THREADS · An Ancient Love Song · Jiejie's Unfiltered Screen

Story movement

Story Arcs

8arcs

Romance

Reverse Timeline Romance

Shen Bu Yan repeatedly time travels into the past, meeting Lu Yuan at progressively earlier points in her life while she experiences their relationship moving forward in time. Their love deepens with each encounter even as it grows more fraught, since he carries knowledge of a future she has not yet lived and she gradually comes to recognize a connection to him that predates his current visit. The arc is the emotional core of the drama, driving Shen Bu Yan's determination to alter her fate and clear her name from history's distorted record. The unresolved tension between changing the past and the cost of interference sustains the story's central stakes.

Lu YuanShen Bu Yan

Betrayal

Li Yong's Betrayal

Premier Li Yong, publicly regarded as a virtuous statesman and the adoptive father of Lu Shi, is secretly revealed to have assassinated the King of Bei'an and colluded with the enemy state of Beiyuan. As Shen Bu Yan uncovers the truth across his time travels, he tries to convince Lu Yuan and Lu Shi of Li Yong's true nature, but is initially disbelieved since Li Yong is seen as a good man in their eyes. The slow unraveling of Li Yong's deception drives the political conflict of the series and culminates in his exposure before the court. The arc devastates Lu Shi in particular, forcing him to reconcile his adoptive father's crimes with the man who raised him.

Li YongLu ShiLu YuanShen Bu YanCommander ZhaoUncle Guo

Family

Lu Shi's Sacrifice

Lu Shi, Lu Yuan's brother and a feared military commander, is originally fated to die in an arrow ambush due to Li Yong's betrayal of his position to the enemy. Shen Bu Yan's intervention temporarily alters this fate by helping devise a winning strategy, but Lu Shi is ultimately killed defending his household while poisoned and outnumbered, ensuring Yi Hua and Chu Tong Shang escape safely. His death forces Lu Yuan and Shen Bu Yan to shift their focus toward preventing Li Yong from seizing control of the army and the throne. The arc anchors the drama's themes of sacrifice, loyalty, and the limits of changing fate.

Lu ShiLu YuanShen Bu YanYi Hua

Mystery

The Broken Jade Mystery

Shen Bu Yan discovers that a broken jade pendant, purchased from a mysterious old woman near a wishing tree, is the mechanism triggering his time travel to the past. Each journey costs him a piece of the jade, and he must prick his own blood onto it to travel again, tying his physical stakes directly to his ability to keep intervening in Lu Yuan's history. The old woman's cryptic warning that incomplete jade affects the mind, and her subsequent disappearance, leaves the true nature and origin of the pendant unresolved. This mystery frames the entire structure of the series and raises the question of whether the time travel is fate, magic, or something else entirely.

Shen Bu YanOld Lady at the Wishing Tree

Power Struggle

Power Struggle for the Nansheng Throne

Following Lu Shi's death, Lu Yuan and Shen Bu Yan work to prevent Li Yong from seizing control of the army and imperial court, leading Lu Yuan to ultimately accept her position as empress to stabilize the court. Emperor Yuan Qi, previously withdrawn from governance, reasserts his authority at a critical moment to publicly challenge Li Yong. The arc resolves the central political conflict of the series and repositions Lu Yuan from a figure manipulated by history into one who actively shapes it.

Lu YuanLi YongEmperor Yuan QiShen Bu Yan

Family

Chu Tong Shang's Adoption

After Li Yong secretly assassinates the King of Bei'an, his infant descendant is left orphaned and vulnerable. Lu Yuan takes the child in, gives him the name Chu Tong Shang, and raises him within her household with the help of Guo Lao Tou. The arc reflects Lu Yuan's protective, justice-driven character in contrast to the historical "demon empress" reputation attached to her, and ties into the larger conspiracy involving Li Yong's crimes.

