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MAJOR SPOILERS

This drama really has a weird obsession with sending the most beloved characters to Qing just to make the story feel heartfelt. But honestly, at this point, in this drama, Qing is basically a dumping ground, whenever the writers don’t know what to do with a character, they just ship them off to Qing. Justice for Qing lol.
Captivating the King? More like Confusing..

I don’t usually write reviews, but this drama frustrated me so much that I have to say something. The beginning was really good, and I kept watching because I liked the male lead. But the second half? A total mess.

The story became rushed, and many important things were skipped. Instead of focusing on the main characters, the drama spent too much time on the King’s uncle. I understand that they wanted to show how the King was willing to remove anyone who threatened the country, even his own family. But did they have to drag it out so much? The same conflicts kept repeating, and it became boring. After all that, the uncle was just punished by drinking poison. That’s it? No big punishment, no satisfying ending for his character.

After episode 9, it became harder and harder to watch. you will expect the story kept circling around the same character pairings:
The King & the female lead
The Queen Dowager & the uncle
The uncle & his conspirator
They just kept interacting in different ways, but nothing new was added. No fresh conflicts, no excitement, just the same people plotting over and over again. The drama completely started feeling dull.

You know in the beginning, it felt like they were setting up for something big before things got intense. But instead of escalating, the story just deflated. We thought the villains would be dealt with quickly, and then the real climax would start. But no. Once the villains were gone, the drama also lost its direction, turning into an awkward mess. It didn’t know what it wanted to be anymore.

Then, suddenly, the female lead was sent to Qing, and a few minutes later, three years passed. Why even add this storyline.

The King’s personality also changed too suddenly. He was originally cold and ruthless, but later, he became soft. The Queen Dowager was so cruel that she killed her own son, but in the end, she was begging for her brother. And they made it seem like the King was a bad son, but they never properly addressed the mistakes of his mother.

Court lady Dong's character was also strange. At first, she worked for Queen Dowager for her own benefit, but later, the story changed to say that she truly cared about the King. Why? The King even cried for her, not because he loved her, but because she was the only one who knew a certain secret.

And many important characters were just forgotten.

Also, how did the female lead stay hidden as a woman the whole time? At first, she was always close to the King, but later, she barely appeared. It felt like she became a side character in her own story. And then they sent her to Qing, just like how they sent the princess before. I expected someone would expose her secret, but there is none.

The drama started off really well, and I thought it was building up to something amazing. But in the end, the story lost its focus, and the ending was rushed. If the writer didn’t have enough time, they should have either added more episodes or removed unnecessary parts. Instead, they crammed everything together and made the second half messy and confusing.

Overall, this drama had great potential, but it was wasted. If you like a strong start or you are coming for the romance like ME, you might enjoy the first half. But if you want a satisfying ending, don’t bother watching.

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