The Rise of Ning

I watched this series because of the good reviews but I found myself losing interest at episode 7 and decided not to continue. It's well made with beautiful costumes, reasonably good cast and there's a plot that some may like. The negatives for me personally was the overly petty issues each episode deals with because of jealousy from the step-mother and her daughters and friends for wanting to ruin the reputation of the female lead. They started at episode 1 and seem to continue on at every episode. I found them too annoying and was still waiting for the bigger plot. I haven't watched any dramas with the Fl and ML, so they seem new to me and I didn't get the kind of leading vibe I usually expect from such roles. With so many other dramas that are more interesting, this one really is average for me.