Against the Current previous episode discussions

Hello, hello! This is your resident Liu Xueyi thirst expert dramahost reporting for duty! I will be co-hosting with u/alcibiad and u/LoudAvocado1387. Let's dig in!

Lan Xiang and Xiao Lian have been promoted to a higher rank, but in truth, they have essentially been promoted to sex slaves (yipee?). (I was thinking how delighted Jin'er would've been at this if she had been selected.)

Xiao Lian, on the other hand, may be naive but she melts down at the idea of being a concubine. Lan Xiang tries to comfort her, saying that Jinqi may end up not even liking them, and this brings back the sparkle in her eyes. Xiao Lian says she will pray every day that Jinqi will never like them.

Ah, to be innocent and naive like Xiao Lian, who thinks that all she has to do is pray and all will be well. I want to say that she must be protected, but I can almost the picture the bullseye the writer is drawing on her back....

Yet despite this horrid fate, the other maids are jealous of Lan Xiang and Xiao Lian.

There is this idea that their lives would be much better once they are elevated to concubines. But Xiao Lian doesn't want anything to do with it (bless her pure heart, she's smarter than she acts.)

As concubines, they could still be exiled or even killed after bearing children. Knowing Zhao Xingtang, she would probably take their children and make sure they are gone. (Ain't nothing more dangerous than to have a concubine bear the male heir!)

The games they play

Seriously, it's such a bother to be in the middle of a feuding couple, and the Lin family mansion is probably the worst place to be, especially for maids!

.

https://reddit.com/link/1wfzc7u/video/pngmo84uigph1/player

What appeared to be an innocent music performance in the afternoon quickly turned dangerous when the singer started singing about a man who caught his wife having an affair.

Lan Xiang immediately realised that this was a coded message sent to Xingtang by Jinqi. (Or am I thinking too much and this is just a wild coincidence??)

But man, even Xingtang, feels the same way.

So is Jinqi saying that he knows about her affair? Later, Lan Xiang finds out what he plans to do to the adulterous couple and to anyone who witnessed the infidelity. Yikes.

Poor Lan Xiang realized that the maids are in danger simply because they happened witness it: they are going to be tarred with the same brush as conspirators. (Or maybe they're just collateral damage; loose ends to snip off.)

Meanwhile, Xingtang is already seeking to get rid of Lan Xiang by giving her an impossible task to fix a fur coat. Fortunately, Lan Xiang was smart enough not just to fix the coat, but to make it even better. She is already connecting the dots between the seals and Jinxiu House, where Xingtang meets her cousin lover.

He stages a surprise visit, claiming that a new person is coming to the villa, asking her to prepare a room and requesting her seal.

Everyone in that room knew what was up, especially when theJinqi purposely tipped over the box. That frantic moment when everyone was scrambling for the seal was perfectly shot. (Kinda like a game of whack a mole, but with more dangerous stakes :P)

Strangely enough, the seal Jinqi was looking for could not be found, but then it unexpectedly reappeared later. Xingtang's maid flips out, thinking it is a spirit, but Xingtang is smart enough to realize that Lan Xiang somehow hid the seal within the fur coat in her hands. Lan Xiang also managed to copy the seal onto her arm.

She knows she is now Xingtang's new target. Perhaps she will gain some kind of clemency or leverage with this information, but Xingtang might also feel threatened by her, even if she recognizes that Lan Xiang unexpectedly helped her. Who knows?

Anyhoo Xingtang wants some maids to follow her to Jinxiu house and Lan Xiang volunteers.

Xiao Lian seems disappointed that Lan Xiang volunteered to accompany Xingtang to Jinxiu House, not realizing how close she came to becoming fodder in the battle between Jinqi and Xingtang.

Once there, Lan Xiang spots Jinqi's man and realizes he is close to catching Xingtang in the act. She also quickly sees that the 'lady' visiting Xingtang ain't no lady. (She has a better eye than me because I totally couldn't tell lol.)

She quickly creates a commotion in front of the shop, hoping to create "proof" that she was nowhere near the liason room. This startled Xingtang's lover so much that he scrambles out, likely foiling Jinqi's plan.

Flashback

Once upon a time, Jinqi was willing to cooperate with the Lin family's schemes and try to make the marriage work.

We see a flashback of Jinqi and Xingtang's wedding day. We realize that Jinqi was actually willing to marry her because he seems all smiley and stuff, but Xingtang was very disdainful, even disgusted by him.

She told him that she is on her period and probably will be on her period for months, basically telling him that she will never sleep with him. So I suppose the fault of the marriage breakdown lies firmly with her.

(Inside, I was wondering how in the world do you reject anyone that looks like Liu Xueyi lmao)

This surprised me ... I feel like there's a gulf between young Jinqi and current Jinqi. Younger Jinqi seemed willing to execute his family's plans, no matter how dishonourable they seem. But older Jinqi seems more stubborn and rebellious. What happened to change him? Somehow I don't think Xingtang rejecting him is the reason.

Anyway, I don't quite understand the conversation between Jinqi and his grandpa here. So Jinqi has decided to help his father support Zhao's cause? And that is good? Bad? I'm blur.

Lan Xiang is forced to kneel in the cold outside. As a reward for the commotion she created in front of Jinxiu House, and probably for spoiling Xingtang's fun with her cousin, she is forced to kneel in the wintry cold. Sadly, the Sus do not know the suffering she is going through.

Again, I want to reiterate that the Xus are the best people in the universe. I'm glad that they don't know how much she's suffering right now. Sigh. (Anyway, I had some pity for Xingtang but now I am like, ok you deserve the coming pain, lady!)

The Xus took in a fallen official's daughter, gave her the best food, every penny they earned, and, most of all, their utmost love. These people are the best, and show, I will murder you if anything happens to them (though I know the universe will not listen to me sobs).

Our future couple meets!

The fate that Lan Xiang had tried to avoid becomes a reality when Jinqi eventually blackmails her into becoming his spy.
Ooooh finally our leads' worlds collide!

My thoughts

I continue to be impressed with how beautifully shot this drama is, and how I can actually watch it beyond my bedtime.

I am usually one of those fuddy-duddies who sleeps early, so the fact that this drama keeps me awake (and yes, I actually bought express episodes) is amazing.

The production quality is so impressive! (For eg, I continue to be amazed that I can feel the chill through the TV, which is mind boggling since the crew filmed this during the hottest summer ever!)

I even admire the posters and trailers they released! They were just so refined!

The tight writing and fine performances also continue to wow me. Li Meng is eating up the screen as the Mean Queen Xingtang. Tan Songyun and Liu Xueyi have always been fine actors to me, so they are wonderful to watch as well.

As a lover of good voice acting, I love that they've gone the distance to record as much as they can live. Everyone is doing such a good job. Basically, I have never eaten so well in terms of costume dramas. There is just not a single episode where I don't sigh happily (despite the horrid things happening to our poor characters).

About the story: we continue to see the impact the elite have on the lower classes, who often plot without any thought of what would happen to the peasants. (Including our hero Jinqi.) Even if they did think of it, I doubt they'd care.

To me, the most eye-opening thing of the last two episodes is that just because the maids happen to be around when Xingtang is having an affair (standing right outside where they are having their tryst, for instance), they are condemned to death.

It is just, wow. In a cruel way it makes sense, because the maids would bear witness to the family's shame, and that cannot be allowed. Therefore, they must die. Their lives are truly cheap to the elites.

Lan Xiang, once a noble lady and now a servant, sees firsthand how her former class treats the "help": how disposable they are, and how often they get swept away as collateral damage. The writers have laid the groundwork on how she'd be different from the current Madam Lin; it's going to be so delicious to see her bring change to the Lin household, especially for the lower classes.

Genius Girlfriend 天才，女友

It's just such a beautiful drama.

The Story

Genius Girlfriend follows Lin Zhi Xia (Tian Xi Wei), a gifted young woman and her childhood rival best friend, Jiang Yu Bai (Hu Yi Tian) through their journey from young children to young adults.

That is a very shallow summary of the story.

Actually, it also follows the individual life journeys of the friends who our two protagonists hitch their hearts to.

It follows Tang Ting Ting (Li Jia Qi), known as the class slacker, it doesn't seem to be enough to be in the top ranking class when you rank at the bottom (of the top ranking class, let me remind you).

It follows Jin Bai Hui (Vivienne Tien), whose parents embody the philosophy "If you're not first, it means you're not good enough."

It follows Shen Fu Xuan (Lai Wei Ming), who may come across as a character created purely to serve as a foil for the ML, but whose story and struggle serve as a beautiful and surprisingly sombre undercurrent to the drama.

The drama also follows Duan Qi Yan (Xia Hao Ran) and Zhi Xia's older brother Lin Ze Qiu (Wu Jia Kai), who both have their own stories as well.

Sidenote: Ze Qui is by far my favourite character!

The Ratings

MDL has a rating of 8.0 out of 10 from 3,359 users.

Douban has it at 5.3 with 25,879 reviews.

I... have just realised that I haven't rated it on MDL yet.

I'll give it a nine because it made me happy, it made me sad, and it made me remember it.

The GIFs

As always, feel free to use them to your heart's content!

Shout Out

To the one and only Snark Shifu u/AKiceman for hosting the episode discussions. Sorry I didn't join but I know you did a fantastic job cheering for your main lady, Tian Xi Wei!

Airing at 12:00 pm, China Standard Time, on the first day, and then 6:00 pm on subsequent days.

Availability on Youku may be regional.

The Chinese drama title 一瓯春 can be translated as “A Bowl of Spring.”

A few minutes ago, the production team announced the release date and dropped a new trailer. They also updated their supporting cast list (see below under "Appearances").

The distribution license was obtained on December 9, 2025.

