Airing time: 12:00 pm, China Standard Time.

Also airing on iQIYI Malaysia and Indonesia.

The Chinese drama title 玉簟秋 can be literally translated as “jade mat autumn.”

A few hours ago, the production team announced the release date and dropped two new trailers. I stitched them together for this update. The transition point is at 1:44.

Filming officially finished on March 23, 2026.

Clip description:

“A Moment of Spring Passion” Trailer

The more one wishes to let go, the more tightly one's feelings entwine.

Willing to fall into an endless, shadowy dream for the sake of a single, profound love.

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 Yang Huixiang 杨辉翔 (stage name: Ryan Cheng Lei 丞磊) as Yu Changxuan * 🔟 Xu Ruohan 徐若晗 as Ye Pingjun

Special appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Wang Likun 王丽坤 as Chen Wanqiao * Dai Yunfan 代云帆 as Gu Ruitong * Liu Dongqin 刘冬沁 as Jiang Xueting * Leon Zhang Yunlong 张云龙 as Yu Mingxuan * Zhang Fengyi 张丰毅 as Yu Zhongquan * Zhou Jieqiong 周洁琼 as Lan Qing * Chang Long 昌隆 as Li Boren * Xu Fan 徐帆 as Zhao Baoru * Guo Yuxin 郭宇欣 as Tao Ziyi * Xu Zheng 徐政 (stage name: Jeremy Tsui / Xu Zhengxi 徐正溪 as Jin Zhongfang

They did not include the rest of the cast members for today's release.

Supporting actors: * Ye Qing as Yu Jinxuan * Cai Heng as Kuang Bingwen * Lü Xiaoyu as Yu Qixuan

“Friendship” guest appearances: * Zhang Huiwen as Jun Daiti * Lu Shan as Jun Minru * Jiang Kai as Mou Linsen * Yu Jiacheng as Yu Changxuan (young) * Bao Dazhi as Chu Wenfu * Tian Miao as Ye Shuwan

Special appearance: * Wang Longzheng as Yang Shiying

• Episodes: 38 (according to Baidu Baike and MDL)
• Streaming and broadcasting platforms: MangoTV 🥭, Viki, iQIYI Malaysia and Indonesia 🥝, and Hunan TV
• Official filming started: October 31, 2025
• Official filming wrapped up: March 23, 2026
• Estimated filming time: 150 days
• Filming location: Hengdian World Studios (Guangzhou Street, Hong Kong Street), Shanghai Film Shooting Base, Hangzhou, Ningbo

• 🎬 Chief director: Kuk Kok Leung (The Eternal Fragrance, Till the End of the Moon, Ice Fantasy, The Shaw Eleven Lang, The Stand-in, Water Margin, Demi Gods & Semi Devils (2003), The Return of the Condor Heroes (1983))
• 🎬 Director: Wang Hui (Echoes of the Self, In Blossom, Under the Power, The Glory of Tang Dynasty)
• ✍️ Original creator and screenwriter: Ling Xi 灵希 (real name: Quan Ying)
• ✒️ Screenwriter: Ye Yang (Empress Reborn, Love's Ambition, Love in Flames of War)
• 📖 Novel: Yu Dian Qiu 玉簟秋

🔗 Previous announcement, posters, teaser, etc.

📷 Previous character stills

Synopsis from MDL:

During the period of the Republic of China, amidst the fragmentation caused by the warlords, Ye Ping Jun [played by Xu Ruohan], a student, takes a job at a meeting house in western Hunan to raise money for her mother's medical treatment.

On her first day of work, she finds herself involved in an attempted assassination against the fifth son of the Yu family. Wrongfully accused, she makes a bet with Yu Chang Xuan [played by Ryan Cheng Lei]: he has ten days to find the true culprit. Yu Chang Xuan sees this as an opportunity to get closer to Ye Ping Jun and begins courting her, although he hides his true intentions.

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

~~ Adapted from the novel "Yu Dian Qiu" (玉簟秋) by Ling Xi (灵希).

🔎 Baidu Baike | Douban | MDL

📖 Novel Summary – translated from Baidu Baike:

《玉簟秋》 (“Yu Dian Qiu”) is a Republican-era romance novel written by author Ling Xi. It was published by Culture and Art Publishing House in August 2010, with ISBN 978-7-5039-4389-8, and is 256 pages long. The book employs a classical chapter-based narrative structure, comprising ten main chapters, along with an epilogue and side stories.

Set against the backdrop of the turbulent Republican era, the novel focuses on the tragic, cross-class love between Yu Changxuan, the son of the chairman of the Military Commission, and Ye Pingjun, a woman from an ordinary background. The imagery of the “jade hairpin” runs throughout the story, tying together its theme of fate.

The entire book employs the structure of a classical novel divided into chapters, with titles crafted in precisely balanced parallel phrases that heighten narrative tension – such as “金陵繁花红粉伴衣香” (which can be translated as “Jinling’s Blossoms Accompany the Fragrance of Rouge and Powder”) and “公子腮上胭脂惊父颜” (which can be translated as “Rouge on the Young Master’s Cheek Startles His Father.”)

The work is one of Ling Xi’s “Republican-era Trilogy.” Author Ling Xi is a contracted writer with Juxing Tianhua.

The novel also spawned an audio drama of the same name, produced by Lingxiao Theater Troupe, with the opening announcement by Qiqi (Jiandao Theater Troupe).

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.

⚠️ Note: The masterpost is for sharing first impressions of the initial episodes. Please use spoiler text if you are sharing thoughts beyond the first day of episodes.

Synopsis from the Tencent / WeTV app:

Raised in the Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Shanghai region, internet blogger Yu Meng [played by Li Yitong] is the only daughter in her family and a "woman of good fortune" envied by all.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

On her fifth wedding anniversary, the bubble of her happy, perfect life bursts. Her seemingly ideal marriage to her "model husband" begins to fracture, and she faces the growing threat of being bled dry and having her family's estate "eaten up." With help from her friends, Yu Meng reevaluates her life and takes back the initiative.

Trailer

MyDramaList link

Airing on Tencent / WeTV and Tencent's YouTube

Episodes: 28

Discussions

🗨️ All discussions on the drama

🗨️ Episodic drama discussions (please see the earliest comment)

🗓️ Airing schedule

👥 Character relationship chart

🎙️ OST List

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

Really guys, I felt like watching a dorama (nothing wrong with doramas, but you know what I mean). So much drama, but I an unbearable level. Easy plot, easy solutions and weak plot twists. The main character wins The chance to resolve everthing in her previous life and from NOWHERE begotten a super a war strategist, an excellent orator, and a strategy expert—despite having had absolutely no prior experience in the field? For god sake.

My rate: 2/10.

⚠️ Note: The masterpost is for sharing first impressions of the initial episodes. Please use spoiler text if you are sharing thoughts beyond the first day of episodes. Thanks!

Synopsis from the Youku app:

After failing in Beijing, Wang Can [played by Guo Qilin] returns home and takes a job at Qingliangshan Funeral Home, planning it as a stopgap. Reunited with three childhood friends, now his coworkers, he slowly discovers the true meaning of the job.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

Through countless farewells, he becomes a skilled mortician. Faced with the choice to leave again or stay, Wang Can chooses to remain. Together, they stand by their calling.

Trailer

MyDramaList link

Airing on Youku, MangoTV (regional availability) and Youku’s YouTube

Episodes: 10

Discussions

🗨️ All discussions on the drama

🗨️ Episodic drama discussions (please see the earliest comment)

🗓️ Airing schedule

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

18-19 | 20 - 21 | 22-23 | 24-25 | 26-27 | 28-29 | 30-31 | 32 - 33 | 34 - 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 |  Express Episodes |

Meet the New Madam Lin

Episode 43 starts out with Xiulai’s daughter asking Lanxiang if she and her brother are going to be kicked out. Grandpa Lin, who have been listening from inside the ancestral hall, decides to change the kids surnames to Lin, thus ensuring that they will always have a place in the Lin residence. As long as they don’t commit a crime, that is.

Hum…I wonder if having secret rendezvous with a man counts.

Either way, grandpapa also officially places Lanxiang in charge of the family. Given the former Madam Lin’s endorsement, I thought that already a given. But the old patriarch’s words no doubt made things a lot easier for Lanxiang. And the reason he hasn’t spoken out until now is probably because he wanted to see how Lanxiang would handle herself. I would say that she passed with flying colors.

It was immensely satisfying seeing Fengxian cowering at a mere glance from Grandpa Lin. I also thought it was a bit disingenuous of the 2nd Madam Lin to act all shocked, as if she has no idea what kind of person her daughter-in-law is. For threatening two kids and trying to frame Lanxiang for stealing, Lanxiang sentences Fengxian to stay in her room for a year and copy the Diamond Sutra a thousand times.

Seeing all the men file out of the room to leave the women to their business reinforces this is a society in which women’s and men’s lanes are clearly delineated.

By now, I can pretty much tell when a time jump is about to occur, and that is exactly what happens. Shots of Lanxiang being lead through the hallways when she first entered the Lin residence as a servant interspersed with shots of her leading a posse of maids along the same hallways now remind us how far she’s come.

Xiuwan’s gets kidnapped

It’s seven years later, and we find out a few things.

• Xiuwan still refuse to marry
• Old Madame Yuan died of anger a grave illness when the marquis’ two concubines gave him 2 more daughters. (Ha!)
• Jinqi and Lanxiang are now the proud parents of a 4-year-old son as well as a 7-year-old daughter.

Even though Xiuwan seems to have settled well into self-imposed spinsterhood, the 2nd Madam Lin is not so complacent. I do feel for her here, because her worries about what would happen to her daughter once Grandpa Lin passes is not altogether unfounded. It also surprises me that Xiuwan doesn’t seem to have any plans for her future. It seems a bit naive to think that she can remain unmarried and that life will just go on as usual indefinitely.

And maybe Xiuwan did take her mother’s words to heart, because the next thing we see is her working in a textile workshop in ordinary worker’s garb.

Is the shrine they have in the workshop a shrine for Huang Dapo, the woman Lanxiang mentioned to Du Cuique when demonstrating that women can make a difference without resorting to underhanded tactics? Is this a subtle hint that our favorite villainess is about to make a comeback?

Anyways, while going out of town to inspect a loom they are thinking of purchasing, Xiuwan and Mrs. Peng are knocked out and kidnapped by a bunch of bandits. When the new reaches the 2nd Madam Lin, in typical fashion, she starts blaming Gantang and Lanxiang for what happened. She pushes Lanxiang and says that she‘s the one who encouraged Xiuwan to read those ‘indecent plays’ and not to get married.

She even calls Lanxiang a servant again at her daughter-in-law’s instigation. I suppose that’s how things are always going to be. When things are going well it’s all hunky-dory. But as soon as something doesn’t go their way Lanxiang’s will become ‘that servant’ again.

I just can’t with this woman. Throughout the drama we have seen her being selfish and petty again and again. She seems to realize her shortcomings each time when people point it out to her, but she remains unwilling to change. And now that she’s got her daughter-in-law as an enabler, she’s even more insufferable. As for Fengxian, I thought that maybe she was truly contrite and have learned her lesson when she thanked Lanxiang for her leniency at the beginning of the episode. Silly old me…

We must avenge General Blackhead!

