A Dream within a Dream

If you like laughing

If you like parodies you will enjoy this drama. If you don't, skip it. I gave it a 9 for story because there were a couple of times it was not consistent with story but overall good parody. I would have given the cast a 10 if Zhao Lu Si had been FL. The current actress did a good job but I think ZLS would have done better, especially during those times when FL is basically saying 什么。("What" for those who don't speak Mandarin. Two songs stand out for me but the others I don't even remember. I will definitely re-watch this because of the acting and story. I love humorous material.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS AFTER FINISHING DRAMA
I loved it! I thought the ending could have been better, but over all I really enjoyed this. I love parodies and this is definitely a parody of Asian dramas as a whole. Need a trope? Yes! Okay, we have several for you...with a twist. Sort of. Maybe.
I am a big fan of LYN's work and when Wang Yi Lun smiles with that dimple I am a goner. When I see Chang Long and Wang Cheng Si are in a drama I know laughs are coming. I have always appreciated Zhu Xu Dan's understated performances. Li Qing and Guo Xiao Tian - guys, I will be keeping my eyes out for you. Very nice to look at and enjoyed their performances. Momo Wu's song Mind Reader is one of my favorites. I didn't know she was also an actress but, that makes sense because so many Asian artists are multi-talented. I'm jealous. I am not familiar with Wang You Shuo or Li Yi Tong so I will be watching for them in other work. I do have Love Between Fairy and Devil on my watch list so will be able to see Li Yi Tong in that.
Overall, if you love antics and laughs, watch this drama in the spirit with which it was created. You will enjoy it.

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ADWAD stands out from the crowd.

It is a remarkable, creative brilliance, albeit with a few rough edges.

I finished watching this drama not long after it ended, and my conclusion was that it was just about average. Not bad, but okay. For me, my initial conclusion was because it started well but later seemed convoluted along the way. Also, I initially found the Female Lead (Song Xiao Yu/Song Yi Meng) to be annoying and frustrating midway through the drama. But somehow, this first impression I had did not sit well with me. It felt like something was off with my impression of the drama and particularly the FL.

I had previously written an incomplete review and then I discovered that the drama polarized viewers, although it looked like those who liked it were the majority. So, I decided to rewatch the drama to understand what really went wrong. I wanted to figure out what I may have missed that also made me unimpressed, and if it really was as bad as some have said.

Well, here is my final review of the drama. I'll break the ice by saying I went from being unimpressed with ADWAD to LOVING it. I am glad I rewatched it. From my experience the second time, I can confidently say that the drama has a solid rewatch value as the story grows on you and the narrative gets clearer. Many cdramas I have seen have been interesting, but most of them have the problem of plot fillers and holes in their mid-episodes, repetitive subplots, and sad endings, except for a few. For some, their endings, usually from about 5 episodes out, are simply bad because they were unnecessary and poorly written. So, while I liked the dramas, I do not look forward to rewatching them because I know I would have to skip the middle or the end.

But with ADWAD, I know whenever I rewatch it in the future, I will never have to worry about skipping any part because there are neither any weak links in the 40-episode plotline nor are there plot fillers, holes, or ridiculous repetitive subplots. Every episode made sense, was necessary, and all the episodes were neatly tied together in a seamless flow with smooth continuity from one to another to make up a FULL story. The final arc of the story, the ending, was the best treat for me; the “enigma wrapped up in the riddle”. And thanks to the SATIRE, there are no dull moments and no slow pacing at any point that require you to tune out. With these, and particularly the substance of the drama, every time you rewatch ADWAD means you get to relive not only a fun but also a meaningful experience. Now, that is something to look forward to!

I’ll move on to details of the review. If you are going to read further, please bear in mind that this is my personal, unbiased opinion. So, do try to respect it.

To start off, this is how I think of ADWAD. It is a masterpiece with some chips around the edges of the frame. But when you see a masterpiece, do you focus on the painting or the tiny chips on the frame? I'd rather focus on the painting and ignore the chips.

