Rebirth

Viewers need a Rebirth after watching this drama . hahaha good line from viewer.

I had no knowledge of PA but watched it last week due to criticism from Netz & Fans.

PA is mostly Green Screen, sometimes hilarious like that stupid colored bird; what was it, a toddler anime bird?

I understand Rebirth 2026 much better now.

First of all, I thought the actors in Rebirth were outstanding in their acting.
That must be said.
The two MLs were great and even FL did a good job.
I also didn't understand many things in PA.

I thought a Prince had been killed with his three henchmen, but in the next episode he was suddenly alive.

Green Screen acting was annoying in PA.
No money?

Rebirth visuals were magnificent; the stupid colored bird became an Eagle in Rebirth.
Rebirth takes a strange turn starting from ep 11, when he is overwhelmed by grief and heartbreak and hallucinates
By Aphrodisiac? in the wine?

The tottaly besotted Yan Xun sees Chu in the hallucination .

Yan Chun sleeps with the wrong woman; from that moment on, things go downhill. I find FL selfish; one decision after another, she has to be saved every time. Either Yan Xun comes to save her or Zhuge Le.

I understand where Yan Xun's anger and resentment come from.

His revenge and bitterness take over his life.

He goes from insane love for FL to intense hatred towards everyone who stands in his way of achieving his goal.
However, if FL had married him and had children with him, he would have calmed down to accommodate her.

But ZY always had to intervene.
If you watched PA, ZH was no sweetheart, saying "she is merely a slave"; he tried to kill her a few times.
ZY went from bad and cold to softer.

But Yan Xun doesn't get this chance.

After captivity, 16 family members murdered.
Mother commits suicide.
His Clan wiped out.
There is no understanding for Yan Xun; that is incomprehensible.

Rebirth would not have been written any better. After the drama, I really had a sleepless night.

The actors did a great job in my eyes.

But the writers need to go home!

And write a $2 novel.

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The villains in Rebirth are one of the drama’s greatest strengths—and honestly, one of the reasons the entire story feels so powerful and unforgettable.
What makes them stand out is how they are written not just as antagonists, but as forces of the world itself. They feel like an enormous mountain standing in the path of the main characters—unyielding, suffocating, and almost impossible to overcome. Every cruel decision, every ruthless action they take reinforces how deeply broken and oppressive this world is. Their presence is not just to create conflict, but to constantly remind us what kind of reality the characters are trapped in.
Yes, they do horrible, disturbing, even insane things—and their endings are often just as brutal and painful. But unlike typical “crazy villains,” their darkness doesn’t feel shallow or exaggerated for shock value. The drama takes time to show the roots of their cruelty—the trauma, pressure, and harsh life circumstances that shaped them. You begin to see that they are not born monsters; they are made by the same violent system that continues to produce more people like them. That makes them far more chilling, because they feel real and inevitable.
Compared to more one-dimensional portrayals like the unstable royals in Pursuit of Jade or The Double, where madness often defines the character, Rebirth gives its villains depth and purpose. They are not just unpredictable—they are understandable, even when they are terrifying. And that difference elevates the entire narrative.
More importantly, these villains are deeply tied to the drama’s core theme. They are the embodiment of everything the protagonists are fighting against—slavery, oppression, endless war, and a cycle of fear and suffering. Their existence directly contrasts the dreams of the FL and ML, who long to build a world of freedom, peace, and dignity. This creates a powerful thematic tension: darkness versus light, despair versus hope.
Because the villains are so well-crafted, the heroes shine even brighter. Every step the main characters take toward change feels hard-earned, because they are not just fighting individuals—they are challenging an entire system that has been normalized for generations.
In the end, the villains in Rebirth are not just memorable—they are essential. They give weight to the story, depth to the conflict, and meaning to the heroes’ journey. Without them, the drama wouldn’t feel as intense, as emotional, or as impactful.

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Why Do They Keep Fcking Up a Great Story?

