Chinese Drama 2020

The Moon Brightens For You (Chinese Drama Review & Summary)

• Genre: Historical Drama Fiction, Romance, Wuxia/Martial Arts, Love Triangle, Revenge, Mystery
• Release Date: October 2020
• Origin: China; Adapted from a novel of the same title by author, Ding Mo
• Cdrama:  36 Episodes

 

Cast

• Yu Meng Long as Lin Fang
• Xing Fei as Zhan Qinghong
• Merxat Yalkun as Wen Yu
• Ma Yue as Hua Tao (Princess)
• Zheng Fan Xing as Qiu An
• Zhang Kai Tai as Huo Yang (Qinghong’s man)
• Ma Xi Er as Xiao Lan (Qinghong’s Lady’s maid
• Zhan Xue Han as Yan Zhi (Lin Fang’s Assistant)
• Su Jian Quan as Xia Hou Ying
• Zhang Yan Yan as Madame Tang
• Huang Hai Bing as Sect Leader Tang
• Li Xin Ze as Gu Yan
• Zhang Yue Han as Yan Zhi
• Du Ya Fei as Zhou Bo
• Shen Qi as Gao Jian Hua
• Wan Su as Feng Bu Fei

Quick Precis:

This drama is a romance between a rather unconventional girl and a young noble who has hidden depths shrouded in a weak demeanour.

Sounds interesting.

Watch this space for more updates.

Good news: they held a filming ceremony and therefore shooting is underway!

20 November 2019:  It is a wrap!

Episode 1

Like water and fire, wind and thunder, the Xiao Empire and Yuan Kingdom were irreconcilable.

Their conflict came to a head ten years ago when battles along the borders would not cease.

The Xiao soldiers were defeated the Yuan Kingdom who had a secret weapon called the Magic Ballista.

The ballista had the power to make the Xiao soldier’s shields vulnerable and penetrable by the Yuan arrows.

2

3

4

5

Episode 6

Qinghong was injured and Wen Yu was too busy looking after her.

Lin Fang won and became the Director of the Wulin Assembly.

Wen Yu got a little upset when the comatose Qinghong kept calling for Lin Fang.

But his sister assured him that Qinghong had a crush on him as well.

I love this drama.  I was so engrossed I just kept watching and forgot to blog.  So will go back to episode 1.

Episode 7

Qinghong gave the magic pearl pill to Ling Fang and helped him get stronger.

Episode 8

Wen Yu confessed to Qinghong and she accepted him.

Poor Ling Fang saw their tender moment at the gazebo and he was very upset.

Episode 9

This is a sad episode.  Patriarch Su got killed by protecting Qinghong while investing the Golden Flowers murder case.

Wen Yu cheered Qinghong with a balletic dual sword flower dance.

Poor Ling Fang felt the pain of watching the two being so lovely dovey.

Episode 10

Patriarch Gu Yue, Lin Fang’s foster father had been found to be the mastermind of the kidnapping for Lady Lu Ming and her servants and the death of Partiarch Su Ba Tian.  He was working with the assassin Fang Gu, who had a history with Lady Lu Ming’s husband.

Gu Yue denied the allegations against him but Gu Yan, his son, willingly gave evidence against his father.

It ended really said because Gu Yan said he let his father go in while killing the guards. Gu Yan then poisoned himself died in the arms of Lin Fang, who he really treated more than a blood brother.

Lin Fang was really grieving and keeping it to himself.

Meanwhile, Qinghong had been practicing her sword skill and challenged Wen Yu to a duel.  The winner will be the master forever.

Wen Yu lost.  Qinghong laughingly told him to be her servant and she wanted cakes.

It so happened that the Princess baked him a basketful of cakes.  He took this to Qinghong, who enjoyed the peach flavoured cakes sharing it with Wen Yu.

Gu Yue is alive and well and plotting more dastardly activities against Lin Fang.

Episode 11

Director Lin, Wen Yu, Qinghong and and some guards went to Cung Wu for move investigations.

Director Lin sent Wen Yu to investigate the local bigwigs while he took Qinghong and her made shopping for rouge.  Director and Qinghong behaved like lovers.

They did achieve their mission to smoke out the villains of the Cung Wu but Wen Yu was a little jealous and told her never to accept any gift from anyone other than him.

This is a good example of not a good thing to have a relationship in the workplace.  Wen Yu and Qinghong almost got into trouble when they got drunk and get fight off the assassins who were attacking the director.

