The male lead's plan was a success—he had managed to avert the historical tragedy of Lu Yuan and her brother.
At the end of this episode, the backstory of Chu Tongshang—Lu Yuan's adopted son, who would one day unify the Nine Nations—was finally revealed.
He was, in fact, the illegitimate son of the Prince of Bei'an, younger brother of Emperor Yuanqi, born during the fall of Huofeng Fortress.
He was still an infant, found by Lu Yuan, who decided to raise him as her own.
In this episode, Shen Buyan began to develop true feelings for the 26-year-old Lu Yuan—the one who loved him because of their shared past.
Lu Shi and Yi Hua's innocent love bloomed.
Chu Tongshang was found, and Huofeng Fortress was reclaimed.
Lu Yuan did not become Empress.
Lu Shi did not die.
History was changed.
It could be said that this episode was the only one out of fourteen in 'An Ancient Love Song' that was purely sweet.
The viewers were thrilled—this was the first time people complimented the screenwriter Su Yan while praising the story.
[The screenwriter's finally come to his senses! Actual sweet moments!]
[I really enjoyed watching this one.]
[But didn't Shen Buyan fall for Lu Yuan a bit too quickly?]
[Not really—think about it. During the first time-travel, Lu Yuan shielded him with her life. The second time, they were tangled up for a whole military campaign—at least a month. And this time, she drugged him and went to die in his place. If she weren't insanely strong and hadn't had help from her brother's ambush to thin the enemy's forces, she really would've died. Honestly, if it were me, I'd have fallen for her too.]
[I fell for Lu Yuan at first sight. Shen Buyan took too long, if anything.]
[Forget romance. What got me was that baby Chu Tongshang—his backstory kinda hurts.]
[I thought he was Lu Yuan and Shen Buyan's secret child, raised under the title of adopted son. Turns out he's the son of Emperor Yuanqi's younger brother?]
[Still, Chu Tongshang turns out to be a total ingrate. In the original history, without Shen Buyan's time travel, he's the one who purged Empress Dowager Lu Yuan.]
[That's politics for you. Throughout history, when a mother holds power and her son is weak, the new emperor always tries to cut the strings. Even with real mothers, it happens—let alone an adoptive one. But now that history's changed, Lu Yuan can raise him right.]
[So satisfying. To all those saying history couldn't be changed—what now? Lu Yuan didn't publicly use the Empress's decree. She said she kept it hidden in case she needed it to deal with Li Yong one day. But she never used it—because deep down, she hoped for a peaceful future with Shen Buyan by Nameng Lake.]
[Wait, but why did Emperor Yuanqi give her the decree representing the Empress's status in the first place?]
[It's mentioned briefly—he gave it to her five years ago, before he lost his mind to illness. Back then, he probably loved her.]
[So is the rest of the plot just Shen Buyan, Lu Yuan, and the not-dead Lu Shi joining forces to politically take down Li Yong and end in a happy reunion?]
[Seems like that's what we're heading toward.]
[But if 26-year-old Lu Yuan already knows Shen Buyan, doesn't that mean he travels even further back in time to meet her earlier?]
[Maybe. Doesn't really matter, though. As long as they defeat Li Yong during this era, that's enough. Sure, there are two more time-travel chances left in the jade pendant, but who cares if he never uses them again? Just stay here with Lu Yuan for the rest of his life.]
[Is that something Shen Buyan gets to decide?]
[Even if he doesn't, screenwriter Su Yan does! The story goes where we, the audience, say it should. If we pressure him enough, he has to give Lu Yuan and Shen Buyan a happy ending, right?]
[Let's gooo! If the show really is 14 episodes total, that means we've still got 10 episodes left of pure Lu Yuan–Shen Buyan romance. Yes!!]
Third week of the autumn season.
'The Painted One', episode three, finally broke the 4% mark with 4.07%, becoming the first drama of the season to hit that milestone.
However, 'Lone Doctor' from Hudu TV (ranked second) and 'The Gilded Ones' from Sakura TV (ranked third) remained stable, with little to no change in viewership.
Meanwhile, 'Night Sakura' gained slight momentum in episode three, rising to 3.12% and reclaiming the 11th spot in the rankings.
And 'An Ancient Love Song'?
As expected, episode four's ratings rose again, breaking the 2% barrier for the first time and reaching 2.01%, jumping to 17th place overall.
From 1.38% in episode one to 2.01% by episode four—this kind of leap couldn't be explained by just stealing the audience from other late-night Sunday slots.
Industry insiders and media professionals all understood:
This show's reputation was snowballing.
Viewers who would normally be asleep by then were now staying up just to catch the broadcast.
