It's a huge compliment to the series, for I, who don't really watch costume drama, to like this series very much!!
I think it's only my second Chinese costume drama that I've watched since I usually just cannot bear to watch this kind of period dramas (for some odd unexplainable reasons haha). Moreover with the sad ending that really breaks my heart, this shouldn't be the type of drama I watch. But I just can't get enough of it once I start watching it! Great flow of storyline, perfect casting, and completed with nice OSTs makes this drama really good!!
If I'm not mistaken, there's an alter in the leads' age especially CSY compared to the one depicted in the novel. But I think it flows better this way to the next series of Forever and Ever that showcasing the love story of the main leads. The ML&FL perfectly show how excruciating it is to hold deep the love in the bottom of your heart and never be able to take it to surface and also the sacrifices they need to make along the way.