I wasn’t originally looking to pick this up but decided to give it a shot since nothing else airing was piquing my interest. It’s not a drama you can think too closely about the plot as then most things wouldn’t be feasible and it’s maybe 5 episodes too long but, I watched everything on 2x speed and did watch the entire thing which means it cleared that bar of watchability for me. 

There are lots of cliches in it and tropes that we’ve seen over and over again in recent dramas though, so no new ground is being tread. Some examples include: 1) The main female lead is a smart, spunky and fair woman that attracts the main male lead and the 2nd male lead into falling in love with her. 2) This is another story where the female lead’s family comes from money and she is skilled at running a jewelry business while her love is a scholar 3) princes vying for the throne in the background 4) the male lead’s teacher is unfairly accused and killed so they have to try to overturn that wrongful conviction.

This drama reminds me a whole lot of The Rise of Ning from last year as they have many similar story beats but the chemistry between Wang Zi Qi and Lu Yu Xiao plus Wang Hong Yi as the 2nd male lead is much better than what we got in the Rise of Ning. Though I still felt the passion or romantic chemistry could’ve been a tad stronger, Wang Zi Qi and Lu Yu Xiao were more natural in their interactions. 

Sadly, this drama did not do too well ratings wise both in terms of viewership and in terms of douban. It only breached 23000 on Tencent’s popularity index and currently has a 5.1 on douban. I can see it being a “blander” viewing experience. It’s not passionate enough to solicit an urgent chase but it’s overall just sweet.

Female lead Lu Yu Xiao though is the center of most of the commentary. People online say she is too plain. Criticism is hurled at her that she needs to lose weight and work on her posture. I thought she was fine figure wise and generally I am not a fan of telling people they need to lose weight but I can see why she is being called plain.  She doesn’t necessarily stand out in a sea of other beautiful actresses and she definitely is someone who really needs good hairstyle and makeup to help her stand out. Some of the hairstyles in this show did not do her any favors. 

Overall, this is a cute, romantic show that will likely not be too memorable but will scratch that itch if you want something sweet to put on in the background.