I was just browsing around for something to watch. After finished watching BBC series Sherlock, I returned back to the world of Asian dramas. So this series popped up in my search. At first, I wasn't captivated or interested since 1) I didn't know anyone from the cast and 2) I tend to dislike actors/actresses in the series who speaks zero/minimal Chinese (Choo Ja Hyun from Temptation to Go Home).

Summary of the Plot:
The first plot begins with XLX's brother Situ Jian Nan and their rival family's youngest daughter Wen Qiang. They love each other however due to the two families' rivalry in court, it seems impossible for them to end up together. Their story is like Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet except I like this version more because I was never a big fan of Romeo and Juliet. Their love for one another is tested through various obstacles. Wen Chang is forced to marry Qi Guo Hou's son to form an alliance between the families. However, she rather die than marry another man. Their conflict is solved through the help of the emperor and his sister Princess An Ning. Their genuine love for each other finally allow them to end up with one another.

The next problem appeared when BYF wanted to end his marriage contract with Princess An Ning since he only loves Situ Jing(Xiao Long Xiao). However, he angers the empress and is sent to jail. Situ Jing announces a fake decree to save BYF on the day of his execution which leads to both of them being sent to prison. Again this problem is resolved quite nicely.

Last part focused on STJ's identity as the preceding dynasty's princess. I really enjoyed the last episode. The whole plot is marvelously written with everything related. I will definitely rewatch this series in the future.

My Rating:

Cast:
Jang Nara as Situ Jing (Xiao Long Xia/Little Lobster)
Alec Su as Emperor Zhu Yun
Lu Xing as Bai Yun Fei
Bao Lei as Princess An Ning
Lin Jiang Guo as Situ Jian Nan
Wang Gang as Wen Zhang
Florence Tan as Wen Mei Er
Gao Lu as Wen Qiang


What I Liked About This Series: 
1. So after watching the first episode, I felt it was just decent since I haven't warmed up to Jang Nara's Xiao Long Xia's (Little Lobster) character yet. As I watched the next few episodes, I started to enjoy the scenes the more mainly because of the cast chemistry. The emperor, Bai Yun Fei, and XLX become sworn brothers. Both the emperor and BYF didn't know that XLX is a female. Once they realized, both fell in love with their playful yet cunning third "brother".

2. The villains of this series are "obvious" (not hypocrites) and amusing. I didn't rip my hair out since most of the time their plots used to harm XLX and her family fails due to the emperor's interference. Wan Mei Er and her family as well as Qi Guo Hou and his son didn't get what they initially planned for from the start. The entire story is consisted of smaller plots in which the main leads have to devise unthinkable ways to resolve the situation they are in. The solutions are quite clever; for example, some solutions cleverly took advantage of using puns.

3. Even though BYF only loves XLX while Princess An Ning (Emperor's sister) likes BYF, Princess An Ning is not the typical annoying second female lead. I'm glad she gets her happy ending because I also enjoyed watching her character. Fun fact: She is the wife of actor Lu Yi in real life!

What I Disliked: 
This series would have received a 10-stars rating from me if it wasn't for its costumes. The costumes were really horribly-designed (more skimpy) that it sometimes distracted me when the actor/actress is speaking. I think it's because Mainland ancient dramas have extremely intricate and vibrant clothing and scenery nowadays (Legend of Zhen Huan and Legend of Lu Zhen) that I couldn't help but notice the poor quality of dramas back then.

The Music:
There is nothing special about the opening theme but it is cute and catchy. It is sung by the leads, Jang Nara and Alec Su. I was surprised when I found out Jang Nara sang the opening theme since she is a Korean actress. But after looking her up, I realized she did study at a Chinese university before so she does have some Chinese background prior to acting in this drama. Her pronunciation is not bad and she has a nice voice too!