Site icon Global Granary

In Blossom (Chinese Drama Review & Summary)

Jean Morton

Chinese Drama 2024

In Blossom (Chinese Drama Review & Summary)

 

In Blossom poster

 

Cast

Quick Precis

Yang Cai Wei was murdered on the day of her wedding.  She was then resurrected as a badass Shang Guan Zhi determined to avenge her ‘passing’. The number one suspect was Pan Yue, her husband.

She later found out that he had really loved her deeply but still, the course of their true love is far from cut and dry.

Snippets

Episode 1

Whoa, what a compelling start!!!  Love it.

Pan Yue is the first born but illigitimate son of the Minister of Justice.  He was on the wayward side because of how he was treated growing up.

To this day, he remembers a girl who befriended him when he was a boy.  She was always on his side especially when he was mournful.  But then she disappeared ten years ago.

Pan Yue sabotaged his legitimate brother’s chance of marrying a princess.

The Minister of Justice told him off but Pan Yue was unrepetant and said that he would continue being disrespectful and a source of trouble for the family until he gets the information he had been asking from his father.

The Minister finally told him where the girl, Yang Cai Wei, was but on the condition that Pan Yue will forget that he has a family.

Instead of being upset, Pan Yue told his father that he would hold him to what he said and not to change his mind later on.

The young Yang Cai Wei had grown into a rather sad character but she was very upright.  She works as a caretaker/pathologist under her master who was the coroner but had gone crazy.

Poor Yang Cai Wei is treated like a pariah and called Ugly by villagers because of the nature of her work as well as the unsightly scar on her face that goes from her forehead down to her cheek.

One day, she was called to go to Mr Li’s house.  When she got there, every single one of the family of 9 was dead.

Upon examination, she concluded that they had a mass suicide but when the magistrate turned up he had her arrested because of her verdict.  He reckoned that it was murder.

Poor Yang Cai Wei was tortured to submission but she refused to sign the letter of confession that she was the murderer.

The torture got more severe but it suddenly stopped when Pan Yue turned up.  He punished the magistrate and had Yang Cai Wei treated.

He asked her if she recognised him but she pretended she did not.  Anyway, he was really happy to see her so he started turning up wherever she was.  He found her again at the Li house where she did an autopsy with the bodies.  She found out that they were poisoned but not enough to kill them but to make them delusional that they had to kill themselves.

Now, they had to find the real murderer.

Yes, I love this first episode and Zheng He Hui Zi who plays Yang Cai Wei was delightful.

Episode 2

Ju Jingyi as a bad girl is equally as impressive.  This is her best role yet.

Anyway, Cai Wei and Pan Yue managed to make the real murder confess to his crime.  He was  Mr Chen, a member of the notorious Silver Rain Terrace.

For helping Cai Wei, Pan Yue told her that she had to fulfil the condition he has.  He told her that the condition was to marry him as agreed by their parents a long time ago.

Cai Wei told him that they now belong to two different world and she was absolving from marrying an ugly girl like her.

She added to find someone else more suited to his looks and status.

Pan Yue told her that he will only marry once in his lifetime and the woman would only be her.

Meanwhile, Shangguan Zhi found out about Pan Yue’s impending marriage to Cai Wei.  She went mental and went to Sunrise Garden where Pan Yue was lodging.  She started making a scene and that was how Pan Yue found her.

He did not have any sympathy for her and told her that he had only tolerated her because she was the sister of his best friend, Shangguan Lan.

Shangguan Zhi was furious and told him that she had tortured herself to make herself perfect over the years for him.

He never thought of her even remotely in a romantic way, never will.

Shangguan Zhi was not giving up, she went to Cai Wei and had her kidnapped.  She told Cai Wei that she can’t have Pan Yue.  Shangguan Zhi then instructed a witch doctor to take measurement of Cai Wei’s face.

Five days later…

Pan Yue married Cai Wei.

Hmm wow mysterious.

3

4

Episode 5

Really enjoyed this drama.  I watched the first five episodes and ended up wanting more.

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

Episode 16

Gu Yong agreed to cooperate and tell Pan Yue everything under the condition that he will be resettled in a safe place.

Pan Yue agreed.  But somehow, Gu Yong still ended up dead when he used a stamp pad to for a declaration.

