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I have recovered from that last episode. And I have to say that this was a great series. Great acting from all the cast (except in the last episode, the acting for the new characters were ...). Great script, although it felt like a lot was cut from the last episode (?), would still give this a 9/10. Even though there was virtually no promotion for this, I am so glad that I picked this up.

Oh, the pain. T_T

Mou Sen is slowly becoming one of the most beautifully crafted villain I have seen in a series. I hate him so much.

That's great! You can still watch even without the Eng subs. I am a binge-as-much-as-possible when I watch series that gets me hooked. So, it's frustrating that the subs are suddenly not available for those 2 episodes (but they have them for 15 and 16).

Yes! I didn't expect to be sucked in this world when I started watching. It's a very pleasant surprise. But iQiyi is glitching... suddenly there aren't any English subs for episodes 13 and 14. T_T

Not yet, I think. It seems like they changed location for filming so they didn't film for a few days.

Yes! Just finished episode 8 and I am hooked!

Oooh. Thank you for the recommendation!

Just finished episode 3 and first impression: very interesting, good storytelling. This is probably not for everyone. It has a very raw feel to it, like you can almost smell the sweat, and the stink if the fish market, and feel the gritty dust kind of raw. Nothing glamorous or fancy about the characters or the story. It feels like a human nature kind of story. So far not many action scenes, and I don't thinkt there will be much based on the story flow. I always have this a low-level feeling that something ominous is going to happen. Definitely gonna keep watching.

He finds out definitely on ep. 19 but he starts to see some resemblance earlier on.

Storyline/plot: I think I said somewhere that it has a somewhat simple (?) plotline. But, this simplicity comes from the fact that the story uses a lot of similar elements that you would see in other dramas, which is nothing new. There is predictability in many of these plot elements, but what got me hooked was that I wanted to see them happen. This series is largely character-relationship driven and it really worked because the two main leads’ chemistry was fire (I stand by this until my last breath). And although there is predictability and familiarity with the plot elements, you still need to concentrate to follow the story.

But beware, the investigation aspect of this series is largely dialogue-based and I think this is what puts people off about the investigation story line. They don’t use a lot of visuals, crime re-enactments and what not. IT IS VERY DIALOGUE HEAVY. So, if you will watch this, I beg you, DO NOT SKIP THE SO-CALLED "BORING" DIALOGUE SCENES. They are there for a reason. Even better, DON’T SKIP ANY SCENE. These dialogues add a lot into the story and into the characters, especially when you try to piece together the overall story towards the end.

And another thing. The romantic story line is SLOW BURN. So, if you want a CP doing kissing and doing bed scenes and all that skinship by episode 10 to 15, this is not for you. Having said that, the slow burn works for the two main characters. I actually loved the way they built the relationship because their married life started out really ugly and messy with no trust at all. The key episodes, or at least I think they are, to watch out for where you see some major changes in their dynamics are: episodes 15-16 – mostly on Yan Xing’s part, you just have to endure episode 15; episode 19 – mostly on Shen Du’s part ; episode 25 – for both of them, like super major change in their relationship; and episode 37 (T_T). What I liked how the writers went about their romantic line is that one, both Yan Xing and Shen Du fell twice for each other. I especially loved that Shen Du has already fallen for her before finding out who she was. And Yan Xing, fell for the young, bright Shen Du and had to learn to love and accept this older, darker, different version of Shen Du. The second thing is that they made them take their time to fall. Nothing rushed so that it felt very natural when it actually happened.

Pacing and editing. I have some issues with the pacing of the story in the latter half of the series. I felt that the Gannandao arc could have been shortened overall. And some interrogation scenes felt too dragged out. There were also times when the transitions felt abrupt and confusing. But overall, these were not deal breakers.

Acting. DYX was great in this. His best acting that I have seen so far. They really did well in creating a complex character where he could show his acting range. DEX is a wonderful actress. I love her acting style, very natural, not exaggerated. I love the little shifts in her expressions.

