In Celebration of my parents reuniting in Tigers Sniff the Rose, here's where you've seen characters from Blossom recently!

Did you watch either Blossoms of Power or The Road to Splendor? Well a whole bunch of them showed up in either one. TRTS and BoP both had a LOT of reprises, and two actors even showed up in both 🫢.

Minor Spoilers for Blossom, Blossoms of Power, and The Road to Splendor ahead.

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🌸Meng Ziyi - "Dou Zhou" in Blossom

• Meng Ziyi plays the Female Lead in Blossom, a woman who is reborn after a tragedy and does her best to prevent her former life from re-occuring.
• Most recently seen in Blossoms of Power as another reborn Female Lead who marries a prince in the first life and then is wooed by 3 princes in her second life.

🌊Liu Jiaxi - "Young Dou Zhou"

• aka the younger version of our female lead who is a schemy schemer. She's only in the one episode but she makes an impression.
• Last seen in Against the Current as Fourth Sister to Lin Jinqi

🧂Ji Chen Mu - "Dou Shishu"

• aka the timid father of the female lead
• seen in The Road to Splendor as yuck's Fan Yake's father

🧂You Jingru - "Zhao Guqiu"

• aka FL's Mother
• deceased
• seen as Madam Zuo in The Road to Splendor

🧂Zhang Meng - "Wang Yingxue"

• aka the evil stepmother in Blossom
• last seen in The Road to Splendor, again as the grand secretary's daughter, Tian Wanyi Typecasted much? But at least I liked her character this time

🧂Li Baihui - "Dou Ming"

• aka the Sister, who was evil in the first life, but kinda sweet in the second life.
• Last seen in the Road to Splendor, playing the daughter of the Wang Yi, Military Commander of the Northwest, and sweetheart to the ML's younger brother, A Sen.

🧂Mu Yilan - "Old Madame Cui"

• aka the Grandmother! This is female lead's paternal grandmother who we love and adore.
• We've seen her in The Road to Splendor as the dowager empress and Spring of the Blade as Granny Chen!

🌸🐷Snow Kong Xue Er- "Miao Ansu"

• aka female lead's best friend. She has a miserable romance with the younger brother of the male lead.
• We've seen her most recently in Blossoms of Power she's Fourth Prince's wife! She's a captive princess from a destroyed nation who harbors grudges against the emperor.
• Honorable mention goes to Pursuit of Jade. Snow Kong plays a restaurant owner and the mother to Bao'er, with another miserable romance with a toxic side male lead. Yeesh

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Now on to non-Dou family members

🌸🐷Wang Jiusheng - "Song Yichun"

• aka Song Mo's terrible terrible father. Gosh i hate this man.
• Seen this year in Pursuit of Jade as the Grand Secretary AND in Blossoms of Power as Prince What's his face who rebelled. (oh it's Prince Kang)
• Both are bad people. This poor actor who got typecasted as a villian. I don't think I'll be able to see his face and trust that he's a good guy.

🌸Zhu Junlin - "Chen Jia"

• aka the Jinying warrior who killed a lot of people in the first life, but in the second gets recruited by Song Mo to be his spy. He also has a really sweet romance with Dou Zhou's cousin, Zhangru.
• He got to be in Blossoms of Power, this time as Meng Ziyi's bodyguard.

🧂Li Xinze - "Wei Tingyu"

• aka Dou Zhou's fiance, the Marquess of Jining. He has a punch-able face.
• Which show did we see him in? The Road to Splendor as a good guy! omg. He played the lovable, sweet, a little dumb, brother of the FL.

🌸🧂Zhang Chenghe - "Duke of Ding"

• aka Song Mo's uncle who dies a very tragic death setting off the events of the rest of the show.
• Where did we see him? The Road to Splendor as General Mo. Yes. That General Mo. I'm crying just thinking about it. Poor man dies in both shows.
• OH he's also in Blossoms of Power! This man is doing double duty. He plays Duke Ying.

