Ashes to Crown

Ashes to Crown for me is an exceptional historical drama driven by its fascinating and well-developed characters. Chu Zhao is a remarkable heroine—intelligent, resilient, and determined to take control of her destiny. Her journey from tragedy to empowerment is inspiring and emotionally compelling.

Xie Yanlai stands out as one of the most memorable male leads in recent dramas. His loyalty, courage, and unwavering support for Chu Zhao make their relationship feel genuine and deeply moving. Their chemistry is natural and captivating, creating many unforgettable moments throughout the series ❤️

Xiao Xun is an intriguing antagonist whose ambition and desire for power add tension and unpredictability to the story. Xie Yanfang is equally compelling, bringing mystery, intelligence, and depth to the political conflicts that shape the narrative.

What makes Ashes to Crown truly special is how each character evolves over time, making their choices, struggles, and relationships feel meaningful and believable. Combined with beautiful cinematography, strong performances, and an engaging storyline, this drama delivers an unforgettable viewing experience. It is a must-watch for anyone who enjoys historical dramas with strong characters, emotional depth, and intricate political intrigue.

What I do have a complaint about is the story feeling rushed at times. 24 episodes are not enough for a story like this.

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A shooting star, Burning brightly and blinking out in the middle ("plot holes") till it faded away.

I only write reviews when i have high hopes for a drama, only for them to get destroyed.

So, in a nutshell, this drama can be broken down as follows...

I rate this drama as 2 parts.
1st Half - 9/10
2nd Half - 3/10
Overall - 6/10.

Excellent casting , excellent acting, perfect OST only to be broken down by inconsistent writing and glaring plot holes.
The 1st half went great but for the 2nd half , you literally have to watch it with the mind of a toddler. Felt like some one completely stupid took over the writing.

The best part of this drama and what drew me to it in the first place was the leads chemistry. Sadly they completely ignored this towards the end. The last episode did have a twist and kind of justified some choices made but honestly it felt like taking such a roundabout way to get there that it completely felt unnecessary.

Only watch this for the couple chemistry or if you are a fan of the leads, and even then just fast forward after ep16 or so, last few minutes of the final ep was decent and gave some closure (not for the logic, but for the romance fans) so i can move on without raging....

ART out :)

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An Aesthetic Triumph: Where Flawless Cinematography Meets Gripping Storytelling

At its core, the show is a thrilling second-chance survival story. When the general’s daughter, Chu Zhao, is betrayed and killed on the eve of her wedding, she is miraculously reborn with a vow to rewrite her destiny. Instead of fleeing the political turmoil that destroyed her past life, she plunges straight into the fire to seize power. The story never drags, keeping you hooked with high-stakes manoeuvres and deeply emotional character arcs. The acting across the board is stellar and entirely grounds the sweeping drama.

While the plot and performances are more than enough to carry the show, the costume design and artistic focus are what elevate this series into the stratosphere. It is, quite simply, out of this world. The visual composition just kills me. Every single frame feels like a meticulous, high-budget painting. The directors clearly have an obsessive eye for cinematography and spatial depth. Whether the scene is a tense, sprawling standoff in the grand imperial court or an intimate, quiet conversation in a courtyard, the framing is always absolute perfection.

The costumes deserve their own dedicated praise, going far beyond standard historical fare to become a core part of the storytelling. The intricate textures and layering of the traditional garments and battle armour are so incredibly detailed that you can practically feel the heavy weight of the silk, metal, and leather through the screen. The stark, deliberate colour palettes perfectly reflect the characters' internal shifts from innocence to absolute ruthlessness, and the impeccable hair and makeup styling amplify the regal, intimidating presence of the entire cast.

Beyond the breathtaking visual splendour, it is the phenomenal cast and the labyrinth of plot twists that will truly keep you on the edge of your seat. Just when you think you have the political manoeuvrings and character allegiances figured out, the story pulls the rug out from under you with yet another masterful misdirection. The actors anchor these chaotic shifts flawlessly, delivering performances so emotionally resonant that every shocking revelation lands with maximum impact. If you appreciate the grand scale and sweeping aesthetics of epics like Ashes of Love or Eternal Love, the cinematography here will leave you speechless, but it is the brilliantly woven web of deception and stellar acting that solidifies Ashes to Crown as an unmissable 10/10 masterpiece.