ADWAD does have a few downsides, but many, many upsides. The drama is a classic lesson in having a great story and ensuring you tell it well. It is not a bad or good story, but a GREAT one. However, the narrative, that is how it was told, fell short a little, and this occurred only in a few scenes in some episodes. I believe this was what caused the confusion and mixed reactions from viewers. Then there was the gutsy subliminal messaging that probably put some others off.

Nevertheless, like the two perspectives of seeing a cup as either half full or half empty. This story/drama is beyond half full. It is like above three-quarters, with the missing bit being the few issues with the narrative. But, I would rather have ONE drama that has a purposeful and engaging story, a compelling plot, and a lot of positive and meaningful messaging, albeit with a few slips in the narrative. Than SEVERAL dramas that have fantastic narratives, but the story is lacklustre, the plot is weak and ridiculous at best, and the messaging lacks substance, meaning, or is downright negative.

So, what is ADWAD?
It is a mix of genres and tropes. It is mainly a SATIRE and METAFICTION. It has some major elements of romance and politics, a lot of parody of other cdramas (for good reason), and a bit of transmigration and fantasy, all in this order of importance, I believe.

Put simply, ADWAD is a brilliant, eclectic piece of work. Not entirely new, but unconventional and inventive, particularly in its take on a period piece and the transmigration element. However, what I love most about the drama is that it is intentionally purposeful. It has a lot of meaningful and bold messaging that comprise its thematic depth and complexity. The messaging also serves as the essence of the satire and metafiction. But, it seems many viewers missed this as a lot of focus has been on the romance of the Male and Female Leads and how this progressed, the wrongs the Male Lead suffered, as well as the few flaws in the narrative.

ADWAD addresses the subject matter of fate versus faith, mirroring the poem “Invictus” or the Chinese version, “Bùkě zhēngfú de línghún” or “Bùqū de”, in a bid to positively challenge a subtle, prevalent negative in the fictional works of many storytellers. It explores themes of free will, faith, trust, forgiveness, blind-to-dark revenge, thirst for power, the significance of people, and a few others. The idea of free will and the dangers it carries when it is all about self, and devoid of selflessness and a just purpose or cause, is also highlighted.

I say, bravo to the writers of ADWAD! Regardless of its few narrative flaws, I believe ADWAD IS a story, better yet, an allegory, that is needed in this present age of storytelling. Why? Because it holds a big-picture perspective by targeting a major problem in many fictional stories, especially in the cdrama industry. And particularly those about ancient times. There is too much focus on ill fates and tragic endings, not enough on hope and faith, and redemption is selective. Storytellers or writers play demigods over their characters and give them whatever fate they please, no matter how ridiculous or incredible it may be.

Some characters (often the leads) are just fated to succeed, while others are fated to fail. Nothing they can do about it. Some are fated to be good, and others are fated to be evil. Nothing they can do about it. Protagonists are fated to live, and villains are fated to die or vice versa. Or both protagonists and villains are fated to die along with beloved supporting characters. Or the protagonists and villains live, and only beloved supporting characters die, and so on. Nothing all can do about it. The indulgence in varied ways to give characters tragic ends is unimaginable.
And then, some characters are fated to be important, and others are fated to be insignificant nobodies. And still, again, nothing they can do about it; ehm...Passerby A and B, and maids of main characters. No matter what, you cannot escape the fate you are given. Hope, faith, and free will, albeit with a just purpose, are not open to EVERYONE. And redemption? It is also often not for all but a few lucky folks.

Now, what did ADWAD do?
This drama began with the critique of a fictional script and the roasting of the screenwriter. It continues with a constant reference to the absurdity of the script and the callous and merciless attitude of the almighty writer towards the characters. It climaxes with the writer going into the world of his ridiculous script, and we see how far he makes it to survive. It ends with even the almighty writer, too, needing mercy and redemption after all. Ultimately, he is no better or superior to the characters he created. All the characters, except one, end up with owning their free will, changing their ill fates, deciding their own path in life, and having faith for a bright future filled with love. Ehm, the love part was questionable, though, because some characters become nightmares for others!

