Chinese Drama 2023

Legend of Anle (Chinese Drama Review & Summary)

---

 

• 

  Legend of An Le

  Genre: Historical Costume Drama Fiction, Romance

• Release Date: 12 July 2023
• Origin: China; Adapted from a novel by Xing Ling
• Cdrama: 39 Episodes

 

Cast

• Dilraba Dilmurat as Ren An Le / Di Zi Yuan
• Gong Jun as Crown Prince Han Ye
• Liu Yun Ning as Luo Ming Xi
• Tim Pei as Mo Bei
• Xia Nan as Princess An Ning
• Chen Tao as Wen Shou
• Ma Yi Rui as Princess An Ning [Young]
• Li Shu Ting as Di Cheng En
• Wang Yi Ting as Lin Lang
• Long Shui Ting as Yuan Shu
• Kong Lin as Sun Yu Jun [Dowager Empress]
• Ning Xiao Hua as Bai Zhan [Chief magistrate]
• Qin Xiao Xuan as Mu Qing
• Zong Feng Yan as Han Zhong Yuan / Emperor Jia Ning)
• Chen Jing De as Xu Han Mo
• Bai Bing Ke as Mo Shuang
• Zhang Yi Kai as Ji Li [Head attendant of the Forbidden Palace]
• Shang Xin Yue as Yuan Qin
• Danyal Dorican as Gu Qi Shan
• Liu Han Yang as Chong Hai [Deputy general of Qing Nan City]
• Yang Ming Na as [Empress Dowager]
• Chen Jie as Nanny Sun [Empress Dowager’s attendant]
• Sun Xin Hong as Gu Yun Nian / Duke Zhong Yi
• Li Shuai as Huang Pu [Deputy magistrate]
• Gao Bei Bei as Madame Gu
• Ivan Zhu as Li You
• Yu Xuan Chen as Wu Yue
• Zhan Xiao Nan as Di Sheng Tian
• He Bin as Zuo Xiang
• Gao Yi as You Xiang
• Kong Yu Hao as Bai Zheng

---

Snippets

• Rumoured to start filming on 20 July 2021.
• 1 July 2021  Rumour has it that Liu Yuning will be joining the cast of Legend of Anle as the second male lead.
• 20 July 2021: The booting ceremony was held today.
• 9 January 2023: It has now passed the censorship review from 40 episodes to 39.

---

Episode 1

Dramatic start, blood and gore!

One cold night in the 6th year of Jiacheng reign, Di Yongning, the Marquis of Jing’an was accused of treason.

His army of 80,000 men was massacred at the foot of Mount Qingnam. Of the guilt and fear he felt, Di Yongning committed suicide.

Han Zhonyuan, the Emperor, was angered by his betrayal that even Di Yongning and his army’s death were not enough to make up for the betrayal so he ordered the extermination of nine generations/clans under Di Yongning.  Harsh!!!

But the Crown Prince who was betrothed to Di Ziyuan, Di Yongning’s daughter, was alarmed at what occurred.

Little girl Di Ziyuan bravely denied that her family were traitors.  She exclaimed that they are loyal to the emperor.

The general however was full of vengeance and was about to behead Ziyuan when the Boy Crown Prince stopped him.

Boy Prince Han Ye read an edict from the Emperor citing the enormity of what Di Yongning had done to the people but at the same time, Di Ziyuan will not be executed but will have to be imprisoned at Yu Daishan Yongning Temple and not allowed to go down the mountain.

The boy prince assured her that she belongs to him as his princess but Ziyuan said that she was literally alone as she looked at all the bodies of her slain clan littering the mansion ground.

She walked with her head held high under an umbrella.

Ten years later…

The first time , Crown Prince Han Ye saw another girl who intrigued him to the core was when he met a girl holding an umbrella just like Ziyuan all those years ago which is still etched into his memory.

Despite the years and circumstances, Han Ye remained faithful to the Ziyuan.  He would regularly collate gifts to send Ziyuan and ask Luo Ming Xi to take them to Ziyuan.

Luo Ming Xi force once told him that he cannot do it anymore.

Hanye was being forced to get married, even if only to take a concubine.  He refuses and thought that he had to do something to allow Ziyuan more freedom and to be able to come down the mountain.

He thought, he could subdue the Dongqin pirates and this should do it.

