I'm 4 episodes in. So this is my first impression. I have not read the novel. I selected this drama because of the high rating, but so far, it really hasn't lived up to the hype.

-Acting is average at best. And there quite a bit of overracting
-the half brother of the ML, his acting is the worse, maybe he's suppose to be a buffoon?
-Even the ML's acting is off sometimes.
-Music is weird and doesn't seem to fit in
-There are too many characters. It's hard to keep track of who is who
-Other reviewers raved about how funny the movie is, but it's not really that funny to me. Maybe the humor got lost in translation? I'm a non Chinese view so maybe the humor is just over my head
-palace intrigue with a dash of modern social commentary

It's not living up to the hype, but I'm a little intrigued to find out who is trying to kill him, so I'll keep watching