You read the title. Yea. That's the biggest adorable part of this drama, how in love the ML was with the FML.

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What I liked:

Character development. FML goes from being naive and trusting to being a strong independent woman. Not only her, but the entire trio. While, they occasionally depend on their men, in the end they take back their own power through their own measures (i think).

The chemistry. FML and ML had a lot of chemistry. And so did the other trio couples.

The supporting characters. they were very humorous, especially the scholars who often came to visit the tea house. They definately carried.

The groveling. Oh my god. The ML lost the trust of the FML, and she shows him (and the world) that women can be successful on their own. I love that message. He tries to run back to her after realizing his mistake and does everything. Sneaking into her window (sounds weird but he used to do it before and she was okay with it). But she put up traps, and he was caught. The PAIN in his eyes when he saw what she did. It was definitely because he realized how much he had hurt her. (This is me commenting on how good the acting was)

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What I didn't like:

Song Yin Zhang. Her character (sometimes). She was stuck up. Looked down on them and seriously had her head in the clouds. I understand that she changed, but FML accepted her a little too fast. But I guess it is part of her character.

Also, Sun San Niang's son. (i don't remember his name) He was annoying. Then suddenly, he walks to the capital and acts entitled. Sun San Niang is way too forgiving. (I think I am seeing a pattern with this show of everyone forgiving too easily)

Plot holes / things not shown or explained (especially at the end). So near the end, Gu Qian Fan sneaks into the empresses room. She tells him that the emperor will have his head if he finds out and all she has to do is like call for help. My confusion is how he got in. It IS the empreress's room after all. Isn't is supposed to be more protected. I would have expected a scene of him deciding / foreshadowing his attempt to find the empress. For example, like him storming out, and jumping over palace walls. Instead of from the queen's perspective of him walking into her room. How did he get there?

Also, the fact that the empress was scheming to get rid of FML, and the emperor got furious because it "looks bad" and "goes against the will of the people." I get that. But how could the empress not see it? She was also supposed to be very intelligent and good at scheming, and manipulative (or that was how she was portrayed) How could she do something so blatantly obvious it was her?

Another thing (in the end ofc) was Ou Yang Xu getting caught for the murder of his servant for seeing to much. Except, to be honest, was never shown on scene. It was implied that he would be killed after seeing the murderous look in Ou Yang Xu eyes, but we the viewers never got that suspense. In fact, it would play a key role in the investigation. So magically, Song Yin Zhang finds a music score hidden in a temple, which by the way, i didn't even know the servant boy could play music. I get that they wanted to make Song Yin Zhang seem helpful, but they just showed her presenting the evidence to the court without searching for it, or even mentioning it existed.

There was also a mention how Ou Yang Xu needed to win the trial for the power struggle in the court. After he looses, there is no mention of such power struggle, or the aftermath of it. It was just a ended with showing a marriage.
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Overall:
Story: 8.5 - Strong start. Okay ending. Some plot holes. I can tell that the ending was rushed, especially since they had to fit it into 40 episodes.

Acting/Cast: 9 - Again the acting of characters was mostly good.

Music: 8.0 - I think I liked it lol. Don't trust me on this one because im basically tone deaf.

Rewatch Value: 6.5 - I don't rewatch, so this score doesn't mean much

Overall: 8.5 - Semi complex drama with power struggles, but some plot holes