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I believe half siblings. As far as having empress die with him, it’s because he doesn’t want the harem to be involved in politics. It can also be said that he’s afraid of her being in power.

It's because the current empress was really smart and good at governing. He feared that after his death she'll maneuver to take power away from his weaker crown prince. I think it was a reasonable fear but also a self-fulfilling prophecy because until that moment it seemed like she was a good wife who honestly wanted to help him and the kingdom and this was a betrayal to her so that's when she became the master villain.

I agree! Everything was subtle too! You can’t just FF, you’ll miss the transition.

Finished watching episode 30 and the scene where the maid servant of ML's mother tried to recall her memories with regards to the letter caught my attention for how wonderfully it was executed. Such a refreshing scene, rather than a simple flashback the type of creativity put solely onto this scene alone stood out for me.

finally a high rated drama that I didn't feel was overrated

Yeah. This isnt really a revenge drama at all. Just kinda ignore the fl previous life because she discards it and starts fresh after her mom dies. She isnt going around trying to get revenge. The plot more so is centered around the ML and the events that led him to become who he became in that previous life and how with the FL help he doesnt become that and we really find out what happened.

This drama is highly recommended! This drama is such a gem. The plot had so many twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. The chemistry between the main leads was off the charts, making their moments together feel so genuine and heartfelt. And that happy ending? It wrapped everything up perfectly and left my heart feeling so content. Honestly, it's one of those shows that just stays with you long after it’s over! If you haven’t seen it yet, you definitely should!

Finally, I had some time to finish this drama. Nothing much to say except the obvious, this is one of the best dramas of the year. A pleasant surprise. I knew the director, but only from mini-dramas and the actors too, but mainly for supporting roles. I wasn’t expecting much, but it was excellent. Both the story and the performances were great. It’s really nice when a drama like this succeeds.

The cover is terribly typical for such an atypical drama.It works the other way around: Move on!
In fact, it's a gem, and if they decided to save money on the cover, let them! Sacrificing the cover is better than sacrificing the important content of the drama itself.

This may be the most thrilling Cdrama I've ever watched!

The storytelling, the pace, the characters - all brilliant! Song Mo and Dou Zhao are possibly the most engaging pairing I've had a chance to encounter in a drama world. Their chemistry and how they trusted and supported each other was one of the best parts of the whole story. Also, the angst, the love, the thrill, the scheming - all in perfect moderation so you cannot get bored.

While watching the last few episodes, I got positively surprised how many turns of events we faced while watching the drama and how complex the story turned out to be. I'll always remeber how this drama made me feel and I'm sure it'll become a classic.

Read with CAUTION. Contains SPOILER!

Let me briefly explain the social structure and basic moral values of ancient Chinese dynasties. This will help provide context for the events happening in this drama.

1. Social Structure / Caste System:
The hierarchy generally looked like this:

Royal Family/Imperial Family > Aristocratic/Noble Families (Duke, Marquess, Earl, etc.) > Scholars and Officials (Zhuang Yuan, Jinshi, Juren, etc.) > Commoners/Working Class (farmers, artisans/tradesmen, merchants) > Slaves > Marginalized/Outcasts (entertainers, courtesans, pariahs).

Note: Sometimes, entertainers and courtesans could be considered above slaves. But generally, they're pretty much in the lowest class of the social structure.
I have no deep knowledge about this, so feel free to correct me.

2. Children rank in the family.
There are Firstborn, Secondborn, Thirdborn, etc. Also, Legitimate born and Concubine born.

Legitimate Firstborn Son (Di Zhangzi): Let's rank it 1 for easier understanding.
This son held the most prestigious position in the family. He was expected to carry on the family name (including title) and inherit the family property.

If the father loves him so much or if the mother comes from a prestigious family, the firstborn usually will be named heir not long after he is born. This status is typically confirmed unless the child dies, is incompetent, or is ill.

And when his father dies, he automatically becomes the patriarch of the family (which means that all family members need to listen to his word).