Lu YuanUncle GuoLi Yong

Romance

Yi Hua and Lu Shi's Romance

Yi Hua, Lu Yuan's devoted maid, and Lu Shi, Lu Yuan's brother, develop a secondary romance that unfolds alongside the main storyline. Their relationship is tested by the same political dangers and betrayals affecting the rest of the household, culminating in loss when Lu Shi is killed. The arc adds emotional weight to the household's central tragedy and mirrors themes of devotion and sacrifice found in the main romance.

Yi HuaLu Shi

Career

Shen Bu Yan's Modern-Day Career Pressure

In the present day, Shen Bu Yan is a historical fiction author and blogger under the pen name Zhi Shi Qu, facing pressure from Editor-in-Chief Lin to rush a sequel to his bestselling book "Southern Sheng Chronicles" about Lu Yuan. His refusal to fabricate history he cannot verify, paired with a film adaptation deal on the line, sets up the emotional and narrative trigger for his first time travel. This modern-day arc frames his motivations and grounds the fantastical time-travel plot in a relatable creative and professional conflict.

Shen Bu YanEditor-in-Chief Lin

Who carries the story

Characters

23characters

Main Role

Lu Yuan

Lu Yuan is the female lead, remembered by official history only as a cruel "demon empress" who supposedly harmed a virtuous prime minister. In truth she is a woman caught between political survival, loyalty to her brother, and a love that unfolds for her across an unusual timeline in which she meets Shen Bu Yan repeatedly at different ages. Her core conflict is the gap between the historical record and her real choices, many of which are acts of protection and sacrifice rather than villainy. She carries grief and resolve as she tries to hold her family and position together against a scheming premier and hostile factions.

Main Role

Shen Bu Yan

Shen Bu Yan is a modern-day historical fiction author and blogger, writing under the pen name Zhi Shi Qu, who becomes obsessed with the true story of the "demon empress" Lu Yuan after being pressured to write a rushed sequel about her. A chance accident with a broken jade pendant sends him repeatedly into the past, where he meets Lu Yuan at different points in her life, moving backward through her history as she experiences it moving forward. His central motivation shifts from research curiosity to a determined effort to change her fate and clear her name, even as his interference creates new complications each time he returns.

Family Member

Lu Shi

Lu Shi is Lu Yuan's brother, a feared military commander known as the "God of Killing," and the adopted son of Premier Li Yong. Fiercely protective of his sister and devoted to the imperial cause, he leads campaigns against the enemy state of Beiyuan. His arc turns on the slow, painful discovery that his adoptive father has been secretly complicit in treachery, forcing him to choose between filial loyalty and the truth.

Antagonist

Li Yong

Li Yong is the imperial premier and the adoptive father of Lu Shi, publicly regarded as a virtuous statesman. Behind this reputation he secretly colludes with the enemy state and is responsible for the assassination of the King of Bei'an, working to consolidate control over the army and the throne. His deception drives much of the political conflict, and unraveling his true loyalties is a central thread of both Shen Bu Yan's and Lu Shi's arcs.

Support Role

Emperor Yuan Qi

Chu Mu, reigning as Emperor Yuan Qi, is the sitting emperor of Nansheng. He is portrayed as fond of Shen Bu Yan and, for part of the story, appears mentally diminished or withdrawn from court affairs, which Li Yong exploits. His later reassertion of authority in court becomes a turning point against Li Yong's schemes.

Family Member

Chu Tong Shang

Chu Tong Shang is the orphaned descendant of the assassinated King of Bei'an, taken in and given his name by Lu Yuan after his family is destroyed by Li Yong's treachery. He is raised within Lu Yuan's household under her protection. Cast listings indicate he is later associated with the identity of Emperor Shengwu of Nansheng, suggesting he grows into a significant ruling role, though the exact connection between his childhood and adult depiction is not fully detailed in available sources.

Rival

Commander Zhao

Zhao Qi Long is a leader from the rival state of Beiyuan operating as a spy within Nansheng. He works against Lu Yuan's court from within, including attempting to capture Shen Bu Yan at Jing Hua House under orders to bring him back to Xi Rong.

