Bai Lu is once again causing a major controversy, with netizens calling for her retirement and criticizing her acting as stiff?

Despite the high ratings for "The Royal Palace Case" on CCTV8, Bai Lu still faced intense criticism. Many viewers criticized her monotonous acting skills and poor diction. The rising wave of protests seriously shook her status as the "queen of historical dramas."

Leading performance in the time slot, but quality is divisive.

"The Mysterious Cases of the Imperial Palace," which just officially aired, quickly established an impressive rating of 2.1%, temporarily leading all dramas airing in the same time slot on central television. Expected to inherit the appeal of the hit crime-solving drama "The Mysterious Cases of the Tang Dynasty," audience reactions have been distinctly divided. While some viewers praised the setting and the pace of the detective story, many others expressed disappointment from the very first episodes.

The controversy erupted starting with the monologue introducing the character Li Peiyi, played by Bai Lu. Sohu News commented that this introduction was too lengthy and lacked subtlety, diluting the inherent appeal of a crime-solving drama. Notably, Sohu even used a directly aggressive headline: "One person ruined the entire drama." The article pointed out that Bai Lu's voice acting was seriously flawed, with weak breathing, soft pronunciation, and a lack of the necessary rhythm to convey the authority of the dramatic lead character.

Acting "black holes": From AI-powered expressions to lifeless eyes.

As the series progressed, Bai Lu's acting limitations became increasingly apparent. In the scene where Li Pei Yi fakes her death and fights while exhausted, the camera zoomed in, only showing the actress with awkwardly furrowed brows. Viewers commented that she was trying too hard but didn't know where to channel her strength, resulting in a face lacking depth and an expression that didn't match the character's dire circumstances.

Furthermore, the scene of separation between Li Peiyi and her close friend, who was forced into a marriage for political reasons, became the focus of criticism. While her co-star expressed intense pain, Bai Lu maintained an emotionless expression, her eyes glistening with tears but lacking any emotional connection. Her expression was likened to "a display in a window," beautiful but cold and failing to convey the character's helplessness or suffering. On social media forums, netizens did not hesitate to use harsh words such as "stiff acting like AI," "flat dialogue" to criticize the actress, with many extreme opinions even demanding that she "retire to relearn acting."

The stereotypical "muse" of period dramas and the challenge of staying in one's comfort zone.

Following the success of "Zhou Sheng Ru Gu," Bai Lu disappointed in "Tang Palace Mystery Cases" by repeating her outdated "staring and frowning" acting style. This expression was deemed awkward and out of place in a serious detective drama requiring depth. Stepping outside her comfort zone of romantic dramas completely exposed the flaws in her vocal delivery and acting technique. This serves as a warning to popular stars about the laziness in reinventing themselves and over-reliance on formulaic, "instant" acting.

Bai Lu declares "this is my last film," leaving audiences shocked and confused. Linh Trần16:27:14 27/01/2026In a recent interview with the media, Bai Lu spoke clearly about her future career direction for the first time. The actress confirmed that "The Royal Palace Mystery" will be the last action project where she performs difficult, high-intensity scenes.