Chinese Drama 2022
A Dream of Splendor (Chinese Drama Review & Summary)
Meng Hua Lu
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Meng Hua Lu
- Genre: Historical Costume Drama Fiction, Female-Centric, Business, Romance
- Release Date: 2 June 2022
- Origin: China, Adapted from a novel by Guan Han Qing
- Cdrama: 40 Episodes
Cast
- Liu Yifei as Xiao Pan Er
- Chen Xiao as Gu Qian Fan
- Liu Yan as Sun San Niang
- Lin Yun as Son Ying Zhang
- Joe Xu as Ouyang Xu
- Zhang Xiang as Zhou She (Ying Zhang’s ex-husband)
- Daisy Li as Ge Xiao Di
- Kris Sun as Shen Ru Zuo
- Jia Nai as Zhang Hao Hao
- Zhang Xiao Qian as Du Chang Feng (Ouyang’s friend)
- Guan Yun Peng as Chun Lian (Gu Qian Fan’s Guard)
- Dai Xu as Chi Ya Nei (Palace Guard Leader)
- Hu Yu Xuan as He Si (Palace Guard)
- Wang Luo Yong as Xiao Qin Yan (Gu Qian Fan’s father)
- Li Sheng Jia as Xiao Wei
- Bao Jian Feng as Emperor
- Marco Chen as Zheng Qingtian
- Du Yu MIng as Lei Jing (5th Rank Commissioner of Capital Security Office)
- Yao An Lian as Qi Mu (Qian Fan’s Uncle)
- Claire Jia as Gao Hui (Ouyang’s bride?)
- Yin Zhu Sheng as Gao Hu (Inspector Gao)
- Zhu Hui as Uncle De (Ouyang’s manservant)
- Cheng Guo Dong as Shopkeeper Hu
Quick Precis
Xiao Pan Er came into the Capital to take revenge on her fiance who was marrying someone else.
Snippets
5 July 2021: It is a wrap.
28 May 2022: Expected to air from 2 June 2022.
Episode 1
Zhou Pan’Er was 24 years old. She was from Dengzhou. From the age of nine, she was taken as a slave because of her father’s guilt. She was then made a music prostitute in Hangzhou Music Bureau.
When she was 16, the Governor of Hangzhou announced an amnesty for slaves, this meant she doesn’t have to work in a brothel anymore.
She was business savvy and made a name for herself with her brewed tea. From a pariah, her life seemed to have gotten better. Over the years, she had created quite a business portfolio.
She was now waiting for Ouyang Xu to pass his Imperial Examination and become an officer before they can get married.
Sannyang, her business partner tells her that Ouyang Xu was so lucky to have Pan’Er who slaved to send him to the academy.
Pan’Er said she was happy to do it.
The Zhou Teahouse was quite popular because of Pan’er’s teas and Sannyang cakes.
One day, Gu Qian Fan, who is known as the living devil turned up with another official at Pan’Er’s teashop.
The two guys noticed immediately that Pan’er was exceptionally beautiful, graceful and rather flirtatious.
As bad luck would have it, bandits came barging in and created a mess.
Gu Qian Fan who was the Chief of the Capital Security Office did not intervene.
It was left to Pan’Er and Sannyang to protect the teahouse.
But Gu Qian Fan did intervene in the end when a bandit almost got Pan’er in the back.
In no time the bandits were rounded up.
Pan’Er was so grateful at first to Gu Qian Fan but then when she saw the lion seal that the other official revealed, Pan’Er tried to poison Gu Qian Fan with tea and cakes.
Gu Qian Fan was very astute and knew that he will feel ill once he has drunk and eaten the cakes together.
He made Pan’Er confess her true intention and found out that she was a pariah who was one time a music prostitute.
Gu Qian Fan let her go and deduced that her father might have been an official when he was arrested.
Anyway, Song Yin Zhang turned up later on with a beau. She introduced the man as a rich merchant who wanted to marry her.
