Just finished episode 7 and it seems like a great stopping point. Since others have said the drama gets repetative and boring, should I just pretend the story stops there?
Why? The old version was essentially a Western series with Japanese actors. Here is a joint project of Western…
Almost all of the filming for the new 2024 adaptation of Shogun was done in British Columbia, Canada (mainly in Port Moody and Ucluelet). Only a very small number of scenes were filmed in Japan and the UK.
"Although some principal photography took place in Japan and the United Kingdom—where our two main characters hail from—the majority of filming for Shōgun took place in Port Moody and Ucluelet, British Columbia."
Whereas filming for the old 1980 adaptation of Shogun was done entirely in Japan.
"Whereas the Emmy-winning 1980 miniseries was shot entirely in Japan, the new version was shot in British Columbia — on Vancouver Island and in the suburbs of Vancouver — which added a challenge for Jarvis."
Overall, I really enjoyed this drama. Gave it an 8.5 / 10 but will probably bump it up to a 9 if/when I rewatch it.
Things I didn't love: the humour and the secondary couple. So much of the humour was based on characters behaving in an extremely ridiculous or idiotic manner and making mistakes or creating misunderstandings that were either super frustrating or generated a ton of second hand embarrassment for me as a viewer. I'm generally not a fan of secondary couples and in this drama that's how the secondary couple behaved for almost all of their screen time, so I skipped as much of them as I could.
Things I loved: the romance, the main couple, and the SML. Both the angsty moments and the sweet moments were super enjoyable. Totally my cup of tea. Byeon Woo Seok was particularly good. Absolutely nailed his role. I hope to see him as a romantic lead in more dramas soon! I felt like the kisses were neither amazing nor terrible, but the cuddles were very good.
I personally had zero interest in the villain's motives or backstory, so I was glad that the drama didn't waste any time focusing on that even though there was definitely room for the writers to at least briefly provide some logical reason for why he did what he did.
Also worth mentioning is the official description of volume 2, "how should one choose between the right person…
lol, yes there definitely seems to be some twisting.
I feel like we have to assume she was willing to accept those things (albeit, perhaps grudgingly and with a desire to delay having to deal with them directly) when she accepted his proposal, and that she definitely was prepared to accept them / deal with them directly when she and TSJ finally set a wedding date.
Also worth mentioning is the official description of volume 2, "how should one choose between the right person…
By "When she goes to TSJ at the end of chapter 32 and starts the process of reconciling with him in chapter 33 (at the end of the second volume), you could say that XY is choosing TSJ over XL. But XL pushed XY away first and was even the one who pushed her to go to TSJ." I meant that XL spent all of chapter 32 pushing XY away before she "chose" / visited / started to reconcile with TSJ in chapter 33. So it doesn't feel right to say that XY "chose" TSJ over XL in chapter 33, since XL pushed her away / didn't give her the option of choosing him in chapter 32 before she visited TSJ in chapter 33.
I agree that TSJ was still not considered suitable for XY in chapter 33 (the end of the second volume) because of his marriage to FFYY (as others have pointed out, XY was willing to accept the child and clan responsibilities later in the drama when she agreed to marry him while he still had those ties, even though they were not ideal to her), which is why I only said, "Suddenly it seemed like there might actually be hope that he could become a relatively suitable person for XY in the future..."
Also worth mentioning is the official description of volume 2, "how should one choose between the right person…
‘How should one choose between the right person and the one they love?”
As blabla100 mentioned, TSJ (Jing) and YSQ (17) are the same person, but the different names can be thought of as distinguishing his TSJ side (a side that is tied to the Tushan Clan and FFYY / Fang Feng Yi Yang) from YSQ (a version of TSJ that does not have those ties and would be free to be with XY / Xiao Yao).
In the first volume of the novel, TSJ promises XY that he will end his engagement with FFYY and return YSQ to XY within 15 years.
In the second volume of the novel, TSJ fails to keep his promise. The end of the 15-year period expires while XY is healing in XL’s clam shell and TSJ is in a coma. After 37 years pass, XL wakes XY up in time for XY to save TSJ’s life. When she wakes up, XL doesn’t meet her and sends her directly to TSJ. This marks a turning point in XY’s relationship with TSJ. You could say that (despite his engagement to FFYY and his ties to the Tushan clan), TSJ was “the right one” for XY at this point because he demonstrated to XY that he would rather die than lose her, which apparently was what she wanted. You could also say that, in reaction to XL’s actions, XY chose TSJ over XL. Although XL didn’t really give XY the option of choosing him. So, IMO, there wasn’t much of a choice available to her.
Later in the second volume, TSJ moves further and further away from what he promised XY, and becomes less and less “right”. He is forced to become the Tushan Clan leader, marries FFYY and has a child with her. So in the second volume of the novel, TSJ is very unsuitable for XY. However, in the last chapter of the second volume, TSJ tells XY that FFYY’s son is not his biological child and that he suspects that his brother, TSH, is the real father. XY doesn’t exactly choose to be with TSJ at that point. But that marks the start of their reconciliation and later on (in the third volume of the novel) they get back together, get engaged, and eventually get married.
Also in the second volume of the novel (after TSJ marries FFYY), XY gets engaged to Feng Long and almost marries him. Before her wedding, she sends an elaborate poison creation (an ice crystal ball with a beautiful scene inside) to XL. Many fans view this as a sign that XY knew that she loved XL, wanted to choose him, and was asking him to choose her. XY waits 7 days for his response, but XL doesn’t respond. So XY proceeds with her wedding with Feng Long. Then XL makes a deal with TSJ and (as FFB / Fang Feng Bei) interrupts her wedding with Feng Long. He takes her away and they live together for a month. In that time, he pushes XY away and at the end of the month he pushes her to go to TSJ. When she does go to TSJ, that meeting leads to the beginning of her reconciliation with TSJ that I mentioned before.
So who is “the right one”? At different points, it seemed like XY considered TSJ, YSQ and Feng Long to be "right" in the sense that she was open to the idea of pursuing a romantic relationship with them / marrying them. As I mentioned, in chapter 22, TSJ was "right" in the sense that he was willing to die rather than lose XY and (due to her abandonment issues) she liked that. After TSJ was no longer available (because he married FFYY), XY considered Feng Long to be "right" enough to agree to marry him. But then when XL asked her about it in chapter 32 (after interrupting the wedding), XY said that she wasn't willing to marry him. So even if he was "right" before, he definitely wasn't "right" by that point. And in chapter 32 we get confirmation that XY was willing to marry YSQ, so clearly she considered him to be "right" enough for marriage too. The trouble was that YSQ didn't exist in the second volume. There was only TSJ at that point. And for a significant portion of the second volume, TSJ was married to FFYY. But as an added complication, even though he did not meet her criteria for a husband at that point (mainly due to his marriage), TSJ came back into the picture at the end of the second volume. Suddenly it seemed like there might actually be hope that he could become a relatively suitable person for XY in the future (and Feng Long was no longer suitable due to the wedding fiasco).
