I realized that I watch and rank dramas on a curve. My expectations for high profile dramas with big budgets & and big stars are a lot higher than smaller budget dramas. I tend to not have high expectations for small budgeted dramas so it’s not disappointing when it’s not very good. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by smaller and non-hyped shows with 2nd & 3rd tiered actors like The Royal Coroner and Tales of Tang Dynasty. So I was once again pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed Nancheng Banquet. Was it great? Nope. Did the story make sense? Not really. Did it bring anything new to the drama scene? Hell nah. But was it a fun watch? I think so! Sometimes I need quick palate cleansers and this was it. It’s amazing how many tropes one show can have and still manage to be decent if done right. Amnesia? Check! FL pretending to be a man? Check! Met as kids? Check! Love triangle? Check! Stoic ML & loud FL? Check! Noble idiocy? Check! I did appreciate how FL didn’t shy away and act coy about liking the ML. I enjoyed the camaraderie between the FL and the guards. I really liked the poor doctor. I wished the ending was better for the Empress. Overall, this show did its job to entertain me. It didn’t take itself too seriously and knew when to end w/out dragging it out. I’ll prob watch it eventually.