Empress of the Ming

Ming Dynasty is a 2019 Chinese television series giving a fictionalised account of the life of Empress Sun, who was an empress consort of the Xuande Emperor. Starring Tang Wei and Zhu Yawen, it aired on Hunan Television until 2020. Loosely adapted from the novel The Chronicle of the Six Eras by Lianjing Zhuyi, the show gained much attention and viewership from non-Chinese viewers after it achieved high ratings in mainland China. Synopsis After a successful insurrection against Jianwen Emperor, the Yongle Emperor orders the execution of many high-ranking officials of the court loyal to his deposed predecessor. Among them is the royal doctor Jing Qing, whose entire family is condemned alongside him. His two daughters escape and are separated in the process. The younger daughter is adopted by a high ranking inner court attendant named Hu and renamed Hu Shanxiang. The elder daughter is rescued and adopted by the general Sun Yu and given the name Sun Ruowei. The two daughters live out different lives: the younger is raised in the Imperial Palace as a maid and the older with a group of rebels loyal to the previous emperor. Ruowei gains literacy and martial arts skills, which prove helpful later. Years later, Qingzheng Cult, in which Ruowei is raised, continues to plot to overthrow Yongle and re-establish Jianwen. During this time, Yongle's favorite grandson Zhu Zhangji is zealous in purging the remaining rebels; he meets Ruowei while doing so. Zhangji's attraction toward her grows, as her character and behavior differ from those of other palace ladies, such as Ruowei's penchant for speaking her mind.