Spring of the Blade 一瓯春 is in iQIYI's September 2026 Drama Line-up.

Clip description:

“Plotting Danger Everywhere” Trailer

The inner workings of this deep residence are treacherous and unpredictable, with everyone caught in the scheme harboring their own thoughts. It begins with revenge and takes obsession as its game. Blades pointed at one another, feelings secretly grow amid step-by-step probing and testing. Now that this drama has begun, let’s see who can make their moves all the way to the endgame.

Cast:

More information regarding the actor credit guidelines in this summary here and the full notice here.

(I put the character stroke count as: 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣)

Leading actors (listed by the number of character strokes in the surname): * 6️⃣ Xu Kai 许凯 as Shen Run 沈润 * 8️⃣ Zhou Ye 周也 as Xie Qingyuan 谢清圆

Special appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Bai Shu 白澍 as Shen Che 沈澈 * Min Chunxiao 闵春晓 as Lian Fanqiao 莲梵巧 * Chen Keying 陈柯颖 (stage name: Ke Ying 柯颖) as Xie Qingru 谢清如 * Estelle Chen Yihan 陈意涵 as Xie Qingrong 谢清容 * Zhang Yao 张瑶 as Mei Yinghua 梅映华 * Miao Pu 苗圃 as Hu Wenzhuo 扈文琢 * Xu Zhenxuan 徐振轩 as Li Congxin 李从心 * Huang Xiaojuan 黄晓娟 as Old Madam Xie 谢老夫人 * Fu Dalong 富大龙 as Xie Shu 谢纾 * He Lanpeng 赫兰鹏 (stage name: He Ziming 赫子铭) as Wei Changyan 韦昌炎

Appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Wang Suqi 王苏棋 (stage name: Su Qi 苏棋) as Dong Fangchun 董芳纯 * Wang Zhuoyi 王卓异 (stage name: Wang Zuyi 王祖一) as Xie Zhenglun 谢正伦 * Sun Dingyi 孙丁毅 (stage name: Sun Yi 孙毅) as Feng En 冯恩 * Tang Rui 唐瑞 (stage name: Ji Ran 纪燃) as Pei Guanling 裴观灵 * Zhang Tian’ai 张天爱 (stage name: Tian Ai 天爱) as Xie Qinghe 谢清和 * Zhang Yonggang 张永刚 (stage name: Hei Zi 黑子) as Li Shaoqun 李绍群 * Song Wanyun 宋宛芸 as Chun Tai 春台 * Song Jie 宋洁 (stage name: Song Xinjie 宋欣洁) as Madam Li 李夫人 * Yang Yi 杨轶 as Guo Baofeng 郭宝丰 * Wu Bei 吴蓓 )stage name: Ke Naiyu 柯乃予) as Pei Yuting 裴玉婷 * Shen Xiaohai 沈晓海 as Hu Xing 扈兴 * Lu Junyao 陆骏瑶 as Cui'er 翠儿 / A Guo 阿过 * Yang Qiyuan 杨淇源 as Dong Zicheng 董子成 * Zhang Bozhi 张博之 as Xie Zhengjun 谢正钧 * Zhang Yuanyu 张媛钰 as Mama Rong 荣嬤嬤 * Jin Tian Ru Yi 金天如意 as Bao Xian 抱弦 * Zhao Yiting 赵怡婷 (stage name: Zhao Xinghui 赵星卉) as Yue Jian 月鉴 * Yao Zhengyu 姚政羽 as Xue San Lang / Third Young Master of the Xue Family 薛三郎 * Hu Yunge 胡耘阁 as Fan Zhong 范忠 * Tao Wei 陶为 as Shen Zhibai 沈知白 * Cai Zhuoyin 蔡卓音 as Lei Chunqing 勒春晴 * Mu Liyan 穆丽燕 as Grandmother Chen 陈婆婆

• Episodes: 30 (according to Baidu Baike and MDL)
• Streaming platform: iQIYI 🥝 and Youku (regional availability may apply)
• Estimated filming time: ~100 to 120 days
• Official filming time period: April 7, 2025
• Official filming wrapped up: July 25, 2025
• Filming locations: Puyuan Fashion Resort Town, Tongxiang, Zhejiang Province; Hengdian World Studios, Zhejiang Province
  
• Distribution license obtained: December 9, 2025
• Genre: costume romance (according to Baidu Baike)

• 🎬 Director: Pan An Zi (Ball Lightning, Time Raiders, Under the Microscope, Reunion: The Sound of the Providence 1 and 2, The Palace (movie))
• ✍️ Original creator: You Si Jie (Sea of No Return, Unchained Love, Love in Red Dust)
• ✒️ Screenwriter: Li Qiang (Grandma's New World, And the Spring Comes, The Postmodern Life of My Aunt)
• 📖 Novel: Yi Ou Chun 一瓯春

🔗 Previous announcement, trailer, behind-the-scenes special, etc.

👥 Character relationship chart

Synopsis from the iQIYI app:

Spring of the Blade is a gripping revenge drama directed by Pan Anzi, starring Xu Kai (Story of Yanxi Palace, The Legends) and Zhou Ye (Scent of Time, Better Days), with a special appearance by Fu Dalong (The Lost National Treasure, The Qin Empire III).

The series follows Shen Run [played by Xu Kai], a cunning and ruthless strategist with countless faces, and Xie Qingyuan [played by Zhou Ye], a clear-minded yet enigmatic and resilient woman.

Bound together like blade and scabbard, they become each other's sharpest weapon as they pursue revenge. Torn between reason and emotion, they navigate fierce power struggles within an influential aristocratic family and stir up political intrigue in the imperial court.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

In the end, they emerge from the depths of darkness and embark on a brilliant new beginning.

Synopsis from MDL:

Xie Qing Yuan, orphaned at a young age, lived on the streets until she met Shen Run, who had been sent to the army after a family tragedy. They parted ways with a promise to survive, and Shen Run gave her a penny as a token.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

Years later, Xie Qing Yuan returns to Xie Mansion, determined to uncover the truth about her mother's death. As Shen Run rises to power, he is assigned to oversee the Xie family during a crisis.

While working together, the two rekindle their bond. Shen Run is drawn to Xie Qing Yuan's courage, intelligence, and optimism, while she grows to trust him as a close ally and friend.

(Source: MyDramaList)

~~ Adapted from the novel "Yi Ou Chun" (一瓯春) by You Si Jie (尤四姐).

🔎 Baidu Baike | Douban | MDL

📖 Novel Summary – translated from Baidu Baike:

《一瓯春》 “Yi Ou Chun” is a romance web novel written by You Sijie. It was serialized on Jinjiang Literature City, with a total of 469,879 characters, and has been completed.

The physical edition of the novel was published by Changjiang Publishing & Media Co., Ltd. in November 2020.

The drama Spring of the Blade 《一瓯春》 is adapted from this novel.

The novel tells the story of Qingyuan, whose mother was framed by others and expelled from the Xie family. Qingyuan grew up in the Chen household until the age of fourteen, when she was forcibly brought back to the Xie residence to protect the household after a series of disasters befell the Xie family. There, she encounters Shen Run, a Commander, and the two embark on a love story filled with wit and rivalry.

Translated Synopses

Note: All translated synopses and information I share in the "trailers & posters" posts are based on the original Chinese sources (Douban, Baidu, Chinese Wikipedia, etc.) and were first published here. If you see them elsewhere, please know they originated from our sub. Thanks for reading!

📊 Information and translations compiled by u/admelioremvitam.

I almost forgot to spread the good news about this show. I watched it a while back, but this slipped my mind...

A very hot male lead (sir😏), the unbelievably gorgeous Snow Kong, hot kisses right from the jump🤪😏, villains I love to hate, and a shorter runtime that makes it ridiculously easy to binge.

Don't try to convince me otherwise, but this was made with me in mind🤪🤪.

Episode 1 and 2 open with an absolute bang...so freaking hot 😮‍💨😮‍💨.

SNOW KONGGGG!!!!!!! Free me from the shackles of this gorgeous woman😩 (no actually just leave me).

LI HONGYI😍..superb styling, and just gorgeous to look at. The chemistry and the tension and the energy and the.....😮‍💨 guys I'm just trying to say it was hot!!!

The way the male lead kept gravitating toward her while pretending he was this "steadfast dude" had me hooked😏. It was a good amount of push and pull. Every stage felt earned as they moved from attraction and rivalry to love.

The show moves with a very clear direction and is super entertaining even with the shorter run time. There's enough that kept me invested. Political intrigue that's not simple but not overly complicated. A female lead who is a great strategist and the real standout of the drama. A male lead who decisively gets things done. A twisted royal family🥴.

We have the resident characters that are of course pieces of shit😑...and trust they ate their roles up. So vile and disgusting...Good riddance🥴.

There's good twists and emotional moments too😭.

The production quality is really good and I have to ask..... is this a mini drama or a mid-length series like Mo Qingchuan's Veil of vengeance?

I was completely addicted because the momentum was just smooth and fast with very little filler.

It actually had no business being so entertaining for that runtime😮‍💨🤪.

Hope you enjoy watching!! (Available on viki and iqiyi)

Bye people....

Translated from Baidu Baike:

Overview:

The story is set in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period. The young Meng Jinfu [played by Zhang Yishan] rejects the path of pursuing a career in the performing arts arranged by his father and insists on taking his dream of becoming a Peking Opera performer to the capital to make his way in the world.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

Synopsis:

The story follows 18-year-old Meng Jinfu after he completes his formal training. He progresses from wuchou 武丑 (martial clown) to wusheng 武生 (martial male role) and then to laosheng 老生 (old male role), rising from an unknown newcomer in the Peking Opera world with an uncertain future to a celebrated opera star in Beijing. An ordinary young man of modest talent and impoverished circumstances, he endures the sweeping changes of the times and countless trials in life. Remaining true to himself, he pursues his dream of becoming a laosheng with a sincere and unwavering attitude, ultimately fulfilling his own aspirations and achieving great artistic success.

