I really enjoyed the first two thirds of the story. As another reviewer, ChineseDramaFan puts it, this story is segmented nicely into 3 parts - 1st part of meet-cute where both leads mutually hated each other, 2nd part of warming up and getting to know each other; and 3rd part of falling in love and fighting together.

Having a modern lady ahead of the time she was born, Qiu Yan is an admirable woman who work smartly and persistently to never let fate dictates her. Matching her wit and determination is Liang Yi who is ambitious and steadfast in making hard decisions in his quest for justice (as well as his personal revenge). The overlay of their romance story is investigations and suspense. However, since it's a predominantly romance first, then suspense second, there are quite the loopholes for the mystery cases. Despite the flaws though, I truly enjoyed the interactions, chemistry, and romance developments of the leads.

Thanks to the fast pacing, there weren't too much time to delve into the flaws before we will be rewarded with humorous "battle of wits" between Liang Yi and Qiu Yan. Their romance progress was also not the typical plots you'd see in other idol shows. One typical example is how we would expect the male lead to save the female lead when she is in trouble. However, the "how part" of Liang Yi saving Qiu Yan is rather unexpected and entertaining to watch. I also love their relationship dynamic. They both listen to each other, sarcasm and all, and respect each other. They are each other's equals, and surely an ideal relationship if there weren't so many external dramas thrown in their way.

The other part that makes this show good is the ideology of what Qiu Yan represents. She has a few memorable quotes in the story on woman's intention and seduction as well as how she continues to wish to be woman in her next life or next next life - having faith in the progress of woman's rights. I love it - Qiu Yan is not all talk and blame, unlike the contrast which Qiu Min's character portrays in the story. This is empowering, and a good message for other female audience.

However, once the story reaches towards the end, I find it becoming too convoluted. It's not even about the not-so-strong mystery cases anymore. While the big bad reveal is kinda surprisingly, I did not find myself really enjoying the latter one third of the show. Some of the character motivations are also puzzling and difficult to overlook the logic flaws.

Still, I'd recommend to watch this drama. The enjoyable parts of The Autumn Ballad are truly enjoyable, and to a certain extent, the main characters are inspiring. So have fun with this drama, until it's not.