This is going to be a huge recap review. I went home after work one day, and really didn’t want to watch Chronicles of Life anymore, and decided to get started on the Imperial Doctress. Before I knew it, it was 4am and I’m like… aw fuck.
WELL THEN.
Anyways, it says a lot. I really like this drama. I finally understand why I love OTP action in some dramas, and why sometimes I think it’s so lame I just roll my eyes.
This drama is so good, and I wish I actually had more time to do the recap but I’m just so busy, and I haven’t even finished Chronicles of Life/Legend of Mi Yue anyways. But I have a lot of thoughts and feelings about this drama, and so here I go, just making a review post about the past 17 episodes, no recapping.
I only love OTP action when the producers make us fall in love with the female lead too. Like in this drama, I’m up to Episode 17, and I am totally in love with Liu Shi Shi our female lead. Her character is written so beautifully. Her character, Yun Xian, is really well-written and likable. Yun Xian is believably kind (not a Mary Sue), intelligent, ambitious, and beautiful. You relate to her, admire her, and understand her. I think it’s because she’s well-written and Liu Shi Shi is just such a great actress, that it makes you really like her. So, when two of our male leads fight over her and swoon over her, you get it, and you swoon over her too, and you really want her to be with the best most handsome guy in the drama.
THAT BEING SAID. I have never found Wallace Huo to be so GOOD LOOKING until now. I watched the first 10 episodes of Hua Qian Gu and I didn’t really find him that attractive. I think it’s because he’s too pretty or too handsome that it seems like that he’s not real or something. Now that I’m more used to the prettiness of his face, I think he’s so handsome that it’s unreal. Like… damn he’s even better than Hawick, and almost on Louis Koo level. Definitely a fan after this drama. He is really good looking in this drama, and his features are so perfect, it’s crazy. He’s like an anime character.
OUR SECOND MALE LEAD DOE. JFC I hate him so much. I mean he is so damn unattractive in every way, I don’t know how some netizens are rooting for him to win. He is so boring and he’s proven to be so terrible to Yun Xian, trying to ruin her dreams of becoming a doctor.
He looks like the Hong Kong comedian Wong Cho Lam,
But he’s not funny, clever, or have the same charm. HOW DID HE GET CASTED AND CAN HE PLEASE LEAVE THIS DRAMA HEREON?
**SPOILERS HERE ON**
Our drama will always starts with a ‘don’t try this at home’ because you know there’s always that one fucker that will try it at home, fail, and sue.
Backstory: Qi Yu is the only male brother of the current Emperor, and he was asked by the Empress Doager to come back to the capital in order to usurp the throne, because the current Emperor Qi Zhen wasn’t listening to the Empress Dowager, and the Empress Dowager did not fully give up power. Princess An He is the niece of the Empress Dowager, and wants to marry Qi Yu to become Empress.
In this messed up dystopian world, women have to wear things over their faces, and aren’t allowed to talk directly to men, or their ‘purity’ is ruined or something. I think it’s really silly and I really don’t know if it was that bad back then or if they’re exaggerating. But anyways, Yun Xian is always subjected to a lot of scrutiny for ‘touching’ men to heal them, which really blows, because I guess they’d rather have people die than to have her save them.
Thos beautiful eyes doe.
Qi Zhen’s love for Yun Xian is believable. He’s almost obsessed about her, and I get it. I mean, if I was a dude, I would fall for her too – she’s pretty, but it’s a girl next door pretty. I love that we have a female lead that has her own passion (aka medicine) and has her own thoughts and ideas/morals instead of just the boring female leads that we see all the time that always put their family/honor/love first, which is kinda annoying after a while.
Sometimes Yun Xian’s ‘AHA’ moments after hearing symptoms and these lame-shots of red blood cells remind me of House. If House was in the Ming Dynasty… and fell in love with two men… and was heavily oppressed because he was a woman.
Yeah, you.
Anyways I couldn’t help it and I went ahead and looked up all the trailers on Youtube about this drama as well as the history of Qi Zhen and Qi Yu because I couldn’t help it. I spoiled it for myself but it’s KILLING me right now.
From what I can tell from the trailer, and how the drama is going right now, Qi Zhen is madly in love with Yun Xian, but respects that she’s with Qi Yu right now. Yun Xian also turns down his love because she’s really close with the current Empress Qian, and she doesn’t want to make Empress Qian sad or jealous (BUT C’MON HE’S THE EMPEROR, LIKE, HE’S SUPPOSED TO HAVE MULTIPLE CONSORTS RIGHT??!!)