Episode 12

It was Wen Yu’s birthday and Qinghong decided to give him the fish jade her mother gave her.  She was rehearsing how she was going to give it to Wen Yu when she heard someone behind her.

Thinking that it was Wen Yu, she shyly handed him the jade only to find out that it was the 17-year-old Qiu An, who refused to give it back to her.  He told her that he likes her and would like to marry her.

Qinghong laughed it off saying that he was just a baby.

This annoyed Qiu An who ran off with the jade.

Meanwhile, Wen Yu turned up and wanted his gift for his birthday.

Qinghong does not have anything to give him but Wen Yu won’t leave without anything so he stole a kiss from her (only on the cheek) which made them both so giddy.

It is lovely that Qinghong and Wen Yu’s love story/romance is being given a lot of mileage at the moment because we know that Qinghong will end up with LIn Fang in the end anyway.

Episode 13

Lin Fang was able to remove all the nasty overlords at Wung Cu and replaced them with Qiu An as the new master.

Meanwhile, poor Qinghong was severely wounded and Lin Fang kept a vigil on her while he sent  Wen Yu to investigate Gu Yue’s whereabouts.

Lin Fang was envious of Qiu An’s artlessness of easily being able to confess to Qinghong.

General Hou Ying though told him to keep his feelings to himself because Qinghong is already going out with Wen Yu.

Wen Yu was suddenly recalled by the palace and Lin Fang thought that this was his chance to confess but Uncle Hou Yinng told him to hold his horses.  Not a good idea.

Poor Lin Fang has a poison inside his body which is activated every time he is under stressful conditions such as the death of Gu Yan, learning who killed his father, and his feelings for Qinghong.

Gu Yue almost killed Lin Fang.  Lin Fang asked Gu Yue to tell him who killed his father.

Gu Yue obliged seeing that Lin Fang was going to die.  He admitted that it was him.  He stabbed Lin Fang’s father because he cannot accept the fact that he was only second in the martial arts world.  He had to be the first.

Uncle Hou Ying saved Lin Fang and asked Gu Yue that he must be working with someone else.

Gu Yue just laughed the secret to his death.

Episode 14

Wen Yu had been recalled to the palace.  He promised to come back for Qinghong.

Episode 15

Lin Fang sent Qinghong to meet up with Zhou Bo and convince him to attend a meeting with Lin Fang.

Zhou Bo fell in love immediately with Qinghong and told her that he was willing to meet Lin Fang under one condition: Lin Fang has to gift Qinghong to him.

Lin Fang told Qinghong that he needed to meet Zhou Bo because when Lin Fang’s father died, Zhou Bo gave him a jade ring which he said to bring to him one day when Lin Fang had become a director.

More or less, Lin Fang said that some sacrifices had to be made.

Qinghong was so annoyed by being taken advantage of.

Someone wanted to know why she was being taken advantage of.

It was her father, with her mother and her three nautical brothers.

Qinghong had a happy reunion with her family who found out that she has got a sweetheart.  They wanted to know everything about Wen Yu but Qinghong said that they just have to wait as Wen Yu promised to ask their permission to marry Qinghing soon.  She told them that he gave her a bracelet while she gave him the jade her mother gave her as intention tokens.

Wen Yu is back in the palace.  The princess welcomed him happily but he was cold to her.

The Princess went complained to her uncle who assured her that she will end up with Wen Yu because he already asked the Emperor to approve their union.

Meanwhile, true to his promise to Qinghong, Wen Yu asked his parents permission to marry.

At first they were only to glad to give it but when Wen Yu mentioned that he really love Qinghong, his father asked who the heck is Qinghong.

They told him that they thought that Wen Yu was going to marry the princess.

Wen Yu said that he had never thought of the princess that way, as a love interest.  He loves Qinghong, who is the daughter of Zhan Podi.

This explanation only made it worst for Qinghong, who they said was not suitable to marry into the royal family.  She is a girl from the mountains, uncouth and wild.

Wen Yu begged his parents who basically said that Wen Yu will marry Qinghong over their dead bodies.  Noooooo

Zhan Podi’s real mission in coming down from the mountains after ten years was to seek the new director and give him the Seven Stars Sword.

Lin Fang did not trust Zhan Podi one bit and even drugged the tea he served Qinghong’s father.

Zhan Podi knew he was drugged and Lin Fang asked why he still drunk the tea.

Zhan Podi said simply because Lin Fang is the son of Director Liangxiao.

In the morning, Lin Fang and Zhan Podi received an invitation to meet the elusive Zhou Bo.