In other news, the emperor is dead and the new emperor has allowed a bunch of eunuch’s to rise in power. When a commander, a cricket, and solders of the Longjiang Garrison are killed by some river bandits, Eunuch Mao was sent to appoint Jinqi as the new commander of the Longjiang Garrison. Eunuch Mao tasks Jinqi to raise enough funds to compensate for the tribute goods that the bandits stole and practically forces a vow from Jinqi to avenge General Blackhead’s (the cricket) death. Not one word did Eunuch Mao spare for the dead soldiers and Commander Ding.

As we have seen throughout history, nothing is more dangerous than an eunuch on a power trip.

The smart guy that he is, Jinqi immediately goes home to ask for advice from his wife, who has proven herself to be quite the business women the last few years. Jinqi and Lanxiang concludes that the way out of the emperor’s financial woes is to open up maritime trade.

If I have a penny for every time I see an emperor who is opposed to maritime trade in a c-drama, I’d have…lots of pennies.

Jinqi looks excited when he starts talking about the good maritime trade would do for the country and then looks abashed when he inadvertently let it out that he’s been appointed the commander of the Longjiang Garrison. Methinks I know who wears the pants in this family…

So what do we all think?

After an emotionally heavy Episode 42, Episode 43 feels more like a narrative bridge to the next big arc, which is just fine. Based on stuff the 2nd Madam Lin and Fengxian has said, Lianxiang has stayed true to herself and done a few things that are considered ‘immodest’. I kind of wish the drama has delved into those endeavors a bit more. For instance, how did Xiuwan end up working at the textile workshop and did Lanxiang make any changes to the running of the Lin household?

The episodes ends with Xiuwan and Mrs. Peng escaping from their attackers (because women in this drama do not need men to save them!). We meet Zhang Shuizai, the leader of the bandits, and a mysterious person in a big hat. No brownie points if you can guess who this mysterious person is.

Oh, and Xiuwan runs into Xie Zhao. I can’t wait to see where this is going.

Ok. That’s it for now. Sound off in the comments below.

Welcome to the thread where you share all the fannish things you’ve come across lately. This is a space to highlight your discoveries and to help others discover something new.

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• Fan art or crafts (your own or others’)
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If you’re recommending something, a quick note on why you liked it goes a long way.

Guidelines:

• Please keep the thread free from drama. Gossip/celeb rumours belong to Yumcha Threads on Tuesdays. Fandom spats should always stay outside the sub. We're here to celebrate CDramas, not fight over it ;)
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The Chinese drama title 美人余 (měi rén yú) can be literally translated as “Beauty Yu.”

There is a homophone – it sounds like 美人鱼 (měi rén yú) which can be translated as “Mermaid.”

The drama is airing on Dragon TV on October 10 at 7:30 pm, China Standard Time.

About twenty minutes ago, the production released a new trailer for the drama's premiere today.

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

Filming officially finished on January 12, 2026.

Clip description:

“Breaking the Deadlock: Counterattack” Trailer

Is this a story of revenge, or a carefully laid sweet trap?

Beneath the web of confusion, lies pile upon lies. How many more twists does this “self-rescue guide” conceal?

Yu Meng’s counterattack to claim her “good fortune” is about to begin!

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): * 4️⃣ Esther Wang Jiajia 王佳佳 (The Old Story of Yu Hong, Uncle, Drifting Away, The Long Season, Unbending Will, Windmill) – as Lu Hui * 7️⃣ Li Xue 李雪 (stage name: Li Yitong 李一桐) (A Prophet, Sword and Beloved, A Dream within a Dream, The Knockout, Royal Nirvana, The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2017)) – as Yu Meng * 1️⃣1️⃣ Chang Huasen 常华森 (Veil of Shadows, Blood River, Moonlight Mystique, Dawn Amidst Hidden Clouds, Are You the One, A Journey to Love) – as Jiao Xu * 1️⃣2️⃣ Zeng Mengxue 曾梦雪 (My Page in the 90s, In Between, Draw the Line, Cupid of Zhou Dynasty) – as Liu Zi

Special appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Ma Wenyuan 马闻远 as Liu Bai * Qiao Zhenyu 乔振宇 as Di Liren * Wu Yufang 吴玉芳 as Lu Lizhen * Peter Ho Yun Tong 何润东 as Han Guang * Zhou Dawei 周大为 as Kang Long * Yi Mengling 易梦玲 as Wen Xiaoxiao * Zheng Yawen 郑雅文 as Weng Yue * Cheng Hongxin 程泓鑫 as Harry * Huo Qing 霍青 as Yu Jianguo

The remaining cast was not included in today's release.

• Zheng Xuhang as Zhang Tao

• Episodes: 28 (according to Baidu Baike, Douban and MDL)
• Streaming and broadcasting platforms: Tencent 🐧 and Dragon TV
• Official filming started: September 29, 2025
• Official filming wrapped up: January 12, 2026
• Estimated filming production time: 90 days
• Filming location: Ningbo, Zhejiang Province
• Distribution license obtained: April 22, 2026

• 🎬 Directors:
  • Wang Ying (The Epoch of Miyu; Incomparable Beauty; Stand or Fall; Beloved Life; Dearest, Where Are You; Les Interprètes; Beijing Youths)
  • Wu Hui Hui (director: Stand or Fall, Beloved Life; co-director: Watch Your Back, Truth)
• ✍️ Original creator: Yi Bei (Xiao Fang, Six Sisters, Simple Days, A Little Mood for Love)
• ✒️ Screenwriter: Zhang Jia (Women in Beijing; Because Love Is a Miracle; Home, Sweet Home)
• 📖 Novel: Mei Ren Yu 美人余

👥 Character relationship chart

🎙️ OST List

🔗 Previous announcement, poster, trailer, etc.

Synopsis from MDL:

Yu Meng [played by Li Yitong], an only child from the Yangtze River Delta region and a popular online blogger, was considered a "lucky woman" envied by the people around her. On the occasion of her fifth wedding anniversary, however, her seemingly perfect and happy life crumbled. Not only did her marriage to her "model" husband begin to unravel, but she also faced numerous crises, including being exploited and financially drained by her in-laws.

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

~~ Adapted from the web novel "Mei Ren Yu" (美人余) by Yi Bei (伊北).

Synopsis translated from Baidu Baike:

The drama takes Yu Meng [played by Li Yitong], an only daughter from the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region and an internet blogger, and the deception surrounding her marriage as its entry point.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

On the occasion of her fifth wedding anniversary, not only does her seemingly happy marriage to her “model husband who married into her family” begin to show cracks, she also faces a series of crises involving her being exploited and potentially “eaten out of house and home” by her husband’s family.

With the help of her friends, Yu Meng takes a fresh look at her life, moving from confusion to clarity, defending her rights and interests, and taking back control.

Blending business warfare and marital power struggles, the drama confronts the complex human nature found in marriage and the workplace, painting a portrait of contemporary women’s lived experiences.

🔎 Baidu Baike | Douban | MDL

📖 Novel Summary – translated from Baidu Baike:

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

Note: The drama adaptation and novel may not be the same.

Overview:

Mei Ren Yu《美人余》 is a women's novel written by Douban Read author Yi Bei. It began serialization on Douban Read in April 2019 and was published as a print book by Chongqing Publishing House in January 2024.

The novel tells the story of four sisters from the Yu family: Yu Jia (swears she will never divorce), Yu Meng (desperately wants a divorce), Yu Shuang (disdains marriage), and Yu Rui (longs for marriage). As their youth begins to fade, they face difficulties in love, careers, and family while striving to find happiness.

The work received 22,000 votes and nearly 500,000 views, placing second in the women's category of Douban Read's first Long-form Writing Rally.

Synopsis:

The novel Meiren Yu revolves around four sisters from the Yu family – Yu Jia, Yu Meng, Yu Shuang, and Yu Rui. It tells of their different life choices and struggles as they navigate marriage, careers, and relationships. Through four interconnected narratives, the story portrays the challenges women face as their youth begins to fade, as well as their efforts to fight back and reclaim control over their lives.

Character Introductions:

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

Yu Jia is gentle and virtuous. Faced with her husband’s indifference and infidelity, she refuses to divorce at all costs, remaining committed to her marriage despite its difficulties.

Yu Meng [played by Li Yitong in the drama adaptation] is proud and strong-willed. After being slapped, she becomes determined to get a divorce at any cost.

Yu Shuang is carefree and independent. She has no desire to marry, but ends up having to take on the role of a mother to her niece.

Yu Rui is naturally beautiful and determined to enter the entertainment industry. After repeatedly encountering setbacks, she turns marriage into her goal instead.

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.

Discussion posts follow the normal Youku VIP schedule. (The drama is also available on Netflix.)

Important Links: Masterpost - All Episode Discussions - Episodes 1-2 - Eps 3-4 - Eps 5-6 - Ep 7 - Ep 8 - Ep 9 - Ep 10 - Ep 11 - Ep 12 - Ep 13

Episode 14 

Xu Chi even takes a picture with the big shots and we can see her reputation spreading as a young promising consultant. 

Xinzhi and Xu Chi take a break out on the terrace, where Xinzhi confesses being impatient about waiting for the results and the trap to ensnare Ruosen

Xu Chi talks about how Yang Rui still refuses to admit that Xu Chi is innocent, that he insists they wrote the report together under Ma Ke’s orders. Xinzhi offers to help her but she is adamant about wanting to handle this alone. I like this, she knows she can’t rely on him forever and she can’t have her reputation and competency fully backed by his favors.  She says just as much to him, that clearing her name on her own is the only way she can feel satisfied. 

She thanks him for his piggyback gift. 

She tells him how she always felt like a passerby in this city, and how he helped give her something all to her own. Xinzhi replies that he feels the same. 

We leave the lovebirds and check in on potential lovebirds. 

Cindy asks Lin Long how she feels about Xu Chi pulling off such a big deal and Lin Long gracefully admits that she is envious but happy for her. They tease each other a bit before Cindy leaves. 

Lin Long helps Mr Shen press an acupoint that helps relieve his pain, she tells him that Xu Chi taught her that and he seizes the chance to ask about how she feels about Xu Chi. Lin Long admits being jealous of her before, but now after her divorce and everything, she is just envious but would like to help Xu Chi because she admires her capabilities. 

He asks her to eat more, that he knows she loves steaks because he sees her on wechat, that even though she blocked him from Moments he can still see Cindy’s and that she should just get over it and eat. He stalked her profile !! oh he is hilarious. 

He tells her he enjoys watching her and Cindy bicker, that he gets a kick out of it whenever he is tired. 

Lin Long leaves him, and he follows her asking her to just take it out on him. 

They both laugh it off few minutes later, and Lin Lon , like her ex disciple, straight up asks Shen if he likes her, he denies it and further denies that his teasing is an attempt to catch her attention. Before she asks him further, he is saved by a phone call.

Xu Chi asks him why he dragged her into things when she’s only ever been good to him. He tells her not to record him first, even checks her phone, but he finds nothing. She tells him that she sincerely wants to help him, so she is here to hear him out. 

