Chinese Drama 2022

Decreed By Fate (Chinese Drama Review & Summary)

 

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• Genre: Historical Costume Drama Fiction, Romance, Idol Drama, Love Triangle
• Release Date: 31 March 2022
• Origin: China
• Cdrama: 16 Episodes

Cast

•  Li Jiu Lin as Lu Ting Xiao/Yi Sishen
• Chen Fang Tong as Ye Rong Er/ Jing Wenren
• Wu Cheng Xu as Fang Xian Xun/General Lin Xie
• Cheng Yu Feng as Liu Zhan (Yinshu Pavillon)
• Xu Ning as Zheng Lin
• Jiang Rui Ze as Qin Yi Yi
• Salman Xu as Wang Yi Zhi
• Wu Hao as Zhang Jiu

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Episode 1

Princess Ye Rong Er is a feisty young lady who was being set up by her guardian/Butler LV for marriage but so far Rong Er was able to wiggle herself out of every blind date.

But in a day, she met two gorgeous guys who she did not know were Lu Ting Xiao and Fang Xian Xun.

She thought everything was just getting exciting and interesting when she received an edict from the emperor that she must marry the son of Marquis Jing’an, Yin Sishen.

Episode 2

Without much choice, Ye Rong Er married Yin Shishen having not seen his face at all.

During the chamber ceremony, her groom was taking his time to come to see her so she went looking for him and spied him with another woman.

Ye Rong Er was so miffed, she run away with her maid.  She pretended that she hang herself and because of the scandal, her husband’s family kept her fleeing quietly.

Three months later she, who is now called Jing Wenren, and Sister Ling had settled down in Pinyang City where she had taken over Boqing Hall, a matchmaking agency cum divorce agency under the name of Lu Ting Xiao, the number one matchmaker of Pinyang City.

Because of the kind of business she was engaged in, she is being called the tumor of society.

She was running away from authorities as her agency was creating so much upheaval.

She ended up in a room where she found Fang Xian Xun.

Fang Xian Xun was a general, who quite like Ye Rong Er because of her feisty character.

Episode 3

Lu Ting Xiao is back in town.

He asked Rong Er why she was using his name and his business.

She told him that she wanted to be a good matchmaker so she could divorce her husband.

The two are getting along well in a master/servant relationship.

Meanwhile,  Fang Xian Xun was also in town and had saved Rong Er.

Episode 4

Rong Er got lost in the forest and started hallucinating about her father after the forest was engulfed in miasma.

She was saved by Lu Ting Xiao.

Episode 5

Lu Ting Xiao and Fang Xian Xu started to compete for the attention of Rong Er.

It turned out that Fang Xian Xu is the Division Chief Matchmaker and also the landlord of Boqing Hall

Fang Xian Xu started calling Rong Er his master and him her disciple.

Episode 6

Fang Xian Xu presented Rong Er with a certificate of ownership of the Boqing Hall so she does not have to close or leave her matchmaking business which means she is not reliant on Lu Ting Xiao anymore.

Lu Ting Xiao, however, won’t agree with this new development and told Rong Er that she is safe staying with him.

Fang Xian Xu disagreed.  He said he could protect his master.

They just debated over and over so Rong Er said that the best way was for them to have a contest.  It was not a kung fu contest, instead, it was a drinking contest.

After several bottles of liquor, Fang Xian Xu fell asleep.

Rong Er thought that Lu Ting Xiao was really resilient but he fell asleep as well soon after.

She dragged them to the hall and put them both on the same bed to sleep off their drunkenness.

She wanted to touch them up really so she pretended to herself that she was only trying to take off their dirty outer garment.  Yeah, yeah!

As she removed their outer garments, she did not know that she was being spied upon by Director Liu with his guards from the matchmaking agency across the road.

They saw her through their rudimentary wooden telescope how she was undressing the men.  They thought she was a shameless harlot.

Anyway, at one point, Rong Er became trapped in between the two guys but she did manage to slide off the bed.

She took advantage of their drunkenness to question them.  She asked who they really were?

Lu Ting Xiao said ‘general’ and Fang Xian Xu said he was also a general.

Rong Er gave up thinking that they both not making any sense.

She gathered their garments and asked Sister Ling to wash them.  They found a jade token that belongs to Qiao Luo, who Rong Er thing is a hero.

She wanted to know who between Lu Ting Xiao and Fang Xian Xu is Qiao Lu.

She asked Lu Ting Xiao first. He did not confirm or deny that he was Qiao Luo but he was very interested in the token.

