Palace dramas aren’t necessarily my thing because it’s a lot of talking (less doing) and lots and lots of scheming women. There’s only so much I can take a a high episode count gets tough for me to make it through. That said, there are good ones out there.

This feels more modern than most since the female lead has more contemporary attitudes and, well, breaks just about every etiquette rule. In almost every episode I think “she should probably lose her head for doing that” and it never happens. She gets away with breaking nearly ever rule and somehow, someone is always protecting her, Other than being the star of the show, there’s no clear reason why she gets away with it all. That started to bug me after a while. Also, at one point, she because a pouty, airhead brat and that’s a definite turnoff. For a character that’s supposed to be brave and smart, that felt like taking 20 steps backward. Ugh.

Anyway, there are some great plot schemes and fun moments. It’s funny to see plot similarities and differences from Ruyi’s Royal Love since there are common people with wildly different interpretations.

If you like Palace Dramas, this one is a bit livelier and a fresher take, but it doesn’t feel really historically accurate.