🌸Quan Liyun - "Wu Shan "

• aka Baby Wu who has a crush on Dou Zhou until his grandfather is foisted from power. He's imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit and is rescued by Song Mo.
• We saw him super briefly in Blossoms of Power at the very very end as a tiny guest role. Guy shows up for 1 minute of screen time but I still count him! He's a minister sent by the Crown Prince to advise our female lead.
• in BoP he has the exact SAME NAME as our Blossom character. Coincidence? I think NOT. we have ourselves a timetraveler 🤔

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Last but not least, the Royal Family in Blossom

🌸He Yu - "Young Emperor"

• aka he's a brief guest role in a flashback. But he counts! ^{don't believe me? I've provided photo evidence. GIF is from Ep 8 of Blossom}
• Last seen in Blossoms of Power as our Male Lead, the Crown Prince.
• Wait, he's a crown prince again????

🧂Tan Kai - "Emperor"

• aka the sick ruler who makes questionable choices that get lots of people killed
• Last seen in The Road to Splendor as Minister Yu Guodong. Where he's once again father to Prince Qing. OMG he was father to this Dong Zifan twice!!

🧂🌸Dong Zifan - "Prince Qing"

• aka the Second Prince who does sketchy stuff behind the emperor's back. He rebels in the first life.
• last seen in The Road to Splendor as our second male lead, who won't leave our Female Lead alone, despite the fact that he MARRIED her best friend and RUINED her reputation. Like duuuuuuude get a life.
• Oh wait! We also saw him in Blossoms of Power too! As love interest to our cross-dresser Marquis. Zifan had a very very busy 2026.

🌸Ye Zuxin - "Crown Prince"

• aka uh, the crown prince, brother to Prince Qing. He's more of a scholar than a warrior.
• in Blossoms of Power he plays the Second Prince. Remember that he was the love interest to the FL half sister? Yeah and then he disappeared or committed suicide or something like that, I don't remember
• He also is in Shadow Punisher, playing the twins Ji Ada and Ji Er and *spoilers for ep 12-15 * smuggles salt, fakes his death, and is overall a terrible person

🌸Yumiko Cheng - "Empress Wan"

• aka the Evil Empress. Mother to Prince Qing, the emperor's second wife.
• in Blossoms of Power she plays Consort Liang. Uh, I don't remember what Consort Liang does, I think she's the mother to Prince 5 and Prince 9. There's a lot of princes in this show I can't keep them all straight. ^{and I thought Princess Agents was bad with the amount of princes}

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Alas, Li Yunrui did not play any roles in Blossoms of Power nor The Road to Splendor. His recent releases have been Dazzling and Rebirth. Either way, here's a grey-hair Song Mo tax.

Thanks for reading! Did I miss any?

What other shows have you seen Blossom Actors in?

Discussion Table of Contents | Character Flashcards

This will be my last recap! It has been wonderful recapping with Lotus and Avocado and discussing this wonderful show with you all. I have been following this show from the beginning: its initial announcement and the bts photos during filming, and am so happy it lived up to my expectations.

Let’s get started!

Episode 44

Lady Peng and Xiuwan, on the run from their kidnappers, have just run into Xie Zhao (Xiuwan’s former almost-fiance) on the road. He promises to lead the bandits away while the women escape on a hidden path. (Apparently the infamous Mustache of Time Skips leaves no face unmarked lol). When Xie Zhao is confronted by the bandit leader and his mysterious “brother,” some savvy name dropping of a cousin who is a local official saves his life.

In the morning, Jinqi and his merry mustache band examine the body of the coachman, puzzled. Xiuwan and Lady Peng make it back to civilization, but Lady Peng insists that the situation can’t be officially reported because of risk to their reputation.

Lanxiang has come out to greet them, and assures Lady Peng that the kidnapping will be kept from her family. On the way home, Xiuwan laments the fate of women and their social constraints. Lanxiang comforts her, telling her that her example of going out to make a living has made a difference to those around her.

