Where do I even start...this is a typical historical C-Drama with political issues in the court coupled with an arranged marriage where the bride is the spy for the opposing team in the court. It's very cliche and overdone. However, I did enjoy the drama, despite all of that.

Ding Yu Xi - he did a wonderful job once again. He is one of my favorite actor and I can honestly say that I did fall in love with his work since Tiger and Rose. He plays Shen Du very well and I love all of his scenes. His eyes are alluring and it does speak volumes about his emotions when he's not talking. The downfall is that they chose to have someone else dubbed him. I love his voice. It's sultry and it fits perfectly with the role that he plays.

Deng En Xi - I have not watched anything that she was in but I actually like her. She's going to be added to my list of favorite actresses. She plays Yan Xing very well. As for Yan Xing, herself, there were times where I didn't like her. I mean, don't get me wrong, Yan Xing is a strong FL and smart as heck, but she does tend to be reckless (possibly due to age). Not only is she reckless, but there are times where she thought too highly of herself. For example, when Marshal Xu and Yue Que died, She blamed herself, but honestly, she's not that important. Like Shen Du told her, he died because he was looking for evidence of Lai's rebellion. But overall, I like her as a FL.

Vice Minister Lai - honestly, from the beginning I wasn't sure what his purpose was. I mean, they kept him as mysterious as they can. They did reveal his face early on, but they kept his motives a secret until the end. And honestly, I hated him A LOT. He was not my favorite villain. Without the motive, I felt like he was just doing whatever he wanted and there was really no real reason why he did what he did. I feel like the writer should have showed the audience his motive so that we can understand his actions -- which by the way was all for nothing. I was actually glad that he died at the end. He was not worth my sympathy at all. I did not feel bad for him one bit. I feel like he was one of the worst written villain by far. At least for other villains, they have a sad past or a bad past that drove them to what they are doing. He has nothing. Just a few words from his dying mother and that was the cause of his rebellion.

Lu Chui Chui - goodness, what can I say about her? Honestly, I liked her at the beginning but then she just became a nuisance. She was supposed to be Yan Xing's best friend, but she trusted Vice Minister Lai because he saved her once? She knew about him and what he had done, but yet, she chose to believe him despite what she already knew about him. I mean, she did finally turn her back on him after realizing how bad of a person he was (even though everyone had talked about how bad of a person he is). Not only that, but she was annoying.

Empress Dowager - what to say about her? She wasn't the worst and she wasn't the best Empress Dowager. I did like her from the start, but then I started to doubt her actions. She had caused a lot of people's death towards the end that I cannot forgive her. She believed in Vice Minister Lai over her loyal subjects and I hated her for that. I mean, I get it, she wasn't sure who was plotting against her, but come on, you're going to still believe the guy after so many memorials/testimonies/deaths that are related to him and how evil he is? Like Sun Tan died for no reason. Jin Zang died for nothing. Marshal Xu died for nothing. She practically gave their heads to Vice Minister Lai. Yeah, she wasn't my favorite.

Overall, I gave this an 8.5. I did enjoy the plotting and everything, I just hated how the writer wrote the villain and I hated the whole let's get a divorce troupe. It was useless and disappointing.