Chinese Drama 2020

Oops! The King Is In Love (Chinese Drama Review & Summary)

Global Granary Drama Recommendation

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• Genre: Historical Costume Drama Fiction, Romance, Cross-Dressing
• Release Date: June 2020
• Origin: China, Adapted from a webnovel
• Cdrama: 24 Episodes

 

Cast

• Zhu Jian as Yan Jin
• Ma Mengwei as Yan Zhixia/Jade Qilin/Sanbao
• Fu Weilun as Lin Yanqing
• Xiong Yuting as Gong Zhiyue
• Tan Xiaofan as Princess An Le
• Wang Xia as Ye Luming

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Quick Precis

A girl pretended to be a eunuch to collect a debt but accidentally picked by the king to be his personal eunuch.

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Episode 1

Zhixia is a businesswoman.  She provides everything from goods to manpower.

One day, a Eunuch Wang and a man who wanted to remain anonymous, to ask her to provide them with martial artists.

The martial artists she provided came back to her to ask for payments of services rendered.

Unfortunately, Eunuch Wang never came for the fee so she had to pay from her own pocket.  And the rest of the money was paid by her mother by mortgaging her Emerald Bordello.

Zhixia heard that a new batch of eunuchs is being recruited, so she thought that was the easiest and best way to enter the palace.

But it was not really easy because eunuchs had to be castrated.  Zhixia is by now known as Jade Xilin.

Jade Xilin used some powder to sprinkle on the men doing the castrations.

Jade Xilin got in the palace and in the cover of the night, she went looking for Eunuch Wang.

She almost got caught as an assassin.  She went into one of the manors and there met the Anonymous Guy with Eunuch Wang.

She ended up in a cell.

She told the guy that she was there for Eunuch Wang because he had not paid up for the martial artists’ fees.

The guy said that he gave all the monies to Eunuch Wang and perhaps Jade Qilin had pocketed the monies himself.

Jade Qilin was so annoyed with him that she did a little bit of mind games with him.

She said that looking at him, he looks like a poor boy controlled by his superior.  His work is done by his subordinates.  He has a lot of ambition but with little power.

He felt what she said.  She can read right through him and he was intrigued.

He let her out and said he she/he can defeat him in a game, he will set her free.

He was a very good martial artist and so was she and she has her powder which she used to drug him and lock him in the cell.

The next time they met was when he was selecting his personal eunuch.  Finally, she learned that he is the King.

Episode 2

Jade Qilin agreed immediately after being given her first pay.  She also to promise to report every movement of the Emperor.

Jade was curious about Mr Hai, the head eunuch, she went into his apartment in secret and found a hidden room where she saw Mr Hai talking to Eunuch Wang about the martial artists he recruited.

Eunuch Wang said he worked alone and chose to drink poison than implicate the emperor.

Jade Qilin was so shocked she wanted to leave the palace.

The Emperor chose Jade Qilin as his personal eunuch.  And renamed as Sanbao.

Jade Qilin was immediately frogmarched to the Empress Dowager who told her that she will only answer to her.  Empress Dowager is the boss.

And she was bossy.  During a court assembly, she had the Prime Minister arrested because he wanted the Emperor to be more proactive, get married and start to rule with his wife.

The Empress Dowager was not having it.  She rules.

The Prime Minister was the grandfather of Lin Laqing, who wanted to marry Yan Zhixia/Jade Qilin.

Finally, Jade Qilin found out that the person she was so familiar with, who she bit his hand hard was the Emperor.

The Emperor told her that he was rather disappointed that she found out that he was the emperor.  He went closer to her to look at her earlobe which has been pierced.  First clue she was a girl?

I have to say I am liking this drama because the leads are rather likable.  The female lead is feisty, and not at all annoying.  But we shall see if she does turn into one in the next episodes.

Episode 3

Sanbao was earning handsomely spying on the emperor but for some reason, she does not reveal about him especially when the Empress Dowager wanted to know if he knows martial arts.

