A Dream of Splendor

She is introduced at the beginning as the proprietress of a tea shop by the Qiantang River. Both beautiful and brilliant, anyone who sees her can't help but call her stunning.

Born as a daughter of an official family, but because of her father's unfortunate crimes, her family was forced to give up their status as official, and she was sold off to be a lowly entertainer/performer at a young age, though throughout her time as a performer, she did not sell herself. After her father's former ministry subordinates begged for forgiveness, she managed to regain her status as a commoner again, but her time as a performer was always her greatest shame and embarrassment. After Congliang, she made a living by running a tea shop by the Qiantang River and in the Eastern Capital and met her fiancé Ouyang successively but Ouyang Xu was favored by the Gao family and engaged to Gao Hui after Jiji. He repented his marriage to Zhao Pan'er and proposed to accept her as a concubine but was rejected.

When they first met Gu Qianfan, they had misunderstandings due to unfortunate circumstances. Later, they were helped by Gu Qianfan many times.

Commander of the Intelligence Office Agency of the Capital Security Office, also known as the "Living King of Hell".

He was born noble as the son of Prime Minister Xiao Qinyan, who later abandoned Qianfan's mother and son for an official career, so he followed his mother's surname Gu. He is both civil and military, upright and upright, and takes upholding justice as his own duty. He shows no mercy to the prisoners sent to the Imperial City Division, because he is cold-blooded and ruthless during interrogation, and has no humanity in front of the truth, he is called "Living Yama". he met Zhao Pan'er on the way to perform the mission, even if she was a woman, he would not show any sympathy for her, but the two got to know each other better in crisis after crisis and he felt reluctant to let go of the perseverance and strength under Zhao Pan'er's beautiful face, so gradually there bloomed deep roots of love.

He was promoted to the post of deputy commissioner of the Capital Security Office after solving the case in Qiantang. He was later promoted to be a 5th-ranked official of the imperial city after the hat demon case

Born as a butcher, she has great strength. Excellent cooking skills, especially good at Jiangnan dishes and desserts. She has known Zhao Pan'er for a long time and talked about everything. She is a virtuous person, able to give everything for her husband and son. Knowing that her husband is having an affair with a widow, her only son even does not recognize her as his mother. In despair, she jumps into the river and tries to commit suicide. She is saved by Gu Qianfan and Zhao Pan'er. Gan stabbed Zhao Pan'er in both sides, and never left him. Opened a tea shop in the Eastern Capital with Zhao Pan'er and Song Yinzhang.

Du Changfeng and Du Changfeng are a pair of happy friends. At first, they could not understand Zhao Pan'er because Changfeng persuaded him to be a concubine. Later, because Du Changfeng was always bullied by the students, she stood up for him. The two gradually got together, and finally, He asked the emperor to marry them and was granted.

Her pipa skill is considered the best in the Jiangnan region. The pipa she plays is called Guyue. Although she is an official jiaofang music performer, she does not sell herself as a performer. She, together with Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang sworned themselves as sisters. In the early years, she is shown to have a naive and confident personality, which always make Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang feel worried. Spare no effort to get out of 贱书, and lose judgment in order to get out of the country. Regardless of Zhao Pan'er's advice, she elopes with Zhou She, who is a gambler and indecent man with cruel intentions. She is imprisoned and beaten by Zhou She, and her savings are all stolen. Later, she had a crush on Gu Qianfan, and after learning that Gu Qianfan's sweetheart was Zhao Pan'er and that she was the only one buried in the dark, heartbroken and angry, she agreed to Shen Ruzhuo's pursuit, but once again entrusted her to someone inhumane. After exposing Shen Ruzhuo's true face, she completely sees through the love between his children and grows up overnight.

Zhao Pan'er's former betrothed.

In the past, he failed the test repeatedly, and later received the favor of Zhao Pan'er, and made a marriage contract with her, and finally passed the scholarly examination three years later becoming a third graduate. Later, for the sake of his official career, he accepted the love of Gao Hui, the daughter of the powerful minister Gao Hu, and broke the marriage contract with Zhao Pan'er. After that, he connived with the housekeeper to slander Zhao Pan'er and others in his own name and then expelled her from the Eastern Capital. In order to avoid being retaliated against by Zhao in the Eastern Capital, he flattered and flattered him when he entered the palace and was awarded the post of Deputy Envoy of Zuo Lang Ziji Palace, and escaped to Xijing. However, he was despised by Gao Hu because of this, so the marriage contract with Gao Hui was broken, and he went to Xijing to take office, secretly vowing to return triumphantly in the near future. He killed Uncle De and tried to assassinate Zhao Pan'er, but failed, and was finally captured by the emperor and handed over to the Imperial City Secretary with full authority.

Head of 12 merchant guilds.

A well-known playboy in the Eastern Capital, born into a family of merchants, known as Chi Ya Nei. People are stupid and have a lot of money, and they are often played around without knowing it. It turned out that Zhang Haohao was a good friend and was at odds with Zhao Pan'er. After breaking up with Zhang Haohao, they were helped by Zhao Pan'er by chance. A different kind of relationship arises, but because Zhao Pan'er has her own heart, she later turns to Song Yinzhang.