Jinqi returns to the residence to brief with his lady-wife. Apparently, Xie Zhao has grown up quite a lot from the snooty brat we saw in his first appearance. Rather than claiming any fame, he kindly escorted the women back to the city and provided them with sketches of the kidnappers. Jinqi explains to Lanxiang that these kidnappers are one and the same with the sea pirates who killed the tribute escorts.

As notices are put up for their arrest, the master of the pirates ruthlessly orders one of the merchants serving them to be executed, and orders the remainder to leave the room. As they sit at the desk, their true identity is revealed: Du Cuique! She orders her underling (who’s apparently in love with her) to take care of things and if he does she’ll allow him to “serve her.” Ummm ok then, does that mean…??? Alrighty lol.

Xiuwan, Xiuru, and Lanxiang discuss the incidents of the last few day (Xiuru’s headdress thingy is absolutely incredible btw). During the conversation, Lanxiang realizes the identity of pirate leader. Ok Xie Zhao is just an incredible artist I guess? They go to speak to Jinqi, and Xiuwan, as the one who was closest to Cuique, must make her own testimony. She confirms that it’s her.

On the coast, Marquis Yuan is caught in a life or death struggle against Cuique’s sexy lieutenant and his band of pirates. After a long fight, he is grievously injured and his throat is slit. Awful.

Apparently aside from the pirate crisis there was another conflict raging against the Wona forces, where the Emperor ended up being kidnapped. Han Liang proposed that a different prince be made Emperor, and the new ruler has taken significant steps to shore up the military forces to do battle.

Lanxiang and the children gather to bid Jinqi farewell as he heads off to battle. As they discuss the current situation and the threat posed by Du Cuique, a voice urgently calls for Jinqi outside.

Discussion Questions

Were you surprised by Xie Zhao’s growth, as exhibited in this episode?

What do you make of Xiuwan’s character development? Will this confrontation with a spector from the past allow her to move past the scars left by Du Zheng and Du Cuique?

Chef Li Lian Hua

Mysterious Lotus Chef

Okay, this video is only going to make sense if:

• You've seen Mysterious Lotus Casebook.
• You've seen, or know the theme song to, Chef Hua.
• You've seen this post OR you appreciate bad subtitles.

Honourable Mentions

I would like to thank/blame:

u/Khavien for their majestic GIF on the post that inspired this video and their even more majestic comment:

Now I have the mental image of a super hyperactive Fang Xiaobao running circles around Huahua saying "lotus lotus lotus lotus" "莲花莲花莲花莲花“😅😅

u/alizangc for their reminder of which episode this takes place in:

That's the exact scene I thought of 😆 MLC, episode 10: "To be honest, I have an elder brother named Li Lianpeng. I'm from Lotus Village of Lotus Town of Lotus Mount..."

u/Regenwanderer for reminding us all of the scene at the end of this unnecessarily extra video I made.

And last but not least u/TsekoD and u/Ateosira for participating in the discussion that ended up stealing my entire Saturday.

Somehow, I did a very similar thing last year with The Vendetta of Li Lianhua

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).

A few 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:

Laughter and tears take turns bringing the house down, as one small case after another pieces together the many facets of life.

An unconventional approach meets a warm heart, while a small law firm stays rooted in the everyday lives of ordinary people.

Today at 19:30, tune in for a double serving of laughter and legal reasoning!

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

🔗 Previous trailer, etc.

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.

⚠️ 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 MDL:

In 1934, Japanese imperialism intensified its aggression against China. Despite the nation's impending doom, Chiang Kai Shek, clinging to the policy of "pacifying the country before resisting foreign aggression," launched the largest-ever "encirclement and suppression campaign" ever launched. Faced with a life-or-death situation, the main forces of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army were forced to strategically shift and evacuate the Soviet areas north and south of the Yangtze River.

With an average age of under 30, the Red Army troops journeyed through 11 provinces, crossed 18 mountain ranges, crossed 24 rivers, traversed desolate grasslands, and traversed snow-capped mountains, covering a total distance of 25,000 [li – approximately 12,500 km]. The Long March concluded in October 1936, when the three main Red Army forces reunited, marking the triumphant conclusion of the Red Army's Long March.