Pan’Er disagreed with the marriage proposal and told Yin Zhang that she was taking back the shops she gave Yin Zhang if she proceed with the marriage to a man she had only known for 15 days.
Yin Zhang was still a music prostitute but she eloped with her beau. This meant that she will be severely punished by Hangzhou Music Bureau as she was under contract until she was 35.
Pen’Er went to see the town elder to make speak to Hangzhou Music Bureau on behalf of Yin Zhang.
Before Pan’er could speak to the elder, Gu Qian Fan turned up with his security guards and searched the elder’s library for a painting about augury that would show them where Xiao Wei was.
Episode 2
It was chaos at Elder Yang’s villa. Imperial guards in disguised as ninja warriors came to attack everyone at the villa. They had tear gas with them and poor Gu Qian Fan was overcome by it.
Sadly, the other official died protecting Gu Qian Fan. But before he died, he told Gu Qian Fan that the real target was him so be wary and run.
Gu Qian Fan could not run because of the effect of the tear gas but he saw a woman running away. With his last strength, he threw his dagger at her and told her to help him otherwise she will die from poison and he has the antidote.
The woman was of course Pan’er. She helped Gu Qian Fan hide. She asked him later what was going on but he said that better less she knows the safer her life will be. He then told her that he lied the dagger was not poisoned so she did not need an antidote for her shoulder wound.
They parted ways. Pan’er went back to her teahouse where she met Uncle De.
Uncle De had been looking after Ouyang in the Capital so Pan’er excitedly asked update on Ouyang.
Uncle De said that Ouyang passed the test and was now an official.
Pan’er started planning her trip to the Capital to meet up with Ouyang and would not listen to the rest of what Uncle De had to say.
Sanniang appeared and was equally happy to learn of Ouyang’s good fortune.
Finally, Uncle De could not take it anymore. He said that Ouyang will not be marrying Pan’er as Ouyang was granted by Consort Tsui (?) marriage with the daughter of Gao Hu.
Uncle De then said that Ouyang had sent 80 taels of gold as compensation for Pan’er.
Pan’er was aghast and said that if Ouyang really wanted to buy her off then she wants 500 tael of golds. She said that she had to buy Ouyang lands so he could register himself as a gentry. She refused to return the True Love Jade token given to her by Ouyang.
Uncle De took back the gold to return to Ouyang.
Meanwhile, Pan’er told Sanniang that she was going to the Capital to hear everything from Ouyang himself.
Pan’er went to a temple to pray for her safe journey to the Capital. She was surprised to find a badly wounded Gu Qian Fan under the altar. He asked her to help him.
So she took him along the barge bound for the Capital.
She looked after him but when he got better, he became her sounding board for all the hurt and frustrations she felt for Ouyang.
They had been traveling for days when something that beggars belief happened. They spotted a collapsed Sanniang on driftwood on the river. Seriously, how can Sanniang travel supersonically and overtake a barge?!!!
Sanniang was having a problem with her husband and wanted to give their son away to a childless rich widow who was distantly related to them.
Episode 3
Sanniang was saved by Gu Qian Fan as no one from the crew was willing to jump into the water to rescue her.
Poorr Gu Qian Fan was already poorly and diving into the water did not help his condition at all. He was also recognised by the captain of the boat from the many posters pasted everywhere int the village and neighboring county.
He was not very happy when Pan’er found the captain. He told her that he will get into deep trouble if the authorities finds out that he was harbouring a criminal.
Pan’er made a story that was overheard by Gu Qian Fan. Pan’er said that Qian Fan is the youngest son of an official. She was eloping with him as she was already carrying his baby.
The captain was sympathetic to her predicament so he did not say anything more.
Qian Fan started teasing Pan’er about their baby.
Meanwhile, Sanniang was worsening to the point that she was losing her mind. They found out from her that her husband had divorced her because he has been having an affair with the Widow Tao. The worst of if was that her son said that he hated her and would prefer to stay with Widow Tao as his new mother.
