Story Of Kunning Palace Review

Story Of Kunning Palace (宁安如梦) is yet another Bai Lu drama coming right after Only For Love. Interest was sparked much earlier when rumors surfaced that the leads were seeing each other. While I do read celebrity gossips from time to time, what attracted me to this drama is not the rumors but the many positive reviews. I was thinking of watching this a little later initially since I have just completed Only For Love and thought I should give Bai Lu a rest. But the high ratings made me change my mind. Was it worth it after all? My Story Of Kunning Palace review will try to answer that question.

My rating: 8.5/10
Episodes: 38
Type: Historical Romance
Aired: November 2023
Images Credit: iQIYI Facebook

The Cast Of Story Of Kunning Palace

• Bai Lu as Jiang Xue Ning
• Zhang Ling He as Xie Wei
• Zhou Jun Wei as Yan Lin
• Wang Xing Yue as Zhang Zhe
• Liu Xie Ning as Shen Zhi Yi / Princess Le Yang
• Elisa Ye Xi Yue as Xue Shu
• Huang Hai Bing as Xue Yuan / Duke of Xue
• Hu Yun Hao as Emperor Shen Lang
• Zhou Da Wei as Shen Jie / Lord Lin Zi
• Liu Min as Empress Dowager Xue
• Melody Tang Meng Jia as You Fang Yin
• Wang Ya Ni as You Yue
• Anna Liu Jin Yan as Fang Miao
• Felicia Fan Jing Wen as Zhou Bao Ying
• Joyin Cai Zhuo Yin as Yao Xi
• Yang Gen as Zheng Bao
• Wang Zi Teng as Zhou Yin Zhi
• Yu Zhong Li as Jiang Xue Hui
• Cui Shao Yang as Xue Ding Fei
• Zong Feng Yan as Lord Ping Nan

Main Characters

Jiang Xue Ning

Xue Ning is the second daughter of the Jiang family. Her father is Jiang Bo You who is the Vice Minister for Revenue. Xue Ning is a smart and shrewd woman. She is also not one to be bullied and will not hesitate to state her opinion.

Xie Wei

Xie Wei is a government official and Junior Grand Preceptor of Qian state. He is a teacher for the royal family and is trusted by the Emperor. Xie Wei is a dangerous man with a secret and and an undercover agenda. He is intelligent and a strategist. His aides are Dao Qin, Jian Shu, and Lyu Xian.

Supporting Characters

Yan Lin

Yan Lin is the Viscount of Yan Mansion. His father is Marquis Yan Mu who is a powerful man in Qian as he has an army under his command. Yan Lin is a carefree and mischievous young man. He is in love with Xue Ning for a long time and they are good friends.

Zhang Zhe

Zhang Zhe is an official in the Ministry for Justice. He is an upright man with strong principles. Zhang Zhe comes from a humble background and is betrothed to Yao Xi.

Shen Zhi Yi / Princess Le Yang

Princess Le Yang is the younger sister of the Emperor. She is known to be temperamental and not one to be angered. Her mother is the Empress Dowager and Xue Shu is her cousin sister.

Xue Shu

Xue Shu is the daughter of Duke Xue Yuan while the Empress Dowager is her paternal aunt. She is a scheming woman who sees Xue Ning as a rival.

Xue Yuan / Duke of Xue

Xue Yuan is the Duke of Xue. His sister is the Empress Dowager which means he is an uncle of the Emperor. Xue Yuan is a corrupt official and highly ambitious. He controls the Xing Wu Guards and sees Marquis Yan Mu as a foe. Xue Ye and Xue Shu is his son and daughter respectively.

Emperor Shen Lang

Emperor Shen Lang is the ruler of Qian state. He is a sickly man with no male heir. But he has a younger brother and sister. Emperor Shen Lang has high regard for Xie Wei and would seek out his views. However, he is also a suspicious man. His eunuch attendant is Wang Xin Yi.

Shen Jie / Lord Lin Zi

Shen Jie is a prince and Emperor Shen Lang’s younger brother. Their mother wants Shen Jie to succeed his sickly brother but he has little interest to take the throne. Shen Jie prefers a carefree life and is a good friend of Yan Lin.

