For The Romantics: A Story For The Century
I have watched and rewatched this drama multiple times, and it feels unfair that I haven't write something to express my appreciation for this masterpiece. I just loved this, so much, for many reasons. This is an essay, a whole page, if you will, but bear with me.
Palace politics are one thing. The governmental affairs were there, but are seemingly almost insignificant in this drama, compared to how fiery the dealings of the inner palace is. The intrigues and the schemes of the concubines, palace servants and attendings, all of them served the fast-paced conflict that are somehow satisfyingly always get resolved in time, yet only to lead to another conflict, resolved, get to another, and so on, like a meal constantly served on a conveyor-belt, the itty bitty delicious piece, and you will always reaching for more.
Wei Yingluo, our protagonist, stood in the middle of this story. She carried the grief of her sister's death in her heart, and entered the palace to search for the truth. Throughout this story, she remained steadfast on her path, not once steering away or forgetting what she's in there for. I loved how we got to see her journey, from the very first time she entered the palace to her climbing the ranks, and what a fulfilling journey it was.
In this drama, what I most loved, was the delicate, yet astoundingly clear and vibrant the romance is between our leads.
Emperor Qianlong from the start was shown as an emperor with a lot of concubines, and the Empress as a rightful wife. The concubines selection was literally showed from the very first episode, the same time Wei Yingluo entered the palace.
Although he had a lot of concubines, the Emperor, deep down, only wanted a true connection, someone he can share his life with, someone he can share his thoughts and feelings with, someone to simply sits and just be, and keeps him company in the palace. Yet what he always got were concubines who always something from him, wanting him to do something, to say something, to give them something. So every time, he returned to his Empress' palace, the only palace he was shown kindness and peace and love. However as an Empress', she was bound by rules and obligations, and thus, her love was respectful, and somewhat prim, and proper. She could not sit down with him for a meal, she could not joke and dance with him for a fun time, she could not freely laugh or do something with him without fearing of overstepping her boundaries as an Empress. So no matter how the Emperor seek for those connection, he could only be satisfied with sitting alone with meals, his Empress standing near, he can't hold her hands in public, can't show too much affection to her because as an Empress she must share the Emperor's favor with the concubines, and so on and so forth.
But when the Emperor met Wei Yingluo, from the very first time they met, a connection was felt. Not love, not yet, but a true connection nonetheless. Because for the first time, there was someone who dared to talk back to an Emperor, to tell a bold lie so absurdly to the face of an Emperor, yet he didn't realize he was fooled, that he had played into by her hands until after a moment later. The first time someone played game with him, and teased him, and first time he felt an annoying feeling with someone that made him feel intrigued and curious, to the point of him searching an entire palace just to find a voice he heard once, that he couldn't forget until later. The connection then started to grow, when Wei Yingluo moved to the Empress' palace as her maid, and met the Emperor more often. She was pretty, bold, smart and intelligent, full of ideas, kind and loving, yet sharp and tactful, and the more the Emperor saw her, saw her caring for the Empress, the more curious and interested he became, and seeing her more eventually changed the annoying feeling of being fooled with, to an annoying feeling of meeting someone who wanted absolutely nothing to do with him, the Emperor. The only thing Wei Yingluo wanted from the Emperor then was to care for the Empress, and aside from that, there was nothing else. Other people were vying for his attention and favor but this one lady treated him like he was someone out of the equation.
I loved this part. As an Emperor, this was where his feelings, his pride, was poked and prodded, and he was being annoyed on his own, by his own thoughts and feelings, and the responsible lady was always out of his reach, seemingly not shaken at all, standing still and straight as she always was, and he was constantly fueled by anger for her because of that. The Empress, thought Wei Yingluo was too sharp and prickly, and so she always shielded her and asked for forgiveness on her behalf. But separating hate and love are a tricky thing, and when both Emperor and Empress realized it, it was like a tilt in the axis, for the both of them, like a mountain fog finally clearing to the end of a cliff, overseeing a green and lush meadow. The Empress knew Wei Yingluo had a free spirit, a pure heart and wanted her away from the inner palace to be with someone she could love freely. But fate had its own way of messing with people, even after sending her away. The Emperor also still had her in the tiny voice in his head, in a place in his heart he kept hidden, still wanted her to come to him, to ask for him. For help, for a favor, anything. Yet even after pushed to the brink, her heart broken, her body broken, her mind messed with, Wei Yingluo remained steadfast, fighting against the obstacles by herself and upheld justice for herself, while remained kind and loving to the people she cherished.
