_Kage_

considering when yan he was introduced in the novel - i feel it was an after thought by the author and was just a convenient name. perhaps he was not meant to have such a significant impact or stay in the story for long but author might decided have decided to expand the role given the popularity

he was never mentioned in any flashbacks prior to his introduction

Cheng Li Su original actor had a scandal late last year early this year. they recasted and use AI to face swap. due to that they also reduced the scenes that CLS appears in to minimize the face swaps. drama was actually rumored to air in January this year originally

3. as someone posted earlier this was also plucked from the novel but at jiyang. she also was not careless enough to leave the enemy alive but did went berserk looking for XJ

4. they did show a young boy walking with the empress during the banquet. just not introduced or focused on

yeah agree with you there.
1. they should have one of them give up the authority
2. another general takes over
3. gets attacked and failing - sends message for help
4. emperor sends the one without an army goes and saves the day

but yeah like the novel they would not have been able to do a joint battle

they always had to end with a big battle given the theme and how the novel ended. but yes - the setup left much to be desired . The issue was also that they had deviated much from novel (the guiding bible) by that point that they only had a list of key scenes/events they wanted to adapt but couldn't use the setup from the novel. This actually reminds me somewhat of what happened with GOT Season 7 and 8

they needed to check a box - which i felt was really the essence of the last 2-3 episodes.
"Hey we are running low on time but I still have list of novel plots i need to check off"

i am guessing you are asking about yingxiang. it is a long one as her characterization is significantly different in the novel

CZ got a marriage decree with Xu Ping TIng. However she was jealous of YX's beauty (novel describe her as even prettier than XPT) so complained to her dad. Their collaborator the Crown Prince is a known pervert, and CZ had always avoided bringing her. However her existence was exposed and CZ was forced to send YX to his bed. She accepted it and bowed to him the night she left - her internal monologue was she indeed loved CZ but CZ's ambition would never allow them to be together.

it turns out she turned on her feminine charm and became the Crown Prince favorite concubine. But at the same time she was passing information to CZ. the crown prince found out near the end and tortured her - including cutting up her face and body. After the crown prince was defeated with CZ becoming a traitor and siding with the 4th prince, he asked to be allowed to leave the capital with YX . But when he went to the secret prison she was held, she was dying in the darkness and refused to leave. she wanted CZ to remember at her best, and not disfigured as she was currently. She asked to released from the pain, and CZ held her in the dark while she laid dying after he stabbed her at her request. CZ disappeared from the capital and story from then on until the 7y later extra chapter.

1. one of the guys who died was in the drama (the one with the gold sword - don't recall his name right now. but i am glad they did not follow the novel

this is actually his characterization in the novel - everyone was a pawn he could use - he came around at the end but was too late trying to save yingxiang

it happened in the novel (another box checked) but I agree - considering the build up and how much they changed the last arc, they didn't need to follow the novel here.

i mean if rundu is between huayuan and mingshui - to "split" military strength why would you have not send HY to Huayuan... the further she is from mingshui the "safer" the emperor should feel.

further it is laughable that sending a no martial arts all talk CZ with YH is considered "reinforcing" the army. the guy dont even have soldiers of his own. in the novel at this point, CZ had already dropped out of the story....

drama did Yan He's wife dirty - she never griefed until the end at her deathbed as she knew she needed to be strong for Muxia - which was why they were memorable even though they were only a small part in the final arc. she also never remarried. Their pre marriage and her 30y later stories were the last 2 extra chapters in the novel.

in the novel he was a side fodder who thought he had power. he betrayed his master by suggesting to big bad mastermind (who was in alliance with Wutuo together with Chancellor Xu) that CZ can easily replace Xu Jingfu without impactig their plans

yup because in the novel she only gets XJ's jade pendant after the banquet, reveal and marriage decree

ep 20 - underwater
ep 29 - on land

lol a week on, my comment did not age well. but while i felt a bit let down by the drama's adaptation of her reveal, the screenwriters did work to move some of the iconic dialogues elsewhere.

in the novel yes. in the drama it should be the battle we see HY in white and XJ in black as per the poster

likely because they based it on the novels. XJF and HRF were not big bads. Schemers yes, but the true final antagonist was another, other than Wutou attking to justify the final act

From teasers so far, i am suspecting CZ will play that role.

Screenwriters needed to amp up XJF and HRF - make them more threatening, but imo they were caught between that and not pushing too far from the novel

they have not gotten proof that HRF is not fei hong

Fei Nu mentioned when HY first drunkenly stole it that the jade pendant is a family heirloom split in 2. XJ's bro's is with his wife, XJ's is expected to be given to his eventual spouse.

think it might be after rundu once they introduced Yan He. that section had a lot of flashbacks. the conversation Yan He had with He Yan in ep29 was taken from that period