Chinese Drama 2018

Legend of Yun Xi (Chinese Drama Review & Summary)

 

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• AKA: Poison Genius Consort
• Genre: Historical, Romance, Medical, Fantasy
• Release Date: 2018
• CDrama: 48 Episodes
• OSt: Falling Flowers and Mud – Ju Jingyi,  Sighs of Yun Xi – Ju Jingyi

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Cast:

• Ju Jing Yi as Han Yun Xi
• Zhang Zhe Han as Long Fei Ye
• Yalkun Merxat as Gu Xi Xhao
• Lin Si Yi as Ouyang Ning Jing
• Wang Youshou as Tang Li
• Li Rui Chao as Gu Bei Yue
• Xu Jia Qi as Chu Ching Ge
• Zhao Yi Xin as Chu Xi Feng
• Lu Xing Yu as Han Cong’an
• Hu Bing as Tian Hui Di
• Shao Xuecong as Baili Mingxiang
• Li Yaoquan as Poison Master
• Hu Wen Zhe as Jun Yi Zheng
• Sun Zi Hang as Long Tian Mo (Crown Prince)

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Episode 1- 8

Han Yun Xi is a very talented doctor. She is very skilled in Chinese medicine.

She inherited this aptitude from her father, who is an imperial doctor.

Unfortunately, Yun Xi does not have a loving relationship with her father.

After her mother’s gone her father remarried and had another daughter with his new wife.

The father ignored her most of her life and allowed his new family to maltreat her.

He was embarrassed by Yun Xi because she grew up with an unsightly facial skin disease.  It became well-known in the land that the imperial doctor’s first daughter was ugly with sore/boil on her face.

Despite her facial affliction, Yun Xi is a feisty, cheerful and a go-getter kind of girl.

When her step-sister fights with her, she fights back.  She was no downtrodden Cinderella.  She blamed her father for her situation with his new family for not doing anything to prevent their cruelty towards her.

Anyway, during that time, the land was divided into three kingdoms:  Tian Ning, Western Zhou, and Northern Li.

Yun Xi and her family are from the Tian Ning kingdom.

The emperor of Tian Ning is very cunning and crafty.    He noted that Long Fei Ye, Duke of Qin, was doing very well with the military.  FeiYe’s popularity is growing.

Instead of rewarding Fei Ye for his bravery and being an excellent general, the emperor deviously devised a way to pull Fei Ye down a peg or two.  He decreed that Feiye should get married and to add insult to injury the emperor chose a wife for him as well.  He decreed that the new Duchess of Qin will be the infamous ‘ugly’ daughter of the imperial doctor.

Yun Xi is not really ugly.  She just had a minor skin blemish that can be easily overlooked.  (But then again, during those times, the Royals were expected to have perfect skin with no visible scars)  And this was the case when she came upon  Gu QiShao while she was foraging for medicinal herbs in the mountains.  He noticed her skin but he did not find it abhorrent.  What he saw was a girl with a lovely personality.  He quite like her.

Anyway, Yun Xi was informed that she will be married to the Duke.  Her father told her that she did not have to.  He can refuse the order.

To his surprise, Yun Xi was all for it.  He continuously begged his daughter not to go through with the wedding.

Yun Xi told her father that she can’t live another minute with him and his new family.  She put up with a lot of things from them and that had to stop.  Marrying the Duke is her way out.

Her father was actually nervous for her but it was just too late for their father-daughter relationship, which had broken down a long time ago. 🙂

On her way to the palace for her wedding, due to stress, she had a nosebleed.  Blood dripped onto her jade bracelet.  The bracelet was magical.

She then had an out of body experience and ended up in another dimension, where there is a library of books encased in bubbles, floating.  The first book was how to cure the carbuncle in her face.

There was also a book, a legendary book written by the Poison Master.  This book shows how poison can be used to cure ailments.

Miraculously she was cured of her skin blemish and was radiant and beautiful when she got to the palace.  But she was told that the Duke was indisposed and she had to return another day.

Yun Xi got out of her jiao (sedan chair) and refused to go saying that her marriage was an edict from the emperor.  They can’t go against his decree.  Whether the Duke is ill or not she’s married to him.

By episode 8, the romance between Yun Xi and the Duke is heating up.

Episode 9-10

The duke knew that Yun Xi had been tasked by the Empress Dowager to spy on him.

Yun Xi doesn’t have much choice because apparently her mother is not dead and the Empress Dowager knows where the mother is.  Yun Xi is desperate to find her mother.

The duke is somewhat reassured that Yun Xi is not seriously spying on him because the missive she sends the Empress D are all made up and innocuous.  It made him giggle reading them.

