There is a pretty interesting story about a conspiracy and the gradual unraveling of the conspiracy is nicely done. One thing that is nicely done is how our suspicion of one of the characters to be the main conspirator is aroused but we are kept guessing whether our suspicions are founded. The main characters, Gao Bingzhu and Wu Siyue, are the most nicely developed and most interesting characters while Baili Hong Yi (Wang Yibo playing yet another not-very-sociable character) is somewhat more bland but still likable. Various aspects of the production like the set design point to high production values.

Still, there are a few flaws that bring down the series as a whole.

First of all, many viewers are irritated with the character, Liu Ran. I don't think it makes a story or a series bad because a character is irritating because there are irritating people in stories, just as there are annoying people in real life. The problem, however, is that Liu Ran doesn't blend quite well into the story as a character. Sometimes she is an example of an intelligent and strong-willed woman, but sometimes she acts stupidly and her sole function seems to be: (1) to create trouble for Baili Hong Yi, and (2) to show that Baili Hong Yi is someone with affections despite his cold exterior. The character doesn't seem to exist as someone interesting in herself but as a function in the story.

And the chacterization of Liu Ran is inconsistent. She is supposedly intelligent and devoted to Baili Hong Yi, but sometimes she is a little petulant and doesn't see the sort of trouble she is creating--it's like she will be whatever suits the story at whatever time. And the romance between her and Baili Hong Yi isn't exactly necessary to her story. The only time the character worked very well--unintentionally, I think--is towards the end when Wu Siyue relies on her to do something important. Having seen how she creates trouble despite her best intentions, the suspense regarding whether she can do whatever Wu Siyue asks her to do is enough to give one a heart attack.

Another flaw of the series is the editing technique that doesn't always work well. There is frequent intercutting between scenes that are happening at about the same time in the story, often with flashbacks thrown in. At times, this is effective in building tension. However, there are times when the intercutting seems too frequent and purposeless, and maybe it is done just so that some scenes will be broken up into shorter parts or so that there can be some suspense (not a very good way of creating suspense, if you ask me).

There are other points in which the series relies on inelegant techniques. The death of a main character at the end of the series seems totally unnecessary and seems to have been worked into the story simply with the hope of creating some emotional intensity.

Finally, the portrayal of the political situation could have been more nuanced. There can be a better sense of why the conspirators are so bent on overthrowing the emperor. The fact that the emperor is a woman seems to be a complaint of at least some of the characters, but there needs to be more than that (especially since the emperor is based on an actual historical figure). And I think the conspirators are too negatively portrayed--in many ways, they are straightforward villains except for those whose loyalty to the movement is shaken. However, I would imagine that the historical political situation is far more complex. For a series of almost 40 episodes, there could have been effort to portray the complexity.

There is a lot to like about this series, but it would have been much closer to perfection if it had avoided some of the above flaws.