I expected The Sword And The Brocade (锦心似玉) to be a long-winded drama when I decided to give it a go. I also presumed it would be a sob story of a woman forced into a marriage and getting bullied by her in-laws. After all, that was what many women had to go through in that era. However, this drama surprised me because the female character is well-written. I actually thought I would end up dropping this halfway through but nope, I kept going all the way to the end. Why did this drama make me hooked? Find out in The Sword And The Brocade review below.
My rating: 8/10
Episodes: 45
Type: Romance
Aired: February 2021
Images Credit: Tencent
The Cast Of The Sword And The Brocade
- Wallace Chung Hon Leung as Xu Ling Yi / Marquis Yong Ping
- Seven Tan Song Yun as Luo Shi Yi Niang
- Daddi Tang Xiao Tian as Ou Yan Xing / Lin Shi Xian
- Wu Mian as Grand Madame Xu
- Fang Xiao Li as Grand Madame Luo
- He Hong Shan as Qiao Lian Fang / Concubine Qiao
- Liu Yun as Concubine Wen
- Li Sheng as Concubine Qin
- Cui Er Kang as Xu Ling Kuan
- Li Yun as Dan Yang
- Peng Yang as Xiang Yi Zhen
- Lan Xi as Master Jian
- Sean Zheng Hao as Lin Bo
- Ma Bai Quan as Zhao Ying
- Ding Jie as Dong Qing
- Sun Xue Ning as Hu Po / Amber
- Ying Er as Luo Yuan Niang
- Sun Jia Qi as Luo Er Niang
- Yu Lang as Luo Wu Niang
- Qiang Yu as Wang Yu
- Ren Yu as Ou Li Xing
- Huang Man as Madame Ou
- Ma Shao Hua as Marquis Jing Yuan
Main Characters
Xu Ling Yi / Marquis Yong Ping
Ling Yi is a marquis and comes from a military family. He fought in wars to re-establish the Xu family’s standing in the imperial court after the death of his father and elder brother. Due to the responsibility heaped upon him, Ling Yi has become a stoic man who seems distant especially towards his women. He is also a filial son.
Luo Shi Yi Niang
Shi Yi Niang is Concubine Lv’s daughter in the Luo household. She is an assertive and independent-minded young lady who doesn’t like being manipulated by her father’s legal wife. Shi Yi Niang is also a talented embroider.
Supporting Characters
Ou Yan Xing / Lin Shi Xian
Ou Yan Xing is a merchant who goes by the name Lin Shi Xian. His father is a marquis but he doesn’t like to be associated with the Ou family due to dissatisfaction over the treatment accorded to his late mother who was a concubine. Ou Yan Xing is an upright man. He falls for Shi Yi Niang after meeting her and has deep feelings for her.
Grand Madame Xu
Grand Madame Xu is Ling Yi’s mother and the Xu family matriarch. She is a no-nonsense old lady who places great emphasis on rules and conventions. She also makes the decisions on important household matters and will not hesitate to punish others for a wrongdoing. Her favorite daughter-in-law is Concubine Qiao.
Grand Madame Luo
Grand Madame Luo is the matriarch of the Luo family. She is a cruel and scheming woman who would bully her husband’s concubines and their daughters. Her own biological daughter is Yuan Niang who is married to Ling Yi.
Qiao Lian Fang / Concubine Qiao
Concubine Qiao comes from a prominent family and her mother is Grand Madame Xu’s cousin. She is an evil-minded young lady who is scheming to get Ling Yi due to her deep feelings for him.
Concubine Wen
Concubine Wen comes from a family of merchants. Her family wanted Ling Yi to marry her in exchange for some provisions that he needed for his troops during a battle. This would enable the Wen family to leverage their connections to the Xu family for their own business interests. Concubine Wen can be impulsive and petty. She also has a son with Ling Yi named Xu Si Yu.
Concubine Qin
Grand Madame Xu arranged for Concubine Qin to be married off to Ling Yi after she took good care of him while he was nursing an injury following a war. Concubine Qin used to be Grand Madame Xu’s maid. Due to her lowly background, Concubine Qin is quiet and demure.
Xu Ling Kuan
Ling Kuan is Ling Yi’s younger brother. He is a good man but timid and highly afraid of Ling Yi who tends to be strict with him. Ling Kuan is unambitious and prefers spending his time learning and watching operas than helping Ling Yi in official matters.
