Catraty

This problem is happening because they are trying to bring back elements from the novel that stem from the ML's personality and actions (which were completely altered in the drama, so they don't work well). I can explain further if you'd like.

I agree with you. The writing dipped a bit in the last few episodes. I haven't seen episode 26 yet, so please forgive me for stating the obvious. Yes, you're absolutely right that the marriage to Han was the expected and "sufficient" outcome, but I think it's worth noting that Lanxiang's own opinions were sidelined, reinforcing just how hard it was to be a woman in that era.
I didn't mean to defend the male lead, either. I think he bears a lot of the blame for everything that happened, but I felt it was very deliberate to keep his actions hidden, you know?
I do have to disagree with you on one point, though: a "normal" character doesn't have to be dull. We’re all "normal," yet we still have personalities and individuality. Scholar Han is just... too by-the-book. In the novel, he’s also an ordinary scholar, but he’s fascinating—he has ambitions and makes mistakes. That’s what makes people real.

I think you are absolutely right in your points, but I feel compelled to make two observations. The first is that, although the concept of the scholar Han character is essential, it was very poorly executed. He came across as a very bland character, which makes the scenes where he appears out of nowhere to save the female lead feel very strange (even forced). It is also worth noting that the male lead's efforts and concern were kept under wraps, even though the Xu and Lan families knew the whole story.

Secondly, scholar Han’s marriage proposal didn't exactly take Lanxiang’s wishes into account either... he never discussed it with her at any point; he just took it straight to her parents. And let’s be honest: just as Lanxiang never showed any romantic feelings for the male lead, she didn't show any romantic interest in Han Liang either. Still, I agree with you—scholar Han is an important character for the plot.

The screenwriters incorporated many elements from the novel into the script. However, there is one major change: the male lead's actions and personality. This was a brilliant decision, as the novel is a difficult read precisely because the male lead is abusive, possessive, violent, and a womanizer. On the other hand, this makes the "villains'" decisions seem somewhat odd and unjustified. In the novel, the character corresponding to the drama's "Duke's daughter" acts in a way that, while malicious, is fully justified. Another important point is that several characters in the drama combine the backstories of multiple characters from the novel; for instance, the Duke's daughter effectively takes on the roles of two "villains," much like Du Cui Que.

In fact, compared to the novel, the drama picks up the story at a much later stage. Before Xu Lan Xiang began working in the male lead's courtyard, she was ordered by Zhao Yuechan to serve in the Luoxue Courtyard, where Cao Lihuan resided. Miss Huan is a distant cousin who came to Yuzhou seeking support after her parents' deaths. Out of pity, the Lin family allowed her to stay in a secluded courtyard. She spent her time there currying favor with others (especially the ML's grandmother) while secretly being dishonest and abusive. At one point, she began to believe she deserved the same treatment as the young ladies of the manor. When she realized she wouldn't get it, she started plotting against them, even exploiting Lin Xiu Shu's life-threatening peach allergy. Driven by jealousy, she treated Xu Lan Xiang poorly from the start and schemed to have her disgraced and married off to someone outside the manor. She also had a brother who assisted her in these plots. It is also Cao Lihuan who schemes to marry the ML. You could say she is the first "stumbling block" in the FL's path. She has a flawed character and failed to make the most of the opportunity to live with a prestigious family (despite her own low status) due to her greed and envy.

Huamei is one of the male lead's concubines. The situation here is more complex because we are dealing with the male lead's harem; this, like it or not, turns Huamei into a victim of circumstance, even though she is not innocent. She comes from a family of low-ranking officials and is highly intelligent and manipulative. In a way, her actions eventually lead to the death of another concubine who was pregnant. It was her older brother, Du Bin, who seduced Lin Dongling [Lin Xiu Wan] and ruined her reputation. However, in the novel, the situation is even worse: Lin Dongling ends up helping the siblings set a trap for the women of the Lin household. Huamei convinces Madame Qin to offer incense at a temple in thanksgiving for surviving a smallpox outbreak (a maidservant in the manor had died of smallpox after Huamei "accidentally dropped" a contaminated brocade pouch to deal with the FL). During this temple visit, the Lin family is ambushed by bandits attempting to capture them, but they are saved by Xu Lan Xiang. To save the family's reputation, Grandfather Lin fakes Lin Dongling's death and marries Lin Dongxiu (Lin Xiu Ru) off to the marquis—though this also serves as a form of punishment, as Lin Dongxiu had known what happened but remained silent, hoping to secure the same opportunities Lin Dongling had enjoyed.

Both characters appear later, but that could be a spoiler for the drama.

There are other characters in the drama who share the storylines of more than one character from the novel, such as Han Liang and the newly introduced duke's daughter.

Sorry for the bad English; it's not my first language.

His intention wasn't actually to kill her, but to make it look like she had died, while hiding her from everyone.

I’m not sure if you’ve read the novel. If not—and if you’d like—I can explain who these two characters are and the role they played; they were the inspiration for Du Cuique in the drama.

I like that they changed Lin Jinqi. In the novel, he is insufferable—enough to make you not want him to end up with the female lead. As for the female villains, not all of them remained villains; Xiuru is a good example of this. Regarding Du Cuique, it’s not that you’re wrong, but the C-drama combined two characters into one, which is why there’s that odd feeling that something isn't quite right. In any case, both characters are bad, and in the novel, Du Cuique’s brother is a schemer. Lin Xiu Wan’s fate is much worse because of him, as he paved the way for almost all the women in the family to be murdered.

