What makes interesting from start to end is having a power couple. Yining who used to be an outcast when her mom died met Shen Yuan who was also an outcast at that time because his mom was a maid and his father never accepted him. However, when they solve cases, they make the best pair. The male lead knows martial arts and became a scholar's student and the top scholar himself. He has book knowledge, sword skills, and business skills. In his family, he is ordinary but outside, at nights, he's the most dangerous assassin you wouldn't want to meet. Yining is a smart female lead and didn't have to be the-princess-needs-rescuing-type all the time. In other dramas the family matters usually take time to unfold and be solved becoming draggy but things are fast paced for Rise of Ning.

The second male lead's obsession is dangerous. He won't take No for an answer. He was an eye sore because he can't move on and kept pestering the female lead. The only thing I find skipable were all those flashbacks of him and Yining as Mei in the past, I think it's too much. I wasn't sad when he shielded Yining from the arrow because I think he was the target but yeah they gave him a redemption arc.

Yining using kindness to melt her stepsister's heart is one of her best traits I love and we did not have to see her and her stepsister destroy each other and drag on the episodes .This is one of the reasons I love this drama, things go fast paced and solved
I love the two families. I was nervous I thought he lost Duke Ying, her real father when I was growing find of him as her father. On the other hand, throughout the story, there's always a behind the scene.

Rise of Ning has different themes of love included, mother-daughter, father-son, siblings, grandparent-grandchildren, and romantic partners.
One of mother-daughter scenes were the situation of the sixth lady and her mother. Her mother had good intentions as a mom but used the wrong methods. She became too obsessed with her children's marriages without regards to their happiness. Yining's mom became a victim of her jealousy and false assumptions too. she got what she deserved

My favorite people beside the power couple and the grandmas of both families are the second couple and the goose, Madam Lin the best mom for both Yining and Shen Yuan and Duke Ying is the father of the year.
Ren Min's make up is beautifully done, when she lets loose her hair, it's much better on her. I love her as Yining and her chemistry with Zhang Wanyi as Shen Yuan. I love Zhang Wanyi's acting here, when he fights, he looks awesome. They are both magnificent.
, don't miss this out, slow burn but mixed with comedy and is not drama heavy, transitions were smooth, the ending is not rushed, story is wrapped up well,