However, ADWAD, unfortunately, also fell victim to a negative that it seemed to aim to address in its messaging, and this negative is “selective redemption”. (Chu Guihong should have been spared, and I explained this further on.). Still, the drama sends a strong satirical message, which I believe is to implore storytellers/writers to have more heart and be humane in their artistry, particularly in their desire to create dramatic effects to make their stories more engaging, compelling, and memorable. Also, to be more respectful of the characters they design and their lives, and hopefully rethink how they give these characters ill-fates and tragic ends. Otherwise, someday the unexpected may happen as one of their scripts may just develop a life of its own due to a higher power. And then they may find themselves in their own script world and end up not lasting very long in it. A fundamental problem, brilliantly satirized!

While ADWAD parodied other cdramas, The Prisoner of Beauty (TPOB) was undoubtedly at the centre of the parodies. I must say that I liked TPOB and most of its characters, particularly the complicated and principled Wei Shao. The drama was an enjoyable watch, and it has its own merits. But the writing was good until the last four episodes, which, to me, were totally nonsensical and unnecessary, especially with all the deaths that occurred. Also, I don’t know how it could make any sense for a story to ignore the main cause of a problem (Bianzhou), that is, the powers or family that instigated the problem. But it makes another family the primary target of the revenge, yet they had NOTHING to do with the original cause of the problem and were also at the receiving end of its effect. Then there were the plot holes and many repetitive subplots. (Please see the end of my review of TPOB). Nevertheless, at least in the end, TPOB spared its main protagonists, thank goodness. But it still killed some supporting characters, which was really annoying, as one of the deaths heavily projected the selective redemption problem.

As I stated in my review of another period cdrama, I can understand that some writers want their stories to reflect the realities of ancient times portrayed to convey the sincerity in keeping with the facts of those times. But it is imperative that this desire is balanced with positive messaging for the present time and generation, as well as those of the future. Especially in terms of the outcome of the main protagonists’ lives in the stories. Unless period dramas are meant to be nothing but lessons about history, filled with hopelessness and defeat for anyone who champions good causes. Because none of the main protagonists in the dramas live to see the results of their good works, as they always end up tragically or horribly killed in their time. About this subject, some other cdramas parodied in ADWAD come to mind, but I won’t mention them.

If all heroes and protagonists in ancient times had been killed, and horribly so, the world would have been an unlivable dystopia today. A lot of the successful and enduring systems we have today that continue to function to save and benefit many lives across the world were created by protagonists and their supporters who lived in their time and worked purposefully and determinedly to build these systems and protect them. More light should be shone on this truth. It should be promoted much more than clichéd stories about how the lead protagonists and their supporters in ancient times were horribly killed, written for the sake of dramatic effects and artistry. It is because hope, faith, and even love succeeded in the past that the present and future generations can and will hold on to the same principles and continue to strive to live together in peace. Regardless of how much these principles and our peaceful coexistence are challenged every day.

Next, I’ll address the intro of ADWAD.
At this point, let me apologize for spoiling the drama going forward. But, I believe the facts had to be stated IN DETAIL for the drama to receive an unbiased, POSITIVE review as well as rating it deserves, like the many others it already has.

Sincerely, while many viewers were hooked right from the start, or found the beginning episodes captivating, I didn't like the beginning. In fact, I wanted to walk away in episode 4 because I found the melodrama to be excessive even for a satire, and it just didn't quite nail it for me. Especially how the Female Lead (FL) kept snapping her head, dying, and coming back. It was just not believable and almost became annoying. However, the messaging in the drama immediately got my attention right from episode 1 when the FL made some references to the cdrama industry and its entertainment machinery. I knew more of this would come up later, so I kept watching and got past episode 4. But then, bam, midway into the episode, the humour took a turn for the best that I couldn’t stop laughing so hard and loud, and that was it. After rewatching ADWAD, everything (the satire, metafiction, transmigration, and all the thematic elements) now makes sense from episode 1, in terms of the WHY of the drama.

