Big Spoilers but apprentlyEmotionally, she pursued bravely - disregarding the widow's voice and the world's material…
Han Derang WAS a real historical figure who lived during the lifetime of Xiao Chuo (Empress Dowager Chengtian) in the Liao Dynasty, and he was not merely a fictional character. While there is some debate as to whether he was romantically involved with Xiao Chuo and/or had a child with her, it is well accepted as a historical fact that he was a favoured official of hers and was close to her. You can see evidence of this in the quotes below:
"Han Chinese elites held a prominent position in the Liao state along with Khitan elites. One of them was a lineage with the surname Han (韓). The Khitan had abducted the Han clan from Jizhou and despite being Han Chinese, they were thoroughly Kitanized culturally and linguistically and served the Liao Khitan loyally in military and political positions along with several other Han Chinese elite families who were Kitanized. The loyalty of the Han Chinese population of the Liao to the Liao Khitan rulers frustrated the Song Chinese. Khitan women from the imperial consort clan were given to the men of the Chinese Han family for marriage.[36] One member of this lineage was Han Derang (韓德讓), who was close to the Khitan royal family and whose paternal ancestors served the Liao from the time of Abaoji's reign.[37] Han Derang was the Chinese minister who the Khitan Empress Dowager Chengtian had a love affair with, and Chengtian was rumoured to have a son with him.[38][39]" (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixteen_Prefectures)
"...The Liao officials Han Derang 韓德讓, Yelü Xiuge 耶律休哥 and Yelü Xiezhen 耶律斜軫, defenders of the southern capital of the Liao empire, Youdu 幽都 (modern Beijing), obtained an eminent position within the Liao empire as military affairs commissioners (shumishi 樞密使). Han Derang, who was later granted the name Yelü Longyun 耶律隆運, even acted as a regent for Empress Dowager Chengtian 承天太后 and the under-age emperor Yelü Longxu 耶律隆緒 (posthumous title Emperor Shengzong 遼聖宗, r. 982-1030)." (Source: http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Song/liao-event.html)
There is also mention of Han Derang in the entry for Liao Empress Xiao Chuo in the "Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women, Volume II: Tang Through Ming" by Lily Xiao Hong Lee & Sue Wiles on pages 481-482, an excerpt of which I quote here:
"Some say that [Xiao Chuo] had been betrothed to the Chinese official Han Derang (honoured in 1004 with the imperial name Yelü Longyun, 941 -1011) before being chosen to enter the palace. This was hardly possible, however, since Han Derang was the descendant of a slave....There is no doubt that he was a favorite of both the empress and her husband; when he died she ordered that he be buried beside the imperial tomb. Her relationship with Han Derang was close and professional and was founded on his political and military astuteness and her need for a supporter of his caliber for her regency. By 999 Han Derang had become commander-in-chief as well as northern and southern commissioner for military affairs (shumi shi)."
How did the overall score of this show plunge from 9.0 to 8.0 basically overnight?! It was rated around 9.0 for a few weeks and suddenly in about 1 night, it drops drastically to an 8.0??
There's also a great discrepancy between the overall score of this drama (currently 8.0) and the break-down of the score (Currently Watching score is 9.41 currently; Completed score is 9.14 currently). This does not make sense at all!
There must be a lot of dishonest users here at MDL working hard to bring down the score of this drama!! (Perhaps using multiple accounts or bots to achieve this). I've noticed this pattern and phenomena happening with other Chinese dramas on MDL recently. Especially when the drama has a low number of users who have scored the drama. A group of votes (about 10+ votes) is suddenly added to a drama's score over a short period of time (1-2 days) and the overall score of the drama then drops significantly. Seems to be the work of an anti-China group, if you ask me.
"Han Chinese elites held a prominent position in the Liao state along with Khitan elites. One of them was a lineage with the surname Han (韓). The Khitan had abducted the Han clan from Jizhou and despite being Han Chinese, they were thoroughly Kitanized culturally and linguistically and served the Liao Khitan loyally in military and political positions along with several other Han Chinese elite families who were Kitanized. The loyalty of the Han Chinese population of the Liao to the Liao Khitan rulers frustrated the Song Chinese. Khitan women from the imperial consort clan were given to the men of the Chinese Han family for marriage.[36] One member of this lineage was Han Derang (韓德讓), who was close to the Khitan royal family and whose paternal ancestors served the Liao from the time of Abaoji's reign.[37] Han Derang was the Chinese minister who the Khitan Empress Dowager Chengtian had a love affair with, and Chengtian was rumoured to have a son with him.[38][39]"
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixteen_Prefectures)
"...The Liao officials Han Derang 韓德讓, Yelü Xiuge 耶律休哥 and Yelü Xiezhen 耶律斜軫, defenders of the southern capital of the Liao empire, Youdu 幽都 (modern Beijing), obtained an eminent position within the Liao empire as military affairs commissioners (shumishi 樞密使). Han Derang, who was later granted the name Yelü Longyun 耶律隆運, even acted as a regent for Empress Dowager Chengtian 承天太后 and the under-age emperor Yelü Longxu 耶律隆緒 (posthumous title Emperor Shengzong 遼聖宗, r. 982-1030)."
(Source: http://www.chinaknowledge.de/History/Song/liao-event.html)
There is also mention of Han Derang in the entry for Liao Empress Xiao Chuo in the "Biographical Dictionary of Chinese Women, Volume II: Tang Through Ming" by Lily Xiao Hong Lee & Sue Wiles on pages 481-482, an excerpt of which I quote here:
"Some say that [Xiao Chuo] had been betrothed to the Chinese official Han Derang (honoured in 1004 with the imperial name Yelü Longyun, 941 -1011) before being chosen to enter the palace. This was hardly possible, however, since Han Derang was the descendant of a slave....There is no doubt that he was a favorite of both the empress and her husband; when he died she ordered that he be buried beside the imperial tomb. Her relationship with Han Derang was close and professional and was founded on his political and military astuteness and her need for a supporter of his caliber for her regency. By 999 Han Derang had become commander-in-chief as well as northern and southern commissioner for military affairs (shumi shi)."
There's also a great discrepancy between the overall score of this drama (currently 8.0) and the break-down of the score (Currently Watching score is 9.41 currently; Completed score is 9.14 currently). This does not make sense at all!
There must be a lot of dishonest users here at MDL working hard to bring down the score of this drama!! (Perhaps using multiple accounts or bots to achieve this). I've noticed this pattern and phenomena happening with other Chinese dramas on MDL recently. Especially when the drama has a low number of users who have scored the drama. A group of votes (about 10+ votes) is suddenly added to a drama's score over a short period of time (1-2 days) and the overall score of the drama then drops significantly. Seems to be the work of an anti-China group, if you ask me.
I wonder why they've only subbed Episodes 3-4 and not the rest :(