This review may contain spoilers
Chaotic, Flawed, but Absolutely Addictive
* The GoodLet’s get this straight: this drama is amazing.
The visuals, the performances, the chemistry between the leads—everything blew me away, except the story. The acting was so good that I honestly ignored most of the plot holes and inconsistencies. Even with weak character development, the leads managed to pull off something incredible. They made a flawed story work—and I still don’t know how, but they did.
Liu Xueyi and Wu Jinyan's chemistry is pure gold. They carried the show on their backs, and I could genuinely watch them together forever.
* The Bad
Unfortunately, the story is wildly inconsistent.
There are so many pacing issues, rushed emotional beats, and character contradictions that if you’re someone who gets easily annoyed by poor writing—you might suffer. But if you can space out during the stupid parts, this drama is highly enjoyable.
* Character Deep Dive
~ Murong JingHe
The most polarizing character.
He’s introduced as a ruthless, cruel madman—a black-bellied schemer with a bloody past, clearly designed to echo his novel counterpart. But the drama quickly shifts gears and instead gives us a lax, pleasure-seeking prince who charms the emperor and keeps his enemies off guard.
It feels like the writers watered him down to avoid the novel’s darker tones, which left a ton of character gaps. Still, I appreciated his added backstory because it made his playful personality digestible later on. Just don’t expect him to be the novel’s Murong JingHe. This is a different man entirely.
~ Mei Lin
I loved her. She’s miles better than her novel version.
That scene where she staged her fake death—chef’s kiss. She would rather die than let others be sacrificed or used because of her. It was phenomenal and really showed her strength and selflessness.
People complain the male lead constantly puts her in danger, but I don’t see it that way. She’s an assassin. She’s always been aware of the risks and chooses to protect him and the others. She’s no damsel in distress.
My only gripe?
She folded for JingHe way too quickly. By episode 5 or 6, she already trusted him like he was a saint. It felt so rushed, like her brain just skipped the whole “maybe I should be suspicious” phase.
~ General Yin
I screamed and begged for her to finally see the Crown Prince. His love for her was so pure and heartbreaking. When the moment finally came?
Terrible execution.
Instead of a satisfying payoff, we got a lazy confession that she had been reciprocating his feelings for a long time. It made me feel like I had missed entire chunks of emotional development. I wanted to celebrate their moment, but instead, I was just frustrated.
That said, I loved General Yin as a character. She’s strong, loyal, and emotionally grounded—just let down by bad writing.
~ The Crown Prince
The most consistent character in the entire show.
Ironically, he feels more like Murong JingHe than JingHe himself. His ten years of love/obsession, his ambition for the throne—he’s the real black-bellied mastermind here.
The actor nailed it. Flawless performance. No notes.
~ Yue Qin (Prince Heir)
I have nothing more to say except that he’s a stupid dumb b*tch who should have just stayed in his lane.
He’s actually smart—on paper—but his actions are the worst. Not because he’s evil, but because he’s so incredibly shortsighted. He’s the perfect example of this saying:
“Stupid people are dangerous because their lack of awareness leads them to act on their own false assumptions.”
I lost count of how many times I screamed into pillows because of his reckless decisions. But weirdly, I still found him likable, and I genuinely felt bad when his original attendant died.
Final Verdict
Is this a great drama? Yes.
Is it a well-written drama? Absolutely not.
Somewhere along the way, the revenge story lost its edge and morphed into a tale of romance and emotional growth. The character progression is often rushed or inconsistent, but somehow, the actors made it work.
Would I rewatch it?
In a heartbeat.
I will never get tired of seeing Liu Xueyi and Wu Jinyan together. Their chemistry is addictive.
tldr;
Pros:
✅ Amazing chemistry
✅ Strong performances
Cons:
❌ Inconsistent story
❌ Rushed emotional beats
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