Notable Actors/Actresses
Zhang Ling He: Pei Zhao / Prince Qi
Chen Yao: Su Ci
Maiden Master
[Ep2] Pei Zhao takes Su Ci's hairpin, letting her hair fall down. He's using it to pick at their cuffs. With her hair close to him, he finds her scent distracting. Embarrassed, she tells him to focus but soon it's her turn to stare at him. He notices it. After experiencing life and death together, these two become friendlier. From her observation, she notes that he must have fought in war before. He has. In fact, he's Prince Qi, the older brother of the Emperor. He had to give up his military powers because the ministers supporting the Emperor feared his powers. That night, he roasted meat for her but she found it dirty. She has an abnormally keen eyesight that can see dirt in high definition. I'd never be able to eat anything if I had her eye sight then, lol. While she has high vision acuity, Pei Zhao has difficulties with his own vision. During one of his battles, his eyes were poisoned. He can see, but when it comes to nighttime, his vision is majorly impaired. Instead, he's developed a strong sense of smell. These two are a perfect match even in their senses, they just don't know it yet.
They're investigating another case. Pei Zhao's proximity starts to affect her. I screencapped this because I liked that expression of his. Very nice angle.
Network: Tencent Video
Recap Grade: B
First Impression: 3/5
Jump to Review
[Ep1] Su Ci is a constable, a woman disguised as a man. Chen Yao is never going to get away from these gender bender genres. Through multiple cases, she continues to cross path with Pei Zhao. She handcuffs him because he was annoying her but he handcuffs the other end to her. She then accidentally loses the key. With their wrists chained, the two of them are forced to work together to save a bride from being sacrificed for a ritual. Both of them drop into the water. Pei Zhao pulls her in to give her some oxygen. A kiss. I like the sound of trickling water as they rise up from the water after the kiss. They're still chained together and now they have to run away from the villagers because they ruined their rain ritual.
First Impression: 3/5
Jump to Review
Mini Recaps
The bride is Dong Ru Shuang (who was supposed to be offered for the rain ritual). Su Ci and Pei Zhao aren't the only ones saving her. Xie Bei Ming ends up keeping her safe.
Su Ci and Pei Zhao probably have a past where he saved her but obviously neither know that presently.
[Ep2] Pei Zhao takes Su Ci's hairpin, letting her hair fall down. He's using it to pick at their cuffs. With her hair close to him, he finds her scent distracting. Embarrassed, she tells him to focus but soon it's her turn to stare at him. He notices it. After experiencing life and death together, these two become friendlier. From her observation, she notes that he must have fought in war before. He has. In fact, he's Prince Qi, the older brother of the Emperor. He had to give up his military powers because the ministers supporting the Emperor feared his powers. That night, he roasted meat for her but she found it dirty. She has an abnormally keen eyesight that can see dirt in high definition. I'd never be able to eat anything if I had her eye sight then, lol. While she has high vision acuity, Pei Zhao has difficulties with his own vision. During one of his battles, his eyes were poisoned. He can see, but when it comes to nighttime, his vision is majorly impaired. Instead, he's developed a strong sense of smell. These two are a perfect match even in their senses, they just don't know it yet.
Su Ci is a Prince Qi fan but she doesn't know Prince Qi is Pei Zhao himself. He finds it amusing she's fan-girling him (he just doesn't know she's a girl yet). While Su Ci admires him, he also admires her intelligence.
Dong Ru Shuan wasn't the damsel in distress. She saved the original bride and took her place to punish the villager except her plan was ruined when the three of them saved her. When Xie Bei Ming sees her visuals, he's in love.
Pei Zhao and Su Ci are under attack. A blinding sword disturbs Pei Zhao's eyes and he's temporarily blinded again. Together with Su Ci they fight the enemies. Su Ci twists her ankle. He piggybacks her home. She becomes his eyes while he becomes her legs. When they've arrived to their suite, they both urge his servant, Fei Yuan, to care for the other first. Fei Yuan sighs and takes them both at the same time.
When Pei Zhao's eyes are healed, he visits Su Ci to give her ointment. She's just coming out of the shower and slips. Pei Zhao quickly opens the door and before his eyes is Su Ci...naked?
[Ep3] Nope. Pei Zhao doesn't see Su Ci naked. She grabs her clothes in time.
[Ep4] Su Ci dresses up as a female dancer to investigate a case. Pei Zhao starts to suspect Su Ci's identity. From the mole behind her ear, he confirms she's a girl. He doesn't reveal to Su Ci he knows though. He's amused with her trying to desperately lie out of her female identity.
[Ep5] The joke is on Pei Zhao when he's more bothered by Su Ci's female identity. She gets drunk and makes a move on the poor guy.
Su Ci has a fever. Pei Zhao shoos everyone away to care for her because he's the only one who knows she's a girl. She holds a sword to his neck when he tries to wipe the sweat near her chest. He tells her that he'll keep her identity a secret. Her consciousness is a little hazy though. The entire time she's sick, he was taking care of her.
