Because 'An Ancient Love Song' didn't hire any major celebrities, nearly all of its 15 million yuan budget was poured into visual quality and production design.
Unlike the version from Su Yan's past life—where so-called "palaces" looked more like small courtyards lacking grandeur—this time, the drama truly felt like royalty.
Nishimura Rie took a deep breath.
The sad guzheng track playing in the background tugged at her emotions.
On screen, the woman in red—stunningly beautiful—turned to look at Shen Buyan. Her hands, delicately placed on her lap, had fingers slightly clenched.
Nishimura Rie didn't miss that detail.
She was nervous.
Nervous about this meeting.
The spotless palace, her vibrant red gown, the carefully applied makeup—
All of it pointed to one thing:
This meeting mattered deeply to her.
On screen, the woman in red stood and walked toward Shen Buyan, her eyes filled with anticipation.
"You're here. I've been waiting for you for a long time."
"Do we know each other?" Shen Buyan asked.
The hope in her eyes vanished instantly. After a pause, she smiled faintly and replied:
"Not yet. But we will."
The camera slowly zoomed in on Gu Qingyuan's face.
Nishimura Rie didn't fully understand the scene,
But she felt something. A quiet sadness is brewing beneath the surface.
That emotion wasn't in the dialogue—
It radiated through Gu Qingyuan's acting.
As Rie was still processing, Shen Buyan suddenly pulled out a dagger and held it to Lu Yuan's neck.
Yihua, standing beside them, panicked.
"What are you doing, demon empress Lu Yuan?"
"How do you know it's me?" Lu Yuan asked, her gaze once again filled with expectation.
Rie could feel it—Lu Yuan wasn't afraid of the knife.
She was hoping for something else.
Maybe... that Shen Buyan recognized her?
Shen Buyan explained:
"Your people led me here from the royal library without encountering a single guard."
He laid out his deduction.
And once again, Lu Yuan's hopeful expression shattered.
"So, the first time we meet..."
She paused.
"You're here to kill me?"
With a wave of her hand, Shen Buyan's grip on the dagger loosened uncontrollably.
Rie blinked.
So cool.
So, in this drama, Su Yan's character is just a normal guy, and Lu Yuan is the strong one?
A full role reversal!
Outmatched, standing in her palace, all Shen Buyan could do now was try to understand her intentions.
"I know you have many questions," Lu Yuan said, walking to the window and gazing at the heavy rain. A soft smile appeared on her lips.
Rie's heart skipped a beat.
Too beautiful.
"Do three things for me, and I will answer three of your questions."
That was the reason Yihua brought Shen Buyan here.
Shen Buyan, eager for material for his novel's second volume, agreed immediately, thinking he had struck a great deal.
"How about I do more than three things, and you answer more than three questions?"
Lu Yuan, still facing away, smiled—
And at that moment, viewers across Xia Nation all felt the same jolt of emotion that Rie just had.
"Just three. Just three questions."
"And don't worry, Master Shen. These tasks won't go against your conscience. There'll be things you can definitely do."
"How do you know my surname is Shen?"
Lu Yuan just smiled at him and said nothing more.
Rie felt something stir again.
The way Lu Yuan looked at Shen Buyan… it was so gentle.
Such a simple conversation, and yet her expression said everything.
Rie sat up straighter.
She finally understood—
Episode 1 was all about laying the groundwork.
The mystery of Shen Buyan's time-travel
How Lu Yuan knew he would come
And how, despite no interaction, she clearly knew him intimately
There was only one conclusion—
Lu Yuan knew Shen Buyan. 100%.
So why didn't Shen Buyan recognize her?
And more puzzling—
How could someone like Lu Yuan, a famous "demon empress" from ancient Sheng, possibly know a modern man like Shen Buyan?
Mystery upon mystery filled Rie's mind as the story continued.
Lu Yuan's first request: Shen Buyan must change into an outfit she had prepared.
It fit him perfectly.
Another subtle clue.
If they weren't close, how could she know his size so precisely?
As he finished dressing, Lu Yuan approached to adjust his collar.
But Shen Buyan stepped back, guarded.
