Rating is off. There is no way this is top ranking show.
The opening episodes are outstanding—an easy 10/10. After that, the show declines quickly as logic gives way to melodrama and visual appeal. The female lead is perfectly cast and performs exactly as the role demands. The male lead is one of the weakest parts of the series: his acting is poor, and he never quite feels right for the character. The side characters, by contrast, are very well cast and performed.The issue is not that all the fight scenes are good and all the drama is bad. It is that the two sides of the show do not work together. The action and the drama feel disconnected, with each one weakening the other instead of building momentum. Characters die instantly when the plot needs emotional shock, or survive impossible situations when the story wants to drag the drama further. That makes the stakes feel artificial and hurts the overall logic of the series. For me, that drops it to a 7/10.
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You simply cannot miss the first great drama of 2026. It is wonderful!
When I come across a production like this, I find myself wondering what to say… how could I possibly encourage others to watch it? But then I stop and think—who am I to recommend anything at all?And the answer comes to me: I am simply someone who loves everything that is good in the world of entertainment. I adore BLs, I enjoy historical dramas, I love crime stories, I am fascinated by mysteries—anything that makes me think, feel, and truly immerse myself in a story.
So, if you are even a little bit like me, you certainly won’t want to miss this rare gem.
Absolutely loving it.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Believable Love Story
Story >>> One of the strongest suit of this drama is their love story. People complain the beginning is slow and boring, but that what made their story believable, the writers really build that foundation. None of those love at first sight shit, but a well-thought plot on why these two strangers would fall in love. The slow burn start had us pining and yearning when they were temporarily separated, and cheering when they finally got together. ML and FL are so emotionally-mature for their supposed age in the drama, and that's also believable because both of them were hardened from their past experiences.The writers also showed us why Xigu Lane and Lin'an is important to them, so when the seige happened, we wanted them to kill the Sui's before even they thought about it, because we fell in love with the people, too.
The supporting casts stories were also lovely, they weren't written like background wallpaper, but their stories contribute to the plot.
The humor is topnotch, the number of times I replayed the parts that made me laugh should be studied.
I think one of the downsides in the story is the political strife, like I hate politics and all that, but it fell short in a way PM Wei's actions in the past felt so flimsy on why he took the villain role.
Acting >>> I've first seen TXW in "Wrong Carriage, Right Groom", so I'm glad to see her in this another spunky and badass character. Saw some bts how she was quite humble with her action scenes, when she already did martial arts before. Anyway, her Fan Changgyu portrayal is so cute, like how can anyone hate her? Her Changgyu looks really in love with Zheng and her family. Love her action scenes, too! Her in action is just so fluid and natural.
As for ZLH, I got to this drama because of him, basically, I'm looking for revenge dramas and saw Princess Royal and Kunming Palace, which he also starred in and in PR particularly, he had an arrange marriage and divorce problems, lmao. People complain he is just a face card but since I've seen his earlier works, his acting here have drastically improved. He has learned to use his eyes, which is so important because he had a lot pensive and staring down scenes and he nailed it. All his "entrance" in this drama are so cool, even during his wedding where he was in a crutch, it was still cool.
The Sui's were great, too! Sui YuanQing should have lived, haha, like what do you mean he almost died a thousand times, keeps coming back, and the only reason he dies was because he cut his head off?!
Among all the adults, PM Wei just nailed it. He always held himself with dignity even in death.
Production >>> Not really acting, but more on production side, some of the war/rebellion scenes weren't as grand as I expected, especially the final one before the uncle and nephew faced-off, like wdym it started and ended just like that?! Like the Jan 6 insurrection in the US has more production value than that!
But the other battle scenes are good, particularly the dam break, Changgyu's first time in battlefield, and Xie Zheng's headdress haha. Those feathers/horns (?) make up for everything!
Setting >>> I'm more an autumn fan because winter is just too cold to flirt with anyone, lol, but the winter scenery here was a perfect backdrop to their love story. Only downside is you can never see air when they speak, haha, which is common when its cold.
All in all, if you want a love story to captivate you, and take you with their journey, this is for you.
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Good Overall
My only issue, without saying too much, is with the way they handled the truth reveal. In my opinion, women in cdramas generally forgive men far too easily. Otherwise, this drama is an easy watch. The cinematography was breathtaking. However, I also had several issues with the ugly-looking AI animals.Was this review helpful to you?
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This was hell of a journey!
