What did not work – 

• Li Tong Guang – People online have been lapping up the pairing between Liu Shi Shi’s Ru Yi and her disciple Li Tong Guang. But Li Tong Guang’s character is pretty much an incel. He does NOT have a healthy idea of women nor does he have a healthy idea of his love for his teacher. He is controlling, obsessive, impulsive, rude and arrogant. The drama actually does a great job in pointing out these flaws and there are certainly some components of his character that are upstanding, but just because his teacher didn’t want to see him, he goes on a killing rampage that could result in war and millions of deaths. How can you approve of his actions after that? My patience for this guy is wearing thin. As Ru Yi correctly states, he doesn’t really know how to “love her”. He didn’t go out to avenge the late Empress which would have been what Ru Yi wanted. His words of “I want her” are more controlling and obsessive. He does not respect Ru Yi whatsoever.
• “You need to have your own child” – This is a line that the late Empress tells Ru Yi in her dying breath and sets Ru Yi on a path to want to use Ning Yuan Zhou as a baby making partner, nothing further.  I’m sure the drama will show this isn’t her full meaning but for a show that is trying to emphasize lessons on female independence, this line seems a little out of left field.
• Pacing and timeline in the endgame: The last 6 episodes of the drama in particular suffered from cramming too many things into it. Ru Yi and Ning Yuan Zhou were flitting around the different nations on screen in 2 seconds when the original journey took many episodes. This drama suffered from not being able to flesh out certain story lines near the end which made for some plot holes. Many warfare scenes were reduced to simple narration which I’m assuming was the result of budget constraints. Additionally, there was a beautiful dance that Liu Shi Shi filmed but was edited to be extremely barebones that drew the ire of fans. 
• Focus on the main romance story line in the end: Once Ning Yuan Zhou and Ren Ru Yi’s relationship was established, it did feel like the romantic scenes between them were unnecessary later on in the drama. This was because there were more impactful themes that made their focus on love rather out of place. 

Stray observations: The cast probably did horseback riding lessons since for the most part we see them on actual horseback rather than fake horses!

POST ENDING THOUGHTS

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD! Proceed with Warning!

I have SO many thoughts about the ending of this drama. Please DO NOT READ unless you’ve finished the show!

This is a drama that also suffered heavily from misplaced expectations and spoilers. Because the drama was so highly anticipated and there were plenty of footage captured from when the drama was filmed, fans had way too many speculations on where the drama would go. Unfortunately, many of those expectations were misplaced/didn’t come to fruition. That then in turn led to a lot of backlash because the plot didn’t go where people wanted it to go.

About that Ending: I’m actually totally fine with the ending and I’m happy with where it went. In times of war, tragedy happens. Sacrifices were made to ensure that others could survive and prosper. There were many lessons imparted on Li Tong Guang to make that point at the end (more on this later). If the main couple survived, I honestly think audiences would have been more upset. 

Why can we not have a “BE” or “bad ending” where everyone dies? We had plenty of these types of dramas in the past. I’ve read many comments saying “I heard everyone dies so I’m not going to watch it” or “I’m afraid to get too attached if they all die so I don’t want to watch it”. Those are all fair points and if you’re not in the mood for a sad story that’s ok. But this drama I thought did the sacrifices well. It wasn’t like just some random bad person showed up in the end and the main cast suddenly dropped their intelligence levels to die for the sake of tears. No, this credible threat and the horrors of war meant that there would be deaths.  Other dramas of the past such as Chinese Paladin 仙剑奇侠传 was a cute and fun journey for much of the drama but Zhao Ling’Er lived up to her duty. That drama is a classic and did not have happy endings. It is because of those sacrifices that the show leaves a bigger impact. I walked away focused more on how I appreciated the “大义“ or heroic actions of the main cast rather than being upset why none of then could have their “happy ending” which cannot be said for many other shows. 