That single step back—
Rie felt a pang.
The camera didn't spell anything out,
But Gu Qingyuan's expression—
Her slight sadness at his retreat—
Hit hard.
It was her acting again. Too powerful.
Lu Yuan's second request:
It was the Third Month of Spring, the Shangsi Festival.
She wanted Shen Buyan to share the traditional meal of mustard greens and boiled eggs to ward off illness.
For the next minute, the scene was simple—
Lu Yuan, smiling softly, watches Shen Buyan eat the food she personally prepared.
Sweetness overflowed from her gaze.
If only…
If only Yukishiro Tomoe and Kenshin in 'Rurouni Kenshin' could have had a life like this...
The third request:
Lu Yuan ordered a city-wide curfew.
Everyone in the capital was forbidden from going out.
Then she invited Shen Buyan to walk the city with her—just the two of them.
She gave him a mask with a cracked design at the temple, to wear in public.
Meanwhile, a subplot was unfolding—
The Prime Minister, Li Yong, was preparing to betray the Kingdom.
On this very night, during the usual Shangsi festivities, he planned to steal top-secret military maps and escape.
Rie blinked.
So Li Yong was the traitor?
But the historical record said Lu Yuan had him killed unjustly and lived a life of debauchery?
Was that... false?
And curiously—
Just as Li Yong was about to flee under the cover of the festival crowd, Lu Yuan's city-wide curfew was announced.
Had she known?
Another clue?
Rie could barely keep track of all the mysteries.
One of Li Yong's spies came back with a report.
"She's playing with her face-boy. Going on a Shangsi date."
Pfft—
Rie burst out laughing.
Face-boy?!
That was HIMURA KENSHIN, the Battousai, the cold-blooded assassin—
Now he was being called a kept pretty-boy in this new drama?
Too hilarious.
Lu Yuan and Shen Buyan strolled down the empty city streets.
For Sheng Kingdom, Shangsi was like the Xia Nation's Spring Festival—a time of mass celebration.
Now, the streets were empty.
"You locked down the whole city just to take a walk? Selfish."
Shen Buyan snapped.
"A city this wide… and it's just you and me. Isn't that lovely?"
She walked beside him, smiling.
From the audience's perspective, we already knew the real reason—
Lu Yuan likely discovered Li Yong's plot and acted to stop it.
But Shen Buyan didn't know, so his criticism seemed valid.
"Have you thought about the people? This capital doesn't belong to you alone."
"Then tonight… pretend I'm one of them."
She turned, her expression complicated, but her smile remained.
"Is that okay?"
"Pretend you're a regular citizen?" Shen Buyan asked, confused.
The BGM turned soft and sorrowful.
"In my next life, I want to be an ordinary person.
Free, carefree. Never a queen again."
"Why?"
"That's your first question."
"Life has many regrets.
But sometimes, you just have to follow fate."
"What regrets?"
"That's your second question."
"My biggest regret…
was never spending Shangsi with someone properly."
She looked at Shen Buyan.
By now, any thoughtful viewer knew whom she meant.
"Who is that person?"
"That's your third question?"
"Yes."
Rie practically shouted:
It's YOU, you blockhead!
But of course, the truth would come later.
"You'll know… next time."
Lu Yuan smiled softly. She didn't answer directly.
Rie's eyes narrowed.
"Next time"?
What did that mean?
Next encounter?
Next life?
"You said you'd answer. Why are you backing out now?" Shen Buyan complained.
"I'm the demon empress. I do what I want."
With a mischievous grin, she walked to the side of the street, plucked a willow branch, dipped it in water, and suddenly flicked it at Shen Buyan.
Water droplets flew.
"What are you doing?"
"It's a Shangsi tradition.
Willow branches soaked in dew ward off illness."
She offered the branch to him with both hands.
"I don't celebrate festivals.
They're meaningless to me."
That last line—
"Meaningless to me."
It hit hard.
Even though viewers didn't yet realize it,
This line would later become one of the most painful in the entire series.
Lu Yuan turned away, gripping the branch tightly.
She didn't speak for a long time.
Then softly—
"It will mean something."