This was a journey that would be hard to forget.Top 2 things I loved:
1. The female characters! Changyu's strong character stayed consistent till the end. She is firm and knows what she wants and what she deserves. (Definitely cheering her so hard when she was beating Xie Zheng's ass.) Even those other women who seemed to be a rival or an enemy did not become one. Women supporting women 🤌🏼
2. Chemistry! Well, the leads' obviously got a real good tension there but can I just say Qianqian and Qi Min??!!!? Definitely toxic and abusive but there's just so much depth and a lot to unpack on their relationship there. Lowkey more interested on their dynamic than the main leads.....
What I kinda didn't like:
1. Some already mentioned this - the fighting scenes. Especially could have shown more the Marquis being Marquis on the battlefield. The battles and fights that they have spent a lot of time talking about yet the scene itself felt it was cut short.
My hot take: I feel like Changyu sacrificed more on their relationship than Xie Zheng. I really don't want to count but my girl has been through so much just to find him and save him. Well, he also saved her many times but he is the Marquis but my girl is really just a butcher girl but did A LOT. He also deserved more than a slap when he forced himself into kissing her. BUT OKAY, everything's been resolved and they really are a perfect match. I just wanted him to suffer more and yearn for her even much more LOL
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The biggest hit of 2026 so far
“Pursuit of Jade” is being called the drama of the year so far, and I can’t help but agree. This show shines as a testament to its tried and true in the field of C-Drama. Our actors, as to be expected from them all, delivered incredibly compelling performances. Our writer (who also wrote such hits as “Love like the Galaxy” and “Coroner’s Diary) delivers a moving and engaging story that takes you through generations of hurt and trauma in a world where only love is comparable of breaking through the barrier. Our director (who also directed my favorite Chinese drama of all time, “Blossom”) gives us another impeccable work of cinematography, imagery, costuming, and acting.Does “Pursuit of Jade” have its faults? Of course it does. What drama doesn’t? I found myself frustrated at moments with this or that, but never did I want to quit. Those things simply begin to fade away whenever you step back to look at the drama as a whole and know, without a doubt, you watched something amazing, something that took you on a journey with our absolutely incredible cast.
It is most definitely worth the watch.
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זה בהחלט שווה את ההייפ
היייי👋🏻גמרתי את 'המרדף אחרי הירקן' 🥳🥳🥳
אני חייבת לומר שהיו לי ציפיות ממש גבוהות ממנה, והיא לא אכזבה בגדול.
תמר- התרגום עשר! אפילו טעות אחת לא מצאתי! נהנתי מאוד מהצפייה-
ז'אנג לינג הא שחקן מטורף ומ-ו-ש-ל-ם וגם ממש חתיך..
טיאן שי-ווי- דבר ראשון היא שחקנית מדהימה, דבר שני היא יצור מאוד מתוק ומצחיק 😍
העלילה יפה, החברים (המוסקטרים שלה.. 😂) מוסיפים המון לעלילה והם גם ממש טמבלים ומצחיקים..
הזוג המשני- מתוקקק
הנבלים כולם זוועתיים אבל איכשהו בסופו של דבר לא הצלחתי לשנוא אף אחד מהם, אלא בעיקר לרחם, ולשמוח שלפני שהם מתו-הם חזרו בהם, השלימו עם הגורל ואפילו חלקם הצליחו להשלים עם האויבים שלהם (וזה נורא נדיר בסדרות בז'אנר הזה לדעתי)
הזוג נשאר נשוי כלללל הסדרה! זה ממש היה כיף, ועם הרבה סצנות אינטימיות וממש רומנטיות😍🤭🫣
הסוף מוש🤗 וה'אקסטרא סוף' שהם הוסיפו בפרק 40 --- מגניב ביותר 😂
לסיכום - סדרה ממש יפה, שווה ת'הייפ והמיין קאסט חתיכים אחד אחד וגם מי שלא - היה מצחיק אז סלחתי לו על זה...
*אמרתי 'בגדול' כי היו שם קצת קלישאות שעצבנו אותי (בעיקר פרקים 30-32) ועוד טיפה הגזמות (כמו כמויות הפעמים שהוא מספיק להיפצע בהם עד פרק 9--- ווי טו מאצ'😒) אבל כל השאר- מוש😊
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Fun, well-produced
Great little drama to immerse yourself in! Despite some confusing parts and some spots of weaker acting, in general the performances are very strong, cast is very charming, and the pacing and progression into the story is well executed. I especially think that Tian Xiwei carried this drama on her BACK! She is EXCELLENT!!Story-wise, I didn’t find it particularly deep or intriguing, but mostly enjoyable and satisfying. Since it’s all fictional but inspired by Song/Tang/Warring-ish times I did find some of the political explanations confusing
Soundtrack is also lovely, will be saving to my playlist.