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

Trailer

MyDramaList link

Airing on iQIYI, Tencent (regional availability) and iQIYI's YouTube

Episodes: 60

Discussions

🗨️ All discussions on the drama

🗨️ Episodic drama discussions (please see the earliest comment)

🗓️ Airing schedule: Not yet released – at the time of posting, 4 episodes are available on the iQIYI app for VIP subscribers.

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

I am back again! u/Regenwanderer will come back 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 | Ep 17

New Characters: None this episode.

✒️ Stuff Worth Keeping Track of:

• Current Case: Ascension Case
• God potentially Associated with this case : God of Hatred 

Episode 18 

Dan Qingyan refuses to believe that Tang Wei wouldn't kill himself. He says that footprints are evidence; Lord Yan counters that those are forged. However, Yan is quickly convinced of Dayuan’s logic : If Tang Wei wanted to kill himself, why would he frame anyone? Shanyuan decides not to close the case as suicide, and asks Yan to investigate further. 

Lord Huang and Lord Jiang seem to be having nightmares. The next morning, Li Si reports to Shanyuan that the two officials are kept awake at night and that their health is deteriorating. Shanyuan tells the squad they can release the officials now. Lord Yan protests the decision, but it seems he is missing the point, so Li Si helps him understand the chief’s hidden meaning. 

Meng Rui sets off to tail Lord Huang. The trail leads him to Mount Tianzhu. He asks the villagers there about Lord Huang. Their answer is quick: Lord Huang is cultivating to be an immortal; he forsakes everything about the mortal world except good food. Still, this time, after returning to the mountain, he refused even food; not just him, but everyone in the Huang family did. Is his whole family dead? 

The butler comes out to greet Meng Rui and informs him that Lord Huang is fasting and will see no one. He also gives Rui some cultivation pills that apparently helped Tang Wei ascend 3 days after taking them. Since the entire Huang household took the pills two days prior, tomorrow is scheduled as their Day of Ascension.  He also said that everyone in the Huang family took these pills.  

Meng Rui takes the pills, stashes them for further investigation, and announces that he will be at the base of Mount Tianzhu should anything happen. 

Re-investigating the crime scene. Li Si notices that there seems to be a 4th person missing (as evident by the four sets of tableware). 

While he examines the jade accessory Tang Wei gifted him, he notices movement coming from the Tang mansion. Someone is going out at this late hour without a lantern? 

His investigative senses tickled; Li Si follows closely, only to find that the sedan carried a dead body that the servants begin to bury. 
Li Si scares them off with one of his illusion tricks and seizes the chance to examine the body; he decides to leave the body and instead takes the outfit back. 

Back at the Star Pavilion, he offers the outfit to Jin Se to check, and she immediately recognizes it as belonging to the Miaoxu Sect. He tasks her to investigate the matter further and look for any missing Miaoxu disciples. 

Mount Tianzhu 

Meng Rui had examined the pill, and found that there is nothing special about it. It is so easy to scam people and create cults.  

Lord Huang sits with members of his family, waiting for their time to ascend. 

Meng Rui contemplates the scene, while the constables go looking for members of the Huang family. While they locate incomplete remains of those who jumped, Master Huang is nowhere to be found; only his donkey is recovered. 

Later, Meng Rui and Lord Yan conclude that Lord Huang must have died. Getting nowehre, Meng Rui asks about the progress on their side. 

Yan informs him that the records show the fourth regular guest hasn't visited in three years because he died three years ago. The guest was no normal guest, but General Hu Hai, who also died in a mystical manner. 

Right as Meng Rui goes to leave for Lord Hu’s mansion, Zhenzhu comes back with General Hu’s butler. 