So off he went to Jingnan Anle Village.

He spotted a woman in a crimson dress. Unbeknownst to him, this girl was none other than Ziyuan who is now beautifully grown up, rather delicate looking so it immediately brought out his protective instinct.  He told her that she should not be gallivanting unchaperoned on the street because there were many bad men around.

The girl who calls herself Ran Anle was a different kind of girl.  She is cheeky and very straightforward.

From the start, Ran Anle flirted with Hanye who she found handsome.

Anyway, they ended up running away from Dongqin gang. They ended up in a small boat in the middle of the sea/river.  Ran Anle flirted with Hanye outrageously.

The a fleet of the Dongqin pirate ship found their way to them.  Anle capsized their boat so they could hide underneath it.  She then promised Hanye that if they get away from the Dongqin pirates she will marry him.

What do you know, Another fleet of ships came round, they were Anle’s own people.  They hailed her as their queen.  They fought the pirate and won but then there is yet again another fleet of ship which is royal protection unit.

Hanye confessed to Ren Anle that he is really the Crown Prince Hanye.

Without missing a bit, Ren Anle said that she wanted to be the Crown Princess.

Hanye said she can’t be as he was already engaged.

Anyway, back to the Royal Palace, the emperor was told that the Anle Village with their leader Ran Anle helped subdue and defeat Dongqing Pirate.

Ren Anle negotiated a dowry of 30,000 soldiers to be the crown princess.

Love this first episode despite of the editing being rather abrupt.  Reba and Gong Jun showed chemistry already.  So sweet.  Special mention of the young Ziyuan and Heyan as well. They were adorable.

Episode 2

Ren Anle wanting to marry the Crown Prince trended immediately within the metropolis.  The storytellers helped in disseminating the gossip in both oral and written forms.

It is therefore only a matter of time before the Emperor got to hear of it.

The Emperor was not at all averse to Anle becoming the Crown Princess despite having a reputation for being a bandit woman.  The promise of 30,000 navies was very enticing for the emperor.

So he ordered Anle to appear before him.  Hanye also turned up and said that he will not marry Anle.

Anle told the Emperor that she understands but she will work on changing Hanye’s mind.  But in the meantime, she was prepared to give her 30,000 navies to the empire.

The Emperor accepted but he rewarded Anle who said that she wanted to be an official who can work closely with nudge nudge wink wink, Crown Prince.

So she was assigned to the Ministry of Justice as Vice Minister to Court of Judicial Review.

The Emperor knew that Ren Anle was no ordinary woman.  She is like a double edge sword and if she turned out to be a baddy then it was better to keep the enemy closer.

Ren Anle presented herself at the Court of Judicial Review.  The official tried to treat Ren Anle merely as a figurehead but she was having none of it.  She said she needs a meaty case because she was working towards becoming an acceptable Crown Princess.

Huang Po, who was also a Vice Minister presented her with a cold case, the Lin Cong case.

But the chief minister intervened saying that the case was close.  He then asked Ren Anle to sign the verdict.  Anle signed it without any question which disappointed Huang Po who said that she is another minister on the take.

Hanye really expected Anle to create havoc at the court but was a little disappointed when her first day went without a hitch.

Anyway, Hanye found Anle later in his office looking at documents.  Anle coquettishly said that she wanted to familiarise herself.

Hanye took her words with alacrity and presented her with crates of reading materials to familiarise herself with the workings of the court as well as the judicial laws and regulations.

Anle just flirted at Hanye outrageously but they both know that Anle was much too intelligent to be really pining for Hanye.

But Hanye, with Wen Shuo, went to Lingxiang Pleasure House when he heard that Anle was in the building.

Luo Mingxi was also in the building.  Hanye knows that Mingxi frequents the Lingxinag Pleasure House as part of his job but he was surprised at how familiar he seems to be with Anle.

Episode 3

Gong Jun is gorgeous but it is Reba with Liu Yunning who was giving the CP aura.

Liu Yunning looks so charismatic.

Anyway, Gu Qi Shan turned up at the Lingxiang Pleasure House with Lin Cong who had been released by the Judicial Court.

Gu Qi Shan’s gang were chasing after the gorgeous and very nimble Linlang, the number courtesan at the Lingxiang Pleasure House when Lin Cong fell to his death from the balcony.

