Editorials 
This review may contain spoilers
the paradox of power as the backdrop to a historical romance
What a production. This wasn’t just a show this was a life lesson & experience. It was fresh and dynamic - with a touch of that comfort/predictability one gets from a historical romance as a genre.
I only *didn’t* give it a full 10/10 bc while I really loved it, there were lulls to the show and some scenes/episodes felt draggy - I don’t know that I *would* rewatch this show for that reason.
I could write an essay on the lessons and themes of this show - power vs self-preservation. respect vs fear-mongering. greed vs contentment. etc etc. This alone is a HUUGE win for this show because while all historical dramas tend to have these themes, they are more black and white in a way that real life is not which gives the message an almost hollow depth.
The main pros of the show:
- acting: everyone acted impeccably like each character felt so distinct and real
- romance: i loved the relationship between Zhao Ling and Fu Ting Yun from day one. they aren’t quite enemies at first but their interests definitely did not align. to witness their journey felt so satisfying and beautiful. i also loved that after he killed her father she starts to doubt him but still feels hesitant to sever their relationship. when she finally learns the truth about her father killing her mother it all clicks into place for her but they dont spend ages fighting or disagreeing about it. from that moment on she sees the man she first fell in love with again and is only re-affirmed in supporting him.
- plot/theme: I LOVED the push and pull of character growth. when Zhao Ling just wants a basic life, Fu Ting Yun desires power as protection. when Fu Ting Yun comes to realize how dangerous power can be, Zhao Ling feels too deep to stop and compelled to keep climbing. It’s not the exact same but the concept/theme is similar with other characters like Ya Ke, Jin Yuan Bao, and Yu Jing Xiu. You see so many different people at so many different stages of power and so the plot’s main theme of the dynamics and cycle of power - the shackles of power - is excellently portrayed.
- the antagonists: while Yu Guo Dong plays the “final and main” antagonist, I appreciated the variety of antagonists we deal with. from madam Yu and her son to grandma Fu to Ya Ke to Lady Zuo to Jin Yuan Bao to so many others lol the best part of this is that they are all different levels of understandable and not all entirely irredeemable. i almost want to give props for each character.
- Madam Fu: the duality of a loving grandma and horrible personality loool like wow she wasn’t in the show long but she really did her damage - from betraying the very granddaughter she claimed to *truly* love, to making her grand-daughter in law crazy, and raising a misogynistic son.
- Lady Zuo: what a crazy lady. i love that i got to hate her as a character but also recognize that her character was shaped by just how horrible Madam Fu was. Madam Fu had no respect for her and only cared about her stupid chastity arches.
- Ya Ke: it’s almost embarrassing to witness her villain origin story. with one sentence she lets Lady Zuo’s comment get into her head and also lets herself think Yu Jing Xiu’s love (after interacting with him for 5 seconds) could be real. she let a life long friendship go down the drain because of her own insecurities. but time was her best teacher, after almost ten years of being the young lady yu she finally realized the farce that is respectability. i loved that she toed the line on becoming like Lady Zuo - crazy from years of exile and belittlement - but unlike Zuo she found something positive to live for rather than dwell on those she hated or was jealous of.
- Madam Yu: whatttt a character. i love that shes presented as the brains behind so much…but at the end of the day she too is at the mercy of her husband and her facade finally falls away upon defeat
- Yu Jing Xiu: losssser man. literally raised by two cunning adults with no love and it shows. he chases “love” and obsesses over Fu Ting Yun bc he never learned how to grow the f up. I wish him and his dad had a better reckoning on an ending. i wanted him to turn in his father … which ig he did but like i just feel like the way he accidentally killed his dad undermines the reality that his father was ready to kill *him*
The cons of the show:
- the main con was the pacing loses some steam near the end. i cant remember the episode numbers but the first like 20 episodes were great, loved how they handled the time jumps and then the last 8 ish episodes were also great with a domino like effect of just wanting to see what happens next, but in between those two chunks the story feels a bit lulled and i think if i had stopped during that lull i may have not picked the show back up
Less of a pro or con and more of just things to “note”:
- the frustrating emperor (albeit solid compared to most) just made me want to scream. i felt he was the “bad guy” at the worst times and then “noble and kind” just whenever the plot *needed* him to be otherwise the main characters would be dead in the water. i respected the logic that *even as an emperor* he can’t just do whatever he wants but i wish they gave us a bit more with him Zhao Ling esp since *he* got Zhao Ling into this world in the first place.
- it was an unsatisfying ending lowkey between Yu Guo Dong and Yu Jing Xiu like idk what would have made it better but i just felt like Yu Jing Xiu really took an L and never got to really “win” over his parents…it was probably the point but his mom going a lil crazy and him accidentally killing his dad just barely scratched my itch.
- A’ Sen was precious. I loved how he was a side character but his character played such a good role in highlighting Zhao Ling’s own character progress/regress. I was so happy when he got married to his girl.
- Justice for Mo Yi & Jie Shi (Ting Yun's mother). I get why they died but I hated it all so much.
