Blossoms of Power

Failed pairing, why repeat?

ML (He Yu) & FL (Meng zi yi) already had mediocre chemistry from Duel on Mount Hua: Nine Yin True Sutra, why pair them up again? It's guaranteed not to be amazing from the start. Not even the word "Blossom" in the title will help.

Standard script with predicable story line. However production quality is pretty good. The supporting cast is impressive with lots of familiar actors. Its the main reason why I continue to watch.

Favorite character (so far)
Bu shu lin, actress Fan Shuai Qi is one of those few actresses that can pull off pretending to be a Male. Hopefully she'll get more FL roles in the future.

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The Lovesick Boys and the Throne Everyone Wants

I genuinely don’t know what they put into this drama, but it is ridiculously addictive. On paper, it’s another court intrigue drama about power struggles, revenge, succession, and the imperial harem. In reality, I could not stop watching. Every episode gave me something new, whether it was another political scheme, a plot twist, a new character, or another reason to stay up for “just one more episode.” It was one of the easiest dramas I’ve binge-watched this year.

I actually went into this drama expecting not to like it because I’m not the biggest Meng Ziyi fan. The only reason I started it was because of He Yu, and honestly… I was not expecting to love it this much.

Let’s start with the biggest star of the show: the male lead.

He Yu absolutely stole this drama. His character was shameless, manipulative, calculating, intelligent, hilarious, ridiculously handsome, completely lovesick, and somehow still incredibly endearing. He became one of my favourite male leads of the year.

I love a shameless male lead, and this man delivered everything I could ask for. One minute he’s pretending to be weak, fragile, and in desperate need of help, and the next he’s reminding everyone why he’s actually one of the smartest and strongest people in the room. His confidence, wit, fighting scenes, principles, and absolute devotion to the female lead made him impossible not to love.

Can we also talk about the face card? Please keep casting He Yu as the lead in historical dramas forever. The styling, the costumes, the hair, the acting… everything worked. That man served face every single episode.

I had mostly seen He Yu in lighter, playful roles before this, so seeing him completely own such a cunning, layered character genuinely surprised me. He carried the role effortlessly.

Meng Ziyi also surprised me.

This is easily my favourite performance from her. I’m usually not the biggest fan of her acting, but she completely won me over here. At first I honestly disliked her character because she felt cold, distant, and almost heartless. But the more the story developed, the more I understood her. She was driven by revenge and power rather than romance, so her emotional growth felt earned.

Her crying scene after his death was probably the best acting I’ve ever seen from her. That scene completely broke me.

The only thing I’d like to change is her styling. I really hope future historical dramas give her different hairstyles and costumes because I feel like she’s always styled exactly the same.

The chemistry completely shocked me.

Off-screen they gave me sibling or best friend energy during promotions, so I wasn’t expecting much. On-screen? Completely different story.

These two characters were genuinely written for each other.

They’re both intelligent, manipulative, calculating, ambitious, and willing to play the long game. Their personalities complement each other perfectly.

He falls first, falls hard, and isn’t shy about it at all. Meanwhile, she isn’t someone who believes in love because revenge has always been her priority. I never minded how slowly she accepted his feelings because it made perfect sense for her character.

And once she finally falls…

They become one of my favourite couples of the year.

That said, I do feel like we were robbed of several romantic moments. There were multiple scenes where it genuinely looked like kissing scenes had been awkwardly cut, making the editing feel abrupt. It was disappointing because their chemistry deserved more.

Another standout was Prince Lei, played by Lai Weiming.

I had only seen him in variety shows and Shine On Me, so I wasn’t expecting much, but he completely blew me away.

He was absolutely gorgeous, but more importantly, he had one of my favourite character arcs in the drama.

He loved her deeply, yet he still chose to let her go because he understood it was what she wanted. His feelings never disappeared, but he respected her choices anyway. That made him feel incredibly human.

Please cast Lai Weiming as the male lead in a historical drama. He absolutely deserves it.

I also wish we had seen more of him toward the end. The drama built him up as an important character, only to almost forget about him during the finale. I wanted to know what happened to him years later because he deserved a proper ending.

Prince Yu was another disappointment—but not because of the character himself.

I genuinely thought Shan He Yi would have a much bigger role because he was literally on the poster. Instead, he had maybe four scenes.

I kept waiting for him to return, thinking surely there was more planned for him, but nothing ever happened. It honestly felt like both the actor and the character were wasted.