There was a toxic needed in the stamp pad which killed Gu Yong but before he died he managed to say that the leader of the Ripple Establishment was Yang…

Pan Yue was getting more attached and at the same time feeling guilty of crushing on her.  He was also worried of her safety so he told her to go back to the Capital.

Episode 17

Ghostly fire case, four scholars who went blind

18

19

20

21

22

Episode 23

Pan Yue and Cai Wei plotted to smoke out the spy inside the County Yamen.  The spy turned out to be Constable Liu who had the messages stashed in his bed.

But is was also a plot because the real spy was the supposed to be elderly and sickly registrar, who they found at the tomb of Zhou Shan Ju.  The registrar committed suicide rather than divulge the real mastermind.

Bai Xiaosheng’s perseverance paid of.  She was able to locate Zhuo Lan Jing who went to the Capital to follow up an intel from Sun Zhen regarding how /zhou Shan Ju contacted the mastermind.  It was through the Liu Pawnshop.

Zhou Lan Jing told Xiaosheng to leave but she told him she liked him.  He was moved for a moment but still shut the door on her face.

Meanwhile, Pan Yue and Cai Wei were investigating the immortal killing of 8 women that happened ten years ago. The coroner at that time was Old Jiang, Cai Wei’s master.

They went to see him but he was suspicious of Pan Yue.  Pan Yue had to reassure him that he was really deeply into Cai Wei.  When the matter they were investigating is sorted, he will go to the Capital and clear everything including with the Princess. Pan Yue would then make an honest women of Cai Wei/Shangguan Zhi.

Episode 24

Pan Yue and Cai Wei learned a lot from Master Jiang who had an extensive info on the 8 dead women.

He told them that Luoyun Sect was involved.

Episode 25

I have to admit Bai Xiao Sheng is annoying me.  She was like a limpet, stalking Zhou Lanjiang despite him telling her to leave him alone.  Seriously, this is not romantic.  It is so desperate.

Meanwhile, Pan Yue had now resigned as a Heyang Magistrate so he could go back to the Capital to continue his investigations on the mastermind behind or within the imperial palace who was responsible for the murder of Yang Cai Wei’s parents and servants.

Pan Yue and Cai Wei returned to the Capital.

Poor Cai Wei was uncomfortable with her Shangguan Lan who was excited to see his beloved sister, Shangguan Zhi.

Ling, Shangguan Zhi’s maid helped Cai Wei not get found out that she was a fake by Shangguan Lan.

Cai Wei later on asked Ling how she knew that she was not Shangguan Zhi.

Ling told her that she knew almost immediately when Cai Wei woke up from her coma.  Though she looked the same as Shangguan Zhi, she was the complete opposite characteristically.  She knew for sure when she found Cai Wei’s surgical bundle.  Ling knew Shangguan Zhi would freak out handling dead people.

Anyway, Pan Yue was called to the palace where he had an audience with the Empress.  The Empress ordered that Pan Yue’s wedding with the Princess should be held for the next month.  Pan Yue tried to postponed it but he was overruled by the Empress.

Cai Wei was in town meeting the mean girls who used to bully Shangguan Zhi.  Cai Wei was not bullied as she was clever and knew what  the mean girls were up to.

The Princess turned up and told Shangguan Zhi that she knew she was Cai Wei.  She then announced that she was marrying Pan Yue and she would do it, not a pretence.

The Princess gave Cai Wei two choices, accept the situation or drink the poisoned wine the princess was offering her.

I think the mastermind is the Empress.

Episode 26

Cai Wei drunk the wine offered by the princess to her.

The Princess was shocked but then Cai Wei smiled and said that she knew the princess was just testing her.

The Princess was impressed and asked Cai Wei to be friends with her.  Anyway, they chatted about how to ascertain the mastermind within the palace.

Poor Shangguan Lan was so upset for his sister after hearing that Pan Yue was to be married to the princess.

Pan Yue assured Shangguan Lan that he will break up with the princess during the wedding.  He said that Shangguan Zhi is the one for him.

Shangguan Lan could only hope that Pan Yue was telling the truth.

Anyway, they visited Qing Di who was helping them wih the investigation.  Qing Di had brought girls she had trained in dancing to the Capital.  Yun’er was especially brought in as she was good at everything, including martial art, as well as Qing Di’s confidant so she knows what was going on.

Unfortunately, Yun’er was not chosen by Madam Wan because Yun’er apparently had dissimilar eyebrows and a mole near her eyes which were deemed unlucky.

