I started this thinking it was a light-hearted romance drama And it was for the first half, seeing the main couple bicker, flirt, and chase each other was super cute, but that got old fast. During the second half I had to put it on hold and it took about 3 months to actually finish. Which is sad because the first half was so promising, I even had my friend watch it because I thought this was a hidden gem. Here’s my breakdown of the episodes:

Episode 1-5:
The start was very good. The set, actors, costumes, and story were all great. The main characters' first interaction was hilarious, and I was excited to see how their relationship would develop. I enjoyed the slow build-up of romance, and they did a good job with that in the beginning. Them getting trapped on the bottom of a mountain was a bit ridiculous, considering the fact that an average human would not have survived, but it was funny nonetheless. The side couple was also introduced during this time, but I ended up skipping most of their scenes. Their story was super slow getting started, and when they finally got together, it felt rushed compared to the main characters.

Episodes 6-10: Okay, from here the mains are still bickering, but you could tell the male lead started caring for the female lead. At first it seemed like the show was going to be an unserious rom-com type deal. However, the comedy aspect started to disappear, and the show became more dramatic. I found the "forbidden love" and "parents disapprove" trope annoying. I wanted the main couple to have a happy relationship without unnecessary drama. Why can't drama parents ever let their kids be happy?

Episodes 11-15: I started losing interest during this time, especially after they killed the pig. This was like the first major dark twist. It wasn't crazily dark, but it was kinda gruesome and “out of place.” The main couple's relationship became more melodramatic in this period, with constant back and forth. Such as anytime I thought they'd get together, something would stand in the way. A drunken crying scene would follow, and then repeat. The story started to feel forced, especially with the arranged marriage plot. It seemed like the writers were running out of unique ideas.

Episodes 16-20: I was actually surprised when the story finally got interesting again during these episodes. It was cute when the FL was making the ML all jealous and him being all protective. The resolution with the arranged marriage was a little dumb, like why even pretend to go through with the marriage if you're just going to run away? How did that stop her from having the marriage with the prince when she was forced to by the king and her family? I don't know, I'm still confused about why they did that, and why they were allowed to get married right after.

Episode 21-22: The show should've just ended with the wedding. Adding more conflict and a fake death felt unnecessary since everything seemed resolved. However, I did like the plot twist involving the wine and the father's betrayal. The dialogue in the final episodes dragged on, and I ended up skipping 95% of it.

Final thoughts + other things I really enjoyed:
My favorite part of the show was the romance between the female lead's maid and the guard. Instead of focusing on a war in the final episodes, I believe the writers could have developed their story more instead. They were so cute and definitely the best couple of the show. I also liked the costumes, although I wished for more variety. The music was good, but some tracks were overplayed. Overall, this show is worth watching if you're bored and want to watch a short Chinese drama. It's not particularly memorable, but I might still recommend it to others.