The Vendetta of An

One of the Best Scripted Revenge Saga in a long time!!

Even time, he loses someone close to him, he goes crazy. And whenever he goes crazy, he comes out stronger!

There are very few shows that leave you feeling indulgent, every moment is a worthwhile experience. When I first started watching this thriller, I thought it was a regular revenge saga. Xie Huai An seems like a regular guy, utterly normal and harmless & yet underneath that veneer, he hides an intellect and intelligence that bought down an empire. This show has caustic elements that are unbelievably shocking; it’s like peeling off layers of onion and revealing new details. Just when you believe that Xie Huai An has achieved his end goal, he begins a new journey of retribution. The guy hasn’t known a single moment of peace since his clan fell. He has planning since decades, waiting and seeking revenge. And yet, he can’t rest because the nation suddenly falls prey to outside predators. From weaving a single game of retrieval to protecting his country, Xie Huai An does the unimaginable. He is always two steps ahead and the acumen leaves you stunned. Cheng Yi mesmerizes with a commendable performance that leaves you stunned. He doesn’t fight with swords; his words are powerful enough to make or break the game!

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That was kinda depressing

I really enjoyed the show. I really like the development of all the characters in the show, especially Xiao Wenjing. One thing that does confuse me a bit is that Xiao Wuyang wanted him found dead or alive, but throughout the show it was kinda clear that they had a decent relationship and neither wanted the other person to die.

I do think that the show was a bit too sad for my taste. I think there were just too many characters dying that I really wish got to survive, especially Bai Wan. Her death was completely unexpected and definitely caught me off guard. In the same way Gu Yu's death was also way too sudden. He was definitely my favorite character and I feel like his death was just so meaningless. I wasn't actually too sad that Xie Huai'an died, because I think with these revenge themed dramas, its something that we have come to expect and the story would not have felt finished without an ending to his life. However, in the last episode they kinda hint that he may still be alive and I think they did this to hint at a possible season 2. I think that would be a mistake and I don't really see where this plot could possibly go in a season 2 as he's already completed his revenge and there's no reason to try and milk more out of this universe.

I actually think that the show could have been longer. It definitely had elements of one of those 60 episode historical dramas. I think that they kinda rushed the Tiemo invasion at the end, and the show could definitely have been better if they had taken their time with that.

The acting was excellent, I've come to have high expectations whenever I see Cheng Yi and he once again lived up to it. I think that Zhou Qi and Tong Mengshi also both did fantastic jobs in their roles. The cast was honestly just stacked, with Zhang Hanyu, Wang Jinsong, and Liu Yijun. All 3 of them are incredible supporting actors who never have bad performances. Ye Zuxin did a wonderful job as Gu Yu. He really gave off the energy of a young general who had the respect of his army and the respect of the emperor. The entire show I couldn't help thinking to myself how goated this man would be if he wasn't crrippled. In my opinion, Ni Dahong is one of the best chinese actors ever, and once again he delivered.

I think that the music really just wasn't anything special. There wasn't any songs that I really enjoyed and wanted to listen to again. I think that it fit the mood and genre pretty well and definitely did its job, but nothing more than that.

I don't think the show has like crazy rewatch value, I might come back to watch certain scenes, but I don't think I'd ever want to watch the entire show again. To be fair, it's very rare for a show to be good enough for you to want to watch it again.

Overall this was a very solid show that I definitely recommend.

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Not your typical revenge drama ...

it started like a simple revenge drama with some strategies and scheming but turned out to be more complex.

