This is the first drama I have watched in a long time. The initial premise caught my eye and as the drama went on, the resulting threads that spin off from this central betrayal kept my interest. That said, the main couple lost me around the sixteenth episode mark and the secondary couple kept me watching. Both of them fall into interesting and--rare (?)-- tropes.

The first couple is about a righteous general whose wife turns out to be a member of a demonic clan. However, if you are expecting a drama about contrasting principles or the struggle of incompatible lifestyles despite pure marital love, you won't find it here. It goes a slightly more mainstream route and the conflict is mostly about staying together in the face of outside evil. This is still executed well and the episodes that show how they got to their present state are the most captivating part of their love story. For example--the scene in which he buys her red-and-white flower shoes and puts them on for her is quite beautiful. The contrast between a civilized man and chaotic woman is played around with in a fun way during these episodes. Overall, they start off as a very innocent couple. This quality slowly goes away as they face more trials (you'll know what I mean when you see it) and hence I began skipping around on their scenes.

The second couple is about a princess who is forcibly married to her first love. She possesses Qilin blood, which makes her a coveted item throughout the series. It seems everyone in Chang'an wants her blood, including her villainous (or so you think) general hubby. These two kept me watching till the very end. The hook with them is a simplistic question about the morality of taking advantage of an innocent. But the drama manages to complicate this question with a few tragic backstories and watching the eventual romantic answer to this question is riveting. My favorite moment with them is definitely their first meeting, set during a magical night festival with the usual effects of sparklers, candied hawthorne, gold-tinseled booths, and lanterns.

Watch this if you are in the mood for an intense, whirlwind romantic drama. It will surely fulfill all your expectations in that case! I was lucky enough to pick this up at the exact right moment.