Born into a wealthy family in the capital, with outdated and pedantic thinking.Suffering from night blindness caused due to severe myopia, resulting in blurred vision. To see close objects, he needs to rely on 叆叇 (similar to today's myopia glasses). In the beginning, he tried to persuade Zhao Pan'er to commit herself to Ouyang Xu as a concubine, but Sun Sanniang threw himself into the water in public in a rage. Later, without knowing that the tea shop was opened by Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang, he became a regular customer. He and Sun Sanniang were enemies. After Ouyang Xu made a big mistake, he tried to persuade him to surrender, but to no avail. Finally, he was rewarded by the emperor to marry Sun Sanniang.

At first he worked in Ship Department, and later transferred to the Capital Security Office. He is shrewd and observant, and he is sophisticated in dealing with things. When Gu Qianfan was in distress at the beginning, he was threatened and had no choice but to compromise. Later, he learned that Gu Qianfan was working in the Imperial City Division and decided to follow. Under the guidance of Gu Qianfan, he took care of Zhao Pan'er, Sun Sanniang, and Song Yinzhang. The three of them also treated Chen Lian as a younger brother. In the beginning, he and Ge Zhaodi were friends but gradually fell in love with her.

Instigated by Gao Hui's Nanny, she went to the tea shop with her accomplices to frame Zhao Pan'er and others but their ploys and actions ended up being exposed. Afterward, she changed her former mistakes, turned enemies into friends with Zhao and the other three, and waited in the tea shop. She and Chen Lian were enemies at the beginning but later fell in love with him.

His eyebrows are picturesque, and he smiles sweetly. Performing art but not selling oneself, conceited of talent and beauty, unwilling to be inferior to others, thinking that even if one is a lowly citizen, one should live out one's own world. In the beginning, he made good friends with Zhao Pan'er, Song Yinzhang, and others. Later, Yinzhang was unwilling to be famous for it, and secretly jealous of him, and later reconciled, and reminded Yinzhang of Shen Ruzhuo's true colors. Chi Pan was originally a good friend, but later the two broke up.

He seems to love Song Yinzhang very much, but in fact, he wants to use her beauty to win the support of officials for himself, so as to maintain the dignity of the Shen family in the Eastern Capital. Attempted to pawn Song Yinzhang off to other court officials, but Song Yinzhang saw through it and retaliated against him.

The most powerful and powerful position in his life, with deep scheming and unscrupulous means to achieve his goals, is the head of the famous treacherous ministers in the court. When he was from a poor family, he was in love with Gu Shuniang, Gu Qianfan's mother, and they married and gave birth to Gu Qianfan. He grows up and has both civil and military skills. On the contrary, his other sons are far behind him in achievement. He intends to make Gu Qianfan take charge of the Xiao family and inherit the mantle.

A pure and kind-hearted lady who is loved by thousands of people, she once fell in love with Ouyang Xu and firmly refused her father to break up her marriage. After Zhao Pan'er reminded her, she sent someone to investigate Ouyang Xu's past before accepting the truth. Retired and became friends with Zhao Paner.

Because of his discord with Xiao Qinyan and jealousy of his trust by the officials, he deliberately framed him, even using Gu Qianfan as his own pawn, and instigating Xiao Qinyan's father and son to turn against each other, but he regarded himself as Qingliu. After Gu Qianfan formally drew a line with him, he gradually revealed his true colors. After the final defeat, he was sentenced to exile.

Afraid that Gu Qianfan's ability would threaten his status, he often planned to kill Gu Qianfan, but Xiao Qinyan came forward to mediate, but because of his power, he had no choice but to give up.

Jealous of Gu Qianfan's ability and at odds with him, in order to restrain Gu Qianfan and frame Zhao Pan'er but failed, he was found to be colluding with foreigners in Xixia, and embezzled Lei Jing's family property.

Opened the sea ban privately, colluded with Lei Jing to deal with Gu Qianfan, and was later bestowed to death by Xiao Qinyan.

A proud official, good at judging the current situation. he likes to collect famous paintings. After Ouyang Xu's pilot test, he caught his son-in-law at the top of the list, thinking that he came from a poor family and could be easily controlled. Later, when he learned that Ouyang Xu was appointed as a palace official, he angrily tore up the marriage contract. She once coveted Zhao Pan'er's beauty and intelligence, and wanted to take her as a concubine and molested her.

He likes to worship high and step down, often violates Ouyang Xu's confession and makes his own decisions, and hates Zhao Pan'er. In the end, he was killed by Ouyang Xu.

See profit and forget righteousness, good flattery and gambling. At first, she cheated on marrying Song Yinzhang. After getting married, she showed her gambling nature. In order to force Song Yinzhang to take out her savings, she was imprisoned in the house and beat and kicked. The government, instead, was detained in a prison and later sentenced to exile.

She was hired to play the pipa at a teahouse in Chatang Lane in competition with Song Yingzhang, and was called by Zhao Pan'er to listen to Song Yinzhang playing the pipa and was impressed by her skills. She later became an apprentice of Song Yingzhang