So, like many parts of LYF, you could make a case for two potential interpretations. Either "the right one" is Feng Long or "the right one" is TSJ/YSQ.
Who was the one XY loved? Some fans will say that she only loved XL/FFB. Some fans will say that she only loved TSJ/YSQ. I am one of a small number of fans who felt like she had romantic feelings for both of them.
If you’re willing to entertain that possibility, we can work through the potential options. When the description of the second novel refers to choosing between “the right one” and “the one they love”, that could be referring to XY having to choose between: (1) Feng Long (as “the right one”) and TSJ/YSQ (as “the one she loves”); (2) Feng Long (as “the right one”) and XL (as “the one she loves”); or (3) TSJ/YSQ (as “the right one”) and XL (as “the one she loves”).
When she committed more to her relationship with TSJ in chapter 22, you could say that XY was choosing TSJ over XL/FFB. But like I said, XL didn’t really give XY the option of choosing him.
When she agrees to get engaged with Feng Long in the second volume, you could say that she chooses him over TSJ/YSQ and XL/FFB. Although neither TSJ nor XL are readily available options for her to choose.
When she decides to proceed with the marriage to Feng Long after not getting a response from XL in the second volume, you could say that she chooses Feng Long over XL. But it’s more like she chooses Feng Long because she doesn’t have any better options. You could also say that she tried to choose XL but was rejected.
When she goes to TSJ at the end of chapter 32 and starts the process of reconciling with him in chapter 33 (at the end of the second volume), you could say that XY is choosing TSJ over XL. But XL pushed XY away first and was even the one who pushed her to go to TSJ.
I don’t know about you, but summarizing this makes me feel like only one thing seems clear here: in each case, XY didn’t really have a real choice between two people. In chapter 22, it was TSJ or no one. Between TSJ's marriage and chapter 32, it was Feng Long or no one. After chapter 32, it was TSJ or no one. IMO, XL/FFB didn’t let XY have the option to choose him at any point in the second volume. Although one could argue that she tried.
I've been rewatching LYF recently and I'm a bit curious on Xiaoyao's scene in episode 32. When she woke up but…
I think some of the things you asked about are very much open to interpretation, and fans do not agree on the answers.
Rather than giving you one interpretation, I think it might be better to give you some excerpts from the novel that might help provide some insight into XY's thoughts on XL/FFB in the scenes you mentioned. But these excerpts are woefully incomplete. Reading the novel in its entirety is your best bet for getting insight that can help you form an opinion about Xiao Yao's feelings.
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Chapter 19:
Xiao Yao asked, “Can you continue teaching me archery now?” What she really meant to ask was – are you not angry at me anymore?
Bei finished his wine. “I need to leave for a bit, wait for me to come back.”
Xiao Yao figured he was going back to Qing Shui town. Even if there was no active warfare, he was still the General of the Sheng Nong resistance army and there was much he had to do.
Xiao Yao couldn’t help it and sighed loudly and murmured, “If only you could forever be Fang Feng Bei, that would be so great.”
Bei appeared not to have heard her as he set down his wine cup and got up to leave, his form disappearing in the layers of curtains.
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Chapter 22:
Xiang Liu said, “Tonight I’m waking you up.”
Xiang Liu fed his essential soul blood to Xiao Yao, and different than before where it felt like warm flames that chased away the coldness of death in Xiao Yao’s body, tonight his essential soul blood was a raging inferno that scorched Xiao Yao. It was colliding in her body and appeared to rip her insides to shreds before slowly bonding it back together.
Xiao Yao couldn’t cry out but her body violently shook. Gradually her hands could move, her legs could move, and then she painfully cried out as all the soul essence entered her body and she passed out in the midst of unbearable pain.
When Xiao Yao woke up, she felt the warm sun on her body and she subconsciously turned over to keep on sleeping. Suddenly she opened her eyes in disbelief. She laid there in a daze and then slowly raised her hand up.
Oh! She really could move!
“Xiang Liu!” Xiao Yao sat up but then her head bumped into something hard and she saw stars.
No one answered her and she saw a sliver of sunlight trickling in from outside. Xiao Yao felt that she was inside some sort of shell and she used her hands to feel the surface above her head and her sides. The sides slowly opened like flower petals until instantly Xiao Yao was bathed in sunlight.
Only someone trapped by darkness before would understand that sunlight was the world’s most ordinary yet precious treasure! The sunlight stung her eyes but she was reluctant to close her eyes. She faced the sunlight and slowly stood up and let out a happy holler.
After she calmed down, Xiao Yao noticed that she was wearing a loose fitting white robe and was standing on a large open clam shell. She was surrounded by endless ocean and the waves crested against the clam shell and sprayed up white foam.
All these years, Xiang Liu placed her in the middle of a clam shell to sleep in the ocean. Xiao Yao couldn’t contain her smile, didn’t that make her like a pearl hidden inside a clam shell?
Xiao Yao put her hands around her mouth and yelled, “Xiang Liu! Xiang Liu! Where are you? I’m awake!”
A white and gold condor descended but without Xiang Liu on his back. Xiao Yao stroked its back. “Furball, where is your master?”
Furbal flapped his wings and called towards the sky once, as if urging Xiao Yao to get on his back.
Xiao Yao happily asked, “Xiang Liu asked you to bring me to see him? Furball shook his head.
Xiao Yao quizzically asked, “Xiang Liu asked you to take me home?” Furball nodded his head.
Whether Xiang Liu had matters to attend to or he was purposely avoiding seeing her, Xiao Yao stood there in a dumbstruck daze, the initial happiness of regaining life and light disappearing like receding waves.
Furball pecked Xiao Yao’s hand to urge her to hurry up.
Xiao Yao climbed on Furball’s back and it rose into the air and flew towards the Middle Plains.
Xiao Yao stared at the passing ocean surface as it rushed past her like a shooting arrow, disappearing behind her. The feelings in her heart were so jumbled.
The next morning, Furball landed outside Zhi Yi Castle and Xiao Yao knew many people would recognize Xiang Liu’s winged ride and knew Furball could only take her as far as here.
For whatever reason, Xiao Yao’s heart was filled with an endless ache. She suddenly grabbed Furball’s neck tightly and Furball squirmed in annoyance but didn’t really put up a fuss. It cocked its head and endured with a sigh.
Xiao Yao buried her face in Furball’s neck as her tears came tumbling down, one after another, falling silently on Furball’s feathers and disappearing.
Furball finally got fed up and impatiently called out once.
Xiao Yao raised her head and the tears were gone from her eyes. She slid off Furball’s back and patted him. “Go back to your master!”