How history plays out is that Qi Zhen will get captured at one point after losing a battle, and the Empress Dowager takes advantage of this opportunity to put Qi Yu in power to settle the chaos (this hasn’t happened yet in the drama, but this happened in history). In the end, thank fucking god, Qi Zhen ends up taking back his power from Qi Yu, who ends up to be a total dick.
I can tell that Yun Xian falls in love with Qi Zhen during their time together (yes I derived that from the trailers, it’s just a talent that I have) but but but…
Apparently she marries Qi Yu?!!!?!! From what I can see in the drama, at least, and carries his child?!?!
Like, here I am, madly shipping these two together, and I really want them to be together, and I go watch this trailer about how Yun Xian ends with Qi Yu, and has his kid in the end??? So… Yun Xian and Qi Zhen have a platonic relationship forever?!!?!?!! I cannot accept this lor, I am so attached to these characters already, to think that she ends up with that dick-face non-funny Wong Cho Lam is absolutely infuriating.
This is my favourite scene from the past 17 episodes:
**SCREENCAP HEAVY***
OK pretty much Qi Zhen had an argument with Empress Dowager on New Years Eve, and went out, bumped into Yun Xian, and after feeling such unrequited kindness and generosity from her that he looks with her with such loving puppy dog eyes. He’s lik a kid, and he was so elated to eat the food from Yun Xian.
This is such a pretty and romantic scene that you all must see it, I guarantee that you will automatically ship this couple together. I can’t really explain it, you’ll need to watch it, but I feel like you kinda get the idea from the screencaps.
They’re so perfect for each other that I’m going to be so mad at the end if they really don’t express their love for each other in any way at all… ARGH.
Anyways, this drama is really good so far, and I really recommend it. I like it so much and I wish I could actually recap it but I’m so damn busy lately that I just got no time recapping so many dramas. Let me know if you guys also feel the same way about the drama!!!
Deer Drama 
Q___Q This is exactly how I feel. I seriously don’t see how Yun Xian like Qi Yu. He may seem like a gentlemen at first, but he is so indecisive and stubborn, has trust issues, and a momma boy. And I truthfully don’t see how they are in love with each other.
Even though Qi Zhen has a foul mouth, he is so free and supports Yun Xian’s love for the medical field. You can see that he is willing to sacrifice for her to be happy. He could just make her his concubine anytime he wants to, but he didn’t because he understood that she wouldn’t be happy living in the palace.
Seriously, Wallace has no bad angle O___O; I look like a potato if I stand next to him.
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Omg I know… id look like a big potato. Wallace is so damn handsome and his love for Yun Xian is so cute because he is like a little kid sometimes too… argh I can’t accept Qi yu and Yun Xian together
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Omg you’re reviewing this!!! YAY.
Agree with you. I got confused after looking at the spoilers where she does end up with Qi Yu and has his kid. WHAT?! Where’s the OTP??? *flashes of bu bu jing xin but with less men lol* I hope it doesn’t turn out to be like the Korean boys before flowers where the female lead decides the guy is her soulmate but ISNT’T GOING TO END UP WITH HIM. Please, I just want a happy ending. And my heart belongs to Wallace since I was a teen (that’s 14 years ago omg)
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I am so happy to see alot of support for wallace and liu shi shi.. I haven’t started watching this drama until I’m sure that they’ll be together in the end. If not, I won’t dare watch a single episode and hate whoever made it end that way. Gosh. I’ll be so mad to see wallace being a second lead in a drama…
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I love you review they’re really funny and interesting so I decided to drop a comment. Btw spoiler alert, I finish watching this drama already…the ending got me O-o
The Qi Yu guy is getting from bad to worse as the drama proceeds, it will make you blood boil even more.
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I thought you would be more understanding toward Qi Yu considering you are currently recapping Mi Yue Legend. xD Yeah, I can’t believe there could be anyone not shipping Liu Shishi+Wallace Huo. Their friendship goes way back! If you are curious, they are starred as leads for The Vigilantes in Masks.