One thing I loved was seeing so many actors who usually play villains all acting as brothers. It honestly felt like an assembly of famous C-drama villains, and I found that really fun.

Speaking of the princes…

I loved all of them.

Honestly, everyone had chemistry with everyone. The leads, the villains, the brothers… every interaction worked. I actually wish we’d gotten more genuine brotherhood between the princes because their dynamics had so much potential.

The second couple, Bu Shuyao and Cui Jinbai, deserves a special mention.

They were absolutely hilarious.

The entire misunderstanding where he believed he was gay because he had fallen in love with someone he thought was a man, then she thought he was gay after learning the truth, and eventually everyone else also believed they were gay… it was one of the funniest running jokes in the drama.

They also had fantastic chemistry.

Unfortunately, just like several other side characters, they were pushed aside after Episode 26 even though they still had plenty of story left to tell.

That became one of my biggest issues with the drama.

It introduced so many interesting characters with huge potential but kept abandoning them instead of fully developing them. Rather than exploring the existing cast, it kept introducing new characters.

Story-wise, though, the drama was fantastic.

The mystery surrounding the poisoning kept me guessing the entire time. Every episode made me suspect someone else. Eventually, after the letter appeared, I realised it had to be the Empress, but I still didn’t fully understand her motivation.

The biggest twist—that the Crown Prince wasn’t actually the Emperor’s son but Prince Qing’s—made me genuinely gasp.

The drama handled its twists extremely well.

Prince Ning was the only character I had mixed feelings about.

Sometimes I loved his ruthlessness, ambition, and power. I even appreciated his redemption when it was revealed that everything he did was ultimately to help her become Empress.

But his obsession took up far too much time during the ending.

If that storyline had happened in the middle of the drama, I wouldn’t have minded.

But shifting so much attention to him during the final episodes completely ruined the pacing for me. Those episodes should have focused on the main couple and delivered a satisfying conclusion instead.

Which brings me to my biggest complaint…

The ending.

Until the final episode, this was honestly a 10/10.

I was completely okay with the Crown Prince dying. His death was meaningful. It pushed her toward becoming Empress and ruling in her own right. It hurt, but it worked.

Then the drama brought him back… without explaining anything.

That completely took me out of the ending.

I shouldn’t have to read the novel to understand what happened.

Even with the extra episode, we never receive a proper explanation. We never find out whether he learned who poisoned him, despite that being one of his biggest motivations throughout the entire story. We don’t really get to see him reunite properly with his son. She hugs him, and that’s basically it.

After six episodes without the male lead, his return deserved so much more.

If they wanted him alive, explain it.

If they wanted him dead, let his sacrifice remain meaningful.

Instead, they chose an ending that somehow felt both rushed and incomplete.

That was incredibly frustrating because this drama deserved a much stronger finale.

Despite all that, I still think Blossoms of Power is one of the best dramas I’ve watched this year.

It has incredible pacing, beautiful cinematography, gorgeous costumes, amazing face cards, good OSTs, strong writing, memorable plot twists, excellent court intrigue, and one of the most entertaining shameless male leads I’ve watched in a long time.

If you enjoy political intrigue, revenge stories, arranged marriage tropes, slow-burn romance, brilliant scheming, yearning men, and characters who constantly outsmart each other, I highly recommend this drama.

The ending may have left a dark cloud over an otherwise incredible journey, but it wasn’t enough to erase everything the drama did right.

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? Green Tea ML ?

Saw short clips of this drama on YouTube and decided to give it a try. Usually, it takes me at least 2–3 episodes to decide whether a drama is worth continuing, but this one was an instant go from the very first episode, which is pretty rare for me.

This is my first time watching a drama starring He Yu, and I think he did a great job portraying Xiao Huayong. Huayong quickly became my favourite character because it's rare to see such a "green tea" and shameless male lead in a full-length Chinese drama instead of a short drama. The way he would shamelessly act weak and faint at any moment was absolutely hilarious 😂

Beyond his green tea and playful personality, Huayong is also incredibly intelligent. I liked how he managed to keep both his martial arts abilities and his palace intelligence network hidden without arousing anyone's suspicion. He wasn't just pretending to be weak but he was always several steps ahead of everyone else.

Ep 31 was probably my favourite. Huayong was genuinely happy about becoming a father, yet at the same time felt guilty for leaving Xi He to deal with the aftermath alone. Despite knowing that he would never get the chance to watch his child grow up, he had already planned everything, even thinking about their education and choosing a teacher up until the age of fifteen. That scene was both heartwarming and heartbreaking 🥹

I also loved watching Xi He gradually change from someone who was cold, guarded, and scheming into someone who truly loved Huayong. One of my favourite moments was when she said that if their child were a son, she hoped he would grow up to be like his father. To me, that's one of the greatest compliments a wife could give her husband.