An Le presented herself as the Vice Minister of Judicial Review.  She said she was handling the case.

Gu Qi Shan arrogantly dismissed her but Han Ye turned up.  So AnLe was allowed to proceed with her investigation.  Through the process of elimination, she was able to smoke out the culprit.  But then upon further forensic, she found a note in Lin Cong’s body.  It was the answer key to the Metropolication examination.

So cheating was happening.  Hanye ordered that Gu Qi Shan and his cohorts are taken to the Ministry of Justice for questioning.

The influential Gu Yun Nian, the Marquis Zhong Yi was annoyed that his son had been arrested.  He invited An Le that evening.  An Le assured him that she will investigate favourably for his son.

Meanwhile, Hanye went to the Emperor to advise him of the Metropolitan Examination cheating.  The Emperor tends to overlook the matter as he does not want to create any ill feelings with Gu Yun Nian but Hanye was determined so he said to investigate the matter quietly and he was giving him three days.,

Episode 4

An Le and Hanye started to investigate the Examgate scandal.  An Le used the technique of divide and conquer amongst the students in prison except for Gu Qi Han who she indulged.

Luo Ming Xi has rather put out that An Le plays the fool.  An Le assured him that it was part of the plan.

Her plan is coming to fruition because the students were beginning to squeal. Unfortunately, death occurred with one of the officials committed suicide because he felt responsible for the two accused as he knew them personally.  One of the accused was beaten to death in prison.

Meanwhile, Huang Po can’t take the corruption at the Court of Judicial Review especially when Pei Zhan the chief minister totally ignore an evidential document for something he had prepared earlier on.

Huang Po knelt down and removed his hat and uniform as a sign that he was resigning.  The officials followed suit.

Pei Zhan realised that he went too far but the officials ignored his plea to return.

An Le is closing in for the kill but in a rather convoluted way.

Ming Xi looked like he had a hidden agenda.  He was jealous of how touchy-feely An Le to Hanye was.  Probably, he is proprietorial of An Le because he used to be a personal bodyguard of Ziyuan.

Episode 5

Gu Qihan was found guilty of cheating and sentenced to execution but was downgraded to banishment which displeased An Le.  Ming Xi told her that it was better than nothing.  He reminded her that Princess An Ning will be arriving soon at the capital.  An Le’s cover may be exposed.

She told Ming Xi that she had prepared for it.

Meanwhile, the Emperor told Hanye to be careful of Marqiz Gu as he has a huge military.  Inciting him too much will have a huge repercussion.  The Emperor also mentioned that having beside Hanye is not a bad thing.

Pei Zhan was dismissed from his position and An Le was promoted to Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.

Episode 6

General An Ning is the first-born daughter of the Emperor.  She was only seven when she excelled in fighting. When her father asked her what she wanted for a prize, she staunchly said she wanted to be sent to the borders, the Northern Qin.  And there where she grew up and cultivated more of her prowess in martial arts.

Her combat fight with Anle as soon as they met was spectacular.

They were level in the fighting skill so they agreed to be sworn sisters.

Ming Xi was concerned that An Ning was hiding something; he had his suspicion that Anning might actually have recognised An Le as her childhood best friend ZiYuan.

Ming Xi and An Le were plotting how to ensure that An Le does not get found out as Ziyuan.  Ming Xi said that they had to have a fake Ziyuan coming down the mountain.  The fake Ziyuan could then perhaps marry the obsessed Crown Prince.

Though An Le agreed with the plan she was taken aback by the marriage plot.

The Empress Dowager came to see the Emperor.  She told the Emperor to forget the random marriage contract the late Emperor signed.  Instead, she presented collated engagement cards of all the eligible girls from the noble and elite families of the empire.

Hanye refused to comply.  He said that he will honour the late Emperor’s marriage edict.  Hanye will only marry Ziyuan.

An Le brokered a solution which is agreeable by all.  She said why not hold a contest for the Crown Princess and why not allow Ziyuan to come down from Dai Mountains and participate in the selection.

Hanye was happy with this.  The thought that Ziyuan will finally rejoin civilisation was good enough for him.

Meanwhile, MIngXi had the fake Ziyuan already groomed to take the role.

 

 

 

 

If you are loving Ren An Le and Hanye together, please vote for their CP here

If you also think this drama is the best, please vote here for Best drama for 2023

---