Everything was good until.....

To be frank, it's been a long time since I last watch full episodes of Chinese drama and this is my first time watching Yang Yang as a Male Lead. My impression of him as Feng Lanxi/Hei Fengxi was none other than GREAT! He got complete package from good looks to amazing acting skills, and I will definitely want to watch his performance in every drama he participated moving forward.

I would actually give 10/10 for the overall rating except I was a bit disappointed (actually it breaks my heart) with the way they end such an almost perfect Male Lead character with just 10 years of remaining life to live and for making him not taking the throne that was rightfully his but instead handed it to Huang Chao, King of Yizhou and husband of Hua Chunran. It is very clear to everyone that Feng Lanxi and Feng Xiyun will make much better Emperor and Empress for the world they have been fighting for, even though he only have few years left to live. They are better in every aspect from characters, abilities, network (Fountain Abode and Jiang Hu engagement). Worst scenario if Lan Xi cannot make it after 10 years, he may at least leave the country in a safe hand which is Feng Xiyun's who is capable of being the best female ruler after her predecessor (as been told since the beginning of the story).

Even if they decided to live a secluded life because of Lanxi's condition afterward, Feng Lanxi and Feng Xiyun legacy can then be passed on to their son who will definitely be a better heir having both parents so outstanding in terms of skills and character than any Huang Chao's son can ever be (again considering Chunran as his spouse to contribute). The ending I must say is the only thing that hold me back from giving 10/10, the rest are nothing but perfect. Yang Yang and Zhao Lusi, their chemistry are extremely good as the Male and Female Lead definitely. Storyline was almost perfect without the unnecessary misunderstanding, conflicts and dragging. Only how I wish the ending can be a bit different than what it was. It would then be one of the best all time favourite drama for me personally and maybe to many more audiences as well if they share the same perspective as mine.

Last but not least, this is nothing but just a humble opinion of myself. Also nevertheless, thumbs up to the writer and production team for making this wonderful manuscript successfully converted into glorious visual which is very pleasant to watch indeed. Must not been easily done or achieved, hence appreciation is a must no matter what. Thank you.

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Best Chinese Historical Drama of The Year

Before watching:

1) Who is the actor playing the Male Lead character, Xiao Qi/Yuzhang Wang?

I did compared him with Ye Hua (Mark Chao) and Dong Hua (Vengo Gao) from The Eternal Love & Eternal Love of Dream at first. But I guess I was so wrong this time and seeing is believing indeed. Although I wasn't convinced watching an unknown Male Lead in the beginning, but from the very first episode I must say Zhou Yiwei really swept me off my feet. Totally, completely & absolutely perfect for the role and no other actor can play the character of Xiao Qi better than Zhou Yiwei, in my most honest opinion.

P/S: Zhou Yiwei deserves an Oscar for his performance throughout the whole drama! If not Oscar, well Best Male Actor of 2021 also will do... ;-)

2) Based on the novel, Wang Xuan/A'wu/Princess Shangyang was supposed to be around 15-16 years old at the beginning of the show, but played by 38 years old Zhang Zi Yi at the time of filming. Will there be any issue?

Totally not, from my humble opinion. Zhang Zi Yi look much younger than her actual age with her slim and slender figure, youthful & gorgeous complexion and her energy level that was as good as always. Although of course, she won't be able to look just like a 15 year old lady but she really did aged beautifully and certainly "a pleasant to the eye" kind of heroine still. Her portrayal as A'wu was undeniably good and her chemistry with the male lead, Zhou Yiwei who played Xiao Qi was SPLENDID! From this couple, we can learn a lot about what an ideal marriage would look like and how gentleman gestures can impress a lady much more than we thought.

P/S: Xiao Qi character was so well developed and played, a very rare encounter for Male Lead role in a drama and is second to none by far while Zhang Zi Yi performance perfectly balanced the role as his Princess Consort. :-)

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