PRAIZNN

The drama opens with Luo Yunxi's character, Li Qing Yang, carefully crafting a wood-like puppet, intending to get involved in the widespread puppet-related murder cases. Eventually, he is taken as a suspect, frequently escapes the members of the Divine Constable Bureau, and ends up solving the case and catching the murderer with help from members of the Divine Constable Bureau (Meng Rui, Bai Zhen Zhu, and Yan Cheng).

Li Qing Yang wears a cheerful face, but actually has a dark, hidden past. He's the supposed fourth prince who died 17 years ago; finding out/investigating the truth about his death and exposing the crime helped him live through his days with his master while he was in poor health. Along his journey, he meets friends and family who make him want to truly live, at least for their sake.
Li Qing Yang is a smart character, and I mean "really, really smart". He's sensitive to clues, finds the slightest clue with a glance, keeps note of the slightest suspicious person around the murder, pieces together everything he and his teammate found/got, makes his deduction, and solves the case.
Luo Yun Xi was well suited for his character, adding natural humor and real warmth to Li Qing Yang, and his "rare" crying scene was truly emotional in addition to the buildup made. Li Qing Yang is Luo Yunxi's typical jianghua character, as it didn't differ much from his last role in Whispers of fate - wealthy, strong, secret past and illness that flares up instantly at the use of martial arts.

I loved their teamwork, and how they bring different clues/ideas/thinking to solve the case. My feelings are mixed about how Meng Rui, Zhen Zhu, and Yan Cheng became Divine Constables, which usually takes 100 years to become one, unless you solve an extremely strange case. I didn't feel any of them were smart enough to solve really strange cases; they had their specialty in both observing corpses and incredibly strong martial arts, and so what?! How did they become Divine Constable without being smart enough to catch the true culprit with evidence?! I should have at least gotten some flashbacks into how they became Divine Constable.

Meng Rui had more depth than the rest of the team, excluding Qing Yang. It was interesting seeing the lives of his family woven with the death of the fourth prince. Meng Rui has carried the pain of his family's death and his missing brother for 17 years, shaping him into someone cold and inexpressive, but when Qing Yang came into his life, warmth and affection peeked through the cracks. The scene where Qing Yang allowed Meng Rui to thrust his sword through him was one of the most emotionally tense parts of this drama. Their deep care for one another was really evident; Qing Yang let Meng Rui thrust through him to prevent him from entering a deranged state and also to bring him back to consciousness. While Meng Rui, in his almost deranged state, didn't strike Qing Yang vital spot, a deep part of his almost lost consciousness remembered who he was to him. The way they grew from enemies/suspicion to buddies who truly care is well cherished.

The playful dynamics between Qing Yang and his master were one of the funniest and most endearing parts of this drama, yet it was just heartwarming in a way, when you think the master always treated him at the cost of his inner energy, cared for him all these years, taught him everything he knew.....And Yet......it was all a stage act from 17 years ago; that twist hurt me deeply. His master rescued him 17 years ago, poisoned him with something incurable, sustained him for 17 years with his inner energy and a drug, taught him everything he knew, so he would return and become a puppet emperor serving the needs of the Liluo Kingdom.......when their confrontation came, I was soo heartbroken; it was clear at the end of his master's last breath that the 17 years together wasn't all an act; his master unconsciously grew deep love for him.

I enjoyed the mystery, suspense, and investigative part of this drama. It kept me clicking for another episode to see how they solve the cases/ to see the new cases that arise. I feel the cases were intriguing. But I wish they had explained more on why those stone/tablet always break when a case concerning the gods is solved, is it a supernatural phenomenon/ is it man-made?

Qing Yang and the Emperor deeply loved each other, but power/the throne/peace of the nation kept them from fully expressing their love. The decision the Emperor makes concerning Qing Yang (safety really hurts Qing Yang emotionally, but the emperor thinks about his throne and his people before thinking about how Qing Yang will feel. An emperor cannot truly express real love for his son; if not, that son becomes a target the emperor cannot forever protect- this was Qing Yang and the emperor's story. I was conflicted and heartbroken watching Qing Yang leave his father as he cried helplessly on the ground, in his blind state, when that was the last time he would ever see him. They should have at least resolved all their misunderstandings before his father passed away.

The reveal of Qing Yang being the Long-dead fourth prince was underwhelming, to say the least; his friends weren't even surprised, and it felt like everyone glossed over it like they already knew. A character had the audacity to say Meng Rui suspected.....like, since when was Meng Rui that smart to connect the dots, ughh.

The final confrontation with Liluo was really intense, even more than I imagined. I also didn't expect so many deaths/casualties from the Divine Constable Bureau. It was tragic watching them die in pain, making the ending bittersweet. To be honest, at some point after the many deaths, I thought Qing Yang would die because it seemed so, but I'm happy he was saved by Meng Rui. I liked Jiu Ying personality and also her development; I truly didn't expect she would partake in the last battle; she helped in her way.

Qing Yang illness and the Ode to Canglang really showed how much...Qing Yang and Meng Rui cared for each other. Qing Yang knew that Meng Rui could cure him at the cost of his cultivation, but he didn't want Meng Rui to suffer that; instead, he burnt the book of ode to Canglang, wanting to keep it hidden forever. By the end, when Qing Yang was about to die from the illness, Meng Rui gave all his inner energy to save his life, having found out recently that he cultivates the Ode to Canglang. Meng Rui remains unconscious till the end, not knowing whether he his either dead or alive.

I feel robbed, because I would have loved to see Meng Rui and Qing Yang meet once more before it ended, but things can't always go my way, arghh.

P.s If the first case doesn't convince you, give the second case a try. The first case was the least loved by me.


Thanks for reading