It seems like a lot of viewers in the comments have decided to drop the drama. Since I have completed the whole thing, I thought I could provide a wholistic review. Disclaimer - I watched most of this at 1.5 speed and skipping ahead but I do that with everything.

It largely follows the life of the main couple, almost exactly the same as the wiki history on Empress Dugu. The biggest different from other historical dramas is that Dugu Jialuo's personality and values never change throughout the show. There's no turning ruthless or cold hearted. She is always as she started: well-meaning and smart. She never does anything out of hatred or revenge, and she puts the people and the country before all else - except her marriage with her husband. The side characters are all the ones who change, which sets a contrast to the leads. I think this is appropriate and showcases how history views them. They were known to be good rulers, both frugal, loyal and innovative.

To some viewers, this might mean the story isn't 'exciting' or 'dramatic' enough, but it sort of reflects life. There's quite a few time jumps with historical narration since life isn't always that exciting. I personally think that the drama achieved what they were going for which is to showcase the loyal love of this couple and their sacrifices to their country. Though they may have been a near perfect couple, others around them can't be as perfect in the face of power and greed. Some of these other characters truly frustrate you when you compare their life choices with those of the perfect couple. This was a well made comparison. I also think the main actresses' reactions to situations are pretty realistic. She can easily be hurt and feels remorse but still smart enough to calm down and think clearly.

Overall, watch if you like history, want some good life lessons and wish you had a husband/wife like that. Not really recommended for those seeking intense action and a fast pace.

Also what music? Not memorable during the episodes really... You really only notice it during the opening/ending.

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disclaimer - i watched this in HD on my phone and not in theater so no fancy surround sound or cool graphic effects.

The only thing I'm not confused about is the main character's family situation and their fight for survival. There isn't a romance. Just a lot of high strung emotions which did fit the story.

The rest of the story/disaster is not well explained. After reading online posts discussing the original book, it seems like they cut out a lot of explanations on why the 'rescue teams' do what they do and why everyone is looting and why it seemed like just this one family is capable of solving this Jupiter sized problem. There were convenient losses of communication. Lots of predictable deaths. Lots of unnecessary discharge of a machine gun to express anger. Overall would have liked some actual 'showing' explanation (like more scenes of conflict origin with dialogue) rather than a voice over telling you the Sun is going to explode. This movie could have definitely been longer.

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Enjoy the Heartwarming Journey

Not sure why ratings are so low. Personally I really enjoyed this drama and found it refreshing. The whole story exudes a sense of calm, despite the conflicts and evil. It talks about a woman who acts intelligently but also with equal amount of kindness and consideration. She has independent thought and wants to help other women. She doesn't want to be lead by a destined path and does not want other women to be trapped by their situation. Especially the example of her wanting to eventually overthrow the tradition burying (living) concubines with their dead emperors. She cared deeply for other women and their situations. Everyone has flaws but everyone also has their reasons and their own logic; she acknowledges that and does not begrudge anyone. It teaches us that not everything in life will go as planned, and you just have to approach it with optimism and care. She melted many hearts. I enjoyed the uplifting message. I liked the dialogue the most. It added to the authenticity of the interactions between characters. I would definitely watch this again, since it doesn't matter the ending, it's all about her journey and her choices. There isn't a point in the story where I need a conclusion or a grand reveal. It feels like watching someone grow up in their own time.

The music is nothing crazy stunning but it fits the show well. Very spring, bright with a hint of bittersweet. The costume colors are wonderful. The sets are aesthetically pleasing and not ostentatious. THE FOOD LOOKS DELICIOUS. The camera work for the cooking and the meal prep was documentary level. It made me very hungry. The best part is that the dishes were realistic! Based on actual recipes and didn't seem too implausible for that dynasty.

They include some fun historical facts like the different viewpoints of the emperors of each reign. They incorporate ML's love of painting, when that emperor is know to created many famous paintings. They include key historical reasons for each of the emperor's deaths and the courts.

Possible Spoilers: I really didn't like Su Yue Hua's character. She was probably the one who sank the furthest into evil. You can tell from the first few episodes and she just sinks further and further and it gets kind of frustrating to hear her delusions. You Yi Fan's character had a reasonable storyline as an antagonist and I think his ending justified his journey.