Paid streaming views on SakuraNet for the first three episodes of 'An Ancient Love Song' were now rivaling top-10 rated shows like 'Night Sakura' and 'Under the Blue Sky!'
Many casual viewers started catching up via online streaming.
After 'An Ancient Love Song' broke into the top 20, critics and entertainment media kicked into gear.
Headlines started popping up:
📰'Rurouni Kenshin' Screenwriter Su Yan Returns with a Hit: 'An Ancient Love Song' Gains Steam, Becomes Deep-Night Sensation with 9.0 Rating
📰What Would You Do with the Power to Time Travel? Shen Buyan Shows That Forget Power and Glory—Changing History for Love Is the Real Romance of the Autumn Season
📰No More Tragedy: 'An Ancient Love Song' Is the Sweet Historical Drama That's Become the Surprise Ratings Hit of Late-Night TV
📰Even Sunday Midnight Can't Hold Back a Genius: 'An Ancient Love Song' Breaks Sakura TV's Three-Year Time Slot Record
📰Su Yan vs. Kiyota Sanji: Two Rising Stars of Sakura TV—But Let's Be Real, Su Yan Is Playing in a League of His Own
📰Actor, Writer, Konghou Master, Martial Arts Choreographer—What Can't He Do? Is This the Reality of a Genius Like Su Yan?
"Future star, my ass."
Kiyota Sanji threw his phone down after reading one of the articles and blocked the author on the spot.
At first, he hadn't been fazed by 'An Ancient Love Song's rising ratings.
Starting at 1%? How high could it possibly go?
But now? After a month, it had hit 2%.
That wasn't something to laugh off.
In the past ten years, among the hundreds of shows aired by the Big Three in the Sunday midnight slot, only two had ever broken 3%.
So few… but not none.
And now Kiyota Sanji was nervous.
No way. It can't keep going up.
It has to cap here, right?
The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. He remembered what Akasaka Yoshitoki once told him:
"If you hadn't messed up last season's 'Pure Breeze' and tanked its reputation, 'An Ancient Love Song' would never have made it to production."
If Su Yan really pulled off something big with this show, he should thank Kiyota Sanji.
Now, Kiyota's chest felt tight. Unbearably tight.
Another Sunday.
After episode four of 'Lone Doctor' aired, just after midnight…
Episode five of 'An Ancient Love Song' began right on schedule.
Xiang Fan, who was feeling drowsy at first, immediately perked up as soon as the opening theme played.
He'd waited all week for this.
Still emotionally scarred from 'Rurouni Kenshin' and its heartbreaking arc with Tomoe, Xiang Fan wanted as much sugar as possible from the Lu Yuan and Shen Buyan romance.
The episode picked up right where last week left off.
Shen Buyan and Lu Yuan left their former home by Nameng Lake to handle the post-battle cleanup at Huofeng Fortress and brace for a possible Beilie counterattack.
Meanwhile, Lu Shi and Yi Hua stayed behind to watch over the newly discovered infant Chu Tongshang, the son of the Prince of Bei'an.
This section, in Xiang Fan's eyes, was pure sugar—focusing on the budding, unspoken feelings between Lu Shi and Yi Hua, the beloved secondary couple.
Two couples, each playing third wheel to the other. Only when separated could each pair have its moment.
Lu Shi's fight scenes were epic, and Yi Hua's lively personality made her a fan favorite.
They were a strong CP in the eyes of viewers.
Episode five began with a sweet moment between them…
Then it cut back to Lu Yuan and Shen Buyan.
Now that her brother had survived…
Now that she no longer needed to become Empress to control the army against Li Yong…
Lu Yuan believed Shen Buyan would stay in this world with her and that they'd live quietly by Nameng Lake.
She even planned to return the Empress's phoenix token to the now-mad Emperor Yuanqi.
But along the road—
Suddenly, something struck her.
"Why hasn't my memory changed?"
Lu Yuan looked at Shen Buyan.
Xiang Fan didn't quite get it at first.
"Why do I still remember you?" Her gaze turned hollow.
"If history truly changed, and you chose to stay, that would mean you'll never time-travel into my past again."
"So why… do I still remember meeting you in the past?"
"How can there be this result without the cause?"
"If you hadn't been there… I never would've received the Empress token in the first place. But it's still here."
Lu Yuan's face paled. She took the token from her robes.
"That means… everything is still following the original path."
The moment she said that—
Xiang Fan got chills. Goosebumps.
So… history hadn't changed?
Or maybe… it couldn't be changed?
If that's the case…
Then Lu Shi would still die.
Lu Yuan would still become Empress.
And she…
She would still die on that fateful Shangsi night at 36.
This...
What even was this plot?!
Was last week's sweetness just a fake-out?
Was this show really only sweet for one episode?