I didn’t have time to catch up to this drama, but it is definitely refreshing to read your review (frankly, I was getting bored of Chronicles of Life ;D )
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Give up on Chronicle and start reviewing this drama instead. I already did and so caught up with Imperial Doctor. Totally agree with you Liu Shi Shi and Wallace Huo have so much chemistry together I always rewatch their scenes together swoon . Having said that I don’t know why you don’t like Qi Yu. He is so graceful I swoon at his wonderful manners and those courtly bows and how his eyes emote his love for Yun Xian.
While waiting for the next episode to air I went back to Chronicles and it is pretty much same old same old – even Hawick thinks so at one point he told Ling Lang that who does she think she is to keep coming back and leaving as she please . But I am going to give Zheng Shuang some slack – the poor storyboard and scripting is killing my poor Hawick.
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I stopped CoL too after Imperial started airing. I’m also rooting for Qi Zhen’s team, hehe. That’s my favorite scene so far too ❤
From what I heard is that she married Qi Yu "to protect" Qi Zhen?
Seriously the team of CoL should take notes…make a female lead that's actually great and therefore audience feel that two guys loving her is believable. I
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I was very excited for this show because Wallace Huo looks so awesomely handsome here!! But I must say I hold different opinions from you D: I stopped this drama at Episode 4 because I thought it was quite ridiculous how Liu Shi Shi always managed to find someone who is sick and in need of her help.
I might pick it up when I am more free because of Wallace Huo though hehe!!
Anyway at first I thought that Qi Yu is quite good looking but he didn’t look good after a while. And ya omg lol he looks a bit like the more handsome version of Wong Cho-lam LOL. I think one that thing that bothers me is that he squints his eyes…
Sorry if I spoilt your mood for this drama LOL. BUT I must admit that this drama is really pretty visually. 😀 And Wallace’s role here seems like a big softie at heart awww.
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Wallace x LSS the ship has definitely sailed for me as well. They are so cute together and I cannot stop watching this drama.
As for the 2nd lead, I do think his relationship with LSS was quite boring. I only want Wallace and LSS scenes all the time XD!
I’m only watching Chronicle of Life as something to pass by when I don’t get my dose of Imperial Doctress 🙂 🙂
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I absolutely love this drama. I am a huge Kdrama fan and this will be my first real Chinese drama and I am in love. Please please please recap as the sub titles in English are not anywhere to be found so I find myself just watching not understanding and waiting for Qi Zhen and Yuanxian to be in a scene together. It is 4:32am eastern time and I am up looking for recaps or anything on this drama. Please recap, me and my romantic heart will be eternally grateful! !!
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Try Viki many episodes are subbed in Eng fully ! Unless it is blocked in your country but as far as I know it usually doesn’t have this problem
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I was waiting to see your comment on this and it’s totally funny when u mention cho-lam hahaha. Totally agreed!
I finished CoL and I would say if you want to forget about this series do it! Nothing to regret at all. The remaining episodes are all about liang-er try to commit stupid suicide attemptssss but was safe just to be locked up and die lonely. Nothing to remember about this movie only how funny and unreasonable the story line is -__-•
Back to this story, after 15 episodes I feel that Qi Yu is a loser and liar. I mean he made a lot of promises he can’t keep while emperor make no promise but he did everything for yunxian’s happiness. I really don’t feel any chemistry between yun xian and Qi Yu. Sadly I read an interview of LSS and she said that this movie will not be a love triangle because she is just true to only one guy and obviously it’s not who we want him to be. T^T…….
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Currently watching it up to episode 7 and I’m loving it ! Story moves steadily but never a dull moment so far. By the way I can’t be the only one who is missing your Mi Yue recaps …you’re soo close to finishing and I always look forward to them as source of update for the drama that is too long for most of us to even start . Powercap (power recap) through the remaining eps if you can ! Gangsterfy it if u gotta (personally loved the gangsterfied version)
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I’m currently watching this series and loving it so far. I’m sort of cheating because been looking who is she going to end up with. I really want her to end up with Qi Zhen!
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Haha, I love your writing style in your reviews and recaps! Feels like I’m chatting with a friend who’s just as obsessed with dramas as I am.
Not watching this drama because I’m neither a big fan of Liu Shi Shi or medical dramas, but ugh, Wallace is so effin’ good looking. You should check him out in “Perfect Couple.” That was the drama that had me drooling over his perfect face…pun intended lol.