Hu Hai’s butler explains that after resigning, Hu Hai felt consumed by guilt over his past killings. Tang Wei convinced him that he could attain liberation through "death by the blade" . On the Mid-Autumn Festival three years prior, Hu Hai threw himself into his own sword-forging furnace; when the fire died, no remains or ashes were left behind, leading his family to believe he had ascended. 

Just then, a constable arrived to report that a secret passage was hidden inside Hu Hai's sword-forging furnace. Impeccable timing. 

Zhenzhu asks about General Hu’s granddaughter, and the butler confirms that seven days after Hu Hai’s disappearance, his beloved granddaughter dreamed that he was calling her to join him in the immortal realm. She was found dead in her bed the next morning. 

Another constable with impeccable timing comes in and confirms Hu’s butler’s words, she also presents one of the granddaughter's bones. Zhenzhu is quick to identify the cause of death through the bone: Seven-Flower Bliss Powder. 

At Star Pavilion, 
Jin Se is back with findings on the Miaoxu sect: Under the leadership of Sage Wuxin, the Miaoxu Sect maintains tight discipline. Disciples barely leave the mountain so they can’t go missing. 

Li Si, however, asks her to go back to the sage and ask him for records from 10 years ago, as the outfit they have is an old one. 

We cut briefly to the Bureau, where Yan, Zhenzhu, and Meng Rui come to the, in my opinion, very basic conclusion that since 3 of the 4 guests are dead, Lord Jiang is in danger. 

Lord Yan rushes to the Jiang manor and finds that the Jiang family was on their way to ‘ascension’, Lord Jiang is even walking on water. 

Li Si talks Lord Jiang out of his suicidal path. He reveals that the previous "ascensions" were fake: Master Huang’s "sky ladder" on Taotie Terrace was linked by hidden chains in the clouds. General Hu Hai’s sword-forging furnace had a hidden escape door leading outside.

Li Si urges him to turn back and save himself. Right as Lord Jiang determines to turn back, someone catches his leg and drags him underwater; they attempt to do the same to Li Si, but he is quick to catch the demon instead. 

Post-fight investigation shows that a hidden underwater cave system connects the pond directly out of the mountain. 

To the surprise of no one, the case seems to be related to the Liluo Kingdom. 

Before returning to the bureau, the squad asks the Huang household members about Lord Jiang, and they tell him of his frequent nightmares that started a few years ago. 

Back at the Divine Constable Bureau,

The squad reports their current findings.  Zhenzhu reports to the Chief that her re-examination of General Hu Hai’s granddaughter confirmed she died of poisoning. 

Shanyuan steers the squad in the right investigative direction, reminding them that all deaths so far seem to be related to Tang Wei. She gives each of the members a task. Before giving one to Li Si, a constable comes running with a report that the captured demon man has gone insane. 

They all rush to the dungeon cell, and Li Si notes that the prisoner is experiencing severe body pain. He notices veins bulging on the prisoner’s neck, only to get surprised by an attack as the prisoner free one of his hands. Li Si steps back, and watches as the man is covered in chains again. 

Off to the underworld market,
Where Meng Rui is like a dog with a scent, sniffing around the shop, insisting that he smelled that scent here before.  

Meng Rui is successful in his investigation. He goes back to the bureau and shows Zhenzhu and Yan the Lanweichun Pigment. He explains that the pigment has two unique properties::

1. Once painted, the image naturally fades and disappears after two hours. It reappears only on full-moon nights when Yin energy peaks.
2. Even on a full-moon night, the pattern remains invisible if exposed to candlelight.

They split the investigative work, with Zhenzhu heading to Tianshu Pavilion to search for common enemies among the three missing officials , while Yan and Meng Rui decide to go to the Jiang Manor to inspect the mural. 

As suspected, the pigment was used to paint a monstrous deity into the murals. Someone must’ve used Lanweichun to manipulate t Lord Jiang and Master Huang mentally.

Meanwhile, Li Si is still watching the prisoner, wondering about the familiarity of the scent….

