The first episode is dense material, so I need time to disentangle what I see as relevant elements.

1. The title, “The Princess Royal”

The title is to the point. There’s a difference between a “royal princess” and a “Princess Royal.”

In case you didn’t know…

The former is broad. It refers to the daughter(s) and/or granddaughter(s) of the ruling monarch of the country. There can be more than one royal princess. In contrast, the title “Princess Royal” is specific. She is the eldest daughter of the monarch and only one princess at a time can hold the title of Princess Royal.

For example, the late Queen Elizabeth II couldn’t be called the Princess Royal while her father George VI was king of England because her aunt Mary, who was King George VI’s sister, was still alive and she was the Princess Royal. The same thing may happen to the young Princess Charlotte. When her father ascends to the throne, she can become the Princess Royal only after her great-aunt Anne, the current Princess Royal, passes away.

Seniority counts.

In this cdrama, Li Rong is the Princess Royal. Her royal name is Princess Pingyue. Not only is her father the Emperor Li Ming, but her mother, the Empress Shangguan Yue, is from the most powerful noble house in the empire. In theory, she has the best of two worlds: the monarchy and the aristocracy.

While her father has another daughter with his Concubine/Consort Rou, this royal princess cannot hold a candle to the Princess Royal.

2. The original timeline

One reason this cdrama may be hard to grasp for the uninitiated like me, is that so many characters from TWO different timelines are thrown at us in the first episode. The Chinese names are so hard to remember because they read like gibberish to me.

The story begins in the original timeline when Li Rong is 38 and her husband, the Royal Consort Pei Wen Xuan is 40.

In this timeline, the emperor is Li Chuan, the younger brother of Li Rong. He’s shown in bed and looks close to death.

Outside his palace stands his Empress Shangguan Ya (Note the name. It almost reads like his mother’s name, Shangguan Yue). She demands an audience with Li Chuan, but her entrance is blocked by the royal guards upon orders of the Grand Chancellor Pei Wen Xuan aka Li Rong’s husband.

A quick aside: I like how the director/screenwriter impresses upon the viewers the authority of the Grand Chancellor Pei Wen Xuan (PWX). He’s heard – not seen – commanding the movement of not one or two, but three troops of royal guards. Since only his voice is heard in a voiceover, we get the sense that he’s the invisible power behind the throne. He has the emperor Li Chuan’s approval to prepare for all contingencies and move people around under the cloak of secrecy.

PWX marches to the palace with his men and orders the empress and her ministers to disperse. We see his supremacy when they obey his order without a fuss. He brooks no argument.

His conversation with the Emperor Li Chuan is brief but revealing. Here are the key take-aways:

a. There is an ongoing succession crisis.

If we go by bloodline, then the Crown Prince Li XIN should be next in line. He’s the first-born son of the Emperor Li Chuan with his Empress Shangguan Ya. However, if we follow the birth order — without any regard to the maternal bloodline — then Li PING, the eldest son of the emperor with his consort (or second wife) Qin Zhenzhen is next. The emperor wants Li PING to inherit the throne.

But Li PING has several impediments, all emanating from the identity of his mother.

First, his mother Qin Zhenzhen wasn’t a scion of a noble family like the Shangguans. Second, before his mother Qin Zhenzhen passed away, she was the most-beloved wife of the emperor. Obviously, the Empress Ya wouldn’t approve of the son of her rival ascending to the throne before her own son. Third, not only was Qin Zhenzhen the favorite wife of the emperor, but she was also the ex-fiancée and childhood friend of PWX. Thus, Li Rong had been jealous of her, too.

See all the entanglements?

Weirdly enough, the two men never mention the deceased Qin Zhenzhen’s name. They ignore the elephant in the room. Instead, the emperor blames his sister’s interference and ambition for the succession crisis.

It’s Li Rong who brings up the issue of Qin Zhenzhen.

Li Rong: Are we really going to let a concubine’s son ascend the throne instead?
PWX: Are you still holding a grudge against Zhenzhen?
Li Rong: (aghast) Can you please address her as Noble Consort Qin? How can you call her Zhenzhen? Don’t forget that the Qin Zhenzhen you adore, she is my younger brother, the current Emperor Li Chuan’s deceased concubine. Her child Li Ping cannot become the crown prince.