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THIS is what a female general should be like! (and her hubby is just as amazing❤️?)
Finally gathered the courage to finish the last episode and say goodbye to what was honestly the best part of the past 3 weeks. Where do I even start🥲Cast: Phenomenal. Give me 30 MORE!! WOW. Our leads were insane in this, in the best way possible. Let's start with our boy ZhangLingHe. I've watched him since his earlier supporting days, and knew his acting was always top tier, but seeing him diversify his roles and honestly just perfect every single one had me struggling to find a favorite of his. Marquis of Wu'An is BY FAR my favorite. He is ridiculously good looking, duh🤷🏻♀️, but his charisma both when his identity is unknown and when he reclaims his title is out of this world. The legendary entrance with the feathers on his head🤴🏻 may be the one scene where I actually had to cover my mouth from squealing like a loser. He is every bit reserved, wise, ruthless to those who deserve it, and soft to his loved ones. 10/10. You'd think that's as high as you can get but nope. Our girl Tian Xi Wei was honestly a 50/10. I have never been so impressed by a female lead. Coming from a poor background, she has all the qualities you'd expect-- kindness, respect, loyal❤️🩹. It's the qualities that are completely unexpected that blew me away. Her martial arts are truly better than generals who've trained their whole lives, and all the battle scenes where she's the main character were blockbuster-level scenes filmed showcasing the best of cinema👏🏻. I do wish they showed us a bit of her training she briefly mentioned, but I'm just going to assume she is a natural and barely needed it. TXW is known for being very strong despite her fairy-like image🧚🏻♀️ and petite frame, but being physically strong as well as mentally really made her a new favorite female character of mine♥️. This masterpiece is my favorite drama from both our leads, and I don't think that'll change for at least a couple years. The supporting cast was also amazing-- the second couple, the wise elders, the adorable little sister, the brotherly clique of hers... it could not have been better. Even the villains were great, though I shamefully admit that I found myself rooting for them at one point 😅 Love them all UGH
Plot: Costume dramas are always a hit or miss for me-- some have too much political talk or war scenes, but this was the perfect balance of keeping the story interesting while having relevant "serious talk" in the background. The first episode had everyone hooked, I'm sure. The cinematography of the first scene❄️ of the two leads early on was aesthetically beautiful, and there was not a moment I was bored. The balance of romance, comedy, friendship/family, revenge was MY FAVORITE! The progression of the plot was done nicely, and though not all of it was surprising, the fact that I'd wait every day for the releases and the torment of having one-episode release days says enough for me. I was hooked from the start, and each and every episode until the end.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, CHEMISTRY: EEEK🤭 another squeal moment just thinking about it. The progression of the romance was another reason for me to use the word PERFECT lol but truly, their chemistry is insane. It starts off just gradual, as seeing a beautiful man and beautiful woman on screen together normally does😂 But then they grow closer and suddenly they're willing to risk their lives for one another. Boom💥 nothing can tear them apart and you realize it's end game for them. Though we see some truly romantic skinship scenes quite later in the drama, I assure you-- IT WAS SO WORTH IT. ZLH is such an expert at guiding his female costars in romantic scenes and TXW reciprocated in a way where I am still questioning whether or not they caught feelings. Or moreso, how could they NOT??? I hope they have more works together 🤞🏻And even the platonic chemistry, between the friends and elders and kids. All so wholesome!
I cried, laughed, got anxious, and felt about every emotion out there. The "what if" scenario at the end was also such a great addition to help those of us suffering after all that happened in that last episode 😭😭😭
Three weeks have passed in a blur... and now it's time to say goodbye. The harder it is to get over, the more attached I realize I became to such a massive work of art. She's beautiful, he's beautiful, everyone was beautiful. Not to sound vain, but being pleasing to the eye and veteran-like acting and a beautifully-written story go hand in hand with creating a true masterpiece. I may need to rewatch this soon. If you are on the fence, WATCH IT! Goodbye, for now... 👋🏻🫶🏻
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The acting carry the show
I have not seen many Chinese drama where the acting calibre and standards are so superb all across the board. The cast, especially Chang Yu, are all so outstanding. I think only Fan Zheng's seems a bit bland.I struggled to follow the second half of the story - and I think I am still a bit lost in the end lol.