Pei Zhao has come to terms with his feelings for Su Ci: he likes her.
[Ep6] Su Ci is kidnapped. Her drink was drugged. Pei Zhao saves her (even in blindness he can fend off twenty guys, no problem-o). In the carriage, a drunk Su Ci tells him she likes him and kisses him. When she's back to her senses, she realizes Pei Zhao knows she's a female. She's afraid he'll expose her. But he won't. He's not that kind of guy, plus he likes her. However, she rejects his confession.
[Ep7] Su Ci moves into Pei Zhao's manor. She sets up a contract where he's not allowed to touch her. She also wants to pay him for the rent. He agrees but when he finds out he's taking over half her pay, he mulls to himself he needs to find a way to raise their pay.
They're involved in another case. Pei Zhao's friend's fiancée is murdered. The suspect is the fiancé's brother.
[Ep8] Xie Bei Ming finds out Pei Zhao likes Su Ci. He's supportive of his love – for personal reasons. That way, perhaps, Su Ci will be distracted, leaving Dong Ru Shuan all to himself.
[Ep9] The group of five arrive at a temple famous for making wishes upon romance come true. Dong Ru Shuang grabs Su Ci into the temple to make her wish. Pei Zhao smirks and pats Xie Bei Ming’s back.
A fortune-teller reads Su Ci’s future that she is a curse to others and will be solo her entire life. It’s Pei Zhao who is offended and tells the man to shaddap. The man doesn’t. He continues to read both their fortunes noting how similar they are. They’re both lonely stars not meant for anyone but if they pair up, they’ll repel any curse. In other words they’re perfect for each other. The fortune teller knows Su Ci is a girl. He then offers them a love lock that will bind their love to each other forever. Ah, this guy is just trying to sell his lock. Pei Zhao stares at the lock and muses that their fate did begin with a lock (a handcuff to be exact).
At the temple, Dong Ru Shuang continues to wish for her romance with Su Ci to bloom but Xie Bei Ming secretly ruins all of it. Meanwhile Fei Yuan writes his own name and his master's on this love plate. What a loyal servant. Fei Yuan who loves his master becomes extremely worried when he finds out his master is secretly admiring a portrait of Su Ci as a girl.
Xu Zhi is one of the maidens on the list of hopefuls who can marry Prince Qi. When Su Ci sees Pei Zhao friendly with this lady (Xu Zhi), there’s a sudden pain in her chest. Dong Ru Shuang asks her what’s wrong and she lies that her stomach is hurting but Dong Ru Shuang notes that she’s clutching her heart.
At night, Pei Zhao visits Su Ci after hearing she was sick. He asks her if she’s better. Yes, after seeing you, Pei Zhao. He tells her he’s been busy at Qi manor the entire day. Su Ci blinks in surprise, she thought he was having arranged dates. He was. Her expression is relaxed now. Before Pei Zhao leaves he asks her whether she’ll marry someone she doesn’t love. She won’t. Pei Zhao replies, “What a coincidence, I won’t marry someone I don’t love either.”
At the temple, Dong Ru Shuang continues to wish for her romance with Su Ci to bloom but Xie Bei Ming secretly ruins all of it. Meanwhile Fei Yuan writes his own name and his master's on this love plate. What a loyal servant. Fei Yuan who loves his master becomes extremely worried when he finds out his master is secretly admiring a portrait of Su Ci as a girl.
Xu Zhi is one of the maidens on the list of hopefuls who can marry Prince Qi. When Su Ci sees Pei Zhao friendly with this lady (Xu Zhi), there’s a sudden pain in her chest. Dong Ru Shuang asks her what’s wrong and she lies that her stomach is hurting but Dong Ru Shuang notes that she’s clutching her heart.
At night, Pei Zhao visits Su Ci after hearing she was sick. He asks her if she’s better. Yes, after seeing you, Pei Zhao. He tells her he’s been busy at Qi manor the entire day. Su Ci blinks in surprise, she thought he was having arranged dates. He was. Her expression is relaxed now. Before Pei Zhao leaves he asks her whether she’ll marry someone she doesn’t love. She won’t. Pei Zhao replies, “What a coincidence, I won’t marry someone I don’t love either.”
Only Xie Bei Ming knows Pei Zhao’s identity and he asks about his marriage. Pei Zhao isn’t worried at all. He tells him there’s six candidates; one of them he cannot marry. Well, more like the ministers don’t want him to marry. It’s Xu Zhi. Her father is a General with lots of power. Pei Zhao understands that and has no intentions of choosing her. Instead he’ll choose this girl who’s mother is about to die. If there’s any death in the family, a girl cannot marry for three years. That’s Pei Zhao’s way of not marrying someone he doesn’t love.
Xu Zhi is not only rejected by Pei Zhao, she’s also killed. The crime scene is similar to the serial murder case. All the victims are brides-to-be.
