Raymond Ardin

The first 10 episodes are so sadistic! But it gets better, and should be quite interesting by the end. I like that there are multiple layers of villains, who are not all just working for one big bad.

- ML is a fake eunuch who gained the Emperor's trust, and became Keeper of the Seal, by obtaining an elixir from the Kingdom of Jiang. He almost died in the process, but was saved by the FL, the Jiang princess.
- His family was killed by the evil Crown Prince and he's the only survivor.
- Three years later, FL was supposed to marry the Crown Prince for an alliance, but the Emperor broke his word and destroyed her kingdom instead. She escapes but is captured along with other girls. ML saves her before anyone could figure out she's the missing princess.
- He remembers her but she doesn't remember him, and they hide their identities from each other.
- The naive and stupid princess slowly develops the skills to get her revenge.

I'm watching Beauty Strategy too because I like the lead actress. Is Enslaved Love any good?

Other short dramas I'm watching are Blade's Dance With You, Qian Ban Xiang Si, and Phoenix Lands in the World. But The Cloud Embracing the Moon is better IMO.

His mother is so comedically childish lol. She's just like those childish old men in classic wuxia stories (e.g. Hong Qigong, Zhou Batong), but it's very unexpected of a lady, especially a princess. But I'm glad she likes the FL.

His sister is such a careerist. She doesn't care about actually doing her job well, and is only concerned with her own political power, climbing the ladder, and honourific titles. Even her mother warned her to work hard and take the high road.

She's a ruthless careerist. She only cares about getting ahead in her political career, without actually caring about doing her job well. She wants to be the heir to their mother's Principality, and sees him as her competition.

Detective dramas are my favourite genre. Maybe not yours. I like that they focus on the investigations without too much fluff, both leads are smart, and they act like relatively normal human beings. No, ML is not charismatic like Duke Su (how many MLs are?). He was the King of Zhao (poison princess' brother) in The Double! I know, I didn't recognize him either.

This drama is not as good as The Double, but it's better than anything else that's currently airing IMO. Follow Your Heart is good too. Jade's Fateful Love is a bit too fluffy for my tastes, but it's watchable.

If you don't mind short dramas (10-12 min), The Cloud Embracing the Moon (https://kisskh.at/762163-yue-man-yun-zhi) is by far the best mini drama right now.

They're pretty sweet together. There's a misunderstanding for the first 7 episodes where they're supposed to hate each other, but they can't help falling for each other anyways. His mother is going to be a major hurdle though. He's a prince, and she's from a merchant family (lower than a peasant in status, despite being rich).

They know exactly what they're doing. Especially with this alternate poster:
https://kisskh.at/photos/qY5VyB_4

More than a little! The chemistry between the two FLs is hotter than between ML+FL, who already have great chemistry lol

He does seem too good to be true. But I don't think he can be the mastermind. He has slave status and therefore has no power.

I've been struck by the FL's visuals since I first saw her in Side Story of Fox Volant. She looks chubbier here than before, which is cute AF.

Evil 2FL (Xuan Lu doppleganger) is beautiful too, though she always plays villains.

He is a hostage prince. He does go to prison, but so far he is alive (as of episode 18).

FL and 2ML are childhood friends. We don't know whether he has romantic feelings for her, but she definitely only sees him as a brother. So no love triangle so far.

This is actually a detective drama! ~25 min/episode.

I almost skipped it because of the title and synopsis, as I'm not in the mood for another romcom. But I'm glad I gave it a chance; after The Double ended, this is probably the best drama on right now. I'm actually enjoying this more than Jade's Fateful Love and Follow Your Heart.

FL (author) and ML (magistrate) team up to solve crimes, along with 2ML (police chief) and 2FL (coroner). The leads are both equally smart, and the second leads are martial artists (similar to The Imperial Coroner).

Also, she is not actually that "sassy;" she's assertive but quite mature and reasonable, especially by c-drama FL standards.

Oh they are? They look the same to me, and I'm Asian. LOL

I Am Nobody is just comedy, nothing serious, but some parts are really hilarious. The ML is honourable at heart but acts like a fool a lot of the time. He has some hidden powers and the FL helps train him to become strong. She is like a robot, but in a cute way.

Strange Tales is really good if you like crime solving dramas. But the focus is on the two MLs. The FLs are not that well-written. In fact, the strong FL doesn't even appear until late in the drama (20-something episodes in).

Hmm she's mostly just pretending to be weak in that one. She has a very slight hidden agenda, but I wouldn't say she's pulling any strings.

Isn't the South Prince's advisor the same person as the Prime Minister's lackey? The one who's always coming up with plans to kill the North Prince but always failing and having to kneel before the PM?

It's nothing like Nancheng Banquet. The FL does not lose her memories or her martial arts skills, or become a whiny baby. But there are some head-scratchers, like how a strong martial artist like herself could turn her back to an enemy and let him take her hostage, especially when he's not even strong.

There aren't that many dramas with a strong FL and stupid/weak ML:
- Fighting For Love
- Oh My General
- The Inextricable Destiny
- Rattan
- I Am Nobody

But there are lots of great dramas with a strong fighter FL and a ML who is physically weak but very smart:
- Ancient Detective
- The Ingenious One
- The Moon Brightens For You
- The Lady in the Butcher's House
- Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty
- Royal Highness
- Nirvana in Fire
- My Bossy Wife
- Love in Between
- Legend of Fei

In traditional Chinese society, the husband takes care of everything outside the home, and the wife is in charge of everything within the household (managing the family's finances, servants, assets and properties, etc.). This includes renovations. So the only way she can renovate his house is if she's his wife.