The thread is open.
Because @agdr03 and @GB are marathoning this cdrama, I’ll create this open thread for the discussions. Spoilers welcome. Just write the episode number so it’s easy to tell where you are.
This story is a second chance at love, mixed with court intrigue. The first 15 minutes of Episode 1 shows the demise of their marriage. The couple, Pei Wenxuan (PWX) and the Princess Royal Li Rong die, both believing that the other person did them in.
Note: since in recent years, the Chinese Ministry of Culture (i.e., the “State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television”) strongly discourages and disapproves the proliferation of cdramas with reincarnation and time travel themes, this particular cdrama goes around the “ban” by describing the death of the two main characters as a “dream.” That is, PWX and Li Rong merely dreamt of their previous life together and joint assassination instead of actually living through the experience.
The show has 40 episodes. All episodes are on Netflix.
The Princess Royal: Ep 1 My Notes
The Princess Royal: Ep 2 My Observations
The Princess Royal: Episode 2 The Go Game
The Princess Royal: Episode 11, agdr03’s Favorite Moments
The Princess Royal: Ep 3 My Commentary
Let’s enjoy the show.
Many thanks for this thread @pkml3.
EPISODE 20-21 (MINOR SPOILER)
I find that the Show is looking up at Episode 20-21. Li Rong is getting good advice and becoming more thoughtful of her poor husband Pei Wen Xuan. How she takes action based on her new and past awareness of PWX remains to be seen, but there are signs of hope. I really want her to warm up and not be so insecure!
On the one hand I understand that her mother has ‘traumatised’ her with advice that love in marriage is a foolish notion. All royal marriages have some other agenda(s) tied to them, so it’s best not to be heartbroken over a man. Well the best defense is these matters is not to give one’s heart at all, and that’s where we find LR. I like that she admits that she knows what to do to show that she cares for PWX, but she can’t seem to bring herself to do those things.
I like that he forgave her after she came clean, and that he’s willing to wait. I like their push-and-pull and the playing hard-to-get.
Now as things start looking up, of course we must get external forces that will add more stress to their already stressful situations, to test their relationship again!
From the EARLY EPISODES before Episode 20 …
Show has already been given hints that it’s not just PWX and LR who are being given a 2nd chance at life and love. I was suspecting it for some time and it has been confirmed.
With a 3rd player who remembers the past 20 years, and can circumvent events or manipulate other events, things will get complicated.
THE THEME (the other dream, not the past life one but the one for the future)
Besides the 2nd chance at romance plot that I like, there’s the overarching theme that resonates with me. I’ve noticed a similarity in cdramas that I like … they often have this theme of greater communality versus petty/family interests, unity amidst diversity, building a better country/world, working towards more equality and lifting up of the masses. The response that PWX gave to the exiled nobleman Xie describes the ‘dream’ that our couple is striving for.
Xie asks Li Rong: “Why are you doing all this?” (Why are you risking your life by targeting corruption committed by noble families?) “For the sake of making the son of that humble woman, Consort Rou, ascend the throne?” (He can only see things in terms of us and them, noble families versus humble families).
PWX: “All Her Highness has done is to stop people like you from asking why. What she seeks in the world is not for the family to be most important but for all people to live a happy life with hope. It may not be realised today. It may not be realised in 100 or 1,000 years. But Her Highness still hopes that one day there will be no more people like you asking what you did wrong, …and accusing Her Highness of being a royal descendant married to a commoner.”
If all else fails with the romance (which I doubt) at least one can watch this to see how the events work towards achieving this dream.
Thank you Queen for this thread. 🙇🏻♀️
I’ve actually finished it. I will list my likes and dislikes when I get the chance. I’ve noted the kisses too as usual. 😉
@GB, you finally got to episode 21. I was crying with PWX after the whole buttercup flower field surprise while LR used herself as bait to capture some bad guys.
What a bad day for PWX. But I can see that LR was totally taken aback by it too. She really didn’t think he’d prepare something like that. I appreciate her tears. That’s it. 😂
True, he forgave her so easily too. He really is an amazing guy.
The Princess Royal Kisses.
Episode 6 – waking up PWX with a kiss.
– kiss on the bridge with fireworks.
