This is a very good drama, but permit me to rant away my displeasure. I am so frustrated by how many viewers completely fail to see that the FL is deeply manipulative and utterly unsteady in her choices. While she constantly flaunts herself as a courageous, CAREFREE, independent woman, the reality is that she relies heavily on her male counterparts to bail her out whenever she is cornered.
I read someone's comment claiming she "didn't lead Prince Heng Yang on," I have to ask: what does that even mean? If her intentions were entirely innocent, why did she meticulously stage their initial meeting? She went as far as physically grabbing him by the waist and forcing a prolonged, loaded eye contact just to manufacture a "fated" romantic encounter. Or did you skip that part?
To say she didn’t lead him on completely ignores how calculating she actually is. The truth is, she deliberately used the Prince as a human shield. She knew exactly how powerful his status was and weaponized his attraction to protect herself from FQC's obsessive stalking, completely disregarding the Prince’s actual feelings in the process. She played the part of the "beautiful flirt" to perfection, leveraging her charm to secure a safety net while keeping her true options open. It’s exhausting to watch her hide her pride, narcissism, and calculated moves under the guise of an "independent woman chasing her freedom," when in reality, she simply masterminded a love triangle to ensure she always had a man to back her up. It was a good watch but her actions leave a sour taste after all...
This is just one of those dramas featuring a female lead who considers herself highly intelligent, yet consistently creates chaos until a male counterpart arrives to rescue her.
Swear down...for the first time, I cannot root for a FL. This one treats life like it’s only about revenge and murder. And how she completely takes the guy who acts as her pillar of support for granted (I also hate how the ML character is made to look like a wimp). Worse, she’s actively leading on an innocent person who genuinely cares about her. It’s hard to stay invested in a character this sour. She is incredibly cold and unlikable.
Currently on episode 20/21 and I'm boiling inside. This FL is such an ungrateful brat. Who does she think she is? Cutting ties with the ML on a whim simply because he didn't go along with her vengeful aspirations is too childish. The ML has already done more than enough for her, yet she doesn't even think twice before cutting him off. To make matters worse, she readily accepts the proposal she once rejected from XZX simply because he promised to avenge her mother. Why is this drama even tagged as a romance? I don't see any true feelings, romance, or love here...just transactions and self-interest. And going forward, I won't care what happens to FL. She's just too silly for my liking.
Tbh, this is the very first time I feel a lead character has been portrayed at their absolute finest. The FL'S character is so pure I do not know how else to describe it. The best part is that Tan Song Yun delivers a 10 out of 10 performance in this role. This is only the second drama of hers I have watched, following The Sword and the Brocade, which was also very impressive. However, she truly nailed this one. Her emotions and the innocent facial expressions from her youth (the girl who played her younger self also killed it) are still visible. She is the kind of female lead who makes your heart ache when she gets hurt because she is just too good. After everything she has experienced, she still chose love and forgiveness over revenge. I truly hope this drama gets a 10 out of 10 rating.
Just thinking aloud: What if Shen Che turns out to be the emperor? If not, his real identity still troubles me. I wouldn't be surprised if he is working for the FL's father, or vice versa, because immediately after he turned up, the FL's father received the edict to return to duty.
K-Drama 
I am so frustrated by how many viewers completely fail to see that the FL is deeply manipulative and utterly unsteady in her choices. While she constantly flaunts herself as a courageous, CAREFREE, independent woman, the reality is that she relies heavily on her male counterparts to bail her out whenever she is cornered.
I read someone's comment claiming she "didn't lead Prince Heng Yang on," I have to ask: what does that even mean? If her intentions were entirely innocent, why did she meticulously stage their initial meeting? She went as far as physically grabbing him by the waist and forcing a prolonged, loaded eye contact just to manufacture a "fated" romantic encounter. Or did you skip that part?
To say she didn’t lead him on completely ignores how calculating she actually is. The truth is, she deliberately used the Prince as a human shield. She knew exactly how powerful his status was and weaponized his attraction to protect herself from FQC's obsessive stalking, completely disregarding the Prince’s actual feelings in the process. She played the part of the "beautiful flirt" to perfection, leveraging her charm to secure a safety net while keeping her true options open. It’s exhausting to watch her hide her pride, narcissism, and calculated moves under the guise of an "independent woman chasing her freedom," when in reality, she simply masterminded a love triangle to ensure she always had a man to back her up.
It was a good watch but her actions leave a sour taste after all...
The FL in Spring of the Blade should come and learn from this one. Life is about surviving, not holding onto past grudges and living in hatred.
'How did you manage to become the sect leader?'
'Strength'