Chinese Drama 2022
Lost Track of Time (Chinese Drama Review & Summary)
Lost Track of Time poster
- Genre: Historical Costume Drama Fiction, Romance, Love Triangle
- Release Date: 31 August 2022
- Origin: China
- Cdrama: 30 Episodes
- Network: Mango
Cast
- Xing Fei as Lu An Ran
- Zhai Zi Lu as Mu Chuan
- Jing Chao as Mu Ze
- Niu Zi Fan as Cai Wang Jin
- Jin Jia Yu
- Cheng Yu Feng as Lu Yun
- Zhang Jie as Xiao Jing Que
- Han Ye as Dong Qing/Holly
- Wang Si Yi as Lu Xin Ran
- Gao Xu Yang as Mu Lin
- He Ling Chang as Ling Xi
Snippets
- 29 June 2022: It has passed review. It is ready to show.
Episode 1
Wow, the first episode is already hectic, I love it.
Lu An Ran is a very capable girl. She is good at everything, and very resourceful. She had made her family even richer because of her entrepreneurship. She is much loved by the village people because she was able to create dams for irrigation and prevented flooding.
She was on another mission to find another mine when she came to the rescue of a boat being attacked by river bandits.
The man rescued her in return when she lost her footing and would have fallen down.
They looked at each other and fell in love with one another but they parted ways without knowing who each other was.
They met again when she was having a grand birthday party. It was her 18th and her father announced that she was his main heir having bought 36th ports for her as a gift. He also gave her the family jade token, which meant that she will be the head of the family.
The Lu has an extended family. There was a second family, but the children get on and the wife got on as well.
However, during the party, a family member of the second family complained about the unfairness of giving everything to Lu An Ran just because she is the legitimate daughter of the Lu as her mother was the first wife. The complainer said that the second family had a son.
But the son, Lu Yun, adored An Ran and said that he knew his sister will never abandon the second family so he does not have any problem with the inheritance.
Despite being friendly, I feel that the second wife was really envious of the first wife and was probably poisoning her because the first wife was always sick for no reason
Anyway, An Ran met her mystery man again. He gave her a box of flowers which she loved and she was liking him even more.
Also in the scene was Mu Chuan, who annoyed the villagers at first because he started uprooting the rice plants. The villagers called An Ran to intervene.
An Ran saw what was going on but then Mu Chuan said that he had reason to uproot the rice plant, he showed them that within the bunches of the plants were spiders which if not eradicated would affect other plants under the irrigation system.
An Ran was grateful to Mu Chuan. He in turn was very impressed with her when he heard that the irrigation and every innovation in the village were due to her.
There was a flower festival. An Ran went with her sister.
It was rather overcrowded and An Ran would have fallen into the lake if her mystery man did not turn up.
He finally told her his name as Mu Ze and that he had fallen in love at first sight with her. He said that he has no real prospects as he was only a guard.
An Ran kissed him on the cheeks instead. So they are now officially sweethearts.
He left with Mr Cai for a mission but told An Ran that he will be back.
After months, An Ran had not heard from him. But Mr Cai who had been writing to Lu Xin Ran said that they were so busy.
One day, there was a commotion at the Lu Manor, a eunuch from the Emperor had come to issue an edict.
The first daughter, the legitimate daughter fo the Lu Family was to marry the Second Prince. An Ran was shocked and took her time to accept the edict. She was reminded by the eunuch that if she refuse the edict, she and her whole family will be exterminated.
Without any option, she sadly accepted the edict. She was then given a letter. The letter was from Mu Ze who apologised for not writing to her. He was busy fighting in the North. He confessed that he is really the Second Prince of Han.
So from being so sad, An Ran was ecstatic.
Her father was rather sad but her mother said not to mind it too much. Her father was just emotional because she would be leaving them.
During the wedding, she was so happy in her red wedding dress just waiting for the wedding party to come and get her. But she was told that her mother was dying.
Her mother died and she was so heartbroken and refused to leave.
But her father told her that she must. With tears falling on her face she left the manor with the wedding parade led by Mu Chuan, who happened to be the Ninth Prince.
Episode 2
This is five years later…
An Ran is happily married to Mu Ze except for the existence of a super annoying concubine, Xiao Jing Que.
An Ran and Mu Ze has a cute little son, Yul, who is a bit spoilt by his parents.
Xiao Jing Que was pregnant and got upset when Yul almost made her trip on wires from his kite. She punished the boy by slapping his hands.
An Ran was at the shipyard looking at new designs of ships and barges.
When she got home, she was met with a line of servants on their bended knees. She then heard a howling in her room and then found Yul already dressed for his funeral.