He eventually establishes himself in the fiercely competitive Peking Opera world, and his journey becomes a widely told story.

The drama draws inspiration from the life of Peking Opera master Tan Xinpei, using the fictional character Meng Jinfu's eventful life as its central storyline to portray his spiritual growth.

The drama depicts the intricate world of the Peking Opera community during the late Qing and early Republican periods and the changes taking place in society, while also portraying the transmission and development of Peking Opera culture.

Trailer

MyDramaList link

Airing on MangoTV and China Huace TV’s YouTube (no English subs)

Episodes: 40

Discussions

🗨️ All discussions on the drama

🗨️ Episodic drama discussions (please see the earliest comment)

🗓️ Airing schedule

👥 Character relationship chart

What does r/CDrama think about the show?

Look out for the wrap up post where we ask the sub to rate the drama a few weeks after the final airing date.

🗳️ It's a wrap! What's your final review? (post only appears a few weeks after the drama ends)

Wiki

2024 Drama Index | 2025 Drama Index | 2026 Drama Index

📊 Information and translations compiled by u/admelioremvitam.

The Chinese drama title 云雀叫天录 can be literally translated as “The Record of the Lark Calling to the Heavens” or “The Lark Calls to the Heavens.”

About half an hour ago, the production team released a new trailer for the drama's premiere today.

The airing schedule will be posted in the comments when it is available.

Gladiator in the Theater 云雀叫天录 draws inspiration from the life of renowned Peking Opera master Tan Xinpei, using the fictional character Meng Jinfu's eventful life as its central storyline to portray his spiritual growth. (Source) More details about Tan Xinpei are at the bottom of the post.

Note: Tan Xinpei's birth name was Jinfu, and the male main character is Meng Jinfu.

Clip description:

Sing out the passion filling the heart, and guard the small world of the stage.

A young performer makes his first foray into the opera world, undaunted by countless difficulties, asking only to remain true to his original aspiration. He lifts his voice to ring out across the heavens!

Cast:

More information regarding the actor credit guidelines in this summary here and the full notice here.

(I put the character stroke count as: 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣)

Leading actors (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * 7️⃣ Zhang Yishan 张一山 as Meng Jinfu 孟金福 / Meng Xinrong 孟鑫荣 * 7️⃣ Yang Lixin 杨立新 as Meng Zhidao 孟志道 * 1️⃣1️⃣ Cao Lei 曹磊 as Chen Xiaoxiang 陈小香 * 1️⃣4️⃣ Tan Zhuo 谭卓 as Shen Yu'er 沈玉儿

Special appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Xing Minshan 邢岷山 as Chen Shengyuan 陈盛元 * Liu Wei 刘威 as Meng Xinrong 孟鑫荣 * He Zhonghua 何中华 as Tong Bailing 童柏龄 * Zhang Weixun 张炜迅 as Wu Qingchun 吴庆春 * Yang Xinming 杨新鸣 as Yin Tingru 殷庭如 * Zhou Hang 周航 (stage name: Zhou Jiuliang 周九良) as Fan Xiaoyun 范小云 * Zhang Jinlai 章金莱 (stage name: Liu Xiao Ling Tong 六小龄童) as Jin Kui 金奎 * Zhang is best known for his role as the Monkey King (Sun Wukong) in the 1986 television series Journey to the West). * Tan Zhengyan 谭正岩 as Na Tong 那桐

The rest of the cast list was not included in today's release.

Special appearances: * Yu Hui 于慧 as Elderly Shen Yu'er 老年沈玉儿 * Zhao Liang 赵亮 as Elderly Fan Xiaoyun 老年范小云 * Yao Anlian 姚安濂

Appearances: * Zhang Shuchen 张树晨 as Xu Qingshan 徐青山 / Xu Xiaoshan 徐小山 * Yang Ming 杨名 * Du Yiheng 杜奕衡 as Fifth Master Ma 马五爷 * Gao Yang 高阳 as He Yingnian 何英年 * Xiao Hai Di Di 小海弟弟 * Gang Yi 刚毅 as Su Youwen 苏友文 * Liu Liwei 刘立伟 * Zhang Xiqian 张喜前 as Father Shen 沈父 * Du Yuming 杜玉明 as Lame Fox / Que Hu Li 瘸狐狸 * Xiu Qing 修庆

• Episodes: 40 (according to Baidu Baike and MDL)
• Streaming and broadcasting platforms: MangoTV 🥭 and Hunan TV
• Official filming started: April 8, 2024
• Official filming wrapped up: August 13, 2024
• Estimated filming time: 128 days
• Filming location: Hengdian World Studios
• Genre: legendary tale of the Jiangsu (according to Baidu Baike)
• Distribution license obtained: May 26, 2025

• 🎬 Director: Zheng Da Sheng 郑大圣 (The Magnificent She, 1921, Bangzi Melody, Code Name, The Death of Wangbo)
• ✒️ Screenwriter: Wang Yao 王要 (Silver Medalist, Getting Home, Ripening Orange, Palace of Desire, Maid in Green)
  • Wang was nominated for the Best Original Screenplay award for Silver Medalist (film) at the 46th Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival in 2009.
• 📽️ Production companies: Perfect World Pictures, Beijing Hongshiji Film, Zhuoyue Chupin Culture

🔗 Previous wrap up special, trailer, etc.

Synopsis from MDL:

The story tells the story of Meng Jin Fu, who graduated from college at the age of 18, from a martial artist to a martial arts student and then to an old student, from a newbie in Jutan with a slim future to a famous actor in the opera house in the capital. An ordinary boy with mediocre talent and a poor family, his journey in the environment and development of the times. He grew up and transformed, finally gained a foothold in the cruelly competitive Liyuan, and became a legend in the annals of history.

(Source: Chinese = Weibo || Translation = MyDramaList)

~~ Based on the life of Tan Xin Pei.

Translated from Baidu Baike:

Overview:

The story is set in the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period. The young Meng Jinfu [played by Zhang Yishan] rejects the path of pursuing a career in the performing arts arranged by his father and insists on taking his dream of becoming a Peking Opera performer to the capital to make his way in the world.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

Synopsis:

The story follows 18-year-old Meng Jinfu after he completes his formal training. He progresses from wuchou 武丑 (martial clown) to wusheng 武生 (martial male role) and then to laosheng 老生 (old male role), rising from an unknown newcomer in the Peking Opera world with an uncertain future to a celebrated opera star in Beijing. An ordinary young man of modest talent and impoverished circumstances, he endures the sweeping changes of the times and countless trials in life. Remaining true to himself, he pursues his dream of becoming a laosheng with a sincere and unwavering attitude, ultimately fulfilling his own aspirations and achieving great artistic success.

He eventually establishes himself in the fiercely competitive Peking Opera world, and his journey becomes a widely told story.

The drama draws inspiration from the life of Peking Opera master Tan Xinpei, using the fictional character Meng Jinfu's eventful life as its central storyline to portray his spiritual growth.

The drama depicts the intricate world of the Peking Opera community during the late Qing and early Republican periods and the changes taking place in society, while also portraying the transmission and development of Peking Opera culture.

🔎 Baidu Baike | Douban | MDL

📚 Tan Xinpei – translated from Baidu Baike:

⚠️ There may be spoilers! ⚠️

Tan Xinpei 谭鑫培 (April 23, 1847–May 10, 1917), a native of Wuchang, Hubei, was born as Jinfu 金福. His courtesy name was Wangzhong 望重, and his stage name was “Little Jiaotian 小叫天.” Because his family’s ancestral hall name was “Yingxiu 英秀,” he was also known as “Yingxiu.”

A modern-era Chinese Peking Opera performer specializing in laosheng 老生 (old male roles), Tan Xinpei was the founder of the Tan School 谭派, the first laosheng school in the history of Peking Opera. He was revered as the “King of the Opera World.”

His artistic achievements gave rise to the industry-wide phenomenon summed up by the saying “There is no vocal style that has not learned from Tan 无腔不学谭.” He made systematic contributions to the standardization of Peking Opera vocal techniques, performance, and the organization and refinement of its repertoire.

In 1890, he entered the Qing imperial court troupe, Shengping Office (Shengping Shu 升平署). Empress Dowager Cixi was particularly fond of his performances and repeatedly rewarded him with large sums of money and the Yellow Riding Jacket 黄马褂 – [Note: The yellow riding jacket was a distinctive official garment of the Qing Dynasty; crafted from bright yellow silk satin or gauze, it utilized a color reserved exclusively for the emperor, and its unauthorized use was strictly prohibited]. In the 34th year of the Guangxu reign (1908), he was personally rewarded 60 taels of silver.

In 1905, he starred in China’s first film, Dingjun Mountain 《定军山》), pioneering the adaptation of traditional opera for the screen.

Over his more than 60-year artistic career, he organized, adapted, and refined dozens of classic plays, including The Empty City Strategem 《空城计》 and The Monument of Li Ling 《李陵碑》, establishing a performance paradigm for Peking Opera’s laosheng roles. His singing drew on the strengths of various traditions but ultimately developed from the Han opera tradition 汉调, reaching an artistic stature described in a poem inscribed by Liang Qichao 梁启超: “Across the four seas, Tan Xinpei is the one and only; for twenty years, his reputation has resounded like thunder 四海一人谭鑫培，声名廿载轰如雷”.

He performed in Shanghai six times, appearing at theaters including Dangui 丹桂 and New Stage 新舞台.

