I have always loved a badass female lead, but despite the female lead in this drama who is said to be sassy, I can’t stand her. Therefore the first few episodes are very hard to watch for me. As the story unfolds, her character develops and grows, and becomes less annoying towards the end, but she is still not totally lovable as far as I'm concerned. I stick with the drama because it’s a very short one at only 22 episodes and I like Zheng Yecheng.

What I like

1). Zheng Yecheng, as Shen Yan, looks gorgeous in this drama in his uniform and informal wear.
2). Though not a fan of Merxat, I like his character here as Shen Yan’s brother, Shen Yu.
3). I like Shen Yan’s relationship with his brother. Despite they always throw sarcasms at each other, they love each other. They work together and help each other out, especially Shen Yu helping his little brother in all his dangerous assignments. I like both brothers being unmatchable great martial arts fighters.
4). Unlike other Chinese dramas, this drama doesn't kill off all the side characters at the end.
5). The official sound tracks (OSTs) are beautiful.
6). It is a very short series at only 22 episodes.
7). I love the beautiful embroidered guard uniform. Both Shen brothers look gorgeous in it.
8). Acceptable acting, props, camera work, script writing and editing.
9). There are no love triangles.

What I don’t like

1). The female lead character played by Yuan Bingyan is supposed to be lively, cheeky, bold, and full of spirit, but instead here, she is perverted, flamboyant, outrageous, cringey, clingy, unreasonable, inconsiderate, unbashful, and when she feels helpless, she cries. Her suggestive and coming-on-hard behavior is really a put off though it is just her facade. To me, this type of character is not really a strong female character because she has no dignity and is not fearless. Fortunately, the character grows and she becomes less blatant, and she knows how to use her status to her advantage and to help others.
2). As much as I like Zheng Yecheng, he lacks the cold, stonehearted look as the Lord of the Netherworld; Zheng Yecheng is too soft looking and his eyes are not piercing enough.
3). The romance in the beginning is rather tiring to watch: the female coming on hard, and the male is irresponsive; but when the male’s heart is melted, the female intentionally hurts him to make him leave “for his own good” – this kind of line is really overused and ineffective in capturing the viewers’ hearts anymore.
3). Rather bland story with no surprises nor twists.
4). Not much humor.

My Verdict

The plot is rather simple. All the antagonists are in the open in plain sight. There’s a conspiracy to usurp the throne. The perverted princess becomes rather useful after she falls in love with the supposed stonehearted commander-in-chief for the Jinlin Guards. There are some conflicts in the relationship and both characters are in turmoil every now and then, with the princess crying a lot that doesn’t capture my heart. The overall writing and editing are acceptable with not too many plot holes nor questionable logic. Overall, this is not a terrible series, but nothing special either. Watch it if you’re a Zheng Yecheng’s or Yuan Binyan’s fan but do not have too high expectations.