My biggest dissatisfaction was how Huayong returned in ep 36. I wish ep 33–36 had shown how he faked his death, survived the poison, and recovered before making his return. Since Xi He is supposed to be highly intelligent, I also expected her to notice that something felt off during the funeral and start suspecting that Huayong was still alive. That would've made the reunion much more satisfying.

I also felt that the Fifth Prince's obsession with Xi He dragged on for too long in the final episodes. While the drama explained that he was willing to die for her, those scenes became repetitive and a little frustrating to watch. I was also hoping the Ninth Prince would end up with Yingruo.

Overall, I really enjoyed this drama, and Xiao Huayong is definitely the highlight for me. I loved how he balanced his playful, shameless side with his calm, intelligent, and serious side. He's such a refreshing male lead, and I'll definitely be checking out more of He Yu's dramas after this.

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Looks Sparkly But Lacks Substance

Positive Points
1. The cinematography, direction, color grading and editing were top-notch. A big thanks to the screenwriter for not misleading the viewers, as quite a few dramas did in the name of drama adaptation this year. The screenwriter changed quite a few things, but the main essence of the story was not destroyed. Though I have quite a few complaints with a few things, this adaptation can truly be called the drama adaptation of the original novel.
2. The cast was good, and quite a few known faces were there. Though I was not quite satisfied with Meng Zi Yi's acting, the rest of the cast did well. He Yu was the perfect guy to play the pretending-to-be-sickly, harmless, flirty, but actually scheming and manipulating everything from behind-the-scenes type crown prince. I can not name all, but quite a few of the supporting cast have got my attention, especially the actress playing Bu Shu Lin. She is the only woman I believed was a man.
3. The pacing of the story was good, and though it felt a bit dragged towards the middle, it ended well.

Negative Points

1. ML has been toned down a lot, and he is mostly shown as a love-brained, which is ridiculous. In a female-centric drama, what is this obsession with the screenwriter to show the ML as an incompetent, love-brained guy? Why can he not be sane as well just because he fell in love? I am not asking the writer to give too much focus on the ML, but at least give something to the viewers so that the ML to look incompetent. That chasing track of Bu Shulin was such a nice well-written track that gave everyone a spot to shine, but it was toned down a lot. Bu Shulin, Crown Prince, and the King and all other princes were all given their own stage. But the screenwriter had to make everything about the FL. Xiao Huayong is a complex character. He is not a love-obsessed guy at all. He loves the FL and yet did not lose his ruthlessness, and neither his vision as the future emperor. He knows where to control and where to use his soft-heartedness. It was such an elaborately written track but the drama toned down both Bu Shulin's capability, Xiao Huayong's testing Bu Shulin's capability, and saving her from the emperor and Shen Xihe's growing softness and the ML's mixed feelings about it. He was drawn to Shen Xihe's character but he neither turned soft-hearted nor did he lose his senses in love. Such a good thing was downplayed and ruined his character for me. ML being portrayed as a capable leader but hardly doing anything all the time and acting as a drama queen is quite inconsistent. As much as I loved his drama-queen sickly prince acting it would have been amazing to see him scheming too. The lack of it has totally affected his character for me.

2. That dividing the bed with the bell also did not make sense, considering Shen Xihe's character. She is decisive and emotionless right from the start. Once she makes a decision, she does not get back from her decision, nor does she make the other party (ML) incur a loss. She believes in trade, and it was normal to want a child that will help her secure her position as the mother of the future king, as her husband won't live long. So this useless bell thing does not make any sense to be honest. It just dragged the plot for me. Her being in love with her husband had to happen naturally. But going all the ways and dragging it out feels rather forced to me. There was no chemistry between the actors. That spark was missing in their love story, and I failed to connect to their story. Rather, I felt the 2nd ML & 2nd FL had better chemistry.

3. There is not much political scheming in this drama. I thought it would be a drama about succession struggle, and I was highly disappointed. The joint scheming between the ML & FL was completely left out in the drama, and their relationship felt quite boring to me. Their joint scheming was something I was looking forward in the drama. But all I got to see was the ML suddenly devoting his life for the FL and spending all the time in wooing her and the FL playing all hard to get. She did not feel like a character who was cold-hearted and was maintaining rationality for her well-being due to the representation of her character in the drama. What was the FL doing in the middle of a battlefield without battle gear and just came to shoot a single arrow. How ridiculous. I know it was to create a romantic atmosphere, but it didnot make any sense to me.