Love Interest

Yi Hua

Yi Hua is Lu Yuan's personal maid and closest confidante, fiercely loyal and protective of her mistress. She forms the drama's second romantic pairing with Lu Shi. Her devotion places her at the center of several key moments where she guards secrets, defends Lu Yuan, and reacts strongly to threats against the family.

Support Role

Fan Song

Fan Song, nicknamed "Fan Lao Bie," serves as the right general of the Hubao (Tiger and Leopard) military camp under Lu Shi's command. Limited detail is available on his individual arc beyond his military role.

Support Role

Uncle Guo

Guo Lao Tou, known familiarly as Uncle Guo, is an elder connected to Lu Yuan's household who helps protect the young Chu Tong Shang after his family's destruction. He is the one who reveals to Lu Shi that Li Yong assassinated the King of Bei'an, a disclosure that shakes Lu Shi's trust in his adoptive father.

Family Member

Lu Liang

陆梁

Lu Liang is identified by the user as Lu Yuan and Lu Shi's biological father, raising them under humble, rural conditions in the border region before the family was torn apart by political events. His absence or death is described as pushing Lu Shi toward a military path and leaving Lu Yuan to carry the burden of protecting the family.

Antagonist

Mr. Mu Jian

牧监周公子

Mr. Mu Jian, also referred to as Zhou Gongzi, is the arrogant son of the local Mu Jian, a government official overseeing imperial horses and lands. He serves as a minor local antagonist who attempts to force a young Lu Yuan into marriage; she pretends to agree in order to protect her family, and he grows suspicious enough to have her watched, creating an obstacle Shen Bu Yan and young Lu Yuan must maneuver around.

Support Role

Old Lady at the Wishing Tree

An unnamed elderly woman sells trinkets near a wishing tree in the modern-day setting, including the broken jade pendant that becomes Shen Bu Yan's means of time travel. She warns him that incomplete jade carries spiritual influence, a comment that proves significant, and she mysteriously disappears when he later tries to find her again.

Support Role

Vice General Yang

Yang Cong is the deputy general of the Hubao military camp, serving under Lu Shi and later coordinating with Lu Yuan on military and refugee matters, including summoning her back to Hua Feng Bao to resolve a refugee settlement issue.

Support Role

Editor-in-Chief Lin

Editor-in-Chief Lin is Shen Bu Yan's senior editor in the present-day storyline, pressuring him to quickly finish the sequel to "Southern Sheng Chronicles" and later informing him of a film company's interest in adapting the book. He represents the modern-world pressures Shen Bu Yan is escaping into the past to avoid.

Guest Role

Child's Mother

An unnamed mother, likely connected to the little refugee girl character.

Guest Role

Couple under Wishing Tree

An unnamed pair of background characters seen near the wishing tree in the modern-day setting, played by two credited guest actors.

Guest Role

Dancing Girl

An unnamed background performer appearing in a festival or court scene.

Guest Role

Jinghualou Waiter

An unnamed waiter or staff member at Jing Hua House (Jinghualou), the establishment where Lu Yuan gathers information and where several key scenes take place.

Guest Role

Little Refugee Girl

An unnamed child among refugees affected by the wartime unrest between Nansheng and its enemies, likely tied to the refugee settlement subplot Lu Yuan is called on to resolve.

Guest Role

Xiao A Sang

小阿桑

Xiao A Sang is a lively, cheerful resident of the border village where Lu Yuan and Lu Shi grew up, functioning as a comic-relief, gossip-spreading local villager. She appears during Shen Bu Yan's earlier time jumps as one of the townspeople witnessing his interactions with a younger, still-uncorrupted Lu Yuan.

Support Role

General Bei Lie

Yuwen Po Xiao, known in battle as General Bei Lie, is a northern military commander tied to the conflict between Nansheng and its enemies. No further plot detail is confirmed in available sources.