I don't think you understood me, but that's okay. I just wanted to talk about it. :)

I understand your point of view, and I know it makes sense, but I’d like to see a story where women [all of them, not just some] can fully fight for what they want, without being at the mercy of men’s whims. Even if it’s set in the past, it’s still a fantasy; I don’t see why it needs to portray the real-world history of women’s subjugation. Since Fan Chang Yu is so wonderful, I was hoping to see the same "potência de ser" [I don’t know how to say this in English] in Qian Qian and the other female characters, but no matter how wonderful she is, she’s still overshadowed by Qi Min.

Oh! Of course, the amount of screen time devoted to these scenes makes absolutely no sense! As mentioned above, not even the protagonists’ most important moments got as much screen time as the scene where Qian Qian had to use her own body to deal with Qi Min! Assustador...

I’m not the kind of person who just likes to see the main characters together on screen. I actually really enjoyed watching Xiao Yao’s solitary journey in The Unclouded Soul. I’m also certain that Qi Min is important to the plot. What bothers me isn’t the character himself, but the fact that most of his scenes involve Qian Qian and consist of all kinds of abuse. In a story that tries to show how women can also be incredible, having a female character reduced to an instrument of abuse is very disturbing. I also strongly believe that his completely maniacal personality could have been developed in a different way.

Same here.

That makes perfect sense. But it’s even sadder, because it feels like a waste of potential. Whenever I try to give them a chance and watch their scenes together, I end up witnessing pure toxicity.

Could someone who knows more about this than I do explain why Qian Qian and Qi Min get so much screen time? I can’t remember the last time a secondary couple had this much screen time in a C-drama—which wouldn’t be a problem if this weren’t the most incredibly toxic relationship I’ve ever seen. Are they trying to make us swallow a bad romance, or are they building up our hatred so it’ll be more satisfying when Qi Min gets his comeuppance? Unlike Xiao Qiao (The Prisoner of Beauty) and Xu Lan (Against the Current), Qian Qian isn’t interesting enough for me to put up with watching their scenes. I skip them all, and the episode feels short. It seems like a shame to me, because there seem to be so many interesting characters who are left on the sidelines...

The primordial goddess literally tells them that as long as the mirror exists, there will never be complete peace. She says that whenever the mirror is reassembled, a calamity will occur. Since the mirror cannot be destroyed, Hong Ye decides to seal it and says, “I was the source of all this, so now I am the only one who can pay for it.”
Even with the human king dead, it would only be a matter of time before other powerful and greedy individuals emerged. We cannot even say whether the crown prince would not be one of them if the mirror were still around.
The narrative also suggests that one of the reasons for the Feiyu Guard being disbanded is because the demons can no longer go after the Kunlun Mirror.
Finally, Hong Ye was the most powerful being willing to sacrifice himself, and it seemed to me that only someone/something with consciousness could seal the mirror. But that last part is my conjecture; your question is very good.

The Kunlun Mirror is responsible for awakening greed in humans and demons, and as long as it is available, calamity is only a matter of time. Peace was only achieved because the Kunlun Mirror was sealed by Hong Ye, meaning it is as if the mirror no longer exists. If Hong Ye had only protected it, then humans and demons would continue to fight to find it.
[I remind you that the Kunlun Mirror is fragmented and can be reassembled by anyone who experiences the eight human sufferings, so it is not something that can be protected forever].
If Xiao Yao tried to break Hong Ye's seal, she would be throwing all his effort and sacrifice away.
Finally, before going back in time, Xiao Yao explains to Xiao Ming that she had maximized an ability based on her memories. As I said earlier, she was in deep suffering. Because of this, she preferred to go back in time and relive memories, even if she couldn't change them, rather than having to continue living without Hong Ye.

Xiao Yao was left practically alone, having to deal with the deep pain of loss and guilt. She was struggling to go on living, so she found a reason to do so. Unlike other times, the technique she used to go back in time was based on her memories, implying that she couldn't change anything, only relive them, so much so that the scene repeats itself as it was before. I remind you that Xiao Yao also lost friends she made in her first, second, and third lives, as well as the love of her life. Hong Ye did not die; he sealed himself away, preventing any reunion from being possible in this or any other reincarnation. She also seems to blame herself for everything that happened. It's a horrible situation; she did what she could.

The answers may reveal more than you would like to know, so read carefully.

1) No.
2) It depends on what you consider “being together,” but I thought it was very fast considering other similar dramas.
3) They don't break up with each other, but are forced to separate by circumstances. The longest separation lasts between 2-3 episodes, during which time HMH appears little and other subplots are developed. It's a point that many people complained about, but it didn't bother me.
4) I particularly liked the ending because of the context and the emotions, but you can't say it's happy.

In the story, the great demons were killed or sacrificed themselves in wars against humans. The story takes place at a time when most demons are young and have just taken human form. What is the logic in expecting these young and naive demons to behave seriously or for any demon to act like humans, if they are not human? Finally, if all demons were dragons or nine-tailed foxes, then these creatures would not be special; if they were all super powerful, then demons would have no problems with humans... From my point of view, the fantasy elements are great, but perhaps this genre of drama is not for everyone.