Chinese Drama 2024

The Princess Royal (Chinese Drama Review & Summary)

 

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• Genre: Historical Costume Drama, Time Travel, Romance
• Release Date: 26 June 2024
• Origin: China
• Cdrama: 40 Episodes

Cast

• Zhao Jin Mai as Li Rong
• Zhang Ling He as Pei Wen Xuan
• Chen He Yi as Su Rong Qing
• Liu Xu Wei as Li Chuan
• Cheng Guo as Shangguan Ya
• He Qiu as Qin Zhen Zhen / Xun Chuan
• Yu Jin Wei as Li Ming
• Karina Zhao as Concubine Rou
• Yi Da Qian as Su Rong Hua
• Sun Rui as Yang Wan Ning
• Zhou Ti Shun as Yuan Fei Yu
• Wang Bo Wen as Cui Yu Lang
• Long Yi Yi as Su Rong Wen
• Jiang Kai as Yang Ye
• Wei Wei as Su Min Zhi

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Quick Precis

Li Rong and Pei Wen Xuan got married when they were 18 for political expediency.  They never really got closed as a couple even after 30 years of marriage.  In fact, their relationship got worst and they schemed to kill each other but then they got transported back to when they were 18.

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Snippets

• Adapted from the novel of Mo Shu Bai.
• 7 February 2024: It is a wrap!
• It seemed this drama has been retitled from The Grand Princess to The Princess Royal.
• 21 May 2024: It has obtained a distribution licence for 40 Episodes.  It is good to go.
• 25 June 2024: Youku announces premier date as 26 June 2024.
• 30 June 2023: It has now reached 10,000 heat index in Youku.

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Episode 1

Whoa!  The first episode is really dramatic.  Both leads died and they both came back to life again but transmigrating into their younger selves.

Li Rong is a Princess married to Pei Wen Xuan, who is the Prime Minister.  It looks like they don’t get on because they were plotting each other’s demise.

Li Rong was actually in her death bed being attended by her lover, Su Rong Qing.  Li Rong made Su Rong Qing that if she dies, he had to make sure Pei Wen Xuan is killed.

Su Rong Qing told her that the plan was already in place.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pei was with the Emperor, who was also dying.  On his death bed, he signed an edict deposing the current Crown Prince, Li Xian, in favour of the Eldest Prince Li Ping.

The Emperor said from the beginning of Xia Dynasty, he the Emperor is just a puppet of the Noble Houses.  He realised that the Princess Royal Li Rong is the true power of the Noble Houses.

So Li Rong had got to go.

Pei Wen Xuan went to visit Li Rong in her death bed.  He told her about the change of heir to the throne.  She was very unhappy with the situation but she was now too weak to do anything except scream.

When Pei Wen Xuan was gone, Li Rong realised that she had been poisoned from the Poison Fragrant Beauty pouch she noticed hanging around Pei Wen Xuan’s waistline.  She died in the arms of Rongqing who she told that the greatest mistake in her life was missing him.

Meanwhile, as Pei Wen Xuan was living the Princess Royal’s palace, he was assassinated.  He died as Li Rong died.

Li Rong woke up very disorientated.  She got more surprised when she saw her trusted young maid who Li Rong knew had already passed away.  After some careful investigation, she realised that she somehow came back to life and in time when she was 18 years old.

It so happened that she was being summoned by her father, the Emperor.  Their relationship was very distant as they have not really seen each other in years.  Anyway, the Emperor had chosen four candidates for her to choose from, all suitable for a marriage alliance.

Li Rong was not very enthusiastic but she managed to cajole the Emperor to invite more young guys to the festival so she could really choose.

Pei Wen Xuan came back to life.

Episode 2

 

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Episode 4

Pei wondered whether Rongqing had reincarnated too.

Episode 5

To ensure that the Emperor would issue an edict that Pei has to marry Li Rong, Pei tittle-talled against the Empress to the Emperor.  Pei knew that the Emperor does not trust the Empress at all.  Pei told the Emperor that the Empress had already spoken to him to make him vouch for Yang Quan and pretend that it was him who rescued Li Rong.  Pei added that the Empress had already planned a marriage between Li Rong and Yang Quan.