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At ep 10 and do not like qi Yu for taking credit for getting eunuch Wong to court to save her. Can’t look at him now without thinking “Wong Cho Lam!”
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I watched up to episode 46 of this drama, and I have to say that Qi Yu just gets more and more selfish and becomes such an a***hole. There was one point where he treats Yu Xian so badly to the point I was shocked at what was being depicted on screen and the implication of what was happening. I really wanted Qi Yu to die after this because any tiny good thing (which is almost nothing, to be honest) I saw in him prior to this scene was gone. He doesn’t deserve Yu Xian at all. I don’t want to spoil anything, but if anyone wants to know, I’d be willing to give spoilers.
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PLEASE SPOIL IT FOR MEEEEEEE
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Okay, well, spoiler alert for anyone reading this comment. Don’t read this if you don’t want to be spoiled for the series.
So what happens is the empress Qian is very unhappy that Qi Yu is making Yu Xian his concubine (he gives her the title Gui Fei), so she spreads rumors in the palace about Yu Xian and Ye Xian (the Mongol guy Yu Xian almost married) and how Yu Xian spent a lot of time in close quarters with the men there. At this point in the story, Yu Xian is mad at Qi Yu for not believing her that the empress Qian is trying to hurt her. She’s also still sick and weakly. Qi Yu starts doubting Yu Xian and whether she’s still a virgin. He also forbids her from seeing Qi Zhen because he’s jealous of how much she cares for him, but instead of telling her that he’s insecure, he makes up a lie to keep her from visiting Qi Zhen. So Qi Zhen ends up visiting Yu Xian and that’s how she finds out Qi Yu lied to her. At one point Qi Zhen asks to see how her neck wound is healing and she obliges, just as Qi Yu walls in and immediately gets very overbearing. He goes as far to even say to Qi Zhen that he’ll certainly make sure whether Yu Xian is still pure (in body).
What happens after this is what you probably think it is. Yep. Qi Yu forces himself on Yu Xian. Their clothes get strewn all over the room and it’s a painful more than 5 second scene of Yu Xian trying to fend him off of her. Then it cuts to the aftermath. Yu Xian is in her undergarments and she’s laying on the bed in shock. Qi Yu is sitting at the bed’s edge and trying to explain to her why he did what he did. The age old excuse of “what man would want his woman around another guy” etc. Yu Xian says nothing, so Qi Yu takes her hand and uses it to slap himself, as a sort of dumb version of penance for hurting her. She asks him to let Qi Zhen go (because after their prior run in, Qi Yu had Qi Zhen placed under house arrest, I believe) but he refuses. He ends the conversation being even more of an a**hole by saying to Yu Xian, “Do you wish you had given your body to him (referring to Qi Zhen) instead?”
Even more insulting after this is Yu Xian gets showered with gifts for essentially getting raped by the emperor. Qi Yu tries to have Yu Xian be kept busy with medical work after this as a way to distract her. I cannot confirm for sure because I was half heartedly watching the drama at this point and wasn’t paying much attention, by I believe Yu Xian starts teaching medicine to other palace girls and Qi Yu gets super pissed when he finds out. He barges in and when she continues to try to reason that she didn’t think she was doing anything wrong, he slaps her so hard she topples into a table to keep herself from falling. Wtf??
There is a scene sometime after the rape where Yu Xian… I don’t even know what she was thinking, but she learns Qi Yu has been coming to check up on her secretly without her knowing. She catches him standing outside her room one night and welcomes him in. He starts bringing up the past but she tells him not to talk about that. They hold hands and walk towards the bed. Cut to the next morning where she’s helping him get dressed. After she is done and he leaves, her inner monologue is heard, in which she says, “I wonder when I first started playing pretend in front of him.”
