What a passionate, emotional story (with the best kiss scenes ever on a c-drama). I absolutely loved the obsessed…
Short version- it turns into a soap opera - theres cheating, multiple wives, him getting another woman preg, crazy other woman, amnesia, and other abuse like slapping and mouth rape. It was amusing, even if it pissed me off. Yes, it has a happy ending.
Details with DEEP SPOILERS below:
He married the FL in an earlier ep but he divorced her and married the 2FL, even though the FL was pregnant. As he was locking up the FL in a room (so she wouldnt leave him), he told the FL that the marriage with the 2FL would be a marriage in name only, but the asshole had sex with the 2FL only 2 days after the wedding. Cheating details: 2 days after the wedding, the FL had a miscarriage (his fault) and lost their baby, and the doctor told him that she could no longer have kids! After hearing this devastating news, instead of comforting the FL, he promptly left the FL alone, and went home to his new wife (2FL), and got drunk with her (laughing and giggling) and had sex thinking she was the FL. This sex scene is the most graphic and the longest love scene in the entire series.
There are reviews saying he only slept with the 2FL once, thats NOT true. After the FL left him, he and the 2FL shared a room and slept on the same bed for YEARS, and right before FL returned *8 years later* he had sex with the 2FL and got her pregnant, and that time he was not drunk. Thus you must assume that as much as he hated the 2FL, he had an on-going sexual relationship with the 2FL all those years (in the movie version), but this is speculation. In the book, I read that he had "children" as in more than 1 child with the 2FL, but in the TV series, 2FL has a miscarriage.
- He found a courtesan who looked exactly like the FL and brought her home and married her as his 2nd wife, because he was still obsessing and pining for the FL, and this marriage was in name only. She was there to act like the FL, to fulfill his delusions. Honestly, this part was hilarious, I loved this character, and I loved that she was there to irritate and piss off the 2FL in the house, a constant reminder of the FL and the love the ML still had for the FL and not her lol!
- TV Series DOES have a HAPPY ENDING, but it had the lamest ending ever. She forgave him everything and are together, but they're separated again due to war. Seven years after the 2nd separation (due to his amnesia), the happily ever after is 10 secs before the end. Literally. He forgot her, and when she dropped the watch he gave her, all his memory came back instantly and its the end. WTH... Also, how ridiculous is it that, the FL remained completely celibate, not even sharing a kiss with another man for 15+ years, when the ML lived a full life with a wife and a mistress?
Book ending - no happy ending, which made more sense: This is the ending I wish the drama had. - In the book , the FL didnt take him back. She was strong enough to completely turn her back on him and move on and make a great life for herself. She also fell in love with the 2ML/doctor and married him after ML divorced her. They had a beautiful daughter together. Then she returned years later with her hub/2ML for his family reunion party where she sees the ML with 2FL again. ML in a jealous rage, because the FL refused to leave the 2ML and return to him, sets up a car accident that kills the 2ML and the FL & 2ML's daughter who wasn't supposed to be in the car. The FL, in grief and anger, carried her daughter's dead body to see the ML and kills herself with the fancy gun that the ML had given her for self-protection. Before FL shoots herself, she lies to the ML that 2ML's daughter was actually his in revenge. ML lives to be an old, unhappy man, never forgetting and forever pining for the FL, and he is stuck with the annoying 2FL for the rest of his life. (there are 3 versions of the book ending, all with a sad ending for the main couple, this is just one version.) . Apparently, theres a book with ML's 2nd son, his son's book came out first, and this series is the prequel to that book. ML of this series, named his favorite granddaughter after this FL in that book still obsessing over her.
The selfish ML, who chose to marry the 2FL for more power, did not deserve to have the FL (the movie version redeemed this hero and turned him into some heroic martyr who was forced to leave the FL and marry the 2FL to save lives, but In the novel, Peilin/ML wasn't forced by circumstances to give up Jingwan, in the book, it was his ambition that drove him to betray her. No one was endangered, and he didn't really need the Chen family (2FL), except that he wanted to hasten his rise to power.). As usual, the book version is better/more compelling.
What a passionate, emotional story (with the best kiss scenes ever on a c-drama). I absolutely loved the obsessed H, and the strong AF female lead, but not gonna lie, it was a heartburn inducing, angsty story that I did enjoy most of the time, and I loved that the series focused on the couple and their love.