Dan Yang
Dan Yang is Ling Kuan’s official wife. She is a duke’s daughter and hence, has a prejudice towards Shi Yi Niang who has a lower status than her.
Xiang Yi Zhen
Yi Zhen is Ling Yi’s sister-in-law and a widow. Her husband has died earlier as a result of being harmed by the Ou family. Yi Zhen is an understanding woman but emotionally scarred as she has also lost her young son due to illness.
Master Jian
Master Jian is Shi Yi Niang’s embroidery teacher and part owner of an embroidery business. She is close to Shi Yi Niang and regards her as a family member.
Lin Bo
Lin Bo is Ling Yi’s subordinate. He has been with Ling Yi for a long time and serves him faithfully.
Zhao Ying
Zhao Ying is Ling Yi’s personal assistant who takes care of his daily needs.
Dong Qing
Dong Qing is Shi Yi Niang’s maid. She has been with Shi Yi Niang since young and is very loyal to her. Dong Qing can be loud and outspoken.
Hu Po / Amber
Amber is Grand Madame Luo’s maid before being sent to serve Shi Yi Niang to be a spy. Her association with Grand Madame Luo makes Dong Qing suspicious of her.
Luo Yuan Niang
Yuan Niang is Shi Yi Niang’s eldest half-sister. She is also Grand Madame Luo’s biological daughter and Ling Yi’s official wife. Yuan Ning has a young son named Xu Si Zhun. However, she is sickly after miscarrying her second child. She also doesn’t have a good relationship with Ling Yi who finds her to be a scheming woman.
Luo Er Niang
Er Niang is Shi Yi Niang’s second elder half-sister. She is also a concubine’s daughter. Er Niang doesn’t get along with Shi Yi Niang and would not hesitate to sell her out for her own personal gain. She is also a proud woman.
Luo Wu Niang
Wu Niang is Shi Yi Niang’s younger half-sister and they share a close relationship. She is already engaged to be married to a scholar.
Wang Yu
Wang Yu is Duke Mao’s only heir. As such, he is a spoiled brat who is famous for being a womanizer and big bully.
Ou Li Xing
Ou Li Xing is Marquis Jing Yuan’s eldest son and Ou Yan Xing’s half-brother. He is an ambitious man who wants to inherit his father’s title. He is also a ruthless man who will stop at nothing to achieve his aims.
Madame Ou
Madame Ou is Ou Li Xing’s wife. She is evil-minded and would scheme to help her husband to impress her father-in-law.
Marquis Jing Yuan
Marquis Jing Yuan is a corrupt minister who is colluding with pirates. He has 2 sons, Ou Li Xing and Ou Yan Xing. He is also scheming to bring down Ling Yi who is trying to get a change in a maritime policy which will be detrimental to his interests.
Synopsis
Luo Shi Yi Niang’s eldest half-sister, Yuan Niang, is dying. Yuan Niang is married to Xu Ling Yi who is a powerful marquis. In order to protect the interest of her young son, she schemes with her biological mother to get one of her unmarried sisters to take her place as Ling Yi’s official wife after her death. This is also to ensure they can continue to leverage on the Xu family connections to help the Luo family who is losing their influence in the royal court.
In the mean time, the Luo family matriarch also wants one of the sisters to marry the heir of another noble family. However, this heir, Wang Yu, is a good-for-nothing fellow and a womanizer. Shi Yi Niang has no interest to marry either man and is preparing to run away from home with her mother. But her mother is killed under mysterious circumstances on the day they are supposed to flee. This makes Shi Yi Niang to change her mind to marry Ling Yi because she suspects the Xu family could be involved in her mother’s murder.
After marrying into the Xu family, Shi Yi Niang has to navigate the complexities of living with her mother-in-law and her husband’s concubines while investigating her mother’s death. But gradually, Ling Yi and Shi Yi Niang begin to admire each other’s good character and fall in love.
The Sword And The Brocade Ending (Spoilers Alert!)
The Sword And The Brocade has a happy ending. The last few scenes depict a time jump of a few years later. The Xu family is happily celebrating a festival. Shi Yi Niang and Ling Yi now has a daughter. Concubine Wen’s son is still studying away from home and has great potential to be a top scholar. Lin Bo is now an official at a different prefecture with Dong Qing by his side. Ling Kuan is also becoming an official and moving elsewhere. In the last scene, Shi Yi Niang is conferred an honorary award by the Emperor for her embroidery works before leaving the palace together with Ling Yi. She is thankful for her husband’s continued support and love for her.