Fished out of the frozen water by Yanxun after the ice lake siege, Chu Qiao found herself confused of her own identity and past, not having remembered any after months of being comatose. As Yanxun fed her more and more of their past accounts, deliberately leaving out those he didnt want her to remember, she realized things had started to come back and that Yanxun had meant a lot to her. But she also realized they were not meant to be together, partly because she knew something was not right as the ice lake nightmares she had at nights keep haunting her, and partly because all the tribes in Yanbei do not approve of their king marrying a slave from a rival kingdom. Determined to escape Yanbei, she staged her death on their wedding day and narrowly escape Yanxun’s pursuit, only to find herself being rescued yet again by the one she used to hate, the one who had given his life for her, the supposedly dead Great Yong’s general and strategist, Zhuge Yue. His return did not mark the end of their journey as he was forced to push her away again due to the predicament he was currently in, and decided to set her free into Li Ce’s arm. Will they find their way back to each other again?

First off, the editting of this show is kind of choppy with scenes jumping from one to another without much backtrack that might leave viewers who are not familiar with Princess Agent or the original novel confused. Like the deep relationship between Da Tong Guild and Yanxun and Chu Qiao. One who have watched Princess Agent or read the novel wouldve known Da Tong played a major role in Yanxun’s escape from Zhenhuang capital city and his rise to power in Yanbei. They went waaaaay back with Zhong Yu. But in Rebirth, Zhong Yu just appeared out of nowhere and Chu Qiao risked her neck and limbs just to rescue her. And how the heck did Zhuge Yue always appear just in time to rescue Chu Qiao regardless her location? Did he teleport or something? The last 10 episodes was a real mess, don’t even let me start on that faceless god cult that came out of nowhere that somehow became the drive to the second half of the plot 🫩🙄

That aside, I totally love Li Yunrui as Zhuge Yue. Although the novel’s Zhuge Yue was so much more arrogant and never lost his cool and pride even when he was around Chu Qiao trying to win her heart, I actually liked the milder Zhuge Yue of the adaptation’s, someone who is not afraid to show his emotion and feelings, especially jealousy. Fighting-wise it has always been no doubt Li Yunrui was good at this based on his performance in Blossom. His action scenes definitely did not disappoint. And the comeback of Zhuge Yue’s ice arrows is an absolute joy for me. I thought they’ve forgotten Zhuge Yue’s iconic weapon. I had always felt sorry for the novel’s Zhuge Yue, he had always been making concessions in favour of Chu Qiao despite his prideful nature, but Chu Qiao always overlooks this until the ice lake arc. And to see it materialize in Rebirth made me feel sorry for this character even more. His journey to secure the survival of the love of his life was too ardous and he literally died for it, TWICE! My complain for this character is why would they mostly clad him in scholar’s robe? Novel Zhuge Yue was supposed to be a feared general, the best leader among the best that the kingdom ever produced, how did he became nothing more than a simple scholarlike strategist here? 🤯🤔

Huangyang Tiantian’s Chu Qiao is rather borderline though. The problem isnt with the actress but the role itself. Characteristically, Chu Qiao is very prideful and rough, willing to go all out with tooth and nails in acomplishing her missions and vision. On the surface, her ideals of the perfect world didnt align with the ancient world because her character in the novel had come from the future. This was not so in the adaptation (she was not a transmigrator/time traveler in the adaptation), so while I find her dream of abolishment of slavery understandable, the equal rights idea is rather out of place. It sounded like it just came out of nowhere, until half of the show where it originated, but even then the explanation seemed half-assed.

