Love In Pavilion (淮水竹亭) is related to the Fox Spirit Matchmaker series although you don’t have to watch the latter in order to understand this drama. To be honest, this title didn’t really catch my eye until I saw the high number of viewers. This is because I watched the earlier production and it didn’t impress me. So, I was wary of starting this one. But the ratings and popularity made me change my mind. Did I make the right decision to spend my time on this? You can find out in my Love In Pavilion review below.
My rating: 7.5/10
Episodes: 36
Type: Fantasy
Aired: April 2025
Images credit: iQIYI Facebook
The Cast Of Love In Pavilion
- Cecilia Liu Shi Shi as Dongfang Huai Zhu
- Leon Zhang Yun Long as Wangquan Hong Ye
- Wu Xuan Yi as Wangquan Zui
- Zhai Xiao Wen as Yang Yi Tan
- Chen You Wei as Li Zi Zai
- Zhao Yi Bo as Li Qu Zhou
- Shen Yue as Dongfang Qin Lan
- Ding Yu Xi as Zhang Zheng
- Meng Zi Yi as Qing Mu Yuan
- Zhang Ruo Nan as Yang Yan
- Charles Lin as Jiu Huo
- Jerry Huang as Jin Ren Feng
- Peng Xiao Ran as Jia Lan
Main Characters
Dongfang Huai Zhu
Huai Zhu is from the Divine Fire Villa which is associated with the Yiqi Alliance. She is beautiful and calm with an intelligence to match. Huai Zhu is born with strong spiritual powers. Her father is Dongfang Chu Ri who is the Master of Divine Fire Villa which believes in the co-existence between humans and demons. Her mother, Jiang Juan Xue, died when she was young.
Wangquan Hong Ye
Hong Ye is the Young Master of Wangquan Manor which is the leader of the Yiqi Alliance. He is also the Sword Master of the secretive Mask Group which is a chivalrous outfit that protects the weak including demons and exposes the evil doers to enable peaceful coexistence. Hong Ye is a principled man who has to shoulder the responsibilities of being the leader of the alliance. He is smart, strategic and a powerful cultivator.
Supporting Characters
Wangquan Zui
Zui is Hong Ye’s younger sister. She is also part of the Mask Group. She is a cheerful young lady and gifted with spiritual powers being a descendant of the Wangquan family. Her specialty is in hypnotism with the ability to control people’s memory.
Yang Yi Tan, Li Zi Zai & Li Qu Zhou
The 3 young men are members of the Masked Group. Yang Yi Tan is the grandson of the Master of Clairvoyant Yang Family. He has the Heavenly Eye which enables him to see through an enemy’s weak points and moves as well as the energy flow of his surroundings. He is also the 2nd brother of the group. Zi Zai is the 3rd brother while Qu Zhou is the 4th. Both Zi Zai and Qu Zhou are siblings. Qu Zhou’s specialty lies in his ability to create and repair artifacts.
Dongfang Qin Lan
Qin Lan is Huai Zhu’s younger sister. She is a cheeky and cheerful young lady and has a close bond with her sister.
Zhang Zheng
Zhang Zheng is the Master of Zhang Family which is a member of the Yiqi Alliance. He is a quiet but dangerous man.
Qingmu Yuan
Qingmu Yuan is a member of the Masked Group. She owns Ruyi Pavilion which runs a vast intelligence network. She is a sophisticated lady and could appear as arrogant to others.
Yang Yan
Yang Yan is Yi Tan’s aunt and daughter of the Master of Clairvoyant Yang Family. She has a lover, Mu Xiao Wu, whom her father looks down upon due to his humble background. Together, they have a son named Mu Mie. Yang Yan is also Huai Zhu’s best friend since childhood.
Jiu Huo
Jiu Huo is a celestial demon of the Netherworld Clan. He is a powerful demon whose evil deeds are motivated by love.
Jin Ren Feng
Jin Ren Feng is from the Divine Fire Villa. He is a disciple of Dongfang Chu Ri. He has one-sided feelings for Huai Zhu and is a jealous man. Jin Ren Feng is ambitious but only has average spiritual powers.’
Jia Lan
Jia Lan is a Fox Demon who is crafty. She was Jiu Huo’s lover in the past.
