Based off the novel "Eastern Palace," Goodbye My Princess tells the story of Xiao Feng, the ninth princess of Western Liang. She is naive and spoiled but loving and kind (like the majority of female leads). She lives a very carefree life until she finds out she must marry the crown prince of the more powerful Li Dynasty to ensure peace between the two countries. However, she doesn't want to so her mother helps her sneak away to her maternal grandfather, the ruler of Dan Chi kingdom. On the way, while traveling with her master/first love (Gu Jian) she meets Gu Xiao Wu, her master's maternal cousin, who accompanies them to Dan Chi. Through a series of events, Gu Xiao Wu and Xiao Feng end up falling in love and marrying.
Unfortunately fate is cruel and in the face of an unfathomable betrayal, Xiao Feng finds herself losing her family, friends, and lover. At her wits end and unable to fix anything, she jumps into the Forgetfulness river and we find her three years later. Now living in Li Kingdom with no recollection of her pain and loss, Xiao Feng has accepted her political marriage to the crown prince of Li Kingdom. She meets the 5th prince: Li Cheng Yin and though at first at odds with each other, they strike up a friendship after sharing hardships which eventually starts to bloom into romance. Sadly, this friendship is short-lived after Xiao Feng discovers Li Cheng Yin was one of the crusaders in the fall of Dan Chi. Despite this new animosity, Li Cheng Yin is eventually given the title of crown prince, married to Xiao Feng, and thus begins their tumultuous marriage life. As political machinations, figures from her past, and her memories return, Xiao Feng finds herself battling with her own love, guilt, and sense of shame for repeating the same mistakes she made in the past.

Even if you're unfamiliar with the original work, by episode 10, there's no denying that this drama (SPOILER!) cannot possibly end happily. The crimes committed, whether it be the action or the method, are completely unforgivable and it would surprise me if anyone rooted for them to get a happy romantic ending. However, despite knowing it will end in tragedy, the journey is so entertaining to watch.
This is perhaps one of the very few dramas where, although the drama itself is very enjoyable, no character is likable. Xiao Feng is the cookie-cutter female lead who's young, innocent, beloved yet completely naive about the world around her. Characters like her are a personal pet-peeve of mine. I detest the idea that a woman in historical genres who is born into a prestigious family doesn't understand that she must marry for the sake of her family rather than love. It angers me more when she tries to escape it because her actions ultimately cause more problems (like it did here). I think at a certain point, going against a political marriage isn't the act of naïveté, it's plain selfishness and ignorance.
Li Cheng Yin is the perfect male lead to easily hate. He has a very convincing poker face (I blame Chen Xing Xu's handsome face for this) so he goes undetected by everyone around him. Regrettably for his adversaries, this negligence to survey him is what ultimately leads to everyone's doom. He is conniving, selfish, and aggressive in his approaches to get what he wants, whether that be revenge, love, or power. He is certainly the smartest person in this drama. These qualities probably also make him the best character in this drama. He is very clear-cut on what he wants and the lengths he will go to to get it. He will do all the dirty work even if it means becoming evil incarnate to accomplish his goals. He takes the blame if it is truly his fault and I give him credit for that.
Gu Jian. . .sheesh...where do I start? I despise his character. He is the guy who continuously does bad things because he is very wishy-washy therefore he's actually worse than the bad guys. His loyalty is divided which causes him to repeatedly make the wrong decisions. I think he is a good foil to Li Cheng Yin. Li Cheng Yin is the guy who acknowledges he is the bad guy but Gu Jian is the guy who thinks he's the good guy when he isn't; where Li Cheng Yin plots and sees the bigger picture, Gu Jian obeys and only lives in the moment.
Aside from the three leads, the supporting characters (Pei Zhao & Ah Du) were also not likable. Both were good people however, they also both witnessed the tragedy that happened before yet stood by and watched it happen again once the truth was revealed. Willing bystanders are a big no-no for me.

This drama is definitely worth the watch just for the story alone. However, the music and cinematography are also well done. The drama does show the limitations in acting from the cast in the heavier scenes but not enough to deter viewers from watching.