Episode 11

From Episode 10, the duke caught the courtesan, Yu Ze, who had poisoned soldiers and ministers with fatal bee stings.

They put Yu Ze under heavy guard in a dungeon but she seemed to have been poisoned.

It took Yun Xi to determine what kind of poison she took or given to her.  Apparently it was a very rare rice poison.

BTW Yu Ze works for Gu Xi Xhao, who had been looking for her to rescue.

Episode 12 – 16

I absolutely adore this drama.  It is about 45 minutes each episode but it’s so watchable it feels shorter.

I like the love triangle developing between the Duke, Yun Xi and Xi Xhao.

To add to this love triangle is the Duke’s childhood’s sweetheart, who came to stay at the palace much to the jealousy of Yun Xi, who went to Xi Xhao’s herb mountain for some comfort and friendly relaxation. And to ask for forgiveness for blowing him out of their date.

Poor Xi Xhao waited all day and most of the evening at the noodle shop for her.  He had such cute adorable scenes in the noodle shop.  His character is so good.  One minute a romantic man in love, the next a lethal strategies, and spy.

After months of being married, Yun Xi finally went to visit her family without the Duke.

Her family was excited at first thinking that the Duke would be coming, but started bullying Yun Xi when they found out she was alone.

They were in the middle of being nasty towards Yun Xi when the Duke came riding down.

He told them off severely and would have put them to death (as being disrespectful to elders and those in the royal family is punishable by death) if Yun Xi did not intervene.

Her father tried to make amends with her but so far he was very clumsy and saying all the wrong words.  He said that he was cold and strict with her because this would make his concubine and younger daughter to be less evil towards her.  ehhh?

The Duke noticed the large painting in Yun Xi’s old bedroom.  He was so humbled as he realised that the woman in the portrait was the one who gave her life for him.  She protected him to the end.

The Duke is actually the crown prince of Qin Xi, a fallen dynasty as his family was hunted down and killed.

The Duke promised Yun Xi to build a medical hall for her but since the coming of his beautiful young cousin, Yun Xi felt sidelined.

Yap love this drama.  Can’t wait for the next episode, where naughty Yun Xin offered to cook for Xi Xhao.

Episode 17

The Duke, as promised, is organising the medical hall but Yun Xi was nowhere to be found.  He found out that she was visiting Xi Xhao.

She came back later very drunk.  She then told the young cousin to stay away from the Duke because he was hers.  She then flew into the duke’s arms and told him she wanted to make a baby with him.  So cute.

Yun Xi slept at the Duke’s Manor.  Her maids transferred all their belongings to this manor.  The duke did not complain, so Yun Xi was very happy.

The Princess of Wei, the newest concubine of the king has been poisoned and Yun Xi had been summoned to enter the palace.

Yun Xi was rather upset because she has a date with the Duke to see the Lantern Festival.

Episode 18

The Duke did not show up at the lantern festival where Yun Xi waited for him for a long time.

The Duke seemed to be ailing and in the constant company of his childhood sweetheart.  He also told YunXi to move out of his manor.

The duke seemed to be metamorphosing into something else.  He is the Poison Zombie! 🙂 🙂 🙂

Episode 19

Yun Xi is trying to counter-cure the poisoned blood from Mingxiang being given to the Duke.  But there is more to this as apparently the blood really cures the Duke.

Yun Xi unknowingly became an accomplish to Chu Qingge, the Princess of Wei, who was spying for Gu Xi Xhao.

Gu warned her not to get close to chu Qingge as Yun Xi might get caught up with all the intrigues with the other consorts in the palace.  He really cares for Yun Xi.

Episode 20

Yun Xi is banished into the woodshed because she innocently gave the Duke an antidote for the beauty poison, he was being given by MIngxiang to cure his poison gu which turns him into a poison zombie.  (Seriously, I giggle typing this!)

This was the day that the poison master is transferred to a different location.  The Duke and his men were just in time to hijack the proceeding and kidnap the poison master.

It was not an easy mission and the Duke and his men barely got away with their task.  Excessive martial arts turned the poison gu afflicted Duke into a poison zombie with red eyes and platinum blonde hair, who was all powerful.  Because of the Duke persona as the poison zombie, he defeated the Emperor’s army and got away with the abduction of the poison master.

But after he had calm down and went back to his normal self, he became very week but still had to go back to the palace to pretend that he never left at all.

The emperor learned of the unsuccessful mission he tasked his second son.  He suspected the Duke as the one being behind the abduction of the poison master.  He tested him of his martial art prowess which as nerve-racking as he might turn into a poison zombie once again.

Thankfully it ended well and then he was escorted by Yun Xi back to the manor.

Mingxiang had gone to the Imperial Grand concubine, the adopted mother of the duke, to complain about Yun Xi.  The mother ordered the Yunxi be confined in the woodshed.