I love the fact that Chu Qiao finally fell for for Zhuge Yue here, i was all over the moon for this after all the rumours circulating last year that there wont be any romance between them. Maybe the “romance” they refered to was french-kissing and spicy bed scenes that I see prevalent in most cdrama nowadays? Cuz there is definitely none involving Chu Qiao, which is fine by me. I am more for mature romance where you dont need the couple to be frolicking and feeling each other up whenever they meet. Chu Qiao hugging Zhuge Yue is enough, they look perfect for each other. I do want to complain about this character though. She was written to constantly be damsel in distress despite all those outstanding martial skill she’s supposed to possess. Why screenwriter, why? Novel’s Chu Qiao never needed so much saving, only two occasions did Zhuge Yue come for her, which was during the siege of Longyin Pass when she first fled Yanbei, and the retaking of Tang’s palace from Tang’s rebel princes, and in both times it had been Yanxun who was sieging her leaving an absolute no way out. Other than that she could win any battle on her own. Why oh why did they have to power her down so much? Her feats were so epic in the novel, what she went through really puts forth how she earned the famed title of Xiuli General and revered across the realm, but all I see here is a woman who thought she was all tough but fell short each time. Worst part is they not only watered down her capability, they also did the same with Zhuge Yue! WTH, man?

Actors for Yanxun and Li Ce performed with flying colours, although I still liked Shawn Dou’s Yanxun more as his was closer to the novel’s Yanxun than Rebirth’s. In this one, Yanxun is too lovestruck and obsessed with Chu Qiao, a total contrast to the original novel’s Yanxun who had let go of this fixation and focussed on accumulating power after Chu Qiao fled to Biantang, cutting all ties from him. The novel’s Yanxun had always had his ambition placed before Chu Qiao, which was why he tried to bench her in Princess Agent, so that she wouldnt get in his way and instead sit quietly as his queen in his castle because her ideals would put a stop to his advacement to conquer the Central Plains. When he realized Chu Qiao would not budge, that was when he let her go. This, however, was not the case with Rebirth’s Yanxun. This Yanxun keeps getting hung up over his lost love and blames everyone for it. Pure narcisstic dude.

It took quite a while for me to accept this new Li Ce, because Deng Lun’s Xiao Ce had been so accurate to the novel. Although this Li Ce had not been as ostentatious and flamboyant as Deng Lun’s portrayal in Princess Agent, and not as goofy, this Li Ce kind of grow into you as he appears more and more. I especially liked his banter with the usually cold Zhuge Yue, and without realizing it my lips would curve into a smile at their scenes. The love-hate relationship was evident, and very much amusing.

I used to hate Li Qin’s Chun Er in Princess Agent, she had always been a spoilt brat whom later went rabid, but somehow I loved Xia Meng’s Chun Er. For one, she resembled Li Qin quite a lot hence it was easy to see Chun Er as she used to be in Princess Agent. And Xia Meng’s portrayal of ChunEr is so on point, with her expressions of obsession and vengeance went on full blown. Being a toppled, disgraced princess that she is, she had nothing to drive her life other than the fire of grudge smoldering her heart, and Xia Meng did extremely well in playing the twisted and broken Chun Er.

Really in love with the hair in this show. Everyone had unique, luscious hair: the wavy one on Zhuge Yue, the long, shiny one on Chu Qiao, the full and curly one on Queen of Lingyue, the frizzy one on Yanxun. I love it that they did not put on elaborate hairstyles like most period drama, and they actually let the hair down when they’re sleeping, which is realistic! You dont sleep with your hair still up complete with dangling ornaments, logically one can barely move the head lying down with those heavy trinkets and hairdo weighing down the head without messing them up, but somehow these characters with elaborate hairdo and hairpieces always wake up with perfect hair despite the whole night sleeping in them. And funnily most productions tend to overlook this, maybe to save time on prep time 🤷🏻‍♀️