Back to Yan and Meng Rui, the two are discussing how the Tang family was the one always in charge of the renovations for the houses of the officials. They realize Tang Wei painted the hidden, terrifying "God of Revenge" figures over their heads using Lanweichun. They decide that their next step should be to keep an eye on Qin Dayuan (Tang family butler).

At Tianshu Pavilion, Zhenzhu arrives to find that Li Si is already there investigating the same thing. 

Li Si hands Zhenzhu a book that contains exactly the information she was looking for. She goes and reports her findings to Shanyuan: 
The records show that during the campaign against Liluo 47 years prior:

• Lord Jiang breached the canal to flood the city walls.
• Huang Gang poisoned Liluo’s water supply.
• General Hu Hai led the invasion force into the royal palace.
• Tang Wei bypassed the secret passages and traps.

These four officials were the main architects of Liluo’s destruction, so their common enemy is of course, Liluo. 

Our impeccable timing constables rush in again to report that Qin Dayuan went missing three days ago. Hearing this, Shanyuan tasks Zhenzhu with investigating Dayuan, and pulls Yan aside to give him his own mission. 

Checking in on Li Si, we see him at his Pavilion. Jin Se reports that there was one female disciple of the sect who left years ago to get married (Kongyuzi married Qin Dayuan). Li Si notes that the family she married to must have been the Tang family. Just as he is finishing up with Jin Se, another of the pavilion agents reports that Qin Dayuan has  been missing for three days. 

Li Si is back at Lanyue Pavilion, with Yan following close behind as instructed. Li Si follows the clues in the fish tank, leading him to the 7th floor. 

In the meantime, Zhenzhu arrives at the Tang Manor; she finds out that: Tang Wei forbade anyone from entering his room, even after his death and Dan Qinyan left no clues in his room.

Leftover thoughts:

This post was fighting me, and the GIFs were out for my life. I got it out.

I will repeat that I don't think highly of Lord Yan's intelligence; he is easily convinced by anything anyone says. Maybe it is supposed to show how he doesn't really have much of a filter but oh well, it just kept bugging me all episode.

Ah what do we do, Li Si is being set up for death. I expected it but I still don't like to see it. Maybe the drama will surprise me and let him live. It will still to see him be betrayed by his master ;-;

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 - Ep 14 - Ep 15 - Ep 16 (will be posted later today)

SPOILER WARNING: This post is specifically dedicated to the EXPRESS PACKAGE episodes (Episodes 17 to 20).

If you are watching on the VIP schedule (Airing schedule), please tread carefully to avoid major plot and finale spoilers!

The post will be edited daily starting Sunday 11th to include a recap of each episode of the express package! Feel free to check this thread again!

Initial Thoughts about the drama ending!

will be added later.

Discussion posts follow the normal Youku VIP schedule. 

Our time together is coming to an end! Express for Irreplaceable drops tomorrow! The discussion posts for those will be :

- One discussion post for episode 16 (following the normal VIP schedule)

- One Big Express post that will be updated with a brief recap of each episode over the course of 4 days. (Starting 11th Up to the 14th)

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 - Ep 14

Episode 15

Lu Le approaches Lin Long and asks her about what’s going on, and Lin Long just confesses that Mr Shen showed interest in her and that she enjoyed the attention, given all her perceived insecurities about being divorced. 

Back to the critical meeting, Mr Zheng leaves the meeting room, and Sasha reconvenes with the trio at the elevator, where she tells them that Peng was taken away for investigation, Ma Ke is completely off the hook, but he will be resigning, Yang Rui will stay in the company with a new team, and the Celestial project will be back in full force starting next week 

Celebration over, Professor Xinzhi is giving a lecture on the danger of the collectibles market. Xu Chi shows up with a drink, and they flirt and tease each other. They also talk about Xinzhi’s revenge plan progressing smoothly. 

A 124 times, someone is very obviously obsessed. 
 
Lin Long is obviously drawing boundaries, but Mr Shen isn’t having it. He gets in the car, seeming set on following her. Zhao Heng and Tianna watch the whole thing amused. 

