Before starting this show, I saw a lot of people on here complaining about the ML looks, the age difference (in the show), the many concubines etc etc. I almost didn't watch because of this. But then I decided to give it a try and see for myself. I'M GLAD I DID!

The FL is one of the best written (imo) FL in harem drama for a while. She's smart, but not too smart for her own good. She knows when to play dumb, but not so "dumb" that others take massive advantage of her. I will not even describe her as stubborn, as her actions/reactions don't come off as that. I describe her as determined. But at the same time, she knows when to give in and bide her time. Even though the other concubines (save for one so far) are always scheming against her, they actually admire her and knows she's a worthy opponent. I really hope they don't mess up her character.

This is an amazing drama that deals with palace intrigue and harem fighting. It's quite interesting how all the characters are portrayed and the decisions they make and the consequences of it all. Even the evil characters have a reason for doing what they do, not just because they evil for evil sake. Though I hate concubine Yao, I can see why she does what she does. Props to the writers! So far, nobody is overacting and everything is going seamlessly. Props to the director.

Some on here are saying the ML and FL don't have chemistry. I respectfully disagree. The leads definitely have chemistry. This is not a "pure" romance story so people can't project their fantasies on it, so they are turned off. I think most of you are biased because the ML is not your ideal young idol ML and there's no unnecessary filter on him to make him look otherworldly. I think this is unfair.

I read some comments on here saying the story is too fast paced and there's no time to process. I respectfully disagree. I think it's moving at the right pace. If it was any slower, it will be boring. If yall are really paying attention, you will notice from episode 6 to the current ep 12 we are still dealing with the death of the son. Every scheme, plan and actions taken were all to oust concubine Yao for her crime. Everything that you think that happened "too fast" or not given too much attention was all in the plan to deal with that woman. Didn't you guys notice, even the emperor had a plan. It all adds up. So while it may seem things are moving too fast, it's actually slowed down in the sense that every reaction was because of that one incident. So, the pacing is quite well.

I think the first arc is over for now. (we might come back to it because the main wife is using the death of her son to guilt ML). Episode 14 just brought us into a new one. Now lets wait and see how all the other concubines are going to deal with the FL pregnancy. Will the FL still leave? And how that new scheming concubine will be dealt with.

I'm excited to see how all this plays out and how the ML and FL end up!!