OK, I have a bit to add to the halfway review I wrote below after finishing this series.

I will not change the rating of 7.0. I think that's about right because despite all of the big names coming out this summer, to me this is actually the most complete cdrama aired in 2023. The screenwriters showed ambition in adapting the book in almost its entirety, expanding from the family squabbles arc all the way up to the conflict for the throne in only 40 episodes. However this could have been an 8.0 drama imo if they had made one major change: Strengthen the villain character of Luo Zishang and his underlings.

In this drama Luo Zishang becomes a bit of a 2d evil guy. A great drama requires a layered and strong villain. The first arc of this drama was the most satisfying and well paced, being driven by Guo Jiusi's personal growth challenges. However after that our ML and FL by become basically a little bit mary sue, basically perfect people. So the latter arcs in Youzhou and in the palace are about court politics and meant to be driven by the plots of Luo Zishang. However it's made less interesting because Luo Zishang doesn't actually present that much of a challenge. He should have been able to do more but in terms of resources and brains he just can't compete.

However there are no other major problems overall. There are definitely plot holes induced by the scale of the story. And I wish the ML and FL in particular were less airbrushed. But in general what was needed to be done was done, and the ending also tied up many things better than I expected.

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Past the first episode, the pacing and production value of this drama is excellent. I thought it was strange there isn't any big names in this drama, but Bai Jingting is actually outstanding and has a very natural and charismatic performance. I haven't seen any of his previous stuff but for me, he earns a star and a half for this drama by himself. I guess I have a weakness for dramas where the leads have some family squabbles and start a business.

The bad: the pacing of the first episode or so may be a bit slow. But past that part, it's definitely bingeable. Song Yi is alright at acting, but her character is a tedious goody two shoes type at times. Lastly, the drama of political conflict that comes in around episode 15 or so is a bit overdone, and almost unrealistically tragic.

The good: pacing and plotting are generally good. Starts off from the ML and FL's squabbling to true love story which is quite cute. Then expands to the circumstances around their families, and the FL's business ambitions, with a natural pace. It's not the most tightly plotted but it's pleasing enough. Also the cinematography and costumes are very beautiful and shows the high budget of this drama.

The great: Bai Jingting's superb acting shows the growth of the ML. We can always tell he's a good guy but his wonderful character development holds together the storyline throughout, even in moments when the plot is weak. He is equally compelling when portraying the ML's immature sides as his heroic ones, without becoming preachy or naive. His expressions, tone of voice and little mannerisms when he's trying to express something are on point.
The genuine relationship between ML and FL is very sweet, if a bit idealistic. There's enough going on with Liu Yurui's business ventures that she is the rare cdrama FL with just as much plot around her as the ML has, and it's quite interesting too. Side character are generally well acted such as Gu Jiusi's lovable mom and dad, and the villain (Liu Xueyi's best acted role that I've seen so far).