Synopsis
Hong Ye is the Young Master of Yiqi Alliance. When a member of the alliance is killing demons to forge weapons, Hong Ye tries to stop it. Along the way, he gets entangled with Huai Zhu who is trying to save a friend’s lover who has been imprisoned by the same member. While Hong Ye wants to stabilize the situation with peaceful coexistence between demons and humans, he also invites enemies from within the alliance who see demons as enemies to be killed. Some also view him as arrogant and want to replace him as the new leader of the alliance.
A misunderstanding occurs between Hong Ye and Huai Zhu after their cooperation and she puts an end to their relationship. But when a celestial demon is let loose and preys on Huai Zhu, Hong Ye rushes to save her. This incident makes them aware that there is a powerful evil demon beyond the boundary of the realms which is waiting to be freed and Huai Zhu is the identified vessel for the demon’s soul.
Love In Pavilion Ending & Recap (Spoilers Alert!)
Love In Pavilion has a bittersweet ending. After defeating Lady Black Fox, Hong Ye suffers from physical exhaustion and mental trauma. He loses his spirit with the death of Zui, Yi Tan, Qingmu Yuan, Zhang Zheng, Zi Zai, and Qi Yue in the battle. Qu Zhou survives but becomes a cripple. As a result, Hong Ye is deeply scarred. Similarly, Huai Zhu loses her father who was killed by Jin Ren Feng and her sister, Qing Lan, remains missing during her escape. She too is exhausted after helping Hong Ye to stop Lady Black Fox from absorbing hatred from the Tushan Grief Tree.
With the death of so many members, Yiqi Alliance becomes weak and demons go on a rampage. Hong Ye becomes frustrated and disillusioned as he now has to fight alone. It pains Huai Zhu to see him miserable and struggling. So, she decides to heal him with love and gives him a child. With the threat of Lady Black Fox returning in the future, Huai Zhu quietly plans to pass on her Dongfang spiritual energy to her baby. Together with the Wangquan’s secret technique, it would awaken the child’s innate sword spirit. A combination of both the Dongfang and Wangquan strengths means the child has the potential to be an unparalleled swords master.
However, Huai Zhu is carrying internal injuries and a weakening foundation. Passing her spiritual energy to her child means she would die. Hence, she passes away shortly after giving birth to a son named Fu Gui whom she wished could accompany Hong Ye. A few years later, the Yiqi Alliance families start to cultivate new talents for future challenges. Hong Ye revitalizes Wangquan Manor and reestablishes order between humans and demons as the leader of Yiqi Alliance with his son by his side.
When Did The Leads Get Together?
Huai Zhu blames Hong Ye for her best friend’s lover’s (Mu Xiao Wu’s) death in Episode 8. She doesn’t like his scheming as it feels like he was using Mu Xiao Wu to bring down the Nangong Family. So, when he unmasks himself to reveal his face to her in Episode 9, she ends their budding relationship instead.
When Huai Zhu is kidnapped by Jiu Huo and loses her memory in Episode 20, Hong Ye goes to save her. He almost dies to cleanse away all her demonic aura and make her regain her memory in Episode 16. When she awakens and sees Hong Ye unconscious, she transfers energy to him via a kiss. They become a couple in Episode 17 after the incident. In Episode 28, Hong Ye tells Huai Zhu that he wants them to get betrothed after they have settled the problem of Lady Black Fox. He marries her in Episode 35 to save her from Jin Ren Feng’s confinement.
Huai Zhu’s Background
Huai Zhu is suspicious of her background after she was identified as a vessel for the evil demon, Jia Lan. Her father then tells her that her mother was the Saintess of Northern Hill Sect in the Beast Kingdom in Episode 19. Her mother was Jiang Juan Xue. She left Huai Zhu some clues if she wants to know about her background. This leads Huai Zhu to the Twilight Mist Flower in Beast Kingdom in Episode 25. Her mother had helped the flower mature but also trapped it there to wait for Huai Zhu to show up.
In Episode 26, Jiang Juan Xue appears through a shard of her soul that has been kept by the flower. She reveals to Huai Zhu and Qin Lan that she was just a sacrificial offering for her sect. The sect’s sacred place had buried 10,000 lives to seal up Jia Lan and Jiu Huo. So, she was offered as sacrifice like those before her to appease the 10,000 vengeful spirits. Jia Lan offered to save Jiang Juan Xue. In return, Jiang Juan Xue had to bring out a shard of Jia Lan’s soul from the place.
