@mako It's probably not literal. It's more like the Emperor can't love genuinely because she has to balance her affections among all the consorts. This is also true in history, where it's in the best interests of rulers to not overly favor one person in their harem, which are typically comprised of women from powerful families. If the monarch overly favored one of them, he'd lose the others' support.
In the OG story, Emperor seems to have cared for Sanya too, that's why the other concubines were jealous and killed her in the first place.
In the OG story, Emperor seems to have cared for Sanya too, that's why the other concubines were jealous and killed her in the first place.