Furball ran a few steps and then flew into the air. Xiao Yao raised her head to watch it fly away until it was completely gone from her sight.
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Chapter 23:
Xiao Yao walked and talked. “I was thinking that when you escaped the slave death match arena, wouldn’t it have been great if I was the one who saved you? If that was the case, then I would let you only be Fang Feng Bei! I really hate that I wasn’t born a few hundred years earlier. I would definitely find you in the slave death match arena…….”
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Chapter 25:
Fang Feng Bei was riding a winged horse through the crowds, his expression gentle with a smile on his lips, just like any regular son of a rich family.
Xiao Yao was rooted in place and watched him come closer to her through the dense thrum of bustling ordinary life. Even knowing it was hopeless, she still fervently wished that this ordinary world could keep him in it.
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Chapter 26:
Xiang Liu said, “That’s….”
“The mating song of the merpeople.”
“How do you know?” Xiang Liu stared at Xiao Yao.
Xiao Yao acted nonchalantly with a smile “I guessed it. Legend says the merpeople have incredibly melodic voices so from who else in the deep ocean but the merpeople to sing like that?” Xiang Liu didn’t want her to know that when she was unconscious the things he did with her, and she didn’t want him to know that she already knew. Their embraces and companionship, just let it be buried deep in the dark ocean depths!
...
The clam shell was enormous and even with the two of them inside it wasn’t a tight squeeze at all. She slept here for thirty-seven years with Xiang Liu. Would that be equivalent of sleeping in the same bed and sharing the same pillow? Those two merpeople saw the clam shell as their home, how did Xiang Liu view this clam shell?
Xiao Yao suddenly felt all sorts of thoughts and feelings rush up and her face burned as her heart sped up.
Xiao Yao chastised herself and tried desperately to control her feelings and reactions, but she couldn’t control her heartbeat. Just like that, Xiang Liu sensed it and looked over at her. Xiao Yao quickly said, “I’m hungry! So hungry I’m all nerves!”
Xiao Yao’s face was so red it was like a burning sunset and she forced her eyes wide open to stare at Xiang Liu. His heartbeat quickened a few times and Xiao Yao sensed it. But then it was gone just like that and she wondered if it was her mistaken sensation.
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Chapter 27:
In her dream, she saw Jing with his son, but she couldn’t see his son’s face, only that he curled in his dad’s arms and called him sweetly “Daddy” while Jing smiled back.
Xiao Yao ran away as fast as she could and in a second she ran from Qing Qiu to Qing Shui Town. Xiao Yao jumped in the river and swam towards the vast blue ocean. She could see endless horizons and the joy of swimming freely, but she was so, so tired! Where could she go in this entire world? Fang Feng Bei appeared on the surface and he sat on an all white clam shell smiling at her with his black hair flying in the breeze. Xiao Yao swam towards him but in a second his hair turned all white and he became Xiang Liu coldly staring at her. White clam shell, all white Xiang Liu, it was like an ice mountain floating on the ocean surface.
The black-hair-him, the white-hair-him, closer and further away……Xiao Yao suddenly turned and swam towards land, as she swam her tears tumbled down like rain……
Xiao Yao startled awake from her dream and felt coldness next to her. She touched her face and discovered that she was drenched in tears.
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Chapter 51:
In Qing Shui Town, she was Wen Xiao Liu, he was Xiang Liu. They were always at odds, but when he got injured he would hide in her room to heal. She didn’t know when she started telling him about her painful past that she had never told anyone before.
In Xuan Yuan Castle, he was the dissolute playboy Fang Feng Bei. He was gentle and considerate, fun loving yet diligently and patiently taught her ten plus years of archery.
When she was asleep under the ocean for thirty seven years, they spent every night together. That was probably when Xiang Liu was the most tender and caring towards her. She was of no use to him to exploit and they have no reason to be on opposite sides of each other. So during that time it was just one person taking the other person through life together in the ocean. One person sometimes saying a few words here and there, the other laying forever in silence.
I, too, think that I will have to read the book now, as it was mentioned in some article that screenwriting left…
I agree that Blackthorne wouldn’t have any reason to want an any old crucifix if it was stylized and decidedly Catholic-looking. Given the nature of his religious views, it seems unlikely that he would even want a simpler, more Protestant style crucifix. But the crucifix in that scene isn’t just any “Catholic looking cross”. It’s a crucifix that specifically looks like Mariko’s crucifix. And while I do think that it would be odd for an older Blackthorne to decide he wanted a crucifix that looked like Mariko’s after commending her actual crucifix to the deep, it remains a possibility. Especially if he were to come across a crucifix that looked like Mariko’s at some point during his travels, I do think there’s a good chance he would choose to keep it. Again, I’ll emphasize that I think the dream theory is compelling and that the crucifix is likely included as a clue to help the viewers realize that it is a dream. My only point is that there are other possible explanations. So it’s not accurate to say that the scene “must” have been a dream.
On a separate note, headcanons, by definition, do not need to align with canon. So there is always room to headcanon a different ending or interpretation.
I, too, think that I will have to read the book now, as it was mentioned in some article that screenwriting left…
The dream theory is compelling for many reasons. Especially since the episode title is "A Dream of a Dream". But I would note that cruxifixes are not usually one-of-a-kind or hard to find. I have no doubt that Blackthorne would be able to find his own cruxifix that looked like Mariko's if he really wanted to and had a whole lifetime to find one, or even commission one. As for grandchildren, Blackthorne told Mariko in episode 3 that he had a son (Tudor) and a daughter (Elizabeth) with his wife back in England, but he set sail before his daughter was born so he hadn't met her. He could have (and likely would have) grandchildren through those children. So I view that scene as open to interpretation, rather than a scene that "must" be a dream.
Incredible production value. A story and characters with so much potential. And yet ultimately so unsatisfying. Over and over again it felt like the narrative was building towards something epic only for it to suddenly fall short, replacing anticipation with disappointment and a sense of futility.
thinking of watching this, I know there is more than one lead, but how bad is the second lead syndrome? its hard…
I don’t want to be a downer, but given your concern I think we (those of us who have watched S1 and read the novel) would be remiss if we didn’t give you a fair and honest warning.
In S1, both the second male lead and the third male lead have quite a lot of romance-induced sorrow and heartache. Even the first male lead, who isn’t a romantic candidate for the female lead in the same way that the second and third male leads are, has some heartache.
In S2, the heartache will continue. The second male lead will have some happy romantic moments, but also some very sad moments. The first male lead will continue to marry women for strategic reasons instead of marrying the woman he loves (the female lead) and will eventually lose the female lead. And many fans of the third male lead consider his ending to be completely devastating.
