JulesL

Yes, he was definitely miscast as someone like Ted Bundy, but I never really saw You Chen An as that kind of villain anyway. I always saw him as someone desperately trying to convince himself that he was ruthless, that cruelty was a necessary cost of ambition. Even when he was explaining everything to CC, it felt more like self-indoctrination.

Overall, you’re right—the actor didn’t quite deliver a cold, emotionless antagonist. But perhaps that’s because the character himself wasn't meant to be truly heartless.

True about the actor but maybe that’s why he managed to evoke pity in me. He looked so lost and wistful at times instead of power hungry and focused.

That’s an awesome comparison! Both products of injustice! Like we cannot condone what they’ve done but we understand why they did it…

💯 agree. They drifted away from their winning formula and ended up with a pretty cliched plot. If it weren’t for the characters, I might not have watched to the end.

I think the show started off strong but faltered in the middle and then picked up the pace again towards the end. The end by was some lazy writing though.
Lol I’m like you. I’m watching ep 26 now after watching the final ep. The previews gave away the key points anyway.

Wow - I didn’t realize that they incorporated historically accurate lines. I had commented separately how I was blown away by the dialogue. 👏👏👏

Lol…and then we have the 4 returning only to get high recommendations and XJY getting some kind of certificate….i mean, seriously I he Emperor can’t be that stingy

Very cliched 🙄

Ep 25 - Agree with Xiao Jinyu - You Chen An has lost his humanity. He’s killed yet another one who was truly sincere toward him…I pity him.

On a lighter note - Jinli losing his belt - didn’t know a hug could get so frisky 😂

I’m blown away by the dialogue. It demands my full attention, but I am impressed by how much meaning and significance are layered beneath the lines.

I was really impressed about how he maneuvered around the Khitan and the court politics.

Totally agree with you! I love that you pointed out those details about the minor characters. Especially about the mother...it was Ra-ik acknowledging her gesture of support when he was young but it was certainly realistic that she didn't show up or they ended up having a hugging scene.

I also like the bit about the sasaengs! Even though I would love to see that nasty reporter beaten up, in my imagination, the sasaengs definitely made him pay lol...

I like the way you described it - falling in love despite different ambitions.

I’m qute satisfied with the final episode—the show redeemed itself a little after that hilariously pathetic attempt at solving the murder case. 😌

I am ok with this kind of ending. Thankfully, we have a grounded, mature FL with her own life, ambitions, and schedule, instead of someone whose sole hobby is waiting for her boyfriend to show up. Even his absence during her big moments made sense—escaping a concert tour isn’t exactly the same as sneaking out of work. In fact, their dynamic feels oddly realistic. Plenty of real-life celebrities are married to non-celebrities, and this is probably what their lives look like—just with fewer fairy-tale filters and more logistical headaches.

All that said, I still really enjoy watching them together. They’re ridiculously cute, and yes, the skinship delivered. No complaints there.

Oh gosh, the amount of time I spent using Google Translate when I really wanted to understand the dialogue lol
I am seriously grateful for what we can get now!

Thank you, much appreciated! I hope more people will see your comment so that they get to enjoy the show too.

Thanks! I really like Monomax production and many of their usual actors. So I consider myself lucky whenever someone is willing to sub their shows.

Ep 10 was difficult to watch, with so much cruelty but also very interesting to see how the remaining ones defend themselves. I was curious how Qian Zhu, ZKY and Guo Rong survived through it all. Especially when ZhangYanze had it out for one of them!

Despite the great expense and loss, I’m glad to see that they are doing all they can to prevent Zhang YanZe from taking the throne!

I would be disappointed if he did get one

A rushed ending would probably look like this: the Second Prince suddenly gets a redemption arc. We know the eldest brother is already dead, and the King is likely to be incapacitated—possibly by the Second Prince himself. So, if You Chen An decides to pursue peace between Nanzhao and Tang, everything would be neatly wrapped up in a convenient, too tidy conclusion...lol