I'm currently re-watching the drama and I'm actually on episode 8 and the 1st 8 episodes are not pathetic and aimless. They give a well developed back story but your too biased to notice that that doesn't happen often in dramas.
I found it weird that An Ye Lou put in so much effort into trying to kill Ruge but he'd never once seen her face but he knew everyone else, also, it seemed like Yinxue didn't really love Ruge, he was in love with the woman who looks like her who died some 100 years ago.