I watched this drama on a limb without much expectations bc I was waiting for Song of Glory and bc I really like Merxat lol. I really enjoyed this drama and I think it was partly bc I didn't have high expectations but it was really enjoyable (I finished this drama in 2 days lol).

Story: The story is literally Fake Princess meets Legend of Yunxi. The beginning is Fake Princess while the ending is Legend of Yunxi. However, I think that despite the story not being original, it was still good. It's like watching a parody or rendition of those dramas. Since it's a short drama, the problems are resolved rather quickly which was really nice lol (longer dramas need to do this); there wasn't any point in the drama where anything was too dragged out. The ending is literally fast paced Legend of Yunxi but I mean I don't mind it and also expected it bc it gave the FL importance you know. She had to save him or else war or something bad in the kingdom would happen without a king. What I will say is the scriptwriter could've made the ending more well rounded instead of giving us flashbacks, like we should've gotten a reaction from ML. However, it was a bittersweet ending and I also enjoyed the flashback bc it complimented the "sweetness" to the ending and her life like she died in her lover's arms and was reminded by all the better memories they had together which made me teary eyed lol. I also didn't like how he almost raped her like twice (this should not be romanticized but bc I knew it happened historically, I closed an eye but honestly dramas should stop doing this).

Characters & Acting: The FL is smart which is highly appreciated since there are a lot of dramas like this where the FL is just flat out stupid and annoying. The FL is cute and funny and she doesn't overdo it which was also enjoyable. I just didn't like how when ML was kissing her all she did was open her eyes mad wide and not kiss back like girl are you okay? ML was great (I am a little bias bc I really love Merxat lol) but I think his role was good. He was romantic when we needed him to be romantic, he was smart when we needed him to be smart, he was soft and cute but was also strong and brave. The main couple really complimented each other. What I will say I didn't really like from them was their emotional crying scenes, it did make me sad with them but it wasn't enough to make me cry with them. The second couple was okay but I feel like their acting was a bit awkward, especially when she accidentally killed him. I didn't like how although she's suppose to be a strong character but kept getting sick/hurt like girl? I recommend you find another career path. Other than that, their romance was nice but bc of how limited their screentime was, it felt rushed like how did he love her so quickly? I love the supporting characters (even the bitchy consorts in the kingdom), especially the eunach and the king's general as well as FL's maid (she's very cute/ I wanted a love interest for her lol).

Cinematography: The filming was really well done for what's considered a low budget production. The color pallet was easy on the eyes with a lot of pastels and bright colors. The editing was a little bit weird bc when one episode ends on one note, the next brings us to another. Also the editing for the main couple was a bit weird like we see so many scenes where they're sweet to each other towards the end of the episode but then it just fades out like bro we're here for the romance so give it to us. The fighting scenes were okay but not the best but for a drama like this where it's not action heavy is plausible.

Overall: I recommend it if you enjoyed Fake Princess and Legend of Yunxi and if you're a fan of Merxat lol. I think this drama is worth a shot, especially if you have nothing else to watch. The ending is not my favorite but when you've been watching Chinese dramas for so long, you would know Chinese scriptwriters never want a happy ending for the leads. It's fast paced and straight forward. I think you should definitely give this drama a try!