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A richly satisfying completion of Flourished Peony
A 2025 historical Cdrama which completes the story begun in Flourished Peony, of the love of He Wei Fang (known as Mudan) and Jiang Changyang. 24 eps x 45mins. ea = 18 hrs watch time. This was originally scripted and mostly produced as a grand drama of 56 eps., but as a result of new rules limiting dramas to no more than 40 episodes it was broken into two and renamed. I would advise chunking it up into a few large sections for bingeing which bridge that break.
I have reviewed Flourished Peony separately but to summarize the overall plot: He Wei Fang, the daughter of an apothecary and a peony cultivator, escapes a dangerous and loveless marriage in the provinces with some coincidental help from the Floral Envoy of the Emperor (a part of the Ministry of Rites). He, for his part, was evading a betrothal to a princess (the 'County Princess') who had been the long-time secret and devoted lover of Mudan's husband.
Mudan then escapes her family on her own and, penniless in the capitol city of Chang'an, gathers together capital and loyal associates and recovers her stolen inheritance, her mother's store. ChangYang never forgets her and helps her in hidden ways, since his public persona is of a corrupt and heartless imperial playboy. As they fall slowly in love, he becomes her investor, her friend and eventually her contract-husband in a fake concubinage-marriage.
ChangYang is engaged in a long-term secret and dangerous plan, together with his childhood friend the Emperor, to root out corrupt officials throughout the government. His ostensive patron is the older brother of the Emperor, Prince Ning, who plans to become emperor himself. Prince Ning is the father of the County Princess and the father-in-law of the now humiliated and crippled ex-husband of Mudan, Liu Chang, who has since become obsessed with recovering Mudan, and, in his delusions, his original 'honourable' self. The continuous danger posed by the Ning household's machinations and interventions dogs our couple throughout the story.
This is not a drama for the impatient. The affection of the leads for each other is palpable very early but they have to endure many trials before they can finally confess their love to each other. Never boring, the love between two very strong and independent individuals, separately shaped by their complicated pasts, is masterfully depicted.
Truly excellent cast. Even tho it is such a largescale production, many separate individuals still stand out clearly. This is a powerfully theatrical script and it offers the leads big roles, with subtle emotions and grand gestures. The performances of Li Xian, Yang Zi and Miles Wei were stratospherically good. The Emperor, the Prince, the County Princess, and more, were great.
An original and strong script situated in a really fine, grand production; lovely music, beautiful spectacles, costuming, etc. This is a show to savor intensely, for much more than the central romance and the political intrigue. The depiction of the world of pleasure and entertainment in Tang society which dominates Part One is a treat. Differently so, the well-done high dramatic tone of Part Two is masterful. It manages to weave together poetry, proverbs and political speech (which can be insanely jarring in many cdrama productions) as the fundamental pleasure of the revelation of of the plot's long term developments.
Flourished Peony covers the struggle of Mudan to establish her horticultural business and the evolution of the Mudan's and ChangYang's relationship from patron/client to a more equal and enduring affection. The fragility of the spaces for women of energy and ambition provides much of the drama. Men in the community and in her profession utilize whatever they can to challenge her efforts, for all sorts of reasons, from the personal to professional competition. The County Princess' desperate attempts to recover her husband's love begin to escalate dangerously.
In this second part the very dangerous long-term political project of ChangYang and his friend the Tang Emperor comes to fruition. We learn more about his past through Mudan's increasing knowledge. The romance between Mudan and ChangYang hovers for a long time in the grey areas of an intimate friendship. They pledge their loyalty to each other tentatively, over and over again. When they become lovers it is richly satisfying to see. Li Xian and Yang Zi are veterans of modern cdrama romances and are at ease with the move into physical affection. They are beautiful lovers, and the script takes pains to situate their love in the community that Mudan has built for them. You will absolutely love the ending(s).
I have reviewed Flourished Peony separately but to summarize the overall plot: He Wei Fang, the daughter of an apothecary and a peony cultivator, escapes a dangerous and loveless marriage in the provinces with some coincidental help from the Floral Envoy of the Emperor (a part of the Ministry of Rites). He, for his part, was evading a betrothal to a princess (the 'County Princess') who had been the long-time secret and devoted lover of Mudan's husband.
Mudan then escapes her family on her own and, penniless in the capitol city of Chang'an, gathers together capital and loyal associates and recovers her stolen inheritance, her mother's store. ChangYang never forgets her and helps her in hidden ways, since his public persona is of a corrupt and heartless imperial playboy. As they fall slowly in love, he becomes her investor, her friend and eventually her contract-husband in a fake concubinage-marriage.
ChangYang is engaged in a long-term secret and dangerous plan, together with his childhood friend the Emperor, to root out corrupt officials throughout the government. His ostensive patron is the older brother of the Emperor, Prince Ning, who plans to become emperor himself. Prince Ning is the father of the County Princess and the father-in-law of the now humiliated and crippled ex-husband of Mudan, Liu Chang, who has since become obsessed with recovering Mudan, and, in his delusions, his original 'honourable' self. The continuous danger posed by the Ning household's machinations and interventions dogs our couple throughout the story.
This is not a drama for the impatient. The affection of the leads for each other is palpable very early but they have to endure many trials before they can finally confess their love to each other. Never boring, the love between two very strong and independent individuals, separately shaped by their complicated pasts, is masterfully depicted.
Truly excellent cast. Even tho it is such a largescale production, many separate individuals still stand out clearly. This is a powerfully theatrical script and it offers the leads big roles, with subtle emotions and grand gestures. The performances of Li Xian, Yang Zi and Miles Wei were stratospherically good. The Emperor, the Prince, the County Princess, and more, were great.
An original and strong script situated in a really fine, grand production; lovely music, beautiful spectacles, costuming, etc. This is a show to savor intensely, for much more than the central romance and the political intrigue. The depiction of the world of pleasure and entertainment in Tang society which dominates Part One is a treat. Differently so, the well-done high dramatic tone of Part Two is masterful. It manages to weave together poetry, proverbs and political speech (which can be insanely jarring in many cdrama productions) as the fundamental pleasure of the revelation of of the plot's long term developments.
Flourished Peony covers the struggle of Mudan to establish her horticultural business and the evolution of the Mudan's and ChangYang's relationship from patron/client to a more equal and enduring affection. The fragility of the spaces for women of energy and ambition provides much of the drama. Men in the community and in her profession utilize whatever they can to challenge her efforts, for all sorts of reasons, from the personal to professional competition. The County Princess' desperate attempts to recover her husband's love begin to escalate dangerously.
In this second part the very dangerous long-term political project of ChangYang and his friend the Tang Emperor comes to fruition. We learn more about his past through Mudan's increasing knowledge. The romance between Mudan and ChangYang hovers for a long time in the grey areas of an intimate friendship. They pledge their loyalty to each other tentatively, over and over again. When they become lovers it is richly satisfying to see. Li Xian and Yang Zi are veterans of modern cdrama romances and are at ease with the move into physical affection. They are beautiful lovers, and the script takes pains to situate their love in the community that Mudan has built for them. You will absolutely love the ending(s).
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