Ning An Ru Meng (2023)

Perfect combination of Politics, romance and my ever favourite trope-TIME TRAVEL

Usually I can never get myself to complete any drama with a lot of politics. But this one had me hooked from the start to the very last episode. The six month wait after it's initial declaration was absolutely worth it.

The drama focuses on Jiang Xuening, who gets a chance to REDO her mistakes while further exploring her efforts, her relationships with the various characters.

Our Queen, Bai Lu, as usual never disappoints us and gave us yet another ground breaking performance thereby showing her versatility as a scheming empress(1st life) and as Ning'er(2nd life).
As for our ML, it was his second drama I watched with him as ML- the first being My journey to you, and the contrast between the characters he played shows his versatile acting skills. It's not easy to play a grey area character like Xie Wei and now i don't think anyone could have played this role as good as Zhang Linghe. The chemistry between the leads had me squealing at all times. Xie Wei's character screams- "a hero will sacrifice u for the world but a villain would sacrifice the whole world for you." especially with his dialogue-" Neither my qin, my revenge, nothing in this world compares to her." and Zhang Linghe portrays it exceptionally well.

Zhang Zhe may be the best person but Xie Wei was the most suitable one for Ning'er.

The OSTs especially the one by Zhou Shen, had my heart from the beginning.
A mix of various genres.... I would definitely recommend this to every cdrama lover!!!!!!!
No doubt one of the best chinese dramas of 2023 !!!!!

Leia Mais

2ND CHANCE AND REDEMPTION

A head strong Jiang Xue Ning (Bai Lu) who would do anything to become an Empress, who manipulated many people to do her bidding to stay in power and control, who died by killing herself of regret in exchange her life for someone else's life. The story of second chance and redemption of Jiang Xuening; to avoid herself get into the palace like her past life as the ambitious Empress. But she couldn't entirely escape from fate that's written to her, shifting her fates and people in the path of redemption. However some things were still end the same like invincible hand stirred to what fate have been. Ning'Er still end up joining the palace as a Princess's study companion and Xie Wei's (Zhang Ling He) student. As a new person, she still handled things with devious strategies to avoid certain fates that got her in trouble in previous life, with different approached she still manipulate people according to her wishes. The old feeling still hunted her to which decision made and wisdom came from. Relationship Xie Wei & Xue Ning were teacher and student, outside the circle they're conspirator.

Xie Wei/Xue Ding Fei (Zhang Ling He)
As the most scary person in Jiang Xue Ning's life - she most afraid and bitter toward him. Crown Prince's teacher and advisor to the Emperor, Xie Wei had every reason to be wary of. He hold most secrets as he's the sole survivor of 20 years old frightening 300 young lost souls originated, a 7 years young Viscount Xue Ding Fei was used to replace for (same age) Crown Prince's life to demanding rebel leader Prince Ping'An. Who knew he survived the massacre and became Prince Ping'An bullet to destroy Qian/Shen royal family, his hatred to his biological father Xue was no bound. His affection for Yan family where his mother was the beloved sister of Duke Yan (Yan Lin's father). This time around, he suffered from PTSD from early age trauma. His main goal was to destroy Xue which aligned with Xue Ning's mission and maneuver palace's politics to achieve goals. So much going on his calculating mind to achieve successful outcomes, he'd happily married Xue Ning and had twin children.

Yan Lin (Zhou Jun Wei)
In this new life Jiang Xuening redeemed her mistake by secretly plans to stop Yan Lin's bloody upcoming-age Crown Ceremony from happening, result of power struggle between 2 influential family Xue & Yan. With Jiang Xuening and Xie Wei's plan, the Yan family's lives were saved although they went exile for wrongful accusation. At point of time when Yan Lin lost his whole family during his coming-to age celebration from Xue and the day knowing Xue Ning rejecting his love. Her betrayal made Yan Lin obsess and furious. When he started to gain power to rebel, Yan Lin determined to make her his woman, but she killed herself to exchange life for a life. Xue Ning was forewarned Yan Lin that her feeling was friendship, none romantic, Yan Lin had to first hand knowing her true feeling to avoid obsession nor hatred as he's falling more deeper in love with her like in their previous life. He'd be a grand general and respected by whole country, Yan family all came back home.

