jace

btw the rest of the drama is limited time free on youtube rn

blossom

also the weird thing where they kept questioning the fl's identity based on her childhood's personality and looks when she was raised strangely by her stepmom and lately had to suffer a decade in a desolate place where you can't be a spoiled noble anymore.
and then the ye cousin thing. I found it weird that he had some romantic feelings for jiang li before he even found out who she was. but ig back then marrying a cousin with a different last name was permissible...

some parts that made me not give this a 10/10:
the damn ending. yz is always ruining dramas, trying to give this a bad ending. I absolutely hate unnecessary deaths that don't add anything to the story and the duo that always followed xiao heng definitely deserved a happy ending. bad endings just for the sake of a bad ending is worthless. I also think it's unfair that xiao heng has so many of his loved ones taken from him while the fl ends up having her whole family safe and sound. not that I want any of the xue family to not be well, just that xiao heng didn't deserve to lose anyone else after already losing his parents so young. and this is assuming that xiao heng himself survived, which they made seem so ambiguous in the ending of ep 40

finally finished it, and I can say it really is a good drama. solid plotline, well written characters, amazing acting, especially from the leads, and beautiful cinematography and ost.
I liked that the characters were not black and white, some antagonists were so hateful but also hard to hate, and some of the 'good' people also had very questionable moments. also I only like to watch dramas with strong fl, and this is really the case in this drama despite not being physically strong. it was great watching her outsmart her opponents again and again. I do wish there was more focus on xiao heng, though I understand it's a very fl focused drama. wu jinyan is a veteran actress but wang xingyue, as young as he was, easily matched her skill and charisma. he's truly a gem.
although there were some cheesy or questionable parts in the drama, overall it was very good

also this is a more mature drama with darker themes that shine light on the injustices and corruption in and out of the palace, so it's not for people who want an easy watch with a huge focus on romance. family bonds, camaraderie, loyalty and trust are all equally important

the only problem i had with the ending was the after credits scene tho like it ended perfectly but they just had to add like a potential link to a second season or something? idek why tho bc this story already wrapped up so well. at least we know li peiyi can definitely defend herself and huaijin but grrr that crown prince >:( i was so happy until he rained on my parade. i should've just stopped at the credits lol

i loved how well they wrapped everything up in the last episode, calling back on all the cases we went through :') not everyone got a happy ending but those left behind must move on and live well for the ones who left first...
this drama might've actually suited my tastes the most among bailu's dramas, it's amazing how she keeps putting out dramas that exceed my expectations, even when i'm picky enough not to like all an actor's dramas unconditionally. wang xingyue also really impressed me here, i'll be looking forward to his future dramas too! i hope they'll keep picking good scripts, bc this was really a good script imo

it sounds like the main cast all used their own voices tho? or you mean in general dubbing over the original voices from the acted scene? that can't be helped in cdramas because of the noise pollution at the filming sites... I think they did well with the dubbing here, you can barely notice any difference in the mouth movements and voice

ooh i just noticed it's the same director as br and tboy, no wonder there's so much overlap in the cast!

also there's so many familiar faces here, it's nice to see haha. especially the shifu! he was the head of the su family in blood river and i really liked him there, he's got such a charming voice, makes for a really awesome shifu.

i really can't wrap my head around this mdl rating like it makes no sense. this drama is so good! it's right up my alley and i love seeing bailu act out li peiyi. she's so beautiful and striking, especially handsome with a high ponytail and in these gender neutral costumes. and her personality is just as dashing, a strong female character who's not only smart but also physically strong, one i've always wanted to see and love to see. on the other hand, xiao huaijin is also exceptionally smart and knowledgeable, making up for his lack of martial arts skills. this is a role reversal that i love, kind of opposite of like coroner's diary, another investigation drama i really liked. also bailu and wang xingyue is a long awaited pairing, and their acting is ofc, top notch. they match each other very well in skill and visuals!
plot wise, the stories are well written and intriguing. the first episode was a bit of a mess and had me confused but it quickly fixed itself and got me hooked. i like how each case is like a chapter of the story. the way each chapter unravels is interesting and makes me feel invested in each case and its characters. and they have quite a few plot twists that actually surprised me. the story mainly focuses on the injustice that women face in that era and makes me feel quite hopeless against its reality. like peiyi says, it's easy to unveil the truth, but hard to bring justice.
regarding the romance, i think it's just the right amount for an investigation drama with meaningful messages like this. i often prefer more subtle romance and slow burn, and they do that well here imo, they have sweet moments that make me smile and it's nice to see them develop trust and respect towards each other from the beginning while seeing hints of something more

hwang minhyun is really the perfect first love as seo yul

I loved this drama so much as it was airing but towards the end the writing started to seriously deteriorate. I loved that the couple was smart and strong from the beginning, scheming together, but later rsb's treatment towards ljl was seriously pmo, and they made ljl so weak and only chasing after the fl when he was originally such a powerful official filled with justice and the ability to fight for justice. I wanted to see the couple on equal terms but it never seemed that way, only putting down ljl and using his feelings. it's hard to finish and I'm really disappointed especially with me thinking ljl was hmh's best character so far. yz really destroyed the original script

wait, lu jianglai is the imperial inspector, but becoming the prefect of linji gets rid of his status as the imperial inspector?? does he not have the imperial decree regardless?

single episodes for the rest of the week omf seeing how crazy the previews are I should really try to wait at least til next week to continue watching ;; but this drama is seriously so good, it's too hard to wait.
xiao hou really did so well as lu jianglai, the authority and righteousness as a talented imperial inspector and the innocence of losing his memory while retaining his cleverness as lu fusheng

getting soooo fed up with some of these characters. why is everyone so despicable lmfao.
at least lu jianglai is finally officially back. I'm looking forward to seeing his glory! everyone who looked down on him as lu fusheng needs to get their karma

watching this because li fei caught my eye in glory, and I recognized zhao jiamin from the double in glory as well, can't believe they did a short drama together haha it's cute and their chemistry is great. I hope they get even better roles in the future

also yan bailuo is always so nice to lu fusheng, saving and protecting him like some damsel in distress, saying he admires and respects him despite being jealous of him and rong shanbao's closeness... bro, who are you really jealous of hahaha
fr tho I don't want to see him change, it'd be nice if he keeps his current principles and stays nice despite being just as suspicious as everyone else in this drama

the new 16 and 17 episodes were so good!! finally some cute and happy scenes with our main couple to go along with the continuous scheming plots going on from everyone lol. I wish they'd release the episodes faster, the wait is so hard ;;