You could add "Blossom" (China 2024) where the ML has magnificent long white/silver hair in certain points…
Thanks for the comment! I don't normally add dramas I haven't watched to my lists, but that one is currently high on my PTW list so it may end up in this list in the near future 😊
Yes, that's how main character perspective works and is kind of the point of this drama. We don't even have to…
Another difference (on top of XHD’s son just being a fictional character while XHD was a real person) is that if XHD had done anything that would give any indication that he cared about his son, then the Empress Dowager would’ve used that against XHD for sure. Like as soon as XHD showed that he cared about Yu Wanyin (the only other real person in that world), the Empress Dowager almost immediately used that against XHD and threatened her in order to force XHD to agree to visit the mausoleum site. And to prevent it from happening again XHD had to go so far as forcing the Empress Dowager to consume poison that paralyzed and eventually killed her. Which was not something he was in a position to be able to do earlier, and was still a very risky move when he had to resort to it.
And the only time XHD did anything other than ignore his son (which was better for his son’s safety than paying attention to him) was when his son was manipulated by the Empress Dowager into triggering XHD’s poison and XHD was then acting out of his own control due to the effects of the poison.
When you start watching a drama and male lead has a son.....
TL;DR - The ML's son exists because the ML was drugged and raped for the specific purpose of creating a legitimate heir to be a back-up puppet for the Empress Dowager and since the ML otherwise did not touch his consorts or concubines (and tried to spend as little time with them as possible), and since I would not consider being raped by a 2D character to be romantic experience (that's a horrifying thought), he's about as inexperienced in romance as a ML in his 30s can be. He's the opposite of a "player".
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The reason why the ML has a son in this particular drama is unique and horrifying and part of the ML's tragic backstory.
Contrary to what he told the FL, the ML was pulled into the historical story world when he was only 14 or 15 and he was trapped there 16+ years before the FL arrived. In that world he was not only alone (no one there truly loved or cared for him) but constantly tormented and controlled by the Empress Dowager.
And when the ML later became Emperor and was forced by the Empress Dowager to marry consorts and concubines, he had zero interest in sleeping with them (they were all just empty fictional characters who were controlled by the Empress Dowager and designed to hurt, control, or fear him to fit the narrative of the story) so the Empress Dowager arranged for the ML to be drugged and raped in order to produce a legitimate heir that the Empress Dowager could control and use as a back up in case the ML ever stopped acting according to her wishes. After he was raped, the ML was presumably even less interested in spending time with his consorts and concubines than before.
Then, a few years before the FL transmigrated into the story, the Emperor of the neighbouring country and the Empress Dowager each played a role in having a holy maiden of that nation (who was originally sent on the pretence of only dancing for the ML) become one of the ML's concubines so that she could get close to the ML in his bedchamber and attempt to assassinate him (she was doomed to fail and to be executed for this crime, and to have her actions and execution serve as the justification for war between the two countries by design). After this assassination attempt by one of his concubines in his bedchamber, the ML would have yet another reason to not want to spend any time with any of his concubines or consorts.
So (as Eunuch An mentioned in episode 1), when a concubine or consort visits the ML to "serve" him, the ML normally finds an excuse to berate them and sends them away almost immediately. However, because he still wanted to find another transmigrator (and he expected that the transmigrator he was looking for would be, or would become, a consort), the ML instructed his attendants to give him a heads up if any of his concubines or consorts acted strangely or dressed unusually.
By the time the FL transmigrated into the historical story, the ML seemed like he had pretty much given up on looking for another transmigrator, but (as was revealed in the post-credit scene in the last episode) Eunuch An remembered the ML's previous instructions and (shortly before the ML met with the FL for the first time) Eunuch An gave the ML a heads up that Yu Wanyin had been dressing and acting strangely that day.
This explains why the ML used a modern phrase (which the FL quickly picked up on) when he first met the FL even though he had been living in the historical story world for 16+ years by that point, and also why he didn't send the FL away immediately like he normally would when one of his consorts or concubines came to "serve" him. Because of Eunuch An's heads-up, the ML was hoping that Yu Wanyin might turn out to be the transmigrator that he had been searching for.
