My first review of 2025! I never pictured myself watching a historical Cdrama since these type of shows tend to have a lot of episodes. But despite that, I was surprised on how much I enjoyed this series. Even though it did started to drag a bit towards the ending of the show, I loved how fast paced and quick the plots were introduced and resolved. I love all the drama and scheming and I loved the female lead in this.

Even though there's comments on her being a bit Mary Sue ish, I love how fierce and determined she was when it came to accomplishing her goals. It made the show much more enjoyable to watch because I don't think I will stick around this long if she was passive and crying every episode. The romance in this series don't really hit for me like I wanted it to. I originally wanted Yingluo with Fuheng but why did Fuheng gave up on her so easily?? I don't like Yingluo with the Emperor... I never got the vibe that Yingluo truly loved the Emperor and I still hold some resentment on the way he treated the original Empress.

Overall, the drama is what kept me hooked but I think the first half of the series was stronger. After the Empress died, the show was still good but I felt like certain plots were becoming too repetitive and I felt like every new girl character that was introduced was just there for the sake of hating on Yingluo. This is a show that I enjoyed quite a lot but I don't see myself rewatching the series. The episode count is a bit too much for me. Maybe in the future, I'll watch the short sequel series on Netflix. Maybe...