''Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace'' (, lit. ''The Legend of Ruyi'') is a 2018 Chinese television series based on novel ''Hou Gong Ru Yi Zhuan'' by
Liu Lianzi. Starring
Zhou Xun
Zhou Xun (, born 18 October 1974) is a Chinese actress and singer. She is regarded as one of the Four Dan Actresses of China. She gained international fame for her roles in '' Suzhou River'' (2000) and ''Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress'' ...
and
Wallace Huo
Wallace Huo Chien-hwa (, born 26 December 1979) is a Taiwanese actor, singer and producer. He is known for his roles in ''At Dolphin Bay'' (2003), ''Chinese Paladin 3'' (2009), ''Swordsman'' (2013), '' Battle of Changsha'' (2014), ''The Journey of ...
, the series chronicles the relationship between
Emperor Qianlong and
Empress Nara
Step Empress of the Nara clan (; 11 March 1718 – 19 August 1766) was the wife and second empress consort of Hongli, the Qianlong Emperor. She was Empress consort of Qing from 1750 until her death in 1766.
Originally a concubine, she was ele ...
. It is the sequel to the critically acclaimed drama ''
Empresses in the Palace
''Empresses in the Palace'' (, ''lit.'' ''The Legend of Zhen Huan''), is a 2011 Chinese television series based on the novel of the same name by Liu Lianzi. Directed by Zheng Xiaolong, it stars Sun Li in the title role of Zhen Huan. The series ...
''.
It aired on
Tencent Video
Tencent Video (, also called WeTV outside of China) is a Chinese video streaming website owned by Tencent. The website was launched in April 2011, and is one of China's largest online video platforms. As of March 2022, Tencent Video has over 1.2 ...
starting 20 August to 15 October 2018; during which it was streamed more than 18,9 billion times. It later went on national broadcast and aired simultaneously on
Jiangsu Television
Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation (JSBC) () is China's third biggest television network after China Central Television (CCTV) and Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS). The television network is owned by the Jiangsu provincial government. The network is ...
and
Dragon Television
Shanghai Dragon Television or Dragon TV () is a provincial satellite TV station. It launched in October 1998 as "Shanghai Television" but changed its name to Dragon Television on October 23, 2003.Douban
Douban.com (), launched on 6 March 2005, is a Chinese online database and social networking service that allows registered users to record information and create content related to film, books, music, recent events, and activities in Chinese c ...
.
Plot
Step Empress Nara grew up as Lady Qingying, the niece of
Empress Xiaojing, during the
Yongzheng Emperor
, regnal name =
, posthumous name = Emperor Jingtian Changyun Jianzhong Biaozhen Wenwu Yingming Kuanren Xinyi Ruisheng Daxiao Zhicheng Xian()Manchu: Temgetulehe hūwangdi ()
, temple name = Shizong()Manchu: Šidzung ()
, house = Aisin Gioro ...
's reign and was future Qianlong Emperor's childhood friend; he was referred to as fourth prince Hongli prior to his ascension. Initially chosen to be his ''difujin'' (primary consort) when he was a prince, Lady Qingying's status in the Imperial Court was compromised after the Yongzheng Emperor exposed Empress Xiaojing for raising a traitor and trying to usurp his throne, and took third prince
Hongshi
Hongshi (Manchu: ''Hung ši''; 18 March 1704 – 20 September 1727) was a Manchu prince of the Qing dynasty. Born to the ruling Aisin Gioro clan as the third son of the Yongzheng Emperor, he was banished from the imperial clan in 1725, ostensib ...
from the line of succession. Prince Hongli, now the new successor to the throne, is forced to rescind his decision, and takes future Empress
Fuca Langhua as his ''difujin'' instead. However, he compromised with Yongzheng Emperor to let him take Lady Qingying back as ''cefujin'' (secondary consort) so that she could stay with him in his Harem. Another candidate, Lady
Gao Xiyue is taken as his concubine as well. Ruyi is uneasy with the arrangement, especially the fact that his mother and her aunt are rivals, but Prince Hongli vows to protect her and promises he would not let her suffer despite what had happened to her aunt and the situation regarding her standing in the Imperial Family. All three women are promoted once Prince Hongli became Qianlong Emperor ascended to the throne; Lady Qingying becoming Consort Xian and Lady Gao becoming Noble Consort Hui. The women become new members of the Imperial Harem after Qianlong Emperor's succession.