When Wei Yingluo finally entered the ranks, it was when the connection slowly started to grow again. Wei Yingluo was a mastermind, a cunning schemer and a ruthless hunter with a prey in mind. She laid out a chess match and moved the pieces slowly bit by bit, and in the middle of her game, was the Emperor as her king. She had learned that for achieving her truth, she needed to find someone powerful enough to be her protector, and that was the Emperor. With Wei Yingluo, it was an entirely different world for the Emperor. There was this lady who once annoyed him to no end and didn't actually paid him any mind, now spent a lot of time with him, teased and played with him, entertained him, sat with him with meals and picked food for him, hugged him when she's happy, pushed him away when she's upset, laughed and made ridiculous and bold jokes with him, made him yearn and made him feel a lot of things, the kind of connection he couldn't find in anybody else. As a concubine, Wei Yingluo was playful and funny in all the right places, and with the right people. She earned favor like it was breathing, proceeded to lose it, got it back, lose it again, and got it back again. It's like the palace was her playground and the Emperor was always playing with her, and doting on her. Throughout the story, the couple grew closer as they overcame obstacles and eventually be with each other.
I loved how different the dynamics between the couples.
Wei Yingluo with Fuca Fuheng had the kind of pure love, the kittenish like-first love type where their youth shined. He knew her desire for revenge and her suspicion of him, and yet despite of that, he loved her still, and treated her with kindness. Fuca Fuheng is an idealistic man, loyal at fault and naturally warm, like his sister. His love for Yingluo was like a cup of tea, like a warm hearth that felt comfortable. Until the end, he remained the same and always protected her in his own way.
Wei Yingluo with the Emperor were like two individual predators initially circling around each other, one cold, one fiery, sharp paws against each other. The Emperor knew her cunning and ruthless ways, knew her kind heart and accepted both sides of her. Eventhough he was an Emperor, but it was like Wei Yingluo stood on equal ground with him, and she wielded his love for her like a sword to protect herself. I love that for her.
This drama was an enjoyable watch that kept me on my seat and craving for more, not wanting it to end. Everything was done perfectly, story, props, colors and lights, cinematography and framing, all of them are very pleasing to my eyes. Everytime I rewatched it the sparks were still the same, and despite all the conflicts, I would say this is a light watch, like a soap-opera, if you will. I think I would still come back to rewatch it again in the future.
Palace politics are one thing. The governmental affairs were there, but are seemingly almost insignificant in this drama, compared to how fiery the dealings of the inner palace is. The intrigues and the schemes of the concubines, palace servants and attendings, all of them served the fast-paced conflict that are somehow satisfyingly always get resolved in time, yet only to lead to another conflict, resolved, get to another, and so on, like a meal constantly served on a conveyor-belt, the itty bitty delicious piece, and you will always reaching for more.
Wei Yingluo, our protagonist, stood in the middle of this story. She carried the grief of her sister's death in her heart, and entered the palace to search for the truth. Throughout this story, she remained steadfast on her path, not once steering away or forgetting what she's in there for. I loved how we got to see her journey, from the very first time she entered the palace to her climbing the ranks, and what a fulfilling journey it was.
In this drama, what I most loved, was the delicate, yet astoundingly clear and vibrant the romance is between our leads.
Emperor Qianlong from the start was shown as an emperor with a lot of concubines, and the Empress as a rightful wife. The concubines selection was literally showed from the very first episode, the same time Wei Yingluo entered the palace.
Although he had a lot of concubines, the Emperor, deep down, only wanted a true connection, someone he can share his life with, someone he can share his thoughts and feelings with, someone to simply sits and just be, and keeps him company in the palace. Yet what he always got were concubines who always something from him, wanting him to do something, to say something, to give them something. So every time, he returned to his Empress' palace, the only palace he was shown kindness and peace and love. However as an Empress', she was bound by rules and obligations, and thus, her love was respectful, and somewhat prim, and proper. She could not sit down with him for a meal, she could not joke and dance with him for a fun time, she could not freely laugh or do something with him without fearing of overstepping her boundaries as an Empress. So no matter how the Emperor seek for those connection, he could only be satisfied with sitting alone with meals, his Empress standing near, he can't hold her hands in public, can't show too much affection to her because as an Empress she must share the Emperor's favor with the concubines, and so on and so forth.
