The Road to Splendor cast and characters
花开锦绣 · Hua Kai Jin Xiu
Who plays whom in The Road to Splendor, and how the 22 characters are connected. Identity reveals stay closed until you open them.
Main cast
How they are connected
Grouped around the main characters. Connections that give away a twist are hidden.
Zhao LingDing Yuxi
Sixteenth Prince 十六爷Played by Bai Shuuses, then trusts
Fu TingyunDeng Enxi- Zhao Ling 赵凌Played by Ding Yuxifake couple, then married
Fan Yake 范雅客Played by Fan Shiranchildhood friends
Lady Zuo 左氏Played by You Jingruplots against
Minor spoilerShow 1 hidden connection
- Fifth Master Fu 傅五爷Played by Yu Yifather
Yu JingxiuDong Zifan- Grand Secretary Yu 俞阁老Played by Tan Kaifather and son
Madam Yu 俞夫人Played by Wen Zhengrongmother and son
Fan YakeFan Shiran- Yu Jingxiu 俞敬修Played by Dong Zifanhusband and wife
Madam MoFan Tiantian
- Mo Yi 陌毅Played by Zhang Chenghehusband and wife
Zuo JunjieWang Runze- Lady Zuo 左氏Played by You Jingrusiblings
Change what opens automatically in .
Who's who
- Zhao Ling (Ding Yuxi): a salt smuggler who took over the name Jiuweijiao (九尾蛟, "the Nine-Tailed Jiao," a kind of river dragon). He was once called Zhao Jiu, and his family was ruined years ago.
- Fu Tingyun (Deng Enxi): the ninth daughter of the Fu family. Sheltered but quick, she sees through Zhao Ling's disguise in the first episode.
- Lady Zuo (You Jingru): a widowed Fu daughter-in-law who wants her own chastity arch and schemes to marry Fu Tingyun to her brother.
- The Sixteenth Prince (Bai Shu): sent south to look into the salt trade. He later becomes emperor.
- Yu Jingxiu (Dong Zifan): Grand Secretary Yu's son. He dodges a match with Fu Tingyun by helping ruin her name, and marries Fan Yake instead.
- Fan Yake (Fan Shiran): Fu Tingyun's childhood friend. She lies about her early on, and spends the rest of the drama making up for it.
- Madam Yu (Wen Zhengrong): the Grand Secretary's wife, held up as a model wife and mother.
- Grand Secretary Yu (Tan Kai): the head of the faction behind the salt fraud.
- Tian Wanyi (Zhang Meng) and Madam Wang (Lu Xiaolin): women of the capital and the frontier who end up on Fu Tingyun's side.
- Mo Yi (Zhang Chenghe): a general and Zhao Ling's ally.
Identity Reveals
Ending spoilerShow identity reveals
- Zhao Ling isn't the salt inspector's son he claims to be. He is the smuggler Jiuweijiao, and he took that name, and its token, from the man who held it before him.
- Fu Tingyun travels as "Miss Xie," using her mother's family name, while she and Zhao Ling pose as a couple.
- The Sixteenth Prince becomes emperor partway through, and the salt reform goes nationwide.
- Zhao Ling's death in episode 34 is staged. The "poison" is a tonic.
Supporting cast
Tan Kai 谭凯as Grand Secretary Yu
Zhang Meng 张萌as Tian Wanyi
Fan Tiantian 范湉湉as Madam Mo
Zhang Chenghe 章呈赫as Mo Yi
Yu Yi 于毅as Fifth Master Fu
Shi Yueling 师悦玲as Lady Xie
Li Zeyu 李泽宇as A Sen
Li Baihui 李百惠as Second Miss Wang
Han Dong 韩栋as Wei Donglin
Xu Shengjin 徐晟津as Qin Feiyu
Mu Liyan 穆丽燕as Grand Empress Dowager