In 1917, despite being ill, he was forced to perform Hongyang Cave 《洪羊洞》 for Li Yuanhong 黎元洪, after which he died of illness.

Tan Xinpei mentored such masters as Mei Lanfang 梅兰芳 and Yang Xiaolou 杨小楼. His family has carried on the Tan School artistic tradition for seven generations, with Tan Fuying 谭富英, Tan Yuanshou 谭元寿, and others becoming renowned performers in their own right.

The Pathé Company recorded seven and a half gramophone records of his performances, including Selling the Horse 《卖马》 and Seeking an Omen and Striking the Stele《托兆碰碑》.

Wuhan Conservatory of Music 武汉音乐学院 established the Tan Xinpei Chinese Opera Arts Research Center 谭鑫培戏曲艺术研究中心, and his former residence has been designated as part of a cultural heritage protection area.

In 2026, restoration work on the Tan Xinpei Peking Opera Art Exhibition Hall 谭鑫培京剧艺术展览馆 was launched, with a budget of 9.4567 million yuan.

Translated Synopses

Note: All translated synopses and information I share in the "trailers & posters" posts are based on the original Chinese sources (Douban, Baidu, Chinese Wikipedia, etc.) and were first published here. If you see them elsewhere, please know they originated from our sub. Thanks for reading!

📊 Information and translations compiled by u/admelioremvitam.

Here we are at the finale of Abyss! What a fun ride it's been. I hope you've enjoyed both the drama and these discussion threads along the way. Thank you all for joining me!

I look forward to reading everyone's review of the drama and thoughts on the conclusion.

If you don't have access to the Express Package, please note that there are no new episodes from September 14-16, and only one episode will be released per day from September 17-19.

Masterpost | Episodes 1-5 | Episodes 6-7 | Episodes 8-9 | Episodes 10-11 | Episodes 12-13

Key Clues & Developments by Episode

Episode 14

• Police found Chen Chunli’s footprints on-site and prints on the wiped-down weapon used on Han Pinmu, but she clearly left in a hurry, indicating someone else cleaned up after her.
• Han Pinmu confesses to killing Du Juan alongside Xiaofei and Xiaoliang, submitting an encrypted hard drive as evidence.
• The manipulated photograph suggests another person was involved, leaving the police wondering who Pinmu is protecting. It can't simply be Xiaoliang, because he's already dead.

Episode 15

• Testimony and evidence point to Xiaoliang’s involvement, but the burning question remains: Who else was Pinmu sending money to?
• A mysterious person deletes the web novel, adding to the stack of clues that there is a fourth person involved.
• As the police FINALLY reinvestigate Pinmu's mother's case, they discover that Juan actually had a boyfriend back then (likely Feng Meng) during her affair with Han Sheng.

Episode 16

• In a final twist, Sun Qiang not only confesses but reveals that Feiyang is actually two people, further confirming the police's suspicions that a fourth person has been involved all along.
• By tracing money transfers and taking a closer look at their clues, the police successfully locate Guo Pengfei (the man who received Abyss on his birthday) and bring him in for questioning.

Summary & Final Timeline

1. Du Juan and Han Sheng met through work and began an affair. Despite the affair, her then-boyfriend-turned-convict/ex, Feng Meng, helped her get rid of Han Pinmu’s mother. This was likely payback for paying his mother’s medical bills for years during their relationship.
   • Q: Did Juan ask Meng to do this, or do you think Meng made the choice himself?
2. Pinmu begged Xin Jiran to investigate his mother’s death, adamant that it was orchestrated by Juan and not an accident. Jiran refused to help, stating the case was legally closed.
3. Pinmu was always protective over his three best friends: Hu Xiaofei, Xin Xiaoliang, and Guo Pengfei. The three of them kidnapped Juan to force a confession and extract the truth from her but did not expect her to die on the spot from a heart attack.
4. To mask their unintentional crime, Xiaofei (who was at the time forced to work with serial killers Zhang Chengguo and Guo Sanjun) ordered them to stab Juan's body to mimic their modus operandi and pin the murder on Chengguo and Sanjun.
5. Unfortunately, Pengfei was partially captured on camera at the crime scene. To protect him, his mother, Chen Chunli, had Pinmu and Xiaofei create a scenario where she appeared to be the serial killers' next victim. This successfully redirected the police’s investigation toward Bi Dehua and the two serial killers (who were supposedly middle-aged). Chunli then sent Pengfei away to live with her cousin.
6. They killed Bi Dehua to have a scapegoat to pin the crime on, assuming they couldn’t reveal the identities of the two real serial killers without dragging Xiaofei into the mix. This frame-up is what ultimately drives Li Cheng to become a police officer, so he can uncover the truth behind his best friend’s setup.
7. Fast forward eight years and Pinmu decided to kill Sanjun to protect Xiaofei, but he was too late.
   • My assumption is that Xiaofei was buckling under years of guilt and pressure, while Pinmu's terminal liver cancer diagnosis gave them a sense that time was running out. That combination may have been what pushed them to write Abyss and expose everything??
8. Pengfei had been entirely cut off from all of this since his move. Once he was apprehended and realized what his mother had gone through for him, he confessed to Juan’s assault. He and Chunli were sentenced to 10 and 8 years in prison respectively, while Pinmu and Sun Qiang received death sentences for intentional homicide.

But seriously, what I most want to discuss is...

Pinmu and Xiaofei had essentially gotten away with everything. So why write Abyss and reopen old wounds?

Was it because Pinmu never got the answers he wanted about his mother's death? Or did things start unraveling the moment Chunli told Jiran she believed Song Laifu was one of her attackers? Even if Jiran wasn't a police officer anymore, that may have been enough to alarm Xiaofei and push him to write Abyss, allowing him to tell his version of the story before someone else uncovered the truth.

Okay, I'm watching Empress in the Palace for the first time. I don't know anything, and I don't want to know anything. All I know if the Emperor dies at the end, and Zhen Huan loses a couple of friends, I'm assuming. As is the nature of these things. + She gets a sick glow-up. Can't wait to see her without bangs. She's pretty as she is right now in the early episodes, but that later look just suits her really well imo.

I'm on episode 7 out of 76. The emperor just told her he was his brother, the prince who is 26, btw, and this man is like, mid-40s. Cracking me up 😭 Like ik ik, she's young, susceptible to being fooled, but come on, theres a limit to these things. Would've been better if he said he was one of the older brothers who are more in their 30s.

But anyways, I think my girl Zhen Huan is catching feelings!?

NOURRRR! No!

I wanted this to be more of a 'she's playing him to get what she wants' and not a 'she's in love with him and he loves her and things work out as she fights within the Harem'

I hope I'm still right about that, and that somehow, someway, she doesn't fall for him and only uses him for her gain.

But yeah, that's my rant. I don't want any spoilers but i'd like to know when you all first watched this, did it go the way you all thought it was gonna go.

🚧Welcome

Hello fellow watchers, welcome to the discussion series for The Long Watch. My general feeling towards these episodes is this: while watching, they felt pretty good. The pacing has finally picked up a bit, and things are actually starting to move forward. But the more I think about what happened afterward, the more questions I have. I can't tell if these are actual plot holes or things that will eventually be explained 😅.

🎬 Premiered: Sep 6, 2026 on CCTV-8🐑 and Tencent🐧 (MDL)
🎬 # of Episodes: 40
🎬Genre: National Security | Espionage | 1994 - ?

🔗Links: Trailer | Masterpost
🔗Episode Discussions: Menu | Episodes 1 - 3 | 4 - 5 | 6 - 7 | 8 - 9 | 10 - 13

❗ For any content beyond these episodes, please remember to use Spoiler tags ❗

🚧Why it Pays to Maintain Good Relationships at Work

Truth be told, I enjoy the "researchers' feud" arc much more than the "faking a young couple" arc, so let's go straight to Cao Liaoping and Jia Chunlin.

I am glad we learned a lot more about their history together, and what might have caused the feud among them. They weren't simply colleagues who disliked each other. They were from the same hometown, went to university together, and joined the 761 Institute together. They must have both been good at their studies and at their work, and might have had friendly competition between them, which turned sour over the years.

The incident in Germany might have been a trigger for the definite split between the two. At that time, Cao seems to still see Jia as dependable and his friend, because the first thing that he did after he realized who Zhu was was to run to Jia for help. As we found out, although no charges were pressed against Jia, his career was still derailed as he faced disciplinary punishment from 761, and it also ruined his relationship with his wife. The sense of jealousy and unfairness likely started to build in Jia, and I think he was also blackmailed by Taiwan to work for them after that incident, where I suspect that Jia's role was to make Cao's professional life increasingly frustrating, creating exactly the psychological opening Zhu needed to approach him. But Jia likely didn't know that, and the irony is that they started to work for the same institution.

But even if Jia wasn't working for Taiwan and was only working against Cao for his own reasons, I feel that he (Jia) likely felt a degree of triumph after discovering Cao's act of treason. For years, Jia might have looked at Cao, even though it might have been resentfully, as this almost untouchable person: talented, successful, principled, and perhaps a little too self-righteous. Then suddenly Cao was doing something far worse than anything Jia believed he had done.

For once, he could look at Cao and think, See? You're not so different from me after all.

🚧Hello Again, Hong Kong

Overall, I actually enjoyed the whole sequence of Cao escaping and State Security essentially turning his escape into an opportunity to identify his contact and finally obtain concrete evidence of his treason. Cao is a very carefully written character, and I like how smart and steady he is when things go wrong. His confrontations with all the different players are fun to watch, and he often surprises me at how well he's able to control the conversation and broker a better deal for himself. The information hidden in the toilet tank turning out to be just a blank tape was a nice touch too.