After finishing this drama, it felt (to me) like it was specifically designed to make the viewer miserable. It starts out sweet and then there’s episode after episode of misery. But it makes you hope that maybe there will be something to enjoy again soon (and at least it’s only 6 episodes anyway) so you don’t drop it and end up letting the drama continue with the slog of misery until it ends.
I started watching this thinking the Canada shoot arc would be my favourite part (beautiful mountain and lake backdrops ❤️!), but I ended up liking the Italy shoot arc way more. Such an interesting and compelling dynamic! The scenes I keep rewatching are all from that arc.
i’m on ep 3, and is the ML already falling for FL? what fo yall think?
These thoughts contain major spoilers for things that happen after episode 3.
Contrary to what the ML told the FL (i.e., that he transmigrated into the story two hours before meeting the FL), the ML transmigrated into the story when he was 14 or 15 years old, and then he had to live inside the story (surrounded only by fictional characters whose character set-up involved hurting him, using him, or fearing him) for 16+ years. He desperately searched for another person who transmigrated into the story from the real world, like he did, but all his efforts (e.g., the SOS flowers) were in vain.
Until finally the FL arrived and intentionally revealed herself to the ML the very first time they met. Her brave decision to risk revealing her status as a transmigrator to the ML so quickly meant that the ML was able to confirm, at the earliest possible moment, that he wasn't crazy and he hadn't been imagining his past in the real world (including his family there) for the last 16+ years. And she arrived with knowledge about the story (which she willingly and freely shared with him), a positive attitude and kindness / innocence that had not yet been tarnished by the harsh dynamic of the historical story, and a willingness to team-up with the ML. She could bond with the ML over their shared memories of the real world and shared experience of transmigrating into the historical story (a very bizarre experience that could not really be understood by someone who did not experience it) and she was REAL.
IMO, those are the things that caused the ML to have such an intense immediate reaction to the FL in episode 1 and to want to spend time with her and protect her (in the way that he wished his younger self had been protected when he arrived in the historical story world).
Then, as he got to know her better, he quickly developed deeper feelings for her based on how wonderful she is as a person to him and in general. Which I think is totally understandable. She's pretty great.
For example: -Apart from trying to survive in the historical story world, the FL's main goal was to use her power and influence in that kingdom to make it a better place for the citizens of that kingdom to live. She didn't want to run away to ensure her own safety and she didn't want to selfishly build up wealth and power for her own enjoyment and benefit. She wanted to stay by the ML's side as his ally and she wanted to use their positions for the good of other people. -When the ML and FL put on an act together in the first few episodes to try and find other transmigrators, among other things, that was the first time in 16+ years that the ML had the opportunity to be in cahoots with another person in a fun, playful way instead of feeling alone or scheming with 2D characters about very serious, life-or-death matters. -The FL helped the ML find several characters with good / kind character set-ups who were not only good allies for the ML but also characters who could become trusted friends to the ML (to the extent possible, given that they were still 2D characters).
And then, IMO, the fact that the FL immediately wanted to answer the SOS call when she thought that the SOS flowers were a message from another transmigrator just made the ML love her more, because that was the kind of selfless, kind, and compassionate response and person he had been longing for for so many years. How different his nightmare life in the historical world would have been if someone like her had answered his SOS flower message back when he originally planted them.
Some of this is revealed when / shortly after the FL finds out the truth about when the ML transmigrated into the story and about some other secrets that the ML was keeping (e.g., about his health and the plans that he was going to implement but ended up pausing when the FL arrived) pretty late in the drama. But some of it is revealed in the Zhang San Diary scenes that are shown at the end of several episodes. Make sure to watch those, including the one that comes up after the credits at the end of the very last episode!
If prince duan is this evil then how can he be the male lead in the novel i couldn't bring myself to understand…
Again, the answer is a bit nuanced, because there are three versions of the historical story.
The first version involved no transmigrators. Since that is the version that the protagonist of the transmigration novel (the SFL) read in the historical story before she transmigrated into the historical story and she believed that Xiahou Dan was a villain, I think we can safely assume that Xiahou Dan was a tyrant Emperor in that version.
