Royal Rumours, starring Jeremy Tsui and Meng Ziyi, has been a surprise favourite of mine lately. This is an initial look and review into the drama.

Royal Rumours tells the story of a decorated general’s daughter, Hua Liuli and a scheming crown prince, Ji Yuanchao. Neither is who they appear they be. Hua Liuli is given the title of princess and forced to come to the capital against her will and as a means of keeping her father in check. She pretends to be sickly and weak-willed, and hide her intelligence and martial arts as to not raise the suspicions of people in the capital. However, she meets her match in the Crown Prince, Ji Yuan Chao. He sees right through her charade. And thus begins their love-and-hate relationship as they seek to bring peace to their country.

First, the good.

The drama is based off a book Pretentious Times (造作时光) and is a a very light-hearted watch. Jeremy Tsui continues to play the scheming-but-good hearted male lead, that is well within his comfort zone. Overall, a solid performance from him. Meng Ziyi’s previously established person in variety shows blends effortlessly with Hua Liuli, blurring the lines between fiction and reality of a pretentious-but-good-hearted girl. The casting for the actors are on point and fitting of their respective personas. The support cast really brings it together with the comedy and quirkiness. As an added bonus, C-netizens have been raving about the wardrobe in Royal Rumours as praises have been sung for the hairstyles and dresses worn by various female characters.

Now, the not-so-good.

I don’t quite understand Jeremy Tsui’s makeup artist’s obsession with eyeliner. It is just soooo thick and feels super out of place in a period drama. I can’t unsee it now and it bothers me every time there is a close-up scene. Being the male lead of the drama, there are quite a few of those… Up to now, there hasn’t been much character development or character depth, so this should be your casual light-hearted not-so-serious romance drama. Anyone looking for something more meaty and deep, I would say stay away from Royal Rumours.

Overall, an enjoyable watch with likeable main and supporting leads. It wouldn’t go on my list of favourite dramas but I will keep watching this one as the episodes roll out. Look out for a more in-depth analysis as this concludes.

This drama is currently airing on Tencent, Viki, and YouTube with 12 of its 24 episodes out (5 for non-VIP). The final episode (24) is set to air on April 1st for VIP and on April 22nd for the rest of us.