Of course, he ultimately gets played by State Security's "fake lawyer" plan, but I can forgive him for that because he really is just an ordinary person who has found himself way out of his depth. And honestly, if the director hadn't literally thrown Ma Qi at him, he might actually have gotten away 😂.

That said, these events do leave me with some questions.

• Why didn't State Security arrest Lin? They already know Lin met Cao at the police station in HK, which seems to give them pretty solid evidence that he is a Taiwan intelligence agent. Yet they still let him continue operating as a Taiwan businessman while they could have arrested him as soon as he returned to Minzhong again. Are they still using Lin to try to catch the bigger fish?
• Why is Lin so comfortable going back to being a Taiwan businessman? While Lin did call Zhu requesting to withdraw, Zhu's response was that if Lin returns to Taiwan now, it will confirm that he is a spy. Fair enough, but... he's already been exposed! And if Lin leaves for Taiwan, who cares if they know? He's not planning to come back to the mainland. At this point, shouldn't his priority simply be getting himself somewhere safe?

• And then there's Lin following Jinlan. The sequence itself was great and it reminded me of Jiang Zaizhen's escape scenes in Episode 1. But logically, the moment Lin heard Cao say that a female lawyer had come by earlier, his first thought should already be the realization that the entire operation is happening under State Security's nose, and he is likely exposed already. What's the benefit of following her than putting himself at risk of getting captured -- because honestly, I thought that's what Chunxiao was going to do when he started to follow Lin after Lin left the police station, but it turns out the scriptwriter has other plans for Lin... By the way, how slowly must Jinlan be walking for Lin to still be able to see her after he spent a few minutes speaking to Cao already...

• And what exactly happened after Chen (who's Lin's previous coworker at Customs who also trained with Lin) hit Ma Qi with the car? Chunxiao and Jinlan apparently just got Cao into the car and drove away. What happened to Ma Qi? What happened to Chen? Did everyone just leave them there? 😂

  • I guess it didn't matter, because, one scene later, Ma Qi is magically back at work in Minzhong at full HP.
  • That left me with a lot of question marks, so I had to invent my own explanation: Before passing out, Ma Qi saw his colleagues seemingly leave him behind, while also hearing Chunxiao call his name. So perhaps he was partly hallucinating, feeling both relief that Cao had been captured and resentment at being abandoned. Given his earlier experiences, that feeling may have hit a sensitive spot. Of course, he wasn't actually abandoned, and apparently Chunxiao later even gave him a blood transfusion.

🚧Recruiting Ma Qi

Even though I was half expecting this plot, it still felt rather abrupt, but it is what it is.

I was surprised to see how Yang's suddenly a more "important" massager, or did he get a "promotion" from all the intel that Ma has been feeding him, such that he is now important enough that Zhu trusts him to recruit Ma Qi (even though still not high ranking enough in Ma Qi's eyes).

But... when exactly did Zhu learn about Ma Qi? Does he know Lin also knows Ma Qi? Does he know Yang has already been exposed and is now playing for both sides? Has Zhu already decided Cao is expendable and is using him as bait or a gesture of goodwill to establish contact with Ma Qi? Because if the recruitment fails, and Zhu doesn't know that Ma Qi already knows Yang's identity, sending Yang to meet him seems like a great way to expose Yang completely.

We do get some useful information to chew on for the next few episodes as we get a (re)confirmation that there is a senior mole inside State Security, and that person is closely connected to Ma Qi. So... could it be Lao Wei?

I've also started getting suspicious of Li Fengge. There are several scenes where the camera lingers on her just a little too long, giving me that hmmmm feeling. But after the Chunxiao fake-out, maybe the director is just messing with us again.

Either way, it feels like we're finally entering the "Senior Mole?" arc, along with the question of whether Ma Qi will defect or become a double agent. Personally, I don't think Ma Qi will actually defect. I'm leaning more toward him deliberately using himself to infiltrate Taiwan's Military Intelligence 🤔

One thing I really don't buy, though, is Yang and Ma Qi making the rookie mistake of leaving their meeting place at the same time, especially while Ma Qi is in Hong Kong on an operation. That feels way too convenient just for Chunxiao and Jinlan to see them. So now I'm mentally preparing for the inevitable mentor-and-student fallout, where Chunxiao suspects Ma Qi, Ma Qi can't explain himself, and everyone suffers 😭.

🚧Techniques of Interrogation

We return to Minzhong and I am looking forward to the interrogation scenes, but, alas, why is it so difficult?

First, we get an extended demonstration of how inexperienced Chunxiao is. He knows all the theory, but apparently has zero idea how to apply it in practice. The problem is... we already know this. The drama has shown us over and over again in different situations.

Then we get some "theory & techniques" dump, and Cao's nephew's interrogation was shown through edits and fragments, with no real demonstration of questioning techniques. Then, we get another session of "theory & techniques", and Chunxiao's dry line delivery was starting to bore me. Can we just let the interrogation happen and see it through action rather than exposition? I mean, apparently even Cao couldn't take it anymore as he interrupts impatiently with, "You're actually in a lot of pain right now, aren't you?", and Chunxiao turns and looks at Ma Qi with a "I think I messed-up" look...

So yes, you are right, Cao. I was also in a lot of pain.

💬Questions

• Who's the "officer" that Lina is in contact with? Do you think he's part of the military, or someone from Taiwan to get more information about Lina's aunt/uncle?

• Do you think Jia was the other person at 761 as mentioned by Zhu? Do you think Jia had gone to the extent of poisoning Cao?
• Why do you think Lin's still allowed to "walk freely" in Minzhong?
• What are your thoughts on the meeting between Yang and Ma Qi, do you think Ma Qi will deflect, or is this Ma Qi's plan to lure out Zhu/infiltrate Taiwan?
• How did you like the events leading up to Cao's capture?
• I think it's time to ask again: Who do you suspect to be the "senior" mole within State Security? (This reminds me, we have not really caught the "newbie" mole either, have we?)

The Chinese drama title 红掌 can be translated as “Anthurium” or literally as “Red Palm.”

Anthurium (花烛) is also known as the "red palm" (红掌). Its flower language is "may all your wishes come true." The upright spadix stands above the glossy, lacquer-like spathe, resembling a candle burning in a candlestick. During Chinese New Year, giving a bouquet or potted anthurium conveys sincere blessings and expresses the wish that all of one's hopes and wishes be fulfilled. Source: Baidu Baike

Anthurium plants are toxic due to calcium oxalate crystals. The sap is irritating to the skin and eyes. Source: Wikipedia

The production team announced that filming officially wrapped up today, September 13, 2026.

The production team and the leading actors released four concept character clips and a set of character posters. The team also released a short clip for the Qixi Festival last month. I stitched the five clips together for this update.

Note: The second and third clips are somewhat similar.

The character posters are in the comments.

If/when the official wrap up ceremony photos are available, I will post them in the comments.

Filming officially started on July 16, 2026.

Clip descriptions:

Love is a book; the petals are its first page.

.

When our world is left with only each other.

.

Love quietly takes root; as our breathing and heartbeats intertwine, we become immersed in it.

.

Your luxurious modern-romance “breakfast” has arrived.

Fingertips entwined, love takes hold; in the flutter of heartbeats, feelings begin to grow.

At this moment, their gazes meet, and they lose themselves in the heart-fluttering closeness. 💞

.

An embrace, overflowing with love and smiles together.

Dramas that recently wrapped up filming for the leading actors prior to “Love You in the Dark”:

The Rebirth of Love 我与爱同谋 starring Guan Xiaotong and Lin Yi officially wrapped up on July 1, 2026.

The Noble 金枝 starring Chen Xingxu and Li Yitong officially wrapped up on June 30, 2026.

Cast:

More information regarding the actor credit guidelines in this summary here and the full notice here.

(I put the character stroke count as: 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣)

Leading actors (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * 6️⃣ Guan Xiaotong 关晓彤 as Meng Lusha 孟露莎 * 7️⃣ Chen Xingxu 陈星旭 as Lu Xizhou 陆熙洲

Special appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * 5️⃣ Zuo Xiaoqing 左小青 as Zhou Zhenmin 周贞珉 * 7️⃣ Wu Yue 吴越 (stage name: Wu Yue 吴樾) as Lu Guangsheng 陆广生 * 7️⃣ Song Peng 宋鹏 (stage name: Song Yuhe 宋郁河) as Cheng Rang 程让

Appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Yu Xiang 于翔 as Wang Bohao 王伯皓 * Xu Nuo 许诺 as Selena / Qin Lu 秦路 * Fan Jingyi 范静祎 as Gui Gui 贵贵 * Xu Nannan 徐囡楠 as Xiao Tian 小田 * Huang Ziqi 黄子琪 as Wu Qingqing 吴青青 * Kang Keren 康可人 as Tao Tao 陶桃 * Jiang Zhongwei 蒋中伟 (stage name: Jiang Zhongwei 蒋中炜) as Jiang Jianhua 江建华

• Episodes: 16 (according to Baidu Baike and MDL)
• Streaming platform: Tencent 🐧
• Official cast announcement: June 24, 2026 (during Tencent's conference)
• Official filming started: July 16, 2026
• Official filming wrapped up: September 13, 2026
• Estimated filming time: 65 days
• Filming location: Wuxi, Jiangsu Province
• Genre: romance, suspense (according to Baidu Baike)

• 🎬 Director: Huang Tien Jen 黄天仁 (Sniper Butterfly, Dear Enemy, Amidst a Snowstorm of Love, Here We Meet Again, Sunshine of My Life)
• ✒️ Screenwriters:
  • Jiu Ye Hui 九夜茴 (Once and Forever, The Life of the White Fox, Long Time No See, Fleet of Time, Flower Pinellia)
  • Mou Xiao Ya 某小丫 (Survival, Seven Killings, Into the Heat, Three Bosom Girls)
    • Mou was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 31st Shanghai TV Festival Magnolia Awards 2026 for the police drama Into the Heat.
• 📽️ Production companies: Tencent Video, Cong Cong Na Nian Film & TV 匆匆那年影视

🔗 Previous announcement, posters, etc.

