In history, Di Ren Jie was a chancellor during the Tang Dynasty and Wu Zhou Dynasty who was celebrated for his capacity in giving fair trials and judging cases. In fiction and popular culture, he's also depicted as a government official, and a highly intelligent detective with an acumen for solving difficult and bizarre cases. The drama's main protagonists are Su Wu Ming, protégé of Di Ren Jie, and Lu Ling Feng, a general of the Imperial Guards.

The story goes that both Su Wu Ming and Lu Ling Feng once vied to be the pupil of Di Ren Jie when they were younger, but Di only accepted one of them - Su Wu Ming. The result of this constantly became the underlying cause of Lu Ling Feng's grudge against Su Wu Ming for the first half of the drama. The reason that Su Wu Ming was picked was clear. The man was much shrewder, more cunning, intelligent, and he was not above himself to employ tricks of deception as his means for greater good. He presented himself as an awkward official, but beneath his deadpan face was a sharp-witted, eloquent, and possessed a humourous persona.

Lu Ling Feng's character was upfront, straightforward, reckless, and coming from a distinguished family, he puts himself on a high pedestal, sees himself as honourable, thus his exuberant arrogance. He was not as intelligent as Su Wu Ming, but he had show a level of simple-mindedness that was indirectly the cause of his own downfall. He was initially the favourite of the Crown Prince, being entrusted to investigate the case of the black tea which caused high addiction amongst its drinkers. The Chief General was apparently "jealous" of his vast achievements, so through scheming and slanders, he was eventually cast away. Lu Ling Feng's constant outbursts were honestly tiring to watch and he could get annoying over time, but he did have his moments that made up for the shortcomings of his character. He was overall, a good combination with Su Wu Ming as an investigative partner, and on some occasions as the rebellious patient of Chicken Master Fei, a skilled physician and an occupant of the "red district" Ghost Market.

The cases, which spanned four to five episodes each, were paced well and easy to follow. There were elements of magic that centered around witchcraft, giving viewers the CG effects of illusions of monstrous creatures and giant beings larger than humans. The first case led the two protagonists to solve the mystery of abducted and murdered brides together, but instead of being rewarded after solving the case, Lu Ling Feng was framed, stripped from his high ranking position and thrown out of the capital of Chang'an. Hence, the quest to reveal the person behind this scheme begins after this case.

Romance is not the center of the theme for this drama, that's the feeling one gets when watching this for the first five episodes or so. Nevertheless, we were introduced to Pei Xi Jun, daughter of Pei Jian, who was bethrothed to Lu Ling Feng's cousin, General Xiao when they were children. Before General Xiao was due to depart for the battlefield, Pei Xi Jun had held a banquet for this fiancé whom she only met once during childhood. But instead, Lu Ling Feng went to the banquet in his stead, causing Pei Xi Jun to mistake him for her fiance. She developed a deep crush and obsession with him thereafter. Of course, the story stipulated that he had feelings for her, too, so it's all mutual. All she wanted was to marry him, even when the imperial edict brought the announcement that he had died in battle. She threw tantrums at home, refused food, crying to her dad all day long, "I want to marry General Xiao! I want to go and look for him! I don't care!" And it was all because she met him once at the banquet she held, where they presumably had some shallow conversations about the sparrows in spring or water lilies in Suzhou. She was also willing to go as far as to enter in a "nether marriage" with him. Her role in the drama is to perpetually pine for Lu Ling Feng, and to be the eventual love ending for Lu Ling Feng. It didn't matter if her father, who had doted on her her whole life, broke his foot, or fell ill. She constantly whined about Lu Ling Feng. In a way, I think both of them deserved each other.

While I understand not every female character can be written to resemble Zhao Pan Er from A Dream of Splendour (2022), it is incomprehensible to me that some writers only tend to present female characters on extreme ends on the spectrum. They're either implausible, unconventional feminists in their era, or they're insufferable, whiny brats. They want what they want, and they want it now (which also reminds me of the unbearable female lead from My Roommate is a Detective). Some of these female characters are either accompanied by a superficial sob story that lacks in effort in giving them depth, or the female characters are over-victimised to the extent of "mary-sue" martyrism (which is the case for Cheng Shao Shang in Love Like the Galaxy). These are just a few mentions among many others.

I like this drama, and if it weren't for the superfluous character Pei Xi Jun, I would have rated it even higher. The second half of the series introduced us to a new female character named Li Ying Tao, who quickly became Su Wu Ming's love interest. She is adept at martial arts that rivals Lu Ling Feng's level, hot-headed, and definitely not a tsundere. While I don't mind the second coupling, I do find the age difference between her and Su Wu Ming a little unsettling. I know this was the Tang Dynasty, but my modern mind has been hardwired in such a way I find it hard to divorce the belief I held from the practice in that era. Su Wu Ming himself acknowledged that he's a bit older than Li Ying Tao, but his affections for her were clear. The male chauvinism and inflated male ego were also rampant in this drama, traits that honestly aren't uncommon 1500 years ago, but like I said, it doesn't mean it's right and it doesn't man my mind can embrace it.

In history, Emperor Xuanzong and his aunt, Princess Taiping were locked in a struggle for the throne upon the imminent abdication of Emperor Ruizong. Princess Taiping's followers were all swiftly dealt with before his ascension, and she was forced to take her own life. This drama, however, implemented an arc where the Princess' life was in jeopardy following her use of a toxic face "tonic". The Crown Prince was portrayed as someone who cared deeply for her. Because of traitorous subordinates and this and that, a fierce battle ensued where the Crown Prince received a sword injury. Both of aunt and nephew came to a compromise and began to repair their relationship thereafter. Soon, Lu Ling Feng was revealed as the Princess' long lost son, a plot twist that I didn't particularly like.

This had been an enjoyable drama, but I just couldn't warm up to Lu Ling Feng and Pei Xi Jun. I could barely tolerate Lu Ling Feng's attitude by the end of the series, and to me Pei Xi Jun's character is completely expendable.