Great cast with a decent plot
Although the drama has been primarily promoted as a comedy, and while I didn't dislike it in that aspect, I feel its strongest moments are undoubtedly the most serious. The conflicts and obstacles are quite simple and predictable; the tension never quite explodes, and the stakes don't feel entirely convincing.However, its greatest strength lies in the casting and character development. Both the main and supporting characters are very well-developed, which makes a script without too many surprising elements stand out more than one might expect within its genre.
Up until episode 10, I was enjoying it, but it didn't strike me as anything exceptional; I kept watching mainly because of the performances of the main cast. From then on, I started to connect more with the story, although not all parts interested me equally, and it never completely captivated me. And since that's important to me, it's the reason I only give it a 7.5/10: as much as the characters and their performances fascinated me, they don't quite compensate for a plot I consider somewhat weak.
I want to especially highlight Wang Churan, the only member of the main cast I hadn't seen before, and who completely captivated me; every time she appeared on screen, my attention was drawn to her. In contrast, the Empress as the antagonist struck me as unconvincing, almost cartoonish, while Prince Duan seemed a much more complete and better-developed character.
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