Sanniang said that it was all her hard work as a butcher that put food on the table and money into her husband’s fledgling business. Now she was being abandoned.
They left the boat to get a doctor for Sanniang.
Staying at Jiangxiang was a perilous time for Gu Qian Fan as he was being hunted down by guards who get their intel from ordinary folks as there was a reward for Qian Fan’s capture.
Pan’er rescued him a few times which he was grateful for. He told her that she had to leave with Sanniang, otherwise, Ouyang might have married without speaking to him first.
Sanniang can’t seem to leave Qian Fan. She also heard that Son Yinzhang had met a heinous fate with her new husband. He beats her up for more money.
She asked Qian Fan to help her rescue her ‘sister’ Yinzhang.
Episode 4
Pan’er asked Qian Fan for money to take her revenge on Zhou She for conning and beating Yinzhang. In return, she told Qian Fan that she has the original painting he had been looking for at the Elder Yang’s mansion. She will give it to him.
With the money, Qian Fan used it to seduce Zhou She.
Meanwhile, Qian Fan was underway with his investigation with contrabands regarding gems which seemed to be headed by Zheng Qing Tian.
Qian Fan found Wan Qi, his sworn brother but Wan Qi looks like he was ready to betray Qian Fan by drugging his drink.
Episode 5
Wan Qi did betray Qian Fan. Despite what happened, Qian Fan tried very hard not to end Wan Qi’s life but in the end he was not given any option so he did kill Wan Qi or be killed.
Qian Fan went looking for Pan’er to talk out what had happened. Qian Fan asked Pan’er why she continued to help Ying Zhang when she defied her and run off with Zhou She.
Pan’er said that she owned Ying Zhang’s sister a great deal.
Anyway, Pan’er found the sorry-looking Ying Zhang. She told Ying Zhang to bear with what was happening because it was not only a matter of escaping, but she had to be able to get her dowry and legal divorce from Zhou She.
Pan’er continued to show Zhou She that she was loaded.
Zhou She bit the bait and promised to divorce Ying Zhang and marry Pan’er.
So they made everything legal but Ying Zhang said that she would not agree to the divorce because she gave all her money to Ying Zhang.
So Zhou She had to sign off his mansion to Ying Zhang. But then he finally cottoned on that he fell for the trick of Pan’er.
Episode 6
It all went wrong when they all ended in front of the magistrate, who was a misogynist and partial to Zhou She.
Pan’er was very annoyed when Zhou She received a very light punishment. She told the magistrate that his verdict was contravening the edict of the emperor.
The magistrate was furious he punished Pan’er with double the beating that Zhou She was to receive.
Both Sanniang and Ying Zhang begged the magistrate to punish them instead. The magistrate complied and issued an order to give the three women a beating of 20 lashes each but before he could throw the stick confirming his order, the stick was pinned to the wall with an arrow.
An official then arrived and spoke to the magistrate, who knew did wrong. So he reversed his verdict and punished Zhou She severely and released the women.
Pan’er knew that it was Gu Qian Fan who helped them and sure enough, he was in the vicinity of the courthouse.
When Ying Zhang saw him, she looked like she had fallen in love with Qian Fan at first sight. She got more impressed when Qian Fan beat up Zhou She who got away from his guards and was about to attack Pan’er and Ying Zhang.
Ying Zhang was so grateful when Qian Fan said that he had asked his soldier to retrieve her pipa for her.
She might be falling in love with him but the only woman for him was Pan’er. When they were alone, Qian Fan told Pan’er to be careful at the Capital as it would not be easy for him to protect her.
The budget for this drama must be huge. The scenery and cinematography are so good. There is a lot of chemistry between the leads. Really watchable.