Episode 16

Episode 17

Episode 18

The edict from the Emperor for Wen Yu to marry the Princess had been handed down to Wen Yu’s father.

It was a stressful time for the Wess as Wen Yu had ran away to go to Qinghong.

He was brought back by General HouYing because the Wens have been put under house arrest.

Poor Wen Yu doesn’t have any choice but to marry the princess if he wanted to see his father back and alive.

The his fate is nothing compared to Qinghong.

The Three Ghosts killed Qinghong Father, Mother (she actually killed herself when her husband died), and her three nautical brothers.

Even Fang Bei was shocked at the violence of his two ghost brothers.

Episode 19

Episode 20

Episode 21

Episode 22

Episode 23

The Ming Xiang soldiers got to know Qinghong and they adored her for her bravery and skill as a warrior.

It was quite a shock though for them to find out that she was a girl.

The Director gave Qinghong a letter, it was the Seven Sword

During a tea party held by the Director, one of the high ranking soldiers asked Qinghong if she was seeing someone already.  She said that she like someone and she mentioned Wen Yu.

The magistrate of Ming Xiang asked if Wen Yu was the son of a minister.

She proudly said yes.

This confused the magistrate, who elaborated that Wen Yu had been married to the Princess for a long time and he is now the consort.

This shocked Qinghong, who looked at Lin Fang and then at her assistant who knew as well.

She was absolutely humiliated but she still wanted to hear the confirmation from the horse’s mouth.

Episode 24

She rode to see Wen Yu in Jan’ain.

What Qinghong saw was the Princess back hugging the unresisting Wen Yu.  She realised that she had lost him.

Wen Yu noticed the intruder and found that it was her, Qinghong.

We went longingly to her and gave her a hug.

But Qinghong was unmoved. She told him that he was not there when her whole family was massacred.  He was not there when she was grieving, he did not answer her letters and failed to tell her that he had married when she saw him last.

She was intending to cut her hair as a sign of complete disconnection but he stopped her.  Instead she but the jade bracelet instead. She then left him the sword which was a pair of his one.

Ling Fang was worried about her and stood by the tower awaiting her return.

And she returned almost half dead from fatigue and snow.

She was bedridden for a few days and when she woke up Lin Fang was there in vigil.  He said to her that she will never be alone because he will always be with her.  He said that he will marry her.

General Du with his numerous soldiers came to ransack Ming Xian but Qinghong’s trained soldiers managed to hold them off but only just.

General Du was an extraordinary soldier and it took Qinghong to use her newly acquired Seven Sword which is unbeatable. She eventually killed General Du but she had a problem getting back at their barracks.

Episode 25

Lin Fang  tied a rope to his body and dove to save the falling Qinghong, she was so upset with him for risking his life but he sweetly told her that if she was going to die, he would certainly die with her. Ahhhh.

They successfully protected Mingyan but there were sad fatalities.

It was time to say goodbye to the soldiers Qinghong trained and it was a very emotional goodbye.

They were on their way to Jan’ian when they got ambushed by Feng Bu Fei.

Feng Bu Fei then kidnapped Lin Fang to asked him for the seven sword manifesto.

He tortured Lin Fang and branded him in the chest then accidentally stabbed him in the palm.

Thank goodness Yan Zhi arrived with Qinghong and Huo Yang to the rescue.

Poor Lin Fang was rushed to his manor in Ja’nian where Qinghong nursed him day and night.

When Lin Fang got slightly better, he rather took advantage of Qinghong kindness.

He kept telling her that they were meant for each other.

He had a good case because Qinghong had now mastered the Seven Sword thingy and apparently only the Lin Clan are allowed to practise it so Lin Fang said that there is only one solution to this and that was for Qinghong to marry into the Lin Clan, to him.

Qinghong told him “in your dreams.”

Episode 26

The Princess with Wen Yu invited Lin Fang and Qinghong to a celebration dinner.

During the dinner the Princess randomly announced that Qinghong was in her husband heart and the only solution was for  Qinghong to become a concubine to Wen Yu.

Everyone was shocked especially Wen Yu.  He could not ask Qinghong to become a lowly concubine.

The Princess ordered the guard to forcefully take Qinghong to the harem but Lin Fang said that Qinghong had already promised to marry him.

Again everyone was shocked with this next pronouncement.

Lin Fang took Qinghong home and on the carriage who started his lovey dovey of staring at her rather lovingly.  When she told him to stop looking at her, he followed her order.

But she asked him why he had stopped looking at her.

She then told him that she was actually over Wen Yu.  She did not feel anything looking at Wen Yu.

