Supporting characters
Wuyue
Ni Dahong as Hu Jinsi (胡進思), a powerful three-generation statesman who served from the founding of Wuyue under Qian Liu through five successive kings, ultimately orchestrating the deposition of Qian Hongzong and enthronement of Qian Hongchu.
Gao Yuqing as Hu Jing (胡璟), the astute and deliberately understated son of the powerful minister Hu Jinsi, who feigns indifference to political advancement while serving as Minister of Works, ultimately preserving his clan through strategic withdrawal.
Bao Jianfeng as Shuiqiu Zhaoquan (水丘昭券), a revered Wuyue statesman celebrated as the "Foremost Gentleman of Wuyue", who serves as both mentor and father figure to Qian Hongchu while navigating the treacherous political landscape, ultimately meeting a tragic end when his entire family is slaughtered in a coup orchestrated by Hu Jinsi.
You Yongzhi as Qian Yuanguan (錢元瓘), the second king of Wuyue and the father of the Qian princes, who dies from shock-induced madness after arsonists destroy the royal treasury, his original wish to pass the throne to his third son Qian Hongyou thwarted by Hu Jinsi's insistence on legitimate bloodline, resulting in the succession of his sixth son Qian Hongzuo instead.
Guo Chong as Qian Hongjun (錢弘俊), the eldest adopted son of the Wuyue royal family who serves as Pacification Commissioner of the Eastern Prefecture before withdrawing from court affairs to return to his biological father's household, ultimately supporting his younger brother Qian Hongchu's historic decision to peacefully surrender the kingdom to the Song Dynasty.
Liu Chang as Qian Hongyou/Sun Ben (錢弘侑/孫本), the illegitimate third son of Wuyue King Qian Yuanguan and Lady Yu, elder half-brother to Qian Hongchu and Sun Taizhen, who is deposed to commoner status and returns to Huanglong Island with his birth name Sun Ben, after a failed succession struggle.
Wu Haochen as Qian Hongzuo (錢弘佐), the sixth prince and third king of Wuyue, and the elder brother of Qian Hongzong and Qian Hongchu who ascended the throne at age 14 and ruled for seven years until his death at 20.
Zhu Jiaqi as Qian Hongzong (錢弘倧), the seventh prince and fourth king of Wuyue who briefly ruled for one year before being deposed and exiled by general Hu Jinsi, later succeeded by his younger brother Qian Hongchu.
Qin Xiaoxuan as Qian Weizhi (錢惟治), the brilliant and capable adopted son of Qian Hongchu, originally the son of the deposed King Qian Hongzong, who serves as prefect of Taizhou and military commissioner.
Wang Junhao as Qian Weijun (錢惟濬), the eldest legitimate son of Qian Hongchu and Sun Taizhen, the dissolute crown prince of Wuyue, whose impulsive ambition makes him susceptible to Li Yuanqing's manipulation.
Wang Shuo as Yuan Dezhao (元德昭), courtesy name Mingyuan(明遠), a sagacious and politically astute chancellor of Wuyue who serves three successive kings with unwavering integrity, notably refusing to bow during Hu Jinsi's coup until personally confirming Qian Hongchu's identity as the new king, thereby earning profound trust through his demonstration of "comporting oneself with dignity amid upheaval."
Zhao Zheng as Shen Wenqi (慎溫其), courtesy name Ruyu(如玉), a principled scholar-official and loyal advisor who endures imprisonment and torture rather than betray his lord Qian Hongjun, ultimately earning recognition as a paragon of integrity and rising to become prefect of Wenzhou.
Chen Zhihui as Dai Yun (戴惲), the militarily powerful Commander of the Inner Palace Cavalry and maternal uncle to Qian Hongyou, whose very capability and royal connections make him the target of a preemptive strike by the minister Hu Jinsi, resulting in his tragic execution on fabricated charges of treason.
Wang Jialin as Shen Yin (沈寅), courtesy name Huzi(虎子), the principled and farsighted chancellor of Wuyue who serves as Qian Hongchu's trusted mentor and chief advisor for three decades, ultimately choosing loyalty to his sovereign over personal survival when the kingdom surrenders to the Song Dynasty.
Tian Lei as Cui Renji (崔仁冀), courtesy name Ziqian(子遷), a prescient scholar-official who rises from Tongru Academy academician to chancellor and serves as the principal architect of Wuyue's peaceful surrender to the Song Dynasty, ultimately securing his legacy as a pragmatic statesman who prioritizes the survival of his people over dynastic independence.
Mei Ting as Lady Yu (俞大娘子), mother of Qian Hongyou and Sun Taizhen, the formidable owner of Huanglong Island and merchant clan "Huanglong House".
Zhao Jian as Cheng Zhaoyue (程昭悅), a cunning and ambitious merchant who rises from the leader of the Shanyue House to become the powerful Inner Palace Commissioner, ultimately meeting his downfall through execution for treason after attempting to seize the throne of Wuyue.
Wang Zhipeng as He Chengxun (何承訓), a treacherous and opportunistic military officer who orchestrates multiple betrayals across three reigns—from burning the royal treasury to instigating coups—before being publicly executed by Qian Hongchu for his fickle loyalty and complicity in the massacre of the Shuiqiu family.
Central Plains
Dong Yong as Feng Dao (馮道), courtesy name Kedao(可道), the remarkably resilient "unchanging minister" who serves eleven emperors across four dynasties while maintaining his commitment to preserving cultural continuity and alleviating civilian suffering amid the chaos of the Five Dynasties period.
Ji Chenmu as Fan Zhi (范質), courtesy name Wensu(文素), a prodigiously talented scholar-official who serves as Hanlin Academician and Drafter of Proclamations during the Later Jin, ultimately becoming one of the most enduring statesmen of the Five Dynasties period by navigating four successive regimes with his literary brilliance and political acumen.
