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Well, that's your opinion. And I have mine. But to extend your and others' opinion as the majority's is naive at best, and frankly condescending at worst. I too can foolishly assert that many people like the pair just by looking at some comments here and there. Still, it won't make much difference because I know chemistry is subjective, not absolute. At the end of the day, what makes the drama endearing is more than just the "chemistry" of the main couple. Heck, this is not even a romance. Ultimately, I am not here to change people's mind.

I see a lot of negative comments concerning the FL. And I notice that as soon as someone posts a positive feedback on the FL, someone else would again put a new negative comment - same brief repetitive garbage about how unattractive the FL is.
I wanted to wait till I read the novel first before I post any comments on the FL, but the continuing vitriol assessments on her is just too toxic to ignore.
I, for one, find the the FL adequate in some scenes and shine in others. In the initial episodes I too find her character somewhat annoying. But I read somewhere that the book portrayed her as this awkward young girl who is still miles away from blossoming into becoming a worldly lady. If that is the case, then understandably the FL did capture that persona. Though irritating at times, I have seen much worse in many FLs of other Chinese drama.
Some commenters pick on her age as too young, thus her being child-like. In the book the ML is only 20 years of age. If age difference between the ML and FL is so stark, then maybe go after the ML then. His real age is definitely way off from the one in the book.
As the drama progresses, I see the growth in the FL. I felt the closeness between her and the ML. The drama manages to show that amidst all these other beautiful women around the ML, it is this one awkward, unconventional beauty whom he has spent his childhood with that remains in his heart.
I am aware the rumors about the possibility of a different actress for the FL. I hope this is not true. I, for one, want to see the growth in her character from this awkward pouting girl to this confident and "beautiful" queen of Western Chu - one who stand equal to the prince of Bei Liang. A change of actors of side characters is tolerable, but that of main characters would only disrupt the flow of the story. And it can be quite distracting. Since I don't expect the second season anytime soon and the wait could very well be two years at least (ie other Chinese historical dramas), I believe Teresa Li / Li Gengxi will also grow more as an actress.

Well, the sharing of cultural elements is quite inevitable given the close proximity of the two nations. But if we're talking about cultural appropriation, Kpop music industry has been appropriating Latin & Black music for years and years. Where's the uproar from these "righteous" and PC knetz?

Kpop music industry has been appropriating Latin & Black music for years and years. Where's the uproar from these "righteous" and PC knetz?

I've been reading a lot of comments here and I have to say yours is one that I most agree with. Honestly, I too love this series. To me, it is so different than most Korean romcoms. Like you said, it is a breath of fresh air.
Both leads are flawed and it is so satisfying that each lead realizes his/her shortcomings and still can't help being who they are. Their loneliness which brought them together makes their love story so endearing. Together with the little girl, each completes the other.
Sure, in the first few episodes the villagers can be annoying but I tend to gloss this over since it's just comic relief, especially when I've seen worse in more "higher" rated kdramas.
So, yeah, I love this drama a lot.