So thanks to "Da Qin Zhi Dao" (and after going back to rewatch his parts of "Diao Man Xin Niang") I am now completely in love with Li DongXue and have started watching this drama for him!
(It's about time one of the Beijing boys stole my heart again...
My two old-time mainland China favourites were Beijing Film Academy alumni Chen Kun + Huang Xiaoming, but in the past few years the Shanghai guys--i.e. Hu Ge, Yuan Hong, and more recently FSF; and you can semi-throw Yan Kuan into the mix--have caught my attention instead. But not anymore! XD)
*Ahem* Anyways...bit disappointed that apparently LDX doesn't actually have that much screentime in this, and there also doesn't seem to be much eyecandy besides him (the girls are super pretty though!)...but I hear his role his pretty good so I'm looking forward to his appearance.
Just finished the first episode and I have to say the costumes/sets/makeup are absolutely gorgeous, but the storyline doesn't quite appeal to me yet. (After watching a couple of series focusing on "bigger" issues like welfare of the country, it's a bit boring watching a whole bunch of petty palace women scheme over such trivial matters...
) Also Yongzheng is, sorry to say, terrible! Not only is he too, er, plump, for my mental image of Yongzheng...but every time he speaks I feel like falling asleep. T_T
On the plus side, quality-wise this drama definitely seems heads-and-shoulders above all the other court/palace dramas lately so perhaps I may actually manage to finish it (despite its insanely high episode count!)...