This review may contain spoilers
FORGET THE LITTLE DOWNSIDES, IT'S TOO GOOD TO PAY ATTENTION TO THEM!
Was hooked from the get go. I loved the FL and her elegant cold yet soft inside character. She is such an incredible beauty! I'm all for He Yu, my gosh such a sight for these old eyes. Here for him bc of "Speed and Love". Such a different character but still hot as hell. But even if he was ML, if the script and plot and acting don't get me, then I drop it no matter who or what. I've dropped dramas before even tho I am crazy about the actors bc the script or execution or direction didn't hook me. This wasn't any of that, I loved it all!! When she finally confessed I was beyond gone, it was so beautiful and his face was ecstatic. I didn't think I could move on from shipping He Yu and Esther Yu, but I did and I did without guilt.
His struggle with this poison was very hard to watch, he made it look so real. She showed such aloofness but still cared about his burden.
One thing that confused me was that it was never revealed to anybody not even the Crown Prince, that she had another person inside her. ?? EXCEPT for Prince Qin when he was dying. As it should be.
WTH moment: I was very confused that she was having such attacks from the Consort and having to fight for her life and her "girls" so I kept expecting her father and brother to show up in force to rescue her. But they virtually disappeared from the drama after her confession.
I was excited about Jeremy Tsu being in this drama, but suddenly I was noticing the same facial expression and mannerisms that have followed him in drama after drama and it got annoying. Yes that is what made him famous especially his intense eyes, but an actor HAS to move on from that and develop other mannerism according to the character and plot. He made a good villain however and I was very glad when he died. His constant stalking and obsessive behavior became insufferable, but Jeremy Tsu being the good actor that he is, executed it perfectly.
Another WTH moment: The 2FL is supposed to be a man and yet the cold Prince falls in love or seems to be falling for him/her before he knew she was a she. His actions were so blatantly in love and yet NOBODY mentioned that it was two "men" acting all weird. I hated that they disappeared to run off to be together long before the ending. I loved Bu Shu Lin and wished they used her more, but I understand that she had to leave to be a woman. However, I really thought that since they found a replacement that she would keep acting as the replacement. But I guessed wrong.
3rd WTH moment: What was this coming back from the dead stunt at the end? Commenters have said that one has to watch the Special Episode to get what happened, but I still didn't get it. I will have to re-watch the final episode to see what I missed. I didn't understand HOW he came back and where was he all this time? Very frustrating. BUT I still cried when she saw him standing under the tree. It was a bit strange that she just took it for granted that he had returned after 4 years. BUT, It still was a touching moment.
Special Mentions: His death scene. I was so sure that they would rescue him and give him acupuncture or whatever, I was already tearing up though. Then when I fully realized that he really did die lying beside her and she stayed with him in that snow, I lost it. I cried so long and hard I gave myself a headache.
Her dream of him and her and their little boy all together. At first I was confused, thought she was imagining him but the little boy acknowledged him and I thought then that it had to be a dream and it was and I got choked up over that.
When Bai Chen was writing out all the things for each year he knew he wouldn't be around for to teach his son. (I'm choking up just remembering this) Then his Mother reading them to him later.
Bei Chen giving his men their special roles after he's gone.
Tian Yuan's fierce love and loyalty for his Crown Prince. His crying over his condition, his death and then when he got the handkerchief, the joy. I loved this kid and his character. I hope to see him more. Maybe as a ML one day. His acting is up to par for that.
I loved watching the back story of the Emperor and how he became his Father and finally WHO actually poisoned him. I thought it was sad that it turned out to be the Empress Dowager who seemed to have loved him. Retribution of her going mad when she realized she killed her biological grandson, was a good scene.
In the end, I give this a 9, bc to me Pursuit of Jade, which I gave a 10, is still the best for 2026. thus I can't give other dramas a higher score than 9. It ranks up there though as being another great power drama!
His struggle with this poison was very hard to watch, he made it look so real. She showed such aloofness but still cared about his burden.
One thing that confused me was that it was never revealed to anybody not even the Crown Prince, that she had another person inside her. ?? EXCEPT for Prince Qin when he was dying. As it should be.
WTH moment: I was very confused that she was having such attacks from the Consort and having to fight for her life and her "girls" so I kept expecting her father and brother to show up in force to rescue her. But they virtually disappeared from the drama after her confession.
I was excited about Jeremy Tsu being in this drama, but suddenly I was noticing the same facial expression and mannerisms that have followed him in drama after drama and it got annoying. Yes that is what made him famous especially his intense eyes, but an actor HAS to move on from that and develop other mannerism according to the character and plot. He made a good villain however and I was very glad when he died. His constant stalking and obsessive behavior became insufferable, but Jeremy Tsu being the good actor that he is, executed it perfectly.
Another WTH moment: The 2FL is supposed to be a man and yet the cold Prince falls in love or seems to be falling for him/her before he knew she was a she. His actions were so blatantly in love and yet NOBODY mentioned that it was two "men" acting all weird. I hated that they disappeared to run off to be together long before the ending. I loved Bu Shu Lin and wished they used her more, but I understand that she had to leave to be a woman. However, I really thought that since they found a replacement that she would keep acting as the replacement. But I guessed wrong.
3rd WTH moment: What was this coming back from the dead stunt at the end? Commenters have said that one has to watch the Special Episode to get what happened, but I still didn't get it. I will have to re-watch the final episode to see what I missed. I didn't understand HOW he came back and where was he all this time? Very frustrating. BUT I still cried when she saw him standing under the tree. It was a bit strange that she just took it for granted that he had returned after 4 years. BUT, It still was a touching moment.
Special Mentions: His death scene. I was so sure that they would rescue him and give him acupuncture or whatever, I was already tearing up though. Then when I fully realized that he really did die lying beside her and she stayed with him in that snow, I lost it. I cried so long and hard I gave myself a headache.
Her dream of him and her and their little boy all together. At first I was confused, thought she was imagining him but the little boy acknowledged him and I thought then that it had to be a dream and it was and I got choked up over that.
When Bai Chen was writing out all the things for each year he knew he wouldn't be around for to teach his son. (I'm choking up just remembering this) Then his Mother reading them to him later.
Bei Chen giving his men their special roles after he's gone.
Tian Yuan's fierce love and loyalty for his Crown Prince. His crying over his condition, his death and then when he got the handkerchief, the joy. I loved this kid and his character. I hope to see him more. Maybe as a ML one day. His acting is up to par for that.
I loved watching the back story of the Emperor and how he became his Father and finally WHO actually poisoned him. I thought it was sad that it turned out to be the Empress Dowager who seemed to have loved him. Retribution of her going mad when she realized she killed her biological grandson, was a good scene.
In the end, I give this a 9, bc to me Pursuit of Jade, which I gave a 10, is still the best for 2026. thus I can't give other dramas a higher score than 9. It ranks up there though as being another great power drama!
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