Episode 21-22

There is a tantalising clue that the poison master may have a closer tie to Yun Xi as first thought.

Yun Xi noticed that the madman poison master shares the same abhorrence of carrots and parsley.  He may be her real father.

Once again the Duke saved Yun xi from another disastrous event.  Yun Xi was just about to be divorced from the Duke by the Imperial Grand concubine when the duke intervened saying that Yun Xi is a double agent, working for him.

The Duke also got jealous of the close friendship between Yun Xi and Gu Qishao.

To show proprietorial rights over his wife, the duke kissed Yun Xi, which was seen by Gu Qishao.

The Duke told Yun Xi that she is grounded and can’t get out of the manor without his permission.  She has been trying to find an antidote to his affliction of his poison gu, which is apparently incurable but can be controlled.

Episode 23-28

Yunxi has been trying to cure the Poison Master, who has been revealed as her true father.

Yunxi has part succeeded in curing the Poison Master but during a chaos of factions trying to kidnap the Poison Master, Yunxi got caught in the middle of it and suffered from poisoned gas which made her faint. At this point, the Poison Master was abducted by his loyal imperial doctor.

Episode 29

The Princess of Wei secretly poisoned the Crown Prince with the unwitting help of the Emperor.

Despite all the care, potions and investigations by the imperial doctors, it was diagnosed that the poison was new of its kind and there was presently no known cure for it.

The chief imperial doctor was Doctor Han and as a punishment for his inability to cure the crown prince, he was thrown to prison awaiting his punishment of death for his entire family.  Dr Han is Yunxi’s father.

Episode 30

Yunxi stepmother, stepsister, stepbrother, and aunts came to see her begging her to help her father.

Episode 31 – 32

At last Yun Xi relented and she saw how sincere her family was in begging her to help her father by healing the crown prince.

She also found out that Dr Han is not really her father but really loved her but not showed it to prevent his new wife to take her jealousy out of Yun Xi (She did anyway)

With her research and meditation, Yun xi realised that the blood from a poison gu ( a red squirrel) was the ingredients for the medicine to heal the crown prince.

Yunxi also found out that the poison master, who turned the Duke into poison zombie and the one who killed his entire family.

Episode 33

Finally the crown prince was cured and the emperor had to pardon all of Yunxi family.  The doctor had a heart to heart with YunXi telling her how much he loved her mother and also her.  He would always have her in his heart as she was her mother’s daughter. ahhh

YunXi and the Poison Master moved in with Gu Qishao was she cannot really expect the Duke to be friendly with her real father, the poison master.

The Crown Prince was recovered well enough to exact his revenge against his your brother., who disappointed their father and now under house arrest.  He gave his brother a bottle of wine which he poisoned.  He then hangs him to look like his brother committed suicide.

Episode 34

Yunxi arranged to meet the Duke to give him information about spying, etc.  During their meeting Yunxi begged the Duke not to kill her father, to which the Duke said he was her father, so he won’t will him but he will never forgive him.

Gu Qishao finally told Yunxi his family background.  His imperial father is a bit of a henpecked who allowed the Imperial wife to maltreat Gu Qiahao’s mother, who was only a palace made.

She died a pauper, which made Gu Qishao to work hard and be his own man.  He is now the master of Gu Yao Valley where he plays host to Yunxi and her father.

Yunxi and her father hardly had time to sleep or eat as both being to busy to the point of being obsessed in finding the cure of the Duke poison zombie condition.

In the end, Yunxi collapsed.

Episode 35

The cure has been found.  The poison master realised that the blood flowing directly from his heart is the cure.  For his beloved daughter, he was willing to sacrifice himself to save the Duke.

Episode 36

Ming Xiang overheard that the cure was the Poison Master’s blood.  She followed the Poison Master when he went to see the Duke.

Ming Xiang killed the poison master because if he is dead, YungXi had to sacrifice herself for the Duke.  YunXi having the same blood as the Poison Master.

The Duke was next to the body of the Poison Master when YunXi arrived at the scene.  She thought that the Duke was the one who killed her father.

He refused to deny it for the sake of Ming Xiang, who he thinks, he owes a lot.

Yunxi found out that Gu Qishao was a spy from the Northern Li.

Episode 37

A poison plague was killing the people of the Southern Border, even Northen Li was affected.  Yunxi went to help and she caught the plague herself.

Episode 38

Thanks to Gu Qishao, YinXi recovered from the plague.  But she also found out that the Duke had divorced her.

She told the Duke that they should never meet in the future as they don’t have anything to do or owe with each other.

Episode 39

The Crown Prince staged a coup against the Emperor. But then realised that he was a puppet of the Duke of Qin.