The Emperor was all ears.  He then told Pei that as a wedding present, Pei must kill Yang Quan.

Pei agreed to do it.

The Emperor took his eunuch aside and said to make sure that if Pei failed his mission to kill Yang Quan then kill Pei.

Pei was ambushed by Yang Quan and his men but Pei was ready. He managed to kill Yang Quan which shocked Concubine Yang and the rest of her influential clan.  The Yang has the command of the army.

Anyway, Pei had already told the Emperor that the Yangs had actually been secretly working against the Emperor for ages and had been in cahoot with the enemies.  To prove this, he reminded the Emperor that the Yang lost the last two battles along the borders.  50,000 soldiers perished against the 20,000 enemies, meaning the Yang were really incompetent.

Anyway, the Emperor saw Li Rong and asked her who she would choose amongst her suitors, now only three as Yang Quan had died.  He said that she could choose anyone she wanted but he did say that he rather favour Pei.

Episode 6

Pei was called to court to give evidence against the corruption of the Yang.

safe with a Persian code.

It seems that Pei and Li Rong had a rather loving and fun time during the early days of their marriage twenty years ago.

Li Rong kept reminding him that it was because of his obsession with his first love that killed their lovelife.

Anyway at present time, Pei said that if Li Rong could truly love him, he will give his life for her. Aww.

Episode 7

Tuoba Yan was murdered and the number one suspect was Pei.  He was arrested by the Ministry of Justice but Li Rong told them that Pei was her man and expect them not to torture him to confession.

Tuoba Yan was not dead and he was now in the hands of Li Rong.

Rongqing was now trying to get closer to Li Rong.  Li Rong thanked him for saving her at Touba Yan’s place.  It was such a coincidence that Rongqing happened to be there.

Rongqing told her that there is no coincidence in the world, only intentions.  He was falling in love with her but Li Rong remembered that he killed her in her previous life.

Meanwhile, Li Chuan met Qin Zhen Zhen in the instagramable perfection of a waterfall.  They met earlier than the previous life.  There was chemistry immediately.

But in the previous life, Zhen Zhen did end up being a concubine to Li Chuan, the Crown Prince but who had now become the new Emperor.

Li Chuan previously did not really care for Zhen Zhen because he thought that she was too common coming from a humble background.  Without the favour of the Emperor, Zhen Zhen was relegated to the back of the concubines’ quarter where she suffered tremendous bullying.  She was not given water or coal for heating.  She got so sick that her lady’s maid went to look for Pei to ask for help for Zhen Zhen.

Pei tried to appeal to the Emperor but Li Chuan just dismissed Pei’s concern, telling him the it was just bitch fighting in the harem which was quite normal.  He did not care.

This brought out Pei’s protective instinct towards Zhen Zhen which became the bone of contention between him and Li Rong in the end.

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Episode 9

Poor Rongqing was in bits.  He really fell for Li Rong and her wedding/marriage to Pei was pure torture to him.

Meanwhile, Li Chuan hurried back to the Capital to attend Li Rong’s wedding.  He told her that he will always protect her and he did as he made sure that her marriage to Pei had a good start by escorting her wedding entourage to Pei’s house.

Episode 10

Li Rong begins to worry about her brother.  Her pure innocent brother seemed to exhibit the onset of weariness of the world.  Li Rong was puzzling over it and told Pei about it.

Episode 11

Li Chuan was really stressed.  He turned up very early at Zhen Zhen’s house in the mountain.  She more or less told him that entering the palace as a bride is the last thing in her mind. He asked if she was going to the palace forthe Qixi Festival.

Zhen Zhen told him that she had a royal invitation which she cannot refused.  This somehow comforted Li Chuan.

Li Rong and Pei had been busy making sure that the right girl won the perfume making contest which is really a cover of choosing the bride for Li Chuan.

Li Rong and Pei had to protect Li Chuan from everyone especially from the Emperor.  The wrong consort chosen for Li Chuan would mean the end of his entitlement to the royal throne.

Li Rong won the first prize while Zhen Zheng won the second prize.  Shangguan Ya, the expected winner came out last.