But when the Emperor met Wei Yingluo, from the very first time they met, a connection was felt. Not love, not yet, but a true connection nonetheless. Because for the first time, there was someone who dared to talk back to an Emperor, to tell a bold lie so absurdly to the face of an Emperor, yet he didn't realize he was fooled, that he had played into by her hands until after a moment later. The first time someone played game with him, and teased him, and first time he felt an annoying feeling with someone that made him feel intrigued and curious, to the point of him searching an entire palace just to find a voice he heard once, that he couldn't forget until later. The connection then started to grow, when Wei Yingluo moved to the Empress' palace as her maid, and met the Emperor more often. She was pretty, bold, smart and intelligent, full of ideas, kind and loving, yet sharp and tactful, and the more the Emperor saw her, saw her caring for the Empress, the more curious and interested he became, and seeing her more eventually changed the annoying feeling of being fooled with, to an annoying feeling of meeting someone who wanted absolutely nothing to do with him, the Emperor. The only thing Wei Yingluo wanted from the Emperor then was to care for the Empress, and aside from that, there was nothing else. Other people were vying for his attention and favor but this one lady treated him like he was someone out of the equation.
I loved this part. As an Emperor, this was where his feelings, his pride, was poked and prodded, and he was being annoyed on his own, by his own thoughts and feelings, and the responsible lady was always out of his reach, seemingly not shaken at all, standing still and straight as she always was, and he was constantly fueled by anger for her because of that. The Empress, thought Wei Yingluo was too sharp and prickly, and so she always shielded her and asked for forgiveness on her behalf. But separating hate and love are a tricky thing, and when both Emperor and Empress realized it, it was like a tilt in the axis, for the both of them, like a mountain fog finally clearing to the end of a cliff, overseeing a green and lush meadow. The Empress knew Wei Yingluo had a free spirit, a pure heart and wanted her away from the inner palace to be with someone she could love freely. But fate had its own way of messing with people, even after sending her away. The Emperor also still had her in the tiny voice in his head, in a place in his heart he kept hidden, still wanted her to come to him, to ask for him. For help, for a favor, anything. Yet even after pushed to the brink, her heart broken, her body broken, her mind messed with, Wei Yingluo remained steadfast, fighting against the obstacles by herself and upheld justice for herself, while remained kind and loving to the people she cherished.
When Wei Yingluo finally entered the ranks, it was when the connection slowly started to grow again. Wei Yingluo was a mastermind, a cunning schemer and a ruthless hunter with a prey in mind. She laid out a chess match and moved the pieces slowly bit by bit, and in the middle of her game, was the Emperor as her king. She had learned that for achieving her truth, she needed to find someone powerful enough to be her protector, and that was the Emperor. With Wei Yingluo, it was an entirely different world for the Emperor. There was this lady who once annoyed him to no end and didn't actually paid him any mind, now spent a lot of time with him, teased and played with him, entertained him, sat with him with meals and picked food for him, hugged him when she's happy, pushed him away when she's upset, laughed and made ridiculous and bold jokes with him, made him yearn and made him feel a lot of things, the kind of connection he couldn't find in anybody else. As a concubine, Wei Yingluo was playful and funny in all the right places, and with the right people. She earned favor like it was breathing, proceeded to lose it, got it back, lose it again, and got it back again. It's like the palace was her playground and the Emperor was always playing with her, and doting on her. Throughout the story, the couple grew closer as they overcame obstacles and eventually be with each other.
I loved how different the dynamics between the couples.
Wei Yingluo with Fuca Fuheng had the kind of pure love, the kittenish like-first love type where their youth shined. He knew her desire for revenge and her suspicion of him, and yet despite of that, he loved her still, and treated her with kindness. Fuca Fuheng is an idealistic man, loyal at fault and naturally warm, like his sister. His love for Yingluo was like a cup of tea, like a warm hearth that felt comfortable. Until the end, he remained the same and always protected her in his own way.
Wei Yingluo with the Emperor were like two individual predators initially circling around each other, one cold, one fiery, sharp paws against each other. The Emperor knew her cunning and ruthless ways, knew her kind heart and accepted both sides of her. Eventhough he was an Emperor, but it was like Wei Yingluo stood on equal ground with him, and she wielded his love for her like a sword to protect herself. I love that for her.
This drama was an enjoyable watch that kept me on my seat and craving for more, not wanting it to end. Everything was done perfectly, story, props, colors and lights, cinematography and framing, all of them are very pleasing to my eyes. Everytime I rewatched it the sparks were still the same, and despite all the conflicts, I would say this is a light watch, like a soap-opera, if you will. I think I would still come back to rewatch it again in the future.
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