Whenever I come across a lengthier series that keeps my interest from beginning to end, it's always difficult to summarize without giving away spoilers. But dare I say that this series is (almost) better than one of my highest rated series so far, The Story of Minglan.

Foremost, the ML and FL were pretty much a perfect cast and all the supporting actors did a fantastic job. As a viewer who favors watching women in truly independent roles and surpassing adversity, the FL and her character did not disappoint. The ML who is meant to be mostly expressionless for his character somehow managed to still be very convincing with his soft and hard roles switches. And while the romance in the series isn't quite as passionate as the couple on Minglan, it is equally as strong in a gentle and steady way.

For a 40-episode series, there is very minimal lag in the plot and it takes the time to really draw you in to many of the characters. There is also that added extra special layer of humor injections along the way that really balances out many of the events.

The only two minor nits I have is that the relationships and interactions with the imperial court felt a bit muddled but this really wasn't the main focus for the series anyway. The ending also felt slightly rushed but it didn't prevent the smiling on my end as they still managed to do pretty well with wrapping it all up.