Her denseness was to the point that she doesn't count ML in the list of people she'd give gifts for. She was attentive enough to buy things for people who only came to visit her for mooching off food but she never spared a thought about what gift ML would like. And has anyone noticed that every single meals she made was never a medicinal meal? There's a lot of food she made to cater to her friend, the ML's little siblings, and even to the palace attendant and the guards, but she has never made any tasty medicinal food for ML, at least to make his health better. It's always made to her cravings at the time but she never thought about improving ML's health condition. There's also this blessing she received in a temple but when asked by the monk about what she wanted to ask, she immediately thought about her future business after ML's supposed death (and she happily discussed about it with ML, too).

It might seem like a small thing, but to me it means that he's never been in her heart or future plan, now or ever. Hell, maybe he's already a dead person to her, since she never asked about what ML's ailment was, even after their relationship was good enough to just sleep together everyday. Can you believe that she, someone who generously shared 100 zitui buns during the Qingming festival, wouldn't care enough to make healthy and tasty Chinese medicinal meal for ML? Poor him.

Actually it got worse around chapter 100, with MC headlessly rushing forward to openly create a big misunderstanding involving two kingdoms without taking the initiative to tell ML and without concern to her crown princess identity and how it looked to outsiders. She was smart enough to evade palace scheming but she s*upidly and happily talked to a foreign prince (who is actually her friend Qiong Qi) so openly in a pavilion under everyone's eyes. If she doesn't care about her crown princess status, she should at least care about how it'd look like to ML, since they've confessed to each other.

ML even gave her a few chances to take the initiative to tell him the truth but she still insisted on hiding things and even had the audacity to feel wronged about it. I feel like ML would unconditionally trust her, no matter how absurd it was even if she told ML that she's a mythical beast. While her mouth was sweet enough to tell ML that she liked him, but her actions say that she doesn't care about ML that much. I'm tired of this MC. That 'caring protagonist' tag up there was misleading, since someone who truly cared about their other half wouldn't behave like that

She also has a supernatural friend who is something like a mermaid

she never confesses that she is a supernatural creature inhabiting a dead woman to her husband and it never becomes a problem. She does confess she is not the original, but the ML seems to assume she is a spy and decides he doesnt care and wont question it. At one point a villian points out that she might be a ghost and that they should get some toaist monks for an exorcism, but it seems like even the author forgets they set that up as a possibility. There are also some loose threads that remain loose by the end:

1) the FLs 13th uncle was an imortal divine beast who lived in ancient China, and is repeatedly brought up but never appears. I was expecting to meet either a younger 13th uncle and have some triangle drama, the 13th uncle to be the MLs secret supernaturally good shadow guard who never shows up, or the 13th uncle to end up being the FL & MLs future child. We never see his face.

2) the 13th uncle sends the FL a mysterious magic (?) gift through her mermaid friend across time & the gates of hell. It is a strange bell that never gets mentioned again. It felt like it was set up to play an important role that fizzled out

He initially planned to use FL as just a chess piece but he later guessed that FL wasn't the real Tao Ti since FL would care for him with such pure eyes. After getting along with such an admirable FL, his heart moved for her and he started to be possessive towards FL. He endured forbearance and waited for FL to willingly jump into his arms so he stopped himself from being too impulsive and scaring her. After having great patience and resolving their misunderstandings, he was finally able to hold the beauty in his arms and loved her to the high heavens. Even after going back after their mortal life to be the

FL (Tao Ti) was a gluttonous cub who ate poisoned mushrooms one day and had her soul travel to another world and enter the body of Tao Ti, the newly married crown princess who took poison upon arriving at the door of the East Palace. Upon waking up, she was subjected to the disdain and anger of the servants of the East Palace. ML is still nice to her despite what happened and promised to let her go after his death, so she became very fond of ML (though she was tempted by ML at first sight since she thought he was too handsome lol). As a Tao Tie, she loves eating good food so she also knew how to make really, really good food. As the crown princess and wife of ML, she was very kind and gentle towards the servants regardless of status, and since she made delicious food and boosted ML's appetite, the staff at the palace treated her kindly and became fond of her. Despite being a bit dumb and naive in front of ML, she's actually very smart and insightful, and also knows how to avoid falling into the palace's schemes and tricks. She was very hesitant to like ML since he is human and she is an immortal creature but upon learning that ML loves her too, she decided to just go on with the relationship. They ended up having dragon and phoenix twin babies who were very similar to both of them.

