My synopsis for this show would read: "A prince and princess are forced to marry, fall hopelessly in love with each other, and then have to deal with far too many people trying to separate them."

This was my definition of a well written fairytale. There was a beautiful love story, evil villains, sword fights, and even though there was no magic, hypnosis was used as its replacement.

Li Qian was a wonderful hero. He was given so many moments to shine. In the beginning he is intrigued by and cautious of his new wife (and at times frustrated by their differences). He is cunning and swift when both mentally and physically sparring with those who want to destroy him. And he can also be playful and adorably confused when he is allowed to lower his gaurd around people he fully trusts and loves. But by far, my favorite Li Qian moments were when he was loving his wife Ming Yue. While he certainly wasn't a pushover and told her when he was unhappy, this man was one of the most devoted and loving heroes I've ever seen. Several moments come to mind when his devotion and love for his wife took my breath away, but I refuse to spoil them because you deserve to enjoy them like I did. But trust me, he loves her. And he is determined to live a long and happy life with her.

Ming Yue was a character who might annoy some, but definitely captured my heart. She is cute as a ladybug, impulsive, brave, loyal, smart, and a little wild. She was not as certain as Li Qian that they could endure anything. There were moments when she gave up or didn't trust him as much as she should have, but those moments gave Li Qian an opportunity to showcase his patience and love, and they also gave her an opportunity to grow as a character. She loved him as much as he loved her, but they were different people so they handled love differently. If giving up meant he didn't have to suffer she would do it, and she would rather trick or hypnotize him than risk him feeling a painful emotion. No, these weren't her choices to make but they came from love and she learns better.

This has become one of my favorite all time romances.Truthfully, neither was a perfect person, they were both so stubborn, but even that was presented in such a cute way that I enjoyed their fights. He knew when to be a little scared and give her space, and she knew how to smile and appease him when she went too far. For the first time In all the years I have been watching dramas, I found myself looking forward to people plotting against the lead couple because everytime they did it drove Li Qian and Ming Yue closer together. It took me a few episodes to catch on to this theme, but when I did, my enjoyment of the show increased immensely. They always resolved their problems together and talked things out.
Oh, and the kisses! You know how in some movies a house or a city is so important to the story it feels like another character? Well kisses are used that way in this story. They don't just kiss often, they kiss when it adds to the story. They kiss when they are comforting each other, they kiss when they are flirting, they when they are facing a separation, and they kiss when they are reunited. I never felt like the writers were trying to fill a kiss quota so they stuck in a kissing scene, but I also didn't feel like they were afraid to put three kissing scenes in an episode. They let them kiss when it makes sense to kiss, and each on was beautiful.


Now a few thoughts on the other main characters:

Pugu Yunsi is a difficult character to discuss without spoilers. He's not quite a second lead, he's not quite a hero, and he's not completely a villain. He was in a unique situation that clearly brought out the worst in him. But you could tell that he would have been a great man if things had played out differently. I would love to see that character lead his own drama. The actor would be excellent as a lead.

Qiao Hui Xin was a fantastic villain. Her slow decent into evil madness was an adventure in itself. Because she started as such a docile and lovely person, her transformation was all the more enjoyable and scary to watch. Her love/hatred for Li Qian becomes a destructive force. One scene in particular defines both her character and Li Qian's love for Ming Yue. After doing something particularly cruel to Li Qian and Ming Yue, Hui Xin says to Li Qian, "I can't have your love, at least you can hate me! An unforgettable hatred for a lifetime!" And she is met with Li Qian's breathtakingly beautiful response of "Whether it's love or hate, in my heart, there will always be only one woman, Ming Yue."

Li Xun is Li Qian's older brother who has the misfortune of being in love with Hui Xin. Loving a woman who is obsessed by her unrequited love for his brother, brings out the worst in him. He is an almost Irredeemable character. But both the actor portraying him and the writers keep you guessing as to whether or not he will let his jealousy of Li Qian win out over any love that he has for him.


Now even fewer thoughts on the supporting cast:
The supporting cast was just that, support for the leads. They loved both Li Qian and Ming Yue and did whatever they could to help them through their trials. They also provided some comical relief even when our leads were going through trials. None of the support characters had growth of their own, but so much happend with the main cast that I'm glad I didn't have to split my attention too much. That cut down on the confusion I usually feel when watching historical dramas.


I reccomend this drama for fans of fairytale romances with satisfying endings. I'm very impatient when it comes to Chinese dramas and even more impatient when it comes to historical Chinese dramas, but I only felt the need to fast forward through one particularly repetitive episode and faithfully watched the rest without touching the fast forward button. It was entertaining from beginning to end.