Aramintai

There were a few annoying episodes in the beginning about SML being delulu over FL, but she never gave him a second look because of his fkup in the past. Then it was revealed he's not as dumb as he looked and got mildly interesting to watch.
And then there was another annoying evil bish who was ML's fiancee in the past, but it was ages ago and she was unable to hook him either, FL also quickly let her know there's nothing to fish for there.

At some point it just becomes regurgitated AI slop, especially if you've seen quite a number of these dramas. Even great visuals aren't that hooking anymore, just like how it happened with CGI years back.
To make a product stand out and be successfull you gotta think out of the box and look for fresh ideas. Recycled plots are like an old chewing gum you no longer feel the taste of.

It was mentioned that marriage cancellation was SML's idea, or rather, his advisors'. And FL's mother wasn't her sister, but a best friend. The dowager really liked her. If anything, the dowager did good for once here by not leaving FL without a husband.

Somebody got bitten by a covid bat😂

Yea. I like the actress, but she really needs to be more active in choosing better, more varied scripts. Some of her old dramas were just plain cringe. Thankfully this year she's on the right track.

Btw, I've posted the edict timeline compilation in the discussions, it's understandably confusing. Will update if they show something extra about it.
And I've already seen ep33.

She'd be your typical Mary Sue with how impressive she is all around, if not for her mental trauma. If they didn't add this to her character with that whole Lishan plot, she'd definitely look like someone's self-insert.

2. SML gets summoned back after the coup and gets locked up in the palace for years and forced to act like a hedonistic clown so that nobody'd sus him.
3. He did. Main question is why didn't he show the edict publicly right at the gates?
6. FL's sick mother and FL were returning to the mountain when evil grandma killed her at one of the stopping points.
7. This happens even before the emperor dies. It was when she was travelling with her mother to some location. This could be point 1.
8. This is also before all the coup events.
10. FL doesn't randomly do this. Her mother while being mistreated at her husband's mansion tells FL to visit ML's brother at the execution block. Then she waits for ML being delivered for his own trial to give him that food. FL already knew all about their situation from her mother.
12. Can be combined with 6.
15. The cause of this, btw, is that SML refused to marry her on his advisors' orders. They've been goading him on the path of revenge and taking the throne, and FL would be detrimantal to his goals because she's connected to the tarnished Lishan faction. So the dowager married him off to her step-sister, because step-sister had no blood relationship to Lishan. And so as not to leave FL without a husband married her off to ML.

It was shown. He wanted a guy from prison, the funny gnome who works in his prefecture.

Very understandable. Besides FL's schemes and mysterious tragedy at mount Lishan, there's nothing new here indeed. Though there are lots of characters, the plot is quite predictable, to a point where you can start seeing separate arcs. Even that edict plot device was obvious from the start will create a conflict between the leads at some point.
This drama mostly is riding on the emotional deep dive into FL's psychological trauma.

If she was taught under him, it was no more than around 3 years, none of it was shown though. After the plague - self taught. And still doesn't compare to somebody practicing for years. They also always bang on in other cdramas that to master acupuncture you have to practice for years. But she's a genius here, I suppose.

She tells ML herself and it was shown how she was studying alone.

I def don't want it to go to SML either. He's broken and unhinged, probably will kill ML and force FL to be his concubine if he grabs power. There were already thoughts like these coming from him.

More like learned from books. The physician was already dead from the plague when she started. So she had no actual practice, but was better than all those other practicing physicians that ML invited before, somehow.

More like steps to shock therapy, lol.

Somehow I think her punishment will be mild. I also don't think SML will get the throne, the young emperor will hold it.
At this point I think the only interesting mystery left to be resolved is whether the princess is alive. The rest is gonna be the usual fighting & politics.

She has plot armor, obv.

I'm not holding my breath here, it's very pegi 12 so far.

What's up with that one I wonder. ML needs an heir immediately?

Why didn't FL go down the mountain again for help after witnessing all being near death or dead? She didn't seem to go nuts immediately. Going down the mountain to let people know and help with the bodies would have been the first thing that should have been done. Instead she chose to bury them all by herself for days and went nuts in the process. Is it because of their principles? But it was shown she didn't agree with them if everybody died.

Also, should ML be doing this shock therapy? The doctor said less triggers in her life, not more. This could baackfire even worse than before, with her resetting her memory again.