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| The First Jasmine Ending Explained and Review: Bai Lu and Ryan Cheng Lei Deliver a Powerful Historical Romance Finale. (Image via: Tencent Video/Weibo) |
Tencent Video's 40-episode historical romance drama, The First Jasmine (莫离), has reached its emotional conclusion, and Episode 40 leaves viewers with far more tears than triumph. While the series spends much of its final chapter delivering justice to its villains and bringing political conflicts to a close, its biggest surprise comes from a heartbreaking truth that completely changes how audiences understand Ye Li from the very beginning. Rather than ending with another grand battle, the drama chooses grief, healing and quiet hope, making for a finale that is both rewarding and emotionally exhausting.
Led by Bai Lu as the resilient Ye Li and Ryan Cheng Lei as the loyal Prince Ding, Mo Xiu Yao, the adaptation of Sheng Shi Di Fei combines palace politics, revenge, romance and psychological trauma into one of Tencent Video's most talked-about costume dramas of 2026.
The final episode finally answers the mystery surrounding Lishan Academy while showing that the greatest enemy Ye Li has faced was never a rival prince or corrupt official, but the unbearable weight of surviving alone.
Throughout the series, Ye Li appeared calm, intelligent and almost impossible to break. Episode 40 reveals that this strength was never because she escaped tragedy.
Instead, she had been carrying unimaginable pain for eight years while hiding it behind composure. It is a reveal that instantly redefines nearly every earlier episode.
The finale begins with Mo Xiu Yao choosing not to challenge Ye Li's fragile emotional state. After remembering the physician's observations, he quietly suspects that Ye Li has suffered a psychological collapse caused by overwhelming loss. Instead of forcing her to confront reality immediately, he patiently follows her version of events, hoping stability will eventually allow her to heal.
During the night, Mo Xiu Yao secretly walks into the bamboo forest and discovers something that completely shocks him. Hidden among the trees are dozens of graves belonging to Headmaster Xu, the academy teachers and students.
Even more devastating is an empty grave prepared for Ye Li herself, suggesting she has long expected her own death. In that heartbreaking moment, Mo Xiu Yao finally understands the enormous loneliness his wife has silently endured. Suddenly, all of Ye Li's strange behaviour throughout the finale makes tragic sense.
When he returns, Ye Li sleepily asks where he has gone. Rather than revealing the truth, Mo Xiu Yao gently lies, saying he merely went for a walk. Holding her close, he finally opens his heart.
Ironically, although Ye Li is the one struggling emotionally, she comforts him instead, promising she will remain by his side. It is one of the drama's most touching scenes because viewers realise she has spent years comforting everyone except herself.
The following morning offers one of the series' few genuinely peaceful moments. Mo Xiu Yao repairs broken doors, fixes the unstable bed, chops firewood and cooks breakfast while Ye Li watches.
They gather mushrooms together and briefly live like an ordinary married couple without political conspiracies, assassinations or palace intrigue interrupting every conversation. After forty episodes of schemes and bloodshed, simple domestic happiness somehow becomes the greatest luxury of all.
Elsewhere, supporting characters continue wrapping up their own stories. Feng Zhi Yao arrives at Suixue Pass and unexpectedly meets Han Ming Xi.
Their conversation hints that Su Zui Die's fate remains uncertain, though Han Ming Xi clearly hides the truth. The exchange reflects how even after the major conflicts have ended, many emotional wounds remain unresolved.
Inside the imperial court, Guo Jin learns that Lishan Academy appears deserted. However, everything changes when the young Emperor delivers Mo Xiu Yao's letter revealing the horrifying reality.
Every resident of Lishan except Ye Li died years ago during a devastating epidemic. Guo Jin immediately orders a formal investigation, setting the stage for public acknowledgement of one of the empire's darkest hidden tragedies.
Knowing Ye Li cannot continue living inside comforting illusions forever, Mo Xiu Yao convinces her to visit the bamboo forest at sunrise.
As they approach the monkey statues, Ye Li instinctively becomes frightened because fragments of forgotten memories begin returning. The audience realises her subconscious has been protecting her from a truth too painful to accept.
Then comes the emotional centrepiece of the entire series. Standing before countless graves, Ye Li finally remembers everything.
Eight years earlier, a deadly epidemic swept through Lishan Academy. Every teacher, student and scholar fell seriously ill except Ye Li. Desperate to seek help, she tried to leave the mountain, only to be stopped by her senior brothers.
Their reason was heartbreaking. The academy had sealed itself off in protest against Guo Jin's seizure of power. Seeking outside assistance would have meant abandoning the ideals they had defended throughout their lives. Knowing they were dying, they still refused to surrender those principles.
One by one, everyone perished. Her beloved grandfather. Her respected teachers. Her fellow disciples. Even Qing Shuang. The young Ye Li was left completely alone.
Unable to rely on anyone, she spent days carrying each body to the bamboo forest with her own hands before digging every grave herself.
The image of a young woman burying forty-six people one after another becomes one of the most haunting moments in the entire drama. No palace battle throughout the series carries anywhere near the same emotional weight.
The trauma never disappeared. Instead, her mind created comforting illusions that allowed her to continue living. Those hallucinations protected her from unbearable grief but also trapped her inside an emotional prison for eight long years.
