A Flower Without Rain

Facts

Lian Yu
- her mother abused and gave little to no love to her because she didn't want another daughter but another son
- memories of her childhood plagued her dreams from time to time but stopped when Hua confronted her mother
- the very moment Yu developed any sort of feelings for Hua was when he visited her drunk and seeing his vulnerable state she saw that there was more than what everyone saw on the surface, and after that her feelings continued to grow
- she ripped the page that revealed who's behind everything out of Song's journal because she knew that if the others found out, more lives would be lost for her sake and decided it was best to voluntarily leave instead
- the shaman read her fate without intending to and seeing her future, it left her distraught as it is a great sacrifice and very selfless of herself to do so
- Yu didn't know what she was exchanging to save Hua's life but learns later on when she is basically told within her mind that her soul will be taken to save and forever protect the divine tree but not when (this is the day before they get back to the Xie Kingdom after the events in the Sui Kingdom)
- she finds out when she will die once in her third trimester (this is during the cleansing dance of the shamans)
- what she wrote on her lantern was for everyone she loves to be happy
- Shan figures out everything when he reads over the One Rise book again (specifically the part about Crown Prince Fei Li Yang) and pieces together that the reason why there was little to no poison in Hua's system was because Yu did in fact make a pact to save his life
- when she dies, a peach blossom falls onto her lap signifying that she became one with the divine tree
- her reoccurring dream of descending down the stairs and meeting someone was foreshadowing of reuniting with Hua in the afterlife
- the only other physical proof (besides the letter) that she made a pact with Xifeng was when Mingyu witnessed her eyes a brighter shade than usual (basically glowing)

Xin Hua
- he was troubled by his "curse" as the Crown Prince to inevitably bear witness to those he loves and protect to die before him
- he was only in love with the thought of Song because he was so desperate to find affection and learning that she was his soon-to-be Crown Princess (which she wasn't) he clung to her despite not even knowing her
- he's not very good at conveying his emotions but Huiliang is able to read him like a book
- unlike Song, he grew to love Yu as he learned more about her and went through a series of hardships as well
- the very moment he developed any sort of feelings towards Yu was when he became aware of Yu's situation with her mother but it didn't become romantic until he realized it was Yu who vowed to stay so he won't be alone when he visited her drunk
- he truly did die for a moment due to the poison but came back to life after Yu's pact with Xifeng
- after saving Yu from Yinjie, he thought he avoided his cycle of misfortune but after learning the truth behind Yu's death it tore him apart inside
- the reason why King Fei Yongnian told him that Yu needs him more than ever is because after the cleansing dance of the shamans he saw the head shaman and Yu talking to one another and suspected something; especially when Yu started to cry
- what he wrote on his lantern was to learn how to play the erhu for the next time he is to do something for her
- he never remarries and instead remains with his only child Crown Prince Xin Shiying, where he showers him with all the love and attention he can
- he returned the One Rise book to its resting place after writing down the events of Han Yinjie and the cause of Lian Yu's death

Ru Mingyu
- although he doesn't express himself much, he cares deeply about those he loves
- despite being very skilled in handling weaponry, hand-to-hand combat, etc. he can still be dense in certain situations
- since he and Yu are very close, people used to mistake them as a couple before she entered the palace
- he is the first person to see the progression between Hua and Yu's relationship and wholeheartedly supports it
- his vow to cut his hair if he should ever fail to protect Yu, came true when she passed because he felt responsible for not knowing the burden she held and making one of their last conversations a painful one for her
- amongst noble households (especially the royal family), hair is seen as their pride so it is grown out but trimmed from time to time so that it is still manageable
- he is the last of the Three Great Noble Clan heads to settle down
- in the future he becomes the head of the royal guards that protects the royal family (although he is dedicated to the king)  
- after Yu's death, he fell into a pit of depression since he felt like he lost his other half as they've been together their whole life and with her gone he no longer had anyone to talk to

Han Yinjie
- he learned in his early teenage years through a palace maid that the queen was not his mother but actually forced his birth and abandoned his sister she was carrying at the time "awakening" his corruption.
- once he learned all the histories and truths of the Four Kingdoms, it only furthered his resolve to end the Four Kingdoms as he believed that the royal families shouldn't have to bear the curse of misfortune in order for the people to thrive in peace
- his plan took years before he could finally execute it where he first decided to try and push Zhaohui, the true heir as far away as possible, finding followers, attaining the One Rise book and cursed blade, finding the cave within Crimson Mountain and how to enter, where his true mother and the abandoned princess were, etc.
- he poisoned the tree with an incredibly powerful drug called white blood which is not very well known
- although he isn't the best at fighting and such, he has an incredible memory and doesn't forget anything once he's learned or seen it
- he's been with Xue since they were kids and he placed all his trust in him; it's not known how he felt about killing Xue
- with his death, he was to be taken to Crimson Mountain where as the shaman conveyed "his soul will be torn apart by His Divine God Bai for the trespassing and tainting of sacred land"

Lian Song
- with the guilt of never standing up for her sister, she decided to enter the palace to try and figure out what it was that caused the rush of blood
- as described by Yu, she was an upright lady that many men sought after and was a "jewel among the flowers"
- during her time in the palace she deliberately made herself vulnerable in order to speak to the unknown men to try and lure information out of them
- if they didn't comply, she would kill them right then and there so that it couldn't be reported back to the rest that they had been with her (these men acted of their own accord, so their positions weren't always known to the others)
- the hidden opening in the wall where she placed the journal was already there and simply found it when she was trying to find a place to hide it

Lian Zhong
- he doesn't openly admit it, but he's very overprotective of Yu and does carry the same guilt as his sister, Song
- in the future he moves onto being a leading General
- he never exactly had an interest in love but once he got married to Li, he begins to learn what it is
- when Yu died, he wasn't sure how to process it because he first lost Song, his parents and lastly Yu which left him as the last member of his immediate family (apart from his wife and son)

The Four Kingdoms

Each of the kingdoms have a deity that rules over their
land. These deities are said to be siblings that went their separate ways to build their own kingdom, making it the Four Kingdoms.

The Xie Kingdom, where Her Divine Goddess Xifeng resides, is where everything began and the first kingdom to be formed. They hold the responsibility in keeping the truth of the nation hidden so that it is not known to outsiders and those with an insidious agenda, and protect the divine tree that resides in the Peach Palace of the Crown Princess. With only one prince born every generation, this ensures no struggle for power; however, he will become engulfed by the loneliness and the pain of losing those he wishes to protect. As for the Crown Princess, they are chosen on the 12th day of the 12th month, at the 12th hour where Her Divine Goddess Xifeng "awakens" to mark them, which connects them to the divine tree. This makes it so that only the Crown Princess can claim the Peach Palace and anyone who is not, will die.

In the story of Xiuying, there are two versions: the one told as children and the other which is learned later on as adults. The one told as children is about a god who leaves the heavens to inhabit the body of a young woman, Xiuying, to live in the mortal world. And once the woman passes of old age, the god returns to the heavens. However, the version that is learned later on is actually more gruesome. Xiuying doesn't die of old age and is instead kidnapped by the locals who saw her as a threat. By ripping out her eyes, they presented it to the Great Dragon that sleeps under a mountain where he ate it. This destroys the god's soul, never to be one again.

This story is an event that happened before, where a prince of the Sui Kingdom attempted to end the Four Kingdoms and killed the Crown Princess of the Xie Kingdom. However, he didn't succeed because the Crown Princess already bore a son, ensuring an heir.