A Dream of Splendor
In the early 11th Century, the future of the Empire is in doubt after a damning painting of the Empress’ past life goes missing – threatening to undermine the Imperial family. Gu Qian Fan (Chen Xiao), the commander of an elite military unit, is dispatched to find the picture before it falls into the wrong hands. Meanwhile, Zhao Pan Er (Liu Yi Fei), a young woman who is on the trail of her missing fiancé, has also come to the Imperial capital in search of answers. She has joined forces with two women whom she has saved from the jaws of despair: Song Yinzhang (Lin Yun) and Sun San Niang (Liu Yan). The latter was abandoned by her husband and barred from seeing her child, while the former was being abused by her philandering husband. The three women open a small tea house, which soon becomes the talk of the town, due to their diverse culinary, tea-making, and musical talents. Eventually, Zhao Pan Er and Gu Qian Fan’s paths cross. Although they initially mistrust one another, they start to realize that a closer relationship could be of mutual benefit. What will happen, however, when the romance begins to spark between them? “A Dream of Splendor” is a 2022 Chinese drama series that was directed by Yang Yang.