Jiang Juan Xue also had to marry into Divine Fire Villa and bear a daughter because the Dongfang spiritual blood could nourish Jia Lan’s soul shard and become the perfect vessel for her soul later on. But Jiang Juan Xue fell in love with Dongfang Chu Ri and refused to play along further. But Jia Lan’s power alarmed her and she was forced to conceive. Eventually, Jiang Juan Xue found out about the Twilight Mist Flower which could suppress Jia Lan’s soul shard forever once absorbed by Huai Zhu. So, she used up all her powers to make the flower mature and died from the effort.
Who Is Jia Lan?
Jia Lan is revealed to be Eternal Night in Episode 9. She has been sealed outside the boundary of the realms and waiting for Jiu Huo to free her. Huai Zhu is supposed to be her vessel since Jia Lan has no form. In Episode 11, Jia Lan is also revealed to be a Fox Demon. We are told that Jiu Huo and Jia Lan were lovers in the past in Episode 12. Jiu Huo’s flashback in Episode 27 reveals that Jia Lan had once slayed the last celestial dragon for its core to save him.
A mural in the Beast Kingdom’s secret chamber tells their story. After the last dragon was killed, the Old King of Beast Kingdom and the Elder of Northern Hill Sect entrapped Jiu Huo and chained him up. Jia Lan turned up to rescue him but was trapped too. Her blood was sucked dry as the Old King needed it to create a talisman that could control demons. She lost her body form then.
In Episode 28, we are told that the Old King didn’t know that Jia Lan’s primordial spirit could absorb the world’s hatred and become powerful. She delighted in hatred after what was done to her. Later, Jia Lan slaughtered the Beast Kingdom and the unjustly killed souls generated endless resentment which she fed on. This made her more powerful and the cycle continued. Jia Lan lost herself completely eventually and emerged as Lady Black Fox. Subsequently, the 3rd Young Master of Aolai Kingdom used all his strength to keep her beyond the boundary where she remains.
What Happened To Jiu Huo?
Jiu Huo exhausted all his powers to open up the connection between the Black Grief Tree beyond the boundary and the Tushan Grief Tree inside the boundary in Episode 29. The purpose is to enable Jia Lan to absorb the hatred from the tree inside the boundary. However, he realizes too late that the Jia Lan he knew has turned into Lady Black Fox.
Once he has outlived his usefulness, Lady Black Fox instructed Jin Ren Feng to finish off Jiu Huo for his demon core in Episode 30. But Jiu Huo absorbs whatever evil power he could for one last time to ward off Jin Ren Feng and to try to kill Hong Ye. Jiu Huo dies and fades away after Hong Ye defeated him.
Jin Ren Feng’s Fate
In Episode 30, Jin Ren Feng then sweet-talks Xiao Tan into telling him her Leech Clan’s secret on blood exchange. He kills her after knowing the secret. He also starts poisoning Dongfang Chu Ri’s food in Episode 31 in a plan to exchange his blood for his master’s pure Dongfang spiritual blood with its divine flame power. When Huai Zhu rushes back to Divine Fire Villa to see her sick father, she is confined by Jin Ren Feng in Episode 33. Jin Ren Feng has taken control of the sect. A servant tells Huai Zhu what Jin Ren Feng has done including killing her father for his blood.
As Jin Ren Feng wants to marry both the Dongfang sisters, Huai Zhu sends Qin Lan out of Divine Fire Villa in Episode 34. But Qin Lan jumps off a cliff to escape from Jin Ren Feng’s men and goes missing. Hong Ye arrives with his men to take Huai Zhu away in a marriage plot to get her to safety in Episode 35. Huai Zhu then researches about the Leech Clan blood exchange technique to get revenge. She discovers that any loss of the Dongfang spiritual blood acquired by Jin Ren Feng cannot be regenerated.
Hence, she wounds him in an attack although she also took a hit with his retaliation. Hong Ye arrives to help Huai Zhu and pierces his sword into Jin Ren Feng’s body. As a result of the blood loss, Jin Ren Feng is reduced to an old man and requires elixirs to live.
Second Couple
Yi Tan and Zui grew up together. They are also betrothed to each other while young. Yi Tan kisses Zui while half-conscious from an injury in Episode 12. However, he claims that he only sees her as a sister when she asks him if he likes her in Episode 17. In Episode 19, Yi Tan tells his sworn brothers that he likes Zui but feels that he can’t give her a better life. He has been told that he will die young by his nephew who also has the Heavenly Eye. Zui is also secretly listening in to their conversation and now understands why Yi Tan is hesitant.