4. Meng Zi Yi is decent only in serious scenes but her expressions are very limited in other scenes. Especially since she has started to warm up to her husband, her expression was not up to par and sometimes even felt a bit cringy. Lately, all of her roles seem similar and in many of her future dramas she is likely playing a similar role. She at least needs to learn how to perfect acting for such roles since she is playing similar roles for quite some time.

5. Left too many things unexplained. Instead of the leads' joint scheming and cooperation, most of the time was spent on the ML wooing the FL. Why no mention of how the ML faked his death and how he reacted knowing the biggest truth of his life about who poisoned him?

Overall, if you do not like political scheming but rather cheesy romance, then you might like it. Otherwise, you would be disappointed like me.

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A Strong Beginning That Lost Its Way, But Still Worth the Watch

Blossoms of Power was a drama that started off on a really strong note.

Huayong was such a lovable and shameless male lead. His confidence, wit, and playful personality made every scene entertaining. Xihe's calm, nonchalant nature balanced with huayong's personality perfectly, and Meng Ziyi did a wonderful job portraying her quiet strength.

The real highlights of the drama for me were Bu Shulin and Cui Jin Bai. Every time they appeared, they stole the scene. Bu Shulin was easily my favorite character, alongside Shen Yingruo. Both of them had strong personalities, memorable moments, and felt incredibly genuine. I also absolutely loved the sisterhood between Xihe and Shulin—it was warm, supportive, and one of the most heartfelt relationships in the drama.

Unfortunately, the drama started losing its momentum around Episode 21, or more noticeably after the wedding. For nearly 7–8 episodes, the crown prince's investigation was barely mentioned. It felt like the plot wandered away from its original direction. Thankfully, things finally picked up again around Episodes 32.

One of my biggest disappointments was a ship that never sailed: Prince Lie and Shen Yingruo. They looked so adorable together and had such sweet chemistry despite their limited interactions. I genuinely hope the actors get cast as the main couple in another drama someday.

The supporting cast was another strength of the series. Most characters had distinct personalities, and even side relationships were enjoyable to watch. The costumes, cinematography, and soundtrack beautifully complemented the historical setting, making many scenes visually memorable.

One thing I wished was that they could have shown us how Huayong survived and who saved him. But nevertheless, I was happy that he was alive.

Overall, despite its uneven pacing in the middle, Blossoms of Power remained an enjoyable watch with strong performances, likable characters, touching friendships, and satisfying political twists toward the end. It wasn't perfect, but it was definitely worth watching.

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Shameless Xiao Hua Yong and Calculating Shen Xi He make the cutest couple!!

I want to start by saying that I had been waiting for this drama for months, literally ever since it was announced to be produced, and I am glad to say that it didn't disappoint! In terms of what I really liked, I thoroughly enjoyed the chemistry; He Yu and Meng Zi Yi truly outdid themselves in their characters. Their acting, their emotion, especially the electric chemistry they created on screen was incredible. Watching XHY fall in love literally in episode 1, thus dropping cheesy, shameless lines for the rest of the show, and watching SXH's cold heat slowly thaw until she was absolutely whipped for him too was the cutest thing to watch on screen. Additionally, I wanted especially bring up Meng Zi Yi's acting because she truly was able to bring to life a smart, calculating FL. SXH was literally aura farming the entire show, and Meng Zi Yi truly made her feel powerful and intelligent. Also the this is one of the rare instances where I completely fall in love with the second lead couple; they were just so cute!

Overall I would say the plot is decent, but I think what truly let this drama down were the last few episodes. Honestly, I am so tried of this faking your death thing in cdramas, it doesn't make sense and doesn't do anything for the plot. I literally think the writers only did this faked death thing for XHY because they wanted SXH to aura farm, and rule, becoming literally the most powerful person in the country because it was her dream, but it honestly didn't make sense logically. I understand that it may have been to force the fifth prince's and his mother's hand, but as we saw, he never wanted to hurt SXH, so I don't know why the writers did this. It would make more sense if XHY got treated, with SXH by his side, and then once his father died, he could become the emperor, not some newly born child. When XHY came back, I was too distracted by the fact that if he is back who is going to be the emperor, because their child can't really be an emperor if his father is alive, that's not how the chinese monarchy works, but just removing this child emperor who already did so much like changing the name of the reigning era and granting general amnesty wouldn't make sense either. This loophole really dulled down the sweetness of the special episode because I just sat there thinking what mess have the writers created?!