People arent kidding here, if you want a good, heartwarming love story, I highly suggest you not watching this series past ep 21. Thats when it turns into trash. Theres not gonna be a single woman liking the ML in part 2. Here are spoilers (what happens after 21)...
SUPER SLOW and it dragged. I hated the way it started. It was confusing to watch at first, because the series…
I know this has a sad ending (of course), so its a good thing I hated it enough to drop it early. At the end, the ML chooses to be with his brother - instead of staying with his very pregnant wife/FL - and end up dying with his brother (needlessly), and the FL raises their child alone. Yup, this man instead of trying to protect his wife and child, decided to go fight a war with his brother and died. Dumb drama.
SUPER SLOW and it dragged. I hated the way it started. It was confusing to watch at first, because the series starts in the middle of their story (they've already been married in name only for 2 years), so imagine starting a story with out any background info, things not making sense (because you dont know who these people are and there are lots of characters), and ML's not having chemistry, because they dont give a crap about each other UNTIL after ep 20, as in the ML AND the FL arent even attracted to each other, but then bam, all of sudden they have sex finally and the cold as ice FL is like in love with the ML...I was like..what?
Reviewers mentioned flash backs giving details about the past, right? Flashbacks aren't constant and its rare, their past shown from the FL happens on ep 17 briefly. I ended this series and they STILL hadnt show us the flashbacks from the ML side. Thats how SLOW this series is. Speaking of ML, although he was married to the FL, he was still a womanizer(cheater) who treated the FL like garbage, and everyone knew about his hoeing & partying around, and the FL was in love with another man who abandoned her. Actually, I thought the other man was the ML, since she did have chemistry with him, but around ep 20 is when things started feeling better (but not much).
I dunno who's dumb idea it was to start a drama this way, but I hope I never see another one like this. I'm quitting after ep 35, because 90% of this series was about politics, and the main characters, although they're married spend most of their time apart, theres barely any romance! Why are all the previews about this series mostly about the couples romance (which is basically a click bait for you to watch), when the series is about politics? I hated this series, sorry if you loved it. Pros: Good looking couple, beautiful scenery and costumes.
I just finished watching it and if u can't watch it rn at ep 5, them by ep 30 you're gonna be crazy lol. it's…
LOL Thank you, yes, I think I made the right choice to quit after ep 6 (when the couple FINALLY met for 20 whole secs). I'm looking for a good romance series and this put me to sleep, it was literally the most boring series Ive ever watched lol, but I loved how pretty the ML and FL were.
I'm on ep 5, and I'm about to quit, because series is unbearably SLOW and boring. I keep going due to all the positive reviews, but maybe people are just fans of the actors and like it due to them.
the princess is dead and the emperor spent his life alone and childless. where would the story for s2 even pick…
I read a few comments on YT where people said in the book, he did have 2 kids, and 2 concubines during his life. He had a girl and a boy, he thought his daughter was from the dead FL, so he doted on her until her death...he was coo-coo.
Half the series has a 2nd FL (his other wife), so yes, it does feel like a love triangle, but he doesnt love her, but you and the FL dont know this until the end.
This is undoubtedly a wonderful historical drama with beautiful scenery, great actors, rich character development, and it does have a heart wrenching love story, but the love story is not the main focus of the plot. I started watching this because people said it was a romance, or most of the comments were about the couple.. its not romance! About 80% of the series is about court drama- ML's revenge, I mean what series these days dont have a love story in it? If you start watching this expecting mostly romance, you're not gonna be happy ( I wasn't, almost quit halfway, because ML's love for the FL started looking fake , and the dumb love triangle was getting on my nerves), but I wasnt bored. The ending was truly epic. Would recommend simply for that ending even. PS. ALSO, comments saying how crazy obsessed he was with the FL (entire reason why I watched this) is kinda false. He was more obsessed with his revenge and becoming the next king than her. Start this amazing series knowing what you're gonna get is all I'm saying.
Details with DEEP SPOILERS below:
He married the FL in an earlier ep but he divorced her and married the 2FL, even though the FL was pregnant.
As he was locking up the FL in a room (so she wouldnt leave him), he told the FL that the marriage with the 2FL would be a marriage in name only, but the asshole had sex with the 2FL only 2 days after the wedding.
Cheating details: 2 days after the wedding, the FL had a miscarriage (his fault) and lost their baby, and the doctor told him that she could no longer have kids! After hearing this devastating news, instead of comforting the FL, he promptly left the FL alone, and went home to his new wife (2FL), and got drunk with her (laughing and giggling) and had sex thinking she was the FL. This sex scene is the most graphic and the longest love scene in the entire series.