[Ep10] Xu Zhi dies but it's not at the hands of the serial murderer. Someone in the palace doesn't want Xu Chi to marry Prince Qi so she was killed. The murderer tried to lump her death with the serial murderer but Pei Zhao and Su Ci see through that.
Pei Zhao was lectured by Xu Zhi's father for being passive in political matters i.e. a coward. However, Pei Zhao has his reasons for appearing passive. He convinces General Xu to work with him and not fall into the traps laid by their enemies who want to distance them.
By the way, Su Ci realizes Pei Zhao bought the love lock. Ha.
Su Ci asks him how he managed to reserve this area. He says he begged Prince Qi for this by telling him it's for the girl he loves. He takes her hand in his and asks her if there’s anything dangerous she needs to do to let him know first. He wants her to believe in him and depend on him. Su Ci takes her hand away from his. Just when he thought she was rejecting him, she pulls down her mask for him to see her clearly. She sincerely thanks him. They share a romantic moment and he goes in for a kiss but firework sounds interrupt them. These two look equally handsome and equally beautiful in this scene. They wish upon the fireworks. His wish it for her wish to come true.
Pei Zhao wants to recover his vision. He wants to be able to admire the night sceneries with Su Ci. He needs exactly 12 hours for the treatment otherwise he might lose his vision completely.
Back to the case: the murderer is the painter. He uses hypnosis to make his victims commit suicide. Su Ci is about to be his next victim.
[Ep12] Pei Zhao risks anything to save Su Ci. Twelve hours isn’t up but he removes his eye mask. Luckily, his night vision has recovered. He rushes to the scene to save Su Ci in time. The painter runs away. Su Ci is unconscious in wedding clothes and that’s how he brought her back to his home. He gets Dong Ru Shuang (who’s an expert in examining corpses and the living) to treat her. That’s how she learns Su Ci is a girl. She’s shaken but continues to tend to Su Ci.
Fei Yuan is in denial that his master can love Su Ci. He was set on committing suicide to make his master walk on the “right” path again. He’s cute. Pei Zhao finds him cute too. He lets Fei Yuan make his dramatic appeal and then finally reveals Su Ci’s female identity.
Su Ci wakes up. She cries that she tried so hard to keep her female identity a secret but it’s all exposed. He assures her it’ll be okay. He kisses her tears. This guy has the perfect face to be the calm and gentle type. When he hugs her, he vision blurs. Oh no. He keeps this to himself and continues to prioritize Su Ci. He carries her back to bed. He kneels down to put on her boots for her. He doesn’t want her feet cold. Yes, but what about your eyes, Pei Zhao!
Fei Yuan is in denial that his master can love Su Ci. He was set on committing suicide to make his master walk on the “right” path again. He’s cute. Pei Zhao finds him cute too. He lets Fei Yuan make his dramatic appeal and then finally reveals Su Ci’s female identity.
Su Ci wakes up. She cries that she tried so hard to keep her female identity a secret but it’s all exposed. He assures her it’ll be okay. He kisses her tears. This guy has the perfect face to be the calm and gentle type. When he hugs her, he vision blurs. Oh no. He keeps this to himself and continues to prioritize Su Ci. He carries her back to bed. He kneels down to put on her boots for her. He doesn’t want her feet cold. Yes, but what about your eyes, Pei Zhao!
[Ep13] Su Ci learns about everything that Pei Zhao has done for her. She cries that she may never be able to return his feelings and yet he's still doing this much for her. She decides to take care of him until his eyes heal. If they never heal, she'll take care of him forever. Pei Zhao picks at her words, "Does that mean that if I regain my vision, you won't take care of me anymore? Then I rather not see anymore." Su Ci quickly tries to clarify she didn't mean it that way. Pei Zhao was pulling her leg anyways.
Su Ci cooks for Pei Zhao. The blind Pei Zhao does not know it was her who made it and had made a (polite) complaint. Once he knew it was from her, he gulps down the sea of salt. Fei Yuan quickly fetches water without being ordered to.
Pei Zhao showers at night and mistakes Su Ci as Fei Yuan. He comforts Fei Yuan that he's risking his life for Su Ci because he likes her. Su Ci eyes widen. Girl, you know he likes you already. She continues to pretend to be Fei Yuan and un-clothes him to prepare him for bath. Pei Zhao continues to tell 'Fei Yuan' how much he loves Su Ci and to not scare the woman he loves away. That's when he hears a distant Fei Yuan yelling. Su Ci is also shocked to see Pei Zhao's abs so close. Su Ci quickly runs away. Pei Zhao realizes it was Su Ci and smiles.
