It’s time for Zhou Ye and Cheng Lei to shine! By saying this you must have guessed who the leading stars of this upcoming series are, right? Yes, It’s Zhou Ye and Cheng Lei. Tencent Video’s production Legend Of The Female General (锦月如歌) has officially wrapped up filming recently.
This is another female empowerment, growth, transformation, and healing drama.
‘Legend of The Female General’ is a revenge theme costume drama that follows the story of the Female General, He Yan (played by Zhou Ye) who is looked down upon by her family and loses everything on the way.
After back-to-back dramas, Zhou Ye’s been quite busy in the small onscreen world. ‘Scent of Time’ and ‘Back from Brink’ were two of her successful projects in 2023. Undoubtedly, Legend Of The Female General is poised to be another stepping stone in her flourishing career.
On the other hand, after appearing in several dramas over the years, Cheng Lei eventually rose to fame after his performance as Gong Shang Jue in last year’s costume drama ‘My Journey To You’ in the supporting male lead. So, this marks a pivotal point in his acting career after his popularity surge in 2023.
So, If you are curious about what this drama is about, including characters, supporting cast, major plot highlights, and release date, then keep reading.
Plot Summary: He Yan is the eldest daughter of the He family. According to prophecy, the eldest son of the family, He Ru Fei (portrayed by Bai Shu) was not gonna live for more than 3 years. So, He Yan was forced to put on a mask and disguise herself as the eldest son of the family to protect the family’s title and reputation.
Due to this, He Yan was trained to act like a man since her childhood and was never allowed to show her real face in front of the public.
One day when she was young, He Yan escaped her hometown and joined the military. For her bravery, she was praised and conferred the title of General Feihong. However, many years later, when she returned home with glory, she was framed by her family.
The so-called prophecy went wrong and her elder brother He Ru Fei was still healthy and alive. So, everything belongs to He Yan was snatched by He Rui Fei including the general position in the army. She was pushed to the edge until she became blind and coerced into marriage.
Somehow, He Yan survives this catastrophe. Afterward, she again disguised herself as a man and introduced herself with a new identity. She’s determined to take everything back that belongs to her. For this, she joins the army in Yezhou and works her way forward.
There she reunites with her childhood acquaintance Xiao Jue (portrayed by Cheng Lei) and works together to protect the country, dignity, and common people’s lives going through many life-and-death experiences.
- Episodes: 40
- Genre: Romance, Revenge, Historical, War
- Starring: Zhou Ye, Cheng Lei
- Director: Jeffrey Chiang
- Original Platform: Tencent Video
- Filming Period: November 28, 2023 – March 21, 2024
Sweet Romance
Apart from revenge, a war, and a female lead transformation plot, Legend Of The Female General also offers a sweet and beautiful love story between the two main leads, He Yan and Xiao Jue.
According to the original novel “Rebirth of a Star General”(重生之女将星) by Qian Shan Cha Ke (千山茶客), the emotional entanglements or relationship between the two leads is delicate, heart-warming, and natural. There are many romantic lines and heart-fluttering interactions between the two.
After seeing these breathtaking stills released by the production team after the filming wrap-up, it’s obvious viewers will be in a treat for sure.
I mean, look at the tension and atmosphere built in between the leads Zhou Ye and Cheng Lei in the picture above. Aesthetically eye-catching, right? ! or in other words, it looks very beautiful. It’s obvious, that the chemistry between the two is gonna look easygoing.
After seeing a series of new stills and reuters including video clips from the filming site, many think Zhou Ye and Cheng Lei are the perfect pairing for this project.
Characters Introduction
- Zhou Ye as He Yan
- Cheng Lei as Xiao Jue
- Zhang Miaoyi as Song Taotao
- Zhang Kang Le as Chu Zhao
- Lu Ming De as Cheng Lisu
Zhou Ye as He Yan
He Yan is a kind and strong-spirited woman, disguised as a man to take on the identity of her cousin for the sake of the family. She’s skilled in martial arts. He Yan always relied on her own efforts to become a General Feihong. Although she was doubted by Xiao Jue (Cheng Lei) after her rebirth, she proved her strength with excellent results and worked hand in hand with him.
Zhou Ye is beautiful and can carry the cold, stubborn, heroic aura perfectly which is the required quality for this character in the drama. In the newly released stills, Zhou Ye is in battle armor giving off the vibe of a fighter’s spirit. In the play, Zhou Ye has many domineering scenes of horse riding and fearless combat.
Cheng Lei as Xiao Jue
Xiao Jue is a young handsome General who is powerful and highly skilled in many areas. He is the second son of the Xiao family (aka General Feng Yun). When he was young, He Yan used to be his classmate at Xiancheng Academy.
He looks cold and domineering outside but warm inside. After the tragedy when He Yan joined the military camp, he suspected He Yan was a spy but after working together, both eventually fell in love with each other.
Judging from the stills, Cheng Lei seems to be the best fit for this role. Whether it’s his battle-damaged makeup or high-status noble look, he looks exquisite in both. Speaking of his acting, we’ve seen how impressive his skills are.
Supporting Cast
Talking about the supporting cast, We’ve got all the fresh and familiar faces here. Sweet and cute heroine, Zhang Miao Yi from ‘When I Fly Toward You (2023)’, handsome Li Ming De from ‘Light Chaser Rescue (2022)’, and Zang Kang Le from (See You Tomorrow (2022). All these actors are young beautiful rising stars in the industry.
In addition, THE9 idol group girls Kong Xueer and Xu Jiaqi are also part of this series.
Zhang Kang Le as Chu Zhao
Chu Zhe is a young and promising man who is educated and courteous. He is in love with He Yan. He is also good at scheming and solving the undercurrents of the court with ease.
Zhang Miaoyi as Song Taotao
Born in the Xinglin family, Song Taotao is straightforward and cheerful. Her passion is to compile medical books related to poison as she’s deeply fascinated by the art of poison. She has a cat and dog relationship with Cheng Lisu (portrayed by Lu Ming De) in the play.
Lu Ming De as Cheng Lisu
Cheng Lisu is a very close friend of Xiao Jue. He is an expert in medical skills. He likes to tease Xiao Jue about his love affair but he himself doesn’t understand how to confess his love to Song Taotao.
When will ‘Legend Of The Female General’ be released?
Since the drama just finished filming, we can expect ‘Legend Of The Female General’ to premiere sometime in 2025. In the unlikely event that the production team speeds up the post-production process, a late 2024 premiere might be possible.
For those fans, who have been watching a bunch of costume dramas in similar genres or themes, this might not be something completely new. In that case, it depends upon the production team and how would they deliver the content to satisfy audiences.