The second version involved only one transmigrator: the protagonist of the transmigration novel (the SFL) who took over the character of Xie Yong Er. In that version of events, we known that Xiahou Dan was a tyrant Emperor and Yu Wanyin was also a villainous character. That version of events was the one that the FL read in the transmigration novel before she transmigrated from the real world into the historical story.
The third version involved three transmigrators: the protagonist of the transmigration novel who took over the character of Xie Yong Er (the SFL), the FL who took over the character of Yu Wanyin, and the ML who took over the character of Xiahou Dan. In this version, the ML transmigrated into the historical story 16+ years before the FL transmigrated into the story. When he arrived in the story and took over the character of Xiahou Dan, he and Xiahou Dan were both just children and Xiahou Dan was just a prince who had not yet become Emperor. So, in that version of events, Xiahou Dan was not a tyrant Emperor before the ML transmigrated into the historical story and took over that character because he hadn't even had the chance to become the Emperor yet.
If prince duan is this evil then how can he be the male lead in the novel i couldn't bring myself to understand…
I feel like the answer is that Prince Duan isn't "evil" precisely. That would be too black-and-white.
In Prince Duan's mind, he is the victim of great wrongs committed against him by the Dowager Empress and Xiahou Dan, and he would be fully justified in seeking revenge against both of them and taking power away from them for himself. Because of the circumstances of his birth, he feels like the victim and the underdog. While the Dowager Empress causes the country great harm in order to hold on to power (e.g., keeping the country perpetually at war so that the army that is loyal to Prince Duan is kept busy away from the capital) and Xiahou Dan has been kept under the Dowager Empress' thumb except when his agonizing headaches make him a ruthless and unpredictable tyrant, Prince Duan believes he would be a wise and just ruler.
In the transmigration novel, Xie Yong Er helps Prince Duan win over the bright scholars of their age to help him gain support by passing reforms that help the people and their execution of Yu Wanyin (who was seen as a villain) was seen as a good thing. The assassination of Xiahou Dan (who was also seen as a villain) would also have been seen as a good thing.
Remember, the ML and FL did not transmigrate into the version of the historical world that is depicted in the transmigration novel, so Xiahou Dan and Yu Wanyin were different people in that version of events.
In the context of that story, Prince Duan surviving and taking power with Xie Yong Er at his side was a good / happy ending.
is just the main lead transmigrate? or are there others?
The ML and FL transmigrated into the fictional historical story world from the real world (where Beijing is the capital of China). They are the only real people in the historical story world.
The SFL transmigrated into the fictional historical story world from a fictional version of the real world (where Beijing does not exist and "City A" is the capital of the fictional country where the SFL lived) that only existed inside the transmigration novel "Transmigrated: The Devil's Beloved Consort". The SFL is a fictional / 2D character and she was the protagonist of the transmigration novel.
When does the romance start between the leads, when do they end up together?
The ML and FL both transmigrate into a historical story where the ML takes over the character of the Emperor and the FL takes over the character of one of his concubines (quickly promoted to consort) and they start putting on a show of being a couple from episode 1. The ML also has his reasons (which are revealed throughout the story) for caring about the FL and her wellbeing to a certain degree from episode 1.
It's hard to say exactly when the romance "starts" underneath their show of being a couple. IMO, the ML falls for the FL very quickly, but he is inexperienced and also has several reasons to hold himself back for the FL's sake. The FL doesn't realize the ML's feelings at first (she thinks the ML's actions are either for show to help with their couple act or the actions of a supportive teammate, and in the very beginning that's mostly what they were) and even after she seems to have a decent awareness of his feelings (e.g., her prompting in episode 14) she often tries to focus on surviving in the historical world / achieving their mutual objectives first before allowing herself to focus on her developing feelings for the ML.
The leads choose to share a bed for the night (fully clothed, not touching) in episode 10, and that isn't for show.
There's an almost kiss in episode 18 and a completed kiss in episode 20. Their mutual feelings are undeniable after that. They consummate their relationship in episode 24.
Spoilers for the ending ahead.
Although the leads have basically been married since episode 1, they never had a wedding ceremony. The FL's character was just granted the title of concubine by the Dowager Empress before the FL even transmigrated into the story. In the last episode, the ML makes the FL his Empress and, after her investiture ceremony / coronation, the ML does a modern-style proposal with a ring. It's implied that they had a wedding ceremony and a full life together in the historical story world before they returned to the real world. The ML is waiting for her when the FL returns to the real world so they reunite there immediately and with their memories of their time together in the historical story world intact.