Su Ci learns Pei Zhao is Prince Qi. Ru Shuang visits her. She rubs it in that now she knows what it feels like to be lied to. Ru Shuang had forgiven her (a lot of it was because of Pei Zhao) and she's here to speak on behalf of Pei Zhao that although he lied about his identity, his love for her is real. Ru Shuang comforts her that the person she loved turned into a woman but the man she (Su Ci) loved turned into a prince. With her encouragement, Su Ci returns to Pei Zhao. They have a more pressing matter though: his eyes. Ru Shuang has a way to cure his eyes but it will require poisoning him and perhaps risking his life for it. Pei Zhao takes Su Ci's hand in his and says he's willing to try it out.
As Pei Zhao recovers from the medication/poison, he asks Su Ci about her feelings on his identity. The entire time, he grasps her hand tightly in his. To her Prince Qi is a distant figure but Pei Zhao feels real to her. He tells her that while he's recovering she should slowly be accustomed to Prince Qi because he's heard he's very easy to get along with. He teases her that she should be quite familiar with him by now since she's read so many books about him.
[Ep14] At night while Pei Zhao is still recovering, he dreams about war and spits out blood. Ru Shuang examines him and says he's all better. The next morning when he opens his eyes, the first person in front of his eyes is Su Ci. When Su Ci gets up to leave, Pei Zhao grabs her back for a hug. Everyone retreats to give them alone time.
The group of five celebrate with a feast. Su Ci shows up as a girl. The only one who’s surprised is Xie Bei Ming. Lol, funny guy. She apologizes for fooling everyone. Pei Zhao has his eyes on her the whole time. Night falls and he gives Su Ci a present. It’s a hairpin made from his glowing night pearl. He tells her that she once said Prince Qi is a ray of light. As long as she allows it, that light is willing to be with her forever. She says she’s used to being alone though. He reminds her she’s not alone anymore. She has everyone and most importantly she has him. She starts listing out non issues like her skin is thin. He says that's perfect, because he's thick-skinned. He stops her from making any more excuses. He just wants to put the hair pin on her now. She lets him. She then smiles brightly up at the moon and asks if he sees it. He does. But he’s not looking at the moon at all. His gaze is transfixed onto her. “Very beautiful.” With that, he kisses her.
The group of five celebrate with a feast. Su Ci shows up as a girl. The only one who’s surprised is Xie Bei Ming. Lol, funny guy. She apologizes for fooling everyone. Pei Zhao has his eyes on her the whole time. Night falls and he gives Su Ci a present. It’s a hairpin made from his glowing night pearl. He tells her that she once said Prince Qi is a ray of light. As long as she allows it, that light is willing to be with her forever. She says she’s used to being alone though. He reminds her she’s not alone anymore. She has everyone and most importantly she has him. She starts listing out non issues like her skin is thin. He says that's perfect, because he's thick-skinned. He stops her from making any more excuses. He just wants to put the hair pin on her now. She lets him. She then smiles brightly up at the moon and asks if he sees it. He does. But he’s not looking at the moon at all. His gaze is transfixed onto her. “Very beautiful.” With that, he kisses her.
She’s nervous but he grabs her hand to wrap around his waist and he pulls her shoulder in for a closer kiss. She smiles and kisses him back. This scene, he looks sooooooooo beautiful. I think the director recognizes his beauty too.
Su Ci is training to get a promotion. She injures her ankle and tries to hide it from Pei Zhao but nothing can escape his eyes, at least anything related to Su Ci. He throws her onto bed. She stops him that they can't do that "yet". He smiles and teases where her thoughts had wandered to. He only wanted to tend to her ankle. He's so incredibly sweet to her. He also hand crafts her a white jade rod. He tells her there's a secret in this weapon and teaches her how to fight with it. These two look so beautiful. How many times is this show going to make me say this? He also teaches her how to shoot an arrow. All of these scenes have them super close to each other. Rumours start to float around that she and Pei Zhao have a relationship. Pei Zhao doesn't care. He only wants to cherish everyday with her.
[Ep15] Su Ci passes the test. She's one step closer to investigating her family's case. To show her gratitude (and love) for Pei Zhao, she sews him a handkerchief. She dresses up in female clothes and pays him a visit at night. Pei Zhao is pleasantly surprised and awkward. She gives him the present and he stares at it. She says she sewed it herself. He furrows his brows and stares at the two red blobs. He asks if it's two eggplants. There's a smile on his lips as he continues to make incorrect guesses. She's upset and was about to leave but he wraps his arms around her to give her a back hug. He knows what she means, "早生貴子". It means to give birth early. Pft. He's still teasing her. She tries to leave once more but he turns her around. He leans into her as if to give her a kiss but he whispers right at her ears "相思紅豆". A name of a red bean. The name means to yearn for each other.
A Princess from a neighbouring country is to be betrothed to Prince Qi. He orders his guard to find any means to stop this marriage and also protect her. He doesn't want a second Xu Chi. The princess and this guard seem to be a possible CP. The Princess finds out the jade she accidentally made the guard lose might belong to his late lover.
The evil minister finds out Su Ci is indeed a girl.