The main characters:
Shen Du, the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards, the White Ghost. Powerful, skilled martial artist, authoritative, highly-favored by the Grand Empress Dowager. One of the highest ranked officials, he only really lowers his head to the members of the royal family. But, on the personal side, as Yun Que perfectly summed up his character, “keeps everything, good or bad, bottled up inside”. But I liked the balance of his character. On one hand, a fearsome commander, and on the other hand, a most loyal (episode 30) and loving husband. And even though he started out critical of Yan Xing’s ability, when he saw what she was capable of, he recognized her skills for what they were and supported her. AND I LOVE THAT HE RESPECTS BOUNDARIES AND CONSENT. Episode 17. I know that many would have wanted Shen Du to kiss her then and there, but thank goodness he didn’t. Because Yan Xing said that he’s “not allowed” to act strange (the poor, confused, flirting-inexperienced girl). And really. all throughout the series, there were times when he could have pushed her, but he didn’t, even when he could’ve and no one would’ve batted an eye if he did, he didn’t, and I love him for that.

Yan Xing, the sixth daughter, child of a concubine, started out as an unranked female scribe for the Ministry of justice. And oh, so hated by so many commenters. The Yan family may be considered noble and her father works under the Prime Minister as a scholar, but otherwise, they have no power and no strong connections. In the relationship dynamics between her and Shen Du, she was basically powerless. But she faced Shen Du head on, didn’t back out even when he threatened to kill her, and did her best to survive in a household whose master hates her and whose servants (at least at first) didn’t see her as their mistress. She is smart but naïve, headstrong and can be impulsive. I like that she is fast to apologize and that she knows that there is more for her to learn.

NO, SHE IS NOT A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS. Yes, she is physically weaker compared to the villains, criminals really, who will do anything to hurt her, and so requiring to be saved by Shen Du. But there are also times when I felt that she held up on her own. When Princess Yong’an “scolded” her about them discovering her secret business, yes Shen Du arrived to take her home. But that defiance in her eyes when she looked at the Princess. It was like, “yes, I am kneeling in front of you but that doesn’t give you the right to treat me like this and you will not break me”. And I loved that she saved herself from the fire, got herself out instead of panicking and waiting for someone to save her. There were two instances when I think she took calculated risks for the sake of finding out the truth, which endangered her, a bit reckless yes, but she did them anyway because Shen Du was there and she trusted him enough to know that she will not be harmed. First, when she “groped” Chen Huoe. And second, when she made Lai Luofu reveal that she was the 2nd generation (??) Chen Huoe. The rest of the times, she needed to be saved because bad guys intended, really plotted, to hurt her.

NO, SHE IS NOT PLAYING A HERO. The times when she pushed to investigate where mostly times when no one else wanted to – the scholar who committed suicide, the Ximing temple/Buddha case when Shen Du didn’t want to push for it because imperial orders. The other times, she got involved simply because she was Mrs. Shen, the wife of the Grand Commander. And when she tried to save her sister (twice), how could she not want to do everything to save her, even though it led to some impulsive behavior (aka puppy Yan Xing).

And I loved her loyalty to Shen Du, even when he was so horrible to her. Even in that first episode, when she defended him against Lai Luozhi’s accusations. There were so many times when she could really have acted as a spy to bring Shen Du down and escape from her situation, but she didn’t. She played along when he wanted to put up an affectionate-couple act to maintain his reputation. She could have used his night blindness as leverage but chose to find a cure for him instead. She always chose his side even when she knew the impermanence of their marriage. And all these were her love language.

Lai Luozhi. Unhinged. Delusional. Cruel. And a smart villain. I liked the way he was manipulating the events around Prince Xian and Princess Yong’an like they were chess pieces. The idea of creating a cult and an immortal deity to get people to follow you is kind of smart. The thing about Lai Luozhi is that he is really cruel. Not evil but cruel. When he was hiding his identity, he mostly manipulative. But out in the open, he had a killing spree.

Lu Chui Chui. Ooohh. Another widely hated character. Only child of a rich merchant. Spoiled, even more naïve than Yan Xing, and has no filter, whatsoever. But she is the friend you’d like to have on your side. She will tell you things as they are and will take your side no matter what. You want to investigate? Here is my gold to help you sneak in that brothel. You want to divorce your husband? I’ll help you make plans for after the divorce so that no one can look down on you as a divorced woman.

Pan Chi. There were so many times I wanted to punch his face. But other than coveting someone else’s wife and really messing with Shen Du all the time, he was genuinely concerned about Yan Xing. He helped in their investigations many times and he somewhat saved Shen Du’s life in Gannandao.