Sanbao refuted this immediately and said that he fights like a little boy.

She was beginning to get a little bit of conscience towards the Emperor and was thinking to reveal the Eunuch was dead.

The Emperor, however, was disappointed that she was spying on him.

Episode 4

General Gong has been encouraging his daughter, Zhiyue, to make a move on the Emperor.

Zhiyue was a childhood sweetheart of the young emperor and had been in love with him like forever.

But she was disappointed and a bit alarm to hear her father’s conversation with a subordinate that he had it all planned.  Zhiyue will marry the emperor and will have control over him.  General Gong will be the number in the land.

Yanqing came to see the Emperor to beg him to let the Prime Minister out of prison.

While he was talking, Sanbao came in.

The emperor immediately knew that the two knew each other.

Episode 5

The Emperor finally confirmed that Sanbao was a girl when he found her bathing in his private pool.

Yanqing was ready to save Prime Minister Lin from prison when a mad monk who was affiliated with the Emperor stopped him to say that the emperor has a plan and actually had assigned someone who can be trusted to guard the Prime Minister.

Zhiyue gifted the Emperor with a pearl dagger which made Sanbao a little bit jealous.

Episode 6

In return, the Emperor prepared some beautiful hanfus for Zhiyue but made the twin personal guards and Sanbao to try them first.

The Emperor liked  Sanbao in a dress so much.

The Empress Dowager invited Zhiyue and a father to tea.  A marriage between Zhiyue and the Emperor was discussed.

The Emperor said that he will level everything to the Empress Dowager to arrange a wedding.

the Empress Dowager at the last moment said that it was better to postpone it after the Imperial examination.

Episode 7 &

The Princess, sister of the emperor,  who is a bit of a medicine/inventor girl, playfully forced the young emperor to swallow a tablet she created.  She said it was for stamina.

She was rather economical with the truth that the stamina has to do with sexual prowess.

Meanwhile, the princess has a bit of a crush on Sanbao thinking that she was a boy.  She made Sanbao drink a lot of wine with her and when Sanbao returned to the Emperor’s manor, he jumped on her immediately and then ended up in bed.

Sanbao said that it was ok that she will take responsibility.  This seemed to have woken the Emperor as he stopped and tucked in Sanbao in bed lovingly.

He heard in her sleep talking about worrying about her mother and kin that if she stays longer in the palace, they might get killed.

The next morning, the emperor gave her permission to leave the palace.

But he was missing her more than he expected.

He was like a lovesick boy that the twin guards Lotus and Lily were very worried with him.

Her mother was very happy to see Zhixia.  She told her to go back to the northern border as it was rather chaotic near the palace at the moment.

It was the day of the exam.  Many are cheating and Yanqing made a point to stand for a vote of no confidence with the exam.  He said that the test can be bought anywhere in the market and therefore a farce.

The Empress Dowager was so annoyed as her plan was being thwarted.  She gave the answer key to nephew because she wanted him to top the exam so she has someone under her control.

The Empress Dowager was just calling the guard to kill Yanqing when the Emperor appeared and for once overruled her dictum.

He said that he will personally check the test and those who were cheating will be beheaded.

In the end only a few did not cheat and were able to seat the exam. Eventually, Yanqing was the topnotcher of the test.

Sanbao was getting ready to go to the northern border but she was kidnapped by eunuchs by the order of Mr Hai, the head eunuch.

But Sanbao ended up at the emperor’s manor who missed her so much, he tenderly back hugged her.  So cute.

Episode 9

As the imperial exam was over, it was time for the Emperor to choose his concubine.

He was rather concerned how Sanbao would react but he got annoyed when she seemed unconcerned. In fact she told him to go for it as Zhiyue comes from a good family with a lot of influence.

The emperor said he had ever looked at Zhiyue as a sister.  But he has a girl he liked. He then asked her if she was the girl, how would she feel of him having concubines.