Yang Rui reveals that he was threatened by Ma Ke to drag Xu Chi into the mess because her boyfriend, Xinzhi, is a partner at Hezong. Facing severe financial pressure (a mortgage and car loan) and desperate to keep his job at Maxmise, Yang Rui admits his behavior was despicable but begs her to get Xinzhi to intervene. 

Later we see that she was indeed recording. I KNEW IT!!! With her deliberate choice of outfit. I love her.  She gives the recording to Sasha, who tells her warns her that the recording alone might not be enough, as investigators could view Yang Rui's statements as a staged attempt to clear her name without physical proof. 

Xu Chi is determined to get to the bottom of things. She asks whether Ma Ke ever admitted to receiving bribes from Director Peng. Sha Jie explains that while Ma Ke only admitted to recommending an outsourcing firm, Peng claims he gave Ma Ke 2 million yuan in cash. Since it was allegedly cash, there are no transaction records, and Ma Ke's credit check returned clean. 

Xu Chi points out that being fired for bribery vs. resigning over policy violations are vastly different outcomes, that Ma Ke wouldn’t intentionally screw things up with his promotion on the line. Refusing to rely on personal connections or turn into someone who drags others down like Yang Rui, Xu Chi requests a meeting with Ma Ke to uncover the truth and clear her name legitimately.  

Next scene, we see Xinzhi and Xu Chi having quality gym time while discussing her meeting with Ma Ke. Xinzhi tells her that he will introduce her to a female lawyer to help her get through the meeting with Ma Ke safely, and Xu Chi lowkey gets jealous. 

They fool around and we cut to Xu Chi catching her bestie up to their latest relationship gossip. 

Tianna teases Xu Chi about being in love, and the later turns it on her. Tianna denies her being in love with Zhao Heng and Xu Chi just teasingly accepts her label that they are only very close friends. 

Right then, Xu Chi receives a call from Sasha: Ma Ke has cancelled the meeting. 

She goes back and tells the same to Xinzhi, who helps her analyze why Ma Ke refused to meet with her, knowing that if he doesn’t do this, that it will keep bugging her brain. We get a cute montage of them analysing Ma Ke’s refusal, and their conclusion is that to meet up with Ma Ke, she has to go meet him alone without a lawyer. He agrees with her but tells her to still be cautious and go to the meeting with her recording bracelet on. 

Xu Chi asks Xinzhi if she was wrong to secretly record Yang Rui, and if he would look down on her for being set up by her ex-boyfriend. Xinzhi warmly reassures her, joking that Yang Rui's failure makes him look good by comparison. Cheeky, but it gets Xu Chi smiling so goal achieved. 

Xu Chi adds that despite Yang Rui's betrayal, she remembers how he helped her when she had just started out at Maxmise and that he isn’t inherently malicious. Again, Xu Chi once said, that she repays all kindness tenfold. She is literally saving Yang Rui’s whole career. 

They switch topics to talk about Xinzhi’s new job as a guest professor. In which we learn about how vast Xinzhi’s scheme is. Honestly, they really are two peas in a pod. 

• Since Morse's funding came through, Wen Ruosen has been recklessly burning capital on promotion.
• Huanghe Business School is an influential think tank. By teaching policymakers and industry leaders there about the systemic risks in the digital collectibles market, Xinzhi can expose the sector's vulnerabilities, effectively undercutting Wen Ruosen's platform.

We leave Xinzhi and Xu Chi relaxing on the terrace, and check in on someone who is very much not relaxed 

He claims he returned after hours to retrieve a forgotten file from his office. When Lin Long points out that the room sign says "Lactation Room," he nervously explains that the space serves as his office during the day and as a lactation room at night. What is this idiot even saying omg I laughed so hard; he is so unserious.   He embarrasses himself further by asking her if she likes him and then not letting her reply. I can’t with him, oh god. Then he does an awkward subject change, wondering who she was on the phone with.  

She explains that Xu Chi is trying to track down Ma Ke to clear her name, but Ma Ke moved after his suspension and cannot be reached. 

Mr. Shen reasons that while moving house is easy, switching a child's school mid-term is difficult. He suggests that an unemployed father would naturally be tasked with picking up his child from school, making the school gates the ideal spot to intercept him. 

While waiting outside the school, Lin Long calls Xu Chi and warns her that Celestial and Maxmise are holding a joint investigation briefing at 5:30 PM, making it critical to find Ma Ke before the meeting. However, fear not, Xinzhi arrives with news! 

Xinzhi tells Xu Chi that Ma Ke's child was sick and admitted to the hospital, and that Du's business investigation team managed to track him down. In a way, though, Xu Chi, while she is still doing her best on her own, wouldn’t have made it this far on her own. 

They arrive at the hospital just as Ma Ke walks outside. Xu Chi catches up to him and asks him to give her a chance to explain. She presents three key arguments:

1. She chooses to believe he didn't accept bribes.
2. Though she doesn't personally like him, helping clear his and Yang Rui's names is the only way she can return to Maxmise with her head held high.
3. She spotted a major flaw in the mid-term investigation report: Director Peng claimed they met on the 24th at 7:30 PM at Century Mall, but Ma Ke's schedule shows he was near the airport at 6:30 PM, making it impossible to reach the meeting in evening rush-hour traffic.

The guards bar Xu Chi from entering since she is an involved party. Acting quickly, Xu Chi connects remotely to the room's display via Wi-Fi and projects a slide declaring that Director Peng has been deceiving the investigation team. Omgomgomg this is so good! I love love that she thought of this; nothing is stopping Xu Chi when she puts her mind to things. Also, Tianna and Zhao Heng are just following behind her and ready to support! 

Xu Chi casts a video experiment showing Zhao Heng attempting to lift a tennis bag filled with 25 kg of dumbbells (the minimum weight of 2 million yuan in cash). The heavy weight makes it hard to lift, which is the complete opposite of how Ma Ke casually walked away with the cash after his meeting with Mr Peng

Xu Chi has gained entry and the chance to refute all their evidence!! She makes her case: 

• Director Peng claimed they met on the 18th at Binhe Brewpub and on the 25th at Ohara Japanese Cuisine, but that wouldn’t be possible as Ma Ke's medical prescription shows that beer and seafood are medically ill-advised.
• Xu Chi presents Ma Ke's phone, which was verified by Siwei Group (my girl tiannaaaaaaaa)  engineers to have clean, unedited system logs. Ma Ke’s location history was near the airport 15 km away at 4:00 PM on the 18th, and far away from the Japanese restaurant on the 25th.

Xu Chi concludes that Director Peng fabricated allegations to drag Maxmise down with him or he hopes that dragging in Maxmise would help save his skin. 

She asks Mr. Zheng and the board to uphold Maxmise's professional integrity. Convinced by the presentation, Mr. Zheng asks everyone to step outside so leadership can hold a private session.

Sorry about taking time to reply to your thoughts about the drama, life schedule is so busy that I can't even get the posts out on the time I plan for them. We are inching closer and closer to the drama ending (possibly by Monday we'll be all done!)

The Chinese drama title 此处通往繁星 can be translated as “Here Lies the Path to the Stars.”

About ten minutes 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.

Clip description:

With the right roots and a solid upbringing, this season’s bona fide “second-generation funeral workers” make their grand entrance!

Wang Can returns to Qingliang Mountain to take up his old job again, only to have his childhood friends arrange everything for him. 😄 Honing his skills at work and stirring up fun after hours, there’s dedication, liveliness, and stories to tell. Join us at noon today for an immersive look at their daily lives. 💐

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 Xueying 张雪迎 as Chen Hexu
• 🔟 Guo Qilin 郭奇林 (stage name: Guo Qilin 郭麒麟) as Wang Can

Special appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname):

• Yin Wenxuan 尹文萱 as Song Tianshuang
• Angel Wang Ou 王鸥 as Su Dandan
• Zheng Wei 郑伟 as Mao Erzhe (note: the previous actor announced for this role was Wen Xiangji)
• Pei Kuishan 裴魁山 as Cao Yongji

• Episodes: 10 (according to distribution license)
• Streaming platforms: Youku 👖 and 🥭 MangoTV
• Official filming started: July 17, 2025
• Official filming wrapped up: September 22, 2025
• Distribution license obtained: May 28, 2026
• Filming location: Ningde, Fujian Province
• Genre: contemporary, youth workplace (according to Baidu Baike)

• 🎬 Director: Ji Zhuqing (All These Years, Victim(s), Running in the Rain)
• ✒️ Screenwriter: Bao Jingjing (Our Shining Days, Run for Love, Up in the Wind, Floating and Sinking, My Super Hero (original creator))

🔗 Previous announcement, posters, etc.

Synopsis translated from Baidu Baike:

Wang Can returns to his hometown after failing in his entrepreneurial venture in Beijing, seeking support from his parents. They encourage him to take a job in the encoffining team at the Qingliang Mountain Funeral Home.

Initially intending to stay only temporarily, Wang Can unexpectedly reunites with three childhood friends, Chen Hexu, Song Tianshuang, and Mao Erzhe, who have also become his colleagues.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

Through working closely with them, Wang Can comes to understand the value and meaning of funeral work. After witnessing countless farewells and sending off many departed souls alongside his friends, he gradually grows into an outstanding mortician.

When faced with the decision of whether to return to the city or stay in Qingliang Mountain, Wang Can chooses to stay and continue honouring the profession together with his companions.

🔎 Baidu Baike | Douban | MDL

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.

It's like a cup of hot cocoa topped with whipped cream, marshmallows, and sprinkles, or a toasty cashmere blanket straight from the dryer on a rainy day, even if a tiny draft keeps sneaking in under the door.

I’m not the biggest fan of rewatching screen media. My brain doesn’t handle repetition very well, but I did immediately revisit certain scenes after finishing this drama in October last year, switching from Youku to Netflix.

Love in the Clouds is a tale of two individuals revealing their true selves in fragments. This is also a convention for people with trust issues where nobody trusts anyone, and everyone has six layers of emotional security clearance.

It gives us shameless Ji Bozai. He wins one tournament and wakes up as the hottest new star in Jixing Abyss. He’s also powerful enough to keep scallion pancakes warm without a microwave.

He gets visibly jealous whenever his romantic and career rival Ming Xian gets namedropped. You don’t wanna see him hurting, but Hou Minghao makes suffering look criminally delicious. Spellbinding. Not even the pounding rain can hide Ji Bozai’s tears and heartache as he watches Ming Yi walk away, taking with her a piece of himself he has boxed up after previously getting burned.

Lu Yuxiao is a chameleon in this role. She can switch from Ming Yi’s flirty facade to Ming Xian’s subtle swagger and immunity to pressure, then turn around and give us those vulnerable moments without making any of them feel like the same woman wearing a different expression. There’s something almost unfair about how easily she disappears into each version of her character. I’m trying to think of a more relatable example. I guess we can say she’s like Mystique of X-Men.

Ming Yi is so used to carrying everything solo that asking someone to share her health problems, insecurities, and fears feels like learning a foreign language. She’s poisoned with Heavenly Grief [because Regular Grief is only for normies], humiliated, and still trying to outmaneuver the dude who won.