Episode 40

The Grand Imperial Consort was kidnapped by the Emperor to use as a bargaining tool with the Duke of Qin.  The Duke of Qin decided to turn back but the Grand Imperial Consort told him to proceed and not to mind about her.  She then jumped off the palace balcony to her death.  The Duke of Qin turned to the Poison Gu due to extreme emotion which zapped his energy and made him incapacitated.

The coup succeeded and the Imperial Dowager, feeling guilty for having killed the real Long Fei Ye and thinking that what was happening was all retribution, poisoned herself.

The Crown Prince was arrested by the guards of the Emperor.  The emperor said that he can’t understand why the crown prince was so unfilial.  The Crown Prince said that the emperor made him that way.  He remembered that he was on death door and the only ones who could help him were Ha Yun Xi and Long Fei Ye but the emperor said people to assassinate them.

The crown prince said that the emperor had to justify why his son had started a coup against the emperor.  The crown prince then poisoned himself, much to the distress of the emperor.

Episode 41

Gu Qishao and Yung Xi are back as friends again.  Love this two together as friends.

Episode 42

Gu Qishao got hurt saving Yung Xi.

Episode 43

Yunxi was abducted by Ming Xiang but in the end, she saved Yunxi from Eunuch Li, the emperor’s man.

Ming Xiang ended up dead but made YunXi promised that she would cure the Duke of his poison Gu.

The cute love story of Tang Li and Nanjing finally happened.  They got married after promising her that she will be the boss in their family.  Whatever she says go. 🙂

YunXi and the duke reconciled.  When the duke intimated that he wants to make a baby with her YunXi was shy.  Aww

 

 

Episode 47- 48

SPOILER

All the episodes have been released and it is slowly being subbed by 4udrama at 2 episodes at a time.

Anyway, I love this drama so much that I started watching them even without the subs.

The last two episodes are the saddest.

Spoiler, do not read on!!!

Anyway, the duke is on his deathbed but they are also in the middle of a counter-coup from the emperor.  BTW I have to say that Hu Bing makes such a drop-dead gorgeous emperor.  That cheese-cutter cheekbones are to die for.

In Episode 47, Yun Xi and the Duke had a traditional red-veil wedding and finally consummated their marriage.  At last…

After the happy event, the poor cute poison beast, red squirrel, has been providing the Duke with health elixir but is no longer enough especially during the middle of a war against the emperor’s side.

The only thing that could save him is the blood flowing directly from the heart of Yun Xi.

There is no other choice for our adorable heroine really but to sacrifice herself.

She called Qishao to meet up.  Qishao told her not to kill herself for the Duke because he will end up hating himself anyway.

YunXi said that she was doing it mainly for the Duke but also for the people.  They need to depose the despotic emperor once and for all.

Cruelly, YunXi arranged for soldiers to catch and imprison Qishao .

Huhuhu yes I am afraid she killed herself, by drinking poison and then stabbed herself in the heart, in the arms of a grief-stricken Gu Qishao!  This scene was really traumatically sad.  As she lay dying in his arms she promised him that she will be his maid/helper in the next lifetime.  She also said that she will marry his highness.  Does it mean she will still marry the Duke in the next life or Qishao because he is also a ‘highness’ being a prince of Northern Li?

Anyway, with the blood concoction from YunXi’s heart, the duke got better and successfully defeated the emperor.

In the end, Tian Li, the duke’s younger brother became the new Emperor.

The Duke took a long leave of absence and spent his days at the Plum garden manor (?), which he specially built for Yunxi.

He was reminiscing about YunXi, when he suddenly saw her in the middle of her herb garden.

But is she dead?!!!

Her legend continues on…

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Update:

There are two epilogues in episodes 49 & 50.  They are just under 11 minutes each.

In episode 49, Yun Xi is truly alive.  The poison bracelet, which has been passed down to generations, has the power to bring life as well as to serve as an encyclopedia of poisons as a cure.

As Yunxi lay dying in Gu Qishao’s arms, she gave the bracelet to Qishao for safe-keeping but the essence of the bracelet began to envelop her.

Presumably, she remained in a catatonic state, until the bracelet was put on her arm once again.

As Gu Qishao was injured during the final battle, someone, who looks like the spirit of Yunxi took out the bracelet from Gu Qishao, who intoned “Yunxi”

At the end of episode 49, Yunxi was haie and hearty once again and tending to her herb garden much to the delight of Long Fei Ye, who runs to her in wonder.

 

Epidose 50

This is another version of the epilogue.  This time Long Fei Ye is reminiscing about his happy times with YunXi.

He was more upbeat and finally let go of Yunxi and their memories together.  Meaning YunXi remains dead and gone!