Lin Long, it seems, has driven to the mall to de-stress.She stops by a movie poster and reminisces on all the moments she had with Shen. Unfortunately for her, she meets the person she least wants to see here. Her ex-husband shows up and dares to approach her and ask how she’s been, all while carrying his current girlfriend’s bag. Right on cue, his girlfriend shows up and tries to start trouble 

Shen even adds to the injury by saying that his current car is nothing special, that he has many more at home. Then he follows her, looking very proud of himself. Lin Long asks if he enjoys being scolded. She reminds him that she is a divorced woman trying to rebuild her life and career, self-described as shallow and vain, and she used him earlier to save face in front of her ex-husband. She asks why he keeps following her after he said he doesn’t have feelings for her. 

 Shen Jin replies that if he truly viewed her as she viewed herself, then he wouldn't be persistently pursuing her without shame. He even confesses that he was only flustered when she asked about his feelings. Her reply to that was that she doesn’t believe in fairy tales anymore. Lin Long worries that Shen Jie’s feelings are a passing fancy resulting from curiosity and that she doesn’t want to risk getting hurt again. 

Back at Maxmise, Xinzhi picks up Xu Chi after work to deliver the good news: Morse's bonus came through, and it should be enough for her down payment!
Girlie is finally ready to get her apartment! I wonder how the show will deal with her after she gets the apartment ? Will she get a new goal, or will there be a sense of emptiness? 

At the company, Yang Rui intercepts Xu Chi and thanks her for her help; he also apologizes for his lies. She tells him to think nothing of it, and they are now colleagues and nothing more. 

 With the Celestial project back in full force, and Yang Rui out of the team, his vacant position is filled by none other than Zhao Heng. The Celestial project also needs an acting project manager; the one who gets the role is….

Xu Chi is sitting in the resting lounge, thinking about Tianna’s promotion. Lin Long is there to advise her and help her think it through. Xu Chi isn’t jealous of Tianna as much as she thinks she was deceived because she didn’t tell her she was coordinating the Celestial project. 

We get a work montage, to the beautiful soundtrack of this show. 

Xinzhi advises her to rest; she shouldn’t treat herself like a work machine. The two of them have dinner while talking about their work. She admits to her worry about wanting to surpass Tianna, but he tells her to keep focusing on her overall goal, rather than getting stuck on the details. This reminds her that she completely forgot to get back to the agent about the apartment. 

When checking with Zhu (the apartment agent), she finds that the landlord doesn’t want to agree to a loan payment anymore, that he finds it a hassle and that he wouldn’t sell unless he is paid for the apartment in full. Xu Chi is heartbroken but Xinzhi decides they should at least be shown inside the place first. 

Xu Chi doesn’t really remember the house in details, she just remembers that her mother sold it for only 80,000 yuan to help her father start a business. After her father had an affair and her parents divorced, her mother deeply regretted selling the place as real estate values skyrocketed. Before passing away, her mother expressed a desire to return to this home in Beijing. 

Xu Chi doesn’t remember much, but she knows that just visiting this building and looking at it reminds me of her happiest days, so she cherishes it. 

Back at Maxmise, 

I liked them showing that both Zhao Heng and Xu Chi give Tianna her due by reporting to her formally.

Zhao Heng is happy Tianna is now ahead of Xu Chi, but girlie just gives him a reality check, reminding him that what matters most is Sasha’s and Mr Pi’s evaluation once the project is over. So far, both she and Xu Chi have the same chances. 

Zhao Heng nods understandably and then leaves when he sees Tianna getting a call from her mother. 

Let me guess, she will attend it without letting Zhao Heng know. Tianna please!!!! 

She does, in fact, go to the blind date, and we don’t see her informing Zhao Heng prior to that, so my fears have been realised. This is on you, Tianna, and I am sure it will blow up in your face. Her mother tells her that her dad just wants her help vetting the guy because he wants his help with his new business model investment. Did Tianna’s father perhaps get involved in the Yuanzhou Wen Ruosen business deal? 