Due to her involvement with the
Ula-Nara clan and her reputation as Qianlong Emperor's favored wife and childhood friend, Consort Xian is initially not well received in the Imperial Harem and Imperial Family. His mother
Consort Xi
Consort Xi (; 4 October 1842 – 26 June 1877), of the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner Cahala clan, was a consort of Xianfeng Emperor.
Life
Family background
Consort Xi was a booi aha of Manchu Plain Yellow Banner Cahala clan. Her persona ...
, now the Dowager Empress, initially distrusted Consort Xian but granted her the name "Ruyi" when the latter requested to be give a new name to start anew; she is referred to as Ruyi by Qianlong Emperor and various others in private and informal settings. Empress Fuca feels threatened by Ruyi's favor, with Noble Consort Hui's assistance, they set traps and planted accusations against her in order to make her less favored. Torn between his love for Ruyi and his duty to both the Empress Fuca and the Dowager Empress, as well as imperial affairs and his desire to maintain the Qing's good reputation, Qianlong Emperor often turns the other way when Ruyi is in need or sides against her instead. As a result, Ruyi is eventually demoted to become a commoner and sent to The Cold Palace for years after being accused for harming Concubine Yi and Concubine Mei's children. During her time, she struggles to survive in her new home but endured with the help of her servant Suoxin and low-ranking guard, Ling Yunche. She also discovers Empress Fuca's plans to intentionally make both her and Noble Consort Hui infertile via a bracelet given to both of them as a wedding gift when they first married Qianlong Emperor.
Eventually, Ruyi is able to escape with the help of her allies within the Imperial Harem and return to the Imperial Court as Consort Xian once more. Noble Consort Hui learns of Empress Fuca's bracelet through Ruyi and as a result exposes Empress Fuca's actions to Qianlong Emperor before her death. Empress Fuca began to lose favor and her health went into decline as Ruyi's allies began to gain favor from the Emperor. After nearly drowning on accident, she eventually succumbs to illness. Qianlong Emperor forces everyone to mourn for Empress Fuca to pretend that he deeply cared for her.
It is revealed that Empress Fuca and Imperial Noble Consort Hui's actions were manipulated by
Consort Jia, a favored consort from Joseon who wanted the title of Empress herself in order to win the love of the
Joseon
Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...
Crown Prince
A crown prince or hereditary prince is the heir apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The female form of the title is crown princess, which may refer either to an heiress apparent or, especially in earlier times, to the wif ...
and remove Qing's influence from her home country. Ruyi's ascension from Consort to Imperial Noble Consort to Step Empress was made uneasy due to Consort Jia's attempt to curb her favor with scathing rumors and other actions that led to various injuries and deaths to those Ruyi loved. Eventually, as Consort Jia is demoted and re-promoted over the years due to her scheming, she loses favor from Qianglong Emperor and is humiliated by the women in the Imperial Harem who were wronged by her. Her plan to put her oldest son on the Qing throne for Joseon were revealed and she is demoted by Qianlong Emperor to become a commoner. She dies heartbroken after learning why the Joseon Crown Prince would never love her and all her sons were taken out of the royal succession.
Ruyi's relationship with Qianlong Emperor is challenged throughout their marriage but went into further decline. As wrongful accusations, rumors, and scheming ladies of the Imperial Harem causes Ruyi to lose favor and respect from Qianlong Emperor, her differing opinions also began clashing with his personal desires, expectations, and wants.
Consort Ling, a look-a-like of Ruyi and former maid of Consort Jia and Imperial Noble Consort Chun, eventually rose to power as a means of spiting those within the Imperial Harem who wronged her in the past and from financial pressure from her family. As a result of her supporting Qianlong's choices regardless of their consequences, Consort Ling grew in favor over the years and her influence caused the rift between him and Ruyi to grow further. More people within the Imperial Harem and Imperial family began to divide themselves into factions that either supported Ruyi or Consort Ling. More people within the Imperial Palace also died due to Consort Ling's machinations.
The events of the story escalates during a trip to Jiangnan when Ruyi confronts Qianlong Emperor when he falls to Consort Ling's machinations to be in the company of courtesans. This angers Qianlong, whose comparison of her to Empress Xiaoxian and Consort Ling forces Ruyi to admit that his suspicions exhausted their love and scheming made the women of the harem insecure. Ruyi cuts off a lock of her hair in front of him to symbolically end their marriage, an act that was seen as a curse against the Qianlong Emperor, after he forcefully slaps her for her impudence; Ruyi is thus confined. After Yongqi's death (caused by Consort Ling), Ruyi plans to expose the newly promoted Imperial Noble Consort using the help of her closest allies. The final confrontation arrives when Qianlong catches Consort Ling red-handed for trying to name his next successor. Consort Yu and Empress Dowager both give strong testimonies against Consort Ling, both witnesses and proof provided; Consort Ling is sentenced to consume poison for the rest of her life.