There are reviews saying he only slept with the 2FL once, thats NOT true. After the FL left him, he and the 2FL shared a room and slept on the same bed for YEARS, and right before FL returned *8 years later* he had sex with the 2FL and got her pregnant, and that time he was not drunk. Thus you must assume that as much as he hated the 2FL, he had an on-going sexual relationship with the 2FL all those years (in the movie version), but this is speculation. In the book, I read that he had "children" as in more than 1 child with the 2FL, but in the TV series, 2FL has a miscarriage.
- He found a courtesan who looked exactly like the FL and brought her home and married her as his 2nd wife, because he was still obsessing and pining for the FL, and this marriage was in name only. She was there to act like the FL, to fulfill his delusions. Honestly, this part was hilarious, I loved this character, and I loved that she was there to irritate and piss off the 2FL in the house, a constant reminder of the FL and the love the ML still had for the FL and not her lol!
- TV Series DOES have a HAPPY ENDING, but it had the lamest ending ever. She forgave him everything and are together, but they're separated again due to war. Seven years after the 2nd separation (due to his amnesia), the happily ever after is 10 secs before the end. Literally. He forgot her, and when she dropped the watch he gave her, all his memory came back instantly and its the end. WTH...
Also, how ridiculous is it that, the FL remained completely celibate, not even sharing a kiss with another man for 15+ years, when the ML lived a full life with a wife and a mistress?
Book ending - no happy ending, which made more sense:
This is the ending I wish the drama had.
- In the book , the FL didnt take him back. She was strong enough to completely turn her back on him and move on and make a great life for herself. She also fell in love with the 2ML/doctor and married him after ML divorced her. They had a beautiful daughter together.
Then she returned years later with her hub/2ML for his family reunion party where she sees the ML with 2FL again.
ML in a jealous rage, because the FL refused to leave the 2ML and return to him, sets up a car accident that kills the 2ML and the FL & 2ML's daughter who wasn't supposed to be in the car. The FL, in grief and anger, carried her daughter's dead body to see the ML and kills herself with the fancy gun that the ML had given her for self-protection. Before FL shoots herself, she lies to the ML that 2ML's daughter was actually his in revenge.
ML lives to be an old, unhappy man, never forgetting and forever pining for the FL, and he is stuck with the annoying 2FL for the rest of his life.
(there are 3 versions of the book ending, all with a sad ending for the main couple, this is just one version.) . Apparently, theres a book with ML's 2nd son, his son's book came out first, and this series is the prequel to that book. ML of this series, named his favorite granddaughter after this FL in that book still obsessing over her.
The selfish ML, who chose to marry the 2FL for more power, did not deserve to have the FL (the movie version redeemed this hero and turned him into some heroic martyr who was forced to leave the FL and marry the 2FL to save lives, but In the novel, Peilin/ML wasn't forced by circumstances to give up Jingwan, in the book, it was his ambition that drove him to betray her. No one was endangered, and he didn't really need the Chen family (2FL), except that he wanted to hasten his rise to power.). As usual, the book version is better/more compelling.
People arent kidding here, if you want a good, heartwarming love story, I highly suggest you not watching this series past ep 21. Thats when it turns into trash. Theres not gonna be a single woman liking the ML in part 2. Here are spoilers (what happens after 21)...
Reviewers mentioned flash backs giving details about the past, right? Flashbacks aren't constant and its rare, their past shown from the FL happens on ep 17 briefly. I ended this series and they STILL hadnt show us the flashbacks from the ML side. Thats how SLOW this series is.
Speaking of ML, although he was married to the FL, he was still a womanizer(cheater) who treated the FL like garbage, and everyone knew about his hoeing & partying around, and the FL was in love with another man who abandoned her. Actually, I thought the other man was the ML, since she did have chemistry with him, but around ep 20 is when things started feeling better (but not much).
I dunno who's dumb idea it was to start a drama this way, but I hope I never see another one like this. I'm quitting after ep 35, because 90% of this series was about politics, and the main characters, although they're married spend most of their time apart, theres barely any romance! Why are all the previews about this series mostly about the couples romance (which is basically a click bait for you to watch), when the series is about politics?
I hated this series, sorry if you loved it.
Pros: Good looking couple, beautiful scenery and costumes.
- And even though I dropped this,