By the way, if you do not enjoy SATIRE and ALLEGORIES, or you do not understand what these mean, THEIR PURPOSE, then you will not understand this drama and will definitely not like it. But if satire and allegories are okay for you, then you will get this drama.

About the cast.
They were all a well-blended ensemble for satire. I have only seen two other works of Liu Yu Ning. His acting skills continue to improve as his emotional expressions have developed into becoming compelling. It is my first time seeing Li Yi Tong in a drama, and I think she did a wonderful job to pull off a convincing satirical act. She is a talented, bona fide actress, and not just some pretty face. No doubt, LYT and LYN have great chemistry for comedy and romance.
All the supporting actors gave a superb performance, and the screen time for everyone was balanced. As for the characters, the Female and Male Leads were well fleshed out, and so were many of the supporting characters, all brilliantly portrayed by their actors. Song Yude and the Emperor were interesting, complex supporting characters to watch, as well as Yao Qian, “the poet” and Chancellor Gao’s political pawn that backfired on him. As for the comedy, the prize for outstanding hilarious performance should be split between Fugui and the 18th Prince, Nan Rui.
The entire cast was so good together that I would love, love to see them again, perhaps in a modern-day romcom.

Production?
One of the best I’ve seen for a cdrama. The directing was remarkable, and the cinematography kept in step with it. The choreography for the fight scenes was very impressive. Especially the fights between the Male Lead (Nan Heng) and the Second Male Lead (Chu Guihong), which were displayed confidently without any cheating camera angles to hide or cut out some parts because the fights were a dodgy job. Per the background music and sounds, they were exact for a satire, incredibly hilarious, and perfectly suited for the multitude of contexts in which they were used in the drama. The top spot goes to the costumes and OSTs, though. The costumes were amazing and, so far, the best in the cdrama industry for me. I loved those of the ML and FL, which were absolutely exquisite. Then the OSTs? They were first-rate. All the artists did a brilliant job, but Hu Yanbin’s song, as well as Liu Yu Ning’s song for the opening montage, were my favourites.
Kudos to the entire production team of ADWAD for a fantastic job well done, and money well spent!

I further explored the main characters due to the negative comments about this drama and the FL. Check the discussion section.

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Absolutely nonsensical, hilarious and entertaining

This drama is outrageously funny and wildly entertaining. I laughed so hard I nearly went hoarse, especially during the earlier episodes. The premise is delightfully absurd: an actress is pulled into the very drama she is supposed to be acting in. As if that were not enough, even the scriptwriter gets dragged in—and to make it even crazier, the rules within the script keep changing.

Yet, amid all the hilarity, the drama also makes you cry out in frustration. You watch the Emperor, General Chu, and Prince Rui mistreat Prince Nan Heng for a crime he never committed. When a nation is ruled by muddleheaded leaders who neither seek the truth nor protect the innocent, disaster is inevitable. Heng’s true love, Song Yi Meng, does everything she can to avoid marrying him. Prejudiced by the original script she read—where he was portrayed as a villain who faked love for political gain—she cannot see his sincerity.

But in this dreamlike twist, the script changes. Heng falls deeply and genuinely in love with her. It is amusing to see the women in this story boss their men around, though I am not convinced that, in real life, any man would remain so devoted to such sharp-tongued shrews. So, young women, take note: do not be fooled by this drama—real life does not work that way! Of course, one could argue that both Nan Heng and Shang Guan He are men weighed down by their own insecurities. Song Yi Meng, despite refusing to marry Heng, had already shown him her true love in countless ways throughout the drama. As for Shang Guan, his vulnerability lies in yearning to be cherished by a woman of higher social standing—an ache for validation as much as for love.

The soundtrack deserves special mention. Liu Yu Ning’s song is breathtakingly beautiful. True to form, he once again claims the best theme song, whether he is in the cast or not—and rightly so, as his voice brings it alive. Both Liu Yu Ning and Li Yi Tong dazzled in their parade of costumes. Li Yi Tong, in particular, looked stunning; her headpieces suited her perfectly and accentuated her charm.

