The world of Dahuang can be a cruel and harsh place, as royal cousins Xiaoyao and Cang Xuan learn bitterly at a young age. Orphaned, lost, and tortured for many years, XY eventually hides herself in the small Qingshui Town working as the town healer of sorts. Also orphaned and forced to live as a hostage in a foreign kingdom, CX spends his early life fending off his murderous uncles. Fate brings him to Qingshui Town disguised as a winemaker. He and XY eventually reunite, but will they be together forever?

In that fateful town, XY meets and saves the gentle Tushan Jing, who she calls Ye Shiqi. He too has his own tale of betrayal and torture at the hands of his half-brother Hou. Nearby is the enigmatic and seemingly harsh Xiang Liu, caught in his own struggle with his past and devotion to his adoptive father. These figures are forever intertwined as they are thrust onto a high-stakes adventure of fighting for a better, kinder future while at all times fighting for their own survival.

I would have liked to see season 2 first before writing this review, but at this point it may be a while before it comes out. As it stands, however, season 1 has a clear story arc focusing on XY and CX's endeavors to win the latter the Xiyan throne, so as a standalone season, it mostly works. There are a lot of other characters and themes that will need S2 to round out their arcs fully, particularly for TSJ, who ends S1 in a bit of a miserable state. I hope to write more about TSJ after S2, as he is one of my favorites. His kindness and genuine love for XY are a bright light in this often dark tale of very complex people trying to make the best of an unkind world.

The cast bring the story to life, and the writing is satisfyingly solid throughout the whole drama. No useless fillers or characters in this tale. Music and production are memorable, with the rare bits here and there of questionable CGI. Bring on season 2!