The Minister of Personnel suddenly turned up at Hangzhou which frightened Zheng Qing Tian at first but then the Minister made a long preamble expounding the good work that Zheng Qing Tian had carried out. Then a box was brought out by a eunuch which Zheng Qing Tian thought was his reward. But when he opened the box, he saw a dagger and a vial of poison.
The Minister said that Qing Tian had opened channels for contrabands to be brought in. He also ordered the massacre of the Yang family.
Then it turned out that the Minister was the father of Gu Qian Fan and he can’t forgive Qing Tian for what he did with his son.
There was a clean-up of Qing Tian’s corrupt guards culminating with a confession and suicide by hanging of Qing Tian.
Father and son had an uneasy reunion. The Minister told Qian Fan to recuperate where he can see him. He then showed the confession documents from everyone involved with the contrabands.
The Minister asked Qian Fan why he was not happy to see him. The `Minister said that he was not treating him like a father.
Qian Fan said that was because he was a Gu while his father was a Xiao.
The minister then started bringing up the past that Qian Fan’s more noble family looked down on him and the prostitute Qian Fan’s mother sleeping next to the minister was all misunderstanding.
Qian Fan was disbelieving so the minister said that Qian Fan should understand because it was part of the business and that was how Qian Fan met Zhou Pan’er.
Qian Fan really got annoyed and walked out.
But his father was ecstatic. For once Qian Fan was interacting with him. His son was shouting and raving instead of his usual politeness and indifference. He was shouting to his dead wife that at last, he was so happy.
Pan’er, Ying Zhang and Sanniang finally reached the Capital.
In the morning, Pan’er went to the Gao Mansion but she saw Ouyang Xu outside in a carriage.
Ouyang took her to a trendy teashop when he told her that they had to postpone their wedding to half to a year.
Pan’er agreed instantly. She said that she was in no hurry to get married.
But Ouyang explained the delay. He had to marry into the Gao family so they would support his climb to the top of officialdom.
Episode 7
Ouyang promised Pan’er that after he had settled down with Gao Hui, he will then give a grand and formal wedding to her.
Pan’er did not make a scene, she continued to ask Ouyang aspects of the relationship he envisioned for them. About the children, they would have had, Pan’er will not be their recognised mother but Hui, the legal wife.
Ouyang promised her that she will the only woman he will ever love.
Pan’er told him that she will never be a concubine, not even for him.
Still shellshocked from what her devoted Ouyang had told her, Pan’er ran into a Cujo playing group led by Chi Yan of the palace guard.
Chi Yan was so annoyed that she interrupted his unbroken record of 32 ball kicks.
Pan’er started breaking his record and expertly ended it with a goal kick. She was much lauded by the other guards which left Chi Yan raging.
When Pan’er got back to the inn, she was in no mood or condition to tell the girls of what happened. She fainted. The doctor had to be called. She was diagnosed with extreme stress, exhaustion, and low blood pressure.
Meanwhile, Minister Xiao, Gu Qian Fan’s father, had arranged for Lei Jing, the commissioner of Capital Security Office to lay off Gu Qian Fan.
Lei Jing knew that the Minister found out about him but the Minister still kept quiet so Lei Jing told his minions to leave Gu Qian Fan alone.
Scholar Du Chang Feng was sent by Ouyang to bring treats to Pan’er but he was told to go away by Sanniang and YingZhang.
Episode 8
I must say the Ost by Liu Yu Ning was so good.
Gao Hui came to visit Ouyang and quizzed him about the girl who was outside the Gao Mansion and who Ouyang talked to.
Ouyang made some excuse that the girl was unknown to him and was just asking for directions to Hong Kong 🤣🤣🤣
Hui told him that she was not a jealous woman. If Ouyang happens to have lady friends, then he can bring them home and she would treat them as her sisters who she could go to lunch with, do embroidery, painting, and cooking lessons.
Ouyang thanked her but he said that she will be the only woman he will marry in his lifetime.