Support Role

Yuwen Po Jun

Yuwen Po Jun is described in cast listings as a fierce vanguard commander from the northern enemy forces. No further plot detail is confirmed in available sources.

What ties them together

Connections

14connections

Lu Yuan Love Interest Shen Bu Yan

Lu Yuan and Shen Bu Yan meet repeatedly across a reversed timeline, where each encounter for him is earlier in her life than the last. Their bond grows from wary curiosity into deep devotion, complicated by his knowledge of her future and her limited understanding of who he really is. Their love drives both the central plot and the emotional stakes of nearly every arc in the drama.

Romantic

Lu Yuan Sibling Lu Shi

Lu Yuan and Lu Shi are siblings bound by deep mutual loyalty, each willing to risk everything for the other. Lu Yuan supports her brother's military campaigns even against her better judgment, and his death is one of the most devastating turns in the story.

Family · Changed

Lu Yuan Ally / Attendant Yi Hua

Yi Hua serves as Lu Yuan's personal maid but functions as her closest confidante and protector, staying at her side through political danger and personal turmoil. The bond runs both ways, with Lu Yuan trusting Yi Hua with secrets she shares with no one else.

Alliance

Li Yong Adoptive Parent Lu Shi

Li Yong raised Lu Shi as his adopted son, and Lu Shi's loyalty to him runs deep for most of the story. This bond is shattered when Lu Shi learns that Li Yong secretly assassinated the King of Bei'an and colluded with enemy forces, forcing him to confront his adoptive father's true nature.

Family · Broken

Yi Hua Love Interest Lu Shi

Yi Hua and Lu Shi form the drama's secondary romantic pairing, developing feelings for each other alongside the main storyline involving Lu Yuan and Shen Bu Yan. Their relationship is affected by the same dangers and losses that shape the rest of the household.

Romantic · Changed

Li Yong Secret Ally Commander Zhao

Li Yong secretly colludes with Beiyuan interests, aligning him covertly with the spy Zhao Qi Long against Nansheng's court. This hidden alliance underlies much of the political conspiracy driving the drama's conflict.

Secret

Lu Yuan Enemy Commander Zhao

Zhao Qi Long, operating as a spy for Beiyuan within Nansheng, works directly against Lu Yuan's court, including attempting to capture Shen Bu Yan on her territory. He represents an external threat to her household and position.

Conflict

Emperor Yuan Qi Political Rival Li Yong

Emperor Yuan Qi, for a period seemingly withdrawn from court affairs, ultimately reasserts his authority and publicly reprimands Li Yong, signaling a shift in the power balance between them.

Political · Changed

Shen Bu Yan Ally Lu Shi

Shen Bu Yan uses his knowledge of coming events to help Lu Shi devise a military strategy that avoids a fatal ambush, fighting alongside him and earning his trust. The alliance is partly built on Shen Bu Yan's hope that helping Lu Shi will make Lu Yuan believe his warnings.

Alliance · Changed

Shen Bu Yan Boss Editor-in-Chief Lin

Editor-in-Chief Lin is Shen Bu Yan's senior editor in the present day, pressuring him to finish his book sequel and later informing him of a film adaptation deal. The relationship represents the modern-world obligations pulling at Shen Bu Yan as he becomes consumed by his time-travel journey.

Professional

Emperor Yuan Qi Ally Shen Bu Yan

Emperor Yuan Qi shows notable fondness for Shen Bu Yan, at one point gifting him his tassel, which grants Shen Bu Yan access to the palace. The relationship is one of favor and trust from the emperor's side.

Alliance

Lu Shi Boss Fan Song

Fan Song serves as right general under Lu Shi's command within the Hubao military camp, part of the chain of command in Nansheng's military campaigns.

Professional · Unknown

Lu Shi Boss Vice General Yang

Yang Cong serves as deputy general under Lu Shi's command within the Hubao military camp, part of the chain of command in Nansheng's military campaigns.

