- Drama Title: Spring of the Blade
- Also Known As: 一瓯春, A Cup of Love, Yi Ou Chun
- Director: Pan An Zi
- Cast: Xi Kai, Zhou Ye
- Screenwriter: Li Qiang
- Genres: Historical, Romance
- Number of Episodes: 30
- Date of Release: September 17, 2026
- Original Network: iQiyi, Youku
- Where to Watch: iQiyi, Youku
- Adapted from the novel “Yi Ou Chun” by You Si Jie
Dear readers, so sorry for the late update. I’ve watched this drama long time ago and this article was delayed for weeks. But now it’s finally here! Before we get started, a little warning for you. This article contains a lot of rants, complaints, and probably more frustration than I intended. So, if you are a fan of Spring of the Blade, please read this review with an open mind. I promise I’m just being honest about my binge-watching experience. With that said, let’s get down to the business. Happy reading y’all!
Spring of the Blade Drama Review
The Synopsis
Xie Qing Yuan and Shen Run were orphaned at a young age. While Xie Qing Yuan’s mother was killed, Shen Run’s entire family was wiped out at the same night. The two became friends and promised to survive, no matter what.
Before they parted ways, Shen Run gave her a coin as a keepsake. Years later, they meet again. Xie Qing Yuan returns to her paternal clan, determined to avenge her mother’s death. Shen Run, now going by the name Yan Rui, returns to Hengtang to expose corrupts officials.
They are no longer the helpless children who once struggled alone. Xie Qing Yuan has grown into an intelligent, brace, and determined woman. Shen Run has become a cunning and ruthless strategist with unfathomable mind.
Their reunion rekindles the bond they once shared. And this time, they join hands and become each other’s weapons in their quest for revenge.
Together they navigate the fierce power struggles among powerful aristocratic families and the political intrigue of the imperial court. Can Xie Qing Yuan and Shen Run bring down their enemies and find their own happiness is a cruel and treacherous world?
The Review – A Feast for the Eyes, a Test of Patience for the Soul
Dear readers, I should write this review before the one for Against the Current drama. However, that drama completely swept me away, and I forgot almost everything I wanted to write about Spring of the Blade. But here I am, because why not. I’ve already watched 30 episodes, and this drama deserves my honest review.
Let’s jump into the best part of the show: the visuals. Spring of the Blade is not as warm and inviting as Flourished Peony or Lost You Forever. It has a darker vibe, just like in The Glory or My Journey to You. This serious and somber atmosphere suits the heavy themes of the story.
Instead of presenting a beautiful world where hope and love are everywhere, this dark vibe shows that the world of Spring of the Blade is the place where people have to fight for their survival, power, and even happiness.
This is why I think atmosphere is a very important elements in storytelling. Usually, from the first episode, we can feel the story’s emotional weight even before the characters say a word. The atmosphere also shapes how we perceive the characters and their circumstances. Making their struggles feels convincing, as if we were experiencing them rather than watching them unfold on a screen.
After watching Against the Current, which was filled with bright and soft colors, the solid colors in Spring of the Blade feels so intense when you combined it with Zhou Ye and Xu Kai’s strong expressions. Aside from that, Spring of the Blade truly an eye candy for me, especially when it comes to the costumes, accessories, and sets.
Spring of the Blade is inspired by the Song dynasty, which we can see from the elegant costumes, elaborate hair ornaments, and the pearl makeup. They really do put pearls on the face as decoration. Sounds odd, but once you see it, I bet you’ll stunned by the impact. You can see the similar makeup and dresses in The Double, one the best-costumed historical drama in Cdramaland. 😍
Many Cdramas are shot in Hengdian World Studios, the world’s largest film and TV shooting base. And if you spent all year watching Cdramas, you’ll get familiar with the building and the surrounding. I remembered watching Love Like Galaxy’s ending with great excitement because I recognize one of the sets from another drama. But hundreds drama later, now I feel stupid when I think about it. 😆
Meanwhile, Spring of the Blade feels like a breath of fresh air because it was mainly filmed in Puyuan Fashion Ancient Town in Zhejiang and Jiaxing Water Towns. I noticed that this drama has a different charm compared to those filmed in Hengdian, as if the authenticity really had a different impact. You know the difference feelings when you visited a show house and a real house? That is exactly what I feel when watching the drama.
Now, let’s talk about our stars of the show, Zhou Ye and Xu Kai. Both deliver good performance and have strong chemistry. This year, I dropped Xu Kai’s Eight Hundred, because I just didn’t get the right vibe with the drama.
