**INITIAL THOUGHTS OF THIS DRAMA, REVIEW/RATING SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS DRAMA PROGRESSES*
This drama is off to a great start. There's a strong plot desperately attracting you into the story. The first drama I've watched in 2021 and one of the first historical dramas I've watched that held my attention. I'm really a goer for historical dramas with political struggles.

**All of these are listed in my opinion**
This drama includes a strong + smart male and female lead. However, I'm not feeling the chemistry between the two main leads. It isn't a big problem in the drama though because both are visually appealing. At least the second leads have good chemistry (Hao Du and Leyan) imo.
Battles and some other parts are illustrated as cartoons. I'm not liking this fact because it is live-action after all, not donghua. This catches me away from the plot, it's quite disturbing imo. At least it's better than a war scene with horrible CGI and little effort.
Also, it's sort of hard to figure out who is who (Li Shimin's officials (there are 3 I keep mixing up)).

The music is this drama is superb. I'm really enjoying the sound effects in the drama. The opening and ending OSTs are so heartwarming. That's what I love most about historical dramas, the OSTs are amazing!!!

**I will most likely add more to this review**
**Also note that my ratings for rewatch values are always lower because I'm not a fan of rewatching dramas, even if they're good. It ruins the drama if you ever rewatch it despite knowing the entire plot. I might watch snips and clips but definitely not the whole drama**