Eryi Gu

A melodrama about the couple Zhu Dongxin and Ma Nina.

Directed by Wancang Bu.

Diaochan (aka Diau Charn and Sable Cicada), one of the Four Beauties of China, is supposed to be so stunningly lovely that the moon was shamed to hide behind clouds. Despite being the only Beauty among the four who is not a real historical figure but one conjured by storytelling imagination and embellished by public fascination, her story was nonetheless incorporated by author Luo Guangzhong into his popular and influential novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Her tale is one of Machiavellian intrigue, in which she schemes with her godfather Wang Yun to restore moral order to the land, sowing discord between the corrupt Minister Dong Zhuo and his adopted son Lu Bu, a man of martial and military prowess.

Wang, a bankrupt farmer joins his cousin, Wu, in Shanghai, but finds that he is poor too. One day, Wu stops a woman - Zhang, a drug runner - from being run down by a car, and is hospitalized. During his recovery, Wu slims down due to the amount of drugs he is prescribed, which inspires him to create and sell a weight loss medicine.

Nurse Lin is hired by a wealthy family to care for Mr. Kao, who has lost his mind since his daughter, Ling Kuan, died. As Lin resembles Ling Kuan, her nanny asks Lin to impersonate her to help Mr. Kao recover, which works well. Lin then uncovers a secret: Ling Kuan had loved a music teacher, Qiufan, but her cousin, Yiu Tong, envious of Mr. Kao’s wealth, slandered Qiufan. One night, Yiu Tong attacked Qiufan and attempted to assault Ling Kuan, accidentally killing her. To cover up the crime, he staged her death as a suicide. Later, Nurse Lin and Qiufan, pretending to be ghosts, trick Yiu Tong into confessing. In a panic, Yiu Tong escapes, but his mistress Huigu causes a fire that kills them both. Disheartened by the truth and his burning home, Mr. Kao walks into the flames.