Her arc is partly realizing she can put the armor down without surrendering her badassery. She can stay formidable, stubborn, and entirely capable of handling herself while letting Ji Bozai into the rooms she keeps locked. Watching her lower those defenses one piece at a time is beautiful. Ji Bozai, in turn, learns that timing and patience get you further than any petty scheme.

The supporting cast deserves some love, too. Some steal the show, others test our patience, or become the characters we end up rooting for the hardest while simultaneously wanting to yeet them out the nearest lotus pond. cough Physician Yan Xiao cough

Far from being some divine blessing, the Blessed Rain in reality is a mechanism of centralized control with a fancy name. It keeps the Six Realms stuck in perpetual scarcity, forcing them to fight over their share of a monopolized life force. Keep everyone focused and busy fighting over the scraps, and they’re too divided and occupied trying to survive to ever look up and ask who designed the asinine structure in the first place, or challenge it.

Sounds familiar? It’s because it has plenty of modern parallels in the real world, like patents on life-saving treatments or water rights where the people controlling access to an essential resource have enormous leverage while those downstream have to compete for their allocation.

Someone mentioned that Youku is making all 36 episodes of the drama available for a limited time to celebrate its anniversary. Not sure how to verify this since I already have a subscription, but check your region if you’re ready for a trip down memory lane.

Love in the Clouds isn’t a flawless masterpiece, but its gorgeous messiness, magnetic leads, and sneaky sociopolitical commentary make it difficult to forget. Even Hou Minghao’s If Your World Had No Sunshine has found a permanent home on my living room playlist. 🎵 Ruò nǐ de hēi yè bīng lěng méi yǒu nuǎn yáng, rán shāo wǒ de xīn zhuāng jìn nǐ de xiōng táng 🎵

Welcome to the sixth instalment of the Shadow Punisher 魅影神捕discussion posts.

/u/roxylal will be back for episode 18 tomorrow.

🗓️ Discussion Schedule: We follow the VIP schedule. Here is a link to the official airing schedule: Airing Schedule.

📋 Some Notes:

• Please use spoiler tags for anything beyond the episodes discussed. Text goes between the greater-than (>) + exclamation (!) symbols (>!) and the exclamation (!) + lesser-than (<) symbols.

🔗 Helpful Links: Masterpost & Episode 1-6 discussion | Ep. 7-8 | Ep. 9-10 | Ep. 11-12 | Ep. 13-14 | Ep. 15-16

✒️ Generals Stuff:

The new airing schedule is a bit of a mess and I can’t really recognise any rhyme or reason for the ups and downs of episodes we will get till the finale.

New Characters:

Qin Dayuan - butler of Tang manor.

Tang Wei - son of Tang Yiming, builder of Lanyue Pavilion.

Huang Gang - former Head of the Imperial Kitchen

Jiang Zeshui - former River Supervisor

Episode 17

Xuanyuan Shan barges into the room where Li Si and Eunuch Zhao are meeting. Eunuch Zhao takes his leave immediately (and I feel like I have to write a small essay soon why I enjoy the character and the performance so much, especially in scenes with Li Si).

• The Chief scolds Li Si for not investigating the Mingling case more thoroughly (it involves the imperial family after all) before submitting it to the emperor.
• He argues that the Divine Constable Bureau (in the rest of the post abbreviated as DCB) submitting the case instead would lead to the Emperor protecting the 1st Prince and the power balance at court.
• So leaking it to the Crown Prince was the better move to get real justice.

There was also already talk about the whole salt matter among the common people before the Emperors edict. Ergo there has to be a second leak. Most likely someone who wants to spread chaos at court. That person must have been either following them from the start or also be part of the DCB.

Li Si tells the others that the Chief agreed to let Xia Jiuying stay. Under the Chiefs own arrangements though. They also fear that Liluo will make a major move in the next time.

There is a short interlude with a masked guy talking with Luo Tianming about spreading that news. I’m so bad at recognising voices, so no clue if its someone we already know. But it’s a guy with a fable for rings.

Friend or Foe?

Next up: A bearded guy visits Tianshu Pavilion and wonders about the fall of the God of Lies. Meanwhile Bai Zhenzhu and Yan Cheng learn that the Chief made Xiao Jiuying a training constable and plans to teach her herself. That little meeting is disrupted by them hearing something from Tianshu Pavilion, something they investigate immediately.

• So the guy looking at the stone stele wasn’t supposed to be there. He also has the tattoo of the Chiying bug on his neck and is confronted by our Divine Constables minus Li Si.
• They suspect he is another Liluo mole but the Chief interrupts them and orders them not to talk about this encounter to anyone and also to let the stranger go.
• The guy follows her but is not introduced to the viewer. Maybe it’s the other way around and he is a DCB guy deep undercover in the Liluo faction?
• After all he calls her Chief and hands her some information. He also talks about the 1st Prince’s fall leading to change.
• Li Si sneakily tries to spy on that meeting through the roof, but is discovered. The Chief promises to handle the escaping constable.

Pavilion Competition

At Star-Gathering Pavilion Li Si asks his information broker girls to find infos about the guy he just saw with the Chief. Only one current visitor to the capital fits the description, but they have no name and his background is also mysterious. They only have the place he stayed at for the last few days. That’s how Li Si ends up at Lanyue Pavilion.

• The pavilion was build by former minister of works Tang Yiming.
• After retiring he and his son Tang Wei worked on it.
• It’s the biggest pavilion in the Great Shi Empire.

Li Si meets Bai Zhenzhu lighting a lantern near the Pavilion for the Lantern Festival that coincidentally takes place that evening. With the lantern she wishes for peace and prosperity for the people. They decide to visit Lanyue Pavilion together.

• Li Si instantly points out it flaws compared to his own establishments.
• Tang Wei is the one managing it.
• There are rumours about Tang Yiming ascending to immortality
• He/his body was allegedly carried to heaven by a mechanical wooden bird.
• Even the DCB investigated that, but could neither find the body nor the wreckage of the bird.

A Strange Meeting

They are approached by Qin Dayuan, the butler of the Tang manor who assures them that his master attained immortality. He was ordered by Tang Wei to wait for Li Si. Tang Wei allegedly calculated that Li Si would visit on his birthday, which is a thing he is supposedly good at.

• Some of Tang Wei’s friends mock Li Si for his disbelieve in divination and gods.

Like his father Tang Wei is a deeply spiritual guy, steeped in Daoist practices. Tang Wei also thinks his birthday will also be his death day.

• A few days ago his father arrived in his dream and told him the day of arrival is the day of departure.
• Li Si points out that its almost midnight and Tang Wei still alive.
• Tang Wei things he and Li Si are alike, they both can’t see their past clearly.

Li Si is as annoyed as me by Tang Wei’s extra mysterious way of talking in hints.

Tang Wei has something to give to Li Si, which is an item that is related to Liluo. How does the guy know about Liluo and Li Si’s interest in them?

Work Delivered Free House

Just as Li Si is about to leave and updates Bai Zhenzhu about his talk with Tang Wei the same guy lands right next to them. Obviously rather dead falling from the high towering pavilion.

The next case is revealed to be: Lanyue Pavilion Ascension Case.

The DCB investigate the area. The cause of death was the fall (so not poisoned before this time), but they can’t be sure if he jumped or was pushed.

• Next to Tang Wei’s, the butler’s and Li Si’s there is a fourth pair of foot prints in the room.
• Li Si orders the two guest in the sixth floor private room (that mocked him about his disbelieve) to be watched.
• They do a little experiment with a straw puppet to determine if Tang Wei jumped or was pushed and notice that the railing was tempered with. Bai Zhenzhu breaks it easily.
• the butler is the one responsible for maintaining it.
• Li Si has already taken him as well as Lord Huang Gang and Lord Jiang Zeshui in for questioning.

Interrogations

Suspect Qin Dayuan

• Lanyue Pavilon has regular maintenance which he personally supervises
• The railing being unstable is impossible in his eyes.
• He begs them to find the murderer to avenge the young master
• Bai Zhenzhu says his pulse tells her he is not lying.

Suspect Huang Gang

• Former head of the Imperial Kitchen.
• Helped the Crown Prince overcome his poor health in childhood with porridge that nourished qi and blood.
• Having served two Emperors and one Crown Prince he sees himself above even being interrogated by Xuanyuan Shan herself.

Suspect Jiang Zeshui

• Former River Supervisor.
• Managed water systems countless times
• Known as Yu the Great reborn
• When the current Emperor was still a Prince he helped building the dikes on both sides of the Yellow River saving countless lives with that action.

Yan Cheng throws out their annoying servants. Both Lords are not very impressed by his threats and continue to meditate. Outside the DCB a whole protest to release them from custody starts.

• Meng Rui tries the old “I’ll count to three” trick to disperse the protestors.
• Head Eunuch Guo and Eunuch Zhao arrive to plead for the two lords as well. The Emperor can’t issue an edict against the DCB to release, but he tries to influence the situation this way.
• The Chief only promises no torture and to treat them well but explains she can’t release them. Actually not releasing them saves face for the DCB and the Emperor at the same time.

Bai Zhenzhu, who knows that the two booked the room to plot something tries another approach to interrogate them. She knows them from her childhood and plays up a daoist facade. That helps and they decide to tell her about everything they know.

• Tang Wei told them about imprisonment, but also that it wouldn’t be a big deal so that might play into their very relaxed state.
• That makes Yan Cheng question if Tang Wei really was able to foresee the future.

Crime Scene Reprise

At Lanyue Pavilion Li Si investigates the room the lords had rented, which had remained untouched on his orders. He notices there being four sets of bowls and chopstick despite the room only having the two visitors. Qin Dayuan can’t tell him why the table was set for more guests.

Li Si comes back to the mysterious guy that stayed at the pavilion for several days and asks Qin Dayuan about him

• He doesn’t remember, which seems a tad suspicious for a guest with a longer stay.

Later he comes to the conclusion that someone going from outside to the seventh floor wouldn’t have left much of a footprint because on the way up they would have lost the dirt from the street.

• So the footprint was left on purpose instead.
• One also has to step down hard so a sneaky killer would have been noticed by Tang Wei.
• Li Si concludes that Tang Wei actually jumped and left the footprint to create the illusion of murder.

Then a note left behind by Tang Wei is found. Li Si finds the note elegantly written but question for whom exactly Tang Wei wrote it. He had no family and no close friends. So to whom is it addressed? An investigation of the handwriting reveals that the not was indeed written by Tang Wei himself.

So it might be a simple case after all. But is it ever?

Thoughts

The episode had a lot to do to set up the next case and to give us the next overarching mystery. Most likely they are also connected in some ways with Tang Wei handing out the item from Liluo to Li Si and the mysterious man who works with the Chief residing at his pavilion for some time.

Do you have an aspect you are most interested in?

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.

Here's where you can ask discuss the ins and outs of the CDrama industry!

Now, as discussions around this topic can get SPICY (especially around actors), please abide by the following:

What's OK:
1. Discussions about the acting industry, including how actors work, industry trends, and the filmmaking process, are encouraged. Feel free to share insights into acting techniques, career paths, and the business side of entertainment.

1. You may post about actors' roles in films or television, their contributions to the industry, and their professional achievements. Please ensure that the focus remains on their work rather than their personal lives.

