Amazing ! Intense ! Breathtaking ! Torturing ! Beautiful !

This drama is a masterpiece in dramaland.
It is a must watch for many reasons :
- Incredible acting (especially for a cdrama).
- Beautiful, realistic and well developped story.
- Amazing work from the makeup and costume artists, very good OST.

Cecilia Lui really outdid herself in this drama, and the other actors didn't fall short.

There is only one main character for me, that is her Maertai Ruoxi. Although in many scenes, we see things from the eyes of other characters, that is mainly to allow us to watch in an entertaining way what she will hear or read from others.
Because of this, we don't know more than Ruoxi and I could empathize completely with her thanks to this setting.

Every character is somewhat realistic and consistent, I really liked that.

The evolution of Ruoxi was very well described. After being uprooted from her modern day life, she valued relationships even more that in her past life because that was the only way to take roots in her new life.
Thanks to this drama everyone living in a socio-liberal democracy can fully appreciate the benefits of a modern society.

The tragedy for Ruoxi then began when she entered the Palace, putting her in the eye of the maelstrom, where she could only anxiously wait for the events she knew would happen.
Although the tragedy began then, Ruoxi cannot fully realize it, and blooms like a magnificent flower surrounded by her friends and loved ones.
But the Palace is the Palace, and history cannot be prevented, so Ruoxi still feels a veil is between her and the world. And the fear of the inevitable is already poking at her heart.

During her stay in the Palace, she could never fully realise her love, and eventually lost almost every root she had taken in this new life.
The agony of it is portayed so well that your heart will also bleed. At the same time, the watcher can predict the end, and let go, like Ruoxi.