Lin Fang said that since her heart is now empty can she try to love him.  Awww

Episode 27

The Princess found out that there was no engagement document for

Episode 28 – The Wedding

The wedding was gatecrashed by the Princess with Wen Yu.

Wen Yu looked sad throughout the ceremony but the Princess was gleeful especially when she found out that the ceremony including retiring to the bedroom was fully completed.

Episode 29

During the Wulin Assembly, each of the patriarchs of the different clans grouched about the Directo’s inequities including giving away the Seven Swordsmanship to a non-Director.

Lin Fang was forced to retire but unfortunately, because Qinghong knew of the Seven Sword, the clans clamoured for her to be punished by death.

Qinghong could not comprehend that the people they thought were friends betrayed them including  Hou Yang, her assistant/student/mentee.

Wen Yu intervened.  He took a sword and cut off her muscles and veins, thus almost losing her life but certainly her ability to do martial arts as she could no longer use her legs or her hands.

Episode 30

Wen Rou treated Qinghong as much as she could and was shocked that her gentle brother who adored Qinghong could do such a heinous thing to Qinghong.

Qinghong begged Lin Fang to take her away from Ji’nian.

With a skeleton crew of guards, Lin Fang and Qinghong left Ji’nian.

They were ambushed by one of the Three Ghosts.

Poor Yang Xi sacrificed herself so Lin Fang And Qinghong could get away.

Lin Fang would not live Yang Xi at first because she was more than just a trusted guard to him.  She is like family, his sister.

Yang Xi was glad to know that Lin Fang thought of her as his sister.

Despite her sacrifice, the Ghost soldiers were able to corner Lin Fang and Qinghong by the cliff.

Lin Fang with Qinghong in his arms jumped into the deep cliff after Qinghong begged him to take her with him.  She would rather die with him.

Their heroic death was told by storytellers.

And then life seemed to go on in Ji’nian.

Of course, they are not dead.  They both woke up with their hands bound.

After a flirtatious getting the knife off her waist, they got their hands untied.

Immediately Lin Fang noticed that Qinghong was cured.  She can move her hands and her feet.

The man who cured her was someone with excellent Qi.  He can move so fast it was beyong Qinghong’s kungfu.

The man/healer told them that they could not escape from him and that they will be his servants.

Episode 31

The Grandmaster Healer started treating Lin Fang.  But Lin Fang and Qinghong only wanted to escape from the remote forest.

Wen Yu is getting on with the Princess who became prettier since marrying Wen Yu.

Episode 32

Wen Yu is now controlled by Grandpa, who told him to control the Wulin clans.

And that was what he did.  He called the leaders of the clans and told them that they should start registering to become a full member of Ja ‘nan and pay taxes.

When the leaders declined, Wen Yu called a guard who threw a tray of little things which the clan leaders recognised as taken from their individual family.  They knew they have got no choice.

Grandmaster healer finally cured Lin Fang of his internal poison,

The Grandmaster healer said that there is no illness he could not cure.  He is too good for this world.

They found out that Grandmaster Healer is actually Qinghong’s uncle.  Her mother’s brother. He is the greater physician, Jian Lin, who just one day disappeared.

As Lin Fang is all strong, he finally consummated his marriage with Qinghong.

Master Yuanning, the Buddhist monk gave the Seven Star Swordsmanship to Wen Yu as he said he can’t protect it as much as Wen Yu could with strong martial arts skills as well as being talented and patriotic, after all he was the Emperor’s son in law.

Grandpa found out about the scroll being now with Wen Yu.  He was taking a walk with Wen Yu when Headmaster Mou of Wulin attacked.

Wen Yu was shocked when he found out that Grandpa has extraordinary power.

Grandpa killed Headmaster Mou with his Firing Palm.  He proudly confessed to Wen Yu that he is the King of Million Demon, Wang Bucheng.

Wen Yu wanted to kiss ass Wang Bucheng who is really Wang Dan.  Wen Yu readily gave him the Seven Stars Swordsmanship.

The Princess had news for Wen Yu. She is pregnant.

In the forest, Lin Fang was convincing Qinghong to stay there permanently and have 9 babies.

Episode 33

Qinghong told Lin Fang that the only way they could leave the forest was to defeat the Grandmaster Healer.  She could do that by using the Seven Stars Swordsmanship.

Qinghong challenged Grandmaster but even with her SSS, he was just too good.

Meanwhile in the Capital.  Wen Yu was running amok.  He had now warned General Hou Ying to support him at all cost otherwise he s dead.

