Rachel

I'm just like you, I became a fan of Cheng Yi's acting after watching MLC, I dropped Love and Redemption due to misunderstandings😅. And then I decided to find more information about Cheng Yi on Chinese social media platforms because he is so low-profile. As I researched and watched many of his past content, I realised that he is an incredibly genuine and kind person. Like I know he is a celebrity (caution should be taken when idolising celebrities) but from videos taken by fans years ago (back when he was not so famous), you can tell that he has very high morals, is very kind, hardworking, and strong in character. His character is so consistent, consistently good, just that he became more introverted and developed some social anxiety after all the cyberbullying. Even paparazzi can't find any dirt on him and haters can only attack his body, looks, nails, voice etc which I find ridiculous because this man is so physically attractive.

And when I'm on the Chinese social media platforms then did I find out about the crazy fanwars and data comparisons. Like you, I was shocked. Personally even before becoming a big fan of Cheng Yi, I am (and still am) a fan of many other actors and actresses. It hurts me so bad to see all the fanwars going on but the celebrities that I see being hated on the MOST currently are Cheng Yi and Zhao Lusi. Zhao Lusi is able to speak up and defend herself, she likes trolling haters and she also has her friends supporting her but Cheng Yi doesn't do that. I usually don't comment on MDL at all but ever since Fu Shan Hai, I started commenting trying to support his dramas. The Fu Shan Hai hate was insane (especially so on Weibo), it's actually a very very elaborate scheme with a lot of funding.

I also really hope that things go well for him but I am genuinely scared😭😭. I know Cheng Yi loves acting with a passion but sometimes I just hope that he can be away from the terrible and dark entertainment industry.

Usually fanpages tend to post positive things which is good but then most international fans won't understand what he is going through. Cheng Yi himself also doesn't like to complain or talk about his difficulties. If you don't have Weibo, Xiaohongshu (rednote) is also good for getting updates and past videos/content. And I think Xiaohongshu is not as crazy as Weibo. Xiaohongshu definitely has more positivity than negativity so it's a good place to get updates.

That's precisely the reason. The Chinese entertainment industry isn't so fun or carefree as what they portray. Cheng Yi, a celebrity who came from a village in the countryside, who started out sincerely in small roles and worked his way up apparently became a thorn in some other people's eyes. Basically, he became a threat due to his good qualities. Unfortunately, the negativity has started since five years ago and will not be stopping because Cheng Yi is becoming a larger threat.

I feel like his imprisonment could be due to a variety of reasons. XHA was acknowledged by Xiao Wuyang to be the most dangerous person in Chang'An. He is useful to the royal family in times of peril but a threat to them in times of peace. I don't think Xiao Wuyang would be that ungrateful to imprison him though. The Grand Preceptor Cen Wenzhong may also be one of the reasons too, I don't know where exactly does his loyalties lie. Lastly, XHA could also be "self-imprisoned". Maybe he got burned very badly during the fire and was somehow saved by Cen Wenzhong and doesn't want to reveal himself to his friends yet. I don't know...maybe that person isn't even XHA. We'll see if there's a S2...

Sigh, honestly based on Douban's standard in the past, I believe this show deserves a rating between 7-8. Douban ratings tend to be harsher than other ratings but 6.9 is seriously a joke for this drama.

Haish, I just watched a detailed 1hr+ video on bilibili about the history of Cheng Yi and a certain large group of haters. The uploader compiled many many evidence of what that group did and I'm so shocked that the whole thing is such an elaborate scheme. It doesn't seem to be simply some farwars but there's someone genuinely trying to bring him down since years ago. Someone has loads of backers too. I'm actually so scared and heartbroken for Cheng Yi 🥹😭. The reason why Cheng Yi can persevere is because he truly is too good, his heart and character are too strong.

Another thing to note is that I realised hate videos of Cheng Yi go crazily viral on bilibili but the video I just watched only attracted a significantly smaller portion of viewers 🥹

Yes. You were asking about the enemy that Huai An couldn't see clearly when his family was being massacred right? Or did I misunderstand your question 😅

Coming back to this show again 🥺. Such a masterpiece, plot, actors, acting, costumes, music, cinematography, dialogue are all really good. I hope more people give this show a try!

Who is Ding'er or you mean Ye Zheng? Ye Zheng was in love with the seamtress girl who had a grudge with Liu Ziyan (XHA's uncle).

Personally I think that XHA is dead. He should reunite with his family. If he is the man that is being imprisoned, that's just too sad 🥹

Wu Zhongheng, the man that was imprisoned by Yan Fengshan.

Completely not Wuxia.

I watch all the episodes on Youtube but the subs there aren't good 😅You may have to try @aliyamalik's suggestion.

Highly recommend Draw the Line, a modern law drama. It's so good one of my favourites! There's romance but it's not the main focus.

True, I understand that the revenge may be misdirected if that is the case but I think the script may have been limited by censorship and China's "for the country/ greater good" agenda. I could be wrong though 😅 How I wish this was a novel, I would read it.

Hmm I'm also slightly confused by the timeline. I think that the trapping of the 100 Huben guards in the granary was probably not directly done by Wu Zhongheng. He used the intel he got from the woman to lure and trap the 100 Huben guard but he was not the one physically trapping them. It's his strategy. I went to rewatch that part (episode 23), there's no indication of YFS seeing WZH there or recognising WZH. I think YFS mentioned that the Chen Valley incident was 25 years ago when he was talking to Wang Pu. WZH was "imprisoned" by YFS around after Liu Ziwen died. WZH said in Episode 3 that he was imprisoned at Yulong Ridge for more than 10 years. So it seems like YFS only knew of WZH true identity later on and not immediately after he escaped the granary?