After thinking it over, Yi Tan feels that life is short and he wants to marry Zui instead. Zui also feels the same and they end up informing their intention to Hong Ye separately. Zui confesses her feelings to Yi Tan and they become a couple in Episode 20. In Episode 31, they agree to get married once they return from the battle with Lady Black Fox.
Third Couple
Qingmu Yuan has always had a soft spot for Zhang Zheng. In Episode 20, we are told that they were classmates. He had saved her life once but was cold towards her thereafter. In Episode 22, Qingmu Yuan learns that Zhang Zheng is actually Anayan’s (Preceptor of Beast Kingdom) son after eavesdropping on their conversation. She sold him to the Zhang family to be their son’s double as the 2 boys looked alike.
In Episode 23, Qingmu Yuan sticks a talisman on Zhang Zheng to make him tell the truth in a dreamy state. He is Anaran and has taken Zhang Zheng’s identity. As Zhang Zheng was sickly, he entrusted Qingmu Yuan to Anaran. Zhang Zheng also felt that Anaran has the talent to be the heir of the Zhang family’s Black Sword. So, he arranged to swap their identities before his death. Hence, Anaran became Zhang Zheng after the real Zhang Zheng died. Although Anaran likes Qingmu Yuan, he felt guilty as the real Zhang Zheng also liked her. So, he stayed away.
After being poisoned by his mother, Qingmu Yuan secretly exchanged her blood with Zhang Zheng’s/Anaran’s blood in order to save him in Episode 24. She doesn’t want to burden him with the truth. But she is severely injured in Episode 26 after sacrificing herself to destroy the artifact Anayan is using to control evil spirits. Anayan herself is killed by the uncontrollable evil spirits after the artifact breaks up. Zhang Zheng/Anaran learns about the blood exchange with Qingmu Yuan’s injury in Episode 27. He admits that he has liked her the day he met her. Qingmu Yuan also confesses her feelings directly to him after she awakened and they agree to be together.
Battle With Lady Black Fox
Lady Black Fox has infiltrated Yi Tan’s Heaven Eye in Episode 29. She got control of Yi Tan’s grandfather by leveraging on his hatred for the Wangquan Family whom he blames for his son’s death. He then captures Zui which results in Yi Tan rushing to save her. This gives the opportunity for Lady Black Fox to take control of Yi Tan’s Heaven Eye. His grandfather is killed as a result.
With that control, Lady Black Fox knows all the Masked Group members’ weaknesses and their plans. Hence, when they go to the boundary for a battle with her, she could play on their guilt and regrets through hallucinations and mind control in Episode 32. As a result, Qingmu Yuan ends up killing Zhang Zheng when her mind is taken over by Lady Black Fox. When she awakens, she retaliates and ends up dying as well as she is no match for the evil spirit.
Similarly, Qu Zhou stabs his own legs when taunted with guilt over Zi Zai’s sacrifice for him in the past. Qu Zhou then convinces his brother to do their utmost to defeat Lady Black Fox. While Zi Zai dies, Qu Zhou survives because of the life-exchanging talisman that Zi Zai had given him. But Qu Zhou ends up a cripple and is wheelchair-bound.
Yi Tan who has been controlled by Lady Black Fox kills Zui and Qi Yue. Before Zui dies, she frees Yi Tan’s mind from the evil spirit’s control in Episode 33. Yi Tan forcibly removes his Heaven Eye to break the control and dies to join Zui. In the end, Hong Ye uses all his might to defeat Lady Black Box while Huai Zhu weakens the Tushan Grief Tree from inside the boundary.
Love In Pavilion Review – Weak Start
First of all, you don’t have to watch Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact to understand Love In Pavilion although the characters are related. Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact covers the story of the next generation of a Dongfang descendent. So, the 2 dramas have their own standalone plots. However, you will be able to learn more about certain things that appear in both dramas such as the Grief Tree if you watch the earlier production. The drawback though is the drama is a disappointment and a pain to watch.
Love In Pavilion is definitely not as bad but still falls short of being an epic to me. The gist of the story is the same old good vs evil that defines the fantasy genre. Personally, the drama is a bit of a bore to me. The start is uninspiring with too many characters making their appearance. It actually took me some effort to continue watching. The first 8 episodes sets up the story but the subplot isn’t captivating enough to make you hooked unlike dramas such as Legend Of Zang Hai and Moonlight Mystique that will quickly grab your attention. So, the temptation to drop Love In Pavilion was definitely there after the first few episodes. In other words, patience is needed for this one before it grows on you.