Professional · Unknown

Lu Yuan Political Associate Vice General Yang

Yang Cong summons Lu Yuan back to Hua Feng Bao to resolve a refugee settlement issue, indicating a working relationship between them beyond the military chain of command.

Political · Unknown

Where it happens

Places

8places

Kingdom

Nansheng

Nansheng is the ancient kingdom where nearly all of the historical timeline takes place, ruled by Emperor Yuan Qi and governed through his imperial court. It is the political and military center of the story, encompassing the palace, the capital, and the battlefronts against Beiyuan.

Palace

Nansheng Imperial Palace

The imperial palace is the seat of Emperor Yuan Qi's rule and the site of court sessions, political maneuvering, and confrontations between Lu Yuan, Li Yong, and other court figures. Shen Bu Yan gains access to it using the emperor's tassel during his time travels, and it is where several major reveals and power shifts occur.

Other

Jinghualou (Jing Hua House)

Jing Hua House is an establishment in the capital used as an information-gathering hub, where Lu Yuan works to collect intelligence on wrongdoers. It is the site of several key encounters, including Shen Bu Yan's meeting with Emperor Yuan Qi and his attempted capture by Zhao Qi Long's forces.

Military Base

Hua Feng Bao

Hua Feng Bao, sometimes translated as Huofeng Castle or Huofeng Fortress (from 火烽堡, literally 'Fire Beacon Fort'), is the remote border settlement where Lu Yuan, Lu Shi, and villager Xiao A Sang grew up, later becoming the site of a major military campaign after falling to Beiyuan forces. Lu Shi leads the effort to reclaim it, aided by Shen Bu Yan's foreknowledge, and the campaign becomes a turning point in the war and in Lu Yuan's transformation from village girl to a figure who shoulders the burdens of the empire. After Lu Shi's later death, deputy general Yang Cong maintains the fort's defense by disguising himself as Lu Shi, and Hua Feng Bao does not fall again.

Home

Lu Household

The Lu family home is where Lu Yuan, Lu Shi, and Yi Hua live together, and where Chu Tong Shang and Guo Lao Tou are later sheltered. It is the site of a violent attack in which Lu Shi is fatally wounded defending it.

Other

Nanmeng Lake

Nanmeng Lake is a tranquil retreat where Lu Yuan, Shen Bu Yan, and Yi Hua spend time away from the pressures of the capital, marking one of the more peaceful, romantic stretches of the story. It represents an idealized escape from court politics and conflict.

Other

Wishing Tree

The wishing tree is a modern-day location where Shen Bu Yan buys the broken jade pendant from a mysterious old lady, the object that later becomes his means of time travel. It recurs as a place of significance in both the present-day and connective mystery of the story.

Other

Xi Rong

Xi Rong is referenced as a destination Shen Bu Yan is nearly forcibly taken to under Zhao Qi Long's orders after being captured at Jing Hua House, implying it is territory under Beiyuan or allied control.

Who holds power

Organizations

6organizations

Royal Court

Nansheng Imperial Court

The imperial court of Nansheng is the central seat of political power in the drama, nominally headed by Emperor Yuan Qi but heavily influenced by Premier Li Yong during the emperor's period of withdrawal from affairs. It is the site of the power struggles, factional scheming, and betrayals that drive much of the political conflict, including Li Yong's secret collusion with enemy forces.

Military

Hubao (Tiger and Leopard Camp)

The Hubao, or Tiger and Leopard Camp, is the military force led by Lu Shi and aligned with Lu Yuan, responsible for defending Nansheng's territory against Beiyuan and other threats. It carries out key campaigns including the ambush battle and the defense of Hua Feng Bao, and its command structure includes generals loyal to Lu Shi.

Kingdom

Beiyuan

Beiyuan is the rival northern state in conflict with Nansheng, fielding military forces and covert operatives against the court. Its agents include a spy network operating inside Nansheng and vanguard commanders leading incursions from the north.