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Ashes to crown is a show form of GO/ Weiqi

The show was slow to develop (even though it felt rushed in earlier episodes). I mostly liked the show after Chu Zhao returned to the capital. After the end, it felt like a long game that involved foresight to make moves, thinking 10 steps ahead, but not for an immediate win. Like losing a few battles to win the war. There were terrific mind games. Dialogues and monologues were important and nuanced; if not paid attention to, the characters' actions would be difficult to understand. The constant push-pull between Deng Yi and Xie Yanfang was an absolute treat to watch. Not to mention, Xie Yanfang stole the limelight in the last 4-5 episodes. At times, he felt like the main character of the show.
In short, it was an entertaining show about court politics (romance was secondary here).

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What an incredible first episode ! So much happens in such a short time. Poor thing... How awful to go through that ! It's unbearable to watch such a powerful, untouchable manipulator. The show's little twist comes out of nowhere ; I had absolutely no idea it would be that. And I think that's better not to know anything before starting.

"If women interfere with politics, the State will collapse."
Go tell that to Cixi, who kept the Qing dynasty afloat for more than 50 years.

Oh my ! That feeling of satisfaction when you start watching a random series and it literally sucks you in, leaving you eagerly awaiting each episode, day after day. A C-drama about power and court intrigues, featuring powerful men who are never satisfied but who end up crossing paths with a cunning princess who stops at nothing. She knows how to keep her allies close and her enemies even closer. She uses their strengths and weaknesses against them. She stands up to the ministers and the rest of the world. (When she traps Xiao Xun in a gilded cage, lured by a reward... episode 16.) It's so good. Did I say it was good ? I'll say it again, then.

I love these stories about unexpected characters who take their revenge on fate. These people are one step ahead because they leave their arrogance at the door. Princess Zhao Chu does, however, have one advantage : the sympathy and loyalty of certain people excluded from the circles of power. She lives surrounded by her maids, her advisors, her protectors, almost exclusively women.

All in all, these guys who feel belittled and are plotting in the princess's shadow are quite entertaining. No matter what schemes they hatch, they end up doing whatever she wants.

This little emperor, still just a child, who puts his ministers in their place, I found it so funny. They don't take him seriously, but they follow his orders because what he says makes perfect sense and shows great intelligence.

"Why must she seek such Glory on the battlefield ? [...] Clearly, she refuses to know her place and means to usurp the throne."

The relationship between the two main protagonists works so well. They're passionate and each has their own demons. Their conversation in episode 3, very tense, borders on the erotic without the slightest sexual undertone. And their sword dance beneath the fallen leaves drifting from the trees around them, their gazes filled with desire and mutual respect… When he fixes her hair knot while she's kneading dough to make pastries ? Please cover the children's eyes ! A man and a woman among the most beautiful in the world, and they support and admire each other, to the point of pulling off a final plan that's quite implausible but relies solely on their faith in one another.

"I'm not here to persuade you but to threaten you." she says with a venomous smile.

The music is so lyrical at times ! Often melancholic and melismatic. It takes on a more martial tone during battle and siege scenes. How strange it is to hear melodies that usually sound more like Japanese animation. Simple, repetitive phrases built around a single ornamented note.

Of course, the sets and costumes are meticulously crafted and drenched in black and red throughout. How beautiful !

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Chen Du Ling At Her Finest

Chu Zhao (Chen Du Ling) was at her best in this drama, Ashes to Crown. Her performance was masterful. Chu Zhao, a general's daughter, did not know how to use weapons or practice martial arts; she knew strategies. Chu Zhao was very intelligent and she learned how to use weapons very quickly. In this drama, Chen Du Ling was somewhat like she was in her 2025 drama, The Grlory, except better. She was a heroine and had compassion for people. Bad people, evil people she destroyed. That stare....that stare.

Xie Yan Lai / Fu Jiu (Zhou Yi Ran) was an excellent fighter. He was always beaten and persecuted by his family and the people. He was beaten so badly that he spit out what seemed to be rivers of blood. How could a body take such a beating and so frequently?

