[Photo & Review] 'Curse of the Royal Harem' (萬凰之王) Hong Kong Drama on TVB Broadcast.

[Photo & Review] 'Curse of the Royal Harem' (萬凰之王) Hong Kong Drama on TVB Broadcast.
Original : http://twssg.blogspot.com/

'Curse of the Royal Harem' is a 2011 Hong Kong period drama produced by Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) under executive producer Chong Wai-kin. The drama will broadcast 45-minute episodes from 31 October to 9 December 2011, in a total of 30 episodes. It is one of three grand TVB productions used to celebrate the channel's 44th anniversary, the other two being Super Snoops and Forensic Heroes III.



Synopsis:
Emperor Do Kwong accended the throne after the disappearance of his elder brother Prince Muk while at war. Although the Emperor ordered for the search of Prince Muk, deep down, the royal family, including his consort, Niuhuru Yee Lan, knows that Prince Muk has died.

Emperess Dowager Gong Chi ordered that Nuihuru Yee Lan be buried alive to appease the soul of Prince Muk. The Emperor found out about the Empress Dowager's decree at the coronation ceremony of his Empress, Empress Hao Sun. In his rush to save Niuhuru Yee Lan, the Emperor disrupt the Empress coronation ceremony much to the disappointment of Empress Hao Sun as well as the Empress Dowager.

To save Niuhuru Yee Lan from further punishement from the Empress Dowager, the emperor decided to take his sister-in-law as his Concubine. This enraged both the Empress Dowager and Empress Hao Sun who sees Yee Lan as her main rival for the Emperor's affection.
The two women began to manipulate and outsmart each other.

caught between the woman he loves and his Empress, the Emperor is tired and exhausted and wished for calm and peace. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the worse when rumours of an affair between the Empress and Prince Rui, the emperor's younger brother, surfaced.

Although Nuihuru Yee Lan (now Concubine Tsuen) is the favoured concubine of the Emperor, she is constantly oppressed by the Empress Dowager and the Empress. Concubine Tsuen turned from a simple-minded and kind hearted lady into a sophisticated and manipulative women. She refused to be a victim of fate and decides to put her own fate in her own hands. She is ready to take anyone who stand in her way down.

MV - Curse of The Royal Harem

Main cast :
Jessica Hsuan as Niohuru Yee-lan (鈕祜祿·伊蘭), the Consort Tsuen (全妃皇贵妃) — the Do-kwong Emperor's favourite consort and childhood crush. She was once married to Do-kwong's older brother Min-yi; however, he went missing after he went to control a rebellion in Northwest China a few months after their marriage. Yee-lan is forced to become a human sacrifice for Mini-yi's funeral ceremony by the orders of Empress Dowager Kung-chee, who sees Yee-lan as unfortunate and cursed. Do-kwong saves Yee-lan from her death and announces that he will take her hand in marriage. Although Yee-lan agrees to become his consort, she still holds the belief that Min-yi is alive, and once escaped palace grounds to search for him. Yee-lan eventually falls in love with Do-kwong, who honoured her as an individual and wife.

Myolie Wu as Tunggiya Yuen-yuen (佟佳·沅宛), the Empress Consort Hao-sun (孝慎皇后) — Do-kwong's first empress consort and Yee-lan's main rival. Her coronation as Empress is disrupted by Do-kwong when he goes to save Yee-lan from burial. Jealous of Do-kwong's favouritism towards Yee-lan, and a fear of losing her title as Empress, Yuen-yuen attempts to strip Yee-lan from power by dispatching a spy to Yee-lan's palace chamber. Yuen-yuen becomes desperate to conceive a son and is later deposed of her title as Empress after Do-kwong discovers her illicit affair with Min-yan.

Sunny Chan as the Do-kwong Emperor (道光帝) — the benevolent Qing Dynasty emperor who naturally became the successor due to the death of his older brother, Min-yi. He has had a crush on Yee-lan since youth, but because Yee-lan and Min-yi were in love, he decided to forgo his pursuits. Do-kwong interrupts Yuen-yuen's Empress coronation in order to save Yee-lan from her burial, and soon announces to take her hand in marriage, much to the dismay of Yuen-yuen and Kung-chee. Do-kwong is extremely close to his brothers and muses that if Min-yi hadn't died, he would have been crowned instead.



Joel Chan as Min-yan, the Prince Sui (瑞親王綿忻) — Do-kwong's younger half-brother and best friend. Min-yan extremely respects his older brother and purposefully presents himself in a much harsher and militaristic image in court to highlight Do-kwong's more sincere and benevolent image. Min-yan was Yuen-yuen's lover before she married Do-kwong. Though he still harbours feelings for her, Min-yan is disgusted by Yuen-yuen's calculating and cunning schemes for power. Yuen-yuen later seduces Min-yan, and he sires a son with her. Influenced by Kung-chee and Yuen-yuen, Min-yan begins to develop a growing dissent towards Do-kwong's rule, and ultimately decides to overthrow him.

Gigi Wong as Empress Dowager Kung-chee (恭慈皇太后) — Do-kwong's stepmother and Min-yan's mother. Although Do-kwong is not her biological son, he is the most filial. Kung-chee believes Yee-lan is creating tension between her and Do-kwong, and finds her power in court to be weakening. She later convinces Min-yan to start a coup to overthrow Do-kwong.

Nancy Wu as Choi-lam (彩藍) — born Borjigit Ching-yu (博爾濟吉特·静瑜), the maiden spy Yuen-yuen sennds to spy on Yee-lan. Choi-lam later changes her loyalty to serve Yee-lan, but is unhappy with her ambiguous relationship with her two masters. She later wins the emperor's favour and eventually becomes Consort Ching (靜妃).