ML isn't your typical protagonist he is ruthless, calculating and always one step ahead "which bothered me in the first half of the drama " no matter how smart you are , you just can't see every move your enemy will make .
this all changed with the death of his sister bai wen , although her death scene didn't make any sense because they were looking for a man yet she clearly had a female physique yet they killed her 🫠 guess that was necessary for another plot later .

xiao wenjing character development is the greatest I have seen recently from a spoiled brat to reliable emperor " yet he chose not to rule"and a loyal brother .

the drama always kept you nervous of what was going to happen next only to discover that is was xie huai an 's game all along , even in the end they hinted that he is not really dead.

ye zheng loyalty to huai an was touching.
the way huai an tricked yan fengshan and killed him was genius only for us to to discover later that he wasn't dead and huai an had a bigger paln.

this was great on so many levels and truly a masterpiece .

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Revenge dramas and Vendetta of An are in a league of their own.

I was expecting something good from this drama, but it surprised me! I haven't had this feeling of anticipation for the next episode since watching Game of Thrones. Not a single actor wastes any lines! ChengYi's acting was amazing! It goes beyond the norm. The plot, even if they say it doesn't make sense, for God's sake! It makes a lot of sense and is incredibly exciting if you have even a few brain cells active.I don't yet know if I can categorize it as a masterpiece because we're not even halfway through the drama, but there's no doubt that it's a very well-executed work.

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When Victory Costs Everything ⚠️Spoiler⚠️

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Between the Lines
igiam’s reflections on drama, character and hidden meaning
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A story of sacrifice, strategy and the quiet cost of justice

Some victories don’t feel like triumph.

They feel like silence.

“The Vendetta of An” is not just a story about revenge — it is a story about what remains after it is fulfilled.

From the beginning, the drama builds a path that feels deliberate, controlled, almost inevitable. Every step, every decision, carries weight. And that is what makes the outcome so powerful.

Because this is not a story where the protagonist loses control.

It is a story where he chooses the end.

What impressed me the most was not only the strategy, but the clarity behind it. His final act is not desperation — it is calculation. A decision made with full awareness of the consequences.

He becomes his own last weapon.

And that changes everything.

The explosion does not give us answers. It gives us distance. It hides the truth instead of showing it, leaving space for interpretation.

Did he survive?

The drama does not confirm it.

Instead, it offers something else.

A quiet scene. A peaceful walk. A world that continues.

But something is missing.

The sound that once existed is no longer there.

And in that silence, the story speaks louder than any explanation.

This is not a clear ending — and yet, it feels complete.

Because the goal was never his survival.

It was justice.

And justice was achieved.

What remains is not victory in the traditional sense, but something deeper:

A sense of closure without comfort.

A life imagined, perhaps lived, perhaps remembered.

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And yet, despite this quiet ending, the story never truly confirms his survival.

The explosion, the fire, and the absence of a clear escape all point in one direction — even if the drama chooses not to show it directly.

This is what makes the ending so powerful.

It doesn’t ask you to decide what happened.

It asks you to understand what it cost.

Final thought:
Some endings don’t show you what happened —
they show you what it meant.

igiam | Observing Stories Between the Lines

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Bathing Chang’an with Fire and Blood

Witnessing the slaughter of his whole family, Xie Huai’an is forced to fend for himself since 10years old, moving from place to place to evade his enemies the Hubei Army with a little sister in tow and losing her later, until he came upon the remote land of Huainan where he decided to be his home. Working quietly as a small registrar, he knew he had only two ways to live, to stay in remote place such as Huainan or head to the capital to become a court official. Opportunity finally came when the son of the previous emperor (elder brother of current emperor) marched forward and captured the capital. Hearing the survival of Lie Clan Xie Huai’an, the new emperor summoned him to the capital and appointed him as his sword, to hunt down Yan Fengshan, the commander of Hubei Army and most influencial court official, which aligned with Huai’an’s mission for revenge. He gladly accepted and thus began his journey of vengeance only to find himself embroiled with a much bigger struggle than his vendetta.

Tong Mengshi who played Ye Zheng was the one that led me to this show, to my surprise it’s another of Cheng Yi’s work that I have been meaning to watch since last year and had forgotten. Tong mengshi was awesome here! I missed Joy of Life’s Wuzhu, so it’s great to see him again with a main role and real dialogues than mere robotic phrases spoken. And man it is such a satisfaction to see Su Changlin taken down by Xiao Wangyu, he was such a snob after hurting Ye Zheng so badly and using his shimei, the arrogance was a real pain to watch!

