Fantasy dramas The Starry Love and The Journey of Chong Zi are currently battling it out for viewership and ratings. Meanwhile Justice in the Dark drops 8 episodes and then goes silent. This raises questions as to whether or not similar themed dramas with primarily male centric leads and homosexual undertones will make a resurgence in the Chinese dramas.  Karen and Cathy discuss a few other additional Chinese dramas to have on your radar for March 2023

In episode 53, the Emperor and Wei Ying Luo must resolve their outstanding issues regarding the death of Noble Consort Chun. While the Emperor believes that Ying Luo played no part in her death, he nonetheless wishes that she showed more initiative. The Empress and Empress Dowager are locked in a power struggle on who will lead the silkworm ceremony. A role traditionally reserved for the Empress, the Empress Dowager wants to punish the Empress and her clan for their role in the Empress's father's death. The Empress comes out victorious and will lead to another death in the near future.

Karen and Cathy provide their review of the 14 episode Ming Dynasty era drama ,Under the Microscope - 显微镜下的大明之丝绢案 starring Zhang Ruo Yun, Qi Wei, Wang Yang and Fei Qi Ming. A fun and beautifully shot drama with superb acting, it does suffer from some pacing issues but is overall an entertaining watch. 

Ying Luo is accused of poisoning the 5th prince when in reality, it was another plot by both Consort Yu and Noble Consort Chun. The angered Emperor orders a thorough investigation only for the Empress Nala to uncover more disturbing news. The late Empress's son, the 7th prince, was killed by Noble Consort Chun.  She is demoted and banished to the Cold Palace but ultimately meets her end due to the Empress. Meanwhile, Ying Luo discovers that Noble Consort Chun's downfall was entirely orchestrated by Consort Yu as a way to repay her and the late Empress for their kindness in saving her son. She is banished from the palace but leaves the 5th prince in Ying Luo's care. 

Valentines Day was rocky for 2 celebrities. Arthur Chen had photos of him in bed with a social media influencer exposed by the paparazzi, fully destroying his innocent boy image and potentially destroying his career. His team is working overtime to save his image. Meanwhile, Johnny Huang's ex-wife exposed that he had an affair with another celebrity while they were married. Listen to our latest In the Know podcast episode for all the juicy gossip!

In episode 50+51, the Emperor tries to find the culprit who caused Wei Ying Luo's riding accident. All signs point to Noble Consort Chun. The Empress's father is accused of stealing disaster funds and sentenced to death. The Empress desperately tries make a case to commute his sentence. The Emperor, despite heavy protestation from the Empress Dowager, agrees to only sentence him to exile. Unfortunately, the Empress's father is found dead in his cell. The Empress, heartbroken, vows to get her vengeance and has her sights towards amassing more power for herself.

During the Lunar New Year, Knockout (狂飙) became the hottest airing Chinese drama. The adaptation of the sci-fi novel Three Body (三体) also aired. Zhang Ruo Yun 张若昀 will have his new drama Under the Microscope on February 10th and A League of Nobleman surprisingly aired with little fanfare. Listen to our latest podcast episode on the latest dramas airing and filming in the Chinese entertainment industry! 

Fu Heng desires to head off to war again which makes sense after his wife Er Qing sold his maid to a brothel, leading to her death. Ying Luo steps in to help convince the Emperor to let him go. Meanwhile, Ying Luo starts plotting how best for her foes to surface and the opportunity presents itself when the Emperor decides to give her riding lessons.

Hu Ge, of Royal Nirvana and Chinese Paladin fame, shocked the Chinese entertainment circle by announcing that he is now a father to a baby girl. It's been a joke for years that Hu Ge would just stay single so for him to announce he's married and has a child is quite a welcome surprise for pretty much all of Chinese media! We also touch on continued drama with Lunar New Year Box Office movies and also the return of Chinese celebrities abroad for fashion weeks!

The Emperor decided to give Ying Luo the cold shoulder after seeing her with Fu Heng together even though he saw she was set up. This meant that she was mistreated and neglected in the palace without her favor. But, Ying Luo being Ying Luo captured the opportunity to return to his line of sight when Noble Consort Chun asked her to embroider a buddha portrait for the Empress Dowager. Add on top of that Fu Heng's words to the Emperor and we see Ying Luo not only regain the Emperor's favor but also be promoted to the title of Consort.