Fujitani Wakaba is in high school. she has always been fascinating with cheerleading after having grew up seeing the JETS, a Japanese cheerleading team, winning the championship in America.
Many are already familiar with this drama as it has been remade by several countries over and over. It is based on a Japanese manga called Hana Yori Dango (Boys Over Flowers)
Meteor Garden 2018 is a remake/reboot of the Taiwanese version of the Hana Yori Dango
It is about a girl, who came from an ordinary family and now enrolled in a posh and prestigious school for the children of the rich and famous.
The school is ruled by four uber gorgeous boys, known as the F4. They reign in terror amongst the children of the rich. Anyone found lacking is given a red card, which means his/her life and happiness within the school are in jeopardy. The victim would then rather transfer to another school or bear with all the punishments until the F4 get bored and cease the tortures.
Shan Cai is a brave girl who went against the F4. Despite the red card, she stood her ground and gave Dao Ming Si a good kicking. Instead of giving her an even harsher time, he fell in love with her. 🙂 She was the first one who ever tried to put up a fight.
Hua Ze Lei actually was helping her in the background and she knew it. She had a bit of a crush on him.
Thus the drama developed into a love triangle.
I can’t wait for this new Shen Yue drama! Roll on 9 July 2018!
Four episodes are now on show but with no English sub/ huhuhu
Netflix got rights for this drama. They will start showing them on 13 July! Yey, can’t wait.
Meteor Garden 2018 (Chinese Drama)
The first six episodes subtitled in English are now available in Netflix. It is about 24-35 minutes each episode.
This is the second major drama for Shen Yue, who catapulted to stardom playing Shao Xi in A Love So Beautiful, which is also available to watch in Netflix.
I have to be honest, I am still bias towards ALSB. It is still the sweeter and cuter drama.
Shen Yu’s Shan Cai is really super annoying and excruciatingly embarrassing most of the time, I am yet to warm towards her.
I came to this drama, unsure of Dylan Wang, having seen a behind the scene’s video of him being too boisterous to Shen Yue with her hoodie.
Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised! Dylan Wang is the best actor of them all. He was able to project a spectrum of emotion. He is vulnerable, snarky, immature, kind, jealous and proud. He is certainly an actor to watch.
As to Shen Yue, I am not sure what happened but she’s only produced half of the charm she had in ALSB.
This version is more true to life. The F4 are gorgeous, tall, rich young men, who excel in their field. They are more spoiled rather than out and out evil. They are more ‘ordinary’ that the other versions. Probably I was spoiled by the Korean and Japanese version.
Episode 1-6
Shan Cai’s mother is a very good cook. She makes a living from her homecooking and delivery.
Shai Cai wanted to help her mother build her business up. So she enrolled in the Nutrition Department of the best and most exclusive university in ‘China’ called Ming De University.
There she had a reunion with her former schoolmates. Chen Qinghe is her childhood best friend. while Li Zhen was a high school acquaintance. They decided there and then that they will be best friends in college.
During orientation, a famous man called Mr Bobbit came to speak to the students. Shan Cai and the rest of the attendees were in ecstasy in the presence of this famous American man.
After the talk, just outside the auditorium, still excited with their good fortune of listening to Mr Bobbit, another ecstasy inducing event happened, the F4 came sauntering into the school, much to the delirium of the girls. In the chaos, Shan Cai’s phone was nudged out of her hand into the ground. Crawling into the floor in between commotion of legs running towards the F4, Shan Cai tried to reach for her phone. She was inches away towards it when a green crocodile shoe stepped on it causing it to break.
Shan Cai was so annoyed, she runs after the owner of the shoe. She saw him in a huddled crowd. Without much thought, she grabbed the man in the middle, which happened to be Mr Bobbit. She was quickly restrained by the bodyguards.
Shan Cai was persona non grata for assaulting such an important man. She was being gossiped about for her misdemeanour.
To get rid of her stress, she went on top of the building and vent her frustration by shouting her lungs out. She was told off by a man seating nearby of the racket she was making. He happened to be one of the F4. He was Ze Lei.
During many instances, she kept meeting Ze Lei, who was rather kind to her unlike the leader of F4, Daoming Si.
Si seemed to delight in torturing her. Shan Cai can’t take it anymore so she gave him a flying kick straight on his handsome face.
Si was not annoyed, he actually developed a grain of respect towards her, which quickly developed into tenderness. So much so that he told her that he wanted her to be his girlfriend. He listed all the pros of becoming his girlfriend, but Shan Cai was not interested as she was already half in love with the gorgeous and musical Ze Lei, despite him having a girlfriend already.
Yuan Zi, the girlfriend, was very friendly towards Shan Cai. She includes Shan Cai’s to all her parties.
But hormones have taken over Shan Cai’s brain. The friendship with the girlfriend was immaterial. Out with sisterhood!!! Shan Cai was determined to pursue Ze Lei, which was noticed by Si. This created a gulf between Ze Lei and Si’s friendship.
Si tried many things, which he does not usually do, to entice Shan Cai away from Ze Lei but it is becoming a losing battle.