By that point (the day the FL transmigrated into the historical story world) the ML had been inside the historical…
You're welcome!
Short Answer: He was waiting for the protagonist of the transmigration novel, not the FL.
Long answer below.
For this answer, I think some of these details are pretty clearly objectively true, but some of them are open to interpretation... so take this as my interpretation. Also, I have not read the novel that this drama is based on, but some of these details are informed by comments from other viewers who have read the novel.
I believe Xiahou Dan meant that he had spent 16 years searching / waiting for the consort that was the protagonist of the novel "Transmigrated: The Devil's Beloved Consort", because he knew nothing about the world he transmigrated into except for the title of the transmigration novel and he thought that the titular "consort" would be a transmigrator from the real world like him. But that transmigrator (the SFL who took over the character of Xie Yong Er) that he had been waiting for turned out to be a fictional character like all the other fictional characters around him.
The FL, on the other hand, was not the titular protagonist of the transmigration novel that he had waited for, but she did end up becoming a consort (thanks to Xiahou Dan promoting her from "concubine" to "consort") and (more importantly) she was a transmigrator from the real world like him. She was the person he actually needed to meet and who showed up at the right time.
Not only was she real (i.e., someone with true free will who could fully understand him, and not a character who had to act according to a character set-up created to suit the narrative of the story world), but she arrived as a kind and innocent person with no blood on her hands (like the child version of Zhang San who arrived in the historical world 16 years prior, before he was twisted into the role of a monstrous tyrant) who was immediately willing to reveal herself as a transmigrator to him and to share information with him. And when she suspected that there might be another transmigrator calling for help (e.g., after seeing the SOS flowers), she immediately wanted to answer that call. And she didn't arrive as a child. Although she was kind and innocent, she was still also mature and experienced enough to take things in stride and to have a can-do attitude towards dealing with the transmigration experience. It was exactly the combo that Xiahou Dan needed.
So, right before Xiahou Dan was about to embark on his suicide plan to take down the Empress Dowager and Xiahou Bo (Prince Duan) at the same time, along with himself (since the odds were that he would also die), the FL arrived and gave him assurance that he wasn't crazy (he really did come from another world where he had family who loved him) and made him feel that he wanted to give this person the protection that he did not receive when he arrived in that world when he was a kid. He felt that he had already been ruined by the story world (turned into an irredeemable monster who was dying anyway), but protecting her was like protecting his inner child self. And pretending to be normal with her (a real person) made him feel more normal and free than he had ever felt in the previous 16 years. And then, when he gave her the chance to escape the palace (something he had longed for, especially after he first arrived in the historical story world), she chose to stay with him in the palace, to be his teammate, and to try and make that dark world a better place. Her arrival was like the sun finally coming out after 16 years of darkness.
So he paused his kamikaze plan just before launching it (just in time) and chose to help her achieve her goals instead.
Edited to add: The timing of the FL's arrival in the story was also important in another way, because if only the SFL had arrived at that time, she would have helped Prince Duan and would not have helped the ML. Even worse, if the ML figured out that she (the transmigrator he had been waiting for) was actually a fictional character from a fictional modern world, that likely would have led him to despair - the complete opposite of what he got when the FL arrived and gave him assurance that his memories of the modern world and his family there were real and that they (transmigrators from the real world) did indeed have free will and the ability to change things within in the historical story world according to their own wishes, and not just in ways that were designed by the author to fit their character set-up.
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And the only time XHD did anything other than ignore his son (which was better for his son’s safety than paying attention to him) was when his son was manipulated by the Empress Dowager into triggering XHD’s poison and XHD was then acting out of his own control due to the effects of the poison.
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The reason why the ML has a son in this particular drama is unique and horrifying and part of the ML's tragic backstory.
Contrary to what he told the FL, the ML was pulled into the historical story world when he was only 14 or 15 and he was trapped there 16+ years before the FL arrived. In that world he was not only alone (no one there truly loved or cared for him) but constantly tormented and controlled by the Empress Dowager.