I hear her jealousy loud and clear.

b. The emperor resents the Princess Royal to the max.

In his own words –

Li Chuan: Since the founding of the Great Xia, the power has always been in the hands of the Noble Houses. Although my Li family is royalty, we are merely puppets of the Noble Houses. It is only when facing death that I realize that my eldest sister, Princess Royal Li Rong, is the true power behind the Noble Houses. After my demise, if the Princess Royal plots a rebellion, how should you, her nominal husband and the representative of the commoners respond, Prime Minister Pei?
PWX: The nation belongs to the people. As long as I am here, the commoners will not fall into decline.

Sidenote here: Li Chuan presents a strawman argument. He claims that there are two sides: the Li monarchy and the nobility which his eldest sister presides over. This scenario may be true, but then he asserts that any action undertaken by Li Rong to contradict his will is inimical to the common people. He speaks as if he’s the sole authority on what’s good for the people. He fails to consider that perhaps Li Rong also has the welfare of the people at heart, and that perhaps NOT ALL of his royal edicts have been fair and just to the common folks. He sees any opposition to his rule as nefarious.

To me, power-sharing is the best way to govern the people. Instead of viewing Li Rong’s actions as an interference or a power-grab, he could have solicited her assistance in governance.

c. Li Chuan drives a wedge between husband and wife.

I don’t know if it’s intentional or not, but the emperor sets up PWX to view Li Rong as the enemy of the state.

For one, the emperor isn’t subtle when he reminds PWX that he and Li Rong are from different backgrounds. By stating that PWX is the appointed representative of the common folks, the emperor is highlighting that Li Rong is from nobility while PWX is from humble origins. The emperor wants PWX to be his stand-in and fight Li Rong after his death.

For another, the emperor rubs it in that PWX is merely a “nominal husband.” I’m sure PWX is triggered by this label. He clearly doesn’t approve of the presence of Li Rong’s boy toy, Su RongQing (Su), in the Princess’ Mansion, but he tolerates it because Su is castrated and because he feels guilty about a misunderstanding he had with Li Rong. The emperor’s reminder that he’s a “nominal husband” will have tormented him when he goes home and sees Su attending to his wife.

Noteworthy: Despite being called a “nominal husband,” PWX goes home to Li Rong to discuss the succession issue. His action tells me that one, he values her opinion/input and two, no matter the animosity the emperor harbors for his older sister, PWX still tries to mediate between the two siblings.

PWX: I’ve come today to discuss the matter of appointing the crown prince with you.
Li Rong: Xin’er is the biological son of Empress Shangguan Ya. He is modest, respectful, and utterly worthy of the position. What’s there to discuss?
PWX: The Third Prince Li Xin is arrogant and unruly, which makes him unsuitable for the position of crown prince.

Hmmm… how is that possible that Li Rong and PWX have such polar opposite assessment of the Crown Prince? Is the Crown Prince Li Xin bipolar? Does he behave differently in the company of his Li Rong and PWX?

PWX: His mother, Lady Shangguan, holds too much power. If something were to happen to you and me in the future…

Noteworthy: At this point, Li Rong tunes him out because she spots the sachet hanging from his waist. That’s too bad because she doesn’t hear him talk about *their* future. He’s concerned that if one of them dies in the future, the wrong person will wield too much power. Surely, PWX doesn’t sound like he intends to kill her in the foreseeable future.

Another aside: I like how the director switches the scenes back and forth from the emperor at his deathbed and the Princess Royal at hers. This juxtaposition allows the audience to compare and contrast both death scenes.

For example, Li Rong has lots of attendants in her room while the emperor has none. Su tenderly attends to Li Rong’s needs while the Emperor only has PWX at his bedside and they talk about state affairs. The emperor expresses his animosity for his sister; he believes she’s going to usurp power after his death. But Li Rong’s eyes are only on PWX; she believes he’s going to usurp power after the emperor’s death.

Also, the emperor clutches PWX’s hand as he gives his last command to his most trusted minister. Similarly, Li Rong clutches Su’s hand as she gives her last wish.