Ze Lei had gone to Paris to be with Yuan Zi, who had decided to become a lawyer with a charitable institution, Without Borders. She also willingly cut herself off from inheriting her family fortune. Really nice girl, hear that Shan Cai!!!
Shan Cai misses Ze Lei so much that when out clubbing one evening with a secretly vengeful friend, Li Zhen, she became inordinately inebriated. With drunken hazy sight, she sat down next to a foreigner, who was playing the piano. She was imagining that he was Ze Lei.
She woke up the next morning in a strange bed, with a note from Thomas, the foreigner, saying that he enjoyed himself.
Episode 7 – 12
Daoming found Shancai having a rather intimate conversation with a foreigner at the school. Thomas came to see Shaicai after their misadventure the night before, where she ended up being tucked into bed by Thomas.
Shan Cai became the topic of gossips at school after her photos seemingly in bed with Thomas were posted on Weibo.
She was ostracised for being cheap and doing the dirty on Thomas especially when her boyfriend is Si.
Shan Cai said to Si that she doesn’t care about the gossips and the bullying as long as Si believes her.
It was found out later by Ximen and Feng Mei who posted the photos on Weibo. Shan Cai was shocked to know that Li Zhen stabbed her in the back.
Episode 13
Awwww I am absolutely won over by this drama version of Hana Yori Dango. And yes, the Shen Yue I love and adore is back big time in all her cuteness and brightness.
She is now my favourite Shan Cai (Makino Tsukushi) ever.
Dylan Wang and Shen Yue have a sizzling chemistry. So good that I felt sad for Xiao Xi and Jiang Chen of ALSB.
Anyway…
In order to pay off the 1M Yuan Shancai loaned to her by Daoming Si, she hesitantly enters the C4.
Being a novice, she had to do a lot of preparation, practice and developing a positive mental attitude.
She had a perfect tutor from the ‘violent’ 🙂 Dao Ming Zhuang and Dao Ming Si himself. Shancai moved in into the Dao Ming mansion.
Dao Ming Zhuang gave her a book to read called Book of Songs, which is actually a really old Chinese classic book of poetry.
Shancai found out what appetisers are for. They are there to build the appetite and complement the main course.
A meal that is unforgettable engraves the cook and the food to the heart of the diner.
This is now really the beginning of a beautiful friendship and relationship between Shan Cai and Dao ming Si.
It was utterly cute the way Si made Shancai more confident in herself and in her abilities.
Standout scene: I love their flirty face painting during their card game.
Episode 14
Aww it is the day of the Chinese Cuisine Culinary Competition (C4).
Young ladies, mostly with previous culinary experience entered the contest. One of these young ladies was Zhou Caina.
Zhou Caina was a girl who has being touted as the future bride for Tian Ye, the sous chef at the restaurant Shancai works at.
During the contest, Daoming Si was on tenterhooks. He was supporting Shaicai 120%
Zhou Caina won the 1M Yuan as deservedly so but there was a surprise prize for Shai Cai. She won a Special award and 500K Yuan as well.
Standout: Shancai choosing pineapple to add to her recipe as she looked at Daoming Si.
Episode 15
Shancai and DaoMing Si’s romantic whole day date was scuppered by the appearance of a random child, who needed babysitting. What was this about?!!!
Episode 16
Shancai literally almost froze to death but saved by DaoMing Si. Though Shan Cai almost met her maker due to hypothermia, her skin to skin contact with DaoMing Si for some heat was hot! 🙂 Unlucky lucky Shancai indeed!
Despite the skinship, Shancai continues to play it cool with Dao Ming Si, which infuriates him to the limit.
Episode 17
Shancai is proving popular with the boys, another one is vying for her attention much to the jealousy of Dao Ming Si.
Despite Dao Ming Si telling her that he likes her, she walked away with the new boy.
Episode 18
It was a bad decision because Shan cai got kidnapped. It turned out that the new boy was in collude with the kidnappers.
Standout scene 🙂 The F4 pranked Shancai; pretending that DaoMing passed away. Shan Cai was upset and telling DaoMing that she won’t allow him to die on her as she had not apologised to him yet and that despite his so many transgression in the past… The ‘corpse’ of DaoMing can’t take it anymore that he had to say something. Shancai ended up in bed astride Daoming trying to strangle him. He told her that it hurts to have her sitting on top of him as he broke three ribs. Awwww
Episode 19
It was DaoMing Si birthday and after a quick makeover on Shancai by Lei, Ximen and Feng Mei Zuo, Shancai was ready to meet DaoMing’s mother. But it turned embarrassing as Shancai ended up prostate on the floor when Daoming’s mother entered the ballroom.
She forbade them to see one another again as Shancai comes from another ‘world’.
DaoMing Si left his own party with Shancai. She then gave him her baked cookies as his birthday present. DaoMing was in high heavens, he said that it was the best present he had ever received.
DaoMing Si’s mother can’t be thwarted though because the next day she went to meet Shancai parents’. She tried to bribe them with 5M Yuan to make Shancai stay away from Daoming.