So if you are really worried about SLS I’d say this one might not be for you, or at the very least you might want to wait for S2 to air before starting this drama so that at least one of the characters will have a relatively happy romantic situation in the end, instead of ending S1 (with all of the main characters not in a great place in terms of romance) and being sad for everyone until S2 finally airs.
Please tell me who among the four did she really love in the novel with all her heart?
As you can see, the fandom is divided in its opinions on this topic. Your best bet is probably to read the novel to form your own opinion.
But here are a few thoughts:
In chapter 47, XY notes that she opened her heart to CX first (“Xiao Yao said her heart had turned cold into stone, but he remained the most precious treasure that Xiao Yao kept deep in her heart, in the softest most secure place. When Jing said he would give first and trust first to try and win Xiao Yao’s heart, Xiao Yao had already done the same for [CX].”) and he had been, up to that point, her closest person (“In Xiao Yao’s heart, [CX] was the closest person to her, so much so that she didn’t differentiate between him and her. If he wanted something then she would give her life to help him achieve it… whatever she had [CX] could have it, including her life.”) But she was not willing to marry CX (despite her childhood promise to do so) and was horrified when she found out about his romantic feelings for her. After she found out that CX was responsible for TSJ’s "death", she could not bring herself to kill CX. She could only give him a non-lethal dose of poison. After CX was also involved in XL’s death, XY chose to disappear to a place that was outside of his control without saying goodbye to him.
The Lovers Bugs resided inside XY and XL for over 100 years with no issues / without turning into Heartbreak Bugs. XY sent the ice crystal ball to XL before her wedding with Feng Long and waited on the shore of Five Gods Mountain for his response for seven days. XL is the one who chose not to respond (and to crash her wedding instead). After XL killed Feng Long and nearly killed CX, XY could not bring herself to kill XL. She could only injure him, threaten his adoptive father, and cut ties with him (after XL intentionally pushed her to do so).
XY didn’t answer when asked in chapter 32 if she was willing to marry TSJ, but was quick to say that she was willing to marry YSQ when asked about him. But her mind refused to think about which person she most wanted to spend the rest of her life with. (I personally read that scene as suggesting that the person she most wanted to spend the rest of her life with was definitely not YSQ, since she wouldn't have any qualms about thinking of him, probably wasn't TSJ either since she always wanted to be with YSQ more than she wanted to be with TSJ, and probably was XL or FFB.) In that chapter, XL once again pushes her away + towards TSJ. When XY and TSJ get engaged, she chooses to put off setting a wedding date in order to focus on a medical project that takes 40+ years to complete. After TSJ “dies”, XY holds a wedding anyways and considers herself to be TSJ’s wife. She declares that she would rather be in pain than forget him, and there is a point where she accepts being murdered if it means that she will join TSJ in death. In the end, she marries TSJ when he is basically YSQ again, after she had cut ties with XL (despite still caring about XL and begging CX not to kill him).
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for each of them. All in all, there’s plenty of evidence to support the idea that she loved CX, XL, and TSJ/YSQ in different ways. But it’s hard to pinpoint who she loved “most”.
But at least we can all agree that she didn’t love Feng Long.
Note that the drama treats many of these details differently from the novel, so the analysis for the drama will inevitably be different.
shiyan666's comment is half right. She ends up with one of them rather than none of them, but one of them does…
Thank you lux73. The story is so complex, any attempt to summarize it feels inadequate. A summary just can't capture every character relationship dynamic and story element that feels important. But hopefully those broad strokes can give a new potential viewer some idea of the set up!
I sometimes wonder how TSJ feels about that fox tail since it probably belonged to one of his relatives. An uncle…
Hi AnastasiaWun. No worries about mentioning a pet peeve. I can sympathize. However, the text from chapter 16 in my comment above is not my translation. It is taken from Koala's full fan translation of the novel (possibly the translation you would have read, if you read the novel in English?). She chose to separate most surnames and place names. When I quote her translation, I don't go through the quote to change her approach. In other circumstances (like the synopsis for this drama) I do not separate surnames and place names the way Koala does in her translation.
The least spoilery answer: It's a bit mixed. A much more spoilery answer:At the end of S1:(1) Tushan Jing has…
You're welcome!
For what it's worth, I personally watched it for the romance and didn't care all that much about the clan and kingdom politics. But I get that this type of reverse-harem romance isn't for everyone.
(1) Tushan Jing has been tricked and forced into marriage (with someone other than the female lead) and has a baby. He and the female lead are thoroughly miserable about it.
(2) Xiang Liu has been pushing the female lead away for some time and that creates unhappiness and tension for him and the female lead.
(3) Cang Xuan has become king unexpectedly quickly, which he's mostly happy about and the female lead is pretty happy about. But he also entered into a political marriage to someone other than the female lead, which makes the female lead a little sad and makes Cang Xuan quite sad.
(4) The female lead is engaged to marry a man she does not love, and isn't happy about it (and the other male leads are also not happy about it).
So S1 ends with a bit of happiness related to Cang Xuan becoming king, but quite a lot of unhappiness in everyone's love lives.
At the end of S2:
(1) Tushan Jing will be badly wounded by his brother in a way that seriously diminishes his power, health and lifespan and he will choose not to return to his clan (including Tushan Zhen, who he's raised as his son for 50+ years), but he gets to marry the female lead. Not a perfectly happy ending, but probably more happy than not.
(2) Xiang Liu will die with his fellow soldiers in battle after doing all the things he wanted to do for the female lead, including taking certain painful steps (e.g., pushing her to cut ties with him and erasing the memories of him that she had saved in her mirror).
(3) Cang Xuan will still be king and will have successfully united the three kingdoms, but he loses the female lead.
(4) The female lead will leave Cang Xuan and her family behind, mourn Xiang Liu and marry Tushan Jing, who is willing to leave everything behind to be her life-long companion.
For Xiang Liu, Cang Xuan and the female lead, I feel like their endings involve too much loss to call them happy, but the author noted that they each got what they wanted most. So in that sense their endings are also not completely tragic.
I sometimes wonder how TSJ feels about that fox tail since it probably belonged to one of his relatives. An uncle…
TSJ confirmed in chapter 16 of the novel that that particular nine-tailed fox (or rather, eight-tailed fox after Chi You cut its ninth tail off) was probably one of his distant relatives. But TSJ didn't seem to have any sympathy for that fox given what he did to XY.
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Chapter 16:
Jing asked, “Have you ever been to Qing Qiu?”
“No, for a while I hated the Nine-tailed fox and legend has it the Nine-tailed fox came from Qing Qiu so I hated Qing Qiu as well. Twice I bypassed it.” Xiao Yao suddenly was very worried. “The Nine-tailed fox I killed, it wasn’t one of your relatives?”
“He probably was.” The Nine-tailed fox was very rare, and the few existing ones really were all relatives of the Tu Shan clan.