And I like that they don’t portray everyone to look flawlessly beautiful too! General Huan of the Snowy Tribe had smudged face with faint scar and patchy skin as a seasoned fighter of war, Cheng Yuan had a big ass scar across his face from battle injury, Yan Xun had tanned skin due to decade-long exposure to hard life from his house arrest and bitter cold of Yanbei, Zhuge Yue had blistered lips from frostbite, Chu Qiao’s face wasnt always smooth and fair, Queen of Lingyue had tanned, uneven skin tone and freckles, and Chun-er and Concubine Hu had the most realistic slap bruise on their cheeks. And did you see Chu Qiao’s burnt feet during her flashbacks? That is the most realistic burn injury I’ve ever seen on cdrama! I am really impressed to see battle-hardened face of the Yanbei people, the skin looked very tanned and rough, seemed like flawless makeup is nonexistent in this show, to which I applaud. Best part is even though Queen of Lingyue looks really rough and tanned, i find that she was the most beautiful among all the female characters, especially with her majestic hair. And to see the flashback of her old self in much fairer skintone and smooth face as the reigning queen of Lingyue before they were conquered by King Ximeng and thrown into a war was even more breathtaking. She is truly a beauty. I truly commend the make up department for making the characters look as real as possible. Most importantly they did not try hard to make the mainleads look flawless and beautiful all throughout the show like most idol drama.

I think my starting on this title with a considerable low expectation contributed to my surprise that it didnt tanked too much and this of course affected my ratings. I actually quite enjoy the show despite it being a full on deviation from my favourite novel. This adaptation is less gloomy than the dark novel, and most importantly my favourite supporting characters had slightly better endings than the novel. I mean, at least Li Ce was not killed by his own mother and Huan Huan was not hunted down and brutally killed by her trusted cousin cum brother, Yanxun! Man i had always felt so sorry for the novel’s Li Ce and Huan Huan’s tragic ending each time i read that part (mind you I read the novel 5 times!). I mean, since both adaptations (princess agent and rebirth) fcked up the plot of the novel, I don’t even know which is worse. I was seriously thinking of rating Rebirth 8.5 until i came upon the last 10 episodes. So I decided it’s a tie with the also fcked up Princess Agent. For me the overall plot is mainly acceptable except for the last 10 episodes that got really fcked up and failed to make sense.

For an avid Princess Agent fan, this might be worthwhile since our main couple had the same ending as the novel. We finally get to have the proper closure. But for somebody who just came to know the show without prior experience of the prequel or the novel, this will most likely become a disaster. Proceed with caution.

SPOILER BEYOND THIS LINE!!!







Honestly i really wanna strangle the screenwriter for the lousy last 10 episode. Wth would they waste screentime with Helian-ChengYuan nonsense? 😒🙄 is it so hard to just follow the novel’s plot which is more sound and logical than this one they cooked up? Not only did they turn the plot to downgrade the ML Zhuge Yue into someone so helpless and weak, they also decided to turn Yanxun into a less power hungry monster and became a crybaby who’s so hung up over his love for Chu Qiao. And how the heck did Zhuge Yue survive his double poison that was supposed to kill him and Chu Qiao’s stab straight into his lungs? Not only did he survive those, he also managed to come to Chu Qiao’s rescue against the Quanrong, with a clean white robe that only got splashed with blood while he was charging towards Chu Qiao in the last 50 meters. I was like, what the haillll is going on here? I actually thought Zhuge Yue was Chu Qiao’s imagination before her death, like the rest of the characters who keep imagining their loved ones coming for them before dying. OMG make it make sense!

Despite all the plot chaos, they did decide to have an ending just like the novel, where our main couple lived happily ever after while Yanxun was left alone to lament in his old age without the love of his life. I think the songs, cast acting and the alternate ending was a real saving grace - of how beautiful the lives of each couple couldve been had they took a different choice. Yanxun never releasing the arrow in ice lake, Zhao Che agreeing to go with General Huan and leave the mess he made behind, and Helian Ling agreeing to elope with Cheng Yuan.