Shancai’s parents humiliated DaoMing Si’s mother by pouring flour over her head.
Episode 20
DaoMing Si’s mother really can’t be stopped. She is now bringing in the big guns in the form of an arranged fiancee for Dao Ming Si.
During a lunch with the girl’s family and Dao Ming’s, Shancai was invited too to witness the marriage arrangement.
The girl was actually just Daoming’s type, as feisty and lippy as Shancai. And rebellious as well. The girl got up and left followed closely by Dao Ming Si leaving a confused and sad Shancai inside the private dining room.
Daoming realised that he run off with the wrong girl when he noticed that he was holding on not with Shancai.
Shancai had a confrontation with Daoming Si telling him that the fiancee is just perfect for him and that he should marry her.
This really broke Daoming.
In the end, the girl, who became rather weirdly friendly with Shancai reported that DaoMing had agreed to date her.
huhuhu
Episode 21
Episode 22
Episode 23
Shancai was homeless and Dao Ming Si brought her home. She ended up as a maid in Dao Ming Si’s mansion much to his displeasure but Shancai insisted that she wanted to earn her keeps.
This episode is where they watch a meteor shower. The romantic Dao Ming Si surprised Shancai with a diamond encrusted necklace in the shape of a meteor (I think, no subtitles available yet)
Apparently, Dylan Wang personally designed the necklace to give it to Shen Yue for her birthday. Awww
I have to say Dao Ming Si is gorgeous but he is becoming even more good looking as the drama progresses. How is that possible?
(I adore Hu YI Tian but I am now totally seduced by Dylan Wang! LOL)
Episode 24
Episode25
Episode 26 – 27
In this episode, it was the first time that Shancai initiated a kiss with Dao Ming Si by pulling his necktie and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips. Awww
It was a reward for trying to convince her to move out of the mansion with him. It was the sweetest scene.
Can you imagine Dao Ming Si afterwards… So cute.
Unfortunately, it did not last long as Dao Ming Si’s evil mother interfered.
The mother targetted Shancai’s friends’ family. Therefore, Shancai doesn’t really have much choice but to surrender to Dao Ming Si’s mother.
Shancai had a traumatic break up with Dao Ming Si in the pouring rain.
Shancai left the mansion, Dao Ming Si and Ming De university and gone to live with her parents in the countryside.
These episodes also are about the love triangle between Mei Zu, Caina and Terence. Actually, it is more about Caina and Terence. It was rather romantic. Caina got caught in the rain in the middle of nowhere and ended up spending the night on a tent with Terence. It was a one night stand but was rather meaningful, however, Caina refuses to acknowledge this fact. It turned out that Terence is an internationally renowned designer.
Episode 28
Terence is gorgeous. There can be said about maturity.
I think Caina think so too. She can’t help herself but be attracted to Terence despite the devotion from the equally gorgeous and young Meizou.
Episode 29
Again this episode is about the burgeoning attraction between Caina and Terence.
Terence told Caina that he wanted her to go traveling with him. She was about to tell him that she was willing to go with him but found him in the embrace of his pretty PA.
The poor Meizou was heartbroken but loved Caina enough that he wanted her to be happy even if not with him.
He told her that Terence really loves her but he was leaving at that moment.
Episode 30
ShanCai is back but it seemed Dao Ming Si has finally given up on her.
Episode 31
It is the graduation day for the F4. The F4 were really sweet allowing photo opportunity with their juniors.
Huace Lei asked Dao Ming Si blessings to pursue Shancai himself.
There was a scene where he serenaded Shancai with his violin playing, which enraged Dao Ming Si
Episode 32
Dao Ming Si changed his mind again. He went to Huace Lei’s house and found him still in bed. Dao Ming Si told him that ShanCai is his and that Huace Lei should not butt in.
Dao Ming Si looked for Shan cai everywhere but the crafty Huace Lei told her to turn off her mobile phone for 48 hours.
Dao Ming Si finally found her with Huace Lei at a bus stop. He told her that he loves her and wanted to be with her but Shan Cai chose to board the bus an leave him absolutely devastated, running after her bus.
He was tired and upset crouched on the road when Shan Cai appeared. They were happy about to reconcile when it was aborted by the sudden presence of the police who was about to arrest Shan Cai for thievery. To find her Dao Ming Si reported her for stealing the diamond-encrusted meteor necklace. Hilarious ending.
Episode 33
After Dao Ming Si cleared the misunderstanding with the necklace with the police, Shan cai and Dao Ming Si reconciled.
She finally realised that Dao Ming Si did really work to keep their relationship going almost single-handedly.
She finally had the courage to blurt out that they should start dating officially. Dao Ming Si almost choked on the mushroom and ham roll he was eating.
They did agree that they should keep their relationship just between the two of them.
Because their friends are unaware of this new closer relationship, they tried to create a situation for Dao Ming Si and Shancai to be together including locking them in a room.
Episode 34
Finally, Dao Ming Si was in seventh heaven. ShanCai told him “Yoshi ai ni”.