“What?” Xiao Yao’s mouth dropped open.
Jing couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Relative or no relative, he had it coming based on what he did to you. Even if someone told my grandmother about it, you’re still in the right.”
Xiao Yao patted her chest. “You scared the daylights out of me!”
Jing gently said, “Actually, Qing Qiu is a lot of fun. After you reach Sheng Nong Mountain, I’ll take you to Qing Qiu to play.”
What is the plot of this drama? What does the FL have to do with all these ML? Who does she end’s up with at…
shiyan666's comment is half right. She ends up with one of them rather than none of them, but one of them does die.
The female lead marries Tushan Jing (one of the three main male leads) at the end of S2. There is a period of time where he is missing and presumed dead, but he comes back.
One of the other three main male leads dies in battle.
As for the plot... it's a bit difficult to summarize.
There were three kingdoms: A, B, and C. Kingdom A invaded Kingdom B and they were at war for a while. The female lead's mother was from Kingdom A and married the man who became king of Kingdom C but later divorced him and returned to Kingdom A. There, she left her daughter (the female lead) behind and led Kingdom A's army against Kingdom B. She died in battle, but Kingdom B was conquered with only a small remnant of its army surviving and refusing to surrender.
All of the main characters go through different traumas before the end of the first episode, and the female lead's main trauma is being abandoned by her mother and other loved ones. The female lead is a deity with the ability to transform herself, and roughly 100 years after her mother's death she chooses to transform herself into a man and uses a fake name.
After living as a man for almost 200 years, she meets (or re-meets) each of the male leads in that form. One of the male leads (Cang Xuan) is her "gege" (the details are complicated) who she was very close with in childhood. He's a prince from Kingdom A and he lived in Kingdom C for a while. His goal is to become King so that he has enough power to protect his loved ones. Another male lead (Xiang Liu) is a demon who fights with the remnant army from Kingdom B. So Cang Xuan and Xiang Liu are enemies on different sides of a war. The female lead saves the life of the other male lead (Ye Shi Qi / Tushan Jing), a deity who was tortured and left for dead. He asks the female lead to give him a name and wants to stay with her instead of returning to his clan. The drama follows her interactions with those three men (and their alternate identities), the King of Kingdom C, and the King of Kingdom A for a little over 100 years. Those interactions are driven by the characters' individual traumas, by war, by clan and family politics, by loyalty, and by love.
In the end (major, major spoilers ahead) Cang Xuan is King and has united Kingdom A, Kingdom B and Kingdom C. Xang Liu dies with the remnant army of Kingdom B. The female lead marries Tushan Jing but loses, in different ways, Cang Xuan and Xiang Liu.
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"Although some principal photography took place in Japan and the United Kingdom—where our two main characters hail from—the majority of filming for Shōgun took place in Port Moody and Ucluelet, British Columbia."
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a46988074/shogun-filming-locations/
Whereas filming for the old 1980 adaptation of Shogun was done entirely in Japan.
"Whereas the Emmy-winning 1980 miniseries was shot entirely in Japan, the new version was shot in British Columbia — on Vancouver Island and in the suburbs of Vancouver — which added a challenge for Jarvis."
https://variety.com/2024/artisans/news/shogun-vancouver-soundstages-backlots-feudal-japan-1235925296/
Things I didn't love: the humour and the secondary couple. So much of the humour was based on characters behaving in an extremely ridiculous or idiotic manner and making mistakes or creating misunderstandings that were either super frustrating or generated a ton of second hand embarrassment for me as a viewer. I'm generally not a fan of secondary couples and in this drama that's how the secondary couple behaved for almost all of their screen time, so I skipped as much of them as I could.
Things I loved: the romance, the main couple, and the SML. Both the angsty moments and the sweet moments were super enjoyable. Totally my cup of tea. Byeon Woo Seok was particularly good. Absolutely nailed his role. I hope to see him as a romantic lead in more dramas soon! I felt like the kisses were neither amazing nor terrible, but the cuddles were very good.
I personally had zero interest in the villain's motives or backstory, so I was glad that the drama didn't waste any time focusing on that even though there was definitely room for the writers to at least briefly provide some logical reason for why he did what he did.
I feel like we have to assume she was willing to accept those things (albeit, perhaps grudgingly and with a desire to delay having to deal with them directly) when she accepted his proposal, and that she definitely was prepared to accept them / deal with them directly when she and TSJ finally set a wedding date.
I agree that TSJ was still not considered suitable for XY in chapter 33 (the end of the second volume) because of his marriage to FFYY (as others have pointed out, XY was willing to accept the child and clan responsibilities later in the drama when she agreed to marry him while he still had those ties, even though they were not ideal to her), which is why I only said, "Suddenly it seemed like there might actually be hope that he could become a relatively suitable person for XY in the future..."
As blabla100 mentioned, TSJ (Jing) and YSQ (17) are the same person, but the different names can be thought of as distinguishing his TSJ side (a side that is tied to the Tushan Clan and FFYY / Fang Feng Yi Yang) from YSQ (a version of TSJ that does not have those ties and would be free to be with XY / Xiao Yao).
In the first volume of the novel, TSJ promises XY that he will end his engagement with FFYY and return YSQ to XY within 15 years.
In the second volume of the novel, TSJ fails to keep his promise. The end of the 15-year period expires while XY is healing in XL’s clam shell and TSJ is in a coma. After 37 years pass, XL wakes XY up in time for XY to save TSJ’s life. When she wakes up, XL doesn’t meet her and sends her directly to TSJ. This marks a turning point in XY’s relationship with TSJ. You could say that (despite his engagement to FFYY and his ties to the Tushan clan), TSJ was “the right one” for XY at this point because he demonstrated to XY that he would rather die than lose her, which apparently was what she wanted. You could also say that, in reaction to XL’s actions, XY chose TSJ over XL. Although XL didn’t really give XY the option of choosing him. So, IMO, there wasn’t much of a choice available to her.
Later in the second volume, TSJ moves further and further away from what he promised XY, and becomes less and less “right”. He is forced to become the Tushan Clan leader, marries FFYY and has a child with her. So in the second volume of the novel, TSJ is very unsuitable for XY. However, in the last chapter of the second volume, TSJ tells XY that FFYY’s son is not his biological child and that he suspects that his brother, TSH, is the real father. XY doesn’t exactly choose to be with TSJ at that point. But that marks the start of their reconciliation and later on (in the third volume of the novel) they get back together, get engaged, and eventually get married.