At first, I assumed this would be lightweight fare, just another drama about actors falling into the worlds they perform in—stories that often turn out mediocre. But this one surprised me. In the original script, the heroine was doomed to a bizarre death. Here, however, you are left constantly wondering: will the story stick to the original or deviate? And if it changes, how? Can the characters’ efforts really alter fate?

All in all, this is a drama well worth watching. It is hilarious, entertaining, and addictive enough to make me binge-watch—and not many dramas can achieve that.

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Excellent isekai Satire, unexpected, humorous, and a truly great CL

PLOT: The ML, a star "diva" actor, and the FL, an unambitious actress, read the absurd script of the drama they're supposed to film (where the ML, initially a lover-husband, cheats on the FL, and ends up killing her). But the FL find herself immersed in the script. The FL, daughter of the Minister of War, was engaged to the ML2, and tries everything to correct the storyline, despite the rules imposed by the screenwriter.

+++ An excellent CL with Liu Yu Ning (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) always amazing (sings the opening song) & Li Yi Tong (even if her character's blind stubbornness is annoying during the drama's first half).
+++ A bunch of excellent and famous actors
+++ High-level production with a lot of budget: sets, costumes, CGI, fight scenes, ... Everything is perfect! The costumes are amazing, the designer did a great job!!
+++ Really great OSTs and sound effects
+++ Unpredictable storyline, with suspense maintained until the very end.

### The FL's attitude and behavior become unbearable (sticks to her initial prejudices, without reflection or progression)
### The ML2's absurd, pathetic obsession (both towards the FL, who rejects him, and in his revenge against the ML) :(

=> EXCELLENT, unexpected, humorous, and a truly great CL.
**************************************
Satyre d'ICK avec Liu Yu Ning & Li Yi Tong

PLOT: Le ML, acteur star "diva" et la FL, actrice "peu convaincue" lisent le script absurde du drama qu'ils doivent tourner (où le ML d'abord lover-mari, trompe la FL et finit par la tuer). Mais ils se retrouvent ts les 2 plongés dans le script. La FL, fille du Ministre de la Guerre était fiancée au ML2, tente tout pr corriger la storyline, malgré les règles imposées par le screenwriter.

+++ Un excellent CL avec Liu Yu Ning (ღ˘⌣˘ღ) always amazing (chante l'opening song) & Li Yi Tong (même si l'entêtement aveugle de son personnages, est agaçant).
+++ A bunch of excellent and famous actors
+++ High level production with a lot of budget : sets, costumes, CGI, fight scenes, ... ALL is perfect! The costumes are amazing, the designer did a great job !!
+++ Really great OSTs and sound effects
+++ Storyline imprévisible, avec un suspense ménagé jusqu'au bout.

### Attitude et comportement de la FL qui devient insupportable (s'en tient à ses préjugés initiaux, sans réflexion ni progression)
### Obsession du ML2 absurde, pathétique (tant envers la FL qui le rejette, que dans sa vengeance envers le ML) :(

=> EXCELLENT, inattendu, humoristique, and a really great CL.

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Highly enjoyable for the non traffic actors chasing fans

I think only fans that appreciate the backstory of LYN and got destroyed emotionally after watching the crash & burn of 2nd half of A Journey to Love will understand the comedy.

All the things that make this drama special on multiple levels:
1. Casting of ML / FL. They don't have insane chemistry but enough to make the drama work. I think it's special that they are playing characters that has some similar characteristics to rl.
LYN - been unfairly treated in the beginning years irl similar to NanHeng. Maybe that's why I felt more emotional depth to his acting in this specific role. Overall, his acting is improving.

LiYiTong - Beautiful, actress that can deliver in her acting, but never in the top of the traffic actress list. This is similar to her character in modern world. I am happy to see her in this quirky role vs something like Bloody Romance (where I became a fan of hers). I also love it when they incorporate dance scenes to showcase her abilities.

