My Sassy Princess

Liu Ling boldly pursues Shen Yan after their accidental encounter, while he initially resists because he doubts the seriousness of her feelings. Their attraction develops into mutual trust as they protect each other during the treasury investigation and the political crisis. They marry and later raise their son together.

Prince Guang Ping is Liu Ling's father, but her mother's death and his remarriage leave their relationship deeply damaged. He repeatedly prioritizes political ambition over Liu Ling's emotional safety, yet he retains enough paternal affection to protect Shen Yan during the rebellion scheme. Their final meeting reveals love that neither was able to express without resentment.

Zhang Yun is Liu Ling's deceased mother and the central source of her childhood grief. Liu Ling's memories of her mother's betrayal and death shape her fear of abandonment and her distrust of romantic promises. Discovering the truth about Zhang Yun's death becomes an important part of Liu Ling's emotional reckoning.

Lu Qian causes Zhang Yun's death and later occupies her place within Prince Guang Ping's household. Zhang Yun's murder becomes the central trauma shaping Liu Ling's hostility toward Lu Qian and her father. Duke Lu reveals Lu Qian's responsibility in Episode 19.

Ling Bi and Luo Fan frequently meet while assisting Liu Ling and Shen Yan. Their teasing companionship gradually becomes sincere affection, especially when Luo Fan repeatedly places himself between Ling Bi and danger. They become a couple by the conclusion.

Liu Ling and Xu Shi Jin have known each other since childhood and remain trusted confidantes despite their different positions at court. Xu Shi Jin advises Liu Ling about Shen Yan, protects her during the treasury investigation, and uses her political intelligence to help Liu Ling survive court schemes. Liu Ling, in return, supports Xu Shi Jin's pursuit of justice and her relationship with Shen Yu.

Shen Yan and Shen Yu are senior members of the same noble family and serve in different branches of the Jinlin Guard. Shen Yu advises Shen Yan, shares intelligence with him, and supports both the treasury investigation and Shen Yan's relationship with Liu Ling. Their contrasting personalities conceal a dependable family and professional alliance.

Ling Bi serves as Liu Ling's personal attendant but is treated more like a trusted younger sister and confidante. She manages Liu Ling's impulsive schemes, protects her reputation, and remains beside her during danger and heartbreak. Liu Ling is equally protective of Ling Bi's future and happiness.

Luo Fan is Shen Yan's loyal Jinlin Guard subordinate and assists with arrests, surveillance, protection, and battlefield operations. Shen Yan relies on his practical intelligence even when Luo Fan's talkative personality tests his patience. Their professional hierarchy develops into durable trust.

Duke Ding Bei is Liu Ling's maternal grandfather and one of the few relatives who consistently provides her with safety and affection. He opposes Shen Yan because he fears that the Jinlin Guard's dangerous work will expose Liu Ling to further loss. His protectiveness remains one of Liu Ling's strongest family supports.

Zhang Yun is Prince Guang Ping's deceased first wife and the mother of Liu Ling. Their marriage collapses amid betrayal, household conflict, and Zhang Yun's death, leaving Prince Guang Ping burdened by guilt. His final choice to die beside her tomb shows that he never escaped the consequences of their broken marriage.

Lu Qian is Liu Ling's stepmother and treats the princess as an obstacle within the Guang Ping household. She maintains a respectable public image while contributing to Liu Ling's isolation and concealing the truth about Zhang Yun's death. Their hostility is rooted in family replacement, inheritance, and long-standing abuse.

Liu Ling and Lu Ming Shan grow up together under the expectation that they will marry. Liu Ling rejects the arrangement, while Lu Ming Shan continues presenting himself as her future husband because the match benefits the Lu family. The broken engagement becomes both a romantic obstacle and a political weapon against Shen Yan.

Lu Ming Shan resents Shen Yan as both Liu Ling's chosen partner and the investigator threatening the Lu family. Shen Yan distrusts Lu Ming Shan's motives and repeatedly challenges his interference in the treasury case. Their rivalry escalates from jealousy and obstruction into direct conflict.

Duke Lu is Lu Ming Shan's grandfather and expects him to preserve the family's political interests. Lu Ming Shan participates in concealment and violence partly under the pressure of this family hierarchy. When the conspiracy collapses, he turns against Duke Lu in an attempt to save himself.

Shen Yan investigates the stolen treasury silver and gradually identifies Duke Lu as the central organizer of the crime. Duke Lu uses political influence, assassins, and family connections to obstruct him. Their conflict drives the principal criminal investigation and exposes the corruption surrounding the Lu household.

Xu Shi Jin enters Liu Wang's service and becomes a trusted strategist within the Eastern Palace. She uses the position to investigate the injustice committed against her parents, but her private loyalties increasingly conflict with his political demands. Their professional trust collapses when Liu Wang believes she has concealed information and acted against his interests.

Prince Guang Ping's ambition threatens the imperial succession represented by Liu Wang. He builds private forces and seeks foreign support, while the imperial household allows the rebellion to develop far enough to expose him. Their conflict becomes an open struggle over dynastic power.

Prince Guang Ping forms a secret alliance with Tuo Ba Lie to strengthen his planned rebellion against the imperial court. The proposed marriage involving Liu Ling and the presence of Yi Gu forces are used to bind their interests together. Their alliance collapses once Shen Yan and Liu Ling undermine Tuo Ba Lie's confidence in the campaign.

Shen Yan opposes Tuo Ba Lie's attempt to marry Liu Ling and his cooperation with Prince Guang Ping. Tuo Ba Lie views Shen Yan as both a romantic obstacle and a threat to the Yi Gu military plan. Their rivalry escalates into strategic and physical confrontation during the final arc.