So basically, the last drama of his that I watched in full was Moonlit Reunion with Tian Xi Wei. And I really loved that one because the story was so interesting, the visual are great, and the chemistry was explosive. Although the ending was a little confusing, I chose to ignore it. 😁
Meanwhile, I also dropped Zhou Ye’s Dream of Golden Years because the story was a bit boring to me. Just like Xu Kai, Zhou Ye always manages to build strong chemistry with her drama partners. Who could forget how great she was with Cheng Lei in Legend of Female General, or how she and Lin Yi made a cute couple in Everyone Loves Me.
Personally, I cannot forget her acting with Wang Xing Yue in Scent of Time. It was a good drama that unfortunately didn’t gain enough recognition back then.
And they were not the only one who deliver good performances. The other supporting actors and actresses also did a good job, especially those playing villains, such as Huang Xiao Juan (Old Madam Xie), Fu Da Long (Xie Shu), Miao Pu (Hu Wen Zhuo), or Zhang Yao (Mei Ying Hua). All of them are veteran actors with a long list of filmography. Surely, my favorit one is Zhang Yao, who did a good job in The Crack of Dawn and The Rise of Ning.
Unfortunately, watching too many villains could tire you out. After watching one-third of the drama, I no longer had the urge to throw something at my screen. I swear, I just want to turn it off the screen whenever the story feels unbearable because those villains started acting up.
And that is only possible because the cast did a such a good job playing their characters. I don’t think I can look at Zhang Yao and see Lin Sa, the good boss and partner you could find in Why is He Still Single?, anymore.
With such a stellar cast, Spring of the Blade should have been a fantastic drama. But why do I still feel like it’s missing something? Well, after thinking about it, I guess the problem lies in the writing. It was too bad because this drama has so many potentials, but somehow, it fails to bring all of its ingredients together.
All in all, Spring of the Blade is a drama with beautiful visuals, talented cast, and an intriguing premise. I really do appreciate the effort put into the production, and I certainly enjoyed looking at the costumes and scenery. But this beautiful packaging cannot save a story that struggles to hold my attention.
The Story – When Beauty Isn’t Enough
Spring of the Blade is like a luxurious house you can’t help admiring. Its exterior is stunning. The interior was carefully decorated with exquisite taste. Every corner is Pinterest-esque. But once you stepped into the bathroom, you found out that the plumbing doesn’t work.
As you look closer, you discover that the doors won’t close properly, and the foundation is starting to crack. With so many problems hidden behind those beautiful details, you can’t help but wondering whether the whole house ever passed the building inspection.
This is what I feel about Spring of the Blade…😭
If the visuals serve as the beautiful details, then the story serves as the foundations, while the characters can be the plumbing or doors. 😜
The main theme of Spring of the Blade is a good combination between a revenge story and political intrigue. We have Xie Qing Yuan, a girl who determined to uncover the truth behind her mother’s death and bring the Xie family down.
Then there is Shen Run, a man who gets involved in a corruption investigation while secretly working on his personal mission to clear his family’s name and reputation. With family secrets, household rivalries, and political schemes, this drama has all ingredients for an exciting story, especially for those who loves revenge Cdramas. Unfortunately, even after the finale, the execution doesn’t live up to its potential.
Unlike many other dramas that love to put the backstory anywhere excepts the first episode, Spring of the Blade is kind enough to tell us the details of what happened in Xie Qing Yuan’s life from the beginning. So we don’t have to spend several episodes guessing what happened to the characters before the main story even starts.
The first episode introduces Jin Chun Qing, Xie Qing Yuan’s mother. She was a talented opera performer whose beauty captured Xie Shu’s attention. He then brought her home as his fourth concubine. And I bet you could guess what happened next.
The competition between the women in the inner household is fierce and deadly. When the fifth concubine was found dead, Jin Chun Qing became the prime suspect. She was eventually cast out of the Xie family, even though she was pregnant with Xie Qing Yuan.
One night, the mother and daughter’s peaceful life came to an end when someone murdered Jin Chun Qing and set their house on fire. Xie Qing Yuan narrowly escape the same fate, thanks to Shen Run, who happened to be staying at their house that night.
Both children had been sent out by Jin Chun Qing to meet a precious friend. But when Xie Qing Yuan saw the smoke and flames rising from her home, she rushed back in a panic. It was Shen Run who sensed something terrible had happened and dragged her away to hide.
Everything changed because Xie Qing Yuan lost her mother that night. But she is not the only one. Shen Run also discovered that his family has been wiped out. Now, both of them had reasons to seek revenge. Before they parted ways, they promised to avenge their loved ones. Shen Run also gave Xie Qing Yuan a coin as a keepsake and promised to meet her again in the future.
In my opinion, this should be a very convincing reason for a revenge premise and a future romance. Both children were forced to leave the comfort of their homes and their loved ones. They learned to be independent as they were shaped by the hardships of life.