Lastly, nobody doubts that the emperor is deathly ill. PWX limits his visitors so his bed rest isn’t disturb. But PWX accuses Li Rong of exaggerating her illness because of the energetic way she argues with him. Then, he storms out of the room after successfully agitating her over her boytoy Su.

PWX: However, the person favored by Your Highness may not be necessarily be of good character. What’s the point of him, a castrated man, currying favor with you here? (exits)
Li Rong: (shouting after him) What did you say? Pei Wenxuan! Pei Wenxuan! I won’t have you slander Rongqing in the slightest.

See that? If PWX is just a “nominal husband” then what is Su Rongqing? He’s worse off because he’s a “castrated man.”

3. The second chance

One thing I like about this story is the way it presents his-and-her version.

For example, at PWX’s death, he’s so sure that she won’t kill him, just scare him. So after he’s stabbed in the heart and finds out that the Princess Royal ordered him to be killed without mercy, he tears up and thinks, “I never thought you would actually attack me. You are the only weal and woe that I cannot avoid in my lifetime.”

Meanwhile, as she lays dying, she tells Su, “For twenty years, I’ve been entangled with him. I never expected it to end like this.” Then, after Su tells her that it’s all over, and that none of them is worthy of her, she tells him, “My greatest regret…in this lifetime…is missing you. If only I could dream of a great dream and I could start everything anew….”

A few comments:

a. Both didn’t expect to die at the hands of the other person. Although they were estranged for 20 years, they didn’t think they hated each other enough to commit murder.

b. Li Rong didn’t trust PWX as much as PWX trusted her. She immediately suspected him of poisoning her while he brushed off his manservant’s fear that they were about to be ambushed by the Princess Royal’s guards.

c. In my opinion, PWX loved Li Rong more than she loved him. She had already replaced him with Su, but even after finding out that she ordered his death, he still regarded her as his fate, his unavoidable “weal and woe.” Weal and woe = joy and sorrow; boon and bane.

d. I like that PWX didn’t express regret meeting her in his life despite everything they went through. I expect to see a lot of groveling from Li Rong for regretting not being with Su. I don’t like emotional cheating.

e. Although Li Rong is the one who wished to have a great dream where she could start all over again, PWX is the one who instantly realizes what’s happening to him. As soon as he reads the invitation, he concludes, “This is a dream of starting over, where everything begins anew.” If you notice, his words echoes hers.

He understands the assignment.

4. The second timeline

I need to make notes or I’ll forget the names.

When Li Rong is reborn (or wakes up from her dream), she discovers herself back in time when she’s still 18 years old. Her father, Li Ming, reigns as emperor, and her mother, Shangguan Yue, is the empress. Her younger brother Li Chuan is the Crown Prince.

Her father has a couple of concubines/consorts:

Consort Yang Ning, daughter of a powerful general guarding the Northern border
— she has a brother, Yang Quan, whom she’s trying to marry off to Li Rong for alliance

Consort Xiao Rou,
— she bore the emperor a daughter and son. She wants her son to replace the Crown Prince Li Chuan.

My comments:

a. It’s clear in this timeline that the Emperor doesn’t trust his own daughter and thinks she’s capable of poisoning him. How sad is that? When Li Rong brings cookies for him, he hesitates to take one, then he only partakes of a piece that she has tried herself. But her father’s suspicious nature mirrors hers because she too immediately believed PWX of poisoning her.

b. Li Rong is ecstatic to be 18 years old again. She wants this do-over, this reset so badly. I like it when she notices her youthful skin in the mirror and dances in the garden without a care in the world.

On the other hand, PWX is dismayed to find that he’s 20 years old again. He remembers that this was the time in his life when he was penurious. I find it funny when he goes to the courtyard and finds the marriage trunks returned to him because Qin Zhenzhen called off their engagement.

Li Rong gets to have a stress-free start while PWX gets a stressful start.

c. To me, their different attitudes foreshadows their actions. For Li Rong, having a do-over means she can exact revenge on PWX for poisoning her and find happiness with Su this time around. For PWX, however, the reset means avoiding the mistakes that led to his and Li Rong’s estrangement. Even though she killed him in the previous/original timeline, he has no plans to avenge his murder.

That’s it for now.