My thoughts on both Part 1&2 (*minor spoilers*):

This is probably the best written cdramas I have ever watched. Usually no matter the genre (except thrillers maybe) cdramas tend to follow a formula, and that's not bad- it just depends on whether the writer can pull it off or not. But this- this is so different from most other dramas with so much meaning infused into it. It's very character driven but at the same time has an overarching plot and sub plots that grab the viewers.

First of all the FL is intelligent, self reliant and witty. With these 3 traits alone she is written better than most cdrama FLs who are always tripping over themselves. But (and despite being bubbly) she is not an overly positive person- and this is truly what set her apart and also made her so relatable. Even though as an audience member you can see she's overly cynical and very bitter despite things not always being as bad as they seem . But you can still completely relate to her. And then the character development she goes through is so perfectly written you literally see her growing into this graceful intelligent but still wilful lady on screen. And honestly no one could have pulled off so many character traits and still be loveable throughout apart from Lu Si.

And then there's the ML who Leo has played so incredibly well. I mean he just was phenomenal- being both a scary (at times psycho) general to a soft spoken love fool. His character's story arc into becoming a more understanding person was also written very well. I would only complain that the kiss scenes were a little too stiff but the main leads have so much chemistry anyway that it doesn't matter too much.

The rest of the cast was incredible. I both was annoyed with and understood the mom, I could see her pov esp after the bridge incident. When the bridge incident happened even I thought this could have had someone killed all because of her recklessness. Then there was the Emperor and his two Empresses - incredibly written again. I have never seen a relationship like that portrayed between two women married to the same man. Both were so different but strong in their own way. And then the emperor himself being the biggest shipper of the main leads - comedic gold. Even the grandmother developed as a character. That's how well written the side characters were.

I would say most of the villains in the drama were a little one dimensional but there were so many there was understandably little time really to flesh each one out. Plus most of them got swift retribution so it was satisfying to watch nonetheless.

The overall plot was great and I was hooked from the beginning - I never wanted to stop watching. Until the last 5 eps there was not a single frame wasted. It was shot and directed so well. The cinematography was so great. The fights scenes were really well choreographed and actually interesting to watch because they didn't drag on for ages. Everything was so well balanced from the director and editors it was a joy to watch.

But the last 5 episodes did disappoint me and made me drop this from a perfect 10 to a 9. After all that incredible writing, and being so different from the usual drama tropes, it felt like the writers copped out. I actually felt a little betrayed by what happens to the story in the last 5 eps. Which is such a shame because the 5 episodes before that, the previous 5 eps were probably the best episodes in this drama. I wish the writers had gone a different route or just not dragged things on for so long. I went from never wanting the drama to end to skipping parts to let it end. So imo they really messed up the ending.

Overall though- this is still an incredible watch, highly recommend it. It deserves all the praise and high ratings its gotten.