I. Introduction:

This short-length drama opens with the palace being besieged by usurpers of the throne, and Empress Su Yan (FL) having asked her ex, Prince of Nanchuan Yuwen Yuan (ML), for backup. Emperor Yuwen Yingren (2ML) who is of ill health suggests that no assistance would be forthcoming, but lo and behold, the Nanchuan army arrives to save the day. The first few episodes promised dog-blood melodrama but this is ultimately undelivered. There were some scenes suggesting a more light-hearted comedy, which were quickly buried in angst, suspense, and conflict scenes before you could even bark a quick laugh.

The drama suffered from an identity crisis, as if the production team could not decide whether to deliver angst, romance, comedy, or otherwise. While the drama has some beautiful visuals and the storyline held much promise, its lacklustre delivery and continuity gaps leave it feeling ultimately underwhelming, like a disappearing orgasm. By the way, no happy ending.

II. Story and Plot:

The drama started with a tight, logical structure as to why the FL abandoned the ML to marry the 2ML. There were curious twists to the usual palace drama storyline, e.g., the 2ML's early scenes left me wondering if he was concerned for the FL in a brotherly manner or did he develop feelings for her, or if he was most concerned for the throne and everyone be damned.

But the latter half of the drama was dragged down by lazy scriptwriting and editing, e.g., a random scene of the FL crying over a dying ML appearing out of nowhere, the FL taking a full episode to chat and then murder the 2ML, the theoretical-physics-level mental gymnastics required to understand why the 2FL would do what she did knowing what she knew or whether the FL and ML ultimately resolved their misunderstandings, and the random comedy that is episode 19 stuffed at the end because it wasn't just the black sheep of the 20-episode family, it wasn't even in the bovine family!

III. Characters

MJJ as the FL singlehandedly carried this drama. She was a beautiful, weepy, tired woman who just wanted to gently honour her late sister's memory. RL required MJJ's acting to deliver the melodramatic scenes between them. RL has too boyish a face to carry the ML role--he was unable to express the necessary cruelty his scenes required. But if you enjoy his abs, you will have the opportunity to view them. PQ delivered his scenes as a weak emperor better than his scenes as a lunatic. It was missing just a tiny bit of OTT to truly express how mad he had become.

IV. Production Aspects

The soundtrack is commendable, truly enhancing the melodramatic scenes to the appropriate level of angst and tragedy. There were beautiful quality costumes and set, but if I had one complaint, it would be the scene where the FL is rolled out on a makeshift battering ram. The tragedy was ruined as it made me laugh out loud.

V. Conclusion:

This is a visually beautiful but narratively predictable and weak drama. While it offers fleeting moments of entertainment and showcases impressive scenes that raised its overall score, its uneven development of plot points, continuity gaps, reliance on beautiful people to fudge bad writing, leave it feeling ultimately forgettable. If you're looking for an easy-to-watch drama with beautiful visuals, this might suffice. But for those seeking more complex storyline or even more romance between the two leads, look elsewhere.