Who Killed Shi Yi Niang’s Mother?
Ou Li Xing killed Shi Yi Niang’s mother when she stumbled upon his meeting with a pirate near the temple grounds. But Shi Yi Niang initially assumed the murderer must be someone from the Xu family because they were the only ones there for prayers that morning. That is why she married Ling Yi as she wanted to investigate her mother’s death.
In the end, Ou Li Xing killed himself when he was captured by Ling Yi. His plan to get Shi Yi Niang to leave Ling Yi backfired when the husband and wife team put up a show to make him walk into his own trap.
What Happened To Ou Yan Xing?
Ou Yan Xing was exiled to the border town after his father was arrested for colluding with pirates. Marquis Jing Yuan had tried to frame Shi Yi Niang for trading with pirates for her embroideries. But Ling Yi managed to get the evidence to prove that it is Marquis Jing Yuan who is the guilty party. Ou Yan Xing had helped Ling Yi along the way as he couldn’t stand by to see his father killing innocent people in the urgent need to stop Ling Yi.
As a result, the whole Ou clan was arrested and their titles stripped. When Shi Yi Niang thanked Ou Yan Xing for his help, he mentioned that the had known about his father’s involvement earlier. But he didn’t have the courage to report him due to the punishment that will befall his whole family. He only decided to step in when innocent people were getting killed. Ou Yan Xing also realized that he wouldn’t be able to match Ling Yi’s love for Shi Yi Niang when all along he thought that he is the better man for her.
In the end, Ou Yan Xing and the female members of the Ou family were spared the death penalty with Ling Yi’s help. Amber insisted on following him in his exile although he told her not to as he has nothing to offer her. But she followed him anyway.
The Fate Of The Concubines
Concubine Qiao was the most evil as she had always wanted to be Ling Yi’s wife. She is the one who had poisoned Yuan Niang which caused the latter to miscarry during her second pregnancy and subsequently died. Shi Yi Niang found out about it while investigating her mother’s death. When Concubine Qiao was exposed, she was given a choice to be a nun or be reported to the authorities. She ended up in a nunnery to repent.
Concubine Qin appeared as a harmless woman but actually held a deep grudge. She became barren after miscarrying because of the contraception medicine that she was fed with. Grand Madame Xu thought it was for her own good that she does not to bear children before Ling Yi has an official wife. This is because doing so could result in the wife giving her a hard time later on.
Furthermore, Ling Yi doesn’t have any feelings for Concubine Qin and she felt abandoned. Hence, she started to work with Ou Li Xing and became his mole. She saw Ou Li Xing killing Sh Yi Niang’s mother but kept quiet about it. Concubine Qin’s hatred intensified when she couldn’t get to be the adoptive mother to Ling Kuan’s illegitimate son. She then cooperated with Ou Li Xing and made use of Amber to encourage Shi Yi Niang to leave Ling Yi. When Ou Li Xing died because of this plan, Marquis Jing Yuan poisoned her in return. Concubine Qin died as a result.
After what happened to his 2 concubines, Ling Yi felt partly responsible because he had been aloof towards them. So, he gave Concubine Wen the option to choose what she wants to do. Concubine Wen decided to follow her son who was being sent away from home to study.
Who Is Amber’s Sister?
Amber’s sister turned out to be Tong Bi Yu who was Ling Yi’s concubine. Bi Yu was also Yuan Niang’s maid. When Yuan Ning was pregnant, she forced Bi Yu to serve Ling Yi. This is because Bi Yu could be controlled as she would use Amber to threaten her. Hence, Bi Yu took advantage of a drunk Ling Yi. He was forced to marry Bi Yu as a result when she refused to say why she had done so.
Ling Yi hated Bi Yu for her unscrupulous deed and never bothered about her after the marriage. Bi Yu suffered from gossips and humiliations thereafter that she ended up committing suicide. Amber found out what happened to her sister due to Concubine Qin’s plot. That is why she felt she should get Shi Yi Niang away from the Xu family as she was afraid that Shi Yi Niang would suffer the same fate as her sister.
The Sword And The Brocade Review – Surprisingly Addictive
Personally, I find The Sword And The Brocade to be addictive. I kept watching one episode after another and completed the whole drama within 3 to 4 days. What made me hooked is the way the story is told and the smart female character. It is a bit like Word Of Honor whereby the story execution could make or break a drama. In this case, it is a romance drama and the relationship between the male and female lead follows a slow but smooth progress. It is different from a lot of romance dramas whereby the leads just fall in love at first sight or after a short period of bickering like Overlord and The Wolf Princess.
