Best historical drama of 2023, and possibly of many , many that I've watched. The acting of Cheng Yi and Joseph Zeng is next level. They basically became Li Lianhua and Fang Duobing. There are little cases to solve, which lead them to a bigger case/conspiracy. There are NO dull moments, no long drawn misunderstandings, no annoying love triangles. There is plenty of action, bromance, funny/endearing moments, and overall the plot makes sense. The villains are not just bad for evil's sake, they each have their own agenda/motive for their actions. The dog Hulijing is a huge bonus as i love dogs, and she is super adorable and i had so many "nawwwww" moments watching her.

The cases being solved are interesting, and the antics of Li Lianhua and Fang Duobing will make you laugh. Di Feisheng joins them at some stage and the 3 of them form a begrudging bromance. Nothing is as it seems in this show.

The production is super high quality, no overuse of fake CGI. Cheng Yi does all his own stunts, Joseph Zeng and Xiao Shunyao have amazing screen presence too. The scenes blend nicely to the next without choppy editing. Its well paced, well written and no dull moments or fillers. The costumes are simple yet elegant, and depict each character well.

The 3 main ML use their own voice which enhances the show 100% for me. Finally Cheng Yi gets to use his own voice as Li Lianhua, though Li Xiangyi is dubbed by a voice actor. Joseph Zeng and Xiao Shunyao have such booming and commanding voices it really suits their characters.

Overall this is a very high quality production and im so glad to have watched it. Will definitely rewatch it when it ends! Just hope the ending is kind to Li Lianhua 🙏 he deserves it ❤️