Super super impressive!!! I am Chinese and this is one of my all time favorite shows, I think you did absolutely amazing with telling the storyline and your sense of humor. Just one tiny thing, I think MeiZhuang is pointed as Noble Lady(GuiRen) at the beginning.
I'm so glad to hear that! I live in Beijing and am studying English, I think watching shows is a really fun way to practice the languge. Just checked and yeah, you're totally right! MeiZhuang was made a noble lady right from the beginning, it's cool that they were still so sisterly despite the difference in their ranks. Thanks for pointing that out
Thinking about it now during the selection scenes, it boggles my mind how much zhen huan calculated all she could to not get chosen but does as ONE thing that impresses the heck out of the emperor (the scene where she holds her ground when she cat scares them) even though she's apparently very afraid of cats. Whether this was out of respect or whatever, this would have been her shoe in for a free life. She is seen later on as a concubine get spooked by a cat in front of the dowager? I think. So it makes no sense to me why she was so brave in the beginning AHHH.
YESS!! It's so wild, their whole lives can change for just one little thing- the same thing happened to LingRong with flower/butterfly in her hair, remember? As for the cat thing, ZH is totally terrified of cats, BUT the other girl next to her that screamed got dragged out with a message from the emperor that she is never allowed to come back to the palace. In a time/country like this where your reputation is so important, to have the emperor personally say you are unladylike would be a stain on your family. And Zhenhuan's father is an important official, she can't embarrass him like that.
fun fact: Liulianzi, the original author of "Legend of Zhen Huan" (and its sequel "Legend of Ruyi"), was in the concubine auditions in ep. 1 (she was wearing a turquoise _qizhuang_ ) also no *Zhen Huan can't be Empress because in the drama she's Han Chinese* ; the imperial clan only allows pure-blooded Manchu women from the top 3 Manchu banners to be Empress Consort
@@dramarecaps4217 1. Liulianzi's scenes in "Zhen Huan" were actually cut (which would've explained her cameo), but someone uploaded a clip (earlier uploaded on Chinese video sharing sites) in YT basically Liulianzi was allowed by the director to keep the deleted scene, and she showed it to her own wedding 2. she also appeared in "Ruyi", this time as an imperial clan member (daighter-in-law of Kangxi Emperor) reportedly she shot quite a few scenes, but the final product was just a dialogue scene with Wallace Huo (Qianlong)...probably had something to do with the 130-to-87 trimming 3. Liulianzi has a 3rd work in the "Hougong Dramatic Universe", this time centered on Consort De aka "sick old lady" aka another retelling of "Scarlet Heart" minus Ma'rtai Ruoxi and time travelling C-nets are concerned in case of a dramatization because of potential historical distortion, which apparently the Communists have banned in historical dramas: -the Uya Chengbi-Longkodo affaire (yup Consort De is from the Uya clan, not Ula Nara clan) -Yongzheng's impeachment decree against Longkodo mentions something about disregarding his legal wife & pampering his concubine
I've already watched the Legend of Zhen Huan (or Empresses in the Palace) several times and it never gets old, yes all 76 eps multiple times. Loved the recap but 2 small notes Huan and Mei don't have the same rank. Huan is a 1st Class Attendant w/ an honorary name (Wan) while Mei is of a higher rank Noble Lady but no honorary name. And the rude girl wasn't beat to death (technically), her legs were beaten so bad she became paralyzed and Consort Hua went ew and had her banished to the Cold Palace
Thank you for recapping this. I watched your recap of Ruyi and I am hooked to this channel. I am slowly watching ZhenHuan as well but my short attention span can't keep up. I'll binge your videos so I won't need to force myself to watch 3 episodes at a time.
