Just in time for the start of cozy season, costume historical The Rise of Ning 锦绣安宁 is all set for its premiere date on October 10, 2024 with a television and streaming platform release on Hunan TV, Tencent and Mango TV.
Not Your Typical Siblings
The series will feature Zhang Wanyi and Ren Min in the unlikely pairing of the Luo family’s humble and oft bullied bastard son, and its rebellious daughter who longs for freedom. This is definitely an unusual set-up because on the surface, the story seemingly puts together a brother and sister pair which is pretty much frowned upon. Hong Kong director Kun Chi Mak also describes them as “not your typical couple”. Zhang Wanyi and Ren Min who are 30 years old and 24 years old respectively, play brother and sister in the story. He’s the 3rd elder brother whilst she is his 7th younger sister. They know each other as siblings, yet he discovers that she’s not the really a daughter of the Luo family.
Aside from these two, Ci Sha joins the cast as the second lead Lu Jiaxue, the bastard son of Marquis Ningyuan who himself also becomes a power noble. He has a broody personality and is quite paranoid but he loves Luo Yining very much.
Zhang Wanyi and Ren Min’s Costume Dramas
The Rise of Ning marks Zhang Wanyi’s third costume drama of the year following the sequel to the super successful Lost You Forever and Are You the One. As for his co-star Ren Min, though it was in 2020’s Serenade of Peaceful Joy – yet another costumed historical that she first drew everyone’s attention, many of Ren Min’s bashers criticised her looks and called her ugly when she took the leading role opposite Xiao Zhan in The Longest Promise. It’s gotten some Netizens saying she’s just not suited for the historical genre as she’s done well in modern ones. Meanwhile, some say Zhang Wanyi’s roles and costume styling are becoming a bit similar lately. How The Rise of Ning will fare for both remains to be seen.
The Rise of Ning Synopsis
Adapted from Wen Tan’s novel titled “First Complementary Development Manual” (首辅养成手册), Zhang Wanyi plays the character of Luo Shenyuan, the illegitimate third son of the Luo family. Although he has never been valued by his family and is constantly bullied, he is crafty and resourceful. He cunningly keeps a low profile and his talents, hidden. Meanwhile, Ren Min plays the unconventional but legitimate daughter Luo Yining. Because she couldn’t stand the bullying of “third brother” Luo Shenyuan, she often lent a hand to help him out. She gradually learns there’s more to Shenyuan than meets the eye.
Meanwhile, a grateful Shenyuan does his best to support Luo Yining as she struggles with opening her business. When he finds himself falsely accused by his mentor, the pair work together in search of the truth. As they overcome various hurdles and challenges, they gradually develop feelings for each other.
Source: 1
AJ
I think the novel title’s would more accurately be translated as “Shoufu’s Cultivation/Development Manual”, with shoufu being the Chinese word used for the head of the cabinet, so the prime minister if you will, depending on the specific dynasty’s officialdom/government structure.
In the novel, the ML is brilliant and ruthless in his official career (and ruthless in general, actually), and gradually rises to the rank of shoufu, wielding great power. Thus, he becomes equally matched and even surpasses the authority wielded by the older SML, the FL’s first husband (before her rebirth in another body). The novel is truly complex, both in setup and regarding the three lead characters, and it’s a pity we won’t see that in the drama. Some changes are particularly egregious–as an example, I think the dramaML is completely dedicated to repaying (or exonerating?) his kind teacher, while the novelML personally brought down his once mentor (I don’t remember the details, but I think the mentor was the former shoufu?; or in any case, he wanted to use the ML, then discard him when the ML became too powerful and thus a rival on the political scene, so ML struck first or harder and brought him down).