Epidose 35
Shancai’s friend, Xiaoyou has sex on her brain. No matter how much Ximen try to tell her that she is not really his type, she clung to him. They ended up in a hotel room. They were about to go to bed but Ximen halted their awkward situation, saying that he knew that she’s not ready and not the kind of girl to sleep around.
But Xiaoyou said that she was hesitant because it would be the first time but she would get better. She would do anything to please him.
In the end, Ximen left her in the hotel room as he can’t reason with her. I just want to slap her! Really. I supposed XiMen looks really delicious. But where is her pride?
Dao Ming Si moved in next door to ShanCai’s. They were both thinking of going to each other room but just too shy to really do it. So cute.
Episode 40
Shan Cai went to London to see Dao Ming Si.
Episode 41
It was the end of the road for Shan Cai and Dao Ming Si. They spent a loving fund day in London but both knew that they had to part. Dao Ming Si had to sacrifice his happiness in order to not lose control of the Dao Ming Corp’s hotels worldwide.
Towards the end of the episode, someone used a taser on Dao MIng Si. With the shcok of it, Shancai fainted.
Episode 42
When they both woke up, they found themselves on a seashore, a la Blue Lagoon. They were having a whale of a time, no not really. They were puzzled who kidnapped them and dumped them on a deserted island.
It ended up that they were not kidnaped at all but pranked by Xiaoyou in connivance with the other F3.
Now they had a whale of a time but shortened by the arrival of authorities as their supposed kidnapping had gone viral internationally.
When they returned to Shanghai, it was total mayhem. In the chaos, DaoMing Si was left bleeding from a stab wound.
Episode 43
Dao Ming Si pretended that he had amnesia. Shan Cai was really upset but finally realised how much he means to her.
Episode 44
This episode for lack of a better word is boring. I have to admit I have lost my appetite and excitement for this drama from a few episodes back. The story with Ximen and Xiaoyou is so tedious. If you think the romance between Shan Cai and Dao Mng Si is not really believable. Ximen and Xiaoyou are just wrong. How could a womaniser, gorgeous, rich young man fall for a conniving little madam, who doesn’t have anything to show for? She is the most annoying character. She is so lazy at work and always on a depressing day-dream. Why give her so much screen time?
Episode 45
Episode 46
Episode 47
Episode 48
Episode 49
I have to admit that I have gone off with this drama because of Xiaoyou and Ximen storyline. But I am still curious how the ending went.
I am sure I am going to watch the missed episodes at some point.
Anyway, as can be expected it is a happy ending with Shan Cai having a wedding with the gorgeous Dao Ming Si.
It looks like there was also a reconciliation between the ogre mother.
This mother-in-law even attempted to cook breakfast for the newlyweds as her way of a farewell treat before she goes away to find herself as she travels the world.
Ximen is now happily in a relationship with Xiaoyou (in real life it would have never happened or at least it would not last 🙂 bitter much) LOL
Mei Zuo would continue his search for his ideal, the perfect older woman. 🙂
As to Hua Ze Lei, he is still rather lackadaisical about his ideal woman. He will wait for her to come to him rather than searching for her ….
Though this version is visually pleasing with gorgeous young actors, but compared to the previous ones, this, I am afraid, is lacking in depths.
It is only mediocre as it has undergone drastic political correctness, which sadly took its heart and soul.
The F4 are supposed to be the all-powerful band of flower boys, not only within their locale but inclusive of surrounding schools as well as they are well known for their unbelievable good looks, fame, and fortune. They were treated like gods and behaving like one, often egotistical, despotic and utterly self-centered. They would often issue punishment for even the littlest of things when it took their fancy.
The new F4, though extraordinarily gorgeous, lack the power and pizzazz of the previous F4s. What we’ve got in this version are four handsome young men, who can be just anybody with good looks in any school. They are not mega-rich vengeful boys. They don’t punish/bully anyone but instead, they challenged anyone who gets their attention to a game of bridge! They don’t make you quake in your boots.
Part of the F4 charms is their being clothes horses. This time around, their wardrobe is very moderate and can be copied by just anyone who has a sister or a mother, who has a penchant for long woolen cardigans and dress shirts. 🙂
Having said that the F4 did a good job especially Dylan Wang and Cesar Wu. They have both the right amount of swagger and arrogance.
As to Shen Yue, she is charming and cute but I think she needs to take more acting lessons and acting workshop. She also needs to correct her posture.
Overall it is enjoyable but something that will not last in your psyche as the previous version.
This drama has a good pedigree. The scriptwriter, as well as the director, have worked together before in a couple of masterpieces: Goblin and Descendants of the Sun.
This drama has a very sumptuous feel about it even from episode one. In fact, this drama is comparable to BBC’s dramas. The cinematography is fantastic. It is like watching a film; a film like the Titanic 🙂 I supposed, the lead is an A-lister, Lee Byung Hun, popular in Korean films and dramas who had made a mark in a few Hollywood blockbuster movies.
Anyway, the story started in June 1871, during the 8th year of Gojong’s Reign.
An ambitious minister visited another minister’s house. The ambitious minister (AM) has an eye for the ladies and he fancied the girl serving them their drinks.