And when the ML later became Emperor and was forced by the Empress Dowager to marry consorts and concubines, he had zero interest in sleeping with them (they were all just empty fictional characters who were controlled by the Empress Dowager and designed to hurt, control, or fear him to fit the narrative of the story) so the Empress Dowager arranged for the ML to be drugged and raped in order to produce a legitimate heir that the Empress Dowager could control and use as a back up in case the ML ever stopped acting according to her wishes. After he was raped, the ML was presumably even less interested in spending time with his consorts and concubines than before.
Then, a few years before the FL transmigrated into the story, the Emperor of the neighbouring country and the Empress Dowager each played a role in having a holy maiden of that nation (who was originally sent on the pretence of only dancing for the ML) become one of the ML's concubines so that she could get close to the ML in his bedchamber and attempt to assassinate him (she was doomed to fail and to be executed for this crime, and to have her actions and execution serve as the justification for war between the two countries by design). After this assassination attempt by one of his concubines in his bedchamber, the ML would have yet another reason to not want to spend any time with any of his concubines or consorts.
So (as Eunuch An mentioned in episode 1), when a concubine or consort visits the ML to "serve" him, the ML normally finds an excuse to berate them and sends them away almost immediately. However, because he still wanted to find another transmigrator (and he expected that the transmigrator he was looking for would be, or would become, a consort), the ML instructed his attendants to give him a heads up if any of his concubines or consorts acted strangely or dressed unusually.
By the time the FL transmigrated into the historical story, the ML seemed like he had pretty much given up on looking for another transmigrator, but (as was revealed in the post-credit scene in the last episode) Eunuch An remembered the ML's previous instructions and (shortly before the ML met with the FL for the first time) Eunuch An gave the ML a heads up that Yu Wanyin had been dressing and acting strangely that day.
This explains why the ML used a modern phrase (which the FL quickly picked up on) when he first met the FL even though he had been living in the historical story world for 16+ years by that point, and also why he didn't send the FL away immediately like he normally would when one of his consorts or concubines came to "serve" him. Because of Eunuch An's heads-up, the ML was hoping that Yu Wanyin might turn out to be the transmigrator that he had been searching for.
Contrary to what the ML told the FL (i.e., that he transmigrated into the story two hours before meeting the FL), the ML transmigrated into the story when he was 14 or 15 years old, and then he had to live inside the story (surrounded only by fictional characters whose character set-up involved hurting him, using him, or fearing him) for 16+ years. He desperately searched for another person who transmigrated into the story from the real world, like he did, but all his efforts (e.g., the SOS flowers) were in vain.
Until finally the FL arrived and intentionally revealed herself to the ML the very first time they met. Her brave decision to risk revealing her status as a transmigrator to the ML so quickly meant that the ML was able to confirm, at the earliest possible moment, that he wasn't crazy and he hadn't been imagining his past in the real world (including his family there) for the last 16+ years. And she arrived with knowledge about the story (which she willingly and freely shared with him), a positive attitude and kindness / innocence that had not yet been tarnished by the harsh dynamic of the historical story, and a willingness to team-up with the ML. She could bond with the ML over their shared memories of the real world and shared experience of transmigrating into the historical story (a very bizarre experience that could not really be understood by someone who did not experience it) and she was REAL.
IMO, those are the things that caused the ML to have such an intense immediate reaction to the FL in episode 1 and to want to spend time with her and protect her (in the way that he wished his younger self had been protected when he arrived in the historical story world).
Then, as he got to know her better, he quickly developed deeper feelings for her based on how wonderful she is as a person to him and in general. Which I think is totally understandable. She's pretty great.
For example:
-Apart from trying to survive in the historical story world, the FL's main goal was to use her power and influence in that kingdom to make it a better place for the citizens of that kingdom to live. She didn't want to run away to ensure her own safety and she didn't want to selfishly build up wealth and power for her own enjoyment and benefit. She wanted to stay by the ML's side as his ally and she wanted to use their positions for the good of other people.
-When the ML and FL put on an act together in the first few episodes to try and find other transmigrators, among other things, that was the first time in 16+ years that the ML had the opportunity to be in cahoots with another person in a fun, playful way instead of feeling alone or scheming with 2D characters about very serious, life-or-death matters.