Therefore, I find that The Sword And The Brocade has a unique charm because the romance is kind of gentle and gradually persuasive. It has a very different flavor from the usual to make it a compelling watch for me. However, I also understand why some people can’t relate to this drama as the male character is written to be cold especially towards his concubines.
A Cold Male Lead
The main male character, Ling Yi, has a few concubines besides an official wife. So, this is a drama that features a lot of schemings by revengeful and jealous concubines. It does have that element of stereotyping. This is not helped by a mother-in-law who practices favoritism. If you are not into this kind of set-up, this drama may appear unattractive. That was what I thought too but the female character saved the day for me which I will elaborate later.
Basically, a cold male lead is not new. Legend Of Yun Xi and Ten Miles Of Peach Blossoms also start off with an aloof male lead. But because Ling Yi has a few concubines, some viewers may have issue with the way he treats them. In the drama, Ling Yi simply has no affections for them. So, he tends to neglect his concubines especially after the female lead comes into the picture. You can say that he is pretty unfair when it comes to the amount of attention he lavishes on his wife versus the rest of his women.
Personally, I’m fine with it because I can relate to his situation as the head of a very traditional family and why he ended up having to marry them. He is also repulsed by their schemes and over-eagerness to curry favor with him because he is just not that type who would fall for their wily behavior. If you look at it this way, then Ling Yi will become a more palatable male lead.
An Astute Female Lead
Shi Yi Niang’s ability to read the situation and seize it to her advantage is what makes her character interesting to me. So, yes, it is a typical concubine and mother-in-law historical drama whereby they try to make things hard for the female lead. But Shi Yi Niang is not that poor woman in need of her man’s help. She is smart and astute to know how to turn the tables on them. In a way, the female lead carried the show for me. Rather than a sob story with a pitiful female character, she blazes the trail with her independence and courage to take risk.
Hence, if you like watching strong and smart female characters in your dramas, The Sword And The Brocade will certainly qualify as one of them.
A Sweet And Gentle Romance
The plot starts off with Shi Yi Niang wanting to investigate her mother’s death. As the drama progresses, it switches to the relationship between Shi Yi Niang and Ling Yi with the investigation remaining relevant as a sub-plot. I think some might find the romance unrealistic that Ling Yi seems to tread on eggshells around his new wife when he is an experienced married man. I guess it is needed to slowly build up the romance. So, you will find him remaining respectful and a gentleman when it comes to romancing and sleeping with Shi Yi Niang.
Thus, if you want to enjoy this romance drama, you will need to put aside a dose of realism. But that is how it is with most dramas out there anyway. For me, the romance is the slow burn type but charming nonetheless because Shi Yi Niang doesn’t fawn over Ling Yi like he expected her to. She beguiles him and after getting to know her better, he ends up adoring her. Hence, it is gentle progress as they build a foundation of trust after various experiences and start to admire each other’s good qualities. It has a positive feel in a way that is both sweet and satisfying.
My Verdict
I know many people are watching The Sword And The Brocade because of the leads. Seven Tan is a talented actress who tends to have great chemistry with her co-stars. She did well in Under The Power as well as Go Ahead whereby she is paired with someone younger than her. As for Wallace Chung, he has been around for a long time and is a highly experienced actor.
Both of them did manage to generate enough chemistry in The Sword And The Brocade for me. I guess it really depends on whether you find them to be a matching pair appearance-wise as there is a big age gap between them. If you don’t, then the chemistry will feel forced just like the pairing in Dating In The Kitchen and the drama will lose its shine altogether.
Nevertheless, I would still recommend a watch with a score of 8/10 for this The Sword And The Brocade review. Perhaps it could have been shortened rather than stretched to 45 episodes as the women’s schemings can get tiring. But the plot keeps it going as the investigative element and feud with the Ou family offer more variety to the story while remaining closely tied to the romance. That is why I find it to be an addictive drama overall. Watch it if you want a different feel to a romance rather than the usual. Also, the OSTs of the drama are really beautiful to listen to especially the one by Zhou Shen which fits the drama to a tee!