Empress Dowager Xue

Empress Dowager Xue is Emperor Shen Lang, Shen Jie, and Princess Le Yang’s mother. Xue Yuan is her younger brother. She is a scheming woman who is trying to build up the power of the Xue family.

You Fang Yin

Fang Yin is an illegitimate daughter of Earl of You. Hence, she is often bullied and abused in the You Mansion. Fang Yin is trusting and loyal to those who are good to her.

You Yue

You Yue is the second daughter of the Earl of You and Fang Yin’s half-sister. She is a snob and petty young woman who likes to look down on those who are not her equal. You Yue is one of Princess Le Yang’s study partners.

Fang Miao, Zhou Bao Ying & Yao Xi

These 3 girls are chosen to be Princess Le Yang’s study partners together with Xue Ning, Xue Shu, and You Yue. Fang Miao is an astronomer from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau while Bao Ying is a daughter of an earl. Yao Xi’s father is the Minister of Personnel and she is betrothed to Zhang Zhe.

Zheng Bao

Zheng Bao is an eunuch at the palace who is saved by Xue Ning from a punishment. He is a loyal person who knows how to return a favor.

Zhou Yin Zhi

Zhou Yin Zhi is an officer in the Xing Wu Guards. He is a worldly man who maneuvers his way up the ranks by following orders. But he is also smart enough to know when the orders will give him trouble in the future.

Jiang Xue Hui

Xue Hui is Xue Ning’s half-sister. She is regarded as the eldest daughter of the Jiang Mansion although she was swapped with Xue Ning at birth. Her biological mother was Wan Niang who swapped the babies to get back at her husband. But her title remains after Xue Ning’s return in order to preserve the family’s reputation. Xue Hui is obedient and deemed a good girl.

Xue Ding Fei

Ding Fei is the son of Xue Yuan and the late Yan Min who was Marquis Yan Mu’s sister. He was taken as hostage by Lord Ping Nan during the rebellion 20 years ago and was presumed dead.

Lord Ping Nan

Lord Ping Nan is the rebel who tried to grab the throne in the state of Qian 20 years ago. He failed and set up his base in Jinling. He is a ruthless and ambitious man.

Synopsis

Story Of Kunning Palace is a fictitious story by an author and it has generated a big following online. However, the author is not happy with the direction the story has taken with regard to the main character, Xue Ning. In the story that she has written, Xue Ning is a cruel woman who has betrayed those who loved her and made used of others to climb her way up to be Shen Jie’s Empress. This time, she wants to change it and wants Xue Ning to go back to her past to correct all the mistakes that she had made.

Hence, Xue Ning’s journey begins again with the benefit of hindsight. As Xue Ning tries to avoid past mistakes and be a good person, she finds that something is pushing her towards the same conclusion. The people and events that she wants to escape from find their way back to her nonetheless. This includes Xie Wei who is a rebel in their past life and a danger to her safety. She is also trying to save her friend, Yan Lin, and his family whom she had wronged in the past. As such, Xue Ning is caught in a dangerous power struggle between the Empress Dowager’s family and the Yan family with Xie Wei pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Story Of Kunning Palace Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)

Story Of Kunning Palace has a happy ending. After Xie Wei and Xue Ning killed Lord Ping Nan through a set-up in Episode 35, they return to the capital to face Xue Yuan. Xue Yuan thought he has everything under control to kill Emperor Shen Lang and Xie Wei and instal Shen Jie as the puppet Emperor in Episode 38. He has colluded with his daughter to poison Emperor Shen Lang earlier so that he can be easily killed by Xue Shu while recuperating. But Xie Wei had opened up about his real identity to Emperor Shen Lang earlier. They also knew about the poisoning and played along. So, they set a trap for Xue Yuan to walk into which exposes his sinister plot.

As a result, Xue Yuan is defeated and killed when he stabs Xie Wei in revenge. Xie Wei survives the ordeal. Xue Shu dies after she was ordered to be fed poisoned wine. Empress Dowager Xue is sent to guard the Royal Mausoleum for her complicity. The rest of the Xue family is exiled to the border.

After Emperor Shen Lang died, his young son succeeded him. Xie Wei is appointed the Prime Minister and assisted by other righteous officials to help with the governance. Shen Jie and Xue Hui are happily married with a son and another baby on the way. Xie Wei and Xue Ning are also happily married with a twin son and daughter. They remain good friends with Princess Le Yang, Zhang Zhe, and Yan Lin.