Zhang Zhe ( Wang Xing Yue)
Jiang XueNing most precious person was Zhang Zhe. In previous life she was using him to cover up her many guilt of wrong doing, for the sake of love Zhang Zhe betrayed his conscience to make wrong judgement. He felt unworthy and guilt of the dead of his mother he wrote a letter to Justice Dept to sentence him to death. Xue Ning begged him to forgive himself and blame her instead. Few days before his death sentence, Xue Ning went to Xie Wei for his mercy and kill herself in exchange for his life. Second change, Zhang Zhe being an upright man was indeed love her, they had a chance to have their happy ending together, but his mother eventually died from the same cause and affect him the same guilt so Xue Ning decided to let go remembering how bad Zhang Zhe end up on their previous life. All in all Zhang Zhe assisted Xie Wei, Yan Lin, Xue Ning to reveal the truth of evil-doers Xue family.

Princess Le Yang/Shen Zhi Yi (Liu Xie Ning)
Jiang Xue Ning was her bestfriend, they're study mates. Jiang Xue Ning was successfully change their relationship dynamic into friendship rather as adversary in their previous life, but for sure Xue Ning knew that Princess Le Yang would be sent off to get married with enemy's prince and tragically died. In this life, Xue Ning would rush to save her from fatal outcome. Although she still had a bad marriage, faced abuse and imprisonment, she's finally free to come back home.

You Fang Yin (Melody Tang)
In previous life, she's the faithful attendant/maid to her Empress life, Fang Yin's been through too much during her reign so she felt guilty put her through. So, Jiang Xue Ning saved her from jealous bitter step sister and hateful You family. Xue Ning trusted her with business and independent. She married to a very nice man, handled businesses good, sadly died for loyalty.

Although the drama is heavy in political conflicts and intrigues, twisting fate for different outcomes might also be a little romance at the end. Great script, the intrigue wasn't boring, amazing costumes (everyone looks amazing), great coordination between flash back and new stories, good angle cameramen and directive. Zhang Ling He is great in here, shining in his acting (not convincing enough he's afraid of cat though), he'll have a long acting career. Bai Lu is so so as her usual self, as 27 yo she can't act like 19yo, we've seen her same acting in her other dramas. Zhou Jun Wei is pretty sleek as Yan Lin while Wang Xing Yue has character that's not special, I think he'd be more interesting as (previous life) Zhang Zhe when he broke many etiquette and laws - he'd lots of inner battles and emotion fight in within . Very good drama.

Leia Mais

The best drama of 2023 for me!

I loved this one! The story drew me in from the get go. And I watched it as it was airing…waiting for each episode to drop. Both the leads were phenomenal, the supporting cast was stellar and the story was gripping. The chemistry between the leads was fire. Zhang Linghe was absolutely swoon worthy with his burning gaze and his barely suppressed jealousy! Just wow. Only gripe I had was with the weird lighting and the odd placement of spotlights which was annoying! Highly recommended if you like a mature and passionate romance between two broken people with trauma!

Leia Mais

AAAAAGHHHH!!! IT'S A MUST WATCH DRAMA

This drama is an exceptional piece of work, highlighted by its outstanding cast. Each actor brings their character to life with remarkable depth and authenticity, making the story all the more compelling. The performances are so nuanced and emotionally charged that they elevate the drama to new heights, drawing viewers in and keeping them engaged from start to finish. The synergy between the actors enhances the narrative, making it a memorable and impactful experience. This drama excels on multiple fronts.
The storyline is gripping and well-crafted, keeping viewers hooked with its twists and emotional depth. The actors deliver solid performances, bringing their characters to life convincingly. The music complements the narrative perfectly, enhancing the overall atmosphere and adding emotional resonance. Together, these elements create a compelling and immersive experience.

PS: I love Bai lu and her phenomenal acting, I've come to love ML tooo, he's so good with acting as a villain asdfghjkl.....

Leia Mais

You must watch this masterpiece!

*Story of Kunning Palace* is a historical Chinese drama that delves into themes of power, ambition, love, and redemption. It centers around Jiang Xuening, a woman who once became the empress but met a tragic fate due to her pursuit of power and the ensuing political schemes in the palace. After her downfall, Jiang Xuening unexpectedly gets a second chance at life, waking up in the past before her ascent to power.

With the opportunity to rewrite her destiny, she decides to take a different path to avoid the mistakes that led to her tragic end. However, this is no easy task as she navigates a web of palace intrigue, dangerous political factions, and personal vendettas. In the midst of all this, she forms complex relationships with key figures in the court, including a conflicted romantic dynamic with the male lead.

The drama blends palace politics with personal transformation, as Jiang Xuening evolves from an ambitious, power-hungry woman to someone more introspective and compassionate. The second-chance element adds tension to her every decision, knowing that one wrong move could lead her down the same tragic path. There's also a balance between romance and palace drama, with the love story subtly woven into the larger narrative of survival and redemption.

*Story of Kunning Palace* offers a mix of suspense, emotional depth, and historical intrigue, making it appealing for viewers who enjoy character-driven stories with a strong focus on personal growth within the perilous world of royal courts.