Family

Lu Household

The Lu household is the family unit built around Lu Yuan and her brother Lu Shi, later expanding to include Yi Hua and the adopted Chu Tong Shang. It functions as a found family bound by loyalty and shared danger, repeatedly targeted by political enemies over the course of the story.

Guild

Jinghualou (Jing Hua House)

Jing Hua House is an establishment used as a hub for gathering information, where Lu Yuan works to collect details on wrongdoers on Li Yong's behalf. It becomes a key setting for covert meetings, confrontations, and reveals throughout the story.

Company

Southern Sheng Chronicles Publisher

The modern-day publishing outlet where Shen Bu Yan works as a historical fiction author and blogger under the pen name Zhi Shi Qu. It pressures him to complete a sequel to his bestselling book "Southern Sheng Chronicles" and later pursues a film adaptation deal, representing the present-day obligations he is drawn away from by his time travel.

Spoilers are on

Secrets

9secrets

Revealed

Li Yong's Assassination of the King of Bei'an

Premier Li Yong secretly assassinated the King of Bei'an, an act that left the king's descendant orphaned and later adopted by Lu Yuan as Chu Tong Shang. Li Yong hides this crime behind a public reputation as a virtuous statesman, and its exposure by Guo Lao Tou devastates Lu Shi, who was raised by Li Yong as his adoptive son.

Revealed EP 11

Revealed

Li Yong's Collusion with Beiyuan

Li Yong secretly colludes with the rival state of Beiyuan, working against Nansheng's imperial court from within while publicly serving as premier. This hidden alliance underlies the political conspiracy that threatens Lu Yuan, Lu Shi, and the throne itself.

Revealed EP 9

Revealed

Lu Yuan and Yi Hua's Feigned Ignorance of Shen Bu Yan

During Shen Bu Yan's second time travel, Lu Yuan and Yi Hua pretend not to recognize him despite secretly having known who he was all along. The truth is revealed through a letter Lu Yuan leaves him, showing their meeting was never by chance and that he has always been part of her life.

Revealed EP 12

Unknown

The True Origin of the Broken Jade Pendant

The exact origin and mechanism of the broken jade pendant that enables Shen Bu Yan's time travel is never explained. It is only known that his blood activates it and that each journey costs a piece of the jade, leaving open questions about who or what created it and why it is tied specifically to Lu Yuan's history.

Hidden

Shen Bu Yan's Concealment of the Truth About Li Yong

During his third time travel, Shen Bu Yan chooses not to tell Lu Yuan the real reason he wants to move against Li Yong, whom she trusts and sees as good. His silence leads her to misunderstand his intentions entirely, causing her to draw a line in their relationship.

Revealed

Emperor Yuan Qi's True Mental State

For years, Emperor Yuan Qi appears withdrawn and mentally diminished, a condition Li Yong exploits to consolidate power behind the scenes. His sudden reassertion of authority in court, lifting his curtain for the first time in five years, exposes that his condition and its extent were more complicated than the court assumed.

Revealed EP 9

Unknown

The Mysterious Old Lady's True Nature

The unnamed old woman who sells Shen Bu Yan the broken jade pendant offers a cryptic warning about its spiritual power and then vanishes without explanation when he tries to find her again. Her true identity, and whether she has any deeper connection to the time-travel mechanism or Lu Yuan's fate, is never confirmed.

Hinted

Zhao Qi Long's Role as a Beiyuan Spy

Zhao Qi Long operates within Nansheng's territory while secretly serving as a leader and spy for the rival state of Beiyuan, working to undermine Lu Yuan's court from within, including attempting to capture Shen Bu Yan.

Hidden

Yang Cong's Impersonation of Lu Shi

After Lu Shi's death, Yang Cong secretly disguises himself as Lu Shi using his tiger-leopard mask, maintaining the fiction that the feared commander still leads Hua Feng Bao's defense. This deception is meant to deter Beiyuan forces and preserve morale among the troops he trained.