There's no direct connection between YFS escaping the granary and YFS derailing WZH's plans. WZH is merely telling a story that he did not expect that one Huben guard (YFS) who had escaped to later grow in power, kill Liu Ziwen before he did, and foil his plans.

Why did the Huben Army betrayed Liu Ziwen and Liu Clan?

I saw some Chinese fans' analysis that it was the founding emperor's order. In the first episode, when talking about his background, Huai An said to his two friends that he is the son of a condemned/guilty official. If Liu Ziwen was framed to be a condemned official, this could explain why the entire Liu Clan were being hunted down and killed. Liu Ziwen (with his Huben Army) was probably becoming a huge threat to the imperial family. Originally, Liu Ziwen NOT teaching Liu Zhi martial arts was his stand to show the founding emperor that Liu Zhi will not inherit the Huben Army and that Liu Clan will never dare to seize greater power and rebel. However, with Liu Zhi (Xie Huai An) showing remarkable talent like his father, the Liu Clan becomes an even bigger threat.

Additionally, Wu Zhongheng (Tiemo King) infiltrated part of the imperial court as the grand tutor. His motive would have been to destabilise Chang An by destabilising the Huben Army that has been strongly protecting Chang An for decades. Wu Zhongheng may have played a role in planting doubts in the founding emperor's mind, especially since he also praised Liu Zhi for being more exceptionally talented than the other students (princes and nobles). This may have caused the founding emperor to be more suspicious and wary of the Liu Clan.

However, the founding emperor understands the importance of the Huben Army for the country. He wants to completely remove Liu Ziwen and the Liu Clan from power but at the same time he needs the Huben Army to remain. It was not enough to just let Liu Ziwen to hand over the power because Liu Ziwen's influence is too great. He and his entire clan had to be killed. Therefore, Liu Ziwen + Liu Clan were framed and the founding emperor allowed Yan Fengshan to control the Huben Army. Why Yan Fengshan? In Episode 22, Old Sha mentioned that when they were younger, the founding emperor, Liu Ziwen, Cen Pickles, and Wu Zhongheng all hanged out together. Yan Fengshan was younger than them and occassionally joined them but back then, in their eyes, YFS was only an inexperienced young man. Sooo they were all friends?? Most probably, based on his understanding of Yan Fengshan during their younger days, the founding emperor believed that Yan Fengshan wouldn't be a big threat and that he could control him. But as we know, the Chen Valley incident left a huge impact on Yan Fengshan which led him to develop bloodthirst and hunger for power.

Wu Zhongheng said that when he saw Liu Ziwen dead, he wanted to bring the Tiemo Troops to invade Chang An but then he discovered that Yan Fengshan has already stationed troops at the border. Why does Yan Fengshan have that much authority/power when before Liu Ziwen's death, he was merely an assistant general or one of the Huben leaders? It's probably because of the founding emperor's orders. After Liu Ziwen's death, the founding emperor ruled for 11 more years before dying. It's very unlikely that he was too old and weak to control Yan Fengshan at the time of the Liu Clan's massacre. Maybe in his dying years, yes. He didn't expect Yan Fengshan to be that power hungry and uncontrollable.

Other Hints:
When talking to Zhou Mo, Xie Huai An said that there's no use clearing his family's name when everyone is dead already. It probably is also because that there's no way to clear his family name since the founding emperor is already dead.

After Gu Yu was captured, Xie Huai An went to find Chancellor Gao and expressed that he hope that they (Xiao Wuyang/Imperial Family) won't dispose of Gu Yu now that he's no longer useful. Gu Yu is also a loyal general just like Huai An's father. If not for Huai An, he would also be "sacrificed" to protect the Xiao imperial clan's authority.

In Episode 15, Xiao Wuyang asked Huai An if he would continue serving the imperial clan and using his talent for the country and people, and Huai An replied that was exactly what his father once did. Then there was a slight silence. It seemed like both Huai An and Xiao Wuyang knew roughly what caused the Liu Clan massacre 15 years ago.

SPOILERS on why Huben Army betrayed Liu Ziwen. I put this together based on what I read from Cnetz. There are hints here and there throughout the show. I don't think I covered everything but it makes sense to me.

For fans of Cheng Yi, he uploaded a 3-4 minute 2025 recap video that he edited himself! It's nothing professional but it's so precious for us fans because he rarely uploads any personal photos/videos 🥺.

https://weibo.com/2060419113/5250072049895689

Happy New Year! 🎊❤️

It's a very long story if I go in detail but his company actively sabotages him (afraid that he gets too famous and won't renew the contract), doesn't protect him (rarely do they take legal action against his massive hate campaigns), overworks him (even when he had a serious accident and broke his leg, he went back to set on the same day after visiting the hospital and filmed while on crutches), removes his important scenes in dramas just to add scenes/unnecessary storylines for rookie actresses/actors from his company (e.g., Sword and Beloved and The Journey of Legend), forces him to take roles and ignores him/doesn't promote him if he refuses.

Many other notable artists left his company, for example, Yang Zi, Ren Jialun, Zhang Yuxi, and Liu Xueyi. Because Cheng Yi is the biggest "cash cow" for his company in recent years, fans are afraid of the price he has to pay in order to leave the company or whether he can even leave the company in peace. A famous actress like Ju Jingyi, for example, is getting sued by her ridiculous company even after her contract ended.

He never even had martial art skills in the first place. He "fights", yes, but the way he "fights" is not by using any proper martial arts skills or whatsoever.

Thank you for always updating us about Cheng Yi and this drama's achievements! Reallyyy appreciate the positivity and support that you bring to this page! ❤️