The female lead is plain-looking and clumsy, while the male lead is handsome, accomplished, and brimming with authority. Now, I don't mind a plain protagonist—relatability can be refreshing—but here, the difference felt more like a deliberate humiliation. It's as if the narrative wants us to constantly question her worth.

This imbalance wasn't just implied; it was reinforced repeatedly, both in how others viewed her and in her own behavior. And it's impossible to ignore that feeling of inferiority, where everyone in the palace seems to silently judge her: How could such a plain and inadequate girl be worthy of the emperor?

The female lead's struggles as a court official were painfully drawn out. Not only does she fail to follow court etiquette in the beginning, but she also flounders in some tasks, making her seem more like a liability than a capable person. The emperor's affection for her felt less like admiration for her character and more like pity for her unfortunate circumstances. After all, the text itself drives home her insignificance:

"He is the ruler of a country, able to command the elements with a wave of his hand. What does he lack in this world? What can you do to repay him? At most, you can assist him in his duties when he is busy and accompany him in his leisure time. Any female official in the court can do this. There is no need for someone like you, who does not understand the Chu language and has no background to do it."

And then, this poignant moment:

"Yue Lingxi (female lead) stiffened, a dull pain suddenly spreading in her heart. Yes, as lowly as she was, what could she possibly do to repay him?"

The narrative hammers this home so often that it's hard to see the female lead as anything other than inadequate. Her presence in the court feels less like a triumph and more like a continual reminder of her unworthiness.

To make matters worse, the emperor's love for her develops almost out of nowhere. He's a cold, calculating ruler to others; but he's inexplicably caring to her. But the story seems to not offer a convincing explanation for his special caring, making their relationship feel unearned and forced.

The emperor's overwhelming authority, coupled with the female lead's clumsiness and lack of self-esteem, created an oppressive dynamic. Every interaction reinforced the idea that she was only there because of his pity, a narrative amplified by her family's exile and the emperor's role in "rescuing" her. The result? A relationship that felt less like love and more like an act of charity.

What makes this all the more frustrating is that the story could have taken a different path. Imagine if the female lead had been given the chance to shine in a war setting since the beginning, where her bravery, intelligence, or unique skills could have proven her worth. Instead, we're stuck in the palace, watching her flounder through a series of humiliations, her every success a gift from the emperor rather than an achievement of her own.

Seriously. The novel implies she has a photographic memory until it would impede her being a damsel in distress and then she suddenly has it again when she needs to help someone. Eventually, it implies she gave herself photographic memory by forcing herself to remember things (not how that works but again, story is going to story).

The same problem happens with her observation skills. She notices "glints in people's eyes" or their similarity to a painting but never realizes the two people that are in love with her. Or when she was captured, she never suspected that she was the valuable target and that her cold, but calculating, captor did not go out of his way for revenge.

Same with her intelligence. She even agrees to a marriage with someone other than the Emperor just after the Emperor proposed to her because she didn't want to tarnish his reputation.

He stays with her for a short while before they go their separate ways. Once they meet up again, he pretty much forces her into the palace. We are then treated to a very long "Will they?" segment as he has her take on the role of a female official.

She ends up more like one of those maids who warms her masters bed. Also surprise smut was a surprise.

The child the MC rescues serves only to let her meet the Emperor and then a noble woman in the capital before he just fades out.

Her biological sister ends up nearly revealing their familys back story and then reveals that their mother chose the sister to save (ouch). After she learns about the death of her adopted parents, she asks for revenge and then becomes a nonentity in the story.

The second ML proposes, gets rejected and shows up to maybe three more pivotal parts before he too fades out.

Especially about the Yue family's extermination and the mastermind's downfall. It was the focus for most of the novel and then suddenly his scheming failed because of one guy not being properly mu*dered. Also 10 years is a long time when it comes to evidence or even people remembering what happened.

And then there are the other characters who become s*upid. Such as the one guy who tries to drive a wedge between two of the secondary characters with the knowledge that the husband killed the wife's father. Nevermind that her father turned her into an assassin, poisoned her and used her to get the MC (who this woman treated like a sister). Super tactician.