Hello! There was a Chinese drama that i saw a couple clips of on YouTube. The daughter of a disgraced general gives the imperial prince some candy to help him take his medicine, later they fly a kite together. Time skips to when they’re older and he saves her from attackers in the woods. He wants to take her as his wife but his mother theEmpress (the Emperor is dead), won’t let him. The girl manages to please the Empress by making charming “commoner food” while the other girls are boring. However, the Empress forces him to pick a princess whose father holds a significant military force. The first girl tells him they’re not fated in this life but he manages to make her his concubine, despite his younger brother falling for her and trying to get her for himself. His mother makes her kneel outside in the court and won’t acknowledge her for fear of pissing off her father. I got the impression from the comments that the show was mostly about his mother and that this was a side plot that happens far into the show. One comment said “she deserved everything that happened to her.” Anyone recognize this description? Thanks!

It sounds like the later part of The Promise of Chang’an (2020). Hope you find, what you are looking for :)

I think the drama you are looking for is Queen Dugu .

Thank you both! It was The Promise of Chang’an!

Glad you found it. I think the plot with the crown prince and the girls starts around episode 40 (in case you find the story about the main characters boring).

@OluDike I have not seen Queen Dugu, would you recommend it?

Yes I would recommend Queen Dugu, its realy good. 

Thank you, then I should look into it :)