Overview of Plot:-

Fan Xian, the illegitimate son of Fan Jian, grew up far from the capital city in Danzhou, in the care of his grandmother. From the very young age, Fan Xian has intelligence of adults and memory of an entirely different era which in not even recorded in the history books of Qing Kingdom. His mother was killed shortly after giving birth to him and left him in the protection of her blind guard-cum-friend Wu Zhu, who is not less than a grandmaster of martial arts.

At the very young age, Fan Xian mastered the martial arts as well as poisons. As he grows up, he wanted to explore the capital city and live a carefree life there.

Finally, Fan Xian was invited to return to the capital city but an assassination attempted to kill him, breached his peace of mind. This made him to question his identity. He decided to investigate the perpetrator and why someone wants to take his insignificant life.

He returned to capital and get to know that he is already engaged with someone he never had seen before. After a number of events, he found out that his mother, Ye Qing Mei, was a mysterious yet genius lady, some very powerful people in capital favour him and are his backers because of his mother.

What's so special about Fan Xian that makes these powerful people favour him? What kind of person his mother was and how and why was she killed? What relation had she with those powerful people? Why so many people wants to kill Fan Xian? Why has he the memory of a different world? Will he ever be able to live his life care freely when everyone is plotting against him at every step?
Dive in to know more.

Key Characters:-

Fan Xian (Zhang Ruo Yun):- Genius at learning things, untamed, playful and crafty, combined with a loyal and warm heart. He has sense of humour that no one can match upto. Always unexpected, especially in dire situations. Exceptional in martial arts and poison at his young age. However crafty and powerful he is, he never lack compassion towards innocent or tried to covet power. His every action has solid reasons which we can't even imagine. He stands out with his abilities and genuine care for his family and friends. An unparalleled male lead I have ever encountered.

Chen Ping Ping (Wu Gang):- Director of Overwatch Council and a slick person. His schemes precede him. His cunningness and ruthlessness always masked under his warm demeanour. His schemes will leave you in awe.

Emperor of Qing (Chen Duo Ming):- A person whose thoughts are deep hidden in his heart and no one has ever seen through him. Nothing can escape his sight. What he really wants is yet to be revealed and no one has ever been able to figure it out. He trusts nobody and also has a warm demeanour, yet his ruthlessness and scheming are no child's play. The best chessmaster.

Wang Qi Nian (Tian Yu):- He works in Overwatch Council. Excellent in tracking someone and a money lover. He is funny and cunning at the same time.

Lin Wan'er (Li Qing):- The illegitimate daughter of Princess Royal Li Yun Rui and Prime Minister Lin Ruo Fu. She is a sickly and gentle girl. A arrange marriage with Fan Xian was bestowed upon her by Emperor and she is the key to control Imperial Treasury.

My Views:-

This is such an interesting drama from starting to the end. The story itself is captivating, so are the characters. I couldn't help myself but to binge watched it. It's full of action, adventure, mystery and political intrigue that never been seen before, with balanced humour sprinkled throughout the drama. Every second spent to watch this, is definitely worth.

Storyline is one of the best I have ever seen in dramas so far. It keeps the audience guessing all the time as to what will happen next, no matter how much you try to guess, it never turns out to be exactly what you thought but is always unexpected. The schemes will blow your mind. Every action, every detail, every expression of characters is crucial to the plot. The story unravels like an onion, just when you start to think you can predict the next action of the characters or the plot, there’s always more to it than meets the eye. When you think you know who is the schemer there comes something which will play with the mind. This is one of those dramas where no matter how much you praise the writing it can never be enough. Hats off to the makers for creating such a brilliant masterpiece.

This drama is full of interesting characters. Not only the male lead but support characters are fascinating. Most of the characters are multi-layered and capricious. No character is poker-faced. Fan Xian, Chen Ping Ping, Princes, Li Yun Rui and Emperor Qing are some of those which will make you thrilled with their schemes and actions. Never trust them fully, there is always something hidden, even in their micro-expressions. The Emperor Qing is the most sharp and scheming emperor I have ever encountered in dramaworld. Wang Qi Nian, Fan Ruo Ruo, Uncle Wu Zhu, Prime Minister Lin and Fan Jian are also noteworthy.

I loved how Fan Xian handled his relationships, whether it was with his family and friends or his enemies. Drama doesn't focus on romance so it feels somewhat cliché. Despite her being significant to the story, Female lead character is not developed well enough, so is her screen presence. But there are some other female characters like Li Yun Rui, Haitang Duo Duo, Emperor Qi and Fan Ruo Ruo who are worthy of praise.

Acting:-

Speaking of acting and casting, I can’t imagine anyone else other than Zhang Ruo Yun as Fan Xian. His physique is perfect for this role and his acting didn't let me down. How shameless, cunning and ruthless Fan Xian is and just, funny and warm-hearted at the same time! Zhang Ruo Yun perfectly nailed this character. Other actors like Wu Gang (Chen Ping Ping), Chen Duo Ming (Emperor Qing), Liu Duan Duan (Li Cheng Ze), Tian Yu (Wang Qi Nian) and Gao Shu Gong (Fan Jian) also did marvelous job with their characters. Additionally, the child actor played Young Fan Xian also gave remarkable performance. All other casts also did a great job.

Other Elements:-

There are some modern elements added in the drama which make it more fun to watch as it's also a sci-fi and Fan Xian has the memory of 21st century.

If we talk about costumes, the production is done well, so are the costumes, especially for Fan Xian. All the action scenes are certainly splendid. OSTs, I would say are average.

Ending and Recommendation:-

We still have two more seasons up ahead so it's understandable that the ending is a cliffhanger. There remains many schemes yet to come into light. But by the end of this season, Fan Xian now has a life goal to achieve. I'm excited for the season 2.

"The wind so swift, the sky so wide, apes wail and cry; Water so clear and beach so white, birds wheel and fly.
The boundless forest sheds lits leaves shower by shower; The endless river rolls its waves hour after hour.
A thousand miles from home, I'm grieved at autumn's plight; I'll now and then for years, alone I'm on this height.
Living in times so hard, at frosted hair I pine; Cast down by poverty, I have to give up wine."
- Fan Xian

For me Joy of life refers to when you have someone to protect with your life. This is a must watch drama without any doubt. Highly recommended from me.

A True Masterpiece!