This show has been the top of my list since I watched it the first time. There were many times when I cried for all the injustices that the Chiyun army suffered and the House of Prince Qi. For all the suffering Lin Shu has endured so he could clear his family's name of the crime they have never committed. For Nihuang, who painstakingly waited for her Lin Shu gege to come back, only to be separated in the end. Life was never fair. But it was particularly cruel for Lin Shu.

Lin Shu is a character I truly admire. After the massacre of his family, he didn't vow for vengeance and didn't cruelly kill everyone involved. Instead, he traded his life, his chance to be with the people he loved and instead be the sly, cunning, and shrewd Mei Changsu. For 13 years, he planned his strategy and eventually he succeeded. The journey though was never easy. And when we thought that he can finally leave in peace, war happened. Instead of spending his limited time with the love of his life, he went to battle to protect the people and his country. This was his ultimate sacrifice so that the people he loved would have peace. Jingyan knows this, more so Nihuang. For Lin Shu and Nihuang, their separation on that hill was poignant and full of hope. Not because they knew they will meet again, but instead they knew this could be the last time they will see each other. And for them, that was okay. Duty to their country comes above all else.

I truly hope that in their next lives, they were born as ordinary families, spending their life until old age. Or, they could have just been reincarnated as Xiao Pingjing and Lin Xi.