P Lam
This review may contain spoilers
Twisted tale of politics and love
This tale involves a paronoid emperor who ends up killing his son with the crown prince eventually killing his sister amidst palace political intrigue and tragedy.
The main story is about the politically savvy eldest princess, the Princess Royal Li Rong and her consort, Pei Wenxuan, who were stuck for 20 years in a loveless marriage. They both were killed and were ‘reborn’ to when she is 18 and he, 20. This gives them a 2nd chance to change their outcome in life and politics. But no matter how much they tried to right things, life seems inevitable to repeat itself. However, their relationship improves as past misunderstandings are resolved revealing their love for each other. It wasn’t until later that they discovered another person, the Princess Royal’s trusted childhood friend, Su Ron Qing, was also ‘reborn’. Su loves Li Rong but not enough to prioritize her over his family’s interest, Su also tried his best to change his and his family’s tragic destiny with his schemes running counter to that of Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan, thus undoing much of what the couple tried to achieve. Su is out for revenge for what happened to him in his previous life and scuttles many of Li Rong’s schemes by rationalizing he’s just protecting her. All this happening in a court where the powerful and corrupt nobles are colluding for selfish interests and an emperor who has a deep distrust of his own children and empress. A wrong step in the emperor’s eyes could mean death for his children. I find myself looking forward to every episode to see how LiRong and Pei Wenxuan would deal with the deadly situations dished out.
Because of all the palace political shenanigans, this drama needs good English subtitles to be enjoyed fully. Both male and female leads as well as the SML did a good job with their performances. The costumes and accessories are beautiful with great cinematography. This is a female centric drama and it is interesting to see how the Princess Royal dresses as an official in court. She is portrayed as a strong, intelligent and capable courtier, more suitable to rule than her brother, the crown prince.
The main story is about the politically savvy eldest princess, the Princess Royal Li Rong and her consort, Pei Wenxuan, who were stuck for 20 years in a loveless marriage. They both were killed and were ‘reborn’ to when she is 18 and he, 20. This gives them a 2nd chance to change their outcome in life and politics. But no matter how much they tried to right things, life seems inevitable to repeat itself. However, their relationship improves as past misunderstandings are resolved revealing their love for each other. It wasn’t until later that they discovered another person, the Princess Royal’s trusted childhood friend, Su Ron Qing, was also ‘reborn’. Su loves Li Rong but not enough to prioritize her over his family’s interest, Su also tried his best to change his and his family’s tragic destiny with his schemes running counter to that of Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan, thus undoing much of what the couple tried to achieve. Su is out for revenge for what happened to him in his previous life and scuttles many of Li Rong’s schemes by rationalizing he’s just protecting her. All this happening in a court where the powerful and corrupt nobles are colluding for selfish interests and an emperor who has a deep distrust of his own children and empress. A wrong step in the emperor’s eyes could mean death for his children. I find myself looking forward to every episode to see how LiRong and Pei Wenxuan would deal with the deadly situations dished out.
Because of all the palace political shenanigans, this drama needs good English subtitles to be enjoyed fully. Both male and female leads as well as the SML did a good job with their performances. The costumes and accessories are beautiful with great cinematography. This is a female centric drama and it is interesting to see how the Princess Royal dresses as an official in court. She is portrayed as a strong, intelligent and capable courtier, more suitable to rule than her brother, the crown prince.
Was this review helpful to you?
