Yes, this had excellent production, and Leo Wu did a fantastic job in his conflicted and complex role. I was super excited to see these two actors together as leads, BUT the show got just ridiculous with the over-the-top female empowerment theme. I've seen other C-dramas with smart, capable women in a historical context that were realistic about what they could and couldn't do in that time period and you really respected them (as did their men), but this just got ridiculous. The people who took orders from her and apologized to her would never have done so in reality, and it was just so unbelievable that it kind of ruined it for me.

Not to mention, the show is promoted as a romance but the second season is a bunch of palace drama and then our FL trying to convince us she don't need no man. I've seen Lusi in other shows and I like her, but she had no romantic expressiveness at all, while Leo Wu was rocking the puppy dog eyes. Also, I get that this was kind of a coming-of-age story but our FL never really outgrew her childish demands to be indulged by everyone. She becomes less joyful and vivacious over time due to her wounds and losses, but she learns little about extending grace to imperfect people, even those who love her. Her stubbornness and coldness as the season wore on made me lose any compassion I'd once felt for her difficult background. IDK why people are raving about this so much... go watch Yanxi Palace or Sword and Brocade for a decent palace romance with a smart FL. Or watch Who Rules the World or The Blue Whisper for a 2022 decent epic.