So Cai Wei volunteed to take Yun’er’s place.  Pan Yue was not happy about it but Cai Wei insisted and started training under Qing Di.  She learned to the dance the ultra complicated ‘Dancing Among The Clouds’ which involved lifting the foot next to the head while standing up.🤣

Meanwhile, Bai Xiaosheng’s perseverance in pursuing Zuo Lan Jiang had finally came into fruition.

Lan Jiang was feeling guilty for assassinating a man in front of the man’s young son. It was a test. He had to kill the man because it was the only way that he could meet the mastermind who had abused his father.

Lan Jiang was drinking copious amount of wine when Xiaosheng joined him.  Drunk and at his lowest ebb, he gave in to her needs. 🔥🔥🔥 They ended up sleeping together.

The next morning she told him that he needn’t feel responsible about what happened as it was consensual.  She assured him though that she will always be in his side even if he does bad things.  She knew that he has so much sorrow in his heart but she would not ask about it but if he wanted to talk, she’s all ears.

Aww she is a bad bad girl🤗🤗🤗

Episode 27

The Madam Wan returned to choose the best looking dancing girl at Qing Di’s dance academy.   Shangguan Zhi was chosen and blind-folded to be taken to the patron in an Shilou Garden.  She was followed by Pan Yue and Aze but lost her.

Shangguan Zhi has to use every trick she got so she does not end up sleeping with Mr He, her alloted customer.  She got him so drunk, she managed to escape and find the secret room where there was an altar for a ram worshipping.

She realised that the “yang’ said in Gu Yong’s dying breath was related to the ram. She found a letter regarding salt contraband but she was forced to hide when the real mastermind came into the room.

However, it was too dark for her to see his face.  She managed to get away but she met someone unexpected.

It was Pan Jin, Pan Yue’s father.

Doing a house to house search, Pan Yue located the secret Shilou Garden but he was too late, Shangguan Zhi was nowhere to be found.  But he got an intel that there was a carriage that left which was owned by the Pan.

Pan Yue confronted his father.  Pan Jin said that he knew Shangguan Zhi is Yang Cai Wei.  He overheard them once when he went to Heyang to discuss the marriage of Pan Yue to the Princess.

Anyway, Pan Jin advised him to be careful but Pan Yue said that he would not be a coward like his father.

Episode 28

Xiaosheng continues in her forward way in pursuing Zhuo Lan Jiang.  She told him that she will cook him nice food because she heard that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

Lan Jiang could not help but smile at how cheeky Xiaosheng was.  He asked her why she likes him.  She said that because he was a handsome.  He is the handsomest in the Capital not Pan Yue, in her heart anyway.

He admitted that he finds her adorable.  The two went on a date in town.  Knowing that this is a farewell date as Lan Jiang will die, oopss SPOILER!🤣🤣, their day together was the more poignant.

They ended up near a temple where Xiaosheng prayed with all her heart that she wishes that she will be with him but when she opened her eyes, he was gone but a jade pendant was left in a tree for her.

Lan Jiang finally met the mastermind.

Anyway, the closeness between Shangguan Zhi and Pan Yue got to the attention of Mrs Jia, the wife of the Grand Commander and also the elder sister of the Princess.

So they invited Pan Yue and the Princess to dinner but Pan Yue got attacked by an assassin who happened to be Lan Jiang.

Pan Yue later told Cai Wei that Lan Jiang did not mean to kill him but was forced to do so.

Episode 29

Pan Yue’s brother got drunk and told his drinking buddies that Shangguan Zhi is really the daughter of Yang Ji’an.  She is Yang Cai Wei.

This information immediately go to the mastermind who ordered that Shangguan Zhi is investigated.

Pan Yue and Cai Wei were investigating General Lu.  Pan Jin met Pan Yue and told him not to get involved with General Lu’s case.

Pan Yue spoke with General Lu and found out many things.  Pan Yue also noticed how General Lu rolled his sleeves before he ate.  General Lu said that he got the habit from the Luosi Tribe. Pan Yue, however, was thinking that he saw someone recently doing the same thing.  It was the Grand Commandant Jia.

At that moment, Grand Commandant Jia was with the Princess who wanted to read his military records/book.  Grand Commandant Jia showed her a book naming him as the General who had been responsible for embezzling and corruption.

Commander Jia then blackmailed her to keep her silence otherwise he would kill her sister.  He also told her to kill Shangguan Zhi.

