Personally, once in a while, I do like to watch sad endings because in reality, not everything is rainbows. What I really like here is Ruyi is the embodiment of a modern woman, someone who knows what she wants and will ruthlessly protect her sense of self and worth even if it means to cut off from her one true love who have turned toxic with the environment he is in. The star here is definitely Zhou Xun where even her gaze or eye movement can mean certain things.

While the ending might not be everyone’s cup of tea but I feel that it does represents the many issues that couples faced in modern relationship. The only difference is that because this is set in a historical setting, she can only choose isolation and death as a way of freedom which shows how oppressive women faced especially in the royal harem of ancient China. But I don’t think the ending is completely sad as I see Ruyi’s fate as her road to freedom while her lover suffers in eternal agony for the things she did to her. Overall, this was a really good historical show to watch.