Pei Zhao doesn't believe that Su Ci betrayed him. Xie Bei Ming wants to break the cell to bring Su Ci out but Pei Zhao stops him. He has a plan to save Su Ci. He will marry the Princess in exchange for her safety.
[Ep17] Princess is poisoned. The blame goes to Pei Zhao. Pei Zhao manages to convince the Emperor to release Su Ci to investigate who poisoned the Princess because there exists no other detectives who are as smart as her. If she can solve it, she will be pardoned.
Pei Zhao shows up as a guard to help Su Ci investigate. She's emotional. She doesn't know whether to thank him for saving her or hate him for marrying another woman. He doesn't know how to respond but there's agony on his face.
[Ep19] Dong Ru Shuang and Xie Bei Ming have a romantic moment where he asks her if her heart is beating as fast as his. She nods. He then asks her, "Are we poisoned?" Dude. While she's scowling, Ru Shuang finally creates the antidote for Yun Chuan Princess's poison. Yun Chuan Princess wakes up. She finds out Fu Constable has been guarding her day and night. She even confesses to him but he's not over his late-fiancé.
Pei Zhao worms out of his engagement with Yun Chuan Princess. He took her brother for a drink and practically scared the brother off by telling him his life is always in danger and how lucky he'll be to have the Princess as his shield, lol. The engagement is swiftly annulled.
It's official, girls can be government officials too. Su Ci is welcomed by her peers. She continues to investigate about the mastermind behind the poisoning. She finds a secret chamber by accident when Pei Zhao unintentionally scares her. He falls on top of her to block a bookcase from toppling her over. She tells him to get up otherwise people will misunderstand them. Pei Zhao smiles. He doesn't care because he's going to marry her anyways. Swoon ~ She reminds him he has a fiancée. He smiles once more and finally tells her it's cancelled. She's so happy she holds his face in her hand. Pei Zhao notices her initiating the skinship this time and teases her for liking him so much. She flusters and moves under him which makes him jab his hip into the bookshelf.
When they're finally out from under the bookshelf, it's the first time they've reconciled since she left the prison. Images of her bloody from the punishment flashes in his mind. He pulls her into his chest to tightly embrace her. When they separate, Su Ci takes his face into both her hands as she stares upward at him with tears in her eyes. She reaches up and gives him a kiss. Su Ci pulls back to thank him for all he's done for her. Pei Zhao bends down and takes her in for a deeper kiss.
[Ep20] Ru Shuang gives Xie Bei Ming a kiss to the cheek. She also leads him to confess to her. He doesn't disappoint, he loudly shouts, "I, Xie Bei Ming, love you, Dong Ru Shuang." She gives him a big hug.
Pei Zhao and Su Ci are stuck in the secret chamber for the night. He mischievously smiles that they're going to have to spend the night together but the next scene, he stacks up books between them. Su Ci takes the books away because she trusts him. Pei Zhao smiles. He's smiling so much these episodes, I just keep staring at him. Gosh. He pushes Su Ci down so that he's on top of her and asks if she still trusts him. She hesitantly replies that she does. He then kisses her and asks if she still trusts him. Her eyes are wide as she stares up at him. He then moves in for another kiss. Su Ci had her hand on his chest to stop him but she soon closes her eyes anticipating the kiss. That's when this guy stops. What a tease. He flicks her nose and assures her he'll stop teasing her now.
The next morning, Su Ci is up and continues her investigation. Pei Zhao asks her why she's being such a keener. Su Ci won't allow anyone to sabotage her new boyfriend Pei Zhao. Pei Zhao pulls her down from the ladder and hugs her tightly.
They're investigating another case and she's using Pei Zhao as her dummy again. She gets his clothes all wet and he walks off. Everyone thinks he's angry and so Su Ci runs to apologize. When she barges into his room, he's in the middle of changing. She quickly turns away but Pei Zhao tells her to come back. When she insists on leaving, he insists on her staying. Since she treated him as a dummy, he wants her to wipe him down. He takes off his robe and shows her his back. There's all sorts of scars there. After that, he wants her to dress him. His face is still stern but when she's not looking, a smile slips out. She doesn't know and continues to try to make him happy again. She pulls at his belt that she just tied around him to give him a sweet kiss. Pei Zhao is all smiles.
Credit scenes. After the kiss, Su Ci asked if that was enough to appease his anger. Nope. Pei Zhao pulls her into his arms, spins her to his other arm, and gives her an even deeper kiss. Show is so mean. I want to see this scene in full screen with clear audio.
[Ep21] For the case they're investigating, the murderer is the widower. She killed her father because she found out her brother and her father worked for a traitor and killed her husband. To this day, she doesn't know who they're working for. She commits suicide. In her last breath, she begs Pei Zhao to avenge her husband. (Pei Zhao was the general at that time and her husband was his comrade)
Credit scenes. After they visited the widower's grave, Pei Zhao's mood darkens. The rest of the group follow silently. Dong Ru Shuang notices Pei Zhao would probably be most comforted with Su Ci so she smartly takes everyone else on a different path (although Fei Yuan took a bit of convincing).