Leia Mais

I want to fan-girl this dramaaaaa

HOW SHOULD I START!!!

firstly I want to talk about the story!!, the story is well written even if there are some changes, the writers didn’t spoil it !!, the character development of some characters is insane!! like I could relate to their growth of personality, and I didn’t know I will be so intrigued with political conflict? they make it interesting really !!, the story overall is amazing and even if there is some matters didn’t match or explained the plot will make you finish this masterpiece in few days!

Now let’s talk about the CHARACTERS:

Ning’er: to be honest she’s fall first or at least had crush on Xie Wei from their first life 😂, like girl you want to be chocked like hell girl!! “ choke me like you hate me but you love me”, she admired Zhang Zhe , but didn’t really loved him that much bcz she always chooses herself and her comfort, even after she back in time, she still chose her comfort over what her heart or others thinks. Anyway this is not a bad thing really, bcz her second life she balanced this desire and become wiser of what her needs and others needs!!, and what make Xie Wei different is bcz he let her cross her comfort zone and cross her principles sometimes and it is not necessary a bad thing tho, he is the only one who helped her to overcome her past life and live normally.

Xie Wei: to be honest the story is around him not the FL 😂, we only see his story from Ning’er perspective, anyway his personality is confusing as hell ? like he is a villain but not really an ordinary villain? he has a good reasons and good method? like he is a hero using villains tools and that why everyone who knows him well adores and protects him and specially respects him, he didn’y ask help of anyone he is simply attracted the people around him and if they helped him he will return the favor multiple times and if they hurt him of will they best results is dying really 😂, yeah he is using the people around him but also taking care of them 😂, he is a hero using villains tools as I said.

Yan line : best boy I will take him 🥹, for me he is better and greenest flag than Zhang Zhe !! like come on guys … he will die and fight for her and he respects that she’s not in love with him and didn’t bother… and his relationship with his father and his respect to the ML is so admirable really !! he is the Best man on the series!!

Zhang Zhe: our boring grean flag guy .. I love you man but what are you doing becoming depressed after lying ? and do a whole drama about it then accept it 😂??? and yeah u r rightous and all but u know that people have different personalities and you should act according to their personality man … like literally the first encounter with you was beautiful and u did a well scheme to capture the maid … why will you be stupid sometimes 😂yeah he changed and learned that honestly is not always the best choice.. I love you man really , but I don’t know why u irritated me sometimes…

those are the main characters, the other characters were also charming, but I’m getting tired from typing !!

my comfort character is : lu Xian ( the businessman) the best friend of Xie Wei !! he is truly the definition of friendship!!

and 👋🏻 bye bye

Leia Mais

Fixing the mistakes you made in the past

Best drama ever!!!
At first I was lost how will Ning'er and Xie Wei fall in love with each other since in the FL past life they were most likely enemies and still in her second chance life she was too scared of Xie Wei, I was getting curious to watch it and it was worth watching.

For me it seemed a bit obvious that Xie Wei had already fallen for Ning'er because he was so curious about Ning'er and Yan Li and also Zhang Zhe relationship with her and he was also caring, protecting and following her orders and treating her differently from others when he was her teacher. Even though Zhang Zhe seemed to be the perfect guy for Ning'er but Xie Wei's love for her was too strong to be defeated.

Best couple I wish to see them in another drama still being FL and ML loving each other.
This drama made me forget that they were acting because their love connection on-screen was too great to believe they are real lovers in reality, it also made me wish I had a boyfriend like Xie Wei even though he seemed scary because his jealousy was making me laugh 🤣🤣

Leia Mais

Is somebody gonna match my freak? -> Not 100% in this drama

STORY OF KUNNING PALACE has all the tropes that I should love, but somewhere along the way it got me scratching my head @ the execution. Usually I do a pros/cons list in my review, but I find that for every pro or con, I have a "BUT" attached. At the end of the day, I enjoyed this show BUT found a decent amount of faults that knocked down my rating from a solid 8/10. I think the (surprisingly) happy ending would be the only thing that pushes the rating up.