Chu Zhao grew up without her mother (who she did not know) and her father (always fighting on the border). When she thought of herself as grown, she decided to head to the capital. Her father told her that her mother liked the capital and part of the reason Chu Zhao wanted to go there was to experience what her mother experienced and to be close to her mother. She was excited about the crowds of people, the bright colors, the sounds, the smells, the activities and so forth. She made her way to a crowd. She pushed her way through the crowd, just to witness a sight that made all of the nice things she had just experienced seem unimportant. She witnessed a young man being beaten to death and the crowd standing around him, yelling kill him. She stopped the man from striking the young man and she yelled at the crowd. She was taken away by one of her father's solders. She made such a great impression on XXie Yan Lai for he dared to look up and he had seen someone willing to stand up for him, to protect him.

Eventually, Chu Zhao met Xiao Xun and fell in love with him. She took him back home to meet her father. Her father told her that she could not marry him. The general did not give his blessing. She left home, with her husband to be. On her 22 birthday, she was married to the prince, her love. He had invited the general to the wedding reception / birthday gathering, behind Chu Zhao's back. The prince, Chu Zhao's new husband, behead her father and later strangled her to death. Chu Zhao was reborn years before she married the evil prince. With all of the knowledge of events from her previous life, she would navigate through everything with strategy, cunning and intelligence. During the rebellion between the princes, she made her way into a building in the chaotic capital. There she found a eunuch and a little boy hiding in the dark. She reassured the little boy, the youngest prince, that she would not hurt him. The little prince trusted her almost immediately. They left the building and they were surrounded on both ends of the street. Help came. It was Xie Yan Lai and his men. He took Chu Zhao away on his horse, leaving the little prince and eunuch in the middle of the street. She convinced him to take her back to the little prince. Chu Zhao, the little prince and Xie Yan Lai made their way to the palace. She was able to take the prince into the emperor's palace, where the emperor was able to see his grandson. Chu Zhao spoke to the emperor and the emperor finally decreed that the little prince would be the next emperor and Chu Zhao would be made the Grand Princess. She guided the young emperor and she attended court regularly. Her and the young emperor became older sister and younger brother. She was the main reason that the first and subsequent rebellions were squashed. Xie Yan Lai taught her how to use a sword and bow. She practiced everyday, per Chu Zhao. She gave strategies to win the wars at the border, even fighting on the battlefield. She did meet her mother, who was a former general of the enemy country. Her mother loved her enough to stay away from her daughter, as not to get her in trouble. He mother died in the war, right in front of Chu Zhao. Her mother bas blown up and engulfed in fire, as she looked back at her daughter.

The Grand Princess stopped rebellions, fought in wars, cleaned up the court, guided the young emperor, and so much more. She ended up with Xie Yan Lai. They had 2 children together. She started her own army and peace was in the land.

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Kind of a mess

This show has simply too much story for the allotted time. The way they chopped it up to fit creates a disjointed, nonsensical mess. The scenes themselves play out slowly enough- I watched the entire thing at 1.5X speed- but big developments happen quickly and abruptly with little glue in between, and sometimes key scenes are not even shown (or only a flash of them).

I don’t think filler is necessarily a good thing, but proper pacing means giving ideas some time to develop, and it helps the story feel more natural. That’s all missing here. It reminds me of vertical dramas; perhaps that’s the target audience.

On top of this choppiness, other symptoms include: many things are not properly explained and links are missing; plot points are introduced and then forgotten; and the story is riddled with inconsistencies that are simply flashed over as the show runs away at breakneck speed. Maybe I missed some things because I was watching it so sped up, but I just wasn’t interested enough to pay more attention, and why bother keeping track of plot points when half of them are dropped.

The premise is, or at least starts as, a rebirth revenge. It reminds me a bit of The Double, only everything less well done. Later it shifts more into power struggles and scheming. I basically held onto these familiar story archetypes to maintain some sanity.

The FL, for example. I just tried to see her as an archetype smart and scheming FL, otherwise it would have been too much cognitive dissonance. I had to ignore the random inconsistencies in her character, like how her skills in strategy and military tactics seem to come out of nowhere, and how she randomly devolves back into being a willful teenager somewhere in the middle. Stereotyping her also helped me like her better, since I like this character pattern, and she doesn’t have much personality of her own (or it’s so inconsistent that you don’t know what it is).

