I started The Lady In Butcher’s House (玉面桃花总相逢) with zero expectations. I was actually apprehensive to give this a go as it looks like a typical rom-com and it is quite long with 36 episodes in total. True enough, this is a contract marriage drama but the nice surprise is there is more than romance to the story. In fact, some viewers might find this to be an underrated title with no A-listers in its cast. It does have its strengths but I don’t find it to be a gem either. The Lady In The Butcher’s House review below will detail out my opinion on this drama.
My rating: 7/10
Episodes: 36
Type: Historical Romance, Contract Marriage
Aired: April 2022
Images Credit: Hunan MGTV Facebook
The Cast Of The Lady In Butcher’s House
- Baby Zhang Han Yun as Hu Jiao
- Tong Meng Shi as Xu Qing Jia
- Chen Yi Long as Gao Zheng
- Zeng Yi Xuan as Yu Niang / Yu Xiu
- Sheng Hui Zi as Lin Cui
- Wang Ruo Lin as Prince Ning
- Ren Yu as Cui Wu Lang
- Daniel Feng Li as Hu Hou Fu
- Dong Yan Lin as Hu Ting Zhi
- Min Zheng as Jia Chang / Lord Jia
- Ai Ran as Jia Ji Rong / Rong Er
- Qiang Yu as Tang Ze
- Zhong Fu Xiang as Zhu Ting Xian / Lord Zhu
- Peter Cai Rong as Yong Shou
- He Yong Sheng as Lord Fu
Main Characters
Hu Jiao
Hu Jiao is a butcher and her family is in the business of selling pork. She is an uneducated young lady with a hot-tempered personality. Although she is tomboyish and uncouth, Hu Jiao is a principled and straightforward person.
Xu Qing Jia
Qing Jia is a top scholar who is ranked second in the imperial exam. He is knowledgeable, cultured, and insightful. However, he can be too idealistic in practice. Qing Jia is also a weak and timid man with no martial art skills. But he is incorruptible and determined to serve the people.
Supporting Characters
Gao Zheng
Gao Zheng is the duty commandant of Shangyong County. He is in charge of security of the area. Gao Zheng is an impassive man who rarely smiles. He is stern-looking and has good martial art skills.
Yu Niang / Yu Xiu
Yu Niang runs a tea house called Yuchun Pavilion in Shangyong County. She serves rich businessmen and officials who turn up at her tea house. She is admired for her beauty and is a shrewd businesswoman.
Lin Cui
Lin Cui is Hu Jiao’s best friend and is a dessert shop owner. Her brother is Lin Ah Niu who runs a cargo escort agency.
Prince Ning
Prince Ning is an influential royal family member and a military commander. He is unpretentious and down-to-earth. He has a son named Xiao Bei with his late mistress, Ruo Qi, whom he loved dearly.
Cui Wu Lang
Wu Lang is a military man and Prince Ning’s subordinate. His father is General Cui Tai who oversees an army and reports to Prince Ning.
Hu Hou Fu
Hou Fu is Hu Jiao’s elder brother. He is a chubby man and a pork seller. He is an amiable man who cares a lot for his sister. Hou Fu is married to Wei Shu Yun who also has a warm relationship with Hu Jiao.
Hu Ting Zhi
Ting Zhi is Hou Fu and Hu Jiao’s father. He is a scholarly man who lacks shrewdness in entrepreneurship. The family’s butchery business used to be run by his late wife who died when Hu Jiao was still young.
Jia Chang / Lord Jia
Lord Jia is the Prime Minister who is impressed by Qing Jia’s ideas and opinions. He has a son, Ji Sheng, and 2 daughters, Ji Rong and Ji Fang.
Jia Ji Rong / Rong Er
Rong Er is Lord Jia’s eldest daughter and Prince Ning’s consort. She is a woman who is desperate for her husband’s affections as he doesn’t seem to have any interest in her.
Tang Ze
Tang Ze is Qing Jia’s classmate and a top-ranked scholar. He has connections to ministers in the capital due to his family background.
Zhu Ting Xian / Lord Zhu
Lord Zhu is the magistrate lord of Shangyong County and Qing Jia’s superior. He is the top official in the county and assisted by Master Chen, Master Yang, and Master Song. Lord Zhu is a cunning man behind a friendly facade.
Yong Shou
Yong Shou is a lowly officer in the Shangyong County administrative office. He reports to Master Song and is forced to follow orders to protect his rice bowl despite his reluctance.
