At first glance, there was nothing interesting about this series. It was just another period romance with a political angle. There was the time travelling, which was totally random and made no sense in the context of the theme. But somehow, halfway through, the series turned into something special.

Liu Shi Shi’s Ruoxi was the reason why the first part of the series was so bad. She was also the reason why the second part was so good. Ruoxi took up about 99% of the screen time, a huge burden for any actress to carry. Liu Shi Shi did not have a good grasp of her character in the beginning. She played a modern woman transported into the body of a sixteen-years-old girl, then proceeded to act cute, childish, and completely unlike her real 20-something self. She didn’t give the impression of someone lost in time, trying to a survive in a completely new world. Her worst scenes were the lighthearted ones, like when she was bickering with Mingyu or teasing the princes. Liu just didn’t have that sparkle. She was very pretty, but once she smiled and showed her teeth, the magic was lost. It wasn’t until the second half that you start to appreciate her. She was at her best in scenes that called for anguish and tears. There was a restrained, elegant quality to her acting that fit with the pensive mood of the series. Most importantly, she finally clicked with Nicky Wu’s 4th prince.

The show was excellent in showing the slow and painful breakdown of Ruoxi and the 4th prince’s relationship. There was no stupid misunderstanding, no disapproving parents, no evil people to split them up. These were two people who loved each other deeply, but can’t bring themselves to accept each other’s failings and flaws. It was achingly sad and beautifully acted.

The whole time travel thing was just a gimmick and a really bad one. This was a story about relationships and how love was not always as simple as we wished it to be. Love was not ideal, but still beautiful nonetheless.