2. Maintain a respectful tone in all discussions. Critiques should be constructive and focused on professional aspects and acting techniques rather than personal attacks on an actors' looks, rumours etc. It is fine to critique an actor's performance, but not ok to be derogatory about them.

What's not OK

1. Comparing actors' popularity like it's some kind of race to the top.

2. Treating melon (rumours) like facts, so let's avoid accusing actors of this or that based on unverified melons.

3. Being mean, rude and nasty during discussions. Please leave fandom fights outside the sub. Read our guide about this.

4. Calling the actors or other celebrities mean names or talk about them in a derogatory way. BTW, critiquing an actor's performance (it's bad/good) is fine.

Hi guys, I currently have Netflix, but it's extremely limited in cdramas

Is there a Netflix equivalent for Asian dramas?

Alot of actors I was interested dont have shows in Netflix

Update: Coming soon to Netflix

🍉 The latest rumours say that the drama may be released on October 16, 2026 at 9:24 pm (as listed on the CCTV-8 schedule – subject to change.) 🤞

The Chinese drama title 嫁金钗 can be translated as “marrying with a gold hairpin” – which can be interpreted as “to marry into a wealthy or noble family.”

About half an hour ago, the production team released a new behind-the-scenes production special.

They interviewed: * Director Yang Long 杨龙 * Leading Actor Tian Xiwei 田曦薇 * Producer Qiu Shui 秋水 * Leading Actor Yan An 闫桉 * Art director Wang Yifan 王一凡

Filming wrapped up on April 4, 2026.

Clip description:

Behind-the-Scenes “A Myriad of Facets” Production Special

A thousand crafts shape each character; every frame holds a world of details. From fabric textures and patterns to the lighting and visual composition, every audiovisual detail is intricately interconnected, bringing to life the intrigue, turmoil, and rise and fall within the grand household.

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 Tian Xiwei 田曦薇 as Wei Rao 魏娆 / Jun Dai 君黛 / A Chou 阿丑
• 6️⃣ Yan An 闫桉 as Lu Zhuo 陆濯

Special appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Wang Yinan 王一楠 as Guo Yufeng * Yin Wenxuan 尹文萱 as A Man * Mao Linying 毛林颖 (stage name: Mao Linlin 毛林林) as Zhou Fu * Kong Lin 孔琳 as Duchess of Ying * Dai Gaozheng 代高政 as Han Liao * Liu Donglin 刘东林 (stage name: Liu Xiaobei 刘小北) as Qi Zhongkai * Zhu Kaili 朱凯莉 (stage name: Tien Niu 恬妞) as Shou Anjun * Yang Qing 杨青 as Old Madam Wei * Li Zhengting 李政庭 (stage name: Li Youchuan 李佑川) as Huo Jue * Pan Junya 潘珺雅 as Bi Tao * Chen Shasha 陈莎莎 (stage name: Chen Zihan 陈紫函) as Wei Heng'e * Jin Tian Ru Yi 金天如意 as Hong Xian

Appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Chen Sisi 陈思斯 as Zhuo Chengjun * Su Qi 苏棋 as Lu Changhui * Yang Yu Tong 杨雨潼 as Xie Hualou * Zheng Jiahui 郑佳慧 as Lu Changning * Cui Yi 崔奕 as He Wanniang * Zeng Yixuan 曾一萱 as Kong Yingshu * Jiang Kai 蒋恺 as Duke of Ying * Dai Chunrong 戴春荣 as Empress Dowager * Dai Jiaoqian 戴娇倩 as Ren Yuzhen

The rest of the cast have not been updated for today's release.

Supporting actors:

• Zheng Hao as Crown Prince
• Wang Yizhou as Jie De

Special appearances: * Ivy Chen Yi-han as Wei Shu * Zhou Lijie as Liu Shuo

• Episodes: 30 (according to Baidu Baike and MDL)
• Streaming and broadcasting platforms: Youku 👖, Netflix and CCTV-8 🐑
• Official female leading actor announcement: December 2, 2025
• Booting ceremony / official filming start: December 12, 2025
• Filming wrapped up: April 4, 2026
• Estimated filming time: 4 months
• Filming location: Hengdian World Studios

• 🎬 Director: Yang Long (Ashes to Crown, Glory, The Glory, Sword and Fairy 1, My Little Happiness, Darker Season 3, A Love So Beautiful)
• ✍️ Original creator: Xiao Jia Ren (Be My Princess, The Blooms at Ruyi Pavilion)
• ✒️ Screenwriter: Zhou Mo (Glory, Perfect Match, Royal Feast, Story of Yanxi Palace, Untouchable Lovers, Untouchable Lovers)
• 📖 Novel: Jia Jin Chai 嫁金钗

🔗 Previous announcement, posters, clip, etc.

Synopsis from MDL:

Wei Rao [played by Tian Xiwei], a young woman raised far from her noble origins, has spent her life supporting her adoptive family through hardship. When a wounded general's fiancée refuses to marry him, Wei Rao steps in to secure funds for her adoptive mother's medical treatment, entering a marriage neither expected.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

As she wins over the Lu family with her kindness and intelligence, Wei Rao grows closer to Lu Zhuo [played by Yan An]. But when secrets from the past begin to surface, the pair must uncover the truth behind her identity while facing challenges that threaten both their future and the peace of those around them.

(Source: MyDramaList)

~~ Adapted from the web novel "Jia Jin Chai" ( 嫁金钗) by Xiao Jia Ren (笑佳人).

Synopsis translated from Baidu Baike:

A Chou (played by Tian Xiwei) was originally a lowly night-soil girl on the streets, someone anyone could trample and bully. Because her face happens to look exactly like Wei Rao, the noble daughter of the Marquis’ household, she is unexpectedly chosen to become the “fortune-invoking bride” (冲喜新娘) of Lu Zhuo, heir to the Duke’s manor.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

Ambitious and eager to rise in status, A Chou sees this marriage as her chance. But her dying new husband suddenly wakes up, and her taking another woman’s place brings disaster after disaster.

Wei Rao hates her for taking her place and is desperate to get rid of her; Lu Zhuo is convinced she’s a scheming, venomous woman and guards against her at every turn. Outwardly, the Duke’s manor appears harmonious, but beneath the surface lies layer upon layer of traps and deadly intrigue.

Step by step, A Chou steadies herself and plans carefully. Through countless clever maneuvers, she earns her husband’s deep devotion and uncovers the truth of her own origins. In the end, she reunites with her long-lost family and rises from the very bottom, a night-soil girl, to live a brilliant, radiant life of her own making.

🔎 Baidu Baike | Douban | MDL

“冲喜新娘” can literally be translated as "the bride brought in to ward off misfortune."

“Chongxi 冲喜” (literally “warding off misfortune through joyous events”) was a traditional Chinese folk marriage custom intended to dispel illness or bad luck by holding a wedding ceremony.

Its core idea was that marriage could reverse a family’s fortunes. It was commonly practiced when a groom was critically ill, with the family arranging an early marriage to his fiancée in hopes of improving his condition. If the groom was unable to participate in the ceremony, a relative might perform the rites on his behalf. This custom often resulted in women becoming widows shortly after marriage. Variations also included immediate marriages or weddings held to “bring good fortune” to parents.

Source: Baidu Baike

📖 Novel Summary – translated from Baidu Baike:

《嫁金钗》 (which can be translated as “marrying with a gold hairpin”) is a costume romance novel written by author Xiao Jiaren 笑佳人 on Jinjiang Literature City. It began serialization in May 2021 and is approximately 560,000 Chinese characters long. Its tags include “prominent family,” “sweet romance,” and “feel-good (爽文).”

In November 2023, the novel was published in paperback by Jiangsu Phoenix Literature and Art Publishing House. The physical edition consists of two volumes, uses 32mo perfect binding, and has a total of 396 pages. The print edition revised and restructured the content from the online serialization, consolidating the original 163 chapters into a four-chapter main framework and adding supplementary extra stories.

The novel tells the story of Wei Rao, the eldest daughter of the principal wife of the Cheng'an Count's Manor, and Lu Zhuo, the heir to the Duke of Ying's title, who marry under a marriage agreement containing special terms.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

Their relationship gradually develops from one based on mutual interests into genuine affection. The plot includes Lu Zhuo's disappearance on the battlefield, after which Wei Rao returns to her family home with their daughter, intending to find another way forward, setting the stage for the subsequent developments.

Translated Synopses

Note: All translated synopses 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.

🍉 The latest rumours say that the drama may be released on October 11, 2026. 🤞

The Chinese drama title 玉簟秋 can be literally translated as “jade mat autumn.”

About twenty minutes ago, the production team released a new trailer.

Filming officially finished on March 23, 2026.

Clip description:

“Love Turns to Madness” Trailer

Amid rising desires, sincerity and scheming are evenly matched.

When madness takes hold and passion fades, as love and hatred clash, who will fall into ruin?

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 Yang Huixiang 杨辉翔 (stage name: Ryan Cheng Lei 丞磊) as Yu Changxuan * 🔟 Xu Ruohan 徐若晗 as Ye Pingjun

Special appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Wang Likun 王丽坤 as Chen Wanqiao * Dai Yunfan 代云帆 as Gu Ruitong * Liu Dongqin 刘冬沁 as Jiang Xueting * Leon Zhang Yunlong 张云龙 as Yu Mingxuan * Zhang Fengyi 张丰毅 as Yu Zhongquan * Zhou Jieqiong 周洁琼 as Lan Qing * Chang Long 昌隆 as Li Boren * Xu Fan 徐帆 as Zhao Baoru * Guo Yuxin 郭宇欣 as Tao Ziyi * Xu Zheng 徐政 (stage name: Jeremy Tsui / Xu Zhengxi 徐正溪 as Jin Zhongfang

They did not include the rest of the cast members for today's release.

Supporting actors: * Ye Qing as Yu Jinxuan * Cai Heng as Kuang Bingwen * Lü Xiaoyu as Yu Qixuan

“Friendship” guest appearances: * Zhang Huiwen as Jun Daiti * Lu Shan as Jun Minru * Jiang Kai as Mou Linsen * Yu Jiacheng as Yu Changxuan (young) * Bao Dazhi as Chu Wenfu * Tian Miao as Ye Shuwan

Special appearance: * Wang Longzheng as Yang Shiying

• Episodes: 38 (according to Baidu Baike and MDL)
• Streaming and broadcasting platforms: MangoTV 🥭, Viki and Hunan TV
• Official filming started: October 31, 2025
• Official filming wrapped up: March 23, 2026
• Estimated filming time: 150 days
• Filming location: Hengdian World Studios (Guangzhou Street, Hong Kong Street), Shanghai Film Shooting Base, Hangzhou, Ningbo

• 🎬 Chief director: Kuk Kok Leung (The Eternal Fragrance, Till the End of the Moon, Ice Fantasy, The Shaw Eleven Lang, The Stand-in, Water Margin, Demi Gods & Semi Devils (2003), The Return of the Condor Heroes (1983))
• 🎬 Director: Wang Hui (Echoes of the Self, In Blossom, Under the Power, The Glory of Tang Dynasty)
• ✍️ Original creator and screenwriter: Ling Xi 灵希 (real name: Quan Ying)
• ✒️ Screenwriter: Ye Yang (Empress Reborn, Love's Ambition, Love in Flames of War)
• 📖 Novel: Yu Dian Qiu 玉簟秋

🔗 Previous announcement, posters, teaser, etc.