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The Sword and Brocade is a sweet slow romance that was certainly delightful to watch and I thoroughly enjoyed most of this drama. This beautiful historical production gives an insight into the life journey of a married woman with concubine-born status during the Ming Dynasty.. (Kind of remind me The Story of Ming Lan). What I loved about this drama is how the romance blossoms at a realistic pace between ML and FL (no love at first sight or no firework romance). Both leisurely exploring important phases from distrust, to mild annoyance, to intrigue and blossoming attraction, to collaboration with some conflict and a healthy dose of jealousy. Both are consummate artists with solid chemistry, intelligent and mature with family values; delivering sweet and thrilling romantic moments as they slowly fall in love and grow together as a couple😊. From awkward moments to sweet moments and the support they have for each other to fight against every plot that come around are enjoyable to watch.
Tan Songyun slayed her role perfectly, pulling off this headstrong but caring female lead with high EQ, patience and kindness to gain the affection of her husband and respect of her new family members. Wallace Chung did not disappoint either. He able to portrait the image of a powerful and intelligent marquis throughout the drama even though he was traumatized by the death of a few of his family members when he was young. This event turned him into the cold and aloof man – a workaholic who neglects his harem, overly strict with his children and brother, only cared about filial-piety and protecting the nation in the beginning of the drama. Then, he slowly began to display signs of affection towards FL and other family members as he starting to understand the hardships of others as well as the importance of family communications. Watching him slowly come out of his shell to become a more complete person as he discovers happiness with FL and grow together as a couple was adorable.
I would given this drama a high rating because of the character developments. Shiyi Niang is such an influential and motivational figure. Although she is concubine-born status and was underestimated when she entered the marquis household to become the main legitimate wife of a powerful marquis but she managed to win over the hearts of the entire marquis’ family with her kindness and loving care traits towards her family, friends and anyone in need, and willing to sacrifice if necessary, whom were cold and distant to her at first. Definitely unlike one of those whiny female character who has to depend on her powerful husband to live well. Slowly witnessing of how FL gains the respect, support and trust from the entire marquis household at the end was intrigued. Also, enjoyed seeing the pace of how FL overcomes all the challenges arises that were thrown at her (either by her own family, concubines or mother in law) and her boldness to speak up when she was wrongly accused.
Overall, it’s an excellent drama with intriguing story. The character developments are motivational, showing us how patience and kindness will pay off in the end. Greed will get us nowhere, and the antagonists got what they deserved in the end. I have to admit that I was frustrated with certain parts in some episodes that were rather unnecessary, while other parts would have been done differently (especially towards the ending). Fortunately, the plot managed to keep the drama addictive. Hence, I dropped my rating from 9.5 to 9.0 but with high re-watch value definitely! Also, like the fact that this production does not contain much of fighting nor killings😍; witnessing different conflicts in every realistic aristocratic household and in politics that permeate in daily life.
This drama is also make me hooked since the first episode and become addictive in the rest. Up until now, I still can’t forget this drama as one of most impressive chinese drama that commonly hard to find one. The storyline is strong enough and the acting of the casts are all good and sync. Nothing amiss and moreover I love Shiyi Niang’s character. This drama is also trigging me to write a review in my blog, the first ever.
this is probably the longest drama i have watched without skipping, the story was so interesting ! and the acting was also really good ! definitely the best and one of the most realistic chinese dramas !!
How can a drama about a womanizer/concubine keeping man be romantic to anyone. Literally a man who sleeps with multiple women regularly, or has slept with many of them multiple times. It’s too ugly a lifestyle to feel any desire to watch. Why do people think that this stuff is romantic? I don’t get it. What because she softens his hard heart? He has used enough women. Sleeping around is just an ugly behavior to me. She is expected to be a virgin while he can sleep with as many mistresses/concubines as he’s given. Eww.🤢
Harems and concubines were a norm in ancient China. This drama is merely a depiction of those times. So, if you use that ancient time setting and measure it against modern standards, then all the romance will naturally fly out the window. Hence, this kind of drama is not for everyone. It will only be enjoyable for those who can understand and appreciate the historical and cultural practices of that era and the context in which these stories are set in.
