I started to watch this drama because of the good reviews and I had also just finished The Untamed (which was my first costume cdrama) so I had high hopes for this drama. My expectations where definitely meet!

Acting/characters:
FanXian is a very lovable main character, both capable of being serious but is also a very witty character. The entire cast is amazing with some of the best acting i've seen from a drama. The older cast is especially phenomenal, even the "evil" characters" are captivating too watch. One of my favorite things about this drama is the care for the minor characters. You can tell that the production team really put in alot of thought into even the minor characters, they all have a purpose and is well flushed out.

Story:
At first I thought this drama would just be another political palace drama but there is so much more to it. And even though the story is pretty serious, there is still plenty of comedy and lighthearted moments sprinkled through out the drama, making it easier to watch. There is romance but that is not the focal point of the story. I didn't necessarily care too much about the romance but it didn't take anything away from the story, I do however wish that Wan'er had more to do (hopefully she will in the next season).

Other points:
- The intro is probably my favorite cdrama opening!
- If I where to critic something, it would be that the show slows down a bit during the last 10 episodes, but I was still interested in the story nonetheless.
- The show is very beautiful, I know that some people thought that the coloring was off and I can see why, however this did not bother me at all.