Meari21

“My heart is like water and water wears down stone.” This basically sums up The Prisoner of Beauty. It follows the story of a clever girl named Xiaoqiao or affectionally called, Manman, as she wades through the turbulent waters of an arranged marriage with a man who has held a long-standing and deep-seated grudge against her family. The Weis and the Qiaos were once allies, their patriarchs once the fastest of friends and co-visionaries who dared to build a canal that would benefit the people of their region. But this seemingly steadfast alliance was broken when the Qiaos failed to honor it, resulting in the deaths of three generations of Wei men and countless others. The only survivor of this massacre was a young Wei Shao, who swore vengeance upon those responsible, including the Qiaos for not coming to their aid when they needed it the most.

Fast forward some 14 years later, Wei Shao had grown into a fearsome warrior and highly intelligent leader of the Wei clan. In order to save themselves from his rage and warmongering, the Qiaos come into an agreement with the Wei matriarch to marry their eldest daughter to the lord of Wei. But destiny has other plans, or to be more accurate, Manman decides to change her own fate. It was supposed to be her cousin, Daqiao, who was intended to be Wei Shao's betrothed. But in fear of her cousin's safety, Manman chooses to take her cousin's place and allow her to marry for love, while she plots to become the lady of Wei for the sake of her family and people. Raised and mentored by her grandfather, Manman grew up to possess the tactical mind of a general adept at strategic and psychological warfare, and armed with knowledge in politics and diplomacy. But above all, she holds great courage, a strong sense of duty, and compassion for others, qualities that Wei Shao soon notices and comes to admire. After all, it takes a brave woman to willingly enter the lair of wolves looking to devour her alive. The drama centers around her developing relationship with Wei Shao and their push and pull slowburn romance, and how she holds her own, expertly foiling plots against her and dealing with death threats, mockery, and open hatred towards her and her clan.

From the first episode, I was immediately pulled in by Manman's character. This is not your typical idol drama female lead. She is calm, collected, and incredibly intelligent. She schemes and manipulates, but never for her own selfish gains, rather for those she cares about the most. Even when she is trying to obtain the upperhand in her battle of wits against Wei Shao, she shows great compassion for him, and when she chooses to lend him her aid, she is always sincere, never expecting anything in return. Wei Shao, for his part, may be cold and aggressive on the outside, but he's always just and treats her with respect, something that Manman grows to appreciate. Eventually, their mutual distrust and hatred towards one another turn to mutual fondness and love. That is the core of this drama.

Both Liu Yuning and Song Zuer play these characters like nobody's business. You feel their every heartache, you know they mean every word, and you shed a tear or two for them. I'm a Yuning fan so I may be biased, but he is absolutely excellent here! I was especially impressed when he acted in a tearful and tense scene opposite Liu Duan Duan, who is known to be a tremendous character actor and another one of my favorites, and yet he held his own without being overshadowed by the latter. I so love that scene!

But perhaps my favorite characters are the Four Generals of Wei, the comedic relief boys, and Wei Shao's most trusted brothers in arms. They were hilarious! They made me laugh and cry. Kudos to the actors who played them. The rest of the cast impressed me as well, particularly the villains. Su Ehuang, played by Wei Wuxian's adopted sister, made me so irritated I couldn't help but give her props for her acting chops. I don't remember the actress' name but I will always associate her with her The Untamed character.

I also have to tip my hat towards the production team. The set designs, costumes, and overall production value of this drama is S-tier level. It didn't feel like an idol drama at all. The subdued color grading and saturated colors of the costumes give it a more somber and serious look, which are not common in these types of dramas. The tone also feels more grounded and gritty with the battle scenes depicting the more brutal nature of war. If China didn't have stringent censorship policies, it might've rivaled the violence in Game of Thrones. The music helps set the tone of the series, sounding dark and frightening in tension-filled scenes and whimsical when it takes a breather with a little bit of comedy.

All in all, this was a very solid watch, an engaging historical romance with strong performances from the cast, a lovable main couple, and endearing supporting characters. My only complaint is that there were parts where it dragged a little. The drama and its pacing could've been better if it had been shorter. Still, I happily give this a 9.5 out of 10.