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I like that most of the characters stay true to their beliefs and there's a good deal of discussion presented about why some characters succumb to evil and how others in spite of evil environments stay good. The small interactions between the characters are humorous which makes it endearing. the overall plot-line is one dimensional. the main character states his goals in like the first 3 eps and spends 40 eps getting stronger and then states his goals again right at the end just incase you missed it. Besides the two leads we don't see much character development or backstory of the others. It's interesting to compare my reaction (someone who hasn't read the manga version) to people who have. I'm annoyed that it's another "season 1" story. This is my 4th drama that leaves off on a cliff hanger.

Let me just say the person I hate the most is Han Feng.

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Oops I discovered a Treasure

If you're looking for a super serious mystery treasurer hunting, this is not it. It is a hilarious, face paced, and entertaining adventure. The fights and action sequences are flashy (literally with lightning and explosions and pillars of fire). Lee Kwang Soo (Mak Yi) plays his usual underdog, comic relief and does it well. There is a good blend of back story to add depth but not enough to distract or slow the progression of the story. The dirt and mud makeup art is great - no one seems overly clean for aesthetic value. The jokes are entertaining twists but never crass. Everyone plays a part and nothing is extraneous. Has a lot of Jack Sparrow carefree, yolo vibes with a sense of comradery. Genuinely enjoyable to watch and you really root for them to succeed.

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The drama focuses on greater cause that pushes everyone's decisions. The male lead's struggle to stay kind/pure hearted in the midst of a muddled martial world. The female lead doesn't even appear until halfway through. The child actor/actresses are so adorable and so great at acting! And Yang Xiao was hot. They are the reason I could watch 15 episodes of backstory.

Looking at the drama in a broader perspective, the pacing was very good and the build up allowed to a lot of conflicts to develop together. The story was definitely encompassed more than just the main leads' life and romance. However, this created a very simple male lead character - kind, pure-hearted, and naive. He really doesn't change. Other side characters actually had more character development than he did. In a way, he is supposed to be the rock of pure energy that brings harmony to this wretched world, but sometimes it was very frustrating to see him struggle to understand that not everyone's thoughts and actions were as innocent as his.

The reason I didn't give 10/10 on story was because the ending wasn't as satisfactory. It completed the romance and the world conflict. But the way it redeemed his naive nature with one 'not-as-stupid' action seemed insufficient. I still don't forgive him for how many facepalms I did throughout the drama. I would have liked to see some more growth but I don't know if that would have tarnished the purity of his character.

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Balanced Rom-com & Strong Female Lead

Overall, really enjoyed binging this show. I was not expecting a comedy to have such a strong plot with layers of villians and challenges. I thought the FL would bend and become weak when she's around the ML, but that is not at all why the ML in this story falls for the FL. I love the underlying message of equality and putting others above self. They even teach the lesson of “害人之心不可有，防人之心不可无” aka one should not have thoughts of harming others, but one should still be wary of others.

Pacing: amazing. Nothing seemed to drag too much. Plot had time to develop the characters. Short enough for me to binge in like 2 days.
Characterization: each character had their distinct personalities and values that stayed consistent through their actions throughout the story. This made all the side characters fun to watch too and not useless.
Fan-service: Lots of spicy kisses between characters and shirtless guys. Much appreciated!
Ending: Doesn't seem rushed, gave closure, and also gave some future material

Female lead - strong even in situations where she's not at an advantage. She doesn't really ever lose her smarts and gut instincts. Her judgement doesn't get clouded. The actress is also able to act naturally funny and not afraid to make stupid faces for the sake of comedy. When she does act serious, she really shines. Even when she's not in the role of power, her character carries herself with a level of confidence and bravery.

Male lead - also able to act stupid for the sake of comedy. My fav was when he also cross-dresses. You can really tell the moments that his character falls for the FL, when she's smart/brave/strong. He's willing to do some stupid things for her because of how much he believes in her.

Villians: Very hate-able. Good acting. Evil schemes actually made sense, even if the FL uses her logic to use their schemes against them. The evil laughs were both hilarious and chilling.

Misc:
Unique use of dreams! Usually when a character has dreams, it's just flashbacks of the same scenes. In this drama, they use it as means to talk to the dead and I think it shows how much the dead mean to the main characters, and how much of an influence they are on their lives and values. It added to the story and gave us of view of their inner thoughts.