Uncle De, who overheard the conversation, asked later on why Ouyang did not take the opportunity to broach the subject of Pan’er as the second wife.
Ouyang said that Hui was far from not a jealous woman. The two women that showed interest in him in the last three years both ended up in humiliating situations. One even had to become a nun. He said that he was protecting Pan’er.
He asked Pan’er to be his concubine because he knew she would reject it instantly. He just wanted her to leave so Hui will not make her another casualty of her jealousy.
Pan’er got better and decided to end her relationship properly with Ouyang. She wrote a deed of her demands.
First, he had to write a divorce letter so she could burn it on her parents’ grave to sever her marriage from Ouyang.
Second, he had to deregister Yingzhang from the Music Bureau in Qingtian.
Third, to return the Night Revel painting she gave him to be framed.
Ouyang agreed to her demands.
But it was easier said than done.
Uncle De advised against writing a divorce letter because Pan’er could use it as evidence of their marriage relationship.
Scholar Du advised Ouyang to get involved with prostitution issues; it is not being scholarly so that means he can’t help Yingzhang.
As to the Night Revel painting, Uncle De took it upon himself to gift the painting to Ouyang’s tutor some time ago.
Episode 9
As the three days were up and Ouyang was still a no-show, Pan’er with Yingzhang and Sanniang went to Ouyang’s villa to confront him.
They were prevented to get in so they started shouting for Ouyang to come out.
Episode 10
For days, the girls shouted until the palace guard came to bully them but Sanniang and Pan’er were more than enough to overpower them.
Sanniang fooled He Si into thinking that they had made him infertile. They could reverse it if he helped them get their justice.
He Si and his posse shouted for justice at Ouyang’s gate.
This went on for days until Chi Yan noticed his guards were missing.
He found them with the girls at Ouyang’s villa shouting.
Pan’er made a deal with Chi Yan over a game of dice. Is she wins she will need the guards, if not she will cook food for Chi Yan and give him money.
She won so she had the guards on temporary loan.
But then Ouyang managed to send a message to Inspector Gao who had the women beaten, arrested and humiliated by parading them in the street where nasty folks threw vegetables at them.
Defeated, the women packed up and were ready to go back to Qingtian.
On their way, they met Gu Qian Fan.
Gu Qian Fan was askance that Pan’er was giving up so readily.
He told them to develop some backbones and go back with him.
Gu Qian Fan’s assistant, Chen Lian suggested for the girls to move into his family’s empty villa.
It was a beautiful villa and Gu Qian Fan became a regular if rather an unexpected visitor.
The girls thought of ways to make their living.
Episode 11
Qian Fan was promoted by the Emperor for a job well done and made as the Deputy Commissioner of the Capital Security Office.
Lei Jing happily thanked Qian Fan for speaking for him to the Emperor. Lei Jing was also promoted to Fifth Rank.
Lei Jing and Qian Fan were favoured to wear scarlet robes and fish pockets.
The three top scholars met the emperor as well and were given their official titles.
Ouyang took the opportunity to temporary get away from the Capital so he made himself sound like an expert in Taoism so he was sent by the Emperor to the under-renovation Ziyi Temple.
Episode 12
Gu Qian Fan was the last one to find out that the girls had opened a teahouse.
He was very concerned about it. He went to speak to Pan’er and told her that she, the girls and the teahouse might become a target of the Gao Family ire.
Gu Qian Fan had planned to make the girls be his dependents and pay for all their needs while they live a quiet life in the Eastern Capital.
She told Qian Fan that with that situation, they would gossip as his concubines and she would not have that as they are independent women.
Qian Fan was rather shocked about the concubine issue. It did not cross his mind. Oh yeah?!!!
Anyway, he let the matter rest for a while. Meanwhile, Qian Fan was meeting his uncle Qi Mu who had been assisting him in investigating Lei Jing.
His uncle advised that it was not the right time to go after Lei Jing because he was a favourite of the Emperor. They had to bide their time.