The host minister tried to discourage the AM by tempting him with a promise of a virginal girl, he mentioned that the girl who just served them was already married. But the AM said that he wanted the married servant.
It so happened that the husband of the girl heard what was going on. So they tried to run away but failed. Their master did not have an ounce of pity for them. He ordered that the husband is rolled in a mat and then beaten to his death, while the wife will be taken and be given to the ambitious minister. At that same time, the six years old son of the couple arrived at the scene. In front of the child his parents are being beaten, the minister ordered that the boy is beaten to death as well. The wife jumped next to the pregnant daughter of the minister and quickly took the woman’s lethal-looking hair ornament and pointed it to the woman’s neck.
She told her young son to run, to go. In desperation, the pregnant woman who was being threatened that her big belly will be stabbed as well if they don’t let the boy go, threw her jade token to the boy and told the boy to go and ordered that no one should run after him.
When the boy was out of sight, his mother let go of the pregnant woman and she jumped into her death in a well.
At that time, Joseon (Korea) had few American ships on its shore. The American visit quickly resulted in a bloody skirmish killing around 300 Koreans.
Even at a young age, the six years old boy knew that he had no future in Joseon, the way things were.
He managed to stow away in a ship sailing back to America.
His life in America did not improve immediately. He became a victim of feral young white thugs loitering the street.
When he was about 10, miraculously surviving on his own, he saw soldiers of all colours, marching and looking dignified. The seed was sown, he wanted to be one.
These are the initiating forces that would affect his return to his old homeland as a high-ranking military of the American arm forces.
Episode 2
It looks like Ae Shin has inherited her mother’s strong woman’s genes. Ae Shin was not satisfied with just being a well to do submissive wife. She wanted adventure. When she told her grandad that she would rather die than be an inconspicuous little mouse, her grandad told her to die.
And she did try by holding a hunger strike which lasted a few days until her grandad had someone take her into the mountains. She thought she was going to be killed but it turned out her grandad had instructed someone to teach her how to fight, how to fire a gun.
She met Eugene Choi while she was on a mission to assassinate an American, who was working for the Japanese army.
The American was duly assassinated but she was not a lone gunman. There was another. It was Eugene Choi.
These episodes now introduce the main characters.
Kim Min Jung looks so lovely in a Japanese kimono ( far from that horrid severe fringe girl from Man to Man drama)
Yes another Kento Yamazaki drama and Rhyoma Takeuchi as well.
Watch this space. This will be a weekend viewing!
It started pretty interesting. Koichi Miyazawa is a fourth generation owner of a tabi shoes manufacturing company, which has a 100 years history.
The company used to have billions of yens in revenue and employed 200. But now there were only 20 people using antiquated machineries, which breakdown all the time.
Their bank balance was not very healthy. Their bank manager advised Koichi to restructure the company by laying off some of the staff.
But everyone was an integral part of the company.
Their first bank manager was friendly and suggested that perhaps aside from the tabi, they should create another product to save the company.
Han Yun Xi is a very talented doctor. She is very skilled in Chinese medicine.
She inherited this aptitude from her father, who is an imperial doctor.
Unfortunately, Yun Xi does not have a loving relationship with her father.
After her mother’s gone her father remarried and had another daughter with his new wife.
The father ignored her most of her life and allowed his new family to maltreat her.
He was embarrassed by Yun Xi because she grew up with an unsightly facial skin disease. It became well-known in the land that the imperial doctor’s first daughter was ugly with sore/boil on her face.
Despite her facial affliction, Yun Xi is a feisty, cheerful and a go-getter kind of girl.
When her step-sister fights with her, she fights back. She was no downtrodden Cinderella. She blamed her father for her situation with his new family for not doing anything to prevent their cruelty towards her.
Anyway, during that time, the land was divided into three kingdoms: Tian Ning, Western Zhou, and Northern Li.
Yun Xi and her family are from the Tian Ning kingdom.
The emperor of Tian Ning is very cunning and crafty. He noted that Long Fei Ye, Duke of Qin, was doing very well with the military. FeiYe’s popularity is growing.
Instead of rewarding Fei Ye for his bravery and being an excellent general, the emperor deviously devised a way to pull Fei Ye down a peg or two. He decreed that Feiye should get married and to add insult to injury the emperor chose a wife for him as well. He decreed that the new Duchess of Qin will be the infamous ‘ugly’ daughter of the imperial doctor.
Yun Xi is not really ugly. She just had a minor skin blemish that can be easily overlooked. (But then again, during those times, the Royals were expected to have perfect skin with no visible scars) And this was the case when she came upon Gu QiShao while she was foraging for medicinal herbs in the mountains. He noticed her skin but he did not find it abhorrent. What he saw was a girl with a lovely personality. He quite like her.
Anyway, Yun Xi was informed that she will be married to the Duke. Her father told her that she did not have to. He can refuse the order.
To his surprise, Yun Xi was all for it. He continuously begged his daughter not to go through with the wedding.
Yun Xi told her father that she can’t live another minute with him and his new family. She put up with a lot of things from them and that had to stop. Marrying the Duke is her way out.