Both Li Rong and Pei realised that Shangguan Ya had already fallen for Su Rong Hua, Rongqing’s older brother.  Meanwhile Li Rong noticed that despite Zhen Zhen personally chose to end her engagement to Pei, she actually still holds a torch for him.  This saddened her but she decided not to get in the way of the lovers (Pei and Zhen Zhen).  On the way home, she magnanimously told Pei that she had assured Zhen Zhen that Pei and Li Rong will divorce within the next couple of years.

Li Rong did not expect that Pei would react so emotionally.  He berated her for doing thing without discussing it first with him.  He then made a big confession.  He told Li Rong that he was never in love with Zhen Zhen either in the past or now.  He just assumed that he was into Zhen Zhen because everyone expected it so he just went with the flow. It was only after meeting Li Rong that he realised what love is.  With Lirong, he misses her when she is not by his side, it bothered him when she was sad.  It was a very emotional, very romantic confession but he was really so upset with Li Rong and accused her of being so narrow minded.  Once she thought or decided on something, she would never changed her mind.  And that was what ended their initially loving relationship, her indifference and lack of emphaty  He then walked away from the carriage.

Li Rong chased after him in the pouring rain and apologised to him which surprised him.  He then ushered her home. aww

Episode 12

Because Li Chuan declined to marry Shangguan Ya and instead prefer Qin Zhen Zhen, the Noble Houses of Shangguan with the connivance of the Su, they plotted to bring down the Qin family by planting gold inside their mansion.  They then accused them of working with the Yang.

They the Qin would have been executed but Su Rongqing was tasked by the Emperor as his representative to order that no execution was to be carried until a proper investigation is implemented.

Li Chuan went to Li Rong and begged her to head the investigation committee by establishing a Inspectorate Office where she could raise her own army under the Emperor but free from interference from other ministries.

Li Rong was hesistant but was torn as she can see the desperation on her brother’s face.

Episode 13

Li Rong started to carry out her plan to have the Emperor approve of the establishment of the Inspectorate Office.  She needed a meaty scenario that she could use to present to the morning court.

So she made use of Zhen Zhen.  Zhen Zhen had pledge her total loyalty to Li Rong so she would do anything for Li Rong especially if it meant the Qin family is cleared of treason.

Li Rong recruited the best theatre act who then put a play about the loyalty, bravery  and truimph in war of the Qin soldiers but because they were from humble background they were set up to be in cahoot with the enemies.  The actors also mentioned that the reward given by the Emperor was seen as money paid to them by the Yang.

The people watching the play were so upset of how the humble and ordirnary Qin family who fought off invaders were now treated abominably.

So Zhen Zhen went to Li Rong’s mansion and begged her to help her kin.  She gave her written testament and then she run into a post and killed herself.  The people watching were aghast and demanded that Li Rong should take the case up.

So she marched into the morning court which happened to be discusssing about the complete annihilation of the Qin Family.

Li Rong present the Qin case and asked that it was reinvestigated.  Her uncle, Shangguan Yu, offered to reinvestigate the case but she told him point blank that she did not trust him.  This pleased the Emperor.  Rongqing offered to carry out the investigation but Li Rong said she did not trust him either as he also belongs to the Noble Houses.  So the Emperor appointed Li Rong to investigate the matter and create her own agency and gave her 400 soldiers at her command to add to her own guards.

The Inspectorate Office has been born.

Meanwhile, Zhen Zhen did die as Qin Zhen Zhen but she resurrected as Xun Chun, the masked personal guard to Li Rong.

Shangguan Ya also pledge her allegiance to Li Rong and try to control the Shangguan House.

Episode 14

Poor Old Mr Qin was tortured to confession.  Now Li Rong had to unravel the case and find all witness and evidence.,

Pei was jealous that Li Rong needed Rongqing’s help.  He may have reasons to be jealous because Li Rong can’t really help having that feeling for Rongqing that lasted for twenty years.

Being the Prince Consort was putting too much pressure on Pei.  He was being treated abominably by his superiors at work.