Instead, the Princess was killed and Shangguan Zhi got the blame for it as she was with the Princess when she got stabbed in the chest.

What happened was that the Princess stabbed herself as she can’t really killy Shangguan Zhi but Mr Zou was watching.  Before she died, the Princess confessed who was the mastermind and to tell her sister that what happened in Qixia Ridge was due to Commander Jia.  The commander killed the princesses’ mother and father.

Shangguan Zhi was arrested and thrown to prison.  Pan Yue knelt under the rain so his father would allow him to visit Cai Wei.

Pan Jin remembered why he became estranged with his first born.  He loved his wife, the mother of Pan Yue but rumours later started circulating that Pan Yue was too handsome to be the son of Pan Jin.  The rumours started to get to Pan Jin and knowing this his wife committed suicide.

Episode 30

Aww this episode had a very convuluted plot to save Cai Wei.

Pan Yue had already told the grieving Shangguan Lan that the real Shangguan Zhi died during the wedding night.

Shangguan Lan at first refused to believe but he remember how awkward, frightenedn and behave like a stranger when Shangguan Zhi first arrived at the Capital

So he joined the plot to save Cai Wei during a public trial for her for the murder of the Princess. Shangguan Lan became a witness and revealing that Shangguan Zhi was a fake, she was Yang Cai Wei, the daughter of Yang Ji’an.  He then stabbed Cai Wei in the tummy where there is no major organ.  Everything went chaotic especially when before she fainted Cai Wei said that what happened at Qixia Ridge was due to the spouse.  Mrs Jia was shocked.

Commander Jia ordered his guard to attack but Pan Yue and Shangguan Lan had already brought their elite guards incognito.

Later on, Cai Wei woke up to the very worried face of Pan Yue.  She joked that they have similar stomach scarring now.

Episode 31

Lan Jiang met up with Pan Yue and Cai Wei.  He told them that the only way to prove that Cammander Jia is the mastermind of corruption was to present the ledger of all the transactions.  The ledger is located at the Jia Mansion.

Lan Jiang said that he will search for it as Commander Jia now trust him.

It looked like he overestimated his importance because he got caught and directly thrown into prision.  He was tortured so badly but in the end he told Commander Jia that he was ready to talk.  The Commander leaned in to listen to him but Lan Jiang strangled him.  A guard then stabbed him dead with a sword.  So sad but I think, his death is fated after he killed that guy in a carriage who was with his young son.  That was really depraved and barbaric that even Lan Jiang felt guilty.

Episode 32

Commander Jia was wearing his armour for the official appointment of being the Grand Commander in charge of the three major imperial army.  This would make him the most powerful guy in the land.  He was just waiting to receive the imperial seal and Tiger tally when Pan Yue and Cai Wai interrupted.  Begging the Empress, who was representing the Emperor to give the honour and promotion to Commander Jia, to listen to their testimony.  Cai Wei said that it was the commander who ordered the massacre of her family.

Their evidence and witnesses they brought forward were not enough to convict Commander Jia but then Xiaosheng turned up with the body of Lan Jiang.

Cai Wei was allowed to perform a quick autopsy.  She found a code in his body and were the ledger was hidden.

Finally, they found a concrete evidence.

The Empress ordered to throw the Commander to prison awaiting suitable punishment.  But before he could be dragged away, Mrs Jia killed him.

Now, that the mastermind had been unmasked, Pan Yue asked for his job back as a magistrate in Heyang.  He made up with his father who stood by him throughout the trial.  He told his father to wrap up Commander Jia’s affair.

Shangguan Lan was very upset that Cai Wei was not really his sister.  He told her though that he did not blame her at all.

As what Lan Jiang wished, he was brought back home to Heyang and be with his best friend, Cai Wei.

Xiaosheng and Cai Wai with Pan Yue buried Lan Jiang.  Xiaoshang stayed a little longer at the gravesite where a single paper money flew around her after she said that she was already married to him a thousand time in her heart.

Cai Wei and Pan Yue promised each other that they will stay together forever.

As to the ending, it was left hanging as if asking for a season 2.

Minister Pan found Commander Jia’s secret token.  He was shocked to find that it was only No 2.  so the real mastermind is still unknown and out there.

I bet it was the Empress. 🤣🤣🤣

8
In Blossom

Please rate this drama.

Thanks

Exit mobile version