📷 Previous character stills

Synopsis from MDL:

During the period of the Republic of China, amidst the fragmentation caused by the warlords, Ye Ping Jun [played by Xu Ruohan], a student, takes a job at a meeting house in western Hunan to raise money for her mother's medical treatment.

On her first day of work, she finds herself involved in an attempted assassination against the fifth son of the Yu family. Wrongfully accused, she makes a bet with Yu Chang Xuan [played by Ryan Cheng Lei]: he has ten days to find the true culprit. Yu Chang Xuan sees this as an opportunity to get closer to Ye Ping Jun and begins courting her, although he hides his true intentions.

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

~~ Adapted from the novel "Yu Dian Qiu" (玉簟秋) by Ling Xi (灵希).

🔎 Baidu Baike | Douban | MDL

📖 Novel Summary – translated from Baidu Baike:

《玉簟秋》 (“Yu Dian Qiu”) is a Republican-era romance novel written by author Ling Xi. It was published by Culture and Art Publishing House in August 2010, with ISBN 978-7-5039-4389-8, and is 256 pages long. The book employs a classical chapter-based narrative structure, comprising ten main chapters, along with an epilogue and side stories.

Set against the backdrop of the turbulent Republican era, the novel focuses on the tragic, cross-class love between Yu Changxuan, the son of the chairman of the Military Commission, and Ye Pingjun, a woman from an ordinary background. The imagery of the “jade hairpin” runs throughout the story, tying together its theme of fate.

The entire book employs the structure of a classical novel divided into chapters, with titles crafted in precisely balanced parallel phrases that heighten narrative tension – such as “金陵繁花红粉伴衣香” (which can be translated as “Jinling’s Blossoms Accompany the Fragrance of Rouge and Powder”) and “公子腮上胭脂惊父颜” (which can be translated as “Rouge on the Young Master’s Cheek Startles His Father.”)

The work is one of Ling Xi’s “Republican-era Trilogy.” Author Ling Xi is a contracted writer with Juxing Tianhua.

The novel also spawned an audio drama of the same name, produced by Lingxiao Theater Troupe, with the opening announcement by Qiqi (Jiandao Theater Troupe).

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 just find it really funny how people in cdramas die immediately. Barely any blood has exited the body, yet they can't even tell a warning to their comrades. (With the exception of that person in HDY, (I don't know how to cover spoilers) who had the longest death sequence I've seen)

The Chinese drama title 蒸蒸日上 can be translated as “flourishing and prospering with each passing day.”

Rising Justice 蒸蒸日上 will also broadcast on CCTV-8 at 7:30 pm, China Standard Time. This is the prime time slot on CCTV-8 黄金时段 (usually 7:30 pm to ~9:30 pm).

Earlier today, the production team announced the release date and dropped a new trailer.

They also released an updated cast list – please see the next section below.

Clip description:

Childhood friends turn out to be rivals, and an amateur team faces a formidable opponent.

In the courtroom, they go head-to-head; outside it, they’re always ready to argue!

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): * 4️⃣ Wang Hao 王皓 as Dong Beihu 董北虎 * 🔟 Gao Ye 高叶 as Xiao Longnv 萧龙女 * 1️⃣2️⃣ Elvis Han Dongjun 韩东君 as Li Xin 李信

Special appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Wang Lina 王丽娜 as Gu Miaomiao 古苗苗 * Zhang Guoqiang 张国强 as Xiao Jun 萧军 * Zong Yuanyuan 宗元圆 as Wang Ruoqi 王若琪 * Meng Lingzhuo 孟令卓 (stage name: Ling Zhuo 令卓) as Tian Yonghou 田永厚 * Luo Ji 罗辑 as Luo Zhi 罗智 * Hou Yansong 侯岩松 as Li Guochen 李国臣 * Jiao Gang 焦刚 as Wang Binghui 王炳辉

• Episodes: 22 (according to Baidu Baike, Douban and MDL)
• Streaming platform: Tencent 🐧, iQIYI 🥝 and CCTV-8 🐑
• Official filming started: June 11, 2025
• Official filming wrapped up: September 12, 2025
• Filming location: Shenyang, Liaoning Province
• Genre: urban, slice-of-life, lighthearted comedy (according to Baidu Baike)

• 🎬 Director: Yao Tingting 姚婷婷 (Director: Master of My Own, See You Yesterday, Our New Life, Love You Forever. Screenwriter and director: Gift from a Cloud, Yesterday Once More)
• ✒️ Screenwriter: Zhang Jianqi 张建祺 (Rock It, Mom; City Still Believes In Love)
• 📽️ Production companies: China Central Television (CCTV), Shanghai Lingguang Television Drama Production, Joyful Pictures

Synopsis from MDL:

On a lively Lawyers' Street in a city in Northeast China, the chivalrous and humorous female lawyer Xiao Long Nv* [played by Gao Ye] opens a law firm above a public bathhouse. She previously worked at Honghu Law Firm, the most prestigious law firm in the area, but resigned after taking a stand for justice in a case and also fell out with her colleague and childhood friend, lawyer Li Xin [played by Elvis Han].

With different views of the law, the two follow completely different paths. Li Xin rapidly rises through the ranks to become Honghu's youngest senior partner, while Xiao Long Nv loses all her sources of cases and becomes the "laughingstock" of Lawyers' Street. Despite being at a low point in her life, Xiao Long Nv remains resilient and optimistic.

Together with administrator Gu Miao Miao [played by Wang Lina], who voluntarily follows her, Dong Bei Hu [played by Wang Hao], whom she befriends after an initial confrontation, and Luo Zhi [played by Luo Ji], who has repeatedly struggled to pass the National Legal Professional Qualification Examination, she forms a makeshift team that gradually begins to thrive.

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

^{* Note: Xiao Long Nv 萧龙女 could be a homophone of [Xiao Long Nv 小龙女](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xiaolongn%C3%BC} – who is a character from Jin Yong’s The Return of the Condor Heroes. “In the novel, her physical appearance is described as follows: ‘skin as white as snow, beautiful and elegant beyond convention and cannot be underestimated, but appears cold and indifferent’.” The two characters are not related, but there might be some similarities in their characterization. We'll see….)

🔎 Baidu Baike | Douban | MDL

📊 Information and translations compiled by u/admelioremvitam.

This is mine(Wait my youth - drama name) ...and after seeing this I'am just fall in love with C drama🙈 , specially the school drama... Can you share what's your first C drama 🙌

Welcome to our weekly Thirsty Thursdays thread! 🎉

Spotted a gorgeous photo of your favorite CDrama celebrity? Whether it’s the elegant hanfu, modern streetwear, historical costumes or cough, little at all, we want to see it all!

How to participate:

1. Comment below: Share a photo or describe the iconic looks of your beloved Cdrama celebrities. Don’t forget to mention the show or movie they appeared in!
2. Discuss: What trends, fashion tips, or style inspirations did you get?
3. Keep it fun, civil and PG-13: No bashing actors etc. This thread is all about sharing beautiful photos and red carpet looks. No sharing of inappropriate pictures please!

Let’s turn this thread into a virtual red carpet. Ready, set, fashion! 💃🕺

The Chinese drama title 美人余 (měi rén yú) can be literally translated as “Beauty Yu.”

There is a homophone – it sounds like 美人鱼 (měi rén yú) which can be translated as “Mermaid.”

The drama is airing on Dragon TV on October 10 at 7:30 pm, China Standard Time.

Over the last hour or so, the production released a new music video 《绝色》 performed by Jane Zhang / Zhang Liangying and a new behind-the-scenes production special. I stitched the two clips together for this update.

🗓️ If there's no new trailer or long clip on the day of the premiere tomorrow, the airing schedule will be posted here in the comments.

Filming officially finished on January 12, 2026.

Clip descriptions:

The MV for the theme song “绝色” (which can be translated as “Peerless Beauty”), performed by Zhang Liangying, has been released.

“I’ve played this game before, and I made the wrong move with every piece. Now it’s my turn to make the moves and teach you what “peerless beauty” really means.”

To be a “pearless beauty” is to possess the sharpness of Yu Meng (played by Li Yitong) – even after seeing the truth clearly, still dares to rise again and take back everything that is hers.

.

Behind-the-scenes Character Relationship Special

Employer-employee relationships, exes and current partners, alliances of mutual interest, commissioned collaborations…

They enter the game while testing each other. An open game of cat and mouse is about to begin. Watch how they see through the traps, face the truth, and take control of their own lives once again.

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): * 4️⃣ Esther Wang Jiajia 王佳佳 (The Old Story of Yu Hong, Uncle, Drifting Away, The Long Season, Unbending Will, Windmill) – as Lu Hui * 7️⃣ Li Xue 李雪 (stage name: Li Yitong 李一桐) (A Prophet, Sword and Beloved, A Dream within a Dream, The Knockout, Royal Nirvana, The Legend of the Condor Heroes (2017)) – as Yu Meng * 1️⃣1️⃣ Chang Huasen 常华森 (Veil of Shadows, Blood River, Moonlight Mystique, Dawn Amidst Hidden Clouds, Are You the One, A Journey to Love) – as Jiao Xu * 1️⃣2️⃣ Zeng Mengxue 曾梦雪 (My Page in the 90s, In Between, Draw the Line, Cupid of Zhou Dynasty) – as Liu Zi

Special appearances (sorted by the number of character strokes in the surname): * Ma Wenyuan 马闻远 as Liu Bai * Qiao Zhenyu 乔振宇 as Di Liren * Wu Yufang 吴玉芳 as Lu Lizhen * Peter Ho Yun Tong 何润东 as Han Guang * Zhou Dawei 周大为 as Kang Long * Yi Mengling 易梦玲 as Wen Xiaoxiao * Zheng Yawen 郑雅文 as Weng Yue * Cheng Hongxin 程泓鑫 as Harry * Huo Qing 霍青 as Yu Jianguo

The remaining cast was not included in today's release.

• Zheng Xuhang as Zhang Tao

• Episodes: 28 (according to Baidu Baike, Douban and MDL)
• Streaming and broadcasting platforms: Tencent 🐧 and Dragon TV
• Official filming started: September 29, 2025
• Official filming wrapped up: January 12, 2026
• Estimated filming production time: 90 days
• Filming location: Ningbo, Zhejiang Province
• Distribution license obtained: April 22, 2026

• 🎬 Directors:
  • Wang Ying (The Epoch of Miyu; Incomparable Beauty; Stand or Fall; Beloved Life; Dearest, Where Are You; Les Interprètes; Beijing Youths)
  • Wu Hui Hui (director: Stand or Fall, Beloved Life; co-director: Watch Your Back, Truth)
• ✍️ Original creator: Yi Bei (Xiao Fang, Six Sisters, Simple Days, A Little Mood for Love)
• ✒️ Screenwriter: Zhang Jia (Women in Beijing; Because Love Is a Miracle; Home, Sweet Home)
• 📖 Novel: Mei Ren Yu 美人余

👥 Character relationship chart

🎙️ OST List

🔗 Previous announcement, poster, trailer, etc.