I just hate Qi Yu, if you can’t tell from my post lol. He starts somewhat being remorseful for his jealousy and spitefulness after Yu Xian becomes pregnant, but storytelling wise, I think that happened too fast. I loathed that when he was on his death bed, Yu Xian still stuck by him. Ugh. How he ends up poisoned is by empress Qian, after she tries to slip poison in Yu Xian’s favorite drink and then have it sent to Yu Xian under the pretense it’s from Qi Yu. It’s Qi Yu that ends up drinking it. Yu Xian is apparently so shocked when Qi Yu dies that she starts bleeding and goes into labor early (a son). Qi Yu’s mother blames her for her son’s death and wants her to be buried alive with him, but Qi Zhen returns to being emperor and has Yu Xian’s royal title wiped so she can live a life outside of the palace and continue practicing medicine. Years later Yu Xian publishes her own medical book and has her own medical practice. When Qi Zhen is older, he visits Yu Xian at her medical practice. Ugh I can’t believe they don’t get together in this drama!! Anyway… Qi Zhen sees she is still wearing the bracelet he gave her years ago, and he smiles, just as she looks up and smiles back. That’s the last episode shot. ;___;
In my head canon, him seeing the bracelet and the fact she still is wearing it is an unspoken confirmation that she loves him, though she can’t say it.
Another scene I’d like to mention is one that occurs while Qi Yu is on his deathbed. Yu Xian is standing outside as it snows and Qi Zhen comes to say goodbye to her. He asks her to call him “Yuan Bao” (the fake name he used when they first met) one last time. She does. Then he writes three words on the ground that I don’t quite understand. My level in reading Chinese is intermediate, but I still often need to look up phrases I’m not familiar with. Throughout this scene, Yu Xian’s expression progresses from somewhat teary to absolutely miserable looking with tears flowing down her face as she gazes at Qi Zhen longingly, especially when he walks off. I don’t know if I’m reading too much into her facial expressions, but I thought she felt love for him and was unable to verbalize it.
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Two months after she was raped, she hasn’t forgive Qi Yu. She only pretended to welcome Qi Yu cause she realized if she wants to help Qi Zhen she would need to do it through the emperor. Qi Zhen’s family was having minimal food to sustain their life at that time. The first thing that she asked the emperor’s permission after serving him was to see her family, so that she can help Qi Zhen thru them. She was saying to herself “When do I have to start acting in front of him (Qi Yu)”.
And then, when she got slapped because of the palace girls. She told Qi Yu that she will not see him in the entire life if he closes down the Pharmacy, and she is not even care of her life as each and every day is a bonus after they escaped from Northern Yuan. She then said to herself “This is the only sentence that came from my heart for dozens of days”.
I would think she has gave up all the hope on Qi Yu since she got raped.
Yes, in the last few episodes (at the very end of episode 46 when Qi Zhen’s edict was announced; in episode 47 when she turns her head and weeps silently after Qi Zhen setup the tarp; when Qi Zhen wrote the Korean pinyin “husband” in episode 50), you can interpret that her heart was melted with Qi Zhen’s love but she just can’t do anything about it because they are now bro and sis in law plus she can’t betray Empress Qian.
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Ooh, so it was Korean pinyin for “husband”. Now I get it. No wonder she wept so miserably after he wrote it in the show. It makes sense why Qi Zhen smiled so sadly at her as she cried yet she couldn’t confess her true feelings to him.
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Perhaps I’m a bit lost here but what being implied by what Qi Zhen wrote ie. “husband”..
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I’d like to make a correction for my last post. I mistakenly wrote empress Qian many times, but I actually meant to write empress Wang for each one. I mixed up the names for empress Qian (Qi Zhen’s wife) and empress Wang (Qi Yu’s wife). Sorry about that!
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I understand completely. Total shock. One of the worst treatments I have seen the male lead give the female lead in a mainstream drama. Poor Yun Xian. She deserved so much better.
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I am almost finished with this drama, at ep48. I have been such a Qi Zhen/Yun Xian shipper since the beginning, and omg does it get good in the mid20-30s episodes with the angst and solid friendship/romance/OTP. And then we had to ruin it by coming back to the Imperial City with Qi Yu being a humongous jealous A**hole, like damn she trekked all the way back to be treated like trash. Seriously.
Though I do admit, for a brief few episodes I side shipped Yun Xian with the Mongol Prince. To be honest, he would have been the healthiest for her and her freedom, if not for bloodshed between them.
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Dudeee, I can’t even tell you how much I shipped the Mongol King and Yun Xian.. I wanted her to go back or for him to show up and carry her back. He was so much better than Qi Yu, and Yun Xian wouldn’t hurt Empress Qian. I skipped ep 48 and 49 because I was so mad she was ending up with Qi Yu. He didn’t really love her, he was just obsessed and he was even being unfaithful by going to An He. Although I shipped the Mongol King and Yun Xian, her relationship with the Emperor was also really cute, and I was glad they end up being together ish in the end. Just wish that she wasn’t raped and that they showed us more at the end. Atleast a glimpse of Yu Xian and Qi Zhen’s life in the end.