With Consort Ling exposed, Ruyi is asked by Qianlong Emperor to return as Step-Empress but she refuses him and refuses to see the harem. She then passes away from
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
, a chronic illness she hid from Qianlong Emperor. Initially, Qianlong Emperor attempts to memorialize Ruyi but discovered that she not only returned her Imperial gifts, which were bestowed on her when she became Step Empress, but also destroyed a painting of herself that was given by him as a peace offering during her house arrest. Qianlong then demotes her to Imperial Noble Consort and is buried as such, though her funeral is much smaller as that of an untitled Ula-nara clanswoman. Records of her are destroyed, which brought controversy throughout China and the Imperial Palace. Thereafter, the Qianlong Emperor designed and dedicated a pavilion to her, spending the rest of his life sitting inside of it, forever haunted by her memory as he grew older. To save their only surviving son from the pressures and tragedies that come from being an emperor, he made Consort Ling's youngest son to be his successor instead.
The series ends with an elderly Qianlong Emperor cutting a piece of his hair and intertwining it with the lock of hair Ruyi cut in front of him years ago and dying peacefully. Ruyi's favorite plant that she left behind for him, the green plum, blooms for the first time in decades, and his last memory of her is the moment that Ruyi came late to his wife selection. The ending sequence states that no woman from Ula-Nara ever entered the Imperial Harem again after Ruyi's death.
Cast
Main
Leading Protagonists
Secondary Protagonists
Main Antagonists
Supporting
The Imperial Harem
Members of the imperial family
Court Officials
Female servants
Male servants
Others
Production
Crew
The series is directed by Wang Jun, produced by Huang Lan, and written by the author of the original novel
Liu Lianzi. It also employed
William Chang
William Chang Suk-ping ( zh, 張叔平; born 12 November 1953) is a Hong Kong production designer, costume designer and film editor. Along with cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Chang is an important collaborator with Hong Kong film director ...
and Tongxun Chen as their overall style director, Han Zhong as art director and Peng Xuejun as cinematography director.
Development
Wu Xuelan, also known as Liu Lianzi, started to write the original novel in 2011, and changed her work several times to achieve the best version in the next five years.
New Classics Mediapicked up the series for a 90–episode season (later shortened to 87), with a
¥300 million budget, making it the most expensive television series in China.
Casting
On January 14, 2016, it was announced that
Zhou Xun
Zhou Xun (, born 18 October 1974) is a Chinese actress and singer. She is regarded as one of the Four Dan Actresses of China. She gained international fame for her roles in '' Suzhou River'' (2000) and ''Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress'' ...
will play the leading role of the
Step Empress. The role of the
Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...
, the male lead, was announced to be portrayed by
Wallace Huo
Wallace Huo Chien-hwa (, born 26 December 1979) is a Taiwanese actor, singer and producer. He is known for his roles in ''At Dolphin Bay'' (2003), ''Chinese Paladin 3'' (2009), ''Swordsman'' (2013), '' Battle of Changsha'' (2014), ''The Journey of ...
on May 27. On August 3, actors
Janine Chang
Janine Chang Chun-ning (; born September 4, 1982) is a Taiwanese actress and film producer. Chang attended National Taipei University and obtained a bachelor's degree in law. In June 2010, Chang graduated from the Institute of Industrial Econom ...
,
Vivian Wu
Vivian Wu ( Wu Junmei; ; born February 5, 1967) is a Chinese-American actress.Chen Nan ''China Daily'', 27 April 2007. Her big break came in 1987, appearing in the biographical film '' The Last Emperor''. She later went to starring in films '' ...
,
Dong Jie
Dong Jie (, born 19 April 1980) is a Chinese actress and dancer.
Dong made her debut in Zhang Yimou's '' Happy Times'' (2000) ( Yimou girl), playing a blind girl mistreated by her stepmother. Zhang selected Dong after a casting call on the Int ...
,
Tong Yao
Tong Yao (; born 11 August 1985), also known as Tanya Tong, is a Chinese actress, best known in film for portraying Chen Shu in ''A Big Deal'' (2011), May in '' Snowfall in Taipei'' (2012) and Annie Yang in '' To Love Somebody'' (2014), and has ...
,
Jing Chao
Jing Chao (, born 15 April 1986) is a Chinese actor.