Huang Chao as Sang Weihan (桑維翰), courtesy name Guoqiao(國僑), the brilliant but controversial Later Jin chancellor who engineered the cession of the Sixteen Prefectures to the Khitans, ultimately meeting his death with stoic dignity after delivering a haunting monologue on the immutable nature of right and wrong to the young Wuyue prince Qian Hongchu.
Hao Ping as Zhao Hongyin (趙弘殷), a seasoned military commander who serves through four dynastic transitions and fathers the future Song Dynasty emperors, ultimately dying before witnessing his son Zhao Kuangyin's imperial ascension but posthumously honored as Emperor Xuanzu.
Hai Yitian as Shi Jingtang (石敬瑭), a military governor of the Later Tang who, with the support of the Khitan, overthrew his former sovereign to establish the Later Jin as its first emperor, famously ceding the Sixteen Prefectures and accepting a subordinate "son emperor" status to the Khitan in exchange for military aid.
Ren Youlun as Shi Chonggui (石重貴), the second and final emperor of the Later Jin dynasty, whose refusal to continue his predecessor's subservient relationship with the Khitan led to war, the collapse of his state, and his own capture and exile, marking the end of the short-lived regime.
Jia Hongwei as Zhang Yanze (張彥澤), a general of Later Tang and Later Jin dynasties who, despite his record of brutal suppression and personal cruelty, was retained for his battlefield effectiveness until he betrayed his sovereign by opening the gates of the capital to the invading Khitan army.
He Ziming as Yelü Deguang (耶律德光), the second emperor of Liao dynasty, who led the Khitan conquest of northern China, briefly proclaimed himself emperor of the Central Plains after destroying the Later Jin, but was forced to withdraw due to Han Chinese's resistance and died during the retreat, marking the limit of Khitan expansion into traditional Chinese heartland.
Yu Yang as Liu Zhiyuan (劉知遠), a military governor of the Later Jin who, following the collapse of that dynasty to Khitan invasion, declared himself emperor and established the Later Han, briefly restoring native Chinese rule over the Central Plain before his sudden death just one year into his reign.
Lin Shaoyang as Liu Chengxùn(劉承訓), courtesy name Dehui(德輝). The eldest son of Liu Zhiyuan and Prince of Wei. Excelling in both civil and military affairs, he was originally expected to inherit the throne, but died suddenly.
Lin Junyi as Liu Chengyou(劉承祐), Liu Zhiyuan's second son, the second and final emperor of the Later Han dynasty, whose attempt to eliminate the powerful military governors who had supported his father's rise provoked a rebellion that overthrew his regime and ended the dynasty after only four years of rule.
Feng Peng as Li Ye(李業), uncle of Liu Chengxùn and Liu Chengyou. Instigated Liu Chengyou to kill the important ministers Yang Bin, Shi Hongzhao, Wang Zhang, and all family members of Guo Wei, driving Guo Wei into rebellion. After being defeated in battle, he was killed by Guo Wei.
Jiang Kai as Guo Wei(郭威), courtesy name Wenzhong(文仲), the founding emperor of the Later Zhou dynasty, a former military governor of the Later Han who rose in rebellion after Emperor Liu Chengyou murdered his entire family, then overthrew the young sovereign to seize the throne. He adopted his brother-in-law's son Chai Rong—later renamed Guo Rong—as his heir, ensuring the succession of one of the most capable emperors of the Five Dynasties period.
Wei Qianxiang as Zhao Kuangyi/Zhao Guangyi (趙匡義/趙光義), courtesy name Tingyi(廷宜), the younger brother of Zhao Kuangyin (Emperor Taizu of Song), succeeded to the throne as Emperor Taizong of Song following his brother's death and accepted Qian Chu's surrender of Wuyue to the Song dynasty.
Zhang Fan as Sima Pu (司馬浦), a middle-aged scholar who has failed the imperial examination for forty years before being discovered by the incognito Zhao Kuangyin in a tavern, subsequently appointed to the Privy Council for his vision of benevolent governance, and later memorializing the emperor to spare Wang Quanbin's life—establishing the precedent of not executing officials and ending the cycle of purges that doomed previous dynasties, thereby paving the way for the peaceful "Dismissing Generals with a Cup of Wine".
Southern Tang
Zhan Chenglin as Li Jing (李璟), courtesy name Boyu(伯玉), the second king of Southern Tang whose ambitious military campaigns against Min and Chu bring his kingdom to its territorial zenith, only to see it precipitously decline through disastrous wars with Later Zhou that cost him the Huainan region and his imperial title, setting the stage for his poet-son Li Yu's tragic reign.
Niu Chao as Li Yu (李煜), the last king of Southern Tang, a celebrated poet whose lyrical verses captured the melancholy of lost power and exile after his realm's conquest by the Song dynasty, earning him recognition as one of China's greatest literary figures despite his failures as a monarch.
Zhao Zhengyang as Xu Xuan (徐铉), courtesy name Dingchen(鼎臣), the principled Southern Tang envoy who confronts Later Jin chancellor Sang Weihan when the latter threatens to expose the Southern Tang as the next target of Khitan aggression by replicating his betrayal of the Sixteen Prefectures unless the Southern Tang agrees to dispatch troops against the nomadic threat.
Zhang Xiaochen as Li Yuanqing (李元清), courtesy name Yunqing(云清), the cunning and resilient spymaster of the Southern Tang's Qinhuai House who devises elaborate stratagems to resist Song's expansion, ultimately surviving the fall of his kingdom to live out his days in scholarly seclusion while co-compiling the Hundred Family Surnames.