[Ep22] Su Ci tells Pei Zhao she's not afraid to be involved in this case. She wants to do something for him. Pei Zhao looks at her lovingly. He's also worried about her safety. Their witness (the widower's bother) was killed in prison to keep him silent about the traitor. Su Ci touches his face and comforts him that she knows the War of Hong Gu had always pained him. Pei Zhao takes both her hands into his and thanks her.
Su Ci accidentally overhears Pei Zhao and Xi Wen's conversation. They're talking about her family (Bai Liang Tribe). Pei Zhao asks him to find the missing eldest daughter of the family. Su Ci suddenly recognizes Xi Wen's voice to be the one she heard when she was hiding in the well from the people who killed her family. She's certain he's the one and if he's reporting to Pei Zhao that means Pei Zhao is the one who killed. her family. Boiling with anger, she strikes him with the weapon he made for her. Every move is aimed to kill him but Pei Zhao doesn't dodge her. (She also slaps him). She's unable to deliver the final blow. She drops her weapon and says it's the end to their relationship. Pei Zhao has no idea what has happened. Poor guy.
Pei Zhao finally learns of Su Ci's identity. He throws her over his shoulder to get her to talk to him but she keeps running away. He has to lock her in his arms for her to stay. He tries to clarify that he sent Xi Wen to save her family. However, Su Ci is too emotional to believe anything he says. Pei Zhao is hurt she can't trust him. However, he wants (needs) to prove himself to her so he will investigate Bai Liang Tribe's case with her.
In everyone else's eyes, it's obvious Su Ci is ignoring Pei Zhao. Xie Bei Ming gives him some golden advice as a man: if the girl is unhappy, you must buy buy buy. Ru Shuang, who's beside him, is unimpressed.
Their investigation leads them to an underground cellar. There's a poisonous scent in there. Pei Zhao carries her out, risking his own life because he's inhaling more of the poison. Ru Shuang examines him. They need to take out the poison in his lungs otherwise he'll die. Without hesitation, Su Ci puts her lips to his to inhale the poison from his lungs. She's risking her life for him too.
[Ep23] Pei Zhao is injured from investigating the case as they're narrowing in on the mastermind. He had blocked a sword with his body from hurting Su Ci. She tends to his injuries and notices the teeth mark on his arm. Su Ci learns he's the one who had saved her. She shows him the sword (he gave her) and he too recognizes her now. Su Ci cries and apologizes to him. She's disappointed in herself for ever doubting him. Pei Zhao assures her that as long as she believes her now, that's all that matters. She's still upset at all the injuries he sustained because of her. He tries to comfort her that these injures are nothing compared to his wounds from war. Su Ci stares at him trying to comfort her. She moves in to kiss him. Just because he's suffered a lot before doesn't make his current injuries any less significant. Su Ci tells him, "I won't leave you ever again. I want to be with you forever." Pei Zhao returns with a kiss of his own that's deeper and longer. Su Ci sure is initiating a lot of the kisses ^^" Pei Zhao will also never let their kisses end with just one.
They find a letter that can somewhat prove that Su Ci's father never committed any crime. She also confesses to her friends that she is Bai Liang's disciple. Xie Bei Ming thinks it's dangerous for Su Ci to be in the city so he tells her to go to this secluded village. It'll only be a bit of a hassle for Pei Zhao. Fei Yuan assures Xie Bei Ming it won't be a problem at all because Pei Zhao is used to lazing off politics anyways. He might as well just chase after his wife. LOL. Pei Zhao is offended.
Credit scenes. When Su Ci was looking for herbs to treat Pei Zhao wounds, she remembered Dong Ru Shuang had taught her how to recognize them. It's not that important but I like it when the girls are interacting.
[Ep24] There seems to be a spy among the group. Xie Bei Ming realizes it might be himself. Why I say might is because he's been updating his stepfather about his whereabouts not knowing his stepfather is the evil minister (Yun Lord). Yun Lord threatens Xie Bei Ming to continue being his mole by threatening him with Dong Ru Shuang.
Pei Zhao tells Su Ci they need to enter the palace to investigate the late Emperor’s death. Su Ci excitedly agrees. Pei Zhao pinches her ears lightly and reminds her she can’t enter the way she is now. She has to dress up as a eunuch. Camera, why you at the wrong side when he pinched her ear?
Pei Zhao tells Su Ci about his late mother and how much he had missed her. Su Ci can relate. She too misses her family. He apologizes for not appearing in her life sooner. He promises to clear her family's name so that way she can be with him without any regret. Then they can have their own family. Su Ci's eyes light up at the word 'family'. He wants a family with her and that way they can both make up for their childhood.
