The series received mixed reviews. It was praised for its fast storyline that showcased the growth of a strong and independent female lead, as well as for fleshing out the background stories of various supporting characters.[3][4] Viewership ratings reached as high as 2%, making it one of the highest rated drama of 2016.[5] However, it was criticized for its cliché plot devices, illogical plot details, use of excessive and inappropriate makeup, and dubbing of actors' voices.[6] Investigations and a lawsuit showed that the original novel was heavily plagiarized from other similar stories.[7][8][9] Nevertheless, the series was nominated for several awards, winning actor and actress awards for both Luo Jin and Tiffany Tang, and the Best Chinese Language Drama award at the 5th Annual DramaFever Awards.
During the chaotic Northern and Southern dynasties, the Northern Liang's royal family has a princess named Feng Xin'er (Tiffany Tang) who was kind, carefree and loved by all. Chiyun Nan, a marshal from the Chiyun clan of Northern Wei, is driven by greed to overrun Northern Liang and turns it into a bloodbath, massacring the royal family and forcing the Princess to survive on her own.
Li Weiyoung, the daughter of the Prime Minister of Northern Wei by his seventh concubine, shields the Princess from harm. However, Li Weiyoung is killed by the Chiyun family, of which the Prime Minister's wife Chiyun Rou is a member, as they are not pleased when she is recalled to the Prime Minister's Mansion.
Feng Xin'er assumes Li Weiyoung's identity and resides in the mansion, where she is disliked and shunned by her elder half-sister Li Changle and her stepmother Chiyun Rou. She thus takes it upon herself to fight against the Chiyun clan and becomes entangled with Northern Wei's prince, Tuoba Jun (Luo Jin). She also attracts the eye of Tuoba Yu (Vanness Wu) who sees her as a chess piece to be used toward his ultimate goal of becoming emperor. Through her struggles, she gains wisdom and is finally able to find peace for her family while living true to her heart.
Kind, bright and intelligent, she is a princess of Northern Liang who assumes the identity of Li Weiyoung, the concubine-born daughter of Northern Wei's Prime Minister Li, in order to avenge her own family as well as Li Weiyoung.
Sunny and compassionate, he is the Emperor's favorite grandson as well as the deceased Crown Prince's son. As a result, he is targeted by the Emperor's other sons, Tuoba Han and Tuoba Yu, but he doesn't wish to be involved in politics.
Daughter of the second branch of the Li family and Li Weiyoung's younger cousin. Having been oppressed and overshadowed by Li Changle from a young age, she has grown up to be ruthless and hides her hypocritical and scheming nature behind a weak and delicate appearance.
Prime Minister Li's legitimate daughter by Chiyun Rou and Li Weiyoung's elder half-sister. Known as the first beauty of the capital, she is arrogant and selfish, and Li Weiyoung's appearance makes her insecure and jealous.
Eldest Young Master of the Li family. He is power-hungry, lustful, and manipulative.
Li Yixiao as Li Weiyoung
Second Miss of the Li family. She was thrown out of the mansion after being born on an inauspicious date. After her death, Feng Xin'er assumes her identity to avenge both the murder of her own family members, and also that of Li Weiyoung herself.
The author of the source novel was involved in a plagiarism case. It was alleged that she used a software to copy hundreds of other works to write her own novel. An alliance formed by 12 writers, including famed wuxia novelist Woon Swee Oan, joined to sue Qin Jian.[9][37] According to Beijing News, a group of volunteers compared The Concubine's Daughter is Poisonous with more than 200 other novels. They found that out of 294 chapters, only nine chapters were original.[7]
On May 8, 2019, the Chaoyang District People's Court has declared Qin Jian guilty of infringing the works of Shen Wenwen; Qin Jian was fined a total amount of CN¥136,500 ($20,000) for economic loss and intellectual copyright protection to be paid within 10 days of the verdict. Moreover, she must immediately cease sales and distribution of the novel upon the day the sentence was handed down.[8]
