After the men of the Hua family are forced into exile and the women and children left to fend for themselves, Hua Zhi, the eldest daughter and our indomitable female lead, takes charge and seeks to bring the family back together against all odds. Her family and her story become entwined with that of Gu Yanxi, nephew to the emperor with his own share of family troubles, albeit of a very different nature being born into the royal bloodline.

There is a lot of story to cover in 40 episodes, and what we are left with in the drama is a bit uneven in pacing and tone. A lot of the first half of the story follows the Hua family's ups and downs in their endeavors to recover from the disaster forced upon them by the paranoid Emperor. Some of the most moving and heartbreaking moments for me occur in the quieter moments within the Hua family household as they learn to brave their hardships and share their triumphs with each other. The latter half features more of the palace/political story. If given enough time, this part of the story may have been able to develop its themes and antagonists better. Instead, things are taken care of far too neatly and swiftly before anything really resonates. Hai Yitian as the complicated Emperor of Daqing makes an impression, but with his arc in the story as a whole and his relationship with Yanxi not fully explored, it is a bit of a shame how it all ends for him.

All in all, this is a heartwarming story worth watching for some great performances from all the cast, including Zhang Jingyi as Hua Zhi and Hu Yitian as Yanxi. I wish they had more to do with their roles as far as range of emotions (we get a little bit towards the end), and I hope to see more of them in period/costume dramas in the future.