Overall, it was a decent drama, I would give this a watch afterall the beginning episodes truly made it worth it!

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Not Every Ending Needs a Miracle

I have to admit, the opening of this drama is, unfortunately, the drama's weakest point. The first 15 minutes felt like the drama was testing my comprehension skills. The abrupt transitions between the female leads were difficult to follow, and the drama did very little to explain what was actually happening. As a viewer, I had to go online just to make sense of it. Was it a soul swap? A doppelgänger? A rebirth revenge story? Time travel? The opening throws several possibilities at you without giving enough context, making it unnecessarily confusing. However, if you're tempted to drop it because of the confusing start, I'd recommend sticking with it. Once the story settles, everything gradually falls into place.

At its core, Blossoms of Power is a reverse harem disguised as a palace political drama. Every prince wants Shen Xihe's hand in marriage, not simply because of who she is, but because marrying her means securing the allegiance of the powerful Northwest Army, giving any prince a significant military and political advantage in the race for the throne. Things become complicated as Shen Xihe carries the soul of Gu Qingzhi, the former wife of the Fifth Prince, Chang Qing. Gu Qingzhi came from a once-prominent family that was tragically wiped out because of palace conspiracies.

After Speed and Love, I knew I wanted to see more of He Yu, and thankfully, he didn't disappoint. The Crown Prince is an incredibly layered character who constantly conceals his true intentions behind a calm, fragile exterior. He Yu excels at portraying that contrast, effortlessly shifting between a sickly prince worthy of sympathy and a brilliant strategist capable of outmaneuvering everyone around him. Whenever the situation demands it, he can also become ruthless, calculating, and surprisingly intimidating. His seamless transitions between warmth and ruthlessness make the character all the more compelling. One of the drama's funniest running gags is how the Crown Prince shamelessly weaponizes his illness to get away with almost everything. Watching him conveniently become "too sick" whenever it benefited his plans is both hilarious and oddly brilliant. My favorite part of his character is that despite being capable of outsmarting the entire royal court, the Crown Prince completely loses his composure whenever it comes to Shen Xihe. Behind all that brilliance is a man who's hopelessly, unapologetically whipped. He shamelessly uses every scheme, every excuse, and every opportunity just to get a little closer to her.

The Crown Princess, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. Shen Xihe is naturally reserved, emotionally guarded, and often ruthless when making decisions. Scarred by Gu Qingzhi's tragic past, she doesn't believe in love as much as she believes in security. More than romance, she values someone capable of protecting both her and her family. Because of that, the romance develops at a slow burn. They're at their best when they're plotting together, anticipating each other's moves, and quietly dismantling their enemies' schemes. Watching two equally intelligent people complement one another is incredibly satisfying.

Then there's Xiao Changqing, arguably the most tragic and pitiful second male lead in the drama. His obsession with the lingering shadow of Gu Qingzhi often borders on unsettling, especially in the way he projects those feelings onto Shen Xihe. Yet it's difficult to completely resent him since you could understand that his actions stem from past regret and guilt. His brotherhood with the Ninth Prince, Chang Ying, is another highlight of the drama. Ironically, I found Xiao Changqing's final farewell to Shen Xihe even more heartbreaking than the Crown Prince's death itself.

I have a love-hate relationship with the ending. As unpopular as it may sound, I actually preferred the story to end with the Crown Prince's death. It's incredibly rare to see a drama dedicate four full episodes to the aftermath of a main character's death, and I genuinely appreciated that choice. Those episodes beautifully illustrate just how devoted the Crown Prince was, carefully arranging everything to ensure Shen Xihe would be safe and capable of standing on her own after he was gone. To me, that bittersweet farewell already felt complete.

After all that emotional closure and a peaceful ending, I couldn't understand why the drama chose to add one final twist. Reviving the Crown Prince without explaining how he survived undermined the emotional weight of everything that came before. It felt like the drama didn't trust its own ending. Even more confusing was the sudden reappearance of Yun Hai, the Crown Prince's personal imperial physician, now with gray hair as though decades had passed, despite the story suggesting only about five years had gone by. Personally, I think the drama would have been even stronger had it embraced its bittersweet ending. Episode 36 (as final episode) had already answered the story's biggest questions, from the tragic truth behind the Crown Prince's poisoning to the motives of the villains. His death didn't feel unnecessarily tragic, it felt like life. Not every story needs a happy ending by sparing its hero.

