This review may contain spoilers
An intricate tale of rivalry, cunning deception and first love
I chose to watch this drama because I was preparing to write a reddit post about Han Yu Tong's revenge dramas.What I liked:
1. FL characterisation - Shen Ming Xia was smart and scheming. Her revenge plan was carefully crafted so don't mess with her.
2. Acting - Good performances by the actresses who played the Queen and two concubines. While I liked Han Yu Tong's overall performance in this drama, at times I found her facial expressions too "hard" so I wasn't sure whether Shen Ming Xia was scheming or really being kind/genuine.
3. Supporting characters - I must say that antagonists were a delight to watch and hate. I also liked the servants who were kind to Shen Ming Xia.
4. Romance - I liked scenes of Shen Ming Xia's first love more than scenes of her blossoming romance with the emperor.
What I disliked:
1. Length - With a running time of 4 hours 7 minutes, it feels like watching a condensed version of Chinese period drama. I prefer modern drama and with bad subtitles, I struggled with this drama during the second act. However once moved into third act, I became invested in the story again.
2. Romance - Slow burn romance but only a few scenes. I would have liked if the romance between Shen Ming Xia and the Emperor was given more screentime. I want good, real kisses too.
3. Nails - Gosh I couldn't stand Han Yu Tong's long manicured nails. They felt out of place in this drama.
Favourite scene
When Shen Ming Xia saved a wounded soldier
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