Zhang Yun is Duke Ding Bei's daughter and the mother through whom Liu Ling belongs to the Ding Bei household. Her death leaves the old marquis determined to protect Liu Ling from the failures of the Guang Ping household. The loss also explains his distrust of political marriages and dangerous court families.

Lu Qian becomes Prince Guang Ping's second wife after Zhang Yun's death and establishes a new household with their daughter Liu Run Xiang. Their marriage strengthens the Lu family's access to the Guang Ping residence and deepens Liu Ling's displacement. The relationship ends with Prince Guang Ping's death and the collapse of his political ambitions.

Liu Run Xiang is Lu Qian's biological daughter and accompanies her throughout the Guang Ping household conflict. Lu Qian is primarily concerned with securing respectability and opportunity for her own child. Their closeness contrasts with Lu Qian's hostile treatment of Liu Ling.

Liu Ling is Liu Wang's younger paternal-line cousin within the imperial family. Liu Wang sometimes treats her with familial familiarity, but he also views her marriage and status as political resources. Their family connection therefore carries both protection and court pressure.

Yue Ling is secretly involved with Lu Ming Shan and becomes vulnerable because she knows too much about the Lu household. Under pressure from Lu Qian and the conspiracy, Lu Ming Shan kills the woman he claims to care for. Their relationship demonstrates how his ambition and cowardice overwhelm personal attachment.

Duke Lu employs Lu Hu Xiao as a violent operative and gives him command over men used to protect the family's secrets. Lu Hu Xiao carries out orders against Yun Yi and other threats to the Jiangzhou treasury conspiracy. Their relationship connects Duke Lu's court influence to organized violence.

Yun Yi possesses information capable of connecting the Lu family to the stolen treasury silver. Duke Lu therefore treats him as a liability and sends operatives to prevent him from reaching the capital alive. Yun Yi's survival threatens the political and financial conspiracy Duke Lu has concealed.

Shen Yan conducts the treasury investigation under the authority of the Crown Prince and reports evidence affecting powerful court families. Liu Wang values Shen Yan's effectiveness but expects political obedience and control over the investigation's consequences. Shen Yan's loyalty to Liu Ling and his own principles sometimes complicates that professional hierarchy.

Liu Ling is selected for a political marriage to Tuo Ba Lie despite her commitment to Shen Yan. Tuo Ba Lie treats the match as both a personal prize and a diplomatic advantage, while Liu Ling resists and repeatedly delays the journey. The arrangement fails when the alliance supporting it collapses.

Shen Yan and Qin Ning were engaged through an arrangement encouraged by their families. Qin Ning disappeared after falling in love with a jianghu figure, and her family ended the engagement. The old betrothal later causes Liu Ling to mistake Qin Ning for a serious romantic rival.

Shen Yan's mother is concerned with his safety, family duty, and choice of wife. She strongly opposes Liu Ling because of the princess's reputation and the political danger surrounding the Liu and Lu households. Shen Yan respects her position but refuses to surrender his relationship with Liu Ling.

Shen Yan's mother initially rejects Liu Ling as an unsuitable match because of her reputation and the dangerous court struggle surrounding her family. Liu Ling tries to win her approval rather than abandon Shen Yan. Their relationship changes when Liu Ling's sincerity and commitment become harder to dismiss.

Duke Xu (Chen Liang Ping): He is a powerful, married noble patriarch .Lu Mingshan: Duke Xu is the actual biological grandfather of Lu Mingshan. Xu Shijin: He is not biologically related to Xu Shijin. Because her family was wiped out, he acts as her adoptive mentor, grandfatherly figure, and key political ally within the court

Shen Chen Xi is Shen Yan's son with Liu Ling and appears during the five-year epilogue. Shen Yan participates in the affectionate but unruly household created after the political conflict ends. The relationship confirms that he survives and builds the stable family Liu Ling feared she could never have.

Shen Chen Xi is Liu Ling's mischievous son with Shen Yan. His unruly temperament mirrors Liu Ling's younger personality and creates a playful domestic conflict in the epilogue. Their bond demonstrates Liu Ling's transition from a traumatized daughter into a protective mother.

Duke Lu operates as an influential court figure within the political environment overseen by Liu Wang. He attempts to use status and allied officials to prevent the Crown Prince's government from uncovering the treasury conspiracy. Their formal political association collapses when evidence exposes Duke Lu's crimes.

Shen Yu initially serves within the political and security structure supporting Liu Wang's court. Their interests divide when Liu Wang moves against Xu Shi Jin and Shen Yu chooses her survival over obedience. Shen Yu's decision to rescue her transforms a professional association into open political defiance.

Duke Shen is the senior patriarch of the Shen family, and Shen Yan is a junior member of the same noble household. Their exact blood relationship is not securely established in the current THREADS material.

Duke Shen is the senior patriarch of the Shen family, and Shen Yu is a senior younger-generation relative within the same noble household. Their exact blood relationship has been confirmed

Liu Run Xiang is Prince Guang Ping's younger daughter through Lu Qian. She grows up within the replacement household that Liu Ling views as evidence of her father's abandonment. The drama gives their individual emotional bond less attention than the wider household conflict.

Liu Ling and Liu Run Xiang share Prince Guang Ping as their father but have different mothers. Their relationship is strained by Lu Qian's favoritism and by Liu Ling's belief that the newer household replaced her and Zhang Yun. They function more as distant family rivals than affectionate sisters.

Mu Kun serves as a trusted military subordinate within Tuo Ba Lie's Yi Gu forces. Tuo Ba Lie relies on him for command continuity and invokes his control of the army as leverage during the final confrontation. Their bond is primarily one of military hierarchy and loyalty.