Apparently, his nanny found him drowned in the pond.
An Ran was told that Xiao Jing Que was seen near the pond. An Ran picked a sword and would have killed Xiao Jing Que but Mu Ze turned up and told An Ran to stop.
An Ran was saying goodbye to Yul when Mu Ze turned up. While An Ran was besides herself with grief, Mu Ze seemed his normal self which made An Ran sadder and asked him why he was not feeling the sadness.
She declared that he never loved Yul and her.
Mu Ze was wth Xiao Jing Que. It looked like they were having a romantic dinner at first but Mu Ze poured a large cup of hot tea on Jing Que’s hand. He told her that he knew what she had done and would have killed her but he needs the backing of her Xiao family who was vast military manpower.
Six months later, An Ran still missing Yul and the only thing she does was to hang out at the shipyard.
Xiao Jing Que had her baby and it became a great celebration. Mu Chuan turned up at the party but he went to the garden when An Ran found him.
He gave a silver bangle to her which he said was from the monks who had blessed it to ward off evil spirits.
They were interrupted by Mu Ze who told his brother that it was time for him to get married.
An Ran asked what kind of girl he likes.
Mu Chuan said that he liked a girl whose eyes would twinkle when she talks about her ambitions, sadly the girl married someone else.
When Mu Ze and Mu Chuan were alone, Mu Chuan asked Mu Ze why he was not as sad as An Ran about the passing of Yul?
That night, An Ran saw a floating lantern wishing Yul to be at peace although he was missed. An Ran noticed that the writing was Mu Ze’s. When she went to his study, she found a boxful of toys for Yul.
She cried because she misunderstood her husband. So she run to him and hugged him. He told her that she was the only family he has in his heart.
She said that her brother will come back soon from the war and it would be a lighter mood.
They had not finished talking when a messenger came barging in to announce that General Lu (An Ran’s brother) was killed.
This turn of events was just too much for An Ran who fainted and had been in a coma for days.
The Imperial Physician said that An Ran had had depression for some time and now her internal organs are knotted so only a Blood Ginseng could unknot it.
Mu Chuan who was at An Ran’s chamber, immediately volunteer to get the blood ginseng who was told that it was in a very dangerous mountainous location of yin and yang.
Meanwhile, the Emperor had put Mu Lin, the Crown Prince, under house arrest for corruption.
The Crown Prince blamed Mu Ze for plotting his downfall because he reckoned Mu Ze wanted to be Crown Prince.
Episode 3
The Empress under the behest of Mu Ze poisoned the Emperor.
Upon the Emperor’s death, Mu Ze became the new ruler.
At this point, An Ran woke up from her coma after ingesting the blood ginseng provided by Mu Chuan.
Not long after, the Empress died mysteriously.
Despite Mu Chuan telling Mu Ze to have it investigated, Mu Ze refused and said that it was the Imperial physician’s fault and he would be executed.
An Ran is happily pregnant again.
But Mu Ze was now going out of control when Muchuan asked if he had anything to do with the Empress’ death.
Mu Ze put Muchuan under house arrest.
An Ran found out about it and went to visit him. Muchuan confessed what happened. An Ran was gutted that the man she loved was a monster.
Mu Chuan was given a poison drink as an execution method.
It only got worst because she found out from Xiao Jing Yue and her uncle that the whole Lu family are to be executed and also that Mu Ze knew all along that JIng Yue killed Yul.
She went to Mu Ze who admitted everything and yet unrepentant, instead he cast aspersion on An Ran that she was having an affair with Mu Chuan. He then slapped her and she ended on the floor.
An Ran was absolutely gutted and threw the jade token Muze gave her once at him.
She was so heartbroken as she walked on the snowy alley. She collapsed and lost her baby.
When she woke up her maid told her what happened. Her cousin, Lu Xi Ran came to see the newly awaked An Ran.
Lu Xi Ran is actually a cousin rather than a sister to An Ran. She told An Ran that the Lu family was due for execution the next day. She was so dismissive of An Ran and then stabbed the maid while An Ran tried to go to her maid
When she woke up again, she was back in time.
Episode 4
It is a repeat of episode one, where An Ran was able to tweak some details including not falling for Mu Ze and suspecting the second mother of a dastardly act of harming her mother due to the benefit of hindsight from her previous life or was it just a dream?
She was also happy to meet Mu Chuan again
Episode 5
An Ran saved a girl called Holly from traffickers. Holly insisted on working for An Ran.
An Ran was getting closer with Mu Chuan but she realised that she can’t completely change her fate but was determined to do her own thing at least in her own way so she proposed a marriage alliance with Mu Ze.
