This is definitely one of my favorite drama of 2019, full of emotions and angst. People need to understand that this is a TRADGY drama not a romcom thus the ending is fitting for the events that have taken place in the drama. I really don't know why people wanted a happy ending just for the sake of a happy ending (if you are a happy ending junkie, I'm sorry but this is not for you). Yes, I do ship them both but the ending is the most appropriate. Xiao Feng sacrificed herself to bring peace to both countries. People may think that this is petty on XF's behalf but you have to understand that she wanted LCY to live well to carry on his promise. Because if he had killed himself after she died, her death would've meant nothing. There would've been a new Li emperor and there would be no guaranteed that Xi state would be safe.

As for the drama as a whole, it was great. People who have read the novel know that this drama adaptation is telling the story in a different lens. The novel starts off with XF already the crown princess married to LCY, whereas the drama tells the story from the beginning. I have read some reviews and complaints about how this drama is draggy and that the main leads don't remember anything until the end of the drama. THAT WAS THE POINT! The first 25 episodes of the drama was a background story of how XF met LCY as GXW and LCY power struggle to become the crown prince. The actual novel storyline didn't start off until the late 20s episodes. It may not have been as suspenseful as the novel but it was definitely heartbreaking!

If XF had regained her memories early in the drama, she still would've attempted to run away from LCY or killed herself. It wasn't the act of him killing her grandpa that made her hate him, it was that he used her to infiltrate the danchi tribe. She felt guilty for everything that happened that's why she had such a hard time letting it go. I personally believe that she jumped into the river of forgetfulness to kill herself. She told GXW before she jumped that no one had ever come out of the river alive, meaning that she was willing to kill herself to get away from him.

XF and LCY fell in love again, this time with a clean slate but LCY had to deal with the power struggle and his enemies causing him to purposely neglect XF. He was so worried about his future with XF that he neglected the present her. He never communicated his with XF thus she was clueless on whether or not he actually loves her. What hurts the most is that XF believed that she was a third party in LCY and SS relationship. She hated that she liked him because it felt wrong for her to since the one he "loved" was SS.

I absolutely love XF. Some viewers were complaining on her being naive and immature without considering the context of her character. She is the 9th princess of Xi State and as she proclaimed her father's "favorite princess." She was loved by everyone around her, so of course, she would be naive and immature. After she jumped into the river of forgetfulness, she becomes the same XF that we saw at the beginning of the drama, free of all the pain. People don't grow if they are unaware of what happened. XF doesn't care about any statuses; she saw people as who they were. She may not be the strongest or smartest female lead but she always stood up for herself and her country. Politics, revenge, plot scheming are not things that XF does. If she does those things, she would be no different from the people that she hated.

This review is all over the place, so if you were about to get through it THANKS