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| Love and Crown Controversy Deepens as Author Says Drama “Changed Her Character Completely” (Photo: Weibo) |
The adaptation of My Queen (我的皇后) novel into the Chinese historical romance Love and Crown( 凤凰台上) has taken an unexpected turn, becoming less about the story on-screen and more about the clash happening off-screen.
What began as viewer grumbles about pacing and character shifts has now escalated into a direct disagreement between the novel’s author, Xie Lounan, and the drama’s female lead, Peng Xiaoran.
Author Goes Public With Her Disappointment
On 21 November, Xie Lounan posted a series of blunt comments online, making her position crystal clear. While she complimented Allen Ren Jialun for portraying Xiao Huan exactly as she imagined, she felt the drama’s version of Ling Cangcang — played by Peng Xiaoran — strayed far from the original character.
According to her, the heroine she wrote was a pampered, impulsive princess who adored the male lead with unshakable devotion.
In the novel, Cangcang’s love expresses itself through dramatic gestures and unwavering loyalty, even when she lowers her status to comfort him.
The drama, she claimed, had stripped away all of that, turning the character into someone she no longer recognised. She even admitted that seeing the changes “made her cry quietly”, which naturally set social media alight.
A heated exchange with readers followed, during which Xie Lounan used a common internet phrase meaning “go release your emotions”. But its literal wording rubbed many the wrong way, adding another layer of controversy.
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Hints of “Buzzers” Stir Up Suspicion
Things then escalated when Xie Lounan suggested that someone might be hiring online accounts to criticise her.
She didn’t mention a name, but the implication fell close enough to Peng Xiaoran’s side to make fans uneasy.
Suddenly, what should have been a standard author-versus-adaptation debate turned into a tense atmosphere involving assumptions, defensiveness, and a lot of finger-pointing.
Peng Xiaoran Responds With Transparency and Calm
Later that night, Peng Xiaoran broke her silence with a detailed, thoughtfully worded statement. Instead of pushing back or appealing for sympathy, she took a surprisingly open approach — and revealed details many viewers didn’t expect.
For one, she admitted that she, too, noticed similarities between Love and Crown and Goodbye My Princess when she first saw the script. The marketing didn’t help either, since early promotions leaned heavily into those parallels.
But what really shifted the conversation were her comments about the production process:
Peng Xiaoran’s Script Revelations
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She only received the first 10 episodes when she took the role. The rest of the story wasn’t shared, so she had no clear vision of her character’s long-term arc.
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One day before filming, she was suddenly handed the script of a much later episode — and all nine episodes she had studied were scrapped and rewritten.
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New scripts arrived while filming was already ongoing, making it almost impossible for actors to build consistent emotional development.
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Her point was simple: actors don’t get to dictate character design or plot structure. They interpret whatever script lands in their hands, even if that script keeps changing at the last minute.
Addressing the author’s harsher tone, Peng urged everyone involved — writers, actors, crew, and creators — to support each other instead of fuelling rivalry.
She also referenced the idea of “female competition”, suggesting there’s no reason women in the industry should tear each other down to make a point.
Her message ended on a gentle, professional note:
If the drama isn’t perfect, that’s part of the creative process. But attacking each other won’t fix anything.
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Xie Lounan Softens Her Tone, But Doesn’t Back Down
Following Peng Xiaoran’s response, Xie Lounan returned with a clarification.
She said her earlier sharp wording wasn’t aimed at Peng herself but at a reader who had argued with her. Even so, she continued to insist that the drama’s version of Ling Cangcang was not the character she created.
She emphasised that her novel leans into a certain style of romance — one that may feel old-fashioned to today’s audience but was intentional at the time of writing.
And that, ultimately, might be where the core disagreement lies.
What appears to be a personal clash is actually reflecting several systemic problems within the Chinese drama industry:
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Adaptations often change tone or characterisation without consulting authors.
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Scripts are frequently rewritten mid-production, affecting consistency.
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Storytelling values from older romance novels don’t always match modern expectations.
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Actors are expected to answer for issues far beyond their control.
For viewers, it raises the question: who should take responsibility when an adaptation feels different from the source?
Peng Xiaoran: “Keep Watching, Keep Discussing”
Despite the swirl of drama, Peng closed her statement with a simple message:
“Please keep watching and keep discussing. This drama still has many things to enjoy.”
A calm ending to a very public creative disagreement — but judging by the ongoing chatter, the debate around Love and Crown is far from finished.