They even changed their identities. Shen Run went by the name Yan Rui while Xie Qing Yuan took Granny Chen surname and went by the name Chen Yun Ya. They also gradually wove a web of deception to bring their enemies down, no matter what the cost.
This is where I expect the story to shine and become the source of excitement in my dull days. But nope. Nada. The story didn’t live up to the cast’s reputation. Xie Qing Yuan is supposed to be intelligent, cunning, and self-reliant.
She should have been a person whom we all believe could face the strongest obstacles alone because she prepared herself for this. Her revenge journey should be a battle of wits with every move carefully calculated and every decision carrying consequences. Unfortunately, the execution doesn’t always convince me.
I also noticed is the contrast between the two main leads. Shen Run feels like a dynamic character with several sides to his personality. When he appears as Yan Rui, we got to see a lazy, cunning, and hypocritical playboy.
But when he shows up with his real identity, he is a ruthless general and an absolute force that no one can easily stand against. Yet, Shen Run still has human side because he has a soft spot for Xie Qing Yuan. A ruthless general but also a devoted lover. How sweet is that? 😍
Xie Qing Yua, on the other hand, feels rather monotonous and inconsistent to me. She is introduced as a strong, intelligent, stubborn, and cunning young woman. But as the story progresses, I begin to wonder whether the writer remember how she is supposed to be.
Xie Qing Yuan managed to scheme her way into the Xie family. And to do that, she has to get several people to help her. So, she should be capable enough, right?
But then I began to see her as a damsel in distress because she needs to be rescued so many times., whether by Shen Run/Yan Rui, Li Cong Xing, or someone else. She also makes some decisions that leave me furrowing my brows because they seem so out of characters.
And there are also plot holes in the story that made me question the writing. Here is one example.
Remember, Xie Qing Yuan grew up in a humble household. She had not spent years leaning about the Xie family’s political connections or how things worked at court. Yet there is a scene where she discusses the death of an official with her eldest sister, Xie Qing He, the first daughter of the Xie family.
Xie Qing He’s reaction makes sense. She worries that if the case reached the emperor, their father and brother could lose their careers. In the worst-case scenario, the entire family might even be exiled.
But Xie Qing Yuan seems to understand the situation much better. She knows that their father’s influence at court would make it difficult for Yan Rui to go after the Xie family without suffering the consequences. The Censorate would bury him in impeachment memorials.
Excuse me, but how did she know all that? 🤷🏻♀️
I’m not saying that Xie Qing Yuan cannot be intelligent. Quite the opposite. I want her to be intelligent because that is what the story promises us. But intelligence needs to be established through the character’s experiences, knowledge, and actions.
Otherwise, it feels as though the writer simply gives her whatever knowledge she needs for the scene. The same goes with her medical expertise. Where did she learn all that? Did I miss something? Did I fall asleep unknowingly during my binge-watching sessions?
Another thing that frustrated me was the Xie family itself. I don’t think I have ever felt so uncomfortable watching a family’s story unfold. There were so many people capable of being villains in this family, and even the elders of this family are rotten to the core. It’s really tiring watching them.
One thing that bothers me the most. Spring of the Blade’s background is in ancient China, but many of the scenes feels like I was watching a modern drama in a period costume.
Shen Run and Xie Qing Yuan often go out and talk privately. Just the two of them. He put his hand on her waist, in public place. In private place, they kiss to fool other. And don’t get me started on the scene when Shen Run proposes on bended knee. 🤯
I love historical Cdramas. The visuals and costumes are what draw me in. Many Chinese actors and actresses looked completely gorgeous when they wore costumes instead of modern suits or dresses (Liu Yu Ning, hi🙋🏻♀️).
The stories are usually intriguing, although sometimes frustrating. I don’t expect every historical drama to follow history strictly, of course, but I do expect its character to behave consistently within the world they inhabit.
The ending of Spring of the Blade feels too rushed as if they had cut a big chunk of the story so they could put “The End” as soon as possible. It is a happy ending, but I am not happy at all.
In the end, I keep coming back to that luxurious mansion. I can admire its architecture, appreciate the effort put into every little detail, and even find myself wanting to live there.
But if the doors don’t close, the plumbing doesn’t work, and the foundation keeps cracking, how long can I keep admiring it without wondering whether the whole building is about to collapse?
The Characters
Xie Qing Yuan / Chen Yun Ya (Played by Zhou Ye)
Xie Qing Yuan is the fourth daughter of the Xie family. His father is Xie Shu, is an important official who wield power inside and outside the court. Her mother is Jin Chun Qing, an opera performer and Xie Shu’s fourth concubine. She is an intelligent, resilient, determined, and guarded person.
