Let me preface this by saying that I dont like to reveal spoilers in my reviews so this will be spoiler-free. I would like to first applaud the writers, director, technical team, costume department....all the many people involved behind the scenes who worked so hard to make this drama a success. I love to see people hard work bts rewarded. Now on to the actors. Everyone did an amazing job here. ZhangLihe is a revelation. This is my 1st drama of his and I am now a fan. I loved his acting here and the nuances he gave in his performance. Quite honestly these types of MLs are really not my cup of tea in dramas but I really attribute the fact that I loved his character so much to him, the actor. I havent watched any Bailu dramas since Arsenal Military Academy and she did an amazing job here; I love the myriad of emotions she portrayed as well. The other second male leads and other actors did a great job. The way the comic timing seamlessly blend in a " dark, serious" drama like this is a testament to the actors and also the writing. I love the political intrigue, fight scenes, reverse harem , harem court drama....all of this contributed to make this drama such a good drama. I hope ZLH and Bailu work in another drama in the future because their chemistry in this one was outstanding. I also loved that it wasnt heavily romance focused; dont get me wrong, I love a good romance in a historical drama but I also appreciate the political intrigue. Give it a try, you will love it and I dont even like to follow trends or whatever but the hype that this drama is getting is very well deserved.