The General was really upset with Wen Yu who he observed had turned into a different man, a very unreasonable one.

Wang Bucheng was in his lair with the two other ghosts.  He decided that the two were cramping his style so he decided to do away with them.  First he almost fatally killed Feng BuFei.

The Second Brother sacrificed himself so Feng Bu Fei could get away and spread the news that Wang Bucheng was Wang Dan.

Grandmaster Healer was in town when a very unwell Bu Fei fell on the table.

GMH dragged Bufei to his place in the forest.

Episode 34

Grandmaster allowed Lin Fang and Qinghong to interrogate Bu Fei in whatever means including torture.

They need not torture Bu Fei, he was only too glad to spill the beans regarding Wang Bucheng and his plan to unite all the counties and then he will make himself the emperor.

Bu Fei in the end, became a willing servant of the Grandmaster who cured him of his tics.

Meanwhile, Lin Fang was helping Qinghong to see the bigger picture of the Seven Stars Swordsmanship.

Wang Dang ordered that the General was executed but Wen Yu intervened and had the General was arrested instead.

Wen Rou was so annoyed with Wen Yu. She told him that he was no longer her brother.  He then put her under house arrest.

Episode 35

This is the penultimate episode.

I have to say that his drama started so well but it became draggy towards the middle and then absolutely uninteresting during the last five episodes.

But having said that the fight scenes in the last two episodes are epic.

Anyway in this episode, Qinghong finally defeating Uncle Jian Lin after he made sure that she eats the three fruits that would make her muscles, veins and joints to completely heal.

And just as he promised, he allowed the couple to leave the secret forest.  Bu Fei stayed because Uncle thinks that he was not completely cured of his wicked ways.

Hou Yang and Xian Lan who always believed that they would come back, welcome them with happiness and gratitude.

Hou Yang immediately reported that Wen Yu was getting out of control and had committed a lot of atrocities.

Lin Fang had asked Wen Rou to to bring Wen Yu to a meeting with them.

Wen Yu as told that his mother was very ill so he went out with Wen Rou but he noticed as they approached a dark wooded area that Wen Rou was a part of a hidden agenda.

The carriage stopped and out Hou Yang, Xian Lan, Lin Fang and Qinghong to meet them.

Wen Yu is still very much in love with Qinghong though he can see that she was completely over him.

It turned out that Wen Yu was a double agent.  He had been secretly working with Lin Fang and the General all this time.

Everything he did was to get closer to Wang Dan and yet save the lives of Qinghong, Hou Yang, the General and the Wulin people.

Wen Yu said that Wang Dan will try to overthrow the emperor and seize the thrown himself.

They have to go to war, though Wen Yu is rather sceptical that Qinghong would defeat Wang Dan as he had really become powerful.

Episode 36

It was a battle royale.

Poor Wen Yu put up a good fight but he sadly got killed by Wang Dan.  With his dying breath, he asked Qinghong and Lin Fang to look after the Princess and their child.

Hou Yang did put up a good fight as well but Wang Dan was almost invincible.

Then it was Wang Dan versus Qinghong.  At first Wang Dan was too good for Qinghong as he had mastered the Seven Stars Swordsmanship plus the fact that he possesses a stong qi.

But through the guidance by Lin Fang, Qinghong managed to overcome Wang Dan bit but bit until she killed him.

Poor Wen Rou had the sorry task of informing the Princess that Wen Yu was never coming back because he was dead.

The Princess went into labour but sadly died because she gave birth to a thirteen pounder baby without anaesthetic or epidural. 🙁  She welcomed death because she would be then with Wen Yu.  The Princess really looked stunning.

The aftermath was that they will rebuild and allow peace to rule the kingdom.

Lin Fang and Qinghong decided to travel the world.  Perhaps go on a cruise for a belated honeymoon.

Eight years later…

A little boy was practising his cultivation but a little girl kept interrupting him to ask him to go to the mountains with her.

The little boy was rather devoted to the young girl because when she said she was going on her own, the boy immediately dropped what he was doing to go with the little girl.

They were stopped by Qinghong who came flying in.

She started scolding boy who happened to be the Princess and Wen Yu’s son.

Qinghong then turned to her daughter and would have given her a good smacking 🙂 but Lin Fang turned up and stopped her.

Qinghong complained that he spoils their daughter.  He then said that when their new baby arrives they might be a little bit destructed and might not have all the time for their daughter.

Huo Yang surprised Xian Lan with a promotion.  He is now the new Director.

The End