Lord Fu
Lord Fu is the Grand Preceptor and a very powerful senior minister of the royal court. He is the father of the Empress as well as maternal grandfather of the Crown Prince. He is assisted by Zhou Ming An.
Synopsis
Hu Jiao and Qing Jia are betrothed to each other since they were kids. Hu Jiao grew up without a mother who died when she was still young. As a result, she is rough and fierce like a tigress instead of being gentle, cultured, and feminine. She has been a butcher since she was a girl as her family is in the pork trade. On the other hand, Qing Jia is a learned man and a scholar who has achieved second place in the imperial exam. He is timid but determined to work for the people with his honest ways.
After spending time studying in the capital for a number of years, Qing Jia returns with the intention to marry Hu Jiao. But Hu Jiao is not keen on marriage as she has no feelings for Qing Jia. In the end, they agree on a 3-year contract marriage to avoid trouble as Qing Jia has declined to marry the Prime Minister’s youngest daughter while in the capital with the excuse that he is betrothed to Hu Jiao.
Right after the wedding ceremony, the couple has to move to Shangyong County where Qing Jia has been sent to take up his posting as a magistrate. However, he faces problems in his new job with a crooked superior and colleagues. As Hu Jiao and Qing Jia work together to overcome the challenges to protect the welfare of the people, they begin to admire each other’s qualities and gradually fall in love. But more problems await them as they face a powerful personality who is exploiting the people for personal gain through his henchmen.
The Lady In Butcher’s House Ending (Spoilers Alert!)
The Lady In Butcher’s House has a happy ending. The last few scenes show the wedding ceremony of Gao Zheng and Yu Niang. A roasted suckling pig ready to be cut up by Hu Jiao ends the drama. It is an apt conclusion to the story of a girl who starts off as a butcher.
The ceremony comes 3 months after Lord Fu admitted to his crimes and was punished. The Crown Prince staged a meeting between Qing Jia and Lord Fu so that he could listen in to their conversation. He wanted to hear for himself if Lord Fu is truly guilty and the conversation was clear that Prince Ning’s allegation against his grandfather was true. Furthermore, Qing Jia also had other evidence of Lord Fu’s crimes including Ge Sang’s testimony and a letter from Yu Niang’s father.
Prince Ning had no intention to take the Crown Prince’s position. He only wanted Lord Fu to pay for his evil deeds. The Crown Prince ascended the throne after the Emperor abdicated due to ill health.
When Did Hu Jiao And Qing Jia Got Together?
Hu Jiao and Qing Jia got married in Episode 4 when they agreed to have a 3-year contract marriage. But she has no feelings for Qing Jia until Episode 11 when she admits to Wu Lang that she admires her husband although she is unsure if that is love. In Episode 12, Hu Jiao becomes jealous when she thought that Qing Jia is going to take Yu Niang as a concubine. In actual fact, Yu Niang is just helping Qing Jia to make Hu Jiao discover her feelings for him. Qing Jia is ashamed that he is merely a weak scholar and has no achievements. Hence, he feels that he doesn’t deserve Hu Jiao.
The couple clears up their misunderstanding and deepens their relationship in Episode 13. In Episode 14, Hu Jiao tears up the divorce letter that Qing Jia has prepared earlier as per their contract marriage agreement. She refuses to leave him when he is facing danger of arrest. The pair starts to share the same bed in Episode 16 after Hu Jiao intentionally throws away Qing Jia’s sleeping mat and they consummated their marriage in Episode 17. She becomes pregnant in Episode 32.
Is There Any Breakup Or Love Triangle?
No, the main couple in The Lady In Butcher’s House did not go through any breakup after they got together. Neither is there any love triangle in their relationship. Although it was a fake marriage at the start, Hu Jiao and Qing Jia gradually develop feelings for each other. They slowly discover each other’s good qualities and come to admire them. They complement each other with their respective strengths and become a loving couple. The deepening of their relationship starts around Episode 13.
The Villain
Only Lord Fu is the actual villain in the drama. His main aim is to ensure that the Crown Prince who is his grandson succeeds the throne. The man who carries out his orders is Zhou Ming An and under him comes dispensable pawns such as Tang Ze and Fei Jin. Both Tang Ze and Fei Jin are killed to silence them once they have outlived their usefulness. Eventually, Lord Fu also kills Zhou Ming An. This is because Zhou Ming An has kept evidence of Lord Fu’s crimes as insurance in case he will also be silenced.
