I rate the first 39 episodes a 10/10, episodes 40-48 a 8.5/10, and episodes 49-58 a 7.5/10! I am not yet done watching all 70 episodes. I hope episodes 59-70 are better than 40-58.

I'm back, and episodes 59-70 are much better than the previous episodes. However, after episode 58, I dislike the female lead character. To understand the reason why, continue reading this review. BTW, I give episodes 59-70 a rating of 9/10. The beginning and end of this drama was very good, but the middle had a lot of bad writing. Thus, overall, I rate this drama a 9/10.

This drama is fantastic; the sets are beautiful, and is well produced. However, there are flaws in the writing. It had the potential to be a 10 out of 10 but the female lead character (not the actress, but the character) is not consistent. Yes, in real life we respond to situations differently, but even within the way that we respond to situations there will be a level of consistency. For example, the female lead is known to be brave and daring, but repeatedly said that her life is valuable to her. In episode 47, she drinks from a cup that is contaminated with the plague just because Prince of Chu is contaminated. Love shouldn't make you stupid, but wise. The intent behind the character doing this was to show how she wanted to help the doctor find a cure for Prince of Chu because he was really sick. However, the writers could have written a better storyline & solution. Perhaps, it would have been better for both of them to get sick at the same time, and the writers could have used 3 episodes to highlight the romance between the two while both leads presumed they would be dying, so they finally decide to open up to one another. Around episode 47 is when I start to lose interest in this drama. For me it's very hard to watch a 70 episode drama and not lose interest before episode 50. The romance between the female and male lead finally is shown after episode 40, but there isn't a conversation or moment that makes it make sense to us. Out of the blue, they begin to be touchy-feely. Yes, we know that they had feelings for one another but both characters swept it under the rug; both characters spent 39 episodes liking one another but not showing it, and then boom, the next episode they are touchy feely, and we're supposed to buy into the romance? We needed a better transition.

All the actors did a great job, but the male lead acted his butt off (meaning he did extremely well). In terms of favorite character, I love his character the most. The least favorite character was the female lead younger brother, who acted like he was 12. I believe the writers could have changed his character to be a strong character who act impulsive, as opposed to someone who acts like he is 12, and is totally clueless. It could have been an opportunity to use this character for a stronger storyline. The female and male lead actors are very attractive btw. I really like the fact that both leads look like adults, and not like they are in middle/high school.

I am not sure if I am going to drop this drama or keep watching it, but I am curious to know how it will end.

Edited after the review above:
I am glad that someone commented on my review and encouraged me to continue to watch it. I am on episode 70, and the storyline gets a lot better after episode 48, but then between episodes 57-59 it takes another turn in the wrong direction. The female lead is so shameless, as she disrespects King Helian, the same king who was willing to take her in, in order to save her life. We get that you love the Prince of Chu but like dang, why be ruthless to King Helian who is willing to accept you as you are (in love with someone else). The script writer should have written this better because now I am starting to like the female lead character less and less. Especially because of her selfishness in episode 66 (30 minute-35 minute mark). How can anyone like her character anymore? So she used a king ( King Helian) to protect her and the people around her, but then she kept going back and forth to the one that she really love, not caring at all about how she involved another person into her drama. If the female lead really had integrity, she should have offered to be killed, rather than to hurt someone else, in order to save herself and try to pursue love with the person she really love. This goes back to what I said at the beginning of this review... "It had the potential to be a 10 out of 10 but the female lead character (not the actress, but the character) is not consistent. " The ending made up for the middle! I am glad that this drama ended the way that it did. The new emperor basically becomes like his father, the old emperor... Realistically, there's no way that the female lead would have wanted to be the new emperor's, empress, with everything that happened between her family and his family. I would never want to marry someone whose immediate family killed my mother, and brothers. It wouldn't have been the same romance and love as it was in the beginning because too much happened for it to go back there.

BTW, one of the directors is an actor who plays the female lead older brother (Liu Hai Bo).