Chasing Dramas

Emperor Qian Long contracts scabies and the Empress volunteers to tend to her husband. Wei Ying Luo, trying to find more information about her sister's death, also agrees to come along. The Emperor turns into a pouting child as he tries to combat his illness and is "bullied" by Ying Luo in an effort to cure him. At the Emperor's birthday, the women of the Imperial Harem present their gifts. The Empress, a painting. Noble Consort Gao, a western orchestra. Noble Lady Shu, a Buddhist relic. The Emperor is very pleased with all of his gifts. However, trouble stirs for Ying Luo and the other palace maids.

Our latest drama review is for Love Between Fairy and Devil (苍兰诀 2022)! Listen to our latest episode to hear Karen discuss the general plot, characters, what she liked and didn't like, and her overall review of the drama!  Set in a fantasy land, Xiao Lan Hua (ft Esther Yu) as a kind-hearted young orchid fairy with limited powers and no real name. She watches over the written fates of all beings. One day, she accidentally realized that her secret love, the powerful Chang Heng (ft Zhang Ling He) will be in danger and rushes over to protect him. This results in her a life changing encounter with Dong Fang Qing Cang (ft Dylan Wang), the powerful leader of the Yue (Moon) clan who had been locked away for 30,000 years.  This interaction changes the fates of all three individuals

The 5th prince is ultimately saved from pending death after a local doctor is summoned by the Emperor to reveal that the newborn simply had jaundice and could be cured easily. This diagnosis and additional evidence brought forth by Consort Chun turns the tables against Noble Consort Gao who is confined to her palace as punishment. After a degrading visit by her father, Noble Consort Gao refocuses her energy on the Emperor with a stunning rendition of the Drunken Concubine to recapture his attention.

In our episode recorded September 1, Cathy goes over the two big scandals of late in the Chinese entertainment industry- 1) Yang Zi supposedly sharing cake with her friend, Liu Xue Yi which would not have been problematic if they weren't caught in a series of lies denying this, and 2) Zhang Tian Ai released a recording of her and Xu Kai Cheng, whom she was dating, where he admits to cheating on her. What's worse is that he had turned his sights on Gu Li Na Zha and lied to her about his current relationship status.

Noble Lady Yu gives birth to a son while the Empress is away but her son is born with golden pupils. Noble Consort Gao who arrived just as the child is born, claims that this is a terrible omen and orders the child to be buried alive. Why would that be? There is a ton of history that Cathy explains in this episode so be sure to check it out! 

Our latest drama review is for Love Like the Galaxy 星汉灿烂 月升沧海! Listen to our latest episode to hear Karen discuss the general plot, characters, what she liked and didn't like, and her overall review of the drama!  The young woman Cheng Shao Shang finally meets her birth parents who are both generals in the army for the first time since birth after they went off to fight in war for her entire life. Meanwhile, Shao Shang crosses paths with several young men including Ling Bu Yi, the young and accomplished general raised by the Emperor and Empress. This is a 56 episode drama starring Leo Wu or 吴磊 and 赵露思 Zhao Lu Si in the title roles.

Wei Ying Luo successfully enacts revenge on the arrogant Prince Yi at the Sharing Prosperity by Sharing Meat ceremony. However, Fu Heng catches onto her ploy and avoids punishment. He promises Ying Luo that he wasn't involved in her sister's death. With the death of her family, Consort Xian finally snaps and cleverly enacts revenge on Concubine Jia. She is no longer the sweet and serene consort but a calculating and cunning woman. Meanwhile, the Empress seeks the aid of Consort Chun to help her get pregnant again. Rumors begin flying around in the palace of an "improper" relationship. What really happens? Listen to find out!

A few surprising releases hit platforms the last few days including Chen Xiao and Wang Yi Bo's police thriller Being A Hero and the 3rd installment of Ode to Joy.

Consort Xian experiences life-changing events after learning that her father participated in bribery. Her brother and mother also both passed on the same day. Given this event, she vows to become more powerful in the palace. Meanwhile, Prince Yi, cousin to the Emperor, decides to help Noble Consort Gao in eliminating Yingluo with little success. 

Noble Consort Gao's dog is the star of these episodes as it first was used by Concubine Pin to scare Noble Lady Yu in hopes of causing a miscarriage. That fortunately failed but the dog became the center of attention once again after Ying Luo used it to misdirect the Emperor's ire when it was revealed that the lychee trees he specifically gifted to the Empress was destroyed. Elsewhere, Consort Xian's desperately seeks money to save her brother who fell in in prison.