This review may contain spoilers
I fell for the plot faster than Wei Shao folded for Man Man
Wei Shao barks more than he chews, and let’s be honest — he lives for the drama. From the second he laid eyes on Man Man, he was done. Like, done-done. Sure, he kept mumbling about sending her home, but his soul had already packed up and moved in with her. That man folded faster than an origami swan.
The show did a good job in giving the historical context. You could see he was completely bewitched by her, yet despite the evident attraction, he married her reluctantly, carrying grief, resentment, and about a decade’s worth of emotional repression.
Her beauty may have caught him, but what kept him was everything else — her wit, her love for the people, her strategic mind, the way she saw him when everyone else just needed him. Somewhere along the way, she became his safe place. She was the only person who didn’t drain him. She gave, too. So seeing him pretend not to be absolutely over the moon for every one of her attention, just to be caught red-handed in front of the mirror trying on the things she made for him... Sir. Please. You’re not fooling anyone.
He fell first, but she fell harder. Watching Man Man trying — softly, cleverly, and very strategically — to close that distance between them, while he remained blissfully unaware, was comedy gold. She was dropping hints, putting in real effort, and he was just standing there clueless. I was like ‘Sir? Read the room???’
What makes them work is their tacit understanding. Their non verbal communication is second to none. Qiao Man doesn’t just love him — she understands him. Knows when to hold back, when to act, when to push. And Wei Shao? For all his stubbornness, will stand up for her in a room full of knives.
Also, shoutout to the writers for not diluting her agency the second she got married. From day one, she was offering real solutions, negotiating for Yangzhou and playing the political game like she’d been doing it all her life.
And the chemistry? Even when they’re at odds, you can feel the tension simmering under every line. It’s sweet, it’s funny, it’s occasionally unhinged—and it works.
Oh—and their attendants? Agents of chaos. Meddling, noisy, hilarious. Every one of them is a supporting character worth their own spinoff.
Now, I have to scream about Liu Duan Duan as Wei Yan, Wei Shao’s cousin. My beloved second prince from Joy of Life is back, and he is acting with so much panache, it’s actually illegal. Every time he’s on screen, I’m either cracking up, side-eyeing everyone else, or just thrilled. He plays it with such flair — sharp, layered, funny without ever being cartoonish. He’s that last dash of spice that turns a great drama into a masterpiece. I’m obsessed. More of him in everything, please.
However, what's a complete miss is the duo of A’Fan and Bi Zhi. The second they show up, the energy in the room just evaporates. Like—who told the writers this subplot was giving?They walk in, and I’m suddenly hit with an overwhelming urge to do chores I’ve been putting off for weeks. Fold laundry. Stare into space. Literally anything else. It’s not even dislike — it’s that specific kind of boredom where you know you’re supposed to care, but your brain is just buffering like, “No thanks, I’ll pass.”
The show did a good job in giving the historical context. You could see he was completely bewitched by her, yet despite the evident attraction, he married her reluctantly, carrying grief, resentment, and about a decade’s worth of emotional repression.
Her beauty may have caught him, but what kept him was everything else — her wit, her love for the people, her strategic mind, the way she saw him when everyone else just needed him. Somewhere along the way, she became his safe place. She was the only person who didn’t drain him. She gave, too. So seeing him pretend not to be absolutely over the moon for every one of her attention, just to be caught red-handed in front of the mirror trying on the things she made for him... Sir. Please. You’re not fooling anyone.
He fell first, but she fell harder. Watching Man Man trying — softly, cleverly, and very strategically — to close that distance between them, while he remained blissfully unaware, was comedy gold. She was dropping hints, putting in real effort, and he was just standing there clueless. I was like ‘Sir? Read the room???’
What makes them work is their tacit understanding. Their non verbal communication is second to none. Qiao Man doesn’t just love him — she understands him. Knows when to hold back, when to act, when to push. And Wei Shao? For all his stubbornness, will stand up for her in a room full of knives.
Also, shoutout to the writers for not diluting her agency the second she got married. From day one, she was offering real solutions, negotiating for Yangzhou and playing the political game like she’d been doing it all her life.
And the chemistry? Even when they’re at odds, you can feel the tension simmering under every line. It’s sweet, it’s funny, it’s occasionally unhinged—and it works.
Oh—and their attendants? Agents of chaos. Meddling, noisy, hilarious. Every one of them is a supporting character worth their own spinoff.
Now, I have to scream about Liu Duan Duan as Wei Yan, Wei Shao’s cousin. My beloved second prince from Joy of Life is back, and he is acting with so much panache, it’s actually illegal. Every time he’s on screen, I’m either cracking up, side-eyeing everyone else, or just thrilled. He plays it with such flair — sharp, layered, funny without ever being cartoonish. He’s that last dash of spice that turns a great drama into a masterpiece. I’m obsessed. More of him in everything, please.
However, what's a complete miss is the duo of A’Fan and Bi Zhi. The second they show up, the energy in the room just evaporates. Like—who told the writers this subplot was giving?They walk in, and I’m suddenly hit with an overwhelming urge to do chores I’ve been putting off for weeks. Fold laundry. Stare into space. Literally anything else. It’s not even dislike — it’s that specific kind of boredom where you know you’re supposed to care, but your brain is just buffering like, “No thanks, I’ll pass.”
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