Sanbao said that he was the emperor he can have as many wives and children as he likes.

The emperor asked, what he only wanted a girl?  Why can’t he have 8-10 children with one wife?  He was about to confess to her when he got it with a drugged dart on his back.

Yanqing then appeared to get her but she said she does not want to go.  She needed to stay with the emperor. Yanqing gave her a karate chop on the next which made her faint.

He was taking her out in a carriage when they were stopped by Yanqing, who was an army general as well.

She asked him about a Yolo paper (whatever) and he did not deny anything.  He just asked if his people who had nothing to do with anything could leave.

But before they could leave, the Emperor turned up and Sanbao came out drowsily from inside the Yanqing carriage.

Yanqing was taken to prison and Sanbao was taken back to the Emperor’s manor.

Sanbao and the Emperor were talking when the suspicious Zhiyue overheard what they were talking about.

Episode 10

The Emperor is getting stronger and not so timid when faced with the Empress Dowager.

He got drunk with Sanbao and ended up on the same bed.

When Sanbao woke up she was hysterical.  More so when she found she could not wake the Emperor.

Episode 11

The Emperor has an alcohol allergy and the Imperial doctor was called.

This got back to the Empress Dowager who was being incited by Eunuch Hai that Sanbao must have something to do with it.

Eunuch Hai had decided to punish Sanbao and had her taken for good spanking.  She was then dumped in the cell next to Yanqing.

Yanqing was cheering her up and feeding her with bits of cookies when the Emperor found them.  He got jealous immediately and picked Sanbao out.

He took her back to the manor.  He blindfolded himself for her modesty as he tried to apply ointment to her bottom but Sanbao told him to go away as she will do it herself.

The Emperor tucked her in afterwards and was there again first thing in the morning to give her medication.  They were arguing as usual and accidentally fell on her and that was how the young princess found them.

She left immediately rather shocked.  She commented that her aphrodisiac given to her brother must have worked too well.

Lotus and Lily were curious about what that going on. All they can hear was Sanbao saying her butt hurts. LOL

Episode 12

The Emperor was often seen at the Leisure Life Pavillion, which was renovated for Sanbao to stay at.

Lotus and Lily were chatting about the gay relationship of Sanbao and the Emperor, which was overheard by a eunuch, who told it to a maidservant, who told it to another eunuch, who told it to someone else until every has heard it.

Even the Emperor has heard of it and he was not bothered, in fact he was quite glad about it.

Lotus and Lily said that they should behead anyone talking about it but the Emperor said that he does not want in it in his annals that he beheaded people who talked about his gay romance.  Very wise emperor.

Meanwhile, poor Yanqing was badly beaten up in prison to make him confess to being connected to Yelu Mu, a barbaric clan who lives to fight.

Sanbao heard how badly Yanqing was hurt so she visited the prison but she was not allowed to enter.  But the Princess suddenly appeared and pushed her way in dragging Sanbao after her.

The Princess saw Yanqing reciting a poem and she fell in love at first sight.

She told Sanbao that Yanqing will be the Emperor’s son-in-law because she was going to marry him.

Sanbao told her that to marry Yanqing she has to get him out of prison first.

The Princess went to her mother, the Empress Dowager, to demand to let Yanqing go because she will marry him, it was a love at first sight.

Her mother said that Yanqing is a criminal.

The Princess would not have it.  Her mother ordered that she be confined to her room for three months.

The Emperor and Sanbao visited her and Sanbao advised that she should be mature about her love for Yanqing.  She should let everybody know.

So the Princess, agreed to everything asked of her, she became very docile and sent her apologies to her mother.

But also the Head Eunuch said that the Princess seemed to have gone mental because she refuse to eat as she was going to be busy reciting poems.

The Empress Dowager was perturbed at first but said let the Princess be.

Meanwhile, Zhiyue met the Emperor, who asked Sanbao if he could.

Zhiyue asked the Emperor of his relationship with Sanbao.