She was telling him about how much she admire Qiao Luo when something from what she said triggered something in Ting Xiao.

He asked her to visit a woman in prison who had been arrested as part of the women traffickers.

The woman said that she would tell them everything after they have checked on her mother.  She gave them the address.

Episode 7

They found a woman and a bed-ridden older woman, who they saved from assassins at the address they were given.

Upon questioning, the younger woman said that the woman that they were looking for had been taken away but she left her armsack.  When they asked where the woman could have been taken, she said that they had asked her to go to Bulete to perform as an actress.

Lu Ting Xiao and Rong Er looked at the armsack and found a jade token, a silicone mask, some medicine vials and a strange vine.

Rong Er touch the vine before Ting Xiao could warn her because his hand was already bound by the vine and then her hand got caught too.

No matter how they tried, they can’t remove the vine rope.

Anyway, Rong Er and Ting Xiao had a conversation about Lord Lian who Ting Xiao knew as a good commander.

Rong Er more or less told him that she was the naughty daughter of General Lian.

They were walking back to Pingyan main road when they got accosted by many assassins.  Ting Xiao fought well but they were finally cornered because he was really fighting with one hand tied to Rong Er which prevented him from his being his normal agile self.

Then out of nowhere, appeared, Fang Xian Xu.  He finished off the assassins and then escorted Ting Xiao and Rong Er back to Bingyan Hall.

Fang Xian Xu noticed that Ting Xiao and Rong Er were holding hands so he touched their hand.  Immediately the vine rope bound him as well.

So to while away the night they played Truth or Drink.

Rong Er was getting drunker and drunker and then called Fang Xian Xu her husband which annoyed Ting Xiao.

She then started dreaming of a menage a trois which seemed to make her happily excited.

Seriously this drama is a bit risque compared to standard Chinese dramas.  I am not complaining though.😊

Episode 8

Director Liu is crushing so hard on Sister Ling.  He was told by his associate, Director Zheng that if they can close Boqing Hall, Jing Wenren/Rong Er and Sister Ling would be homeless so they can then invite them to move in with them.

But when they went to Boqing Hall they found Rong Er bound with Ting Xiao and Fang Xian Xu.  They were laughing at them then suddenly the vine came loose and then move into the hands of Director Liu and Director Zheng.

They learned that vine power lasts for 24 hours.

Rong Er, Ting Xiao, and Fang Xian Xu went looking for Qiu Lai (whatever) the woman who knew something about women trafficking.

Ting Xiao left them to meet his assistant who he sent to the capital to get intel on what was the deal in Pingyan City and also about Fang Xian Xu

Meanwhile, Rong Er and Fang Xian Xu continued looking for Qiu Lai but they got trapped in an abandoned hut where it was fitted with auto darts that were shooting left, right, and center.

They managed to jump into an indoor water pond but a huge cage came down to trap them.

Poor Fang Xian Xu’s foot got caught in the bottom of the cage.  He can just try to hold Rong Er up as the water started rising fast.

He told her that he had been living so free for the last ten years but when he met her realised that he had been lonely all the time.  He hoped that she could get married happily but he wishes that he will always have a place in her heart.  His head then submerged into the water.

He looks so gorgeous and the chemistry was so hot.

Loving this drama.

Episode 9

Thank goodness, Fang Xian Xu did not die.  they were saved by Ting Xiao’s men.

Rong Er was so grateful to Fang Xian Xu, that she decided she would treat him better.

And she did which made Ting Xiao so jealous.

They attended a Matchmakers’ Guild meeting.  Their threesome which was so apparent because of their closeness became the subject of the meeting.

Director Zheng said that Rong Er was a hussy with no sense of shame.

Rong Er pretended to faint in the arms of Ting Xiao.

Ting Xiao got upset with the men at the matchmaker club.  Ting Xiao let it be known that they have insulted his wife.

The men were surprised but then they asked what was the role of Fang Xian Xu in their relationship.

Ting Xiao said that he was his brother-in-law.

Fang Xian Xu went along with it for Rong Er’sake but he was not happy because it made Rong Er go further away from him.

But then when Rong Er was invited by Yi Yi to the bar club, it was Fang Xian Xu she asked to go with her.

Yi Yi asked them to look into her ex-boyfriend Mr. Xue and protect him.

Rong Er and Fang Xian Xu were drinking at the club when a band of assassins came and threw blinding powder at Fang Xian Xu.

They were about to kill Rong Er but Ting Xiao turned up.  In trying to save Rong Er, Ting Xiao got stabbed.

Episode 10

Ting Xiao was badly injured and milking it for all it is worth to get Rong Er’s attention.

