Preface:
When watching a drama or a movie, the one thing I enjoy the most is the characters. Even when the plot is mediocre, as long as the characters are done with justice and have good chemistry with one another, I will tend to enjoy it more. The plot of this drama is mediocre, but man those characters really make it really enjoyable to watch.

Plot:
The plot is mediocre and sometimes tends to drag for an unnecessarily long period of time. To be fair, for the most part, it was difficult to completely grasp every single detail in terms of the plot because the subs were difficult to understand due to bad translations. However, I was still able to grasp the gist of what was happening throughout the drama.

Characters:
Yuan Jin Xia - I would consider her as a relatively strong female character. She is intelligent, good at fighting and is not afraid to speak her mind. At the same time, she is very much human and relatable (I find that sometimes, "strong female" characters are devoid of all emotions which is just unrealistic). She loves food, money and the people around her. She is a selfless character who is always blaming herself for the pain of others. Although on the surface, one may think she is just a typical "quirky" female lead; over time, you will realize that she is much more complex than that. It also helped that she was played by one of my favourite actresses.
Lu Yi - He's great. He is initially really cold and rigid but as the story progresses he begins to open his heart to Jin Xia and everyone around him. I have never watched anything with Allen Ren in it, but I have to say that this role suits him very well. When he is in his uniform, he looks so cold and professional (yet really handsome). And then when he is with the female lead or other close characters, you can definitely see his walls come down. I also believe that his character is really understanding, selfless and respectful (especially towards our female lead).
Xie Xiao - I thought overall he was okay. At times, he seemed way too clingy to the main female lead. And he seemed pretty selfish in the beginning, especially towards Shangguan. He is quite naive and believes whatever is told to him and is never able to read the room. However, despite not enjoying his character for most of the drama, I do appreciate that he is a supportive friend towards our female lead. I do think that he has changed over the course of the drama and strongly believe that he has definitely matured by the end of it.
Shangguan - She is an absolute badass. Although I question her initial taste in men, I do enjoy that her character is very selfless and will do anything for the people she loves. Although she technically is love rivals with Jin Xia, I do appreciate the fact that there were no women-women petty, jealousy fights. She is very understanding and caring towards the people around her.
Yang Yue - I am glad that there is a drama out there that has an "opposite-sex best friend" that is not in love with the female lead. He is very caring toward his best friend as well as the other characters in the crew. He shows his love through food, and I think everyone can appreciate a chef.
Yan Shi Fan - Our main antagonist. He is the scum of the scum. I think that he is your typical "pure-evil" villain that you don't feel any compassion towards. There is not much to say about him. You just gotta watch to see what his deal is.

Relationships:
The chemistry between the lead characters is so on point. In the beginning, they started off on the wrong foot, but eventually grow to respect one another. What I really love about their relationship, is that for the most part, they have really good communication. They speak and treat each other as equals. Whenever discussing cases with one another, they tend to bounce off each other's ideas. When their romantic relationship was blossoming, they were able to remain professional at work but super cute outside of it.
(I also the fact that everyone around them knew about their feelings for one another and secretly have been shipping them from the beginning)
Within the main crew, everyone had their unique relationships with one another. It was not just between the leads or the supporting casts. Jin Xia and Shangguan have a unique relationship and respect for one another. Jin Xia and Yang Yue are still best friends even with their romantic counterparts. Lu Yi, along with Jin Xia, develops an interesting relationship with Lan throughout the drama. Just overall, the relationships and dynamics are really fun to follow.

Concluding thoughts:
As you may have noticed, most of this review is on the characters. I just really enjoyed most of the characters in this drama (despite some flaws). If you are going into this drama and expecting an inviting plot that keeps you on your feet, this is not the drama for you. If you love characters, relationships, chemistry and some historical aspects, I think you should give this a try.

Does this drama have a happy ending?
SEOD TI SEY