Hahaha I feel you. These dramas are beautiful but sometimes when I'm looking at the 3rd 2 minute long shot of a tree or something my eyes start to wander
It's sooo good! I could talk about it forever but none of my friends watch it so here I am lol. Have fun with your watch! I hope you'll share your thoughts when you finish!😄
1:27 I'd like to correct the one and only inaccuracy in this otherwise wonderful recap: it should've said "We also meet her GIRLfriend Mei Zhuang" Okay I am out of here XD
It’s not that they’re “technically not married” but they’re officially more like “minor wives” or “lower ranked wives” under the main wife that holds the most power and cultural importance out of all the women. “Concubines” are considered married wives in Chinese cultures they’re just not the “main one”. This applies to commoners’ polygamy too, yes their have one main wives and their minor wives are ranked too, but it’s ranked by the order they married the man. They’re usually called by a number like the 2nd 姨太 yitai. The earlier you married the man the smaller your number the higher you are at the wife hierarchy in the household
Thank you for the explanation! That makes a lot of sense. It seems to dance right on the line of wife/not wife (when you get into the translation of it all) because there are words like "legitimate children" which makes it seem like the children of concubines are illegitimate. And the fact that the concubines (in the harem) are never referred to as wives and it even seemed a bit taboo when young Zhenhuan was saying (to the emperor) that she considered him to be her husband?
Bc the lives of the people don't actually matter, it's all about who you're offending. The empress cared about that that maid, and that's what mattered 😬
The rude girl concubine was not actually killed. She was punished with a beating so severe she became paralyzed and ended up in the cold palace without ever having met or slept with the emperor. You see her again very briefly when Mei drags Zhen Huan to the cold palace to give her a wake up call and get her to pull herself together so she does not end up in there as well. She is the girl resting on a bale of hay, unable to move her legs. The punishment was severe, but both the emperor and the empress basically just shrugged, because a) they were used to Nian being a bully and b) the girl had been rude in greeting the empress & unwilling to learn during her training. With so many new young girls entering, who cares if one of them is removed, right?
@@its99pm AHH! That's so cool, I never noticed that! You have no idea how much new stuff I've learned from comments like yours, I really feel like you can watch this show 100 times and still find something new. Thanks for sharing!
@@dramarecaps4217 I remember this maid that Consort Hwa killed was sent to her by the Empress before to monitor her and that's why she has long wanted to get rid of the maid. 😂
I came across this video. I hope you do Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace - the sequel to this. Well not really but in the book version it's the sequel. Anyhoot, RRLP is my all time favorite drama. Gonna look through your channel and sub
![Legend of ZhenHuan [Episodes 4-9] Recap + Review](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/eyQCsY14FFc/mqdefault.jpg)
![Legend of ZhenHuan [Episodes 4-9] Recap + Review](/img/tr.png)
Super super impressive!!! I am Chinese and this is one of my all time favorite shows, I think you did absolutely amazing with telling the storyline and your sense of humor. Just one tiny thing, I think MeiZhuang is pointed as Noble Lady(GuiRen) at the beginning.
I'm so glad to hear that! I live in Beijing and am studying English, I think watching shows is a really fun way to practice the languge.
Just checked and yeah, you're totally right! MeiZhuang was made a noble lady right from the beginning, it's cool that they were still so sisterly despite the difference in their ranks. Thanks for pointing that out
Thinking about it now during the selection scenes, it boggles my mind how much zhen huan calculated all she could to not get chosen but does as ONE thing that impresses the heck out of the emperor (the scene where she holds her ground when she cat scares them) even though she's apparently very afraid of cats. Whether this was out of respect or whatever, this would have been her shoe in for a free life. She is seen later on as a concubine get spooked by a cat in front of the dowager? I think. So it makes no sense to me why she was so brave in the beginning AHHH.
YESS!! It's so wild, their whole lives can change for just one little thing- the same thing happened to LingRong with flower/butterfly in her hair, remember? As for the cat thing, ZH is totally terrified of cats, BUT the other girl next to her that screamed got dragged out with a message from the emperor that she is never allowed to come back to the palace. In a time/country like this where your reputation is so important, to have the emperor personally say you are unladylike would be a stain on your family. And Zhenhuan's father is an important official, she can't embarrass him like that.