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It honestly is not that bad at all. In fact, one of the strongest points of this drama is the acting. I was actually impressed by how well the cast performed, especially considering their young age. The emotions, expressions, and delivery of the characters felt natural and convincing, which made it easy to become attached to the story and the characters themselves.
What surprised me the most was that some of the performances felt even better and more memorable than those from overly hyped actors in other dramas. The cast here did not rely only on visuals or popularity — they truly brought their characters to life with genuine emotion and strong screen presence. Whether it was the emotional scenes, action moments, or quiet interactions, the actors were able to make viewers feel connected to what their characters were experiencing.
Lin Yunrui especially stood out because he portrayed Zhuge Yue with so much depth and charisma. Even subtle expressions carried emotion, and his performance made the character feel layered and realistic. The same goes for Chu Qiao, whose strength, determination, and emotional moments were portrayed very well. Their chemistry and acting together made many scenes impactful and enjoyable to watch.
Another thing that made this drama even more beautiful was the OST. The soundtrack perfectly matched the emotions and atmosphere of the story, making many scenes feel deeper and more unforgettable. Chasing the Wind by Liu Yuning was especially emotional and powerful to listen to. It carried the longing, pain, and strength of the characters so beautifully that every time it played, it made the scenes feel more touching.
I also loved Rebirth by Curley Gao because it perfectly reflected the drama’s emotional journey and themes of growth, sacrifice, and hope. The song felt inspiring yet emotional at the same time.
Flowers Drift Away by Yan An was soft, beautiful, and emotional, adding even more feeling to the heartbreaking and sentimental moments of the drama. Meanwhile, Journey Alone by Hu Xia gave such a melancholic and emotional atmosphere that stayed in the heart long after listening.
Overall, the drama became even more memorable because of the combination of strong acting, emotional storytelling, beautiful chemistry, exciting martial arts scenes, and an absolutely amazing OST lineup. The music truly gave life to the emotions of the story, making the entire viewing experience feel even more beautiful and unforgettable.

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Enjoyable

I’m a big Princess Agent fan like many and I was so excited Part II is finally out. I was discouraged to see the poor reviews and I normally would skip on dramas that are not well liked. However, no way was I passing up the opportunity to see one of my favorite characters onscreen again. After I finished the drama, I feel this drama was so unfairly reviewed. I cried for weeks after the end of PA and even though this one did not hit me the way PA did, I have to say I enjoyed it. It could be because some people had too high an expectation of the sequel and I had low expectation due to prior reviews? Zhuge Yue was warmer, softer, though Chu Zhao was strong but not as lovable. The story line, especially the ending was meh but I was dedicated to their journey. The ending could have been done better, the FL could have been a stronger actress who stepped up during the intense emotional scenes but despite it’s lacking, I would still recommend this drama to Princess Agent fans.

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I really enjoyed this drama. All the man characters were perfect, and the two leads, played by Li Yun Rui and Zhang Kang Le, were masterful. They really knew how to play with emotions. Both are excellent horsemen. :)
I was deeply impressed by the transformations in Li Yun Rui's character. He completely changed his behavior, temperament, and mannerisms in each of his appearances.
I don't quite understand the complaints about the latter's age Zhang Kang Le, as there's about a four-year age difference between them.
It's worse with the FL character – it's a bit embarrassing when a teenager pretends to be 20. It doesn't bother me as much the other way around.
The direction and production design are fantastic.
The film is very engaging, the action is great, but unfortunately, the script looks like it was written by a frustrated teenager girlwith a sadistic streak, so the character portrayals are quite questionable. I really feel that all the women in this film are immature creatures, nasty and unforgiving at that. The male characters aren't treated much better either. The actors did their best, but there's nothing magical about this script. However, compared to Princess Agents, it's less boring and drawn-out. and it doesn't look like it was made in the 90s. Technically it's spectacular.

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I went in thinking its an independent story and only found out its a sequel almost half way through. Never watched Princess agent nor have I read the book. The start was really rough but I pushed through because the visuals look absolutely stunning. You can see they had a vision before going in. The story takes place in 4 different countries and each have a different aesthetic unique to them. The settings, the outfits and the stylings are gorgeous.
The snowy mountains, the horsemanship, the palaces, the muted orange and jewel green dresses on yenbei people, the brutalist style jewelry etc. All looked amazing.
As a whole the striking visuals is something to die for. I wish I could put it all into words but unfortunately Im not that great in describing imagery. The only thing I didnt like production wise was that it had too many close up shots where actors were looking straight into the camera. That was weird. But outside of that, loved everything else.