Meanwhile, Wang Yi Zhi threatened YiYi to give Wenren/Rong Er a love poison, otherwise, he will kill Mr. Xue.

So Yi Yi sends for Rong Er.

Yiyi made Rong Er drink poisoned tea.  The effect was slow-burning but Rong Er started to feel cold even when it was a sunny day.

This episode finally revealed who Rong Er really likes.

Fang Xian Xu tried to kiss Rong Er but she covered her mouth.

Instead, he whispered that she had always liked Ting Xiao.  This shocked Rong Er.

Ting Xiao saw them as if they were kissing so he went to separate them with his sword.

Fang Xian Xu told Ting Xiao to follow him.  Fang Xian Xu told him that Rong Er likes him.

Rong Er was at the river still coming to terms with the idea that she likes Ting Xiao.

She was deep in thoughts when Ting Xiao appeared.

Rong Er asked if Fang Xian Xu had told him anything and if he did then to forget about it because she was going to tell him herself what and how she feels.

She likes him.  So cute.

They had a hug as she felt cold again.

Meanwhile, Fang Xian Xu felt sad again but was reminded by his guard that he needed to focus on their mission to avenge the dead deputy general and gather information about the Chonglou of the  Northern Kingdom.

Ting Xiao saved the Magistrate from attackers but Fang Xian Xu was not happy because the magistrate was pro-Chonglou as well as the mastermind of the women trafficking.

This is actually a seriously interesting drama with a likable cast.  Good acting.  Worth a watch.

Episode 11

Ting Xiao managed to save the traffick girls from being sent to the Northern Kingdom.

One of the girls was Ting Xiao’s cousin who he had been looking for.

The cousin hugged which was seen by Rong Er.

Ting Xiao went to find Rong Er, who told him that she was not petty to mind a hug with a girl who had been kidnapped.

Ting Xiao explained that the girl was his cousin.

They made up but then Rong Er collapsed.  The cousin who knew about the love poison recognised it from Rong Er immediately.  She told them that the effect of the poison is triggered faster with strong emotions such as love,

As such Ting Xiao had to go away to prolong Rong Er’s life.

Ting Xiao had a rooftop drink up with Fang Xian Xu.  They had a heart-to-heart where Ting Xiao showed the jade token that Rong Er found in their clothes before.

Fang Xian Xu said it was his and admitted that he was a general from the Northern Kingdom.

He said that despite being from opposing sides, Ting Xiao would like Fang Xian Xu to look after Rong Er until he finds the antidote to the Love Poison.

He then left without saying goodbye to Rong Er.

Rong Er was pining for Ting Xiao.

Ting Xiao met a doctor in the thick of the forest.

The doctor said there was no antidote for the Love Poison but there may be a cure.  Ting Xiao said he would do anything including giving his life.

the doctor took this literally and subjected Ting Xiao to excruciating experimentation regarding levels of pain.  It was inhumanly painful, the doctor thought Ting Xiao died.

Episode 12

To make Rong Er get over Ting Xiao, Miss Yu, the cousin, told Rong Er that Ting Xiao is not coming back because he was getting married to her.

Fang Xian Xu was so annoyed despite knowing it was not true but seeing that Rong Er was very upset but bravely saying that Ting Xiao was not the kind of person who just leave to get married without breaking up with her.

She would only believe what Miss Yu was saying if Ting Xiao would tell her himself.

The forest doctor was in Pinyang City.  He told Sister Ling and Fang Xian Xu that there may be a cure to the Love Poison but it was near impossible to find.

It is a 10,000 year-old ginseng from the Poison Forest.  No one lives to tell the tale of who goes to the forest.

Fang Xian Xu invited a rather depressed Rong Er to join the Lantern Festival.

Rong Er went. Fang Xian Xu pointed out some masks that they could wear.

Rong Er wandered round looking up the flowers and the sky rather poignantly.

When she looked back, she removed the mask on the man standing behind her and it was Ting Xiao.

She hugged him and would never let him go despite haranguing him for leaving without any word.

But the next day, they did not have to explain to her why he did it because she knew why and told them so.

She then made Ting Xiao to promise never to leave her again.  She even asked him to marry him.

He hugged her tightly.

He found her Bucket list and they started doing them.

Sister Ling went to see cutie pie Director Liu asked if he had some 10,000-year-old ginseng just lying around somewhere in his villa.

Director Liu said he doesn’t think so but because Sister Ling asked, Director Liu, started searching for one amongst his friends and colleagues.