2. Perfect casting of all supporting characters. Rarely do I see perfect casting but this one everyone did their characters justice. Highlights:
2nd ML Wang You Shuo. Convincing from ultra good to totally bad.
Riley Wang, Chang Long, Wang Cheng Si, these all-seasoned supporting actors that consistently delivers in the comedy dept.

3. Script gives supporting characters personalities. There are so many enjoyable characters even the minor ones like the maid or the guard of the 8th prince.

4. OTP comedy. 1st episode I could not stop laughing with the 3-way stabbing and the music. All the comedy mocking drama tropes I found it super enjoyable. Of course, I think this requires the viewer to be a seasoned C-Drama fan. Also helps to be at a certain level of Chinese language competency as not all jokes can be translated properly. I am at about 70% so I am sure there are jokes I missed as well.

5. 3 different endings. Ending 1 completely mocks the crappy endings of many C drama which I totally loved because let's face it, I had too many "WTF ending was that" kinda moments.

6. "A dream within a Dream" Perfect title to explain the ending.

7. Music: Interesting and different music choices from classic LYN drama OSTs to RAP? Very fitting with this kind of comedy

Overall, this is a clever script that delivered on all levels.

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JUST WATCH THIS, IT'S REALLY GOOD!!!!

First of all, I’ve decided something—I’m done following reviews. From now on, I’m going to explore dramas on my own.
Let’s talk about the female lead. Yes, she can be a little annoying at times, but honestly, that didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. She’s imperfect, and that’s okay—it actually made her feel more real. And truthfully? This drama is miles better than those overhyped isekai stories we keep seeing everywhere.
I loved everything—from the music , to the way it’s filmed, to the overall production quality.
Every single person involved clearly gave it their all, and it shows. This drama isn’t just something you watch—it’s something you feel. SO JUST WATCH IT.

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Trust ,love and individuality

One of the best dramas if 2025. It can be watched again and again.
The things that WoW ed me are:
In the last episode the did justice to the title showing the FL Song XiaoYu where she enter the script world as Song Yimeng itself is a script for character Song Xiaoyu.
ML plays both the roles Nan heng and Li shilu to his 200%.
Li shilu falls for Yimeng only becoz she protects and trusts him.
Nan heng needed nothing but trust from his family and friends instead of treating him as God
One of the best twists where Chu Ghuhong the second ML turns evil,not the same old plot where second ML has to be good to FL and always be good.
Song Yiting also had different view for marriage and don't fall easily for men ,but when she found the man she liked she didn't give up and held onto him to successfully marry. Her aura , intellectual was on different level where she expressed her disinterest in arranged marriage evn if men of higher status were flocking to marry her .
Shaunguan He also had easy go attitude with shining eyes to capture with his handsome vibe.

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This was a very entertaining transmigration parody. It had an engaging set of characters, good chemistry between the leads, was self aware, poked fun at established tropes and even went so far as to challenge them. Things that would normally take me out of the show, such as when the screenwriter entered the body of one of the characters and sneered at his creation, since it's a world that ‘does not even have a Starbucks in it’...and when the FL defended it and said she loved the characters, he mocked her and told her to ‘go play with her Barbie dolls,’- got a good laugh from me.

A Strong, Charismatic Female Lead - I don’t condone any kind of abuse, whether it comes from the ML or the FL…but I can’t think of any scene where Yimeng's actions or anger towards Nan Heng was unreasonable or without justifiable context. It’s true that she relied too much on the script and that she (like many other characters) misjudged him. It’s also true that the script changes and that one doesn’t necessarily have to accept whatever fate is written for them. However, these things don’t change the fact that, in the first 5 episodes…Nan Heng tried to kill her four times. He shoots an arrow at her (and he’s a pretty good shot), tries to have her poisoned, tries to have her drowned, strangles her, has her tied up to a pole and brandishes weapons he plans to use on her, etc. If she wasn’t the FL and didn’t have that plot armor, she would’ve been killed. Surely, any sane person would take a certain amount of time to get over these things?

