One of the large points of this story is that the previous Emperor was, to put it plainly, an extremely shitty Emperor. He forcibly took women into his harem and many women who were left behind stay in a palace within the harem rather than be forced away to a nunnery where their lives probably wouldn't end well as they would have been forgotten by all. It's the ML's mother who did this to protect those women, and one day, one of the previous Emperor's concubines, Zhao Taifei, her cat is tortured by I believe the fourth prince? Or at least, it's implied he broke the cat's leg or something when he was in a bad mood. But it's discovered by our FL, who returns it to Zhao Taifei, and afterwards she and the ML begin an amicable friendship with Zhao Taifei, hearing her story.

Zhao Taifei is a woman who had a beloved man, a sweetheart, but was forced into the harem by the previous Emperor despite that. The person she loved soon died afterwards out of grief from what I understand, and she had to live on. As you learn more about Zhao Taifei and the person she loved, Chang Sheng, you know that the two really loved each other. Parts of the interactions between the FL/ML and Zhao Taifei are peppered with her memories of Chang Sheng and the things he promised her when they were young and together. When he died, he couldn't even be buried in the family's ancestral grave, and instead had a single lonely grave by himself with only his niece to visit and send him incense. It's a story similar to a lot of the concubines within the harem left behind by the first emperor, many of whom were forced into the harem by the previous emperor.

Zhao Taifei's story was particularly sad though in my opinion; melancholy and poignant. Near the end, the FL finds where Chang Sheng's grave is, and brings him an altar of peach wine. Zhao Taifei had promised Chang Sheng that she would make him two altars of wine, and buried them beneath the peach tree in the peach orchard the previous emperor had planted for her. Although the peach orchard sounds romantic, Zhao Taifei simply states that while he planted that for her, he also could plant a pear orchard, a chrysanthemum garden, etc. for any of the other women in the palace, and that in the end, it truly means nothing. She gives the altars of wine to the FL and ML. The FL meets Chang Sheng's niece, a storyteller she previously met, when visiting Chang Sheng's grave, who gives her a wooden jewelry box with faded paint. In the box there was only a faded red thread wrapped around some hair, and a wooden hairpin. The hair is his hair and her hair; when she broke their relationship due to being taken into the harem, she cut her hair and gave it to him, in hopes he could find a beloved girl. Instead, he took a cut of his hair and tied it together, a tradition men and women did to symbolize that they would be together forever. The wooden hairpin was made by Chang Sheng, who carved a peach blossom hairpin for Zhao Taifei at her request. He promised her that he would give her a piece of jewelry every year, and by the time they have many children and grandchildren, the box would be full. Zhao Taifei tells the FL that before she entered the palace, her name was Tao Hua, and soon afterwards, she passes away.

like how FL idolizes ML and says he’s really good, he’s really kind, he’s the best when his reputation is really bad and ML is kind of a wastrel at the start of the book though he’s still a pretty kind person behind the spoilt violent facade. But because she so clearly and obviously idolizes ML, ML actually feels that he has to live up to the image she has of him so he gradually changes for the better. I know that doesn’t sound funny and it sounds very endearing, and it is, but the way everyone else reacts and even ML himself’s inner monologues make it hilarious as well.

I really also like how ML gradually falls for FL and he keeps treating her better and trying to get good stuff for her and it’s super obvious to his parents so they tease him about it, but he’s just like nahhhh because he hasn’t realized how he feels and after he realizes, he’s quite shy early on.

most of the plots failed due to pure luck. 🤣 Like how ML almost died at the start and then didn’t because he accompanied FL somewhere else. Or how ML’s minions went to the academy to donate stuff and somehow chanced upon a plot to divide the royal family from the scholars. Or how some villains wanted to blow up a tomb to interrupt the crown prince’s ceremony but did it late because one of the villains bumped into FL’s masters before that and got traumatized. Lol

So prince qi wang would get implicated in a banquet. His mother is a very bad person and all the stuff she did comes out, and she is given the order to commit su*cide. The prince loses everything in that one night, all his support, his place, his power and everything. This prince wasn't so bad, so I felt kind of bad for him. It was really hard for him to grow up with such a father and mother. The FL in the midst of all this will be just sitting and eating and when he is kneeling down to the king he glances at her. She gets offended thinking why he is glancing at her when it was his mother who did all that. Yes, that's true. But it's also shocking to see someone just sit and eat while your whole life is turned upside down.

so the FL sees something she shouldnt and is tied up and thrown into a river. The ML and his mother will be fishing and she gets caught in the lure and they save her. THAT IS ALL. Anyone would have done that right, also given that they have a lot of servants for everything, except ordering their maids to save that girl, they dint do anything. How the hell does this make them into a fairy and amazing person? They saved her life, having gratitude is fine. What is this nonsense about being a fairy? It's good that the Empress and ML are good people else the FL would definitely be killed because of her s*upidity, she could never survive all the harem fights.

I know there is a reason. With Empress and ML being the only one that love him and supported him during his prince days

The eldest prince says he knew his father only loved Prince Chen, the day he saw him carry the prince on his back while wearing the dragon robe

There's a story about a concubine from the previous emperor. She was engaged to someone she loved, but the emperor forced her into the harem.

There's a great scene where they have dinner. Nobody says it, but everyone is afraid of being poisoned. So they decide to have hotpot. Since it's communal eating, it's safe.

How the Emperor tricks the ML into becoming responsible, how the FL's dad tempers the ML into becoming learned, how some of the ML's brothers end up supporting him, were all heartwarming to read, and the evil schemes can't go far with the FL and ML around. My favourite scene is the climactic fight where the FL lets loose her hidden skills with hairpins.