Episode 6
Mu Ze and their entourage came to the Lu Mansion the next day.
Concubine Liu Ming You thought at first that Mr. Cai had come to ask Lu Xin Ran’s hand in marriage but she was quickly advised that Prince Qing had come to ask for An Ran’s hand in marriage.
The family was shocked but An Ran said that she will marry Prince Qing.
Lu Xin Ran was upset that An Ran once again hugged the limelight. Her mother told her that Lu Xin Ran will marry Prince Qing because when the wedding time comes, there will only one Lu girl in the family.
Mu Chuan visited An Ran to congratulate her on her wedding but she told him that it was not a love match but rather a marriage of convenience because she wanted to protect her family and their waterways.
He told her that he could have helped her. Anyway, he gave her the silver bracelet.
Looking at the bracelet, An Ran realised that Mu Chuan had already loved her for a lifetime.
Six months later after Mu Ze had returned from a bloody from the North, it was time to get married,
Mr Cai was surprised that Mu Ze wanted to make An Ran his legitimate wife, his princess rather than choose someone noble. Mr Cai reckoned that Mu Ze is attracted to An Ran more than he was prepared to admit.
Anyway, An Ran started to get cold feet about the marriage so she asked for the help of Mu Chuan through DongQing/Holly to procure some herbs for her without her household knowing so he gave her Hook Kiss and the Snow Cicada she had requested. He reminded her not to mix up the two.
Episode 7
It was the eve of the wedding,
A commotion suddenly happened in the villa. Anran was dying. She was choking on her own blood. She had been poisoned.
Liu Ming You was blamed for the crime and Master Lu beat her up almost senseless.
Lu Xin Ran asked her brother to intervene but Lu Yun stopped himself because he thought that their mother did such an evil thing ‘killing’ An Ran.
The next day, Lu Xin Ran got ready and put on An Ran’s wedding dress. Everyone was shocked especially Master Lu.
Lu Xin Ran explained that she waa doing it for the family. It was the Emperor’s edict that a Lu daughter should marry Prince Qing.
The father did not say anything more but Xin Ran said that they better look after her mother otherwise they will be sorry as she was now Princess Qing.
The Ninth Prince came to escort the bridal entrourage. He was rather glum as the woman he fancied was marrying his brother.
The wedding happened, Prince Qing was celebrating with his guests when Prince Yi turned up with spoiled seafood.
Prince Qing and the Ninth Prince told him to go away.
Prince Qing went to see his bride, who was rather quiet. But then she suddenly backhugged him.
Being very observant, Prince Qing knew immediately that he married the wrong bride by just looking at her soft fair hands, not the kind of hands a seafarer would have.
He was annoyed and throttled Xin Ran who said that she loves him and that the Lu family were only complying with the edict. She had to replace An Ran who had died
Meanwhile, Muchuan saw a very unhappy and nervous-looking Ling Xi. Muchuan asked her what the knife she was holding was for.
Ling Xi sadly confessed that she was preparing to join An Ran in the afterlife. She had been poisoned and was now dead.
Muchuan rode all night to find out what happened to An Ran. He said that if she was really poisoned they will pay at his hand.
An Ran was not really dead. She went to see Liu Ming You and told her that it was all a plot. And Xin Ran will be far from being happy at the palace because as a legitimate daughter, An Ran still holds the family token
Episode 8
An Ran was surprised to see Muchuan so soon. It takes at least 3 days to reach her village from the Capital.
But then, Muchuan had been riding his horse day and night until he was too tired to ride some more.
Muchuan thought he was seeing a mirage when he saw An Ran in the middle of a rice field. He really thought she was dead.
An Ran noticed how tired he was as he hugged her when he found out that she was organic rather than a ghost. An Ran could not help whispering to him that she likes him too when she knew he was already asleep.
When he woke up a few hours later, she was gone.
An Ran went back home to pack. She was trying to be helpful to MuZe so she could earn favours for the Lu Family.
MuZe was finding her more interesting while he finds his new wife a complete nuisance.
Episode 9
I have to admit that An Ran or Xing Fei has more chemistry with Jing Chao (Mu Ze) than with Zhai Zi Lu (Mu Chuan)
Anyway, Mu Ze was ordered by the Emperor to deal with the river bandits at Danzhou. He was surprised because he had a letter from An Ran asking to meet up at Danzhou.
It turned out that Shen Chang Qing was the brother of Dong Qing, the maidservant of An Ran.
Mucbuan asked An Ran if she was a seer because she seemed to know everything before it happens.