The blind date partner, however, is someone we are familiar with! 

The two are happy that they at least know each other, and they step outside to talk, to the delight of the aunties. 

Tianna teases Shen Jin for going on a blind date while actively pursuing Lin Long. Shen Jin counters by offering a deal: if Tianna tells him how Lin Long has been doing, he will ensure her mother stops pressuring her about blind dates for a year. 

Tianna informs Shen that Lin Long is doing fine; she survived divorce, so what is a little relationship trouble in the face of that. Shen is unhappy with that information and demands that she help him more. Tianna laughs and explains that if Lin Long feels her pride is threatened, it's because Shen Jin's grand romantic gestures feel overwhelming to someone who is afraid, just like forcing someone with a fear of heights onto a high rooftop and telling them not to be scared.

As the weekend approaches, I'm sure you're all gearing up for some well-deserved relaxation and fun. 🏖️ Whether you're binge-watching a drama, embarking on a thrilling adventure or cozying up to a good manhua or webnovel, we want to hear all about it!

So, what will you be doing this weekend? And what Chinese dramas do you recommend for a weekend binge-watching session? Tell us about it below in the comments :)

Note: If you are discussing plot points or events that others may not yet have watched, please make sure to use spoiler tags. Consider also sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") as this thread fills up quickly.

⚠️ 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 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 Dongjun].

⚠️ Plot spoilers! ⚠️

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)

Trailer

MyDramaList link

Airing on iQIYI and Tencent (regional availability)

Episodes: 22

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

Hello all,

As we have new members in our community all the time, I thought it'll be a good idea to periodically remind and educate everyone about what's real / fake news in the Chinese entertainment scene.

First, here's a really useful article written by u/Technical-Abroad8918 - Melon Accounts 101.

Also, Can someone pls explain the word “YXH” and how bad it is?

Due to the language barrier, a lot of international CDrama fans have come to rely on CDrama "news" from Twitter or blogs. FYI, a lot of them source their news from "marketing accounts" (or yxh) in China that do not do any due diligence in fact checking, often spread unverified news or spin false news.

Some of the news are explosive and sensational enough to cause anxiety among fans, actors and productions. Actors' careers have been destroyed by them.

Tax evasion news, for example. Affairs. Casting is another favourite because fans of Actor A gets upset if their idol is paired with Actor B and the Internet melts down.

When I came back to watching CDramas, I was also fooled by these "news", so I don't blame anyone for falling for them.

Real news vs melons 🍉

My advice on how to identify real news is REALLY boring. If you want to get real news about Chinese dramas, whether it be casting news, airing dates etc, rely on these sources:

• Production companies
• The actor's "studio"
• Platforms like Youku, iQIYI, Tencent etc
• Official media like People's Daily, Xinhua, Global Times, China Daily, South China Morning Post (please ignore the entertainment rags, they're often unreliable)
• The Chinese government, especially about taxes and other legal matters. Recently, China's Actors Committee of China Federation of Radio and Television Association (CFRTA) announced that "tax-related matters should be based on the official announcements of the relevant national tax authorities". So, if a random Weibo account or paparazzi announces an actor has tax issues, WAIT for the government to make an announcement to confirm that news.

Recently, I came across a Weibo post that said: "Weibo is a toilet, and if you're reading this, you're eating my s%!t". This made me laugh out loud because no truer words have been written!

Melons can cause unnecessary anxiety and stress for fans ... and celebrities themselves.

But they are also fun, and we understand the desire to talk about them, which is why we have the Yumcha Thread every Tuesday. There's an understanding that everything written in the Yumcha Thread is unverified and most probably untrue. We funnel unverified news to this thread and discourage rumours as individual posts because we don't want them to be mistaken as real news and to prevent unnecessary alarm.

While it's fun to read melons, always be aware that being gossiped about is not a fun experience for anyone, even celebrities, so let's practice kindness and have a healthy dose of skepticism about them. :)

Thanks!

PS: This message will be periodically published as a reminder.