The group find clues that it was Yun Lord who killed the late Emperor and blamed it on Su Ci's family. Su Ci wants to take action immediately but Pei Zhao assures her he'll find a way to seize him rightfully. He kisses her forehead.
[Ep25] They're investigating another case. Su Ci and Pei Zhao pretend to be husband a wife.
[Ep26] Xie Bei Ming is to dress as a female to investigate a case. He's hideous. Su Ci joins in on the ghost cosplay. Pei Zhao helps Su Ci with her lipstain (quite romantically). He tells her if there's a ghost like her he's willing to let her haunt him forever.
[Ep27] Through the case, they find the maid who sabotaged Bai Liang Family (Su Ci's family). She was the one who poisoned the Emperor (with cleaning water). She confesses the mastermind is Yun Lord. Xie Bei Ming hears this too. He's distressed. Unfortunately, this witness commits suicide.
Xie Bei Ming decides to cut off ties with his friends and Dong Ru Shuang. He doesn't want his step-father to use him to curtail Su Ci's investigations. Pei Zhao reveals he knew of his identity all along. He asks him if he'll betray them. Xie Bei Ming swears he won't. However, he also cannot betray his step-father.
[Ep28] Dong Ru Shuan finds out Xie Bei Ming pretended to cheat on her. She confidently kisses him and leaves a lipstick mark on his lips. That lipstick mark is a stamp to make him hers. She threatens him that he better not wipe it off. She poisoned the lipstick such that he can never cheat on her. If he does flirt with other women, she'll handle them one by one. Lol. Xie Bei Ming believed she actually poisoned him. The next day he asks her for the cure. She laughs. She applies the ointment to her own lips and tells him, "the cure is on my lips, take them." She perks her chin for him to take her lips. When he hesitates, she turns away but he quickly goes up to her wanting the kiss the cure. With that kiss, she tells him he can't marry another person. Xie Bei Ming briskly leaves. When Dong Ru Shuang yells after him if he heard her, he yells back, "Yes!"
Xi Wen is arrested for murder. Xi Wen's arrest is related to Yun Lord. Pei Zhao is unable to help him. Su Ci comforts him. She interlaces her hand with his and assures her she'll find a way to help Xi Wen.
[Ep29] Xi Wen commits suicide to protect Pei Zhao. Pei Zhao is furious at the constables for how sloppy they handled the case. Pei Zhao discovers there's more to Xi Wen's death and it's related to Yun Lord.
Su Ci asks Pei Zhao what he plans to do after they solve everything. He pulls her close to him, "Of course it's to stick to you. I'll go wherever you go." She teases him that she'll just laze around and do nothing. He counters her that he can't laze around, he'll have something very important to do afterwards: to ask the Emperor to bestow their marriage. Su Ci gives him a big embrace. Pei Zhao feels comforted and hugs her even tighter. I laugh when I watch this hug scene because there's a BT'S of Pei Zhao standing upright for Su Ci to hug him but she's too short so for this scene to be possible Pei Zhao had to be giving her manner legs.
[Ep30] Su Ci finds out there's poison in the fireworks for the special event at the palace. The palace is also under attack. During the fight, Su Ci faints over. The blame for the poison somehow lands onto Pei Zhao who is the organizer of the event.
[Ep32] Xie Bei Ming's army isn't to help Yun Lord. It's to help Pei Zhao. As a last ditch effort, Yun Lord fights on his own to attain the throne. Fu Constable was about to kill him but Xie Bei Ming takes the fatal blow. He can't forget that Yun Lord was still a father to him. Xie Bei Ming faints over. Yun Lord soon dies.
There's peace in the palace. Bai Liang Family is deemed to be innocent. Xie Bei Ming is in a coma. Dong Ru Shuang studies all her medicine books for a way to save him. While she's applying weird makeup on (as one of the ways to cure him) Xie Bei Ming wakes up on his own.
At night, Pei Zhao gives Su Ci a present. It's the cuff that bound them together. He says it's special to him because it brought them together. Pei Zhao has another present for her. It's fireworks. Su Ci comments on how pretty the pair of red fireworks are. He tells her they're called 相思紅豆 (the red bean from Ep15). This is his return present to her to represent he's (always) thinking of her too.
Pei Zhao reminds Su Ci she still owes him one favour (for keeping her female identity a secret).
Pei Zhao: I want you to be Prince Qi's princess and Pei Zhao's wife.Su Ci is surprised but soon wraps her arms around his neck: Yan Zhi, I want to be your wife. I want to be with you forever. (Yan Zhi is his other name).
Dong Ru Shuang and Xie Bei Ming are watching the fireworks too. She hints to him that they should do something romantic. Xie Bei Ming pretends to be oblivious but when Dong Ru Shuang sighs that she has to take initiative again, Xie Bei Ming stops her. He gives her the manly kiss. Fei Yuan happily watches the two couples. He's too young for romance, lol.