The drama ends with the scene switching back to the real world. The author has completed writing the story and her boss has sent an editor to work with her for the publication. The editor turns out to be a man that looks like Xie Wei.

Bonus Episode

The bonus episode which is about 5 minutes long just shows the wedding of Xie Wei and Xue Ning. There are no other characters present except for the 2 of them as they decided to have a private wedding.

When Did Xie Wei’s Identity Get Exposed?

Xie Wei is actually Xue Ding Fei, son of Xue Yuan and Yan Min. Yan Mu could sense that Xie Wei is his nephew in Episode 11 when Xie Wei takes a big risk to send a doctor to save him after he was shot with a poisoned arrow. They acknowledge each other’s identity in Episode 33 when Xie Wei meets Yan Mu and Yan Lin again while they are still in exile as he needs their help to save Princess Le Yang from a hostile state.

Xue Ning guesses Xie Wei’s identity in Episode 32 as she heard his mumblings while he was having a nightmare. Xue Yuan learns that Xie Wei is his son through a letter from Lord Ping Nan in Episode 33. This is because Lord Ping Nan has reason to believe that Xie Wei has betrayed him and hence, exposes his identity.

What Happened During The Rebellion?

During Lord Ping Nan’s rebellion, Xie Wei (then Ding Fei) and Shen Lang were still kids. Shen Lang was the Crown Prince then and Lord Ping Nan was looking to kill him. His mother who was the Empress then forced Xie Wei to take Shen Lang’s place despite Yan Min’s protest. This is revealed in a flashback in Episode 19. In another flashback in Episode 23, Xie Wei was taken hostage by Lord Ping Nan and threatened Xue Yuan to withdraw his troops. Xue Yuan chose to kill his son instead to neutralized the threat.

After Xie Wei went missing and presumed dead, his mother left his father and went back to the Yan family. She refused to believe that his son is dead and died a few months later in a depressed state.

A more complete version is revealed to the viewers in Episode 32 through Xie Wei’s nightmare. His mother would have been killed by Empress Dowager Xue if Xie Wei had not agreed to take Shen Lang’s place. Xie Wei was traumatized when he saw the corpses of all the boys that Lord Ping Nan had killed in an effort to flush out Shen Lang. He was presumed dead as Xue Yuan had taken a shot at him. But Lord Ping Nan brought him back to Jinling and raised him as Xie Wei for his rebellious agenda. A child beggar was chosen to be Xie Wei’s substitute and took on his identity as Ding Fei.

In the last episode, it is further revealed that Xue Yuan had failed to follow Yan Mu’s plan during the rebellion but charged ahead first because he wanted to be the one to defeat Lord Ping Nan and gain merit. As a result, more people died than necessary.

When Did The Leads Get Together?

Xie Wei has been suppressing his growing feelings for Xue Ning all along. He knows that she likes Zhang Zhe as she told him so in Episode 11. When Xue Ning gives up on Zhang Zhe and is heartbroken in Episode 25, Xie Wei consoles her. He advises her to look forward and find someone more suitable.

Xie Wei quarrels with Xue Ning in Episode 31 after she told him that she wants to leave the capital. She has no motivation to fight with the Xue family anymore after a setback. She also doesn’t think that he has any feelings for her as he was a rebel and ruthless person in her past life. Xie Wei’s anger and disappointment cause his illness to relapse. This prompts Lyu Xian to tell Xue Ning about Xie Wei’s hidden kindness although he may seem coldhearted.

When Xue Ning learns that Xie Wei may be Ding Fei in Episode 32, her heart softens but she is still afraid of his ruthlessness. Hence, she wants to leave again in Episode 34 which causes another quarrel between them. He accuses her of being a coward for always wanting to run away rather than face up to her feelings and hardships.

While Xue Ning is digesting what happened during their quarrel, she is kidnapped by Lord Ping Nan. Xie Wei is willing to stab his own hand and sacrificed his life to protect Xue Ning in Episode 35. They slept together in Episode 36 after Xie Wei got jealous and possessive when Xue Ning had a chat with Zhang Zhe. Xie Wei suggests that they get married but Xue Ning is non-committal then. She finally promises to marry him in Episode 38 when she thought he is dying after Xue Yuan stabbed him.