She had harsh words towards him, but there was always a context for it. If you knew someone hated you, but fell in love with the secret identity you had as a side line and you never told her it was you all along during all the times you spent together and she clung to you...and she had to find out - not from you as it should have been, wouldn't it only make sense for her to think you were playing with her feelings (even if that was not your intent) and were stringing her along? So, she was naturally heartbroken and gave him a tongue lashing.

Nan Heng also made it appear as if he had an affair with her sister at some point and although he had his own reasons for it, it just contributed to the negative image she already had of him.

In spite of all that, Yimeng saved him several times even before she began to trust him. There was a scene where he fights several assassins and she leaves at first, assuming he can make it out alive since he’s the ML…but she realizes he’s way too outnumbered, so she goes back to help, even if she doesn’t have any fighting abilities. She throws rocks at some of his attackers, grabs his hand and forces both of them to jump off a cliff. This is one instance where her reliance on the ’script’ actually saves them. The whole script thing is actually tricky, because while there are things that can be changed, there are also parts set in stone that can’t be avoided. It’s sometimes hard to predict which ones.

Yimeng also clears the name of his friend, Shanggun, thereby preventing him (Nan Heng) from being punished for taking a criminal in.

Vulnerable, Sympathetic Male Lead - There’s a bit of a role reversal here. Nan Heng is misjudged by nearly everyone as an evil male lead, but he’s actually a Cinderella man. He reminds me of the old heroines in classic Asian dramas…the ones who go through so much, with the whole world against them. When they finally get their happy ending you root for them, but they have to suffer for so long before reaching that point. What’s interesting is that both the male lead and female lead make mistakes, but I always understood why. Nan Heng trusted an uncle who actually turned out to be a criminal…but his blind spot makes sense, since this uncle was the only person who gave him any support. I even understood why he took Shanggun in and created the alter ego of Li Shiliu, where he could truly be himself without people judging him. He probably even tried to kill Yimeng in the beginning, because he thought she* and her family were out to kill him.

Despite being vulnerable, he is also very capable in that he is able to save Yimeng several times and even shows her how to play around with some of the ‘fixed plot points’ in the script. I like how both the ML and FL save each other here.

Evil SML - I normally hate it when one of the characters suddenly turns evil so that the main couple can get together. This was not the case. Chu Gui Hong's descent from seemingly good guy to evil male lead was developed in a believable way and I could already see from the beginning that his being very inflexible and prejudiced towards Nan Heng would be his downfall.

The Emperor - I’ve seen many a palace drama with an evil overlord, but the emperor here is probably the worst. His abuse of Nan Heng is bordering on psychopathic and what’s disturbing is that he actually blames a nine year old child for murdering his favorite empress (what child could come up with such a scheme?) and makes him suffer his whole life because of it. I didn’t buy his ’turning good’ in the end. IMHO, the writers should have left him bad, angry and bitter or just killed him off.

One other flaw that I did not like was that it takes the leads too long to get together, but the last ten episodes were worth the wait. Their relationship started out like that couple from The War of the Roses movie, but in the end, I believed it would work out. I imagine Yimeng being a bossy, shrewish sort of wife, with Nan Heng actually preferring it that way. Every other character also had an ending with closure.

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The best drama cast ive ever seen!

The story is new , I've watched dramas about time-traveling . But this story was something new , fresh and intriguing.
Some like you don't know what is gonna happen , you cant predict so it makes you keep watching.
The characters are impressive, ths line of the story and their actions genuinely was great.
After a long time i watched a drama that was holding me on my seat , not letting me resume watching. Not letting you feel bored or etc.
The cast, all actors were new to me ,which i haven't seen their act before .
They are all professional actors.
I really enjoyed watching their acts .
As a person who leaves the dramas even after watching 20 episodes (i don't care how much time I spend on a drama,whenever i feel it doesn't worth more time i leave it ) , i suggest this drama .

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