Lord Fu is wary of Prince Ning because of the latter’s capability and achievements in winning wars for the nation. He is worried that Prince Ning will inherit the throne instead. His attempt to kill Prince Ning through poisonous fumes failed in the past and the prince’s lover, Ruo Qi, became the victim instead.
When the Crown Prince becomes sickly, Lord Fu hides the information to protect his grandson’s position. Hence, instead of getting treatment from imperial physicians, he has to get an external doctor to prepare the Crown Prince’s medication. However, the herbs required for the treatment are rare and extremely costly. In order to obtain money for the medicine, Lord Fu indulges in corrupt practices through his underlings including the illegal mining in Shangyong County and monopolizing the drug trade in Xiangzhou. That is why Lord Jia quietly sends Qing Jia to take up posting in these 2 areas.
What Happened To Qing Jia’s Father?
Qing Jia’s father, Lord Xu, and Lord Qian were colleagues in the supplies department. Yu Niang’s father, Yu Zhong Liang, was Lord Qian’s assistant minister. When Prince Ning was at war with his troops and required emergency rations, Zhou Ming An brought a note bearing the Crown Prince’s stamp to order Lord Qian for the supplies to be redirected elsewhere. Lord Qian had no choice and instructed Yu Zhong Liang to carry out the order. But he knew it was wrong and his head will be on the chopping block if the issue is exposed.
To protect himself, Lord Qian refused to return the transfer note to Zhou Ming An. Instead, he gave it to Lord Xu. When Prince Ning managed to win the war despite the lack of supplies, the issue died down. But Lord Fu wanted to ensure total secrecy of the illegal transfer. So, Lord Qian was accused of a crime and beheaded. But the note couldn’t be found.
Yu Zhong Liang knew he would be Lord Fu’s next target as he was Lord Qian’s subordinate. Hence, he wrote a letter explaining what happened and buried it somewhere in his garden. He left a clue to Yu Niang on the location of the letter. Yu Zhong Liang was subsequently exiled and died. Lord Xu was demoted to be a small town magistrate. Gao Zheng found out Yu Niang’s identity in the course of his investigation in Episode 33 and the whole story is then revealed through the letter.
Side Couples
Gao Zheng has feelings for Yu Niang although he tries to be cold towards her. He begins to get jealous in Episode 13 when he thought Yu Niang is planning to be Qing Jia’s concubine. They leave Shangyong County together in Episode 21 after Gao Zheng resigns from his position due to his dissatisfaction with the new magistrate. They have a heart-to-heart talk about her tough life in the past and his misconception that she is looking down at his meagre salary as a government official.
Gao Zheng proposes to Yu Niang in Episode 34. They got married privately in Episode 35 when they thought they are going to die within days after being poisoned. But they managed to survive through Ji Sheng’s help in securing the herbs for the antidote. The couple has a grand wedding ceremony in Episode 36.
Ji Sheng and Lin Cui end up together after meeting each other in Episode 27. He sees her as being different from other girls for her steadfast loyalty towards Hu Jiao who is her best friend. They arrive in the capital together to visit Hu Jiao and Qing Jia in Episode 36.
Rong Er changes for the better after listening to Hu Jiao’s advice on how to approach her relationship with Prince Ning in Episode 32. Prince Ning is moved and feels sorry for neglecting her all along due to his own misery over Ruo Qi’s death.
Ji Fang has a crush on Wu Lang after meeting him in Episode 31 and is trying hard to get close to him from then on.
The Lady In Butcher’s House Review – More Than Romance
The Lady In Butcher’s House is not only about romance. In fact, I don’t see it as particularly romantic. This is certainly not a sweet and fluffy rom-com in the mould of General’s Lady or The Eternal Love S3 whereby the romance is the main feature and kisses are aplenty. Instead, a lot of screen time in this production is devoted to the work politics and corrupt practices of the officials. As the male lead is an honest magistrate with a desire to serve, he is inevitably drawn into exposing his corrupted colleagues and superiors who are oppressing the people.
Therefore, if you like palace politics and investigative elements in your historical romance dramas, this title would have something to offer. I think the story is well-structured with happenings that logically lead to the main villain. It has a good plot to work on despite the contract marriage cliche at the beginning of the drama. It is not anything too fancy and elaborate like Royal Feast but relies on a good plot execution to move the simple story along.