Her father was actually nervous for her but it was just too late for their father-daughter relationship, which had broken down a long time ago. 🙂
On her way to the palace for her wedding, due to stress, she had a nosebleed. Blood dripped onto her jade bracelet. The bracelet was magical.
She then had an out of body experience and ended up in another dimension, where there is a library of books encased in bubbles, floating. The first book was how to cure the carbuncle in her face.
There was also a book, a legendary book written by the Poison Master. This book shows how poison can be used to cure ailments.
Miraculously she was cured of her skin blemish and was radiant and beautiful when she got to the palace. But she was told that the Duke was indisposed and she had to return another day.
Yun Xi got out of her jiao (sedan chair) and refused to go saying that her marriage was an edict from the emperor. They can’t go against his decree. Whether the Duke is ill or not she’s married to him.
By episode 8, the romance between Yun Xi and the Duke is heating up.
Episode 9-10
The duke knew that Yun Xi had been tasked by the Empress Dowager to spy on him.
Yun Xi doesn’t have much choice because apparently her mother is not dead and the Empress Dowager knows where the mother is. Yun Xi is desperate to find her mother.
The duke is somewhat reassured that Yun Xi is not seriously spying on him because the missive she sends the Empress D are all made up and innocuous. It made him giggle reading them.
Episode 11
From Episode 10, the duke caught the courtesan, Yu Ze, who had poisoned soldiers and ministers with fatal bee stings.
They put Yu Ze under heavy guard in a dungeon but she seemed to have been poisoned.
It took Yun Xi to determine what kind of poison she took or given to her. Apparently it was a very rare rice poison.
BTW Yu Ze works for Gu Xi Xhao, who had been looking for her to rescue.
Episode 12 – 16
I absolutely adore this drama. It is about 45 minutes each episode but it’s so watchable it feels shorter.
I like the love triangle developing between the Duke, Yun Xi and Xi Xhao.
To add to this love triangle is the Duke’s childhood’s sweetheart, who came to stay at the palace much to the jealousy of Yun Xi, who went to Xi Xhao’s herb mountain for some comfort and friendly relaxation. And to ask for forgiveness for blowing him out of their date.
Poor Xi Xhao waited all day and most of the evening at the noodle shop for her. He had such cute adorable scenes in the noodle shop. His character is so good. One minute a romantic man in love, the next a lethal strategies, and spy.
After months of being married, Yun Xi finally went to visit her family without the Duke.
Her family was excited at first thinking that the Duke would be coming, but started bullying Yun Xi when they found out she was alone.
They were in the middle of being nasty towards Yun Xi when the Duke came riding down.
He told them off severely and would have put them to death (as being disrespectful to elders and those in the royal family is punishable by death) if Yun Xi did not intervene.
Her father tried to make amends with her but so far he was very clumsy and saying all the wrong words. He said that he was cold and strict with her because this would make his concubine and younger daughter to be less evil towards her. ehhh?
The Duke noticed the large painting in Yun Xi’s old bedroom. He was so humbled as he realised that the woman in the portrait was the one who gave her life for him. She protected him to the end.
The Duke is actually the crown prince of Qin Xi, a fallen dynasty as his family was hunted down and killed.
The Duke promised Yun Xi to build a medical hall for her but since the coming of his beautiful young cousin, Yun Xi felt sidelined.
Yap love this drama. Can’t wait for the next episode, where naughty Yun Xin offered to cook for Xi Xhao.
Episode 17
The Duke, as promised, is organising the medical hall but Yun Xi was nowhere to be found. He found out that she was visiting Xi Xhao.
She came back later very drunk. She then told the young cousin to stay away from the Duke because he was hers. She then flew into the duke’s arms and told him she wanted to make a baby with him. So cute.
Yun Xi slept at the Duke’s Manor. Her maids transferred all their belongings to this manor. The duke did not complain, so Yun Xi was very happy.
The Princess of Wei, the newest concubine of the king has been poisoned and Yun Xi had been summoned to enter the palace.
Yun Xi was rather upset because she has a date with the Duke to see the Lantern Festival.
Episode 18
The Duke did not show up at the lantern festival where Yun Xi waited for him for a long time.
The Duke seemed to be ailing and in the constant company of his childhood sweetheart. He also told YunXi to move out of his manor.
The duke seemed to be metamorphosing into something else. He is the Poison Zombie! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Episode 19
Yun Xi is trying to counter-cure the poisoned blood from Mingxiang being given to the Duke. But there is more to this as apparently the blood really cures the Duke.
Yun Xi unknowingly became an accomplish to Chu Qingge, the Princess of Wei, who was spying for Gu Xi Xhao.
Gu warned her not to get close to chu Qingge as Yun Xi might get caught up with all the intrigues with the other consorts in the palace. He really cares for Yun Xi.
Episode 20
Yun Xi is banished into the woodshed because she innocently gave the Duke an antidote for the beauty poison, he was being given by MIngxiang to cure his poison gu which turns him into a poison zombie. (Seriously, I giggle typing this!)