He felt pity for Zhiyue as he just told her that he ever felt brotherly love towards her and nothing else.

So when Sanbao interrupted them with her forthright manner bordering of being disrespectful, the Emperor corrected her as being just his eunuch.  He made her apologised to Zhiyue.

Later that day, he went to see Sanbao at the Pavillion.  Sanbao was upset with him but he told her that what he did was for her own good because Zhiyue was suspecting that there is more to Sanbao than meets the eye.

They ended up in the remote rooftop of the palace again where the Emperor confessed his feelings to Sanbao.  She could not answer him back immediately but the Emperor said that he understood that she returns his feeling because how could she not?  He was perfect, very handsome and kind.

Sanbao was a bit sad that they could never be together.

Episode 13

Princess Anle went to Yanqing that she was going to marry him.

Meanwhile, the Emperor wanted to surprise Sanbao so he arranged a night out in the town where they flew a wishing lantern.

The Emperor was rather perplexed why they need to fly a wishing lantern when being the emperor, he can grant her anything she wishes.

Sanbao was slightly annoyed with him because he ruined the moment.

Episode 14

The Emperor met his potential mother-in-law who was not at all impressed with him until she noticed that he was not greedy when she tried to pay him off to stay from Xisha.

The Emperor confessed again to Xisha after they lit a water lily lantern.  He said that he was aware that she was worried that he might keep a harem of concubines but he promised her that this will never going to happen because he could only see himself being with her, ever.

Xisha was very moved by the eloquent but emotion-laden declaration from the Emperor.

He noticed this and was ecstatic.

They were like a young couple enjoying the night market when Xisha said she wanted a Bintanghulu.

He immediately went to get her some but when he turn back to her, she was gone.

They found her later being held captive by Eunuch Hai, who was about to kill Xisha.

The Emperor was ready to fight Eunuch Hai but the men of General Gong He came to kill everyone.

Eunuch Hai protected the Emperor and singlehandedly killed Gong He’s man except their leader ho got Eunuch Hai when he got distracted.

Eunuch Hai to his dying breath said he wanted to kill Sanbao/Xisha.

Xisha was weakened from the fight so they stayed in a warehouse to rest.

The Emperor noticed that she seemed to have a lot on her mind.

Finally she confessed something she heard but the Emperor pre-empted her by asking if it was about his mother?

He then told her that his real mother was a beloved concubine of the Emperor.  On the Emperor’s death, the Empress Dowager forced his mother to drink poison and said that she will be the new mother of Yan Jin.

Yan Jin saw this when he secretly peeped by the doorway.  Eunuch Wang grabbed him to safety.

Episode 15

The Empress Dowager advised the Emperor that it was about time to choose his concubines for his harem.

Sanbao agreed with the Empress D at face value but gave the Emperor a good kicking when they were alone.

Anyway, as Head Eunuch Hai was gone, Sanbao has replaced him.

Sanbao was curious of Eunuch Hai’s manor so she went to investigate the inner sanctum and found a little  chest in his altar with a little pouch similar the emperor’s most beloved one given to him by his mother.

Meanwhile. the Monk/Emperor’s teacher brought Gui Yunliang to Mosa where the Yulo Ming was stationed.

The monk clarified that General Gong He poisoned the water that was causing illness to the men.  The leader had agreed to a summit meeting with the Emperor.

The selection for the concubines had begun and Zhiyue was or of them.

The candidates were rejected one by one by the Emperor until there was only Zhiyue.

The emperor took his time enumerating the merits of Zhiyue until his pre-arranged person to interrupt arrived.  So the selection was postponed after the messenger, who happened to be Sanbao’s father announced that the leader of Yelu Ming had arrived for the summit.

Episode 16

The summit was eventful.  First, the Emperor was able to ascertain that the case against Lin Yanqing was a trumped up charge.  the Yelu Ming leader said that the letter sent to Dongsheng kingdom was a fake.  He showed that his stamp was different from the one in the letter that was supposed to have been sent by him.  So Lin Yanqing was free.

