This is one of my favorite costume drama

I am excited with the pairing of Wallace Chung and Seven Tan. I remember Wallace Chung played in ‘General and I’ with Angelababy, where Seven Tan, I saw her in ‘Go Ahead’. Both actors, in my opinion are very strong character where both can play a “heavy” role and consistent in their act.

The drama is set during Ming Dynasty, which is around mid-1300 to 1600. It is clearly depicted in the drama whereby to gain more power and influence, and in the end wealth and welfare; marriage alliance is common. Parents will send off their daughter to a more prominent family to increase prestige disregarding the love nor happiness or compatibility between the couple. Even if it is only to become concubine, the ties between family can be created for symbiotic benefit between families. That tie is more important even socially known that concubine is a lower status compared to legitimate wife. At that time, it is believed that love and affection can be build up after the marriage because the wife will serve the husband no matter what.

Government Officials also use marriage alliance to gain power and to help each other to gain more influence in front of the monarch. Once help is sent, it is bound as debt that needs to be repaid and sometime marrying the daughter is one form of paying debt or showing gratitude. Forming alliance and creating clique amongst officials are important to garner influence and can be used in determining the policy of the monarch. It is also used to gain favour from the monarch. Once favour is there, trust is built up from the monarch that leads to wealth from reward and favouritism.

And this is what happened between Xu Ling Yi and Shi Yi.

Wallace Chung plays as Xu Ling Yi, a General who faithfully serve the country. Xu Ling Yi is also the head of Xu family and become the patriarch of the family replacing his deceased father. He has a tough life, already joining army and battle since young then loss his father and he has to step up and heading the Xu family. Because of the tough youth – he become reserved and closed person. He needs to be meticulous and careful in every action not to jeopardising his family well being and he also needs to maintain the harmony in his family between his mother, siblings, in-laws, wife, and concubine. All of these make his character difficult to open his heart and tend to suppress his feeling and affection.

Seven Tan plays as Luo Shi Yi Niang, she is a progressive woman who wants to live a carefree life not to bound with complicated and restrained gender bias, social norm. She wants to pursue her own happiness and destiny. Despite of her low status as concubine daughter, Shi Yi Niang is smart, assertive and aspire to become a more independent woman who can earn her own money, able to work, able to do things that she loves to do, just and righteous, all of which are seen as quite rebellious, un-ethic, breakthrough for a woman in that era.

The story revolves around the relationship between Shi Yi family and Xu Ling Yi family. It tells on how Shi Yi is arranged to marry Xu family in replacement of her sister who already the wife of the General Xu Ling Yi but died due to illness. To maintain the tie between two family, Shi Yi is then arranged to marry the General as his lawful wife.

Because marriage alliance is very important, the road to become the lawful wife is not easy. Many Noble lady also seeking the marriage, even as the concubine. This situation makes arrangement become a battlefield – fight to earn right to marry the General become fierce. Conflict occurs through scheming and plotting. Once married, within the family conflict also arise amongst the wife as the patron and fellow concubine to gain favour from the General as the Master of the Family. This is because having heir is very important to boost the status and favouritism from the family. So, again it is the fight and battle through deception, scheming and plotting to eliminate one and another.

Shi Yi as a progressive woman for sure facing difficult time to accept the marriage arrangement. She even planned to escape with her birth mother, with the help of her friend – a successful merchant named Lin Shi Xian. But tragedy happened where Shi Yi loss her mother while attempting to escape. The event devastates Shi Yi, moreover the killer of her mother is unknown. She then determined to investigate.

Shi Yi has suspicion towards the General and his family in relationship to her mother’s death. She believes by entering the Xu family mansion, she can investigate more to know who killed her mother. Therefore, she finally agrees to marry to the General but since she has some suspicion, she cannot give her heart to the General. Moreover, she finds Lin Shi Xian as friendly and more understood her.

You may guess, the relationship between Shi Yi and the General is cold. But Shi Yi took high responsibility in managing the house of Xu. She experiences many trials, and she endures them all. Meanwhile, the Xu Ling Yi started to admire and respect his wife’s smartness, perseverance, responsibility, aspiration, etc. He started to trust her more and more, defend her, protect her and affection starts in his heart.

Shi Yi respects her husband – as per social norm and etiquette required. However, due to the misunderstanding and unsolved murder case of her mother, Shi Yi’s heart is still heavy to accept Xu Ling Yi. It took a while for Shi Yi to start trusting her husband, care for him, having affection and finally devoted to him.

It is a long journey for both and the way the story is written and told are flowing nicely. Full of deception, scheming and plotting to gain attention, favouritism, eliminating competitor, etc.

Following the story, you will see on how their relationship build up. They are bumpy but it is very nice seeing how each of them grows their affection. This is what makes the drama worth to watch. But, to warn you, you need to have patience in watching this drama to get the whole story.

The acting is also good. Both Wallace Chung and Seven Tan performs very well in this drama. Seeing both acting, you can feel their emotion, truly reflected in their eyes, gestures, body language. The set and costume also fit and just right. Not to extravagant and looks real. This drama can make you believe on the social cultural situation during the Ming Dynasty. The General is also more human, not a God of War. He can be sad, injured, worry some and not act as superhero. He is just a man trying to protect her family.

It is really recommended to watch. Good story, good acting, good music. It is one of my favorite costume drama.