Rather than portraying Ye Li as weak, the finale argues the opposite. Surviving such unimaginable loss without completely giving up is presented as the greatest act of courage in the series.
The revelation sends shockwaves beyond the mountain. Officials, scholars and ordinary citizens become outraged after learning the truth behind Lishan Academy's destruction.
Calls grow louder for political accountability, with senior ministers urging Guo Jin to restore authority to the Emperor and finally confront the consequences of the past.
Several ongoing storylines also receive satisfying conclusions. Han Ming Xi refuses to abandon his brother despite the danger posed by Prince Mo Jing Li, while Hua Guogong openly regrets persuading Xu Qing Yun to isolate Lishan years earlier, recognising that his decision indirectly contributed to the academy's devastating fate.
Mo Xiu Yao also prepares for yet another military campaign, but unlike earlier conflicts, Ye Li now stands beside him with complete trust.
Their relationship has evolved beyond suspicion and revenge. They are no longer simply husband and wife joined by circumstance but true partners who understand each other's deepest scars.
Some supporting plots remain intentionally bittersweet. Ling Yun's death continues haunting Feng Zhi Yao, whose disappearance into Cangbei leaves questions unanswered. Political tensions surrounding the young Emperor never fully disappear either, suggesting that peace always demands another sacrifice.
The ending does not magically erase Ye Li's trauma. Instead, it shows healing beginning with acceptance. Once the truth is spoken aloud, she no longer needs to pretend the people she loved are still alive.
Mo Xiu Yao cannot undo eight years of suffering, but he offers something equally important—a future where she no longer has to carry every burden alone. That is ultimately what The First Jasmine is trying to say.
Revenge may defeat enemies, political victories may restore kingdoms and justice may finally arrive, but genuine healing only begins when grief is shared. The empire is saved, villains are defeated and old conspiracies collapse, yet the most meaningful victory belongs to one woman finally allowing herself to mourn.
From a storytelling perspective, the finale wisely avoids relying on spectacle. Instead, it trusts its characters. The biggest twist is not another hidden mastermind or shocking betrayal but the revelation that Ye Li's greatest battle has always been internal. It transforms earlier episodes, rewarding patient viewers who noticed the subtle clues scattered throughout the series.
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| Tencent Video |
The performances deserve enormous praise. Bai Lu delivers arguably one of her strongest television performances, gradually peeling away Ye Li's carefully controlled exterior until every suppressed emotion bursts onto the screen.
Ryan Cheng Lei complements her perfectly by portraying Mo Xiu Yao with quiet restraint rather than exaggerated heroics. His greatest act of love is not defeating armies but choosing patience over force when Ye Li needs it most.
Visually, the drama continues to impress until its closing moments. The peaceful mountain landscapes become haunting once viewers realise they have actually been surrounded by graves all along.
The direction cleverly transforms familiar locations into places carrying completely different emotional meanings, proving that context can change everything.
Not every subplot receives equal attention, and a handful of supporting characters deserved slightly stronger conclusions after forty episodes.
Some political threads wrap up more quickly than expected, occasionally making the final stretch feel slightly rushed. Nevertheless, the emotional resolution lands with remarkable impact because the central relationship never loses sight of what truly matters.
In simple terms, Episode 40 reveals that everyone at Lishan Academy except Ye Li died during a plague eight years earlier. Ye Li buried all forty-six victims herself and developed psychological illusions to survive overwhelming grief.
Mo Xiu Yao discovers the truth, helps her face reality and promises to remain by her side. Their enemies are defeated, political justice begins taking shape and hope finally replaces revenge, even though some emotional wounds will never fully disappear.
As for Season 2, Tencent Video has not officially renewed The First Jasmine, despite growing rumours across fan communities. Those rumours should still be treated cautiously until an official announcement arrives.
Interestingly, reports have suggested that the creative team has previously hinted they have a larger ending planned for the overall story, although it may not have been intended to happen immediately. If another season eventually moves forward, it could potentially serve as the final chapter rather than the beginning of another long saga.
Should a second season happen, viewers can expect the story to explore the aftermath of the changing political landscape, the young Emperor's future, unresolved character arcs involving Feng Zhi Yao and Han Ming Xi, and whether Ye Li can truly rebuild her life after confronting years of buried trauma.
There is certainly enough material left to continue, although the current finale also functions as a satisfying emotional conclusion on its own. Unlike some streaming dramas that stop abruptly, The First Jasmine feels complete while still leaving a small window open should Tencent decide to revisit its world.
Is the ending happy or sad? The answer sits somewhere beautifully in between. The villains receive justice, the central couple remains together and peace slowly returns, making it hopeful. Yet the cost is impossible to ignore.
The people Ye Li loved never come back, and the years she lost can never be restored. Rather than delivering simple happiness, the c-drama chooses emotional honesty, showing that healing does not erase grief but teaches people how to carry it.
Ultimately, The First Jasmine is less a story about revenge than resilience. It begins with political conspiracies and arranged marriages but quietly evolves into a moving portrait of survival, forgiveness and unconditional love.
The First Jasmine final episode may leave viewers emotionally drained, but it also reminds us that even after unimaginable darkness, there is still room for tomorrow. Did Episode 40 give you the ending you hoped for, or were you expecting a different fate for Ye Li and Mo Xiu Yao?