I enjoyed the first ~15 episodes. I liked the contrast between the kingdoms with their differing cultures, and Peng Xiaoran is very likable as the naive and playful Xiaofeng. As for Li Chengyin (Chen Xingxu), his storyline felt pretty uneven from the beginning. There wasn't enough development for the storyline about him seeking justice/revenge/power so I wasn't emotionally invested in it.

Somewhere around episode 20, it started to feel like nothing was happening (and the episodes, at least on Viki, were noticeably shorter). The political scenes bored me, but I did love Pei Zhao and the two princesses, as they added some much-needed lightheartedness. Gu Jian's character seemed pretty unnecessary.

I almost dropped the drama but I was actually looking forward to the tragic ending so I made myself pick it back up. I wish that the final storyline had began sooner in the drama, as it was a really interesting turn of events that could have been developed more. The tragic moment... I'm saddened that it ended that way. Did it have to? I'm still torn about it.