Xue Ning & Yan Lin

Yan Ling has been in love with Xue Ning all along and they grew up together. But Xue Ning only sees Yan Lin as a very good friend. She also feels guilty that she had betrayed him in her past life which caused his family to be killed. Hence, in her present life, she tries her best to save his family from being framed as rebels. However, Yan Lin and his father are still accused of rebelling due to Xue Yuan’s shenanigans and exiled to the border.

Before Yan Lin’s departure, Xue Ning meets him in his cell in Episode 20. They have a heart-to-heart talk. Yan Lin knows that Xue Ning likes Zhang Zhe. He hopes that she will be able to marry Zhang Zhe and be happy after he is exiled. When they meet again in Episode 33, Xue Ning still rejects Yan Lin although she has left Zhang Zhe by then.

In Episode 35, Yan Lin could see how much Xie Wei is willing to sacrifice for Xue Ning. He tells her that his love for her is nothing compared to Xie Wei’s love for her. Yan Lin is also happy for them and tells his father so in Episode 36.

Love Triangle – Xue Ning & Zhang Zhe

In their past life, Xue Ning had made used of Zhang Zhe’s feelings for her to achieve her ends. Zhang Zhe was an upright and incorruptible official in the Ministry of Justice. But he sacrificed his principles for Xue Ning by releasing Zhou Yin Zhi and took the blame. When his mother died of illness because she was out in the cold trying to plead for him, he felt extremely guilty and unfilial. Zhang Zhe ended up hating himself. He admitted his wrongdoing and wanted to be executed.

Xue Ning recalls this in Episode 24 when their relationship is on the verge of turning serious. They were stuck together with some rebels in Episode 21 and Xue Ning even shielded Zhang Zhe when she thought Xie Wei wanted to silence him.

However, Zhang Zhe’s mother still died in their present life in Episode 25. She thought he was wrongly imprisoned when he went on an undercover mission. So, she went to get justice for him on a snowy day which triggered an old illness that caused her death. To prevent Zhang Zhe from blaming himself and falling into the same depressive state, Xue Ning tells him that she is the one who caused his mother’s death because she had made used of him for her personal benefit. This includes helping her to investigate the Yan family’s case which took him away from his mother. Xue Ning wants Zhang Zhe to hate her rather than himself so that he can overcome his grief which makes their relationship untenable.

When Zhang Zhe and Xue Ning meet again in Episode 36, he says that he understood why she was harsh towards him when his mother died. But she tells him to move on instead as her heart is now with Xie Wei.

Story Of Kunning Palace Review – Intriguing And Solid

Story Of Kunning Palace is a drama with a well laid out plot. This is one whereby it is easy to sit through all the episodes without the urge to fast forward or skip scenes. You are quickly drawn into the story as bit and pieces of the past are gradually told through flashbacks. Because the past has a kind of darkness that enveloped it, the intrigue is heightened. Some may find the frequent flashbacks to be annoying with the past being told in dribs and drabs. But they are necessary as each recollection is related to the protagonist’s current encounter as it happens. Basically, the past reminds her of what could happen in the present given the similarity at the turn of events.

For me, the past and present tie-up is well done. There aren’t too much details about the past to bore you. Instead, you will be given just enough to know what happened so that you can relate it to the female lead’s current actions. At its core though, Story Of Kunning Palace is about power play and revenge like The Legend Of Anle. Thus, if you absolutely hate palace dramas, this might not suit your taste. It isn’t a mystery either like Mysterious Lotus Casebook as the villain and the male lead’s identity are obvious upfront.

However, what makes Story Of Kunning Palace to be different from the usual is the characters. I think this is one of the major factors that makes the drama more captivating. This is because the characters are not your typical heroes especially the male protagonist.

No Saintly Hero

One distinct thing about Story Of Kunning Palace is that the scriptwriter didn’t try to give us a perfect hero. In fact, Xie Wei is written to have a dark side due to his childhood experience. This is also why the female lead is fearful of him despite the attraction. And it is precisely because of his dark side that the story becomes more riveting. He can be calm and rational but he can also go berserk. He is a bewitching character whose actions are not always ethical and intentions murky at the beginning of the story. So, he helps to add a layer of curiosity and fascination for the viewers just like the bad boy protagonist in Love Between Fairy And Devil.

