with the emperor. And the emperor and other concubines did not let her do so. The emperor is truly a different story, but I think somewhere he seems to represent all the other kings. The insecurity, suspicion,weight of wearing the crown. But this emperor annoyed me quite frequently. He was great at finding plots at a national level, but in his own harem his concubines easily fooled him. And dare I say WOMEN are the best strategisers. I mean, if you look back at all the plots and schemes, they should be part of the court to help the emperor and his ministers!!!! Still, I could understand the antagontists' motivations and hated them for it!!
Zhen Huan's life was full of drama, which was a delight to watch!! This drama also gave detailed insight into the dynasty and I kid you not- I was reading about chinese harem before my i.t exam, so yeah, this was a compelling watch. I heard it is historically accurate and Zhen huan's character is based on a real concubine. I really hoped Zhen huan would get a happy ending with Yun Li, but it did not happen, alas. I LOVED THIS DRAMA. Go watch it now.
(P.S. please skip the start and end credits as they give major spoilers)
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