Legitimate Secondborn, we rank it 2
He has no privileges the same as the firstborn. He can only inherit the title of heir if his brother is incompetent, convicted of a crime, or ill (like the case of Gu Ting Ye in The Story of Minglan, he inherits the Marquis title because of his brother's condition).

However, he also can achieve the title of Duke or Marquess or other title on his own merits and with the support of his brother.

Legitimate Thirdborn, etc
Basically, they have a lower status compared to first and second-borns.

Concubine's born son (Shu zi)
A son born by a concubine only has a chance to inherit the title if no legitimate sons are capable of inheriting it.

Bastard son (Shishengzi)
A child born out of wedlock has very low status and is usually excluded from the family tree, inheritance, and rights.

Firstborn daughter (Di zhang nu)
If she is biologically born by the legitimate wife and if the family/clan is powerful enough, she usually will be selected as empress or crown princess.
If not, then she could be the Wang Fei (princess consort) of some Prince.
Other than that, she normally married into a noble family as a WIFE (not concubine). Unless she's from a lower-ranking family (sometimes, in order to climb the ladder, the family will marry her into some noble family as their concubine).

However, if the mother is dead or the parents hate her, this is a different thing.

Legitimate second, third, fourth etc born daughter
They practically have the same rights or are slightly lower than firstborns in terms of authority and status.

Concubine born daughter
Like the son, her status is much lower compared to the legitimate daughter. And usually have no chance to marry into a royal or powerful/noble family as WIFE (Zheng qi). At most, she can be the concubine (Qie) of the emperor or some prince (not wang fei, aka princess consort, or che fei, aka side consort).

However, if her family is reputable and she has a good attitude, virtuous, etc, she might be able to marry as a WIFE to some noble family too (like Ming Lan in The Story of Ming Lan) or if specifically requested by the previous wife (like Luo Shi Yi Niang in The Sword and Brocade).
Again, it all depends on the circumstances.

But typically, they would become the wife of a lower-ranking official or scholar or a concubine in a noble family.

So, after learning about the structures, let's now compare Song Mo and Song Han.
Song Mo -> Firstborn of Duke Ying and Jiang family legitimate daughter. His rank is 1.
Song Han (previously) -> Secondborn of Duke Ying and Jiang family legitimate daughter. His rank is 2

If something happened to Song Mo, he would be second in line for the succession unless Song Mo has a son.

After the birth secret was revealed:
Song Han -> A bastard child of Duke Ying and Li Yao Niang, a former courtesan/entertainer and the daughter of a criminal. His rank -999

His biological mother holds an extremely low status in the social hierarchy, and being born out of wedlock even lowers his status. To learn more about pariah, courtesan, entertainer you can also check A Dream of Splendor.

As a result, he has no chance of inheriting the title or family property. He is also very unlikely to marry a daughter from a noble family. Even a concubine's daughter would refuse to be his wife.
His existence is basically just a laughing stock.
Even if he one day accumulated merits on his own, his "lowly" background would always hinder him.

But was his situation always this doom? Not entirely. If his father had been powerful enough, had merits, or was an upright person, he could have redeemed his mother and married her as a concubine (though he would still face criticism from all sides). But at least it's pretty doable. In that case, Song Han could be registered in the family tree as a concubine's son.
As far as he could go, he might also be recognized as a legitimate son under Mrs. Jiang (if he is able to negotiate with Mrs. Jiang).

So, if you think his hostility toward Song Mo or how he eventually became evil doesn’t make sense, just consider his status.
3. Why do people fight so hard over a mere title?
Take another look at the social structure. The more noble you are, the more respect you receive and the easier your life becomes. Basically, status and title are very important. The same goes for officials - the higher your rank, the more power you hold, and the more respect you earn from others.

4. In ancient times, marriages were arranged by the family (typically the father, mother, or family patriarch), unless the individual was granted the privilege to arrange their own marriage by the Emperor or Empress.

5. Filial piety is extremely important due to the influence of Confucian teachings, especially to parents.
So why does DZ have to stop SM from killing his father? Because committing patricide (Shi fu) is a grave sin, an unforgivable sin. There's no way this act could ever be justified, no matter what his father did. If his father committed crimes, the proper course of action would be to expose it and bring it to the Emperor, but never to kill him.