Episode 18 – He kissed LR on the cheek. He said I would like to give you the joy of the world (is that what it is?😂). So I can repay your favour. Don’t be fooled by Mr Su’s good looks. I can give you everything you want. Whenever you want to be served. I’ll be at your service at any time. RAWR! 🥰 But LR is not having any of it. 😂 You said you’d give him a reward. 😡
Episode 21 – goodnight kiss on the cheek. Poor PWX. He’s such a forgiving man. He said it doesn’t matter if it’s 10 years or another 20 years. He’s definitely incredibly patient like he said.
Episode 25 – forehead kiss.
– forced kiss on a boat. I didn’t mind this forced kiss because I can tell PWX was very frustrated. He didn’t like that they will need to divorce. He’s jealousy didn’t help either. But LR just spouted all this things at him so that didn’t help either. But again, after asking LR’s forgiveness (it’s good that he did!) they were able to open up with each other again.
Episode 29 – bathtub kisses. Nice! 😍
– kiss before climbing the ladder to go back to her other home which is next to PWX’s.
Episode 37 – forehead kiss.
Episode 40 – a kiss after getting remarried. I didn’t like the angle of this kiss. It didn’t look nice. No movement at all. Ok. That’s enough. 😂
I wish they’d shown their child though at this last scene.
Thanks @agdr03! I look forward to the kisses in the Ep 30-40 range. I enjoyed the bathtub kisses. I guess they have already embarked on perhaps becoming parents???
One thing I found that drew me to this show are the OSTs. They are modern and melodic and enjoyable on their own, even if I never watched the show. I guess the sad music of Snow Fall got me craving something more upbeat.
The other thing that surprisingly is keeping me watching now are the very convoluted ways of thinking and scheming by various members of the court. I’m intrigued by the intrigue LOL. Never in a hundred years would I have been able to come up with the scenarios those writers have done… how could anyone be certain that 1 event would definitely lead through several steps involving various characters, to bring about a desired conclusion.
Anyway, besides for the romance, I’ve ended up watching to see who gets away with their schemes!!
@GB, I agree. That heroes work for the greater good/common good is a central concept in cdramas.
There are problems however with:
a) imposing the will of the majority upon the minority, all for the sake of the “greater” good. Just imagine 10 wolves and 1 sheep deciding what’s good to eat for dinner. Of course, it’s for the “greater” good that the sheep is slaughtered. But what about the good of the sheep? Doesn’t the sheep get to have a say, too?
That’s what tyranny of the majority is, @GB. 🙂
To me, it’s easy to watch cdrama heroes because the “greater” good is always clear. There’s always that idealism imbedded in the heroes. And we’re spared from seeing the murky, other side because if and when we do see it, then we become red-pilled and we start doubting and questioning the “rightness” of the course of action.
Cdramas now are what Hollywood movies used to be 40, 50 years ago.
b) defining what constitutes as the “common” good. What’s good for X may not be good for Y.
In a homogenous society, like South Korea or Japan, for instance, it’s easy to find commonality because people are mostly Koreans and Japanese sharing one common history, culture, religion, tradition, and so on.
But in the US, and the European world, where natives (by natives, I don’t mean the Navajo, Sioux, Cherokee kind of natives) have to defend the “common” history, culture, religion, tradition, etc., from being replaced by multitudes of histories, cultures, religions, traditions brought by the recent immigrants, both legal and illegal (ugh! don’t get me ranting about this), then how do you find common ground?
I used to think ASSIMILATION was the answer. You come to this country (or UK, France, Austria, Germany, Finland and so on), then you damn well integrate, appreciate, celebrate, learn the language and culture, respect the laws, adapt, and unify with the citizens.
In short, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
But no. That’s not what I’m seeing now.
The “unity amidst diversity” that you write about @GB is difficult to achieve in reality, especially when there’s a minority that’s very militant and strident in opposing the “common” history, culture, religion, tradition, etc., for the simple reason that what’s “common” is too white, too European, too “racist.”
The current situation here in the US won’t be allowed to happen in South Korea, Japan or in your Singapore, @GB. Your government will no doubt jail and/or expel these folks because they’re upsetting the common good. Here, they’re given audience, public space, and even sanction by a government wanting to curry their votes.