Nonetheless, if these themes call to you then I think you will also enjoy this show:
- Interesting court intrigue that is easy to follow and not too complex
- Second chance at life to turn wrongs into rights
- Love triangle/square where the girl chooses the "bad boy" over the "boy next door" and "nice guy"
- Good mix of likeable and hateable characters in the midst of the palace drama

❀ The introduction promised so much
Immediately we are met with a rebellion scene and the FL having so many regrets about using people in her lifetime to become empress. She k*lls herself and goes back in time to when she was 18 years old, vowing to correct all the wrongs she did in her previous life to rights. It's more "second chance rebirth" than "revenge rebirth," and it's satisfying to see the FL use her past memory to buy silk and raise money, avoid the chance of war, and ultimately save the people around her. BUT -- this plot disappears after the ep 20ish mark. When it becomes more court politics-driven, the FL's intelligence and character takes a step back as we focus on the ML. Other than key moments that the FL had, she's literally just following the Good Guy Team around like a tail. I understand that most historical dramas emphasize the court politics towards the end, but at least other FL's are kept busy (running a business, fighting a war, playing dead to name a few roles). Instead I feel like the FL was just hanging around for a good time which was a waste of her originally proactive and smart character. Also she never gave me "ruthless empress" vibes even though her whole background narrative was using others to rise to the top.

❀ ROMANCE DIDN'T MATCH MY FREAKKKkk
Y'all I was fully expecting a yandere, morally gray ML that you can't help but love despite his character flaws. While the ML is possessive and has a dark aura due to his PTSD and past, he was actually pretty chill. I know people are divided on the toxic romance and his red flag tendencies but y'all have never read a Cnovel have you. ಥ_ಥ Like Xie Wei is cute compared to the crazies in Cnovels and manhwas out there LOL.
Again, I liked the romance set-up of the FL going through various men in her life (repaying debts from the past life) before ending with the man who had been there since the beginning: the ML Xie Wei. BUT -- the show decided to put equal attention to each men which at the end of the day made for superficial relationships amongst them all. And then they added those fanservice kisses post ep 30 to make up for that lol. Seriously! Even in LOVE LIKE THE GALAXY where there were several male love interests, the FL's first fiance lasted up a bit after ep 20ish and then the show spends the next 30+ episodes focusing on her romance with the actual ML. In STORY OF KUNNING PALACE, the 3rd ML (Yan Lin) is in the background (even though she rejects him early on) until ep 10ish, which is when the 2nd ML (Zhang Zhe) shows up. Then she's interested in him until ep 24, where she decides to push him away so that he can focus on himself and his future. While the ML is always there from the beginning, offering advice, support, and rescue, their actual romantic relationship doesn't progress until like ep 31. I just feel like the show was ALMOSTTT there in making an amazing slow-burn, angst-filled triangle. But I just never felt the romantic intent from the FL until much later on. I love a pining ML but I would have also appreciated some exploration of the FL's feelings for him before the actual romantic bit. The most we get is that she trusts him, fears him, and respects their student-teacher relationship. Superficially though, I did enjoy all the male leads hehe.
3rd ML: boy next door who's your bubbly, sportsy childhood friend (he's a general and his character was literally holding the show's action scenes on his back).
2nd ML: nice guy who stays true to the law and his values (he helped the FL a lot in the first timeline despite her being "evil" which made her have a lot of regrets towards him)
1st ML: broken bad boy with tragic past who would bend over backwards to make the FL happy. The drama tried to show him as being healed from his traumas at the end but we aren't really given an explanation except for the power of the FL's love. Again, that's fine superficially BUT I really didn't feel the moral grayness from him since the beginning. Even though he was raised among the rebels, he was GOOD to his core. And even though his schemes didn't follow the law 100%, it was for the GREATER GOOD. There was one point where he was willing to sacrifice Zhang Zhe but didn't because the FL was there. Like see??? He a good guy through and through. His methods may be unorthodox but the results were giving hero that saves the day. Red flag who?
I feel like people who see their pair as a toxic romance don't like his manhandling (grabbing her by the throat, nonconsensual kiss) and pressure on making the FL see him the way he sees her. I attribute it to lackluster writing. Like I said, we just don't have a lot of time to develop their relationship by the time the writers remembered they needed to address this romance bit. By ep 31 there are multipleee characters asking the FL how she thought of the ML. Ofc they had to rush the script!! Miss girl barely even figured out her feelings about the rebirth/saving everyone (at one point she literally wanted to run away and was flip-flopping between saving people and running away lol), much less her feelings about this ML that she thought pushed her to her death in the first life. So, I get her initial hesitation which to other watchers might look like an unwillingness to be in the relationship. I just feel like with extra time and exposition, she could have come to her own conclusion about her feelings instead of using external forces to push her there.