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Ugh Qi Yu really become quite horrible as the drama went on. And I am glad the end OTP was Qi Zhen, they had great moving scenes together. And my secret side ship with Mongol King where I too, definitely wanted him to rush back in and rescue her from that Qi Yu.
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Seriously, it’s a great drama. Watch up to ep 48. I still can’t get it , if she so smart why oh why does she keep going back to the abuser, where his family aka mama, Empress and others teams takes her down again and again. I mean, they try to kill her like in almost every episodes, but luck is on her side and she survives, to go back to her abuser. When will she says to him, I am tired, I don’t want this anymore, I don’t want you, QY…etc. when will she wake up and realized that the one who saves her time and time again is QZ, for goodness sake, he stakes his life time and time for her. Can’t she see, I guess that’s why she so smart. Kinda PO…just my opinions.
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1) Remember in episode 20 Yu Xian vows to the Empress Qian with her life that she has no feelings towards Zhen Qi, then YX & the Empress became sisters? From that on, the vows and the “sisters” relationship are keeping YX and ZQ apart no matter what happen afterwards. Although YX feels the love of ZQ, she won’t accept his love cause she can’t betray Empress Qian.
2) When they went back without knowing QY has changed and she felt something wrong, she told QY that she didn’t want to move to the palace but got ignored. Then she told QY that she hasn’t decided to marry him. Again QY just ignored what she said but issued an edict to make her his consort, and they suppose to have an official ceremony at a later time, but she was… Then, everything was too late once she was forced to be the consort. She has no way out. She can’t leave the palace or even see her own family without the Emperor’s permission.
3) Besides, she is both smart and stubborn at the same time and that’s how she became a Doctress in spite of all obstacles. When she faces difficulties she would just keep trying until the problem is resolved. If she applies the same to relationship, she would be very struggled if her first love is not the right guy.
4) I believe she does feel the love from ZQ long time ago or else she wouldn’t agree to marry Ye Xian to save ZQ. She is sacrificing her dignity to marry Ye Yian which is more important than her own life.
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Huang Xuan is definitely getting undeserved flack as hes the one that gets the girl while Wallace the clear favorite isnt. Random but I must say Huang Xuan (actor for Qi Yu) he’s really not a bad actor at all as much as I don’t find him all that physically appealing but he does look good from some angles like the side view. Apparently his impossibly straight and tall nose (he’s got a nice nose at least) is natural which many thought might be due to plastic surgery.
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However I do understand the flack isn’t completely because of his looks and popularity which pale in comparison to Wallace, but also because Qi Yu becomes such an asshole and coward .
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Compared to Legend of Mi Yue, Huang Xuan’s acting seems to have improved sooo much more in Imperial Doctress, although I’m not sure if that’s because the character of Qi Yu was written to have more depth to begin with, heh. Super impressed with his acting as an overbearing tyrant and asshole emperor towards the end though, made me wish I could reach into the screen to punch him for all the damned things that he was doing!
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I’m totally in love with Liu Shi Shi too and can’t take my eyes off her even though I’m a woman. LOL
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AHHHHH THIS DRAMA CONVERTED ME INTO A WALLACE HUO FANGIRL. Never really fancied watching his dramas because I remembered his acting was rather meh in 西街少年, but omg I was swooning at all his scenes in Imperial Doctress. How can anyone be so unbelievably good-looking is beyond me.
Jumped onto Perfect Couple （金玉良缘）to get more Wallace action whilst I was waiting for Imperial Doctress to finish airing in China last week, and whoaaa, Wallace doesn’t disappoint there too. Worth a watch, even if just for his pretty face, LOL!
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Qing Shi Huang Fei totally made me a Wallace fan. Yes he’s so pretty to look at it hurts but he was the best character in that series and his acting there was some of his best. No offense to other Wallace fans as I’m one myself but his acting here while is good but it isn’t entirely consistent. Watch Qing Shi Huang Fei (Glamorous Imperial Concubine) and you’ll see that he oozes so much charisma and suaveness. Only bad thing is its not the greatest ending for the guy.
