It depends on your perspective. Some elements of 'A Way Back' are inspired by true events, but there might be fictional additions for dramatic effect. Overall, it has a foundation in reality.
The palace maids who blocked the way during the celebration were sent by the Eldest Princess. Their goal was to ruin Fan Xian's reputation by blocking his way to prevent him from marrying the Eldest Princess 'daughter and controlling the wealth of the palace treasury. The Qing Emperor also participated in this, attempting to frame Fan Xian to affect his reputation. These palace maids had not been killed by Fan Xian. They had been killed by the Qing Emperor.
The plot of " Homecoming " indeed had some awkwardness. The audience generally felt that the plot was dragged, sloppy, slow, and lacked highlights and climax. In addition, the plot of the broken mirror was also considered old-fashioned and repetitive, and did not give people a sense of novelty. Some netizens also expressed doubts about the development and transformation of the characters in the play, thinking that Tan Songyun's acting skills and state were insufficient. In general, the audience was not satisfied with the plot of " Homecoming " and felt that there were some awkward and unqualified places.
The significance of the 'way back story' could be that it often shows growth or change. When someone is on their way back, they are different from when they left.