Romance Shines, Weak Political Execution
I really love this drama. Every day, I looked forward to its release, and I even watched it together with my mom and she enjoyed it too. The leads are amazing and have such great chemistry. I’ve been watching ZLH since Maiden Holmes, and honestly, he looks especially good here. But it’s not just him, the entire cast looked great. I have to give credit to the director as well for the visuals, angles, and cinematography. Even simple details, like the wind blowing through their hair, felt beautifully done and very pleasing to watch.
As for TXW, I’ve seen her in several dramas like NLB, GOTD, ROTF, etc., and her acting here is just as good. Overall, it was really a feast for the eyes.
Story-wise, I feel like this drama leans more heavily into romance than politics, which I assume was its supposed main goal. On the romance side, I absolutely loved it. As I mentioned, the main leads have incredible chemistry, and even the second and third couples had their own moments to shine. I also liked the side characters like FCY’s friends, the Zhao couple, and others added a lot of charm.
That said, I don’t want to sugarcoat my thoughts on the plot. It started off very intriguing: a marquis and a butcher tied in a fake marriage that turns real, with hidden truths from the past. I was genuinely invested in uncovering what happened 17 years ago, especially with how the drama slowly revealed bits and pieces. However, I felt a bit disappointed towards the end.
The ending felt way too rushed, even for a 40-episode drama. Qi Min was built up as a major villain competing for the throne, but his conclusion felt underwhelming. The rebellion itself lacked impact like you couldn’t really feel its weight. I have also read that even the lines like QM colluding with Beijue seems farfetched considering his pain and memories from the death of his father, the Crown Prince Chengde during that war against Beijue. It felt like they just don't want QM to have a way out to fight for the throne. The 3-way conflict made things even messier, with the uncle vs. nephew dynamic happening at the same time. WY’s family suddenly appearing and even saving XZ, LHA already being in the palace with the puppet emperor, it all felt like abrupt jumps.
And after all that buildup about what happened 17 years ago, with WY being hinted as the main villain, the story suddenly shifted to reveal the previous Emperor as the true mastermind, despite barely being mentioned before. The arcs of the Crown Prince, Crown Princess, and Consort Shu also felt cut short, even though they were tied to what seemed like the main conflict.
In the end, WY’s role came down more to personal selfishness rather than being the central figure behind everything, which didn’t quite match the earlier buildup, especially with the repeated assassinations involving the Fan sisters. It turned out he was also just part of that trap.
As I said, the drama is strong on romance but falls short on the political side, which was supposed to be the driving force behind the leads’ quest for justice. The ending also feels like it hints at a cycle repeating itself. Bao’er didn’t originally want the throne, and even from earlier hints, it was suggested that power can change a person. From the "If the event didn't happen 17 years ago" it was mentioned somewhere with along the lines that even a virtous person will be suspicious of his own son. With Bao'er starting to show signs of authority and the actual power being held by XZ and FCY, it feels like suspicion and conflict might arise again in the future. There was no real “cleaning” of the court, so the system itself remains flawed. I just hope YQQ's guidance might save Bao'er from being very much like QM.
That said, this is more from a political perspective. I haven’t read the novel, so I understand that these things might have been discussed more in it. And since the drama leaned more toward romance, it makes sense that they prioritized a happy ending for the main leads.
Even so, this didn’t take away much from how much I enjoyed watching the drama. Congratulations to the whole POJ team, they truly deserve the popularity it’s getting.
As for TXW, I’ve seen her in several dramas like NLB, GOTD, ROTF, etc., and her acting here is just as good. Overall, it was really a feast for the eyes.
Story-wise, I feel like this drama leans more heavily into romance than politics, which I assume was its supposed main goal. On the romance side, I absolutely loved it. As I mentioned, the main leads have incredible chemistry, and even the second and third couples had their own moments to shine. I also liked the side characters like FCY’s friends, the Zhao couple, and others added a lot of charm.
That said, I don’t want to sugarcoat my thoughts on the plot. It started off very intriguing: a marquis and a butcher tied in a fake marriage that turns real, with hidden truths from the past. I was genuinely invested in uncovering what happened 17 years ago, especially with how the drama slowly revealed bits and pieces. However, I felt a bit disappointed towards the end.
The ending felt way too rushed, even for a 40-episode drama. Qi Min was built up as a major villain competing for the throne, but his conclusion felt underwhelming. The rebellion itself lacked impact like you couldn’t really feel its weight. I have also read that even the lines like QM colluding with Beijue seems farfetched considering his pain and memories from the death of his father, the Crown Prince Chengde during that war against Beijue. It felt like they just don't want QM to have a way out to fight for the throne. The 3-way conflict made things even messier, with the uncle vs. nephew dynamic happening at the same time. WY’s family suddenly appearing and even saving XZ, LHA already being in the palace with the puppet emperor, it all felt like abrupt jumps.
And after all that buildup about what happened 17 years ago, with WY being hinted as the main villain, the story suddenly shifted to reveal the previous Emperor as the true mastermind, despite barely being mentioned before. The arcs of the Crown Prince, Crown Princess, and Consort Shu also felt cut short, even though they were tied to what seemed like the main conflict.
In the end, WY’s role came down more to personal selfishness rather than being the central figure behind everything, which didn’t quite match the earlier buildup, especially with the repeated assassinations involving the Fan sisters. It turned out he was also just part of that trap.
As I said, the drama is strong on romance but falls short on the political side, which was supposed to be the driving force behind the leads’ quest for justice. The ending also feels like it hints at a cycle repeating itself. Bao’er didn’t originally want the throne, and even from earlier hints, it was suggested that power can change a person. From the "If the event didn't happen 17 years ago" it was mentioned somewhere with along the lines that even a virtous person will be suspicious of his own son. With Bao'er starting to show signs of authority and the actual power being held by XZ and FCY, it feels like suspicion and conflict might arise again in the future. There was no real “cleaning” of the court, so the system itself remains flawed. I just hope YQQ's guidance might save Bao'er from being very much like QM.
That said, this is more from a political perspective. I haven’t read the novel, so I understand that these things might have been discussed more in it. And since the drama leaned more toward romance, it makes sense that they prioritized a happy ending for the main leads.
Even so, this didn’t take away much from how much I enjoyed watching the drama. Congratulations to the whole POJ team, they truly deserve the popularity it’s getting.
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