After an emotional roller coaster ride and having invested so much time into watching this drama over the past month or so, it's only fair that I write something about it.

Story - Based on a real-life historical figure (google Liu Yi Kang), with added spice by the scriptwriters, this is a semi-biographical and mostly fictional story about love and betrayal, court intrigue and political rivalry.

Acting - Superb and on point by every single member of the cast. You will learn to adore the protagonists and despise the antagonists with equal tenacity (and savagery).

Casting - The cast looked neither out of place nor out of depth. Kudos to the production team for selecting the right people for their respective roles.

Music - Personally felt drawn to the closing credits' song (which is also the main love theme), Hiding My Heart by Bibi Zhou. BGM is generally dramatic with certain tender moments throughout.

Overall:
What it is - Serious and intense, strong and courageous FL, intelligent and stoic ML, clever and ruthless villains, excellent martial arts choreography, and probably the central theme of love based upon mutual understanding and respect that ultimately culminates in sacrifice for the greater good.

What it isn't - Light-hearted drama, weak and silly protagonists and antagonists, poorly executed action sequences, bad CGI, monotonous dialogue

-SPOILER ALERT-

This drama had a really good start, the first 20 episodes were outstanding. Action-packed and fast paced.

Then it slowed down in the next 10 episodes to focus on court machinations. Plenty of dialogues and unraveling of plots.

The following 10 episodes picked up the pace against the backdrop of full scale war.

Finally catastrophe, in the closing stages, resulting in a hugely tragic and dissatisfying end.