-The FL helped the ML find several characters with good / kind character set-ups who were not only good allies for the ML but also characters who could become trusted friends to the ML (to the extent possible, given that they were still 2D characters).
And then, IMO, the fact that the FL immediately wanted to answer the SOS call when she thought that the SOS flowers were a message from another transmigrator just made the ML love her more, because that was the kind of selfless, kind, and compassionate response and person he had been longing for for so many years. How different his nightmare life in the historical world would have been if someone like her had answered his SOS flower message back when he originally planted them.
Some of this is revealed when / shortly after the FL finds out the truth about when the ML transmigrated into the story and about some other secrets that the ML was keeping (e.g., about his health and the plans that he was going to implement but ended up pausing when the FL arrived) pretty late in the drama. But some of it is revealed in the Zhang San Diary scenes that are shown at the end of several episodes. Make sure to watch those, including the one that comes up after the credits at the end of the very last episode!
The first version involved no transmigrators. Since that is the version that the protagonist of the transmigration novel (the SFL) read in the historical story before she transmigrated into the historical story and she believed that Xiahou Dan was a villain, I think we can safely assume that Xiahou Dan was a tyrant Emperor in that version.
The second version involved only one transmigrator: the protagonist of the transmigration novel (the SFL) who took over the character of Xie Yong Er. In that version of events, we known that Xiahou Dan was a tyrant Emperor and Yu Wanyin was also a villainous character. That version of events was the one that the FL read in the transmigration novel before she transmigrated from the real world into the historical story.
The third version involved three transmigrators: the protagonist of the transmigration novel who took over the character of Xie Yong Er (the SFL), the FL who took over the character of Yu Wanyin, and the ML who took over the character of Xiahou Dan. In this version, the ML transmigrated into the historical story 16+ years before the FL transmigrated into the story. When he arrived in the story and took over the character of Xiahou Dan, he and Xiahou Dan were both just children and Xiahou Dan was just a prince who had not yet become Emperor. So, in that version of events, Xiahou Dan was not a tyrant Emperor before the ML transmigrated into the historical story and took over that character because he hadn't even had the chance to become the Emperor yet.
In Prince Duan's mind, he is the victim of great wrongs committed against him by the Dowager Empress and Xiahou Dan, and he would be fully justified in seeking revenge against both of them and taking power away from them for himself. Because of the circumstances of his birth, he feels like the victim and the underdog. While the Dowager Empress causes the country great harm in order to hold on to power (e.g., keeping the country perpetually at war so that the army that is loyal to Prince Duan is kept busy away from the capital) and Xiahou Dan has been kept under the Dowager Empress' thumb except when his agonizing headaches make him a ruthless and unpredictable tyrant, Prince Duan believes he would be a wise and just ruler.
In the transmigration novel, Xie Yong Er helps Prince Duan win over the bright scholars of their age to help him gain support by passing reforms that help the people and their execution of Yu Wanyin (who was seen as a villain) was seen as a good thing. The assassination of Xiahou Dan (who was also seen as a villain) would also have been seen as a good thing.
Remember, the ML and FL did not transmigrate into the version of the historical world that is depicted in the transmigration novel, so Xiahou Dan and Yu Wanyin were different people in that version of events.
In the context of that story, Prince Duan surviving and taking power with Xie Yong Er at his side was a good / happy ending.
The SFL transmigrated into the fictional historical story world from a fictional version of the real world (where Beijing does not exist and "City A" is the capital of the fictional country where the SFL lived) that only existed inside the transmigration novel "Transmigrated: The Devil's Beloved Consort". The SFL is a fictional / 2D character and she was the protagonist of the transmigration novel.
I could give you just the episode number for their first kiss?
It's hard to say exactly when the romance "starts" underneath their show of being a couple. IMO, the ML falls for the FL very quickly, but he is inexperienced and also has several reasons to hold himself back for the FL's sake. The FL doesn't realize the ML's feelings at first (she thinks the ML's actions are either for show to help with their couple act or the actions of a supportive teammate, and in the very beginning that's mostly what they were) and even after she seems to have a decent awareness of his feelings (e.g., her prompting in episode 14) she often tries to focus on surviving in the historical world / achieving their mutual objectives first before allowing herself to focus on her developing feelings for the ML.