I can understand that those things were practiced, however why they are glorified/accepted, I can’t. Yes, history is full of this ugliness, but it’s still so unflattering to most of the women involved. How can it be a satisfying story with so many women, other than the lead, having to live in a love less relationship with no hope of a future love of their own. I know that they portray most of the harem as bad to justify his budding new relationship. Still, under such a harsh reality, who could blame them. Those women don’t get a happy ending or great love story, not even the one who didn’t turn evil. It sacrifices many women to loneliness and heartbreak for the sake of the lead couple. It would be a much better show idea based on the investigation of the mother’s death and their relationship growth without the added ugliness of a harem. Family drama can be just as challenging/entertaining without adding in additional women to the mix. It’s so heartbreaking what women had to (and still do in some places) experience in such harems. To make one women the winner, and all others losers at the expense of any future romantic relationships for the losing women is sad. I don’t understand women fawning over such a show. Most of the women are hurt, used and dejected without hope for a loving relationship in the future. One woman found love with a man who treated women like objects for use before her. While all the other women were hurt, angry, or made out to be evil to justify his treatment of them. He’s an imoral man who accepted the status quo without standing up against such treatment of women while participating in the unjust practices himself. Why would we cheer for such a character, does his change of heart lead him to faithful behavior with his wife, with the freeing of all other women to marry whomever they please? Will the leftover women/woman, who made it out alive and unpunished, be free to fall in love, marry and start a new family of her own? Does she have the same freedom and liberty as the man? If not than it is not a story that supports real love and fair treatment of the genders, no matter how accurate for the time period it may be. The message of true love is over shadowed by the use and disposal of women. So, how is it a happy ending if an innocent person continues to suffer a lonely life, with their only hope for any future love to be in the form of motherhood? That’s her happy ending? I think not.
Maybe I take a different view when it comes to watching dramas. Normally, I don’t watch them and then stack them strictly against my own personal values. If I do so, then I think it will take away the enjoyment of watching them. I may question the logic or whether a story is realistic but at the end of the day, I try to see them as merely stories and nothing more. It’s just the same with those warm-hearted girl falling in love with a cold and domineering CEO tropes. How can such romances be glorified? But they are just dramas created for entertainment purposes to me and not something to be taken too seriously. So, I usually don’t delve too much into the story’s values/morality or the lack of them.
I think you misunderstand what is going on in the Marqis’s household. He is weighed down by the weight of his responsibilities and returning his family to power, but he is also throughly fed up with his mother forcing concubines on him. All the relationships before Shiyi have been arranged by his mother. Indeed at one stage she tries to force Shiyi’s maid to be his concubine.
This is why the Marquis spends so much time at work because his home life is a nightmare with all these competing women. When Shiyi realises this she is able to overcome them all and they end up as a conventional couple.
Which is what the Marquis wanted if his mother had nit interfered.
However, if the ML redeems himself by truly freeing the remaining women/woman, to live freely and find their own love and happiness, then I might find this show enjoyable. I enjoy redemption stories, but if he doesn’t redeem himself and his behavior it would be hard for me to enjoy. That’s why I was asking why it was enjoyable. Was there redemption? Did he see the errors of his ways? Did his change include giving those women the same freedom to follow love and their own hearts desires? Did he regret his past actions and look forward to changing? If so, I would like to know. Then I would probably enjoy the storyline. Freeing the women left to do as they please with their own lives, free from him and his authority over their lives. That would be a good redemption storyline.
I cannot remember exactly what happened in the drama as it has been quite some time since I watched it. If I’m not mistaken, he did have some regrets over what happened to his concubines and the remaining one chose to live away from him.
Thanks for getting back to me. I have a teenage daughter whom I watch dramas with and she questions everything. She and I like dramas that have good morals, redemption, and of course a good sweet love story or two intertwined. It would be hard to want to see a man who keeps concubines fall in love without understanding the errors of his ways. Thanks again.
You are welcome. It’s ok to have a different view because not everyone will like the same dramas. Maybe I’m that type who can easily compartmentalize fiction and reality. By the way, I think Be Yourself would be a good drama to watch with a teenager.
The ML did express regret to concubine Qin before she passed and did give concubine Wen a choice to choose her preferred path when he visited her. As for concubine Qiao, I guess, he didn’t make any amends towards her, since she kinda forced herself into the family & did scheme against the FL?
As such, he did change to be more “human” and make amends to the best of his ability in the end.
Another drama recommendation might (though a little old), would be Go Ahead which has a stronger familial ties story 🙂
I recently watched this, and I loved it!!! I’m glad I found your blog. I enjoyed reading your thoughts on this show and I totally agree that it was addictive and also got me hooked. It’s worth my time and my favorite too. I plan to rewatch it. I attempted to watch this when it was aired but I stopped on episode 1 because back then I didn’t find it interesting and part of the reason was others opinion. I loved how their relationship grew as a couple and how General Xu Li Ying told his mother he is not taking any concubine anymore.