The other thing to take note of is that this is a multi-couple drama. On the positive side, the chemistry is there for each couple and they add value to the story. But on the flip side, the depth is missing as there are too many couples to fit into a 36-episode drama. Hence, when tragedy strikes, it doesn’t move you as much especially if you are not fond of the ending.
Beware Of Ending (Spoilers Alert!)
Towards the end, you will have many deaths. You will find one lover killing the other because their mind is being controlled by the evil spirit. And the one that did the killing will also die when the control is broken as they try to defeat the evil one. Are all the deaths necessary? Perhaps that is how it is originally written in the manhua. I have no idea as I didn’t read it. But just be aware that it is a tragic ending for all the couples.
To me, the deaths are not the problem. It is how they die. The same modus operandi is used with the same tragic result for those that die in that battle with the evil spirit. Thus, what I get is numbness rather than any strong moving emotions. That part of the drama should be one of the major sad scenes but it doesn’t have the intended effect to me.
I think that also ties back to the fact that there are too many characters and couples involved. Each of the character and their relationship are not given enough time to develop a strong foundation in the viewers’ minds. Thus, when their deaths and sacrifices happen, the impact is not as deep as it should be to be an epic. On the other hand, each couple has different relationship dynamics. So, there is variety when it comes to the romance in the drama.
Romance And Friendship Aplenty
I see Love In Pavilion as a character and romance-driven drama. The plot itself is pretty simple and easy to understand. An evil spirit is feeding on hatred to become more powerful and must be killed. So, we have a band of young people led by the male protagonist to take up this challenge. This is where the friendship comes in among the group members. They trust each other and look up to the male protagonist as their big brother. In short, there is a heartwarming friendship and bond that you could feel in the plot.
Then, you have plenty of romance from the few couples. If you like multi-couple romance dramas, you will find this enjoyable. From serious to cute to longing, all the couples have their own unique stories. You may prefer one couple over another but by and large, all of them are likable. This is where Love In Pavilion tends to shine best. The chemistry between the actors is also strong enough to project the romantic vibes onscreen although the time spent on each couple is short.
However, one glaring weakness in the romance is the fish kisses especially for the main couple. Compared to dramas like The Prisoner Of Beauty whereby the kisses look realistic and passionate, the kisses in Love In Pavilion will feel very amateurish. Fortunately, the acting makes up for this inadequacy.
Acting
Zhang Yun Long acted well as Wangquan Hong Ye. He impresses me with his natural portrayal of the character with different emotions apart from just being mighty which is very typical of this kind of heroic roles. Towards the end, his portrayal of a broken man will leave you feeling sad for him. Zhang Yun Long was able to really connect with the emotional side of the character and it shows in his acting.
I enjoyed watching Liu Shi Shi in A Journey To Love. The actress is more reserved as Dongfang Huai Zhu in Love In Pavilion but that is consistent with the character which is supposed to be calm and rational. She displayed quiet elegance which suits the character’s personality. The only problem is the portrayal might become a bit bland for some as the drama drags on. This is especially so when she is put together with Zhang Yun Long who displayed more passion, inner conflict and other emotions for his character.
However, the chemistry between them is still okay as the main couple. They are watchable although their progress may be a bit slow. By the end of the drama, the chemistry would be strong enough for the tears to come.
My Verdict – Much Better Than Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact
Love In Pavilion is more polished and well-executed than Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red-Moon Pact. The casting is also much better with more chemistry coming from the actors. The earlier production is a disaster in this regard. So, Love In Pavilion is the better one to watch between the 2 dramas. Apart from that, there is also another drama in the series that will continue the story after this one. Therefore, don’t be too disappointed about the current ending if you don’t really like how it concluded as the story will move on.
Personally, I think the biggest strength of the drama is also its weakest link. The high number of supporting characters and couples means more variety, romance and popular stars playing the different roles. But the drawback is they tend to overshadow and take time away from the main couple. Even the chemistry of the side couples are better than the main at times. Basically, it is a delicate balance which is difficult to get right with the sheer number of characters.
For this Love In Pavilion review, I would rate it 7.5/10. It is a good drama but lacks spark to me. The start is a real drag. Hence, the pacing is off at times with some parts being a bore while others fly by with little details and accountability. For instance, we are not told what happened to the female lead’s sister. The story is easy to understand but, again, the number of characters and their stories tend to detract attention from the main plot of fighting evil. But if you like them, this will be a gem and you would probably cry a bucket of tears. But if you are here for the fight against evil, this may not be as engrossing as it should.
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