The divorce and the ending:
Ah, that was a brutal scene, really. The most brutal sequence in the entire series. In those few minutes, you watch Shen Du break apart everything that they built together in their relationship. He broke Yan Xing by throwing at her all the things that made her proud and turned them into something ugly. It was the most heartbreaking scene with the most wonderful acting in the entire series. Damn. I mean Yan Xing knew. She understood what he was doing and why he was doing it and she tells him (a cut scene in later episodes) that she knew. But still, it was horrible really. And the actual divorce scene? “I stab you with this gift you have given me and I take your blood and divorce you with it.”

Could it have been written differently? Yes.
Did the divorce add any value as to how their relationship eventually progressed? Maybe. I liked that they got a chance at a better wedding, one where they were both happy to be married. Really, the contrast between the first and second was so stark. I liked that Shen Du made an effort to win her back, put himself out there as if to say, yes, I am willing to do this much and go this far.
But could they have done it better? Definitely, yes. I feel that a lot was edited out from the scenes that lead to that second wedding. Like how did they even plan for it? How did Shen Du got everyone on board with it? How?
And this may be just selfishness as an audience, but I wanted to see them rebuild the relationship because despite the good intention behind the divorce, it created too many gaps between them as well. That’s why the end felt so rushed.

Still, overall rating: 9/10

Happy one year anniversary to MOGA! To commemorate that, I will actually give a proper comment months and months after watching this series so many times. First off, if anyone reading this is still debating “should I watch this, should I not?”, “so many conflicting comments and reviews what to do what to do??”, I say just give it a try. If it’s not your thing, then it’s not. If it is, then, great! Will put the rest under the spoiler tag below.

Unfortunately, there seems to be a lot of them. I understand dropping a show that didn't catch your interest or simply didn't suit your taste because of a character or storyline. That's it. You don't get to see with your eyes exactly what happens next. Your brain doesn't get to process the rest of the story or the characters. But to only see bits and pieces of the drama and consider that "watching" the entire drama and then make comments without having seen the entire story or the characters is just, nope.

I also agree that how they did the kissing scene was on point with the characters. The pool scene was Yan Xing's first time ever being kissed . It would have been weird if she suddenly went all tongue considering she supposedly had no experience.

I've rewatched this many times, and each time I pick up some details that I missed previously, and those details add more to the story or character. A lot of people who comment about how bad this is often also admit that they skipped a lot of the scenes and I am like, well no wonder.

Some liked it, others didn't. I think it's just a matter of personal preference. So, give it a try. Don't let other people's opinion sway you too much so that you won't try something you are curious about. If it doesn't work for you, you can just stop watching. If you end up liking it, then it would be worth the watch. I personally liked it. It has become a comfort drama for me. Enjoy!

I watched this the first time in Viki and then watched it again (and again) in iQiyi because they had better subtitles. I liked their slow burn (or very slow burn) love story. It made the development of their relationship feel more organic. I also liked the somewhat simple (?) plot line. It made the story easy to follow. Yes, there were some court politics but not so much that would have left you dizzy. There were also some plot holes but nothing too much to ruin the story. Great lead actors. Ding Yuxi nailed his character and I loved the somewhat subdued, yet powerful acting he gave here. Shen Du is a mix of some red flags and plenty of green flags, which somewhat worked well. Deng Enxi is a natural. I loved her acting style, nothing awkward and no unnecessary facial expressions and gestures. I also really liked her character Yan Xing. I liked that she was stubborn, straightforward, knew what she wanted and stood up for her ideals in a world where she was often put down just because she was born a woman, and a concubine’s daughter at that. Yes, she was a bit blind when it came to Shen Du’s and her own emotions, but she had keen eyes when it came to investigations. I also liked that they didn't make her one of those female characters who pined and pined endlessly for the ML. I think in the story, she was somewhere between 16 to 18 years old and Shen Du was 28 (?), 29 (?) years old but I felt that the real life and story line age gap was not that much. I suppose it was mostly because of DYX and DEX's incredible chemistry, so good job to the casting director for this. I know it won't be for everyone but for me, this was a very great watch.

Imagine going through puberty and have other people call it plastic surgery.

Ding Yuxi and Deng Enxi are both great actors and I absolutely loved their chemistry in Melody of Golden Age. I’m excited to see how they will bring these characters to life.

It was a good 1st episode. I hope they can build more from the storyline. I am somewhat curious about the FL and the ML(?). Looking forward to the next episode.