***this is just a review for part 1***

I didn't have a strong impression of the actors or the story before I started this, but it's actually surprisingly addictive! This was probably Tencent's best slice of life since the Story of Minglan. I felt like tencent got their money's worth out of the cinematography, the costumes and the music because the story and acting is actually satisfying as well.

The first thing to know is that although it's set in a ancient palace setting, this drama is not really about big plots but about the relationships and squabbles between the royal family and kin. At least in this first half, only the ML's story hints at a bigger evil plot. The main story is about the FL, and it comes in three arcs: 'parents come home', 'engagement #1' and 'engagement #2'.

The bad: the first two episodes are confusing because it's hard to tell what the plot is. Ling Buyi's revenge story comes in intermittent bites, so it's also hard to follow in the beginning. There are a few annoying cliche characters such as the straw man villains Ge Zhi and Wang Ling but they have limited screen time. Lastly, Yuan Li as a character seems superfluous.

The good: the pacing is very good-- very casual-- and we alternate between serious plots and lighthearted ones. The costumes are beautiful... I especially like Chen Shaoshang's pink outfits, the material is very 'fairy girl'. Almost all the characters are likable and have enough screen time to be interesting, e.g. I really like the relationship between the doting Emperor and Ling Buyi and I really liked Wan Qiqi as a character. Although he's romantic in a cliche way sometimes, some of Ling Buyi's scenes are indeed satisfying -- he is both competent and attentive.

The great: A great story needs a convincing antagonist, and Li Zeng does an excellent job at portraying Shaoshang's mother who is a main antagonist in arc 1 and also when needed at key moments of the other 2 arcs.