And he found it and left it at Boqing Hall without much fanfare which touched Sister Ling’s heart.

Episode 13

Rong Er pretended that she has amnesia so Ting Xiao don’t leave for the West Forest to find the Heartless Herb necessary for her cure.

She just can’t bear to see him go.

But she was deteriorating fast and Dr Yue she has on 3 to 4 days to live with the cure

Episode 14

Ting Xiao to have the love poison into by blood transfusion.

Rong Er got better but Ting Xiao was getting weaker and weaker.

It did not help that Rong Er was kidnapped by Wang Yi Zhi.

He then made Rong Er ane Ting Xiao meet where Wang Yi Zhi revealed that Ting Xiao was Yin Sishen and he was already a wife in the Capital.

Though Rong Er was surprised, she could not help but give a little smile.

But then Wang Yi Zhi became vindictive and had his sword against Rong Er’s neck.

Ting Xiao got so angry, that he became like an incredible hulk and burst out from the rope bound around him.

Then it became a ramble when a very weak Fang Xian Xu returned from the Poison Forest

Though both weak, Ting Xiao and Fang Xian Xu went after Wang Yi Zhi on the rooftop and fought to the death.

Wang Yi Zhi was a good martial artist but in the end, the weak Ting Xiao and Fang Xian Xu prevailed despite ending up both very battered.

Ting Xiao was dying because he lost a lot of blood so Rong Er told Dr Yue to proceed with a blood transfusion from her to Ting Xiao as she can’t live without him.

Meanwhile, Fang Xian Xu was under a touch-and-go condition and Dr Yue said that Fang Xian Xu has the power to cure himself as Dr Yue had done everything he could.

As it would be unthinkable for both of these male leads to dying,🤣, they both recovered and started fighting immediately when they found themselves half-naked on the same bed

Episode 15

Sister Ling saw Director Liu who lost Yinshu Pavillon to Director Zheng in exchange for the 10,000-year-old ginseng.

He became so bashful when his assistant declared that Director Liu wanted to marry her which surprised Sister Ling.

Meanwhile, Qin Zhao who was in disguise as Director Song gave an edict from the Emperor to YIn Sishen/Ting Xiao to kill Lin Xie/Fang Xian Xu.

Ting Xiao had to comply with it as it was an imperial order but then the jade token that was in Lin Xie’s possession was Lord Lian’s property which means that Lin Xie might have worked with Lord Lian who was the father of Rong Er.

So Ting Xiao with Rong Er and their trusted friends helped to make an elaborate plan to make it look that Lin Xie was killed.

Dr Yue created a vest that would protect Lin Xie from the retractable sword but at the same time the vest would secrete blood.

So Ting Xiao and Lin Xie had a battle that led them near a ravine.

Rong Er stabbed Lin Xie with the retractable sword to seemingly save Ting Xiao.

Lin Xie stabbed in the chest with blood staining his hanfu started falling into the bottom of the ravine.

It looked so authentic that Director Song watching from the undergrowth said that Ting Xiao was too harsh.

Rong Er was very sad that Fang Xian Xu was gone.

Anyway, it got to the people that Ting Xiao was the legendary General Yin so people started fawning over General Lin including Director Zheng.

Ting Xiao said that they could not accept gifts because it would be deemed as bribery but one thing they would like was the return of Yinzhou Pavillon back to Director Liu.

Episode 16

Ting Xiao asked Rong Er to return to the Capital with him.

Rong Er had to be convinced as she was wary to face her in-laws because she was a runaway bride afterall which must have stressed Ting Xiao’s parents and created a bit of a scandal for their family.

Ting Xiao told her that her parents were easygoing.

They did return and Rong Er was warmly welcomed by her mother-in-law and apparently by her father-in-law as well.

Rong Er was not sure about her father-in-law as he has an inscrutable face.

Rong Er did miss the Capital, she visited Butler LV who missed and worried about her terribly.

She and Sister Ling were walking in the market town when they saw Ting Xiao who looked busy.  Then they saw Director Liu who said he was moving to the Capital to be with Sister Ling forever.  They are so cute.

That night, Rong Er was dressed in her wedding dress by the maids.

Ting Xiao reenacted what would have been their wedding night with her.  The arrangement of this is what kept Ting Xiao busy during the day.

The loved-up couple promised to be together till their next life.

Meanwhile back in the Northern Kingdom, Lin Xie was back.  He went to prison to see Lord Lian.

Lord Lian is alive.

The End

A second season would be much appreciated.

This drama is surprisingly good for the budget.  Well-chosen actors and the script is well thought out.