This is so intense and fast pace like there's so much happening, yet I don't feel overwhelmed. Very big production, the money that went into this was huge. The attention to detail is mind-blowing.
The acting is great, Huang xuan doing wonders, happy that he's able to showcase his acting here. His crying scenes are heartbreaking. Wang yi bo did a fine job, looks pretty good. In fact everyone's visuals are great. His and Huang xuan's characters only had one thing in mind..revenge, that changed as the story progressed.
Song qian nailed her role, her character is strong and smart. Her fighting scenes were fun to watch, her status doesn't hinder her from doing what she felt was right. She mostly uses that to her advantage. Song yi is adorable, Liu ran is the best wife that Er lang could have asked for. I would say that among the mains she has the highest EQ. She is able to help Er lang with that. She is just getting unnecessary hate, i agree that some of the things she does it questionable but the girl is in love and love makes people do stupid/immature things. Every time she is ignored by him, my heart hurts for her. Glad that Er lang started to treat her gently, like she is quite understanding. I would say that her character development was pretty good. I found their cp on the cute and innocent side while Si Yue and Gao Bing Zhu on the mature and intense side. Main problem between the cps is communication. The lack of it created unnecessary problems for them.

As for the supporting roles, my favourites were Bai lang, Shen fei, Yao niang and Yunzhi. Liked how whenever they showed up they just ligtened the mood, especially Bai lang, the man is so funny and he does it with ease. Shen fei and Yunzhi both priotise their masters (friends) happiness first. Shen fei always helping and protecting Er lang in every way he can. Regardless of how crazy it might be, he is always there for him. Yao niang was awesome to watch wished she had more scenes. The empress is feared by everyone, she holds so much power its frightening. I definitely did not like Liu feng, he was annoying, selfish and a waste of space.

I like how everyone was connected, each character protrayed well. The casting choices were good. The chemistry between the cast is great. The fighting scenes are pretty well done. The characters are complex, not necessarily easy to read. No one is set and stone, from the mains to the side characters. The plot is intriguing, captivating and clever. I like how everyone is trying to outsmart each other. No one is written dumb, like they have brain cells and the logic is there. It is quite fast paced but the flow of the plot is not affected. In fact that makes it even more appealing. It got me anticipating what is coming next. There is balance in the plot, no plot device is overshadowed by another. There are quite a few plot holes but doesnt really the storytelling.