A Dream of Splendor

Haohao, the best singer in the capital, is incensed upon learning there is a new pipa player eclipsing her fame. Naturally, the first thing she does upon meeting said pipa player is to praise her beauty ('even I can't help falling in love upon seeing you') and play a duet with her.

Nominally based on the Yuan dynasty opera, set in the Song dynasty, this drama follows three women as they try to make a life in the capital. Zhao Panr was once a music entertainer, a legal status denoting the lowest social class, but now runs a successful small teahouse as a businesswoman. Sun Sanniang is a former butcher who dreams of her son passing the exams to become an official. Song Yinzhang is the best pipa player, which comes with the entertainer status that she desperately wants to escape.

[Spoilers ahead]
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