Wing3dBean

You know those shows that you can watch while scrolling through your phone? The kind you can easily look away, and even without understanding the language, look up again and be able to piece everything, or at least most of it, together? This isn't one of those.

This is a show that demands your attention, which was fantastic for me since I really needed a good reason to put my phone away.

This is a beautifully written revenge story with brilliant characters. Such stories often fail because they are filled with dumb characters who risk the plans and lives (both their own and others') in their stupidity. No one here is like that. They know what the plan needs, and they stick to it, executing it as needed.

Xie Huai An's smarts are something to be admired and feared. I totally understood why his enemies were afraid of him. He will not face you on the battlefield with a sword. But he'll plan your defeat and your death, largely from the shadows, and you'll never see it coming.

I loved watching the growth of Xiao Wen Jing / Zhang Mo. From a spoilt, angry puppet emperor to a worthy young man. One who not only understood the plight of his people but was also able to make lifelong friends. Unfortunately, the Tiemo arc (more on that later) ruined his character growth a bit for me.
He'd grown so much as a person & come to trust Huai'an, but the plot throws away all this character growth, turning him back into his former cowardly self for shock value. I admit, I was shocked, as they wanted, but also felt disappointed

I commend all the actors for their effective portrayal of emotions. This show is heavy, and it always has this feeling of death and sadness hanging in the air. I loved that whenever the characters had to express their emotions, I, as the viewer, could connect with them

The story gave us two main villains, Yan Feng Shan & the King of Tiemo. Yan Feng Shan's arc was much more interesting to me. The amount of maneuvering and cleverness used in this arc was... breathtaking, for lack of a better word. The Tiemo arc wasn't bad per se, however, I did feel that as from ep 21 (or there about) the script relied a lot on plot armour to keep Huai'an alive.
There were so many times that he could've died in this arc, specifically from ep 21 to 24/25, yet he miraculously survived. I mean, he did survive while facing Yan Feng Shan, but here his escapes were less believable in their overall 'miraculousness'.

I'm not sure about the ending; it looked like he died. Idk how he'd have survived that explosion, unless more plot armour was applied. And while I would have loved for him to stay alive, I think that part of me was prepared for his death.

Xie Huai An was clever and brave, but also angry and incredibly sad. He rarely smiled, and when he did, it was always a sad smile. It always felt like his heart, his very soul, were very sad and very heavy. If he died, I'd take consolation in the thought that he finally got to rest

Points To Note
1. The rewatch value isn't that high. Not because the story isn't worth rewatching, but because I feel like this is one of those stories that works best the 1st time. A rewatch could work to help you pick up on a few factors that you may have missed in the 1st round, but the suspense and intrigue will no longer be there. Because of that loss, I wouldn't find myself rewatching this.

2. About 30 minutes after completing the Netflix version, I found out that this show has a special episode. The special episode very clearly insinuates that Huai'an is alive, just staying hidden in Yulong Ridge. We don't see his face, but the alcohol given to his friends and the voice of the guy in that cell belong to Huai'an. I'm sure he's still busy plotting and strategizing in there for the good of the realm.
But part of me wishes that he would've, instead, fulfilled the wish that his sister had for him. To sit under a (what I believe) plum blossom tree with a fat cat in his arms. With Ye Zheng & Zhang Mo bickering around him (This last bit is purely my wishful thinking)