The script just sucks. Most of the time you're going to see main leads in the middle of the chaos, eighter fighting or operating a mission without seeing them actually sit and plan for it. Like what was the thought process? Why we always have something to do? It doesnt help that you never see them move to places. You just see them while they arrived. It almost feels like chu qiao and juge yue are teleporting ten times per episode. One minute in biantang, next in ximeng, next in some jungle. The pacing is really weird. The story just keeps jumping rather than flowing.

Chu qiao is a stubborn perpetual damsel in distress. She ALWAYS act alone all while making stupid and dangerous decisions that almost get her killed like a hundred times. Her only redeeming quality is the fact that 3 powerful man are in love with her and do everything in their power to keep her alive despite her best efforts. And how do these man always manage to find her at the right moment? what tracking device are they using?
At some point I accepted she is an idiot with no common sense or strategic mind but I hoped she can find it in herself to develop some surviving skills.
She is also emotionally stunned. When it comes to romance she get to the point years after everyone else got there. Its hard to watch her struggling to understand her own feelings because girl.. we have more important things to do. You're a general. People depend on you for fuck sake. Her "romance" line with all 3 man is horrible. I dont have the energy to go into it but all 3 pairing were toxic just in different directions. May love like these never find me or my loved ones
She is never believable as a general or a lover because 1. The script doesnt act like it 2. The actress playing her was 17 at the time and very obviously so. Im not blaming her or considering her acting ability. She is simply a miscast that never had any chance to work.

Juge yue is an elusive character with an unwavering devotion to chu qiao. Both qualities get annoying real quick. He is so mysterious that you dont know what the hell this guy is even about outside of his love for A chu and trying to survive. More than half of the story gone and we come to know he also dreams of a free world just like chu qiao only because supporting characters talk about it. Oh really? How convenient. because thats not what I saw from him till now and we are well into the story. His endeavors are mostly not related to this supposed dream of his. His devotion to A chu annoyed me too. He was putting in his 100 and 101s while chu qioa would give an occasional 20 if she felt like it.
These two were so boring for me that I couldn't care any less about their part of the story whatsoever.


Yan xun was the reason I kept watching. His past is so heart wrenching. His spiraling into madness was fascinating. He might be obsessed, morally corrupt and unpredictable but you cant help but to root for him. He is unhinged in a delicious way. Then you come to find out that many of characters future depends on him getting a redemption arc. People such as Helian, Ye chen, general Huan Huan etc. All of which were far more engaging than the main leads in my opinion. I loved the chaotic insanity Yan xun brought to my screen but I wish he pulled his head out of his ass sooner. Like a 2 or 3 episodes sooner. I shiped Yan xun and Helian REAL HARD. my manipulative unhinged loves could've done so much if they fell with each other considering that they had the same goals in life, but the story went a different direction I wasn't really a fan of.

The ending wasn't the best. Wasn't the worst either. In one hand Im happy that yan xun got his head out of his ass. Long live yen bei people and all. Loved that bittersweet wedding scene for yan xun and helian. It was beautifully shot.
On the other hand war is inevitable and while Its nice to see everyone let go of their resentments to unite against one big evil, its terrible seeing almost everyone in the cast die. Who pissed of the writers? Also hated those hallucination scenes. We didnt need a few different endings for Juge yue and Chu qiao. Why not show helian?? The woman needed some appreciation in my opinion. She saved the country and lost 2 most important people in her life for it but she is not in the ending scenes? Did they have a kid or nah? Who is yen bei crown prince?