While the overall story is highly watchable, you will be disappointed if you expect this to be a swoon-worthy romance drama. The main couple’s relationship is of the down-to-earth kind with nothing overly mushy and amorous. Each of them have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. However, I doubt their kind of relationship will resonate with everyone given their role reversal and the overly fierce female lead.
Fierce Wife With Henpecked Husband
Hu Jiao is a tigress with a very domineering personality. She doesn’t know how to be gentle and cultured given her lack of education and mother’s nurturing. But she is street-smart and business-minded. On the other hand, Qing Jia is a top scholar who is very knowledgeable and insightful. He is brainy but lacks practical wisdom. He can’t fight and is a timid husband.
Hence, Hu Jiao is the dominant party in the relationship especially in the first 10 episodes or so. She will hit Qing Jia, twist his ears, threaten him with her knife, and even slap him. It does have a tinge of comedy to it. Thus, if you see it as amusing, then the couple might appear as sweet to you. But if you think her antics are pure bullying, then there is nothing loving about it. In fact, some might even view it as being abusive. The good thing though is that the “abuse” will taper down as the drama progresses and real love develops between them.
So, what does this mean for a viewer? It means you are not going to get a masculine hero. He is the total opposite of the typical domineering male lead who oozes masculinity in historical romance dramas such as the commander in The Autumn Ballad and My Sassy Princess. It is indeed a change to see the roles being reversed in a way. A man can be weak too and this drama certainly moves away from convention in its portrayal of the male lead.
Gradual Relationship Development
One thing I like about The Lady In Butcher’s House is that there is no unnecessary drama when it comes to the romance. There is no third party or a breakup to lengthen the story. The couple simply fall in love with each other over time as they work as a team to tackle the problems that arise in the course of helping the oppressed. They complement each other well and they also share a common trait of being principled and upright in their dealings.
Basically, you will just have to tolerate an unequal relationship for about 10 to 12 episodes. After that, Hu Jiao and Qing Jia will have their own moments of inadequacies and lack of self-esteem but the nature of their relationship is a supportive one after the initial hiccups. So, it will also be heartwarming to see one comforting and reassuring the other when the situation calls for it. Their relationship progress will feel natural rather than sudden and forced.
Acting And Chemistry
This is the first time that I have watched Tong Meng Shi and Baby Zhang as leads in a drama. I think they did well to give the characters their unique traits. Tong Meng Shi portrayal of Qing Jia is a difficult one because overdoing his timidity as a henpecked husband will render the character as weak and useless. Instead, I think the actor balanced the different traits of the character well enough to still give viewers the impression that Qing Jia is not all submissive.
Baby Zhang portrays Hu Jiao as aggressive and fierce. It is easy to dislike her character but somehow, she managed to play the role of a domineering wife without being a total turn-off to the viewers. Chemistry-wise, the 2 leads display enough of it to make themselves a convincing couple. I won’t say the chemistry is top notch as they can certainly do better with plenty of opportunities for more fireworks given the polar opposites of their character’s personality.
My Verdict – Good Enough To Watch
The Lady In Butcher’s House is not too bad overall. The potential pitfall is that you would need to get used to a fierce wife and a mousy husband and their relationship dynamics. But you don’t watch the drama just for the romance. Their love would not move your emotions like One And Only or translate into passionate kisses found in Maiden Holmes. You watch them overcome difficulties together instead whereby these obstacles have nothing to do with their relationship but arise from work politics.
At the same time, neither does this drama has the same level of intrigue and detailed maneuverings like Sword Snow Stride and Luoyang. The capital politics is limited to the last quarter of the drama. The fight between the good and bad guys is straightforward and simplistically told with the ending for the palace politics part of the story being an anti-climax to me.
For the most part, the drama is about the struggle of a county magistrate against his corrupted superiors and colleagues at the local level. This must interest you for you to be fully engrossed with the story. The love between the pair blossoms from there and thus, I don’t think you can skip one part to enjoy the other. Both are tied together for a complete picture of their relationship.
For The Lady In Butcher’s House review, I think a 7/10 score would be reasonable. It is not a masterpiece to me as the romance fails to move me as a viewer while the female lead’s aggression isn’t particularly amusing either. I much rather watch the male lead’s work as a magistrate although that subplot did turn simplistic and predictable towards the last few episodes. However, I would still maintain that this is a watchable drama with a logical flow to the story and no obvious plot holes.
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