Episodes: 87
Synopsis:
Ruyi is from the Ula Nara clan and related to the previous Empress Yixiu. When Empress Yixiu falls out of favor and is locked away in the cold palace, Ruyi is thrown into harem politics. This caused problems with how she would climb to power, how she was supposed to continue loving her childhood love (the emperor Qian Long), and how she was to accustom to her new role as a concubine. Over the years, she survives many conspiracies that other concubines set up to drag her down. She remained steadfast to the role she was supposed to play while quietly supporting the emperor from behind. Time after time, she took on these trials and tribulations with grace and she worked to prove her innocence through sincerity and intelligence. Eventually, she climbs up the ranks to become Empress.
During this process, her relationship with Qian Long slowly becomes irreparable as the two slowly lost trust in one another. Ruyi, despite remaining loyal and loving, became disillusioned and disappointed with the man she fell in love with as a young teenager. She also was becoming disenchanted with the harsh reality of life in the Forbidden City. This is the story of the life of an empress who rose to the ranks but yet left quietly.
Ruyi is from the Ula Nara clan and related to the previous Empress Yixiu. When Empress Yixiu falls out of favor and is locked away in the cold palace, Ruyi is thrown into harem politics. This caused problems with how she would climb to power, how she was supposed to continue loving her childhood love (the emperor Qian Long), and how she was to accustom to her new role as a concubine. Over the years, she survives many conspiracies that other concubines set up to drag her down. She remained steadfast to the role she was supposed to play while quietly supporting the emperor from behind. Time after time, she took on these trials and tribulations with grace and she worked to prove her innocence through sincerity and intelligence. Eventually, she climbs up the ranks to become Empress.
During this process, her relationship with Qian Long slowly becomes irreparable as the two slowly lost trust in one another. Ruyi, despite remaining loyal and loving, became disillusioned and disappointed with the man she fell in love with as a young teenager. She also was becoming disenchanted with the harsh reality of life in the Forbidden City. This is the story of the life of an empress who rose to the ranks but yet left quietly.
Review:
Every time I watch a drama about the loves and trials in the imperial harem, I end up becoming extremely invested in the relationships, the power struggle, and the manipulations/calculations. Powerful women are so addicting to watch--especially when every woman in the drama try to play to their own strengths and weaknesses. Harem dramas are often rooted heavily in self-preservation, power, and romance. To a certain extent, the imperial harem is a survival game. Who survives till the end? Who makes it through unscathed? Who has the power to live on in the living's memory?
So with that alone, I enjoyed this drama because it fulfilled what I was looking for at the time. But this drama is very unique in the way it was made and in the way it tied to the actual history in that our main character is one who does not fight for power or affection--but lives on the virtue of being a loving wife and being responsible. It is an interesting take on an empress who is historically recorded to have cut her own hair during an argument with the emperor, be treated coldly after, and not have a name/place in the burial grounds despite being an empress. It was also nice to see a drama that portrays a woman of her virtue and calm demeanor. It made the viewers empathize with her struggles through subtle details. This drama was a very good example of how a drama can show and not tell.
Let me start off with the pros. The acting in this drama was phenomenal. Every actor and actress brought their own charm to their characters. The emotional struggles that they went through often could be seen without dialogue. The acting with eyes in this drama was beautiful. Admittedly, the women in this drama (especially the main lead) did a significantly better job in acting compared to some of the male roles. There were times I was slightly disappointed with the blandness of Wallace Huo's acting as emperor. It wasn't necessarily that he's a bad actor but when he was paired up with such amazing actresses, the chemistry often felt lacking on his part. The cinematography was also beautiful in the way it captured the essence of living in the forbidden city. The costumes that the actors and actresses wore also often held a regal air to it. It was a very beautifully executed drama and you can definitely see that this drama had funding through the little details of the clothing, cinematography, food, objects, and so forth.
It was also interesting how they painted another concubine in such a negative light--often scheming and power-hungry. It was interesting because this drama was broadcasted at the same time as Story of Yan Xi Palace. Story of Yan Xi tells a completely different story where the virtuous main lead was actually the concubine painted in such a negative light in this one. It also makes the character of Ruyi more evil, power-hungry, and so forth. It was two interesting takes on the same history and the same two people. It definitely provided a lot of food for thought. This drama definitely showed the ending of Ruyi as one that was rooted in disappointment toward the emperor. I thought it was a beautiful touch to show how Ruyi and the emperor grew up as childhood lovers, only to reach the end and find that they have become strangers to one another. That underlying love despite the growing disappointment and resentment toward each other was beautifully portrayed. There was a lot of nuance.
Let me start off with the pros. The acting in this drama was phenomenal. Every actor and actress brought their own charm to their characters. The emotional struggles that they went through often could be seen without dialogue. The acting with eyes in this drama was beautiful. Admittedly, the women in this drama (especially the main lead) did a significantly better job in acting compared to some of the male roles. There were times I was slightly disappointed with the blandness of Wallace Huo's acting as emperor. It wasn't necessarily that he's a bad actor but when he was paired up with such amazing actresses, the chemistry often felt lacking on his part. The cinematography was also beautiful in the way it captured the essence of living in the forbidden city. The costumes that the actors and actresses wore also often held a regal air to it. It was a very beautifully executed drama and you can definitely see that this drama had funding through the little details of the clothing, cinematography, food, objects, and so forth.
It was also interesting how they painted another concubine in such a negative light--often scheming and power-hungry. It was interesting because this drama was broadcasted at the same time as Story of Yan Xi Palace. Story of Yan Xi tells a completely different story where the virtuous main lead was actually the concubine painted in such a negative light in this one. It also makes the character of Ruyi more evil, power-hungry, and so forth. It was two interesting takes on the same history and the same two people. It definitely provided a lot of food for thought. This drama definitely showed the ending of Ruyi as one that was rooted in disappointment toward the emperor. I thought it was a beautiful touch to show how Ruyi and the emperor grew up as childhood lovers, only to reach the end and find that they have become strangers to one another. That underlying love despite the growing disappointment and resentment toward each other was beautifully portrayed. There was a lot of nuance.
As for the cons, the drama did drag toward the middle as it focused a lot on how the emperor's children were often dying either from sickness or due to the power struggles within the palace. It felt like every two episodes was a repeat of previous situations where children died, mothers cried, and life moved on. Understandably this drama tried to capture the whole time. However, it got a bit tiring to watch as it felt very slow and uncomfortable. I also didn't like how they used the actors/actresses in the beginning episodes when they're supposed to be playing 15-16 year olds. The main leads are a bit older and more experienced in acting, so as the drama went on they fit their roles better with much more ease. However, when they had to play 15-16 year olds, it made me very uncomfortable because it just didn't seem to fit for those scenes.
All in all, this was executed very well. I would recommend this drama if you're looking for an imperial harem/historical drama. However, do prepared to watch it for a while as it has many episodes and it can drag here and there.
All in all, this was executed very well. I would recommend this drama if you're looking for an imperial harem/historical drama. However, do prepared to watch it for a while as it has many episodes and it can drag here and there.
