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The novel is good, I definitely recommend it. Like many good chinese novels I've read, there are various well-developed side characters who are interesting in their own right and we get side stories about them. It's over 220 chapters, so there's time lol. (He Yan's rise is slower, which feels more believable.) I would say it is a novel primarily about He Yan. Her romance with Xiao Jue doesn't really kick off until half way thru. And we don't learn too much about him until then. He's present but doesn't get heavy page time until she establishes herself in his army. This is over 70 chapters in lol. So 60% about He Yan and her personal journey, 30% about her relation with Xiao Jue, 10% about the supporting cast? The evil prime minister and her evil brother are quite minor - the villians get little page time. Chu Zhao is not a real villain but one of the tragic minor characters of the novel, so he gets a subplot. But he's a better character than you see here in the drama. It's not a bad thing. All the minor characters were interesting in the novel. Her bros in the army get a bit more backstory and more personality too!

The wild thing is, when reading the novel I really enjoyed his character and his backstory in it was the kind of dark and tragic kind that's compelling. But then the drama made EVERTHING about him less dark and made him way more clingy and insistent about He Yan (instead of quietly yearning in the background). So now he's annoying and I can't even be excited for his screentime. 🤔🙄

What little we know of Fu Hao is so badass. I crave a drama all about her.

I knowwwww the novel is so cuuuuteeee. I love how she was so protective over him. He's attractive enough but with a low key introvert and nondescript personality, yet she likes him as he is!

There's not much plot in the novel (a novel I did like a lot! I just acknowledge there's little plot to it lol) so I'm not surprised it's more inspired by than faithful adaptation.

Because he's not as brave and valiant as He Yan is. As you say, he had many other choices and didn't take them. There's this little moment in the novel when someone... I can't recall who, but someone confronts him and makes him face himself for a brief moment and consciously acknowledge that he isn't just a victim who is now playing out a role that He Yan forced him into - he tells himself that he was forced to this, that he never wanted any of this, etc. But the truth is deep down he DOES want the famous general identity. He wants all those unearned merits and he let this all happen the way it did. Just most of the time he deceives himself.

Did they turn this into a detective drama?? The novel has investigating about 30% of the plot, 70% rom-com.

LMAO in both cases, in the novel I thought the SML guy was an interesting, dark character and he had some memorable moments... and then in the drama they make him annoying for some reason.

Your problem was thinking 8.8 on MDL = masterpiece. That's not what I've observed.

His character and that subplot was very haunting for me in the novel. It was horrible and Li Kuang makes the wrong choice, but his character flaws felt very real and it was all foreshadowed. And the way it tied back into how He Yan sees the world, how misogyny is ingrained in the culture, and why Xiao Jue first noticed and secretly appreciated her teenage self... The fate of his concubine was SO TRAGIC and the novel makes us care about her, using only a few interactions and brief backstory. You do believe Li Kuang will carry this guilt and her memory forever.

She'd ran off to the army! 🤣 In novel and drama this was consistent - joining the military and working her way up was the 1 choice that was HERS. No one in the He family expected that. (she mentions this in the drama amid the bridge divorce scene with Xiao Jue, it's elaborated more in the novel). She was supposed to go to the academy and walk around the capital impersonating the oldest noble son. NOT risk her life Rufei was actually terrified she would die on the battlefield and destroy his real identity. Only after she achieved status and fame was he greedy for it and felt this too was his rightful place that she supplanted.

LMAO you really should. They don't kiss much on-page in the novel. Maybe a quick one 1 time prior to the wedding? Xiao Jue is not one of the more amorous MLs I've encountered in cnovels. He's quite proper and restrained in all aspects, as a character.

In the novel they really do not like each other romantically and do want to break the engagement. Completely incompatible. So no love bridge for them.

He calls her his friend! and she feeds him tasty drinks in a bucket!!!! 😆😆

Sorry, I just know from all my European coworkers in ES, NL, and UK that they're super popular. But can't even catch up to my cdrama watchlist.😭

Turkey dramas are a huge hit all over Europe.

lol yeah she sneaks back a couple times. once she brings xiao jue and makes crawl with her thru the dog hole 🤣

Oddly enough to you and I, thus far China hasn't seemed super interested in dramas as a soft power vehicle like Thailand, Turkey, and South Korea. Still primarily focused on entertainment's influence on their national audience. They COULD became the next international drama powerhouse and probably supplant SK if they wanted to. But doesn't seem to be on the agenda. Honestly, it might be for the best. Trying to cater to international audiences might change the unique flavor of cdramas and water it down.

that type of ending will ruin the drama for me. I'll probably just stop halfway and then wait for the ending, see if it's that annoying type.

What a good time! I just hope the drama stays this fun and our FL never changes. I adore her and her snake buddy.