This was the day that the poison master is transferred to a different location. The Duke and his men were just in time to hijack the proceeding and kidnap the poison master.
It was not an easy mission and the Duke and his men barely got away with their task. Excessive martial arts turned the poison gu afflicted Duke into a poison zombie with red eyes and platinum blonde hair, who was all powerful. Because of the Duke persona as the poison zombie, he defeated the Emperor’s army and got away with the abduction of the poison master.
But after he had calm down and went back to his normal self, he became very week but still had to go back to the palace to pretend that he never left at all.
The emperor learned of the unsuccessful mission he tasked his second son. He suspected the Duke as the one being behind the abduction of the poison master. He tested him of his martial art prowess which as nerve-racking as he might turn into a poison zombie once again.
Thankfully it ended well and then he was escorted by Yun Xi back to the manor.
Mingxiang had gone to the Imperial Grand concubine, the adopted mother of the duke, to complain about Yun Xi. The mother ordered the Yunxi be confined in the woodshed.
Episode 21-22
There is a tantalising clue that the poison master may have a closer tie to Yun Xi as first thought.
Yun Xi noticed that the madman poison master shares the same abhorrence of carrots and parsley. He may be her real father.
Once again the Duke saved Yun xi from another disastrous event. Yun Xi was just about to be divorced from the Duke by the Imperial Grand concubine when the duke intervened saying that Yun Xi is a double agent, working for him.
The Duke also got jealous of the close friendship between Yun Xi and Gu Qishao.
To show proprietorial rights over his wife, the duke kissed Yun Xi, which was seen by Gu Qishao.
The Duke told Yun Xi that she is grounded and can’t get out of the manor without his permission. She has been trying to find an antidote to his affliction of his poison gu, which is apparently incurable but can be controlled.
Episode 23-28
Yunxi has been trying to cure the Poison Master, who has been revealed as her true father.
Yunxi has part succeeded in curing the Poison Master but during a chaos of factions trying to kidnap the Poison Master, Yunxi got caught in the middle of it and suffered from poisoned gas which made her faint. At this point, the Poison Master was abducted by his loyal imperial doctor.
Episode 29
The Princess of Wei secretly poisoned the Crown Prince with the unwitting help of the Emperor.
Despite all the care, potions and investigations by the imperial doctors, it was diagnosed that the poison was new of its kind and there was presently no known cure for it.
The chief imperial doctor was Doctor Han and as a punishment for his inability to cure the crown prince, he was thrown to prison awaiting his punishment of death for his entire family. Dr Han is Yunxi’s father.
Episode 30
Yunxi stepmother, stepsister, stepbrother, and aunts came to see her begging her to help her father.
Episode 31 – 32
At last Yun Xi relented and she saw how sincere her family was in begging her to help her father by healing the crown prince.
She also found out that Dr Han is not really her father but really loved her but not showed it to prevent his new wife to take her jealousy out of Yun Xi (She did anyway)
With her research and meditation, Yun xi realised that the blood from a poison gu ( a red squirrel) was the ingredients for the medicine to heal the crown prince.
Yunxi also found out that the poison master, who turned the Duke into poison zombie and the one who killed his entire family.
Episode 33
Finally the crown prince was cured and the emperor had to pardon all of Yunxi family. The doctor had a heart to heart with YunXi telling her how much he loved her mother and also her. He would always have her in his heart as she was her mother’s daughter. ahhh
YunXi and the Poison Master moved in with Gu Qishao was she cannot really expect the Duke to be friendly with her real father, the poison master.
The Crown Prince was recovered well enough to exact his revenge against his your brother., who disappointed their father and now under house arrest. He gave his brother a bottle of wine which he poisoned. He then hangs him to look like his brother committed suicide.
Episode 34
Yunxi arranged to meet the Duke to give him information about spying, etc. During their meeting Yunxi begged the Duke not to kill her father, to which the Duke said he was her father, so he won’t will him but he will never forgive him.
Gu Qishao finally told Yunxi his family background. His imperial father is a bit of a henpecked who allowed the Imperial wife to maltreat Gu Qiahao’s mother, who was only a palace made.
She died a pauper, which made Gu Qishao to work hard and be his own man. He is now the master of Gu Yao Valley where he plays host to Yunxi and her father.
Yunxi and her father hardly had time to sleep or eat as both being to busy to the point of being obsessed in finding the cure of the Duke poison zombie condition.
In the end, Yunxi collapsed.
Episode 35
The cure has been found. The poison master realised that the blood flowing directly from his heart is the cure. For his beloved daughter, he was willing to sacrifice himself to save the Duke.
Episode 36
Ming Xiang overheard that the cure was the Poison Master’s blood. She followed the Poison Master when he went to see the Duke.
Ming Xiang killed the poison master because if he is dead, YungXi had to sacrifice herself for the Duke. YunXi having the same blood as the Poison Master.
The Duke was next to the body of the Poison Master when YunXi arrived at the scene. She thought that the Duke was the one who killed her father.
He refused to deny it for the sake of Ming Xiang, who he thinks, he owes a lot.
Yunxi found out that Gu Qishao was a spy from the Northern Li.
