This story isn't bad at all. What you are seeing is a bunch of people upset because it wasn't purely a romance story which the show never promised to be in the first place. Are there issues with some plot lines? Yes. But it's not as bad as some of the commenters / reviewers are making it to be. Plus it's very in line with what happened in the novel that this show is based off of so bashing the scriptwriter does not make much sense in this case.

Spoiler Alert:

JYY is a woman and who is of a low status. There is only so much she can do. JYL, while much higher in status, was up against a general and a prince. Given all of that, the ending wasn't that bad. Plus they end up together in the end. As for the fl feeling sad for Bai Prince, who is one of the main villains, it's not that surprising given what we saw in the show so far. Anyways, that's just my take. Don't decide not to watch this due to a few comments on MDL or a low rating. This show is decent.

If you go into it with reasonable expectations and not just expecting a show solely focused on romance, you will enjoy it. So in short, this isn't your typical idol costume drama. The leads aren't always going to win simply because they are the leads but it's a happy ending.