Then he wanted a marriage alliance.

Princess Anle said that she doesn’t want to marry the leader as she was in love with someone else already.

The leader told Anle to calm down.  He then said that he wanted Zhiyue.

Zhiyue was alarmed and then disappointed and annoyed when her own father was prepared to bet her for three cities.

Thank goodness that Yanqing was there to solve the puzzle.

However, the Emperor and Sanbao are beginning to have trepidation of their relationship as Sanbao’s continued pretense of being a man is putting them both in jeopardy.  Even Anle warned them about it and Zhiyue.

Episode 17

The Empress Dowager found out that Sanbao was a girl.

To protect Sanbao the emperor promised to expel Sanbao from the palace.  He also promised to obey everything the Empress Dowager asked of him.

The Emperor asked Yunqing to take Zhixa away from the place permanently.

Episode 18

Sanbao tried to get back to the palace but all her efforts were thwarted.

She stayed at Emerald Bordello pining.

Meanwhile, The Emperor made an alliance with the Yelu Ming.

He was also busy with the monk looking for martial artists and finding out whether the emperor’s biological mother was still alive.

The Mosa Army had started attacking Donsheng but General Gong He was reluctant to lead an army.  He was forced to go in the end because he was not given any choice.

Episode 19

Zixha wrote a letter to Lotus and Lily telling them that she was going to get married, hoping that this little information would get to the Emperor.

It did and the Emperor sneaked out of the palace to see Zisha.

They couldn’t get enough of each other which was noticed by Yanqing.

Yanqing was so upset he ended up drinking.

Princess Anle found him almost crying over his drink and ended up drinking together and sleeping together.  So cute

Episode 20

When Yanqing woke up the next morning, Anle was still there and told him to look under his pillow as she left him something.  It was money.

Does that mean, he is now her gigolo?  LOL

Though Yanqing, the number one scholar of Dongsheng does not understand about the money.

Zisha’s mother does not approve of the Emperor as son in law.

The Emperor was doing everything to get Zisha’s mother’s approval.  His action was so stressful for the mother.

Meanwhile, Zhiyue was beginning to thaw towards the leader of Yelu Ming who was so in love with her he sends her poetry all the time.  At first she refused to read them but in the end the started to like them.

Episode 21

General Gong He secretly came back from the war and then rebelled against the Empress Dowager and had taken command.

The Emperor finally found his biological mother in the Bitter Temple.

He was able to convince her to back with him.

Episode 22

The Emperor has been added to the most wanted list.

Which alarmed his mother.

The alarm turned to reality as assassins came and attack them.

The mother was stabbed to death and the Emperor was badly injured.

Thank goodness the monk arrived at the last minute and helped the Emperor.

Apparently the Emperor’s mother had been keeping the most important tally.

She is being protected by the four martial artists, who were so sorry that the were very late.

Episode 23

The Emperor made a deal with General Hong He to make him a Regent and then the Emperor will kill himself but the General had to make sure no other casualties, especially the people would suffer.

The General agreed.

And after he was made a regent, he made the Emperor take poison.

Sanbao and her family were attacked.  Her father saved them and was stabbed to death instead.

Episode 24

The coronation was attended by many,  including Sanbao and her associates.

Then, Regent Gong He ordered Yanqing to behead Sanbao and her associates.

Yanqing quickly agreed but pointed his sword against the neck of the regent instead.

The Emperor came out and told everyone that it was all part of his plan and Yanqing was working for him all along.

The Regent was not going down without a fight.  He was a mighty fighter but the Emperor was ready for him with his bow and arrow.

The regent died slowly trying to reach the throne.

At last there was peace, even the Empress Dowager said that she will become a Buddhist nun.

Several marriages happened: the emperor and Xishan, Yanqing and Anle, Zhiyue and her bad boy from Yelu Ming.

HAPPY ENDING!

The End