Sherayith

I mean, that's debatable. He's not exactly a good guy in the novel either.

Chu Zhao is a complex character in the novel - he's not a good guy, he works for the bad guy in the palace, but he is willing to help the protagonists if it serves his own ends. He has genuine feelings for He Yan, but he is willing to use her if it benefits himself, so it's a very selfish kind of love. Eventually his plotting and political manouvering end up trapping him in an unwinnable situation, because he realizes even if he wants to do the right thing, he's done too much to ever be trusted by the good guys. In the end, the one person who loved him unconditionally (his beautiful maid) dies because of him, and he loses everything.

Well, it's better explained in the book, and I do recommend reading it because they did change quite a bit in the drama.

Growing up, He Yan was almost completely forbidden from socializing outside of school, she never took off the mask in front of anybody, and she never went to court as He Rufei. Her interactions with Xiao Jue were limited to their teenage years, they didn't really meet as adults. He Yan led an army with a cadre of loyal officers who were familiar with her, so when her brother swapped places with her, he made sure they all died so no one who knew "General He Rufei" would live to tell that he had changed to someone else. In the book, if I remember correctly, it was the real He Rufei who failed to bring reinforcements in time to save Xiao Jue's father, because by that time the swap had already occurred. He Yan never personally knew Xiao Jue's father.

In the book, different from the drama, He Rufei actually succeeded in having He Yan assassinated, and it's even more tragic - He Yan is married off quickly to a seemingly kind man. She believed her husband truly cared about her, and she was even pregnant with his child, but he conspired with He Rufei to poison her/blind her and eventually to have his favored concubine drown her. He Yan revives in the body of a woman (with the same name) who had committed suicide.

yes

From what I've experienced, there's an unwritten rule that when a chinese novel gets an official English release, many fan translations are removed from the internet so that it doesn't affect book sales.

FR FR I've been waiting since last year 🙏🥹

I don't often watch modern setting Chinese dramas because they tend to lean more towards fluffy romance without much drama or substance and while that's fine, it's just not my cup of tea most of the time. I prefer the heavier, more dramatic costume dramas overall, so the fact that he's in so many is making me happy.

As I understand it, it's partially due to the Chinese media regulators requiring that all words on television be spoken in a uniform, standard Mandarin accent to avoid regional variations. Some actors do dub their own lines, but sometimes either due to time constraints or because the screen actor might have a regional accent, a different voice actor dubs the lines instead. Since Ding Yuxi often dubs his own lines, I'm guessing in this case he may not have been available to dub for this series. I'm kinda disappointed tbh, I love his voice.

did SevenSeas pick this one up? I haven't checked for several months, but last time I looked this Priest title was not being translated by SevenSeas.

The final villain is a corrupt emperor who wants vengeance on the world for his suffering. There is a good bit of angst and pining in the story but it is a happy ending in the book.

So, that ending episode. Hm. It was kinda boring and long-winded.
Li Bing gives an impassioned speech about friendship, integrity, and upholding justice and Li Zhi Hua just...experiences the feels and isn't crazy anymore? He even cries and says is this what it's like to have friends? Bizarre.

All Ye Yun wanted was to live in his thatched hut with his wife and trouble no one. But the world wouldn't leave him alone. And in the end, there never was any justice for Ye Yun. (Or for Neo Hou who was barely in this drama even though it's supposed to be about him).
I'm angry that in the end Ye Yun kills himself to atone (which felt so unnecessary), but he didn't get to kill the emperor of Beili. I know, it happened that way in the books, but it is infuriating that the emperor gets to live without consequences. He married an unwilling girl for political power, forced himself on her to get her pregnant (he definitely drugged her if I'm not misinterpreting what he said in the wedding episode~!), and then tried to murder the man she loved when he was weak and unconscious. AND TO TOP IT OFF SHE REMAINS TRAPPED IN THAT DAMNED PALACE BECAUSE THEY USE HER CHILD AS BLACKMAIL TO FORCE HER INTO GOING BACK.
I can't rate this drama higher than an 7.5. It was good *enough*, i liked the characters, I liked the plot, but it had numerous issued that are hard to overlook. The way Neo Hou was sidelined in his own drama, was also nothing short of criminal.

The romance is vastly overshadowed by the brotherhood/friendship focus of the story, so I'm not surprised its not one of the tags.

Please tell me the second princess of Sky's Beyond dies because I hate her. She's such a jealous, manipulative bitch who destroys Ye Yun's life for her own gains. *edit* nvm dammit I read the last chapter of the book and she's still alive.
Also, at this point 3/4 of the way through story, other people have used Baili's Dustless sword more than he has onscreen. Kinda ridiculous.

Xiao Ruofeng seriously miscalculated thinking his brother Ruojin would be a good emperor, considering that same brother waged a war over a woman who didn't love him, and then had Ruofeng executed in Blood of Youth. Ruofeng loved too well, affection clouding his wisdom.

I’m not angry that they don’t share my interest in history, I am just tired of people getting offended over something because they are ignorant.
And, while I was definitely ranting because I was irritated by the OP's post, I was not raving - I was neither incoherent, illogical, nor frenzied. Well, maybe it looked that way. IDC. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The focus is not going to be romance, the author writes mainly brotherhood stories where the focus is on the relationships between the male leads. There are usually love interests in the story, but romance is just not the main genre.

Funny how that works. When someone is trying to force their opinions on others it often has the opposite effect of what they intended.

Good to know.

Shen Li's behavior is completely obsessive over ZLY, to the point of fanaticism. I am honestly worried about their mental health.

Like you, I haven't seen any of ZLY's dramas either, so I have no opinion on her acting one way or the other. I choose dramas that sound interesting plot-wise, regardless of who's in it. But honestly, because Shen Li's aggressive negativity is so off-putting, it's making me not want to watch any of ZLYs dramas if Shen Li is the type of fan she attracts. Shen Li is actually harming their actress by acting this way.

Hahaha! Oh my god, you can't be serious, you have to be trolling me at this point. On what grounds would she sue me? I have said nothing defamatory about her, while you on the other hand have been slandering several of actresses on this thread alone. I can't take you seriously right now because you're slinging angry words like a child, telling me to shut up because you don't like what I'm saying and don't have a decent rebuttal.

My personal advice to you? Take a break from social media for a few years. I promise, you'll feel happier not investing yourself so thoroughly in someone who doesn't know you exist.