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I’ve just binge-watched this drama and went to bed at 5 am! [spoiler alert] Although Qi Zhen and Yu Xian ended up together much later, it’s very sad to watch everything that transpired prior. The whole time Yu Xian didn’t show much interest in him except for kindness. she insisted it’s just friendship and her promise to the queen that she’s very supportive of him. Even when they were alone stuck in the snow storm, she still pushed him away. Oh well. I’m now watching Princess Jie You which is much more pleasant to watch 🙂
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Finished it and I think YX already had feelings for QZ Long before they went back to the damn palace and it was when she willingly agreed to stay back with him after the snowstorm and manifested in her marrying YX to save him. As the Wala princess said, she doesn’t know her own heart – in her mind, she is protecting QZ because of Queen Qian but seriously nobody goes to that extent to save their Brother-in-law! In addition,
1. She had many opportunities to go back to QY from Wala (whom her brain tells her she loves) but she chose to stay with QZ. Even when they were attacked by assassins, she chose to stay with QZ
2. In that tree stump, she dreamt of QY saving her (because he is always the hero to her from their early days together) but once he cam, her first words were not “I miss you” but “please save your Brother NOW!”
3. When she begged the Joseon people to say QZ, her grief that QZ maybe dead was more heartbreak than oh shit-I-lost-the-King (which is what she keeps telling herself)
4. When she didn’t stop QZ from caressing her face or his musing that he should have married her instead of letting her suffer being examined for her virginity , that was implicit to accepting QZ but what can she do, she is engaged to QY and with that political turmoil all hell would have broken loose if she went with QZ.
5. After being raped by QY, her first comment was to let QZ go.
6. Have never seen a more miserable concubine who supposedly marries the man that she loves after trekking back from Wala (which is clear that she didn’t trek back for him!) – actually quite understandable why QY got frustrated as she literally looked like wanted to die Everyday (in comparison with the ever sweet and obliging WML!)
7. The time she cried so bitterly quietly after she and QZ fought the plague together when she flashbacked to their time in the tree stump and in her dream, she only thought of 3 people – QZ, her foster dad and her dad.
8. After she left the palace (with lots of baggage – dead Husband, dead child), she wrote the book and authored it as Tan Zhen Xian (the pseudonym she and QZ came up with together when her first book was published ) , that shows she always remembers QZ with love.
Phew! That was longer than I thought 🙂 I thought it was subtle the way they showed YX feelings because after all, she was engaged to QY when she went to Wala (even if he married WML) and it would be odd for an open declaration to QZ.
I thought it was believable that it started out that YX treated QZ as friends but it developed to something more as they had more in common in values and character. At last a show which demonstrates that first love isn’t everything? She was meant to be 17 when she thought she fell in love with QY.!!
Definitely a good show and a good ending in my books!
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I was actually unsure if the child Yu Xian gave birth to died or not because I watched up to the part where QZ is notified she went into labor early, and for whatever reason, they said the child was a boy. I watched the series with just Chinese and no English subs. After that I skipped around a lot so I may have gotten the context that the child died.
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YX and QY child was not successfully delivered. They said that to deceive QZ to go to the palace to assume the throne (they lied that QY had a Son and duke Wang was plotting to lodge QY’s Son as crown prince in the place of QZ’s Son so that QZ would rush into palace). Essentially it was a peaceful palace coup supported by the queen Mother and the abbess as the crown prince (QZ’s son) is still too young to run the kingdom.
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Hi everyone,
First, I want to say THANK YOU for the spoilers. I’m half-chinese but I can barely understand the dialogue, just bits and pieces. I hope the blogger doesn’t mind that we’re potentially spoiling the episodes for her but yes, I finished the drama too. I skipped through the unmentionable incident, I can’t believe that had to happen in the last 10 episodes. Why? What purpose does his action do? Regardless, I do believe YX and QY grew to love and respect each other. I remember when he tried to wipe her tears with a hankerchief, even then, she took her hankerchief herself. But he still wiped her tears with his hand. (Go Wallace!!)
Now I refuse to go past episode 18 as I rewatch this because she clearly friend-zoned him to the max (in addition to all the “friendzone” comments on viki).
Gosh, I barely finished Journey of Flower and I wanted to watch this for a happy ending… how wrong I was… But Wallace needs to start picking some happy ones… because really his last few, while good, is really starting to dry out my eyes. I have no more tears for this…
Please keep up the posts! I love your reviewing/recapping btw. So funny……
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EDIT: QY as in QZ. Not chinese, so normally I use their real english names!