After an unknown amount of time, Su Ci is teaching new detectives but Pei Zhao is hovering around asking her if she wants to have lunch. She ignores him and so he princess carries her out of the classroom and declares to everyone that she is his. Fei Yuan was right about Pei Zhao lazing around politics and chasing after his wife in Ep23, lol. Su Ci is Pei Zhao's lawful wife, his princess. During lunch they receive a letter from Xie Bei Ming and Dong Ru Shuang. They're living happily together but in the letter they detail a weird case. Fei Yuan suggests to investigate it. Pei Zhao happily agrees. Su Ci grins. Thus, the five of them ride their horses into the horizon.
The end.
It's a happy one.
Remarks
[First Impression (Ep1-8)] Honestly, this is a repetitive story. A girl dresses up as a male constable and comes across an equally intelligent man who helps her solve cases. They have a past together where he saved her. Each set of episodes cover one case. They're both levelheaded. What makes this enjoyable for me is the casting. I like all their personalities (Su Ci's, Pei Zhao's, Xie Bei Ming, and Dong Ru Shuan). The cases aren't that strong because I don't find myself paying attention to them at all. If I do finish watching this, it's all because of the cast.
[Actors/Actresses] Sebrina Chen Yao just can't get away from dressing up as a male. She does look good with her hair up though. Paired with her is an equally handsome male lead, Zhang Ling He. A lot of times, I find myself jut staring at him smiling. He looks so gentle yet charismatic.
[Behind the Scenes]
- Ep3 Autopsy scene / Su Ci has a rope around Pei Zhao's neck: The corpse snored as they were delivering their lines. Pei Zhao tried so hard to control his laughter but they couldn't. Su Ci had to hug a pole. The corpse was still sleeping. After I don't know how long, the corpse finally wakes up but the staff tells him to lie back down because the scene isn't over yet, lol.
- Pei Zhao’s manner legs
- They're so close together it's suspicious
- Ep 32 Lantern Scene: I'm more interested in the interaction after the lantern fails to float. Su Ci is holding onto Pei Zhao's waist band thing. He’s saying it’s going to loosen if she's going to continue holding it like that, lol. She’s afraid of falling into the water. In the next scene where she found somewhere else to sit, Pei Zhao is rather far from her. He tells her she better not fall as he takes a step closer to her. He's so caring. He actually took that extra step towards her. I'm not saying they're a thing, I just find it pleasantly surprising how caring he is off-screen. I also find it surprising at how girly she is. Maybe I'm just to used to her playing male roles.
- Contagious laughters everywhere: I love it at 0:46s and at 1:26 onwards. It's the Ep20 Ladder Scene. She suddenly finds it ticklish everywhere. Pei Zhao is trying to lift her down but she's shifting here and there. The boy tries his best and then turns to the camera, laughing that she won't let him touch her. The staff laughs too.
Final Review
[Review] This is a detective romance drama where the director clearly values romance over the cases – not that I mind. The amount of detail to every angle of each hug and kiss between Su Ci and Pei Zhao made me pause everything just to watch how mesmerizing they are. The camerawork not only remained still on these scenes but there’s extra attention to the detail in the positioning of their hands, the tightening of their grips, the duration of the gazes. Time slowed because of how beautiful these scenes were and how beautiful they were. The colour palette in this drama enhances these romantic scenes. It's a muted tone which paints a sense of serenity throughout the drama; it perfectly complements the relationship between the main leads: tranquil and composed. They’re both so well matched in intelligence and personality. Neither of them are hotheaded (except for that one blip from Su Ci). Su Ci is slightly more indifferent when it comes to romance but she does a lot of the initiating. Of the two, I’d say Pei Zhao is the calmer one but despite how calm he appears, he’s passionate when it comes to loving Su Ci. Su Ci initiates the kiss, and Pei Zhao will answer with another kiss, a deeper one. She gives him a bit and he’ll do the rest from there. Absolutely romantic.
Unfortunately, the overall story is rather forgettable. The secondary romance is cute though. Dong Ru Shuang and Xie Bei Ming left a favourable impression. They’re the hotheaded ones compared to our main leads. Fei Yuan is the cute fifth-wheeler. Is that a thing? He’s too young for romance but not too young to be adorably loyal towards the master he loves. It’s this ensemble cast’s cohesive effort that elevated the content of the story. Without these characters, this would have been very bland (other than the main CP).
Zhang Ling He is a newbie but he doesn’t look like it. He’s a natural at acting. His face is also beautiful. The angles of his eyebrows to his nose down to the corner of his lips are a masterpiece. The director here knows his angles. Zhang Ling He can be simultaneously charismatic and boyish, cool and sweet. And he’s got such a nice offscreen personality. And I’m totally not fangirling him. Nope. As an actor, I have high hopes for him.
I’m rating this drama as rationally as I can. If it’s purely for romance (and Zhang Ling He), I’d give this a 4/5.
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