Crane Huating (plot commentary)

Crown Prince Xiao Dingquan lost his mother and sister when he was young and was not close to his father. His early experiences made him extremely long for family affection, and he always tried his best to keep the only relatives around him. Xiao Dingquan both respects, loves and fears his father. He hopes to gain his father's approval but is also afraid of facing the dilemma when his hopes fail. The king of Qi and his father-in-law Zhongshu ordered Li Baizhou to repeatedly cause trouble, which not only persecuted the only cherished person around Xiao Dingquan, but also deepened the gap between Xiao Dingquan and his father. The prince's teacher Lu Shiyu once hoped that Qingliu Lu Ying would succeed him and become the prince's solid backing. Unexpectedly, Lu Ying's daughter Lu Wenxi met the prince by chance and secretly promised to marry him for life. After people close to him were killed one after another, Xiao Dingquan, who was deeply influenced by Lu Shiyu's Confucianism, firmly fought against the villain's conspiracy based on the gentleman's principles of his family, country and world. After the tragedy of his father and brother, Lu Wenxi transformed into a female official of the East Palace and silently guarded Xiao Dingquan, helping him solve the military horse case and the nursery rhyme case. In the end, the grievances of his father and brother were vindicated, and the traitor was brought to justice. Xiao Dingquan and Lu Wenxi also deepened their feelings as they cooperated with each other. Two timid but brave people are not afraid of hardships and sacrifices, and stay together for the peace of the country.