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started good but fell flat... unorganised rant + thoughts (MAJOR SPOILERS!!!!!)

overall i'm giving this an 8.5, i was honestly so hooked in the first 10 eps but it just got draggy in the last third, and the ending was nothing new...

the middle like 6-10 eps were unnecessary... so much filler and pointless romance scenes and honestly the chemistry wasn't even that good, don't come for me here but i think that's due to the acting for the most part (i do like MZY, i watch almost everything she's in, she does well in most scenes but her acting in romantic scenes could still be improved on). i watched on 2x speed for like the last 15 eps cos it was getting so boring...

[MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD]

one of my favourite scenes was when Gu QingShu died, first of all omg this girl was EVIL but she was one of the smartest characters for sure... i love when a villain is unapologetically evil + has her wits. but the best part was seeing the FL visibly upset that she died, it added depth to her character and also solidified the ties she still has with her past life. even though the whole time she is acting like she is a new person, Gu QingShu dying was her last straw in terms of the fact that she really is the last of the Gu clan... and yet she died by her own doing.

the little emperor is sooooo cute thooooo aw. i wish they showed some of the second couples children and family life too, they had more chemistry than the leads imo.

the twist about the male lead not being the emperor's son took me by surprise which i was kind of impressed by, and i liked the emperor being a complex character - he was loyal to his older brother but still wanted the throne, but it resulted in the male lead being poisoned... fate works in funny ways

i really liked the subplot of the 9th prince and the 2nd Shen sister (i forgot her name) not getting married even though they seemed to be a good match - i'm tired of side characters getting married just because, so that was refreshing

I was so relieved they didn't kill any of the FL's fam (brother and dad), i feel like that would have been kind of forcing tears from the audience. i feel like they could have done more with her family tho, but the main plot revolved around the royal family and it's princes - we also see very little of the princesses

the 5th prince (Xin Wang, Xiao ChangQing)'s story is so sad imo..... ik he's a freak lol but even in the end everything he did was for the FL... and when she admitted she was his wife at last... that was a goooood scene

after watching everything, i really wish they committed to the male lead being dead the whole way..... but no they had to bring him back as a "surprise" with literally ZERO explanation bc literally everyone saw him die?? pls i'm so sick of characters dying dramatically and then coming back in the last ep all good again, overused af trope. and why does his doctor look actually seconds from being deceased bro (this was either in the last ep or the extra i cant remember) oml somebody explain????

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I loved it

I really enjoyed watching this drama. I thought the story was different, and the acting of all the characters from the villians to the leads, was superb.

It may not be for every one, but having completed every episode before writing my review - I now miss the drama and the characters.

I loved both the female and male lead, they were intelligent, smart and great at outdoing the villians. Unlike dramas where the villians are always getting away with their actions and you have to wait until the last episode for them to get any retribution or punishment - in this drama you see their plans falling apart along the way.

I loved he female lead Meng Ziyi and I loved the smartness in her character. I totally got why she started of as calculating and aloof and showed her soft side in situations that warranted this and of course with the male lead, once the trust was built between them.

The story and characters of the 2nd couple were also great, and I looked forward to seeing them.

My only gripe was not seeing the male lead or what was happening with him in the last 2/3 episodes. And while I love a happy ending and was glad he didnt die, I felt the special episode was too rushed and didnt quite answer all my questions. I suppose this is down to the restriction on the number of episodes.

Nevertheless, this did not take away from my enjoyment of the drama and I would definately watch it again.

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A good adaptation

I know a lot of people found themselves frustrated with how long it took Xihe to accept Huayong, but in the novel, it took her far longer, and she was much colder. Additionally, Huayong was much more ruthless. So in my opinion, they softened up both characters a lot. That being said, I really liked how Huayong's character didn't act like he was entitled to Xihe's love just because he was good to her. I feel like that's rare in a lot of dramas. Another thing I liked was how they added more to Shulin and Jinbai's story. It was nice to see how he found out about the pregnancy. Honestly, I don't really have many complaints. Are there some things that could be improved? Sure, but overall, I enjoyed watching this.

I rate this an 8/10 because it was an enjoyable watch that didn't stress me out too much. It was also fun watching people guess who was behind the poison. Do I recommend watching this? Yes, if you aren't the type to expect immediate romance. If you like your butterflies/romance to occur right away, then...maybe skip this? It'll make you upset.

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