Life
Jing was born in Shanghai, China on 15 April 1986. He graduated from Beijing Film Academy. He married actress Li Jialin (李佳璘), also known as Li Lin, in 2014. They have two children ...
,
Xin Zhilei
Xin Zhilei () is a Chinese actress. She is best known for her roles in films ''Bunshinsaba 2
''Bunshinsaba 2'' () is a 2013 Chinese horror film directed by Ahn Byeong-ki.
Plot
A group of six: Song Qian, Nana, You Feng, Yufei, Yang Zheng, and ...
,
Li Chun, Zeng Yixuan and
Chen Haoyu
Chen Haoyu (; born 7 April 1992) is a Chinese singer and actress.
Early life and education
Chen was born in Fuzhou, Fujian, on April 7, 1992. She was accepted to the Xiamen University of Technology in 2010 and two years later she became a new ...
were cast in major supporting roles for the drama. Around 5,000 actors competed for roles in the drama.
Filming
Shooting began on 23 August 2016 and took place in various locations including
Hengdian World Studios
Hengdian World Studios () is a film studio located in Hengdian, a Chinese town in the city of Dongyang, Zhejiang Province. It is one of the largest film studios in the world. The movie studio is operated by the privately owned Hengdian Group
fo ...
,
Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
,
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia, officially the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China. Its border includes most of the length of China's border with the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia also accounts for a ...
, and
Hangzhou
Hangzhou ( or , ; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), also romanized as Hangchow, is the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang, China. It is located in the northwestern part of the province, sitting at the head of Hangzhou Bay, whi ...
.
The series wrapped up filming on May 5, 2017.
Soundtrack
Reception
The series received mixed responses from viewers.
Many felt underwhelmed by the unaggressive heroine, who was not able to face off the villain consorts even in the second half of the drama, thus making her character design flawed and unconvincing. The drama was also criticized for its anticlimactic story and depressive tone. Critics felt that it was ironic and unbelievable for the protagonist to pursue monogamy in a highly feudalistic context. The slow pacing in the first half of the drama was pointed out, with critics believing that the screenwriters neglected to write with compact story-telling to flesh out the characters.
The series has also received criticism over the age of the leading performers, with viewers saying they made unconvincing teenagers, and criticized the series' producers for not using younger actors to portray the lovestruck teens. Viewers were also divided over the lack of dubbing for Zhou Xun's 15-year-old character, as they felt that her voice was "too raspy" and "mature" for a teenager.
However, there were also praises for the drama. Zhang Hanyue, a writer and critic, said "The show becomes more and more heart-tugging as the story goes deeper." Many viewers agree that Ruyi bears many characteristics of a modern female.
Vogue magazine
''Vogue'' is an American monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine that covers many topics, including haute couture fashion, beauty, culture, living, and runway. Based at One World Trade Center in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan, ''Vogue ...
commented that the drama actually recorded "the failure of a high-end girl" because what Ruyi had been pursuing was spiritual connections with her spouse; and such a pursuit represents the taste and ideal of the modern middle class. Critics agree that the drama introduces a new light to and narrative of palace dramas, deviating from the existing patterns of treacherous harem games. The drama won acclaim for its exquisite props, lavish sets, and stellar cast.
Censorship
On January 25, 2019 the ''
Beijing Daily
''Beijing Daily'' () is the official newspaper of the Beijing municipal committee of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Founded on October 1, 1952, it has since 2000 been owned by the Beijing Daily Group, which also runs eight other newspapers. It ...
'', an official government newspaper, criticized the program for failing to promote socialist values. Four days later, on January 29, the Chinese government cancelled the program and similar programs such as
Story of Yanxi Palace.
CNN
CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...
and other media outlets quickly reported on this incident, calling it Chinese censorship.
Ratings
Awards and nominations
International broadcast
On 10 June 2016,
Fox Networks Group Asia (FNG) acquired global rights outside mainland China to the series. It was the first epic period drama secured by FNG for markets outside China, and was carried by
STAR Chinese Channel (SCC), the flagship Chinese general entertainment channel, starting 20 August 2018 in selected countries, rerun on August 6, 2019, in all countries for return a year.
From 27 November 2018, it aired on
Fox Taiwan. From 27 December 2018, it aired on
Talentvision Canada. To date it has debuted in 18 countries and regions, including the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
,
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace
2018 Chinese television series debuts
Television shows based on Chinese novels
Television series set in the Qing dynasty
Chinese historical television series
Television series by New Classics Media
Tencent original programming
Chinese web series
2018 web series debuts
2018 Chinese television series endings
Television shows set in Beijing