Acrobit12

I really recommend the novel, although this doesn't happen until the very, very end.

It doesn't make narrative sense yet, he is still married and she has other things on her mind

He had three in the novel...but they all left him, two of them with each other. :) in the end he and Yang Xaolian ended up together but it took place years later, in an extra chapter.

Couple of pretty important things - he didn't actually get caught to manipulate her, it was not in his plan at all. In the novel he rushed back to tell her his father was not the skin-painted demon and got caught. Also, in the novel she doesn't confess to him until much later. Also, the ML's poison is resolved much earlier. There are some other events that occur differently but that is understandable because they have to compress for length. And generally the ML, while as manipulative, comes across as less toxic

As much as I love the leads' chemistry and like the production, I think I am going to have to wait until the end. I don't trust these writers. They made enough changes to the novel that it is starting to look that they might serve up a BE. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

It's clearly Yu in the novel. Here so far they make it look like it's actually Nie.

It's Qi Yunke, the master

Well, iqiyi gave us "bride and broom bow to each other" 😜

My money is on the FL's master

I read the last chapter of the novel to decide whether to continue because for the most part I don't do bad endings. The novel is HE, at least for the main couple.

This is interesting enough so far and at least the young people are being played by young people. We will see what develops.

That ending was just perfect. I raised my rating half a point for that alone.

Legend of Hao Lan, stupid autocorrect

I might do that but the problem with old stuff is that I tend to get sucked in but have too much going on IRL and then my sleep suffers. But I might bite the bullet and start a long historical that I wanted to check out for a while like Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Legend of Halo Lan.

The ML isn't necessary always "gentle" person but he has no martial arts and has to survive through his intelligence, while the FL is a martial artist. Plus Chen Xiao is the ML and he never disappoints in historical dramas.

The Ingenious One.

I will reserve judgement until this is done but right now I am watching because right now besides this and How Dare You!? there isn't anything else.

Well, propaganda in the arts is nothing new. Historically, most of great art is propaganda of some sort (at least it's one way of looking at it ;)). But the level of propaganda at the end of this drama was a bit too obvious for my taste. Which detracts not a bit from the great work of the creative team and the actors and the amount of new knowledge I have gained.

I would even go as far as saying I wish they had younger actors to play all tree mains and kept them around for a while longer. But it is what it is.

I certainly don't disagree with you there.