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Girl boss with balance
To be frank my favorite couple was Fan ChangNing and Yu Bao Er.Those kids were so cute! and it was a blessing to see them persevere together thought out.
When ChangNing met up with BaoEr when he lost it I cried a little.
She brought peace back into the insanity he was going through.
The pink swear he’d make her a queen when he grows up 🤣😄😊
How he because ruler while mom was the background. Very interesting. 😌
What i found fault with:
They spent a lot of time in Chang Yu, home village. I understand they wanted us to bond with those living there but really?! And most of the time with Yan Song the scholar they kept poking fun at most of the series. (I get it, let’s stop beating the dead horse)
Very annoyed with the fact for the first 10 or so episodes Yan Zheng was injured, you could sense he was strong but we never got to see his true fighting form. Always injured in some capacity or another.
The plot armor provided to Chang Yu was insane. Compared to her lover, this 90 pound wet little women fought like a deity. I know her father was skilled but really?!
Ok they gave her a handicap.
She couldn’t read and she maybe had dyslexia. Then they kept mentioning how beautiful she was. enough already. 😩
Aside from the princess, How the hell in this age could she maintain such a “fair skin” complexion?
To China’s credit, they were the first where I found they wrote heroin very well. No girl bosses. They earn it and they despise “the message”. But! They came close this time. I’m glad they kept “the balance.”
Politics, was hard to grasp in the beginning. Like most folks watching the families dynamics involved, where their relationships stood…. took a while to process. Mostly because they were side stories until it mattered after episode 24.
What I liked.
Cinematography was excellent, the director did amazing work with each scene to bring depth and flesh out this vision what he wanted to express.
Felt the differences between the capital vs other places. Though everywhere was too “clean”.
The use of light and shadows, optics, usage of color palettes was well done.
Writing:
Expected from most c-dramas, and J-dramas respect and “reflection of culture” and superstitions. We don’t see this in kdramas anymore because they purposely make moves with an international audience in mind.
The cast writing and translation was excellent. Writing in general was excellent. They understood the assignment and tried thier best to translate it into a proper script. Some folks say pacing was a problem. Yea a little, like I stated earlier they could have shaved a couple of episodes from the beginning. Frankly the series for me started at episode 23
Couples:
Loved the last episode where Qi Min was falling for Qian Yu but was nauseous being around her.
This relationship was nuts. All he needed to do was let her go. She even told him I should’ve have saved you. My dude was an imposter all along.
Brother loved a “snake in the grass@ and mother knew.
Loved Qi shu and headmaster Yin Gongsun relationship. It’s only when they were in the heat of a war torn situation they were able to express themselves. And that Heimlich maneuver made them partners for life.
I’d give the series an 9.0.
Production - 10
Story - 9
Acting - 9
Visuals Fx - 10
OST - 9.5
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This review may contain spoilers
I hate the ML
I had so much hope for this drama with its interesting premise of a butcher's daughter as the FL. In most c-dramas I've watched, the woman is polished and refined. I love that this FL doesn't fit into that mold.To begin with, I have nothing against the actor himself. I know actors can get typecast. This is the second drama I've watched with Zhang Ling He. Do the directors make him force himself onto women in every role he has? I hated Princess Royal when he tried to sexually assault the FL. I stopped watching Pursuit of Jade after he forcefully kisses the FL. TWICE. Not once. TWICE. If a woman forcefully pushes a man away after he tries to kiss her, a good person wouldn't try to kiss her again. I will not be watching any of his other shows unless I know that his character doesn't behave like an aggressive jerk who doesn't care about getting consent from someone he supposedly loves.
Another reviewer complained that I shouldn't care about the lack of consent since this is a historical drama and women were viewed differently in the past. My response: "Since this is a historical drama, in history, could people leap over buildings and large distances because they knew martial arts? Or keep fighting at peak capacity after being stabbed/getting hit by arrows repeatedly? Having a butcher's daughter who is adept at martial arts & able to catch the heart of a nobleman is also historically inaccurate. Most of us watch these shows because they're fiction and not historical documentaries. If the writers/directors can take liberty with one plot point, they have the choice to take liberty with other plot points. I'm sick of purity culture and the harmful belief that a FL needs to be forced into anything sexual because "good women" don't have sexual desires. There are plenty of shows where consent is respected. A person who truly loves their love interest would ask for consent. They wouldn't disrespect the person they supposedly care about by forcing any form of physical intimacy. That's true regardless of the year we're in--whether it's in the past or present."
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