The ML is a skilled fighter with a sad past and endless devotion to her. Also classic. I don’t think he’s very interesting, but at least I didn’t get cognitive dissonance from him. Zhou Yiran is such a pretty boy in this show, though. I know that’s not everyone’s type, but at least I enjoyed staring at his face.

Their romance goes through all the right motions, including tense staring contests, cute and sweet moments, exaggerated worry, and so on. I didn’t really feel it. It isn’t built up properly or meaningfully, though I think the pieces are there- it’s just poor writing emphasizing the wrong things. They do get together quickly enough, but after that their relationship really is not very interesting.

As far as the plot goes, the FL first goes through a phase where she is hell bent on revenge (country be damned). I found it somewhat confusing because she’s reborn in the past; the guy hasn’t even done anything to her yet. Every time she called it "revenge", I secretly giggled. She doesn’t even try to establish if he at that point harbors any ill intent towards her.

Luckily for us all, he is just a terrible person who is already planning terrible things. This villain is one of the most one-dimensional I have seen. At least it is easy on my emotions, but it’s not really that interesting to watch him do all the terrible things villains do.

At some point, the FL abruptly transitions into wanting to be a good ruler for the people, and the focus then is on outmaneuvering her opponents in a high-stakes power game. She is not always invincible, which is one little thing I liked. The court comprises of a bunch of annoying old men led by two hot young guys. I am not sure how such a court comes into being. Either way, these two hot young ministers are playing politics with the FL, but I could never quite figure out what they were after or what they were trying to do. Maybe I needed to pay more attention, but it was not worth the risk of brain implosion.

There are some likable-enough side characters, but mostly they didn’t get enough development for me to care. The child emperor is really adorable, especially when he acts all authoritative- but is this realistic for a 6 year old? (Or is he actually 12?)

There is also some war and battle stuff in the middle. And plenty of dramatic scenes with lots of pretty-crying. Maybe I just wasn’t into the show, but it felt kind of ridiculous to see all the streaming tears for things I didn’t find that sad.

Finally, there is some female empowerment stuff, and this is not a bad show for girl power. But proper female representation is not so rare anymore these days, so a few throwaway comments and one short empowerment arc don't really get this show any extra points.

I can’t comment much on the acting since I watched it all so sped up. I actually thought Deng Yi and Xie Yanfang’s actors did really good jobs. Styling is good, I thought they all look quite good. Production seems decent- especially since I mentally categorized this as a short drama, so within that category it is good. But I really can’t say I was paying that much attention.

To close it off, here’s what I came up with for things I liked about this show (besides that the emperor is very cute and the guys are good looking):

1) The overall premise of a strong FL who outmaneuvers her opponents is not a bad one. Other shows have done it better, but if you’ve already seen them and want more, you might like this.

2) With the fast and choppy pace, coupled with watching at 1.5X speed, I felt like I was breezing through a story very quickly, which gave me a sense of accomplishment. Whatever people like about vertical dramas probably applies here.

3) I ended up on reddit reading episode discussions- I wanted to see if it was just me thinking the show was bad- and I was not disappointed, all the haters had gathered. So it was kind of fun to see people pick apart a show I didn’t like that much.

ENDING – READ AHEAD ONLY IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, CONTAINS SPOILERS





It’s a happy ending. The last deadly challenge is solved in a cheap way. The emperor is clearly totally autonomous now that he’s 12, so the leads depart from politics to go frolic in the desert and have babies, happily ever after.

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The low reviews are straight-up lying to you!

Ashes to Crown is officially one of the best dramas I have watched this year so far, and everyone should stop sleeping on it.

In a nutshell, it is a second chance rebirth story that follows a general’s daughter Chu Zhao who gets brutally betrayed, poisoned, and killed by her trash husband, Prince Xiao Xun. But then she mysteriously wakes up reborn right before her wedding with all her past memories intact. Only this time, she is not playing a sacrificial pawn. She is determined to rewrite history. Literally. She teams up with Xie Yan Lai—a brooding, half low-born warrior who she helps rise to become a general while he stands by her side against everyone else.

Honestly, I’m baffled at the lower rating on MDL because this drama totally slays if you ask me. It should be above 8.