The leads choose to share a bed for the night (fully clothed, not touching) in episode 10, and that isn't for show.
There's an almost kiss in episode 18 and a completed kiss in episode 20. Their mutual feelings are undeniable after that. They consummate their relationship in episode 24.
Spoilers for the ending ahead.
Although the leads have basically been married since episode 1, they never had a wedding ceremony. The FL's character was just granted the title of concubine by the Dowager Empress before the FL even transmigrated into the story. In the last episode, the ML makes the FL his Empress and, after her investiture ceremony / coronation, the ML does a modern-style proposal with a ring. It's implied that they had a wedding ceremony and a full life together in the historical story world before they returned to the real world. The ML is waiting for her when the FL returns to the real world so they reunite there immediately and with their memories of their time together in the historical story world intact.
Short Answer: He was waiting for the protagonist of the transmigration novel, not the FL.
Long answer below.
For this answer, I think some of these details are pretty clearly objectively true, but some of them are open to interpretation... so take this as my interpretation. Also, I have not read the novel that this drama is based on, but some of these details are informed by comments from other viewers who have read the novel.
I believe Xiahou Dan meant that he had spent 16 years searching / waiting for the consort that was the protagonist of the novel "Transmigrated: The Devil's Beloved Consort", because he knew nothing about the world he transmigrated into except for the title of the transmigration novel and he thought that the titular "consort" would be a transmigrator from the real world like him. But that transmigrator (the SFL who took over the character of Xie Yong Er) that he had been waiting for turned out to be a fictional character like all the other fictional characters around him.
The FL, on the other hand, was not the titular protagonist of the transmigration novel that he had waited for, but she did end up becoming a consort (thanks to Xiahou Dan promoting her from "concubine" to "consort") and (more importantly) she was a transmigrator from the real world like him. She was the person he actually needed to meet and who showed up at the right time.
Not only was she real (i.e., someone with true free will who could fully understand him, and not a character who had to act according to a character set-up created to suit the narrative of the story world), but she arrived as a kind and innocent person with no blood on her hands (like the child version of Zhang San who arrived in the historical world 16 years prior, before he was twisted into the role of a monstrous tyrant) who was immediately willing to reveal herself as a transmigrator to him and to share information with him. And when she suspected that there might be another transmigrator calling for help (e.g., after seeing the SOS flowers), she immediately wanted to answer that call. And she didn't arrive as a child. Although she was kind and innocent, she was still also mature and experienced enough to take things in stride and to have a can-do attitude towards dealing with the transmigration experience. It was exactly the combo that Xiahou Dan needed.
So, right before Xiahou Dan was about to embark on his suicide plan to take down the Empress Dowager and Xiahou Bo (Prince Duan) at the same time, along with himself (since the odds were that he would also die), the FL arrived and gave him assurance that he wasn't crazy (he really did come from another world where he had family who loved him) and made him feel that he wanted to give this person the protection that he did not receive when he arrived in that world when he was a kid. He felt that he had already been ruined by the story world (turned into an irredeemable monster who was dying anyway), but protecting her was like protecting his inner child self. And pretending to be normal with her (a real person) made him feel more normal and free than he had ever felt in the previous 16 years. And then, when he gave her the chance to escape the palace (something he had longed for, especially after he first arrived in the historical story world), she chose to stay with him in the palace, to be his teammate, and to try and make that dark world a better place. Her arrival was like the sun finally coming out after 16 years of darkness.
So he paused his kamikaze plan just before launching it (just in time) and chose to help her achieve her goals instead.
Edited to add: The timing of the FL's arrival in the story was also important in another way, because if only the SFL had arrived at that time, she would have helped Prince Duan and would not have helped the ML. Even worse, if the ML figured out that she (the transmigrator he had been waiting for) was actually a fictional character from a fictional modern world, that likely would have led him to despair - the complete opposite of what he got when the FL arrived and gave him assurance that his memories of the modern world and his family there were real and that they (transmigrators from the real world) did indeed have free will and the ability to change things within in the historical story world according to their own wishes, and not just in ways that were designed by the author to fit their character set-up.