The teahouse was a hit but Yingzhang who was not domesticated felt rather left out so she thought of something she could do to protect Pan’er, Sanniang, and the teahouse from the Gaos. So she went to the Capital Music Bureau to join them so she could do concerts and hopefully have the eye and ear of the Emperor.
Yingzhang met a rather infatuated Shen Ru Zuo at the music bureau.
Episode 13
Gu Qian Fan turned up at Zhao Teahouse with a smirk of ‘I Told You So!” when he noticed the lack of customers.
Pan’er was not defeated. She assured him that within a month, they will break even with their profits.
Episode 14
Gu Qian Fan was crushing on Pan’er but cannot vocalise it which was quite a sorry affair as Pan’er finds herself falling for him.
But the girls’ real problem was how to make the restaurant a viable business. The three girls did some blue-sky thinking. They realised that they had to cater to everyone from merchants to the high-ups. So they had to divide the teahouse into the lower and upper restaurants.
Also, they had to rebrand the teahouse with a more seductive name’The Hidden Place’
Sure enough, the poets and scholars came in droves to taste their gourmet tea and cakes.
One of the Capital Security Office saw Gu Qian Fan going to the teahouse and looked rather familiar with Pan’er.
This security officer, Yu Zhongquan was jealous of Qian Fan so he made trouble for Pan’er by leading his men to the teahouse for the purpose of looking for spies.
Episode 15
And the spy they arrested was none other than Pan’er.
Yu Zhongquan went directly to her accounts book where he immediately removed a letter hidden in the cover of the ledger.
Pan’er was tortured to confession but she laughed out their evidence saying that Yu Zhongquan was obviously illiterate because the letter he found said, ‘Longlive the King’
This made Yu Zhongquan so irate he used waterboarding on Pan’er. He was about to strike her when at last Qian Fan and Chen Lian turned up. Yu Zhongquan was stabbed but not enough to kill him immediately. He was then arrested.
Pan’er got upset when Qian Fan asked Chen Lian who Pan’er was. Pretending to everyone that he doesn’t know her at all.
Later on, Qian Fan explained why he had to do the farce of not knowing her but Pan’er was just too upset.
Episode 16
This is a rather enchanting episode as it showcases how graceful and beautiful Liu Yifei is.
Anyway, the owner of the Teahouse down the road had come to The Hidden Teashop to announce to its customers that if they don’t abandon the Hidden teashop immediately then they are no longer welcome to his own teashop. They can stay at the teashop run by harlots, looking meaningfully at Pan’er.
Sanniang went mental but Pan’er was calm.
She told Mr Hu that if he was so averse to the Hidden Teashop then why was he trying to copy everything from her teashop; the cakes and even the pipa music in the background.
Mr Hu was stumped for an answer but he said that they should have a tea contest. If he wins, which he thinks he would, then the Hidden Teahouse should close shop. Is she wins, which he thought was unlikely, then he would not say anything negative anymore about her shop.
Pan’er agreed to the contest. And of course, she won it.
Shopkeeper Hu said that she could stay and have her teahouse open and she’s welcome to visit his teahouse.
Episode 17
Qianfan found Pan’er looking ethereal while dancing in the dais.He went near her and told her that he loves and wanted to marry her/
Pan’er was shocked at first; she could not stop asking if he was crazy knowing that she was once a pariah.
Qifan said that he was marrying her not anyone else.
After more convincing, Pan’er agreed.
Shen Ru Zuo was seducing Yinzhang with flattery and was able to convince her to meet him in the royal garden in three days’ time
Xiao Wei found out that Qianfan was his eldest brother and was not happy about it. He was very insulting to Qianfan and his dead mother so Qianfan gave Xiao Wei a smack and told him that he was not interested in the Xiao family lineage and as far as he was concerned Xiao Wei can still be the first born.