Also in the second volume of the novel (after TSJ marries FFYY), XY gets engaged to Feng Long and almost marries him. Before her wedding, she sends an elaborate poison creation (an ice crystal ball with a beautiful scene inside) to XL. Many fans view this as a sign that XY knew that she loved XL, wanted to choose him, and was asking him to choose her. XY waits 7 days for his response, but XL doesn’t respond. So XY proceeds with her wedding with Feng Long. Then XL makes a deal with TSJ and (as FFB / Fang Feng Bei) interrupts her wedding with Feng Long. He takes her away and they live together for a month. In that time, he pushes XY away and at the end of the month he pushes her to go to TSJ. When she does go to TSJ, that meeting leads to the beginning of her reconciliation with TSJ that I mentioned before.
So who is “the right one”? At different points, it seemed like XY considered TSJ, YSQ and Feng Long to be "right" in the sense that she was open to the idea of pursuing a romantic relationship with them / marrying them. As I mentioned, in chapter 22, TSJ was "right" in the sense that he was willing to die rather than lose XY and (due to her abandonment issues) she liked that. After TSJ was no longer available (because he married FFYY), XY considered Feng Long to be "right" enough to agree to marry him. But then when XL asked her about it in chapter 32 (after interrupting the wedding), XY said that she wasn't willing to marry him. So even if he was "right" before, he definitely wasn't "right" by that point. And in chapter 32 we get confirmation that XY was willing to marry YSQ, so clearly she considered him to be "right" enough for marriage too. The trouble was that YSQ didn't exist in the second volume. There was only TSJ at that point. And for a significant portion of the second volume, TSJ was married to FFYY. But as an added complication, even though he did not meet her criteria for a husband at that point (mainly due to his marriage), TSJ came back into the picture at the end of the second volume. Suddenly it seemed like there might actually be hope that he could become a relatively suitable person for XY in the future (and Feng Long was no longer suitable due to the wedding fiasco).
So, like many parts of LYF, you could make a case for two potential interpretations. Either "the right one" is Feng Long or "the right one" is TSJ/YSQ.
Who was the one XY loved? Some fans will say that she only loved XL/FFB. Some fans will say that she only loved TSJ/YSQ. I am one of a small number of fans who felt like she had romantic feelings for both of them.
If you’re willing to entertain that possibility, we can work through the potential options. When the description of the second novel refers to choosing between “the right one” and “the one they love”, that could be referring to XY having to choose between: (1) Feng Long (as “the right one”) and TSJ/YSQ (as “the one she loves”); (2) Feng Long (as “the right one”) and XL (as “the one she loves”); or (3) TSJ/YSQ (as “the right one”) and XL (as “the one she loves”).
When she committed more to her relationship with TSJ in chapter 22, you could say that XY was choosing TSJ over XL/FFB. But like I said, XL didn’t really give XY the option of choosing him.
When she agrees to get engaged with Feng Long in the second volume, you could say that she chooses him over TSJ/YSQ and XL/FFB. Although neither TSJ nor XL are readily available options for her to choose.
When she decides to proceed with the marriage to Feng Long after not getting a response from XL in the second volume, you could say that she chooses Feng Long over XL. But it’s more like she chooses Feng Long because she doesn’t have any better options. You could also say that she tried to choose XL but was rejected.
When she goes to TSJ at the end of chapter 32 and starts the process of reconciling with him in chapter 33 (at the end of the second volume), you could say that XY is choosing TSJ over XL. But XL pushed XY away first and was even the one who pushed her to go to TSJ.
I don’t know about you, but summarizing this makes me feel like only one thing seems clear here: in each case, XY didn’t really have a real choice between two people. In chapter 22, it was TSJ or no one. Between TSJ's marriage and chapter 32, it was Feng Long or no one. After chapter 32, it was TSJ or no one. IMO, XL/FFB didn’t let XY have the option to choose him at any point in the second volume. Although one could argue that she tried.
Rather than giving you one interpretation, I think it might be better to give you some excerpts from the novel that might help provide some insight into XY's thoughts on XL/FFB in the scenes you mentioned. But these excerpts are woefully incomplete. Reading the novel in its entirety is your best bet for getting insight that can help you form an opinion about Xiao Yao's feelings.
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Chapter 19:
Xiao Yao asked, “Can you continue teaching me archery now?” What she really meant to ask was – are you not angry at me anymore?
Bei finished his wine. “I need to leave for a bit, wait for me to come back.”
Xiao Yao figured he was going back to Qing Shui town. Even if there was no active warfare, he was still the General of the Sheng Nong resistance army and there was much he had to do.
Xiao Yao couldn’t help it and sighed loudly and murmured, “If only you could forever be Fang Feng Bei, that would be so great.”
Bei appeared not to have heard her as he set down his wine cup and got up to leave, his form disappearing in the layers of curtains.
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Chapter 22:
Xiang Liu said, “Tonight I’m waking you up.”
Xiang Liu fed his essential soul blood to Xiao Yao, and different than before where it felt like warm flames that chased away the coldness of death in Xiao Yao’s body, tonight his essential soul blood was a raging inferno that scorched Xiao Yao. It was colliding in her body and appeared to rip her insides to shreds before slowly bonding it back together.
Xiao Yao couldn’t cry out but her body violently shook. Gradually her hands could move, her legs could move, and then she painfully cried out as all the soul essence entered her body and she passed out in the midst of unbearable pain.
When Xiao Yao woke up, she felt the warm sun on her body and she subconsciously turned over to keep on sleeping. Suddenly she opened her eyes in disbelief. She laid there in a daze and then slowly raised her hand up.
Oh! She really could move!
“Xiang Liu!” Xiao Yao sat up but then her head bumped into something hard and she saw stars.
No one answered her and she saw a sliver of sunlight trickling in from outside. Xiao Yao felt that she was inside some sort of shell and she used her hands to feel the surface above her head and her sides. The sides slowly opened like flower petals until instantly Xiao Yao was bathed in sunlight.
Only someone trapped by darkness before would understand that sunlight was the world’s most ordinary yet precious treasure! The sunlight stung her eyes but she was reluctant to close her eyes. She faced the sunlight and slowly stood up and let out a happy holler.
After she calmed down, Xiao Yao noticed that she was wearing a loose fitting white robe and was standing on a large open clam shell. She was surrounded by endless ocean and the waves crested against the clam shell and sprayed up white foam.
All these years, Xiang Liu placed her in the middle of a clam shell to sleep in the ocean. Xiao Yao couldn’t contain her smile, didn’t that make her like a pearl hidden inside a clam shell?
Xiao Yao put her hands around her mouth and yelled, “Xiang Liu! Xiang Liu! Where are you? I’m awake!”
A white and gold condor descended but without Xiang Liu on his back.
Xiao Yao stroked its back. “Furball, where is your master?”
Furbal flapped his wings and called towards the sky once, as if urging Xiao Yao to get on his back.
Xiao Yao happily asked, “Xiang Liu asked you to bring me to see him? Furball shook his head.
Xiao Yao quizzically asked, “Xiang Liu asked you to take me home?” Furball nodded his head.
