roylyn

To me, this felt more like one of loss and regret, and the acts of revenge were simply the vehicle used to explore this. It never quite felt like the point was their fall. that they fell became less important than how they fell. It was a reckoning.

I truly believe that if ye li were a man, this drama would’ve been received better.

ye li might be the strongest female lead of 2026 for me (of the past few years, honestly). This is my girl…she don’t communicate, she does not deal, but I’ll protect her with my life. I wish we got to know her better.

I had to wrestle a lot throughout the drama with the feeling of not wanting the emperor on the throne. There was a part of me that found him undeserving, found it unfair. That he would benefit from his mother’s atrocities became an itch under my skin. And so, I continuously racked my brain for a suitable replacement all while knowing there was none. But the question was never about who is good and who is bad or who is right and who is wrong. It’s about what’s best for the realm, and another upheaval would not have benefited the empire or its people.

Mo jing li wanted the throne, not because it could’ve been his birthright or as compensation for all he’d lost but because he never could stand the thought of existing in the world without power. He’s had something to prove long before the eastern palace was set on fire. His motivation is not inherently evil (and he had every right to feel as he did about those in power), but it was entirely selfish. He would burn the world to the ground if it meant he got to stand atop the ashes. Between him and the one already on the throne, the choice became clear.

I don’t think it ever went wrong - there are some things I would tweak throughout and about the final act, but I had a blast watching every second of this. (Ok, maybe not so much the random cutaways to give us character backstories)

I’m giving this a 9.5/10. Idk, I really liked it.