I don't know how anyone can watch and enjoy the romance in this story.
I started watching for the fantasy aspect but considering how hyper-focused this story is on the couple(whose chemistry feels super forced!) I could not continue watching it.
I like both of these actors on their own. My biggest problem is that the male lead is very old(cannonically) and idk what's wrong with the stylists but with some of his clothing he looks straight up in his late forties. The female lead, on the other hand, is in high school!!! She walks around in pivotal scenes in HER HIGH SCHOOL UNIFORM. I don't care if she is older than 18. It feels very gross and these two have terrible chemistry together. The actress also looks very young. In general, their visuals do not go together in the slightest.
2nd problem: The plot is SLOPPY. There is so much "back and forth" and with the horrible pacing it's just a absolute pain to get through. The amount of times the plot was like "she can see the sword??" "no, she can't." "yes she can!" like omg it drags on so much. The female lead is supposedly the main character but any moral dilemmas she goes through with having this old ass man wanting her to be his bride, it hardly shows! Instead, the story telling relies on the male characters TELLING you this female lead is going through a hard time. garbage show.

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Peak Palace Drama

It's easy to make a ten thousand word review highlighting the brilliance and elegance of this show but I am not a historical intellect who wants to seat here for longer than I have to typing this.
GOOD THINGS:
- STUNNING visuals. And I mean STUNNING!!! The sets, costumes, and all the actors and actresses are perfect for their roles. They are the appropriate amount of beauty, if that makes any sense. They have good "historical" faces and not the type that you would expect to know what a smartphone is.
- All the characters are logical, well-thought out people! The antagonists aren't cartoonish and have really presences in the show. The Emperor isn't overly "evil" or "toxic" or whatever and feels like a real, overworked man who gets tricked, desires love, and acts irrationally at time. 90% of this cast is female and all of them are most are very compelling characters. They are selfish, angry, heartbroken, and hardworking people.
-However, though it is a female focused drama, it doesn't try to be overly modern in theme. It doesn't try to "fight sexism" or whatever. It perfectly highlights the effects of cultural and societal norms on women and how they tackle them or navigate, or embrace them.
- The pacing: I personally think the pacing was very good. You get used to the rhytmn and can usually guess when the plot will pick up again. And trust me, when it picks up it PICKS UPP.
BEST THINGS:
- Our Main character, Zhen Huan is a very intelligent but very well written character. She has a starting point. She loses so much in the story and changes her character and she grows with the battles in her life. Forgives and fights. And her ending point by the end of the drama is so.... no spoilers. It makes you think.
- The little details in the poetry and lines they say that in rewatching make your breath go away. This show has immaculate foreshadowing.
- THE ACTING!!!!!! I can't say this for every minor character of course but the main actress who played our main character did such a incredible job I was left jaw dropped. She entered that set with bills to pay!!! Her acting made me cry, it gave me chills! I think I am so used to actors in dramas having passing acting skills with a limited range but this woman really raised the bar for me. Her scene in the last episode when she broke the forth wall and said the iconic line....I will always reflect on it because anyone else and it would have been cringe. But the directors understood her endless potential.
10/10

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