Qianfan’s Uncle Qi saw what happened and told Qianfan to be calmer. They would bid their time and not get sucked into Lei Jing’s influence. Their enemy is Xiao Xinyan.
Pan’er was having a hard time contemplating her relationship with Qianfan after she heard him telling Lei Jing that he does like Pan’er but not to think anything deeper about it.
Lei Jing said that was sane because entangling himself with the a woman like her would not be good for his career and would end up like Ouyang.
Pan’er was so annoyed and got more exasperated when a couple of workers complained that the tea was poisoned as one of the workers collapsed with blood pouring down his mouth.
Pan’er was alarmed at first especially when the worker said that they should call the police. Pan’er realised that being in trouble with the Capital Security Office will mean the end of the teahouse so she used her deductive thinking and realised that it was all a ploy. One of the workers was not dead.
She then made the other worker drink wine which she told them was poisoned and she had only one antidote. The first one to confess will get it.
Episode 18
Both confessed at the same time that they were paid by someone to set Pan’er up.
The girl worker had more information. She is Ge Zhaodi and described who paid them. She said that the woman as a nursemaid from a rich family.
After more investigation, Pan’er deduced that it could only be from the Gao family.
Qianfan turned up and Pan’er broke up with him.
Pan’er went to see Inspector Gao with a painting that would guarantee that she would see him.
Sure enough, he was intrigued and gave her an audience.
Pan’er explained her background with Ouyang that they were once engaged to be married. She supported him for three years while studying for the Imperial Examination but as soon as he passed he dumped Pan’er for Gao Hui. She quickly said that she was not after Ouyang because he and everything about him is history as far as she was concerned.
But the problem was that she was set up by the nursemaid of Gao Hui and she was only a little teashop entrepreneur. She wanted some assurance that attack on her and her teashop by the Gao must be stopped.
Inspector Gao was shocked to hear that the servant took action without his permission but still he tried to protect them.
Pan’er said that she had a signed confession from the hired perpetrator.
Inspector Gao looked at the document and then tear it up but Pan’er said that that was a copy. The original was with her sisters who were standing outside the Capital Security Office ready to lodge their case if Pan’er does not turn up in four hours’ time.
Pan’er was shocked that Inspector Gao was a bit of a pervert and was trying to touch her but then Qianfan turned up and commanded him to not touch his wife.
Qianfan introduced himself as the Deputy Commander of the Capital Security Office. He then took Pan’er away.
They had a flirtation and were back together again. He then gave her the pouch of his fortune. All the money he had earned in the last twelve years. (It looks like he did not earn much as it was not a very big pouch😭😭😭) He wanted her to look after it. They agreed to meet up later that day at the teashop.
Meanwhile, Zhao Di turned up. She was asking for a job as a waitress. She said that she was experienced. All she needs was food and lodging. She sounded so sincere so they hired her and she was as good as her words.
Qian Fan turned up later and kissed her. She kissed him back.
She then said that she knows she was not good enough for him.
Qian Fan said that she has a confidence issue that she was trying to pass on to him.
She realised he was right but then he told her something controversial.
He was actually already engaged.
Episode 19
What Qianfan was he was engaged once, arranged by his grandfather but when joined the Capital Security Office, the girl’s family revoked the betrothal.
He assured Pan’er that he had no experience with girls, not even flings. He was a virgin.
Pan’er counter-assured him that though she was a dancing prostitute, she played damn so she was also a virgin. When she was 16, her father’s subordinate bought her from the Music Centre. Despite being engaged to Ouyang, they never had hanky-panky.
But despite both being inexperienced, they had a mature passionate love.
Pan’er asked Qianfan if he minded that if they do get married could she continue on with doing business?
Qianfan said that there is no ‘if’ about it. They will get married until he had Lei Jing put away. He will give her a grand wedding. He also said that she could continue on doing business whether in a teahouse or restaurant.
Pan’er was happy with his answer.
