A fan of Zanilia Zhao since Female Prime Minister, I always show my support by tuning in to the first few episodes of her dramas. The Story of Ming Lan was not an exception. I've also watched 10 episodes of Our Glamorous Times which ended with indescribable disappointment so I tried not to build much excitement for this new release.

Zanilia Zhao as Lu Zhen

Some viewers felt the story was moving too slowly but I think the pace is perfect because it gives us enough time to watch how the plot unfolds and how the characters develop. Besides, it wouldn't do the production any good if it introduces fifty characters at once and then don't allocate enough time to let them develop and let me become attached to the character.

Main Wife

Main Wife's Daughter, Fifth Miss, Sheng Ru Lan

Concubine Lin

Concubine Lin's daughter, Fourth Miss, Sheng Mo Lan

Many characters are developed as foils as one another or the mirror image of another, which makes it easier to remember the character. For example, the First Wife is rash and hot-tempered yet kind-hearted. On the other hand, Concubine Lin is soft and gentle yet vicious. The characterization of the First Wife is a stark contrast to that of Concubine Lin's. Similarly, Fifth Miss (daughter of the First Wife) and Fourth Miss (daughter of Concubine Lin) are replicas of their respective mothers.

As of Episode 11, not much has happened yet but we get to witness how intelligent Ming Lan is compared to her two older sisters. What makes her smart is her ability to tolerate and only attack when it is the right time. From the trailers, I noticed the downfall of Concubine Lin and I believe it is related to Ming Lan avenging for her mother's death.



With the announcement of Zanilia Zhao's pregnancy (and a scene from the series of Ming Lan, Gu Ting Ye (played by William Feng), and their child), I anticipate the start of their story in the series.

You can watch this drama on Viki or YouTube, both are actively providing English subtitles for international audience.

Here is a scene I really enjoyed from Episode 11, starts at ~19:30 minute mark:

What I like about this scene is how it incorporates actual historical figures in Chinese history into the discussion. Often stated by the wise ones, history repeats itself. In this debate, you realized the validity behind this statement. It becomes even much more interesting when the historical figures are used as evident to back the position taken by each individual character.

Gu Ting Ye (William Feng) thinks the older son Prince Yong is fit to become the heir even though he is not well-qualified because he has more children, which is a problem the current emperor is facing right now.

On the other hand, Ming Lan's Third Brother thinks the younger Prince Yan should succeed the throne. Even though he has only one son, both father and son pair are intelligent and capable. He is only younger than Prince Yong by half a year.

However, since everyone at that time loves to regard everyone based on seniority and status, then this discussion should also be this way, as Gu Ting Ye puts it.

Vin Zhang as Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng in The King's Woman

Another character, Ming Lan's Second Brother thinks the legitimate eldest son should be the next heir. Emperor Qin deposed his eldest son Fusu and selected Hu Hai as his heir, which caused the downfall of the Qin dynasty. He continues that many dynasties have been replaced because the emperor selected the younger son as heir.

Raymond Lam as Emperor Wu of Han in Virtuous Queen Wei Zifu

Third Brother defends with Liu Che, Emperor Wu of Han, who was well-known for leading the Han dynasty through a period of stability and prosperity. Gu Ting Ye remarks that before Emperor Jing made Liu Che the crowned prince, Liu Che's mother was created Empress. Therefore, Emperor Wu was the legitimate main heir to the throne.

Wang Wei as Emperor Hui of Jin in Dragon Love

Next is Ming Lan's Fourth Sister, Mo Lan's turn to join the conversation. She brings up Emperor Hui of Jin was not emperor material but since he was the eldest, he became the heir, and eventually led to the rise of Empress of Jia Nanfeng. Emperor Taizong of Tang wasn't the legitimate eldest yet he was able to bring prosperity to the great Tang.

Andy Zhang as Emperor Wen of Sui in The Legend of Dugu

Chen Xiao as Emperor Wen of Sui in Queen Dugu

Gu Ting Ye brings in Emperor Wen of Sui who deposed his first son and made his youngest son his heir. Consequently, the Sui dynasty which flourished under his rule, was destroyed under his youngest son's rule.

Finally, Ming Lan comes into the debate. Her main take is it's better to just be a simple loyal subject to the emperor and avoid these meaningless debates. She makes an example out of Gu Ting Ye and Qi Heng. She states it's hard to determine accurately the character of the brothers but seniority and status are obvious so there's no need to fight here. If the younger one is virtuous, he would not ruin the clan because of his own ambitions and if the oldest one is virtuous, he would be capable of restraining his younger brother's ambitions.

I love how Ming Lan has her own opinions and how her opinions actually helped save her father in future episodes when her Third Brother gets their father imprisoned in the palace by the Emperor.