The sad scenes are considerably touching. It was heartbreaking when Bai Wan was recounting her earliest memories of her brother when they were on the run, while the rest of the people who listened actually knew who her brother was and where he was located, exactly next to her! But nobody said anything, as Xie Huai’an is adamant that her sister won’t be dragged into his revenge mission. OMG I was so sad for her and Huai’an. So close yet also so far apart. Though I could not understand why she is included in the main cast when her role ceased to be part of the plot even before half of the show.

I really liked the way this story is executed, the ups and downs and unexpected hits that befell on our main characters and ML racking his brains to come up with more twisty plot twists. What’s more surprising is I become more invested in the deposed emperor Xiao Wencheng’s interaction with his oblivious elder brother who deposed him. I really like this fake Zhang Mo character, the screenwriter managed to turn him into a very likable one as opposed to the start of the show when he ruthlessly took down ML’s beloved pageboy. His transformation and growth looked much closer to reality when despite being able to grow some spine during his adventure with Xie Huai’an’s gang, he was still torn between saving his brother or the citizen of Chang’an against Tiemo’s assault, and reverted to his cowardly nature, which cost his brother a whole lot more than a simple promise “ I will let he live,”. Fake Zhang Mo is a coward by nature, although I was dumbfounded when the plot turned that way, I had to admit that this is very much expected of him according to this preset characteristics. And I must say his devotion and worry for Xie Huai’an and the elder brother who usurped his throne was very touching, and his banter with Ye Zheng never ceased to be amusing.

Love the action choreograph! They worked hard at this. Even though the plot and twists could not surpass Nirvana in Fire, I had to say the show is overloaded with action after action, even though our ML Xie Huai’an doesnt know squat of martial art. Ye Zheng, Xie Wangyu, Yan Fengshan, Wang Pu, gosh I cant even list everyone down cuz these characters had executed the action scenes remarkably well.

Be warned, this is a very dark and gory show, with plot so twisty I had to rewind quite a lot to get a grip of it’s flow. Blood is spilled senselessly onscreen episode after episode, AND there is no romance whatsoever. Consider yourselves warned.

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This is not Boring AT ALL

This is a gem.

I've put off watching this thinking it would a boring historical story. But thank God, I was wrong.

The story is paced well. Each character were used well, each being relevant to the story.

Beyond the revenge; the vendetta. This is a story of what it means to be a strategist, the mind, the very being that creates or destroy a person's life, that builds or burn a country to the ground; a story that embodies the saying "if there is a will, there is a way".

Dare I say that this character: Xie Huia'an, is Cheng Yi's top tier level of acting, a very layered role that showed complexity of self and relationship with his love ones to his enemies and to his country. With this, Cheng Yi solidified his place amongst the Chinese actors, and he sits as one of the top, this drama showed how he can command and lead a drama.

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Intriguing from first episode

The twist and everything is amazing. Everyone is so calculative and have their own motives.
All the actors and actresses played their roles so well.
This drama will keep you on the edge of your seats.
Please watch for yourself and ignore the hater comments. They are even faster than actual fans. Who rates a drama upon the first episode and drops without actually continuing ?
I’m all for diff opinions but at least give it a try more than one episode.
Anyways I can’t wait for the ending. I’m suspicious on some of the characters but I’m so excited to see who is the big boss pulling the strings.
Each episode is a plot within a plot. People I believe are dead prob ain’t. I can’t even distinguish between good and evil at this point.

I HAVE COMPLETED IT. The senior actors did such a good job. I predicted some wrong and some right but the last episode was really the best. It was so calculative and I knew the dead Wasnt dead. Won’t spoil anymore but this drama beat chengyi’s other two drama. Best of 2025.

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