The 36-episode historical romance A Splendid Match (良陈美锦) delivers a wrenching finale. Gu Jinchao (顾锦朝), the eldest daughter of the Gu family, finally walks away from Ye Xian (叶限) on the night before her wedding to Chen Yanyun (陈彦允). She later receives the imperial title of Second-Rank Noble Lady. The drama, starring Ren Min and Cisha, follows Gu Jinchao’s second chance at life.
After her previous life ended in ruin, she returns to outsmart her stepmother and stepsister, protect her clan, and eventually ally with a powerful cabinet minister. Unlike the novel, the TV version softens some conflicts and adds a national-political layer. But the core question remains: why does she refuse the man who loved her first and most desperately?
Wedding Eve Intrusion
On the night before Gu Jinchao marries Chen Yanyun, Ye Xian cannot stay away. He storms into her courtyard under the pretense of giving a wedding gift. The household panics. Gu Fengshi (顾冯氏) immediately sends for Chen Yanyun and drags a chair outside the door to block any rash act. When Gu Jinchao tries to open the door and speak, Ye Xian slams it shut from the outside. He fears for her reputation more than his own pain.
Gu Jinchao feels guilt and helplessness. She remembers her coming-of-age ceremony. She openly defied her father that day, and Ye Xian was the first to defend her. Later, when she returned to the capital, he again helped her intimidate her father and find a footing in an unwelcoming home. She came to see him as a friend—someone she would risk her life for. But nothing more. They are too alike: both use arrogance to hide fear. For her, eighteen years have been exhausting. Marrying Ye Xian would mean a lifetime of similar battles.
But the real reason is simpler. She does not love him. When he asks if marrying Chen Yanyun would also tire her, she answers firmly: even if it does, she accepts it. That answer shatters his last hope. Then Chen Yanyun arrives. Seeing the screen Ye Xian brought—carved with the words “Jinchao’s Happy Hour”—Chen Yanyun throws him out in fury. Ye Xian takes the beating without anger. He is already dead inside.
Heartbreak and Loss
What Ye Xian does not know is that his father, the Changxing Hou (长兴侯), has just died at home. The marquis built the family’s fortune through military merit. He remained a loyal, pure subject all his life. But he did not fall on the battlefield. He became a casualty of court intrigue, dying from accumulated grief and illness. Even worse, Chen Yanyun had secretly given Ye Xian medicine that triggered a heart condition, forcing him and his father to return to the marquis’s residence for treatment. Afterward, Chen Yanyun made Ye Xian voluntarily resign his post. That act saved him from false charges of disrespect.
Ye Xian tells no one about his father’s death. Meanwhile, Gu Jinchao waits excitedly for her wedding. Her stepsister Gu Lan (顾澜) burns with jealousy—after last night’s scandal, how can Gu Jinchao still look so calm? Chen Yanyun does not punish his bride. He brings a grand procession with many high-ranking officials. Gu Fengshi, who feared her daughter would be abandoned and drag down the whole Gu family, finally relaxes.
Before bowing to her parents, Chen Yanyun lifts Gu Jinchao into the sedan chair. His joy at finally marrying the woman he loves is so intense that he cannot stop himself from kissing her right there. But halfway to the Chen residence, the procession meets a funeral. They learn the Changxing Hou has passed. Out of respect, Chen Yanyun offers to let Ye Xian go first. Instead, Ye Xian steps aside and makes way. He does it for her. Gu Jinchao, inside the sedan, thinks she hears his voice but dismisses it—he came to her just last night. When the wind lifts the curtain, Ye Xian lowers his head and wishes her well in silence.
Procession Meets Funeral
Gu Jinchao arrives at the Chen home. Then the emperor’s decree arrives: she is named Second-Rank Noble Lady. Many noblewomen at the ceremony sneer that she does not deserve the honor. Inside the bridal chamber, Chen Yanyun worries she might go hungry. He personally orders food sent to her room. The gesture sends a clear message to every servant: his new wife matters. Gu Jinchao understands his intention. She sends her maid Qingpu (青蒲) to deliver hangover soup to him.
But Qingpu overhears the news of the Changxing Hou’s death. Shocked, she hurries away. Chen Xuanqing (陈玄青) spots her and chases after her, muttering Gu Jinchao’s name. He is the worst man in the entire story. He abandoned Gu Jinchao for his own future, agreeing to marry a daughter of the Yu family. Then he dragged his feet for years, refusing to set a date. Now that Gu Jinchao has moved on and married, he acts like a dying man. He even wrote her a letter begging to meet, demanding to know why she accepted this marriage.
Why must Gu Jinchao love him forever? If he could not give her happiness, why should no one else be allowed to try? And the man she chose—Chen Yanyun—is a hundred times stronger than Chen Xuanqing. The finale makes one thing clear: Gu Jinchao’s rejection of Ye Xian is not cruelty. It is honesty. She knows what she wants and what she cannot fake. And that, perhaps, is the only real victory in her second life.
