On June 9, 2026, a storm is coming to Tencent Video. The long-awaited costume drama The First Jasmine (莫离) drops exclusively at 6 PM Beijing time. With over 3.9 million pre-bookings and 1.2 billion views on short-video topics, the anticipation is deafening. Starring Bai Lu (白鹿) and Cheng Lei (丞磊), the show promises a blend of royal intrigue and twisted love. But forget simple sweet romance.
This is a story of two wounded souls trapped in a marriage of spies, lies, and a shared hunger for blood. Why is a crippled prince marrying a woman who secretly wants to kill his entire court? And why does she say yes? Let’s walk into the wedding that changes everything.
Two Weddings, One Poisoned Chalice
On the same day, the Ye household sends off two daughters in red bridal gowns. The elder, Ye Li (叶璃), is ordered to marry Ding Wang (定王) Mo Xiuyao (墨修尧), a prince who rarely leaves his mansion due to a leg disability. He is seen as a forgotten relic of the court. Meanwhile, the younger sister, Ye Ying (叶莹), weds Li Wang (黎王) Mo Jingli (墨景黎), a charming noble who once loved Ye Li. The contrast is sharp: one bride goes to a cripple, the other to a dashing prince. But don’t be fooled. The quieter wedding hides a time bomb.
Ye Li is no ordinary noblewoman. She spent eight years hidden away on Li Shan (离山), a reclusive sect that was massacred years ago. She watched her masters die. She survived alone. Now she enters the Ding Wang mansion not as a wife, but as a hunter. Every smile hides a knife. Every bow hides a calculation. She believes Mo Xiuyao—or someone close to him—helped destroy her home. So she marries the enemy’s son to find the truth.
But Mo Xiuyao is not what he seems either. The cold, wheelchair-bound prince has his own ghosts. His leg was broken in a palace fire that killed his mother. He has spent years pretending to be weak, collecting secrets in the dark. When he first sees Ye Li, he doesn’t see a naive bride. He sees a liar. And he loves it. “She’s too calm,” he thinks. “A normal woman would cry on her wedding night. She watches me like a hawk.”
Mutual Sting
Their first night as husband and wife is a chess match. She offers him tea. He drops the cup. She apologizes. He asks if she poisoned it. She laughs. He doesn’t. That scene sets the tone for the entire early arc. Neither trusts the other. Both are trying to expose the other’s secret while hiding their own. It’s not love at first sight. It’s suspicion at first breath. And that’s exactly why viewers are hooked.
She sneaks into his study at midnight. He’s already there, waiting in the dark. She claims she got lost. He says he heard a mouse. She knows he’s lying. He knows she’s lying. But they both smile and return to their rooms. Each encounter is a blade wrapped in silk. He pretends he can’t walk well, but she notices his fingers are too strong on the armrest. She pretends to be a gentle aristocrat, but he finds a dagger hidden in her sleeve during a “romantic” boat ride.
Slowly, they discover they are hunting the same prey. The massacre on Li Shan was ordered by someone in the capital. The fire that crippled the prince was also no accident. The same hand moved both tragedies. So they make a silent pact: use each other to get closer to the throne. He helps her access court documents. She helps him identify traitors among his relatives. But every alliance comes with a price. Will they betray each other before the final blow?
Throne of Thorns
Beyond the married couple’s cold war, the court is a snake pit. Li Wang Mo Jingli pretends to be a lazy, poetry-loving prince. In reality, he has been secretly funding rebellions. Muyang Hou (沐阳侯), a powerful marquis, plays both sides. Every week brings a new assassination attempt, a forged letter, or a poisoned banquet. The show does not slow down. By episode 20, Ye Li has already survived three poisoning attempts, and Mo Xiuyao has faked his own death twice to expose traitors.
The emotional turning point comes when Ye Li nearly dies saving Mo Xiuyao from a fire—the same kind of fire that killed his mother. He holds her unconscious body and screams. For the first time, his cold mask cracks. She wakes up and sees his red eyes. No words are exchanged, but something shifts. They realize that revenge feels empty alone. They begin to fight not just for justice, but for a future together. The “sweet and cruel” balance is carefully kept: one step forward in love, two steps back in trust.
In the final arc, the couple unites to support a young emperor, crushing a multi-front rebellion. Ye Li personally leads a siege on the traitor’s stronghold. Mo Xiuyao stands up from his wheelchair—a shocking reveal—and walks into the throne room to confront his half-brother. The ending is not pure fluff. Some allies die. The scars remain. But they finally achieve a clean court and a quiet life. The First Jasmine does not promise a fairy tale. It promises a battle where two broken people choose to hold each other’s wounds. And that, perhaps, is more romantic than any perfect kiss.