Ok, lemme preface this by saying I absolutely despise yanderes. I'm viscerally disgusted by the idea of people restricting and controlling the freedom of other people. It infuriates me.

The brilliant and best part of this otherwise meh story is that it's low-key about the repercussions of a yandere.

Like, it's subtly hinted and referenced mysteriously as the story's backdrop until what happened is fully revealed and explodes in everyone's faces.

I feel like I need another spoiler warning here before I straight up say it.

The ML shows hint of inheriting some of that mania, but he's fortunate enough that MC reciprocates his love. So he never falls over the edge. Thankfully.

I'm glad when both sides finally come a little clean about who they really are.

MC died after eating mushroom gifted by her female friend. This female friend feel guilty and somehow managed to transmigrate to MC's world, alas, as burly male noble from another country.

Knowing each other identity, MC design rendezvous with this friend, while completely aware of her status as crown princess, showing her happiness after meeting her him, feeling distraught when she he got hurt, even sneak out to meet her him privately in the night while lying to her husband. This friend warn her that ML is not what he appear to be, offering to marry her away to another country. But MC refused.

The husband definitely find out, and out of jealousy confront her (basically the one in the description), and MC feel wronged because she is not cheating, while she feel duped by her husband who actually not a gentle person she fall in love with (she completely believe this one word of her friend).

As a resolve, MC cries, ML soften, MC lied to get out of the situation, but then tried to tell the truth, ML stopped her not want to know her situation because.. hmm.. "as long as you are you, I don't care about anything else".. And.. Happy Ending....

This feel underwhelming. ML disguise supposedly completely broken after this event. ML doesn't have to have a possessive setting to be jealous and act on it, considering how MC acts. Everyone have different borderline and acts differently in different situation, anyway. I think it's also better for MC to be completely dense, instead of knowing what she shouldn't do, but do it anyway, then feel wronged when she is caught. But ML accept it anyway because.. plot.

ML's mother commiting su*cide because she mistakenly thought the Emperor ordered her first child to be killed due to jealousy. Emperor had r*ped ML's mother and she ran away and Emperor thought the 1st child was of another man. Turns out it was his all along. From the description of Tao Tie's mother who is ML's mum best friend, ML's mum seems to be a cold beauty who needs to be coaxed and eats soft food but not hard food (which means she doesn't like to be bound, hates people to control her) and the actions of the Emperor made her pissed. Emperor was too arrogant and didn't know how to coax her to forgive him and his jealous harem members made it worst by spouting lies so ML's mum believed them and kills herself in sorrow. In fact, if ML's mum and Emperor had talked things through, if Emperor had been less of an arrogant a**hole, things might've worked out between them. I like how its a contract to ML and FL's relationship which is more open even if its also slightly dishonest with some of the truths that ML hides.

Disliked this subplot of her running away after sleeping with the man and getting pregnant but coming back just for the son's future studies and then running away again. It just isn't for me.

Surprised that ML is also in FL's original world as a goddamn phoenix lmao. Interesting and would've liked more.

Ok my issues are starting here and some are spoilers - I think.

1- the whole thing when MCs BFF crosses over into the body of the enemy prince, was not for me, yes it added drama in the right place just as the MC and ML were settling more securely into their relationship but I found it kinda cringy and frustrating to read - more with MCs actions than anything. Like dude obviously the tent was a set up.
2- the bonus stories, where do I even start. I loved, loved the Modern Day MC and ML, and I wish we got more of that especially of what their children who be but it cut off be we got that answer. So that was dissatisfying in a way for me.
But it was the Xu Wenchan and Xie Yunshi that really dissapointed me and honestly I gave up halfway through. It was nothing like I was expecting and made me feel really dissapointed in Xu Wenchen's character development, again this was a personal preference, other might really love the direction it took, but something liked in it for me and I found her to be cowardly. I'm all for female empowerment- I don't need a man to be happy or succeed in life but her actions and choices - I just couldn't wrap my head around when considering main story Achen.

When the crown prince was ridiculed, Tao Ti rolled up her sleeves to defend him.

When the crown prince was sick with a high fever, Tao Ti boiled the medicine herself.

When the crown prince's appetite was poor, Tao Ti cooked, fried, steamed, and baked.

Everyone in the Eastern Palace: Safeguard the best crown princess in the world!