Music - not memorable but didn't effect the story much. Opening song definitely sets the comedy vibes.
Rewatch Value - I generally don't rewatch things so this doesn't mean much to me.

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Mystery Romance Life

This drama gives closure and explanations to everything (though some in the last episode seem unnecessarily complicated). It really emulates the storyline of FL and ML's love of writing mystery book and providing ample thought process. They make it seem like the FL has written this drama as her book in the future.

The drama can be divided into sections. Ep1-13 feels like a complete season, we'll title it "Qiu Yan Escapes Marriage". This is about FL's problems that she needs to get over herself. Ep 14-28 could be titled "The Real Charade", about her family problems. Ep 29-34 "The Lies Unravel" is about the world's problems/the bigger picture/the greater good. I love that the drama builds her up to handle bigger problems and shows her growth. The middle section can seem a bit slow, but it does make sense that it would take longer to solve.

I love the character presentations. No one is perfect, everyone does something wrong or unforgiveable. Many times people do not forgive, and just say "this is not as important to me anymore" and allow themselves to move on. I think this is very accurate to real life. You may hate and spit someone, but if you are happy as yourself and where you are now, there is less reason to dwell on that hate and spit for another person. Each character goes through their own process of letting go of something, from the FL letting go of her resentment towards her birth mother's preferential treatment for her brother, to FL's sister's resentment of FL always hogging the spotlight. There are plenty of times of letting go for the greater good. And even if you scheme, you should try to not harm others in the process.

This is a great drama about persevering through hardship and that if you are happy with the version of yourself, you will continue to grow and help those around you.

Aesthetics wise, I love the clothing and the styling. The music is soft and simple.

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Predictable but Pretty

The CGI and artistry of this movie was beautiful but the build-up and reasoning behind the villain's actions were completely lost.

The villain did not have a compelling or relatable backstory and he was portrayed as completely evil without a thread of humanity, which doesn't draw any sympathy or connection with the audience. The triumph against evil was at a great cost that didn't justify anything. They try to portray the main character as the one in the wrong at the beginning, but the audience can immediately tell he was framed and misunderstood. There's no reason for him to be the one to have to fix everything. The supporting side characters were all there just to help fight a little and take up time. The other side characters were there to show humanity's ignorance and contrast with the main character and also didn't do much. If you took out everyone except the main character, his teacher and the villain, the story would still move forward. The whole plot was very predictable. that is not to say the acting was bad, just the storyline wasn't well developed.

The female lead's role was very weak. She doesn't get to show her skills much and is pretty much gone for most of the group action scenes. The second couple had more screen time than she did! She's there purely as a romantic interest and to shed some tears, which Zhou Xun is very good at, but it's still boring.

Overall, because of the poor build-up and character development, the ending wasn't satisfying either. I would recommend a one-time watch because the production is high value but the story doesn't evoke a need for a second watch.

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Demand a season two!

I love that they use the typical mystery story case format but none of the cases feel like fillers. Every case progresses the story along and adds more details and background information to the story as a whole. All the characters are memorable and unique. They're all very consistent with their acting. The romance and relationships between characters is well developed and feels natural. There's no over the top romance and they address other types of relationships too. You know they'll be okay after each disaster hits but you're still enthralled in the process. The ending definitely leaves room for a season two. Overall, a well balanced story and loveable characters, worth a quick 24 episode watch!

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The actors/actresses all fit their roles well. The male lead Zi Xuan will seem dull/emotionless at first but that's what is required of his character. You can see in the second half of the drama that the actor is able to portray a variety of emotions.

I like that the drama shows character growth and learning. Zi Xuan is always planning ahead and thinking for everyone's sake. Bai Yao Yao (White Snake) goes from a naive young snake to someone who truly understands Zi Xuan. Xiao Qing (Green Snake) learns what is love very naturally. Ling Chu/Qi Xiao/Monk stays stubborn but is always caring - especially since he's supposed to be Fa Hai (legendary monk who breaks up the main lead's love). Even the heavenly elders realize that they can be wrong and they have their own biases when wishing the best for their disciples.

No one is truly evil and everyone has someone they are willing to sacrifice to protect. You might not agree with how they go about expressing their love, but you can always empathize with them. I think that's the beauty of this drama. By the end of it all, you can't really hate any of the characters.

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