The same goes for the female lead, Xue Ning. She was a really evil person in her past life who had made used of those who loved her. Some of her past traits still live on in her present life such as stubbornness and pride. Thus, her character is also a complex one. You will root for her because she wants to make amends for past mistakes.

One of her love interests, Zhang Zhe, is emphasized as a righteous and strictly incorruptible official. His principles are clearly put across to viewers and yet, he bent the rules and sacrificed his principles for a woman. This again adds complexity to the character. In short, the important characters in the drama are very well-written to grip viewers which then makes the story more absorbing.

Romance With A Difference

Story Of Kunning Palace is not your typical historical romance drama. Similar to Lost You Forever S1, there are a few men in the female lead’s life. So, if you like a fluffy love story of one man and one woman, this is not going to jive with you. It may seem like a reverse harem kind of thing but the plot is well-executed that I don’t feel turned off in any way. The key is the connection to the past and hence, it is easy to understand the female lead’s motivations.

In fact, I don’t really think one should watch it for the romance. After all, there is nothing romantic about the female lead’s relationship with the 3 men who have feelings for her. The first man is her childhood friend whom she has friendzoned. The second is someone she had wronged in her previous life and wanted to make up to. The last is a ruthless rebel who took her life in the past and whom she still feared in the present. With him, there are elements of desperation, jealousy, and possessiveness on his part. Thus, don’t expect anything sweet and sugary in the drama.

As such, romance is not the centerpiece although it is an integral part of the story. This is to show that the characters’ actions are motivated by love at times. But the main part of the story still lies in the power tussle and schemings.

Acting & Chemistry

Personally, I think Story Of Kunning Palace is Zhang Ling He’s best performance to date as the male lead. He wasn’t really impressive to me in My Journey To You but here, he did really well as Xie Wei. The scenes whereby he gets really angry to the point of going berserk will leave a deep impression. That dark side of the character is effectively portrayed that you can feel its impact.

I also like Wang Xing Yue’s acting as Zhang Zhe. I have seen him in Your Sensibility My Destiny and also in One And Only whereby he has a supporting role. Coincidentally, Bai Lu is also the female lead in One And Only. Wang Xing Yue is still a young actor with lesser experience but he is someone who understands the essence of the character that he has to play. As Zhang Zhe in Story Of Kunning Palace, the rigidity of the character when it comes to his principles is convincingly depicted to me.

As for Bai Lu, I can’t see anything groundbreaking in her acting but neither could I find any glaring faults in the drama. Her strength tends to lie in her ability to connect with her co-stars to generate a certain level of chemistry in their interactions. I think she managed to do it again in Story Of Kunning Palace. The intense scenes with Zhang Ling He are well executed as they match each other’s vigor and dynamism for a forceful performance.

My Verdict – Watch!

Story Of Kunning Palace is a must watch unless you are really averse to palace dramas. Power tussle and revenge is nothing new but the inclusion of a past life with hindsight of things to come adds a fresh dimension to the story. Together with the well written characters, the drama becomes interesting. It also has a solid plot with good pacing that it is easy to get addicted. Unlike other dramas that tend to get dragged out, this one has minimal fillers with intelligible storytelling despite the need to project the past and present lives of the female protagonist. I can see how it can get messy but this one is cleverly done without making the story confusing or boring with too much details.

If there is a weakness to the story, it would be the antagonists. You might expect more from them but unfortunately, these characters are not as smart as they should be. Hence, the drama loses that final excitement for a good strategic match up between the good and the bad guys.

The other weakness is the female lead’s relationship with the second male lead. Quite a bit of time is spent on this arc and some will not like it as it will take away her time and affections from the male lead. To me, this arc’s delivery does fall a little short. It fails to flush out their feelings effectively as the powerful emotions that drive their behavior is missing. After all, he did sacrifice his principles for her.

Nevertheless, the drama is still well told and riveting. So, for this Story Of Kunning Palace review, I would rate it 8.5/10. Watch it for the plot as well as the kisses. The kisses may come late but they will leave you wanting more!