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War Wuxia, actually not Romance

If you like real Wuxia and war politics you will like this
Ignore the bad reviews from people who
1) compare with season 1
2) compare with the book
3) compare with the previous casts
DON'T COMPARE. Be professional and non bias in your reviews, this is a drama and a new story in it's OWN RIGHT

However, despite the good story and acting, Chinese drama needs to shorten,it gets boring

Needs to simplify, people come for entertainment not to learn exam and memorisuze names

Chinese producers and directors need to stop trying too hard to make everything arty, like slow motion aerial views with wind blowing and poetry in every scene -,hello! GET ON WITH IT
All the cast are very good looking,both boys and girls, and acted very well

So in summary there's a lot of positive in terms of good story and good acting. Worth watching if you like Wuxia

If you are looking for fast shallow romance then this is not for you

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A little rant about this drama

The drama is visually so well-made, actually no, I think well-made is an understatement, it's wonderfully crafted, from the real locations, to the beautiful costumes and the cinematic shots, I was literally in awe from episode one.
And I have no problem with most of the cast, I see some people complain about Zhang Kangle as Yan Xun, honestly his acting isn't even bad, I have seen so, so much worse in cdramaland that has made me wanna bash my head into a wall. His acting is good and he exudes the dangerous aura I believe a character with a tragic backstory like Yan Xun should have, I mean I found him literally mesmerizing in some scenes, which is not something I could've said about his performance in Legend of the female general- I found his character utterly forgettable there. Li Yunrui is a favorite of mine, I'd be watching even the dumbest of productions if he's in it, just looking at his face is enough tbh, the plot doesn't need to make sense at all 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. Here though, it's obvious from the first moment we see him on screen that he's been preparing to give a solid performance as Zhuge Yue, he's understood the core of his character well and he doesn't mess around. Every time he's on screen the drama gets a new dimension, it feels like a serious piece and not just an idol drama. The same could be said for 90% of the cast.

Buuuut

Huangyang Tian Tian as Chu Qiao just doesn't work.

No matter how hard I tried to like her as her character, she just doesn't match the expertise, the experience and the maturity that playing Chu Qiao requires. I mean here we have a female general who's been through hell and back, experiences which furnish her with enough material to do her job right and earn her merits. And they're trying to sell me all of this by casting an actress with a baby face and acting chops of a student in a school production of some famous play. I'm supposed to believe what other characters are saying about her, that she's formidable and fierce, even though every time she's on screen she just doesn't deliver. I've seen this being done with 80% of male leads who are supposed to be generals in dramas and it's annoying and honestly so overdone to the point I wanna break something when it happens again. If you have a role of a fearless and scary general you find an actor who looks and acts the part, don't cast a kpop idol for God's sake!!!!!!!
I nearly laughed when I saw her dressed in those massive fur coats in newer episodes, standing next to Yunrui and other characters she looks like a literal baby, not someone who's commanded an army let's be real here people come on! The fact that she was still a minor when she made this also affects the production quality in the largest. There's a lot of longing, passion, some visceral emotions between Chu Qiao and Zhuge Yue and Yan Xun as well that they had to obviously tone down solely because she was underage and because the age difference between her and the two actors just doesn't allow the existence of intimate scenes. Now I know this isn't a romance drama, but the love between Zhuge Yue and Chu Qiao, as well as Yan Xun's unhealthy obsession with her are a driving force and if it isn't properly delivered on screen , then the whole thing falls apart. Which is what is happening right now. I find most of her scenes with her male co-stars downright awkward and hard to watch, every time Yunrui lifts her in his arms they look like siblings, like real siblings, not the cdrama equivalent 🤣🤣🤣 And for all they've held back with her character, they're trying to fix by adding more intimate scenes for the side characters which comes off as uneven and unbalanced tbh.
And I am extremely disappointed because I was looking forward to this drama and I tried to like it and I do like it for the most part until she shows up on screen. I have nothing against the actress, but it's clear as a day she's ventured into something she's too young to understand and properly express.
Moments that I absolutely loved (these are some that I can remember right now): Zhuge Yue obliterating people dressed as the fake king of Ximeng- so hot 🥵
The scene where Yan Xun is being revived in the middle of an icy desert with ravens swarming him, and then he just opens his eyes, springs to his feet half-naked, while the black fur and his long hair sway in the wind? *CHEF'S KISS* LOVED IT!
Oh and crazy drunk princess reciting her sob story while drinking more wine, surrounded by paintings of a half-naked Yan Xun. GIRL SAAAMEEEEEE 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

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