I very much enjoyed this, an excellent show!

The ML put in a stellar performance, as we are used to when it comes to him. Most of the other characters were also excellent. Scheming, action, and the general interactions between characters were done well. The ending was good and it closed off all the plots.

As for negatives, the last few episodes seem a bit rushed and generally lower quality than the rest of the drama.

The FL was subpar in my opinion. Her acting was average, chemistry with the ML was almost nonexistent, and her presence seemed forced in most of the content. It doesn't help that the rest of the female characters in this drama are all excellent, I guess. The White Fox, Qing Nao, Qing Feng, the two sisters, Shu Xiu, and even Miss He He, they were all superb, even with less screen time than the FL.

Emotional moments were a bit hit and miss due to the lack of build-up. I imagine that they are more impactful in the books. I guess we can't blame this on the producers, who are forced to squeeze everything into 40 episodes.

My rating - 9/10