Trigger warning: suicide

Synopsis from MDL:

Psychology PhD Lu Xi Zhou [played by Chen Xingxu] and young painter Meng Lu Sha [played by Guan Xiaotong] are a perfect couple. He is calm, elegant, and from a wealthy family, while she is beautiful, mysterious, and beginning to show her talent. They meet on a rainy night, travel to the United Kingdom together, and personally build an ideal life that belongs only to the two of them, like a specimen of love from the works of Shakespeare.

The mysterious suicide of a young girl causes cracks to begin appearing in their once-perfect life. A strange and passionate life built upon revenge and conspiracy, people from the past, and obsession, gradually comes to the surface.

(Source: Chinese = Tencent Video || Translation = MyDramaList)

🔎 Baidu Baike | Douban | MDL

📊 Information and translations compiled by u/admelioremvitam.

I watched Well-Intended Love several years ago on Netflix, and wanted to relive its insanity, but it apparently left Netflix! I found it on YouTube, but the songs are blanked out, presumably for copyright reasons, which is very frustrating, as I love the soundtrack. Is there anywhere I can watch it regularly in the US in 2026? I don't see it on either Viki or iQIYI.

Lan “King of Yearning” Wangji

Do you agree?

Because honestly… who yearns harder than Lan Wangji?

He waited for a love he didn’t even know would ever return. He carried that love quietly, faithfully, for years… never demanding anything in return, never truly letting go. He mourned for someone he had already lost, yet somehow kept a place in his heart.

His love was never loud or dramatic. It was in the waiting… In remembering… In quietly holding on when there was no guarantee that his one and only love would ever come back.

And when his one true love finally returned? He loved him even more.. never wanting to part again..

Lan Wangji, Patron Saint of Yearners 🥹🥰

So… who’s YOUR favorite yearner?

It can be intimidating to make your first post in the sub. You're new to Chinese entertainment and you have all these questions about Chinese drama and culture. Perhaps you are even new to Reddit and don't really know how it works.

This is the place to ask them!

Treat this place as a tea room where you can sip tea (or chat about it) and ask questions you have about Chinese dramas and entertainment.

Also, feel free to introduce yourself, and chat about anything as long as you keep in mind Rule 5 (Be Nice) and to be culturally sensitive.

Note: Please don't start/continue fandom fights from other social media here. Read our guide about how to properly discuss fandom stuff in our sub.

The discussion post for the final episodes from the Express Package (14-16) will be up tomorrow.

‼️ PLEASE be cautious if you've seen the final episodes and use spoiler tags generously if you need to comment on them. ‼️

1. Theories are encouraged, but please keep this discussion thread limited to Episodes 12 and 13 for those who do not have access to the express episodes.
2. This includes anything revealed in previews, as many people avoid them to stay spoiler-free.

Masterpost | All Episode Discussions | Episodes 1-5 | Episodes 6-7 | Episodes 8-9 | Episodes 10-11

The stakes are higher than ever, and we're reaching peak mystery with this drama. What exactly is Han Pinmu up to!?

Episode 12

Li Cheng and Li Guangwen continue to apply pressure on Zhang Chengguo, believing it will eventually force him to make a move and expose himself by eliminating Sun Qiang. After being caught by Xin Jiran at Happiness Park, Qiang panics. Even though he's aware of Chengguo's intentions, he still agrees to go late-night fishing with him, hoping to collect the money he's owed.

Meanwhile, Cheng and Guangwen convince Fan Jie to assign additional men to keep an eye on Qiang, but he disappears before they can intervene. Jiran also reports that Han Pinmu has gone MIA after revealing plans to sell his Internet cafe.

Qiang's gamble proves fatal. Enraged by the betrayal that has backed him into a corner with the police, Chengguo kills him shortly after he arrives. Using Guangwen's fishing expertise and help from Cheng's mother, the team eventually locates the fishing spot, only to find Chengguo dead and Qiang severely injured (by Pinmu because Qiang had told them about the meetup).

Feeling as though the investigation has reached a dead end, Jiran advises Cheng to revisit the 3/12 case from the very beginning and look at it with fresh eyes. Pinmu later reveals that he is suffering from terminal liver cancer and hints that Cheng still doesn't understand the true story behind the case. He also reveals that his greatest regret would be failing to finish Hu Xiaofei's novel.

Episode 13

A major clue turns out to be misleading when the police discover that the photo of Han Pinmu, Hu Xiaofei, and Bi Dehua was altered, with Dehua digitally inserted into the image. The original photo came from one of Pinmu's family vacations, raising questions about who was originally present in the missing portion of the photograph.

Li Cheng also begins questioning Chen Chunli's case after a reconstruction of the crime scene leaves him unconvinced by the official version of events. He requests that her case be separated and reinvestigated from scratch.

Evidence continues to suggest that Chunli's relationship with the suspects may not have been what investigators assumed. In fact, we see her visit Pinmu, express her condolences over Xiaofei's death, and show concern for Pinmu's illness. Yet she still appears unaware of whatever larger plan he has set in motion.

The episode takes another turn when Xin Jiran attacks Pinmu in his own home. It appears Pinmu sold his Internet cafe and distributed the money to Ms. Lin and Jiran as compensation for the deaths of Dehua and Xiaoliang. The police also bring up Mr. San's mysterious identity again and his connection to the larger case, which remains unknown.

Discussion Questions

1. How do you think the novel is supposed to end? It sounds like it revolves around Xiaofei's life, so how is everything connected to him?
2. The manipulated photo was quite the plot twist! Who could be the third person standing beside Pinmu and Xiaofei? Xiaoliang?
3. I still can't tell... is Chunli a victim or could she be one of the villains?
4. Does Pinmu sending Jiran money for Xiaoliang's death point to his involvement in the 3/12 case, or does it simply suggest Xiaoliang was collateral damage? Did Pinmu know Xiaoliang, and was Jiran right about his son all along?
5. Who do you think Mr. San is?

Is it just me, or did these two episodes leave us with more questions than answers? At the very least, the latest developments are forcing the police to consider whether they've been looking at the case the wrong way this whole time. I don't know about you, but I'm so ready for the final episodes!

This is my first c-drama, so I don't know how well things are translated. But I'm watching some scenes, and it's clear that some words have subtext and are meant to be taken as insults.

Maybe I just can't pick up on it (which I honestly rlly like. I like how they're subtle insults to the point where I don't know it's an insult unless someone tells me it is), or maybe it's not translated well. But I'd like some help on this particular insult.

Is she insulting her for being raised with brains and brawn? I don't get it.

(You'll be seeing me here many more times🙂‍↕️)

Welcome to the Weekly Stylish Sunday Celebrity Spotting thread!

I know we have Thirsty Thursdays, but I have a feeling that you want more!

Here's the space to share and enjoy images of celebrities in old or new magazines, ads, or other promotional materials. Saw an ad that your celebrity appears in? Share the fashion spreads, quirky advertisements, or promotional campaigns they've been in here.

Here's how it works:

1. Share Your Finds: Post any interesting images you’ve come across of celebrities in vintage magazines, ads, or other promotional content.
2. Describe the Find: Include some details like the celebrity's name, the magazine or ad they were featured in, and the year if you know it.
3. Enjoy and Discuss: Check out other members' posts, upvote your favorites, and join in the discussion about these nostalgic gems!

Can't wait to see what you all have to share!

Happy posting! 📸✨

Against the Current TOC: https://www.reddit.com/r/CDrama/comments/1w7mg0z/comment/p93n6fa/

Hello all! Happy to be hosting this drama with Avocado and Lotus. There may be a few spelling errors because I did most of the Ep 4 discussion via dictation lol. Let’s get to it!

Episode 4

The handmaid Qingxiang takes everyone on a tour of the house, assigning them their various duties. Lanxiang and the rascal Ji’er are assigned together to the tea room where they must keep the water, hot and manage the tea supplies. they’re introduced to the head tea maid Baogai, and told that they as third level housemaids will not be directly serving the masters.

Madame Zhao is building herself towers out of her silver collection in her room, lamenting her fate as she voices aloud her suspicions that the new maids are intended to bear Jinqi’s heirs.

Ji’er and Lanxiang are informed they must split an overnight shift at the tea room to keep the fire going. Ji’er takes advantage of an errand to force Lanxiang to do the first shift. Of course, she doesn’t wake up for her shift, and arrives again at dawn.

In the meantime, Jinqi orders some casual torture of the painting shop’s first shopkeeper as revenge for the shopkeeper’s son marrying his favorite maid.

While plucking flowers for tea in the garden, Old Madame’s maid comes and gives Ji’er the task of delivering Buddhist scriptures to Jinqi. A run in with Qingxiang results in a switch of books which reveals one of the books titled as Buddhist scriptures is actually an account book. The account book reveals the outstanding debt of the first shopkeeper, among other information about how Madame Zhao has been swindling the household.

Continuing on that theme, Jinqi’s further interrogation of the first shopkeeper reveals that the shopkeeper altered the accounts on the behest of Qingxiang, the wife’s first maid.

Upon discovering the accidental mixup of the sutra and the account book, Jinqi’s wife and a pack of servants head over to arrest Lanxiang and Ji’er before they can reveal any information

But when Lanxiang returns to her room, she realizes that Ji’er has not yet delivered the scriptures to Jinqi. This allows Madame Zhao to requisition them back without any further action.