@@dramarecaps4217 you’re so right, I totally forgot about the girl who got dragged out but yeah, her families reputation as well makes total sense
I thought she became afraid of cats because of the cat scratch when she was pregnant?
Because you can be punished for being rude in front of the Emperor as well. So she held it in
Because you can be punished for being rude in front of the Emperor as well. So she held it in
First of all thank you so much for recapping this show, I havent seen anyone else do this! Second of all you’re hilarious
Thank you ❤️❤️ I'm seriously suprised to see all the support these have been getting 😁
fun fact: Liulianzi, the original author of "Legend of Zhen Huan" (and its sequel "Legend of Ruyi"), was in the concubine auditions in ep. 1 (she was wearing a turquoise _qizhuang_ )
also no *Zhen Huan can't be Empress because in the drama she's Han Chinese* ; the imperial clan only allows pure-blooded Manchu women from the top 3 Manchu banners to be Empress Consort
Woah, never heard about the author being in the show, that's really cool
@@dramarecaps4217
1. Liulianzi's scenes in "Zhen Huan" were actually cut (which would've explained her cameo), but someone uploaded a clip (earlier uploaded on Chinese video sharing sites) in YT
basically Liulianzi was allowed by the director to keep the deleted scene, and she showed it to her own wedding
2. she also appeared in "Ruyi", this time as an imperial clan member (daighter-in-law of Kangxi Emperor)
reportedly she shot quite a few scenes, but the final product was just a dialogue scene with Wallace Huo (Qianlong)...probably had something to do with the 130-to-87 trimming
3. Liulianzi has a 3rd work in the "Hougong Dramatic Universe", this time centered on Consort De aka "sick old lady" aka another retelling of "Scarlet Heart" minus Ma'rtai Ruoxi and time travelling
C-nets are concerned in case of a dramatization because of potential historical distortion, which apparently the Communists have banned in historical dramas:
-the Uya Chengbi-Longkodo affaire (yup Consort De is from the Uya clan, not Ula Nara clan)
-Yongzheng's impeachment decree against Longkodo mentions something about disregarding his legal wife & pampering his concubine
That new maid to Hua Fei was a spy for the Empress, Hua figured it out but needed an excuse to get rid of her
I've already watched the Legend of Zhen Huan (or Empresses in the Palace) several times and it never gets old, yes all 76 eps multiple times. Loved the recap but 2 small notes Huan and Mei don't have the same rank. Huan is a 1st Class Attendant w/ an honorary name (Wan) while Mei is of a higher rank Noble Lady but no honorary name. And the rude girl wasn't beat to death (technically), her legs were beaten so bad she became paralyzed and Consort Hua went ew and had her banished to the Cold Palace
Thank you so much for the corrections, I can tell you're a big fan! But wow that's a fate almost worst than death...
I have watched this playlist several times and I love how you do it. The humor. The detail. I'm very impressed.
Wow, thank you!
@@dramarecaps4217 you are welcome. Thank you for the hard work. Can't wait for the update!
Thank you for recapping this. I watched your recap of Ruyi and I am hooked to this channel. I am slowly watching ZhenHuan as well but my short attention span can't keep up. I'll binge your videos so I won't need to force myself to watch 3 episodes at a time.
Hahaha I feel you. These dramas are beautiful but sometimes when I'm looking at the 3rd 2 minute long shot of a tree or something my eyes start to wander
VIdeo is SOOOO nice!
It's just Meizhuang was actually assigned as a noble lady from the start which is when guiren.
Got it, thank you!!😁
i loved watching this show so long ago! ty for recapping it i look forward for all of the show’s recaps!❤️
"so long ago"
Sounds like it's time for another rewatch 😌
I can’t Thank you enough for explaining THIS to us!! ❤❤❤ I’ve been was so confused…FOR YEARS!
Hands down the best drama ever ❤❤❤❤❤
Awesome overview of the harem in the beginning !
