Storyline: The twists and turns plots will keep you engaged till the end. The quartet's (Lan Jue, Wang Yan, Zhang Ping and Chen Chou) stories were fun to watch...until the last twist when Gu Qing Zhang (Shulin) showed up...The last plot just didn't make sense when Shulin turned into a villain after spending over a decade as Lan Jue's very close friend. It was real disappointing to see how Empress Dowager got away with all the crimes she committed. Would have been a better ending if Lan Jue could help his friend whom he knew over 10 years accomplished the goal of taking Empress Dowager down rather than supporting her lies and helping her get away with all her crimes...what a pity. The fact that Zhang Ping with the straight forward personality who obsessed with truth would bend at the end and told lies for the empress just doesn't make sense...

Acting: The quartet did an excellent job in their roles. I also enjoyed Gu Qing Zhang's acting.

Music: Nothing to write home about.

Rewatch Value: Although the first time was great, I won't go back and rewatch like some other great dramas.