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The Story of Saiunkoku is a classic fantasy light novel and anime series that follows Shuurei Kou, an impoverished noblewoman with a dream of becoming a government official. Barred from taking the exams because she is a woman, she is hired to become the Emperor's consort to educate and reform the apathetic ruler.

The Premise and Main Characters
The story is set in the fictional, ancient China-inspired Empire of Saiunkoku, which is governed by the Emperor and eight powerful clans, each named after a color.

Shuurei Kou:
A bright, determined young woman from a fallen noble family. Despite societal constraints, she aspires to pass the rigorous civil service exams to improve her country.

Ryuuki Shi:
The young Emperor of Saiunkoku. Initially, he pretends to be lazy, disinterested in ruling, and prefers the company of men to maintain a low profile, but he is actually a deeply troubled ruler shaped by a traumatic childhood.

Seiran Shi:
A mysterious, highly skilled young man who was adopted by Shuurei’s father.
He serves as Ryuuki’s bodyguard and closely protects Shuurei.

The Core Narrative
Shuurei’s life shifts dramatically when the Emperor's Grand Adviser makes her an offer: move into the imperial palace as the Emperor's consort for six months and teach him how to be a responsible and active leader. If she succeeds, she will receive a reward of 500 gold coins, which will save her struggling family.

Entering the palace allows Shuurei to get closer to her ultimate dream. Through her dedication, she begins to peel back the layers of Ryuuki’s fake persona and inspires him to take his duties seriously. As she navigates palace intrigue, she meets various male courtiers, becomes entangled in political power struggles, and slowly paves the way for women to enter the imperial government.

This drama was filmed in 2023, but only released recently. I read somewhere there was a copyright issue, as this was originally a Japanese novel

He is even funnier in "Filter"

She was the love interest of Su Wuming in the Strange Tales of Tang. But her look & vibes here are very different

Qin Shuang seems to show up when she is feeling insecure, not all the time. Secondly, in the old times, maids are often not 'counted', as they are often considered as possessions. They are even included as part of the "dowry"

as of ep 17, he already walking, but didn't want outsider to know

Based on the preview, he should start to stand up in episode 16

The opening & ending song actually kind of tell how the story is going to progress.

Post Traumatic Syndrome Disorder (PTSD). In the BTS, the Director mentioned that Ye Li is really "mess-up inside". She seems to carry the lives of everyone who had died, as well as their last wishes.

The little Emperor is the current legal ruler, he is the son of the late Emperor. If I'm not mistaken, hierarchy wise, the little Emperor is a cousin of Mo Xi Yao. They all share the same surnames. Mo Jing Li is a generation below, as he is the son of the previous Crown Prince. If Mo Xi Yao support Mo Jing Li, that will be considered as "rebellion" against the legal ruler. Anyway, Mo Jing Li is not as simple as what he shown.

The real enemy is not the little Emperor, but the Marquis Murong, and perhaps also the Empress Dowager. The little Emperor mentioned in the earlier episode: This realm/Kingdom surname is "Mo"

Also MO XiYao + Ye LI :)

Typical noble family in those days, first priority is to protect the big family/family name, especially the male family members. Females, especially wives, are not important, they are outsiders to begin with.

To be an emperor, one need to have strong backing from the minister and/or the army, which he didn't have. He was just 14 y.o. then. The people from Lishan Mountain who were supposed to protect him were killed, The army generals (Mo's family) who were supposed to support the late Crown Prince (his father) were all executed. He was under home arrest for 3 years.

This is not from the novel, but from the drama, episode 12 or 13 if I remember correctly. From the story that Ye Li told Prince Ding (about the death of the Lishan disciples), as well as from Mo Jing Li's own story (about house arrest)

very strange... there are ratings given on episode 10 till 30, but it is not aired yet.... And the ratings are all low...

Agree. I think it has been a while since we have realistic fights as in the old wuxia style. The BTS here also show how hard they practice the fighting scenes https://youtu.be/kZKfi4pFi8s?si=5BDy1748eMnM7DAo

In the olden days, family reputation is very important. Sending him away is almost like disown him. The 4th brother is the legitimate wife (same mother with ML), while the 5th brother is from a concubine.

This is such a hidden gem. Each of the item's back ground story is like another drama by itself, almost like the Arabian 1001 nights stories. Episode 16-17 is like a totally different drama! I love how we can see each actor/actress in modern as well as traditional costumes from different era (different dynasty as well as from the Republican era). Vengo Gao looks very good with the modern hairstyle as well as with the flowing white hair! He is really the right actor for this role, as he looks good in any of the era. The main plot of searching for the ancient artifact reminded me of Western drama series Friday the 13th.

There is a short mini series in modern life https://wetv.vip/en/play/sgf24kn8qsmtlvm/q4102njajib-EP1_Mini_Drama%3A_400_Year_Old_Ancestor_Spoils_The_Young_Master

Look at the recommendation section of this page

Proof that the actor did a good job!