Yu Shi San + Chu Yue: Their so called “love” was meant to be an ill-fated one. Yu Shi San has stated over and over again that he is a man who does not want to stop for any woman. He calls himself a wanderer. He loves hard but also often. Yes, Chu Yue certainly captured his attention, but his conversation with Jin Mei Niang also made it very clear that he does not want to be tied down. Therefore, his every decision to NOT be with Chu Yue is in line with his character. For people really upset they didn’t “end up” together, I believe those people fall into the camp of 1) always wanting a “perfect” ending for a couple and 2) having that fantasy that a woman can change a man’s ways through love. On the second point, if the genders were reversed and Chu Yue wanted to go off and do her own thing, if Yu Shi San wanted to tie her down, there will be so much backlash. Why is it any different the other way around. Mature love means that you can love a person and not be with them. Yu Shi San shows he cares for Chu Yue by saving her life but that doesnt mean he needed to declare ever lasting love and settle down. Their “love” story and ending made a ton of sense.

Li Tong Guang: I’m going to go with the belief that the director/screenwriter made Li Tong Guang a worse character but in the end, he was STILL AWFUL. It was his rash decision that got so many people killed, including Ning Yuan Zhou. He drugged his teacher and tried to force her to marry him. After everything that’s happened, why was this still a plot line? The An kingdom emperor was murdered and he decides that his most important task is to force Ru Yi to marry him? This made no sense whatsoever as to why Li Tong Guang was still that fixated on Ru Yi. 

Yang Ying: My favorite storyline in the entire drama is Yang Ying’s growth story line. Yang Ying went from a timid young woman, to a woman who stood up in front of a creepy, traitorous king to save both herself and her companions. She wasn’t afraid to change the equation in order to show her value as a princess. He Lan Dou’s portrayal was also surprisingly good and she captivated me on screen especially towards the end. She showed she is a worthy student of Ru Yi and in my opinion, she is so much better than Li Tong Guang. His main redeeming factor is that his CP with Yang Ying actually makes sense and he seems to treat her well. Their story could be an entirely new drama and I’d absolutely love to read a fanfic about their life together after the events of this drama. 

10+ years later – 

Let’s dissect this ending because there are MANY theories online. Not to say I know definitively what the ending is but here’s my read. 

1. Chu Yue and the young boy, Ning Shi San – There’s so much confusion around this. The young boy Ning Shi San visits “Gu Gu” or “Aunt” in a dream state. Chu Yue is envisioning the life that Ning Yuan Zhou and Ren Ru Yi COULD have had if they survived. They would have two adorable children, one named Ning Shi San in honor of Yu Shi San and one girl named Ren Lu in honor of Yuan Lu. It’s all just a fantasy! I’m reading so many comments about how this child is such a plot hole and that makes the ending awful. ??? The ending scene shows those that sacrificed themselves together
   1. Some posit that Chu Yue heading off with Ning Shi San reflected her path on her deathbed. That’s possible but I don’t really think so. There’s no indication that she’s dying. Instead, she sees Ning Yuan Zhou, Yu Shi San, Ru Yi and them galloping in the flourishing grasslands. She’s crying at seeing the heroes that sacrificed their lives to achieve the current peace and prosperity. 
2. He Xian is now prosperous – 10 years after the bloodshed, we are in He Xian again. Children are learning in school, the markets are thriving, the plains where thousands died are now green and flourishing. This means that there is peace and prosperity in the lands which speaks to strong diplomacy and good governance.
3. No where does it indicate that Li Tong Guang and Yang Ying died – I’m reading places that because there’s a line that the An Emperor is inviting Chu Yue to see his “coronation” ceremony or ceremony where he now can start ruling means that Li Tong Guang must have died. Where does it indicate that? I’m assuming Li Tong Guang and Yang Ying worked together to help raise a well adjusted young man in the 3rd prince. Li Tong Guang and Yang Ying’s ultimate goal is peace and prosperity. They are not there to usurp power. Why is a seamless transition of power so out of the realm of possibility?

-Karen