If you go into this with the wrong expectations, you might not get it. It is first and foremost a revenge and palace intrigue drama with a good serving of romance, not a fluffy rom-com. But it is a little different from a typical court intrigue C-drama. And I will explain why later. Additionally, there is no comedic relief in the drama. It actually gets super gruesome because there are a ton of battle scenes and military fighting. Honestly? I preferred that so much because it completely breaks up the usually monotonous pace of the court sessions. Only in Ashes to Crown Everything was balanced so well.

Let’s talk about the production value because I am obsessed. I found myself squealing at my TV quite a lot of times. The acting is absolute perfection. The character growth—especially watching Chu Zhao go from a victim to a calculated revenge machine and Xie Yan Lai rise through the ranks and figuring out that he doesn’t need the Xie last name to be his own person—is handled so well even in such a tight time frame.

I have seen both the main lead actor and actress in other dramas, and I know Chen Duling can always deliver such great, heavy emotions; she completely proves here why she deserves a main role. As for Zhou Yiran, he is still young, but he is incredibly convincing. I’ve seen him in Twelve Letters and Generation to Generation and I can tell for a fact he is extremely talented. Costume dramas are absolutely his thing—I can't wait to see what else he's gonna be playing. Even though Chen Duling is seven years older than Zhou Yiran in real life, their dynamic in the drama is seamless because he still carries this effortlessly mature aura on screen. Also, can we talk about the visual team? I absolutely adore whoever styled Zhou Yiran for the role of Xie Yan Lai and the rest of the cast. The costumes were really good, and the makeup was perfect because it wasn't overly done or over-the-top. Except for the Grand Princess of course where it was necessary.

And oh my god, the villains?! I need to expand on them because the antagonists in this drama were stunning. Prince Xiao Xun is such a menacing, power-hungry and absolutely disgusting antagonist, but Xie Yan Fang, the absolute main villain of the show, was genuinely terrifying but brilliant to watch. The way he moves his pieces behind the scenes makes the whole political web feel so dangerous, and honestly, the performance from Tang Xiao Tian was just top-tier. He looked extra sharp here. Along with the rest of the secondary antagonists, they set the stakes so high that you genuinely fear for the leads. And because this drama has no comedy, you are not certain that the leads will even get a happily ever after due to the overall slightly somber and melancholic and serious tone of the drama.

The cinematography and directing style are literally breathtaking. The color grading? Stunning. All the reds in this drama look amazing! And the CGI is actually so even and high-quality, which is rare.

The music score was also a massive addition that completely elevated every single scene. Music in this show is so important and it was clearly there for a reason, acting as a perfect bridge to help carry one scene over into the next. It’s fast-paced where it absolutely needs to be to match the high stakes, and then it gets beautifully brooding in some of the slower, heavier scenes. In general, it just added so many layers and so much texture to what was happening on screen. I truly appreciated it a lot because the score perfectly helped the show maintain its momentum.

Also, the pacing is a massive win for me. The drama is only 24 episodes, which is rare for court intrigue drama but this means the court intrigue and plotting are so fast-paced and tightly written that you don’t even have time to get bored. I don’t know if this is the reason why some viewers who are possibly used to long-winded court dramas maybe didn’t enjoy this pacing as much but it’s a chef’s kiss for me. There is zero extra exposition, zero useless monologues, and no filler episodes dragging it down. We get enough info to understand the plot without the story getting buried in endless talking.

The dialogue is so crisp. I commend the writers. They only put the lines that needed to convey the essential information. Did I think the pacing felt a tiny bit too fast at points? Yeah, I would’ve loved to dive deeper into some backstories. But keeping it at a tight 24 episodes was infinitely better than dragging it out to 30+ episodes just for the sake of it. The thing with the court politics dramas is that eventually you get tired of all the talking waiting to see the point of each dialogue. And I think Ashes to Crown had just the perfect amount of episodes and perfect amount of talking.

Now, for my favorite part: THE ROMANCE. It is so, so good! If you love female-centric revenge stories but still want romance, you will literally scream. I see a lot of people call it a slow burn, but I think it develops incredibly organically. Chu Zhao and Xie Yan Lai already know what they mean to each other by episode 10 where they first kiss. Some dramas take 20 or even 25 episodes to get characters to that point. So I enjoyed the pacing for the romantic storyline immensely. True, Chu Zhao and Xie Yan Lai don't have countless romantic scenes because romance isn't the main driving plot—it's woven into the revenge story. It's just two people with tragic backstories trying to survive, mutually respecting each other, and finding solace together.

