I’ve read the novel and I must say that the drama keeps quite close to the original storyline. Neo Hou’s Rong Xia is exactly how I imagined novel’s Rong Xia to look like. Don’t want to give any spoilers so I’ll just state here that this drama is definitely worth watching, and I also recommend those who can read Chinese to read the novel.
Oh yes—the background music is really a let down. Or perhaps it’s only me who think that electric guitars shouldn’t be used in soundtracks of period dramas. The only song I like is the one in the end credits sung by Neo Hou, “News of Flowers Blooming”.