In front of the elders of the Xie family, she presents herself as a weak and vulnerable girl. But when someone bullies her, Xie Qing Yuan isn’t afraid to retaliate. When she speaks, her words are often full of sarcasm, and she has plenty of courage. Her bold personality is what draws Shen Run to her.
Shen Run / Yan Rui (Played by Xu Kai)
Shen Run is the son of Shen Zhi Bai, a nobleman and an important court official. While Yan Rui is an Imperial Advisor of the Ministry of Revenue, Shen Run is the Commander of the Palace Guard. They are the same person, of course.
But Yan Rui is more of a laid-back person, a playboy surrounded by women, and loves hanging out at brothels. However, behind those smiles, Shen Run is a calculating, ruthless, and cunning. He is also a very protective person, especially when it comes to his loved ones. Xie Qing Yuan is the only person, aside from his brother, Shen Che, whose holds a special place in his heart.
Li Cong Xin / Chun Zhi (Played by Xu Zhen Xuan)
Li Cong Xin, courtesy name Chun Zhi, is the heir to Marquis of Dang Yang. He comes from a noble family. His father holds military power, but Li Cong Xin lives like an idle young master. Li Cong Xin is a kind, passionate, persistent, and stubborn person.
Many women fall for him because of his status and handsome appearance, including Xie Qing Ru, Xie family’s second daughter. With all the privileges he enjoys, Li Cong Xin could achieve so much. Yet, he is so used to live living in his own bubble. He really needs someone to slap him hard enough to make him the real world from a different perspective.
Old Madam Xie (Played by Huang Xiao Juan)
Old Madam Xie holds the highest authority in the Xie family as its matriarch. She is Xie Shu’s mother, making her Xie Qing Yuan’s grandmother. This old lady may be advanced in age, but her mind is still sharp. She is a devout Buddhist who appears gentle and warm on the surface.
But she is actually a calculating, controlling, and manipulative person. Old Madam Xie is frightening person because she doesn’t need to win every argument herself. Instead, she knows how to influence the people fighting around her. She intentionally keeps Hua Wen Zhuo and Mei Ying Hua at odds to maintain the balance of power within the family.
Xie Shu (Played by Fu Da Long)
Xie Shu is the Army Inspector of the Northern Frontier and Right Senior Attendant of the court. In the beginning, Xie Shu appears to be a passionate lover, a good father, and a filial son.
But when it comes to power, he drops all pretenses and reveals his greed, ambition, and cold heart. Xie Shu is more than just a hypocrite. He put his own interest above everything else.
Hu Wen Zhuo (Played by Miao Pu)
Hu Wen Zhuo is Xie Shu’s principal wife, who came from the prominent Hu family. Her biological daughter is Xie Qing Ru, but after Concubine Xia died, she took Xie Qing Rong under her wings. Later, when Xie Qing Yuan entered the family, she was also listed as her daughter.
On the surface, Hu Wen Zhuo appears calm, reserved, kind, and dignified. Hower, she is actually a very dangerous woman who holds grudges and is scheming, vindictive, and two-faced. Yet, people are often misled by her because of her gentle demeanor.
Mei Ying Hua (Played by Zhang Yao)
Mei Ying Hua is Xie Shu’s second concubine. Although she is just a concubine, she holds the power to manage the household. She is proud, arrogant, and hostile because Xie Shu favors her.
Mei Ying Hua has gave birth to two sons, Xie Zheng Lun and Xie Zheng Jun. They are her pride and joy. Mei Ying Hua is very protective of them. She secretly embezzled the family money for the future she paved for her sons.
Lian Fan Qiao (Played by Min Chun Xiao)
Lian Fan Qiao is Xie Shu’s third concubine and Xia Qing He’s mother. She has kept a low profile because she believes it is the only way to protect her daughter and herself.
For years, she endured the suppression from Hu Wen Zhuo and Mei Ying Hua. Lian Fan Qiao is submissive and timid. She always avoids any confrontation even when she has a good reason to speak up.
The Conclusion
Spring of the Blade has a promising foundation. The revenge motives are convincing, the political intrigue has potential, and the two leads could complement each other beautifully. But the writing struggles to bring these elements together into a satisfying story.
If you are here for the visuals, gorgeous costumes, and beautiful sets, or simply for Xu Kai and Zhou Ye, this is the right place for you. And I admit that I stayed for the full 30 episodes because Xu Kai was the male lead. He is sooo handsome here! However, if you aim for the story, I suggest you go to find it somewhere else. You will not find it here.
Well, that’s all, dear readers. I’m glad I can finally let go of these rants that have been occupying my mind lately. Thank you for your patience and support. I love you all. Goodbye!
