The Legend of Zhuohua

Absolutely loved this. Brilliant main and side characters. Intrigue around palace events, but not a harem drama. The heroine was super clever, the hero was just knee weakeningly strong but gooey, and watching his fall into love was just perfection. Strong silent-ish, but holy cow, can a look strike terror hahaha!

The ending was super satisfying and not of the rushed variety we sometimes see in this genre. I can't help but wonder what the series might have been without censorship, but it's still very rewatchable - I'm on my third watch.

I adore the storytelling style of Chinese historical dramas. It's so much more leisurely and enjoyable than the more rushed western style. I'll never understand people who complain about the length of these series.