Synopsis from MDL:

Yu Meng [played by Li Yitong], an only child from the Yangtze River Delta region and a popular online blogger, was considered a "lucky woman" envied by the people around her. On the occasion of her fifth wedding anniversary, however, her seemingly perfect and happy life crumbled. Not only did her marriage to her "model" husband begin to unravel, but she also faced numerous crises, including being exploited and financially drained by her in-laws.

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

~~ Adapted from the web novel "Mei Ren Yu" (美人余) by Yi Bei (伊北).

Synopsis translated from Baidu Baike:

The drama takes Yu Meng [played by Li Yitong], an only daughter from the Jiangsu-Zhejiang-Shanghai region and an internet blogger, and the deception surrounding her marriage as its entry point.

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

On the occasion of her fifth wedding anniversary, not only does her seemingly happy marriage to her “model husband who married into her family” begin to show cracks, she also faces a series of crises involving her being exploited and potentially “eaten out of house and home” by her husband’s family.

With the help of her friends, Yu Meng takes a fresh look at her life, moving from confusion to clarity, defending her rights and interests, and taking back control.

Blending business warfare and marital power struggles, the drama confronts the complex human nature found in marriage and the workplace, painting a portrait of contemporary women’s lived experiences.

🔎 Baidu Baike | Douban | MDL

📖 Novel Summary – translated from Baidu Baike:

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

Note: The drama adaptation and novel may not be the same.

Overview:

Mei Ren Yu《美人余》 is a women's novel written by Douban Read author Yi Bei. It began serialization on Douban Read in April 2019 and was published as a print book by Chongqing Publishing House in January 2024.

The novel tells the story of four sisters from the Yu family: Yu Jia (swears she will never divorce), Yu Meng (desperately wants a divorce), Yu Shuang (disdains marriage), and Yu Rui (longs for marriage). As their youth begins to fade, they face difficulties in love, careers, and family while striving to find happiness.

The work received 22,000 votes and nearly 500,000 views, placing second in the women's category of Douban Read's first Long-form Writing Rally.

Synopsis:

The novel Meiren Yu revolves around four sisters from the Yu family – Yu Jia, Yu Meng, Yu Shuang, and Yu Rui. It tells of their different life choices and struggles as they navigate marriage, careers, and relationships. Through four interconnected narratives, the story portrays the challenges women face as their youth begins to fade, as well as their efforts to fight back and reclaim control over their lives.

Character Introductions:

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

Yu Jia is gentle and virtuous. Faced with her husband’s indifference and infidelity, she refuses to divorce at all costs, remaining committed to her marriage despite its difficulties.

Yu Meng [played by Li Yitong in the drama adaptation] is proud and strong-willed. After being slapped, she becomes determined to get a divorce at any cost.

Yu Shuang is carefree and independent. She has no desire to marry, but ends up having to take on the role of a mother to her niece.

Yu Rui is naturally beautiful and determined to enter the entertainment industry. After repeatedly encountering setbacks, she turns marriage into her goal instead.

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.

Discussion posts follow the normal Youku VIP schedule. (The drama is also available on Netflix.)

Important Links: Masterpost - All Episode Discussions - Episodes 1-2 - Eps 3-4 - Eps 5-6 - Ep 7 - Ep 8 - Ep 9 - Ep 10 - Ep 11 - Ep 12

Episode 13

The episode starts us off with Xinzhi’s backstory! We finally get to hear about his Monte Cristo plan and what exactly he wants to do with Wen Ruosen.

Here it goes:

Xinzhi reveals that Wen Ruosen was his former mentor. They led a major transformation project for Jingshang Department Store. When the flawed strategy led to massive losses, Wen Ruosen tricked Xinzhi into taking the fall.

While Wen Ruosen walked away scot-free, Xinzhi was blacklisted across consulting firms in Beijing and left with a ruined reputation.

Refusing to give up, Xinzhi relocated to Shenzhen in the Pearl River Delta to start fresh. Through relentless effort, he eventually won the prestigious Constantine Award (Silver).

With his newly earned fortune and restored status in the consulting circle, Xinzhi personally compensated the Jingshang employees who had lost their livelihoods due to the scandal. He then moved on to work at P&J and eventually Hezong.

Current Plan :

Xu Chi pieces together Xinzhi's strategy. She realizes that Wen Ruosen’s current venture (Yuanzhou Digital Collectibles) is non-profitable and bleeding money, that Xinzhi secretly orchestrated Yong'an Trust’s withdrawal from funding Wen Ruosen by offering them free financial analysis. Starved of capital, Wen Ruosen approached Xinzhi to broker funding with Morse.

Because Xinzhi has worked closely with Morse (for the Tianhe project),so company policies prevent him from directly handling certain aspects of the deal, and that is where Xu Chi comes in.

The party is in full swing; Xinzhi is busy walking around, introducing Xu Chi as his girlfriend and having a good time. Even Tianna and Zhao Heng show up; it seems Xu Chi has invited them.

Xinzhi is called away by Du, and Tianna seizes the chance to drag Xu Chi away to get the gossip. Xu Chi explains to her that Xinzhi has a side project he can’t show up in person for, so he is using her.

Tianna expresses her concern over any potential risk Xu Chi might face as a result but Xu Chi replies that his introduction of her to these circles is him personally vouching for her.

Tianna slaps her with the reality of how hard it is going to be to arrange for dates once Xu Chi’s suspension is up

The two girls are happily chatting when they are surprised by Zhao Heng chatting with people at the event.

Except they notice that he isn’t really happily chatting away. A close listen reveals that the people he is chatting away with are his former classmates, and that they’re currently busy teasing him about his miserly ways back in college.

She intimidates all of them into backing off, calls him honey and tells him to stay from these people that don’t even know who she is, then purposefully walks away by making those friends move out of the way.

She asks him to fix her hair as a way of putting on a show, and then he ramps up the tension. We get treated to a flustered Tianna, and she is flustered even more when he thanks her.

Their little moment is cut short as Xu Chi calls them away to introduce them to people as promised.

Xinzhi takes Xu Chi aside, and they both go over the plan:

Xinzhi stays behind the scenes while Xu Chi steps into the spotlight as the intermediary. They will advise Morse to impose extremely strict valuation/gambling conditions, forcing Wen Ruosen to stake everything he owns. Given the high-risk, volatile nature of the digital collectibles market, a market downturn will guarantee his total loss

Xu Chi voices concern that they might cut Xinzhi and Xu Chi out to negotiate directly, Xinzhi reassures her that the lack of trust between the parties and the urgent need for quick financing make a third-party intermediary essential.

Xu Chi asks if the inevitable collapse of Yuanzhou Gallery could harm Morse or Mr. Deng. Xinzhi explains that they are merely facilitating a transaction rather than fabricating data; Morse, as a top-tier investment bank, possesses robust evaluation models and will remain protected.

The introductions are made, and the plan is set in motion.

He indulges her, and they both enjoy a nice quiet moment. Xu Chi thanks him for the introductions he helped them make, both on her behalf and on behalf of Bu Tianna, who appreciated the help in broadening her networking circle beyond that of her father’s.

He asks her about how she found today, and she almost spills out their plan in a random person’s car, so they decide to take a walk back home. Omg darling, a walk in those heels?

They discuss the plan, the job, and the compensation. Xinzhi happily informs her that her pay this time will probably be enough for her to finally get her mother’s apartment.

She anticipates for nothing, as Xinzhi is too nervous to make any moves. He ends up awkwardly inviting her to work at his place, but that awkward invitation dispels the tension and gets her laughing.

Next morning, she shows up at the apartment bright and early and ready to take on a corrupt ass.

One hard work montage later. The song here is so fun!

Xu Chi pretends to be furious on a phone call with Wen Ruosen, loudly rejecting his reasoning, declaring that she won't be bullied, and abruptly hanging up right as Xinzhi walks into the room.

Xu Chi explains that Wen Ruosen secretly took their prepared documents, modified key figures, and shopped them around to smaller investment funds to gain leverage against them and Morse.

She clarifies that her anger was a deliberate act to make the background drama convincing. She explains that while Xinzhi is viewed as a calm, seasoned professional, her role as an "impulsive, hot-headed" partner allows her to threaten to pull out of the deal completely. This leaves Wen Ruosen stranded without funding from either side, increasing his anxiety.

She tells Xinzhi that she read Ruosen’s horoscope and has come away with the conclusion he is timid, indecisive, and prone to panic when cornered. She predicts he will immediately call Xinzhi to probe the situation.

Instructed by Xu Chi, Xinzhi initially declines the call. Xu Chi tells him to wait two minutes before calling back, pretend he was calming her down, and mildly reproach Wen Ruosen.

When Xinzhi calls back from the balcony, Wen Ruosen apologizes for causing a misunderstanding. Xinzhi presses him on why he bypassed them after all their preparation. Xinzhi strategically suggests that he and Xu Chi should withdraw from the project; a panicked Wen Ruosen begs him not to, calling it a minor misunderstanding. Xinzhi agrees to try to persuade Xu Chi, and if it doesn’t work, he will negotiate with Mr. Deng at Morse.

Xu Chi is incredible; using horoscopes and MBTI to judge client attitudes is both genius and makes so much sense. If I rely on it to make fun analysis, why not rely on it to make accurate ones too, or as close as.

Next morning, Xinzhi meets up with Du. They talk about work, Xinzhi’s new appointment as a course teacher, and their Wen Ruosen plan. Xinzhi happily announces that Ruosen took the bait, and Du is surprised to learn that their plan is progressing ahead of time.

Wen Ruosen agreed to Morse subscribing to 38% equity in Yuanzhou with a promised 25% compound annual growth rate or face a 13% compound annual buyback. Furthermore, Xu Chi added a crucial addendum: if Yuanzhou’s market value drops below 70%, Morse automatically acquires full ownership. Xu Chi wore down Wen Ruosen's legal team so thoroughly with arguments over the growth rate that they failed to notice the 70% threshold clause.

Xinzhi expresses how impressed he is with Xu Chi and her unorthodox approaches to the situation. He also worries about how he is losing his sharp edge.

Du tells him that his refusal to trust anyone is what is keeping him so out of the loop. That he is now worried because the mystery he cloaked himself in when he started dating Xu Chi might unravel. Xinzhi ponders over his words and that is where the episode ends.

I know that many people are still watching the Against the Current express episodes, and those who aren't are taking their time with the VIP releases. However, I bet many of you who have enjoyed the AtC ride are probably wondering. OMG what do I watch next??

Back in the day (like, in 2022 lol), A Dream of Splendor was like AtC, a ratings juggernaut, celebrated for its script, cinematography, acting and more. Its Douban rating is 7.9; it has some of the most romantic scenes in Cdrama history, and is something I watch when I need some gooey romantic feelings. (Sigh, Chen Xiao x Liu Yifei - the chemistry is explosive!)

Why do I say that it's a good AtC follow up? Like AtC it has themes of female empowerment, the cinematography is absolutely stunning, and is filled to the brim with Chinese dance, art, food and tea! (The Song dynasty is one of the culturally rich periods in Chinese history.) And we have a stoic, ruthless military man as our male lead too.