General Gao set An Ran up for colluding with the river bandit so she was taken back to the Capital for punishment.
But it was all a plot to catch General Gao who was deep in corruption.
Later on, An Ran was devastated to realised that what she thought was true love with Mu Ze was fake. She wasted ten years. But what she did not hear was that Mu Ze thought that she was looking at him as a dear friend and she was somehow disappointed.
Mu Chuan told An Ran that Mu Ze seemed not to mind too much of the change of bride so he asked her to stay with him.
An Ran said that she had to go back to the Capital with Mu Ze as she can’t trust Xin Ran to put the Lu Family first and out of danger and controversy.
Episode 10
Mu Chuan was so annoyed with Mu Ze and the world when he found out that Mu Ze had released General Gao despite the gargantuan offenses he carried out against humanity or at least the villagers along the Danzhou river.
Mu Ze told him that he knew what he was doing. General Gao is too evil to die so he will use him to bring out the corruption that is pervasive in the army.
Mu Ze though ordered General Gao not to touch An Ran.
Mu Chuan was not pacified even for a little bit so he called a town meeting to complain about General Gao and his atrocities.
An Ran made a deal with Chai Guang who was in prison. The next thing Chai Guang was out of prison and had General Gao in a headlock with a dagger in his throat.
Master Chen killed Chai Guang on the spot for pretending to be a bandit and being a member of his gang.
Mu Ze ordered to put General Gao in jail but Mu Chuan turned up with the villagers and enumerated some of the heinous things the general had put the people through. He said that the general must pay for what he had down and the concession was that he must be killed by his own sword.
Without much choice, Mu Ze took General Gao’s sword and slashed his throat with it.
Episode 28
Princess Qing, MuZe’s wife managed to sneak into the Emperor’s conclave where she blamed both MuZe and An Ran for killing her brother, General Xiao.
The Emperor told her that this will investigated.
MuZe and Anran were summoned by the Emperor.
The Emperor asked Muze if he has anything to say?
MuZe said that he did not know what the Emperor was talking about. So the Emperor ordered his guard to take AnRan away as she had bewitched Prince Qing.
MuZe was shocked and so concerned for AnRan, he went on his knees before the Emperor to confess that it was all his doing and that Anran knows nothing about it.
The Emperor made MuZe drink poisoned wine. When MuZe seemed agreeable to drinking the wine, the Emperor stopped him and said to give the wine to Anran.
The Emperor said the wine is poisoned so either one of them will die of gut-wrenching pain. MuZe gave the wine to An Ran but when she started to drink it, MuZe stopped her.
Muchuan then turned up and said that he was ready to take more responsibility. He was immediately promoted as the new General Huanhai who will lead 30 thousand men to war. But also added that he does not want any dieing in the court that day so MuZe and Anran where both allowed leaving unharmed.
When MuZe and Anran arrived at their palace, MuZe told Anran that she will never know how much hold she had on his heart. He then said that he will have the blood of those who betrayed him.
And sure enough, MuZe went to Princess Qing’s villa and killed Nanny first and would have killed Princess Qing as well if An Ran did not come and stopped MuZe.
Princess Qing previously told MuZe that she was the only one who truly loves Muze and he can’t see it.
True enough because the next day Anran was having a dalliance with MuZe in a fabric shop.
Episode 30
MuZe rebelled but he and his army were easily contained. He got shot in the chest but before he could be finished off, the Emperor arrived and stopped the rebellion and ordered to cease fighting.
Muchuan took his brother away. MuZe asked Muchuan to bury him next to their mother. He then gave his dagger to Muchuan to help him die.
Muchuan cried as he can’t do what he was being asked. He can’t kill his brother who, despite being despotic, had been kind to him.
MuZe used his last strength to propel his body to the dagger held by Muchuan. He dies while Muchuan cried his eyes out.
An Ran showed up and was tearful when she saw the dead MuZe.
I must admit I teared up as well. Jing Chao was really charismatic.
During court the next day, all the ministers wanted to make an example of MuZe for committing treason. They wanted him to be skinned and chopped and paraded.
Muchuan did not say anything but the Emperor said that everyone of the ministers had asked before to be more lenient with MuZe. At once, the ministers were speechless.
Meanwhile, Muchuan was made the Crown Prince.
He met An Ran. An Ran said that she was leaving the Capital which has been a place of untold sorrow for her. She would go back to her village.
Muchuan understood that she needs to grieve and come to terms with what had happened. But he told her that he will always be there waiting for her when she was ready to return.
Under the shades of their respective umbrella, they looked at each other for one last time and then symbolically turned their back on each other, ready to part.