The Long Ballad (2021)

Both have strong male and female character leads. The stories have very modern relationships with proper communication, development, and even humor. Both have a male lead that is attracted to the female lead from almost the first episode. Neither have the cliche tropes these dramas are famous for.

In both the drams the male lead has acted and they both are historical, action, wuxia and romance dramas. they both have over forty episodes and have plots different but the ML has acted out an amazing performance of the character he played. Both are worth a watch...

Both FLs disguise as men to take revenge for their murdered family. The MLs or SMLs are generals who conquer a city the FL is in, causing her to lose a member of her group.

Both are dramatic stories of the beautiful princess who is seeking revenge for her family in the world of betrayals

Both drama deal with the fallout of a murder by fellow family member and the path to reconciliation.

Both have general that fall in love with a smart FL. The FL is good with scheme and strategies. The FL also have few identities.

Both are played by talented actors and actresses. Both tell a love story full of struggles. . Both have a happy ending. Both tell the meaning of friendship, and true love. Both take the theme of family, friendship, love, betrayal, and revenge. Both have smart and talented female main characters.

I agree that the 2nd couple (Leyan and Houdo) outdid the 1st couple in terms of showmanship, personality and acting. Houdo has that effective facial expression that viewers couldn't took t ones eyes away from him when he is in focus. It is Leyan who is in wanting. I missed that look of love from Leyan's face in "a female student... when he looked at Xu kaicheng. He should have looked at Houdo that way during their dialogue after the fight in the ring. Much improvement should be done by Lusi in terms of eye expression, "that look of being in love".

Both have strong and smart female leads who are fighting against the social norm for women. They are both young as well, both female leads grow before your eyes as their stories unravel. They also mask their genders, Chang Ge more-so than Jin Xia. The romance for both is slow-burn and based on mutual respect and all couplings go through a good deal of hardships together. You also get to watch as the casts both mature over time, character growth is prominent in both dramas.

Also, since the recommender is an Art Historian, the costuming is absolutely breath-taking in both dramas. You will not see the cast wear the same 2 pieces of clothing all throughout the drama. (Embroidered Guards in Under the Power wear an AMAZING set of uniforms! The embroidery is absolutely gorgeous.)

Both FL seek revenge for their family. Both FL are drop-dead gorgeous + ML are both handsome. They have great chemistry together. Both ML are strong fighter and try their best to protect the FL.

Although they are historical romance, both are set in different time period…Tang Dynasty vs Republican Era. TLB is a long drama vs Provoke is shorter and you can binge watch in one day.

Intelligent and layered characterization of leads with survival feats in the midst of chaos and tragedy. Stories featuring war, politics and rebellion.

Both have a strong FL who disguises herself as male and a military ML who learns her secret early on but hides it for her.

In both dramas:
- Both dramas revolve around royals
- The FL has great martial arts skills, military tactics, and schemes
- The FL is naughty and acts freely, never afraid to speak their mind
- A prince from the grasslands took interest in the FL
- The main leads had complicated relationships
- The ML is an orphan/ adopted into a different place
- The main leads had many admirers
- The supports lead pairs up

Hidden identity, revenge, politics and good relationship development. SML is in both dramas. A smart and strong ML, a clever and resourceful FL. Some of the same voice actors. Very entertaining with characters that really grow and change throughout the series.

Alrhough its not the same era or custume style, they still both have the same strong and smart leads. This one has a smart female lead that is from a rich family and a strong cunning male lead that is a soldier/commander. Since TLB made you cry for numerous deaths, this one would also make you cry just like TLB.