But when they are romantic? The chemistry between Chen Duling and Zhou Yiran is insane. They have several kiss scenes and they are just serving face and emotions on screen. The directing of their intimate moments and the scene compositions spoke to my soul—I literally rewatched multiple scenes several times because the setup and editing were that gorgeous. Plus, the soundtrack fits perfectly. The vocal tracks during those slower moments added so much depth and kept the vibe going.

Overall, a 10/10 for me. Don't listen to the haters, just go watch it!

To wrap it all up, I highly recommend this drama for so many reasons:

* The Acting: It features really good acting across the entire cast, and Chen Duling and Zhou Yiran have incredible chemistry that makes their romantic storyline so great to watch.
* The Music: It has a fantastic soundtrack that perfectly elevates every single scene and helps maintain the show's momentum.
* The Production Value: The cinematography itself is amazing, and it is beautifully shot with some truly stunning scene compositions that add so much to the overall look, feel, and story.
* The Elite Pacing: If you are like me and skip a lot when watching very long, 35+ episode dramas about court politics, Ashes to Crown is the winner. It moves very fast and does not have any fillers.
* The Crisp Writing: Every single dialogue line only contains enough information to convey the essentials. You do need to be able to read between the lines for character development while everything moves quickly, but it keeps things so engaging.

I loved it a lot!

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Nauseatinf roller coaster ride

To be honest, this series started with a compelling premise: the daughter of a respected general becomes a Grand Princess caught in the deadly political struggle between the Regent and the King’s uncle. Add a handsome love interest and a disgraced prince, and it seemed like all the ingredients were there for an engrossing historical drama.

Unfortunately, the writers became so obsessed with plot twists that the story lost its way. Watching this series felt less like following a well-crafted political intrigue and more like riding the biggest roller coaster at Six Flags except every climb was followed by another unexpected drop, twist, and loop.

Every revelation was immediately replaced by another. Just when you thought you understood someone’s motives or identity, another twist turned everything upside down. Nothing was ever what it seemed until the very end, when every secret was suddenly revealed. It tried to be the perfect whodunit, but instead became so convoluted that it was exhausting to follow. I found myself spending more time trying to piece together the plot than becoming emotionally invested in it.

The romance, which should have grounded the series, felt like an afterthought. Instead of driving the story, it merely passed through it. Even more disappointing, the male lead often felt like a supporting character in his own drama.
Ironically, 24 episodes should have been enough to tell this story, yet so much time was spent on unnecessary twists that the emotional arcs and supporting characters never had the room to breathe. By the finale, I wasn’t surprised by the revelations, I was simply relieved the ride was over.

For viewers who enjoy nonstop plot twists and intricate palace conspiracies, this may be entertaining. For me, however, the series sacrificed coherence and emotional depth in favor of constantly trying to outsmart its audience.

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The scheming!!

I just completed this drama and I'm happy I give it a fair chance because I enjoyed the politics, the scheming and acting a lot. The way how it was all schemes and it felt like a game they were playing and only one person will be the victor.

I also realised after finishing this that this felt like the FL was a graduate who had no work experience and landed her first job not as an entry level but much higher, and though she had the qualification she did not have any actual experience, thats how the first 5-7 episodes felt to me and that's probably why I felt like so much was happening, because she joined a game with veterans, but after she went and got experience, she came back formidable, all that hidden talent without the experience to back it up started fshowing, and she was on top of the scheming game.

The lead FL acting was well done especially in the first few episodes when she was reborn, anyone in their right mind would act like that, and I think it made this a bit different. The ML he did his part well, but I honestly wanted to see more of his fighting, when they first introduced him his fighting scenes were great, but they did not give us a lot of it. Now lets go to our Prime minister, gosh I am impresssed with Daddi Tang, who knew he had it in him, I've only scene him in comedy but he stood out the most to me. The young emperor actor he is going to do big things, he's already so imposing, I look forward to see him even more.

The romance had a lot of yearning and staring into eachother eyes, some kiss scenes but based on this type of drama and the story, it was enough. I feel like they had the first half to hash out everything and formed this unbreakble bond, and then the second half was to focus on whats at hand... I definitely enjoyed the second half a lot more than the first half though.

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