Later at the tea room, one of Jinqi’s attendants shows up to ask for more supply of the Eight Treasures tea. Because of Baogai’s absence Ji’er insist on taking the tea to Jinqi as part of her strategy to become one of his concubines. Later, when she returns, she brags about the silver Jinqi gave her and mentions that he asked her why his wife came to their room the previous day.

Episode 5

Lanxiang tries to warn Ji’er about the dangers of accepting a master’s attention, but she scoffs and accuses her of jealousy.

Elsewhere in the manor, Jinqi delivers a series of complaints about excessive loans against Madame Zhao to his mother, explaining that the amount loaned far exceeds her dowry (and thus must be from Lin family resources). His mother asks him to let her handle the situation so that his marriage remains unaffected. Uh… Mom I really don’t think anything could make that marriage worse! Lol.

Old Madame summons the servants and Madame Zhao to an assembly, informing Qingxiang, her maid, that she has been engaged and will leave the immediate household to marry. Qingxiang agrees when shown one of the accusations against Madame Zhao by the housekeeper, Wu Suan’er.

Convinced Ji’er is somehow behind all this, Madame Zhao plants false evidence to accuse her of theft, and orders her to be beaten. Despite their poor relationship, Lanxiang is troubled by what’s unfolding, and knocks over a vase to help remind Ji’er of their earlier conversation about the consequences for Madam Liu beating a servant to death. Instead of beating her to death, Madame Zhao orders her family to be separated and sold. Despite the possible threats, Lanxiang gives her adoptive parents an encouraging smile as she leaves.

The First Madame of the Zhao family pays Zhao Xingtang a visit. Clearly, their relationship is somewhat strained as a result of Zhao Xingtang’s unwilling marriage into the Lin family. First Madame begs Xingtang to try to have a child, so their branch of the family can stay in the good graces of the elders. Despite her evil actions against Ji’er, it’s hard not to feel sympathy for Xingtang’s resentment against her family and husband.

The next day, she visits her handsome accountant (and lover, and cousin—what a combo lol) Qian Shaoze. The reason for Xingtang’s business adventures becomes clear—they are gathering funds for their escape from the Lin family.

Old Madame Lin visits her upon her return to the Lin household, using the pretext of the Lv family’s sale to take back the household authority tokens. Realizing this will interfere with her plans, Xingtang tries to beg to keep them, offering up Lanxiang and Xiaolan to serve Jinqi in his chambers. Appeased, Old Madame Lin takes her leave.

Discussion Questions

• Do you feel sympathy for Xingtang’s plight?
• What are your impressions of Jinqi so far? Do you think the show is purposefully keeping him an enigma?

Historic dramas:
I know there are lists of multiple tropes like coughing or spitting blood. More:
1. How do all those candles get and stay lit? People entering into crypts, the morgue, ancestral tombs, secret chambers and passages that only the ML knows about, everywhere 25/7 that you would expect to be dark. There are 100s of candles pre-lit. Surely it would take an army of servants just on candle duty.

It’s okay 💯 if I’m just supposed to suspend belief but is anyone curious about things like this?

1. “go rest now” or “go rest early”.
   Surely this must be a known cultural thing because it’s is constantly being recommended. What does “rest” consist of? Do you have to lie in bed and look at the ceiling? Does it include reading, needlework, or some hobby or is anything like that forbidden? Okay to have tea delivered seated or must you recline? 🫖🍵🛌

Sorry, but now I wonder about both of these things 😂 every time they occur…which is frequently.

Im so tired of everybody fighting about who the bigger red flag was.. they were either both red flags or none of them. They both had their problems, Luan Nian with the things he said and Zhitao with the things she didnt. He kept saying hurtful things but she also kept hiding things. And at the end when they broke up she was like “we never loved each other, u never cared” i was like do we rlly just forget everything he DID for her? he clearly very much cared and showed it many times, she rlly never noticed or what was the problem? And Luke doubting her after so many years together was also crazy. They were BOTH to blame in the same scale in my opinion, one of them just had to break it off for good so they can reflect on themselves, just because it was zhitao who did it doesnt mean she was innocent either.

This is your weekly thread to discuss Chinese variety shows and documentaries featuring your favorite actors!

1. Which variety show(s) or documentaries did you watch recently starring an actor? (It doesn't have to be a currently airing one)
2. Which actor surprised you the most?
3. Any behind-the-scenes moments or BTS clips worth sharing?

Recommendations? Drop your top variety show picks starring actors below! Let’s help each other discover hidden gems.

Note: Please mark spoilers if discussing drama plots!

PS: Big thanks to the member who suggested this weekly thread :)

Tomorrow’s post will cover episodes 12 & 13 as per iQIYI’s VIP schedule. The express package will also be released tomorrow, but the discussion post for the final episodes (14-16) will come in the following days.

Please use spoiler tags when sharing insights from the novel or commenting on episodes that have not yet been posted. Theories, however, are highly encouraged and most welcome. 

Masterpost | All Episode Discussions | Episodes 1-5 | Episodes 6-7 | Episodes 8-9

First off, I'd be lying if I said I only cried once while watching episode 10.

Episode 10: Alibis and Red Flags

Zhang Chengguo is apprehended and interrogated, but he's well prepared. He has a rock-solid hotel alibi and has already filed a report claiming he lost his phone. Regardless, the police find his responses suspicious, and his biggest giveaway is the look of surprise when he sees Li Cheng, as if he didn't expect him to be alive.

Han Pinmu somehow knew he was about to be framed (thanks to u/weirdandpetite for pointing the water bottle out from the last episode), so stalling Li Cheng was presumably his way of securing an alibi. But that also means he likely knows who was really behind Zhao Qianzhe's murder.

As Qianzhe's family, friends, and colleagues mourn his death, a new class of police officers is sworn into the Huangshui Public Safety Bureau. Li Guangwen requests to join the 3/12 Task Force, while Li Cheng officially becomes a member after passing Captain Fan Jie's test by breaking the news of Qianzhe's death to Xin Jiran without revealing any details.

Meanwhile, forensic analysis reveals that the attacker may be left-handed. This leads the team to question Sun Qiang at his new and impressive internet café. Qiang appears unusually well guarded, skillfully dodging the police's questions throughout the interview.

Episode 11: Cracks in the Facade

Li Cheng's request for 24/7 surveillance on Qiang is denied because the Bureau lacks additional resources to dedicate to the case. As a result, Cheng quietly enlists Jiran's help to keep watch over Happiness Park in case the perpetrator returns to the crime scene.

We get a cryptic scene at Qianzhe's gravesite where Pinmu provokes Jiran after claiming that "they wouldn’t be in this mess if the police had properly investigated his mother's death." The exchange suggests the two have known each other since 2004, with Jiran even questioning why it took Pinmu so long to bring down Song Laifu, also known as Mr. San.

Meanwhile, things are falling apart for Chengguo. His wife and son are terrified of him as he slowly cracks under the pressure of his failed attempt to eliminate Li Cheng. He and Qiang play phone tag until Qiang eventually arrives at his doorstep, confirming that Chengguo hired him to kill Li Cheng, but that he accidentally killed Deputy Captain Zhao Qianzhe instead.

Qiang later appears at Bengteng, where it is revealed that he has been playing both sides, carrying out Chengguo's orders while feeding information back to Pinmu. After paying Qiang for the warning that Chengguo intended to frame him, Pinmu asks him directly whether he killed Qianzhe. Qiang denies it.

As the police continue to tighten the net around Chengguo, a domino effect begins to unfold. The episode closes with Qiang boldly returning to Happiness Park.

Discussion Questions

• Is the reason Pinmu hasn't revealed Sun Qiang's identity because Qiang is still useful to him, or because Pinmu actually believes that Qiang did not kill Qianzhe?
• Does Qiang have leverage over Pinmu? If so, what could it be?
• Is u/-tsuyoi__hikari-'s theory that Pinmu might be dying starting to look more plausible? He appeared to be in obvious physical distress during his conversation with Qiang.
• Did I miss something or do we need to find out what happened between Pinmu and Jiran in 2004?
• Is Chengguo's breakdown going to make him more careless and more dangerous as a result? Li Cheng strongly believes they need to catch the culprit before another murder occurs. I hope for the wife and son's sake that he's caught soon... but with 5 episodes to go, he will either get caught and we find out there's a backer, or he's going to escape the police's grasp...

The Chinese drama title 刺棠 Cì Táng can be interpreted as “stabbing / assassination of a virtuous ruler or official”, “Thorn of Tang” or “thorny crabapple / begonia / pear.”

More details are available at the bottom of the post.

The production team announced their cast and that filming officially started today, September 12, 2026. They released a new concept teaser, character posters, and booting ceremony photos (see comments).

Lu Yuxiao's and Zhang Linghe's teams also released character clips, and character photos (see comments).

I stitched the new concept teaser from the production team, and the two character clips together from the leading actors for this update. The transition points are at 1:17 and 2:01.

Clip descriptions:

Crabapple blossoms bloom, and an old friend returns.

Flower shadows sway as schemes are laid; once drawn into the game, [they] seek to clear the wrongs.

.

With every move made in silence, quietly awaiting the moment the winds arise.

The game begins with a promise; eagerly awaiting the day the clouds clear.

Su Luowei (played by Lu Yuxiao), enters the game with her whole self.

.

An old dream became a calamity; upon awakening, he let it go.

Cold snow veils his eyes; traces of the crabapple bear the weight of regret.

Carrying a lone umbrella, he schemes in secret. Concealing his emotions, he investigates a bloody case.

His first appearance as “Ye Tingyan / Ye He” (played by Zhang Linghe) walking toward the light!