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Don’t stop – she may have Friend zoned him initially but from their interaction in battle, she unwittingly starts to care for him – more than a Brother in law or a Friend. I thought it was telling that when she told him she had no feelings for him (after he confessed the first time subsequent to her near death at Queen Mother’s hands) she first thought of her vow to Queen Qian and her reaction was that “you are queen qian’s Husband” and not “you are QY’s Brother”. Subconscious!! Also, she said that even if she can’t marry QY that’s fine, she will just remain single. She doesn’t want to be someone’s concubine so she had written QZ off once he told her he had a Wife. Watch the subbed! a lot of the interactions are subtle and in the language so it really helps 🙂
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Wallace is gorgeous as always 😉 Came here looking for more sentiments on the show, it’s just so new! Which episode are you up to? Looking forward to your opinions on the other episodes, not going to spoil you here 😉
Since you’re already not a big fan of Qi Yu, let’s just say he doesn’t get any better in the later episodes TAT Our darling Yun Xian…
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Oh My 😦 So did YX eventually fall for QZ ? Actually… are there any clues as to that from the various OSTs? Thanks !
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So fo’ real though, when are you going to update again? I check very often. lol
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Deer – I found a new webdrama called “Go Princess Go” (LOL I couldn’t even make that one up) that I don’t know if you’ve seen or heard but it’s absolutely hilarious, charming in its weird way and SO addicting if you are looking for any new dramas to check out and recap, this would be it !!! It is a very low budget drama (so low budget the costumes were bought off the internet and some of the cast supported this production out of their own pockets!) but its share of pretty people and good storyline is def there ! I am absolutely in love with the female lead she is such a gorgeous and incredible new actress. Anyway it’s about this modern playboy who time-travelled back to ancient China into the body of a Crown Princess (yes you heard right) . Realizing he can’t go back, he decides to enjoy his time living like a queen (no pun intended), and checking out/feeling up all the concubines XD As the wife of the Crown Prince/eventual Emperor who actually hates her, he eventually realizes she’s changed/ not who she used to be and starts to change the way he sees her. But the heroine attempts to drive him away, because well he’s still a dude trapped in a girl’s body (and a really hot one at that haha) and wants no love from a man …or so he thinks.
Each episode is 20 minutes only, so it goes by fast especially with how entertaining and hilarious the drama is:) I finished the whole series (37 episodes) in a day ! Just don’t take ANYTHING seriously and keep in mind this is a low-budget production, and you’ll love this! I sure recommend this and hope you can check it out 😀
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THAT DRAMA IS FRIGGIN NICE! I WATCHED IT AND IM ADDICTED. THE ENDING WAS REALLY SAD THO…
I read some recent news that the female will be shooting a new drama/movie with TaLu Wang.
Btw try watching “我的调皮王妃” if you like time travelling and historical concept Chinese drama.
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Hey guys so I have a very important question about one of the snow scenes with Wallace and Liu Shi shi.
What did QZ write on the snow?
What was the meaning of it? Even though I watched the whole Drama I still don’t get it since I can’t read chinese characters.
Thank you so much!
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QZ wrote “ja-gi-ya” in Chinese pinyin , the Korean endearment for Husband, which is what YX called him when they were saved by the Koreans in the blizzard.
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I am a little late I realise but I just finished the whole series, and literally binge watched the last 5 episodes. They were so good, but the last episode left me really wanting more. It was so romantic. I was never sure if YX loved QZ more than platonically, but when she looked at him in the snow on the eve of the new year, and she teared as she called him “yuan bao” my heart literally ached for the two of them. QZ is soooooooo swoon-worthy.
Cut to the final scene when he enters YX’s house and finds her wearing his bracelet. And then she turns and he looks at her and smiles… omg, all those unspoken words, all that time.
Loved all the discussion on this forum, by the way, I caught some of the subtleties of their love, like when captured by the Yexian, and she kept telling QZ they would die together, then when the Wala princess said YX didn’t know her own heart. Also, she always wore the bangle he gave her. And, she basically only sucked it up and started being nice to QY again when her maid told her she needed to be nice to the emperor otherwise she couldn’t help QZ. But I didn’t catch the others, like the words in the snow. So thanks for the commentary.
I loved the show!!! Big fan.
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