Episode 37
A poison plague was killing the people of the Southern Border, even Northen Li was affected. Yunxi went to help and she caught the plague herself.
Episode 38
Thanks to Gu Qishao, YinXi recovered from the plague. But she also found out that the Duke had divorced her.
She told the Duke that they should never meet in the future as they don’t have anything to do or owe with each other.
Episode 39
The Crown Prince staged a coup against the Emperor. But then realised that he was a puppet of the Duke of Qin.
Episode 40
The Grand Imperial Consort was kidnapped by the Emperor to use as a bargaining tool with the Duke of Qin. The Duke of Qin decided to turn back but the Grand Imperial Consort told him to proceed and not to mind about her. She then jumped off the palace balcony to her death. The Duke of Qin turned to the Poison Gu due to extreme emotion which zapped his energy and made him incapacitated.
The coup succeeded and the Imperial Dowager, feeling guilty for having killed the real Long Fei Ye and thinking that what was happening was all retribution, poisoned herself.
The Crown Prince was arrested by the guards of the Emperor. The emperor said that he can’t understand why the crown prince was so unfilial. The Crown Prince said that the emperor made him that way. He remembered that he was on death door and the only ones who could help him were Ha Yun Xi and Long Fei Ye but the emperor said people to assassinate them.
The crown prince said that the emperor had to justify why his son had started a coup against the emperor. The crown prince then poisoned himself, much to the distress of the emperor.
Episode 41
Gu Qishao and Yung Xi are back as friends again. Love this two together as friends.
Episode 42
Gu Qishao got hurt saving Yung Xi.
Episode 43
Yunxi was abducted by Ming Xiang but in the end, she saved Yunxi from Eunuch Li, the emperor’s man.
Ming Xiang ended up dead but made YunXi promised that she would cure the Duke of his poison Gu.
The cute love story of Tang Li and Nanjing finally happened. They got married after promising her that she will be the boss in their family. Whatever she says go. 🙂
YunXi and the duke reconciled. When the duke intimated that he wants to make a baby with her YunXi was shy. Aww
Episode 47- 48
SPOILER
All the episodes have been released and it is slowly being subbed by 4udrama at 2 episodes at a time.
Anyway, I love this drama so much that I started watching them even without the subs.
The last two episodes are the saddest.
Spoiler, do not read on!!!
Anyway, the duke is on his deathbed but they are also in the middle of a counter-coup from the emperor. BTW I have to say that Hu Bing makes such a drop-dead gorgeous emperor. That cheese-cutter cheekbones are to die for.
In Episode 47, Yun Xi and the Duke had a traditional red-veil wedding and finally consummated their marriage. At last…
After the happy event, the poor cute poison beast, red squirrel, has been providing the Duke with health elixir but is no longer enough especially during the middle of a war against the emperor’s side.
The only thing that could save him is the blood flowing directly from the heart of Yun Xi.
There is no other choice for our adorable heroine really but to sacrifice herself.
She called Qishao to meet up. Qishao told her not to kill herself for the Duke because he will end up hating himself anyway.
YunXi said that she was doing it mainly for the Duke but also for the people. They need to depose the despotic emperor once and for all.
Cruelly, YunXi arranged for soldiers to catch and imprison Qishao .
Huhuhu yes I am afraid she killed herself, by drinking poison and then stabbed herself in the heart, in the arms of a grief-stricken Gu Qishao! This scene was really traumatically sad. As she lay dying in his arms she promised him that she will be his maid/helper in the next lifetime. She also said that she will marry his highness. Does it mean she will still marry the Duke in the next life or Qishao because he is also a ‘highness’ being a prince of Northern Li?
Anyway, with the blood concoction from YunXi’s heart, the duke got better and successfully defeated the emperor.
In the end, Tian Li, the duke’s younger brother became the new Emperor.
The Duke took a long leave of absence and spent his days at the Plum garden manor (?), which he specially built for Yunxi.
He was reminiscing about YunXi, when he suddenly saw her in the middle of her herb garden.
But is she dead?!!!
Her legend continues on…
Update:
There are two epilogues in episodes 49 & 50. They are just under 11 minutes each.
In episode 49, Yun Xi is truly alive. The poison bracelet, which has been passed down to generations, has the power to bring life as well as to serve as an encyclopedia of poisons as a cure.
As Yunxi lay dying in Gu Qishao’s arms, she gave the bracelet to Qishao for safe-keeping but the essence of the bracelet began to envelop her.
Presumably, she remained in a catatonic state, until the bracelet was put on her arm once again.
As Gu Qishao was injured during the final battle, someone, who looks like the spirit of Yunxi took out the bracelet from Gu Qishao, who intoned “Yunxi”
At the end of episode 49, Yunxi was haie and hearty once again and tending to her herb garden much to the delight of Long Fei Ye, who runs to her in wonder.
Epidose 50
This is another version of the epilogue. This time Long Fei Ye is reminiscing about his happy times with YunXi.
He was more upbeat and finally let go of Yunxi and their memories together. Meaning YunXi remains dead and gone!