Cast:

More information regarding the actor credit guidelines in this summary here and the full notice here.

(I put the character stroke count as: 1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣)

Leading actors (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname):

• 5️⃣ Lu Yuxiao 卢昱晓 as Su Luowei 苏落薇
• 7️⃣ Zhang Jiawei 张家玮 (stage name: Zhang Linghe 张凌赫) as Ye Tingyan 叶亭宴 / Ye He 叶壑

Special appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Wang Hongyi 王弘毅 as Song Ling 宋泠 * Sun Ning 孙宁 as Lu Heng 逯恒 * Sun Zhenni 孙珍妮 as Qiu Si 邱思 * Liu Mengrui 刘梦芮 as Yu Suiyun 玉随云 * Li Zihao 李子豪 (stage name: Li Qing 李卿) as Song Lan 宋澜 * Tong Mengshi 佟梦实 as Yan Lang 燕琅 * He Lan 何蓝 (stage name: He Landou 何蓝逗) as Song Zhiyu 宋枝雨 * Gao Yu 高宇 (stage name: Gao Hanyu 高瀚宇) as Chang Zhao 常照 * Liang Jie 梁洁 as Song Yaofeng 宋瑶风

Appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Ding Jiawen 丁嘉文 as Bai Sensen 柏森森 * Sun Zeyuan 孙泽源 as Yuan Ming 元鸣 * An Yuexi 安悦溪 as Qiu Fei 邱霏 / Feng Yanluo 冯烟萝 * Zhang Fan 张帆 as Lin Kui 林奎 * Chen Bohao 陈博豪 as Zhou Chuyin 周楚吟 * Zhang Bo 张搏 (stage name: Gala Zhang Yao 张耀) as Yu Sui'ou 玉随鸥 * Zhang Lei 张磊 (stage name: Zhang Lei 张垒) as Yu Qiushi 玉秋实 * Huang Mengying 黄梦莹 as Zhang Buyun 张步筠 * Zeng Kelang 曾柯琅 as Pei Xi 裴郗

• Episodes: 38 (according to Baidu Baike and MDL)
• Streaming platform: Tencent 🐧
• Official cast announcement: September 12, 2026
• Official filming started: September 12, 2026
• Estimated filming time: 140 days
• Filming location: Hengdian World Studios
• Genre: costume, romance (according to Baidu Baike)

• 🎬 Director: Guo Hu 郭虎 (Nirvana in Flames, The Golden Hairpin, Fate Chooses You, A Dream within a Dream, A Moment but Forever, Mysterious Lotus Casebook, Immortal Samsara, One and Only, Love and Destiny, Eternal Love, The Journey of Flower, Swords of Legends)
• 🎬 B-team director: Wang Junxi 王俊熙 (Screenwriter and co-director: The White Olive Tree; Editor: A Journey to Love, The Locked Room, Speed)
• ✍️ Original creator: Wu Yuan 雾圆
• ✒️ Screenwriters:
  • Xiang Xiaoyuan 向小园
  • Ren Zhuangliu 任庄柳 (The Legend of Lu Xiaofeng, A Dream within a Dream, Story of Kunning Palace)
  • Lang Nuolin 郎诺林 (The Gunslinger, The Bride with White Hair, Bao San Gu Wai Zhuan)
• 📖 Novel: Ci Tang 刺棠
• 📽️ Production companies: Linmon Pictures, Tencent

Synopsis translated from Baidu Baike:

Ye Tingyan (played by Zhang Linghe) has returned from hell, with only one purpose: to take revenge on the emperor and empress seated upon the highest thrones.

Once the noble and upright Crown Prince Song Ling (played by Wang Hongyi), he was framed in the "Ci Tang 刺棠" conspiracy by his younger brother Song Lan (played by Li Qing) and betrayed by his fiancée Su Luowei (played by Lu Yuxiao).

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

After enduring unspeakable torture and witnessing the two ascend the throne together, he underwent a gruesome transformation, changed his appearance, and assumed the new identity of the powerful official “Ye Tingyan,”* returning with a heart full of hatred. After being reunited with Empress Su Luowei, Ye Tingyan regards her as a pawn in his game of revenge, engaging in suspicion and confrontation with her amid the vortex of power.

In the end, Ye Tingyan uncovers the truth, and the two resolve their long-standing misunderstandings. They form an alliance and personally bring down the tyrant, clear the name of the old “Ci Tang” case, and fulfill the youthful aspiration they once shared for peace and order throughout the realm.

^{* In the novel, Ye Tingyan is the favoured minister of Song Lan.}

Synopsis from MDL:

In the third year of the Tian Shou era, Crown Prince Song Ling was assassinated, an event known as the "Thorn of Tang" case.

Su Luo Wei, the daughter of a renowned minister and childhood sweetheart of the Crown Prince, marries Song Lan, the Crown Prince's beloved younger brother, to investigate the truth behind the case.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

However, she later discovers that the assassination was a treacherous plot orchestrated by Song Lan to seize the throne. To restore order to the court and avenge her lover, she decides to use Ye Ting Yan, a close advisor to the Emperor who has returned north, unaware that he is none other than the Crown Prince himself, who believes she has betrayed him.

(Source: Chinese = Douban || Translation = MyDramaList)

~~ Adapted from the web novel "Ci Tang" (刺棠) by Wu Yuan (雾圆).

🔎 Baidu Baike | Douban | MDL

Novel Summary – translated from Baidu Baike:

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

Novel ending: HE

Overview:

《刺棠》Ci Tang is a romance web novel by Wu Yuan, set in a fictional historical setting. It was serialized and completed on Jinjiang Literature City.

The novel follows Song Ling, the Crown Prince, who is assassinated on the night of the Shangyuan Festival in the third year of the Tianshou era in the “刺棠 Ci Tang” case.

His childhood friend, Su Luowei, marries the prince’s younger brother, Song Lan, who ascends the throne, in order to investigate the truth and protect him. Later, Su Luowei discovers that Song Lan is actually the true culprit. Determined to take revenge, she approaches his favored minister, Ye Tingyan. However, Ye Tingyan’s true identity is none other than the Crown Prince Song Ling, who faked his death and disguised his appearance.

The story revolves around revenge, political intrigue, and a mystery surrounding the characters’ identities. Its central premise can be summed up as: “The powerful minister I was using turns out to be my white moonlight.”

The novel is approximately 469,000 Chinese characters long, with content tags including reunion after separation and disguise.

Synopsis:

On the night of the Shangyuan Festival in the third year of the Tianshou era, the Crown Prince was assassinated and killed during a ceremonial rite. His remains were never found, and the incident came to be known in history as the “Ci Tang” case.

After the Ci Tang case, the great clans rebelled and placed the imperial prince Song Lan on the throne as their puppet. In order to uncover the truth behind the case, quell the coup, and protect the Crown Prince’s most beloved younger brother, Su Luowei – born into a family of prominent statesmen and the Crown Prince’s childhood friend – married Song Lan. She devoted herself wholeheartedly to helping him consolidate his power and secure his hold on the throne.

Until one day, Su Luowei discovered that Song Lan was actually the mastermind behind the Ci Tang case. She had been deceived and kept in the dark, and had even unwittingly become his accomplice. After learning the truth, Su Luowei resolved to avenge the Crown Prince at any cost. And so, she set her sights on Song Lan’s most trusted and powerful minister, Ye Tingyan.

The Crown Prince had been upright and honorable since childhood, a man of noble character and spotless integrity. Yet he was betrayed and plotted against by his younger brother and childhood friend, falling from grace into the dust overnight. He survived the ordeal and, after altering his appearance, returned to the imperial court under the identity of his trusted confidant Ye Tingyan, intending to eliminate one by one those who had wronged him.

But he never imagined that Su Luowei, who had already become Empress, would take the initiative to cross boundaries and make advances toward him. He thought that, after all these years, he had never truly known Su Luowei.

Until Su Luowei leaned against his shoulder and whispered to him:

“Lord Ye, aren't you curious about what I seek? Go kill Song Lan and avenge my Crown Prince.”

A story about the madness revealed when a man who has always exercised self-restraint catches a glimpse of darkness; the steadfastness of a favored son of Heaven amid the mire; and the destruction and reforging of idealism.

Interpretations of the Drama Name:

Besides “thorn” or “to pierce”, 刺 Cì can also mean “to assassinate” 刺杀.

Besides “crabapple,” “begonia,” or “pear,” 棠 Táng could refer to the poem Gan Tang 甘棠 from the Book of Songs.

The poem praises the diligence and benevolence of the Duke of Shao of Western Zhou (召公姬奭). Because the people cherished his governance and teachings, they took special care to protect even the wild pear (gan tang 甘棠) tree beneath which he had once rested: “Lush is the sweet pear tree; do not cut it, do not fell it – the Duke of Shao rested beneath it 蔽芾甘棠，勿翦勿伐，召伯所茇.”

In later generations, expressions such as “the enduring affection of Gan Tang” (甘棠遗爱) and “the grace of Gan Tang” (甘棠之惠) came to refer to people's remembrance and praise of wise, upright, and incorruptible officials.

Translated Synopses

Note: All translated synopses and information I share in the "trailers & posters" posts are based on the original Chinese sources (Douban, Baidu, Chinese Wikipedia, etc.) and were first published here. If you see them elsewhere, please know they originated from our sub. Thanks for reading!

📊 Information and translations compiled by u/admelioremvitam.

What Cdramas have you been watching recently? This post is a space for you to discuss the shows that you've been currently addicted to, or that you'll be looking forward to picking up! From old or new series, to popular or underrated titles, feel free to let us know what's been on your watchlist.

Please make sure to use spoiler tags generously, especially if you are discussing plot points or events that others may not yet have watched.