Once again, killing a parent violates the rules of filial piety and is basically a death sentence. Even if SM could escape execution, his life would be ruined. The same applies to killing a family member - while not as severe as killing a parent, it would violate the same rules and will be condemned by people.

6. Without the lawful approval of the emperor and the acknowledgment of the ministers, no noble family is allowed to raise their own army. If this were to become known to the public, it would be considered Qi Jun Zhi Zui or a crime of deceiving the emperor and attempting rebellion. Death sentence. Therefore, the existence of the Ding army could never be known by the public.

7. Why did SM have to kill the entire household to protect the baby?
Because the baby was the heir to Duke Ding, whose criminal acts were publicly known at the time. If news of SM keeping the baby were to leak, he would be accused of the same crime as Duke Ding, as well as the crime of deceiving the emperor. This would result in the same death sentence, not only for SM but also for all his followers. The Song family would likely face exile, if not execution.

8. Why does the emperor not want to marry the princess to SH, and why does the princess reject him in such a manner?
Again, because of his background. By requesting the marriage, SH is already slapping the royal family in the face. And the way the princess rejects him isn't just because she doesn't want to marry him but because she wants to humiliate him publicly in the most degrading way possible.

If this were the previous SH, the legitimate second son of Duke Ying, the emperor might have agreed to the marriage, or the princess wouldn't have rejected him in the same way.
In ancient times, the etiquette towards noble families, commoners, and those of lower rank were very different.

I hope this information helps you better enjoy the drama.

Note: Of course, this drama doesn't stick strictly to historical accuracy. For more accurate information about the Ming dynasty, it’s recommended to refer to reputable historical sources.

Dare I say I want a season 2 we can focus on the reign of the king, some side character like Lu Ming, Chen Dia. I know China doesn't do series well but I'm practically begging. The cast was so good the acting was so good did enjoy the script especially some well delivered lines like when Song Mo says f*ck filial piety and loyalty not in those words but he was damn close. Second season. We can add in more pirate too I don't mind.

Couple goals. I cried. Excellent drama. Love it when cdramas recognise that women can be good and intelligent at the same time. Also, I have a thing for noses, LYR's is freaking perfect.

this was great! such a good ending! though, I have a question. Did the empress really went away in the end, like physicaly or did she remove herself out of live? tbh. I thought from ep. 31 that I will be so disappointed in this drama but fortunately everything fell together beautifully. I am glad I did hold on to finish the last 4 episodes today.

Read carefully before you start watching:

- If you don’t like a strong FL, then don’t watch. The FL is capable and can stand alongside the ML. If a strong, independent FL who refuses to be bound by society’s rules triggers or threatens you, it’s best to skip this one.

- If you like Mary Sue characters, then don’t watch. The FL is capable but not flawless- she still has her moments of vulnerability and powerlessness.

- If you’re not into political intrigue, then don’t watch because the main plot revolves around it.

- If you like instant karma and want to see the FL and ML take out villains immediately or always want them to die, then don’t watch. In this drama, the FL and ML's main goal is to bring the villains to justice, expose their crimes, and make sure their wrongdoings are recorded in history. Whether they die or not in the end isn’t very important for them.

- If you prefer harmonious family dynamics, then don’t watch, as it could trigger past traumas for you.

- If you’re looking for an ideal, wise emperor, then don’t watch. The emperor in this drama is portrayed more realistically, just like actual historical Chinese emperors, none of them were perfect.

- If you’re only watching for lovey-dovey moments or hot kissing scenes, this drama might not be for you, as not every episode focuses on romance.

- If you’re a die-hard fan of the novel and can’t handle changes to the storyline, then don’t watch, as there are significant changes.

- If you hate the FL and ML or find them to look ugly, then don't watch.

It's not worth forcing yourself to watch something you're not into just to leave a low rating or trashy comments on this page.

But if none of the above apply to you, then you’ve found a great drama for 2024!
This is an A-grade project with an S+ result.