Whether Xiang Liu had matters to attend to or he was purposely avoiding seeing her, Xiao Yao stood there in a dumbstruck daze, the initial happiness of regaining life and light disappearing like receding waves.
Furball pecked Xiao Yao’s hand to urge her to hurry up.
Xiao Yao climbed on Furball’s back and it rose into the air and flew towards the Middle Plains.
Xiao Yao stared at the passing ocean surface as it rushed past her like a shooting arrow, disappearing behind her. The feelings in her heart were so jumbled.
The next morning, Furball landed outside Zhi Yi Castle and Xiao Yao knew many people would recognize Xiang Liu’s winged ride and knew Furball could only take her as far as here.
For whatever reason, Xiao Yao’s heart was filled with an endless ache. She suddenly grabbed Furball’s neck tightly and Furball squirmed in annoyance but didn’t really put up a fuss. It cocked its head and endured with a sigh.
Xiao Yao buried her face in Furball’s neck as her tears came tumbling down, one after another, falling silently on Furball’s feathers and disappearing.
Furball finally got fed up and impatiently called out once.
Xiao Yao raised her head and the tears were gone from her eyes. She slid off Furball’s back and patted him. “Go back to your master!”
Furball ran a few steps and then flew into the air. Xiao Yao raised her head to watch it fly away until it was completely gone from her sight.
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Chapter 23:
Xiao Yao walked and talked. “I was thinking that when you escaped the slave death match arena, wouldn’t it have been great if I was the one who saved you? If that was the case, then I would let you only be Fang Feng Bei! I really hate that I wasn’t born a few hundred years earlier. I would definitely find you in the slave death match arena…….”
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Chapter 25:
Fang Feng Bei was riding a winged horse through the crowds, his expression gentle with a smile on his lips, just like any regular son of a rich family.
Xiao Yao was rooted in place and watched him come closer to her through the dense thrum of bustling ordinary life. Even knowing it was hopeless, she still fervently wished that this ordinary world could keep him in it.
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Chapter 26:
Xiang Liu said, “That’s….”
“The mating song of the merpeople.”
“How do you know?” Xiang Liu stared at Xiao Yao.
Xiao Yao acted nonchalantly with a smile “I guessed it. Legend says the merpeople have incredibly melodic voices so from who else in the deep ocean but the merpeople to sing like that?” Xiang Liu didn’t want her to know that when she was unconscious the things he did with her, and she didn’t want him to know that she already knew. Their embraces and companionship, just let it be buried deep in the dark ocean depths!
...
The clam shell was enormous and even with the two of them inside it wasn’t a tight squeeze at all. She slept here for thirty-seven years with Xiang Liu. Would that be equivalent of sleeping in the same bed and sharing the same pillow? Those two merpeople saw the clam shell as their home, how did Xiang Liu view this clam shell?
Xiao Yao suddenly felt all sorts of thoughts and feelings rush up and her face burned as her heart sped up.
Xiao Yao chastised herself and tried desperately to control her feelings and reactions, but she couldn’t control her heartbeat. Just like that, Xiang Liu sensed it and looked over at her. Xiao Yao quickly said, “I’m hungry! So hungry I’m all nerves!”
Xiao Yao’s face was so red it was like a burning sunset and she forced her eyes wide open to stare at Xiang Liu. His heartbeat quickened a few times and Xiao Yao sensed it. But then it was gone just like that and she wondered if it was her mistaken sensation.
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Chapter 27:
In her dream, she saw Jing with his son, but she couldn’t see his son’s face, only that he curled in his dad’s arms and called him sweetly “Daddy” while Jing smiled back.
Xiao Yao ran away as fast as she could and in a second she ran from Qing Qiu to Qing Shui Town. Xiao Yao jumped in the river and swam towards the vast blue ocean. She could see endless horizons and the joy of swimming freely, but she was so, so tired! Where could she go in this entire world? Fang Feng Bei appeared on the surface and he sat on an all white clam shell smiling at her with his black hair flying in the breeze. Xiao Yao swam towards him but in a second his hair turned all white and he became Xiang Liu coldly staring at her. White clam shell, all white Xiang Liu, it was like an ice mountain floating on the ocean surface.
The black-hair-him, the white-hair-him, closer and further away……Xiao Yao suddenly turned and swam towards land, as she swam her tears tumbled down like rain……
Xiao Yao startled awake from her dream and felt coldness next to her. She touched her face and discovered that she was drenched in tears.
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Chapter 51:
In Qing Shui Town, she was Wen Xiao Liu, he was Xiang Liu. They were always at odds, but when he got injured he would hide in her room to heal. She didn’t know when she started telling him about her painful past that she had never told anyone before.
In Xuan Yuan Castle, he was the dissolute playboy Fang Feng Bei. He was gentle and considerate, fun loving yet diligently and patiently taught her ten plus years of archery.
When she was asleep under the ocean for thirty seven years, they spent every night together. That was probably when Xiang Liu was the most tender and caring towards her. She was of no use to him to exploit and they have no reason to be on opposite sides of each other. So during that time it was just one person taking the other person through life together in the ocean. One person sometimes saying a few words here and there, the other laying forever in silence.
On a separate note, headcanons, by definition, do not need to align with canon. So there is always room to headcanon a different ending or interpretation.
In S1, both the second male lead and the third male lead have quite a lot of romance-induced sorrow and heartache. Even the first male lead, who isn’t a romantic candidate for the female lead in the same way that the second and third male leads are, has some heartache.
In S2, the heartache will continue. The second male lead will have some happy romantic moments, but also some very sad moments. The first male lead will continue to marry women for strategic reasons instead of marrying the woman he loves (the female lead) and will eventually lose the female lead. And many fans of the third male lead consider his ending to be completely devastating.
So if you are really worried about SLS I’d say this one might not be for you, or at the very least you might want to wait for S2 to air before starting this drama so that at least one of the characters will have a relatively happy romantic situation in the end, instead of ending S1 (with all of the main characters not in a great place in terms of romance) and being sad for everyone until S2 finally airs.
But here are a few thoughts:
In chapter 47, XY notes that she opened her heart to CX first (“Xiao Yao said her heart had turned cold into stone, but he remained the most precious treasure that Xiao Yao kept deep in her heart, in the softest most secure place. When Jing said he would give first and trust first to try and win Xiao Yao’s heart, Xiao Yao had already done the same for [CX].”) and he had been, up to that point, her closest person (“In Xiao Yao’s heart, [CX] was the closest person to her, so much so that she didn’t differentiate between him and her. If he wanted something then she would give her life to help him achieve it… whatever she had [CX] could have it, including her life.”) But she was not willing to marry CX (despite her childhood promise to do so) and was horrified when she found out about his romantic feelings for her. After she found out that CX was responsible for TSJ’s "death", she could not bring herself to kill CX. She could only give him a non-lethal dose of poison. After CX was also involved in XL’s death, XY chose to disappear to a place that was outside of his control without saying goodbye to him.