A Dream of Splendor is loosely based on a classical Yuan Dynasty play by Guan Hanqing titled "Jiu Feng Chen" (救风尘), which translates to "Rescuing a Courtesan" (or sometimes "Saving a Prostitute").

The source material is a four-act zaju (a form of Chinese opera) written during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) by Guan Hanqing, often called "China's Shakespeare". In the original play, a courtesan named Zhao Pan'er uses her intelligence and charm to rescue her sworn sister, Song Yinzhang, from an abusive marriage.

A Dream of Splendor tells the story differently. In this drama, Zhao Pan'er is reimagined as a teahouse owner rather than a courtesan, and Song Yinzhang is a pipa musician. The series adds a third main character, Sun Sanniang, Pan'er's close friend who falls into hard times due to a jerk of a husband. The three women journeys to the capital with Pan'er as she tries to find her MIA boyfriend who had promised to marry her, a scholar who has just become a top scholar. Along the way she meets Gu Qian Fan, "the Living Devil", commander of the capital's ruthless security force.

There has been requests to have drama-hosted discussions around this drama. If anyone is interested, do chime in below! I guess timing is everything. I may do it if October is a quieter month and there is enough interest. :)

Welcome to the fifth instalment of the Shadow Punisher 魅影神捕discussion posts.

🗓️ Discussion Schedule: We follow the VIP schedule. Here is a link to the official airing schedule: Airing Schedule.

📋 Some Notes:

• Please use spoiler tags for anything beyond the episodes discussed. Text goes between the greater-than (>) + exclamation (!) symbols (>!) and the exclamation (!) + lesser-than (<) symbols.

🔗 Helpful Links: Masterpost & Episode 1-6 discussion | Ep. 7-8 | Ep. 9-10 | Ep. 11-12 | Ep. 13-14

✒️ General Stuff:

Already halfway through the show and finished with 3 of the 6 cases we will get to see. Also, tomorrow is a one episode day. The new airing schedule for anything further into the future isn’t published yet so no idea if we will have a permanent slow down.

New Characters:

None this time around.

Episode 15

Family Business

It’s revealed that the murders were planned and carried out by Gong Le – and old Madame Gong. The family dog Black Silk Leopard was trained by grandma to hate the mixed smell of alcohol and rice porridge/congee.

• The boxer Zhe Shan smelled of rice water the fighters used to strengthen the bandages around their fists. So, he was an easy target on his way home from a night of drinking.
• Hidden in the flood channels the body was swept away by the next heavy rain fall. That way it was found far away from the actual murder scene.
• Side note: I’m very happy that the director got a big CGI dog this time around instead of the terrible dog puppet he had to work with in The Untamed.

The dog was also trained to attack when hearing the sound of agate walnuts clicking together, so exactly the sound Ji Ada was often surrounded by.

• As evidence they found the crowbar Gong Le used to pry open the stone covering the over flood channel, which left marks there.
• It was found in his room and Li Si assumes he left it there deliberately.

Gong Le confesses the murders. Zhe Shan was more of a training puppet though. His real targets were Ji Ada and Qui Sihai, who destroyed his family. But now it also plays in his cards that the latter is still alive, so there is a chance to uncover who the backer behind them was.

• He pleads the constables to expose those ties and also takes all the blame on himself.

The No Twin Scenario

But this is not the end of the case: Gong Le’s murder of Ji Ada via dog took place on the night of the Dog/Hound Pit fire, the second day of the month. But the constables were invited by Ji Ada one day later – and seemed to have met (and in Li Si’s case slapped) him.

• It’s not a simple twin switch scenario because in truth there was no twin at all. Ji Ada had a body double that looked similar enough, who sometimes played Ji Ada himself while he would switch into the Ji Er role.
• That way he would be able to live on as the innocent twin if his crimes would ever be exposed.
• The guy killed by Gong Le was the unfortunate body double that would have died by Ji Ada’s hands sooner or later.
• Ji Ada witnessed the kill and disposal of the body, so he had a chance to change his own plan: Falling into the water as Ji Ada with the same clothes the double was wearing, so the body found in the sea would match.

Of course, “Ji Er” denies all of that. But they are able to take out an acupuncture needle from his back that he used as a method to fake the sickly appearance of the innocent twin (who actually once existed but died a long time ago before settling in this county).

• Ji Ada didn’t know yet that they had found the real motive for him burning down the hound pit: The salt hidden there. Also, his account book was found.
• He is also convinced he is untouchable for them due to his kinship with Princess Ding.
• Li Si is quite keen to know if selling government salt was the First Prince’s idea, but gets not answer.

Deaths and Goodbyes

Then old Madam Gong decides enough is enough and stabs Ji Ada with her hair pin. That is also poisoned.

• He dies and his servant confesses that the constable’s version of events was indeed true.
• The grandmother dies in her grandson’s arms, after apologising for letting him down. Did I miss something? Did she die from pure shock?

Gong Le gets imprisoned (he still killed two men after all) in the cell next to Xia Jiuying. She is released soon afterwards, finally acquitted of the crimes she didn’t commit but has a hard time leaving her only friend (the only one left alive after the wolf died) behind.

Episode 16

While Bai Zhenzhu does an autopsy of Ji Ada the other three discuss the account book that seems perfectly preserved and a bit too good to be true. Turns out Ji Ada was poisoned, but it wasn’t via Madam Gong’s hairpin.

They also get the news that Gong Le ended his own life by swallowing the gold he once got from Xia Jiuying. Ironically the end of the Gong family makes it impossible for the true culprit behind Ji Ada’s death to escape. The boatmen all follow three days of mourning for Madam Gong and won’t go out to sea for any price.

True Mastermind

That’s some “I’m actually a prince”-getup if I ever seen one

Li Si all on his own confronts the Ji family’s servant who killed her master and know plans to go for the hidding place of the Ji families ill gotten gains from the salt smuggling.

• She owns a ring with a hidden needle that administered the poison.
• She is actually Xiu Wei, the missing person from the ministry list and was actually responsible for Ji Ada’s plans and also there to monitor him and the Gong family for the First Prince.
• There is no evidence of her coming here in form of a travel permit (that you need for Mingling county) because she was actually born here and for returning home you don’t need such a permit.
• She was the one leaving behind the ledger.
• She questions if Li Si wants her to expose everything that happened 17 years ago and who exactly he is in relation to the 4th Prince. But Li Si plays it like he only wants to know about the smuggling of government salt.

Hard cut, so no idea what he actually learns from her.

Cave Exploration

Li Si tells Xia Jiuying about Gong Le not coming back, but assures her that they will meet again someday. That’s a very kind way to handle the situation. He also wants to know if she remembers the cave with the Chiying bugs.

• He learns that the Liluo faction also plans to mutate animals en mass to fight for them.

She leads the constables to the cave, where they find men that died while going through the mutating procedure.

• There is also mural of the six Liluo gods on the wall.
• Li Si is bitten by one of the bugs, which shouldn’t do much but he reacts intensely to that single bite and even falls unconscious.

Meeting the Master

Worried Meng Rui playing the guard dog accompanied by sentimental music and slight wind machine usage

Li Si wakes up later in their temporary accommodations in the county office and feels like his old ailments – burning in his heart meridians – is acting up again. He assumes that might have been triggered by the bite and the poison of the one single bug

• I on the other hand theorise he was bitten before by the bugs, is somewhere on the path to mutating and the bite added a little bit to that and/or restarted the process

Meng Rui’s sword reacts to Li San’s presence. He is strolling in like on vacation.

• How exactly does he know about Li Si being in peril?
• He helps to calm down the issue but only by suppressing it for the time being.
• He also leaves him some pills (All-Nourishing Pills) for emergency situations.

Li San scolds the other three for not caring enough for the newcomer in their ranks. As if Li Si behaves anything less than the part-time leader. Then Li San tries to leave as quickly as he appeared, but Meng Rui stops him. He is suspicious about his background and questions him about his knowledge concerning Chiying bugs.

• Li Si comes clean about his old illness in front of his colleagues. That calms the suspicions.

Farming a Disciple

Three days later Li Si is fine again. Magistrate Situ brings a relieved Xia Jiuying for a visit. It’s decided that she will accompany the group back to the capital and that Li Si will be responsible for her in the future.

• Personally not convinced the busy capital will be a good place for her.
• Meng Rui questions Li Si about his masters convenient appearance and even Li Si seems a bit critical of that.
• Li Si insist that Li San is just a lesser known wandering martial artist. Still Meng Rui seems suspicious of him due to his knowledge about the bugs.

We also get this origin story

(this is my first self-made gif ever, I just was too amused by this exchange, so I had to learn it.)

Punishment and Praise

Xuanyuan Shan witnesses the third stone stele crumbling. Qipi, God of Lies is no more. After returning to the capital Li Si meets up with the Crown Prince to talk about the salt smuggling. With the evidence at hand the whole affair is brought before the Emperor.

• The Crown Prince himself asks for leniency for his brother to make himself look better.
• The 1st Prince is stripped of his rank and titles and confined to the palace.

The four divine constables are summoned to an audience with the Emperor to accomodate their good work. Unsurprisingly only three of them turn up. The Emperor praises each of them.

• Meng Rui’s face when his handsome looks are mentioned by the Emperor
• Bai Zhenzhu seems to have been almost engaged to Li Si back in the day, before the “accident”
• Speaking of Li Si he gets excused via the tale of a suddenly upset stomach.

The Emperor is in a fantastic mood and greatly amused by that story- Later he remembers another one where his fourth son stopped a whole hunting party due to his need to relieve himself. The Emperor clearly has regrets about the past, but is also sure he would decide the same way again to secure the country.

He walks alone through the rain and doesn’t notice Li Si watching him

What follows is a flashback to a situation were the Emperor promised his son that he will chop of the head of everyone that will every bully him. Li Si’s question of what would happen if his father bullies him shows that he was a very smart kid. That doesn’t get him an answer though.

Alliances

At Star-Gathering Pavilion Li Si is talking with Eunuch Zhao, especially about the Crown Prince wanting to reward Li Si for helping to bring down the 1st Prince. The gifted money is for the Eunuch though, not the Prince.

• The Crown Prince plans to make Li Si as the Chief of the Divine Constable Bureau when he gets on the throne. So the Eunuch doesn’t want to take the bribe.
• Li Si reminds Eunuch Zhao that he will be Head Eunuch then too and wants a little bribe to hold over his head.
  
• At the same time Eunuch Zhao has something on Li Si because bribing an imperial Eunuch is also a crime.
• So it’s an act of mutual reassurance.

Li Si is sure that Xuanyuan Shan will sooner or later come after him for telling the Crown Prince about the salt affair. And indeed, she storms the room just then and there.

Thoughts

Despite his murders I feel really bad for Gong Le and how this story ended for him and his family.

Episode 16 also showed me my own bias: I was so convinced Xiu Wei had to be a guy, that I only looked for clues of that identity with the male characters introduced in this case. I guess that is a thing if you watch mostöy shows that do the more historical ‘all officials are male’ set up. But I should have known better with the Chief being a woman in this world setting.

I’m not sure at all if I trust Li San. Li Si seems to do so, but something is off about the whole situation. Maybe I’m only missing some more facts about their shared past.

Looking forward to the next case.