The palace is a battleground for all the imperial concubines.
Before I start my review, I just wanted to point out how clever TVB was in naming this series. The title Kam Chi Yuk Yip (Kim Chi Dục Nghiệt) is a play on the phrase "kam chi yuk yip" (kim chi ngọc diệp --> cành vàng lá ngọc) (lit. gold branch jade leaf; fig. daughters of aristocratic families back in the day...very high class and treasured). They changed the words "jade leaf" into something that translates roughly to "evil lusts". So clever!
Anyways, overall, this was a pretty good series. I think I would've found it much more enjoyable if I had watched it by myself (as opposed to with my mom). Also would've been better if I had seen it in Canto. The dubbing was pretty bad. I saw the first episode and a couple scenes in Canto, and compared to the viet version, it was far superior. I mean, the undubbed version is always a little better than the dubbed, but this Viet version was especially bad. I think the English subs threw the dubbers off. LoL. Cuz on the one hand, they had their scripts; but on the other hand, they saw the English subs...and they just added a lot of unnecessary words. Plus, pauses were soooo randomly placed. Nevertheless, I think the script was amazing; not in terms of plot or anything. The plot, at best, was just mediocre. It's pretty typical for a imperial series. I mean, I've seen more scandelous imperial scheming (think, ATV's Empress Wu/Võ Tắc Thiên from the 80's). And, I felt that there were a LOT of superfluous scenes. Or...somewhere in between superfluous and underdeveloped. I couldn't help sitting there and wondering why I was watching this or that...or screaming "NO ONE CARES!!!!" at the TV. If I was not recording at the time, I probably would've forwarded through a good chunk of this series. And the ending wasn't so great either. It felt really rushed and kinda Oo. Anyway, as I was saying the reason I found the script so enjoyable was because it was so deep and meaningful. Behind every scene is a statement about human nature. I didn't actually notice any of this til the very end (when I was watching by myself) and I was just marveling at how well everything was incorporated. And there is so much depth and development to the characters (or most of them anyway). It's just amazing! *swoon* (Of course, the casting was great, too.)
Oh, and it was very aesthetically pleasing, especially for a TVB series. This series was actually filmed in the palace in Beijing so the scenery was positively beautiful, especially the shots of the courtyard covered in snow. Just breathtaking. Some of the shots in the halls looked very nice, too. I don't konw what it is...I've seen imperial dramas before, but for some reason, WAB just seemed so much more beautiful. I guess they had a really good director/cinematographer.
And the costumes were really pretty. I especially liked the winter clothing. Each costume matched the respective owner's personality so well... For example, Fook Nga, a very simple person who hid away in the corners of the palace, wore very light colors, as if to not draw attention to herself. Yu Fei and the Empress wore darker colors and more intricate designs to reflect their maturity and status. Yuk Ying is always looking to be the center of attention, so her costumes were very brightly colored and extravagant, except when she was "exiled". During that time, her clothes toned down a lot. On Sin, who never really liked to be the center of attention, also wore pastel, cool-colored clothes, also reflecting her calmness and collectedness. Yee Shun's costumes were mostly darker, earthy tones because she's...not exactly a dark person, but she has skeletons in her closet and has more complex emotions and circumstances. Anyway, I was very impressed.
Characters/Cast: I'm going to deviate from my usual routine (going by TVB's list) a little and start with my favorite character and work my way down.
Charmaine Sheh as Yee Shun
Appears calm, cool, and collected. Acutally filial, loyal, and loving. Various circumstances force her to be conniving, but really all she wants is to love and be loved, and therein lies her weakness. Enters the palace to help her godfather.
Yee Shun was probably my favorite character. My heart ached for her everytime I saw her. She was probably the most misunderstood and unloved character of all. I mean, she was only evil because she wanted to save her godfather, the only "family" she had; while her godfather, whom she loved so much, was just using her as a pawn. The man she loved, loved her worst enemy, who also had the help of everyone while Yee Shun was left to fend more or less for herself. She spent her entire life looking for her sister, and she finally found her, but didn't know it. The only person who really loved her and truly cared about her was Fook Nga (Jade Leung). The only one!
Sheren Tang as Yu Fei
Calm, cool and collected. Entered the palace at the age of 16 to become a concubine. Actually a very sweet person, but her status forces her to be wary of the people around her. Therefore, to survive, she becomes cold, calculating and cold-hearted.
Yu Fei was another favorite. She was so exceptionally evil, and yet so wonderfully soft at the same time. At first, I just admired her ability to be evil and survive, but after she fell from power, her softer side came out and I really started to love her. I felt so bad that she had to separate from her daughter. And...I don't know. She's just amazing. She can be so caring and so calculating at the same time. Like how she was devastated by her daughter's death, and then turned right around and used her dead daughter to regain her status. Amazing. The only thing is...I couldn't believe that she was supposed to be 26. 
(If I remember correctly, at the end, she said she entered the palace when she was 16, and had been there for 10 years). But I guess everyone else's ages were off, too. Yee Shun and Yuk Ying in their teens and Maggie in her early 20's.
Jade Leung as Fook Nga
A fallen concubine who shies away from the competition in the palace. Gentle and kind. Originally entered the palace to help her adopted father.
She's not a main character, but I really liked Fook Nga, too. Just because she was so incredibly sweet, and she didn't have to compete with the others. It was like a break from the stress of the series. And she sacrificed sooo much. Poor girl.
Maggie Cheung as On Sin
Filial, sympathetic, moral. Very cunning. Entered the palace at the age of 13 as a maid, but schemes to become a concubine later to seek revenge.
I loved On Sin at the beginning cuz she was so clever, but after she became a concubine, her character just kinda died... As with Yuk Ying, her motive wasn't good enough for me. I don't know...I just think more could've been done with this character. It had a lot of potential.
Moses Chan as Hung Mo
Ambitious, straightforward. Hopeless romantic. Entered the palace in order to climb the ladder of success.
I hated him at the beginning cuz he was so...rash and unreasonable. And then after he became a guard, my dislike of him grew even more. Just dull dull dull!!! I'm not sure if it was Hung Mo or Moses. If I wasn't recording the series, I would've fast-forwarded through every single one of his scenes (provided that Yu Fei wasn't part of them 
).
Bowie Lam as Suen Pak Yeung
Meticulous, caring, confident (which can come off as arrogant), filial, upright. He does what he thinks is right no matter who tries to intervene. He appears to be a flirt, but is actually very "chung tình". Weakness: love.
I did not like him at all. He was so oblivious to everyone's love for him and let them all down for someone who didn't love him at all. And I don't understand why everyone loved him so much. It's not like he's a great catch. *frustrated* I don't know. I just don't understand.
Gigi Lai as Yuk Ying
Appears naive and childish. Actually very calculating. Manipulative and vindictive. Enters the palace in hopes of becoming powerful in order to give her mother at home more respect from her father's other mistresses.
If you didn't pick it up from my blurb on Yee Shun, I'll state it now: I hated Yuk Ying...with a passion. She used everyone she could. She appeared so darn innocent and got everyone's help only to betray them later. I didn't think her motive for becoming a concubine checked out. It just didn't really move me. I mean, there are other ways to allow your mom to live a better life. My most hated scene of her is when she finds out that Dr. Suen (Bowie Lam) loves her. She has the nerve to blame On Sin for his demise when it was her idea to drag Dr. Suen into the mess in the first place! Take responsibility for your own actions, woman. No one made her take revenge that way. Or at all for that matter. What a b***h. 