The Lovers Bugs resided inside XY and XL for over 100 years with no issues / without turning into Heartbreak Bugs. XY sent the ice crystal ball to XL before her wedding with Feng Long and waited on the shore of Five Gods Mountain for his response for seven days. XL is the one who chose not to respond (and to crash her wedding instead). After XL killed Feng Long and nearly killed CX, XY could not bring herself to kill XL. She could only injure him, threaten his adoptive father, and cut ties with him (after XL intentionally pushed her to do so).
XY didn’t answer when asked in chapter 32 if she was willing to marry TSJ, but was quick to say that she was willing to marry YSQ when asked about him. But her mind refused to think about which person she most wanted to spend the rest of her life with. (I personally read that scene as suggesting that the person she most wanted to spend the rest of her life with was definitely not YSQ, since she wouldn't have any qualms about thinking of him, probably wasn't TSJ either since she always wanted to be with YSQ more than she wanted to be with TSJ, and probably was XL or FFB.) In that chapter, XL once again pushes her away + towards TSJ. When XY and TSJ get engaged, she chooses to put off setting a wedding date in order to focus on a medical project that takes 40+ years to complete. After TSJ “dies”, XY holds a wedding anyways and considers herself to be TSJ’s wife. She declares that she would rather be in pain than forget him, and there is a point where she accepts being murdered if it means that she will join TSJ in death. In the end, she marries TSJ when he is basically YSQ again, after she had cut ties with XL (despite still caring about XL and begging CX not to kill him).
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg for each of them. All in all, there’s plenty of evidence to support the idea that she loved CX, XL, and TSJ/YSQ in different ways. But it’s hard to pinpoint who she loved “most”.
But at least we can all agree that she didn’t love Feng Long.
Note that the drama treats many of these details differently from the novel, so the analysis for the drama will inevitably be different.
For what it's worth, I personally watched it for the romance and didn't care all that much about the clan and kingdom politics. But I get that this type of reverse-harem romance isn't for everyone.
A much more spoilery answer:
At the end of S1:
(1) Tushan Jing has been tricked and forced into marriage (with someone other than the female lead) and has a baby. He and the female lead are thoroughly miserable about it.
(2) Xiang Liu has been pushing the female lead away for some time and that creates unhappiness and tension for him and the female lead.
(3) Cang Xuan has become king unexpectedly quickly, which he's mostly happy about and the female lead is pretty happy about. But he also entered into a political marriage to someone other than the female lead, which makes the female lead a little sad and makes Cang Xuan quite sad.
(4) The female lead is engaged to marry a man she does not love, and isn't happy about it (and the other male leads are also not happy about it).
So S1 ends with a bit of happiness related to Cang Xuan becoming king, but quite a lot of unhappiness in everyone's love lives.
At the end of S2:
(1) Tushan Jing will be badly wounded by his brother in a way that seriously diminishes his power, health and lifespan and he will choose not to return to his clan (including Tushan Zhen, who he's raised as his son for 50+ years), but he gets to marry the female lead. Not a perfectly happy ending, but probably more happy than not.
(2) Xiang Liu will die with his fellow soldiers in battle after doing all the things he wanted to do for the female lead, including taking certain painful steps (e.g., pushing her to cut ties with him and erasing the memories of him that she had saved in her mirror).
(3) Cang Xuan will still be king and will have successfully united the three kingdoms, but he loses the female lead.
(4) The female lead will leave Cang Xuan and her family behind, mourn Xiang Liu and marry Tushan Jing, who is willing to leave everything behind to be her life-long companion.
For Xiang Liu, Cang Xuan and the female lead, I feel like their endings involve too much loss to call them happy, but the author noted that they each got what they wanted most. So in that sense their endings are also not completely tragic.
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Chapter 16:
Jing asked, “Have you ever been to Qing Qiu?”
“No, for a while I hated the Nine-tailed fox and legend has it the Nine-tailed fox came from Qing Qiu so I hated Qing Qiu as well. Twice I bypassed it.” Xiao Yao suddenly was very worried. “The Nine-tailed fox I killed, it wasn’t one of your relatives?”
“He probably was.” The Nine-tailed fox was very rare, and the few existing ones really were all relatives of the Tu Shan clan.
“What?” Xiao Yao’s mouth dropped open.
Jing couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Relative or no relative, he had it coming based on what he did to you. Even if someone told my grandmother about it, you’re still in the right.”
Xiao Yao patted her chest. “You scared the daylights out of me!”
Jing gently said, “Actually, Qing Qiu is a lot of fun. After you reach Sheng Nong Mountain, I’ll take you to Qing Qiu to play.”
The female lead marries Tushan Jing (one of the three main male leads) at the end of S2. There is a period of time where he is missing and presumed dead, but he comes back.
One of the other three main male leads dies in battle.
As for the plot... it's a bit difficult to summarize.
There were three kingdoms: A, B, and C. Kingdom A invaded Kingdom B and they were at war for a while. The female lead's mother was from Kingdom A and married the man who became king of Kingdom C but later divorced him and returned to Kingdom A. There, she left her daughter (the female lead) behind and led Kingdom A's army against Kingdom B. She died in battle, but Kingdom B was conquered with only a small remnant of its army surviving and refusing to surrender.
All of the main characters go through different traumas before the end of the first episode, and the female lead's main trauma is being abandoned by her mother and other loved ones. The female lead is a deity with the ability to transform herself, and roughly 100 years after her mother's death she chooses to transform herself into a man and uses a fake name.
After living as a man for almost 200 years, she meets (or re-meets) each of the male leads in that form. One of the male leads (Cang Xuan) is her "gege" (the details are complicated) who she was very close with in childhood. He's a prince from Kingdom A and he lived in Kingdom C for a while. His goal is to become King so that he has enough power to protect his loved ones. Another male lead (Xiang Liu) is a demon who fights with the remnant army from Kingdom B. So Cang Xuan and Xiang Liu are enemies on different sides of a war. The female lead saves the life of the other male lead (Ye Shi Qi / Tushan Jing), a deity who was tortured and left for dead. He asks the female lead to give him a name and wants to stay with her instead of returning to his clan. The drama follows her interactions with those three men (and their alternate identities), the King of Kingdom C, and the King of Kingdom A for a little over 100 years. Those interactions are driven by the characters' individual traumas, by war, by clan and family politics, by loyalty, and by love.
In the end (major, major spoilers ahead) Cang Xuan is King and has united Kingdom A, Kingdom B and Kingdom C. Xang Liu dies with the remnant army of Kingdom B. The female lead marries Tushan Jing but loses, in different ways, Cang Xuan and Xiang Liu.