Episode15

Pei milk for all he can the injuries he suffered from his relative.  Li Rong was just in time to save him and punished and humilaite the Pei.

Episode 16

Li Rong bet that she could solve the Qin treason issue within 20 days otherwise she would willingly be exiled and never set foot in the Capital again.

Li Rong sent Pei to get the evidence but he and his group were ambushed.  Poor Pei was kicked and fell from the cliff and later presumed dead.

Episode 17

Li Rong’s punishment was confinement at Beiyan Pagoda.

Rongqing wanted to help her stay in the Capital rather than be banished, so the only way for this to happen was if she married him.

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Episode 40

Pei Wen Xuan rescued Li Rong who was locked in the palace.  He told her to go to a safe place as he was going to look for Rongqing.

Li Rong could not be parted from Pei again so she went with him to the palace to see the Emperor, who was being held under duress by Consort Rou, who wanted the Jade token from the Emperor.  The weakened Emperor refused to give in so Consort Rou, in front of her two children and Rongqing who was the one searching every cubicle for the jade token, stabbed the Emperor on the chest.  She dug it in deeper when the Emperor still refused to say where the jade was.  It got too much so the Emperor revealed the whereabout of the token.

Rongqing found it and immediately apply it to the edict he already precompleted.  He was admiring his work when Pei, LiRong, Li Chuan and Zhen Zhen turned up.

Rongqing run off with the certified edict while Pei chased after him.

Meanwhile, Consort Rou continued to hold the Emperor under her control.  Consort Rou was moaning that the Emperor did not really love her because she was a commoner.  He did not even try to build her a Beiyuan Pagoda of her own just like what he did with the Empress.

She was moaning so much, Zhen Zhen shoot her with an arrow right in her chest.  She died immediately.  Her children immediately begged Li Rong to spare them.

Li Rong went out to search for Wei and Rongqing leaving Li Chuan to stay with their father.

The Emperor’s last word to Li Chuan was an apology and an advice not to become like him. Finally, Li Chuan learned to forgive his father.

Wei found Rongqing.  After a prolonged fight which they were evenly matched, they heard from outside that all of Rongqing’s men had been apprehended.

He knew it was over for him so when Wei next raised his sword, Rongqing walked into it.  Wei was so shocked and asked Rongqing why he did not evade the blade.

Rongqing laid there dying.  He then had a very long monologue of how much he loved Li Rong but in the end he could not really allow the massacre of his whole family.

At this point, Li Rong turned up.  She saw Rongqing bleeding to death but she went to Pei first to check him up.  He told her that he was ok.  He then gave her time with Rongqing and left them alone.

For a dying man, Rongqing really had so much to say.  He said that he was so stupid for making the wrong choices, he could have had Li Rong if he did not turn down her marriage proposal.  But again, he had to ensure that his family will be ok.  He said that he was tempted to just take Li Rong away and go to  a faraway place and live simply😭😭😭

As a final request, he asked if he could give a mini concert in his gujin.🤣🤣🤣

Pei helped him to his instrument and also gave him drugs to cure him.  He told Rongqing that he could live as a free man but as a commoner under a new name as Rongqing will die.

Rongqing played a very poignant tune which Li Rong said was called farewell.  Rongqing then pushed the two massive candelabras from his side setting the place on fire.  Li Rong wanted to go to him and save him but Rongqing continued playing as the place was quickly being eaten by fire.

They had to leave him.  It was too late when Su Rong Hua and Shangguan Ya turned up.

The Emperor was declared to have died.

The new emperor was Li Chuan.  On the day of his first morning court, the ministers including Pei and Li Rong were kept waiting for Li Chuan to show up.

Fu Lai, the Head Eunuch, came in to read an edict instead.  Li Chuan made Li Rong the Princess Regent, she will have the power of an Emperor and should be treated as such.,

Li Chuan said that he will go to the Northern Border to do some sociological and ambassadorial work together with his beloved Zhen Zhen.  He added that Li Rong has always more into power  than him.

Li Chuan also made Pei as the new Prime Minister, he promoted others including Shangguan Ya as minister of Justice.

Li Rong gladly accepted her new role and promised to promote equality and world peace.

The End

 

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