❀ Pretty satisfying court schemes
The show keeps them simple while keeping viewers' interests. Most of the time it's the baddies getting thwarted by the main characters with mid-high stakes. There's both court politics and harem politics, which keeps the momentum going. BUT -- I started to lose interest around the ep 20 mark when I realized that we were going to rinse and repeat the same scenes: baddies (Xue family) try something bad, the main leads (mostly ML) foil their plans, and then the baddies tone it down a little before doing it all over again. I thought we would get more nuance with Pingnan in the picture as well, but his schemes were tossed aside within a few episodes. For a father-like figure and savior to the ML, I certainly didn't feel like his character got the attention and writing it deserved. Also I can't keep count of how many times the dialogue emphasized "Xue vs Yan" family like we haven't been watching the show from the get-go. Despite my complaints though, I still enjoyed watching all the scheming and knowing that the ML would be there to save the day.

❀ In terms of production...
I liked the cinematography and how the music leaned towards the melodramatic/twisted side. The acting was great from all the main actors with special mentions to Bailu and Zhang Linghe's crying scenes. BUT -- I was not living for the opening theme and overdramatic editing. Instead of having just music in the opening theme, they add Jiang Xuening's voiceover and it's just so over-the-top, cheesy, and borderline cringe. Like girl... this ain't cute. Also this isn't a revenge drama but the opening setup tries to give that vibe which is just Too Much (TM). As for the editing - I didn't expect to see Bollywood effects in a Chinese drama lol. There's epic zoom in's, frames that are doing 360 spins, and even echoes to the character's line. I'm not gonna lie, every time Xie Wei had some dramatic, emphatic line that ended with an echo I just got pulled SO out of the watching experience. It just felt so fake and over-the-top.

✕ Misunderstanding level: 4/10
FL was scared of giving into her feelings for the ML because she thought he "forced" her death in the first life. Also every time he did something for her - especially towards the beginning - she was too dense to notice it. So much for cunning empress who got reborn!! Damn girl.

OVERALL
I just feel like I came in with high expectations and the promise of something that was never fully delivered. I would say it was 75% of the way there, which matches my rating. It *checked* all the right boxes, but I guess they weren't *fully* checked at the end of the day. Both FL and ML didn't match my freak. Still an enjoyable watch though that is among the better historical Cdramas out there!

Leia Mais

One of the Best drama from Bai Lu! Queen of Wuxia drama

*Positive things* : the chemistry's off all actor/actress is very good , their acting very impresif, especially Xue Shu and princess. I really dont like Xue Shu, but this thing proof her acting really good.

I like how jealously XW with Zhang Zhe until the end, its so funny.. Even his child respect Zhang Zhe. 🤣

Finally, we got happy ending for Bai Lu wuxia drama compare to Till The End of The Moon. As expected, Bai Lu acting very good!

The negative :
- The soundtrack drama is so so, i mean not too good but not bad.
- Ep 37-38, i expect more conflict, but turn is out, the result predictable.

Anyway i glad to know and watch this drama, it will be one of the best drama in 2023!!

Leia Mais

Story of Kunning Palace has one of the best pacing of any 2023 drama. The storytelling is intriguing, with suspenseful arcs from the very first episode. The show does a great job of introducing the many characters and establishing their motivations. For the first 30 episodes, the twists and turns, as well as Jiang Xuening's personal growth, captivate the audience. The female friendships are beautiful and the discussion of female power is interesting.

The romance isn't the main focus of most of the show. In the beginning, Jiang Xuening struggles with her best friend's romantic feelings for her, while trying to save him and his family this time. In order to achieve this, she begins to plot with her teacher Xie Wei, but only in the last arc does she develop feelings for him. Instead, she longs for her former love, Zhang Zhe, an upright official with a strong sense of justice. One of the main themes of the show is that Jiang Xuening is not a good person, not in this life and certainly not in her last, but she is trying to be better. While Zhang Zhe is not a good match for her, the scheming and violent Xie Wei is. The story of Kunning Palace is not about love, but about intrigue, friendship, ambition and doing the right thing. It's only in the last 8 episodes that there is a real romance, and then the show loses its intrigue.

I was rooting for them right up until the moment their actual relationship developed. Firstly, I'm generally not a fan of the trope of men forcing themselves on women and women giving in until they like it, even if it's under the influence of trauma. Is it reasonable for his character to react that way? Yes, it is. Did the writers have to make him do it? Absolutely not. Especially when it is all framed as sexual tension. They were great as partners in crime, but at that point, is just using trauma for the sake of drama.

Overall, Bai Lu really stole the show. She was absolutely perfect for the part. As for Zhang Linghe, his performance again lacked nuance, but it was better compared to other shows I have seen so far. As for the side characters, the only other one that really stood out for me was Lui Xiening as Princess Le Yang/ Shen Zhi Yi, as well as the scheming Xue Yuan (by Huang Haibing) and his sister, Empress Dowager Xue (by Liu Min). These two were such great villains!

Leia Mais