They were so loved up, it was so painful for them to be parted for the night. She watches him leave slowly while he tells her to back at the house.
Meanwhile, Yinzhang is beginning to be seduced by Shen Ru Zuo.
Hao Hao saw them and decided to inform Pan’er that Shen Ru Zuo is a playboy.
Ge Zhao Di promptly became a part of the family of the three women. But she seemed to have developed a hate-hate relationship with Chen Lian. They would often fight.
But it all changed when Zhao Di was in the market buying vegetables when the Hat Demon attacked.
The Hat Demon was so powerful that Qianfan could not catch it but managed to injure it severely.
Zhao Di saw Chen Lian being so confident and masterful in directing the soldiers as well as the villagers.
She went home immediately and reported to the women what had occurred.
Pan’er was worried about Qianfan, who turned up to reassure her that he was ok.
Meanwhile, earlier that day, Gao Hui turned up at the villa where she met Pan’er. They had a convivial time.
Episode 20
Qianfan told the story of the Night Revel to Pan’er. It was about a beautiful girl who came from a poor background. In order to support her family, she worked as a singer and dancer in a brothel. She then met the King who fell in love at first sight with her and promptly made her his concubine. The King was so devoted to her that when his queen died, he made the girl his legal wife and thus became the queen and even created a noble background for her.
But then, no secret could remain hidden. The King’s second in command started investigating her background and found some of colleagues in the entertainment business. The Night Revel showed her background or something.
Qianfan warned Pan’er to forget about the Night Revel; it would be better for all.
Du Chang Feng
Ouyang
Yizhang
21
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Episode 38
Fu Zi Fang was being a brat and told his mother that he does not want her to get married to Du Chang Feng or anyone.
But Sanniang finally had had enough and told her son that she might be a good mother but he certainly was not a good son. She told him that she had thrown her bra as she had joined women’s liberation. Zifang accepted that it was right for her father to divorce her in a heartbeat, then it had nothing to do with Zifang if she gets married if she wanted to.
She then flounced off leaving him half-submerged in the middle of a cold pond.
Later on, Zifang apologised and gave his mother a hug and agreed to obey whatever she wanted to do.
Because of the Night Revel, Gu Qian Fan was arrested and tortured until he went deaf in both ears. No one seems capable to have him released but still Pan’er did everything she could to find someone.
She went to Qiao Xin Yan, Qian Fan’s father. He assured her that he will be released soon as he has a plan. He then told her to lie low and leave town. He arranged a carriage for her.
Xiao Wei forced himself into the carriage and told Pan’er that he was not going to harm her but in fact, he was saving her. He said not to trust his father as he will arrange for someone to abduct and kill her so he advised her to never be alone and stay with as many people as she can.
She asked him why he was helping her when hates his brother.
Xiao Wei admitted that he does hate Qian Fan but he is still his brother and did not really want him dead and Pan’er being his wife is in effect an extension of Qian Fan.
He added that their father doesn’t care about his sons, he was power-hungry and would do everything for it including sacrificing his own sons.
Meanwhile, Pan’er had been allegedly complained by other shopkeepers that she was hindering free market on spices. She had been controlling and keeping all the spices to herself for her restaurant.
This was a serious allegation and Pan’er was moments away from being arrested.
Meanwhile, Gao Hui went to the Emperor to give an impassioned witness evidence that Pan’er is a real lady and would not lower herself into becoming a spice mafia.
The Emperor was surprised that of all people Gao Hui was the one who came to him to please Pan’er’s case.
Meanwhile, Chen Lian had another idea who to approach to help clear Qian Fan. Xu Ouyang. He confessed to Pan’er that Xu Ouyang was not dead but if they can convince him, he might indict the Empress for her wrongdoings.
Chen Lian took Pan’er to see Ouyang. After a long preamble of how much he loved her but she turned on him, he half throttle her and would have died if Chen Lian did not hear her scream.
39
Episode 40
Ultimately a happy ending.
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