Anyway, @GB. That’s why it’s so satisfying to watch cdrama heroes work for the “common good.” Everybody can agree what the common good is, and anybody who deviates from it is instantly recognized as “idiotic,” “deviant,” or “evil.”
@pkml3
Part of the tyranny addressed here is that of the nobles who get into good government positions without effort versus commoners who put in years of study to obtain only a lowly position. The nobles are desperate to protect their positions but times are a-changing.
Idealistic or not, I find all characters in this Show are a rather murky grey. No one is all good. Everyone has blood on their hands, indirectly or directly. Several hapless individuals are in positions where they get sacrificed for some higher good. I assume Show is saying the ends justifies the means, even if it means sacrificing lives along the way.
As for the real world, I find that in some places divisive voices are growing louder. They may be a minority but are given too much leeway to make themselves heard. There seems to be increased fear of being labeled as h*ters or prejudiced against the once ignored/abused minority who now are doing what was done to them, ie ‘oppressing’ their ‘oppressors’.
Since I watch dramas to take a break from the real world, I do appreciate taking the blue pill for the length of the shows. Yes, I used to like those good old Hollywood movies where the guy in white was sure to be the hero and I could support him without a doubt that he was the really good guy.
Nowadays between the concept of 1 hero wins all to gain his love, fortune, power and of how the fight or work is for the building of community, the saving of a country or more, the latter wins out for me. Cdramas put the former within the framework of the latter and so create a fully winning theme for their plots.
I’ve finished the series. After EPISODE 40, I am baffled by the king.
SPOILERS
He seems to have waffled back and forth between 1 son and the other. He married the daughter of the Shangguan family but then fears her and her family and won’t even accept his own son by his lawful queen to be king after him. One would expect that then, he should support the Consort’s son, but he kills the boy. Instead of outing the imposter that replaces the dead boy, he accepts him as if he does not know that it cannot be his dead son. He then needs his daughter to talk sense into him and changes his mind again at the end, to leave his daughter to rule.
By contrast, Su Rongqing was as straight as an arrow in aiming for one goal.
I suppose the question posed is what one would do if given a second chance, after knowing what happened in a previous life. Would one have forged a different path or stuck to the old ways.
I would have liked to know what happened to the half-sister ie daughter of the Consort. Perhaps she was sent into exile somewhere.
Compared to the great convoluted plotting behind the power struggles, the romance fortunately turned out sweet and simple after the annoying first 20 episodes. What a relief!
@GB, You finished 20 episodes 4 days? I was watching as it came out and had to follow their schedule even though it was already coming out quite fast, ie 2 per day I think. Totally had to binge it as it came out. Then I was following a user on Twitter who compared the novel and the drama, that got me into reading the novel (the translated one). And so here I am watching it all over again. So I’m quite happy to have more people discuss this 😀 and @pm3 to write anything about it
Sharing a clip on the PWX character.
https://x.com/zhanglinghesubs/status/1804491701328732546?s=19
The producer sums up
“I think Pei Wenxuan’s view of emotions provides us with a greater revelation that love is more than being together.
Even more important than choosing and believing, it is not just about standing in front of her, or standing behind her; but about standing beside her, to share a greater faith together and create a better world.”
How can you not love a character like that?
Episode 25 forced kiss
(In the novel it hinted that it they consummated on the boat) 🫢😍
Even so, it’s amazing how LR survived all that falling off the cliff with her baby safe.
Adding a clip of the compilation of the illustrations that we see at the end of each episode. They matched it with the actual scene in the story.
Makes me want to record my favourite scenes as I reaatch this…slowly..
https://x.com/MaixiangField/status/1828975584803786941?s=19
Thanks @Grace for all the links. I liked the PWX character special and how he’s described by the actors and directors. He becomes even more lovable.
I could rewatch only the couple scenes quite happily. I liked that there are so many of them when they actually have time to communicate and we can see the changes in emotions reflected in their expressions.
The illustrations are quite smart… the actual scene is drawn over with what might have been ink and the characters change to look like they are only illustrations. There are too many sweet moments!
I don’t know what the novel hinted at, but I’d have thought the consummation was more likely in that bathtub. The pregnancy was not long after that. Fortunately baby was small enough that all Li Rong’s activities didn’t affect her. 😅😜