Love Jane Austen? Then this show's for you!

A finely crafted and immensely satisfying show, The Story of Ming Lan gives you everything: slow burn romance, political intrigue, surprise battle scenes, smart women, a fabulous soundtrack, incredible costuming, gorgeous sets, and the most bitter of enemies - family.The Story of Ming Lan is pretty simple: Ming Lan, the daughter of a dead concubine and a middle class bureaucrat, must navigate the scheming of her relations to marriage and beyond. Unlike Jane Austen's heroines, however, Ming Lan is no Lizzy Bennett (although the family certainly will certainly be familiar to Pride and Prejudice fans!) , but instead channels Anne Elliot (Persuasion) and Elinor Dashwood (Sense & Sensibility) and a little Machiavelli. The power struggle women play are paramount in this story, and well told. An absolute stonker of a series, highly recommended if you like character development and intrigue.

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Summary and Spoilers Ahead

In this episode Gu is able to convince the Prince Zhou to return to the capital because it will be safer. Although extremely careful and cautious, the prince ultimately agrees after he is attacked twice by assassins sent by Prince Yan. The first plot is only foiled only after Gu realizes that the 'new people' he saw arrive are completely unknown to them. He barely makes it in time to save Prince Zhou but reveals his skill in battle is unmatched as he fends off at least a dozen men. In spite of this, Prince Zhou refuses to go to the capital and challenge Prince Yan who is now killing off any potential rival to the throne, regardless if they are interested or not. The second attack is a much more skilled assassin and this is what convinces him to go to the capital. Elsewhere, Ming'er chooses to visit her father in the imperial palace. He and her brother and several other officials are in the process of working on something important. She brings them lunch, but the mood changes when a servant interrupts them to take her home and announces that it may be a good idea because oddly, no one is guarding the gates. He then steps out and back in, scared, because people are being killed (they don't show the violence).Princess Pianing, along with other female officials, are visiting Imperial Consort Rong. A servant bursts in to report the violence, and the Consort is calm. Pianing compliments her and then we learn that the Consort is colluding with the rebels. She is holding military wives hostage in order to gain control over the army, and she expresses her rage over the wrongful death of her sister. She chooses to take her revenge on the Princess and drags her out. She takes her to Prince (Huan?) who is being held hostage along with most of his family, including Young Lord's wife. She makes it clear that this is about revenge.Then we go back to Ming'er. We learn there is no escape, no where to hide. While everyone is on the brink of panic, she asks the servant about the dog holes he mentions. This sparks an idea--he says that a person could escape outside but only someone her size could fit in. Her father insists she escape disguised as the servant because at least one person survives, and her brother basically says that all that will happen to them is death but implies she will be raped (a fate worse than death) if she stays.

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