This is a slow burning, tug and pull romance. More than half way through the drama, the main couple still have not officially started their romance though they have strong feelings and admirations for each other. There are multiple love triangles with the third parties becoming the antagonists (sort of). The two male leads are amazingly good looking and lovable, and the female lead is beautiful and badass.

The Story
This is the story of 2 people of different worlds meeting each other by chance and falling in love. She is from lowest of the low and he is an elite; they are like extreme ends of the world, opulence versus abject poverty. He’s attracted by her spontaneity and unpretentiousness; she is attracted by his good look and straight face that has a warm heart within. In the lower Jiu Liu, being poor, the people would eat anything and do anything to survive. And in the upper Jiu Liu, the rich lives in gluttony and opulence.

As the events unfold, their romance goes all the way to the palace. They encounter assassinations, imprisonment, tortures at the same time they resolve various conspiracies and mysteries, and eventually save the kingdom. Our OTP join hands together and cover each other’s back, and in the end, realizing their dreams and living a life they have always wanted.

There are some intense palace politics and conspiracies as official corruption is rampant. The supervillain is not revealed until the very last few episodes. However, the emphasis of this drama is on the dynamics of the main couple, which is really fun to watch.

The Characters and The Acting
Long Ao Yi (Bai Lu) is the kingpin of the Dragon Gang which has members and support from the lower class of Jiu Liu denizens of Silver City. She is magnanimous and takes care of everyone, making sure they live a decent life despite all odds against them. She is protective, tough, unfinessed and dresses in rags. Being poorly educated, she continually makes mistakes in the use of words and pronunciations, causing laughter and fun for the viewers. However, at the click of the fingers, she can transform into the most beautiful girl around, even overtaking the wealthiest best dressed women in town. With her beauty and unconventional demeanor, she immediately attracts the two most eligible men around. Bai Lu's character here reminds me of the Bai Lu in The Legends, a badass and stunningly beautiful, despite she doesn’t know how to fight in this story.

In contrast, Li Qing Liu (Lai Yi aka Leon Lai) is a very refined and sophisticated man. He is classy and prudish with a cold somber face. A silk tycoon and a fashion designer for the social elites, he runs one of the largest businesses in town. He is creative, intelligent and has a great business mind. However he’s prejudiced and looks down on Long Ao Yi and her ‘type’ initially until he comes to know her; he has thought money could buy anything and solve all problems until she proves him wrong. Lai Yi is naturally classy and he fits exactly into the image of Li Qing Liu.

Li Zhao (Fang Yilun aka Alen Fang) is a prince sent to investigate the salt trade black market. In his investigations, he also finds black markets for silk and peppercorn, and he discovers the corruption of many of the government officials. At the same time, he falls in love with Long Ao Yi who treats him no different from her other Dragon gang members. Time and time again, Li Zhao helps and saves Long Ao Yi. Fang Yilun’s portrayal is wonderful, making Li Zhao a very well-loved character.

The OST
I fall in love with one of the OSTs here: Heart City, though the other OST Seeing Dream is pretty good too. However, I have to point out that there is an instrumental tune that they have recycled from Luan Zang Gang of The Untamed, and for me, the repeated playing of this background music doesn’t go very well with the scenes and moments at all.

My verdict
Bai Lu's styling is beautiful especially when she's in elegant gowns. I love her badass demeanor, untamed and can be explosive at times. Lai Yi exudes that classy charisma right from the beginning, either as a rich merchant or as a prince. The overall CGI is not too bad. All the costumes are beautiful and props are proper. There are no obvious plot holes despite some minor lack of attention to details. The last few episodes are intense with the supervillain’s identity being revealed. The ending is what most viewers love with the characters we’ve come to love living the life they have always wanted, free and away from the palace despite the sacrifice of another lovable character.

Overall, this is a very enjoyable drama. Don’t miss it.