- Fu Ting Zhuo’s story in relation to his *birth* family and then his *own* family was subtle but very satisfying and really ties in with the larger plot
- Wu Youde was great! I’m glad she got her own freedom to live her life bro.
I only *didn’t* give it a full 10/10 bc while I really loved it, there were lulls to the show and some scenes/episodes felt draggy - I don’t know that I *would* rewatch this show for that reason.
I could write an essay on the lessons and themes of this show - power vs self-preservation. respect vs fear-mongering. greed vs contentment. etc etc. This alone is a HUUGE win for this show because while all historical dramas tend to have these themes, they are more black and white in a way that real life is not which gives the message an almost hollow depth.
The main pros of the show:
- acting: everyone acted impeccably like each character felt so distinct and real
- romance: i loved the relationship between Zhao Ling and Fu Ting Yun from day one. they aren’t quite enemies at first but their interests definitely did not align. to witness their journey felt so satisfying and beautiful. i also loved that after he killed her father she starts to doubt him but still feels hesitant to sever their relationship. when she finally learns the truth about her father killing her mother it all clicks into place for her but they dont spend ages fighting or disagreeing about it. from that moment on she sees the man she first fell in love with again and is only re-affirmed in supporting him.
- plot/theme: I LOVED the push and pull of character growth. when Zhao Ling just wants a basic life, Fu Ting Yun desires power as protection. when Fu Ting Yun comes to realize how dangerous power can be, Zhao Ling feels too deep to stop and compelled to keep climbing. It’s not the exact same but the concept/theme is similar with other characters like Ya Ke, Jin Yuan Bao, and Yu Jing Xiu. You see so many different people at so many different stages of power and so the plot’s main theme of the dynamics and cycle of power - the shackles of power - is excellently portrayed.
- the antagonists: while Yu Guo Dong plays the “final and main” antagonist, I appreciated the variety of antagonists we deal with. from madam Yu and her son to grandma Fu to Ya Ke to Lady Zuo to Jin Yuan Bao to so many others lol the best part of this is that they are all different levels of understandable and not all entirely irredeemable. i almost want to give props for each character.
- Madam Fu: the duality of a loving grandma and horrible personality loool like wow she wasn’t in the show long but she really did her damage - from betraying the very granddaughter she claimed to *truly* love, to making her grand-daughter in law crazy, and raising a misogynistic son.
- Lady Zuo: what a crazy lady. i love that i got to hate her as a character but also recognize that her character was shaped by just how horrible Madam Fu was. Madam Fu had no respect for her and only cared about her stupid chastity arches.
- Ya Ke: it’s almost embarrassing to witness her villain origin story. with one sentence she lets Lady Zuo’s comment get into her head and also lets herself think Yu Jing Xiu’s love (after interacting with him for 5 seconds) could be real. she let a life long friendship go down the drain because of her own insecurities. but time was her best teacher, after almost ten years of being the young lady yu she finally realized the farce that is respectability. i loved that she toed the line on becoming like Lady Zuo - crazy from years of exile and belittlement - but unlike Zuo she found something positive to live for rather than dwell on those she hated or was jealous of.
- Madam Yu: whatttt a character. i love that shes presented as the brains behind so much…but at the end of the day she too is at the mercy of her husband and her facade finally falls away upon defeat
- Yu Jing Xiu: losssser man. literally raised by two cunning adults with no love and it shows. he chases “love” and obsesses over Fu Ting Yun bc he never learned how to grow the f up. I wish him and his dad had a better reckoning on an ending. i wanted him to turn in his father … which ig he did but like i just feel like the way he accidentally killed his dad undermines the reality that his father was ready to kill *him*
The cons of the show:
- the main con was the pacing loses some steam near the end. i cant remember the episode numbers but the first like 20 episodes were great, loved how they handled the time jumps and then the last 8 ish episodes were also great with a domino like effect of just wanting to see what happens next, but in between those two chunks the story feels a bit lulled and i think if i had stopped during that lull i may have not picked the show back up
Less of a pro or con and more of just things to “note”:
- the frustrating emperor (albeit solid compared to most) just made me want to scream. i felt he was the “bad guy” at the worst times and then “noble and kind” just whenever the plot *needed* him to be otherwise the main characters would be dead in the water. i respected the logic that *even as an emperor* he can’t just do whatever he wants but i wish they gave us a bit more with him Zhao Ling esp since *he* got Zhao Ling into this world in the first place.
- it was an unsatisfying ending lowkey between Yu Guo Dong and Yu Jing Xiu like idk what would have made it better but i just felt like Yu Jing Xiu really took an L and never got to really “win” over his parents…it was probably the point but his mom going a lil crazy and him accidentally killing his dad just barely scratched my itch.
- A’ Sen was precious. I loved how he was a side character but his character played such a good role in highlighting Zhao Ling’s own character progress/regress. I was so happy when he got married to his girl.
- Justice for Mo Yi & Jie Shi (Ting Yun's mother). I get why they died but I hated it all so much.
- Fu Ting Zhuo’s story in relation to his *birth* family and then his *own* family was subtle but very satisfying and really ties in with the larger plot
- Wu Youde was great! I’m glad she got her own freedom to live her life bro.
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