Yes! I'm in the middle of this series & it is awesome! So glad to see someone showing the love :)
It's sooo good! I could talk about it forever but none of my friends watch it so here I am lol. Have fun with your watch! I hope you'll share your thoughts when you finish!😄
Great videooo ❤ I really enjoyed watching the video ❤
Oh my!! I'm so impressed!! Except for one tiny mistake tho: Mzeizhuang was selected to be the Noble Lady, not first class attendant.
Right! Someone else pointed that out, but thank you!
1:27 I'd like to correct the one and only inaccuracy in this otherwise wonderful recap: it should've said "We also meet her GIRLfriend Mei Zhuang"
Okay I am out of here XD
Lollllll they did have those sleepovers ...😂
I ship Meizhuang and Huaner
Love ur zhenhuan videos!!!! Can u review word of honor?? It’s my fav show of all time!!! Love the story and love Wen kexing
I've never seen it, but I'll give it a watch!
It’s not that they’re “technically not married” but they’re officially more like “minor wives” or “lower ranked wives” under the main wife that holds the most power and cultural importance out of all the women. “Concubines” are considered married wives in Chinese cultures they’re just not the “main one”. This applies to commoners’ polygamy too, yes their have one main wives and their minor wives are ranked too, but it’s ranked by the order they married the man. They’re usually called by a number like the 2nd 姨太 yitai. The earlier you married the man the smaller your number the higher you are at the wife hierarchy in the household
Thank you for the explanation! That makes a lot of sense. It seems to dance right on the line of wife/not wife (when you get into the translation of it all) because there are words like "legitimate children" which makes it seem like the children of concubines are illegitimate. And the fact that the concubines (in the harem) are never referred to as wives and it even seemed a bit taboo when young Zhenhuan was saying (to the emperor) that she considered him to be her husband?
0:51 So it’s basically like an unpaid internship? 😂
All of the work, none of the benefits, maybeeee a chance to move up.... You really hit the nail on the head😂😂
Please do Yanxi Palace one day !! These recaps are hilarious !!
I hope to do both Yanxi and RuYi one day... it's taking forever though 😂
@@dramarecaps4217 i live for your vids ! keep up the good work
Doing a quick sweep for comments I missed, and hey!!! Yanxi is finally happening more than 2 years later 😂😂
What i never understood was why they made it such a big deal about the maid's murder but her just killing off a concubine was ok >.>
Bc the lives of the people don't actually matter, it's all about who you're offending. The empress cared about that that maid, and that's what mattered 😬
@@dramarecaps4217 ahhhh yeah i can see that now!
The rude girl concubine was not actually killed. She was punished with a beating so severe she became paralyzed and ended up in the cold palace without ever having met or slept with the emperor. You see her again very briefly when Mei drags Zhen Huan to the cold palace to give her a wake up call and get her to pull herself together so she does not end up in there as well. She is the girl resting on a bale of hay, unable to move her legs.
The punishment was severe, but both the emperor and the empress basically just shrugged, because a) they were used to Nian being a bully and b) the girl had been rude in greeting the empress & unwilling to learn during her training. With so many new young girls entering, who cares if one of them is removed, right?
@@its99pm AHH! That's so cool, I never noticed that! You have no idea how much new stuff I've learned from comments like yours, I really feel like you can watch this show 100 times and still find something new. Thanks for sharing!
@@dramarecaps4217 I remember this maid that Consort Hwa killed was sent to her by the Empress before to monitor her and that's why she has long wanted to get rid of the maid. 😂
Here we go...I´m on episode 59 and I want to remember...
It's such a long drama haha I hope this helps!
Thanks for this video🤗
I came across this video. I hope you do Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace - the sequel to this. Well not really but in the book version it's the sequel. Anyhoot, RRLP is my all time favorite drama. Gonna look through your channel and sub
Where can I watch this please?
Did you find it? leTV has uploaded all of the episodes on youtube
Lmfao my girl hua fei
❤😂