The Romance of Tiger and Rose Episode 1 Recap
> The Romance of Tiger and Rose Recap
In Huayuan City, women rule, while in Xuanhu City, men hold power. The two cities have long been at odds. After a fierce battle, Xuanhu City was defeated, forcing them to send their Young Master, Han Shuo, to marry into Huayuan City. Han Shuo is both strategically brilliant and strikingly handsome, admired by all who see him. However, he suffers from a congenital heart condition and is fated not to live past twenty.
Now, at nineteen, as onlookers discuss his plight, the third princess, Chen Qianqian, gallops through the streets, charging toward the escort caravan. The Dragon Bone, a secret treasure of Huayuan City, can cure all ailments, and there is only one. Han Shuo’s primary reason for marrying into Huayuan City is to obtain the Dragon Bone.
To achieve this, he orchestrates a heroic rescue to make the second princess, Chen Chuchu, fall in love with him at first sight, planning to use her to acquire the Dragon Bone. However, despite his careful planning, things go awry. By mistake, Han Shuo saves Chen Qianqian, who unexpectedly takes a liking to him and immediately arranges to marry him.
Han Shuo pretends to have a heart attack and collapses, with his attendants crying in support, hoping Chen Qianqian will retract her decision. Instead, she orders them to rush him to her residence while he’s still alive, then rides off. " The Romance of Tiger and Rose" is Chen Xiaoqian’s online novel. She has secured the filming rights after contacting Mr. Zhang, but the male lead refuses to join the production.
As a writer living off royalties, Chen Xiaoqian, driven by financial need, decides to visit the set to resolve the issue with the male lead. He believes the male protagonist’s romantic character arc is inconsistent and demands changes from Chen Xiaoqian. Furious, Chen Xiaoqian initially wants to complain to Mr. Zhang, but when she sees the payment already transferred to her account, she’s overjoyed. She works tirelessly to revise the script, perfecting the finale, only to faint from exhaustion.
When she wakes, she discovers she has transmigrated into her own script, becoming the extravagant and incompetent Chen Qianqian. In Huayuan City, where women hold supremacy, men are at the bottom of society. Even a street vendor auntie can flirt with or marry a good-looking man she fancies. As a princess, Chen Qianqian has a noble status but is merely a cannon-fodder character destined to die in the third episode.
While still adjusting to her surroundings, someone delivers a wedding dress, making her realize she’s already in the third episode’s plot. Due to her later revisions, Han Shuo is set to poison her on their wedding day. Meanwhile, Xuanhu City has sent assassins to ensure the Dragon Bone’s acquisition. At Han Shuo’s command, they are ready to kill.
However, Han Shuo opts for a different plan: by killing Chen Qianqian and helping Chen Chuchu ascend to power, he can light the beacon tower and seize Huayuan City. Fearing Han Shuo’s intent to kill her, Chen Qianqian’s subordinate, Zi Rui, dismisses the threat, believing Han Shuo is just a useless man from a remote land.
As the script’s author, Chen Qianqian knows Han Shuo’s true identity and orders Zi Rui to speak less and skip all wedding formalities, rushing straight to the consummation. Han Shuo prepares a poison, Soul-Breaking Powder, for the wedding night’s drinks. His subordinate hands him a dagger for self-defense, noting that the third princess’s only strength is her martial prowess. Han Shuo throws a wine cup, shattering a vase to intimidate his men.
Though the third princess is notoriously tyrannical, the Owner of Huayuan City dotes on her, so her death would be justified. The Owner of Huayuan City hears of Chen Qianqian’s plan to skip formalities and allows it. Han Shuo follows Huayuan City’s customs, where men are treated as women, wearing veils that women remove. Once removed, a man must remain loyal to that woman forever. Han Shuo endures this, but he refuses the custom of applying the chastity mark.
Chen Qianqian rushes in, declaring the chastity mark unnecessary, and everyone leaves the room. Han Shuo suggests drinking to liven the mood, triggering Chen Qianqian’s memory of the script’s poisoned wine. Instead of objecting, she thinks drinking it will let her return home and agrees. Han Shuo pretends to cough and swaps their cups. When they drink again, he spills the wine with another fake cough. Chen Qianqian, thinking it’s because his veil is still on, removes it.
Stunned, she recognizes Han Shuo as the male lead. Believing he’s also in the novel, she reveals the wine is poisoned, vowing to take him with her if she leaves. To spite the male lead who once dismissed her, Chen Qianqian calls in Zi Rui, accusing Han Shuo of attempting to poison her and ordering his family’s execution after her death. However, neither the food nor drink is poisoned.
Suspecting the actor improvised by coating his lips with poison, she kisses Han Shuo to confirm. After the kiss, her tongue goes numb, her head spins, and she collapses into his arms.
